What if...? Re: Zero - One Shot's

by ThinkMind

Summary:

I've always had ideas for some Re:Zero stories. Some that already exist, others that I don't know exist. But I never had the time or the courage to really develop them. So I decided to write this story. Chapters [One Shot] of universes from Re:Zero that maybe in the future I'll have more in-depth ideas for.

Chapter 1: Promise If

What if...? Subaru had kept his promise to Emilia in Arc 3?

 

 

—————

[—Subaru—]

[Subaru: Ah, Rem-rin. Even after all this time, I can't compare to your skills~! How envious!]

[Rem: Subaru-Kun just needs a bit more practice. Rem is actually quite surprised that you've made so much progress as a butler. Rem finds Subaru-Kun's learning abilities very impressive].

[Subaru: Kyah~ N-Don't say that, Rem-rin! If you keep complimenting me like that, my heart will start beating harder than it should~!]

True!

Just hearing a few compliments from the lovely Rem-rin would be enough to make any man's heart flutter a little. How can she be so adorable in such a natural way?! It's a bit of an injustice, don't you think?

And as kind as her words are, I can't afford to relax.

We were in the kitchen, peeling some Appas - the apples of this world. Even though I'm actually doing a pretty good job, I'd say, comparing what I do to Rem-rin's work would be like comparing 10 to 100, no, 10 to 1000, or even higher.

If someone walked into the kitchen right now, they'd see two piles of peeled Appas. One pile perfectly and the other, mine, with a few irregularities.

But our differences also stemmed from our lifestyles.

After all... I'm not even from this world.

When I was returning home after another trip to the 24-hour grocery store to compare my daily supply of junk food, I was locked in my room... again. It was almost like that as part of my daily routine. Waking up, doing some exercise to keep my health to the bare minimum needed to live, talking to my parents, and then locking myself away doing nothing.

The life of a useless NEET who has abandoned all dignity and studies. A summary of who I've always been, a good-for-nothing who doesn't try any harder than necessary to keep his life relaxed.

At least until it happened...

I suffered an Isekai!

Not in the conventional way of being run over, which I'm grateful for, but I was randomly summoned on the streets of the Capital of Lugunica — the kingdom I'm in — on any given day. And several things happened on that single day; I was mugged, I met Emilia-tan and Puck, I helped them to the House of Loot, and I died... Yes, I died.

I possess a very terrifying and somewhat useless ability for an Isekai protagonist: Death Return. I die and I can go back to a point in time, like a Save Point, and redo my actions. All in all... I must have died a few times. Twice for Elsa, once for the trio of robbers, once by Mana poisoning, twice for Nee-Sama and Rem-rin, and once by suicide.

That's seven times. Which makes that phrase: You only live once silly.

Some might even find it strange that I'm here, now, in a kitchen doing housework with Rem-rin, considering that she killed me and tortured me to the point where her sister Ram, Nee-Sama, killed me by cutting my neck in the end. But I have my reasons for that. Since they suspected me at first of being a Witch Cult Cultist, I just had to show them that I wasn't. With a lot of effort!

With a lot of effort!

But I did it, and I even managed to help save their lives and the lives of the people of Arlam Village from the Majuuns' attack. Preventing the events of the mansion's fourth loop that led me to kill myself in the end.

It doesn't matter what happened before.

What matters now is that we're finally okay. Peeling some Appas for a new pie recipe that Rem-rin said he'd heard about and wanted to practice, and I couldn't help but want to try. Especially to show off one of the best qualities of Return by Death. For I am able to retain past memories and experiences, which included my skills as a butler at the Manor.

I can't let Rem-rin do all the hard work by herself! As amazing as she is as the best maid in the whole mansion!

[Rem: Subaru-Kun... are you still worried about Emilia-Sama?]

[——]

[Rem: There's no need to hide anything from Rem, Subaru-Kun. Rem knows how worried you must be about Emilia-Sama at the Royal Selection Candidates' meeting].

It's true, very true.

Emilia-Tan is a silver-haired half-elf, one of the prettiest, cutest and kindest girls I've ever met in my life. And she's a Royal Candidate! From what I hear, there are five of them; and the one who is chosen would become ruler of the entire kingdom of Lugunica.

An important role.

That day there would be a meeting of the Candidates in the Capital. She didn't want to bring me at first, until Rem-rin and Ros-Chi helped convince her to bring me.

And she left early to go.

I even thought about going... I really wanted to go to support her, thinking of the worst-case scenario that could happen to her. Like Elsa attacking and murdering her in those loops, or Rem-rin, me and the others dying to those beasts in the mansion. I couldn't help but think of the worst things that could happen without me around.

But... she made me promise not to go. Which really worries me, especially given how much I fear for her safety.

As I said, I even thought about going, breaking my promise, to make sure the worst didn't happen. Even Rem-rin hinted at letting me go, talking about Appas's pie recipe. Only... I gave up. When the time came, I realized it was foolish to go there.

[Subaru: Yes, I am. But there's no way. Everything must be sorted out by now, right? Emilia-Tan will be fine. Puck and Ros-Chi are with her, they can handle it. Besides, she's quite capable of handling everything. -- Really, I'm fine. Still worried, but optimistic that everything's going to be fine, okay?]

[Rem: Oo-okay.]

[Subaru: A for effort, Rem-rin~ -- And what would I do there? Just watch a performance? No. I think it'll be better to wait here, help you and we'll all have a delicious pie together when it's settled. It's for the best, don't you think?]

[Rem: I guess. Besides, most girls like it when a boy keeps his promises. And as a spirit user, for Emilia-Sama, those promises are even more important. Subaru-Kun will impress her with his conduct and control].

[Subaru: Again you're making my heart flutter, Rem-rin~!]

There's no way! How can someone so cute exist?! And how can she be so supportive of a NEET like me?! What a blessing!

And also... I'm sure everything is going well.

The important thing now is to help Rem-rin fulfill our main task: Appa's Pie. For all of us to share together when Emilia-Tan comes back, I bet she's already finishing everything and excited for when she arrives and sees us!

-{—Castle—}-

Marcos stared at the scene with surprise, disbelief and coldness. Not being indifferent to massacres or brutal attacks, he had seen enough to deal with everything to a certain extent. But he still had certain limits. This scene was one, not just because of what he was seeing; bodies pierced by thorns, others half-frozen, but all dead.

One of the Wise Men, Bordeaux, and several nobles.

They were all dead. A scene that shouldn't happen, especially in the place that was supposed to bring together all the Royal Candidates and Knights. Not when he was there too, to prevent such things from happening.

Everything went quickly. The five candidates introduced themselves, all stating their intentions, each one personal, but all as strong as their personalities allowed.

Among them was the figure most of them had been waiting to meet. Emilia, just Emilia. The silver-haired half-elf Candidate, similar in appearance to the Witch of Envy, who was considered the worst monster in the world and whom everyone hated. It generated a well-known prejudice against such a race, even more so against a young girl who had a similar appearance to this being.

Everything was going normally. Until it all started with Bordeaux's first words.

Offensive words against the girl. And from what Marcos could see, right from the start, he saw how she was being attacked from all sides by people, including the Candidates themselves - Priscilla in particular seemed to antagonize both the half-elf and the Candidate who was found by the Sword Saint.

A situation that, from some people's perspective, was to be expected. And none of the knights reacted.

The insults kept coming, getting worse and worse, more and more cruel and vicious, going beyond what would be considered the “ordinary” scene they were expecting.  Until it happened. A pressure of mana, the room cooling down, everything seeming to happen in seconds, as the figure began its attack.

The Great Spirit of Fire, Puck, known as the Beast of the End to those who knew of his existence.

He hurled thorns of ice at the nobles and the Bordeaux Sage in his fit of rage. Killing them quickly, tearing their skins as well as freezing them. In such a short time that even the proud knights who were there couldn't interrupt him to save them, nor the Saint of the Sword himself.

[Puck: I won't allow you to continue antagonizing my daughter...!]

They were words full of pure anger, hatred, cruelty and coldness with the ice of their attacks. Words directed at everyone, apart from his contractor, his “daughter”, Emilia, who in that scene seemed just as terrified and surprised as everyone else at that moment, if not more so.

The girl managed to calm him down and put him back in his Crystal, but he didn't move until his collaborator, Roswaal, helped her.

Marcos saw something that day that he hadn't expected. An unexpected massacre of several nobles at the “hands” of a Great Spirit, who was not only linked to a Candidate, but acted to exterminate those who had insulted her.

[Mark: Now even if she says he acted on his own, it wouldn't be safe. No one would believe a Spiritual Arts user losing control of his Spirit. And if it was because of a lack of control, who would trust someone unable to keep the Great Spirit under control so as not to hurt other people?].

He looked at the bodies.

[Mark: Such an attack will be viewed with very bad eyes. They'll think she wanted to eliminate those who disagreed with her and mocked her appearance, and used the Great Spirit as a way to do it without getting her hands dirty, to have an excuse and intimidate anyone who tried to antagonize her. -- Your candidacy will fall to unimaginable levels. So why...? Why did he look so pleased...?]

The Commander wondered at the scene after the attack. Emilia was unable to move, looking catatonic from what had happened, while her collaborator, Roswaal, looked pleased to see the state of everything. This led Marcos to have great suspicions about the Court Magician, but he could do nothing about it for the time being.

Roswaal and Emilia were being escorted by the Knights and the Sword Saint himself to be questioned about what had happened, to confirm whether Emilia had really premeditated such an attack on the people in the room.

Marcos had stayed with the other knights in that room. As Commander, the one who was supposed to be the leader and take charge of the situation when it got worse, he was there to help his subordinates clear the room. Break up the ice, collect the bodies, then take the bodies of the nobles back to their families so that they could at least have a proper burial. And among those helping him was Julius Juukulius.

The Knight of Knights also seemed to have a hard expression, but more mortified.

Like Mark and the other knights, for him this scene was a blow to the pride and honor of those who fought so hard for the kingdom and proclaimed themselves its sacred defenders. And for Julius, as a Spirit Knight, an attack carried out by a Spirit of the highest level was another attack on his pride and honor, on an even more personal level than Marcos could comprehend.

[Marcos: For now... what we can do is clean up the damage... But... I think that damage is permanent...]

He wasn't one to believe in things like faith or anything like that.

Only this time, Marcos wished that someone had come along and stopped it from happening. Would such a thing be possible...? He couldn't answer that, but he wished it were.

Even if he knew it was impossible.

 

 

—————

Why would that be a possibility? Simple: Roswaal.

Before that event in Arc 3, Roswaal had made a deal with Puck to attack people who offended Emilia if Subaru didn't show up to defend her. Why?

-First: Because of the Gospel that was still commanding him in that Arc.

-Second: To test and force Subaru to use his ability (which Roswaal didn't know was through Death) to reverse the situation and go through what he went through in the original.

And the consequences?

-Could Subaru probably try to use his power? Maybe. But his Return by Death could end up having a Save Point at a moment that didn't help him prevent such an event, which would condemn everyone to keep what happened at the Royal Selection Meeting.

-What would happen if it failed? Roswaal would go crazy because everything had gone off the rails, and he might even reveal himself to Subaru and attack him. Even drive Subaru up the wall with his threats. Since, for Roswaal, from his point of view, Subaru is in total control and has only not returned by his own choice, which would be bad for Roswaal for deviating from the Gospel.

In short: Subaru and Emilia would go through hell because of Roswaal's manipulations, all because Subatu didn't go all the way and was “ashamed” in front of everyone.

Is it strange that, in this particular part of Arc 3, I don't really feel angry or ashamed of Subaru, but more sorry? Because, honestly, I see what he did in a really sympathetic way. Even, putting myself in his shoes, I think I'd react that way towards one of my friends. Maybe even worse, knowing my personal personality.

Chapter 2: [Extra - Promise IF]

—[Subaru]—

Ok, right, Ok.

Another day, in a new time that has begun.

Waking up as always, putting on clothes as always. Natsuki Subaru is ready for another day in this fantasy world mansion! Looking in the mirror, making sure everything is fine so that Nee-Sama doesn’t have a reason to tease me... though she always finds one, doesn’t she?

Finished! Time to go—

[Rem: Good morning, Subaru-Kun~]

[Subaru: Good morning, Rem-rin~! The day always starts perfectly when Rem-rin is one of the first things I see! Otherwise, I don’t think I’d be able to last in this job...]

[Rem: Hehehe~ Rem is happy just to hear those words from Subaru-Kun!]

Rem was almost always the first person I saw in the morning since she always came to wake me up. Which is perfect! There’s nothing better in life because she is the best maid in the world! And the best Rem in the world—even though there’s only one, but that’s what makes her even more special!

[Subaru: Let’s do our best again today, right, Rem-rin?]

[Rem: Yes! Rem always wants to do her best when Subaru-Kun is excited.]

After a quick exchange, we headed to work.

Or at least part of the work that I do. And that I can do. Cleaning windows, furniture, vases. Not much compared to Rem-rin’s workload.

She cleaned with such efficiency that it would be impossible for a NEET like me.

As I finished cleaning another vase, I heard something. Footsteps.

Looking to the side, I saw… him. With his blue-haired figure, annoying clown-like makeup, and different-colored eyes. But with a downcast expression. No longer that smiling, excited look.

Roswaal L. Mathers.

The one who should be my employer and Emilia-tan’s sponsor in the Royal Selection. An eccentric figure in how he dresses, acts, even in how he speaks.

But everything changed since that day...

[Roswaal: I see you continue your work diligently, Subaru-Kun.]

[Subaru: Yes. Ros-Chi. I’m still an employee, aren’t I? At least until you throw me away for your plans.]

[Roswaal: ——]

With that half-closed look he gave me, I couldn’t help but feel a shiver. But I also couldn’t control the venom I injected into my words. And he knew exactly why better than anyone else.

After our cold exchange ended, he walked away down the corridor.

I still had to finish my work despite my employer being a jerk! So I decided to continue cleaning the windows along the hallway.

And then I felt a shiver run through my body. That sixth sense I felt on my first day here. Turning toward a nearby door, I approached, opened it, and once again came face-to-face with one of the first NPCs in this gigantic mansion.

[Beatrice: You showed up again, I suppose?]

[Subaru: Yes, yes. It’s almost become a routine for us to see each other, hasn’t it? —— From the way you’re looking at me, you seem to hate it. But I bet you love it when I show up, right?! I have this natural charm that works on anyone!]

[Beatrice: You have an incredible ability to irritate everyone until they pretend they no longer see you standing there talking, I suppose. If only Bubby showed up more… he hasn’t appeared since you all returned three days ago, I suppose.]

[Subaru: ——]

[Beatrice: What’s with that look, I suppose...?]

[Subaru: Hm? No. It’s nothing, Beako. I swear. —— I’ll talk to Emilia again to see if... Puck can come see you again, I promise...]

I guess I let my sadness and anger show at that moment, didn’t I? Because she looked confused when she mentioned Puck. No, I can’t let it stay like this.

I’ll talk to Emilia-tan. With that decision made, I started walking toward her room.

Beako must be really worried. From the few interactions I’ve seen between them, Puck was one of the few things that made her smile, and I couldn’t help but want to see her smile more. But since we returned from the Capital, they haven’t been able to see each other.

All because of me, even though she doesn’t know it.

I should find a way to fix the mistake I made. Beako didn’t deserve to suffer because of my incompetence, just like everyone else in the mansion—except for Ros-Chi, that guy can just go to hell!—and I had to do it because it was my duty… because of the burden I carry.

But I had to put those thoughts aside when I reached her door and knocked.

[Subaru: Emilia-tan? —— It’s Subaru! Your amazing personal butler and friend, yes?! A-At least I hope the last part is true... I really do. —— Emilia-tan, do you want me to bring you a snack? You barely ate last night, you didn’t even come out, actually. I’d be happy if I could come in and see your face for a bit... I miss seeing you smile. —— Emilia-tan?]

No answer. No answer at all, not even a murmur or anything like that. She was as quiet today as she had been since we returned from the Capital. I couldn’t blame anyone but myself for her being locked up in that room.

[Subaru: Emilia-tan… You know what?! I’m going to prepare a super-wonderful snack for you! With a nice drink, flowers for a special decorative touch, and I’ll bring it to you, and you’ll be so excited that you’ll fall in love with me, you know? Don’t worry, I won’t reject your love! Just wait for me!]

After saying what needed to be said, I ran.

It was a relatively quick trip to the kitchen of the enormous mansion. There, it was a complicated task to prepare something relatively delicious.

My skills are nowhere near Rem-rin’s level when it comes to this kind of work.

Cooking wasn’t my specialty, nor was I talented at it. I had to learn through various experiences from failed loops, and it was one of the only good things I enjoyed when facing these challenges. I think the only good thing I can make in the kitchen is mayonnaise, my secret weapon that many people would love to try.

[Ram: Barusu.]

[Subaru: Ah, everything okay, Nee-sama? I’m making a snack.]

[Ram: Barusu barely started working and is already taking a break to eat? Lazy and Gluttonous.]

[Subaru: OY! Don’t call me that! It’s not even for me, it’s for... —— Emilia-tan. She needs to eat more. Being hungry and malnourished won’t do anything good for her usually cute appearance, don’t you agree?]

[Ram: —— I agree. Emilia-sama needs to regain the strength she has been losing these past few days. I think I’ll ask Rem to make a more nutritious dinner today to help her.]

[Subaru: Yes, that might be good. I’m glad you agree with me, Nee-sama... I’m really worried about her.]

[Ram: That’s very understandable. Aside from Emilia-sama, I’m also worried about Master Roswaal-sama. He hasn’t been well since the events in the Capital either.]

[Subaru: No one has...]

Nodding, we agreed.

The Capital Event that became known throughout the kingdom: The attack of the Beast of the End.

The Beast of the End, Puck, ordered by his master, Emilia, the "incarnation" of the Witch of Envy, attacked the members of the Council of Sages and the nobles of the Capital on the day of the Royal Candidates' meeting at the start of the Royal Selection.

Lies!

Emilia-tan would never do that. And I thought that the first time I was told, but I was sure because of the bastard who happens to be my employer.

Roswaal knew everything.

He knew about my ability. He knew from the very first day because he was the one who ordered Elsa’s attack on Emilia-tan when Felt stole her insignia, he knew what would happen in Arlam Village and what would happen between me and Rem-rin from the very beginning, just as he made Puck carry out that attack in the Capital.

It was all his scheme. He revealed that he was following the orders of something called the Tome of Wisdom, from his Teacher.

It took three loops to confront him enough.

In the first; He made me kill myself when he killed Rem right in front of me, wanting me to loop back to try to fix the problem in the Royal Selection hall. But I found out that my save point was right in the morning when he revealed the incident to us. And when I revealed it to him in my second loop; He was furious. It was horrible. He beat me, hit me over and over until he couldn’t anymore. And he did it when we were alone, before killing me with one of his fire spells.

It was the third loop, my current life, that I managed to stop him by talking seriously with him. Explaining that my ability wouldn’t extend beyond that point. And I put him in check by making him realize that if he continued that way, I wouldn’t help him. That I would go straight to Reinhard and confess everything. My gamble was a quick but efficient escape — I just hope Reinhard doesn’t feel bad that I "used" him this way.

And he had to accept it.

We’re basically in a cold war. Especially given Emilia-tan’s fragile state right now. Because of the things that happened.

Puck’s actions in the Capital left her devastated by the atrocities he committed. And because, thanks to Puck’s actions, her popularity dropped to the point where she was being considered — or at least it was being discussed and deliberated — for expulsion from the Royal Selection.

Something almost as horrible as Puck breaking his promise to Emilia.

From what I understand, promises are very important for people bound by contracts with Spirits. For Emilia-tan, it was even more important. And she hasn’t said much since that day, and no one has seen Puck or her much, or seen the two together — those who were once loyal companions.

I could barely bear the sadness of seeing her in that state.

And I feel that... it’s my fault. Or I’m sure it is.

Roswaal said I was supposed to show up that day and defend Emilia-tan to help her. But I didn’t, to keep my promise to Emilia-tan. And my problem was even worse because; The only power I have, the only ability that was supposed to help me fix everything... no longer worked.

I died twice to Ros-Chi, and it showed me that no matter how many times I died, I wouldn’t go back to a time where I could fix this mistake.

Because of my mistake.

Because of my mistake; Those people died from Puck’s attacks, Emilia-tan lost her father figure, Beako lost her only friend, Emilia-tan was isolated, and Ram seemed sad over Ros-Chi’s seemingly devastated state after his return from the Capital.

Because of me. If I had at least... done what I wanted to do. Helped her the way I should have.

But now, there’s no way to fix it anymore.

Walking towards the stairs, he carried a tray with Emilia-Tan's snack. So she can regain some of the strength she needs.

Knock, knock

I heard noises at the front door. Leaving my mission temporarily, I started walking towards the door.

I decided to do my job and welcome our guests.

Opening it with my free hand, I tried to maintain my posture taught to me by Rem-rin as the elegant butler she said I could and should be to represent everyone in the mansion.

[Subaru: Good morning, welcome to... ——]

I shut up at the sight of those figures.

Hooded figures. Several of them, with bloodstains and weapons. One of them was in front, with green hair, a crazed look and a smile on his face, he bowed until his head was close to the ground.

[Petelguese: Good morning! What a wonderful day, don't you think~? An extremely wonderful day! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! For a diligent life! Oh, to spread love! The love of the Witch! Love, love, love, love, love, love! It's a pleasure to meet you! You... wouldn't you be Pride? —— Well, it doesn't matter. As Archbishop of the Witch Cult, I represent Sloth, my name is: Petelguese Romanee-Coti, Desu~!]

He introduced himself and I felt... that I was screwed.

Chapter 3: [Extra 2 - Promise IF]

——[Subaru]——

Waking up, staring at the ceiling, sighing.

Moving out of bed, stretching my arms, sighing again. Tired. Even though I hadn't done anything other than sleep the daily amount of hours to rest my mind, I felt as if my body was ready to fall flat on the floor the moment I stood up.

Walking to the wardrobe to get dressed took longer than it normally would. Changing clothes, putting on new attire — different from my usual tracksuit: a white high-collared button-up shirt, slightly wrinkled, beneath a black buttoned vest with golden buttons and a small pocket on the left chest, along with dark pants and black shoes. New clothes I received after everything.

Not that I disliked dressing elegantly like the kingdom's snobby nobles, but seeing myself like this felt really strange. However, it was because I had lost all my clothes at the Mansion in that loop.

Knock, knock

[Subaru: I'm coming.]

Walking to the door, the same routine as always when seeing the first person of my day.

[Rem: Good morning, Subaru-kun.]

[Subaru: Good morning, Rem-rin.]

That smile. That sad smile that had been on her face since that day — a smile that gave me the strength to want to bring back that true smile I love so much. But that desire, for now, is far from reach.

[Rem: Subaru-kun will be going out again today?]

[Subaru: Yes. I'm in a good negotiation for a new product that could be quite profitable for all of us. And we'll be able to secure more safety funds for our life here.]

[Rem: Subaru-kun is always so hardworking. Rem will make a nice dinner for when you return. I'll have everything ready.]

And that's more than I could ever thank her for these days, ever since the mansion.

Now we wander down the wooden hallway, where there are only a few doors — mine, Rem-rin's, and the other two people living in the house. The room at the far end is considered the most important among us because of the person who lives there. Reaching the staircase, we began descending step by step to the lower floor.

It's not a glamorous house, but it's essentially good enough to live in.

It's spacious, with a kitchen/dining room. Always clean thanks to Rem-rin's diligent work to preserve the place we live in — and she makes the best meals in the world in that place. Meals that would satisfy any man's heart, made by the most delicate hands of possibly the world's cutest maid. I feel truly blessed for the opportunities to receive the meals made by her.

[???: Subaru-sama, I hope you had plenty of rest, Nya~!]

Our third figure in the house. With cat ears and tail, a well-kept blue dress, and a youthful appearance. This demi-human looks like a girl but is actually a boy. A former Knight (?) with the old title of: Blue. Someone I met in the past at the old Mathers Mansion and later when I went to the Capital about three months ago with Emilia-tan, Ros-Chi, and Rem-rin.

He approached me with a few hops and that cheerful smile, grabbing my hand. Massaging it in a comforting way with his soft hands.

[Subaru: Yes, Ferris. I had a good night's sleep. The healing you gave me was essential, and I could rest very well. And waking up every day with Rem-rin waking me... there's no more relaxing way to wake up.]

[Felix: Ow~ Why do you do this to Ferris-chan, Subaru-sama~? You could say more compliments to Ferris-chan like that too, you know, Nya~? Should I dress as a maid too to catch your interest~?]

[Subaru: Sorry, but it won't work. Rem-rin has the natural charm for maid outfits.]

[Rem: Hihi~ Rem thanks Subaru-kun for the sweet words~]

[Felix: Tsk! Rem-chan really manages to be a seductive cutie without even trying, how unfair! Nyo~! Ferris-chan will surpass this maid's natural charms! —— But Ferris-chan is sad to have to make this same promise every day, every morning, Nya~]

He went back to sit at the dining room table, with a cute defeated expression. Thanks to him, for a few moments in this conversation, I could see that little smile and hear that sweet laugh from Rem-rin.

[Subaru: I'm heading out. I have that meeting this morning — I'll eat with them. Ferris, please continue with your lessons, okay? And Rem-rin, feel free to do whatever you find necessary for our house. You can use the money to buy essentials... or buy some treats to cheer yourself up — just don't spend too much, okay?]

[Felix: Sure, Subaru-sama, Nya~!]

[Rem: Be careful, Subaru-kun. Your Rem will take care of everything to be ready for when you return.]

Scratching my neck, I left.

Upon leaving our little house, I found myself on the streets. Following the usual path.

Even though today's meeting was as important as the other days, I didn't want to attend to stay with them. Just to relax a little.

Unfortunately, I can't.

I have my own duty to take care of everyone's lives since we arrived in this great city. Picoautatte; a city with essentially some Arabic touches, like its architecture and the dress codes of most who live here. Even though we have permission to dress however we wanted.

The story I heard about Picoautatte is that it's a major trading city, full of energy and commotion. Streets packed with shops, open stalls — more like an open market running twenty-four hours a day.

The place where we fled months ago.

At that time; we were attacked by the Witch Cult members: Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti Desu~, the Archbishop of Sloth. I've basically memorized that lunatic's introduction from how many times I restarted that day.

At the very least, from what I remember, it lasted days, weeks.

My save point was three hours before their attack. Three hours! Why was I so unlucky?! So many times I was killed by those guys in that place! Again, again, again, again, again. If I had to count, I died enough times to fill half an entire month trying (one hundred and twenty-one times) until I managed to get rid of everything.

Just remembering makes me tremble.

Thinking about the way I died, thinking about the amount of destruction they caused. It was terrible to experience that, especially the monstrous things. The things I couldn't erase from my mind... or the world.

They attacked us, I died. Rem-rin, Nee-Sama, Emilia-Tan, Ros-Chi, Beako.

We all died.

And every time Emilia-Tan died, Puck appeared to kill everyone.

I couldn't think of a way to save everyone with the time I had, having to use some of the loops just to think. And no matter how much help I asked from Ros-Chi and Beako, they did almost nothing. They just let themselves die because they saw no more meaning in their own lives.

Something that irritated me a lot. I could die and come back, but they had only one life and should have enjoyed it — yet they gave up without even trying to survive. Dying, seeing them dying, knowing that we were living only to die soon after.

My broken bones, my skin ripped off, my flesh torn. Burned, dismembered, crushed. My eyes, my tongue, my ears torn out. All because of those monsters and that sick green-skinned, green-haired man, with those stupid invisible hands that could kill anyone in just one blow — I speak from personal experience on that matter.

[Subaru: I don't want to take any more punches...]

It was a personal wish to survive.

As I walked through the streets, I found myself in front of the great building of my main current partners, the Suwen, who bought and sold my objects. Entering the place, I saw that man.

[Mazeran Suwen: Good morning, Natsuki-San. It's a pleasure to see you again. Did you bring another one of your wonderful items?]

[Subaru: Yes, yes, Suwen-San, and I hope you're ready for us to continue our business. Today I brought only one more common item.]

[Mazeran: Given what you consider common, I feel surprised and curious to know more about where you really come from.]

A man wearing common clothes in this great city: brown hair and mustache with some gray spots to show how much older he is, being quite plump. Carrying some chains, ornaments, and jewelry to make him more elegant — a very functional touch.

The one who trades the most with me in this city.

My main merchant, buyer, seller. The person who runs Suwen Company, one of, if not the main, company in the commercial city.

Being led inside by him, we were already in his main meeting room. In my left hand was the metal object I had fetched yesterday; A long, golden object with a small dragon mark. A lighter.

[Subaru: What I have here is not just any piece of metal. This little artifact is a lighter. How does it work? The magic of this, my friend, doesn't come from enchantments... but from ingenuity. Inside, there's a stone called flint and a small serrated wheel. When I spin this wheel with my thumb... —— the flint strikes against the metal, creating sparks. The spark ignites this wick soaked in refined oil, which burns slowly.]

[Mazeran: And how is it made?]

[Subaru: Watch closely; This structure is made of brass or bronze, metals that don't rust easily. First, the metal is melted into molds and then polished to gain this golden shine. The serrated wheel is made of tempered steel, so that the friction with the flint produces sparks. The flint itself is cut until it gains sharp edges, placed in a holder with a spring to maintain constant pressure. The wick is made of braided linen, soaked in refined whale oil or special vegetable oil, to burn slowly without going out easily. —— The oil is the heart of it all... it must be pure and free of impurities, carefully extracted and filtered several times. If it's too thick, the wick doesn't absorb it. If it's too thin, it burns too quickly. Balance is needed... like everything in life. Of course, it's not something cheap. The oil needs to be refined, the metal well-molded... and the flint... well, few blacksmiths know how to cut it correctly. But for travelers or adventurers who roam the icy roads... this can be the difference between life and death.]

It was my marketing move after finally showing my greatest production so far. I started with small things; mayonnaise, for example, and other condiments, as well as food and other objects. All to raise funds and connections with some people in the city, to get the necessary materials to produce this first lighter of mine.

[Mazeran: This is fantastic, Natsuki-San! With this object, many who don't use magic and those who need quick fire will love this! —— Once again, I have to thank you for the business you've done with me and my family's company. Recently, our profits have been growing. Even the Muse Company in Priestella and the Anastasia Company, which is currently trying to establish a solid base in the Capital.]

[Subaru: I'm more than happy to do business with you, Suwen-San. And remember my only demand.]

[Mazeran: Never reveal your name or location. —— Natsuki-San, this worries me a little. I don't understand why someone like you would want to hide your talent. Since you arrived, your only request was that we let you and your companions stay hidden. I wish not to think of you as someone dangerous, even though you're not so suspicious.]

[Subaru: —— Suwen-San.]

[Mazeran: U-Hum?! Sorry, sorry. No questions, I'm sorry.]

My gaze. My eyes were already frightening, but I had to train enough to be able to intimidate people when I needed to negotiate with someone and proceed with my business. Mazeran is someone with great experience in these cases, but I can still do it; make him back down.

Some even describe my eyes as dead and lifeless in these cases; as if I were an emotionless monster who faced the worst of everything. I can't say they're wrong because I really did.

It was all thanks to that loop, everything that happened because of Petelguese. All those deaths. And his end was the worst; I had only managed to convince Rem-rin to flee, while Roswaal and Beako chose to remain because they no longer had anything to fight for — and no matter what I said, Beako always chose to stay, always to die —, Nee-Sama always chose to stay with Ros-Chi, staying at the Mansion until the end. Only I, Rem-rin, and Emilia-Tan escaped that place of terror.

But not just escaping the mansion.

Seeing what happened in the Village of Arlam completely broke me because I saw what they had done to those innocent people. Those terrible monsters! Petra, little Petra. I couldn’t save her—I couldn’t save any of them. Because my loop was stuck at a point where it was too late to make a difference, crushing my already broken heart even more.

And all because, apparently, Petelguese was using some kind of book to attack us in order to reach Emilia-tan and kill her for some idiotic reason. That’s why we need to stay anonymous even here in this big city, to protect everyone who lives here.

To protect them, we must remain unknown.

[Subaru: I don’t even want to think about what they would do if they reached this city. Just to kill more and more people...]

That was always my train of thought when we finished our meetings and went to have lunch together. More specifically, in the late afternoon, I would leave the building and head back home in the city's most noble district, thanks to the money I made from my business profits with the Suwen Company.

Mazeran is a good guy.

Apparently, he had three children: Oslo, Otto, and Regin Suwen. I had the pleasure of meeting two of them, but apparently, one of them, Otto, is no longer in the city. Currently, according to the news we’ve received, he’s trapped in a debt trap with a man named Russell Fellow.

Although, they were able to reduce their debts with the business deals we made. At least enough so that he wouldn’t have to sell the Earth Dragon he had since the beginning of his journey.

[Subaru: Would we have been good friends? —— Maybe. —— For now, I have other people to focus on. Rem-rin, Emilia-tan, and... Ferris.]

Ferris was a sudden addition to our escape. We had been on the run for two days until we found him on that devastated battlefield. A broken look, his knight’s uniform stained with dirt and blood, no wounds, and crying desperately. Muttering that he couldn’t remember someone important and mentioning a whale.

The whale that erased people from the world's memory, as Rem-rin had told me about that Beast.

I couldn’t leave him there like that, abandoned in a sea of dead bodies and blood. And I had also seen his healing abilities. That’s why we rescued him—to save him and for him to save us later. I couldn’t leave him in that state, and I had to help him in whatever way I could. But I think he started replacing that important figure from his past with me, and now he referred to me as if I were his master.

It fills me with shame. I feel like I’m manipulating him, like I’m taking advantage of his problems, his tragedy, and his pain. But I couldn’t leave him. And now, he seems better than he was at the beginning, returning to that excitement I had seen before.

[Subaru: I’m sorry. Ferris, and you—whoever you were—for making him end up like this. I’m really sorry. I’ll find a way to make up for all of this, as much as I can and as far as my reach allows. I’m sorry.]

I say it again, another day. Apologizing once more to Ferris and to the person who was erased. Because it fills me with sadness to think about how important they were to him and how broken he was by their loss.

When night was already falling, I was able to return to our little house.

[Subaru: Good evening, every——]

[Emilia: Subaru~!]

As soon as I stepped inside, that silver-haired figure ran toward me, hugging me tightly. Too tightly—so much that it squeezed the air out of my lungs.

[Emilia: Subaru, Subaru, Subaru~! I practiced a lot with Ferris-chan today! I was a good girl, wasn’t I~? I didn’t even try to kill Rem either! I already apologized for that in the past, remember? So, I’m a good girl, aren’t I~? Subaru! Subaru!]

[Subaru: Emilia-tan.]

She dumped all that information on me in our only hug after my return, as almost always happened when I came back from handling business.

Patting her head a few times, I heard her let out a cute and happy sound, meaning she was content and satisfied. Doing it a little more, she began to loosen her grip, but she still wouldn’t let go, as if I might disappear somehow. But I wouldn’t.

[Félix: Subaru-sama! Emilia-sama, don’t hug too tightly. Ferris-chan gets really irritated having to fix his bones because of you, nya~]

[Rem: Subaru-kun, welcome back. Emilia-sama, please.]

[Emilia: Grrr. Rem is being so jealous, see, Subaru~? She’s really possessive~ And Ferris-chan is being really mean with those words, don’t you think~?]

[Subaru: Emilia-tan, please. Don’t start any trouble, okay? Let’s all have dinner together and enjoy our time, alright?]

With that, even while pouting cutely, she let me go. Although her gaze never left me. And I could clearly see her amethyst eyes—no longer with that strange, dull color they had since our escape from the Mansion. She no longer wore that necklace where Puck was supposed to be because she had left it behind long ago.

When we fled, she seemed to have abandoned that necklace.

The absence of the necklace and of Puck brought significant changes to her mind, affecting the way she spoke and acted. After that, the sweet Emilia-tan changed completely into something much more complicated—in a bad way.

She clung to me more, sometimes had nightmares, had violent jealousy attacks against Rem, and attacked her whenever that jealousy got out of control. And I had to restart, whether I wanted to or not. She would do everything I asked with almost no questioning, only demanding rewards afterward.

What I asked her to do the most was to train healing magic with Félix.

We sat together, ate, and then went to our rooms.

I stared at myself in the mirror, seeing that useless man who was incapable of doing something as simple as helping people. That being who desperately tried to help others and failed. And I regretted not being able to let Félix or Emilia leave this house, leaving them alone while Rem-rin and I could go out.

Aside from me and Rem-rin as the ones supporting this house, it would be better to keep the two of them a secret in most cases: due to the identity of the Blue and the Half-Elf hunted by the Cult. And that's how we live, every night having dinner together, with some playful jokes, but knowing how to read the atmosphere.

I knew that Rem-rin was trying to be happy, and I knew well the truth behind that face with a sad smile.

She lost her home again to the Cult, saw people being killed, saw her beloved sister left for dead alongside the one who sheltered her after losing everything, and now we lived in a very complicated situation among all of us, especially the times she had to deal with Emilia-tan's confusion when I wasn't around and how she had to survive Emilia-tan's fury when she lost control.

I wanted to be able to fix this...

I knew that Félix seemed happy, and I also knew the reality behind that happiness.

He lost the place where he lived, saw a massive massacre, lost possibly the most important person who shaped him into the figure he was when I met him and into the Knight who earned the title of 'Greatest Healer,' found himself among the dead, and had part of his life erased and reshaped because of my influence, also trying to help Rem-rin take care of Emilia-tan when I was away.

I wanted to be able to fix this...

I knew that Emilia-tan seemed happy, and I also knew part of the reasons behind her sweet words to me.

She lost Puck, the father figure who took care of her until my appearance, by forcing the breaking of their contract without both parties wishing it — in an unnatural way, which Rem-rin explained hurt her psychologically since Puck might have control over some important aspect like her Mana control and memories, something highly questionable done by that monster who would kill everyone because of her death — and saw everything that happened because of her "fault" when we fled together.

I wanted to be able to fix this...

But I can't. Even when I tried, tried, tried. I couldn't go back to that day in the Capital that Ros-Chi had planned everything.

It was my fault.

I have to keep them well, keep them alive. Find a way to fix everything. And until then, I have to keep them happy in every possible way.

Knock, knock

[Emilia: Subaru!]

Knock, knock

[Emilia: Subaru!]

Knock, knock

[Emilia: Subaru!]

Knock, knock

[Emilia: Subaru!]

Knock, knock

[Emilia: Subaru!]

Like a ritual and a pattern, she knocked on the door. I knew why.

When I opened the door, I saw her standing there, wearing that semi-transparent pajama.

[Subaru: Emilia-tan.]

[Emilia: Subaru~! I had a bad dream again. Can I stay here, please~? I was a good girl today, you know? Félix praised me a lot and said my skills improved! I deserve a reward, don't you think~?]

[Subaru: —— No problem, Emilia-tan. You know I'm here for you.]

"You know I'm here for you." was like a control code that made her lose that despair when she started speaking directly, desperately trying to convince me. As she did many times in other loops. In one, I remember how... how... how she ended up killing me as Puck, frozen alive.

That's why I couldn't hurt her in any way.

So, I had to control this somehow, since everything seems to be my fault regarding Emilia-tan. Like everything.

When she asked for a reward, I gave it. When she asked me to comb her hair, I did. When she asked me to change her clothes instead of Rem-rin, I did. When she asked me to kiss her, I kissed her. When she asked to sleep in my room, I allowed it.

Lying down with her in bed, once again I let her do whatever she wanted.

Hugging me, as if she wanted us to stay too close. Kissing me, giving me small bites, licking me. I felt her hands running over my body in ways that in the past I would have been embarrassed and happy to be touched like that by a girl — especially by her. And I knew where this would lead us, I knew I had no choice.

But if it was to make her happy, I would endure. I would just stay there, still, letting her do whatever she wanted to be happy. So that we wouldn't have to restart again.

Because I promised... and I had to fulfill my promise.

Because I have to fulfill my promise.

To always fulfill my promises.

 

 

—————

I decided to post one more extra of this IF. This... is the end. A sad ending. As much as I wanted to give him a happy ending, I couldn't find how. So I accepted that this route would only have a sad ending.

Other information in this IF:

- Subaru literally died 121 times in the mansion in the Loop (considering the time of each Loop, he spent mentally: 15 days in this Loop until escaping) and about 78% of those deaths were by Petelgeuse himself, 12% by cultists, and the other 10% because of Puck after Emilia's deaths.

- Beatrice, Roswaal, and Ram died in the Mansion staying behind. Rem was the one who saved Subaru and Emilia, abandoning her pendant with Puck behind.

- Puck's abandonment permanently broke Emilia's mind, making her worse than she would be in the Sanctuary.

- The entire army, Wilhelm, and Crusch were annihilated by the White Whale, Félix was literally the only survivor.

- Subaru fled with Rem, Emilia, and Félix far from the Royal Selection to protect himself and the others from any attack the Witch Cult might carry out because of Emilia's image having triggered Petelgeuse's attack.

- Félix became as dependent, or even more dependent, on Subaru than in the original Pride Route. And he became Emilia's teacher by Subaru's orders, which he accepted to make him happy.

- Because of the lessons, Emilia learned how babies are made (accusing Puck of being a liar on this part) and then desired to have one with Subaru.

- As I tried to make clear at the end of this chapter: There are nights when Subaru lets Emilia sleep in his room and she forces him to have relations to try to have children (Subaru accepting to avoid the explosions of sadness that always end up killing everyone).

- In total, to create the life they have: Subaru died more than 457 times until they reached Picoautatte and kept them hidden all the time. Part of those deaths was because of Emilia.

Chapter 4: [Epilogue - Promise IF]

This is my first epilogue, let me know what you think of the structure.

—————

 

 

1) Julius Juukulius;

Julius didn’t know what to feel since the events of months ago—more than a year ago, around 15 months ago—and how everything seemed to be unfolding in such a terrible way for everyone. And what was the beginning of these catastrophic events that were affecting the world so severely? It all started in the Royal Selection hall. An event that left a permanent mark on him, on a deeply personal level.

Because that day was supposed to be when the Candidates would be presented to everyone. The knights, the nobles, the sages of the council—everyone who would be an essential part of the entire Royal Selection process. The Five Candidates, along with the Knights who were either chosen for them or whom they chose to represent them. Only one of them had no knight.

Emilia, just Emilia.

She had no knight, only the support of the Court Mage, Roswaal L. Mathers, the person who was supposed to protect and guide the silver-haired girl—or at least, that was the expectation. It was a complicated situation for someone who faced prejudice due to her appearance, which resembled one of—or rather, the most hated figure in the entire world. This led to speculation about whether she had a good or bad nature, all because of her appearance.

The events that followed in that hall were unexpected. Emilia was attacked for her appearance, insulted by nobles, and even by one of the sages.

Everyone expected this.

Enduring humiliation, bearing prejudice—it was something they assumed she would be able to handle, especially if she wanted to face the challenges of becoming Queen. It was something that left a bitter taste in the mouths of those who despised such behavior—Julius included, though he did nothing at the time. And then it happened. An unexpected attack against those who insulted her, who treated her as if she were a repulsive monster.

The Great Spirit of Fire, Puck—the one known as the Beast of the End. A creature in a contract with the silver-haired girl. And in that moment of insults, he attacked. Without hesitation, without giving time for anyone to defend themselves, without a chance of survival for anyone within his line of sight.

More than ten nobles and one of the sages were killed. Impaled, frozen. Brutally slaughtered by the small, cat-like being, a blow that shook everyone.

That day left a permanent stain on all the knights. People would talk, and they still talk today, about how incapable they were of fulfilling their duty to protect those in front of them at that moment—from a monster. And how they also failed to protect and care for those most in need, those beneath their gaze. This event ignited widespread public revolts against the Knights, with the support of noble houses that had lost members in the attack.

This incident didn’t just affect the knights on a public level, but some on a deeply personal level. Among them, the most affected were Julius Juukulius himself and Reinhard Van Astrea.

The Spiritual Knight felt more incapable than ever. He had always proudly proclaimed his title and his connection to spirits whenever he had the chance. He was the one who cared the most about the relationship between a contractor and their spirit, and the teamwork between them. For a spirit like Puck—a being that should have been the pinnacle of all spiritual beings—to exhibit such aggressive and bloodthirsty behavior was a severe personal blow to both his pride and his belief in the relationships between spirits and their contractors.

But the damage to the Knights’ pride, both public and personal, didn’t stop at the events in the Royal Capital. It extended further.

Among those whose image was most affected in the public eye were, obviously, Emilia—the Contractor of Puck—and Roswaal L. Mathers, her benefactor. Some speculated that this was their way of declaring that if people wouldn’t accept her candidacy willingly, they would be forced to accept it through fear. That is: they had killed those who insulted her to force others into submission. However, this had the opposite effect, as it also led to theories that Emilia’s true goal in the Royal Selection was to eliminate the Sages and the kingdom itself.

People began calling it the Second Coming of Satella, believing that this was her first act of aggression—targeting important figures, particularly to humiliate the knights by carrying out a massacre in the presence of the Sword Saint. Or at least, that’s how the knights and nobles interpreted it.

These rumors quickly tarnished Emilia’s public image, portraying her as an unstable candidate who would eliminate anyone in her path to the throne.

The nobles and knights spread these rumors as revenge for what had happened.

Obviously, Julius and Reinhard, whose honor was unquestionable, did not participate in such heinous acts of slandering a Royal Candidate, even if she was a rival to the one they had sworn loyalty to. But there was nothing they could do, as the rumors continued to spread, fueled by the anger of those who had witnessed the events in the royal hall.

But returning to Emilia—what they later learned about the incident was that the attack had been carried out by one of the Archbishops of the Witch Cult, the Archbishop of Sloth, Petelgeuse.

When this attack became known, Julius, along with Reinhard, was sent with a squad to investigate alongside other knights. Within Mathers’ domain, they found only destruction and death. Villages destroyed, people murdered, burned, children dismembered—it was all a masterpiece of chaos and bloodshed. Even Roswaal L. Mathers, along with everyone in his mansion, had perished. It was assumed that Emilia had met the same fate. The mansion’s lands had been engulfed in flames, as Julius had witnessed.

A tragic end in the eyes of the purple-haired knight, but not an unpleasant one for some of his fellow knights. He knew well how some of them rejoiced at the thought that the candidate who resembled the Witch had met her end in the flames caused by one of her supposed followers. Something Julius could not agree with, as he found no joy or reason to celebrate in the sight of those devastated lands.

Now, he had to focus on fulfilling his duty. Because the wave of destruction caused by the Witch Cult had only grown since the events at the Mathers estate, increasing the number of deaths across the kingdom.

2) Otto Suwen;

In a roadside bar, several people could be found. Among them, you might notice a young man with grayish hair, dressed in green clothing, wearing a hat where he usually kept some extra money for security. Otto Suwen. Taking a sip or downing an entire bottle of liquor.

With no one to stop him, he would do it multiple times. Until he passed out from drinking too much, all in an effort to relax his mind—to avoid thinking about the things he had to deal with as a merchant.

However, this time, he was celebrating.

Thanks to the support of his father and a sponsor he had yet to meet in person but was extremely grateful for, he had paid off his debts. The debt trap set by Russel Farrow. A trap that had nearly forced him to flee through the Mathers territory in his desperate escape from the capital, right around the time of the Cult’s attack—but he avoided it upon hearing the news from the Capital. That made him take alternative routes. Among them, he ended up passing through the Red Field.

The Red Field. A place where dozens of dead bodies were found near the great Flugel Tree. Unidentified corpses of unknown people, as well as the White Whale's mist. It was easy to deduce what had happened in that blood-stained field. The army of a single person—perhaps a well-known figure—who had attempted to face the White Whale, one of the three most infamous monsters in the world.

The giant winged beast whose mist could erase people from memory. Even though they didn’t understand how, they discovered this effect when they realized people had died, yet no one anywhere remembered them. This information had been passed on by an unknown figure in the past. That beast had also caused the demise of the former Sword Saint, Theresia van Astrea—the grandmother of Reinhard van Astrea, the current Sword Saint.

Otto remembered well the feeling he had.

Seeing bodies strewn about, seeing so many liters of blood spilled over the lush green grass. Seeing the trail of destruction left by that enormous and terrifying beast, which every good merchant found a way to avoid—just like the Archbishops, or perhaps even more so. Seeing what a battlefield was like. He was not indifferent to violence, having already been in risky situations, but never at that level. Not with so many corpses. He even thought he had heard cries, thought he had heard lamentations in that field, but he didn’t stop to check.

Following that path in such a way, he eventually reached the Capital. But he did not escape the Debt Trap, which unfortunately ensnared him in a contract with Farrow.

When he became a debt slave to the man, he almost always had to take on delivery jobs—mostly simple tasks, but sometimes they led him into troublesome situations—all due to his bad luck. The worst incident occurred when he was nearly attacked. He had been trying to take a main road back to the Capital with other merchants when they were suddenly attacked by the so-called White Whale and its mist of forgetfulness.

By luck, misfortune, fate, or whatever one might call it, Otto was the only survivor—or at least the only one who wasn’t forgotten.

But that didn’t bring him any joy. Witnessing up close the chaos caused by that monster, the deaths—it made him recall that bloody field where the green of the grass mixed with the brilliant crimson of organs spilling from the corpses of those people. Deeply resenting the deaths caused by that beast, Otto cursed the existence of that monstrous creature, as well as whoever had created it—it was speculated that the Witch of Envy herself had brought it into existence.

If Otto continued talking about his problems, his frustrations, he could spend a lifetime doing so. But on this night, he didn’t care, because he was happy.

No more debts.

No longer bound by the contract with Farrow, no more debts. All the money he earned would now be entirely for his own personal business and investments toward his ultimate goal: a store in the Capital.

Otto Suwen was free from his debt, thanks to his father and his benefactor.

[Otto: Thank you, Natsuki-san! Thank you for saving me from a cold fate!]

Drunk, he shouted. Happy, raising his mug as high as he could at that moment. People looked at him strangely, thinking about how overly exuberant that merchant was in these dark times that had persisted for so long. Especially after the recent events in the city of Priestella.

A massive massacre had struck the city of Priestella at the hands of the Archbishops. The city had been flooded less than two days’ journey from the bar where Otto now sat. A massive number of deaths, which had nearly claimed the life of one of the still-living Candidates—Anastasia Hoshin—who had survived by a twist of fate.

Ironically, that twist of fate was caused by their mutual benefactor, Subaru.

The business ventures of the black-haired young man had been thriving so much in one of the cities bordering Kararagi, Picoautatte, that they had caught the Candidate’s attention. She had temporarily returned to Kararagi, intending to take advantage of the situation and expand those businesses within her homeland. A sudden impulse that ultimately saved her life, the lives of the Iron Fangs, and allowed her to live another day.

Otto continued celebrating in that moment, happy. Satisfied and emotional.

3) Rem and Félix;

[Félix: What do you think, Rem-chan~~?]

[Rem: ——?]

Rem had a confused look as she gazed at the display window of a clothing store, filled with beautiful and elegant dresses. Dresses that would typically be worn by refined ladies or, in some people's opinions, by exceptionally beautiful women. And Félix, despite being a man, had a physique, appearance, and personality that reflected a lively and cute girl.

This was a bit frustrating for Rem whenever they went shopping for household supplies, as she usually did that with Subaru. During her outings with Félix, the feminine-looking man who often wore cute dresses, he would almost always try to convince her to dress differently from her usual maid uniform. The same thing happened with Subaru, of course. Subaru would try to spoil her with gifts, clothes, and other things, which secretly made her happy. But, just as she did with Félix, she would vehemently refuse such proposals.

Rem had to maintain control over necessary and unnecessary expenses, whether they arose at opportune or inopportune moments, and she considered this one of those moments. She didn’t see the point in buying clothes she wouldn’t wear when she needed to work daily in their home. Even though it was a small house, she had plenty of responsibilities, especially regarding the most important figure in their household—especially after what had happened two months ago.

This often led to differing reactions from Félix and Subaru, as they both still wanted to please her and make her happy.

[Félix: Rem-chan should think a little more about herself, her appearance, and her personal preferences, you know, Nya~? Even Subaru-sama agrees with Ferris-chan on this, Nya~]

[Rem: ——Rem appreciates Subaru-kun and Ferris-chan’s intentions, but Rem is not suited for such elegant outfits. Rem is happy with the maid uniform she takes care of every night.]

[Félix: Don’t you realize that’s a bit sad for the classic feminine pride? Nya, Subaru-sama would also be disappointed if he heard what you just said, don’t you think? At the very least, I think you should have at least one outfit for special occasions, Rem-chan.]

With a disappointed remark, the cat-man stood with his hands on his hips and a sad expression, accompanying her as they walked through the streets, passing by people while carrying a basket of groceries. A rather comical scene for some, but as normal as could be. They continued on their way.

As always in these situations, ever since arriving in the city, Rem remained focused on the most important aspects of their survival—food, cleaning, and other necessities. Meanwhile, Subaru handled financial matters, security against potential Witch Cult hunters, and the care of the most significant person among them, in terms of rank.

And when she thought about this, her expression darkened again.

Thinking about the events from over a year ago, she felt confused. Sadness. Anger. Denial. It was the attack by one of the Witch Cult’s Archbishops, the same cult that had destroyed her village in the past.

Those monsters killed her people, murdered her parents, and then took her sister’s life, along with the master who had given her a home. They even burned down her new home, massacring more innocents at that moment—something neither she nor Subaru would ever forget after witnessing the slaughter at Arlam Village. The very same massacre she had once experienced firsthand with her own people, the Oni.

Now... only she remained.

This realization always hurt because she had held onto hope that her sister had somehow survived. She believed she would still be able to feel a connection with her. But there was nothing. She no longer felt her bond with her beloved sister, no longer sensed her presence, and could not accept it. But it was inevitable to know that she had perished in the attack, fighting the Witch Cult to the very end to help them escape.

It brought her immense pain. The pain of loss, the pain of grief.

But she had to stay strong.

Subaru had saved her, just as he had saved all those who lived with them. Even the cheerful Félix of today had once been nothing more than an empty, sorrowful shell. Subaru had rescued him from the Red Field, that crimson battlefield of hundreds of bodies, and given him hope once more. Though, this was also strange to the blue-haired Oni. She had noticed how Félix watched Subaru.

Could it be jealousy, stemming from the feelings she already harbored for the black-haired boy? Perhaps, if she hadn’t seen it so clearly. The way Félix spoke and acted around Subaru, the exaggerated displays of affection, the constant attempts to get his attention, and even the rather unflattering advances he made toward him—sometimes in ways so brazen that they left her embarrassed when she caught him inappropriately handling Subaru’s old clothes.

That was why Rem kept a close eye on the cat-man’s actions, especially considering the consequences his thoughtless behavior might bring.

Subaru had done everything he could to save them.

Rem saw him as a great hero. Even though she knew he had done his best, was it selfish of her to wish he had been able to save everyone? And when she asked herself this, Rem clenched her fists, turning her knuckles white with force, scratching her skin until drops of blood fell—blaming herself. Because she knew the limits he had faced in that situation. Against a monster like that, even Subaru wouldn’t have found a way to overcome it.

She couldn’t blame him for things beyond his control. She could only be grateful for everything he had managed to do, as the hero she so strongly believed him to be. Even now, he continued to take care of everyone, sacrificing his happiness, his mind, and even his body to bear the burden of protecting those around him.

And even though her darker desires wished that all of this were just a terrible nightmare, she was still grateful to be with her beloved... even if she wished to be even closer to him than she was now.

But that would be impossible for Rem—she knew that well.

Because Subaru had an even greater burden to bear each day, just as she and Félix did. But his burden had been even heavier in recent days.

4) Emilia;

Almost always, for a few hours, she would watch that little creature lying in the custom-made crib created by Subaru. With hand-sewn dolls, a toy holding star- and planet-shaped trinkets, and several comfortable pillows around so that the tiny being could rest. A child with white skin, black hair, pointed ears, sleeping peacefully — and possessing sharp, intimidating eyes.

A beautiful and lovely little girl with hair growing longer with each passing moment.

Chochorina, a quarter-elf child.

The daughter of Natsuki Subaru and Emilia. Small, cared for. Resting peacefully as if no trouble could reach her while being watched over by the silver-haired half-elf, who fixed her gaze on the tiny girl stirring in her sleep. Something the young mother did with her baby for several hours each day since the moment of her birth.

She watched her intently, not missing a single second of her clumsy movements in the crib crafted by the child's father. Something she adored!

In Emilia’s perception, everything was perfect. Perfect! Since the time in the Capital, where she suffered a betrayal of trust with Puck, who had simply committed those heinous acts, killing those people in such a grotesque manner, without even giving her a chance to talk to the ones who could have granted her wish to save the people of Elior Forest. Breaking their agreement. And later, when they returned to the mansion, they talked. Puck tried to explain how it was all part of a deal with Roswaal, how he was sure Subaru would fix everything somehow as they had planned, to also show the power she possessed as one of the current Great Four Spirits.

But she didn’t accept such words.

Subaru had always kept his promises until now! He trusted her! He sacrificed himself countless times to help her from the very first day they met, and he trusted her when Emilia asked him to fulfill his promise during the Royal Selection Candidates' meeting. Something she was grateful for! She didn’t want to think about what might have happened to him in Puck’s grasp.

Puck was a liar, cruel, a hypocrite. Someone who spoke of keeping promises, someone who spoke of trust.

Subaru had proven to be a better person than Puck. He kept his promise, he saved her life, he helped her escape and take care of herself when she abandoned her beloved "father" back at the Mathers Mansion. Subaru had always been kind, considerate. Someone who sacrificed himself to take care of her, just as he took care of everyone. Even though she didn’t particularly like that last part.

As part of her nature, she took care of Rem and Felix alongside her since they escaped. And she disliked it. Rem—it became obvious to her how the oni maid liked Subaru in the same way that Emilia did. That’s why she acted! When she learned from Felix’s teachings how children were truly made—a revelation that led her to discover even more of Puck’s lies—she wasted no time in attempting to form a family, the chance to bind Subaru to her so they could have a happy life together.

Her thoughts about Subaru, when recalling those events, would become heated, and her cheeks would turn red. Thinking about the intense nights they shared...

[Emilia: Subaru is always so kind… When I show my love for him, he never hesitates. He lets me do what I want and is careful not to hurt me… And he's also so big down there… It was hard to get used to at first. ——He didn’t even complain when I accidentally hurt him.]

When she thought about the nights they shared, she reflected on how she would sometimes lose control in those moments. She would cry or scream in frustration. She would hug him, or sometimes hit him with uncontrolled strikes fueled by her half-elf strength. She would kiss him, or at times scratch his body, covering him in scars. But she always healed him with the magic she developed with Felix—who sometimes helped her tend to his wounds.

Emilia didn’t dislike Felix.

Subaru had rescued him from that bloodstained battlefield, when he was alone. Forgotten and broken. Subaru had gently extended his hand to care for him, protect him, and help him recover until he became who he was today. And he convinced him to become his healing magic teacher. Emilia eagerly obeyed the request for training!

Emilia always enjoyed making an effort to show Subaru how good she was, liked proving that she was a Good Girl, so that he wouldn’t reject or abandon her. That’s why she always fulfilled his requests. Not killing Rem out of jealousy? Even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t do it for the sake of her beloved’s request. Learning Healing Magic? She would learn from Felix and become increasingly proficient at it, striving to surpass even the most esteemed healer.

A selfish desire so that Subaru would never abandon her. That was also why they had a little girl together, a way to prove the bond that united them.

A small and beautiful little girl.

A little girl that Subaru seemed to love.

A small child that Emilia saw dividing the time Subaru used to have with her.

Sometimes, Emilia found herself thinking about this. Why? Why did she want to have a child who would increasingly monopolize the time Subaru once devoted to her? Because she wanted all his attention on herself, the attention of the only person she trusted, the only person who never abandoned her, the only person who always went out of his way to take care of everyone—but especially her. All the attention he once had for her was now divided into four.

[Emilia: This isn’t fair…]

Thinking about this, her eyes remained fixed on the small child sleeping peacefully. Slowly, she moved her hand toward the child's neck. She held the little girl’s tiny neck and squeezed, gently at first, then gradually applying more pressure, making the child shift uncomfortably and show an expression of pain.

Just a little stronger. If she continued, she would break the child's neck. She would die, and they would go back to being just four people. Subaru’s attention would return solely to her, Rem, and Felix. She would get rid of the little being that now absorbed part of Subaru’s attention—attention that should belong to her. The little child who, despite sharing her blood and bearing the name she had given her, didn’t fully capture her interest.

At least, that’s what she thought.

But when the moment came, she opened her hand. Letting the child go, allowing her to breathe again, though with some difficulty due to the previous action. Because Subaru loved that child—it was what bound him to her. It was what kept him by her side. Emilia couldn’t kill her, couldn’t rid herself of that child. Not yet.

Emilia returned to the same position as before, watching over the little girl. Her child.

The one who, if she lived, would keep Subaru with her. But if she died, he might drift away or even abandon her.

Her little Chochorina, who kept Subaru tied to her—yet also took part of his attention away.

And so, this would be her life until the child grew up.

 

 

—————

I was excited this morning because of a birthday party, so I wrote this chapter with even more enthusiasm. What did you think? It's just that both here and in other places where I post my story, some have asked if this IF could hope for a happy ending and this epilogue is to show that: No. Promisse IF does not have a happy ending.

Fate of some characters:

-Julius: He, along with Reinhard and the Knights, are dealing with the problems of the Witch Cult. Because Petelguese lost control after Emilia disappeared and started a gigantic trail of destruction across the country, to the point that he flooded Priestella in the Cult's attack on her.

-Otto: He got out of debt and even managed to return to his home, where he finally met Subaru. They became friends.

-Rem: She's angry at herself for not being able to protect Ram or fight by his side until the end, but also angry at herself for wishing she could die when Subaru worked so hard to save her and continues to work hard to keep her alive and happy. She's also sad that she can't share her love with him without Emilia attacking her, which is only stopped by Subaru.

-Felix: He feels the same level of love for Subaru as he did for Crusch when he still remembered her, doing even immoral acts that he wouldn't do with her. Among these acts: Groping and molesting Subaru when he is healing Subaru's wounds made by Emilia, or touching himself in an indecent way with his clothes. Such behavior due to the paranoia created by the loss of Crusch and her replacement by Subaru.

-Emilia: She sometimes ended up having fits of rage or sadness while she was having intimate moments with Subaru, which is why she learned more about Healing Magic at the request of Subaru (who has already died from his neck being broken by her, even if Emilia doesn't know it).

-Chochorina: 2 months old. Subaru loves her unconditionally, regardless of Emilia's dark motive for giving birth to this child, while Emilia has never once said that she loves her, since she doesn't really love or care about anything more than a bond with Subaru so that he doesn't abandon her. During these 2 months of life, she has already been suffocated by her mother five times (and Subaru has already had to kill himself three times to go back in time and save her from being killed, by suffocation or a broken neck the first three times Emilia suffocated her, from the fourth onwards, Emilia no longer suffocated her to kill her since Subaru's image prevented her from moving on).

So, did I manage to make the ending more disturbing? Because I felt that the ending of Extra 2 didn't give the full picture of how dark this IF really was in the conception I thought for it. So I hope I managed to convey how cruel this Route is and how sad Subaru's life really is in this IF.

Chapter 5: Void IF

What if...? Subaru had never been summoned to Lugunica?

—————

 

 

|Diary entry - Day XX, of Year XX|

Should such testimony be found, I wish these final records of my life to be given to my family.

My name is: Calouh Kullin, belonging to the Kullin nobles.

And I feel that this was all my fault...

Maybe everyone thinks like that these days, but I've seen the coincidences since the day I joined the Knights. The day of the great blizzard in the Capital; it was my first day as a knight, not my first time in the Capital, so I already knew a lot of things that were happening around the city. I was even able to rescue a boy when he was about to be run over by an Earth Dragon chariot, the best thing I did that cursed day.

The Day of the Great Blizzard.

It became known that way because of what happened. A heavy snowfall covered the entire slum area and part of the prime area of the Capital, killing hundreds of people, freezing houses, roads and animals. Until it turned everything into a snowy area.

Everyone remembers the damage done, as well as the deaths caused that day, also because it was the day that the Saint of the Sword killed the Great Spirit of Fire: The Beast of the End. No one remembers it apart from a powerful glow, but it exterminated that creature. The civilians don't know, because it's classified information for them, except that the spirit was in contract with a royal candidate.

Royal candidate Emilia, a half-elf with silver hair. Someone with the appearance of the Witch from the old stories.

She was found dead by the Sword Saint in one of the Slum Loot Houses, where the Great Spirit emerged. The Sword Saint gave his analysis that they had a contract.

That day was marked as a loss for some. Death, destruction, and the loss of a Candidate. As much as some didn't care, which I actually share. Those people were no longer well cared for and didn't matter as much, just as no one would really support a half-elf like that to be a ruler. Apart from the damage to the noble area, nothing much was lost.

But... was it such a coincidence that it happened that day?

My first day; I saved a boy. It should have been a good start, but what followed from that moment on was nothing but chaos and destruction.

I thought it would just be a turbulent start.

From what I heard later that day, candidate Emilia's sponsor, Roswaal L. Mathers, the Court Magician, seemed to have gone mad after being told of his candidate's death. I don't know what happened, but I heard rumors from the people who lived in the area. He no longer left his domain, nor did he listen to the Wise Men's requests. And then he mysteriously disappeared one day, never to be seen again with one of his maids.

No one knows his whereabouts. There is a theory about his end, as it was said that a sunny area was unexpectedly covered in snow by a powerful magic. Attracting the Great Rabbit. A terrible end for him and whoever was with him at the time; dead, devoured by one of those creatures.

And even more than this monster, there was also the great White Whale.

This terrible creature, the White Whale, a gigantic, morbid being that erased people from history. They say that last year, a large number of soldiers were found dead at the hands of the creature. One of the only survivors was Felix Argyle, Lugunica's greatest healer, who earned the title of the Blue One.

I could see how he was that day when we met him.

He was in a catatonic state, unhappy, mumbling, glassy-eyed. He was holding the head of a green-haired woman. No one has yet identified who it belonged to. As well as the body of an old, broken man, lying next to Blue. Despite being a filthy demi-human, he was still useful for his abilities, so it was a loss for all of us that he had decided to go mad.

The Saint of the Sword and the Knight of Knights, Julius Juukulius, began to look after him. Apparently because of their friendship.

It was theorized that the person who died at Felix's hands was a candidate. But only theories.

Since up to that point there had only been three real candidates: Emilia, the half-elf, Priscilla, the current best candidate, and Anastasia Hoshin, the now deceased former merchant queen.

It was about half a month ago. Pristella's attack. They say she was on business there, trying to expand her business in the largest city between Lugunica and Kararagi. Quite an interesting idea, since it came from Kararagi. When Priestella's attack happened. All the Archbishops of the Witch Cult; Sloth, Wrath, Lust, Greed, Gluttony. They all attacked the city, apparently in search of the remains of a supposed witch who was in the city.

That attack was one of the biggest massacres.

The Knights fought back with everything they had, but they failed. Even Julius was unable to protect his candidate, Anastasia, when they opened the floodgates on the outskirts of the city and drowned everyone there, except the Knight of Knights himself.

The city was flooded, with the bodies of everyone floating away.

A massacre that no one could stop. And the one who could stop it was the Saint of the Sword, but even he couldn't.

And now, alive, only the Royal Candidate remains: Priscilla.

All these losses, all these events, everything was leading to what happened. Vollachia. Another of our neighboring countries, which started a war at a time when everything seemed to be sinking for all of us. An attack at our lowest moment, to try to subjugate us. And now we, the Knights, are marching to the Holy Sword to face this clash.

I don't know if we'll find a good end, or even if we'll make it back, but I hope we can. We have the Holy Sword. The Saint of the Sword has always been a great hero in many, many generations, and today we are said to have the most powerful one in all of history. A being who, if he were in the past, could face and subdue the Witch of Envy herself.

Someone whose power was the stuff of legends. A hero for heroes, one who could save the world.

But would it be enough?

Even a being as powerful as him has not subdued any of the great beasts, nor any of the Archbishops, nor prevented any of the tragedies that have plagued our kingdom for the last four centuries.

Can the Saint of the Sword protect us?

I hope so. I hope we can return, I hope we can return to our cases. I hope I can see my family again...

Perhaps my wish is childish, but I wish we had a hero. A great hero who could protect us and save us.

 

 

—————

For those of you who read my story: Consequences IF, you know that the characters have seen this story. But it wasn't like that. They saw the events that were described in this chapter, but from different points of view, this chapter was to show the perspective of someone outside the group of standard protagonists.

The record of a knight who was going to his death in a war after all the chaos he had seen in his home country.

And as a reminder, all the events that happened in the record were because Subaru wasn't summoned (in this case, Envy failed to summon him):

-Elsa killed Emilia in the Capital (since Subaru wasn't there to save her, which was predicted by the Gospel of Roswaal).

-Elsa, Meili, along with several people in the slum died that day (by Puck's ice).

-The village of Arlam never suffered Meili's attack and Rem didn't die.

-Crusch tried to lead his army against the White Whale and failed (only Felix survived, as in Pride Route).

-Roswaal went mad and kept trying to follow his plans, going to Sanctuary and trying to summon the Great Rabbit (leading to his death, Ram's, Garfiel's, the inhabitants' and the destruction of Sanctuary).

-Priestella was attacked and Anastasia, with the Iron Fangs, were killed by the flood caused by the Archbishops (which includes Petelguese in the attack).

-Vollachia saw how Lugunica was sinking into chaos and destruction more than usual, so they started an attack against them, taking advantage of the deaths that the Beasts and Archbishops themselves were causing against the people of the place.

-Priscilla is the last living candidate.

-Beatrice is still in the mansion, along with a depressed Rem and a Frederica who showed up to try to keep the place standing.

Chapter 6: [Extra - Void IF]

|Secret Personal Diary of Subaru — Day XX|

I'm writing in this diary again about my experiences since my return to complete my studies. Even though I feel a little nostalgic about lying around all day, playing games, or reading Isekai manga...

No. I don't think I miss it that much.

My Hikikomori life started as a way to try to get my parents' attention... I think. Because I was already tired of all my normal efforts not working. I couldn’t be the strongest, I couldn’t be the fastest, and I couldn’t be the smartest in my class or my school. Not even as popular as my father always was.

And I always felt ashamed of that.

I wanted to be more than just the shadow of Kenichi Subaru. My father was always someone incredible, someone amazing who always surpassed me in everything. I felt like just a poorly made copy, unable to meet the expectations I felt everyone placed on me to be like him. And it only got worse when I realized that my behavior—when I tried to imitate my father—pushed others away from me. Until I finally understood, with my father's explanation, that he didn't act with others the way he acted with me.

Speaking of the conversation I had with them...

It was an incredible conversation, actually. A moment when I truly felt connected with them.

They didn’t joke or treat me like a child, I didn’t feel pressured or obligated. I felt free. They just sat with me, asked if I wanted to open up about my problems, and... like magic, I was able to let out everything that frustrated me.

I was frustrated by how all our acquaintances compared me to my father, without me being able to measure up. I was frustrated by how everyone seemed to make friends more easily than I did, even though I tried so hard, even when I tried to act like him. I was frustrated by how they didn’t seem disappointed to have me as their son, a poorly made copy, and how they treated me normally despite me clearly appearing to be someone useless.

Thinking about it now, I must have shouted all of that.                    

And if I did, they didn’t say anything or argue with me about it. But I saw them doing something I had rarely seen them do.

They cried.

Sad expressions, when I expected disappointment or disgust. Deep tears, and I remember how their eyes had no trace of any negative feelings toward me when I was opening up. I was also crying out of anger and frustration at that moment, but also out of sadness, just like they were. I think it was the first time in a long time that the three of us cried together. I don’t even remember how long we stayed there, crying, hugging, after I simply exploded about my personal problems with them—arrogantly thinking that I had understood them completely from the start.

I realized that I didn’t understand them. Because the way they reacted was completely different from what I expected.

They didn’t shout the words I wanted to hear.

They just hugged me and then asked me to listen to what they had to say. And the first thing they did was apologize. That surprised me. Because up until that moment, I was the one who had been selfish, acting like an ungrateful son, undeserving of everything they gave me. I didn’t understand, but they apologized for never noticing my problems sooner.

I felt that the blame was mine, and yet they felt like it was theirs. They apologized for letting me sink so deeply into my self-loathing and Hikikomori habits. But again, that had been my choice, and still, they blamed themselves—for being too good as parents and believing they should have helped me.

After that, my father started talking to me.

I was very surprised by the words he said to me that night.

He told me that he never wanted me to think I had to be like him; that he never wanted me to be a copy of Kenichi Natsuki... but to be Natsuki Subaru. He hoped I would develop in whatever way I chose to, where I wouldn’t have to do everything he was capable of, and that he only wished for me to be happy with the life I lived...

...

...

I had never thought about it that way.

I always thought those were just generic words that some parents would say, something I had seen a lot in manga, but... hearing it from him... hearing how he spoke to me in that rare serious paternal tone of his...

I felt really happy.

He even reminded me that he wasn’t perfect at what he did. Especially as a father.

Then, he reminded me about that incident with a cigarette.

I had taken a cigarette he was smoking, and to him, it looked like I was about to smoke it. He explained how he acted impulsively, how he overreacted and hit me too hard. Even though I don’t think he did anything that bad, as a father, it was his right to discipline me that way. But when I said that, the look he gave me... it was hard to describe. As if he was disappointed in me, but also in himself when I expressed my opinion about that incident—and some others.

He continued explaining how my idea of a perfect father figure was wrong, that he was a flawed person who, like me, was always trying his best to look cool in front of others.

My father... just like me?

That thought had never crossed my mind in my entire life. Because I always thought we were different, like the Sun and the Moon. Since he always seemed to be so much better than me at everything he did.

And after that night, they encouraged me to go back to school.

Since I had missed three straight months of my studies, I had to repeat the year. Something that wasn’t uncommon for many students in Japanese public schools—even though it could affect my future university enrollment if I didn’t prove myself with good grades.

When I restarted my studies, I was in a new class at a new school. With no one knowing me, it was a great opportunity for me.

I was able to restart both my academic and social life.

It was a complicated process.

But over time, I got used to it. Thanks to my parents’ support and my own efforts, I made a lot of academic progress and improved my grades, which weren’t actually that bad at my previous school. And with my father’s personal teachings, I started getting along much better with my classmates, as well as with teachers and even people outside my class.

Something I wouldn’t have been able to do for a long time if it weren’t for the two people who supported me the most.

They even asked me to write in this diary.

For when I couldn’t open up or just wanted to express myself alone. Even though I initially thought it was ridiculous, it turned out to be something really fun to do.

Recording my days has been like writing a school adventure story.

I even feel like you, YOU OLD IDIOT, are reading my diary, aren’t you?! Because sometimes you talk about things I haven’t even mentioned out loud, IDIOT!

Like when I said I found a classmate of mine cute. YOU ASKED ME FOR PICTURES OF HER AND TOLD ME TO EXCHANGE NUMBERS WITH HER AT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY! Did I like the advice? OF COURSE! But I would have preferred to receive it after I had opened up FREELY, not with you snooping through my stuff, you know?

WHY DID YOU ASK ME TO WRITE A PERSONAL DIARY IF YOU’RE JUST GOING TO READ IT LIKE THIS, HUH?!

Damn. I hope that when you read this, you realize how stupid this is.

Well… I don’t have anything else I want to write down…

This was more of a review, I guess. Because my day was boring today. Except for the fact that that girl agreed to give me her number, and now we’re exchanging messages. I don’t know… she’s so cute.

 

 

—————

In this IF, Subaru had different consequences:

-He was not summoned and returned home, where he washed the cup his mother had asked him to before leaving.

-Subaru opened up when his parents asked him to, after they became too worried and received a call from his school, threatening expulsion unless his absence was explained.

-Subaru’s parents were extremely sad and ashamed when they realized what had really been troubling him all this time (especially his father).

-With their help, Subaru managed to become one of the best students in his new school and met a cute girl (as cute or even cuter than Rem), whom he later started dating (and eventually married between the ages of 25 and 28).

-Subaru lived a full, happy, and satisfying life, with his problems resolved, and died of old age in his sleep (only an hour apart from his wife).

[Information related to my story Re:Consequences IF:]

-The cast watched this IF: After watching the anime, all seven arcs, and every IF (including the Revenge Route, Destroyed, and Forgotten), they watched this one last to see their world without Subaru, as well as Subaru’s life without ever going to their world.

-The main cast had one common reaction: They vomited.

First, they watched the chaos in their world (the deaths of almost or all of them due to manipulations, disasters, Archbishops, Beasts, Wars, etc.).

Then, they watched Subaru’s happy life (including the moment he asked the girl out, their wedding, the birth of their children, and their peaceful deaths in their sleep).

All of them (with the only surprising exceptions being Echidna, who was satisfied with the life Subaru led, especially how he reconciled with his parents, though she was a little sad and jealous of the girl and the life she had with Subaru, and Shaula, who would be happy with any life her Master led as long as he was safe and well) instinctively felt anger, jealousy, and envy toward the life Subaru lived without them (even Reinhard felt a bit of it deep down).

They were angry because he was happy while they suffered and even wished misfortune upon this version of him—until the Director, Alpha, spoke:

“Wow~~ You all got angry because he didn’t come to serve as a lamb for the slaughter?”

That completely shattered their anger, making them vomit out of disgust.

(The only ones who didn’t vomit were Echidna and Shaula. Even Heinkel vomited out of disgust for himself after realizing what he had thought before hearing the director’s words.)

Disgusted with themselves for having felt anger and wished horrible things upon that version of Subaru—the very life their Subaru would have lived if he had never been summoned or suffered as he did.

Some, like Emilia, Rem, Beatrice, Felix, and Reinhard, even considered suicide, if not for Director Alpha stopping them.

(I even adapted the phrase: “Wow~~ You all got angry because he didn’t come to serve as a lamb for the slaughter?” into Ram’s internal monologue in Chapter 2 of my fic, Re:Consequences IF.)

Chapter 7: [Extra 2 - Void IF]

This is not exactly a chapter but rather an explanation related to my fic: "Re:Consequences IF," which is connected to the one called "Void IF."

My idea for this route came from hearing in an interview that Tappei said: If Subaru had not been summoned, he would have had the happy life described in the previous chapter; he would have reconciled with his parents, left his hikikomori life (with their support), completed his studies, met a girl, gotten married, and lived a happy life.

While I could only speculate on what would happen if Subaru had not been summoned, Tappei also said that Roswaal would still have hired Elsa to contract Felt, repeating the events of the Capital in Arc 1. This would have led to the deaths of many people due to the contract between Emilia and Puck, where Puck would destroy the world the moment she died. Since Reinhard was there, he probably would have been able to stop it, but not before a lot of destruction occurred.

Now, my explanation is for those who were confused about my description of how they reacted in the Theater upon seeing this route:

"That they got angry."

What you have to understand is that they did not feel anger, hatred, or anything like that. What they felt was an instinctive reflection of their frustration, envy, and helplessness. First, they saw the end of their world (including their own deaths, the suffering of innocents, massacres at the hands of the Cultists, etc.), and then they saw Subaru's happy life. And since they, as the main cast, had watched from Arc 1 to 7 and seen how Subaru had rescued all of them from the suffering they witnessed in this alternative route...

They had an instinctive thought of anger born from envy and frustration: "Why does he get to have a happy life, and we don’t?" Not necessarily this exact thought, but something similar—not just directed at Subaru, but also at the people in his world (some of the girls even feeling jealous of the girl who married Subaru in this route).

When the Director, Alpha, in my story said:

"My, my~~ You got angry because he didn’t come serve as a lamb for the slaughter?"

She wasn’t speaking in a malicious, cruel, mocking tone or anything like that. Instead, it was a way to make them reflect instantly on what they were feeling at that moment as soon as possible. To make them understand that their anger was actually envy and frustration because Subaru had support to live happily, while they could not and had always depended on him.

That’s why most of them, if not all, ended up vomiting—out of shame, despair, sadness. Unable to forgive themselves for even a few mere seconds of feeling angry at Subaru for not being there to save them.

To summarize:

They did NOT feel HATRED toward Subaru’s life. They felt ANGER at themselves and unconsciously directed it at Subaru. Because in their minds, up until that moment, Subaru had faced the worst things in the world, and they had been able to repay him, even if only a little, for what he had done for them. But then they saw that HE DIDN’T NEED to go through all the suffering he did to achieve what he most deeply desired.

This made any thought of "just retribution" seem arrogant or like a desperate wish to cling to because they realized they could never truly repay someone whose happy future was forcibly taken away so he could fight for people who, without him, wouldn’t have survived—even if they were stronger, smarter, or blessed, from Subaru’s own perspective of them.

They felt: sadness, shame, despair, etc. But without realizing it, they disguised it as anger directed at the only person who wouldn’t blame them for their feelings, making it even worse—because they had seen that he would try to understand and forgive them for their selfish emotions regarding his summoning.

Well, that’s it.

I hope this explains more rationally what they felt at that moment. Because they themselves considered themselves unforgivable monsters after hearing Alpha’s words and vomiting—some even feeling as if they didn’t deserve to be alive.

Chapter 8: Priscilla IF

What if...? Subaru had kept his pride?

—————

 

 

——|Subaru|——

[Priscilla: Could you explain again? Why should my divine self waste my time traveling to such a distant place to meet with so many beings beneath me?]

[Subaru: I can give three reasons again, Priscilla-sama. Even if you don’t like them much, they’re still true. —— First: Anastasia’s invitation serves to show that she may have something to entertain you, or at least something she thinks she does. It must be amusing for you to see her desperately trying to put you in her debt. And you could even do the opposite, putting her in your debt instead. Wouldn't it be fun to see her crawling at your feet, as she already should?]

[Priscilla: Naturally. She, like the others, should naturally crawl in my presence. And the next reason?]

[Subaru: To get to know one of the cities you will have to govern when you become Queen of Lugunica. Not just knowing of its existence, but seeing it firsthand—its architecture, culture, and the types of people living there. A way to show the people that you are willing to familiarize yourself with places like this in order to govern them properly.]

[Priscilla: ... And?]

[Subaru: To grant them the honor of your presence, of course. You will be queen in the future, and I imagine they would be happy and honored to be able to say that you once visited their city, walked its streets, and met its people and landmarks. —— Where I come from, some cities even name streets or buildings after famous people, and sometimes they even rename their cities in honor of such distinguished visitors. Don’t you think they would be so happy and honored by your presence that they might request to rename the city after you? After all, with your current status, it's almost certain they would.]

[Priscilla: ——]

I watched her fall silent for a few moments, closing her fan and tapping it against her chin, seemingly pondering my words. Something she often did when listening to my arguments or those of others—but especially mine and Al’s.

[Priscilla: Are you trying to flatter me like a pig?]

[Subaru: Does Priscilla-sama take me for a fool? I know you enjoy being praised, as you naturally should. But I also know you’re not stupid enough to fall for empty flattery. I simply gave you reasons good enough to pacify you. A different reason would be as a professional courtesy between candidates. And I wanted you to go, partly for my own selfish reasons, to show them a kinder side of you.]

I crossed my arms under her sharp, challenging gaze. I knew well how much she liked compliments—but not unnecessary flattery from others. That’s why I knew this question wasn’t really about my reasons, but rather about the intentions behind them.

And we remained quiet in the carriage for a little longer.

Until she gave a small smile—something that could mean she accepted my arguments, or that she was about to hit me while pretending it was a reward.

[Priscilla: I will accept these reasons, only because we are already arriving. But for your sake, I hope these reasons truly make this trip worthwhile.]

[Subaru: —— Urfs! It would be bad if we arrived just to leave right after.]

I said with relief, a small smirk forming on my lips.

[???: Natsuki-sama, Priscilla-sama. We are arriving!]

[???: Princess. I hope bro isn’t broken in there.]

And those voices belonged to two other members of our camp — Priscilla’s Camp — Otto and Al.

The carriage driver, who was also one of our merchants, and the guy who had already become something of a knight for her, besides being an all-around amazing dude.

I met Al before, when I went to the palace to commit a stupidity during the Royal Selection.

As for Otto, I met him on the day that changed everything... the day I left Emilia’s Camp.

And both days were completely connected.

During the Royal Selection, I made the foolish mistake of declaring myself Emilia’s knight and engaging in a duel against Julius, a knight. That led to an argument between us, and she ended up leaving me in the Capital, at Crusch-sama’s Karsten residence, so that I could have my Gate healed by a well-known healer, Félix.

That was the lowest moment of my life in this new world.

But the worst was yet to come. That time, I went through two loops—two hellish loops.

The first: Rem and I tried to return to Emilia because something seemed off. That’s when I saw the massacre. The entire Arlam village destroyed, people dead—Ram, Rem, Petra, and even Emilia, I think — before I froze to death. A completely horrifying sensation that even froze the air in my lungs. I was paralyzed by the shock.

The second: Rem tried to take care of me. I was completely useless, still in shock, when we were attacked by the Witch Cult. By that bastard Petelgeuse! She fought, she tried to save someone as useless as me in that state until he killed her with that strange power of his—those invisible hands. And later, I died again in the cold, my head severed by a figure on the rooftop.

And then I got angry. Very, very angry. A fury I never thought I was capable of feeling in my being, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to take revenge on that monster alone. So, I went looking for help.

Crusch… rejected me...

Anastasia… abandoned me and only used me to obtain information...

And when it came to Priscilla... She demanded that I kiss her feet. Out of desperation, out of anger. I thought about doing it... but I didn’t.

When she demanded that, I simply refused and walked away. I wouldn’t bow my head like that, I wouldn’t abandon my pride, I wouldn’t do what she wanted. I preferred to find another way and set off with Rem on a Ground Dragon we obtained at the Karsten mansion, Patrasche, and we hurried to get there as quickly as possible.

That’s when we met Otto, and with him, we were attacked by the Cultists.

It seemed like the end... Until they arrived. I don't know if it was truly fate or Priscilla’s luck, but they appeared at the right moment with an army that took care of eliminating all the Cultists. Meanwhile, Priscilla herself took care of eliminating Petelgeuse, the Sloth of the Archbishops.

She eliminated him even when he tried to possess my body.

Honestly, I was happy. I didn’t want to die to that guy again or be frozen once more. At least, thanks to them, I didn’t have to.

[Otto: We’re going in!]

—X—

Priestella is truly wonderful!

If I had to give an example of what it looks like, based on a place from my world, it would be Venice. A city on the water. A place with waterways for Water Dragons, carrying boats for people to travel around the city.

The place looked like a Western-style construction.

But the place where we arrived to stay had an Eastern appearance. Its look contrasted with the rest of the city. According to Otto and Al, based on the city's history, this was due to Lugunica expelling the Kararagi influence, whose country had origins tied to a man named Hoshin—"I’m sure he was a guy from Japan," was what Al and I thought when we saw the Japanese-style things he created in this world.

We were expecting a reception from Anastasia’s staff or soldiers, but another figure was waiting for us: A blue-haired girl in a maid outfit. Rem!

[Rem: Subaru-Kun~!]

[Subaru: Rem-rin~!]

[Rem: It’s good to see you again. Rem is happy to see that you seem well since my last visit.]

[Priscilla: And why wouldn’t he be?]

[Rem: P-Pardon me, Priscilla-sama. Rem did not mean to imply anything negative about the treatment you give Subaru-Kun. But I’m glad to see him in new elegant clothes; they accentuate his masculinity more.]

[Subaru: You’re embarrassing me!]

I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed!

Ever since I joined Priscilla’s Camp, she made me change my classic outfit—my glorious tracksuit—for more noble attire. Not that I was complaining about the clothes, the problem was that she also made me change my hairstyle, making it fall straight down.

And that drew strange looks from people.

The girls seemed to act even weirder, watching me with concerned glances. Rem even gave me one of those looks when she first saw me in one of her visits. Al even said it was like they were seeing me as attractive, but I highly doubt it.

Rem... Sometimes I miss being woken up by her... before being kicked out.

When we finally finished off Petelgeuse, we returned to the Camp. We thought, or at least I thought, that Emilia would be happy to see what we had done. But that wasn’t the case. She and Puck seemed more irritated and hurt by the fact that I broke my promise not to return than happy about what I had done for them and the people of Arlam.

It was a one-sided argument between me and Puck. Apparently, from his perspective, I was to blame for all of it. And Emilia seemed hurt that I had helped. It seemed like, in her mind, I still saw her as a doll that needed to be protected and saved. But that wasn’t the reason. Maybe it was out of anger, maybe sadness, maybe something more. I still fought to protect everyone in that place, but for her, what mattered was a promise that would have gotten everyone killed.

Frustrating.

And the worst part? When the argument got more heated, he made the decision: He expelled me. As a final form of punishment, he was trying to convince Emilia to expel me. All to keep me away from the Camp.

I thought she wouldn’t do it. But in the end, she followed Puck’s orders and expelled me.

I wish the decision had been entirely hers, but it wasn’t.

I found a way to save everyone, I found a way to kill that monster. All for her and the others. But in the end, my reward was her kicking me out? It hurt. It hurt even more because she had been the only good and constant thing in my life until that moment, until she expelled me on the orders of her "father."

And that was when Priscilla offered me a place in her Camp. I don’t know if it was out of mockery or a bit of pity, but she offered me a place in her Camp and later said...

[Priscilla: Don't feel bad. You kept your pride, fought for what you wanted, and the reward she gave you? Don't blame yourself for someone else's incompetence.]

I guess that was her way of comforting me.

But also, it made sense. Maybe I was being selfish. But after everything I went through, didn’t I deserve a reward? A reward for all the pain I had to endure for her and for everyone. I deserved recognition.

So, I accepted joining Priscilla’s Camp.

[Priscilla: Is your half-devil master already with the other commoners?]

[Rem: Emilia-sama is with Roswaal-sama in the city, yes. But they are staying at a different hotel from our current location. She will join us for dinner.]

[Priscilla: Not that I will be joining you all for a meal. I have no desire to ruin my meal with the presence of beings beneath me.]

Despite her words and rude tone, this was actually a rather polite interaction between her and Rem. I think she’s the only one Priscilla respects in Emilia’s entire Camp.

And after that, we moved on.

I gave Otto an order to take care of the carriage.

As we entered the place, both Al and I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic seeing something so familiar. Even the floors gave off a sense of familiarity that I had missed ever since I ended up here over a year ago—and he, for more than a decade.

[Al: Hold back the tears, man.]

[Subaru: Don’t provoke me, Al. I should be the one saying that to you, you sentimental fool.]

We joked as we walked toward a room. A meeting and dining room, where we found several familiar figures—the members of various Camps and their leaders.

[Wilhelm: Subaru-dono, Priscilla-sama, Al-dono. It is a pleasure to see you again.]

The one who greeted us was a truly admirable figure… but whose brilliance, to me, had faded that day. Wilhelm van Astrea, known as the Sword Demon, who stood to greet us in place of his Lady, Crusch.

Their appearances were different from the first time anyone had seen them.

Wilhelm had a clearly injured leg, slightly visible in the way he stood up. Felix, the healer from before, was wearing a dress but had dark circles under his eyes. And their Lady, Crusch, was seated, wearing an eyepatch over her left eye, missing her left arm and leg.

Physical and emotional damage caused by the White Whale.

Shortly after dealing with Petelgeuse, on our way back to the Capital, we followed a route suggested by Otto. And we saw their battlefield against the Whale. A disaster, with many soldiers dead, appearing to be on the brink of a terrible end. A bad ending for bad karma, given how they ignored our call for help.

But I couldn’t help but want to aid them.

It was extremely difficult to convince Priscilla, even with Al’s help, to assist them and save them from that tragic fate. But we finally managed to act. A risky strategy—I used my scent to lure that beast for long enough so that Priscilla’s soldiers could rescue Crusch’s men. Then it was our turn to strike. I had to adapt as things unfolded. At one point, the Whale became three, but I was able to identify which one was the real one.

With an even riskier strategy, I managed to lure the main Whale into our attacks. And, without even realizing I would do it, I ended up rescuing Wilhelm from the throat of that monster. I even knocked a tree onto that beast to trap it. Priscilla was the one who delivered the final blow, decapitating its head.

Marking the end of one of the three Great Beasts that torment this world.

Losses of soldiers, Wilhelm left with an injured leg, and the loss of two limbs and an eye. Everything that happened to Crusch in that battle before we arrived. Maybe if we had gotten there sooner, we could have prevented it. But this outcome might have been the best result, as at least they survived.

An outcome that an alliance could have helped with.

[Subaru: It’s a pleasure to see you again, Wilhelm-san. How are you all?]

[Wilhelm: As well as we could be, thank you.]

Despite the normal response, his sadness was noticeable. Because later, I was able to learn more about his story. The revenge he so desperately sought against that beast, to avenge his wife, taken from him by Priscilla and my plan.

I couldn’t blame him for such feelings.

It was also possible to see his shame. And who could blame him, right? Seeing the state of Crusch’s Camp since the beginning of the Royal Election, the worst scenarios had played out. Because beyond the Whale attack, there was also the incident with those two monsters.

Greed and Gluttony.

When we were escorting them back to the Capital, we encountered them. Or rather, they were hunting us down for killing that beast, which seemed to belong to Gluttony. And I died the first time.

I returned to the moment when we were ready to leave with the Whale’s head, and I was able to prepare better. If they were going after whoever had the Whale, we could prepare ourselves.

There was a division—one group would follow the normal path: me, Al, Priscilla, and part of her soldiers. On the other path were Crusch’s people, being escorted by the remaining soldiers. And it was true. They attacked us again; Al took on Greed, and Priscilla fought against Gluttony.

With our strategies and powers, Priscilla managed to eliminate Gluttony.

We couldn’t take down Greed that time, as their power was beyond comprehension, so we had to retreat, contenting ourselves with a single elimination. But it was quite impressive, if I may say so. Because in just three to four days, Priscilla was able to eliminate two Archbishops and one of the Great Beasts—something the knights hadn’t achieved in over four centuries.

[Julius: It is a pleasure to see you again, Natsuki Subaru.]

[Subaru: Julius. Good to see you again.]

Despite hating him in the past, I still feel some anger, but I made room for a bit of politeness.

[Subaru: How is Anastasia-sama doing?]

[Julius: Currently, she is meeting with Emilia-sama and her sponsor. They are discussing some personal matters regarding Emilia-sama’s camp.]

[Subaru: —— I see, thank you.]

In truth, I didn’t want to meet with Anastasia or Emilia. The first, because of how she used me; the second, because it would mean seeing Puck again. And I noticed from his tone that he seemed to be emphasizing Emilia a little more due to our past.

[Priscilla: And where is the sewer rat with the Sword Saint?]

[Wilhelm: Felt-sama and my grandson have not arrived yet, Priscilla-sama.]

[Priscilla: Perfect. I wouldn’t want to see that creature or her little dog.]

The aggressive words again.

They’ve been at war with each other since the day of the Royal Selection, given the stark difference in their statuses. Felt came from the slums, while Priscilla came from nobility—most likely.

[Crusch: Do you plan to stay...?]

[Subaru: My apologies, Crusch-sama. We do not intend to stay longer than necessary. We came as a courtesy, but Schult-kun and Heinkel-san were sent a few days ahead to prepare lodgings for Priscilla-sama and our camp.]

[Crusch: —— I understand.]

[Felix: A-And h-how is your treatment and your Gate, Subaru-kyun?]

[Subaru: It’s perfectly fine, Felix. I’m happy to inform you that I haven’t been putting myself in complicated situations. That, I leave in Al’s hands.]

[Al: And I sooo love being my bro’s shield and sword.]

[Subaru: Oh, thanks.]

Despite his sarcasm, I couldn’t help but smile. After all, he truly protects me and keeps me from putting myself in too much danger during battles. My Gate isn’t well-developed, forcing me to wait before using it properly.

[Felix: That’s a relief.]

[Priscilla: Or were you hoping to use this as a way to repay part of your mistress’s debt to my strategist?]

[Felix: ——]

[Subaru: Priscilla-sama.]

[Priscilla: Hmpf!]

She let out one of those annoyed huffs, turning her face away.

How cute~!

—X—

[Subaru: Now, we shall take our leave. We came for Priscilla to offer her greetings, but since Anastasia-sama isn’t here, I hope we meet again later.]

Those were my parting words after everything.

Now, we walked through the city, seeing everything possible.

Al and Otto had gone ahead with the carriage to the inn that Schult and Heinkel were supposed to have prepared for us upon our arrival. Leaving us alone to walk together through this beautiful city.

[Subaru: This place is truly wonderful, isn’t it?]

[Priscilla: ——]

[Subaru: Though I would appreciate seeing the Eastern structures that Kararagi originally brought, I can see the charm of Western culture. I’d even like to take a gondola ride, though I feel like... I might get seasick riding over the water.]

[Priscilla: Subaru.]

[Subaru: Yes, Priscilla-sama?]

[Priscilla: Do you still think about returning to the half-devil’s camp?]

What a question...

[Subaru: No. —— I already told you before, didn’t I? I met her on my first day in the Capital and in this kingdom. She helped me when I was attacked; she was kind. So I felt strange... I wanted to return the gesture. And I helped her at that Loot House. When I was wounded again by that idiotic assassin, she helped me once more. I even got to meet Rem-rin thanks to her.]

[Priscilla: ——]

[Subaru: That day in the Capital—it was out of pride and personal selfishness that I acted the way I did, because I wanted to defend her. Because I was desperate to hold onto the first good bonds I had formed upon my arrival. —— But after that, that was it. I think any feelings I had for her, or thought I had, turned into nothing more than gratitude for her kindness. I have no desire to return. —— Because my heart was stolen by a Sun Princess, with the name of Prisca-tan.]

I couldn’t help but tease when I saw the small shadow of a smile on her face—one that grew slightly when I said the last part. Calling her by her real name, with the affectionate honorific I used to use for Emilia. Prisca Benedict—her true name—when she finally trusted me and my decisions as her strategist in the camp.

When we started what I could call... our relationship.

[Priscilla: Excellent. Never forget that, Subaru. You belong to my camp until the day I no longer desire it.]

[Subaru: And my heart will belong to you until the day it can no longer beat.]

After Emilia, after Rem—I never thought I could say these words.

But it seems that the world truly turns in a way that everything works out to fulfill her wishes.

And if necessary: Al and I as well.

 

 

—————

I thought of this IF inspired by two stories by the same author: ArcherFromArnor being a pseudo-continuation of both stories, using some ideas raised by them.

Priscilla IF - https://archiveofourown.org/works/38758875/chapters/96912960

A Vollachian Love - https://archiveofourown.org/works/45826897/chapters/115331149

Here, Priscilla became interested in helping Subaru when he, in this version, didn't bend down to kiss her foot. She got him to help her fight Petelguese. And thanks to Puck, Subaru was expelled: Despite having saved everyone's life, he broke his promise to Emilia, as well as accusing him of the Archbishop's attack on the Camp.

Other things I would work on in this IF:

-The Crusch Camp would owe Priscilla and Subaru a huge debt: for saving them during the Whale attack and against the Archbishops (Regulus and Lye).

-Priscilla has the advantage because: Eliminated two Archbishops and the Whale. And in Priestella, thanks to Subaru, she would have the achievement of having stopped Sirius, killed Regulus (with a bit of support from Emilia and Reinhard) and killed Roy (with Al and Julius working on it).

-Emilia in this IF passed the Sanctuary, but it was very different: She didn't make it through the first test, Puck still “abandoned” her, and she developed a fixation on Subaru (remembering him as the only other person who took care of her and found her beautiful despite her appearance, turning into a Yandere like in the Kiss of Death Loop).

-Garfiel was the one who freed Sanctuary: Because of the Great Rabbit's attack, where; Roswaal (who caused it), Ram, Garfiel, with Ryuzu's army and Emilia (even with her uncontrolled powers) were able to exterminate it (costing the lives of more than 40% of Sanctuary's civilians).

-Subaru has a different appearance, similar to this:

 

since he now lives as a member of Priscilla's Camp and she doesn't want him to look anything less than elegant.

Chapter 9: [Extra - Priscilla IF]

——|Rem|——

I couldn't help but sigh again in disappointment at that moment when I returned to the hotel where Emilia-sama was staying.

I still feel disappointed...

Back then, Rem couldn't help but feel extremely disappointed with Emilia-sama and the Great Spirit Puck. Why? Subaru-kun had done everything he could to find a way to save her, a way to protect her, just like a knight would protect his princess or a man would protect his beloved.

Something that every person wishes for themselves... Someone who would do everything to save them...

Subaru-kun managed to summon Priscilla-sama to prevent an attack from that filthy Witch Cult and one of its monstrous Archbishops. She eliminated him. As much as I wanted to be the one to rescue Subaru-kun and crush the heads of those monsters, I knew I wouldn't be able to do it alone. Subaru-kun and that merchant, Otto, would have been killed, just like me.

It was thanks to Priscilla-sama and Al-san that they were saved, all because Subaru-kun warned them about the Archbishop’s attack and his cultists. Not only us, but everyone from Arlam Village, Nee-sama, and even Emilia-sama herself.

But when it was time to receive us... The coldness of the Great Spirit in expelling him.

Emilia-sama did nothing to stop him and simply accepted Puck’s request. She didn’t even bother to think for herself back then, not even considering how much that would truly affect Subaru-kun after all his efforts to save us. When he was leaving, I felt torn.

I knew I wanted to go with him, with my hero, the one who saved us all. But I also knew that, deep down, I couldn't abandon Nee-sama.

My heart was divided.

But Subaru-kun didn't judge me when I chose to stay. And Priscilla-sama gave me the privilege of visiting him at her mansion whenever I wanted—she even offered me a place to stay as a maid—and I took every opportunity to do so. Even Roswaal-sama encouraged me to go.

It was always good to see him again after spending so much time apart. The mansion, the village, after Subaru left... they felt so colorless.

Finally, I stepped through the doors of the hotel. A rather beautiful place, from the hall to the corridors; I followed the path to the rooms on the upper floors. There, I felt a chill and saw a familiar figure.

[Ram: Rem, you finally returned. I assume you met with Ba—Subaru-sama and Priscilla-sama.]

[Rem: Yes, Nee-sama. Subaru-kun and Priscilla-sama have arrived. As Roswaal-sama and Emilia-sama requested, I came to inform you.]

I said, once again noticing that tone in her voice. Hesitation.

Yes, hesitant. And I know exactly why—because of the Sanctuary. Because of the figure behind that door.

And when we opened it, we saw a room filled with snowflakes, windows fogged up from the cold, and any liquid in the flower vases frozen, along with the food and the flowers. In the center of that place were two figures, one taller and one shorter.

Roswaal-sama and Emilia-sama. Roswaal stood right behind Emilia, as if trying to comfort her through yet another of her episodes.

[Roswaal: Caaalm yourself, Emilia-sama, yesss~~? It’s noot gooood to lose your composure like this, do you noot agree?]

Those were his words to soothe her.

[Emilia: But what if he doesn’t come...? I haven’t been able to see him anymore... What if I’m never able to see Subaru again...? Subaru... Subaru, Subaru, Subaru, Subaru, Subaru, Subaru, Subaru, Subaru, Subaru...]

Emilia’s words were murmured, but clear to anyone who could hear. Just as clear as the desperation in her voice.

That was her state when she returned from the Sanctuary.

When Subaru-kun left our mansion, expelled, he went with Priscilla-sama, and we returned to the mansion, staying there until we received Roswaal-sama’s request to go to the Sanctuary. Nee-sama volunteered to take Emilia-sama and handle everything. As for me, she asked me to stay behind to welcome back Frederica Nee-sama.

Frederica Nee-sama was brought back because Ram Nee-sama couldn't handle all the work alone.

I had already imagined something like this might happen in our absence...

Welcoming Frederica Nee-sama back was really nice. Without Subaru-kun and Ram Nee-sama, it was good to have another companion besides Beatrice-sama, who remained trapped in that library and seemed to worsen when Subaru-kun left.

When Rem went to Arlam Village, people would ask about Subaru-kun.

Especially that little girl, Petra, who seemed disappointed and sad about his departure. None of them seemed as willing to welcome Emilia-sama or people from the mansion anymore. Although we still did business with them, like buying supplies, they weren’t as friendly as they used to be. Subaru-kun was the one who made them open up to us and even accept Emilia-sama walking around there.

Subaru-kun, not Puck.

During the days I stayed with Frederica Nee-sama at the mansion, I heard about Subaru-kun’s other achievements after leaving us: saving Crusch-sama’s camp, defeating the White Whale and Gluttony.

Feats that proved just how incredible he is!

The world, thanks to Priscilla-sama, was now recognizing his abilities.

And Rem is happy for his accomplishments as the great hero I always knew he was.

When I saw Emilia-sama again, it was almost ten to twelve days after Subaru-kun’s expulsion. When they returned, they were different and had more people with them; the people from the Sanctuary, including Garfiel Tinzel and Ryuzu. Roswaal-sama and Emilia-sama had changed appearances, and it was obvious just by looking them up and down.

Roswaal-sama looked extremely exhausted beyond what was expected, his makeup undone, and a scowl that lingered for days.

Emilia-sama also looked tired, her gaze cold and unfocused, murmuring things about Subaru-kun—just like she was doing now—and she seemed desperate.

As if their world had been destroyed.

[Roswaal: Oh, Rem~~ You’re back. That means Su~~baru-kun has arrived in the city?]

[Emilia: Subaru arrived...? He arrived... or didn’t he come...? He came, right? He always comes when...? He always returns, doesn’t he...? He always comes back, always comes back, always comes back... And everything always turns out fine... yes... Everything always turns out fine...]

[Rem: —— Yes. As you requested, Roswaal-sama, when Subaru-kun and Priscilla-sama appeared, Rem came to inform you. They stopped by Anastasia-sama’s current lodgings and then went out to explore the city.]

[Emilia: Subaru is here?! Yes, he came! —— He’s with Priscilla-san walking around the city...? Walking together...? Are they on a date...? Subaru took me on one, he said it was something special you do with important people in your life, right...? Subaru wouldn’t do that with her... not with Priscilla-san... —— I’m going to see him! See Subaru! Yes, it’ll be good to see Subaru, everything will be fine!]

She was acting like that again... the same way she had been since the Sanctuary...

Emilia-sama started acting differently toward Subaru-kun ever since her return.

After that, Emilia-sama’s behavior changed drastically. She remained silent for long periods, wandered around the house, her eyes vacant, sometimes releasing bursts of mana that froze parts of the mansion. She no longer walked with Puck and would react strongly whenever Subaru-kun was mentioned, especially when Roswaal-sama spoke about him.

Rem even memorized her expression.

When someone mentioned his name, her eyes would light up. She would look around, especially at the doors, as if expecting him to appear and come back to her. Like a child waiting for the best gift in the world.

It was pitiful how she acted because Rem could also see the glimmer of desperation in those once-bright eyes.

Just as I saw madness whenever he was insulted or mentioned as being part of Priscilla’s Camp.

She froze half the mansion when Nee-sama called Subaru-kun by his nickname, “Barusu,” forcing her—at Roswaal-sama’s request—to treat him with respect and add “sama” when speaking about him, to the point where Nee-sama does so even when Emilia-sama and Roswaal-sama are not in the room. And once, she froze part of the garden when someone mentioned that Subaru-kun was working as Priscilla-sama’s chief strategist.

No one could insult him or say he was no longer by her side.

She started acting strangely. Emotionally unstable, her powers out of control, behaving impulsively like a child.

[Roswaal: Emilia-sama~? Don’t you remember what we talked about~~? Don’t go after him like that, yesss~?]

[Emilia: Why? Why can’t I go after Subaru? He will make everything okay, he always does. And I can finally have him back here... You...? You want to stop me, Roswaal?]

The temperature was dropping drastically after that question.

[Ram: Emilia-sama... Subaru-sama just arrived in Priestella with Priscilla-sama. They are probably taking the opportunity to relieve the stress of traveling for so long. It would be advisable to let them have a moment, for now. So they can recover from the fatigue of a long journey. Just as you must also be tired, Emilia-sama. After all, it was a 12-day journey from the mansion to Priestella. —— Tomorrow. Tomorrow they will probably go out again in the city. He, accompanying her as a courtesy since she is sheltering him in her Camp temporarily, will be more than happy to see you when he is feeling more refreshed.]

Nee-sama was quick to suggest such a thing. Emilia-sama stared at her for a while, with that deadly look.

[Emilia: Oh, Ram, you’re right~! Subaru must be tired, and Priscilla kindly went out with him so he could enjoy a walk around the city. Not on a date. And to get to know the place better... Yes, yes. Let’s do that. Tomorrow I’ll see Subaru~ We have so much to talk about~ I’m so excited, especially when I tell him that Roswaal agreed to officially make him my knight~ Hihihi!]

As if a switch had flipped, her personality changed in an instant. From that oppressive cold to a gentler frost. She started speaking in that childlike, sweet tone, her voice sounding like silver bells.

Happy in her thoughts.

She was back in her corner, as if lost in her thoughts. Without noticing the look that Roswaal-sama was giving her—a look of satisfaction. A disgusting look of satisfaction, as if seeing Emilia-sama’s volatile state was the greatest gift he could receive, just like the way she spoke about Subaru-kun.

Roswaal-sama’s own behavior was very different. He always spoke about Subaru-kun with Emilia-sama, praising him. As if he wanted Emilia-sama’s thoughts to sink deeper and deeper into him. He even constantly mentioned, whether he thought no one was listening or simply didn’t care if we did, that Subaru would come running back if Emilia-sama offered him a position as her official knight.

In the past, Garfiel had offered himself for such a position. Something that Roswaal-sama denied, giving him the role of Shield/Unofficial Knight instead.

And things got even stranger.

The way they referred to Subaru-kun. As if it hadn’t been Emilia-sama who allowed Puck to expel him, acting as though all she had to do was ask him kindly and give him a small gift, and that would be enough to make him leave Priscilla-sama’s camp and return to ours. And when he came back, all the problems we faced would simply disappear.

The more I think about it, the more I remember what Nee-sama keeps warning me about.

How we should keep them away from Subaru-kun as much as possible. Warning me with fear, but fear for Subaru-kun. Fear of what they might really be planning to do to bring him back.

But after everything Subaru-kun has been through...

Even though Rem wanted him to return, for those days we shared to come back, I couldn’t destroy his happiness. Now, he was in a place where his words were respected, his strategies were valued, and he was allowed to act without judgment. A place that truly recognized the worth of his actions.

[Rem: Don’t worry, Subaru-kun. Your Rem will keep you safe in any way she can.]

In this cold room of despair, that was my promise...

 

 

—————

Since I’ve received so much praise for this IF, I decided to write an extra chapter for it. I’m even thinking—should I actually write this story? I even feel a bit of motivation. What do you all think?

Chapter 10: [Extra 2 - Priscilla IF]

[Priscilla: Who would throw away a Rough Diamond?]

Sometimes, the fire princess wonders how someone could be so foolish as to discard someone with such immense capabilities as Subaru. And when her thoughts return to that scene in front of the Mathers domain mansion, replaying how the half-elf had abandoned the black-haired boy under the orders of her Great Spirit— 

Foolishness. 

Although, if she were to admit it, she herself had almost lost such talent back in the Capital. 

When she ordered him to kneel and lick her foot in her name, he refused. He preserved his pride in that moment. That impressed her a little, making her curious about what he would be willing to do to achieve his goals. And it made her mock him slightly while also feeling a desire to help him—just to alleviate her boredom—since he had not discarded his pride under the pretext of getting what he wanted by abandoning it. 

She took her army and her personal court jester, Al—Aldebaran—to the domain and rescued them in the middle of the Witch Cult attack. Confirming that his words about the attack were true only made her more interested. 

To the flaming princess, it was not even a real battle. She had easily exterminated her opponents and the Archbishop of Sloth using her sharp Yang sword and powerful flames, wiping out even the vile soul that tried to possess those around her. She ensured that every last force of the cult was eliminated. In doing so, she personally fulfilled the wish of that commoner who had caught her attention and had led her to that moment. 

The commoner who had humiliated himself in front of everyone managed to achieve what he desired. In a way, he rescued all those he wanted to save with his own hands. 

He deserved to be rewarded, just as all those who fulfill their duties perfectly should be. His duty was to protect the domain of his Master and the Candidate he was sponsoring. For a job well done, he should be rewarded for his achievement. And that was a basic concept she had agreed with since Vollachia—one that her older brother, Vincent Vollachia, also shared with her. 

But that did not happen. 

Emilia chose to continue listening to the spirit and cast out the one who had risked everything to save her from an attack she had no idea was coming—despite it being something she should have foreseen due to her appearance as a half-elf. 

Priscilla did not waste such an opportunity. Having gained interest in his apparent ability, she decided to take him with her. 

All to see if her interest would continue. 

More of his ability was revealed as they made their way back. They stumbled upon the battlefield of Crusch Karsten, the Valkyrie. One of the people he had told her about on their way back to the Capital after leaving the Mathers estate—one of those who had abandoned him and forced him to seek her aid to save Emilia and the village of Arlam. 

And to her surprise, he asked for them to help her. 

Finding it strange, she considered leaving them to fight their own battle—just as it should be when one chooses to battle the White Whale. 

Priscilla even calmly commented that she would allow fate to determine Crusch’s victory or defeat, be it through her death and that of her companions or their survival due to the Valkyrie’s esteemed leadership skills. 

Yet she still gave him the chance to speak. 

And it was his words that convinced her. With a determined, strong gaze, and with the help of Priscilla’s other jester to support him, he delivered his argument. But his full speech boiled down to the following words: 

[Subaru: Priscilla-sama, I know you don’t lift a finger unless it’s interesting to you. But hear me out for a moment. Right now, a gigantic monster, a living legend, the White Whale, is attacking Crusch’s camp. A beast that erases people from existence, that has made countless warriors disappear without a trace. I bet you’ve heard the stories. Tell me honestly, don’t you think this is something worthy of your time? ——I know you don’t care about pitiful pleas or emotional appeals. But this isn’t about compassion; it’s about you. About the inevitable fate that bows before your magnificence. If the world exists to entertain Priscilla Barielle, then what greater spectacle is there than subjugating a monster that even the greatest warriors have failed to defeat? What better way to demonstrate that everything in this world bends to your will? Or am I wrong? ——Perhaps the great Priscilla-sama would rather let a filthy beast like this continue to challenge the natural order, as if it were the one setting the rules. But I know you wouldn’t accept that. So, what do you say? Will you watch from the carriage like a mere spectator, or will you rise and show that even legends are nothing more than mere toys before you?] 

Words of argument that he used to obviously provoke her while also reasoning in favor of acting against such a monstrous creature. And she could not help but laugh, mocking his words slightly, yet at the same time, she could not ignore the truth in them—the fact that the world truly did bow to her will. 

If such an animal had appeared in her path while attacking one of her rivals, was it not fate that she should face it? Was it not the world’s way of placing yet another filthy beast before her to be exterminated? She thought this way, allowing herself to be guided by the words of the black-haired young man. 

It was a great battle, led by Priscilla’s hands and her jesters. A battle that almost ended too quickly, as the princess ultimately beheaded the creature and claimed victory in a fight that had been destined for the Valkyrie. 

Fate or luck? 

In her perception, it was nothing more than the world bending to fulfill her desires—through the commoner who had led her down the path to exterminating not only an Archbishop but also one of the Three Great Beasts that tormented her perfect world. 

And not only that, but another interesting event occurred. 

As they were about to leave that blood-soaked battlefield with the beast’s head, Subaru appeared strange in the woman’s eyes. He proposed that they not take the main road back to the Capital. 

Alerting them, he seemed to know that something was about to happen. 

Deciding once again to bet on the interesting commoner’s abilities, she allowed herself to be convinced to follow the young black-haired man’s plan. 

And she found herself confronting two Archbishops—Regulus Corneas of Greed and Lye Batenkaitos of Gluttony. A confrontation that allowed her to eliminate yet another Archbishop who had plagued the world for as long as the Great Beasts had—though she had to retreat, as they were unable to defeat the second Archbishop. 

But in the intent of aiding that young man. 

The Archbishop of Sloth, the Archbishop of Gluttony, and the Whale—they managed to eliminate that trio within about a week of the start of the Royal Selection. 

In her perception, nothing less than expected. 

And the young man proved quite useful in the days that followed, bringing new developments and amusement through the events that transpired—such as the attack by the assassin duo, Elsa and Meili, who attempted to strike them in her mansion. A foolish act. 

They caused the elimination of the Bowel Hunter, and at Subaru’s request, they captured the younger assassin—who was currently locked in her mansion’s cells, guarded until she either redeemed herself or, in Priscilla’s bet, Subaru gave up on helping her. 

And despite their attempts to uncover the reason behind the attack, the young assassin revealed nothing. Admirable. 

Speaking of inventions as Subaru’s abilities. His skill in building inventions from his hometown, as well as his negotiation and adaptation skills. The businesses he created generated great profit as a source of entertainment. Among the inventions she was most interested in, one that helped her reduce her workload was the Printing Press for document copying. This made her consider him a jester, but one far more mentally developed than the previous one she had. 

[Subaru: What are you thinking about right now, Prisca-tan?] 

[Priscilla: I don’t see why I should tell you, do I? After all, my personal thoughts aren’t as easy to read as you imagine. Don’t be arrogant just because you’ve earned the right to give me a nickname that isn’t “Sama.”] 

[Subaru: Eeehh? How cruel...] 

Scratching his left cheek, he still had a shaky smile on his face. But he wasn’t displeased by her words. He seemed more amused, satisfied, as if her behavior and words only encouraged him to get even more excited. Something incomprehensible to others, but not entirely to the princess. 

The two were currently walking together through the streets of Priestella, admiring the architecture as they headed toward the city’s central square, where they had heard that the star of the city, Liliana, was performing. Priscilla had her arms wrapped around one of Subaru’s, holding onto him, walking side by side, shoulder to shoulder, moving in the same direction. 

As she observed him, she wasn’t just thinking about his achievements, the fun, or the profits she had gained through him. She thought about how it was just... interesting, yes! Interesting to keep him close to her. And analyzing him closely, she saw another aspect that hadn’t been properly nurtured by the half-elf or her Camp—his appearance. 

Normally, his previous hairstyle and clothing made him look simple and unkempt, but she had improved that. An enhanced appearance for someone who would accompany her. His slightly disheveled black hair now fell smoothly over his forehead, contrasting with his pale skin. His eyes carried a different glow, showing a mix of seriousness and intensity. 

Elegantly dressed in expensive and well-maintained clothes, at the young man’s request, per his lady’s wishes. A black jacket, adorned with a discreet gold chain fastened to the pocket, slightly wrinkled, wearing what he called a neatly tied tie around his neck. A white dress shirt, pants, and well-polished black shoes. The image of someone who knew more than he appeared to, carrying a serious demeanor despite his smile and the faint mischievous glimmer in his eyes. 

[Subaru: What is it? Is something wrong with my appearance...?] 

[Priscilla: Hmpf! Nothing wrong, commoner. ——I feel satisfied seeing the work of refining what you’ve been hiding from the world all this time.] 

[Subaru: ——I still don’t really get it, since I never considered myself that handsome. But if it makes you happy——Ouch!] 

[Priscilla: What have I already told you? I declared that your current appearance is handsome. As such, if I said it, then you must accept this perception as correct. And besides, do you think I would allow you to walk with me if you were sloppy? I will not allow your erratic perception to deny the reality I have already decided.] 

She spoke after letting out an irritated huff, pinching his arm to stop him from continuing his words. She refused to accept Subaru’s self-deprecating view of his own appearance. In her perception, as well as that of other ladies, Subaru currently had a handsome appearance when properly taken care of. 

And that’s exactly what she did! Ensuring that the noble potential in his looks was revealed, even if his mannerisms didn’t fully align with what he should represent. At the very least, it made him more interesting—a handsome appearance, a distinct personality, capable of achieving impossible feats and introducing fascinating things that could change the world. 

[Subaru: Being praised by you is truly a blessing, Prisca-tan.] 

[Priscilla: Are you trying to——?] 

[Subaru: And I say this for myself. ——Being praised by you really makes my day better, princess. I’m saying it purely out of my own will. I’m not trying to flatter you like a pig, I just wanted you to know how happy I am to hear your compliments. Truly.] 

Saying those words, he gave a big sideways smile, along with a playful wink from his right eye. An act enhanced by the natural beauty sculpted by Priscilla’s work in refining his appearance. Something that earned a smile from Priscilla herself, whose cheeks turned slightly pink. 

They continued on their way to the square. Even if she wouldn’t admit it out loud, this was their date in the city... which would later be interrupted by a half-elf, two Archbishops, and the beginning of chaos in the city. 

 

 

—————

Remembering that: This is Subaru's appearance in this IF after Priscilla changed the way he dresses and grooms himself.

In this IF, other events unfolded in Priestella: 

- Subaru developed a near-spirit of fire over the past two months after discovering his affinity with spirits, but it is still not very powerful. 

-Emilia tried to kidnap Subaru, Rem tried to stop Emilia and save Subaru, and Regulus attempted to kidnap Emilia but failed due to the wave of destruction she caused with her uncontrolled powers. 

-In Priestella, thanks to Subaru’s planning, along with Priscilla’s and Al’s active participation, they successfully eliminated Kurgan and Roy at the City Hall. 

-Subaru ended up needing Emilia’s help to defeat Regulus, but due to her lack of control, she accidentally killed Regulus' frozen wives (something Subaru only discovered later after Reinhard eliminated Regulus). 

-Emilia, with Roswaal’s help, once again attempted to kidnap Subaru, leading to a battle between:  Priscilla vs. Emilia, Al and Subaru (as support via his near-spirit) vs. Roswaal. This caused massive destruction in the city, even more than Regulus in his tantrum. 

Chapter 11: [Extra 3 - Priscilla IF]

It was so cold there.

So cold. So cold. So cold. So cold. So cold. So cold. So cold. So cold. So cold.

It was the cold of that floor, the cold of those walls, the cold of everything surrounding me. Even the cold of ice couldn’t compare to the cold I felt at that moment. A cold unlike anything I had ever felt, the cold of being alone, abandoned in that place with no one to help me.

So lonely.

I was so alone.

So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone. So alone.

And it's so unfair.

I’ve always been a good girl. I always followed what you told me to follow, always fought for what you told me to fight for, and always did my best to keep all the promises because you always told me to. Puck.

Puck, father.

Puck, father. Puck, father. Puck, father. Puck, father. Puck, father. Puck, father.

Why don’t you talk to me anymore? Why won’t you help me anymore? Why did you leave me alone here?

I’m a good girl, right?

Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I? Aren’t I?

...Am I not?

I always kept my promises and followed everything I was told to the letter. So why? Why did you disappear like that? Why did you abandon me?

Why does everyone always leave me?

The people from the village… it seemed like they were starting to accept me, and then they pushed me away again, even harder... before he vanished.

Rem and Ram, we seemed to be getting so close... before he vanished.

Roswaal, he always seemed so focused on helping me... before he vanished.

And the new people treat me so badly. Garfiel isn’t a good boy, and Ryuzu never scolds him. The people from the Sanctuary always seem so angry, and even though I understand, I’m trying, REALLY trying, and people always get so mad! Why is it so hard to get along with them when I was doing fine with the people from Arlam... before he vanished.

But... who was he?

Puck, father?

No. It wasn’t him, was it? Puck always took care of me in the forest, but he never liked it when I got close to other people... never liked other people because he said they were cruel, manipulative, that they would attack me for being a half-elf with silver hair.

All because of the curse of being born this way...

A curse.

Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse. Curse.

Because of how I look, only Puck accepted me... No, someone else accepted me.

He saved me... But who was he? Why is it so hard to remember him?

Maybe it’s this headache, the cold floor, the dirt filling my mouth and nose... I just couldn’t concentrate... Because in this tomb, I can’t pass the trial they imposed on me to save everyone in the Sanctuary...

Why? Why couldn’t I manage up to this point...? No, I couldn’t.

Puck took care of me for seven years, made sure I could grow, kept me safe from all those slave traders and that cruel spirit who wanted to kill me so brutally, thinking I was the reincarnation of the Witch. And then... He saved me in that Loot House and gave me back my Insignia, he saved the entire Arlam village and even made the children come close to me and start accepting me, just like he saved all of us from the Witch’s Cult when I had no idea they were after me.

He protected me... he faced all the hardships for me... he SAVED me.

He never treated me differently because of how I looked... NO! He did treat me differently. He praised my appearance, he was kind to me, he fought for me. He never humiliated me. Not once did he abandon me, not once did he give up on me. He always tried so hard to make me happy... and keep me safe.

And I had never been treated that way by anyone like him... only by Puck.

Puck... who had been acting behind my back with Roswaal during the selection.

Puck... who sent him away and made me accept it in the name of our bond.

Puck... who abandoned me and left me behind like so many others.

Puck...

Puck... Puck...

Guese... Mother Fortune...

Who are they?

And where is HE? Since we met, HE always appeared to protect me... he always appeared to save me... So why didn’t HE appear here and now...?

Am I not a good girl...?

No, I’m not a good girl... I abandoned him, I let him be discarded by those who now discarded me without thinking of my feelings, just like I did to him twice in the past...

He...

He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He, He.

He... Natsuki Subaru...

That dark-haired boy with such sharp eyes... yet so kind.

He was always so kind...

Subaru is kind...

Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind. Subaru is kind.

He’ll come save me, won’t he...? He always does... he always does... he always does...

Subaru is a good boy...

Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru. Subaru.

Subaru... will be my knight.

—[X]—

He's there...

He's there! With her... Yes, as Rem said, but Ram explained it properly. Ram was a good girl and explained it properly! Priscilla was looking after Subaru for us, FOR ME, after I'd made that terrible mistake of mine... And he was there! Yes, with that singer, listening, dancing...

[Emilia: You're going to be my knight, aren't you, Subaru? Right...? Right! Subaru is a good boy! He proclaimed himself my knight when everyone was attacking me and when no one wanted to! Subaru...! Subaru...! Subaru...! Subaru...! Subaru...! Subaru...! Subaru...! Subaru... Subaru...! Subaru...!]

It was time to bring him back... It was time for him to come back...

When he comes back... Rem and Ram will open up again, the people of Arlam Village will open up again and accept me into their village, Roswaal will stop considering me useless, Puck will surely come back and we'll never lose again...! Because he's always able to fix everything...

Subaru... I love you!

 

 

—————

This chapter is part of what it would be like from Emilia's point of view in the Sanctuary and the city of Priestella.

Chapter 12: [Epilogue - Priscilla IF]

1) Priscilla.

Priscilla was calmly sitting in the main seat of her room, casually fanning herself. Thoughtful. Staring at the ceiling, she reflected on what had happened just minutes earlier in that very place.

That self-proclaimed knight of the Half-Devil had shown up at her door, begging to speak with her. To ask for her help.

Priscilla saw his desperation, his way of acting, and the light in his eyes.

A disgusting sight, from her perspective.

When he entered her room, he began to speak intensely about how the lives of everyone within the domains of the mage Roswaal — the sponsor of that silver-haired girl — were under threat from the Witch Cult. He explained how everyone in the domain, including the girl, would be slaughtered unless they had support to fend off such an attack.

She even found it laughable. To think a commoner would enter her domain, her room, to ask her to save the girl who had abandoned him back in the Capital. A truly pitiful sight.

Someone she had only seen twice.

Once as her Appa peeler, when he interfered as she was about to kill three grotesque beings who dared to call themselves human despite their filthy, repulsive appearance. And then as the self-proclaimed knight of the most hated candidate in the entire Royal Selection — who was, shortly after, beaten by a real knight.

And now, here he was, acting like someone who had the right to ask for something. Acting out of self-interest, as far as she could see.

Someone with a fragile sense of pride, she thought.

[Priscilla: Lick.]

She had commanded, pointing at her foot. Ordering him to bow, abandon his pride, and lick her foot in the name of his master. A test, to see if he would disappoint her.

She expected him to abandon his pride, to shame himself. That’s what she anticipated from him.

Until she saw the look on his face.

When he seemed to ponder her order, when he considered what to do, he shot her that sharp look — those frightening eyes, colder than usual.

Then, he spoke in a neutral, almost icy tone:

[Subaru: No. I am desperate. Truly desperate to save everyone in Arlam Village. I spent time with them. I got to know them. I played with their children. I saw their lives. I became part of them. And I love those people, just as I love the people in the mansion. The thought of them dying… —— But I can’t do this anymore. I asked Crusch for help — she refused. Anastasia? She just used me to get information and then threw me aside. And now you? You want me to crawl to entertain you? —— None of you can think of anything beyond that stupid throne, can you?]

Those harsh words were said with such coldness and such an intense gaze that she no longer saw that foolish boy who spoke so emotionally during the Royal Selection.

She saw someone hardened, with a resolution carved onto his face.

[Subaru: I won’t crawl for you. I won’t lick your foot. I’ll find a way to overcome this. Somehow, I’ll save everyone in the village. And I’ll save Emilia-tan.]

He turned, heading toward the door. Those were his words as he approached the exit.

But her next words stopped him from leaving immediately.

[Priscilla: So you can crawl back into the lap of your half-devil master? —— Do you realize what you’re doing? You tried to defend her, and she cast you aside. And now? You foresee a danger that neither she nor her sponsor seem to have noticed. A danger that’s more than obvious! Given her appearance resembling the former Witch of Envy, it should be clear to anyone that they’d act to eliminate her, don’t you think? If she’s incapable of defending herself and protecting her own lands, how does she plan to be a leader?]

She pointed out a fact that, to her — as it should be to others — was blatantly obvious to anyone familiar with the Cult’s history.

[Subaru: ...And you?]

He fell silent. And his question silenced her, leaving her confused.

[Subaru: I’m warning you about this attack, aren’t I? Even if it’s happening in a rival’s territory, the people who live there are part of your kingdom, aren’t they? And those attacking them are some of the greatest evils that have plagued this kingdom for centuries, right? So why do you do nothing? Are innocent lives really so cheap, just so you can win a throne?]

And then he left, slamming the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

It hadn’t been long since that scene, yet it was stuck in her head, repeating like an annoying loop.

For some reason, the foolish commoner’s words kept echoing in her mind.

She had made the right decision… right? The events within the Mathers domain weren’t her problem, after all. The Half-Devil living there — the one who bore the Witch’s appearance — was the one responsible for the lives of those people, right?

The good and bad consequences should be entirely hers to bear.

[Priscilla: But… the commoner said one thing that was right.]

Priscilla murmured as she closed her fan.

If the Half-Devil — as she so enjoyed calling Emilia — didn’t even know about this attack, and she did… didn’t that make her at least somewhat responsible?

Acting to protect the innocent and the vulnerable wasn’t exactly something attractive to the Princess of the Sun.

Yet, why did the thought of a massacre carried out by the cultists — who had tormented the people for centuries — leave a bitter taste in her mouth?

No. It wasn’t guilt. Or anything like that.

It was disgust.

Disgust at the thought of filth like them committing atrocities against people who would, in the future, be under her rule.

The idea of insects believing they could act however they pleased — believing they could commit atrocities against those who would soon be under her authority — made her sick.

As the commoner said.

She would be the Queen of all Lugunica when this Royal Selection ended. So, soon enough, those people would be her people.

If they were to become her vassals and servants, then as their ruler, it was her duty to protect them from senseless insects who thought they could do as they pleased with what belonged to her.

[Priscilla: Aldebaran! Prepare our soldiers. We will act. Even if I don’t want to deal with the consequences of someone else’s irresponsibility, I cannot allow myself to be that indulgent.]

A single shout from the crimson-eyed woman was enough. The one-armed man entered the princess’s room, wearing a confused expression — visible even through his helmet. As he entered, she stood up, preparing to dress accordingly.

[Al: ...]

He remained silent for a few moments. “…What did the dude say…?” He found himself muttering the question, wondering just what Subaru had said to convince her to act this way.

That day… was the day everything changed for everyone...

The Crimson Princess would join Subaru, rescuing him alongside Rem and Otto, taking him in after being abandoned. Together they would hunt the White Whale and the Archbishop of Gluttony. He would join her camp, becoming one of the most important figures within it.

And when assassins were sent after them — Elsa, the infamous Bowel Hunter, and Meili, the Mabeast Tamer, who later became a prisoner in the dungeons of her mansion — he would defeat them, eliminating one and capturing the other.

Proving his abilities.

Not only a power that she knew was similar to Aldebaran’s — something obvious to anyone who carefully analyzed his deductive skills — but also his intelligence and sharpness in analyzing situations and leading people.

Something that needed to be heavily refined in a capable leader — like herself — and that’s what Priscilla did throughout the year they spent together.

Throughout all that time, he continued proving more and more that he could become someone truly worthy of her trust and her time.

Someone capable of becoming as competent as he claimed to be back in that Royal Hall.

But also… someone capable of making her heart race.

Someone capable of making her care deeply, despite his overwhelmingly childish behavior — which, if measured, could rival his potential as a great leader.

Someone she could… admit she liked.

She loved him—she had fallen in love with Natsuki Subaru.

That’s why, back in Priestella, when she had to face the Half-Devil, she spared no effort to defeat her and put her in her place. After all, the Half-Devil had neglected and abandoned him, while Priscilla had accepted him and shaped him into the person he became then—and who he still is today. Together with her Court Jester, the two of them faced the Royal Court Mage, who was trying to control the Half-Devil with his deranged mind.

A battle of two against them. Three against two.

It all culminated in their group’s victory in the end.

Even though it was such a difficult battle, they were able to achieve this—they managed to rise above and defeat that pair of mad people and hand them over to the Sword Saint at the end of the fight.

Once again, they emerged victorious.

And it was during that time that she truly understood her own feelings—realizing how deeply she cared for him when she thought she might lose him in that battle in Priestella. So it made sense, back then, to return his feelings when they came back — to return not only what he felt but also what she herself felt.

It was also a way to compensate for the burden that such an ability placed on him — Priscilla had deduced that his power allowed him to return to a specific point in time through some special trigger, which she presumed to be his death.

This power forced him to witness every “failed” path in order to find the “successful” one. However, he couldn’t speak about it due to some kind of curse that prevented him from discussing his ability without severe consequences. This isolated him from the rest of the world, filling him with trauma and mental scars.

Well... that eventually led to a particularly embarrassing event where they ended up demolishing a third of the Barielle Mansion the first time they… did it...

But she had no regrets about what happened.

Even after having gone through eight political marriages, she had never done anything like that with any man before. So she didn’t regret doing it with him—the man who had earned her respect and her love. Connecting with him in a way she never had before was a meaningful event—one that made her feel happier and more fulfilled than she ever imagined possible in her life.

So now, if you were to see her, she would be lying next to Subaru in the newly rebuilt bedroom of the Barielle Mansion, holding him close as she lay by his side, staring at his face as he slept, savoring the peaceful moment they had earned together.

2) Helena.

Helena didn’t consider herself an arrogant girl—but a proud one.

And what’s the difference between the two? “Someone arrogant talks big but accomplishes nothing. Someone proud achieves great things and shows them off without shame,” she would answer with a haughty tone.

Even as a child, she had set that as a goal for herself—to always be someone proud, not arrogant.

It was almost a trademark of hers if you saw her now.

A little girl with a proud smile and a confident gaze, despite her young age of only ten. Her long, dark hair and bright crimson eyes stood out wherever she went. Wearing noble attire, she embodied her royal lineage perfectly, living up to her title as a princess. She always took great care with her appearance to avoid ever bringing shame to herself or her beloved, respected parents—or being shamed by those she considered beneath her.

For that reason, she even sought help with her appearance from the maid personally chosen by her father—the most trustworthy one: Rem.

An Oni maid who helped care for her hair and assisted with her daily duties as her personal attendant. Rem was the same maid who had once helped her father when his former masters tried to attack both him and her mother. A maid who had followed her heart and desires, even standing against the very hand that once fed her, in order to protect the ones she truly cared for.

So Helena gave her trust to Rem, making her her personal maid—someone who helped with all the trivial tasks whenever needed.

Another person Helena was quite fond of was Al—Aldebaran—the “Knight” of her mother.

In her opinion, he was a very funny man—playful, cheerful, and someone she loved to be around for fun, like an uncle. (Even though she had a real uncle whom, while she didn’t dislike, wasn’t nearly as entertaining as her honorary one.) His clumsy but endearing way of acting earned him points with her—as a good Court Jester should do for a child!

And she loved training with him!

Sometimes she would grab him by one leg and toss him into the air as if he were light as a feather—or punch him hard enough to send him flying through a wall. Or she’d kick his famously durable helmet, trying to at least scratch it, proving how much her strength had improved. Their sword-fighting practice was another highlight for her, helping her hone yet another of her many skills.

Helena was a highly skilled swordswoman with incredible talent, holding the potential to grow far beyond what anyone expected. She even developed a sword style inspired by a character from one of the stories her father told her about his old world. She was capable of fighting with three swords—one of them being the Yang Sword, a blade she had learned to summon since she was even younger than now. This sword belonged to the royal family of Vollachia—something she discovered after learning her uncle was the Emperor of Vollachia. Despite not having gone through the traditional trial that determined whether someone could wield it, she still had the potential to summon it naturally.

Her skill with the three blades gave her a massive advantage over her training opponents. She still remembered how even the Sword Saint himself praised her after she managed to land a cut on his cheek during one of their sparring sessions.

But it wasn’t just her swordsmanship that set her apart—her mastery of Magic and Spirit Arts, which she inherited from her father, was equally remarkable.

Her Fire Magic could produce searing blue flames hot enough to melt metal or natural elements. Her mother praised her so much that she even claimed Helena might one day reach the level of Arakiya, the Second Divine General of Vollachia—whom Helena also considered an aunt after meeting her.

Her Yang Magic allowed her to physically enhance herself, making her sword strikes even more devastating with the sheer power of her strengthened arms. She was also training to form contracts with fire spirits, aspiring to reach the level of her father’s current Fire Spirit, Ares—a Great Spirit that resembled what her father called a “Horse,” a mount from his world.

All of this made her who she was today—one of the most powerful individuals in the entire kingdom, despite her young age. A ten-year-old girl stronger than any other child born since the day she herself came into the world. An anomaly who was often compared to the Sword Saint and the strongest people in the world.

This filled her with even more pride in her abilities—where others might have been crushed by the weight of expectations, not Helena! She was her parents’ daughter, after all. She wouldn’t lose herself over something as silly as pressure—she would surpass it, burn it away with her flames, and prove it meaningless to ever try to measure how truly amazing she was. As a Princess, she would never bow to something so stupid, in her opinion.

Walking calmly through the palace corridors, she approached her destination.

The Royal Hall—where she would find the figures of her father and mother, the King and Queen of Lugunica, Natsuki Subaru and Priscilla Barielle.

The two people she admired and respected more than anyone else in the world—or any time.

For her, they were more than that, especially her father's achievements, even though she insisted against everyone's wishes that they were not his, but her mother's: hunting the Sloth, hunting the Whale, hunting the first of Gluttony, hunting the second of Gluttony, hunting the undead Kurgan, hunting Greed, the victory at Priestella, conquering the Tower of the Pleiades—with the support of Anastasia's Camp—stopping the Great Calamity of Vollachia and negotiating a peace agreement between both Kingdoms, in addition to the future defeat of the Archbishops of Lust and Wrath.

At that time, he had achieved other minor conquests, such as the death of the former assassin Elsa. In addition to the rehabilitation of two other figures: Meili, the Tamer, who now served as an almost exclusive guide in the sands for those who want to go to the Tower of the Pleiades and one of the Masters of Mabeasts, and Spica, the “Star Eater,” who had helped deal with the Great Calamity. Both became part of their family, like sisters to her.

Of course, she would accept them despite their troubled pasts, but she would only respect them when they managed to scratch her.

A rule she imposed on herself when she wanted to accept them as sisters.

It's even funny to say such a thing, because, up to this point, they had improved enough to last about 15 seconds in this last training fight between them.

[Helena: Unfortunately for them, I haven't mastered Soul Marriage yet, so I could strengthen them to last a little longer. But soon I'll be able to do that, and they'll be able to last 18 or even 20 seconds. I'm so kind to them, aren't I?]

Praising herself, she said as she continued on her way.

This is the princess of the Kingdom of Lugunica.

 

 

—————

@Zero_Haven inspired me for this Epilogue, thanks man!

Other consequences in this IF:

-Roswaal and Emilia were arrested. But Emilia was placed in a special prison that Subaru visits to try to help her recover from her destroyed mental state, trying to find a way to still help her. While Roswaal, still being the Court Magician, is locked up better than many other prisoners despite the things he has done, but when he dies, his soul will pass on to Annerose.

-Priscilla won the Royal Selection and became Queen. The other Candidates continue to provide support in other areas, such as Crusch in the military, Anastasia in economics, and even Felt helps (even though only Subaru talks to her directly and Priscilla ignores her).

-Helena is learning the technique of Soul Marriage.

-Rem is Helena's personal maid, having earned the right by fighting alongside Subaru and Al against Roswaal, as well as helping Priscilla against Emilia. As such, she earned the right to two rewards: The first, which she chose to be the permanent maid of the Barielle family, and the second, that she could have the chance to be the second (first for Priscilla) wife or concubine of Subaru and Priscilla.

-Ram is working on Annerose's Mansion.

Chapter 13: Reinhard IF

What if...? Subaru arrived earlier and was Reinhard's friend?

—————

 

 

[Wilhelm: Monster.]

[Heinkel: Abomination.]

Reinhard was used to hearing such words from the two of them. His grandfather and his father—the only family figures he had left alive and awake. His mother was in a deep sleep due to an unknown illness, one that not even the best healers could cure.

And his grandmother...

[Reinhard: Killed because of me...]

He repeated to himself. After all, it was true, wasn't it? That’s what everyone told him—especially his grandfather whenever he spoke about anything related to her or the Whale that caused her death. Killed because her grandson was a monster, a selfish monster who stole her only means of salvation.

Reinhard even blamed himself for the memories he had of his grandmother.

He didn’t deserve to have positive memories of her. Not when he caused her death, not when he brought so much pain to his entire family just by being born as a monstrous abomination that grew worse with each passing year. To the point where even now, his abilities were at an adult’s level despite being only nine years old.

The young boy with red hair and blue eyes walked through the mansion’s corridors until he stepped outside through the front door—alone.

Currently, none of the servants followed him around.

Neither for security nor of their own will. They avoided him both due to orders from the lord of the mansion, Heinkel, Reinhard’s father, and at the boy’s own request, as he didn’t like to bother them. And this was before his little secret. He would go to the estate’s gardens, find a secluded spot with his books, sit down, and read until sunset.

 

No one disturbed him, just as no one wanted to be involved. He didn’t even have friends to play with in that vast backyard, especially after his abilities became known.

Children didn’t dare to approach him.

[Reinhard: They must not want to be near a monster like me...]

Those were his thoughts, dark whispers when he was alone and thinking about such matters. He always thought negatively like this whenever he sat alone in the mansion’s yard.

But...

That was before his secret—before he met [that person].

Now, when he went to the backyard, he carried one of his books as an excuse. Running to one of the walls, he sneaked through some bushes to reach his destination. A small crack in the wall. Placing his book on the grass, he squeezed through the gap, slipping out of the property.

Outside the Astrea estate, he began to run.

His home wasn’t far from the Capital. Running across the fields, he headed in that direction, but not to reach the Capital itself. Instead, he was going to a house located between the Capital and the Astrea mansion—within his family’s lands, built no more than a few months ago.

Upon reaching the front door of the humble house, he knocked a few times...

[???: Who is it?]

[Reinhard: It’s me, Reinhard!]

[???: How can I be sure? Do you have the password?]

Reinhard took a deep breath, preparing himself. He then whistled. A rhythm that had become familiar to him, as he had repeated it countless times since he started coming to this house.

According to what its owner had told him, it was the opening of a program called Oone Pieece or something like that. Titled: “Wee Arre.” A melody he quickly memorized, thanks to his [acquaintance] who had taught him. He didn’t dislike it, after all, it was something taught by such a friendly figure.

[???: Yes, yes! It’s Reinhard!]

Opening the front door of the house stood a young man; he had dark hair, frightening-looking eyes, an excited smile, and wore clothes that were strange to everyone in the kingdom—but some assumed they were noble garments due to the fabric’s quality.

Natsuki Subaru.

[Subaru: Looks like you arrived early! Right on time, actually. Because I wanted to show you my latest, most brilliant invention!]

He proclaimed with excitement, showing it to the child on the verge of a decade in age. A sort of square with one end much longer than the other, with a deformed X-shape and a tip extending from the same side as the longer part of the colored paper.

[Reinhard: What is this?]

[Subaru: This is a kite! And you’ll be the first lucky kid to play with one! ARE YOU READY?! I won’t take no for an answer, because you’re coming with me right now!]

[Reinhard: U-Uhum. O-Okay.]

—X—

[Reinhard: Whoaa!]

The red-haired boy gazed up at the sky, his two orbs shining with excitement. In the sky, that thing Subaru called a kite flew high, the sunlight hitting the paper and creating a beautiful glow.

[Subaru: Alright, success! You can see it on little Rein’s face.]

Subaru spoke as he wrote things down in another one of his inventions—a clipboard. With papers attached to the rectangular wooden board, he took notes on them, currently writing down Reinhard’s reactions.

It was almost always like this since they met.

It was a year ago when they met on a sunny day—it was quite an eventful encounter. They met by a twist of fate when that moment was brought up.

Subaru appeared, being carried by one of the staff members.

From what he was told, Subaru had been found nearly unconscious, having been attacked by bandits on the road. He was rescued by the mansion's staff and brought inside the Astrea Mansion, where he met him when he woke up. Despite his injuries, Subaru maintained his cheerful personality as they talked.

Reinhard had always been a shy and withdrawn boy, so they had difficulty conversing at first when they saw each other for the first time.

The two started with simple conversations. Subaru eventually received help from the staff, gaining temporary lodging, a job as a butler and assistant, and a way to learn more about the region. From what Reinhard also discovered, Subaru had no knowledge of Lugunica or other regions like Vollachia, Gusteko, or Kararagi.

A person with no knowledge whatsoever.

This led to their growing closer. Reinhard had vast knowledge thanks to his time spent reading about… basically everything, and Subaru wasn’t ashamed to ask Reinhard to teach him. They talked, the boy taught, and Subaru also began teaching him things from where he came from—“Jaapan.”—and even taught the boy about children’s games.

They grew closer until they formed a strong bond. To Reinhard, Subaru became the [acquaintance] closest to being a friend.

Until Heinkel appeared.

Since Subaru wasn’t someone he had actually hired, and given his usual anger, which worsened when he was drunk, Heinkel kicked him out of the mansion. No one could challenge his orders. He was the eldest, the owner of Astrea Mansion, Reinhard’s father, and the head of everyone there. But before being sent away, Subaru received a pouch of coins and a tip about a house where he could stay.

Reinhard thought that was the last time he would see his [acquaintance]—until one day Subaru showed up, almost jumping over the mansion’s wall, while the boy was reading his books in the backyard, and pointed out a secret crack in the wall that the boy could use to sneak out.

And so it happened again and again.

Subaru would appear on top of the wall, convince Reinhard to come out, they would play together, and then the boy would return home. It became a weekly routine, then a daily one. To the point where, one day, Reinhard was invited to sneak out through the crack to visit Subaru’s home. There, Subaru always showed the boy his new inventions.

The boy was always the first to test the toys Subaru created. That’s how it happened many times, always playing together.

Today was yet another day when his [acquaintance] wasted time playing with a... monster.

[Subaru: What’s with that face, huh, Rein?]

[Reinhard: Huh?!]

Reinhard looked at Subaru in surprise.

[Subaru: You’ve got that sad expression again… Don’t tell me you hated my kite?! I made it especially for you!]

[Reinhard: N-No, I l-like it, Subaru-San. It’s r-really good.]

[Subaru: No need for the ‘San,’ Rein. I’ve told you that a thousand times. —— So why do you have that sad face? —— Was it your father again?]

[Reinhard: ——]

[Subaru: Do you want to talk about it? And when I ask, I mean we’re going to talk. Now.]

Leaving no room for questioning or escape, Subaru spoke with a certain authority to the red-haired boy. Reinhard’s expression grew sadder, his worry becoming more apparent. The boy pulled the kite by the string that connected it to the wooden stick in his hands and then placed it beside him as they sat down.

[Subaru: What happened this time?]

[Reinhard: —— It was nothing.]

[Subaru: Stop! No kid looks sad while flying a kite where I come from. If it’s happening to you, then it must be something serious. —— Spit it out. What did that idi— baba—, your lovely daddy say this time?]

[Reinhard: —— Subaru, do you... think I’m a monster… or a freak...?]

[Subaru: —— I see, I see. So that’s it. You’re worried about that.]

Subaru remained silent for a few moments, thoughtful. Ever since he met the boy sitting beside him, he noticed that something was wrong.

He was almost always alone, reading, with no friends. His relatives seemed to abandon and ignore him inside the mansion. And his father, Heinkel, whom Subaru had a terrible first impression of, was the kind of father no child should ever have. Especially with that strong, disgusting smell of alcohol the black-haired boy had sensed back then.

Reinhard was just a child, but he seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Subaru even discovered that part of the reason had to do with the death of his grandmother: Theresia van Astrea, the former [Sword Saint].

He took a deep breath before suddenly standing up.

[Subaru: TIME FOR A TEST!]

[Reinhard: A test...?]

[Subaru: Where I come from, there’s a test to determine whether someone is a monster, a freak, or just a normal person. Hey? What do you think? Are you in or not?]

[Reinhard: H-Hum, o-okay.]

[Subaru: Alright! Now, stand up!]

Reinhard stood up at the command.

[Subaru: Hmmm. Hummm. Hmmm.]

The black-haired boy began circling around the boy, looking him up and down. Reinhard grew nervous under the intense gaze analyzing him like that.

[Subaru: At a glance... you don't look like a monster. —— Two arms, two legs. Two eyes, one nose, one mouth. Adorable cheeks that make me want to pinch them.]

[Reinhard: Ow, ouch.]

To emphasize his words, Subaru grabbed the boy’s cheeks, pinching them with one hand on each side. They turned even redder from both the embarrassment of Subaru's words and the force he used to squeeze them.

[Subaru: No, no. Someone with such an adorable face couldn't possibly be a monster. I’d never believe such a lie.]

[Reinhard: But... I killed my grandmother...]

[Subaru: Killed your grandmother? Sorry for putting it so bluntly, but. I heard she was killed by a Whale, one of the Three Great Beasts, not by a cute boy.]

[Reinhard: She died because of me... if I——]

[Subaru: FOREHEAD FLICK!]

Striking an exaggerated pose, he launched his attack. He flicked Reinhard’s forehead, hitting him lightly but making him rub his head.

[Subaru: Don’t blame yourself for this! No matter how much they put the blame on you, no matter what they say! Don’t believe those lies! —— Of course, I don’t know every detail of why they pinned it on you, but I know, or at least I feel, that it’s nonsense. The little Rein I’ve known for this past year wouldn’t do something as terrible as killing his own grandmother. No, no. You’re not a monster. And there’s one last way to prove you’re not a monster...]

[Reinhard: What— Pfft! Hahahahaha!]

Before Reinhard could think or finish his question, he was “attacked” by Subaru. Subaru launched a tickling assault on the young boy. Even as Reinhard tried to escape or fight back, he couldn’t.

[Subaru: See? Haha! No monster would laugh in such an adorable way like you, you know? —— Remember, Rein. No matter what your grandfather or father say, you’re not a monster. They’re still... consumed by grief... And they unfairly place the blame on you. WHICH THEY SHOULDN’T! You had no control, did you? You didn’t want that to happen, right?! To me, it’s completely unfair for them to treat such a sweet and kind little boy like you this way!]

[Reinhard: ——]

[Subaru: Honestly. I’m surprised you don’t hold a grudge against them. If it were me, I’d be doing childish things. Like pranks, drawings, anything to annoy them. Even if they got mad at me, just to show them I wouldn’t take it silently. But you’re incredibly more mature than I’ve ever been in my entire life. —— So, whenever those idiots call you a monster, come to me, okay? Maybe a friend’s words don’t carry as much weight as a relative’s, but I’ll still make sure you understand that you’re not what they say you are.]

[Reinhard: F-Friend...?]

[Subaru: Yes, friend. —— Oh no! You don’t want to be my friend?! I thought you did! That’s why I brought you here to play with my inventions, just to get the opinion of my youngest friend! Well, the only real friend I’ve made this past year. But if you don’t want to...]

[Reinhard: No! No, I do! I want to be your friend!]

Reinhard spoke with an excitement and energy he had never shown before.

[Subaru: Oh, right! That’s the kind of enthusiasm I like! How about we go back to playing with the kite, huh? We should make the most of it before you have to go back to those boring people, don’t you think?]

With no more words exchanged, Reinhard went back to playing with the kite. His heart felt lighter. That guy, Natsuki Subaru, didn’t see him as a monster or a freak, and he wasn’t just a [acquaintance]... he was his first friend.

Reinhard Astrea’s first friend. Someone who, in the future, would guide him down the path of becoming a true hero.

 

 

—————

I apologize if this chapter was too fast or too short. But basically I wanted to show how Subaru would spend Reinhard's entire childhood shaping him so that he no longer saw himself as a monster.

In this IF there would be many changes, among the main ones:

-This Subaru reached his 18th birthday, Reinhard was 9. At the start of the series, Reinhard was already 19, so Subaru spent 10 years in the new world.

-Reinhard became more confident with the passing of the years and Subaru's influence (even deepening his friendships outside the Knights).

-When Reinhard developed his [Teacher's Blessing] at the age of ten, he began teaching Subaru fencing skills to make him stronger over the years (although he was nervous because he believed Subaru would be amazed, but Subaru wasn't shy about asking the boy for training).

-Subaru had a bad relationship with Heinkel and Wilhelm from the start. Even at one point, he would have had a fight with Wilhelm and taken a lot of flak, but while he lost the battle of swords, he won the mental battle: By making Wilhelm see that he was the one who was acting like a monster by the way he treated Reinhard.

-When the time came: Reinhard became a knight alongside Subaru, both working as a pair of brothers. Subaru as the planner and Reinhard as the one who carried out the plans.

-Subaru helped with the Argyle case and helped Reinhard not have to kill Miles.

-Thanks to Subaru: Reinhard was able to become closer friends with Julius and Felix when he met them in their respective eras. Subaru also became close friends with them.

-They went together to conquer the Pleiades tower when the royal family fell ill: Thanks to Subaru and Reinhard's strength, they were able to overcome it and recruit Shaula. Although they were unable to save the Royal Family.

-In the confrontation between Cecilus and Reinhard: Subaru was able to easily befriend the Divine General and made him an almost ally (Reinhard's rival).

-With Subaru's help (and the Return by Death), Reinhard was able to use his abilities from the start of the series with 100% efficiency, among his achievements, from the official start of the story as in the original:

[Both saved Emilia and Felt]

[Arrested Elsa]

[They saved Arlam and arrested Meili]

[With a plan from Subaru, the Camps: Felt and Crusch teamed up to hunt down the Whale and eliminated it (deepening Wilhelm and Reinhard's relationship), having no casualties during such an event]

[They then took a route that led them to fight Petelguese before he attacked Arlam and Roswaal's mansion, eliminating him and having no casualties in that confrontation]

[They confronted Regulus and Lye together from Crusch Camp, while Regulus confronted Reinhard, in a stalemate, all the others were able to unite to eliminate Lye]

[They were also able to eliminate the Great Rabbit: When Subaru was summoned to the Sanctuary, to assist Emilia, by Roswaal, and he took Reinhard]

[They helped liberate the Sanctuary by helping Emilia]

[During Prietella's attack, they were able to: Eliminate Roy of Gluttony, Regulus of Greed and capture Sirius of Wrath, as well as warding off the attack from the rest of the cult and from Luxuria]

-Because of Subaru's intervention during various events with Reinhard's support, many characters were recruited to Felt's Camp, before and after the start of the Royal Selection, leaving the camp with (in chronological order and the main ones):

1. Subaru.
2. Reinhard.
3. Shaula.
4. Felt.
5. Rom.
6. Elsa (after renovation, by Meili).
7. Meili (after renovation, by Elsa).
8. Trio of Bandits.

-Thanks to Subaru's inventions, some of which were invested in by Reinhard, he managed to become well known in the world of business and the market. The main source of his money was toys and books. Since he focused on creating them to amuse Reinhard in his childhood, as well as tales from his world (such as manga, books, series and movies).

-This is one of the most powerful versions of Subaru for the following reasons:

1. He had training from Reinhard: With his [Teacher's Blessing], being trained for years, Reinhard was able to teach Subaru perfectly how to use a sword. Making him almost as skilled as himself.
2. Gate: Subaru had more than nine years to develop his Gate and with Reinhard's help, he learned how to use Mana to strengthen his body to become physically more powerful.
3. Sword of Life: During their return from the Pleiades Tower (after recruiting Shaula) they were able to find the Sword of Life, which Subaru took possession of when it was offered to him by Reinhard.
4. Beatrice: He began to form a bond with Beatrice the first time he met her (when he went to Emilia after he and Reinhard rescued her on the same day they met Felt) to the point that, in Arc 4, he was able to form a contract with her and hire her as his Great Spirit.

Chapter 14: [Extra - Reinhard IF]

[Shaula: Master, Master! I look the best in knight uniforms, right? Right~?!]

[Reinhard: No offense, Shaula. But asking Subaru-Nii-San to choose that again would be completely unnecessary, don’t you think? —— And he’d say both, wouldn’t he?]

[Subaru: You got it, Rein.]

Subaru couldn’t help but let out a small smile at the antics of the two following him through the streets of the Capital. The young teenager who had suddenly arrived in this new world was long gone. Now older, with a neatly trimmed beard and slicked-back hair that shone, the same went for his once-intimidating eyes, which now carried a different, more energetic glow. His body was also more toned, clearly visible in the white knight uniform he now wore.

He had the appearance of an adult man who had spent the last decade taking care of his body for both health and personal grooming. He had become quite a handsome man, almost like his father—when he compared himself to the man.

A whole decade in this world had made him an official resident. And it had been quite an interesting life.

Since his arrival, he had lived as an inventor and merchant, surviving off the income from selling his products. Toys were his main source of revenue. He earned enough money to even purchase a good property within the Astrea estates—though, over time, he ended up spending more of his time in the mansion with Reinhard and their new friend/companion.

That new figure was: Shaula.

The duo met her when they were assigned a mission to the Pleiades Tower to find a cure for the Royal Family’s disease. Though they ultimately failed in that regard, they at least managed to win her over thanks to the combined efforts of Subaru and Reinhard. They also gained a new ally, who claimed Subaru was her long-lost Master.

They returned without a way to save the Royal Family and Fourier, someone who had become a good friend to Subaru. But at least they gained two positives. Of those two, there was Shaula. The girl with her hair tied in a scorpion-like style now wore a custom-made Knight uniform: white shorts, a white and red bikini top, and a white cape with a red exterior, along with white boots. The only knight uniform she allowed herself to wear.

It had been quite a struggle for Subaru to get the Council members to accept such an outfit, but they were more than happy to have the disciple of the great sage as an ally to the Kingdom—especially as a Knight. And the now fully grown man convinced her to become a Knight so they could work together.

Even though the positions she initially wanted to take were: Master's Bodyguard, Master's Body Pillow, Master's Slave, etc., Subaru had to persuade her that being a Knight would be a better role. She only accepted because, according to her: “If Master wants to see Shaula as a Knight, then she’ll become the best Knight in the world!” And she made it her personal challenge to surpass figures such as Félix Argyle, the greatest healer and holder of the ‘Blue’ title, Julius Juukulius, the Knight of Knights, and Reinhard van Astrea, the Sword Saint.

Subaru also earned a title—somewhat simple, but given by the Council’s vote: Lugunica’s greatest strategist, as well as one of the best fighters and leader of the knights, receiving and bearing the title of ‘Hero of the Knights.’ A title granted for his way of handling the burden of leading from the front, as well as for having the unwavering trust of Reinhard himself—who considered him a brother.

The trio now walked together through the streets of the Capital, enjoying the red-haired man’s day off.

[Shaula: Master, Master! How about we go on a date after we drop off the boring one?]

[Reinhard: Boring? Shaula, Nii-San knows I am anything but boring. I’ve had a good FEW YEARS to prove that to him.]

[Shaula: Grrrr! Red-headed dummy, white-butt coward.]

[Subaru: Don’t fight, okay? —— Shaula, I promised Rein I’d spend his entire day off with him, remember? We barely get any free time because of full-time knight duties, especially with him being the GRAND Sword Saint, right? He’s probably so exhausted he’ll want me to carry him on my shoulders like I used to, huh?]

Subaru teased with an excited smile, while Reinhard blushed slightly. Both remembered how, as a child, Reinhard used to pretend to be tired so Subaru would carry him on top of his head. He could have just asked normally, but the black-haired boy at the time enjoyed watching him pretend to be too exhausted for it.

[Reinhard: Nii-San!]

Reinhard’s cheeks puffed up as he pouted, showing his irritation at being reminded of such embarrassing childhood memories—though they were still precious to both of them.

[Shaula: Master, carry me? Your Shaula feels really tired and would love to be held in your arms! You can even run your hands over my body and feel Shaula’s breasts if you want!]

[Subaru: Don’t say things like that in public, Shaula. Please. That’s way too indecent to just say out loud where someone might hear and think I have bad intentions with you. —— Though you already say stuff like that in front of all our fellow knights, so I’m already a laughingstock. Félix hasn’t let me hear the end of it because of this kind of thing. Julius even thinks I’m having an affair with you.]

[Shaula: THINK?! Then that purple one must have a good mind to notice the best ship, right? Right? Master, let's go on a date after we ditch the boring one?]

[Subaru: Are we in a dialogue repetition event? I'm sorry, but as I said, we’re not leaving Rein on his day off.]

Shaula pouted at that, annoyed, giving Reinhard a quick glance at her side, who casually gave a childish mocking gesture: sticking out his tongue. Subaru let out an amused huff at their interaction since, usually, this was how they acted when competing for his attention.

As they walked, Subaru took a deep breath.

Then he stopped. The black-haired man stopped in front of them, making them almost bump into him on the way.

And that confused them.

[Shaula: Master...?]

[Reinhard: Nii-San...?]

[Subaru: Hmmm. Rein?]

[Reinhard: Yes?]

[Subaru: Would you feel sad if I interrupted our outing to take care of an... unexpected matter?]

Upon hearing those words, they understood what had happened.

—[X]—

Walking through the slums' alleys, the half-elf moved forward.

Emilia was worried and tired. That morning, she had lost her brooch—the symbol that would allow her to enter the Royal Selection.

A disaster.

Because it was unique, because that brooch was her ticket to competing and being able to save the elves of Elior Forest that she had frozen. That’s why she was searching for the thief who stole it.

Following clues and talking to some people, she had heard about the girl who had stolen her brooch. A thief named Felt, who was supposedly selling the item in a loot house in the slums. Now, she was heading to the place she had been told about, with Puck having left to rest for a few moments.

Then, she spotted the place—a rather large building on the outskirts of the slums. As she approached, she braced herself for whatever might be happening inside.

Prepared, she took a deep breath, stepped through the door, and...

[Rom: Oh, she’s here. You really stirred up a big mess, huh, Felt?]

[Felt: Don’t blame me so much, Old Man Rom!]

She wasn’t prepared for what she was seeing. A young girl with blonde hair and red eyes—whom she quickly recognized as Felt from the descriptions she had been given—and a rather tall old man with white hair, whom she now learned was named Rom.

But there were two other figures in that place, two figures dressed in illustrious fashion.

[Reinhard: Good evening, Emilia-Sama. It’s a pleasure to see you here.]

[Subaru: I had heard about it, but you’re much more beautiful in person, Emilia-Sama~!]

A red-haired figure and a black-haired one greeted her as she entered the place. Reinhard van Astrea and Natsuki Subaru. Figures who had become widely known, especially to Emilia, as she had to start learning about important current figures in Lugunica.

[Emilia: R-Reinhard, S-Subaru...?]

[Subaru: Emilia-Sama, we came to help you and... these two in the mess they got themselves into.]

His gaze wandered to the girl and the old man.

[Felt: I’m sorry! Big Bro Subaru!]

Felt said, making a quick bow but showing her regret.

[Subaru: First, let me explain. —— I personally know Felt-chan and Rom-san from way back. Since I became a Knight, with my prestige and respect, I started patrolling the slums. I’ve always thought it was idiotic that Knights and nobles don’t try to help the people living here. That’s why I try to ensure the safety of this place concerning the dangers surrounding everyone. —— And today, dear Felt-chan got herself into the biggest mess of her life.]

[Felt: Sorry again.]

[Subaru: She was hired to steal your royal brooch. I found out who it was, but they also have a contractor. That will have to be investigated later. —— The one who hired Felt-chan is named Elsa Granhiert, the Bowel Hunter. A rather... complicated figure based on the information I have.]

[Rom: Her?! Girl, you really need to look at the jobs you take!]

[Felt: But the payment was so good...]

[Subaru: HAHAHAHAHA!!!]

Subaru couldn’t help but laugh in amusement at the girl’s final words about why she had taken the job, Reinhard also finding some amusement in it like an older brother.

Meanwhile, Emilia remained confused.

[Emilia: If I may ask... how do you have so much information? Were you already keeping an eye on her for a while or something?]

[Subaru: Hm? Nhan! I just found out today, a few hours ago.]

[Emilia: WHAT?!]

The half-elf had a disbelieving expression, which drew amused laughs from the other three figures. Reinhard stood up and approached the silver-haired girl.

[Reinhard: Subaru Nii-Sama is like that, Emilia-Sama. At times, he receives precise information about various different matters, things no one would ever know. It seems impossible, but every time, thanks to him, the Knights—and I in particular—have been able to act accurately and prevent damage and losses. —— We even call it: The Subaru Moment. Where we just have to believe in his words, because in the end, he’ll be right.]

The red-haired young man explained simply but still confidently in his words to the silver-haired candidate, who, despite her confusion, could perceive such things in what he was saying.

[Subaru: Oh, being spoken of so highly by my little brother feels so good~~ Don’t you think~?]

Without wasting time, Subaru joined the conversation with a teasing tone, earning a tired look from Rom and Felt.

[Subaru: And… she’s here.]

CLANG!

The sound of a strike.

In a swift motion, Subaru defended Felt from a blade thrown through a gap in the door. His quick draw surprised her as his sword blocked what appeared to be a dagger aimed at her face.

Everyone quickly gathered.

Emilia stood beside Reinhard, while Felt and Rom were behind Subaru, who took a few steps toward the door. The door swung open, revealing a figure—a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in black, a sadistic smile on her face, and a weapon in hand. Elsa, the Bowel Hunter.

[Elsa: Fufufu~ My, it seems quite the group has gathered here, hasn’t it~? My contractor didn’t mention that I’d have to deal with two such illustrious figures at once~ And here I thought there was honor among thieves, but you decided to spread word about our little business deal, didn’t you~?]

[Subaru: Sorry, Miss Granhiert. But Felt-chan isn’t to blame for our meeting here. I found out about you myself. In a… well… rather complicated way… —— It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.]

[Elsa: Hmmm. A pleasure for me as well, Mr. Hero of the Knights~]

[Subaru: Whenever someone calls me that title… I can’t help but blush. —— Rein. Cover me, okay? I’m going to fight. —— You don’t mind, do you?]

[Elsa: I’d love to test my skills against the great Sword Saint, but I also can’t pass up an opportunity like this. —— Elsa Granhiert, the Bowel Hunter.]

[Subaru: Natsuki Subaru, the Hero of the Knights, I suppose.]

After introducing themselves, they prepared their weapons.

Without warning, Elsa lunged.

The air split as her Kukri blades tore through the space between them. Subaru reacted instantly, his sword slicing through the air in a perfect arc, deflecting the first strike with a flash of sparks. Elsa’s feet slid across the floor, and before he could recover, she was already at his side, spinning in a fluid motion.

Her Black Blade came down in a serrated strike.

Subaru dodged by a hair’s breadth, feeling the blade graze past his shoulder. He twisted his body, using the momentum to unleash a side slash. Elsa arched her back, evading with inhuman flexibility, before launching her White Blade in a crushing attack. Subaru raised the Sword of Life at the last second, the impact sending a shockwave through the room.

The two backed off momentarily.

Elsa grinned, licking her lips. Her body regenerated almost instantly from the small cuts Subaru managed to inflict. Subaru tightened his grip around the sword’s hilt. He couldn’t afford a prolonged fight.

Elsa charged again, her movements blurring under the moonlight. Subaru enhanced his body with mana, sharpening his reflexes. Each clash echoed through the hall. Kukris met blade, sparks danced in the air. Subaru used his dexterity and creativity to compensate for the assassin’s speed and regeneration. He attacked from unexpected angles, mixing direct thrusts with deceptive feints, forcing Elsa to stay on the move.

He concentrated his mana into the Sword of Life.

The blade gleamed with a spectral light, an intense aura vibrating in the air.

Elsa sensed the danger, her eyes narrowing.

In a final leap, Elsa spun midair, her blades slashing from all directions. Subaru remained calm, moving at the perfect moment. With a single stroke, his sword carved an arc, striking Elsa dead center.

The impact was brutal.

A flash of light spread through the hall.

Elsa staggered, a deep cut running across her torso. Her regeneration kicked in, but something was wrong.

[Elsa: So… this is the famous Sword of Life~? I’ve heard about it and that it was in your possession~]

[Subaru: That’s right. Rein and I found it during a little trip back from the Pleiades Tower. What do you think? Pretty, isn’t it? And if you’d like to surrender before we waste any more time…]

[Elsa: Fufufu~ Maybe I should take it… along with your intestines once I’m done with everything~]

[Subaru: Oh, what an unusual request~ I’d at least expect dinner first, you know?]

[Elsa: Of course~]

With a flick of her wrist, she drew a spare blade and hurled it at Subaru, who dodged it with a slight movement of his sword.

She didn’t hesitate, drawing two serrated blades and charging forward in a deadly dance, her weapons flowing like the claws of a wild beast.

Subaru, however, was like a tranquil river in the midst of a storm. His sword intercepted each strike with surgical precision, redirecting Elsa’s attacks effortlessly. Every assault from the assassin was thwarted by the unwavering composure of the swordsman.

Elsa’s Kukris spun through the air, seeking any opening, but Subaru seemed to read each of her movements before she even made them. He dodged, retreated, and counterattacked flawlessly, always staying a step ahead.

A precise strike sent one of her blades flying across the hall, while another was cleaved in half by a swift stroke of the Sword of Life.

Frustration began to surface in Elsa’s eyes. She still smiled, but her gaze was hungry—almost desperate. Like a cornered beast, she drew her final blade, the White Blade, and channeled all her strength into a crushing strike. The attack descended like thunder, but Subaru blocked it effortlessly, absorbing the impact and countering in a fluid motion.

The battle had reached a new level of intensity.

Elsa, frustrated by how easily Subaru dodged her attacks, began to increase her pace, her blades spinning in a deadly whirlwind. With each strike, she sought a weak point, a minimal opening—any gap she could exploit to finish him off.

Subaru, however, remained unfazed. His eyes followed every movement of the assassin with terrifying precision, his sword intercepting the attacks as if he already knew where they would land.

Elsa’s speed was impressive, but he reacted with calmness and efficiency.

His mastery of the sword and the infusion of mana into his body allowed him to dodge, parry, and counterattack with seemingly no effort.

Elsa switched strategies, retreating momentarily before launching all of her remaining blades in a simultaneous attack. The kukris flew like cutting shadows toward Subaru, surrounding him from all sides. But before any of them could reach him, he spun his blade with a swift and precise motion, deflecting them all in the air with a single strike.

His feet slid across the wooden floor as he advanced, his sword glinting under the moonlight.

Elsa, now without her primary weapons, drew her White Blade and Black Blade, trying to force him into close-quarters combat.

With devastating blows, she attacked relentlessly, but Subaru kept his composure, dodging and blocking with a fluidity that made it seem as if he were dancing between the blades.

Growing increasingly furious, Elsa let out a macabre laugh, her regeneration restoring the small wounds Subaru managed to inflict.

But even her curse couldn’t change the fact that she couldn’t land a hit on him.

He was too fast, too precise.

No matter how hard she tried, Subaru always seemed to be one step ahead, his sword moving as if it could predict every attack before it even happened. The tension grew, but Subaru’s advantage was evident. Elsa, despite her regeneration and bloodlust, was being slowly pushed to her limit.

Except for Reinhard, everyone else watched with wide eyes, almost in disbelief at the battle unfolding before them. Two monsters in close combat stood in that place. Subaru was revealing his true combat skills, learned from Reinhard, who watched with a proud expression—proud of his older brother and apprentice.

The Loot House was more or less wrecked and disorganized from the fight between those two, as expected.

[Elsa: Have we... fought before~~? Why do you seem to know me sooo well~?]

[Subaru: Maybe we fought each other in a past life? Because I’m pretty sure I’ve felt your blade in my body before, and I didn’t like it back then either.]

[Elsa: What a shame~ —— Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll have to withdraw. My employer didn’t pay me enough to fight someone like you and the Sword Saint himself~ I suppose... I’ll have to retreat for now~]

[Subaru: Hm? And who said I would allow such a thing?]

[Elsa: Hmmm~ This~]

With a choreographed movement, she hurled several sharp needles toward Felt and Emilia, who were still frozen in shock from the battle and were about to be hit—if not for Reinhard’s quick action in grabbing them mid-air.

Subaru couldn’t help but crack a small smile.

But at the same time, Elsa leaped backward, smashing through the entrance door in the process, and began running as fast as she could. At least until her left leg was struck by a flash, causing her to fall to the ground, barely stopping her face from hitting the floor by quickly placing her hands down.

[Shaula: Hoho~ I hit her! Master is going to be so happy with Shaula’s work!]

The figure of a girl with a scorpion tail in her hair approached the assassin with a confident smile, though still maintaining a safe distance.

[Subaru: Did you think we came without a guarantee to keep you here, Elsa-chan?]

[Shaula: See, Master~? Shaula did a great job, right? I think she deserves some rewards later, right? Right?!]

[Subaru: Sure, sure. But later, okay? We need to finish dealing with her first. Rein?]

[Reinhard: Miss Granhiert, if you would consider your defeat, please surrender. I don’t think anyone here wants to extend this battle any longer than it already has.]

Elsa’s seductive smile seemed to waver slightly as she realized the situation she was in. The figures in front of her were too powerful for her to handle, and all her instincts screamed for her to retreat.

[Elsa: Well, sorry~ but I don’t want to end my life just yet~]

Quickly, her injured leg seemed to heal, and she propelled herself away. Shaula once again used a Hell Sniper to strike Elsa’s back. But the cloak she wore absorbed the impact, seemingly dissipating the attack, protecting her just enough to allow her to continue her escape.

And she vanished into the darkness of the slums.

Subaru sighed, scratching the back of his head.

[Subaru: What a shame, she got away.]

[Shaula: O-OH, s-sorry M-M-Master. P-Please don’t be mad at me!]

[Subaru: I’m not, Shaula. It’s my fault. I should have foreseen this part too. It’s normal for you to make these mistakes, Shaula.]

[Reinhard: —— Even though I wouldn’t have let her escape.]

The red-haired young man’s murmur made the girl turn around, delivering a kick aimed at his face, which he easily blocked. They then started a small sparring match.

She threw kick after kick, but he effortlessly caught them, sticking out his tongue in mockery.

[Subaru: Arrrr. You two... —— Oh, my apologies.]

Subaru turned to face the other figures who had witnessed the scene, as he sheathed his sword with a quick, precise movement. He had a confident, excited smile, yet there was also a calm maturity in his demeanor.

[Subaru: I hope everyone is alright.]

He spoke in a soothing tone.

On that moonlit night, Emilia looked at the three figures already considered legends in their time. But her eyes were fixed on that black-haired knight—the one who would change the course of her life.

Chapter 15: [Extra 2 - Reinhard IF]

—|Reinhard|—

“I remember that day well, the day Subaru Nii-san faced my Honorable Grandfather. And I remember it as if it were yesterday...”

The sound of swords echoed like muffled thunder, shattering the peace of the mansion gardens where I grew up. The flowers swayed gently in the wind, but the atmosphere between those two was anything but gentle.

Subaru Nii-san charged forward again. His feet sank slightly into the damp grass, and even though his movements were raw, unsure, almost predictable… they carried something frightening: an unbreakable will.

But Honorable Grandfather stopped him with a single step. A strike. A twist of the wrist.

Clang!

Subaru Nii-san’s sword flew from his hands, embedding itself in the ground with a hollow sound, like a rusty bell. His body spun in the air and he fell on his side, panting, groaning.

Even so… he got up and picked up his sword to keep fighting.

“They were fighting because of me. —— My Honorable Grandfather and I never had the best relationship since I was a child. Since... my Honorable Grandmother was killed because of me. Because I committed the sin of receiving her blessing when she should have used it to win that battle. —— My Honorable Grandfather sometimes reprimanded me when I came to the Astrea Mansion, but that time... Subaru Nii-san was with me.”

I remember hiding partially behind a tree. I remember the feeling of watching them in the mansion’s garden. I remember it didn’t feel like a fight... more like an execution.

Honorable Grandfather didn’t hide his fury. His eyes burned like dry embers, his expression that of a veteran who had buried more than he could carry.

He was a warrior who had defeated monsters and men, who had faced the world’s worst and won… and there he was, treating Subaru Nii-san as if he were an insult to his name.

And maybe, in that moment, he was.

Subaru Nii-san came again. Faster. No technique, but full of rage. For me.

Because I… I saw it. I saw the harsh, cold look Honorable Grandfather gave me earlier that day.

Subaru Nii-san couldn’t stand that look. Not from him.

But the sword my Honorable Grandfather raised moved with such precision it didn’t seem to cut the air — it seemed to shape it.

He deflected each attack with painful ease, as if he were handling a child who still didn’t understand the weight of a blade.

Subaru Nii-san’s chest was already covered in scratches, his shirt torn in several places even from the wooden swords they were using. A shallow cut on his arm bled a thin line.

He stumbled. Fell. Got up — and once more, did it again.

[Wilhelm: You don’t give up...?]

[Subaru: No... not until you apologize to him.]

And Grandfather… he didn’t stop. He didn’t hold back. His movements were like violent poetry. Precise. Elegant. Almost cruel.

But Subaru Nii-san kept going. His eyes… they never changed.

And that… that made my chest ache.

Even as just a beginner swordsman, even panting, even with trembling hands, Subaru Nii-san raised his sword once more.

His body was falling apart, yet he still challenged the man who had defeated hundreds with a single blow.

Honorable Grandfather advanced with speed almost invisible to the eye.

Subaru Nii-san barely reacted in time — his blade was knocked away once more. The impact threw him flat on his back, stealing the air from his lungs.

I took a step forward, instinctively. But I stopped.

Subaru Nii-san… was crawling. His fingers dug into the dirt as he tried to stand again.

I wanted it to end there — but it didn’t.

Subaru Nii-san stood up… once more.

Without a sword. Without an advantage. Without a chance. Just his clenched fists, as if they could replace the blade he could no longer hold.

[Wilhelm: You still don’t understand. Even if that aberration trained you, even if you had talent, you still won’t defeat me. Don’t you see... this fight is pointless?]

[Subaru: Pointless...? —— Hahaha! And what about you...? Still calling Rein a monster… an aberration… Because you can’t accept it, can you? —— That you were wrong.]

[Wilhelm: Hm?!]

[Subaru: Your grandson didn’t cause your wife’s death, he didn’t want her to die, and Rein just accepted being judged as a monster because you and your idiot son keep saying he is. But the truth? The truth is that you know it wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t Rein who killed Theresia van Astrea, it was the Whale. Rein isn’t a monster who mistreats people — you two are. What Rein did was simply be a responsible adult, while you two cowards keep hiding from the guilt and throwing it all on his shoulders to bear alone!]

I remember my grandfather gritting his teeth, a severe expression radiating murderous intent. I remember Subaru Nii-san still smiling despite that crushing aura that would’ve broken anyone else. I remember, for some reason I didn’t understand... I felt happy hearing those words spoken in my defense.

Honorable Grandfather didn’t retreat. On the contrary… he advanced.

And this time, not with the careful elegance of a master trying to teach a lesson — he attacked like an insulted warrior.

Like a veteran who won’t accept disrespect.

The first strike was shallow, to the leg.

The second, diagonal, cut across his shoulder.

And he kept going. Blow after blow, without giving him time to recover.

Subaru Nii-san fell to his knees.

[Subaru: You’re a coward... who can’t... do anything more... than beat... others...]

Honorable Grandfather kicked him with his heel, and Subaru’s body rolled across the grass like a leaf in the wind.

He coughed blood. Spat dirt.

But even so — even so — he tried to rise again.

I felt my hands tremble.

“Stop, Honorable Grandfather,” I wanted to say. “That’s enough.”

But my voice… was caught in my throat.

I remember Grandfather advancing again. And the sound of the blows changed. They were no longer the clash of swords. Now it was bones absorbing impacts far greater than they could handle. Fists against ribs. Elbows against faces. Knees against stomachs.

Subaru Nii-san could no longer defend himself.

He just endured. His head hung low. His eyes barely opened. But his feet… were still rooted in the ground. It was like watching a nail being hammered. Deeper. Deeper. Ever deeper. But never bending.

Honorable Grandfather… seemed different now.

No longer the impassive master. His strikes carried a rage I didn’t understand. Maybe it wasn’t about Subaru Nii-san. Maybe it was something older. Against the world. Against himself. Against the wife he lost. Against the grandson he couldn’t reach with words. But Subaru Nii-san was the one taking the punishment. And he accepted it.

For me.

My stomach ached. My hands were sweaty. I tasted iron in my mouth, even though I hadn’t been hit.

Subaru Nii-san fell once more.

My Honorable Grandfather stopped. His chest rose and fell, shoulders trembling. He looked at Subaru Nii-san on the ground like he no longer knew why he had even started.

Subaru Nii-san’s body trembled on the ground.

His arms were spread as if embracing the earth. His fingers barely moved, dragging across the blood-stained grass and dirt. His breathing came in dry, irregular gasps. As if each breath were a final plea for life.

And my Honorable Grandfather watched in silence. His eyes, once burning with fury, now seemed… lost.

Maybe he was also wondering why he couldn’t stop. Maybe in that broken body, he saw the shadow of another battle long past.

One he never won.

I took a step. Just one. The wind blew through the trees. Time seemed to hesitate.

And then… Subaru Nii-san stood up.

Not with strength. Not with dignity.

But with stubbornness.

[Wilhelm: ——! Why...? Why do you keep going...?!]

I remember Subaru Nii-san beginning to walk toward my Honorable Grandfather.

I remember thinking it should’ve been impossible for someone so wounded to keep rising to face an unwinnable fight.

I remember how my Honorable Grandfather seemed more than surprised... he seemed disbelieving at what was happening before him — powerless to do anything but raise his sword toward Subaru Nii-san.

[Subaru: I... won’t... back down... —— Because... in the end... I have to face life head-on... Not push the blame onto someone else... Because it’s easier to blame others... than deal with your own responsibilities... —— You can hit me as much as you want... I’m weak, I’m an idiot, I’m just a stupid dreamer...]

He dragged himself up on one knee. Spat blood. And when he stood up for the last time, it was only high enough to pull his arm back...

[Subaru: BUT I’M NOT A COWARDLY GRANDPA WHO DUMPS THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD ON HIS GRANDSON’S SHOULDERS!!!]

And then he charged forward. No technique, no speed, no strength. Just what little remained of himself. The Honorable Grandfather stood still. Surprised, maybe. Or confused. Or maybe... just tired. And Subaru Nii-san’s fist — still clenched, even broken — met his face, the face of the man I still consider the greatest swordsman of all.

A punch.

Weak. Awkward. No angle. But real. My Honorable Grandfather took a half-step back. His head turned slightly from the impact.

And the world... fell silent.

Subaru Nii-san fell right after, like a puppet with its strings cut. His body dropped with a dry thud, his eyes fading before he even hit the ground. I ran to Subaru Nii-san. The blood on his face had already dried, his lips slightly parted in an expression of... peace.

And even unconscious, even broken... He looked happy. With a triumphant smile on his face. As if, even after being humiliated like that... he had still won the most important battle in the world.

—|...|—

[Reinhard: After that day... my Honorable Grandfather began to treat me differently. It seemed like he no longer blamed me for the mistake I made. And I began to admire Subaru Nii-san even more. Why? Because I realized how amazing he is for facing so many dangers, so many times, without hesitation. He’s the person I admire most in this world. —— That’s why I can also trust his instincts and intuition. Because I know he’s capable of making decisions that, while strange on the surface, are always for the good of everyone. That may have satisfied your curiosity... Felt-sama?]

At the Astrea Mansion, while having tea, Felt — the candidate who didn’t want to be there — was with the red-haired knight. And she had just asked him about Subaru’s decision to keep Elsa and Meili alive as prisoners within the Astrea family estate.

[Felt: All I got from that is that your big brother is stubborn...]

[Reinhard: Yes, the most stubborn.]

[Felt: ...but he’s someone you really can trust. I already kinda knew that, but... you’ve made it a bit clearer. —— I’ll accept it, but you’re the one who’s going to keep an eye on them!]

[Reinhard: Obviously, Felt-sama.]

Nodding, he accepted his lady’s request. As they returned to their tea...

Felt took a sip — then spat it out.

[Felt: Bleergh! SPICY!!]

[Reinhard: Bwuhahahaha!]

Without her noticing during the story, Reinhard had added a bit of his own special hot sauce as a prank, laughing as she spat it out and frantically searched for something to cool her mouth and tongue.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Despite Subaru achieving incredible feats, he barely died to accomplish them. In total: Over more than a decade in the world of Re:Zero, he only died about 18 times — still far from 50, and even farther from 100. He accomplished many things without relying on Return by Death, purely through his intelligence and Reinhard’s support: like defeating the Whale, Petelgeuse, stopping the ambush on Crusch’s group, and defeating Regulus.

-Reinhard feels a bit of childish jealousy whenever Subaru gets close to any girl. That’s why he sometimes pulls pranks on them. Like with Emilia: when he put a powder on her that made her itch like crazy during a visit to the Mathers Mansion.

-Though technically still part of Felt’s Camp, Subaru also serves as Emilia’s “unofficial knight.”

Chapter 16: Black Butterfly IF

What if...? Beatrice had a deeper contract with Subaru?

—————

 

 

[—Ram—]

[Beatrice: Subaru, what are you doing, I would say? These services aren’t those of the pink-haired maid, I suppose?]

[Subaru: Hm? Ah, Beako~ Even though I’m Emilia-Tan’s knight, I was and always have been a butler of the mansion. Even though we’re not in Ros-Chi’s mansion, I can’t just sit around and not do anything, don’t you think? I’d look like a slacker.]

[Beatrice: Betty’s Subaru is not a slacker; on the contrary, he’s the hardest worker of all, I would say.]

[Subaru: Ow, you’re making me blush~]

Once again, while supervising Barusu’s failed work, I have to listen to such words. It was Beatrice-sama’s questioning of Barusu and their unnecessary conversation.

Hah!

Simply laughable.

Barusu? Hardworking? Despite Barusu’s great deductive skills that allowed him to get lucky in various events, he was really nothing more than slightly above average as a butler, even less as a knight, and worst of all as a man, in Ram’s humble opinion.

His only real strength was his common sense.

Since he continued his mediocre work as a butler to help as much as he could—given that he really had no other compensatory skills—he avoided becoming a burden, motivated by any arrogance in thinking he no longer needed to work after becoming a knight. Despite his ridiculous training to improve as a knight, he still couldn’t really surpass many in direct combat.

Even that failed merchant could be a better fighter than Barusu. If I had to bet, they must have fought already, and the merchant must have won at the Sanctuary.

[Beatrice: I still think that maid should do her job more efficiently and leave her contractor alone, just because he is incapable of doing a good job on his own, I suppose.]

[Ram: Beatrice-sama. If I may say, Ram does her job diligently. Ram helps with cleaning, shopping, and cooking. Meanwhile, Barusu has had a small lapse of decency and intelligence, realizing that it was better to continue doing his mediocre butler work while improving rather than remaining a horrible knight.]

[Subaru: OY, Nee-sama! That was cruel!]

[Ram: Barusu doesn’t understand that the greatest cruelty is making Ram witness his pathetic attempt at cleaning these windows. A disgrace to all maids and butlers who will have to fix his mistakes.]

I say this while looking at his terrible work on the windows. A pathetic attempt to show some productivity, yet he keeps failing at all sorts of things, even the simplest ones.

[Beatrice: You have no right to talk about people having to fix their mistakes, I suppose. All the other butlers and maids from both this mansion and the previous one waste much of their time correcting your mistakes, maid, which are dozens of times worse than any bad work my contractor has done, indeed.]

[Ram: ... Barusu. Your terrible manners are rubbing off on Beatrice-sama and corrupting her to become like you. It’s a shame that someone so important has fallen to the level of considering your terrible work even remotely decent.]

[Subaru: I-I, uh, B-Beako d-doesn’t need to attack Nee-sama like that, y-you know? Everyone here is trying their best.]

[Ram: Some more than others, Barusu. While you play around with Garf, we continue handling the mansion’s important tasks. We don’t have the luxury of an excuse to be negligent and relaxed.]

[Beatrice: Grrr! Don’t talk as if you’re an example, useless maid, I would say.]

[Ram: Hpmf! I don’t need to listen to such nonsense. Barusu, Beatrice-sama. I have more work to do besides listening to this nonsense.]

And with that, I finished my words and turned to leave.

Leaving them to reflect.

Hmpf! Useless maid? Was Beatrice-sama losing any kind of respect for the services I’ve provided all these years in Master Roswaal-sama’s domain? All the services I performed alone, including helping Barusu become at least a barely decent butler.

If only I had had even the slightest help over the past years...

Like that supposed sister Barusu claims I should have had...

All the work—cleaning the floors, windows, cooking, tending to the yard, protecting the domain. Even when I helped against the beast attack in Arlam Village. The effort I had to make to protect everyone, including that idiot Barusu.

Ever since Master Roswaal-sama’s mansion was destroyed by those three idiots’ stupid plan, we had to move to Lady Annerose-sama’s mansion, and from the first week we spent here, Beatrice-sama started acting strangely toward most of the mansion’s residents—specifically toward everyone from the old mansion.

In the first week. More specifically, the first morning.

We heard a gigantic scream. We thought we were under attack.

She looked sad, dejected, in shock. We saw her in a catatonic state in Barusu's room. He was trying to comfort her from what seemed like a nightmare, hugging her, and she held onto him as if he were about to disappear from the world. Clinging to him. We all assumed it was due to the shock of leaving the Forbidden Library and our old mansion, and no one would blame her for that. After all, she was a spirit who was said not to have left the library in the past four centuries.

But then she returned to what we thought was her normal state. Everyone was relieved, obviously.

However, her behavior toward Barusu had changed as well. She treated him more affectionately, stayed close to him, and never left his side under any circumstances. Almost like how Puck acted with Emilia-sama. Not that it was unexpected, but her behavior seemed far worse than we had anticipated.

Sometimes she acted aggressively toward all of us. Even committing acts disguised as accidents; one time, though I can't prove it, I thought I saw her pushing a merchant down the stairs. Luckily, he wasn't hurt as badly as expected. When I questioned her, she claimed to have tripped and knocked him over by accident, but what I saw was different.

I'm certain I saw her push him. I saw her running, approaching him from behind, before striking the back of his legs.

If it had been an isolated incident, I wouldn’t have cared. After all, it could have been a risky joke, something Barusu might have encouraged her to do. He treats her like a child, despite their age difference. But these incidents kept happening. She continued doing similar things that harmed people.

The only ones unaffected were the maids who had already been working here, as well as Petra and Frederica. They were the only ones spared from her attacks.

Even Ram suffered from these problems.

She insulted all of Ram's work—cleaning, cooking, caretaking. She also directed these "accidents" toward me. These events almost became daily occurrences, irritating enough that I nearly grew accustomed to the insults and attacks. Even when I tried to speak with Master Roswaal-sama to ask for support in this matter, he refrained from interfering with Beatrice-sama, or perhaps he was already dealing with similar issues from her.

Even Barusu, who should be her contractor and responsible for disciplining her, proved to be useless in doing so. Another of his many lacking abilities—one that would actually be useful in situations like these. Hah! Barusu, the idiot and failure, as always.

Something must be done. But, like most, I keep wondering what could have happened.

—X—

And so, as night fell, another day had come to an end.

Hard work. Something all the maids and butlers had to endure today, but Barusu, even when he tried to keep up, proved to be inefficient.

Almost more than usual.

Beatrice-sama kept interfering when Ram tried to encourage Barusu to improve and share some of her knowledge with him. But she kept interrupting, kept criticizing everything.

As I explained... it started to become an irritating habit.

[Ram: Barusu’s behavior has even corrupted someone like Beatrice-sama...]

I sighed once more, disappointed by how far she had fallen, but even more by who she had fallen for. Once again: Subaru has good timing in certain situations and nothing more, with mediocre or almost average skills in everything else.

I didn’t want to criticize him, but it becomes impossible when there’s nothing truly praiseworthy about him beyond his luck.

As I walked back to my room, I noticed something. The door to that room, where we had temporarily left that girl who looked similar to me—the one Barusu calls Rem and claims to be my twin sister, who was always a better maid than I was—was slightly open. Strange. Could Barusu be in there? He usually...

[???: Die...]

A voice—not Barusu’s. It was female.

[???: Die... die... die...]

That voice kept repeating the word, over and over again. So many times.

Die...? Why...?

As she continued, I started approaching the slightly open door. Who could be in there? An intruder? No. Because this voice was familiar to me. And no one would invade the mansion so easily.

Getting closer and closer, I peeked through the crack and looked inside.

There she was. Beatrice-sama, standing on a stool beside the bed, staring at the figure with blue hair.

[Beatrice: You’re a monster, I suppose. You hurt Betty’s Subaru, indeed. No matter how much he forgave you or whatever you’ve done, I won’t forgive your transgressions, for how you hurt him, I suppose. —— Die. I want you to die already, so he won’t have another burden to carry anymore. So it’s better if you die soon and stop wasting his time taking care of you, I’d say.]

She spoke those words in a cold tone. Cold and sharp, as if she weren’t speaking to anything more than a worm—or worse. As if she were addressing a monster, an abomination.

Beatrice-sama raised a hand. A recognizable gesture, as I could also feel a flow of mana. She was ready to attack the figure on the bed.

[Ram: What are you doing, Beatrice-sama?]

Without even realizing it, I had stepped into that room. Maybe it was for Barusu or for myself, but I followed an instinct inside me that told me to act.

[Beatrice: —— I'm getting rid of a nuisance, I suppose.]

[Ram: A nuisance? You're talking about the one Barusu rescued, aren’t you? Did he ask you to do this? I doubt it. For the same reason I believe he isn’t even aware of your actions right now, is he? He worked so hard to save her. Ram believes this ‘nuisance’ is something Barusu wouldn’t allow you to attack, hurt, or kill.]

 [Beatrice: Betty’s contractor shouldn't have bothered, I suppose. Given what he knows about this sister of yours, he would also understand that my actions are meant to help him in the best way possible, I suppose.]

[Ram: Why do you believe that? Ram doesn’t quite understand what you’re talking about, Beatrice-sama. From what Barusu said about my sister, she was someone kind who helped him a lot. It saddens Ram to think that my supposed sister would help someone as futile as Barusu. He can’t even take care of his own spirit, showing what kind of useless man he is——]

[Beatrice: DON'T CALL HIM THAT!!! —— You don’t understand anything, I suppose. None of you can truly comprehend what I mean or what my contractor feels, I suppose! He is far too lenient when it comes to punishing those who hurt or abandoned him, I suppose. No one truly understands the effort he put in to make sure everyone was safe and well, I suppose. He is not a futile or useless man, and I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK OF HIM THAT WAY!]

She didn’t say the last part in her usual manner. But more than that—there was a sensation, a very strange, powerful sensation coming from her. An overwhelming rage and a certain smell—

BLEEERGH!

An unbearable stench.

A horrible, terrible, overwhelming stench filled the air, like a black curtain swallowing the room. A stench that invaded my nostrils, corrupting everything, destroying everything. A smell so awful it made me collapse to the floor, vomiting everything I had eaten at dinner.

A stench so unbearably horrible.

So dreadful that I wanted to die just to never have to smell it again—to the point where, for a brief moment, the thought of cutting my throat crossed my mind just to escape it forever.

[Beatrice: Understand, maid. Your life, your sister’s life, the clown’s life, my own life, and the lives of everyone in this estate were spared only because of my contractor’s kindness—because he refused to give up on anyone. But the moment I realize he is unhappy here, the moment this home turns into a cage that restricts his freedom, the moment I see that your lives only serve to drag his down——We will end the world.]

Those words... that tone... that pressure crushing every bone in my body...

When I looked up, when I saw Beatrice-sama’s face, when I gazed into her eyes—I saw it. The pink butterflies in her blue eyes had changed; now they were amethyst set in black sclera. Her clothes, too, seemed to have lost their natural color, transforming her into something entirely different.

She calmly stepped down from the bench. Walking as if nothing in the world was wrong, she passed by me as if I were nothing. As if I were nothing more than a meaningless insect.

And then she left the room.

Leaving us behind.

She no longer seemed like a spirit... she looked like... a Witch.

 

 

—————

In this IF, Beatrice has a deeper contract with Subaru that allowed her to both contact the Witch of Envy and find out about the Return by Death without being punished.

Among the changes:

-Beatrice knows about Death Return and can see the memories of Subaru's deaths (watching them, feeling them).

-The Witch of Envy (not Satella) had contact with Beatrice, corrupting part of her as she showed the deaths (as if injecting part of herself into Beatrice, from personality, her mana, powers, ideas, etc.).

-In this IF, she is one of the most powerful versions of Beatrice, as she gets mana from both Subaru and the Envy Witch herself.

-Beatrice/Envy Witch has episodes of “accidental” murder attempts on Subaru's allies who tried to kill him, killed him or hurt him in some way.

-The story takes place in the year between Arc 4 and 5.

Just to let you know: I'm going to write my version of Priscilla IF, but it'll be a while before I post it. Since I'm also writing Consequences IF.

Chapter 17: [Extra - Black Butterfly IF]

[—###—]

There is nothing better than waking up next to him, I suppose. Nothing, nothing, nothing!

Opening my eyes and seeing the most important person to me first thing in the morning makes waking up an important event for someone as lucky as me, I suppose. Why doesn’t anyone understand something like this?!

Seeing Subaru of Betty sleeping peacefully is one of the best things to witness at the start of the day, I suppose. Absolutely! The best, the best thing!

But it wasn’t always like this, I suppose.

Before, Betty didn’t understand some of the terrible things Subaru of Betty dreamed about on those dreadful nights, I suppose. The horrible things he had witnessed since he was summoned to this world, I suppose. And I had the luck, THE JOY, of understanding him at a level that none of the others in this Camp—those wretches—could ever, I suppose.

Snuggling closer to his arm and wrapping it around me, I could feel more of his warmth against me as he pulled me closer so we could warm up together, and that was nothing bad, I suppose. It’s perfect! Perfect!

He was stirring slightly as he tried to rest, struggling to rid his mind of the dreams, the bad memories, I suppose. Why do you have to suffer such things? Why? Why?

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Why, out of everyone, should you be the one to suffer, I suppose?

It’s not fair, I suppose.

It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair!

Thanks to the contract Subaru of Betty and Betty made, our contract allowed me to share his memories, and I could receive and perceive everything my contractor has faced in this cruel and cold world, I suppose.

Ever since Betty’s contractor came to this world from that dark life he had, he hasn’t had a single moment of true rest, I suppose. Elsa, Rem, Whale, Guese, Rabbit, Mother, Roswaal, Elsa, Meili. Monsters that hurt him and killed him, I suppose. They killed him!

They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him! They killed him!

Why, I suppose?!

Betty’s contractor is a kind person, an energetic person, someone who only wished for friendship and to feel accepted by people, I suppose. Someone who didn’t deserve any of the suffering he has faced from the beginning, I suppose.

Why couldn’t that idiot half-elf take proper care of that idiot insignia, I suppose?!

Betty’s contractor had to die three times to prevent the irresponsibility of that damn fool, dying by the blades of that gut-cutting monster and by that trio of miserable idiots—who should be exterminated!—all to save her because he is a good person, I suppose. An incredible person!

And how did she reward him?

Just with a name, even though it was his personal request, and bringing him to the Mansion because he got hurt due to that so-called Saint’s incompetence in properly exterminating that damn assassin, I suppose. Was it a favorable thing? To Betty, it seemed so, since Subaru of Betty came directly to her, I suppose.

But she couldn’t truly take care of him!

That assassin with that stupid dog and that stupid curse! Those maids, those damn twin maids! Useless, idiotic, monstrous. Even after Betty warned them that he was not a threat, they still rushed to kill him. And Subaru of Betty was still kind enough to help them when they only deserved pain, suffering, and the deaths they should have received to repay the sins of attacking him so unjustly!

Unforgivable.

Even though Betty’s contractor is a lenient, kind, and polite person, he shouldn’t have had to endure the abuses of those two monstrosities disguised as exemplary maids, I suppose. And that pink-haired one still dares to insult him as if she were anything more than a useless puppet of a clown...

Useless...

Useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless!

Why does such a useless maid get to speak about Subaru in such an arrogant way?! He worked hard to be a good butler while surviving assassination attempts from a useless assassin and one of those useless maids! Monsters! Monsters who didn’t understand the weight of the pain he had to endure!

But now Betty has the happiness of understanding him beyond everyone else, I suppose.

And she almost wouldn’t have been able to if not for what happened in the Capital, I suppose.

How dare she?! Why did she treat him like that for defending her from those idiots who were attacking her?! WHY FORCE A USELESS PROMISE?! And why cast him out?! WHY TRY TO PUSH HIM AWAY WHEN HE HAD ALREADY DONE SO MUCH?!

I couldn’t blame her for everything, I suppose. Because Betty also had her own sins concerning her contractor, I suppose. Abandoning him to die cursed, leaving him to continue facing the world alone, facing this cruel world without my power to help him...

[Beatrice: Forgive Betty, please... Betty is sorry, I suppose...]

Rubbing my face against his clothes, trying to wipe away the tears. Because Betty realized that if she had overcome her problems long ago and joined her contractor sooner to protect him from this monstrous world that attacked him without restraint or any chance to explain himself...

[Beatrice: Betty is sorry... Betty is sorry... Betty is sorry... Betty is sorry... Betty is sorry... Betty is sorry... Betty is sorry... Betty is sorry... Betty is sorry...]

No matter how many times I repeated those same words, I still felt like I didn’t deserve forgiveness.

I didn’t protect him before… but now I will.

I will protect him more than anyone else…

Those useless people… That idiotic half-elf, that monstrous oni, that traitorous merchant, that foolish half-tiger, that worthless maid with that ridiculous clown… Those who always abandoned him or killed him for the most trivial reasons, at least in the perception of someone with a good head on their shoulders…

[Bea—###: Betty will protect you… we will protect you… I love you… I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!]

If someone had entered that room that night, as on other nights, they would have seen that small spirit absorbing her contractor’s memories; taking away his memories and nightmares so that she could suffer in his place, allowing him to sleep peacefully. But they wouldn’t have just seen that. They would have seen her embracing him, and they would have seen shadows.

Shadows of hands moving across the room, shadows of a body identical to hers with amethyst eyes, shadows of a woman in a black dress.

If they had stepped into that room, they would have smelled Miasma: the scent of blood, death, mixed with mud. A deadly, horrifying stench. A putrid odor so overpowering that anyone who entered and inhaled that miasma would vomit. They would vomit everything in their stomachs, they would vomit blood, they would vomit so much that even their teeth might be torn out from the sheer force of it.

They would have seen that shadow merging with the girl.

Her dress turning black, her hair becoming a blend of silver and gold, her eyes gaining a mixture of darkness and amethyst, with butterfly-like patterns at their center. A fusion. And this being, formed between the two figures—Spirit and Witch—moved above the boy’s body, hugging him around his neck, with a happy and satisfied smile.

With one more movement, she kissed him. A stolen kiss on the lips, driven by the impulses of those shadows, which seemed to press her lips even deeper against the black-haired boy’s.

 

 

—————

Do you remember Emilia from [Extra 2 - Promisse IF]? Well… almost the same level…

Chapter 18: [Extra 2 - Black Butterfly IF]

[Subaru: The night wasn’t... so bad?]

That was a thought I had every morning for the past few days, something I normally didn’t have before, since I almost always ended up having nightmares because of the things I went through... and it makes sense. Even if I tried, it was hard to forget each of the blows and deaths I had suffered. But strangely, my memories, my pain, and my nightmares had been fading recently.

Ever since I made my contract with my dear Beako~~!

Yes! Maybe that’s it, right? Because ever since we started sleeping in the same bed after arriving at Annerose’s Mansion, she began taking care of me while I slept. Calming my nerves, making my night terrors disappear, taking care of me.

And she always did it in such a cute way! Hugging my arms while sleeping, cuddling against my belly, my waist. Like such an adorable little child~! Seriously! There couldn’t be a more adorable being than my sweet and lovely Beako~!

Even now, when I woke up, I could feel her weight on me. Looking down, she was there, lying on top of me at the level of my stomach, her face drooping as she kept her eyes closed, making small sounds from her mouth. And I could see a little white liquid dripping from her mouth as she breathed... did she drool on me? Do spirits drool? I don’t know, but even so... BEAKO IS SO CUTE WHEN SHE SLEEPS SO DEEPLY~~!!!

And she even acted in other adorable ways when we spent our days at the mansion.

Helping me with my butler duties — since I couldn’t allow myself to slack off in the first job I had earned in this world —, praising me for my efforts in almost everything I did, and even making sure I relaxed when she thought I needed it. So cute~! She would bring me snacks made by Petra or Frederica, along with drinks. And she even made sure I ate and drank everything when it was time to rest.

She even protected me from Nee-sama’s jokes, even when it wasn’t necessary. She acted as if I were being seriously attacked... when I wasn’t and... I probably deserved it, right?

Thinking beyond my nights of sleep, besides helping me with my work and making me relax, and dealing with Nee-sama, she also helped me take care of Rem. Rem. The biggest mistake I ever made was not preparing enough to protect her, not considering the possibility of a second attack. And the problem was that killing myself didn’t help, because I would return to a point in time where it was impossible to save her or Crusch-san.

Even though some could argue that I didn’t know, that I have no control over my save points. But I still feel like it’s my fault. If I can turn back time, if I can return to a previous point, don’t I have a duty to help people? Even though Satella and the other Witches have tried to show me that I shouldn’t take my life lightly, I still can’t help but want to help others.

After all... the bad things that happen are my fault, right?

I have a duty to fix things. To help the people around me, who don’t have the luck of coming back to life when they die.

I have to protect them with all the effort I can!

[Beatrice: Su... baru?]

Hearing a small sweet voice, I see my little Beako waking up with those radiant butterfly-like eyes and that little bit of white drool at the corner of her mouth, which she, perhaps unconsciously, sucked back in. Still so cute~~~!!!

[Subaru: Aaahhh~~! My Beako waking up is so cute~~!!!]

[Beatrice: Hihihi~!]

As I say this, I quickly sit up comfortably to hug her as tightly and gently as I can. Rubbing my cheek against her soft face, trying to soak in the comfort of this tiny, adorable creature who makes the world a better place just by flashing those cute little smiles.

I’d like to proudly say that I did this quickly and got up right away, but I’d be lying. AND WHO COULD BLAME ME FOR IT?! With such a cute specimen of Beako within reach, who wouldn’t want to cuddle and pamper her?

I spent some time like that, so we could wake up properly. Even with a little exchange about whether we slept well or not. I even joked that she drooled a bit, but she insisted that spirits don’t drool. In such a cute way~! And she started the day by giving me a kiss on my right cheek to fully wake me up. It was so nice~~! Waking up to a good morning kiss from my little one— is this what a father normally feels like?

Getting up, however... felt strange sometimes.

Like today. I felt my hips slightly sore, as well as my groin area. At the same time, I felt slightly physically exhausted when waking up like this. It even reminded me of the times I had certain adult dreams when I first hit puberty, but in a much stranger way. But I had to get those thoughts out of my head! Throw them right back into the gutter, where impure thoughts belong when you start your day next to your precious little girl!

That said, the daily ritual was the same.

Go to the bathroom, bathe, brush my teeth, and take care of Beako’s hair afterward, before putting on my classic outfit. Today was a day off from my butler duties, by order of Nee-sama, so I wouldn’t become a “Lazy Knight.” Well, I wouldn’t argue with her. After all, I don’t want to fall too far behind the others, like the useless guy I normally am most of the time.

Training with Garfiel on the obstacle course to become a better knight for Emilia-tan, impress my Beako, and become the perfect hero that Rem-rin admired! These were the goals that moved this greedy body that desired the love and admiration of these incredible women, who deserved the best in the world! They deserved someone better than me!

That’s why I have to give it my all.

[Subaru: Let’s do our best again today, right, my sweet and adorable Beatrice~~!!! Right~?]

[Beatrice: Subaru always gives his best every day, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Saying that makes me embarrassed~!]

Seriously, what did I do to deserve such a cute and kind partner~?

—[X]—

[Subaru: Arf!]

[Beatrice: Betty’s Subaru worked very hard today, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Yes... I gave my all, and I was able to do it with the support of my adorable Beatrice...]

[Beatrice: Hihihi, if Betty’s partner gets like this just from her words, then I’m happy, I suppose.]

Ah, so cute~!

Now lying in bed, doing the opposite of what we did in the morning, we undressed — well, I did — bathed, and got ready to lie down again. She lay on my chest, with my arms wrapped around her small back in a gentle embrace to keep us close.

A scene that I’m sure anyone would find adorable.

Another day of training, another effort that made the bones of this terribly lazy guy ache from the strain I put in. Efforts I never put in before when I lived at my parents’ house, in my home world.

The Land Beyond the Great Waterfall, as it is called here.

Aside from Beatrice, I think Reinhard, obviously Al, and maybe Priscilla—if she actually believed the story Al and I were telling—would understand. Something I wouldn’t doubt too much, given that she might think the world worked in a way to bring us here just to entertain her as she pleased, like court jesters.

[Subaru: Come to think of it... Garfiel and the others seemed tired...]

Truth be told, maybe except for Beatrice and me, I think everyone else was exhausted.

Acting strangely.

Garfiel seemed less energetic than usual during training, slower. So much so that I almost overtook him—if he hadn’t pushed himself forward thanks to my taunts when we were nearing the end of the track. And Otto seemed more stressed than usual. His hair was unkempt, he looked groggy, almost as if he had gone way overboard with drinking—which was a very likely theory. Despite not yelling or doing anything disruptive, he seemed unable to look anyone in the eye.

Frederica seemed normal to a certain extent. I’m almost sure I saw her acting on autopilot while cleaning the windows, but she still responded normally when spoken to. And Emilia-tan seemed to be in the same boat—acting in her usual cheerful, innocent, and sweet way, yet she looked like she had a terrible nightmare that kept her up too long at night.

Ros-Chi didn’t seem any weirder than he normally was, but he avoided looking at Beatrice.

Nee-Sama acted as usual but seemed to shudder near Beatrice and had slight dark circles under her eyes. Just like little Petra, whom I was certain almost gave a strange look... almost a look of disgust toward Beatrice.

Why? Why did they seem so worried about my sweet Beatrice?

Maybe some terrible nightmare involving her?

No, that wasn’t possible. It would be impossible. Nightmares about my sweet Beatrice would be impossible for any rational mind—or even the irrational ones—because she was one of the most adorable beings in the world. To prove this, she even snuggled against me.

And I felt sleep creeping in...

And I felt exhaustion weighing on me...

Strange, very strange. Why am I feeling this much more tired? The exhaustion from before and the exhaustion now felt so... different...

[B##: Sleep...]

Words from a sweet voice. A voice that mixed silver bells with another voice just as sweet, echoing in my mind.

And I felt my vision blur...

Sleepier, increasingly sleepier. But my eyes didn’t close. I didn’t lose consciousness—I still felt like I could see part of the world.

I could see her there...

I could see her bringing her face closer to mine...

I could feel something pressing against my lips and knew it was her lips...

That black figure looming over me, staring at me in a strange way, making my body pulse in a way it normally wouldn’t. A strange sensation washed over me, traveling from my lips to my chest—where my heart was—then warming in my lower abdomen with an intense, uncontrollable excitement that made me feel good.

[#####: We love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you!]

I can’t feel my body anymore.

I can’t feel my arms, I can’t feel my legs.

I can’t feel myself anymore.

Just... that feeling... the intense sensation coursing through my entire being...

Such a good feeling, such an intimate feeling.

At the same time that I felt myself falling into a deep sleep, I also felt so awake and alive. Because I was sure I could see my hands moving toward that figure, my hands caressing her face—touching her lips—reaching her hips as she moved on top of me.

I felt myself in such a deep trance that I didn’t want to wake up.

—[X]—

[Subaru: The night... wasn’t so bad?]

It was a thought I had every morning for the past few days, something I normally didn’t have before, since I almost always had nightmares because of the things I’d been through... and it made sense.

Even if I tried, it was hard to forget every hit and death I had suffered. But strangely, my memories—like my pain, like my nightmares—had been fading recently.

Since I made my contract with my dear Beako~~!

Yes! Maybe that’s it, right? Because ever since we started sleeping in the same bed after arriving at Annerose’s Mansion, she had been taking care of me while I slept. Calming my nerves, making my night terrors disappear, taking care of me.

And she always did it in such a cute way! Hugging my arms while sleeping, wrapping around my stomach, my waist. Like such an adorable little child~! Seriously! There couldn’t be a cuter being than my sweet and lovable Beako~!

Even now, when I woke up, I could feel her weight on me. Looking down, she was there, lying on top of me, at the level of my stomach, her face drooping as she slept with her eyes closed, letting out small sounds from her mouth. And I saw a bit of some small white liquid at the corner of her lips as she breathed...

Did she drool on me?

Do spirits drool?

I don’t know, but even so... BEAKO IS SO CUTE WHEN SHE SLEEPS SO DEEPLY~~!!!

 

 

—————

The epilogue will deal with these "Nightmares" that the other characters had, especially in Petra’s part. It will be quite dark.

To explain a few things about this IF:

-Subaru never remembers what happens at night when he enters this trance-like state.

-The Witch of Envy, using Beatrice’s body, carries out those... intimate acts with Subaru in every way she can. That’s why what was called “drool” wasn’t actually... "drool," as you might have already guessed. However, she never physically harms him.

Chapter 19: [Epilogue - Black Butterfly IF]

1) Otto.

He had been abandoned in that field. He didn’t know who had done it, but he had been thrown there violently in a cowardly act, which had ended up breaking one of his legs, now slightly swollen. The air was saturated with the stench of death and the suffocating mist that swallowed everything around him. The pale moonlight barely managed to pierce the thick curtain of fog, making the shadows of the surrounding trees even more distorted, like claws ready to grasp him.

Otto limped desperately across the field, each step a searing agony that tore through his broken leg with a pain that threatened to strip away his consciousness. Terror coursed through him. He didn’t understand—something was happening; one moment, he had been lying in his bed at the mansion, sleeping, resting peacefully, and then he had woken up being shoved, his leg snapping upon impact when he hit the ground after being pushed out of the carriage—though he had no idea why he had even been in one.

His chest rose and fell in frantic convulsions, trying to suck in the thin air while cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

The sound.

That cursed sound.

The deep, reverberating howl of a colossal monster echoed through the night, filling the world with a primal terror.

He couldn’t see it, but he knew.

He could feel it. It was there.

With every passing second, the sensation of being watched intensified. The branches creaked like malicious whispers, and the mist moved as if it had a will of its own, turning every tree into an indistinct threat.

He ran—or at least he tried.

His foot sank into the damp soil, making him stumble and fall to his knees, a muffled cry escaping his lips as his wounded leg protested violently.

The pain was a storm in his mind, but he couldn’t stop. Not here. Not now. With trembling hands, he pushed himself up from the muddy ground and forced himself forward, crawling like a wounded animal. The wind shifted direction, and then he felt it. A crushing weight in the air, as if the very world were holding its breath. He lifted his head, eyes wide with horror.

The distant fog parted for an instant, revealing the monstrous silhouette of the White Whale hovering above the trees, its empty, frozen eyes piercing through him like spectral spears.

The air crackled around the creature, and in an instant, the mist wrapped around it again like a sinister veil, concealing it once more.

But Otto knew.

It was getting closer.

His muscles were locked in pure terror, and his body screamed at him to give up. But the promise of a horrible end drove him forward. Every heartbeat was the desperate drum of his own imminent execution. No matter how much he ran, no matter how much he fought, the White Whale would reach him.

And when it did, no one would ever remember that Otto Suwen had once existed.

He forced himself to stand, the weight on his broken leg making his vision darken for a moment. But he had to keep going. The air was growing heavier, as if reality itself was bending under the White Whale’s presence. Every step was a struggle against the inevitable, every breath an act of defiance against death.

The ground trembled with a nearby impact, and Otto reflexively turned, only to see a colossal shadow cutting through the mist like a sharp blade.

The creature was there. Too close.

Its mouth opened into a vortex of darkness, and Otto felt the wind being sucked inward, as if existence itself was being devoured.

He staggered back, his legs giving out, and fell onto his back. Pain exploded through his body, but he barely registered it. All he could do was stare at the sky, at the winged terror looming above him.

[Otto: No… not like this… Please… s-someone… I… I don’t want to die…]

His voice came out as a whisper, barely audible.

His fingers dug into the cold earth, desperately searching for something—anything—that could save him. But there was nothing.

Only the mist, the darkness, and the looming shadow of the creature that would erase his existence.

But then the landscape changed.

Now, Otto found himself in a vast, silent white expanse.

Snow covered everything around him, an icy sea stretching as far as his eyes could see. The cold was merciless, cutting into his skin like invisible blades, but he barely felt it. The horror of his previous escape still burned in his mind, a ghost that refused to let him rest.

He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. The wind howled softly, but something was wrong. The silence was too heavy, suffocating.

Then, he heard it.

A barely perceptible rustling.

Otto turned abruptly, his heart pounding. Nothing. Only snow and long shadows cast by the faint light of the overcast sky. But he knew.

He wasn’t alone.

Suddenly, something moved.

Small silhouettes emerged from the snow—first one, then dozens, then hundreds.

Glowing red eyes, filled with hunger, gleamed in the darkness.

And then, they charged.

White rabbits with crimson eyes and horns atop their heads.

The first impact was on his legs. Sharp teeth tore into his flesh, and a scream of agony burst from his lips. He fell, the snow around him staining red. Trembling hands tried to push them away, but it was useless. Small, furry bodies clung to him like ravenous parasites.

His hands were next. Teeth sank into his fingers, ripping them off one by one. He screamed, but the sound was swallowed by the howling wind. The pain was overwhelming, but the worst was yet to come.

They burrowed.

Through the open wounds in his flesh, they crawled inside like an insatiable tide. He felt it. He felt the small bodies writhing within him, tearing through muscles, piercing organs. The pain was indescribable. When they reached his groin, Otto’s mind nearly shattered. They shredded, carving their way inward, biting and swallowing every piece they found.

His blood gushed in hot torrents, mixing with the cold snow. The metallic scent filled the air. He tried to move, but his body no longer obeyed.

He felt his lungs being devoured, his heart torn to shreds, his bones snapping like broken twigs.

They climbed higher.

Up his throat, into his head.

Every bite was a living hell.

His vocal cords were ripped out, leaving him mute.

His tongue disappeared into hungry mouths.

His eyes were punctured and devoured, plunging him into a terrifying darkness.

He could still feel.

His nerves burned as they gnawed at his face, tore apart his flesh, ripped off his jaw.

His brain was last.

Otto’s consciousness clung on until the very end.

He felt every second, every bite, every fragment of himself being erased.

Pain was all that remained.

And then, nothing.

Otto Suwen ceased to exist.

2) Ram.

Ram had run as fast as she could to escape that thing, but she failed. No matter how hard she tried to flee. She was still inside that infinite forest, still running desperately, still forced to dodge those relentless attacks. A wave of absolute terror coursed through her body, making her cry in fear.

Then, it happened.

A blade of wind—one that mimicked the ones she conjured with her own magic. One of her legs was severed in that instant. Her body crashed onto the ground, face-first, her clothes staining with mud, dirt, and her own blood. She tried to move, to crawl, but she couldn't. She remained motionless.

The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood. Ram panted, her body weak and trembling as the crimson liquid seeped into the cold stone beneath her. Her missing leg throbbed as if it were still there—a phantom pain that only added to her torment.

Then came the strike.

The spiked weapon tore through the air, finding its target with cruel precision. A sickening crack echoed as the spikes pierced her pale skin, forcing a scream of agony from her lips. Her frail body was thrown backward like a broken doll, nerves burning in sheer despair.

The spikes shredded flesh and muscle with each impact, carving deep trenches that bled mercilessly. Ram coughed, red droplets staining her face. Her pink eyes, usually so full of life, were now blurred with pain, yet there was no room for surrender. She tried to lift her gaze, but the merciless shadow above her raised its weapon once more.

Again.

And again.

Each strike was thunder against her existence, breaking ribs, tearing skin, and crushing any last trace of strength she tried to muster. The ground beneath her became a crimson lake, hot and sticky. Her short, ragged breaths betrayed her limits, and her thoughts drowned in the sea of pain.

Then, came the healing.

A wave of warmth surged through her mutilated body, sealing wounds, restoring shattered bones, weaving torn flesh as if the suffering had never happened. But it had. It always had. And she knew what was coming next.

The weapon rose again.

She had no time to beg, not even to breathe.

The torment resumed.

This time, the blows were harsher, more brutal, more filled with hatred. The weapon came down against her face, slashing her cheek open until it exposed the teeth beneath the ruined flesh. Her skull vibrated from the impact, pain crackling through her spine like pure electricity. Her eyes rolled back for a moment, but consciousness did not leave her.

She did not have that luxury.

With each strike, her bones gave in, fracturing and mending in an unending cycle of torture. When her collarbone snapped, she felt her own bones tearing through her flesh. Her arm no longer moved, hanging limply by her side. But then the healing came, restoring everything only to be broken once more.

Her screams started to fail. Her voice became a hoarse whisper, yet the blows did not stop. Her chest was a battlefield of bruises, shattered ribs piercing her flesh before being magically repaired. Her fingers grasped at nothing, desperate for anything to hold onto, but even that was denied when the weapon crushed her hand against the ground, shattering the delicate bones like broken glass.

And then, came the healing.

The cycle had no end.

Time became an illusion, and all that remained was pain. Her body was no longer her own; it was nothing more than a toy to be broken and fixed, a spectacle of suffering with no escape.

And just when she thought the worst had passed, she felt the spikes slowly digging into her stomach. Unlike the previous attacks, this one was not immediate. It was slow, excruciating, forcing her to feel every inch of iron tearing through her organs. Her insides were punctured, and she felt the warm, wet heat of her own blood filling her mouth.

Her eyes widened in pure despair.

Then, came the healing.

And the weapon rose once more.

Her lungs screamed for air, her mind begged for it to end, but the torment did not waver. The sharp blade gleamed in the dim light before gliding against her throat. It was quick, but the pain was absolute. A deep, precise cut—then the blood gushed like a macabre fountain.

She tried to breathe, but all she found was the metallic taste pooling in her mouth. Every attempt to inhale was drowned in crimson bubbles escaping her trembling lips. Her fingers weakly reached for the wound, but strength had long since abandoned her.

Her eyes became glassy, her eyelids fluttering as her vision faded into darkness. A muffled sound reached her ears, distant, as if the world was closing in on her. Then came the last sentence, whispered with cruel irony:

[Rem: Nee-Sama is truly kind.]

The last thing she heard was the weapon crashing down against her skull.

And then, there was only silence.

3) Roswaal.

The darkness lifted just enough to reveal the nightmare. The air was thick, heavy with the scent of iron and exposed flesh. Roswaal felt the impact before he even saw the attack. His left leg was torn from his body with a sickening crunch, the bone snapping like glass under immense pressure. A scream tore from his lips, but there was no time to process the pain before his other leg was taken, leaving behind nothing but bloody stumps where his limbs had been.

The horror did not end there. Invisible hands gripped his arms, pulling with merciless force until his joints gave way. The sound of flesh tearing filled his ears, followed by the sickening thud of his severed limbs hitting the cold stone floor. Shock froze him for a brief moment, but then the pain crashed over him like a tidal wave.

His torso was split open with a single, precise strike, as if carved by an expert blade. His insides spilled onto the ground—a grotesque display of color and texture he could barely comprehend. Pale, faceless hands began pulling at them, ripping out his organs one by one, dismantling him as if he were nothing more than a rag doll. His stomach was shredded, his lungs crushed, his heart plucked from his chest with surgical precision.

Roswaal gasped, his eyes wide with terror and agony. But it was not over. Something sharp pierced his eyes—one after the other—plunging him into a burning darkness. His mind thrashed, screaming for relief, for an end. And then, he found it. The void. Death.

But death was not freedom. Not for him.

With a ragged breath, Roswaal opened his eyes. Whole. Unharmed. But he knew what would come next. The shadow approached again, invisible blades ready to begin anew. He tried to scream, but it was cut short by the nauseating sound of his leg being torn off once more.

The cycle began again.

And he was trapped. Forever.

Despair grew inside him with each repetition. He tried to move, crawl, use any spell he knew. But each attempt was interrupted by searing pain and the sensation of being pulled back to the starting point. If he tried to escape, his muscles locked up, and in an instant, his leg was torn off again, dragging him back into suffering.

Every effort to fight against the cycle was punished with a cruel reset. Even if he tried to hold his entrails in, his body would reset at the exact moment it was supposed to be torn open. If he closed his eyes to avoid the pain, they were forced open seconds before the agony began. There was no escape. No hope. Only the endless torment, repeated infinitely, like a never-ending nightmare.

And always, at the final moment, when his consciousness dissolved into the void of death, a sweet yet cold voice whispered in his ear.

[???: Does it hurt...?]

Roswaal's eyes widened, the pain still vibrating in every nerve of his destroyed body. The voice was melancholic, almost gentle, yet carried something sinister. Before he could even process what he was hearing, the cycle restarted.

His left leg was torn off.

The same nauseating snap.

The same choked scream.

The same unbearable pain.

The horror began anew, and in the end, when his consciousness faded, the voice returned.

[Elsa: Does it hurt...?]

He screamed. But it changed nothing.

4) Emilia.

The darkness was absolute.

Emilia didn’t know where she was or what had happened. She only knew that she couldn't move. Her body refused to obey her will, as if it had become something distant, strange, inaccessible.

Then came the cold.

At first, it was just an inconvenience, a familiar and fleeting sensation, like the chilly breeze of a snowy morning. But this wasn't just cold. It was something that penetrated beyond the skin, beyond the flesh, reaching her bones, her blood, her organs.

She tried to scream, but no sound came out. The air in her lungs froze, shattering into a thousand invisible fragments. Her heart should have stopped, should have succumbed to the relentless ice spreading through her body, yet it kept beating, weak and desperate.

Her skin turned crystalline, cracks appearing as moisture within her froze from the inside out.

Tiny cracks echoed in her ears, like glass fracturing under pressure. Yet, the pain never came.

The cold was greater, more intense, suffocating—an endless abyss devouring her from within.

She wanted to move. She wanted to escape. But she was incapable. The ice held her, consuming her form, her existence. Time stretched endlessly, each second turning into an eternity of unceasing freezing, an endless suffering.

And then, the fear came.

Not fear of death, for death never came. But of what would remain of her once everything was completely frozen. Once there was nothing left for the ice to consume.

The cold never stopped. Never ended.

And she knew it never would.

[Emilia: Subaru...]

His name echoed faintly in her mind, a spark of warmth amid the eternal ice. If Subaru were here, he would save her. He always did. He always found a way. She wanted to call him, to say his name out loud, but her lips wouldn't move. No words came out. Only the silence of the endless cold.

She tried to remember him—his face, his irritating yet determined smile, the way he never gave up. But even her thoughts seemed to freeze. Her memories became dull, cold, distant.

Subaru... Who was Subaru?

The name remained, but the image faded, fracturing like glass, like everything else within her.

And then, her body began to break.

The cracks in her skin deepened, spreading into a web of irregular lines. Tiny fragments of herself detached, falling into the void around her. Flesh, bones, blood... all shattered, fragmenting like thin ice under pressure. But she didn’t die. The cold held her, kept her there, conscious, feeling every piece of herself shatter.

Her arm broke into minuscule pieces. Her leg followed shortly after. Her chest split open with deep fissures, exposing the frozen emptiness where a beating heart once was.

And still, she did not die.

[Emilia: Subaru... please...]

Her last memory of him disappeared.

Everything shattered, and Emilia remained there, frozen, breaking endlessly, with no end, no escape.

Then, a voice emerged, low and whispering, like the biting wind of a snowstorm.

[???: Now sleep... alongside my daughter...]

And the pain, once unbearable, multiplied ten thousandfold. Every fragment of her body broke and reformed only to be shattered again. Her crystallized blood splintered into needles that pierced her own veins. Her bones, once frozen, were crushed, remade, and shattered again. Every part of her experienced an incomprehensible suffering, beyond any mortal limit.

And in the midst of it all, the darkness became an absolute void.

Her thoughts dissolved.

Her name vanished.

Her existence fractured, scattering like dust in the infinite cold.

And Emilia finally sank into eternal pain.

5) Garfiel.

Garfiel’s roar echoed across the battlefield, his determination burning like an uncontrollable wildfire. He charged forward, his muscles tensed to the limit, sharp claws tearing through the air ahead. But no matter how many he cut down, the black hands kept emerging—endless, dark, relentless.

With a ferocious leap, he crushed one of the hands into the ground, only to feel dozens more rise around him, slithering like hungry serpents. He roared, spinning in a furious attack, slashing, striking, destroying.

But it was useless.

They were infinite.

One hand grabbed his ankle. Then another gripped his wrist. Garfiel struggled to break free, snarling like a cornered beast, but more hands appeared, grabbing each of his limbs. He resisted, his muscles trembling with exertion, but then came the first twist—accompanied by a sickening snap. His foot turned at an impossible angle, pain exploding like fire through his leg.

He screamed, trying to push himself back, but it was too late.

His other foot met the same fate. His ankle twisted, bones shattering into pieces beneath his flesh. His knees followed next, twisted in opposite directions, and he let out a beastly howl of pure agony. But the hands did not stop. They continued, climbing, tearing, twisting.

His arms were bent backward—first the wrists, then the elbows, and finally the shoulders, dislocated and crushed simultaneously. His muscles were shredded into tiny fibers, his veins burst under the pressure. Blood stained the ground, but the hands showed no mercy.

Then came his torso. Garfiel’s spine arched in a cruel way, vertebrae misaligned, ribs breaking like fragile glass. He felt everything—every tiny part of his body being meticulously destroyed.

His breathing grew shallow, erratic, his vision beginning to darken.

And then, only his head remained.

The icy fingers dragged across his face, gripping his jaw, pressing against his temples. Garfiel could no longer scream, only breathe in ragged gasps, his mind flooded with unbearable pain. The twisting started slowly, like a cruel warning, before a sudden snap broke his neck with a horrible crack.

The world went dark.

And then, it came back.

Gasping, sweating, feeling the phantom pain echo through his limbs that were now intact. He collapsed to his knees, eyes wide, muscles trembling. But before he could even recover, the shadows rose once more.

The black hands came again.

Garfiel growled, fear mixing with fury as he forced himself to stand. Every fiber of his being told him to run, but he wasn’t a coward. He couldn't be. Gritting his teeth, he charged again, slashing at the first shadows that approached. His body was whole, but the pain from last time still burned in his mind. This time, he tried to dodge, leaping back, spinning through the air to evade the hands reaching for him from below. He slid across the ground, avoiding the ones grasping at his ankles, and lunged forward into the darkness. Every strike he landed was fast, fierce—but had no lasting effect. The hands kept coming back, hungry.

One grabbed his leg. He screamed, twisting his body in the air to try and escape, but another seized his arm. He struggled to break free before the pain started, but it was already too late. The twisting returned, merciless. His foot went first, turning like a key in a rusted lock.

He howled. Tried to rip his arm free, but it was also twisted at an impossible angle.

This time, the shadows seemed to savor it, breaking each part of him with deliberate slowness. The hands climbed higher, crushing each rib individually, turning his torso into a ruin of flesh and bone. He trembled, the pain going beyond what he could bear. When his spine snapped, he could barely feel the rest of his body.

His eyes were filled with tears. Not of fear, but of rage. He hated this. Hated the feeling of helplessness, hated the way he was being destroyed, like some mere toy in the claws of these damned shadows. Blood filled his throat as the twisting reached his neck once again.

Darkness.

And then, he came back again... again... again... again.

6) Frederica.

The air was heavy, thick with the metallic scent of blood and the echo of blows reverberating through the empty space. Frederica panted, her lungs on fire, her body aching in every fiber. Her knees trembled, but she forced herself to stay standing. The cold, blood-stained floor called to her, begged her to give in, but she refused to fall.

Then, another blow came.

An invisible punch struck her ribs with the force of a battering ram, a sickening crack echoing through the room. Pain exploded in her mind, but before she could react, a kick followed, slamming into her stomach and sending her crashing against the rough stone wall.

Her body hit with the dry impact of flesh and bone, and a thin trickle of blood ran down the corner of her mouth.

Faceless figures, without a defined shape, hovered around her like vengeful shadows. Arms that didn’t exist tore through the air with inhuman brutality, delivering relentless strikes. A wooden sword came down mercilessly on her collarbone, the searing pain sending waves of agony through her already battered body. A strangled cry escaped her throat, but it was quickly silenced by the butt of a weapon smashing into her jaw, cracking it with a sharp snap.

Her bones buckled, her skin swelled with purple and black bruises.

Every inch of her body burned, but her emerald-green eyes still shone with a spark of defiance.

Even as her body collapsed, falling to her knees on the rough ground, she refused to let her will be crushed.

The blows continued, relentless, brutal, cruel.

Frederica, however, did not scream.

She did not beg.

Even when her body no longer responded, when the pain threatened to consume her consciousness, she kept her teeth clenched, choking back any sound of weakness. Her fingers dug into the ground, clawing at the stone, resisting the urge to surrender.

Another blow. Another crack. More pain.

But Frederica was still there, fighting, resisting.

Refusing to be broken.

But time passed. The strikes didn’t stop. Each hit added a new torment to her fractured body. Her chest heaved in spasms, her vision blurred, and her spirit, once seemingly unbreakable, began to crack.

The pain wouldn’t stop.

The loneliness consumed her.

The shadows showed no mercy. They continued, relentless, crushing any remnants of resistance. Her mind screamed for it to end, for someone to hear her, for the suffering to stop.

That was when the sobs escaped her bloodied lips. Her pride, once so solid, crumbled under the weight of despair.

[Frederica: Garfiel... G-Garf...iel...]

Her voice, once firm, came out as a broken whisper.

She tried to call him again, but the pain strangled her words. Her hands trembled as they weakly reached forward, as if trying to grasp something nonexistent, someone who wasn’t there.

[Frederica: Please... help me... Garfiel...]

The shadows gave no answer. They only continued. And in the midst of her agony, Frederica realized the cruel truth: no one was coming. Her tear-filled eyes closed, the bitter taste of defeat burning her tongue. And then, she screamed. A scream of pure pain and despair, echoing through the endless darkness of her torment.

7) Meili.

The darkness was dense, suffocating. The scent of iron and rot clung to the damp dungeon air. Meili, collapsed on the cold stone floor, felt the warm blood streaming from her mouth and nose, an unceasing flow that turned her breathing into a suffocating gurgle. Every attempt to inhale was a cruel challenge, as if something was pulling the air from her lungs, denying her even the dignity of a final, peaceful breath.

She tried to rise, her weak arms trembling under her own weight, but her knees buckled, and her body collapsed back onto the ground. A wet sound echoed as her face struck the filthy floor, the blood spreading around her like a grotesque crimson pool.

The bitter, metallic taste filled her mouth, making every attempt to swallow an agonizing torment.

Her tongue was numb, her teeth clenched as uncontrollable spasms wracked her body.

The pain worsened, sharp and merciless. Her stomach twisted, violent convulsions ripping through her insides as if invisible hands were tearing out her entrails. The vomiting came violently, a red torrent pouring from her throat. The convulsions were brutal, and each new wave brought pieces of her own flesh, teeth wrenched free by the sheer force of what was escaping from within her. She felt the skin on her lips tearing, her mouth becoming an open wound, her jaw aching to the point of near dislocation.

Hot tears mixed with the blood flowing from her eyes, blinding her with the viscous liquid that pulsed like a curse.

The pain in her eyeballs was unbearable, as if thousands of scorching needles were piercing them.

The blood dripped from her sockets, sliding down her cheeks and falling in tiny drops into the scarlet puddle forming around her.

Her ears rang, and a muffled, deafening sound consumed her mind, accompanying the hot liquid that trickled inside them.

[Meili: Someone... help me...]

Her voice came out as a choking whisper, mixed with blood and despair.

But the only response was the faint echo of her own voice dying in the darkness.

She dragged herself across the floor, her broken nails trying to grasp something—anything—that could save her from this unbearable pain.

But there was no one there.

Her chest rose and fell in suffocated gasps, her lungs burning as if they were about to liquefy along with the rest of her body. The blood wouldn’t stop, flowing continuously from every possible opening.

She felt like she was drowning, but there was no water—only the weight of her own life slipping away against her will.

Her fingers, once agile and firm, were now weak, trembling, unable to grasp any hope of escape. Her broken nails were covered in blood, and every movement of her limbs required an impossible effort.

The pain in her joints made her want to scream, but her throat was already ruined by the incessant vomiting.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

Seconds? Minutes? Hours?

Numbness took over her limbs, and the pain became a distant entity, as if it no longer belonged to her. Her body still trembled with involuntary spasms, but her mind began to surrender to the darkness surrounding her. Death seemed like a promise—a cruel relief that approached slowly, playing with her agony before finally claiming her.

But the torment was not over yet.

Her stomach convulsed again, stronger than before.

The brutal spasm made her gasp, and a gurgling roar escaped her lips.

Her entire body arched, every muscle contorting in a futile attempt to expel something greater, something deeper. Blood gushed from her mouth like a waterfall, splattering across the cold stones. And then, something else came. A pulsating mass emerged from her throat, stretching painfully through her split lips. Her blurred vision caught a reddish blur dangling from her mouth, held only by a twisted strand of flesh.

It was her own heart.

Still beating faintly, the last vestiges of her life wavering between existence and absolute end.

The pain was unbearable. An agony beyond human comprehension.

Meili tried to breathe, but there were no lungs left to expand.

Her eyes glazed over, her hands trembled one last time.

The heart hanging from her mouth gave one final, weak pulse before finally stopping.

Then, at last, silence. But it was not the end. Meili opened her eyes. The cold stone beneath her body, the scent of iron thick in the air.  The bitter taste of blood was already in her mouth before she even moved. Terror seized her mind as she realized where she was.

The same place.

The same hell.

She tried to swallow the scream rising in her throat, but there was no time. The spasm returned, her stomach twisting violently. Blood gushed forth once more, her lungs burned, and the torture began anew.

The same pain. The same brutal convulsions. The same endless suffering.

Meili was trapped.

Condemned to die.

Forever.

8) Petra.

Petra didn’t understand what was happening.

She had woken up a few minutes ago to get some water, but as she was leaving her room, she heard groans of pain coming from Frederica’s bedroom.

And the young maid entered to see her mentor writhing in agony.

Without understanding anything, she ran.

She sought out the first person she thought could help—Emilia, whose room was the closest in the mansion.

But when she entered, she found her in almost the same state—writhing, drooling, crying, unable to move.

Ram. Roswaal. Otto and Garfiel.

And she theorized Meili as well, by some instinct.

They were all the same—writhing, drooling, crying. Some, like the former merchant, vomiting as if suffering from some unknown, excruciating pain.

Something was happening at that moment—something very dark.

That was why her thoughts turned to two other figures: Subaru and Beatrice.

The only two she had not yet seen, worrying her about the others.

Now, she ran desperately down the hallway.

If it was some kind of mental attack affecting everyone in the camp except her, perhaps it was an assault targeting figures known before her joining the group.

It would make sense.

But it was also strange that Petra had not seen Clind or Annerose that night, as if they had vanished.

Still, her focus was on the knight and the spirit.

If they had not been affected, they could help care for and save the others being attacked at that moment.

When she reached the bedroom door, she pushed it open quickly.

[Petra: Suba— UURGH!!!]

She didn’t even have time to finish calling the black-haired knight’s name before she collapsed to the ground, vomiting.

Vomiting an enormous amount of bile.

Instantly falling to the floor, writhing, clutching her stomach as she felt everything inside her being forcibly expelled.

The smell.

A horrible stench of mud and blood.

That scent of death, emanating from something rotten—something so putrid that it infiltrated her nose and shot straight to her brain and heart, gripping them like claws.

Making her vomit in sheer disgust.

But not just bile—everything she had eaten, along with blood.

Making her cry from pain, despair, fear—while her bladder gave way.

Lying on the floor, the young maid could be seen writhing, struggling to form a coherent thought.

Lying in her own vomit, saliva, blood, tears, and urine.

Lying there, suffering immense pain just from inhaling that cursed scent—one so overpowering that it drowned out the stench of all the fluids she herself was expelling.

But her attention snapped back when she heard footsteps.

Footsteps approaching, little by little, until she saw a pair of feet in front of her.

[#####: What a pathetic… interruption…]

Summoning the last of her strength, she looked up.

And saw the figure.

It wasn’t Beatrice.

Her mind understood this instantly, refusing to accept otherwise—even if someone proclaimed it was.

Even with the same appearance, it was different.

Small, her once pale skin now slightly grayish.

Her hair, once neatly tied, was loose, shimmering between blonde and silver.

Her eyes, now dark, with amethyst-colored butterflies flickering within them.

Draped over her body, a sheer dark fabric barely concealing her form.

[#####: Interrupting time with our beloved... irritating...]

Even their voice was not the same, it sounded like a mix of two voices forming a new one.

Pain. Beyond the pain she was already feeling upon entering the room. These were pains caused by blows, for she could imagine what was happening to her at that moment. Kicks.

That figure was kicking her.

Kicks to the stomach, kicks to the chest, kicks to the face. That figure struck her without hesitation, without stopping, determined to hit her until satisfied. And despite being small, that figure was strong. Every kick broke her bones, bones that tore through her flesh and pierced her organs, making her vomit and choke even more on her own blood.

She was still conscious in the end.

[Petra: Father... Mother... help... Subaru-sama... help... Frederica... nee-sama... help...]

Her thoughts as she slowly closed her eyes, releasing her final breaths. Petra begged for someone to save her from that terror, from that pain. But it was useless. No one arrived, no one would appear, not even the figure of the black-haired boy lying in bed would rise.

She desperately tried to cling to her life.

But it was no use. Inevitably, her eyes closed, until she shut them completely.

Darkness.

Petra opened her eyes and sat up in her bed, relaxed. For some reason, when she woke up, she felt calm, relaxed, as if she had just awakened from a horrible nightmare into a beautiful reality. Escaping despair for safety. And that made her sigh, a small smile forming on her lips.

Even though she couldn’t remember what she had seen while sleeping, she knew it had been a nightmare. A terrible nightmare she never wanted to experience again, even without knowing what it had been.

And the strangest thing… was that the little maid now felt disgusted whenever she was near the Great Spirit Beatrice, feeling nauseous. But she couldn’t explain why.

Just as she couldn’t explain why everyone was exhausted… and afraid.

 

 

—————

Everyone in the camp felt the pain of Subaru’s suffering and deaths, while Envy in Beatrice’s body enjoyed herself with Subaru in the room:

-Otto: The Whale and the Rabbit.

-Ram: The pain she and Rem had caused.

-Roswaal: At Elsa’s hands.

-Emilia: By Puck.

-Garfiel: Constantly killed by the invisible hands.

-Frederica: The pain of all the beatings he had suffered (from the bandits, Julius, Roswaal, Otto, etc.).

-Meili: The curse from Arc 2, but even more intense.

-Petra: She was the only one unaffected by the dream; she woke up, went to Subaru’s room, smelled the Miasma (making her vomit bile, blood, and saliva, along with tears, as if wetting herself), before Envy-Beatrice violently beat her, then healed her and took her back to her bed, erasing her memory—but not the feelings she had experienced.

-Subaru: … was being raped the entire time, no longer feeling the pain of his memories, which were instead inflicted on the others.

Chapter 20: Elsa IF

What if...? What if Subaru had arrived in Gusteko and met Elsa?

—————

 

 

That girl knew nothing beyond the forest and the Majuuns.

Since she was born and abandoned by her parents—whom she never really knew or remembered much about—she had only known the forest where she lived with the creatures that took her in thanks to her strange power.

A power that attracted the creatures that always surrounded her.

They were always by her side; caring for her as parents would, feeding her as parents would, teaching her as parents would. Making her part of the pack they lived in, even though they didn’t actually have any feelings for her beyond that ability she had possessed since birth. It was more of an emotionless instinct. She still felt something for them, perhaps because they were the only ones she knew, though only slightly.

The girl had lived that life since her youth. Running with them, hunting with them, feeding with them, even adopting their aggressive behaviors—like growling and walking on all fours. A simple life for someone who had no other choice but to live this way, like a Majuun.

Until the day she met that woman…

She was a supernatural force the girl had never encountered before. She suddenly appeared in the forest, slaughtered all the beasts the girl knew, and then took her. Not even giving them a real chance to fight back. And in the end, when only that small girl remained, she tried to fight, but she couldn’t.

And when she thought she was going to die… she was simply captured by that woman.

The dark-blue-haired girl was taken on a night when the woman carried her by the collar of the rags she had worn for a long time. They traveled until they reached a cabin—not a gigantic one, but large enough for more than one person to live in for a while, well-furnished, with two separate bedrooms. When they entered the cabin, she was quickly released.

Like a wild creature unsure of what to do, she ran through the cabin. She had no idea how to escape that place, and she knew it was impossible to flee from that woman.

It lasted for hours.

She kept isolating herself in the darkest and most distant corners of the cabin, while the woman calmly roamed around. Until she caught a scent. A strong, good, enticing smell. Food. Although she had eaten alongside the Majuuns, she had also tasted the kinds of things people normally cooked at campsites. She liked some, disliked others. But she always accepted them to try new things beyond what she usually ate.

The smell truly attracted her. While she was in a corner of the room, she saw the woman place a bowl on the table, releasing that delicious, inviting aroma. The woman sat on the couch near the coffee table.

[???: Feel free to eat.]

The woman spoke and made a gesture that said "help yourself" to the blue-haired girl.

Even though she was still a little scared and wary, she was drawn in by the delicious smell. It took some time. For a few moments, she hesitated before approaching the table, then she sat down, dropped the utensils, and started eating what was inside. A warm soup.

[???: Fufufu~ Don't worry about that, okay~? The meal is all yours~]

The woman’s words still made her feel uncomfortable. Even though she had spent a long time living with the Majuuns in the forest, she had also heard enough of the human dialect to learn their words and understand most of what they said.

[???: It must have been hard growing up in such a hostile environment, right~? I couldn't blame you for your way of acting or your distrust toward me or anyone else~ I know that feeling well~]

The black-haired woman spoke in a friendly but slightly teasing tone. With her appearance, it made sense—for those who understood such concepts of seduction—that someone like her would use that tone when speaking to people.

[???: I lived in a place just as harsh as the one you grew up in~ It’s called Gusteko~ A frigid land, both in its climate and in the nature of most of its people. No one would want to live in a place like that. Not even me, despite the fact that I did. It was a place that followed rules almost similar to Vollachia. The ones who survive are those with the best capabilities for it~]

Although she didn’t fully understand the extent of what the woman was saying, the small girl grasped the idea. Such a rule also applied in nature with the beasts she had shared her life with for years.

[???: I had a tough life. I was abandoned too, had to steal and fight to survive in that place and avoid death. It was not gratifying. I didn’t live—I survived. In that situation, it would have been easier to choose to die than to keep fighting, but dying wasn’t a favorable option for me, you know~? I couldn’t accept dying just to avoid living through that~]

And she understood that too. Another day meant living to fight for more food. It was necessary. But if everyone followed that mindset, wouldn’t they all die? On the other hand, even though it was a human thought, beasts didn’t have those thoughts and simply lived instinctively to eat without caring.

[??? Until one day, I was attacked when I tried to steal from a market. It was something horrible~ The owner attacked me, restrained me, and tried to do whatever he wanted with me. A terrible thing to do to a poor little girl just trying to survive, don’t you think~? —— Until he appeared~ As if he had simply emerged from nowhere, he pushed the man away and saved me, taking me out of that place. He stopped him from committing a terrible mistake, and I avoided my first death that night~]

The first death. The girl remembered how she had to witness deaths during her life among the beasts, how she saw them kill people, as well as each other. A complicated life.

[???: Not that I hadn’t killed anyone after that, of course~ It just took me a little longer~ —— He was a strange boy when I met him~ Strange, strange, very strange~ An existence that wouldn’t fit with the icy landscapes of Gusteko and its people, colder than the cold itself~ Ah, strange~]

A small smile grew on the woman’s face. Despite the seductive tone she used, anyone perceptive enough would see that it was a fond smile, not the one of a deceitful woman trying to seduce just anyone.

[???: It was hard to live with him at first, you know~? He didn’t like that I stole or fought, he didn’t like the injustices happening there, he didn’t like the weather~ He complained endlessly~ Fufufu~ He was an irritating person who had such an easy life that he probably never had to fight the way the two of us did~ —— Despite that... he was surprisingly intelligent~ When he devised a scheme and a well-thought-out plan, it worked~ With just a few deals, we managed to earn enough money to live for days~ He wasn’t a great fighter back then, which balanced out our duo~]

Fighting in a group was natural. The girl knew that there were strong beings that would require a pack to defend against until the end — even though this time, with this woman, teamwork had failed, and she had been brought to that place.

[???: Until, in one of his schemes, I ended up causing my first death and discovered my true ability~ Murder~ Being the blade that would exterminate any powerful enemy~ —— Of course, he didn’t like it at first, so it became something that could only be done when his plans failed. A measure to fight against any enemies that his plans couldn’t handle~ And I started to love it~ I even earned an infamous title that he didn’t like very much because of my methods~ Fufufu~]

Her words now carried a morbid delight as she spoke of such things. Someone speaking with pleasure about becoming an assassin.

[???: But compared to what he once did for me~ Fufufu~ —— There was a time when I was a test subject for a man known as Holosseo Featherrun, a member of the well-known Gustekan Church. He gave me the abilities that made me more and more famous~ The important part was that after what they did to me, he dedicated himself to making sure those people would never forget his name~ —— The chaos and destruction he caused by gathering the worst of the worst made even the Church members establish a rule never to interfere with him again~ Fufufu~]

She recounted with an unusual tone of pleasure and satisfaction for someone describing an event that could be called a massacre or, at the very least, a slaughter that would leave its mark on the history of such an unusual and violent country as the one she described.

[???: So we decided to leave that monotonous life in such a frozen country~ A life as mercenaries, not assassins, which was a bit disappointing but still honest work that we are trying to stick with. And we take on all kinds of jobs~ Fighting in battles, serving as bodyguards, or even escorting missions and things like that. And in one of our jobs, he heard some interesting things from one of his trusted informants.]

Her gaze fell upon the girl, who was finishing her meal, now curled up but not far from the woman. Her stare made the girl shudder slightly, but not too much; somehow, that gaze seemed neutral—neither threatening nor affectionate.

[???: About a little girl living with Majuun Beasts. Curious~ We decided to investigate whether such information was true and see what kind of girl lives alongside such creatures. And we ended up finding you, cutie~]

The girl grew a bit worried when she realized the woman was talking about her.

Before any other words could be spoken, the cabin door opened again, allowing another figure to enter; a tall man, around thirty years old, with unshaven stubble, wearing worn-out clothes with a cloak and a gauntlet on one of his arms.

[???: Ah, I see you found her. You handled everything without too much excess, didn’t you?]

[???: Hummm~~ Maybe~?]

[???: I’m not sure I want to dig deeper into that, given your answer.]

[???: Oh~ What’s wrong~? Don’t you trust me, dear~?]

The woman stood up and approached the man, embracing him as he closed the door and stepped inside. They hugged before exchanging a quick kiss—a brief moment, yet one that conveyed a bit of the love they shared. He gently pulled away from the woman and looked at the little girl before slowly approaching her, crouching down as she instinctively moved back slightly.

[???: Hey, hey! Everything okay? You must be scared, right?]

[???: ——]

[???: My name is... Natsuki Subaru! The Mad Strategist! And that lovely lady over there...? Elsa Granhiet, the "Bowel Hunter"! Don't let the name scare you, alright? We're not as bad as our titles make us seem.]

The girl looked between the man, Subaru, and the woman, Elsa.

[Subaru: Hmm. I think I'll call you...]

[Elsa: Meili.]

[Subaru: Meili? —— Well, that's a good name. What do you think? Better than just "little girl," right? —— Nice to meet you, Meili! Now, let’s get you a nice bath, some clean clothes, and more warm food for your belly. How does that sound?]

Without wasting any time, he started moving around the house to gather everything he had listed for the girl—now named Meili—who stared at them with apparent confusion as she watched them act so naturally.

That day, Meili met Subaru and Elsa... who would become her new family.

 

 

—————

I'm currently in the process of writing the next chapter of Consequences IF, but I'm taking some time to write down the ideas I'm having. Some of these IF stories I plan to write in the future.

In this IF, several things are different:

-Subaru arrived in Gusteko at the same age he would have arrived in Lugunica, but at a different time, and had to learn to adapt to the environment and people in a much harsher way.

-He saved Elsa from the attempted assault she suffered and started helping her.

-Over time, the two developed a relationship, which also affected their partnership: He handled all the planning (primarily using Return by Death), while Elsa was the fighter between them.

-In Gusteko, Subaru earned the title of Mad Strategist because his way of acting, speaking, and planning was considered so insane that he became an undefeated legend among the people of Gusteko—even the Mad Prince sees him as crazy and dangerous.

-During his time in Gusteko, Subaru died more than 10,000 times just to survive and become the person he is today, making him one of the most well-known figures in Gusteko, alongside the Mad Prince and Elsa herself.

-Subaru and Elsa are not assassins; they are mercenaries: Similar to the Iron Fangs, but more willing to kill to accomplish their goals. They started as a duo but soon expanded their team with Meili (whom they consider their daughter), Zarestia (who became Subaru’s spirit), Reize (who initially tried to kill Subaru but was stopped by Elsa), and Halibel. Eventually, they became mercenaries who would later serve as bodyguards and members of Emilia’s Camp.

-Subaru’s appearance:

Chapter 21: [Extra - Elsa IF]

[Meili: I don’t know why they ask us to do this kind of work, don’t you think, Tia-Chan~~?]

[Zarestia: I know, it’s soooo boring.]

[Ram: Hpmf! You two shouldn’t complain so much. I only asked for your help with a simple task because my sister keeps doing all the heavy lifting for you while you rest. But I can’t help thinking just how lazy you both are.]

[Meili: Hmmmmpf~~~!!!]

Meili pouted, alongside Zarestia, at the words of the pink-haired oni.

The person she was referring to was Rem—one of the maids of the Mathers Mansion, who handled more than 80% of the mansion’s tasks. That now included helping manage the group of mercenaries hired by Roswaal L. Mathers. This group consisted of Subaru Natsuki, Elsa, Meili, Halibel, and Zarestia, a rather well-known team.

This mercenary group had gained fame across the world. With their leader Subaru’s planning skills, along with the combat abilities of its key members—including a Beast Tamer, a Great Spirit, and the Strongest Warrior of Kararagi—they became renowned for their efficiency. Their jobs included eliminating criminal groups, protection, escorting people or items of great monetary or non-monetary value, and more. Their flawless execution earned them recognition from Gusteko to Kararagi, even in Vollachia. Now, they were in Emilia’s service, hired by her benefactor: the Court Mage.

Yet, in the pink-haired oni’s eyes, they hadn’t done anything so far. But her Master insisted they should keep them around.

It wasn’t that they were completely useless, but they weren’t exactly of great help either, as they mostly handled their own problems and occasionally assisted with mansion duties like the maids.

The relationship between the mansion’s residents and the mercenaries... was far from perfect.

Halibel and Subaru were the easiest to talk to and interact with among the five. Zarestia was the most difficult, while Elsa and Meili fell somewhere in between. However, Ram didn’t really get along with any of them. Whether due to her own personality or the way they acted, she didn’t appreciate having extra work because of their presence.

Reize was a unique case. As a third oni—when they had thought only two remained—they quickly bonded over their shared past. This helped ease some of Rem’s doubts about the black-haired man. Reize was somewhat reclusive but, when she opened up, she was quite sociable. She seemed to enjoy spending time in the Forbidden Library reading—something that even Beatrice surprisingly accepted rather easily.

But their skills couldn’t be doubted. Ram had witnessed their “training” firsthand.

Halibel trained with Elsa and Meili, teaching the older woman his techniques while the small girl learned self-defense for when she was without her Majuuns. She didn’t enjoy this training much, but Subaru always rewarded her with toys when she did.

Now, Meili and Zarestia were accompanying Ram for shopping.

Subaru had sent them along with the maid without much explanation—just asking them to assist her.

[Meili: Do you think Onii-san and Onee-san went on another date~?]

[Zarestia: No. They took Hal with them. They must have gone on some job without us. —— Why were we stuck with such a boring task?]

[Ram: Maybe Barusu had the minimum decency to leave you behind so you could learn about responsibility. Or to do your job as... “bodyguards,” no?]

[Meili: Ho~? So you really need us to protect you, Pink-haired Nee-Chan?]

[Ram: Ha! First of all, Ram is Ram. Not some foolish nickname like that. Second, Ram can take care of herself perfectly against all kinds of threats, without needing your support.]

[Zarestia: ——? Doesn’t seem like it.]

[Ram: ——!? Doubting Ram’s capabilities is the first step toward ruin, Zarestia-sama. Even for one of the Great Four Spirits like yourself.]

Meili couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at that, not really believing it. Especially since it was amusing.

Ever since arriving at the mansion, Meili and Zarestia had quickly realized that Ram was the easiest to provoke, eliciting reactions of anger and sharp retorts—something fun to pass the time with.

As they continued walking, they soon arrived at Arlam Village—a pleasant place.

The small girl, in particular, liked this village. She had made many friends there, with Petra being one of her closest. Not that she had many friends her age to compare, given her mercenary life, but she had never been lonely thanks to the care of those around her. Subaru often spoiled her with dolls and told her countless bedtime stories, some even from his homeland.

[Meili: I hope they come back soon from whatever they’re doing.]

Meili commented with a slight touch of worry and anxiety. She didn’t like when they were away for too long. They always left her with Zarestia whenever they went on important and dangerous missions, leaving her under the care of the Great Spirit—even though, most of the time, Meili was the one taking care of her.

—[X]—

[Petelgeuse: UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE! MY LOVE FOR SATELLA IS ETERNAL! AND YOU! YOU DARED TO STAND IN THE WAY OF DILIGENCE?!]

The Archbishop of Sloth screamed in furious rage, witnessing the scene before him.

The bodies of his “Fingers” were scattered across the ground not far from him, slain by Elsa, Subaru, and Reize, who calmly observed him from a distance—the oni’s face twisted in barely contained fury.

The Archbishop of Sloth trembled with rage, his bulging eyes filled with madness.

But how had this happened?

For context: Subaru had Returned by Death. On this day, an attack on the Mathers Mansion was supposed to happen—an event that, in Subaru’s previous loop, led to Emilia’s death and his own demise at Puck’s claws—something he’d have to think about later. He was sent back to a point before the attack, with a margin of 60 hours to plan.

Luckily, that was enough for him to figure out the likely route the attackers would take to reach the mansion, using Reize’s tracking skills to locate the Witch Cult’s hideout.

After that, it was just a matter of preparation.

Leaving Zarestia in the village and mansion area, she would be able to eliminate any threats that arrived there, along with Meili and Ram. He also warned Rem to keep Emilia safe as part of the plan—either by placing her in the Forbidden Library, which would force Beatrice to act, or by using the secret escape passage Roswaal had revealed to them.

Then came their mission. Subaru, Elsa, Reize, and Halibel went to deal with the Archbishop of Sloth.

The start was fairly simple. The trio—especially Elsa—wiped out the “Fingers” and the minor cultists completely.

Before long, only Petelgeuse remained. The task of handling him was given to Halibel.

[Halibel: Y’know, I really don’t get what the hell you’re saying. But if you wanna fight... well, it was part of the job Su-san gave me anyway.]

Halibel, as casual as ever, took a long drag from his kiseru, releasing a thick smoke into the air before putting it away. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Petelgeuse lunged in a frenzy of madness, his Invisible Hands tearing through the air toward Halibel. The shinobi did not move—he merely blinked. SLASH! In an instant, a kunai sliced through the air, piercing one of the Invisible Hands. The force of impact caused the energy projection to dissipate.

[Petelgeuse: What!? How can you see them?!]

[Halibel: I don’t see them. —— Su-San is truly terrifying when it comes to intuitions.]

He commented with a sly smile, referring to the Nect magic—an ability Subaru had learned that allowed him to transmit his own vision to Halibel regarding Petelgeuse’s Invisible Hands—when he realized that only he was capable of perceiving such a power.

The blade sliced through another of the Invisible Hands, forcing Petelgeuse to retreat, gritting his teeth. He summoned dozens of new spectral arms, launching them like a storm at Halibel.

The shinobi vanished.

In an instant, he reappeared in the air, stepping on his own kunai embedded in nothingness as if they were invisible steps. "Dead Point," he murmured before throwing more precise blades, striking the weak points of the Invisible Hands, causing them to collapse one by one. Petelgeuse screamed, his rage growing.

[Petelgeuse: UNACCEPTABLE! DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND LOVE?! DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND MY SACRIFICE?!]

[Halibel: I understand promises. But you have broken too many by following this insane path.]

Halibel landed on the ground, unhurried.

Petelgeuse snarled and screamed, his body twisting as dozens of Invisible Hands emerged around him like serpents ready to strike.

[Petelgeuse: DILIGENCE! LOVE! You do not understand the pain that has been inflicted! I will make you pay!]

[Halibel: I understand pain well. But your lamentations are exhausting me.]

Halibel simply disappeared. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Petelgeuse, an amused smile on his lips. Petelgeuse spun his Invisible Hands in a devastating attack, crushing trees and carving craters into the ground—but Halibel was no longer there. He reappeared on a nearby branch, twirling a kunai between his fingers. "So predictable."

Petelgeuse’s patience snapped. He roared and fired all of his Invisible Hands in every direction, trying to cover any possible escape route. But to his surprise, Halibel did not run. Instead, he raised his hand, and four identical copies of himself appeared around him.

[Halibel: Now the fun begins.]

Halibel said as the clones spread out around Petelgeuse. The Archbishop of Sloth widened his eyes, his teeth grinding in fury.

[Petelgeuse: ILLUSIONS?! DO NOT MOCK ME!]

The clones attacked simultaneously, each striking from a different direction. Petelgeuse tried to defend himself with his Invisible Hands, but Halibel and his clones were far too fast. A kick struck his side, a kunai grazed his face, and an elbow slammed into his stomach, making him cough up blood.

[Halibel 2: You think you're strong for crushing the weak, don’t you?]

[Halibel 3: But when you face someone who knows how to fight, you crumble.]

[Halibel: This is what happens when someone fights only for their own ego. You have no technique—just blind brutality.]

The real Halibel slowly walked toward him, watching him writhe in pain.

Even wounded, Petelgeuse roared in fury and propelled himself into the air using his Invisible Hands.

[Petelgeuse: I WILL NOT BE HUMILIATED LIKE THIS!]

[Halibel: You already have been.]

Halibel smirked. And in the blink of an eye, all of his clones leaped at the same time, surrounding Petelgeuse in the air, ready for the next attack.

Halibel’s clones moved in perfect synchronization, their silhouettes blurring as rapid strikes rained down on Petelgeuse.

The Archbishop of Sloth screamed, his fury and desperation intensifying with each punch, kick, and cut that struck his body without mercy.

[Petelgeuse: Pests! Cursed ones! I am the very embodiment of diligence! I am Satella’s love! How dare you defy my benevolence?!]

Petelgeuse roared, his Invisible Hands whipping through the air in a desperate attempt to drive back the clones.

But Halibel gave him no room to breathe. The clones moved like living shadows, expertly dodging and countering with even more brutal attacks. Punches crushed his ribs, kicks hurled him into trees, while shallow cuts were left on his skin, prolonging his humiliation.

Finally, the clones retreated, leaving a bloodied and panting Petelgeuse kneeling on the ground. His bulging eyes and ragged breathing betrayed his imminent defeat. He trembled but still tried to rise, his mouth twisting into a crazed smile.

[Petelgeuse: T-this cannot be my end! I am the most devoted! I am——]

Before he could finish, the original Halibel appeared behind him—so suddenly that Petelgeuse had no time to react. The blade of his katana gleamed under the sunlight.

SLASH!

The Archbishop of Sloth's body remained still for a moment, as if it did not understand what had just happened. Then, slowly, his head slid to the side, separating from his body and rolling onto the ground.

[Halibel: How pathetic.]

Halibel twirled his katana, elegantly wiping the blood from the blade before sheathing it. He then calmly took a drag from his kiseru, watching Petelgeuse's lifeless body. He glanced around the now-silent battlefield and let out a light sigh. With one last look at the corpse, Halibel turned and walked away without looking back.

[Subaru: Good job, Hal-san.]

[Halibel: Thanks, Su-San. It was thanks to your technique that I could see that bastard’s attacks. —— Although I probably would’ve managed just fine anyway.]

[Reize: Isn’t that a bit arrogant?]

[Halibel: It’s just the truth.]

With a confident smile, Halibel took another drag from his kiseru and blew a bit of smoke at the oni, who coughed in irritation at the act.

[Elsa: What do we do now, dear?]

[Subaru: Let’s collect the bodies and take them to Ros-Chi. If everything works out, we might get an extra reward and even some prestige for having taken down one of the Archbishops of the Witch Cult. Wouldn’t it be nice for our group to gain more fame because of this?]

He smirked slightly, a bit mischievous. But everyone knew he wasn’t being entirely sincere about what he truly wanted.

Subaru had devised a plan that clearly prevented unnecessary destruction against the people of the village and the mansion—something he could have allowed to happen to stage a battle in front of a crowd. But by gathering intel on the attack—intel that no one would question—he chose to deal with it far from innocent people, avoiding unnecessary damage, while also leaving security measures in place for those left behind.

The objective of taking the bodies was mostly for payment, which they wouldn’t deny wanting, but also to mark a historical event. The elimination of an Archbishop, which would also aid Emilia’s campaign.

[Subaru: We only need to take the ten bodies of “Fingers” and Petelguese. -- I'll help by taking two and Petelguese, you take the rest].

[Reize: I'll help, Suba-Chan!]

[Elsa: I wanted to rest, but when my darling is trying so hard...]

[Halibel: I don't want to. -- What? I've worked hard enough for one day, don't you think?]

Mocking their critical looks a little, he snorted in amusement. But no one countered.

Proceeding to carry out the duties Subaru had said earlier, they began to collect the bodies. Subaru was thankful that his plan had worked and assured that he wouldn't have to see Elsa, Meili, Reize and Halibel freeze to death and Zarestia lose control to try to kill Puck in revenge - his last vision of what had happened in the previous loop, and he didn't want to see it.

By the time he got back, Subaru had made up his mind. He would make several new dolls for Meili and play with her until she got sick of him, and then some.

 

 

—————

Other things about this IF:

-Although Meili refers to Subaru and Elsa as her older siblings, they are more like her father figures.

-Reize has a bit of a crush on Subaru.

-Zarestia feels a bit angry at Elsa and Subaru: Because she, unfortunately, in the Mansion her room is next to theirs, so she always hears their intense nocturnal activities (almost like Zarestia from Rem IF).

Chapter 22: Vainglory IF

What if...? What if another path had been offered against the White Whale and Petelguese?

—————

 

 

In that place, a cultist observed a table with concern. Waiting. Watching as the figures present gathered. Even though it was a private meeting, he, like the others, had to be there at the request of a superior figure.

Like a watcher.

A nearly pitch-black room. A massive, semi-round table with several large chairs surrounding it, a total of nine seats, ensuring that all the important figures of this place could take their positions. A specific room for the significant members of that group.

[???: How sad! Sad, sad, sad. I thought I could now go and spread more of the grand love of the Witch, but I had to come and answer the call of the Gospel. But I could not refuse! It would be lazy of me to refuse the request, the call, the invitation to gather in this place as ordered. It would not be diligent of me.]

The figure who spoke these words in an insane tone was Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, a man with green hair and sickly skin, wearing a cloak. A sickly appearance. With a manic smile, contorting in his seat, pulling at the sides of his eyes so forcefully it seemed as if he might tear them out.

[???: Ah, Petelgeuse! Guese, Guese! It is so comforting to see your devotion in spreading love to everyone! I’m so sorry, so sorry that you cannot continue on your diligent path. But thank you, thank you, thank you for such devotion to the call.]

The frenzied and excited words came from the woman sitting near the green-haired figure. She was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, her sharp amethyst eyes focused solely on the sickly-looking man beside her. As if he were the only one who existed in her world. This was Sirius, who preferred to introduce herself as Sirius Romanee-Conti.

[???: What a waste, don’t you all think~? We were in search of a good meal to enjoy, and then we were pulled away from our personal tasks. Such a shame, I think so too, but I hope we at least get some compensation in the end. Tsu~]

[???: Grotesque! Truly a shame that we could not continue the hunt for our glorious memories, only to answer an unexpected call. Tsu~]

The third figure to speak, from a more distant seat, was well known to the others. With long hair, darker skin, glowing eyes, and extremely sharp teeth, he spoke in a tone of amusement—though not entirely. Lye Batenkaitos was his name, and among his three brothers, only he and Roy Alphard were present.

[???: Do you really think your problems are important? Hmpf! Such arrogant insolence. I, who was simply enjoying a peaceful day in my mansion, gratifyingly spending quality time with my wives so they could be satisfied by our closeness—as a good husband, which I am, should do. And this, after so much time devoted to fulfilling the orders given to me, which infringed upon my right to live freely and enjoy my life with my wives in my mansion. As a hardworking, mature, dedicated man who never asks for too much, wouldn’t it be the least I could request? Yes. Wouldn’t it be the least I could demand—a humble, personal satisfaction? But then, I am unexpectedly summoned for some unexplained reason, with only brief words from my Gospel. Do you realize how insulting this is? How irritating this is? How it violates my rights? Someone who only wishes to live a satisfied, non-greedy life.]

This man, with white hair and matching clothes, crossed his arms with an obvious scowl as he glared at those around him. He spoke so much that it would be difficult for some to follow his reasoning from the beginning—not that anyone did. His name was Regulus Corneas.

[???: Gyahahaha~ Seriously, do you really need to use so many words just to express your desire to be with women who wouldn’t even look at you, virgin~? So disgusting~ So, so disgusting~! Gyahahaha~!]

A final figure laughed loudly, mockingly ridiculing the fifth figure, Regulus, at the sheer length of his speech—without actually focusing on its content, solely to insult and jeer. Dressed in tight, revealing clothing, this was Capella Emerada Lugunica.

The cultist watched them from afar alongside his partner. Those they observed were the key figures of their group, the Witch Cult. They were the Sin Archbishops. Each representing a sin—Petelgeuse of Sloth, Sirius of Wrath, Lye and Roy of Gluttony, Regulus of Greed, and Capella of Lust—the seats of Pride and Envy, along with two other chairs, remained vacant.

They were the main forces and commanders of the Witch Cult’s members. None of them, except for Sloth, truly cared about loyalty to the Witch of Envy, as each had their own goals. And anyone who knew them understood just how dangerous it was to gather such an unstable group in such a confined space.

And the reasons were obvious.

[Regulus: Hm? What did you say? Are you mocking me for my so altruistic motives? How disrespectful. I told you, with my great patience, kindness, and humility, about the deeply satisfying life I live with my wives. A life that anyone would call the ultimate display of a satisfied and humble existence. And how am I repaid? With crude words from a vulgar woman who does not comprehend the effort I put into living such a life and offering so much comfort to the women to whom I demonstrate my appreciation, love, and willpower. Someone like me? Vibrant, satisfied, content with the life I lead, being attacked in such a heinous way. A violation of my rights to live such a good life as a humble man and a good husband, so happy with my wives.]

Regulus once again spoke several words in succession. His tone displayed his anger, a clear irritation at the mocking words Capella had thrown at him, which only earned him another mocking laugh from the woman, who remained indifferent to his anger and reasons. Lye and Roy also let out small mocking laughs at the man's anger, as well as his words.

[Petelguese: Oh, such diligence, Bishop Regulus! Focusing so much on your wives' happiness shows great diligence in being a good husband. Yes, diligent. This would be one of the greatest demonstrations of diligence one could witness in someone! Diligent! A great display of love! Love, love, love, love, love!]

Petelguese spoke with great joy at Regulus' words, seeing only the aspects most important to him. Diligence above laziness.

[Sirius: Yes! But I hope you’re not showing a lack of love for everyone; that would be terrible, wouldn’t it? Not being one with love. It would be horrible, so sad. Oh, Petelguese! The display of love itself is diligent, but when one does not become one with it, it is so sad, don’t you think? Don’t you think?]

Sirius got too close to the sickly-looking man.

Petelguese tried to move away from the bandaged woman, not liking her proximity. Especially when she was invading his personal space.

[Capella: Gyahahaha~ Diligent love~? Don’t you all think he’s just a disgusting pervert, collecting women only for the fun of it because he can't get a real one~? Disgusting~ Super disgusting~!]

Capella continued to mock him, letting out a few giggles in a sweet, taunting tone. She looked at Regulus, who was becoming more and more displeased.

[Lye: Gathering things for oneself isn’t entirely bad, is it? Like when we eat our delicious meals and gather more and more to delight ourselves. Tsu~]

Somehow, which only further displeased the Archbishop of Greed, Lye agreed with the idea of collecting figures. Since his power allowed him to collect the memories of those he devoured.

[Regulus: HUUUMMMMM!? Annoying, ANNOYING! Why, WHY?! I live a simple and satisfying life, normal and so beautiful, yet in my days, I come across trivialities like these! Trivialities that then turn into gigantic problems for people like me to deal with! Good, humble people who live gratifying lives in their normality. And here I am, sharing this with degenerates who do not understand such matters. But was the mistake mine? No, I did not err. For I am a satisfied man whose kindness of heart extended to share this with you. These words were simply meant to educate you humbly with my exemplary life, yet I am met with mockery when I show how exemplary it is in every aspect I demonstrate.]

His words would spark another round of mockery and conversation, which the two cultists expected, but then his next words interrupted them,

[Regulus: If not for the Gospel’s call to answer such an unexpected summons from THAT so disrespectful person...]

And everyone fell silent when he mentioned the one who had summoned them, making the atmosphere more tense, leaving him to continue speaking.

[Regulus: Someone without even the basic principles of the minimum class, don’t you think? Someone whose life is so particularly devoid of anything to entertain him that he wastes our own—especially my—satisfied life, using us to see sorrow in us instead of seeking his own satisfaction and the resolution of his personal sadness. A direct offense to the rights of us all, don’t you think? A violation of my right to live my satisfied life alongside my wives.]

No one interrupted him as he continued to speak, and his words only heightened the tension.

[Regulus: Honestly, irritating, don’t you think? A man so lacking in kindness toward the needs of those around him. Selfish, giving no importance to others’ feelings. A man of no importance whose existence itself demonstrates a great lack of character in human decency. Even now, don’t you agree? He violates my right to conclude this private meeting by not even showing up at this moment. A truly selfish person, without the slightest——]

[???: A truly selfish person...]

A stern voice interrupted him. A voice that left everyone surprised, but beyond that, also worried and afraid.

[???: Without the slightest…? Archbishop Regulus, please, could you finish your words about me? Or… do you plan to violate my right to have your final opinion?]

Regulus fell silent immediately. His expression no longer showed anger, irritation, disgust, or any of the previously displayed negative emotions. Instead, it shifted to one of fear—almost desperation—like someone who had been caught suddenly saying something they shouldn’t have.

And that was exactly the case.

Realizing what he had done, he remained silent. His previous stance collapsed; while he had been speaking, he had stood up, pointing at everyone, but now he was slumped in his chair, hands crossed. Sweating. Sweating profusely, sweating like he hadn’t in a long time. His eyes were wide and fixed in place.

The others had almost identical expressions. They were expressions that neither of the two had ever seen on those illustrious figures—not like this.

Capella lost her mocking smile, shifting into a more restrained posture with a neutral expression. Roy seemed to shrink slightly behind Lye in his seat, the older man in front of him like an animal protecting an injured companion. Petelgeuse’s face remained frozen in his usual smile, but even that showed his distress. And Sirius clung to one of his sleeves as if seeking support—something the Archbishop of Sloth did nothing to resist, which would have been surprising to those familiar with their relationship.

This was all due to the new figure present; wearing an elegant dark outfit with orange accents, a long dark coat—almost resembling a cape the way it draped behind him—and a pair of gloves on his hands. A young man with slicked-back dark hair, with a small fringe on the right side, a displeased expression, and sharp eyes that were usually considered intimidating. He sat with his legs crossed, one arm resting on his crossed right leg, his head supported by his fist, appearing at ease.

This was Natsuki Subaru, the Archbishop of Vainglory, appointed by the Witch herself.

[Subaru: ——]

[Regulus: ——]

[Subaru: Do you not actually plan to finish your words about me, Archbishop Regulus? Wouldn’t that be… an offense to my right?]

[Regulus: —— I-I’m sorry.]

[Subaru: Sorry? Sorry for what, Archbishop? Are you sorry for offending me? But you seemed so excited, irritated, enthusiastic, focused on doing so. When I wasn’t here… isn’t that right? Is my presence preventing you from continuing your words? What a shame. I’m sorry, then.]

The words of the black-haired boy made the atmosphere even tenser for each Archbishop. They knew that despite the overwhelming calm in his tone, he was anything but calm. And what shouldn’t have been done, had been done. An offense.

Since his entry into the Cult, he had made it exceedingly clear that he did not like being insulted. Having his image tarnished in front of him. As much as they thought about doing so, as they did in secret, they always kept it hidden. Everyone did.

This time, Regulus, in his haste, had made a grave mistake by offending him in such a manner.

Regulus had done this once before, in the past. Back when Subaru first joined the Cult. When the Cult’s simultaneous attacks were interrupted; the Whale and Petelgeuse had been stopped by someone who ordered them to retreat. Something that deeply irritated him, as he had personally accompanied Lye Batenkaitos to ensure the Whale’s attack and survival, or the elimination of targets should it somehow be defeated.

Upon learning that it was because of Subaru, he made it clear how much he disapproved of those who violated his rights. And the right that Subaru had violated was Regulus’ right to fulfill his personal objectives without having to retreat over something as trivial as his entry. The black-haired boy did not take that lightly, not when he was already irritated for his own reasons, and showed just how dangerous he truly was...

[Subaru: Your wives. How are they really? Have you continued talking to Slyphy-chan from time to time? We had tea, ate together, discussed life. We even talked about you, you know? Perhaps violating your right to privacy—isn’t that what you would call it?]

He mocked with a hint of malice. Regulus did not respond.

[Subaru: She seemed happy. She followed my advice, didn’t she? To treat your women with much more respect than you always did, coldly. ——Regulus. They were so sad when I met them, so sad. They felt trapped. Trapped by and with a monster, a repugnant monster, a monster who acted as if he were a good husband. And what did I do? I gave them a way to solve their problems. I helped solve their problems, didn’t I?]

As he spoke, he stood up. A smile stretched across his face. He walked calmly around the table until he reached behind Regulus, placing his hands on the Archbishop of Greed’s shoulders from behind the chair, making him even more tense.

[Subaru: They wanted to die. Die to free themselves from everything, from all the sadness, from all the problems. That would be such a shame, wouldn’t it? If they all died. So much pain they must have felt to desire such a thing, in what should have been a happy marriage—how much did they lose to end up in that state? And I…? I offered them two options.]

He then let go of Regulus’s shoulders. Resuming his walk, he finished circling the table and returned to his seat. He paid little mind to the irritated look Regulus instinctively gave him, or perhaps ignored it on purpose as his smile grew.

[Subaru: I could kill them. Or… I could try to fix your husband… and I found a way to do it. You remember, don’t you? We’re dealing with you, Regulus~]

With slow steps, he returned to his seat.

[Subaru: Regulus, Regulus~. I haven’t tried to cause you any new problems since I arrived, have I~? Nor for anyone else since I showed you all my abilities. Each of you remembers, don’t you~? Or do I need to remind you~?]

At that final question, everyone froze. A chill ran down their spines, and their hairs stood on end. Each of them looked as if they had been struck by lightning—a powerful lightning bolt, strong enough to stop these terrifying monsters capable of destroying the world.

[Regulus: —— I apologize. I spoke about you behind your back, violating your right to have an upright life, free from any harm someone might wish to inflict upon you. I did so out of personal irritation that I should not have felt. You did not commit such an offense without reason, did you? You wouldn’t do such a thing to offend our rights. Especially not those of a husband like me, who, as you yourself said, has been trying to improve as a spouse for my wives—some of whom you even allowed me to witness their frustrations. I do not wish for my rights to be violated, just as you do not, correct? Not when we are civilized beings trying to live in a world so focused on violating our satisfied, humble, greedless lives.]

[Subaru: —— Of course. Of course, Regulus. —— Does anyone else have any additional issues they wish to discuss while this topic remains open? I don’t want you to hold back—feel free.]

[——]

The room remained deathly silent.

No one spoke.

They saw that relaxed smile, but it carried an abnormally great danger—like that of a predator.

Normally, such danger was felt by others, not by them.

But that was how Natsuki Subaru was to the Archbishops. A predator, while they were his prey. His existence represented a danger beyond comprehension, even to beings already considered terrifying to outsiders, ordinary people, or even those beyond common understanding.

The Sin Archbishops, whose natural enemies were the Knights and the Sword Saint. And Natsuki Subaru was the natural enemy of them all.

[Subaru: I called you here to warn you. In just one month, we will attack Priestella. We will recover something very important. This was shown to me in my Gospel, as it should be conveyed to you. We must prepare. Some of you may find what you seek there, perhaps. —— I will devise a plan for our course of action. This meeting was to inform you of these matters so that when I give the call, you will be ready to follow my plan precisely. Because I want the work you have demonstrated so far to continue.]

He began speaking in a commanding tone. Despite the fact that they normally did not heed commands from anyone other than their Gospels and the one other figure who had control over the Cult itself, they listened intently to his words. Because they had learned this lesson through the threats they had suffered at the hands of that young man.

Not to mention, they had been greatly rewarded when they followed his orders—when he received them from his own Gospel.

When they launched the attack with the White Whale to crush the camp of the one known as the ‘Valkyrie,’ Lye was disappointed; but he was rewarded by crushing several merchants thanks to Subaru’s orders—he particularly enjoyed devouring the memories of a merchant named Otto, under Subaru’s command.

When Petelgeuse lost his chance to go after the half-elf Emilia to carry out his trials, he was redirected to a place called The Sanctuary—a place where the “Corpse” of a Witch was kept, and Regulus was sent to assist him. Everyone there was nearly killed—except for one young man, Garfiel, who survived through sheer force. And the place where her body was stored was taken thanks to the combined power of Regulus and Petelgeuse.

Then there were several, several, several other tasks…

[Subaru: I believe we can end our little meeting for now. —— I apologize for the inconvenience. I had hoped we wouldn’t have had such a discussion, nor anything similar, Archbishop Regulus. Next time… I will speak with your wives personally and instruct them to warn you.]

[Regulus: —— I appreciate such consideration.]

He stood up. Particularly concerned about the veiled yet obvious threat of what Subaru planned to do—eliminate him if he strayed from the path Subaru desired.

The others followed his example.

Within minutes, without farewells and with cold detachment, they left the meeting room reserved exclusively for the Sin Archbishops. And for those two cultists who remained there only under Subaru’s orders. When everyone had left, they stood still, waiting.

[???: And then...?]

[Subaru: ——]

A melodic voice spoke from behind Subaru's seat. None of them moved, holding their breath as they tried to pretend they didn’t even exist at that moment.

[Subaru: —— Irritating. All of them are very irritating. Which makes it even sadder that they are the only ones who seem to fit best with the Witch Factors. A great tragedy.]

[???: You can take them for yourself. Don’t you want to? As I told you, I see them as tools ready for our use, but they are expendable with your arrival~]

[Subaru: No. Despite being irritating, they are useful. Even though the Queen is the most powerful piece in a game of chess, we don’t just discard the other pieces, do we? We use them until the only option left is to use the Queen. She is the last one who should remain to protect the King.]

[???: So... you’re going to use them to protect me until only you are left for such a task~?]

The melodic voice of the figure seemed more excited.

[Subaru: Don’t put words in my mouth. —— You know very well that without your abilities, half of my usefulness in controlling these irritating beings is lost. What would be left is simply eliminating them. But that point depends on how little use they become in the course of my plans for your objective.]

[???: My objective is whatever yours is.]

That figure walked until she was standing in front of Subaru. In a swift movement, she climbed onto the boy's lap, sitting on his right leg. Both stared at each other for a moment.

She was small compared to him; platinum hair, shimmering ocean-blue eyes that seemed to glow even more in his presence, wearing a short white dress that looked more like a cloth—now slightly longer, with blue details added by Subaru himself.

He placed a hand on the girl's back, touching her through the thin fabric, while she leaned closer to him, resting her head against his chest and gazing up at him. Her hands rested on him. Both seemed to be exploring each other with their hands, feeling each other's presence through touch.

[???: Will you continue for me?]

[Subaru: I am Natsuki Subaru. Ever since I was abandoned. When you recruited me that day in the Capital, I became yours. Your Archbishop. Natsuki Subaru, the Archbishop of Sin of Vainglory, named by the Witch of Vainglory, Pandora, to whom I am completely loyal. As if I were your knight. —— Your...]

[Pandora: Hihihi~ Mine.]

In a synchronized movement, he lowered his face just enough for her to grab him by the sides of his face, pulling him as he leaned in. They kissed. A chaste kiss, neither of them closing their eyes, staring at each other as they deepened the act, not allowing one another to pull away.

A display that could be considered sweet...

If not for one factor.

Neither of the two cultists could move, none of them could act. Because they would die. They would die just like the other two guards who had once made up the quartet watching over that room—until they acted incorrectly; they moved when both were in the same situation as now. And they were punished. Death was the punishment for interrupting their deep desires, for stopping them.

No one should try to stop them...

 

 

—————

Finally finished another semester...

In this IF, we had some significant changes:

-Subaru met Pandora in Arc 3 and became her Archbishop.

-The Archbishops carried out several attacks ordered by Subaru and Pandora, causing massive damage to the Royal Selection while also managing to gather various components previously belonging to the Witches.

-Subaru has better control over Return by Death thanks to Pandora.

-No one from any Camp knows Subaru's whereabouts, and only Rem continues to search for him actively, alongside Reinhard.

-Subaru is the weakest physically and in raw power compared to the other Archbishops, but he is the smartest and has the highest long-term destructive capacity (even scaring the other Archbishops).

Chapter 23: [Extra - Vainglory IF]

[—Subaru—]

I remember that day...

I remember my despair... I remember my sadness...

How many times did I see them die... how many times did I see her die in my arms... and how many times did I feel my body being consumed by the cold of death...?

Twenty times...

Twenty times this world showed me how weak I was... how little people cared about me...

Twenty times I had to endure the worst pain to achieve something... twenty times I saw all my efforts to help those who had been the only ones kind to me go to waste... and twenty times I felt the betrayal of all those I thought had a shred of kindness and humanity within them...

Until I drowned...

I drowned in my sadness... in my rage...

And that was when she appeared... her ethereal figure... extending her hand for me to help her...

It was thanks to her that I could understand the truth of the world...

It was thanks to her that I could free myself from the chains that bound me... it was thanks to her that I realized how little those who claimed to be superior actually mattered...

It was thanks to her that I found a new purpose... it was thanks to her that I discovered my desire to preserve what mattered to me and only because I desired it for myself... it was thanks to her that I found my [Vainglory]...

And I was able to rediscover my old self...

[F... l]

—[X]—

Reinhard walked along the sidewalks by the hydro-streets. Looking around, he saw the destruction caused by the recent attacks—buildings with broken windows, holes in the streets, waterlogged areas, as well as the bodies of knights, soldiers, and civilians scattered across the roads.

A lamentable sight.

The great water city, Priestella, was now in a truly desperate situation. A crisis brought upon by a surprise attack from the Witch Cult—specifically, the Sin Archbishops, along with a large group of cultists. An attack that happened suddenly, striking multiple locations simultaneously.

And he had been unable to do anything. When the attacks began, he failed to protect anyone from the start.

The incident at the tower had made that clear.

One of the bandits recruited by Felt had been killed right then, by the so-called Archbishop of Wrath, Sirius, whose power had caused multiple people's heads to explode at the very start of their assault on the city.

And things only worsened when they took control of the four towers that regulated the water flow.

To prove they were serious, they briefly opened the floodgates, causing immense damage to the city's infrastructure and its people. The resulting flood killed dozens of civilians, soldiers, and knights, collapsing some buildings—scenes Reinhard witnessed as he made his way through the devastated streets toward City Hall.

Inside the building was a Metia—a magical communication device belonging to Muse Company, used to broadcast messages to the entire city. Its owner, Kiritaka, regularly used it for public announcements, preparing the people for emergencies like this one.

But in the end, it hadn't helped them much.

Because at the very start of the attack, City Hall had been taken over. And the Archbishop of Lust had made an announcement.

A warning.

They demanded that the Sword Saint go to City Hall to negotiate with the leader of the Archbishop's assault on the city. He was to go alone—armed, if he wished, but alone. Otherwise, the entire city would be submerged as punishment for defying such a simple request.

Reinhard was doing exactly that.

He would not give them the chance to continue their attack if he could prevent it—especially since it was his responsibility as the hero known as the Sword Saint. He had to meet the expectations of all who depended on him, particularly his lady, his companions, and the innocent people still alive in this city.

The red-haired young man stopped in front of the building.

He looked at the entrance.

With short but swift steps, he closed the distance and entered the vacant doorway. Quickly, he moved through the corridors, making his way inside. Under normal circumstances, he would have liked to take in the grandeur of the City Hall's architecture. But he had no time for that now—not when his focus was on fulfilling the demand placed upon him.

Reinhard passed through the last set of doors leading to the room where the Metia was located. The space was wide open, with the device positioned at the far end of the room.

And in the center of it stood a figure... a figure all too familiar to the red-haired young man...

[Reinhard: Su... baru?]

[Subaru: It’s good to see you again, Rein. It’s been a while since our last conversation, hasn’t it? Since the Capital, over a year ago. —— Man, has it really been a year? Time flies. I imagine a lot must have happened to you and the others in that time, right? I suppose so. Thinking about all the possibilities is quite exciting. At least, it is for me. Though I do know a thing or two, thanks to my personal network of information—just to keep myself aware of the way you all operate.]

Subaru spoke casually. Walking around the room as if no time had passed since they last saw each other, as if nothing had changed in that time, and as if he hadn't just revealed that he had been watching them through a network of spies.

[Reinhard: Su-S-Subaru? W-What happened? Are you okay? Did they force you to——]

[Subaru: No. The Cult didn’t force me to do anything I wasn’t willing to do. —— If I had to say, ever since I joined, that’s when I’ve felt the freest to act the way I prefer, Rein. Pretty funny, don’t you think?]

[Reinhard: —— Subaru. I don’t want to ask, but...?]

[Subaru: If it was me who orchestrated all of this? Yes. Yes, Rein. I’m the one responsible for planning this attack, including that little demonstration we gave to show them we can sink this city.]

[Reinhard: ——]

The red-haired knight swallowed hard. For the first time in a long while, he found himself in a situation that made him nervous and uneasy. When someone he considered a friend casually revealed that he had ordered the attack that took so many lives.

[Reinhard: Why did you ask for me to be called?]

[Subaru: To talk, obviously. I wanted to see one of the only good people I know again. Like a cleanse for the soul, you understand? And you’re perfect for that. Bringing relief to the weary, just like the great hero you are. —— Or rather, the hero you should be, should represent. But you’re not, are you?]

The last words carried a clear mockery directed at the Sword Saint.

[Reinhard: The last news we had about you and your whereabouts came from one of Mathers-San’s maids, Rem-San, who reported your disappearance from the Capital over a year ago. She was, and still is, looking for you, just like I have been.]

[Subaru: I know... I know. Rem-rin has always been... a loyal person. —— I bet Nee-Sama must hate me for running away from work.]

Joking in the last part, he showed a small, sincere smile. As if remembering something particularly special.

Seeing the opportunity, Reinhard took a step forward, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

[Reinhard: Subaru, please. If you’re in trouble... if you’re being forced into this... Let me help you. As a friend, let me offer a hand to your problems.]

And for a moment, he felt like he might have reached that person.

That boy he met in the Capital, who closed the distance between them and treated him like an old acquaintance. A true friend, who didn’t seem to fear the difference in their statuses.

Reinhard had that hope... which was torn away a few moments later.

[Subaru: Pfft! Hahaha... AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!]

Subaru’s laughter echoed throughout the room. The atmosphere seemed to grow colder, distorted by the unsettling sound of his laughter, just as the brightness in Reinhard’s eyes seemed to fade as it continued.

As if something was terribly wrong.

Subaru laughed a little more before placing a hand over his face and dragging it down. The playful expression vanished. A cold, piercing, and intimidating gaze shot straight into Reinhard’s soul, making him feel a slight sense of unease, instinctively placing his hand over the hilt of his sword.

The boy with those eerie eyes now seemed different, irritated.

[Subaru: —— A year ago. I needed help. I needed help in every possible way. But what did you all do? Nothing. —— You weren’t there, Rein. If you had been, I’m sure everything would have been different... because you are you. The glorious Sword Saint. Someone whose very existence is blessed by the world to have almost everything he wants—except the love of his family. —— Even though your father is a well-known failure, a worthless drunk, he would still have the ability to get whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Even being a disgraceful man whom everyone believes murdered his own mother in the past, along with his precious son. Someone who, if he commanded something, would make it happen.]

[Reinhard: ——]

[Subaru: I asked for help, Rein. Believe me, I begged for help... to save people... to help people... because I saw the worst things that could happen. And what did I get? Denial. Denial from everyone. —— A Valkyrie who would turn her back on the deaths of innocents unless given a chance to face a beast that would crush her. A greedy Fox who sees life as one big business, ignoring feelings unless it profits her or gives her valuable information to fill her pockets even more. A Sun Princess who believes Pride must be upheld at any cost and wouldn’t bother extending a hand to help the innocent unless she felt like it. —— A bunch of people coveting a throne of wood, gold, and jewels. Happy to sit there, even if their hands and feet were stained with blood.]

[Reinhard: ——]

[Subaru: I needed help, Rein. Because... I was alone. —— When you met me, it was my first day in the Capital. I had just arrived there, and I had... nothing. No friends, no family, no acquaintances. Nothing. But that very same day, I met someone... someone who made me feel strange things I’d never felt before and made me want to help her. Me, a lazy NEET. —— But I was incapable. It was thanks to you that I was able to save her. —— Man, how I wished I were you. To have your skills. To be able to protect everyone, to defend myself. To not live at the mercy of others’ kindness. To not have to keep proving—again, again, and again—that I’m worthy of trust so they wouldn’t try to kill me or treat me like an object... To not have to give something just to be seen, while I already looked at everyone the same way. —— To be treated with the respect I was already trying to give them.]

[Reinhard: ——]

[Subaru: Even that person didn’t trust me, can you believe it? I did my best to return the favor she did for me. To save her. And then I did everything I could to stay by her side, overcoming challenges that anyone else would have given up on. To stay by her side. I tried to defend her, even though I was weak... I wanted to defend her and be some kind of hero like you... but I was weak. I lost everything. —— I lost the only person I thought was my safe haven at that moment. —— Do you know how that felt? After everything I went through for her, after everything I had already done? To simply be discarded at my first mistake... as if I hadn’t fought hard enough to earn the trust she claimed to have in me? —— But I also realized my mistake. I wanted to feel like a hero to justify everything I had faced up to that moment. But I’m not a hero, Rein. And I was able to realize that more than once in that week I disappeared...]

[Reinhard: ——]

[Subaru: Maybe you don’t believe me. But I faced the dangers of that week more than twenty times. More than twenty times! I saw the chaos that would follow for everyone, I saw the deaths that would fall upon the innocent and the people I loved, I saw everyone rejecting me because they believed they were too good. And I even... died for them. —— Crusch and Priscilla have pretty sharp blades... Otto pushed me into the Whale about five times, and in three of them, I died being devoured by it... —— Then, someone appeared. And they offered me their hand to help fulfill my wish to protect people. To protect Rem and the people of Arlam, to save their lives. —— It was by surrendering to them that I was able to guarantee their survival. Because I realized there was no hero or justice that could protect them, so I had to find another way to do it.]

Reinhard didn’t know how to react to his words. Thanks to the Divine Protections/Blessings, he was able to read Subaru. From his emotions to his mind, even knowing if he was telling the truth or not.

And everything indicated that he was.

From his words, from the things he had said, Reinhard, thanks to his focus and quick thinking, could conclude that Subaru knew about the Whale’s attack and tried to ask the Candidates for help to save lives. But he was refused and even... killed by them. Even though he was standing there, the Sword Saint didn’t dismiss the possibility, feeling the intensity coming from the black-haired boy.

What had he gone through? What had that week, a year ago, done to the kind-hearted young man he had once known? What had happened beneath the surface of reality to turn that person into someone filled with so much hatred and sadness?

His thoughts were interrupted by a sound. A sound coming from the metia that Subaru pulled from his pocket, a kind of rectangular metia.

[Subaru: Just in time... Urfs. It was good to get this off my chest with you, Rein. I really needed that. Hahaha! You’re a good friend, Rein. So I’ll offer you some help, alright?]

Like magic, Subaru had disappeared from in front of Reinhard.

[Subaru: Come.]

From the open doors behind the Sword Saint, he heard the calling. Leaving him even more surprised when he turned around and saw his old friend standing there, as if he had been there the whole time.

When the Sword Saint moved toward him, the boy had disappeared again. Making him even more intrigued and confused. Subaru vanished again, and Reinhard could see his figure outside, through the sunlight casting a shadow inside from the pair of open doors at the entrance of the place. Reinhard followed him outside.

[Subaru: Rein...]

Standing beside him on the sidewalk in front of City Hall, Reinhard turned to face his friend leaning against the pillar. At the same time, he saw lights being shot into the air. Fire Magic, Goa, used as flares.

[Subaru: We got what we wanted here. The remnants of the Witch of Pride... So... we no longer need a truce. —— In thirty seconds, the four floodgates will be opened by some of my dear disposable cultists. When they do, the city will be submerged... unless a hero is able to stop them in time. —— Rein, you have thirty seconds. You can try to capture me, save your Lady, or try to save the city. I hope you can decide in time.]

Once again, Subaru vanished from Reinhard’s sight.

[Subaru: It was good seeing you again, Sword Saint! Now mark my words: I will crush you along with everyone else if you stand in the way of the one I now serve! And let this day be remembered so that the world knows: The Archbishop of Vainglory will take everything she desires!]

His shout came from the top of a building. Even from afar, his words were heard in their entirety by Reinhard. And he saw him disappear again.

That day was engraved in Reinhard’s mind and heart...

His first friend... The one he was grateful to for allowing him to meet his Lady... The person he had felt proud to see defending Emilia...

Had abandoned everything to join the Cult... Had joined as the Archbishop of Vainglory...

That thought shattered him inside as he wondered... was it his fault for not taking action?

Was it his fault for his Sloth?

And as he pondered this, he also tried not to think about it. Because his friend’s words had been clear. But even when he acted, he wasn’t fast enough. Part of the city of Priestella was flooded in that attack, many people died, parts of the structures were destroyed, and it caused a mass evacuation due to how contaminated the waters were with a strange poisoned Dragon Blood.

Because the Sword Saint wasn’t truly strong enough to save them.

 

 

—————

Today my niece is turning 10 months old, so I felt excited to write more than one chapter today.

Some extra information for those who don't understand:

-Subaru went through 20 loops in Arc 3 in this timeline.

-Subaru got a grudge from Otto, because Otto in: Five loops pushed (betrayed) him in five loops to Whale and three of those times Subaru was killed by Whale who devoured him. That's why he made Lye and the Whale attack him and the merchants (who I talked about in the first part of this IF) in revenge.

-Subaru was rejected more than once by the candidates. On two of those occasions, Crusch and Priscilla made good on their words and killed him, when he lost his composure to blind rage.

-Subaru now cares only about: Himself, Pandora, Rem and the people of Arlam Village (following in that order from most important to least), but he no longer loves Emilia or cares about anyone else.

-Subaru spent around 100 loops in Priestella to carry out the most brutal attack possible to crush Reinhard's mind and spirit, as well as ensuring the destruction of most of the city without killing the Royal Candidates and their Camps (so that everyone would be alive when Reinhard revealed who had set up the attack and was leading the other Archbishops).

Off-track curiosity:

-This Vainglory Route, if I were to write it out in full, would have elements of the route to the Bad End of My Story: Consequences IF. Since it has elements of things I want to bring into my main story in the future.

Chapter 24: [Extra 2 - Vainglory IF]

In that ruined place, a figure crawled on the ground. That figure kept struggling.

Julius Juukulius had always strived to be an elegant knight. Training, studying, focusing. His mind always fixed on becoming the man he is today — the Knight of Knights. He was such a diligent man that he was admired by the people around him, especially his brother.

Later in his life, he met Anastasia Hoshin.

A merchant considered greedy from Kararagi, whom he met when she visited his home to present a business proposal to his family. Surprisingly, he discovered she was one of the Candidates foreseen by the Dragon Tablet to become the next queen of Lugunica after the previous royal family succumbed to a mysterious illness — one that not even the Sword Saint could save them from when he tried to reach the Pleiades Tower.

Upon discovering her, he decided to become her knight — to protect her, represent her, and help her become the next ruling queen. Fulfilling the role that all knights were meant to follow from the moment they donned the white mantle.

Julius then met, on the day of the Royal Selection Candidates' presentation, a young man — an arrogant, unknown boy who proclaimed himself a knight of a royal candidate — Emilia — and the knight had to put him in his place. That's why Julius challenged him and beat him in front of the other knights. Not only to preserve the integrity and honor of the knights present that day but also to save the life of the young man who didn't seem to understand the weight of those words.

He thought he had managed to knock some sense into the boy.

Although he seemed like a villain at that moment, he did it with the intention of preserving the reckless young man's life. He thought the boy would learn from it. Julius imagined that, in the future, he could mend their relationship.

[Subaru: Damn~ The Knight of Knights, crawling on the ground... it's so pathetic. It's almost sad, don't you think, Pete?]

[Petelgeuse: Arrrr, seeing his willpower trying to get up and keep struggling, even though he's so useless! Oh, what beauty! What diligent, diligent, diligent persistence! It seems like he's driven by LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!! But it's also so sad to see that the result of such diligence is so horrible~!]

[Subaru: It's not that sad. After all, it's the duty of a knight, isn't it? —— Come on, Julius. Keep trying.]

The knight's eyes lifted towards the two figures in front of him — Natsuki Subaru and Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti. The first being the figure he had beaten that day in the capital. Now, he stood before him, standing, while the knight lay on the ground — his white clothes torn, covered in dirt, soot, and his own blood, with several wounds.

In front of the purple-haired knight was the arrogant boy who later became the monster that destroyed all of Priestella, flooding it along with the other Archbishops.

[Subaru: Our positions have changed, haven't they~? What a shame. If this were a fair fight, you'd finish me off. I admit it. Which shows how pathetically weak I am without my powers and strategies. —— You're awfully quiet, don't you want to say something?]

[Julius: ——]

[Subaru: If looks could kill, yours would tear me in half. —— I feel sorry for you, you know? Being in this state because of me, because of my choices, makes all your strength and effort pathetic, doesn't it? —— But now you can understand a little of what I felt. That feeling of helplessness, that feeling that all your sacrifices are thrown into the mud. Because it shows how everything is so fragile, so easy to break.]

[Julius: —— Tsk!]

[Subaru: Arrrr. Pete, please?]

Subaru turned away at the sound of Julius clicking his tongue, losing any remaining interest in the Knight of Knights. Even with his back turned, he knew what happened next — following his orders, Petelgeuse attacked Julius incessantly with his invisible hands.

Punches, punches. More punches. Destroying the knight's body until he became a dead, bloody mass in the crater formed by his blood.

As he walked away, he saw some dead figures. Some disfigured by what must have been Petelgeuse's blows, others cut, others burned. As he continued walking, he saw an important figure — Anastasia Hoshin. The small candidate's body lay with a hole where her heart had been ripped out, surrounded by three other figures — triplets — dead around her.

[Subaru: To think she would die with her heart ripped out... What a surprise, I didn't imagine she even had one.]

With that comment, he continued on his way.

That night, at the Hoshin Company base, Anastasia's Camp was crushed.

—[X]—

[Subaru: Al. Out of everyone, you're the one I didn't want to crush, man. So sad.]

Subaru said while carrying the severed head, still with its helmet, of Al — Aldebaran — who was supposed to be the knight of one of the royal candidates, Priscilla Barielle. And what he said was true. Since Aldebaran was the figure closest to a memory of his homeland, besides his old clothes and his cell phone.

Sighing, he tossed the head into the air. The head flew, spinning, before a Majuun caught it, chewed it, and devoured it within moments.

Around the black-haired boy, he kept walking through the destroyed halls of the Barielle mansion. All around the mansion grounds were many, many corpses of soldiers — crushed, devoured, cut. Dead. Killed by several powerful figures, among them the one following Subaru ahead of the Majuun, who was still licking its teeth, savoring the “meal” it had devoured moments ago.

[Meili: Oni~san, you shouldn't be feeding him without telling me~~ you know?]

[Subaru: Sorry, Meili-chan. It's just... I really needed to get rid of that thing, you understand? Bad memories. —— Hm?]

As they walked down the corridor, which widened as the Majuun destroyed the ceiling to follow them, they came across the body of a dead man with red hair and a sword in hand. Heinkel Astrea, with his intestines spilled out and a horrified expression on his face.

[Meili: Elsa Nee~san really loves to have fun like this]

[Subaru: Urgh! Don't even remind me. I have terrible memories of having my intestines ripped out, but as long as they're not mine... she can have fun playing with other people.]

[Meili: I can't help but feel curious about your words, Oni~san.]

Elsa and Meili, two figures, two assassins working for Capella — that was what Subaru discovered. He greatly disliked encountering Elsa again, but he didn't complain after seeing the fear they both felt towards the Archbishop of Lust — who, ironically, felt almost the same towards him. He quickly formed a small friendship with the little girl.

They had now carried out an attack together on the Barielle mansion, and for now, he imagined Elsa was wandering around the property, finishing off the remaining targets in the mansion and enjoying herself.

Continuing to wander, he separated from Meili when he reached the doors of the mansion's master bedroom. Upon entering, he came across a scene.

[Capella: Gyahahaha~! Isn't it delicious~? Is your filthy piece of meat enjoying the blood of this beautiful lady that much~?]

Capella was sitting on Priscilla's body, seated on what seemed to be a kind of throne in her room, which Subaru remembered well. The Archbishop had a finger buried in the candidate's chest, pouring a large amount of her blood into her. The blood she possessed was Cursed Dragon Blood, poisonous blood.

Priscilla's body was almost completely dominated by the blood of the short blonde-haired woman. Her skin was nearly black, with several visible veins, drooling and with blurred vision, unable to move.

[Subaru: A truly pathetic sight.]

It was a quick comment as he continued watching the scene.

The Sun Princess, the Matriarch of Vollachia, had been completely defeated. Nothing she and Al tried to face them was enough to stop them. That day, the attack of those monsters had completely crushed the camp of the woman with almost incomparable arrogance.

Her forces? Crushed.

Her companions? Dead.

And she? Bound to the throne while being bombarded by Dragon Blood, which would only kill her later after causing immense suffering due to its venom.

Priscilla's last thoughts would be how she wished the world would crush those people, that it would work in her favor once more to kill them — her will to destroy them until they turned to ashes with her Yang sword.

But such a wish would never come true, for her life would end a few hours from now.

—[X]—

Ferris didn't understand what he was doing there. Walking through that mansion, he passed by several rooms daily and saw those strange figures. He saw people lying in beds, eyes closed, apparently sleeping. People he didn't know.

He didn't know anyone in that place. He didn't understand why he visited them, why he felt sadness upon seeing them.

He didn't know anyone in that enormous mansion. Even so, daily, he forced himself to complete tasks: cleaning the floor, cleaning the windows, cleaning everything possible — especially the rooms of the people who slept without waking. He also tended to the garden. Sometimes he stopped there, staring at the flowers. Afterward, he returned to his daily duties in that nearly empty mansion — since the sleeping people shouldn't count in his perspective.

Cooking wasn't so complicated. He made a meal for himself and ate. Even if the taste wasn't as good as he imagined some of those people would make — even if he didn't know them.

When he finished his daily activities, he went on his rounds to tend to the figures, using his magic on each one of them. But no matter how much he instinctively tried to save them with his powerful magic, he failed. He couldn't wake them up with his magic.

Among all those he saw unconscious in those rooms, two were the most important.

An elderly man with a grim, harsh appearance, whose sword lay beside his bed. Ferris made sure to clean that weapon, polish the sword, ensuring it was as well cared for as the man who should wield it — the man who should use it to fight the greatest battles against the world's most dangerous beings.

And the second was a woman. Green-haired, beautiful. Her room was the one he cared for the most during his daily cleaning tasks. He brushed her hair, changed her clothes to make her as comfortable as possible, ensuring she was protected from everything. He used his power especially on her. He spent a very, very, very long time using his power to try to heal her from a wound that didn't exist, trying to wake her from a sleep he knew she wouldn't wake from.

[Félix: Who are you...? Who are they...? Who are you...? Who are you...? Who are you...?]

Ferris asked with a broken tone of despair. He searched his mind for the image of those people, searched his mind for their names, searched his mind for the reason he felt so connected to them. The reason he was in that mansion, the Karsten property — though he couldn't remember who had taken him to that place in the past.

But his instincts made him do that every day. He performed those daily missions for them.

Only in his mind did he remember a few figures who received his hatred: three figures, three siblings — two brown-haired boys with green eyes, and a little golden-haired girl with blue eyes — the trio with sharp teeth in their mouths, led by one with black hair and terrifying eyes.

Ferris remembered them. He felt his hatred directed at them — his hatred for those who were unconscious in the Sleeping Beauty's sleep against those figures.

Deep down, he knew one thing: he wanted revenge, but he wouldn't be able to get it.

For the rest of his few days, Félix Argyle — Ferris-Chan to his former acquaintances — the Knight known as the 'Blue' for being the Greatest Healer of the Kingdom, would lock himself in that mansion to care for the people. Without knowing that, to the world, the Crusch Karsten Camp had been forgotten and devoured by the Archbishops of Gluttony, led by Subaru.

And the Whale that the old man from this camp so desired to take revenge on would devour all the places that were once important to him and his wife, living for centuries and centuries to come.

—[X]—

Number 79 no longer needed to think for herself; she only had to fulfill her duty as a wife: Obey the orders of her beloved Husband-Sama.

Such a thought had brought her much relief in recent times.

She hadn't truly been happy for a long time.

She had been alone with her "Father" in a forest of bodies frozen by her lack of control over her powers. She was found by Roswaal L. Mathers and taken in as a candidate. She faced prejudice for her origin and appearance, resembling the accursed being who had devastated the world in the past.

She always blamed herself for that.

She blamed herself for having that appearance, for being unable to change the perception of half-elves, for being incapable of becoming someone worthy of respect. And she tried to become that person. She tried to become a candidate to change the world, to save her people, to fix the mistakes caused by that figure in the past.

But she began to fail from the very start of the journey when her brooch was stolen.

Luckily, someone saved her from her terrible mistake.

A young man who retrieved her brooch in exchange for knowing her name. A young man who later saved all the people under the Mathers estate who would have died because of her if not for him. A young man whom she later abandoned in the Capital when she broke the promise she had made to him—to not attend the day of the Royal Selection.

A decision she deeply regretted later, due to the events that followed that week.

He first disappeared into thin air.

Such a thing worried her since she hadn't expected it to happen. But as Rem reported, he had vanished suddenly while trying to obtain help for the attack of the White Whale and the Archbishop of Sloth.

Some thought he was crazy. Until the attacks happened; a caravan of merchants was destroyed by the Whale, and a place within the Mathers territory—a place Roswaal called the 'Sanctuary'—was attacked, destroyed, and its most important contents stolen by the Archbishops of Sloth and Greed, according to one of the survivors, Garfiel.

Everything in the mansion began to go wrong from then on.

Rem and Ram no longer treated her the way they did when that young man was around. Roswaal was almost always locked away in his study, not even deigning to look her in the eyes as if she were nothing more than a child's toy. Garfiel, the new member, was always irritated and spent most of his time training. And her "father" had disappeared.

In the past, when she went to the village, she was mistreated for her appearance.

But things only got worse over time when people discovered that the young man they liked had been expelled by her and had disappeared afterward.

A year later came the attack on Priestella. That was when she discovered what had happened to that young man: He had become an Archbishop—the Archbishop of Vainglory. According to the Sword Saint, he had planned the entire attack and caused all the devastation that occurred in that city.

And then all the guilt she felt only grew and grew.

Until she reunited with him again when he was with the man who would become her 'Husband-Sama.' They destroyed the entire mansion. She didn't know what had happened to everyone else, but she only knew that Roswaal had been killed by her Husband-Sama, split in half.

And she, who once was Emilia, just Emilia, became the 79th wife of Regulus Corneas, whom she had to call Husband-Sama.

As a wife, she only had to follow his orders. She couldn't even smile without his permission. She became a doll alongside her other 'sisters,' wives of her Husband-Sama, and had to obey every order he gave. Something she was already used to, thanks to her "father," Puck. She became a "perfect wife," despite not knowing how to do as many things as the other wives.

Being a quiet, obedient, perfect wife. Her husband praised and treated her well.

But there were bad moments when she did something wrong.

The worst was visitation day; when Subaru visited her Husband-Sama's mansion, the other wives gathered with him, had tea, ate together, and his mere presence drove Husband-Sama away for the entire duration of his stay. But she had no such luck. On this day, her "sisters" abandoned her with their husband, leaving her to endure his wrath, for he could not take it out on the man he hated.

Number 79 remembered every time he arrived and left.

Subaru no longer looked her in the eyes, no longer treated her as he once did, ignoring her as if she were nothing more than an inconvenience. And when he left, it was the same.

He simply turned and walked away.

Even though she felt he knew the despair in her heart. The fear, the anguish, all the pain she felt being in that place—that even with so many others, she was alone. He could see it in her, but he turned and walked away. Emilia relived all of it, remembering when she had done the same to him: She saw his fear, his despair, his sadness, and abandoned him when he made only a single mistake.

Now, Emilia was no longer the half-elf of the Elior Forest; she was the 79th wife of Regulus Corneas, and she would be until he no longer wanted her. Living like a doll.

—[X]—

Reinhard clenched his fists, staring at the floor of the Throne Room with empty eyes. Sitting on the throne, hugging her knees, was Felt. This had been the day of the Coronation of the new queen—the only surviving Candidate—Felt, the Candidate no one ever imagined would win.

Her knight accompanied her in the hall after the coronation.

But neither of them was happy, neither of them was well. Neither of them wished to be there. They only endured everything until they were left alone when the people departed from the Throne Room. Abandoned, they surrendered to sadness and helplessness.

How had they survived?

[Subaru: In the past, there were nine deadly sins in history instead of seven. Among them were: Melancholy and Vainglory. Vainglory was an excessive desire for recognition and praise, unlike Pride, which was a feeling of superiority over others — the fear of irrelevance and dependence on others' opinions. —— You were the only one who never sought that in any way. So, congratulations, Felt-chan~! I've decided to let you become an excellent queen! Be careful, alright~? Don't let power go to your head, okay~?]

Those were the last words they exchanged with Subaru in the week he massacred all the Camps — sparing them in the end. It was only those words that made him spare them, nothing more than that, a personal and selfish desire.

Reinhard wanted to stop him from leaving but couldn't.

Even when his weapon reached the point of considering Subaru an opponent he could draw to fight against, he didn't do it. He couldn't. Because Reinhard had learned many things during his battles against Subaru: Fear.

He couldn't wield his weapon to face him — he couldn't fight against that boy whom Reinhard knew could defeat him in a head-to-head battle.

The Sword Saint felt crushed in front of that figure.

All his willpower shattered by the one who could crush all the people of the kingdom whenever he decided, and there was nothing he could do. Because Subaru showed how useless his powers were against his planning and leadership skills.

Even if he could fight... what would be the point? Nothing would change.

Reinhard resigned himself to being what he was meant to be — a Knight, the Sword of his Queen. He would follow the orders she gave him.

And when he was sent to face the Cult, when he was sent to face Subaru — he wouldn't do anything against them.

Even if it meant saving people, even if it meant stopping countless deaths.

He could not face those monsters.

Because whenever he crossed paths with Subaru, he trembled, froze, and couldn't draw his weapon to fight.

Because in the end... Subaru crushed even the strongest man in the world.

Even if Felt became Queen, her Camp was crushed.

Because they would never be able to stand against those monsters who could do whatever they wanted in their kingdom — and not even the Sword Saint could stop them.

 

 

—————

This is a Happy Ending... for Subaru, Pandora, and the Archbishops. For the rest of the world? Well... they got screwed.

For those curious, here are some extra facts about this route:

-Each Archbishop helped with the extermination of one Camp:

Anastasia: Petelgeuse and Sirius.

Priscilla: Capella.

Crusch: Lye, Roy, and Rui.

Emilia: Regulus.

Felt: Everyone.

-Subaru doesn't actually care about Regulus' wives as some might think. He only treats them well as an excuse to torture Regulus, using them as a threat. But they don't mind — because thanks to him, their suffering drastically decreased.

-Despite fearing Subaru and feeling some disgust toward him, they are somewhat grateful and get along with him a little. But they fear him deeply.

-Everyone associated with or working for any Archbishop likes him:

Regulus' wives, Petelgeuse's Fingers, Elsa and Meili alongside the other assassins from Capella's organization, the lower-ranking cultists, etc.

Chapter 25: [Epilogue - Vainglory IF]

1) Subaru.

He was sitting. In the corner of a strange place, a room. This place where he had been dragged after being rescued from his situation in the Capital... a situation he had been thrown into without a chance to prepare... like so many other situations. Part of Subaru's life in this world.

[Subaru: Why...?]

Still shedding some tears, he was still letting out small sobs of sadness. Thinking about everything that had happened in a matter of... Hours? Days? Weeks? From his perception due to Return by Death, the ability he gained when he was brought to this new world. A power that allowed him to return in time every time he died. And that had happened to him several times, seven times before the Capital.

But then, twenty times after his arrival in the Capital, after being abandoned by Emilia. And now he felt all the pains from just a short time ago. Because even after having felt them "days ago," he still felt them in his body. He felt every single one of them.

The room was immersed in darkness.

Only the faint moonlight slipped through the cracks of the window, painting pale shadows across the wooden floor. Subaru sat in the corner, legs drawn up against his chest, arms wrapped around himself as if trying to shield from a cold that wasn’t there.

But in his mind, the cold was real.

He could feel it.

A freezing wind that tore at his skin like sharp blades. The relentless touch of frost, creeping up his legs, engulfing his body, consuming him inch by inch. His skin hardened, turning brittle. Cracks followed soon after, splitting his flesh like fractured glass. The blood, once warm, was now an immobilized river within him, transformed into a crimson crystal expanding, forcing his vessels until they ruptured. His bones cracked within his body, crushed by the pressure of the growing ice. Every organ, every muscle, every nerve, frozen in a prison of endless pain. He tried to scream, but the air in his lungs was turning to ice as well.

His eyes, wide open, witnessed his own death reflected in the imposing shadow before him. Puck, the great spirit, watched without emotion, without hesitation. Subaru didn’t know whether it was fear, sadness, or despair that froze his soul first, but he remembered. He remembered not dying.

Not immediately.

His senses remained active, even as his body turned into a statue of ice. His consciousness refused to leave, keeping him trapped in that final moment for an incalculable time. He was there, still there, unable to breathe, unable to move, unable to scream. Just waiting.

Waiting for an end that never came fast enough.

Now, in the silence of the room, his fingers dug into his arms, trying to rip the sensation from his own body. But the cold never disappeared. He could still feel the ice somewhere inside him, as if his soul had been marked by that death. Subaru’s breathing was shaky. His eyes were wide open, staring at nothing, while his heart pounded against his ribs, as if afraid that at any moment, Puck would emerge from the darkness to make it all start again.

He closed his eyes and tried to convince himself that he was safe.

But the cold never went away.

And then came the hunger.

Not his, but the White Whale’s.

The Whale that devoured him when he tried to trust Otto when Rem sacrificed herself for him. Not once, but three times. All three times he still thought the next would be different with that merchant he believed was a good person—"Die, Natsuki-San!"—and who would have helped him, had they been in a different situation. He remembered how he desperately crawled, how he fought to survive, only for the great beast to catch him in its mouth and devour him.

The sound of flesh tearing, bones breaking, echoes of a muffled scream inside the monster’s gargantuan throat. Subaru remembered the searing pain as the sharp fangs pierced him, shredding muscles and nerves like fragile paper.

He wasn’t chewed all at once.

No.

The crushing pressure of the teeth held him as he felt his flesh being ripped apart, pieces of himself torn away and ground.

He screamed—but his voice was muffled by the thick saliva surrounding him, mixed with his own blood. His chest heaved, desperately trying to pull in air, but he only drowned further in that viscous, warm liquid. His body convulsed, struggling within the suffocating grip of the beast’s tongue, which dragged him deeper, as if savoring his misery before the end.

His limbs no longer obeyed.

He felt his bones crushed, his torso twisted at impossible angles, pain flooding every nerve that hadn’t been severed yet. The darkness consumed him, but not fast enough. He wanted it to end. Wanted death to take him quickly. But just like before, his consciousness refused to leave.

In the present, Subaru gasped, the metallic taste of blood still in his mouth, even though he knew it was just a memory. His whole body trembled, as if his flesh still remembered the sensation of being torn apart and swallowed.

His eyes turned to the shadows of the room.

The cold and the hunger never went away.

And neither did the rejection.

He tried to ask for help. Tried to trust others.

But in each attempt, he found only the blade, the fire, and the brutality.

The first was Crusch.

He remembered her firm, unwavering gaze, the sharp sound of her blade slicing through the air before feeling the sudden, searing pain in his neck. Blood spurted from his open throat, air escaping his lungs as he fell to his knees. He tried to speak, tried to protest, but only red bubbles escaped his lips. The world spun, his vision darkened, and the cold embrace of death took him once more.

The second was Priscilla.

Her cruel smile, the elegant dance of her blade. Subaru felt his flesh being cut, pain spreading through his body like fire—and then came the real fire. The flames engulfed his skin, consuming him voraciously. He screamed, writhed, but there was no escape. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and his vision was overtaken by an orange glow before the final darkness. The heat was unbearable, but the cruelest part was knowing that, even while burning alive, he still had time to feel every nerve consumed, every muscle reduced to ashes.

The third was Mimi in Anastasia's name to protect her..

She didn’t want to kill him. But the force of her blow was too much. The overwhelming impact against his head made his vision explode into white, and then he was thrown backward, colliding against the wall with a dry crack. The pain was instant, but death was quick. A single second of consciousness before complete darkness. But in that second, Subaru still felt the weight of rejection. He wasn’t killed out of hatred or vengeance. Just out of carelessness. Just for being insignificant.

Now, Subaru was there, alive, but not whole.

With every blink, he felt it all again and again. The cold that killed him slowly, breaking him like glass. The teeth of the enormous beast that crushed his bones and tore his flesh. Crusch’s gleaming blade. Priscilla’s burning flames. Mimi’s devastating blow echoed.

And the pain never left.

He grabbed his own head, his fingers digging into his hair, trying to tear out the memories, to tear himself away from that torment.

But the deaths never went away.

They always came back to him, crawling into his mind like starving specters, whispering that no matter how many times he tried, the end would always be the same.

Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection. Cold. Pain. Rejection.

Warmth.

He felt warmth in his body. In his hands, on his head. An intense warmth. Not the kind that would burn him, like with Priscilla, or Crusch’s blade, or the teeth of the massive Whale that had chewed him up three times.

It was a gentle warmth. A warmth that began to push away all his pain, though it still lingered.

[???: Please, don’t hurt yourself.]

An angelic voice gently pleaded with the dark-haired young man, and when the phantom pain of his deaths finally faded, he felt a different kind of pain. A small, unfamiliar ache. His hands were pulled away from his head, guided by the small, gentle hands of the one who had just spoken. Lowered into his field of vision—since he had been staring down the whole time he had been in that place.

He saw a bit of blood. The pain had come from pressing his fingers too hard against his scalp.

Just a few drops of blood stained his fingertips, which were now being rubbed and cleaned by those hands, staining them in turn.

His eyes lifted slightly.

He saw her fully now, standing in front of him.

Pandora. The woman who had brought him to this place.

While curled up in the corner of the room, he hadn't noticed her arrival. First, he saw her feet and legs, then the fabric draped over her, and finally, his gaze rose to meet hers. Black eyes met blue ones. A woman of unparalleled beauty, a beauty that could make anyone mistake her for some kind of goddess.

[Pandora: You’re still in pain, aren’t you? How terrible. You shouldn’t have to suffer like this anymore.]

Her voice was nearly as beautiful—perhaps just as beautiful—as her appearance was to anyone who heard it. A voice that completed the perfection of her form. And her words were just as sweet.

But Subaru was not like others.

Even if he acknowledged her beauty, he still felt apprehension toward her. Even hearing her words, the comfort they might have brought to someone else did not bring the same solace to him.

A small tug on his hands came from the woman, whose beauty gave her the aura of a divine being.

He stood up from the corner of the unfamiliar room.

Gently guided away from the shadows, he was led to sit on the bed near the center of the room. This room was not so different from one in the Mathers Mansion. And just that realization alone made him tremble again.

Memories surged. Not only the deaths in the Capital but also the past month, his first week—he had been killed. The pains intertwined in his mind.

It felt as though, with each passing moment in this place, the agony of every death he had endured mixed together, compounding into a new level of suffering he had never felt before.

Burned by fire, as if frozen by unbearable cold.

Cut apart, crushed.

Tortured and abandoned.

His body, destroyed over and over again, relentlessly.

A phantom pain raced through his entire being in an endless loop.

Until it vanished.

The sensations of pain, the sensations of death, the dreadful sensations all disappeared in an instant. Everything faded to make way for something new.

His first realization was pressure against his lips—firm, yet chaste. And warmth—warmth that began at his mouth and traveled downward, spreading through his body like a powerful fire that drove out all pain.

Stasis.

That was the only way to describe it. Stasis, a state that numbed all the agony he had felt before. Making it disappear.

A kiss.

That small, divine figure, with pale skin and an aura of holiness, was kissing the dark-haired young man.

He sat on the bed, his hands resting on the mattress and fabric, gripping them lightly as the new sensation overwhelmed him.

Meanwhile, the divine figure knelt on the bed, in the space between his legs, holding his face in both hands, pressing her lips against his with an intensity unlike anything before.

But not only this feeling of stasis was running through him, not only a feeling of calm was pushing away the horrible memories and sensations. It was another sensation. An intense heat that ran from his belly down to his waist, then to his groin. The sensation he had slightly recognized from the past; but now differently because of the stimulation he was receiving.

Excitement, a strong excitement that mixed with stasis left him more and more lost, intoxicated. Drunk on the hot feeling, on the force of such a flame starting to burn inside him. He began to lose himself. He didn't notice when he had removed his clothes and the one covering the woman, nor when he had laid her back against the bed and stood over her, still staring into her eyes.

Lying against the mattress, she held the young man's hands, which covered her own.

With strong movements, he thrust inside her, hard, a bulge in her bottom from his member thrusting into her entrance, hitting her inside several times. Their eyes locked on each other without losing eye contact. On the Witch's face was a smile, her mouth open and sighing heavily, her cheeks bright red, a happy expression.

[Pandora: Inside... please... my beloved].

At his request, he again seemed to shut down in his excitement and stasis at the sensations he was feeling at that moment. In one final thrust, he exploded inside her. Painting her insides with a jet. The two of them stared at each other for a few moments, panting, he looking at her with an indifferent, neutral face, while she looked at him with a satisfied smile and a happy expression, complemented by the red of her cheeks. And they remained like that for a few moments, until they kissed again and continued the act.

They went on for hours. Sometimes he'd leave her lying on her back, or sometimes on all fours on the mattress - sometimes she'd let the strength in her arms fade and she'd fall flat on her face with her cheek pressed against the cloths. Other times he would grab her and make her get on top, helping her with the up and down movements, at first so that she could get used to the size of her lover's member, which left a bulge in her small body. Every time he finished the act by releasing everything inside her without the Witch trying to prevent it.

When she needed some time, she would get off him and let him use her mouth any way he wanted. In a violent way, he would keep taking his frustrations out on her, unloading his energies on her lips, in her mouth, until she was back in her previous position. But no matter how violently or desperately he “attacked” her, she didn't get hurt, making him act more and more without restraint.

Sinking deeper into the lust that burned their hearts, as it united their bodies into one.

And little by little, the memories and pains that circulated in his body disappeared. Everything that made him suffer began to disappear, giving way to that feeling of euphoria. A sensation that seemed to overwhelm him; overwhelm him with warmth, affection, intensity, pleasure and love. That impossibly delicious sensation that made him want to sink deeper and deeper, to the point where he never wanted to come out.

When they had finished, they were lying together on the only bed in the room...

The little woman's body was on top of the man's, her perfect white skin slightly red and sweaty from the effort she had put in with him. And all over the man's body were bite marks and scratches, but without any trace of pain. At that moment, they both seemed to share the same feeling: relief.

A feeling that allowed them to rest together in that room.

As she caressed his chest, she said.

[Pandora: I love you...]

Even though he didn't understand, it made the warmth in his heart expand. As if it would explode. All those feelings, all those sensations, exploded in an intense way in his heart. Just like the times he had met that figure when he was dying, with the same intensity, the same strength.

But now he could feel it directly in his chest, in the body of another person in front of him. Intoxicated by that sensation, he simply hugged her, but without saying anything.

Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to fall asleep with that small figure above him.

2) Pandora.

Your soul. Your beautiful and radiant soul.

In her perception, the little Witch could see beyond mere surfaces like faces or bodies. Of course. Through people’s eyes, she was able to see their souls, to see the kind of people they truly were deep inside. The foundation, the core, who they really were in the deepest parts of their being that shaped their outward selves. Even the wicked, who tried their best to hide their intentions, could not deceive their own eyes, which revealed the essence of their personal existence.

Dirty. Disgusting, corrupted. Horrible, terrible, sickening.

These would be some of the ways she would describe most, if not all, of the people she had met throughout almost her entire life since she learned to read others, as well as since she began her pursuit of fulfilling her goal. All because she was incapable of seeing them in the shallow and inferior way that other beings in this world did. For she was special, and because of that, she would give them special treatment—reading them through her eyes, seeing what truly shaped each person.

And for that reason, she never felt anything for anyone. She saw them as insignificant beings, unimportant to her life.

Because she could easily see through their intentions and what they truly wanted. And they were all animals who, for the most part, were drawn to her—by her beauty, by her power—willing to give her everything she asked for. Acting simply to satisfy their own personal desires. And only those who had already achieved the completeness of their own being did not behave that way. Like the two in the Elior Forest and the Sword Saint, who briefly piqued her interest before she discarded them without giving them much more importance.

But only one person in the past had ever made her feel something—her beloved.

Someone whose soul was sincere. A beautiful, honest soul.

Her beloved treated her honestly, sincerely. Without being distracted by her appearance like all the others always had. In front of him, she could be honest, and he would not treat her as if she were the only one who was right. If he had an opinion, he would treat her however he wished. And his soul was better than any she had ever seen.

But… he was gone.

Because of the one she hated the most. Because of those who took him from her.

Why?

She never found an answer to that question, and because of it, those real feelings that had blossomed in her heart dwindled until they became almost nonexistent. Almost extinct. What remained was only her personal desire to fulfill what her beloved had wanted, for if it was his wish, then it was her wish—because it was what he wanted, and she wanted to give him everything he desired. His final wish—the Seal.

She might not have known what would happen, but she would open it. And to do so, she would use the Witch Cult—the very cult her beloved had founded in the past.

Using them as the disposable pieces they were.

They desired nothing more than to fulfill their own wishes, using those around them to do so, so why couldn’t she do the same? With that line of thought, she gathered those who had been rejected by the world. Those who, like her beloved, had nothing left but themselves and the personal desires that guided them. The Archbishops—her Archbishops—who could do as they pleased as long as they still allowed her to achieve her own goals, her beloved’s mission.

And so it went, until…

She found him again.

She found him again, and that was the moment of her greatest happiness after so many decades and centuries. For at last, she felt those nearly dead emotions rekindle like a massive, dangerous fire that would burn everything around her. Because she had found her beloved—the one who had vanished four centuries ago because of the one she hated most, the first half-elf who had come between her and her beloved.

And she would fulfill his desires, but only those that were obvious to her. And he wanted to be a hero for the half-elf Emilia—whom she remembered well.

That was why she allowed her Archbishop to carry out his attack. For if he wanted to save her, if he wanted to become her hero, discarding the Sloth piece would not be a problem for her. It was for her beloved! And she expected him to achieve it. But… it happened.

One by one, death after death, he was trying to fulfill his wish, but no one around him was truly helping him or offering him a real way to overcome his challenge.

His pure soul was beginning to fall into despair.

It pained her heart to see him sad, to see him falling, to see him hurt, to see him bleed and die. But she knew she had to give him what he wanted. Yet she also had her own desires—the desire to be seen by him, to be the one who would save him, to be the one who helped him achieve everything he wished for and to have what she wanted.

That was why she broke her original plan.

She appeared before him, offering her hand to her beloved.

And he accepted it.

It was another moment of great happiness, for her beloved had accepted her, and she could now act in the direct way he wanted her to. Offering her heart. And he asked her to save those people, that half-elf who reminded her of the one she hated most. And she did it because it was his true wish.

But in return, she took him.

As her Archbishop—the Archbishop of Vainglory, who would serve in her cult.

A personal desire that made her happy to have fulfilled, for it claimed him as hers. Hers alone. Something she was willing to reciprocate by being his alone. As she had always wanted and as it had always meant to be—in her perception.

She and her beloved were together.

She no longer cared about anything else after that.

Of course, she was disappointed when she realized that her beloved did not remember her or their past together. He was only acting on his instincts up until that point. And despite the disappointment of not retaining any of the memories they had shared before, she would be more than happy to recreate and build new memories with him. Their memories! And to start, she needed to show him how much she trusted him.

Lending him her power to act as he wished.

It seemed to surprise him that she was offering such power, such an opportunity to prove himself. Which made her feel irritated. Not at him, obviously. Never would she be irritated with him. But her irritation was directed at the world or the people who had made him doubt her good intentions toward him—showing how difficult it was for him to trust others.

One of the hardest parts was explaining the Witch Cult to him—how to make him deal with her Archbishops. But he did it for her.

And that made her happy—her beloved was willing to fulfill her desires if she asked something of him, even if it was difficult. That was why she left them at his disposal.

[Pandora: I don't care about them. They are just pieces to achieve an old goal—one I no longer care about since I found you. Do you want to discard them? Discard them. Do you want to keep them and use them? Use them. They are pieces, toys—mine. And if they are mine, then they are yours too, so feel free to use them, my beloved.]

Her words at that moment, spoken in that intoxicatingly sweet tone, sank him into an oddly comforting happiness.

He accepted.

He would still keep them, he would still use them, for he would not discard the effort the Witch had put into acquiring and utilizing them. And such consideration once again filled her with happiness.

In such a short time, he had already made up for those lost days.

In the perception of the Pale Witch, having her beloved with her, tending to her desires and caring for her, was a source of happiness she couldn't explain. But even without being able to explain it, she expressed herself when her beloved asked why she treated him with such affection:

[Pandora: I love you.]

And just those words were enough to warm his heart and soothe him.

However, one day, with courage, someone dared to question her about what she felt for him. It was Regulus who asked, and his question filled her with excitement to express what she felt for her beloved… as well as anger at the audacity of the Archbishop of Greed for prying into something so personal.

Her words were spoken in a sickly sweet tone.

[Pandora: The eyes… Those who cannot see them find them terrifying… But the eyes are the window to the soul! And I have gazed upon his. A soul that has faced the world, that has faced despair, that has faced the end. Yet, it knows love. Love in all its forms. The kind of love I desire for myself… I wish to be consumed by that gaze. I want him to look at me, more than he looks at anyone else, to see me as if I were the only being in this world, just as I see him that way. I want to be consumed and to consume him so that our existences become one. Two lives, two souls, two existences. Together. I desire only him, for wanting anything else is unnecessary to me.]

Her eyes shone intensely, and her radiant smile complemented her almost divinely impossible appearance. The wind at that moment framed her in a scene of breathtaking beauty, making her seem like a venerable figure in the eyes of others.

But that expression would only make ordinary people vomit in disgust.

It would make them avert their gaze from such an overwhelmingly sweet and innocent expression, cover their ears so as not to hear the tone of her voice or the words she spoke.

Regulus heard it all. Even with his Authority active, he would swear he had broken into a sweat, feeling both nausea and fear toward that woman who, in that moment, could have easily killed him if she wished—but did not, out of devotion to her beloved.

And when she vanished, he felt relief.

For neither of them wanted to face each other. Regulus did not wish to be diverted from his content path, and Pandora did not see him as worth exterminating without her beloved's agreement.

But it was now clear…

Pandora loved Subaru unconditionally, even more so after he gave up dedicating himself to the half-elf to devote himself to her. Because he chose to be hers, then she would be his—a fate she had always embraced long before he even became aware of it.

If he chose to burn the kingdom? She would provide the spark.

If he chose to kill everyone in his way? She would provide the weapons.

If he chose to live a simple and ordinary life? She would follow him and ensure no trouble ever reached him.

If he chose to destroy his soul? She would rebuild it and love it until it was restored to its original purity after he had finished whatever he desired.

If he chose to exterminate the entire world to satisfy his will? She would follow, destroy, crush, annihilate, burn, freeze, and obliterate everything in his way until nothing remained.

For she had found her happiness in being the only thing that mattered to her beloved.

For she had conquered her beloved's heart and made him see how much better he was compared to all the worms and insects crawling on Earth.

She embraced him, and together, they would sink into her.

Into vanity, into arrogance… into Vainglory.

 

 

—————

Well… I don’t know how to write obscenities properly. So this is the maximum level of adult (sexual) content I can write for you, as I'm not skilled in that aspect.

In this IF:

-When she went searching for Subaru in the Capital, she pushed Rem away with her abilities. Ironically, that was the only time she needed to use her power: Subaru was already so exhausted from being betrayed (by Otto), abandoned (by the Candidates), seeing everyone die (the people of Arlam Village, Rem, Ram, and Emilia), and being frozen to death by Puck that he simply surrendered to Pandora out of sheer will.

-Pandora is as in love with Subaru as the WITCH OF ENVY is with him (not just in this IF, but in all of my Multiverse IFs). And I plan to explore this in my story Re:Consequences IF, though I’d say her obsession there would be even greater than in this IF (even if only slightly).

-In this IF, as in others, Subaru is the reincarnation of Flugel, and he and Pandora had a past relationship. She has a deep obsession with him, similar to the well-known fanfic The Melancholic Path and also Chapter 14 of Re: Tales from the Multiverse - Option Two.

I got the idea for their relationship thanks to the story link by @Im_The_Person, who has some of the best stories I've read on Ao3, especially involving this ship.

The next chapters I’ll focus on will be: Subaru's Birthday Special and the next Re:Consequences IF chapter, which I will do my best to write and post by the end of the week (probably Sunday). So I won’t update here for a while to concentrate. But I might post a few short stories for fun in my story link to pass the time. So… until next time.

Don’t forget to tell me what you think!

Chapter 26: Typhon IF

What if...? What if Subaru were summoned to Priestella with another figure?

—————

 

 

Subaru let out a slightly tired sigh. Another day of work, another day of sales. Walking through the streets of the city of water, he looked at the people around him with a small smile. A satisfied smile. Carrying his purchases, his supplies for his home. Enough for two people.

[Subaru: When I thought of an Isekai adventure, I imagined it would be about facing a Demon King's army... I never thought I’d be happy with a simple job... but it’s actually quite fulfilling.]

He commented, his smile turning a bit goofier.

Giving off the air of a worker satisfied with his daily service, even if it wasn’t anything exceptional.

The boy didn’t dwell too much on the contradiction between what he had expected and the situation he was currently living in. Not that he had any real complaints about it. Really, compared to the day he arrived, Subaru was genuinely happy as he made his way home in the afternoon.

At least eight months ago, Subaru was summoned from his home world, from his homeland, Japan, into this new world. Right into the middle of a city. Priestella, the city of water, a place famous for its resemblance to Venice—for those from another world like Subaru—and for its exceptional commerce.

He arrived without knowing anything, suddenly, without help. Not even knowing how to read or write the language of this world. At least, luckily, he could understand their speech.

That was another event entirely...

[Subaru: But lately, I’ve finally been lucky...]

And it was true.

Ever since arriving in this place, he had managed to stabilize himself financially, find a home, and cover other important basic needs. Even though it was difficult. Apparently, the products he sold here, at least in relation to this world, bore some resemblance to those from a country in this world.

Kararagi. A country that, from his research, had cultural similarities with ancient Japan, brought by a man named Hoshin—whom Subaru suspected was from his own world.

He sold things he could produce from Japan; from clothes, ornaments, and instruments to similar items. His best-selling product, to his surprise, was the Kotatsu. Even though this city still harbored some prejudice against anything resembling items from Kararagi, he was still making a considerable amount as a merchant.

He even secured a contract with the Muse Company. The man, Kiritaka Muse, had left a strong impression on the black-haired boy. Though in a neutral way, as they were more business partners than allies, friends, or anything similar. Despite getting along, they didn’t really go out together.

[Subaru: It worries me that he might be... that kind of guy.]

He commented, thinking about the man’s apparent interest in extremely young-looking women, but he hoped it was just a misunderstanding.

As he walked through the city, the boy greeted a few people on the street. Since his arrival, his name—or at least his image—had become somewhat known among the people. Especially among the children, with whom he sometimes played, even while conducting his sales.

The boy eventually reached a more secluded area of the city. Some houses stood adjacent to each other in a neighborhood of family homes. He then entered one—a house he had bought to live in. It wasn’t very big, nor elegant, nor as expensive-looking as one might expect from a merchant gaining renown in the city.

But it was enough for him and the other person he lived with...

[???: BARU!]

A small figure ran to greet him, jumping on him and giving him a tight hug. And despite their age difference, she was still physically stronger than him.

[???: Everything went well? You didn’t run into any bad people, did you? Any sinners?]

[Subaru: No, no. Typhon. I didn’t run into any bad people or... sinners. And you remember what we agreed on, right? You didn’t go around judging people without permission, did you?]

[Typhon: No! I did exactly as you said. I went out to play at the park for a bit—it was fun!]

[Subaru: That’s great! I’m so proud of you! You’re an amazing little girl!]

Setting his shopping bags aside, he focused on picking her up and giving her a tight hug. Proud. Rubbing his cheek against hers, cooing, satisfied and happy, making her giggle.

The young girl he was talking to was Typhon; a child who appeared to be around ten years old, with round red eyes overflowing with childlike curiosity, short, messy dark green hair, dark skin, and a face with an adorable charm that radiated an aura of innocence and purity. Her outfit consisted of a crown of blue flowers in different shades decorating the top of her head, a blue armband on each arm, and other small ornaments. She wore a white summer dress with a light blue lining and a row of blue flowers as the lower hem.

A young little girl, to anyone who saw her from the outside. But she was also known as the Witch of Pride, one of the powerful Witches of the past, more than 400 years ago, who inspired fear and terror in all who knew and understood her abilities. A being no one would take lightly, but rather regard with absolute fear or respect to avoid having their lives taken.

[Subaru: Today I want to try making a recipe I learned! I can't just keep repeating the same dishes, right?! Today, I'm going to try making an Appa pie, what do you think?]

[Typhon: Sounds good. Baru's food is good. Not as good as the food from those restaurants you take us to, but still really good to eat.]

[Subaru: So, it's tolerable at best, huh? Hmmm. —— Perfect! That means I'm better than when I first got here, right? I never considered myself a good cook. I always depended on my mom, you know? I was lazy...]

He said while holding her with one arm and grabbing the groceries to take to the kitchen. Since it was a small house, the kitchen was in the same area as the dining room.

[Typhon: Hmm. Depending on people to do everything...? Does that make you some kind of sinner? A bad person.]

[Subaru: I don't know, Typhon. I would consider myself a sinner, but not a bad person. I was just going through a hard time, and my parents were kind enough to help me survive.]

[Typhon: Oh, just like Sekhmet. I always helped her.]

[Subaru: I don’t know who she is, but if you helped her the way my parents helped me, that just makes you an even more amazing person and an even cuter little girl~!]

[Typhon: Hehehe~!]

Once again, Subaru cooed at her while placing the groceries on the table. Anyone who saw such a scene would think he was an older brother doting on his younger sister. Not that he would deny it!

[Subaru: Now... let’s get started! I can't call myself a man if I let my adorable Typhon go hungry! And she deserves a reward for being such a good girl and the cutest of all!]

He proclaimed confidently, making her giggle again.

This was another thing that happened to Subaru upon arriving in this new world. He met that little girl on his first day, spotting her while walking down the street. She seemed lost, so he decided to help her find her parents. It was only later that he faced his judgment.

A complete mess.

Not only did he discover the little girl's powers, but also his own. He also learned about her innocence in judging people with her abilities. His deaths had not been painful and were quick. Even though he really didn’t like dying. Who would?! At the very least, now he had knowledge of the little girl's abilities and his own in this new world.

That didn't make his struggles from the start any easier, though. Learning to read and write, figuring out how to maintain a stable income to survive, avoiding being seen as a weirdo or a criminal, and, of course, taking care of the little girl. Because despite everything that had happened at the start, he wasn’t the kind of monster who would abandon an innocent child like that.

[Subaru: I’m a coward, lazy, useless... but not a monster.]

That was the one thing he could be proud of about himself. Not physically, but at least morally. He saw in her innocence, purity—the heart of a child. Not a monster. That made him want to help her, despite her powers and immense strength.

But he accepted it as part of his life in another world, a fantasy world.

He also understood that her powers were meant to judge people; those affected by her ability would have their limbs torn off. Those who felt pain were guilty, while those who didn’t were innocent. How was that determined? By the pain they felt when suffering her judgment, since, according to her, the scale was in their own hearts.

Judging whether they were good or bad people through this.

For Subaru, at least, when she judged him, she said that he was a good person who saw himself as bad. In her words. Subaru didn’t have an answer for that; he truly considered himself a sinner because of his laziness and how much he relied on his parents, but he had always seen himself as a bad person because of it. Not a good one.

Hearing from a little girl that she thought he was a good person who only saw himself as bad just left him even more confused about everything. But he still couldn’t deny that it was nice to hear, especially from such a kind-hearted child like Typhon.

From the stories he had heard about this world, the Witch of Envy was considered a threat who had destroyed half the world. But Typhon, like the other witches who apparently existed, wasn’t even mentioned in the histories because of the massive destruction caused by the Witch of Envy.

He had heard some stories that they were terrifying monsters, but...

[Subaru: Hmmmm.]

[Typhon: Hmm? What is it, Baru?]

[Subaru: No. I was just thinking about how you couldn't possibly be a monster. You're way too cute, innocent, and kind. Even if people tell me Witches are monsters, to me, that’s just a story.]

[Typhon: Baru is really a very good guy! Hehehe! If Baru ever needs help, just ask, and I'll take care of any sinner~!]

[Subaru: Ow~ How cute~ —— Even if it hurts my pride a little as a man to defend myself and you, you know? Sometimes I need to fight my own battles. But I trust you to have my back, right~?]

Even without deep knowledge, he spoke with conviction and certainty. The certainty that this little girl couldn't be a monster. And despite not considering himself an expert or someone experienced, he would try to be a good figure to take care of that little girl.

For someone who considered himself useless, he at least had to make an effort to take care of that child...

And what did the future hold for those two? A rookie merchant and a powerful little Witch. Good or bad? Regardless of the decisions or path they followed, they would walk it together. It would be something surprising, at the very least, right?

 

 

—————

The next chapter of Consequences IF is almost completely finished (I'm already at over 4000 words and I like to post when I'm over 6500 to 7000), but I'm taking a break from writing this story because I'm having so much fun. Seriously. I'm really enjoying writing these “What ifs...?” And I'm going to do an Extra for the IF of Vanglory.

Ah, anyone who wants to use the ideas I've written in this story, please feel free.

And I want to share with you a story that I really liked and I wanted you to support it (as well as its author), please:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63177970/chapters/161806345

because I really liked it. I'm even honored that someone would base a story on mine. Seriously, I'm very happy, anyone who wants to do something similar, feel free.

In this IF, the story played out very differently:

-Subaru arrived eight months earlier than in the original story, along with Typhon.

-Subaru became a merchant, with a small affiliation/investment from the Muse Company, whose business allowed him to grow until he reached the Capital, together with Typhon. There, they would meet and save Emilia, along with Felt. Puck would begin to suspect both Subaru and Typhon (especially the latter, for confusing her with Satella).

-Subaru became a merchant in the Capital, owning a shop, which made him quite famous. Meanwhile, Typhon, in a way, became his personal bodyguard (due to her surprising powers and strength).

-Subaru had more chances of joining Anastasia's Camp than Emilia's, but since he didn’t get too involved with the latter—aside from saving her and Typhon showing goodwill towards her—he didn’t participate much in the Royal Selection unless forced to.

Chapter 27: [Extra - Typhon IF]

[Typhon: Geez... Baru is going to be really worried...]

The little girl murmured while sitting in an alley that led to a busy street in the Capital, her head resting in her hands with a tired and sad expression. Disappointed with herself for the trouble she had gotten into due to her own distraction. Even if she wanted to think of a good excuse, she couldn't, because it was entirely her own fault — and she knew it well.

It had been about two weeks since the little Witch of Pride and the boy from another world had moved to the Capital.

Subaru had managed to make quite a profit in the City of Water, allied with the Muse Company — enough so that later, after a long time gathering resources (which boiled down to money and means of producing his products), he brought her to the Capital, moving to a more bustling place with greater chances of securing better business opportunities — or so he explained to her when they began the move.

One of the first steps was acquiring Earth Dragons. The ones they had were quite decent, including one obtained thanks to a deal with the Karsten household: Patrasche, the Black Scaled Earth Dragon, who had shown great attachment to the black-haired boy.

When they arrived in the Capital, they secured a very beautiful and large house to live in, located above the store they opened. It wasn't a gigantic shop, but it was well-placed in the city's market areas. Subaru's products had already become popular and widely commercialized since the City of Water — especially kotatsu and mayonnaise.

Typhon didn't care much about that — at least they had a stable and carefree life, and Subaru always showed great affection for her.

Typhon, like any child, wanted to wander around the city, have fun, and play. But for that, Subaru had set some rules:

1. Don't go too far.
2. Come back before lunch or before nightfall if going out in the afternoon.
3. Don't talk to strangers on the street — only vendors if she needed information in case she got lost.
4. Never accept food, toys, or anything from strangers who seemed extremely suspicious! If they had clown makeup, they were the worst!
5. DON'T JUDGE ANYONE UNLESS YOU'RE IN DANGER!

These rules had been established between them from the beginning.

Typhon wanted to judge people she thought were bad, to protect the good ones. But Subaru had explained to her very well why she couldn't do such a thing abruptly and with everyone:

[Subaru: Many people have difficult lives. If we judge them by today's mistakes, we won't know how they might redeem themselves tomorrow. But there are also those who... aren't worth it. —— The important thing is! If they're just living their lives normally, let them be! If they attack you: First; Ask for help if I'm not around. Second; If for some reason you can't get help, try to run away. And third; If everything you've tried fails, you have full permission to judge in self-defense, understood?]

Even if the little girl didn't fully understand the black-haired boy's logic, she accepted it. Subaru had proven himself to be someone trustworthy and very affectionate toward her and everyone else. So, in her childish logic: Even if she didn't like leaving the bad ones without immediate punishment, she would trust the words of the person who had been taking care of her since they met that day in the City of Water.

Today was supposed to be a normal day.

Typhon woke up, had breakfast with Subaru — who once again declared her the cutest in the world like he always did while showering her with affection — and then left the house.

Hearing him tell her to be careful and not wander too far.

She followed the usual path Subaru had taught her to the square where she could find other children to play with — her newest friend was Plum, a little girl Subaru had met when he befriended an Appa vendor, Kadomon — and spend some time away from the house they shared. Something normal that she did back in Priestella, even though Subaru would always worry immensely — just like in this new city.

Everything went as usual.

Until at some point, while returning home, she found herself in a crowd of people. She made a mistake by taking a different street. That made her worried, but not enough to give up, as she kept walking, trying to find her way back home.

But she failed in her attempt.

She kept wandering through the city, passing by various streets, trying to ask vendors for directions, but none of them could tell her where Subaru's shop was. None of them could give her any information.

Eventually, she ended up in that alley, sitting down to rest for a while, thinking hard about how to get back before lunch or before nightfall.

[Typhon: How to get back...? How to get back...?]

[???: Back where, little girl?]

[Typhon: Hm?]

Looking at the alley's entrance, she saw three figures appearing — three thugs. One short, one tall, and one in between. All three looked intimidating to some... but not to the little girl who had already witnessed far worse things.

[Rachins: Oh, could it be the little girl is lost?]

[Typhon: Ah, yes. I am. Do you know where Baru's shop is?]

[Gastom: Baru's shop...? Sorry, little one. Just by that name, it's impossible for anyone to tell you where it is... but... if you have some money as a reward, I might think harder and maybe know more about where it is.]

[Typhon: Money? —— Subaru said that some ill-intentioned people might ask for things like that... so... would you be a bandit? A bad person?]

[Kamberley: What would a bad person be to you, brat? We're just people trying to survive the best way we can in the situation we're in. We're simply asking for a reward to help you, got it? Any money you might have.]

 

As the conversation unfolded between the four individuals, with the girl watching them surround her while she stood up, it became clear that their intentions were to extort her — and she was beginning to see them as bad people who needed to be punished for their wicked actions against her, an apparently defenseless little girl.

[Typhon: I could... No! Baru said that before anything, I have to try something first... —— HELP! THERE ARE BAD GUYS TRYING TO ROB ME!]

[The three: BRAT!]

The three shouted in surprise upon hearing her sudden scream. But nothing happened immediately.

[Rachins: Urfs! Looks like there’s no knight around. —— You damn brat! You gave us a scare!]

[Gastom: We were just going to take the money before, but now it's time to give you a good scolding!]

[Kamberley: And know that we won’t go easy on you!]

With threatening, angry looks, they approached with fists prepared. Ready to fight the little girl. Typhon was ready for the second option, to flee, even though she now preferred the third — to judge them with her Authority.

[???: What a shameful sight to see. Adults ready to attack a defenseless little girl? I cannot allow such a thing, not at this moment.]

A figure stopped their attack movement.

The figure that entered the alley had well-kept purple hair, shining eyes. Wearing the white knight’s uniform with his sword still sheathed. This figure approached the four, with a determined and resolute look, like a judge against the trio of bandits surrounding the little girl.

[Julius: I, Julius Juukulius, as a Knight, will not allow such an act to continue.]

[Rachins: Tsk! D-Damn it, it's a d-damn knight!]

Clenching his teeth and clicking his tongue, he pulled out a pair of knives from his back.

They were ready to try to face him.

But when they tried to do something, it was too fast. Julius quickly beat them down with his sheathed sword, delivering rapid, precise blows to points that made them fall face-first to the ground, injured and unconscious, but alive.

It couldn't even be called a battle, given how quickly the conflict was resolved. Instantly. He returned his sheathed weapon to his waist as he approached the little girl, who had watched the entire action unfold before her eyes with a bit of surprise.

[Julius: I apologize for you having to witness such discourtesy. Are you alright?]

[Typhon: Yes, yes. That was really cool! —— You took down the bad guys really fast. I thought I'd have to teach them a lesson myself.]

[Julius: Hahaha. I imagine they wouldn’t have stood a chance against you, miss. —— Now, you seem to be lost, miss. If you need help returning to your parents...]

[Typhon: My parents...? That would be impossible... AH! I need to go to Baru! It’s getting late, and he’ll be worried if I don’t arrive on time! And I’ll be a bad girl if I'm late!]

[Julius: I can help you. Now, tell me the full name of this... Baru.]

—[X]—

[Subaru: TYPHON!!! I WAS WORRIED TO DEATH!]

The black-haired, sharp-eyed young man shouted as he picked up the little girl in his arms, rubbing his cheek against hers affectionately.

[Typhon: Sorry, Baru. I got lost.]

[Subaru: That’s why I told you not to stray so far! Staying in a designated area until you completely learn your way around the city is the minimum! Above all, always remember reference points! Remember?! Places to identify if the location you're in is familiar in any way!]

[Typhon: I'm really sorry. —— Oh, I was almost attacked by three bad guys!]

[Subaru: WHAT?!]

[Typhon: Yeah, they surrounded me and wanted to rob me just like you said some would try! But I did what you said: I screamed for help as loud as I could! Until Juli over there showed up and helped me!]

[Subaru: MY HEART CAN'T TAKE THIS! FIRST, MY CUTE TYPHON SAYS SHE GOT LOST, AND THEN SHE SAYS SHE WAS ATTACKED! DAMN IT! —— Hey, Juli, right? Thank you! Thank you so much!]

He quickly placed the girl on the ground before starting to make exaggerated bows in front of the purple-haired knight.

[Julius: No need to worry. My name is actually Julius Juukulius, Juli is just a nickname she gave me. I simply did what a knight should do, help a young lady in need. It would be a shame to the white mantle if I did not.]

[Subaru: Damn... what a distinguished guy... and pretty cool.]

Subaru gave a small smile as he looked at him.

[Subaru: My name is Natsuki Subaru! I’m not broke, but I’m still pretty ignorant about many things! And I’ve been the owner of this shop for an entire week starting today. I don't have much to offer as a reward for a knight who saved the cutest little girl in the world. But... whatever I can give as a reward, you can ask, and I'll try to give it!]

Striking his signature pose after slightly losing the solemn atmosphere, he flashed a wide, excited smile as he spoke those words to the well-groomed, purple-haired knight.

 [Julius: I normally wouldn’t ask for a reward, but I must apologize, for I will have to be greedy with my request in the name of my lady. —— Actually, little Typhon told me your name, and I recognized it almost instantly. I am the knight of Anastasia Hoshin. Besides being a candidate for the kingdom's throne, she is also a well-known merchant from Kararagi, whom you must have heard of: the Hoshin Company.]

[Subaru: Oh, Hoshin Company? Yes, yes. Kiritaka-san told me about her and her leader. No offense, but the next words are his: He described her as terribly greedy and ambitious, with a great mind for business.]

[Julius: Indeed, some of those facts are true. My lady is ambitious, as well as having great mind and focus for business. Some of those words she would consider compliments when said in the right context. —— She had already heard of your business in Priestella. The name Natsuki has become quite talked about among merchants lately.]

[Subaru: Really?! That’s something! Now I’m embarrassed!]

Saying this, he now quickly scratched the back of his head nervously at such words.

[Subaru: And what would be your request? Because I'm already suspecting...]

[Julius: My lady would like a meeting with you. To offer financial support and make you affiliated with her. She already knows of your dealings with Kiritaka-sama from the Muse Company, but she wanted at least to be able to offer you a deal, not to let such an opportunity pass by. And so, I ask you as this reward: Accept to have this meeting with her. Even if you do not accept the terms or deals she tries to make with you, I would be grateful.]

[Subaru: Hmmmm. Hummm. Hmmmm. Look... I would normally refuse, not to mess with a winning team. Or wait until I was forced to go against my will. But since it's a friend of mine asking as a reward for saving my cute Typhon, I won’t refuse!]

[Julius: Friend...? —— Yes! I am truly grateful, my friend. And I'm sure my lady will be as well. If possible, could we arrange this meeting the day after tomorrow?]

[Subaru: Of course! Don't worry about it. I'll be happy to meet her. Just come here in the morning, alright?]

[Julius: Very well. I'll inform her. I deeply appreciate this. I'll come here, and we'll leave as soon as you're ready. My lady will be pleased to receive you.]

After those words, with a few more farewells, both of them parted ways shortly after. Leaving Subaru and Typhon at the shop, with the little girl's stomach lightly growling.

[Subaru: Well... what a complicated morning...]

[Typhon: I'm sorry.]

[Subaru: No problem... Actually, with a lot of problems! We're going to have a nice little talk later, got it?! Not that I'll really scold you too much, since you only got lost, like anyone would... especially a child. But I can't help worrying about you, you know?!]

[Typhon: No need. I can take down anyone if necessary!]

[Subaru: Don't say that with such a cute smile! —— Look... I know you're strong, I really do. But that doesn't mean I'll stop worrying about you because of it. And I'm glad you didn't have to fight... Juli ended up saving those bandits from being exterminated by the adorable Typhon!]

[Typhon: Hihihi~]

Following him as they climbed the stairs that led to their new home above the shop, she couldn't help but let out a small smile and laugh. Happy. He hadn't been as mad as she thought — especially since she followed his instructions without causing major trouble.

And she had made Subaru a new friend!

The day had been productive, and tomorrow... would be complicated.

 

 

—————

I'm already halfway through the next chapter of Consequences IF.

Another change in this IF:

-Julius was the first knight to become Subaru's friend, even before Reinhard.

Chapter 28: [Extra 2 - Typhon IF]

[Subaru: I never feel comfortable in a place like this.]

That was the thought of the black-haired young man as he sat in the mansion’s office, lightly tapping his knees in nervousness while waiting for the moment ahead.

And who could blame him?

Dealing with merchants and businesspeople was already stressful and complicated for someone like him. Subaru knew he was easily influenced in most social situations. Worse still, he was dealing with people who could read him like an open book and take advantage of his naivety, especially those with experience.

Now, he was about to meet someone considered the Merchant Queen, Anastasia Hoshin.

If what Kiritaka had said about her was even 50% true, he was facing someone just as complicated as she was incredibly cunning—someone who could manipulate him however she pleased and still make him believe he was happy and in control, even when he wasn’t. Though Kiritaka had once told him that Russell was actually worse than Anastasia.

So, trusting his first and, so far, long-term investor, Subaru could at least expect someone relatively easy to deal with—someone with less malicious intentions. Or at least, that’s what he wanted to believe, out of nervousness and concern.

[Typhon: Baru is worried?]

[Subaru: Hm? Ah, sort of. I’m nervous, you know, Typhon? New business, new people, new possibilities. You probably understand at least a little of what I’m talking about, even if you can’t fully grasp the deeper complexity of what these deals could bring for both of us.]

[Typhon: Hmmm. Don’t worry! If anything bad happens, I’ll protect you, Baru!]

[Subaru: Ow, now I feel 100% safe.]

He smiled, satisfied, as the kind words of the little girl sitting beside him with a sweet smile chased away the worries in his heart.

[???: I’d feel the same if someone that sweet talked to me like that.]

But the nervousness returned almost instantly upon hearing those words.

Turning around in his chair, just as Typhon did, they saw two figures approaching after entering through the double doors. Julius Juukulius, the knight they had met about five days ago—before the event—and who they assumed was Anastasia, dressed in white and with lavender-colored hair.

[Anastasia: It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Natsuki-kun and Typhon-chan.]

Speaking in a gentle tone, she moved to sit in the chair across the table from the duo. Julius stood beside the Royal Candidate. Both pairs faced each other, their thoughts different but all related to the meeting they were about to have.

[Anastasia: Natsuki-kun, I’ve heard quite a lot about you. Recently… your involvement with the Bowel Hunter?]

[Subaru: ——]

[Anastasia: An event that became well-known in the capital; Subaru Natsuki, a well-known shopkeeper since Priestella, got involved with the Sword Saint to hunt and attempt to eliminate Elsa, the Bowel Hunter, who, according to rumors, was trying to assassinate one of the Royal Candidates. —— Quite an interesting incident.]

Subaru sweated a bit, nervous and embarrassed.

It was true.

The day after meeting Julius, he had been wandering the capital with Typhon when they encountered a girl: Emilia, a half-elf with silver hair. The beginning of the chaos started when Typhon mistakenly called her "Tella"—Satella, the Witch of Envy—before another girl, Felt, robbed her in the middle of the confusion.

That made Subaru want to get involved.

Whether out of guilt for Typhon mistaking Emilia for Satella—which would be offensive to most people, even if the little witch didn’t understand, given how she described her to Subaru, who decided not to correct her entirely and only asked her to refrain—or because they had, in a way, caused the robbery to happen.

He then tried to help by guiding Emilia through the slums and was even willing to negotiate to help her retrieve her stolen item. During their time together, Typhon didn’t seem to get along well with the spirit Puck.

They lost some time trying to find their way through the slums. Since they didn’t know where the girl was headed, they needed to locate the Loot House. But when they arrived, Subaru went in first, hoping to negotiate with whoever was there—only to find the buyer finishing her job.

She had just killed Rom and Felt.

Before Subaru could react properly, she attacked him.

Natsuki Subaru died.

When he revived, he was back to the moment before the robbery. While Typhon was still confusing Emilia with Satella.

With little time, he had to come up with a plan fast. This time, he saw Emilia chasing after the thief, unlike in the first loop—because back then, he had wasted time being paralyzed by the post-death shock. So he sent Typhon to find a knight, describing their typical attire.

He then rushed directly to the Loot House with everything he had at that moment.

Arriving before Emilia, he found Felt and Rom, trying to negotiate with them. They insisted on waiting for the other buyer. But the one who arrived first was Emilia. Then Elsa appeared, threatening and trying to kill them.

A fierce battle began.

But it didn’t last long—because Reinhard arrived, accompanied by Typhon.

Elsa was completely obliterated by the Sword Saint on that occasion.

Thus, they managed to recover Emilia’s stolen item. But suddenly, Subaru was attacked by Elsa and nearly died in her final desperate attempt to take someone down with her.

But she failed.

Subaru was saved just in time by Emilia and Puck’s healing powers, waking up in his bed with Typhon asleep beside him, watching over him. Seeing how adorably she had been taking care of him, he couldn’t help but spoil her a bit. Feeling grateful, Subaru also planned to thank Reinhard and Emilia personally.

The only problem was that he had been bedridden, which forced both parties to delay this meeting.

[Anastasia: What made you get involved so directly?]

[Subaru: An accident, I suppose. I really wish I hadn’t delayed our meeting—especially not for the reason of almost having my intestines literally pulled out… but unfortunately, that’s how it turned out.]

[Julius: No one blames you for that, Subaru. Besides, I’m glad both of you came out fine after dealing with such a dangerous criminal.]

[Subaru: I appreciate the concern. But if you want to praise someone, it's better to praise Reinhard. If it weren’t for him, my adorable and cute Typhon would have had to fight. And even though I think she would have been able to defeat her, I would still be too worried about her. —— I don’t like to imagine that cute face getting hurt.]

As he said this, Subaru began petting the head of the green-haired girl beside him, causing her smile to grow a little more. It even brought small smiles to the others.

[Anastasia: You have a lot of confidence in little Typhon-chan; she must be quite strong.]

[Subaru: Yes, yes. I trust her. Although I’d prefer to be the protector in our relationship, she has proven to be much better than me in that regard. You’d be surprised at her ability to handle opponents.]

[Anastasia: Not as surprised as you might think. I have three adorable beings I would entrust my life to if Julius weren’t here to protect me.]

[Subaru: I see... It must be hard taking care of three, right? I’m not complaining about the work, since I love my sweet Typhon, but it’s still complicated, don’t you think?]

[Anastasia: I couldn’t agree more. Feeding, dressing, teaching. Paying for what they break. Phew! If it weren’t for their cuteness... I would have already made them work to pay off everything themselves... But I just can’t, they’re too cute.]

[Subaru: It’s a curse...]

The two nodded in mutual agreement as two parental figures taking care of adorable but difficult children. Beyond the synchronized head movement, their smiles grew, easing Subaru’s nervousness toward the woman.

[Anastasia: Now that we’ve set aside the trivialities, we can focus on negotiations. —— To be quite direct: I’ve heard about your products and progress since Priestella, about Kiritaka’s wings and the Muse Company, and that caught my attention. You must have heard of the Hoshin of the Waters, who once founded Kararagi and ushered in a great era of creations, right?]

[Subaru: I’ve heard a few things about him. Priestella was one of his creations too. Quite beautiful, though part of the city seems to have been redesigned to match Lugunica’s style rather than Kararagi’s. And I heard that was due to the territorial war over the city in the past.]

[Anastasia: That’s correct, and I see you’re well-versed in these important matters. Kiritaka-san did a good job preparing you as a solo merchant. —— What I want is to take you under my protection and invest in your products. I have a feeling—my intuition tells me that you, Natsuki-kun, could be a valuable investment for my business. And I might be bold in thinking that I could have a new Hoshin era in my hands based on what I’ve already seen you accomplish. —— I won’t stop your dealings with others, like the Muse Company. But I am quite greedy, and if you accept my offer, I will demand exclusivity on many of your creations and be the primary recipient of your ideas when you have them. I will invest if I see profit, but I will also stop you if I see that your ideas and inventions would bring more problems and monetary losses.]

[Subaru: W-Wow... Pretty heavy words, as well as important and dangerous ones, all at once...]

The boy commented in a tone that balanced between amusement and seriousness, scratching his chin. He imagined what could happen if he refused or accepted. They stared at each other for a while, and he knew he was about to get involved in something very deep.

—[X]—

[Subaru: Urgh! That negotiation was more intense than I expected.]

[Typhon: Did she scare you...?]

[Subaru: Hm? Scare me...? No, more like she made me so nervous I was on the edge of my seat.]

That was one way to summarize his negotiations with the lavender-haired woman. Having reached a favorable agreement for both sides, Subaru still felt a certain concern about what he had decided: accepting to do business with her. He feared more for his situation with Typhon than for receiving credits or money.

[Typhon: If she’s a bad person, just leave it to me! I’ll take care of her and everyone else! I’ll protect you, Baru!]

[Subaru: —— Hahaha! You’re right!]

He quickly picked her up in his arms and hugged her as he walked, now carrying her on his shoulder.

[Subaru: I don’t have to be afraid of anyone with you by my side, I know that. But I worry about you, Typhon. I don’t want anything bad to happen to my adorable little girl, and it would be horrible if I couldn’t spoil you with toys and sweets when I had enough for it.]

[Typhon: Hm? No need to worry about that, Baru. If it’s just that, I’m happy just being with you!]

[Subaru: Hearing you say things like that just makes me even happier to have you by my side!]

As he walked back home through the streets of the Capital, he smiled widely. Imagining the kind of things he would have to face in the future, at least he knew he had the support of that small figure, and that made his heart relax. It also made him think about how he could protect her and ensure she had a happy life.

Subaru was preparing to face the future.

 

 

—————

Basically this IF is becoming a combination of: Typhon and Anastasia IF, even though I have a different deeper idea on the latter.

Chapter 29: [Extra 3 - Typhon IF]

Subaru knew that by getting involved with a Royal Candidate—regardless of how—it could drastically change his life for better or worse, depending on how the interaction played out. That was a fact. And his interactions so far with the candidates he had met had been, relatively speaking, positive.

With Emilia, he managed to help her, saving her life and retrieving her insignia. And with Anastasia, he had started associating for the sake of personal business, both aiming for profit driven by their own motives.

But the most important thing he could say was:

That he had refrained from forming any deeply intimate bond beyond personal business—or even beyond a selfless desire to help people, as in the case of the half-elf. Maybe it was enough to say that he was purposely trying to stay in their good graces and with their allies, while at the same time trying to keep his distance and avoid getting involved with any of them—although he was getting more involved with the merchant.

And why? Because he wanted to take care of his little girl, Typhon, keeping her away from any trouble that could arise from getting too involved.

Only… that was something he wouldn’t really be able to do, right?

[Roswaal: Sooo, you're the boy who hee~lped save the life of our dear Emilia-sama?]

[Subaru: I-I wouldn't put it that way.]

Scratching his left cheek, he stared at the man with clown makeup sitting right in front of him.

They were in an office.

Anastasia Hoshin’s office, who was mediating this meeting at the Marquis’ own request. Roswaal had personally asked to meet him through the mauve-haired candidate. She, in turn, watched them with a neutral expression, despite the small smile on her face that didn’t really reflect her emotions at that moment.

Subaru and Typhon were seated together, side by side, on the couch. The little girl was swinging her legs with a small smile as her gaze rested on Emilia. Roswaal was sitting beside Emilia and Puck, who was perched on the half-elf’s shoulder, while Rem was with Julius, each standing on opposite sides of the office door.

Though they had been speaking on friendly terms since the conversation began, Subaru couldn’t shake off a strange feeling. It came from the way Roswaal and the blue-haired maid, Rem, were looking at him—Rem especially didn’t seem very friendly, even when they greeted each other.

[Subaru: Reinhard did all the heavy lifting. I just managed to distract that assassin long enough for him to get there. If not for him... things probably would’ve been a lot messier... and maybe part of the blame was ours.]

[Roswaal: How huuumble of you to say it like that.]

[Puck: You really were a big help to my daughter, Subaru. Although... wasn’t it your little girl who caused most of the trouble?]

[Emilia: Puck!]

With a slightly irritated tone, the silver-haired girl gave the spirit cat a look that made him let out a small “Hmpf” before returning his gaze to the little witch and the boy, his sharp eyes especially fixed on the little girl who didn’t seem to care at all.

[Roswaal: Regardless of who might be more at fault, the fact remains that you did a wonderful job for our dear Emilia-sama. So... we wanted to offer you some kind of reward, if it’s within our reach. And then I heard about the beginning of your alliance and sponsorship with Anastasia-sama...]

[Anastasia: Hmmm. So you're thinking about compensating him with a potential alliance between our camps? Or are you planning to steal our dear Natsuki-kun for your own business ventures? No matter what you say, it really sounds to me like you're trying to steal him from us—and that puts me in a complicated position, you know?]

[Roswaal: Oh, deear! Anastasia-sama, please, I’m not trying to steal Subaru-kun from you... not if he proclaims that he belongs exclusively to you, of course. I’m merely offering him a busineeeess opportunity that could benefit him. And if that benefits my candidate as well, then I see it as an added bonus.]

[Anastasia: Saying it like that doesn’t change the fact that it really does sound like you want Natsuki-kun to abandon our business in favor of supporting Emilia-san. That would be truly unfortunate for all involved, since our dealings so far have been profitable, and our interactions haven’t been too bad up to this point. I’d hate for that to change.]

The exchange between them was spoken in a colder tone than the one they had used with the boy, though it gradually became more neutral—still, it remained a commercial tug-of-war over the black-haired youth, who had stayed quiet the entire time.

He then turned his attention to the girl beside him, leaning slightly to talk to her.

[Subaru: Are you... feeling okay...? I know this must be a little boring.]

[Typhon: I’m okay, Baru. It’s a little boring, but... someone’s got to take care of you.]

[Subaru: Oh, such sweet words from my Typhon-chan~~! I feel so safe, thank you~!]

[Typhon: HmHummm.]

Speaking in a slightly louder tone, he patted the little girl’s head.

A scene like that of a child being spoiled by her brother or father. Something that caught the attention of the others, especially due to the wide smile Subaru wore—and the little witch mirrored it.

[Emilia: You really do seem like a family, don’t you?]

[Subaru: Yeah. If I had to say it plainly, I’d say Typhon-chan became my family since I arrived in Lugunica, and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better.]

[Emilia: I see. It’s the same for me and Puck. When I... left the Elior Forest, he became my family too. And I get soooo happy when I’m with him.]

[Subaru: I really... always feel so happy when I’m with my Typhon-chan.]

The two shared a genuine smile as they spoke kindly.

[Typhon and Puck: Lia / Baru!]

The two named ones spoke at the same time, both slightly pouting, as if embarrassed by how casually their beloved ones were speaking about them.

[Anastasia: Natsuki-kun... do you not realize how serious this matter regarding you is?]

[Subaru: Sorry, Anastasia-chan! I promise I completely understand the seriousness of this matter! —— I appreciate your intention to reward me, Ros-chi. Having someone like you in my debt could really be a big deal for me... But I don’t want to get any more involved in the Royal Selection than I already am. Don’t take it the wrong way, Anastasia-chan. Even though we’ve been mutually helping each other in business, and that might indirectly support your candidacy, my main goal is profit to take care of my little girl.]

[Roswaal: I seee~~, Subaru-kun. But it really is concerning to have such a huu~ge debt to you, especially considering your affiliation, even if it’s just business-related, with a rival candidate to Emilia-sama.]

[Subaru: And I totally understand your position. So... as a reward I’d like to ask... if we could visit the Mathers domain so my little Typhon can play with Emilia-san whenever she wants. How’s that sound?]

Those words seemed to excite only one person at that moment—Typhon.

Since the others reacted in different ways; Emilia and Roswaal were surprised by such a request, their slightly widened eyes revealing their shock. Anastasia, on the other hand, gave Subaru a tired look, since, in her opinion, that request wasn’t a suitable reward for someone who had rendered such service to a Candidate. Julius had to hold back a grin that barely crept onto his face in amusement. Meanwhile, Puck and Rem simply cast resigned glances, hiding how they truly felt.

Subaru, however, wore a confident expression.

—[X]—

[Emilia: Subaru, don’t you think... you asked for too little as a reward?]

[Subaru: Too little? Looking at it deeply... I’ll be able to enter the Mathers domain freely since I’m affiliated with a rival Candidate of the one he’s sponsoring. I’ll be able to expand my business there, my little one will be able to make new friends and get to see you more often. And I already have enough money to support myself and my little girl, so, like it or not, asking for more would be redundant.]

Sharing his perspective while standing in front of the girl, the groups were now in front of the gates to Julius Juukulius’s estate. The half-elf and her spirit, accompanied by the maid from the Mathers domain, were saying goodbye to the duo.

[Emilia: It was soooo good to see you again, Typhon-chan.]

[Typhon: It was good to see you too, Lia! I really liked seeing you again and I hope we can play together later.]

[Emilia: Yes, I hope so too. —— We’ll be here until the end of the week, so if you want, we can meet again.]

[Subaru: Then it’s a date! Alright, I’ll take the two of you to play together. I might even prepare some games.]

[Puck: You’re treating Lia like she’s a child, Subaru.]

Puck’s playful comment made Emilia realize it, causing her to blush slightly at the implications, while the black-haired merchant gave a teasing smile as he noticed as well — Typhon didn’t seem to understand any of it.

[Subaru: Anyway... whenever you want to drop by my shop, please feel free to. I’ll have some sweets that Typhon-chan and I like prepared just in case you want to try them.]

[Puck: Offering sweets to someone you were just treating like a child...? A little suspicious, don’t you think?]

[Subaru: Hey! Don’t say it like that, Puck! You’ll give people the wrong idea! And even if she acts like a child, she’s a teenager, got it?! A teenager!]

[Typhon: Baru has a strange face right now... It looks like he said something wrong and got scolded. Did you do something bad...? Are you a bad person?]

She asked him innocently, not really understanding the topic, while she and Emilia tilted their heads in the same childish manner. Puck wore a sharp, mischievous smile. Subaru, on the other hand, had a tired but amused expression — especially when looking at his little girl.

Rem, for her part, observed the interaction with a neutral expression.

Watching them leave after saying goodbye, as Emilia returned inside the estate of her rival’s knight, Rem remained still, watching the two figures. She could still smell the residual scent they left behind. A grotesque, familiar smell that made her extremely suspicious of those two — even if one of them was just a child. Puck stood beside her.

[Puck: They’re pretty suspicious... don’t you think?]

[Rem: —— If even you, Spirit-sama, say that. Rem will keep an eye on them... and handle the situation if necessary.]

Said the maid as the spirit vanished to rejoin Emilia. The maid continued staring in the same direction, her gaze growing colder. At the same time, she unconsciously felt a strange sensation.

The sensation that, between those two... the little girl would be the bigger threat — and that she could easily end Rem’s life if she wanted to.

An instinctive survival reaction.

Because of that, she would keep an eye on both of them. And if necessary: she would take the boy out first, before the girl.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Subaru had to convince Typhon not to call Emilia "Satella" or even mention that name so casually, even though they were truly friends.

-Subaru has a better impression of Satella from the start, due to how Typhon describes her.

-Typhon still tries to protect Subaru from the "thief" Anastasia (once even “accidentally” throwing a carriage that nearly crushed her), still searching — in her own terms — for someone worthy of her new “dad/big brother”: someone like Sekhmet or one of her friends (Minerva, Daphne, Echidna, Satella, Carmilla), both in appearance and personality. She even considers Emilia.

-Rem would attempt to attack Subaru from behind on one of the days they stayed in the Capital with Emilia and Roswaal, heavily influenced by Puck (who doesn’t like Typhon, knowing she is the Witch of Pride, and wants both her and Subaru gone or dead), which he had been doing since returning to the Mansion. But she would be easily subdued by Typhon, who wouldn’t kill her using her Authority — at Subaru’s request.

-The attack on Arlam Village didn’t happen.

-In Arc 3: Petelgeuse would be attacking the Capital in search of Typhon and Subaru, following the orders of his Gospel, and would end up facing the little Witch.

Chapter 30: [Extra 4 - Typhon IF]

Saying that Subaru was more nervous now than when he first met Anastasia Hoshin wouldn't be wrong. Because, really, that young dark-haired man was extremely nervous at that moment, sitting in the chair across the restaurant table from the woman in front of him.

[Anastasia: Are you enjoying your meal, Natsuki-kun?]

[Subaru: It really is a good restaurant. I even thought about coming here once with my Typhon-chan. But... I always thought it was too fancy for a simple beginner shopkeeper in the Capital.]

[Anastasia: No need to be so humble with me. Even though you say you're a simple shopkeeper and it’s been just under two months—almost three months now—your reputation started back in Priestella. You should know your name has been in merchants' mouths for quite some time. I’d be a little annoyed if it were extreme humility, but I get the feeling you truly don’t see your own worth despite your achievements.]

[Subaru: I wouldn't call recreating things from my world to sell as great achievements... but saying that might insult another guy from my world...]

Thinking silently, he continued eating.

Cutting a small piece of meat and scooping it up with some rice onto his spoon before placing it in his mouth, he began to chew, savoring the simple yet incredibly pleasant flavor of the restaurant's food.

The restaurant was quite luxurious, located in the city's upper district, an area often visited by both locals and outsiders for lunches and dinners—usually by high-class people or wealthy merchants.

Subaru felt slightly out of place in that setting.

When he was invited to the place, he wore his best outfit for a business meeting with the lavender-haired merchant. He didn’t think it was particularly elegant—at least not by noble standards—but it was what Julius, his friend and fashion advisor for the occasion, had recommended.

And honestly, he was well-dressed. The only issue was that Subaru didn’t see himself as elegant or handsome enough to match the woman in front of him. That left him more uncomfortable with what they were doing.

A meeting where only the two of them were sitting together for dinner.

[Subaru: This kind of feels like a date... No, no. She wouldn't think of it that way.]

[Anastasia: You’ve got a strange look on your face. And I get the feeling you're thinking about something totally unrelated to the point of this meeting.]

Anastasia noted this while continuing her meal, pausing to point her utensil toward the young man.

Subaru swallowed his bite and looked her in the eye.

[Subaru: Sorry, Anastasia-san. I didn’t mean to seem distracted. It’s just that I still feel a bit out of place in situations like this... attending business meetings, especially with a pretty girl like you, wasn’t something I ever expected. My expectations were shattered and exceeded a while ago.]

[Anastasia: Being complimented like that is a good thing. I’m flattered that you’d say something like that. If it were anyone else, I might think it was a tactic to get me to let my guard down, but coming from you—who wears his heart on his sleeve—I can only take it as genuine. Not that I dislike it. A woman always appreciates an unexpected compliment.]

[Subaru: I appreciate that you believe me when I say I’m genuinely trying to compliment you... but it pains me to know that, as a businessman, I still haven’t mastered the basic skill of keeping my emotions in check in front of potential business opponents—or at least in front of people who see me that way. Kiritaka-san even advised me not to do that.]

[Anastasia: If you've already been advised before, then what I said is just redundant. I’m frustrated that I can’t use that to demand a favor from you now.]

She sighed “dramatically,” making a teasing comment with a small smile, poking fun at the fact he hadn’t mastered the art of hiding his winning hand.

[Subaru: I’d call that cruel, except you did it in such a cute way.]

[Anastasia: Another sincere compliment... don’t do that to a lady.]

Puffing out her left cheek slightly, both of them were lightly flushed as she saw him smile.

The young man continued eating his meal.

Meanwhile, the girl returned to the serious tone she had at the start of their conversation.

[Anastasia: Natsuki-kun, now that we've finished the pleasantries, I think it’s time we talk more seriously about the main topic. —— You and Typhon-chan.]

[Subaru: ———— I figured it would be something like that, even though I hoped it might be different. But considering what happened recently, it’s my own stupidity for not thinking more deeply about what we’d actually be negotiating here. —— Though, for a moment, I thought you brought me here to win my heart. I feel both disappointed and deeply hurt.]

[Anastasia: That last part’s your fault for thinking I’d invite you here for something so simple and easy to conquer.]

[Subaru: You think my heart is that easy to win, huh?! Sorry, but you just lost a lot of development points in our relationship! Even if you buy me a good dessert, it’d be really hard to earn them all back at once after attacking me like that—watch your words!]

Pointing his utensil at her, he declared with a mock-angry expression, which made her giggle lightly.

Subaru then returned to a more serious look.

[Subaru: Your proposal is good, Anastasia-san. I won’t deny that. I’d be a fool not to consider it. But my concerns are more about Typhon-chan than about myself.]

[Anastasia: And that’s definitely a serious reason to be concerned... especially after what happened just a few weeks ago.]

The young man fell silent.

Because those events had left physical scars on the Capital, as well as on its people. That was even visible in this very place, which used to be crowded even on its worst days but now barely had anyone around because of what had happened.

It was due to the major event that left everyone shaken.

The Battle of the Capital against the Archbishop of Sloth.

Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, the Archbishop of Sloth, had attacked the Royal Capital with his followers, the Fingers—and somehow, even the White Whale had attacked at the same time, under manipulation.

The problem? It happened shortly after the Royal Candidate Conference in the Capital, after which the candidates immediately left—Felt, Reinhard, Emilia, Puck, and Roswaal had all gone away. They might’ve helped, but Subaru didn’t blame them since they had no way of knowing this would happen. The only ones who stayed were Priscilla Barielle, Anastasia, and Crusch, each with their own camps.

Subaru had a lot of work, going through two loops to deal with the sudden attack.

And it forced him to do something he hated with all his heart:

Ask Typhon for help.

Why, you might ask, did he hate doing that?

Subaru would say it was pride—wanting to do everything himself, wanting to show his strength, wanting to keep living his protagonist dream.

But that was a complete lie.

He had long known Typhon’s strength far exceeded his. Enough that she should be the one protecting him.

The real reason... would sound far more trivial in the eyes of others...

He didn’t want her to get hurt. Even after seeing her natural strength and her power, and hearing her own words about being one of the most powerful Witches of her past, he still had a lingering thought in the back of his mind that kept him from wanting to push her into danger. That she was just a child. A child he didn’t want to see get hurt, a child he didn’t want to see die, a child he didn’t want to burden with a huge responsibility thrown onto her shoulders.

Was Subaru an idiot? Why did he want to throw the responsibility of dealing with those cruel monsters onto the shoulders of Julius and the other Knights of the Kingdom? Why let others fight in place of the little girl who, in that situation, should be running in the opposite direction of that kind of destruction?

Maybe, maybe his thoughts were clouded by the belief that a child, no matter how strong, no matter how famous, shouldn’t be fighting such terrible battles against such evil creatures.

That’s why it was hard for him to ask for help, hard for him to even consider putting her in danger.

But what was even harder?

It was seeing the devastation that attack caused in the Capital. It was seeing what that monster Petelgeuse was doing to people. It was seeing how the Whale surrounded and would kill those who tried to escape, causing a massive massacre.

So, in that moment, in that battle, he had to put everything aside. He had to place his full trust in the powerful little girl who could protect those he couldn’t, believing her strength would be enough to turn the tide of that looming disaster.

That’s why he did what he did...

He warned everyone about the attack and came up with a solid strategy. Crusch’s Camp, supported by Priscilla’s Camp — who took longer to convince compared to the others — and Julius, would deal with the Whale with everything they had. Meanwhile, the Iron Fangs and the Knights would handle the Fingers and Cultists who followed them, and Typhon would fight Petelgeuse — a battle that was incredible.

Compared to the destruction the Archbishop would normally cause, Typhon was able to reduce the devastation in part of the Capital to the bare minimum. Even though it seemed she lost a bit of control. She instinctively dealt with the Archbishop of Sloth’s Invisible Hands, even though she didn’t appear able to see them — “Mommy’s were much stronger,” Typhon explained to him later after the battle — and handled him with her physical strength before using her Authority to finish what remained of the Archbishop.

Part of the battle had ended at that moment.

What came next?

The Whale again. It was wounded, rampaging through the Capital like a Kaiju monster, seemingly trying to flee, and to Subaru’s own surprise, Typhon managed to deal with it too — Julius later explained that it had unexpectedly split into two and the original one was the one the little Witch destroyed on her own. In the end, despite the damage, there were no civilian casualties, even though houses and buildings were destroyed — a small price in Subaru’s opinion, who saw the death and destruction that could have truly happened at the hands of those monsters.

A massive victory, from what Subaru had heard. A victory that brought newfound fame to two individuals...

[Anastasia: Your knowledge and strategy, Natsuki-kun. Along with the strength and power of little Typhon-chan. Such things must be acknowledged. The way both of you used your skills was enough for many to believe it to be the birth of new heroic figures, like the Sword Saint in the past. That’s why I made my personal offer to you both.]

[Subaru: To go to Kararagi? —— Offering me a place in your Company, as a new home in a new Country. I can’t help but feel honored by someone like you offering such an opportunity. But I wouldn’t want to suddenly move and ruin the friendships Typhon-chan may have formed here. Even the move from Priestella to the Capital already hurt my heart thinking of her saying goodbye to the friends she made there.]

[Anastasia: A rather silly, small, childish reason, don’t you think?]

[Subaru: You say that, but I’m sure you’d think the same with such a permanent move involving your little ones!]

He pointed at her, arguing.

Anastasia let out a small amused huff and couldn’t help but slightly agree with the statement, admitting she wouldn’t want to break her little ones’ hearts with a sudden change.

They both returned to a more serious expression to continue the discussion.

[Anastasia: I can’t lie — the reason behind my offer is partially about business advantage, and also for gaining leverage for my Royal Candidacy. But also... you could say it’s a selfish desire to want to look after the two of you. I’ve said it before, but the weight on your shoulders might actually be greater than you think.]

[Subaru: ————]

[Anastasia: All the other Camps are watching you two right now. More than just your business accomplishments, which alone would already help each Candidacy, your fame as the main causes of the defeat of the Archbishop of Sloth and the elimination of the Whale could also make you targets — since both accomplishments boost the fame of the Camp that has you. Even though I would like that, knowing you as well as I do, I know you’d see all this as an unnecessary burden to the peaceful life you want while raising little Typhon-chan.]

[Subaru: So, your goal in this case would be... to place us somewhere far from the others, but close enough to you. Since we have a more stable relationship through our business ties. I’ll be able to keep running my own affairs, profiting, and so will you. Because by simply being associated with you — no matter the country I’m in — your Candidacy will skyrocket. Like we’re trophies or medals you’d proudly display to everyone, huh?]

Teasing her again, he gave a mischievous smile while Anastasia sighed, realizing he had partially caught onto her intentions — though not completely, as he still didn’t fully understand what was in her heart. He finished his meal while Anastasia was still eating and nearly done.

[Subaru: Hmmm. I can’t deny it. Your proposal is really attractive business-wise. Right now, our fame is growing so much that some people even stop me on the street just to say hi. Sure, before some would do that, but they were local merchants I interacted with daily for business. But now even strangers and kids want to see me. Even though I didn’t really do anything outside of giving a few bits of information to others.]

[Anastasia: And without those “few bits of information,” the entire Capital could’ve been devastated and bathed in blood. Don’t downplay your contribution — quite the opposite. Be greedy. Use it to your advantage as much as these achievements allow. What do you say? I bet you received a decent reward for what you contributed.]

[Subaru: Yeah, yeah. I did. But I put it in the Emergency Fund. In case something happens to my store — or to me — we’ll have savings to recover. And also for investments in Typhon-chan’s future — education, health, food, clothes, and housing.]

[Anastasia: You sound less like a brother and more like a concerned father. Not that it makes you any less desirable to some.]

That made both of them laugh from either side as Anastasia finished her own meal.

They kept staring at each other as Anastasia laced her fingers together.

[Anastasia: I don't want to force you to join me. Even though I openly admit that I want your support and your creative abilities, don’t think that I only want to use you as some disposable tool. Believe me, I’m not that kind of monster.]

[Subaru: Even if you are pretty scary when you want to be. —— I really appreciate your words. I won’t deny that it’d be pretty convenient for Typhon-chan and me to live somewhere farther away from danger, but it’s still something I need to decide together with her. Even if she’s a child, her life is also being decided right now, so I won’t ignore her opinion on this matter. You can call me a cowardly idiot for not being able to make a decision for both of us on the spot.]

[Anastasia: Cowardly idiot? No, even if I wanted to call you that. I prefer someone who values the opinion of his little girl rather than ignoring it and thinking only about what he selfishly thinks is best for the both of you. In fact, I appreciate that.]

She said with a small smile.

That made him blush and cough into his closed fist, turning his gaze to the window beside their table that looked out onto the streets of the Capital. Looking slightly upward, one could see part of the dark night sky.

Without him knowing that something important was happening outside.

—[X]—

On the rooftops of several houses, a fierce battle was taking place.

The four figures — Julius, Ricardo, Hetaro, and Tivey — were slightly injured, breathing heavily, struggling to stay on their feet. They stood in front of the most dangerous enemy they could have faced after all the chaos. On the other side was her: Typhon, the Witch of Pride, standing face to face with them.

[Typhon: I already told you to get out of my way...]

[Julius: I’m sorry, Miss Typhon-chan. We can’t allow that.]

[Typhon: Why not? I just want to crush that woman with a carriage.]

[Ricardo, Hetaro, and Tivey: THAT’S EXACTLY WHY!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SAY IT WITH EYES THAT COLD!!!]

The trio shouted, pointing at the girl’s cold gaze. She was heading toward the location of Subaru and Anastasia’s “meeting,” planning to throw a carriage at the lilac-haired woman — since she refused to accept her as a mother. That led Anastasia’s camp to engage in battle against the little witch, who, until now, hadn’t been injured by any of them, although she also hadn’t made any real progress toward the restaurant they were in.

[Ricardo: Even knowing how strong she is... I just don’t feel right fighting a little girl.]

[Julius: I share your sentiment, Ricardo. I wish I didn’t have to keep fighting her. It doesn’t feel like something a knight should be doing — no matter the reason for protecting my lady, it still feels extremely wrong.]

[??? But Mimi has no problem with it.]

The fifth figure stepped ahead of the four men, staff at the ready, wearing a brave and slightly irritated expression directed at her friend — the only one who wasn’t injured and was still fit to fight.

Typhon furrowed her brows.

[Typhon: Even after seeing everything I’ve done... you still come close to me?]

[Mimi: If Mimi doesn’t get close enough, I won’t be able to kick your butt in the name of my Lady.]

[Typhon: You’ve got guts, and I won’t hold a grudge against you... So come as close as you want!]

Both started walking toward each other, ready to clash once again. The other four could only watch what would come next: The battle between the strongest loli witch from 400 years ago and the strongest loli catgirl of the present.

Meanwhile, Subaru and Anastasia were moving on to dessert.

Chapter 31: [Epilogue - Typhon IF]

1) Typhon.

Typhon didn’t fully understand Natsuki Subaru. She knew that he was a good person, someone with a kind heart who liked to help people and took care of her in the same way Sekhmet—the woman who had been her maternal figure in the past—had tried to educate her as best as she could, even controlling her powers when she deemed it necessary.

But Subaru was different.

He didn’t seem to have any special power, nor did he appear to have super strength or a unique ability that would stop her from doing whatever she wanted, whenever she chose to. But she didn’t do it. Typhon knew she could, but she chose not to, deciding instead to follow Subaru’s words—the person who, since meeting her, had been kind, polite, and cared for her, even though he had no obligation to do so since they were strangers.

"Taking care of a lost child... is the duty of a real man!" was his personal declaration when she brought it up.

As time went on, she saw his abilities. His knowledge. Because in a short time, they had a roof over their heads, food on their table, clothes to wear, and a life where they could live comfortably and without problems in Priestella—something no one would dislike, not even her.

But something was different about Subaru: his sense of judgment.

A long, long time ago, the little Witch of Pride learned about good and evil from her father, a man who judged people—making the wicked pay for their evil deeds and protecting the good. He did so fairly. Following her father's way of thinking, when she gained her Authority, she started using it to judge the wicked, ensuring that the good could live in safety.

A simplistic way of thinking and living, right? But for her, as a child, it was the right way to use her power—to help the world in the way she believed was just. By doing this, she sometimes found herself in conflict with people who didn’t understand her perspective, or who did understand it and considered it wrong—like Minerva, the Witch of Wrath—who tried to change her.

Subaru seemed to be one of those people who wanted to change her way of thinking, but he also seemed to praise her for focusing on helping good people and judging the bad ones.

The difference was how he tried to explain his way of thinking—a way she didn’t dislike.

Since they met, he had always taken care of her, even without knowing her beforehand—or at least, he had been able to deduce her name and recognize that she had an ability that allowed her to know he was innocent through her power, her Authority of Pride, which let her judge people, ensuring she wouldn’t feel pain when using it on him. Something she believed in because of the way he explained how her power worked so explicitly.

It had been more than a year and a half since they had been together, like a family—or at least, a very close duo. Some people even thought he treated her like an older brother or an extremely doting father, spoiling her with affection. She didn’t disagree with that assessment, as long as he didn’t either—sometimes even joking about it.

Over time, they lived in Priestella, with his business affiliated with the Muse Company. Later, they moved to the Royal Capital, where he started working independently while maintaining his previous connections and now doing business with the Hoshin Company.

Typhon had little to say about the people he befriended or did business with, even though she naturally wanted to judge them to see if they were good people—especially the lavender-haired merchant, who seemed to be getting too close to him.

Plum.

Plum was one of the children she befriended in the Capital, the daughter of an Appa seller. She explained that it was natural, that she had felt the same way when a woman got too close to her father, even though he was married to her mother.

"My mom said it’s natural for daughters and sisters to want to protect their brothers and fathers from that kind of woman. It’s a type of jealousy." That was what Plum told her to help her understand.

The little Witch of Pride didn’t dislike Anastasia Hoshin for any wrongdoing. The feeling could be translated as: “I won’t accept her as Baru’s girlfriend or wife!”—out of jealousy, fearing she would lose his attention or that Anastasia would hurt Subaru’s feelings.

But back to focusing on Subaru’s way of life and teachings.

Now, in their home above Subaru’s shop in the Royal Capital, the little Witch of Pride was in her own room. It wasn’t a big or luxurious room, but in her eyes, as a small child, it was more than enough. It had a window, currently closed. On the floor near the wardrobe were some of the toys Subaru gave her—whether ones he built or bought when he had the chance. She sat on her bed, hugging her pillow. Beside the bed, sitting in a chair, was Subaru.

[Subaru: Are you ready for tonight’s story?]

[Typhon: Yes!]

Since they met, Subaru had usually told her stories from his homeland at bedtime—to entertain her before she slept. Typhon enjoyed the stories he told, which almost always involved fairy tales from some place called "Des-nay," as he mentioned.

But as time passed, he moved on to bedtime stories.

Now, in his hands, was a book—not very big. A book with texts and images that he himself had created. In one part of the room stood a bookshelf filled with books, some big, some small, but all containing illustrations for whoever read them—in this case, the little child. All of them were written by Subaru for her to read whenever she wanted or for him to read to her at bedtime. These stories usually contained lessons he wanted to teach her.

And so, she would listen to those stories.

Subaru opened the small book, showing some pictures—drawings; seemingly made of ink, well-crafted ones that he had worked on for a long time. He had indeed dedicated much effort to making these books to entertain the little girl. The pages contained words written alongside the drawings—usually on the sides or in the center, with text surrounding them.

[Subaru: Once upon a time, in a distant kingdom; Long ago, in lands beyond the Great Waterfall, there was a prosperous kingdom ruled by a Wise King who brought peace to his people. But peace came at a price. The King lost his three sons in battle—against Giants, Dragons, and Sorcerers who used magic to raise the dead as soldiers. The Queen could not bear the despair of losing her three children and, overcome by grief, threw herself from the castle’s tallest tower... leaving the old, wise King alone, with only his last and rightful heir—his orphaned grandson.

The child was raised as a prince, earning the love of the people through his bravery and heart. He fought in dozens of battles, led armies to victory, and became the kind of knight many wished to be or would consider an honor to meet. His people loved him.]

He flipped to the next pages.

[Subaru: He was almost a man when his grandfather married again. At that time, the king fell ill while rumors about the queen began to spread—that she was an Evil Witch determined to poison the King, seize the throne, and take the kingdom for herself. And a few weeks later... the King died. ——. The prince, at that time, was too young to take the throne, so by law, the Queen would rule for another year. The future was uncertain.]

Flipping through the next pages, he then showed an image of a forest drawn with the prince and a beautiful young woman with dark purple hair. The two were kissing under trees that seemed to bend into the scene as if forming a giant heart.

[Subaru: Meanwhile, the prince was giving away his heart. She was beautiful and clever. And despite being just the daughter of a farmer, the kingdom rejoiced over the young couple. The Queen, however, was enjoying being Queen too much, and the only way for her to remain Queen was to marry the prince herself. But the prince did not like that idea at all. ——. So, the prince took the farmer's daughter, and together they fled. Riding into the night. They stopped to rest under an ancient oak tree, a magical, ancient, powerful oak. So old that its roots might have been beneath those lands long before any man was even born.]

In the book, the tree was depicted. An ancient tree with an appearance that was both truly powerful and aged.

[Subaru: The next morning, the prince woke up. He tried to wake his beloved. But the farmer's daughter did not move, and when he tried to wake her with his hands, that was when he saw... the blood. Someone had killed his beloved during the night. Then he shouted, “The Queen,” while crying, “The Queen murdered my wife,” in fury. And along with him, the villagers, filled with rage and vengeance, rebelled against the crime. But... not only them. ——. A massive Earth spirit, formed from the ancient and powerful tree, rose from the ground. It began to walk. Marching alongside those figures, toward the grand castle.]

On the pages of the book, the little girl could see the illustration of such a creature. A being made from that enormous tree; gigantic, humanoid in shape, formed from branches and roots, as well as the earth, with stern, frightening, dark eyes, yet also carrying a sense of kindness—Typhon thought that the eyes reminded her of Subaru’s.

[Subaru: The giant followed them into battle. A battle that set the castle ablaze, killing dozens of soldiers. Those deaths were caused by the villagers and the prince, but not by the creature. No. After awakening, it only walked, walked in one direction—toward the Queen's tower. And when it reached her and grabbed her... the Queen was never seen again by the people of that kingdom.]

[Typhon: Great! She deserved it, didn’t she? She was a bad person.]

Declaring this with excitement, she sat down, pounding her fists on the cushion, hoping she had gotten it right this time. But this only drew a small amused laugh from the dark-haired young man, who shook his head in disapproval.

[Subaru: The story isn’t over yet.]

[Typhon: ——?]

[Subaru: After taking the Queen... The being formed from the great ancient tree took her to a distant place, a place where none of the kingdom’s people would find her, to a fishing village—a village where she found new love, got married, and lived a full and happy life alongside her husband and children. Far from the kingdom that wanted her dead.]

[Typhon: B-But... she killed the King and... killed the farmer’s daughter!]

[Subaru: When did I say she did such a thing...?]

[Typhon: ——!]

Her eyes widened. When she was ready to declare that he had indeed said that, she remembered—from the King’s death to the farmer’s daughter—where none of that had actually been stated. This left her with her mouth open for a moment before she closed it, looking surprised and thoughtful.

Noticing this, Subaru continued his explanation.

[Subaru: I never said the Queen killed the farmer’s daughter; I only said the prince claimed such a thing. Because when the farmer’s daughter fell asleep that night... he began his true plan. With his dagger, he killed her.]

[Typhon: ——! W-Why?]

[Subaru: Because he knew it would provoke a hatred in the people that would consume the Queen and the kingdom entirely. Many times, this happens. Farmer’s daughters are unjustly murdered, and Witches are falsely accused of crimes they never actually committed. ——. The Queen really was a Witch, and perhaps she might have been about to do something terrible. But she had not killed the King. The King died because he was old, and the Queen, as a Witch, only tried to heal him and prolong his life because she truly loved him. But in the end, nothing worked. ——. In the end, the prince took the throne and ruled happily until the end of his long life, never paying for the crime he committed.]

Closing the book, he looked at her, while Typhon had a confused and disbelieving expression.

[Typhon: So... the Queen wasn’t evil... and the prince got away with it?]

[Subaru: The Queen did nothing wrong, but that doesn’t mean she couldn't have. And the prince did something terrible, and unfortunately, nothing ever made him pay for the cruelty he committed. But in the end, the kingdom got the prince it deserved, understand?]

[Typhon: ——?]

[Subaru: The villagers didn’t question it. They grew up watching the prince win battles, seeing him as an apparently kind and just man, just like his grandfather, the King. Meanwhile, they saw the Queen—a woman who dabbled in the unknown, a Witch—as someone who took advantage of the frail, wise, and beloved King and then tried to do the same with the prince. In the end, all it took was a single lie, based on the image already formed in the minds of those people. But... do you think they were bad people?]

[Typhon: ——. I... don’t know. They attacked an innocent Queen because they followed the prince’s lies... without thinking it could be a lie. But...]

[Subaru: You feel like you would have done the same, don’t you?]

Typhon lowered her head, as if silently confirming Subaru’s question. He simply gave a small, amused smile.

[Subaru: I don’t blame you. With what I told you at the beginning, if I hadn’t revealed the truth, it would have made sense to think that way. The prince seemed like a character out of a tragic story of the battle between good and evil, a typical fantasy story character. But by lifting the veil and showing you reality... you can see the truth, right? ——. Belief in what we see and what we know are different things... that’s why we cannot truly judge people until we are sure whether they are good or bad.]

[Typhon: Is that why you don’t let me judge people...?]

[Subaru: Not just because of that. Besides this reason, I have others; like not wanting you to draw unnecessary attention to yourself before the right time. Wanting you to gain more life experience before using your abilities. And most importantly... giving people a chance. Because some people find themselves in difficult situations, situations where they are forced to commit acts they do not want to in order to survive, and sometimes we don’t know that and judge them before we truly understand what forced them to do such things. ——. Your power works based on the perception of whether people consider themselves good or bad, just as your perception of what you consider good and bad actions affects how you judge others, right? That’s why you must learn to judge people even before using your power... Do you understand?]

[Typhon: Not... not completely...]

She wanted to say that she understood what Subaru meant because she could see that hope in his eyes. But she couldn’t lie to him like that. However, her response didn’t sadden or disappoint him; instead, it made him smile slightly and laugh at her answer, amused, giving a few small pats on his own leg while looking at the girl hugging her pillow.

[Subaru: It's okay. It’s not a problem if you don’t understand for now. What matters is that you’ll understand with time, and I have a personal duty to make sure of that.]

[Typhon: Why?]

[Subaru: Hm?]

[Typhon: Why do you have the duty to do that?]

[Subaru: ——; Because you’re a good girl, Typhon. I don’t need power to know that. And I know that, in the future, with your ability, you could make a great difference in the world. For better or for worse. So... as long as I can, and as long as you’re willing to trust me, I’ll try to guide you down a path where you can live happily, surrounded by people who aren’t afraid of you. ——. My personal duty is to make sure that, in the future, my adorable Typhon will have hundreds of friends and live happily. Without fear that people will hate or fear her.]

He declared with confidence, as if stating an obvious fact to the world. As if saying that the sky is blue while looking straight at it. He opened a huge smile, excited and happy, as he looked at the little girl without hesitation or any regret for the words he had just spoken.

And even though she didn’t fully understand what Subaru was telling her, the little Witch of Pride gave a big, happy smile. Her heart swelled with a feeling of great joy at Subaru’s kind words.

[Typhon: I don’t need my Authority to know that you’re a good person too, Baru!]

[Subaru: Hehehe~ Thank you, Typhon-chan. Now... good night, sleep well.]

Giving the little girl a small kiss on the forehead, he tucked her into bed, covering her small body with the blanket and fluffing her pillow, making her comfortable. Then he took the candle and walked to the door.

[Subaru: I love you.]

[Typhon: I love you too.]

With those parting words for the night, he left the room.

The darkness in the little Witch of Pride’s room was not absolute, as the moonlight still shone through the closed window, with its semi-transparent curtains. And she slept peacefully, nestled in warmth.

Calm, feeling the love he had for her.

Even though she didn’t fully understand the person called Natsuki Subaru, she was sure of a few things about him: He was a kind person, he was a good person, and she would never need to use her power on him to know that, because he always made it very clear whenever he took care of her and helped those around him.

 

 

—————

I felt a little bad about people thinking the Black Butterfly Epilogue was too heavy, so I decided to try writing a lighter one.

To answer a question some people might have: Yes. Sometimes I leave the epilogues somewhat open-ended because, in my mind, I usually divide each IF story into two parts. The epilogues I show would be the endings of the first part (the conclusion of the first arcs or something similar), leaving room for me to continue if I want to or work on it in the future. It also allows anyone who wants to write the story from the point I left it in my epilogue to do so.

Just to make it clear again: [I FULLY APPROVE OF ANYONE WHO WANTS TO WRITE STORIES BASED ON MY IFs]

The story Subaru told came from a movie I watched: A Monster Calls.

A few things about some of the characters:

-Julius and Subaru: Both are best friends in this IF. Their friendship to the point where it's on the same level as Otto and Garfiel's in the original, with Julius often being teased by Subaru for his knightly ways, but without it actually being real teasing.
-Subaru and Anastasia: Almost like in “Anastasia IF”, both are starting to have a romantic relationship.
-Typhon and Anastasia: Typhon usually tries to get in the way of Anastasia's moments with Subaru. For two reasons: 1. Jealous of the attention, and 2. Because she wants Subaru to find someone like Sekhmet. 

Chapter 32: Demi-Human IF

What if...? Subaru had arrived in the Demi-Human War?

—————

 

 

As she walked toward that tent in the middle of the field, she felt a little more apprehensive, being followed by another important figure. Fribal van Astrea and Theresia van Astrea. The former Sword Saint and the current Sword Saint walked together, followed closely by some soldiers and knights, the woman wearing a concerned expression.

The Demi-Human War. A battle fought by the Demi-Human faction for the rights of half-humans who suffered discrimination.

It had begun almost a decade ago as a small regional conflict on the border before escalating into a war. A war that started as something peaceful but erupted into a bloody struggle. Now, it was a battle—a war—between both factions, the Kingdom of Lugunica’s army, and the faction formed by the Demi-Humans, which continued to grow more and more entrenched.

However, the Demi-Human faction was not particularly successful at the start of the conflict, despite being led by four important figures: Libre Fermi, Valga Cromwell, Sphinx, and Cragrell Dawson.

They managed to establish a solid base and assemble a large group that grew slowly but in an organized manner. Yet, it still did not seem enough for them to truly change the course of the war they were fighting. They remained at a disadvantage in numbers, military strength, strategy, and territory. A war that seemed predestined for the Demi-Human faction to lose.

Until everything changed in one specific battle: The Battle of Aihiya Swamp.

Known as one of the largest and most brutal battles of the entire war, it was there that a fifth Demi-Human figure emerged—one who became known as: Alpha. Not a real name, but more of a title. Leading them.

In that battle, not only was the Royal Army defeated, but one of their own, Sphinx, was declared missing and presumed dead during the conflict.

A kind of trade-off. No one truly knows what happened, but theories suggest that she may have attempted cruel attacks against her own allies during the battle.

From then on, the fight continued and continued between both factions. But the Royal Army's side kept suffering defeat after defeat. Not only did numbers cease to matter, but they also kept losing vast amounts of territory and resources, and a large portion of their forces were captured—an enormous shift from the beginning to the ongoing course of the conflict between the two sides.

That was what led her to enter the conflict by defeating a massive contingent of Demi-Humans in the Battle of the Trials Domain. In that battle, at least, there were no devastating losses on either side.

Everyone thought that her entry into the conflict would turn the tide in favor of the human faction and the Kingdom of Lugunica as a whole. But in reality, it did not entirely change things. While they gained a significant boost in power due to her combat abilities, the Demi-Human faction still seemed to hold a strategic advantage due to the plans devised by the one known as Alpha, whose strategies had a 100% success rate in every battle he commanded.

Now, nearly a full decade had passed since the beginning of this massive conflict in the country.

Theresia now walked alongside Fribal, her uncle, toward a tent set up in an open field. A neutral ground, specifically chosen for new negotiations between the key figures of each group. Both then entered the tent, followed by a few soldiers.

Inside the tent, on the other side, there was another entrance. At the center stood a medium-sized table that created some space between both sides. Theresia recognized two of the three figures on the other side—Libre, a snake-human with a long body covered in green scales and yellow eyes, and Valga, a massive, bulky figure—being a literal giant—with white hair, raised eyebrows, black pants, a red cape, bone-adorned bracelets, and a necklace.

The third was the person everyone knew as: Alpha. Wearing a black coat with black fur around the collar and a purple jacket underneath. He wore a white mask with a red dragon-like design.

[“Alpha”: It is a pleasure to receive you. Theresia van Astrea, the Sword Saint, and Fribal, the former Sword Saint. Please, have a seat. I hope you feel comfortable.]

Even without seeing his face, it was clear from his tone of voice that he was young.

[Fribal: A pleasure.]

[Theresia: Likewise.]

The two sat in the chairs on the other side of the table. Valga's gaze was filled with anger toward both figures across from him, especially when it passed over the soldiers, while Libre’s expression seemed neutral in comparison to his colleague, both standing behind the seated Alpha.

[“Alpha”: I am glad you accepted my call for negotiations. I was concerned that my request might have made you apprehensive or alarmed about a possible trap. I wouldn’t blame you for thinking so, given that we are still at war, and that we still have Thames, Carlan, and Casilles Astrea under our control.]

[Fribal: ——]

["Alpha": Sorry, sorry. That sounded like a threat, didn’t it? I apologize for the third time. It wasn’t my intention to sound so menacing because I have no intention of hurting you, nor do my companions.]

[Valga: I wouldn’t be so sure...]

Valga’s murmur earned him a small tap on the shoulder from Libre.

[Libre: You can be sure. We have no malicious intentions toward your relatives. Understandably, we know how concerned you are about your kin. We all share the desire to protect our families, don’t we?]

["Alpha": That still sounded a bit like a threat, don’t you think, Libre? At least your tone was more reassuring than mine.]

[Libre: That’s because you always end up talking about very morbid things, Alpha. We seriously need to work on your habit of making everything sound so gloomy and grim.]

[Valga: And you two should stop rambling, don’t you think? We’re getting distracted in front of our enemies.]

His words made the two fall silent and turn their attention to another pair in the tent. Fribal watched them with mild amusement, while Theresia seemed confused by the discussion.

["Alpha": Apologies for the distraction. —— We want to negotiate again. The release of the last battalion we captured, including Carlan Astrea, in exchange for a supply of provisions for our group. Rations, medical supplies. The release of some of our own. And, of course, as part of our standard negotiation for the resolution of our conflict: A territory where Demi-Humans can live freely and legal reforms to establish equality between humans and Demi-Humans.]

[Soldier 1: Pfft!]

[Valga: Huh?! Got a problem, you little idiot? Are you laughing at our demands?!]

The giant took a few steps toward the soldier, his face furious, ready to land a powerful blow on the soldier’s face for daring to scoff at the last parts of the demand. The soldier now backed away, trembling slightly.

[Theresia: Please. I apologize for our subordinate, but I ask that you refrain from harming our soldiers. —— Please, control him.]

[Valga: What did you say?!]

["Alpha": Valga, please. —— Sword Saint, control yours as well. I don’t like seeing my comrades and our struggle being mocked by anyone who dares to belittle the fight we all share. I hope you’ll put an end to such unnecessary mockery as well. Do you understand? —— Now, let’s get back to our negotiations.]

[Fribal: Alpha-san. Your primary demands are quite simple and very reasonable. We want our soldiers back, just as my niece and I wish to save our relative, my nephew Carlan. I would deeply appreciate this on a personal level. However, your secondary demands... well... we don’t have enough power to negotiate something like that, even now. —— As much as I also wish to end this conflict, I feel that the rest of our compatriots wouldn’t share the same view regarding such conditions for peace. Even if I were not opposed to equality, I don’t have much influence when it comes to creating a territory solely for the Demi-Humans.]

["Alpha": I understand. Even as a former Sword Saint, you don’t hold much decision-making power. But with the current one...]

[Theresia: —— As much as I have always wished for this conflict to end, I do not want to be further involved in it than I already am. I’m sorry for that. I don’t want to engage in more unnecessary battles, leading to more deaths in vain.]

That earned a scoff. The scoff came from Alpha, while the others also wore severe expressions.

["Alpha": What defines a fight as being in vain? Fighting even when there’s no chance of victory? Because from the very beginning of this conflict, those chances were already apparent, and yet the Demi-Human faction remains strong in the fight for their rights. When is the fight for a cause truly lost? Even now, the struggle that led to the formation of this group endures, and it will continue for generations to come as they fight for the rights of those on the side we stand for. And even if you don’t like being involved, you are, aren’t you?]

[Theresia: Not because I want to be.]

["Alpha": But you still are. Even if you didn’t want to get involved, even if you dislike the conflict, you now bear a responsibility to both sides, even while fighting for just one. Your decisions will have more weight than you think. —— I’m sorry. I don’t want this to burden you. But the responsibility of such a role as the Sword Saint is yours—to your kingdom and to its people. Whether you fight or not, at the end of the day, you will still tip the scales. —— I don’t wish for you to change sides or anything like that, but I ask that you reconsider any future decisions you may want to make. Your words or actions during these conflicts. Because... does your protection only extend to those who are like you?]

His question abruptly silenced her. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to react. The young red-haired woman’s eyes locked onto those of the man behind the white mask with the red symbol.

["Alpha": Returning once again to the previous topic: What would make a fight in vain? —— Imagine that you embark on a journey with your companions to find a cure for a disease that affects your entire people. You wander the world, facing all kinds of challenges, losing many of your comrades who fought so you could get further and further, to the point where nothing else matters as long as, in the end, you obtain the cure that will save your people. And when you finally get there... when you stand before the greatest challenge... do you give up? Dying could make the entire journey meaningless; after all, we wouldn’t be able to return with the cure. Turning back could render everything you've endured meaningless, yet you could still return to be with those you love. Do you truly understand the real weight behind all of this?]

[Fribal: ——]

["Alpha": If we keep fighting until death, we can say at the end of our lives that we never surrendered. That we did not let the deaths of those who sacrificed themselves be in vain and that we followed in their footsteps. Would we be remembered? Maybe, maybe not. Would we be seen as examples? Just as before, we wouldn’t know. —— If we chose to turn back, we could return to our families, to the people we still have left. But what would we do after that? Live as if those who died were simply gone and could never return to their families? Live without watching the people we love succumb to an incurable disease? Live... only to see everything we fought for crumble and everyone still perish from that disease?]

[Theresia: ——]

["Alpha": This disease is called prejudice. Torture, deaths, suicides. Suffering. Not just for those who die by the evil claws of these eternal torments—torments that should be the same for all but are worse for some. It is also suffering for those who live and watch their loved ones endure such horrors. Crying, breaking down, suffering. —— And you want us to stop fighting? You want us to let all sacrifices, all suffering, everything be in vain? —— No. I’m sorry. I speak for these two here, and even in this room, with your weapons drawn, we would not surrender, even if our lives were threatened. Even if you were to cut off our heads right now, our fight would go on. Because at the end of the day: It is far better to keep fighting until the very end than to surrender and suffer the same terrible fate we would have faced even if we had stopped fighting.]

No one. No one said anything after Alpha’s words. Not a single Sword Saint, not a single soldier. Not even this man’s companions, whose smiles grew with every word.

Valga seemed even happier upon hearing the words about dying while fighting in this place. Because that is what he would do—fight until the end, alongside and for his comrades. Even against two Sword Saints, he would not back down before those who had slain so many of his comrades in this war, nor would he abandon everything they had achieved.

[Fribal: —— From what I see, what they say about you is true. A man of great words. And from what I’ve seen of your strategies, you have truly proven yourself to be a born leader. Capable of leading your troops alongside the comrades you have. —— I don’t know what we can do about the second request you made, but I will ensure that we achieve the first. With my life on the line, I promise you.]

Both sides stood up. Alpha followed the pair of Sword Saints through the entrance where the previous duo had gone, while Valga and Libre went along with the soldiers who trembled in the presence of the giant.

[Theresia: I’m sorry for my words. —— I didn’t mean to sound like I was saying your fight is in vain. No, it’s not. Only the deaths...]

["Alpha": No death is in vain... all deaths are in vain. There are two sides, aren’t there? Those who want to believe that the deaths caused by conflict have meaning. Those who want to believe that the deaths caused by conflict have no purpose. Some wish to believe in sacrifice for the greater good, justifying facing everything without fear of dying, while others wish to believe that sacrifices are unnecessary, justifying that returning alive is not a dishonor for those who fight such brutal battles. In the end, what matters is what you believe to be right. So, in the end, which side would you choose?]

[Theresia: —— They are not in vain. Their deaths are horrible, something that should never happen. But they are not in vain in the end, as long as you truly manage to achieve what they sacrificed themselves for.]

["Alpha": Hehehe~ Me too. I also want to think that way. I don’t want my allies to have met an end in vain. —— If one day you have a child or a grandchild, teach them that. Alright? Because it is the children who will carry this weight into the future, and a phrase I heard long ago says this: “Hope lies in the hearts of children who do not carry prejudice in their hearts.]

[Theresia: Hope lies in the hearts of children who do not carry prejudice in their hearts”? Beautiful words. Yes, I cannot disagree.]

The main trio exchanged one last glance, with Alpha standing in front of the two red-haired individuals.

["Alpha": I hope we can meet again. Perhaps, outside of combat? I would like to get to know you better. I hope that day comes soon.]

[Fribal: I hope so too, Alfa-san.]

[Theresia: I say the same. I hope this conflict ends soon... and that both sides can achieve what they desire.]

["Alfa": Me too.]

And so, they parted ways. With a final handshake, a nod of acknowledgment, the red-haired duo and their soldiers left the battlefield, leaving behind the trio from the Demi-Human faction.

Alfa removed his mask, finally able to breathe properly.

[???: This mask is good... but suffocating. Terrible idea. And it’s not even that intimidating.]

Behind the mask was a young man in his early twenties; messy dark hair, a slight stubble, sharp and intense eyes, but a calm and almost fatherly smile filled with enthusiasm. Natsuki Subaru, one of the human supporters of the Demi-Human faction, and the only one among the top ranks of command.

[Subaru: I liked them.]

[Valga: I didn’t.]

[Libre: As always. At least this time, there were no conflicts. We managed to negotiate well. We’ll be able to release some captured soldiers and acquire necessary resources for our comrades’ survival. —— Your plans always seem to work out, Suba-kun. I’m impressed.]

[Subaru: I agree with you, Libre. I’m always surprised by my own… abilities. But I still rely on you guys a lot, I’m just a rookie, even though I’ve been fighting the same battles as you. —— I think I liked those Astreas... maybe in the future, when we win, we could become friends.]

[Valga: You’re quite confident, brat. —— Not that I dislike that.]

Together, they walked away from that place. Ready to continue facing the challenges ahead. They would keep fighting. And in the future, the Demi-Humans would win the battle and achieve what they longed for.

 

 

—————

In this IF (What-If) scenario, several changes occurred in the story:

-Subaru arrived at the beginning of the Demi-Human war, during its early years.

-He discovered Return by Death when trying to save the lives of some Demi-Human children who were being attacked by soldiers and knights. At the time, he was a prisoner, but still chose to help them after speaking with Libre and witnessing their suffering.

-Libre was not killed by Sphinx, as Subaru was able to save him through his strategies.

-Subaru led multiple battles throughout the war, reducing casualties on both sides, increasing the number of victories, and helping the Demi-Humans gain more human allies.

-Subaru met Shion, a half-elf.

-Over the years, he became a well-known and revered figure among the Demi-Humans (even those who could sense his Miasma saw him as an idol). To them, Subaru stood on the same level as a Sword Saint.

-In the end, they won the war and established a territory, which became a Mini-Nation for Demi-Humans, where nearly 100% of its inhabitants were Demi-Human. A home where all could live without prejudice.

-Subaru saved Theresia van Astrea from her death at the hands of the White Whale and Pandora, earning the friendship of all the Astrea family members (especially Wilhelm and Reinhard).

Chapter 33: [Extra - Demi-Human IF]

Subaru stretched as he got up, rubbing his eyes.

The young man in his twenties who once led as one of the commanders in the Demi-Human War was long gone; now, a different figure stood in his place. Despite being over sixty years old, he was well-maintained—long, unkempt dark hair reaching down to the middle of his back, a tall and well-built muscular body.

His body bore numerous scars, both on the front and back—some from battles, others from torture he endured. One of the most prominent was a large diagonal scar that stretched from the top of his forehead, just below his hairline, down to his jaw, and then across his left chest.

The figure of a man who had fought through countless battles and trials over the decades.

He turned, moving to get out of bed, placing his feet on the cold wooden floor, and stretched again. Anyone entering that room would see the image of a man now considered one of the world’s legends—especially among the Demi-Humans—wearing only a pair of shorts to cover part of his lower body.

Knock, knock

[???: Subaru-sama? Are you awake?]

[Subaru: Hm? Ah, yes. Yes, I’m awake, Frederica-san. I’ll get dressed and come out soon.]

[Frederica: Understood!]

With the sound of the door knocking came the familiar, excited voice of that woman.

He gave a small smile.

Going to his personal wardrobe, it didn’t take him long to find clothes his size, dressing quickly without caring whether they were elegant or not.

He put on a kimono—dark-colored with orange accents, featuring large sleeves that allowed his arms to move fluidly, leaving ample room for hand movements. A matching orange sash was tied at the waist. The lower part of the kimono was also spacious enough to allow unrestricted leg movement. To complete the look, he wore a pair of sandals.

At this moment, with the titles he carried, he could easily be mistaken for a noble lord.

Upon opening the door, he found himself face to face with a familiar figure.

[Frederica: Good morning, Subaru-sama!]

Standing before him was a woman with long blonde hair, emerald green eyes, and sharp teeth visible through her bright, cheerful smile. She wore an elegant maid uniform, and her formal bow made the outfit appear even more refined on her.

[Subaru: I’ve told you before, you don’t have to wake me up at this hour, Frederica. You must have plenty of other duties to handle instead of wasting your time on an old man like me.]

[Frederica: It’s no trouble at all, Subaru-sama! I was asked to do this by Shion-sama. She said you were sleeping too much and wanted someone to wake you so you wouldn’t miss your meetings.]

[Subaru: I see. Shion-tan is always so focused on making sure I fulfill my duties, isn’t she? If I didn’t enjoy being ordered around by her… I might even feel offended. —— Would you mind guiding me, Frederica? I always enjoy the company.]

[Frederica: I’d be delighted to guide you, Subaru-sama.]

With clear excitement, she took the lead while Subaru followed with a small smile, always finding her interactions amusing—especially coming from a quarter-beast woman with golden hair.

Frederica Baumann. Like her mother and younger brother, she had arrived in the small Demi-Human nation.

Given a home, and once old enough to work, she and her mother had found employment in their current residence—a government building that also served as a mansion and the base of operations for the current leadership. She now worked as a maid, one of the most efficient Subaru had ever seen, rivaling even some of the most skilled individuals he knew.

You must be curious: What exactly is the Demi-Human Nation?

Years ago, when the Demi-Human War reached its peak, the Demi-Humans achieved victory and secured what they had long desired—a place of their own. A large area between Lugunica and Kararagi, vast enough to be considered a small nation between the two countries, was granted to them as a homeland.

Little by little, the nation developed, even forming a small “capital” where they currently resided.

Subaru’s residence was located at the very center of the capital.

In the heart of this growing city, a grand structure stood—an elegant and massive building that blended the design of a mansion with that of a castle. A place built for the chosen leaders responsible for making decisions and managing the nation. Among those selected for leadership, three key figures were appointed: Valga, Libre, and, of course, the one considered the principal leader behind their victory—Subaru.

Naturally, he had tried to refuse the position, believing he was unworthy of it. After all, he was not physically a Demi-Human and felt it would be unfair for a human to lead them.

But his rejection was strongly denied!

When the idea of holding a vote was suggested, the decision was nearly unanimous—the people wanted him as one of their leaders. His presence had become legendary, especially among the Demi-Humans, who saw him as the leader who had saved and protected them, placing him on the same level as the Sword Saint.

Forced to accept the position, he was given certain privileges—many of which he disliked.

These included writing reports, negotiating, dealing with former soldiers he had fought against in the war—such as Bordeaux, now a key member of Lugunica’s council, and one of his fiercest opponents on the battlefield.

His only personal victory was his relationship with the Astrea family, which had been strong ever since his first meeting with Fribal and Theresia.

He liked them! He talked to them, visited them whenever he went to the Capital of Lugunica. At first, he didn’t get along too well with Wilhelm van Astrea, due to the times of war. At least until the events of the White Whale. That was when Subaru managed to lead his allies to help her in the battle, saving her, as well as eliminating that threat from the world.

It goes without saying that after that, Wilhelm and Theresia swore an eternal debt to him.

Making him a personal friend of the family forever.

Subaru even started a friendship with their grandson, Reinhard, while his relationship with their son, Heinkel, was slightly more complicated—since he was trying to straighten him out, especially after what happened to his wife. But their friendship, as well as his sense of justice and leadership, made Lugunica fear that the former Sword Saint and the current one might attempt to leave for the Demi-Human nation in order to support him.

Something that both parties denied.

Everyone knew how that could affect both sides, with the risk of reigniting an unnecessary conflict between them.

[Subaru: I won’t deny that I’d like to have Rein visit here more often.]

He mentally commented to himself while thinking about the little boy, who was now an older young man working with the Knights of Lugunica, and with whom he shared mutual respect.

As the two walked through the halls of the place, they arrived at a room—the meeting room. A spacious, circular area with a giant table in the center and several chairs for the current leaders. The walls had windows, and between them hung the old banners of the Demi-Human flag bearers.

[???: Captain!]

[???: Subaru!]

Two figures approached faster than the others upon noticing his arrival. The first was a small, strong young man with short golden hair and sharp teeth like his sister Frederica—this was Garfiel. The other was Shion, a half-elf with green hair tied in a ponytail on the right side, wearing a short white cape with a green diamond-shaped pattern on the inside.

[Shion: You overslept again, Subaru~~!]

[Subaru: I’m sorry, Shion-Tan. This poor old man is getting complacent with age. But you still love me, don’t you~?]

[Shion: Eehh?! I-I-Idiot...! —— Of course, I do.]

She pressed the tips of her index fingers together in embarrassment at the teasing words of the black-haired man, drawing a few laughs from those around them.

[Garfiel: As expected from the Captain! —— Captain, Captain! I had another match with Kurgan yesterday!]

[Subaru: Ah, I heard. He told me he gave you a good beating.]

[Garfiel: Oy! I-It wasn’t t-that bad, Captain. I’m getting stronger every day, you know? Soon, I’ll be the Captain’s Greatest Shield in the World!]

Subaru couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched the antics of the small boy in front of him, while his sister sighed in embarrassment at her younger brother’s behavior, who proudly proclaimed himself his Captain’s Shield: Subaru.

And Kurgan?

Kurgan was a well-known figure ever since the attack on Stride—an attack that took place shortly after the end of the Demi-Human war, where Subaru supported Theresia in battle. The elimination of Stride granted Subaru a reward: an Authority.

And on that day, he learned that he could use the abilities of the Witch Cult members. This was proven later in his life when he helped Kurgan protect Garfkla from Greed—Regulus Corneas—in Vollachia and eliminate him, thanks to Subaru discovering the truth about his powers. This not only secured his friendship with Vollachia but also with Kurgan, who started working for him. A warrior and Subaru’s personal bodyguard, he was currently being challenged by Garfiel, who wanted to grow stronger to become a new bodyguard. And he received the Authority of Greed.

Currently, Kurgan was training and continuing to hone his skills to never lose his strength, as well as to ensure Garfiel wouldn’t surpass him in combat and power—out of personal pride.

[Subaru: When we have kids, I hope they’re as energetic as Garf, right, Shion-tan?]

[Shion: K-K-K-K-Ki-k-k-k-k——]

The small green-haired half-elf was in a state of instant combustion, turning completely red with smoke practically coming out of her head, thinking about the possibility of what they had been trying to do... MANY times. The problem was that they had been dealing with several issues after the war, organizing the nation, and handling attacks from remaining enemy soldiers and/or cultists.

Not to mention Shion’s own delay in realizing and accepting her feelings for Subaru. Almost more than two decades. The black-haired, sharp-eyed man even wondered if it was a trait of elves and half-elves to take so long to figure out if they loved someone or not. Maybe because they lived for centuries, things like ten to twenty years felt like the equivalent of a few weeks or months from a human’s perspective.

[Valga: Hmpf! You waste too much time with conversations like that.]

[Subaru: Oh, really? Me talking with my dear girl, my wife, about trying to have kids while I’m still in the prime of my youth. Sixty human years. —— Ah, and how’s your granddaughter? Felt.]

[Valga: HUM?!]

[Subaru: You said you consider her a granddaughter, didn’t you? I remember that one time she got sick, you ran all the way to the Karsten residence just to find Ferris. I’ve never seen you run so fast before.]

[Valga: I-It was an e-emergency.]

Subaru let out a mocking laugh.

The girl he was talking about was Felt, the little girl Valga had saved as a baby during a visit to the Capital’s slums.

It was adorable to see that giant taking care of her.

The black-haired man also cared for her as if they were family. He had even been one of her biggest supporters—buying her clothes, making toys, feeding her, and taking care of her on nights when Valga had work to do. A free babysitter. Not that he and Shion minded, since looking after children gave them a glimpse of what it would be like when they had kids of their own.

He liked Felt a lot. A lively little girl, but also quite mischievous, and Subaru and Shion blamed part of that behavior on the life she had with Valga.

[Libre: I believe we can finally focus, yes?]

The half-man, half-serpent spoke, though with a small smile from watching their conversation.

[Subaru: What do we have today, Libre?]

[Libre: Today, we have an important meeting, Suba-san. Roswaal L. Mathers, the Court Mage of Lugunica. You remember him, right?]

[Subaru: I'd rather not. I had issues with that relative of his, Roswaal J. Mathers—strange woman, that guy’s grandmother. And of course, he had to be just as weird. —— I even remember he was interested in Rem, Ram, and Reize when she and some of the surviving Oni villagers were around, right? He wasn’t very happy when we didn’t let them go after they chose to stay.]

Subaru recalled that when the Witch Cult attacked the Oni village, he was there along with Kurgan, Shion, and Libre himself, trying to convince them to accept protection from the Demi-Human Nation and relocate within its territory.

It was either luck or fate.

They managed to repel the attack thanks to Subaru. The assault involved an Archbishop, Sloth, whom he managed to eliminate after some time planning and taking action—gaining another Authority in the process. They successfully brought the surviving Onis directly to the Nation’s Capital, and the mentioned girls ended up working there.

Subaru got along particularly well with them, having helped take care of them since they were children. Ram had even become a guardian of the Capital and one of its most powerful protectors thanks to the strength of her horn.

[Libre: Apparently, he is sponsoring a half-elf you might have heard of. Emilia, who bears a resemblance to the Witch of Envy. She is running as a candidate in the Royal Selection. —— From what he has informed us... He would like to recruit allies from among our members. He even considered appointing someone of our choosing as Lady Emilia’s official knight to aid her campaign. And he specifically wants to speak with you.]

[Subaru: I don’t know... I don’t like people from that family...]

[Shion: But we should at least listen to them, right? This girl, Emilia, might really need support. Imagine—the first Demi-Human Queen! Wouldn’t that be a dream?!]

[Valga: Or a political dispute. —— I’m sure there are plenty of people who wouldn’t want her in power, even after all this time. That Bordeaux wants all of us dead.]

[Subaru: You especially. —— We won’t be able to refuse their visit. I want to meet this Emilia—who knows? It might be interesting.]

And later that day, they would gather.

Meeting a second half-elf.

Chapter 34: [Extra 2 - Demi-Human IF]

[Garfiel: C-Captain, are you sure about this?!]

[Subaru: Of course I am, Garfiel. I'm certain of my decision. Don’t you agree with me too, Shion-tan?]

[Shion: H-Hummm.]

[Subaru: At times like this, it’d be nice if you agreed with your beloved... you know?]

Scratching his cheek with his free hand, while his other hand was holding onto his green-haired wife’s hand resting on his right leg. The three of them were together inside a carriage as they traveled through the kingdom. Nervous, Garfiel was adjusting the collar of the formal outfit he was forced to wear—courtesy of Frederica.

They were heading toward Mathers Mansion, the estate belonging to Roswaal L. Mathers, the sponsor of the person who had motivated their current journey: Emilia, the Half-Elf from the Elior Forest, who had been discovered as one of the candidates for the next queen of the Kingdom of Lugunica after the previous Royal Family perished due to a mysterious disease that wiped out all of its members—except for one child who had been kidnapped in the past and vanished from the world.

The reason?

Emilia, at Roswaal L. Mathers' request, needed a knight to represent and protect her, like the other Royal Candidates had. But she had no one to fill that role within the kingdom, and the Court Mage could not be her knight. Even after years during and after the Demi-Human War, prejudice against Demi-Humans, especially Elves and Half-Elves, still persisted, and Emilia was a special case due to her appearance, which resembled the Witch of Envy.

So they sought support in one of the few places where they could find it—the Demi-Human nation.

[Garfiel: C-Captain... do you really think I have what it takes to be a Knight?]

[Subaru: Hmmm. No.]

[Garfiel: WHAT?!]

[Subaru: That’s why you must become a Knight.]

The shocked Garfiel now looked confused at the words of the dark-haired man, who had a small smile.

[Subaru: Garfiel. When your mother and sister arrived, you’ve always said since you were young that you would be my Shield, right? Just like Kurgan became for me. I thought it was cute, but also admirable—your determination to become someone strong enough to protect me and those around us. ——. That’s why you must become a Knight. As Emilia-sama’s Knight, you will face challenges—physical, mental, and emotional. You will have the duty to protect her with your life, to represent her and what she believes in. By becoming a Knight, you will be able to grow into the Shield you desire to be.]

[Garfiel: ——. But aren’t there people more qualified than me?]

[Subaru: Maybe...? There’s Hal-san, Kurgan, Ram-chan, and even a few others. I think even Yorna-san, Empress of Chaosflame and Divine General in Vollachia, might be willing to become a Knight, given our friendly relationship despite being from different kingdoms. After all, any Demi-Human in the world can be part of our nation whenever they choose to be.]

Halibel, Kurgan, Ram, and Yorna—names that Garfiel had learned to respect over the years spent close to Subaru and the nation’s council. In fact, he had even fallen for the pink-haired oni, though he was constantly rejected.

What he learned was the respect they all had for his Captain.

Not only did Subaru save their lives individually—like in Kurgan’s case—but he also protected many Demi-Human races from extinction, such as Halibel’s and Ram’s, the Wolfmen and the Oni, whose races were hunted down for different reasons. He even provided support to cities like Chaosflame, which served as a refuge for Demi-Humans. Garfiel had even heard that his Captain almost declared war on all of Vollachia when one of Yorna’s children, Zoey, was kidnapped by soldiers. However, she was returned, and the Emperor himself ensured that the soldiers involved were executed for their crime.

Not just these four, but many others held immense respect for the figure of Natsuki Subaru. A name that had become legendary among Demi-Humans ever since he entered the conflict decades ago. Even those allied with other nations would be willing to abandon their positions to join his cause if he asked. The tiger-boy was one of those admirers who followed Subaru’s commands with complete trust in his words...

[Subaru: What did you think of Emilia-sama that day, Shion-tan? Tell Garfiel what you told me.]

[Shion: She’s a good girl, but... she seems nervous... innocent. I don’t mean to offend her, but she’s unprepared to face the real world. Even if she can withstand the insults, enduring horrible words won’t matter if she can’t prove that she is capable of doing what she claims she is willing to do—because that could only end up sinking her and those around her. However... she seems to have a lot of potential to become an incredible leader! So... she’s someone who needs help to grow. ——? What’s with that look?]

[Subaru: It’s just that you always look so cute when you start making these serious analyses that I can’t help but want to kiss you right now~~~!!!]

[Shion: EEEHHH??!!]

Hugging her tightly, he began rubbing his cheek against his wife’s. Shion could only blush deeply from embarrassment at her husband’s affectionate display—not that she disliked it or tried to push him away. This left Garfiel both embarrassed and flustered by witnessing such an intimate moment.

Subaru then turned his gaze back to Garfiel with seriousness, even while still hugging Shion with his cheek pressed against hers.

[Subaru: You two are in the same situation, Garfiel. She doesn’t yet know how to rule—she’s still young and innocent. You don’t yet know how to be a Shield—you’re still young and inexperienced. Both of you have the opportunity to grow. And I believe in that. I believe you can become a great knight and then a great Shield, for me, for her, and for everyone in our nation and the kingdom. For that, you must face challenges. You need to step out of your shell and face the world beyond the borders of what you know.]

[Garfiel: ——!]

[Subaru: Garfiel Tinzel, the future strongest Shield in the World! Here and now, I ask you again—please, fulfill my selfish request and become the protector of the Half-Elf Emilia! Grow, strengthen yourself, explore the world, and show it the claws of a young warrior who can even tear through the skies with his strength and determination!]

In an unexpected move, Garfiel saw him do something he had done the first time he made this request. Subaru released Shion; lowering his head in a bow, closing his eyes, losing his smile, and wearing a serious expression on his hardened face, he made the request once again in the same solemn tone as before.

Such an act made Garfiel flustered.

[Garfiel: D-Don’t bow, Captain. It’s embarrassing for my incredible self to see my incredible Captain lower his head to ask for something like this! ——. I will answer your request, Captain! I will show the world how incredible I am and how incredible this princess is! Since my Captain is willing to bow his head just to ask me this.]

[Subaru: I’m glad, Garf.]

[Shion: Garf really is a good boy.]

[Garfiel: Don’t treat me like a kid!]

Shouting those words, he referred to how they were stroking his hair as if he were a small child, while grinding his teeth with a comical expression, his face reddened with embarrassment. Moments later, the carriage stopped. With that, the three organized themselves and got out, Subaru stepping out first as he opened the door.

After that, the three stood in front of the gigantic mansion, while in the other carriage, a few other figures did the same: Frederica, Rem, and Reize—three maids—closely followed by Ram, the security escort for the carriage.

Frederica had chosen to accompany her brother when Subaru declared that he would become Emilia’s knight, wanting to take care of her younger brother and prevent him from getting into unnecessary trouble and embarrassing both himself and those he would represent. Meanwhile, Rem and Reize decided to follow her. As the eldest maid, when the two became maids for reasons unknown to the black-haired man—“Suba-chan really doesn’t understand a girl’s heart...” Libre once said, but Subaru didn’t get it—she became their mentor. So, when she was about to leave, both decided to follow her to help with any necessary duties that might arise at the Mathers Mansion, with Garfiel and Emilia.

Ram, on the other hand, was simply serving as security for the people in the carriage—both Subaru, Shion, and Garfiel’s carriage and her sister, Reize, and Frederica’s carriage. No one objected to this, as many agreed when it came to Subaru’s protection—something the man himself didn’t understand why people placed so much effort into.

[Subaru: People sometimes treat me with way too much respect...]

Thinking this to himself, he felt somewhat embarrassed. Being treated as a kind of celebrity to be cared for and admired by others was something he would never get used to.

[???: Natsuki Subaru-dono.]

[Subaru: Hm? Theresia-san.]

Standing in front of the mansion was another figure approaching the group. The former Sword Saint, Theresia van Astrea. Despite being older, her beauty hadn’t faded; if anything, it had only increased over the decades since they had met. She was no longer wearing armor like he had seen many times before but instead a dress he had grown accustomed to seeing her in after the war ended, when they got to know each other better.

[Subaru: How is Wilhelm-dono?]

[Theresia: He’s fine. Right now, he’s with Rein... He’s still arguing with Valga.]

[Subaru: Hahaha! I figured!]

He was referring to the reason for such a thing: Felt.

When Roswaal first appeared with Emilia, they were also accompanied by Wilhelm and Reinhard at the mage’s request. As a prank, Felt had tried to steal Emilia’s insignia, which ended up revealing her as the fifth and final Royal Candidate. This led Reinhard to take on the role of her knight.

It was, at the very least... an embarrassing scene. Because Reinhard, against all common sense, tried to “kidnap” her like some sort of pervert—at least, that’s how Valga described it when he laid a hand on her. It was something that made Subaru chuckle at the time. And so, Felt entered the royal contest, with the option to announce her withdrawal if she wished. Because of that, she ended up going to the Astrea Mansion under the care of Reinhard van Astrea, the current Sword Saint.

Valga went along with her to prevent "that young pervert from trying anything with her!"—something no one objected to.

[Subaru: Reinhard never struck me as the pervy type, but maybe I was wrong...?]

[Theresia: YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT MY GRANDSON! And another thing... YOU HELPED RAISE HIM TOO, DIDN’T YOU, UNCLE SUBARU?!]

[Subaru: Well... that’s true. It’s still our fault he doesn’t have a complete grasp of societal norms.]

[Theresia: I blame you for most of it. You kept spoiling my Heinkel and my Rein with your jokes, the way you talk, giving them toys. Then again, you do that with all children... So, when are you two having your own?]

[Subaru: Soon! We’re trying every night and every moment, even before we left, we——!]

[Shion: Subaru, IDIOT!]

With a powerful punch to the head, Subaru was sent face-first to the ground by the half-elf’s strike. Garfiel, standing nearby and admiring his captain’s honesty, was shocked by the scene. The maids and Ram, who were a little further away, were confused by what they had just seen—the three Oni sisters, worried, rushed to help him.

Theresia, on the other hand, burst into laughter. Because she could see it; even on the ground, with a huge lump on his head and bleeding, Subaru had a mischievous and proud smile on his face. She even thought about hitting him herself, but she couldn't really say anything. After all... even in her later years, she was still kidnapping Wilhelm to the bedroom and attempting to add new members to the family almost every night.

Both shared a glance—one of mutual understanding.

 

 

—————

Additional Notes for This IF:

-Yes, Rem, Ram, and Reize are in love with this version of Subaru. Rem at the same level as in the original, while Reize and Ram feel the same as Rem. They work closely with him for these reasons.

-Subaru took care of Heinkel and Reinhard when they were children, being known as “Uncle Subaru” by both. In this universe, Heinkel has a good relationship with his father and son, never falling into alcoholism, even when Reinhard’s mother fell into the Sleeping Beauty slumber.

-Just like Subaru and Shion, even in their later years, Theresia and Wilhelm are... very active in those intimate marital activities... usually initiated by the woman.

The thing about Subaru declaring war on Vollachia: I based it on Whitebeard declaring war on the Navy for Ace; only in this case, it was Subaru for Zoey against Vollachia and anyone who was on their side.

Chapter 35: [Epilogue - Demi-Human IF]

1) Libre and Valga.

If you asked Libre and Valga about their first impression of Natsuki Subaru, they would say:

[Libre: A weird guy.]

[Valga: A stupid brat.]

That was their initial thought about the young man they met. But you couldn't blame them—not in the situation they were in at the time of their sudden encounter. It was a common sentiment they often had about humans, who attacked them and their fellow companions.

Now, if you asked them what they thought of him later, they would recall their most important memories with him.

Libre would say...

The first time he met Subaru was when the boy was locked in a cell, imprisoned. He wore strange clothes he called a tracksuit and carried a bag with odd things inside. One of those things he called a cell phone. Libre didn’t pay much attention to the boy, since he was locked up and didn’t seem like a real threat—after all, he wasn’t physically strong.

They kept him imprisoned for several days, for quite some time. And Libre was aware of some of the things that were done to the young boy out of anger toward the other humans who attacked them during the war.

Not that he approved.

Violence against an innocent, someone who couldn’t fight back and had done nothing to deserve such treatment, would only be repaid in kind as revenge for what was done to captured individuals. And the same could be said in reverse. Many of their own were also captured, unjustly tortured, and even killed by human forces that didn’t care whether their victims were directly involved in the war or not. It was just an excuse to fuel the hatred festering within them.

But Libre’s perception of that boy changed one night—when their camp was attacked by the kingdom’s forces, by countless soldiers and knights.

Libre was fighting to help others escape while also desperately trying to find a way to handle the sudden attack, which could result in numerous casualties on both sides. Among those at risk were the children caught in the crossfire.

And when the snake-man was wounded, lying on the ground, he saw the prisoners from his group escaping.

Most took advantage of the chaos to flee or to join the fight, eager to massacre the Demi-Human people and take revenge for what they had suffered. It was something Libre had expected—obvious, in his eyes.

But Natsuki Subaru did something completely different from what he had anticipated.

The young boy—who had no reason to help them, who had been hurt by them—began fighting against the soldiers and knights.

Libre was in disbelief.

He watched as Subaru violently defended the very Demi-Humans who had harmed him. He saw him injure himself to protect the children and help them escape. Attacked for aiding them, labeled by soldiers and knights alike as a Demi-Human sympathizer, Subaru had made his choice in the middle of an assault where he could have either helped the kingdom’s soldiers or simply fled from his captors.

But even more astonishing was when Subaru ran toward him, grabbed him, and helped him escape—carrying him the best he could, despite being exhausted and injured himself.

[Libre: Why... are you helping us...?]

[Subaru: Because you’re in danger, you idiot...!]

It was a simple answer. A childish, foolish response that anyone could have given.

But in that situation, it weighed more than tens of millions of tons.

Because the reason someone they had treated so horribly—tortured, wounded, and imprisoned—was now helping them was simply because... they needed help.

A boy who helped those in need, without ulterior motives or malice. That was how he could be described.

[Libre: A kind soul.]

That’s how Libre would describe Subaru now to anyone who asked what he thought of him.

Valga had a memory too...

It was in the middle of a great battle. He no longer remembered which one, but he remembered what was happening—a fight between both sides that had lasted for days. Two opposing camps locked in an endless struggle for control over the battlefield, each trying to expand their territory and push into the enemy’s land.

Valga was usually on the battlefield, exterminating as many opponents as he could. And so it was during the first two days of conflict. He fought, he cut down enemies, and he ensured that all who stood before him fell.

And then, Subaru and Libre forced him to fall back—to help protect the recovery camp, the medical sector of their army.

A few tents where soldiers were treated.

Of course, Valga refused.

Why should he retreat when he could be fighting the enemies who had wounded his Demi-Human brothers and sisters? As long as there was strength in his body, he would never back down from battle when he could face the problem head-on. That was his personal philosophy.

And now he was taking orders from some young, stupid human who had even managed to turn Libre against him in moments of decision-making?

It went against everything Valga believed in.

But he was forced to stay and tend to the wounded. Not that he disliked helping them—but just seeing them there only fueled his fury against those who had put them in that state.

So, Valga began trying to escape.

It became a cycle:

He would run toward the entrance/exit of the camp—the passage that constantly sent soldiers to the battlefield—only to find groups of wounded soldiers along the way. So, he escorted and carried them to the medical tents instead.

Upon arrival, he treated them.

He wasn’t an expert in medicine, but he wasn’t an idiot either. Watching so many treatments performed in that place had given him enough experience to know how to treat minor wounds and how to prevent more severe injuries from worsening.

Some of those medical teachings even came from Subaru.

The idiot, as Valga liked to call him, had taught the medics—and many others—how to treat wounds without constantly relying on magic or potions. Simple manual labor, which proved to be quite effective and prevented many deaths.

The giant might have been mildly grateful to the stupid human—if it weren’t for the fact that he was the reason Valga was stuck there in the first place.

And so, the cycle continued.

He would try to escape and fight in battle, only to find more and more wounded soldiers, forcing him—against his own instincts—to help them survive and get the care they needed.

But he couldn’t always save them.

Watching them die in their beds, the only thing he could do was keep them company until the end.

And that only made his fury grow.

Until he finally reached his breaking point.

It was then that he ran determinedly, ignoring the wounded at the entrance. Finally leaving the Camp to head toward the Battlefield, which wasn’t too far away. But all his fury dissipated when, not far from the entrance, he saw them.

Libre was there, with some injuries, helping other wounded people.

But what impressed Valga the most was the idiot, Natsuki Subaru. He was extremely injured, with swelling all over his body, bleeding, covered in wounds, seemingly with some broken bones, and even appeared to have sword cuts, along with holes from arrows that had been brutally torn out. That boy carried the bodies of some Demi-Humans, delivered them to Libre's group, then mounted his Earth Dragon and rode back toward the Battlefield.

When Valga questioned Libre about it,

[Libre: For the last 53 hours, without stopping… Suba-chan has been traversing the entire battlefield, rescuing every wounded person he finds and bringing them to us. He hasn't slept at all, hasn't stopped to recover. I think he’s barely eaten or taken care of himself. I tried to stop him... but he just keeps returning to that battlefield.]

Why? That was the question Valga kept asking himself. Why was that boy doing something so reckless, all to help the Demi-Humans he should hate, just like every other human from the Kingdom?

And that was when Valga realized his own arrogance.

If he were on the battlefield, Valga would proudly charge to the front lines with his confident attitude and improvised strategies to defeat as many opponents as possible. Never looking back, acting on an instinct he had never truly understood. But now it made sense. He saw himself as a shield, someone who could say: “I will take all the damage so that no one behind me has to suffer.”

Yet, people still got hurt, even when he fought that way.

Those in the infirmary, receiving treatment, must have thought the same way he did. And yet, they were still there. People got injured. People died. What Valga saw was what his instincts had always made him ignore so that his decisions wouldn't weigh him down. And Subaru made him realize that. But he also made him see something else.

Subaru was weak, but he took risks because Valga was strong. If Subaru died, in his own mind, it wouldn’t make a difference because he was too weak to protect those behind him—especially the wounded. But Valga was strong.

That’s why that boy recklessly risked himself and left Valga behind.

Valga was supposed to be the safe point for Subaru and Libre to act so recklessly, because they trusted the giant to protect their rear, to defend those who had already given their all and could no longer fight. Because Valga was strong. Valga was a warrior. The giant wasn’t dumb, and he was more than capable of assisting the healers to the point of saving 9 out of 10 of those brought to him.

[Valga: A warrior.]

That’s what he would say to anyone who asked for his opinion on Natsuki Subaru, because on that battlefield, Subaru showed the strength to endure pain in order to help anyone who needed it, regardless of their race. And the old giant could admire such dedication to helping others.

The two of them had held similar views of the boy for all these years...

That boy grew into a very kind man, as well as a rather famous one. But above all, he became an extremely close friend to the two who had started the Demi-Human revolution. Not only by facing the hardships they all remembered so well but also when he saved Libre from Sphinx when she revealed herself to be a traitor.

As the years passed, their friendship only grew stronger.

And not just for them.

2) Demi-Humans.

For all Demi-Humans in general, stories about this boy spread across the world. How he mysteriously appeared in the middle of the war, dressed in strange clothes, was captured by the Demi-Human Camp, tortured by some of those who would later become his comrades, treated as an enemy—yet in the end, he saved them from extermination and protected the children in that place.

It was the beginning of what would be considered a legend that would endure for years.

During the battles that followed, when he joined the Demi-Human side, he became known as a great strategist. He saved and protected hundreds of soldiers who followed him into battle. But beyond that, he also shared his personal knowledge when he joined the Demi-Human Camp, eventually becoming one of the three leaders alongside Libre and Valga—while Sphinx became known as a traitor who tried to kill Libre during one of the battles.

He was responsible for saving many species that were being hunted, including Wolves, Onis, Elves, Half-Elves, and more. The Wolf species, which had once been on the brink of extinction due to hunting in Vollachia, found salvation thanks to the figure of Natsuki Subaru. One of the most well-known among them was Halibel, the Current Strongest in Kararagi due to his Shinobi skills. He worked as a bounty hunter in Kararagi, rescuing enslaved Demi-Humans and leading them to the Demi-Human Nation.

He was highly respected by his kin and by Subaru himself, to whom Halibel owed a great debt. As previously stated: if not for Subaru and his influence in the war, Halibel’s species—like Ricardo’s—would have continued to dwindle until they were truly extinct. This created an immeasurable debt in Halibel’s mind, one tied to his pride and honor as a Wolf-Human Demi-Human—something he treated with the utmost respect after learning about the hunting they had suffered in the past, which still persisted even in the present.

Speaking of Kararagi again...

As part of the country's economy, slavery was permitted throughout most of its territory, in nearly all City-States—except for Banan, the Second City-State—even the slavery of children.

However, in the past, thanks to the Demi-Human war, which was influenced by Subaru, many Demi-Humans who suffered under slavery revolted and fled to the Demi-Human Nation in search of a new life. Just as the black-haired man himself began hunting down slave traders in a mission to free both Demi-Humans and Humans. But his influence in Kararagi went beyond the fight against slavery. He also contributed to technological advancements aimed at replacing the need for slaves in labor—a process that, even more than 20 years after the war ended, remains complicated due to slavery being deeply ingrained in the country's culture.

Back to Subaru.

As one of the leaders of the war, one of—considered by all to be the—main reasons for their victory, both as a strategist and leader, as well as a mediator between the Demi-Humans and the Kingdom of Lugunica... Subaru was not only chosen as one of the primary leaders of the newly created Nation but also as its Ambassador in direct dealings with the Royal Family—when it was still alive—the Sword Saint, the Council of Sages of Lugunica, and even the Emperors of Vollachia.

One of Subaru's main allies, along with the Demi-Humans in Vollachia and the world, was Yorna, one of the current Divine Generals, who ruled Chaosflame as an Empress. She protected those within the territory of one of the most dangerous countries in the world. And at a certain event, Subaru almost started a war within the country against the Emperor—about a year and nine months ago.

It happened when one of the fox-woman’s children, Zoey, was kidnapped by soldiers while being escorted along with other Demi-Humans to Chaosflame. This event triggered the fury of all the leaders in the Demi-Human Nation.

Subaru was the one who spoke directly to the Emperor when this happened, the very same man still in power today, Vincent Vollachia. That was the first time they met. If Vincent had met Subaru when he was younger, he would have judged him as a foolish and impulsive young man. However, he encountered him as an adult who had survived dozens of battles in a war—and had died hundreds of times, though Vincent was unaware of this ability.

"If he starts a war... everyone will follow him," Vincent said this to Chisha Gold after they discussed the matter.

It was not just stories or legends when it came to that man. Despite his cheerful and easygoing demeanor, which was well known even among leaders who had met him before, he truly proved to be a great leader with a deep darkness within him. If Subaru decided to declare war on Vollachia simply to save Zoey or avenge her, Vincent knew that every Demi-Human from every country would join the battle if he asked—children and elders alike.

Furthermore, Subaru had as his bodyguard a well-known former Divine General, Kurgan. He also had the support of the strongest figure in Kararagi and many other influential figures from various countries. Vincent even suspected that Madelyn Eschart, the current Ninth Divine General, would side with Subaru if they talked.

With this realization—that such a war would be impossible for him and his allies to escape without massive losses or absolute defeat—even though, as part of the Vollachia Empire, facing battle without fear of death was the correct way to live, Vincent was not foolish enough to start a war over something like this.

It didn’t take long for the soldiers who had captured Zoey to be found, and they were executed while the girl was rescued. This mission was accomplished by Vincent using all of his Divine Generals for the task. His best soldiers carried out their duty diligently, especially under the threat of facing such a colossal conflict. Cecilus, for his part, helped in exchange for a promise—the chance to fight Reinhard as a reward for his assistance, a prize he ultimately obtained.

And speaking of Lugunica…

Subaru’s legend grew stronger with each passing year due to his achievements: Regulus Corneas, Petelgeuse, and Sirius Romanee-Conti—three Archbishops of Sin whom he helped eliminate over the years—until he eventually began supporting Emilia, a silver-haired half-elf who was currently participating in the Royal Selection.

When he got involved in these matters, the White Whale was finally hunted down, thanks to Felt’s Camp and the efforts of Theresia van Astrea alongside Reinhard. However, they credited this victory to Subaru because he had saved Theresia in the past from being killed by the creature and the Witch. Alongside the Whale, in an event that was not widely publicized, Subaru and Reinhard also hunted the Great Rabbit while dismantling Roswaal L. Mathers’ dark schemes involving a place called “The Sanctuary,” where he was apparently attempting to kidnap Demi-Humans in pursuit of his former teacher’s goals.

The Court Mage was not imprisoned due to his years of service and Subaru’s request not to interfere with Emilia’s candidacy, but his life was effectively over simply because Reinhard now had him in his sights.

Defeating the Whale and the Rabbit ultimately led him to the last two Archbishops of Gluttony: Lye Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard. Both were eliminated as well. Finally, the last Archbishop, Capella Emerada Lugunica, was also taken down sometime later—this time through a joint effort between Subaru, Reinhard, Priscilla Barielle, and Roswaal. This resulted in the elimination of all seven known Archbishops of Sin, as well as two of the Great Beasts.

This further cemented Subaru’s legendary status across all four nations.

To summarize:

Natsuki Subaru became a legendary figure among the Demi-Humans, with his name now etched into the world’s history alongside other renowned figures such as Reid Astrea, Shaula, Volcanica, and the Witch of Envy. He left a permanent mark on the world by saving countless lives and changing history forever. He was a man who could lead a war, and people would follow him without hesitation.

If you asked someone in the Demi-Human Nation what they thought of Subaru, they would say, “He’s a hero!” If you asked whether they would consider him their King, they would answer, “Yes!” without a second thought. And if you asked whether they would fight for him—whether because he asked them to or to protect him—nine out of ten would say, “Whenever he asks!”

But that one in ten would say something that could be roughly translated as: “What a foolish question. Foolish, because there should be no need to ask something like that.” These were the answers from individuals such as Ram, Rem, Reize, Shion, Halibel, Kurgan, and many others. Those who were loyal and most intimately connected to the hero of the Demi-Humans—a hero whose significance he himself failed to realize, as he was too oblivious to notice.

This is how the Demi-Humans see him.

3) Shion.

In the couple’s bedroom, a green-haired half-elf lay beside her husband. Soft rays of sunlight filtered through the semi-transparent curtains, creating a peaceful, daily scene. She always woke up first, lying there in a way that allowed her to gaze at him with a small smile on her lips.

She remembered how she first met him.

It was during the war, in Gusteko. She had lived in the cold regions, near the border between Lugunica and the frozen country. Their camp had been set up there to ambush a group of Lugunican soldiers, intending to capture them without engaging in a battle that could cause casualties on both sides—a method of action that reflected her husband’s kindness.

Their meeting was an accident. She had stumbled upon them by sheer coincidence while seeking shelter from a storm. They saved her.

But she was not warmly welcomed. Even among Demi-Humans, elves and half-elves suffered discrimination due to the infamous reputation of the Witch of Envy, a stigma that had persisted for over four hundred years. He was the only one who helped her—giving her some of his food, providing warm clothing, and speaking with her when no one else would. He welcomed her with warmth, kindness, and treated her as an equal, without prejudice.

And that was the first time her heart skipped a beat.

Without understanding those feelings she felt for the first time, she followed him.

Shion joined the Demi-Human army in the war on impulse, wanting to follow the young man who had been so kind and welcoming to her since the day they met. She later remained in battle to help people—not only to aid those who were martyred, enslaved, and attacked from other races but also to change the perception of elves and half-elves throughout the world. This became a personal mission for her after feeling, for the first time, the warmth of affection through Subaru, and she wanted everyone to experience such a thing as well.

Greedy and selfish desires, from her perspective, but they guided her through battles and devastating battlefields. Facing the fear of defeat and death. Allowing her to grow—both in her personal social skills and in her power: Musa — The Art of Dreams. And also in her ability: Phantom User—which allowed her to create and manipulate ghosts, a skill long lost in the world. A skill that, nowadays—something Subaru liked to brag about in her place to elevate her—made her one of the most powerful figures in the Demi-Human Nation.

Over time, the Half-Elf even became one of the leaders of the Revolution. Not only due to Subaru's influence, as he was almost always close to her and helped her, but also due to her own merits in battle. Even though she wasn't a brilliant strategist, she was still able to devise plans or create strategies in difficult situations that ensured the survival of those around her. A leadership ability that, when refined, could make her—just as it did—one of the most important figures among the Demi-Humans.

Just like Libre, Valga, and especially Subaru, her name would be eternally engraved in history, passed down from generation to generation for her courageous deeds.

But she attributed all of that to the figure lying beside her.

She had fallen in love with him on the very day they met.

For the kindness in his gestures, in his words. Simply because he was the first to treat her with such sweetness and gentleness. To accept her without needing any justification for being treated well. To him, it was simply natural to treat others with respect and kindness, which made her love him more and more as the years passed, witnessing such goodness in someone like him. It just took her too long to realize it.

Years and years passed before she responded to his "I love you." Not that their relationship hadn’t progressed during that time while she tried to understand and return such feelings. But she still felt guilty for not having said it sooner once she understood what she truly felt for him.

Especially because it took her more than a decade to say those three words.

What mattered now was that they were together—that’s what he always said. But that didn’t stop her from feeling both guilty and happy for the patience of her idiot, black-haired beloved. In moments like these, when they were lying down together, she would lean in and place a small kiss on his cheek. But today, she was having difficulty doing so.

[Shion: Urgh.]

[Subaru: H-Huh?]

Awakened by a small groan, he looked down at the Half-Elf, who seemed to be having slight trouble moving. He fully woke up with a start, sitting up.

[Subaru: What’s wrong? Did something happen? Do you need help? Should I call a healer? Do you want me to—]

[Shion: It’s okay, Subaru. Hihihi~ I—We’re okay.]

[Subaru: Alright, alright. But I can’t help but be nervous, you know...?]

He spoke in a tired tone, contrasting with the bright smile on the green-haired woman’s face as she gazed at him excitedly. The reason for his concern was precisely what made her so excited. Looking down and pulling back the blanket, Shion’s slightly swollen belly was visible.

After years and multiple attempts, the green-haired Half-Elf was finally pregnant with the child of the black-haired, sharp-eyed man.

The news was celebrated by everyone.

Theresia, Valga, and Libre, in particular, rejoiced with happiness as they were the closest friends of the young couple. Along with many other acquaintances and admirers who looked up to them as heroes, they received gifts from friends, allies, and even people who simply respected them.

The only thing they didn’t know was whether the child would be a boy or a girl—not that it mattered much to them, as long as the baby was born healthy.

[Subaru: Hmm.]

[Shion: Are you thinking of more names for our child? You’ve already thought of so many, all named after stars and constellations from your world.]

[Subaru: Yeah. I was thinking of Altair, from the Aquila Constellation, and Vega, from the Lyra Constellation. They are the brightest stars in their respective constellations. Usually associated with mythology, wishes, and dreams. They are part of the Summer Triangle and even part of a legend about a pair of lovers.]

[Shion: Wow~ That’s so cool~.]

The Half-Elf's smile grew even wider as she gently caressed the small bump on her belly, and Subaru joined her. Both trying to feel the tiny child forming inside—now with only one month left until the birth. A birth that would spark a grand celebration throughout the Nation for the arrival of what would become their unofficial “Princess”, Taygete—a quarter-elf girl with green hair and sharp eyes—who would officially complete their family.

Thus would continue the years of the legend that had changed the world.

—[CHIBI MOMENT]—

4) Theresia.

[Theresia: WILHELM, YOU IDIOT!]

[Subaru: SHION, YOU AIRHEAD!]

If you ever went to a certain bar—rather unremarkable, located along one of the main roads to the Royal Capital—you would find a decent establishment. It usually had few patrons, but on nights of these special gatherings, not even the owner would be present, leaving only five important figures inside. Among them: Theresia van Astrea and Natsuki Subaru.

The two of them crying against the bar counter, the two drunk idiots yelling as loud as they could.

It was during the time of war. After meeting at their first meeting following her entry into the battlefield, they started meeting up regularly to talk, drink, and eat together—something influenced by Fribal, who wanted her to form friendships outside the nobility.

Thus, these "secret planning and negotiation meetings" began.

Where this bar would be secretly rented by Subaru, and he, Theresia, Fribal, Libre, and Valga would gather and… drink until they couldn’t anymore. Resting, recovering their strength, while also discussing the hardships they were facing. But not just about the war.

[Theresia: Wilhelm *hic* is an idiot... He never stops talking about “Sword this,” “Sword that”... That idiot... HE'S ADORABLE EVEN WHEN HE KEEPS RAMBLING ABOUT BLADES!!! *Hic* And he *hic* doesn’t even realize that I’m in love with him... Not even when I talk about the flowers I love, *hic* he doesn’t seem to notice... That adorable blind idiot who talks about swords...]

[Subaru: Don’t even get me started, Thesa-chan~~~!!! I feel bad too~~~!!! I tell Shion-tan how much I love her every day, joke around with her, try to go on dates, give her presents, spend as much time together as possible, and yet... all I get are some lap pillows~~~!!! I love them, but... A MAN SOMETIMES WANTS TO HEAR AN “I LOVE YOU” BACK OR GET SOMETHING LIKE A HUG! I know she doesn’t fully understand love yet, but... I WANTED SOME KIND OF SIGN~~~!!!]

The two idiots kept pouring their hearts out, clearly drunk and angry at their so-called lovers, who failed to notice their obvious displays of affection. Fribal was passed out on the floor after several drinks and, once again, would not remember the night. Meanwhile, Libre and Valga, acting as bartenders in these situations, simply observed the two drunk friends venting their frustrations and consoling each other.

[Valga: Are you guys seriously still on about this…?]

[Theresia & Subaru: YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!]

[Theresia: Do you even know how frustrating it is hic to give obvious signs to a guy, and he just sits there looking like an idiot, doing nothing?]

[Subaru: Or having to deal with the fact that you’re stuck with an airhead~~~!!!]

[Theresia & Subaru: But… I LOVE THAT CLUELESS IDIOT SO MUCH!!!]

Clinking their mugs together, they cried once more as they downed another shot in one go—just as they always did when they were about to finish their ritual of drinking and sorrow.

This whole scene left Valga embarrassed, though secretly entertained, by how these well-known figures behaved after having enough drinks. He, on the other hand, had a high alcohol tolerance and was the only one who remained sober in these moments.

On the other hand, the last figure in the group was falling into the same state as the other two. Libre was weak to alcohol.

[Libre: Can I give you guys some advice…?]

[Theresia & Subaru: ——Hmm?]

They looked at him with teary eyes.

[Libre: BE MORE DIRECT!]

Slamming his hand on the counter, he accidentally spilled some of his drink. The sudden action startled the two drunks, but they still couldn’t tear their attention away from the snake-man. Valga, meanwhile, remained quiet, observing everything unfold. Fribal was still unconscious on the floor.

[Libre: My mom told me my dad was like that…! As a kind of trait among us snake-people, some of us are really oblivious to obvious feelings of love…! THAT’S WHY WE’RE SUPER HONEST WHEN WE FALL IN LOVE! When we want to mate with a female or a male, we just say what we feel without fear…!]

[Valga: Seriously…?]

[Libre: YES! I even remember my mom telling me how she would always carry my dad off to all kinds of rooms whenever they were alone, all so they could have me…! It was beautiful! ——So that’s what you guys should do!]

[Theresia & Subaru: ——! Huh?]

The two tilted their heads in confusion as Libre pointed at them with a serious look.

[Libre: BE MORE DIRECT! Don’t hesitate! If they’re that dense, you need to show them in every way possible! Gestures, gifts, DAMN IT, when you get the chance, drag them into bed and make love like it’s your last night alive! SPREAD THE SPECIES!!!]

[Valga: How much did you drink, Libre…?]

The giant asked with deep concern, noticing his usually reserved friend acting so strangely. Now, he was watching the snake-man’s eyes swirl like spirals, his face flushed red, and he was swaying even while sitting. If Valga had paid more attention, he would have noticed that Libre had downed more than half a dozen bottles of liquor that night.

But the most important thing to focus on was this: Theresia and Subaru were normally easily influenced when presented with good arguments, but they still had critical thinking based on what they considered common sense. Something everyone had.

The problem?

When they drank as much as they did—to drown the sorrows of their hearts wounded by the oblivious idiots who didn’t understand their obvious signs of love—their minds became highly susceptible to ideas implanted by whatever fool happened to speak to them in those moments.

Fribal had noticed this the first time they drank together.

And he had been using it to his advantage, trying to influence Theresia to be less tied to her title as Sword Saint. He was also interested in supporting the demi-humans after meeting Subaru and seeing his determination to end the war that had been dragging on for too long.

The issue?

The drinks Valga had chosen were too strong—even for a man who was also once a Sword Saint. What was supposed to be a carefully controlled manipulation scene turned into a full-blown drunken mess between friends.

And this time, the effect was different.

Libre didn’t know what Fribal had already figured out, which was why he said those words.

That night, on that night months before the war ended, he unknowingly planted the ideals passed down by his mother and father into his two drinking friends. Even though they had no idea about it—something only Fribal and, later in life, Valga would come to understand.

Both of them had been corrupted; and when their lovers finally reciprocated their feelings, they would follow Libre’s ultimate advice to the letter: Spread the Species.

Thanks to alcohol, misunderstood words spoken by a drunken fool, those pure souls had been corrupted into the people they would become in the future.

And if Wilhelm and Shion had found out about it, they would have killed the snake-man.

 

—————

 

 

This is Subaru’s appearance in this IF:

 

I deeply appreciate@EternalWhisper (https://archiveofourown.org/works/63789406/chapters/165292927) for this incredible artwork and for allowing me to use it. If you can, please go support his story, "Variants, Variants and More Variants!"—it’s truly amazing.

This [-CHIBI MOMENT-] is something I plan to add to some of my Epilogues to explain jokes or things I wanted to show beyond the Final Notes, like an Extra at the end. This extra was inspired by a comment I read—I don’t remember exactly which one—but it gave me the idea to explain this more “perverted” side of Subaru and Theresia in this IF.

Other things in this IF and the fate of some characters:

-Roswaal: Since he had failed in his past incarnations to convince Subaru to help him (without Subaru knowing it was him), he tried to get Subaru close enough to Emilia to bring him to the Sanctuary along with Shion and other Demi-Humans, forcing him to help revive Echidna. However, he failed because Subaru’s Return Point was set before the Sanctuary, so Subaru prepared with Reinhard to defeat him.

-Authorities: Due to Roswaal, Subaru met Echidna, and upon drinking her tea, he fully awakened his Authorities, as the others had been dormant until that moment. He was then able to use: Cor Leonis (the version from the Original Subaru), Invisible Hands (in Petelgeuse’s style), the Authority of Wrath, and the Authority of Lust (which works the same way as Capella’s). Thanks to the Authority of Lust, he can prolong his life, but he chooses not to rejuvenate himself simply because he has gotten used to his adult appearance and likes it that way.

-Demi-Human Nation: A massive territory located between Lugunica and Kararagi, large enough to have a central Capital/City-State (where Subaru, Shion, Libre, and Valga live), as well as other cities, villages, etc. Despite having a high concentration of Demi-Humans, humans also live there, and not all Demi-Humans in the world reside in this nation.

Other important details:

1) Subaru introduced the Japanese public education system within the Nation during its growth and formation. He first taught the initial teachers, who then taught new students, spreading and expanding knowledge. This made the Demi-Human Nation the most advanced in education, as the other nations still lack public education. He did this to expand knowledge, provide better opportunities, and create the chance for the first “Einsteins,” “Teslas,” or “Edisons” to emerge thanks to these opportunities.

2) The territory of the Demi-Human Nation is large enough that if it were transferred to Gusteko, it would occupy nearly one-fourth of the country's total land—or even close to two-fourths (half) of it.

3) Despite Subaru's reluctance, many modern history books in the world of Re:Zero cite him as a great hero and revolutionary who led the Demi-Humans to victory in the war. He is even considered their leader. This is mainly due to his achievements: Defeating the Archbishops of Greed, Sloth, and Wrath during the post-war era. Helping Vollachia by saving Kurgan from Regulus, who would have killed him and destroyed the city he protected. Aiding Lugunica—especially the Demi-Human Nation—by stopping Petelgeuse and Sirius from attacking its capital, preventing any destruction or casualties. Slaying the White Whale, the Great Rabbit, and the Gluttony and Lust Archbishops to support Emilia. These feats cemented his status as not only a Demi-Human hero but a global one.

4) Over the years, Subaru introduced several holidays into the Nation, such as Christmas, April 1st (his birthday), and Valentine’s Day. Ironically, every year on Valentine’s Day, he receives over 100 marriage proposals from women wanting to become his second wife (including Ram and Rem).

5) If Subaru were to declare war on someone, all the Demi-Humans in the world would side with him.

6) Although officially still considered a part of Kararagi, Anastasia Hoshin grew up within the Nation’s territory, receiving the public education Subaru introduced. She is regarded as one of the most brilliant individuals in nearly the entire Nation.

7) While unofficial, many Demi-Humans consider Subaru their King and Shion their Queen.

-Discrimination against Elves and Half-Elves is almost nonexistent within the Demi-Human Nation and its surroundings, although a small amount still remains. However, it is minimal enough that if Emilia lived there, she would not face verbal or physical attacks like in Lugunica. She could even find someone, get married, and live a normal life if she wanted to. Especially because Subaru would offer to make the Elior Forest part of the Nation’s territory—a proposal that would be accepted by the Council of Sages due to the respect and admiration most of them have for Subaru and his global achievements.

-Subaru, Theresia, Libre, and Valga still gather to drink together, ever since Fribal started this tradition. They meet at the same bar, where Subaru rents the place for the four of them for the night, drinking until they can't remember what they did (with Valga crafting a special alcoholic beverage strong enough to get even he, Valga, drunk).

One time, they even buried Libre under a tree and spent hours looking for him—in a situation straight out of The Hangover.

Alcohol Tolerance Ranking:

Valga: High

Libre: Medium

Subaru & Theresia: Low

Fribal (before passing away): Extremely Low

Chapter 36: Yokai IF

What if...? What if Subaru’s deaths left something behind?

—————

 

 

Hecton lived a relatively peaceful life in Gusteko. It wasn’t a luxurious life, nor was it truly a good one. But it was the life he had known since birth, growing up in an environment made frigid by both the climate and the people. He understood suffering because he had to face it to see another day.

He grew up—like many in that place—in a poor family.

Stealing was something he naturally learned. Stealing from incompetent people who couldn’t hold onto their own belongings, unlike him. He believed he deserved everything he had, having grown up in pain to become a great man—in his simple perspective of greatness—and taken everything he owned. But over time, he evolved in the art of thievery.

The man had started in childhood, stealing from smaller children and then from older ones. Eventually, he even stole from his own parents, whom he had to eliminate in order to survive—“Not like the old man didn’t try first. The difference is, I got lucky.” That’s what he told himself and anyone who asked if he regretted their deaths.

He grew into becoming a thief, an assassin, and a mercenary—not the most efficient one, but still dangerous to deal with, especially if confronted head-on—particularly when he was drunk and had a weapon in hand. Thanks to the tough nature he developed in this environment, he was willing to do anything to survive. From fighting dirty to begging for his life, no matter how degrading it was, he would do whatever it took to stay alive.

That was the kind of great man Hecton, a common mercenary from Gusteko, considered himself to be. Someone who, from his narrow perspective, understood suffering to the fullest and had the right to say he deserved everything he had acquired—stolen—from others throughout his arduous work.

Where could you usually find him?

In a small, unknown village buried in the snow, there was a bar.

Inside, at the counter, usually with a drink in hand, you would often see him drinking throughout the night. He was now an adult. Long brown hair reaching his shoulders, a slightly thick beard, wearing tattered dark clothes. A sword strapped to his waist. He had dark blue eyes—not particularly attractive. A permanent sour expression on his face. He also had a burly but strong physique, one that could make some underestimate him.

It was an ordinary night at the bar. He was ignored by everyone, including the bartender, as he was widely disliked due to his violent and irritating habits, making him a pariah even among the outcasts who frequented the establishment alongside him.

A man quite remarkable in being disgusting and repulsive, both in appearance and personality.

[???: I'm serious!]

[???: There you go again with another one of those stories.]

As he took another sip, Hecton overheard “Guy 1” and “Guy 2”—as he had affectionately named them—whom he had met and seen many times in the bar. Whenever he came to drink, they were always nearby, even if ignoring him, and he took the opportunity to listen to the stories they shared.

Some were stupid, some were funny, others were boring. But they helped pass the time. And occasionally, he got some interesting information from those tales.

Tonight seemed like it would be one of those good stories.

["Guy 1": I heard this a few days ago. Apparently, in the forests, a strange creature was spotted, and everyone thought it was one of those Majuuns. That would’ve been surprising since they’re pretty rare outside of Lugunica, right? But then... IT WASN’T! The guy who told me was certain that the thing they saw was some sort of creature... with a human-like appearance.]

["Guy 2": Huh? Human? So, a Demi-Human?]

["Guy 1": No! No, no. They said it looked human, but it wasn’t a Demi-Human either. They described it as a grotesque thing with a human shape. —— From what they said: “A Majuun fused with a human” or “a bunch of humans fused into one thing.”]

["Guy 2": —— And this guy who told you... had he been drinking anything?]

["Guy 1": —— Maybe...? —— DON’T GIVE ME THAT LOOK, OKAY?! I’m serious! He said that thing was headed in this direction and told us to keep an eye out! I’ll keep my eyes wide open and my hand on my sword’s hilt, just in case.]

["Guy 2": Are you really scared of some horror story told by, I assume, an old drunk who, I assume again, probably couldn’t even stand while telling you all this? —— Don’t you have any shame? We’re mercenaries from Gusteko, not those clean-faced knights from Lugunica. We were raised in real suffering.]

As he listened, Hecton couldn’t help but agree with “Guy 2.”

That tale seemed way too far-fetched.

Who would believe it? And besides, getting scared and acting like a child over it?

From Hecton’s perspective, “Guy 1” really did seem like one of those cowards from Lugunica—“Knights are just snobs with fancy titles to make them look good while they wipe their own asses.” That was what Hecton would say to anyone who asked his opinion on them.

["Guy 1": And I haven’t even told you the most important part! You know what he told me… —— he said the thing looks like the knight of the half-elf Emilia.]

["Guy 2": That guy Subaru? —— That makes it sound even more fake. Why would a creature have that guy’s face? And why specifically?]

["Guy 1": Do I look like I understand these monsters? The only thing I know is what I told you. Stay alert, alright? I don’t want to lose the only one who drinks with me to some disgusting freak of a creature.]

["Guy 2": Now I feel loved.]

As they wrapped up the horror story — "Crude" — and started joking around, Hecton finished his drink, tossing the payment coins onto the counter before standing up and leaving. No one gave him a second glance, because no one really cared whether he was inside or outside that bar.

The moment he stepped outside, the cold wind hit him, snow crunching beneath his feet. He wandered aimlessly, wondering where he would spend the night.

His thoughts also lingered on the story, especially the last part about the knight: Natsuki Subaru. His name was becoming known, renowned, famous in countries beyond Lugunica, where he was currently based. Some even admired him for the so-called feats attributed to him, stories told in bars and places where he spent the night.

Hecton spat in disgust.

To him, Natsuki Subaru was a strange figure. Someone who, based on his looks and described personality, wouldn't survive in the real world and didn’t deserve to achieve what he had. Fame, accomplishments—everything seemed fake to this mercenary.

Especially after learning who he served—the half-elf. That thought alone sent shivers down his spine, recalling the stories of the Witch of Envy, who had brought so much chaos in the past and claimed so many lives. Just knowing someone like her existed irritated and worried him. It wasn’t an uncommon thought to consider ending her life to ensure his own safety.

[Hecton: I could have a good time with her first, though. Who knows? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a crazy Witch as your little slut? Hehahaha!]

Another typical thing he said out loud when walking and thinking about the silver-haired half-elf from the neighboring kingdom.

[Hecton: That kid just got lucky… He must’ve had an easy life and then, by pure chance, ended up with everything he has now. Hmph! A brat like that wouldn’t last in the world of real men.]

It was another thing he often muttered to himself whenever he thought about the knight rumored to be responsible for: the elimination of the White Whale, the Great Rabbit, the Archbishops of Sloth, Greed, and one of Gluttony, while also contributing to the capture of Wrath and another of Gluttony, and assisting in the Vollachia conflicts. Achievements Hecton claimed he could have accomplished too, if only he had the same opportunities and luck as that black-haired boy—but he only said that to drunkards in the bars he visited.

Because to Hecton, Subaru was nothing more than a lucky, despicable brat.

As he walked through the snow, feeling the icy wind against him, he pressed forward, still without a destination, only thinking about where to stay. Wondering if he’d find a house to break into—and maybe a woman inside to warm his night.

Crack, Crack!

[???: Em... rE... BeA..]

He heard a sound. The sound of bones breaking, followed by a voice—dragged out, shattered. It made him freeze in place.

Then he saw something—a thick, dark fog creeping closer.

Crack, Crack!

[???: mil... m... ko...]

That sound again, but Hecton didn’t move.

He couldn’t move.

Crack, Crack! Crack, Crack!

Crack, Crack! Crack, Crack!

Crack, Crack! Crack, Crack!

That sound. That sound creeping through the dead of night, the sound of bones shattering. He recognized it—he had heard it countless times during his work.

But this… this was more grotesque.

When Hecton finally gasped for air, not even realizing he had stopped breathing, he took a step forward, now completely engulfed in the thickening fog. His hand reached for his weapon, drawing it in a single, swift motion.

Crack, Crack!

At the sound again, he turned.

Because it was right beside him.

[???: EmILia... REm... BeAKo...]

That thing spoke—that thing standing before Hecton.

The creature walked toward him, but not like a living thing would. Its movements were erratic, as if its muscles didn’t know how to function properly. Its body twisted in impossible ways, as though gravity and the logic of movement didn’t fully apply to it.

As he stared at the approaching creature, Hecton remained frozen, eyes wide. The world around him felt unreal, fragile. The trees seemed to wither and decay, as if time itself was shifting between slow and fast.

Then, it stopped in front of him, giving him a clear view of the monster within the fog.

A massive creature—made of flesh. Human flesh. Skin and bones jutted out from all over its body like thorns on a flower’s stem. It resembled a grotesque, bloated frog, its chest swelling unnaturally. Its arms were long—so long that even Hecton, who stood at 6 feet (1.82m), wasn’t even half the length of its impossibly elongated limbs, their razor-sharp nails resembling blades. Its legs were just as unnaturally long.

It loomed over him, staring down through its twisted face.

The Monster’s Face.

A human face, seemingly stitched onto its skin—literally. A human face with empty eye sockets and a mouth, though lacking a tongue and teeth, with visible black hair. Despite its grotesque and distorted appearance, it was recognizable to anyone who had ever heard of him.

The face of Natsuki Subaru.

His face was stitched onto that massive creature, taller than the tallest tree Hecton had ever seen, staring down at him with that ruined visage. Hecton dropped his sword, terrified, sobbing, his voice dead in the depths of his throat, his bladder releasing and soaking his pants—paralyzed by the sheer horror of the creature. And he saw everything.

After a few moments, the creature opened its mouth—the stitched face parting. Its entire body seemed to split open like a gigantic maw lined with serrated, razor-sharp teeth, revealing what lay inside in place of a tongue.

Dozens. Hundreds. Countless bodies.

Bodies of Natsuki Subaru.

Some with their stomachs ripped open, entrails spilling out. Some with crushed skulls. Others frozen, burned, decapitated, devoured, drowned—on and on, seemingly stretching into an infinite dimension within the monster’s gaping mouth.

Hecton did not move, but the creature did. It approached, and the bodies within its mouth—the thousands of corpses—shifted, merging into a grotesque tongue that extended toward him, its countless cold hands reaching.

He did not resist. There was no way to resist.

Within moments, Hecton was dragged into the monster’s maw. Seized by hundreds of hands. Little by little, he felt.

Felt everything.

Every death it had suffered. Every memory it carried. Every ounce of pain it had endured.

And before his mind perished, before his body became sustenance for the beast, Hecton understood what it was.

It was the pain of Natsuki Subaru.

And he realized how insignificant his own story had been in that world.

No one in the world would ever know, but that was the embodiment of something far deeper.

A Yokai. A new Yokai among the world of Yokai: Shi no Kage (名前: 死の影 - The Shadow of Death).

It would roam the land, searching for something—something it did not understand. Yet, it would never find it. And it would never reach an end.

 

 

—————

I just got back from my niece’s party (ate snacks and cake) and got so hyped that I decided to write this IF before going to sleep. Just to complete three in a day. I wanted to test writing a horror IF—what do you think?

In this IF:

-This isn’t exactly a specific Subaru—it’s a Yokai formed from the negative energy accumulated from Subaru’s countless deaths. This energy fused three Yokai spirits into a new entity: Shi no Kage (名前: 死の影 - The Shadow of Death).

The Yokai inspirations are:

Onryō (怨霊): Represents resentment and vengeance.

Goryō (御霊): Vengeful spirits of high-status individuals or those with strong spiritual energy who suffered tragic deaths.

Shiryō (死霊): Spirits trapped in the physical world due to traumatic deaths.

Ikiryō (生霊): Spirits of the living, born from intense emotions like hatred or sorrow.

The energy accumulated with each death, building up through every loop until this entity was born. It became a Yokai that follows Subaru through the loops, though always in places different from where he is.

-This Yokai hunts anyone in its path, devouring them. Upon consuming someone, the victim experiences every death Subaru has suffered—both physically and mentally. If they endure it, the Yokai spits them out. If not, it consumes them as if eating normally.

-The fog surrounding it is an absurd amount of accumulated Miasma, capable of:

1. Inducing hallucinations.
2. Creating temporal disorientation (making time feel faster or slower).
3. Accelerating the aging of everything around it, living or non-living.

Chapter 37: [Extra - Yokai IF]

[Innkeeper: This will be your room for the night.]

[Luca: I appreciate it, sir. I promise I won't make any unnecessary mess.]

The knight, Luca, entered the room of the inn he had found in the small village where he had arrived that cold night illuminated by the bright Moon, whose light streamed through the room's window. A small but comfortable room; with a single bed, a table with a chair, and the window beside the table.

It was not a luxurious inn, but still good enough.

Luca was a common knight of the kingdom, a knight who wore the white cloak — now stained with dirt, dirt that wasn't even recent — and who had arrived on a land dragon he had managed to buy during his years of service to the kingdom, the dragon now resting in the stable beside the cabin.

With a tired gaze, he walked to the table, leaving his sword on the bed and pulling his small pouch to toss it onto the table. He sat on the chair with a downcast expression, resting his elbows on the table, supporting his head in his hands, eyes closed.

Dejected.

That's how this figure would be described at that moment if anyone saw him.

His eyelids were heavy with exhaustion. Physical, mental, and emotional fatigue after everything that had happened. Still, he forced himself to stay awake and focused on his personal objective ahead.

He moved his hands to his pouch, opening it.

From there, he pulled out a small notebook, a quill, and ink for writing. Using the natural light of the Moon along with the crystals that already illuminated the room, he positioned himself to write...

[Record XX - Date XX - Name: Lucas

This is my personal record of the incident. If something happens that prevents me from delivering this report physically to my superiors, I wish for the words in this notebook to be registered, recounting the events of the last mission carried out by Commander Marcos's group, of which I was a part.

According to the information Commander Marcos gave us before our departure, about three weeks ago there were reports of attacks occurring.

Attacks happening in several different villages. Apparently, there had been some the previous month, in a seemingly random pattern. No apparent connection. Only destroyed houses remained, with few remains of the villagers' bodies found. It was thought to be a Majuun as horrendous as the three great beasts. At least, we had no connections.

Attacks that were indeed random, but all seemed to connect by the way they occurred. Only that at first.

Until a survivor was found.

A child had apparently survived the attack on one of the villages, a village not very well known. At first, none of us considered the child a reliable source of information due to the trauma of the attack. Yet, Commander Marcos decided to gather information from the child.

The child said they had been attacked by a horrible monster. A grotesque monster they couldn't describe, but they knew the creature's face: Natsuki Subaru, the Hero of Priestella.

No one believed it.

Commander Marcos even contacted Emilia-sama's Camp about any sudden disappearance of her knight. Obviously, such a thing hadn't happened. The way the child described it seemed to speak of an inhuman monster, not the knight I had the chance to meet before we departed to investigate the attack area.

It took us about three days to reach the village. I, Commander Marcos, and four other companions rode our Land Dragons until we arrived at the place.

When we arrived, we caught a small glimpse of what must have carried out that attack.

Houses destroyed by what seemed to be claws, some burned, with roofs reduced to ashes. This time there were more bodies than in the previous attacks; some sliced by claws that tore through houses, their organs scattered across the ground, others crushed into craters by what appeared to be massive, irregular hands, their bodies broken, distorted, as if the force applied had fused them to the ground.

Men, women, young and old.

Some seemed to have weapons in an attempt to defend themselves, only to fail, as they died in the process.

A desolate image.

By luck, perhaps some would say, we were accustomed to the brutal scenes we witnessed in that village. We endured. Focused on our mission, we began searching for any signs of recent activity in the area — by the commander's orders. What we found was more bodies, destroyed houses, devastated land. An attack by a Majuun-like creature, extremely violent and still unrecorded.

Then it happened.

First, there was a small crack, crack sound coming from a distant place, little by little approaching where I was at that moment. Until the noise grew louder. Then I felt something different — a smell, a foul, terrible stench, like hundreds of corpses gathered, piled up, burned all at once. Something awful that made me want to vomit on the spot.

The next thing I heard was a scream.

A terrible, high-pitched scream that made my blood freeze like never before. Even the air in my lungs felt so heavy that I could barely stand and breathe.

Then I saw...]

The soldier was sweating cold, breathing heavily. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, some drops falling onto the paper he had written so far. Swallowing dryly, as if an invisible force compelled him, he returned to writing on the paper...

[A giant creature. Unlike anything I had ever seen before, as if its skin was made of human flesh, with broken bones protruding from torn areas of skin and muscle. It rose, standing tall. More than five meters, with limbs grotesquely elongated.

That creature had one of our companions in its clawed hand.

It squeezed him, his limbs twisted, broken, blood everywhere. I don't know if my vision was good enough for such details, but I am certain of what I saw: his eyes were bulging out of their sockets, dangling by thin strings of flesh, his teeth shattered, and what seemed to be his tongue grotesquely hanging out, vomiting and dripping blood.

He wasn't dead. Despite how he looked, he wasn't truly dead while in that creature's hand.

I remember my other companions advancing alongside Commander Marcos to face that monster. Weapons in hand, ready to confront it. Another of our men died when the creature hurled the corpse it held with such force and speed that what remained of that body exploded along with the knight it struck.

Commander Marcos and the other two were at the front, stabbing the creature with their weapons as it attacked them. The Commander managed to dodge the blow in time. The other two were not so lucky, as they were split in half — their lower halves remained standing for a few moments while their upper halves flew apart, shredded by the palm of that giant hand with its sharp claws.

Commander Marcos still tried to fight. He was brave, he advanced. But the monster grabbed him, and then...]

The soldier placed a hand over his mouth to hold back his vomit. Preventing himself from staining those pages any more than he already had with his sweat and the few tears he had shed while recounting such horrors in the pages of his diary.

He paused for several minutes.

Breathing deeply to calm himself, clearing his vision that had blurred, steadying his mind. Little by little, he regained the sanity of his thoughts as he recalled the horrendous visions he had witnessed. His green eyes wandered over what he had already written, he clenched the pen tightly, and then he resumed.

[With its other hand, it opened a mouth. A gigantic mouth in the center of its abnormal body. I could see its sharp teeth, smell the rotting stench worsening, and a kind of dark, dense mist leaking from it. I saw then the brave face of the Commander transform into shock and horror. And I saw what looked like hundreds of hands pulling him inside that mouth.

Devouring him in a single "bite." All of them had been killed.

When it finished with them, I saw it rise again, standing at its normal gigantic height, its limbs drooping to the sides and reaching the ground. And I could clearly see one surprising thing. A face on that monster, a face stitched onto that creature. The face of the knight Natsuki Subaru — eyeless, toothless, tongueless, only empty holes sewn onto that thing.

I saw it coming towards me. Its footsteps sounded like thunder, while its bones made those terrible Crack, Crack sounds I had heard earlier before the attack began. That horrible mist was covering me. Time seemed to slow down for me, as if everything was both slower and faster at the same time. It came at me, slamming its hands on the ground, crushing it, ready to reach me, ready to give me the same fate as my companions and the Commander.

It approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it appro— it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it approached, it apprac]

Luca then realized what he had done.

The ink in his pen had run out while writing in that diary. The pages of the diary following the account were now filled with the words: "It approached..." dozens, dozens, and dozens of times.

He had spent hours writing those words, the ink running dry. Now, several pages were filled with that sentence, from top to bottom on each page. If he had more ink, he would have finished filling the entire book with those words.

The knight took a deep breath, slamming the pen down on the manuscript in his desperation.

He hadn't been able to write how, during his companions' attack, he had fallen on his backside out of fear, how he had crawled away while wetting himself in terror, how he had run to his Earth Dragon and fled for hours, for more than an entire day almost without stopping, and how he had escaped to that village on his way back to the Capital in his desperation.

Luca stared at the ceiling for a few moments, lost in thought.

A little relieved. Thinking he had managed to escape, thinking about how he had survived, thinking about how he would tell others what he had witnessed in that village. How he would beg the Sword Saint himself to hunt down and eliminate that monster.

He stood up while storing his diary inside his bag to preserve it.

Walking to the window, he looked outside. He saw the Moon, the open field with a few hills, and sparse trees scattered across the green expanse. A rather beautiful view. And gazing at the Moon, for the first time, he truly saw it.

Big, beautiful.

A full Moon that seemed larger due to the lack of clouds. He observed it for a while.

Until something happened—something beyond anything he could have ever imagined...

A hand.

A gigantic hand gripped the upper edge of the Moon.

Fom behind the Moon, that figure emerged. The figure of deformed flesh with protruding bones, resembling a strange frog made from a mass of corpses and disproportionate limbs. That figure emerged from the darkness of space and stood atop the Moon.

A twisted figure standing upon the Moon—this was the monster.

Luca stood paralyzed, staring at that immense monstrosity that seemed to gaze back at him from the night sky.

When he turned to try to flee, he saw...

The monster was there.

Compressed inside the room, staring at him with that face—without eyes, without teeth, without tongue, only a nose. Its grotesque body looked like the fusion of countless skins and decaying flesh, torn open by broken bones protruding from its misshapen form. The monster that once stood on the Moon was now inside the room, watching him without moving.

In that moment, Luca realized something.

That thing was a monster.

A mistake in the very fabric of the world—a grotesque error that should never have existed in the first place.

That thing was something evil, something dark.

A monster without feelings.

A monster without thoughts.

It lived only to hunt, without understanding what it was hunting.

The monster opened its grotesque mouth, and he saw what his Commander had seen before the end—the thousands of endless corpses of Natsuki Subaru, extending out like a tongue to grab him, pulling him into the beast's mouth and down into its stomach.

In the end, Luca couldn't escape. He couldn't fight back—killed in that room of that inn as if he were nothing. But in death, he came to one final understanding...

His life meant nothing to that monster— And that monster would be able to hunt anything until the very end of the world, for it was impossible to escape.

 

 

—————

This last description is supposed to be like God's entrance in One-Punch Man:

Chapter 38: [Extra 2 - Yokai IF]

[Rom: What the hell?!]

The older man's eyes widened at that terrifying sight.

When he was having a drink in his loot house, sitting down, enjoying some alone time, he expected his night to be peaceful.

Until something caught him off guard.

The door to his house suddenly swung open, startling him. He jumped, nearly falling off his chair onto the floor, but quickly composed himself and grabbed his club, searching for whatever—or whoever—had opened his door. Yet, when he stepped outside, he found nothing. Not a single living soul. This made him think it was just some prank pulled by an idiot, a child, or someone trying to mess with him.

[Rom: Idiots...]

That’s what he thought as he slammed the door shut behind him. But then he froze at the new sight inside his loot house.

Two bodies.

One body lay near the entrance, face down, sprawled out, with one arm stretched forward, its hand clenching something invisible. The other body was near the counter, lying on the floor, covered in a massive pool of blood, with its intestines spilling out.

Two dead bodies. And as if their sudden appearance wasn't horrifying enough, after a few seconds, he recognized who they were.

Natsuki Subaru.

There was no way he could forget the face of the young man who had saved his granddaughter and him from Elsa, a figure who had become so well-known throughout the entire country.

So when he realized this, he instinctively began approaching the nearest corpse—the one holding onto something invisible—while keeping his guard up in case it was some kind of trap.

Once he was close enough, he touched the corpse’s wrist. And felt the cold.

Rom had long since grown accustomed to this kind of thing. Corpses, blood, their stench. The coldness of a body that had been dead for a while. It shouldn’t have surprised him. Yet, it did.

Because this cold was unlike anything he had ever felt from an ordinary corpse.

And the stench—it wasn’t just the usual rot. It smelled like a mass grave filled to the brim with hundreds of bodies. The putrid odor made his nose twitch in discomfort, forcing him to step back.

[Rom: This is too strange... too bizarre...]

The realization sank in. Then, his gaze shifted to the other body. He knew that if he touched it, he would feel the same unnatural cold. The same awful, rotting stench was already seeping from it.

Another thought hit him—how would he explain this to everyone?

He, a giant, was here with two confirmed corpses of Lugunica’s beloved hero. The young man who had saved him and his precious granddaughter.

How could he explain this? What would happen to him? How would this affect Felt?

Rom let out a sigh filled with sorrow and despair, imagining the worst possible outcome.

That’s when he noticed it...

A spasm.

A twitch from the corpse near his feet, the one clutching something in its hand. His eyes narrowed.

And then—

The corpse started to move.

Both corpses started to move.

Rom instinctively stepped backward, his back hitting the entrance door of his establishment.

The corpses stood up.

Their heads twisted unnaturally in his direction. Their necks seemed broken, making a nauseating crack as they moved, their bones protruding through their skin. Blood dripped from fresh wounds, their insides spilling onto the floor, merging into the growing pool of blood beneath them.

Their mouths gaped open, unnaturally wide—like a snake preparing to devour something whole. Their cheeks had torn apart to accommodate the grotesque stretching.

Rom saw them staring at him with those horrifying, lifeless eyes.

[####: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH?!!!]

A powerful scream erupted from their bodies.

A terrifying, guttural, nightmarish sound.

Rom’s entire body trembled with primal fear. His hair stood on end, cold sweat dripping down his back as his heartbeat pounded harder and harder, threatening to explode out of his chest in a bloody mess.

He hurled his weapon at the nearest corpse.

The impact was strong, twisting the corpse’s torso unnaturally as it was knocked backward. But its legs remained standing, perfectly straight. Within moments, the body snapped back into place, as if unfazed by the attack from the old giant.

They took a step forward.

The blood inside the room continued to rise, leaking through the cracks of the door behind him. But Rom knew—this amount of blood was impossible for human corpses to produce. If there were no escape for it, his house would have been flooded to the ceiling by now.

Grinding his teeth in instinctive rage, Rom smashed through the door behind him and ran.

He bolted outside.

Sweating, panting, desperate.

Trying to get as far away from that place as possible.

As he sprinted through the slums, he saw them. Countless corpses.

Dozens of corpses. Hundreds of corpses.

Too many to count.

All of them were Subaru.

They were everywhere, attacking people.

Roars. Screams.

The sound of flesh tearing. Bones snapping.

A blood-drenched battlefield. Blood seeped into every corner, even staining the walls around him.

And yet—he didn’t stop.

Maybe it was the selfish desire to survive just a little longer. Maybe, at the very least, he wanted to see his granddaughter one last time. If he could see her, even once, he felt he could die satisfied in the end.

That was all he wanted.

Then—he reached the entrance of the slums and froze.

There they were.

Hundreds of corpses approaching.

Coming from the main city. From the noble district.

He looked behind him.

Another hundred corpses were approaching from the other side.

Limping. Staggering. Moving as if simply walking was an impossible task for such broken, twisted bodies.

And Rom understood.

He understood it all too well.

He was surrounded. Even though he was confident in his strength against the boy, he felt it would be impossible for him to defeat those things that encircled him like an immortal army. Looking from side to side, he searched for a way out of that situation.

[####: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH?!!!!]

A scream louder than anything he had ever heard before echoed through the moment.

Rom froze again, his body losing all strength, yet refusing to collapse to the ground. He looked up, toward the sky.

There was no Moon in the sky, but something had taken its place.

A face.

The face of Natsuki Subaru.

Eyeless, observing them. A wide-open mouth, devoid of teeth or tongue, yet from it came that colossal roar. A twisted, deformed nose.

And beneath that lifeless face was a sort of mouth.

Twisted and misshapen flesh. Exposed bones. Razor-sharp teeth.

And from within that mouth, hundreds of thousands of corpses rained down toward the Earth. Hundreds of thousands of corpses that would consume the entire planet within a minute or less.

Rom felt all his hope die upon witnessing that.

From his eyes, tears of blood began to flow at the sight of the beast before him. Seeing the end of his life, surrounded by the dead closing in to consume him. Thinking about how small he felt before that creature.

Because that old giant knew that the world would end on this day, on this night.

—[X]—

Its existence was death.

That was what the desperate creature managed to understand, even though it lacked the capacity for true comprehension.

Born to die. Live to die. And die to be reborn.

That was its natural cycle since it had "come into existence" in this world.

Its first birth was in that Loot House years ago.

It was born being torn apart from behind.

From its perspective, the one who killed it would be its mother, or at least its first mother. Elsa. Who gave it a brother the very next moment. Before many others gifted it with brothers, brothers, brothers.

Hundreds of brothers from dozens of fathers and mothers across the world.

For it was [HE], for it was [THEY], for it was [ALL].

A creature formed from the death of all.

It had gained a new brother.

Being its new brother, it joined [HE, THEY, ALL]. And just like in the past, [HE, THEY, ALL] had to move forward to a new home.

But first, they had to do what they always did…

They took the Moon’s place.

Opening its mouth, [HE] unleashed [THEY, ALL] onto the planet to collect—exterminate—the toys of this old home.

Once that task was completed, with its hands, [HE, THEY, ALL] would grasp the edges of the world with its claws and crush it. That flat world compressed between its gigantic palms until it became a ball of rock, water, and remnants of what was left of its collection. And then, it took the world into its great mouth, offering it to its brothers to consume the rest.

Thus, that world reached the end of its cycle.

"Rising" in the emptiness of space before the Moon, it "stood" in the vast coldness. Its feet planted upon the void. Moving its hands forward, it "reached" for space and, with a simple motion of its fingers, it tore it open like a rift.

A small rift, but just large enough for it.

Forcing its body through that fissure, it compressed itself, squeezing through the narrow space until its hand landed on soft snowy ground.

Gusteko.

Moments before it encountered a man, Hecton, as he exited a bar.

A new loop, a new opportunity.

Would it gain a new brother?

[HE, THEY, ALL] would wait to find out. Until then, they would devour everything.

Without understanding why they devoured, without knowing why they consumed, without comprehending why they "ate."

[HE, THEY, ALL] would walk the lands in search of everything within the reach of their claws.

[HE, THEY, ALL] would exist in each world to harvest every soul.

[HE, THEY, ALL] would continue to "live" so they could die.

 

 

—————

Official Name for This Version of Subaru:

[HE, THEY, ALL] for simplicity—since it is a fusion of all the dead Subarus from every timeline. Thus, an infinite number of dead.

Additional Information About This Version:

-This would be the second most powerful/dangerous version of Subaru I've ever conceived in my IFs. He is part of a set I had planned: Subarus formed from different essences of all Subarus.

The Yokai – Spirit.

[HE, THEY, ALL] would be a spiritual representation. Formed from the negative energies of deaths, it generated this Yokai: as I explained in the first chapter of this version. And despite being incredibly powerful, it truly lacks any real consciousness. It cannot form complex thoughts, only mimicking specific words Subaru is capable of saying or regularly says, as well as understanding that new corpses from loops are its "brothers" and the people who killed it are its "parents."

-Whenever a Subaru dies, it acts in that timeline: Normally, time would be reset by the Witch of Envy to Subaru’s save point. But the Yokai prevents this; it "kills" her, consumes her, takes control of Subaru’s Return by Death, and then forces the timeline to continue—just so it can "cleanse" it by consuming the entire world (as I tried to illustrate).

-It has a main body that remains in a timeline, even while consuming the deaths of all Subarus across other universes/timelines. It can travel between universes but has rules:

1.It cannot deliberately approach a Subaru. It cannot go to him; Subaru must come to it and find it. Otherwise, it instinctively stays at least 100km away from him.

2.It cannot go to the original timeline: The Envy Route.

-As long as the Subaru in the timeline is alive, it can be killed, since its power remains limited. But if the Subaru of that timeline dies, it gains full power—becoming strong enough to kill beings like Reinhard, Pandora, and even the Witch of Envy. Otherwise, yes, it can be killed—specifically, it can only be killed by a Subaru, but with extreme difficulty. And it will resurrect when another Subaru dies (regardless of which one), respawning in the timeline where a Subaru has perished.

-It is possibly the "dumbest" version of any Subaru in existence—no matter how unintelligent another version may be, it will always be the "dumbest" because it lacks consciousness or complex thoughts. It is an animal, even dumber than any other creature—even the Great Rabbit, which only focuses on eating, has a higher level of intelligence than it. And that is why it is inferior to the one occupying the top of the most powerful list; otherwise, it would take first place.

-It is neither truly good nor evil. On a moral scale, it would be [NEUTRAL], as it harbors no feelings for anyone or anything. Even the "love" it feels for its "brothers" means nothing to it. In essence: It is a Yokai/Cosmic Entity formed from the negative energies of thousands of deaths (including from the Greed Route).

I based the existence of this being on two specific characters: IT, from Stephen King, and Shin Godzilla, from the 2016 film. Both in its power and design—because I wanted to create a being terrifying enough that no one would wish to be near it.

Chapter 39: Shaula IF

What if...? What if Subaru had appeared in the Pleiades Tower first?

—————

 

 

[The Super-Mega-Hyper Important Record of Shaula — Entry XX]

Another one of the super-mega-hyper important records of the great first-class lady, Shaula, about another important day for Master! Another amazing day since Master's return! Though that isn’t really difficult, since Master has always been incredibly capable of making everything amazing, even when he came back without memories of his days at his peak.

Today was another day in this strange mansion!

Shaula started her day the way a beautiful lady should. A bath, then going to wake up Master, spying on him while he slept for a bit, and taking the chance to sniff every part of his body so she’d never forget his scent!

That girl, Rem, started doing it too.

At first, she didn’t seem to like Master for some reason—And she must be really stupid! Because IT MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL for someone not to like Master right away!—but she changed after witnessing Master's greatness when he saved everyone from those weird creatures! Even though he won’t admit he did it alone! He even tried to give Shaula credit, because Shaula crushed those stupid beasts for him, blew them up! But Master should have taken all the credit for himself from the beginning!

I don’t know why Master refuses to accept how amazing he is all the time when he gets the chance!

I guess it must be because he’s humble.

Or maybe he’s just so amazing, so incredible, that he doesn’t even realize how incredible he is anymore, since doing such things has become so mundane to him! MASTER IS AMAZING! Right?! RIGHT?! Why isn’t anyone answering?!

Oh... I’m writing...

Anyway, MASTER WOKE UP THIS MORNING AS EXCITED AS EVER! Telling me not to sniff his hair—Even though it smells really good, doesn’t it? Hehe~!

And then we went to the job we got here!

Master got us a job as a butler and maid! Master looked amazing as a butler, but then again, he looks good in every type of outfit!

That maid outfit is kinda weird to wear... BUT MASTER SEEMS TO LIKE IT! He always seems excited when he sees that Rem girl wearing a maid uniform! I wanted to keep wearing the original outfits Master gave me, so he could look directly at my body whenever he wanted. BUT IF MASTER WANTS TO SEE ME AS A MAID, THEN HE WILL SEE ME AS A MAID!

Shaula learned how to be an amazing maid!

It wasn’t as hard as Shaula thought. Cleaning, cooking, taking care of the lawn! TAKING CARE OF THE LAWN WAS EASY! Even though Rem always complains when Shaula uses her Hell’s Snipers to get the job done! She also seems a little disappointed whenever I try to use them for cooking, since Shaula accidentally burned some pots and destroyed part of the kitchen while dealing with those potatoes that other girl likes.

Ah, that other girl. That other girl who looks just like Rem!

I can’t remember her name. But she doesn’t even remember Master’s name! MASTER HAS A NEW AMAZING NAME! Natsuki Subaru, not Barusu!

Barusu?!

How can someone be so dumb as to mispronounce Master’s name?! She should regret it and pay! Shaula even thought about burning her clothes, along with her, until nothing was left, but Master—With his infinite patience, wisdom, and kindness—allowed it. BECAUSE MASTER IS AMAZING! But for Master’s sake, I should teach her a lesson, shouldn’t I?! YES! I’m still planning my revenge!

My revenge against that other girl who looks like Rem! But who doesn’t have the superior understanding that Rem now has after witnessing how amazing Master is! Rem seems to be the better one!

There are also other important people in this place.

The weird clown.

Master said he seemed like one of two things: Either a supervillain secretly orchestrating countless evil acts behind the scenes to fulfill some obsessive megalomaniacal plan! Who would sacrifice everything and everyone for it! Or... a guy who really, excessively, likes little kids!

Master said he’d prefer if he were the first option rather than the second, because that would be less troublesome to deal with.

Then there’s that Emilia girl who looks like that other one from Master’s past! Grrr! It’s so annoying how much attention Master gives her! I WANT ATTENTION TOO!

But I win because she never got a lap pillow from Master!

Master gave me a lap pillow when I told him I had done my job of waiting 400 years for him! I don’t know why he cried, why he hugged me, why he apologized for something he didn’t remember. But Master was kind! He didn’t even complain when Shaula started crying too... because Shaula felt lonely...

BUT MASTER PROMISED HE WOULD NEVER LEAVE SHAULA ALONE AND WAITING AGAIN! That’s why when that red-haired guy came to the Tower, he asked me to follow him and have adventures together!

That was basically him saying he wanted Shaula by his side for the rest of his life, right?! RIGHT?!

It was the happiest day of Shaula’s life!

Well... one of many amazing days! There was also the day he gave me his snacks when he returned to his tower! And the days of our travels, when he paid for so many delicious meals, when he gave me a bed to sleep in alone—Even though Shaula told him he could use Shaula as his personal body pillow!

He didn't use Shaula like that. Shaula's Master really seemed too chivalrous! He didn't even want to take Shaula's virginity when she offered it to him... BUT HE HAS TO ACCEPT THAT ONE DAY! SHAULA IS READY! And Shaula is using all the seduction tactics of a high-class lady, but the Master is so good at staying focused that none of my techniques worked!

At least Shaula has things that no other person in the mansion has.

Shaula has the rights to rest her head on Master's lap, I could sit on Master's lap, he gave Shaula affectionate nicknames and even gave her glorious pats on the head as a reward when Shaula did something right! WHICH SHAULA ALWAYS DOES! And Shaula is the one who exclusively wins all these displays of affection and rewards from the Master!

That Library Spirit almost won it, but she was too foolish. HAHA! She would never get Shaula's exclusives~!

From the beginning of time to the end of time: The Master's lap, his affection and his pats on the head would be, are and will be for Shaula! And she couldn't be like this first-class lady to win such things! No, she can't! The pats on the head are hers forever!

Well... that was Shaula's diary entry!

The Master told Shaula to keep records of everything she considers important in her personal day so that she would remember it forever! And if Master tells her to, Shaula does it! The Master has been trusting Shaula a lot more these days, he's even going to take her to Capital again with that Emilia for something to do with her becoming Queen!

Shaula couldn't be happier and more excited!

[Shaula's super-mega-hyper Important Record - Passage XX]

 

 

—————

In this IF, some things were different:

-Subaru arrived at the Pleiades Tower one year and seven months before the original start of the story. He spent 1 month in the tower with Shaula, until Reinhard showed up on his mission to find the Great Sage.

-Because of a mix-up: Reinhard (and others later) believe that Subaru is the Great Sage Flugel (about a new identity), since he helped them overcome the Tower (even if they didn't get the cure).

-Subaru and Shaula were taken to the Capital by Reinhard and earned money from the Astrea, along with temporary housing, before setting off on a journey together across the kingdom.

-During the time they traveled: They met all the Royal Candidates before meeting Emilia on the same day that Subaru would originally meet her and then they joined her Camp.

-Shaula became Subaru's guardian even though he didn't approve at first, protecting him from everything and helping him grow in his own unique way.

Chapter 40: [Extra - Shaula IF]

[Subaru: Hff... wh...y Hff is... my... Hff luck... so... bad...?]

He wondered as he gasped in pain, struggling to stay conscious.

When he imagined an isekai adventure, Subaru envisioned a very different scenario: being summoned by a cute girl, receiving a legendary item or an incredibly overpowered ability, having amazing battle companions, and facing the world's greatest evils to become a superhero in this new world.

A common wish for teenagers who read generic isekai fantasies for too long. After all, it was something idealized by most who had seen so many stories like that.

But that wasn't what happened to him...

He was summoned into a sort of desert with a gigantic tower and monsters lurking outside, which was already bad enough. Then he discovered his power when he was attacked by some kind of beam that sliced his head off: even though he didn't feel pain, he still knew he had died because he saw his head spinning through the air and then his decapitated body.

His first death with his power in this new world.

But his adventures were only just beginning at that point, as he made his way through the desert, reached the tower, and met—who he later found out had been responsible for his death—a girl dressed in minimal clothing named Shaula, the Guardian of the Tower and Disciple of the Great Sage Flugel.

She apparently believed that Subaru was her Master.

Even when he tried to explain that he wasn’t, she didn’t seem to believe him and kept insisting that he was just suffering from memory loss.

And so their relationship began.

The two of them started living together in that tower, with Subaru, after Shaula's explanation, trying to solve the Tower's trials to free himself and the scorpion girl. A task that proved to be complicated on the Electra floor, especially with the second trial, led by the man known as Reid Astrea. He was unable to overcome such a challenge, even with Shaula’s help.

Subaru even joked about how the Pleiades Tower could be translated as “Subaru Tower” in his original world, as each floor was named after the seven sisters of the Pleiades from ancient Greek mythology.

As the days continued to pass, Subaru gradually started to grow attached to the guardian, Shaula—especially since they only had each other to talk to. And he was shocked by her age. Over 400! He could’ve sworn she was at most 20, especially since she was a very beautiful figure—which made it all the more embarrassing for him when she hugged him and pressed his arm or head against her chest.

Even though it was embarrassing and somewhat annoying, he didn’t actually dislike the lively girl who treated him with such reverence. Maybe it was a bit arrogant of him? But for a young hikikomori like him, it was a small, common desire to be wanted by a girl.

The situation between them only became a bit complicated because of food.

Subaru's heart ached when he had to eat the "food" Shaula had been surviving on for the past four centuries. The taste... was indescribable to the black-haired boy. To the point that he had to drink a huge amount of water—almost like healing in the green room—just to endure each meal. This slowly led him to ration his eating to preserve his strength, avoiding unnecessary activities that could increase his hunger—such as his radiocalisthenics exercises.

For the first time, he truly understood the concept of hunger. He felt extreme empathy for Shaula and for everyone who had no choice but to eat that "food" to stay alive.

He even gave Shaula his snacks to make her happy—promising that one day, in the future, she could eat delicious and different foods instead of the meat they were forcing themselves to eat to survive.

And so, the days passed; they would chat a little, wander around the tower, Subaru would attempt the second trial, and then wake up in the green room after being knocked out by Shaula with a single blow—only to repeat the cycle again. A hellish fate that seemed destined to drive him insane if nothing changed.

But something did change one day.

Not something he would have wished for, but during one of his walks, he tripped on the stairs.

Normally, tripping on a step and tumbling down a bit wouldn’t be a big deal at home. The problem came when it involved a staircase like this—one so massive that it made you feel nauseous just from climbing it, given how terrifyingly high the view was from the top.

When he started falling, bouncing down the steps, it began with mild pain.

The usual pain of falling down stone stairs. Like getting punched, or something similar at first.

But it gradually got worse.

His body wouldn’t stop falling, wouldn’t stop bouncing, wouldn’t stop crashing against the stone steps. Smashing violently against each one. Little by little, the pain intensified, his skin—if it wasn’t marked before—began turning purple from the impacts, and his flesh ached.

After a while, his bones started breaking on impact. Some even pierced through his swollen, bruised skin, ripping outward from within. Just as shattered fragments embedded themselves deep into his internal organs, continuing to shred more of his body as they cut their way out.

And it kept getting worse.

An endless agony from a fall that seemed infinite to the black-haired boy who kept tumbling down.

Until he finally reached the bottom of the staircase, slamming onto the ground floor.

If he had a clearer view of himself, he would see his limbs broken and twisted in completely inhuman angles, bones protruding from his torn flesh, his organs punctured, and his throat choking on the blood pooling inside it from all the damage he had suffered—barely able to see two meters ahead, or even less.

Pain. Pain, pain. Pain, pain, and more pain.

That was all he could feel at that moment.

Even though he wanted to live, he knew he wouldn't survive. Even if he held on a little longer, he knew it would be even more painful to be taken to the Green Room and healed—because it might not even work. The damage he had suffered was endless and far too horrific.

Even though he still wanted to live, a part of him was already longing for death in the midst of all that agony.

What else remained at that moment…?

He was alone, just as he had always been in his room at home. His parents wouldn’t know about his death, just as he figured they wouldn’t even care in the end. A hero dying because of a staircase? It was so pathetic that Subaru felt he deserved such an end for the arrogance of thinking he was someone important in this new world.

There was nothing left for him… His final thoughts were that he wanted to die forever. Because returning would mean going back to that tower.

And why?

Why would he want to return?

[Shaula: Master…? MASTER!]

He heard her screams as her footsteps grew closer to him.

[Shaula: Master! Please, Master! No!]

He saw her face enter his field of vision. And in that moment, he wanted more than anything to live, to survive.

Shaula’s face was twisted in sorrow and despair.

With thick tears streaming down her face, he could also see some snot. It was a sight Subaru never thought he should witness on the beautiful and lively face of that girl—the cheerful girl he had come to know over time.

[Shaula: Master… please, please, please… don’t die… Please, Master… I’ll save you! I-I’ll t-take you to the healing room! You’ll be okay, Master! Please… please… don’t leave me behind… not again… Please, Master! I-I don’t want to be a-alone again… I don’t want to be left behind again…!]

Those words shattered him.

They made him forget his pain, they made him cry more than the broken bones tearing through his body, more than the blood choking him in his throat.

Subaru instinctively wished he could move his hands to wipe the tears from the beautiful face of the scorpion-girl. Subaru instinctively wanted to stand up, to embrace her, to comfort her, to assure her that she would never be alone again as long as he was there—even if it was arrogant of him to think he could break the loneliness of someone who had spent 400 years in that tower with no one. Subaru wished he could do anything to ease the pain afflicting her heart.

But he was here.

Subaru realized he was incapable of doing anything to help her.

[Subaru: A hero…?]

If his isekai illusions had already been shattered by the reality of where he had ended up, he now understood that he could never be a hero. Because he couldn’t even survive a staircase, and he wasn’t capable of drying the tears of the person crying over his death right in front of him.

That helplessness hurt more than anything.

As his vision faded, he could still see her crying. He felt her tears falling onto his face, her arms trying to embrace him without causing more pain in the final moments of his life. She was comforting him in his last moments, and he could do nothing to repay or thank her.

In that final moment, Subaru had never felt more pathetic for failing Shaula.

It was also then that he firmly wished that upon his death, that timeline would cease to exist, just as he feared it might. Because he couldn’t bear the thought of being the cause of the tears of such a kind girl—someone who had treated him so well since they had met.

He wished those tears had never been shed.

—[X]—

[Shaula: Hm? What is it, Master? You’ve been staring at my face for so long. Not that I mind! Your Shaula is more than happy to be looked at like this by Master~!]

She spoke excitedly as she continued walking alongside him through the streets of the Capital.

[Subaru: Sorry. I was just thinking… that I’m really happy to see you smiling like that.]

[Shaula: Oh~! Is this one of those romance moments to deepen your relationship with your story’s girl?! Shaula is always happy around Master, so she can smile this much! So, thank you, Master~!]

She shouted energetically, jumping to hug him with happiness radiating from her face. This made him choke a little from the force, the weight, and the fact that she was pressing her chest against his face—making him turn red with embarrassment.

But deep down, Subaru was happy.

Seeing her smile, walking through the streets of that city. Far from the Tower and the loneliness she had endured for so long. Subaru once again promised himself that he would protect that sweet smile with everything he had and everything he could.

Later that day, he would find himself in an embarrassing mess at the Royal Selection—thanks to his own lack of self-control and her.

 

 

—————

This was Subaru’s most traumatic moment in his journey through the Shaula IF timeline. It was at this moment that he abandoned his dream of being a generic isekai hero and swore to protect the smile of the girl who had helped him.

Chapter 41: [Extra 2 - Shaula IF]

[Noble 1#: Witch...]

[Noble 2#: Half-devil...]

[Noble 3#: Monster...]

Little by little, the words penetrated Subaru's mind, making him grit his teeth in anger and frustration as he heard the nobles' insults directed at Emilia. She remained still, her head lowered, listening to the words hurled at her without trying to resist or retaliate—since she believed she deserved such offenses.

But this was costing the black-haired boy his sanity.

And he was reaching his limit as he continued to hear those insults. He looked around, hoping someone would do something. But no one was interfering with the nobles, not even the knights present. This only frustrated him further.

[Noble 4#: She shouldn’t even be a candidate...]

[Noble 5#: She should just die...!]

[Subaru: OY! STOP THAT!]

Hearing those last words, he let out a furious shout and stepped forward to make himself visible in front of everyone—candidates, sages, knights, and nobles present. All eyes turned to the boy, who was accompanied by a girl dressed in short clothing. Most of them had no idea who he was.

The few who did knew very little about him.

To Crusch, Anastasia, and Priscilla, as well as their knights—except for Al, who had a bit more familiarity—he was just a simple traveler they had encountered while wandering the world with his apprentice. It surprised them to see him again, now affiliated with a Royal Candidate, Emilia.

To Felt, he was the one who had saved her and her grandfather’s lives from the Bowel Hunter, along with Shaula.

To Emilia, Subaru and Shaula were the ones who had saved her life and helped her multiple times. They recovered her brooch, defeated the Bowel Hunter, protected Arlam Village from the Majuun attack, and saved Rem from being killed in that battle against the creatures. They had also kept her company ever since arriving at the mansion, even helping children get closer to her—though adults still feared her due to her resemblance to the Witch from 400 years ago.

And for Reinhard, it was something completely different, as he had met the duo a long time ago.

[Bordeaux: And who are you?]

The council member, bald and with thick eyebrows, questioned Subaru with a critical gaze, irritated by his audacity in shouting and making himself the center of attention in the hall.

[Subaru: I'm not someone important. I currently serve as a butler at the Mathers Mansion... My name is Natsuki Subaru!]

He declared boldly, striking his signature pose for all to see.

Some members of the council widened their eyes, even Bordeaux. They recognized the figure standing before them because Reinhard had spoken of him before. Though they had unfortunately failed to meet him in the past, he was now standing right in front of them.

[Shaula: And I am the great disciple of the Master... Shaula, the Great Disciple and Guardian of the Stars! And—]

[Subaru: Don’t you dare finish that sentence! I know exactly what you're about to say!]

Cutting her off before she could finish, the black-haired boy shouted at the girl beside him, already embarrassed just thinking about how she would complete her words.

This earned them a few looks—most were tired of their antics, while others were surprised and curious, as the name "Shaula" was well-known to those knowledgeable about history—like Julius Juukulius.

[Emilia: Subaru... Shaula...]

She tried to call out to them, wanting to stop them from continuing whatever they were about to do. Meanwhile, her crystal, where Puck resided, seemed to glow dimmer, and Roswaal gave a small smile behind her, simply observing.

[Subaru: Don’t worry, Emilia-tan! —— I won’t let them talk about you like this just because you look different from everyone else! What’s wrong with you people, huh?!]

[Noble 1#: How dare you...?! A mere commoner and butler! Hmph! The rabble can’t even keep their animals in check?!]

One noble’s response made Shaula grit her teeth. In her mind, she thought about how bold it was for someone to refer to her Master like that. She was about to teach them some manners when...

[Miklotov: Please, abstain! DO NOT INSULT THE SAGE!]

The old man's sudden shout silenced everyone immediately.

At the same moment, Subaru’s furious expression turned into one of surprise... before shifting to exhaustion as he caught sight of the clear reason behind Miklotov’s words from the corner of his eye.

While the knights and candidates, along with the nobles, found themselves caught between shock and confusion—especially the noble who had just shouted...

[Noble 1#: S-Sage...?]

[Miklotov: —— Great Sage. We had heard of you through the Sword Saint of our era, as you must be well aware—Reinhard van Astrea—but we did not have the pleasure of meeting you when he returned from his quest at the Pleiades Tower. I apologize for failing to recognize you, despite the description the Saint provided about you.]

As if to add to everyone's confusion, the man speaking made a reverent gesture toward Subaru.

This caused Shaula's expression to shift into one of satisfaction, while Roswaal’s smirk fell into a sour, worried look for his own reasons.

[Subaru: I think Rein got me into an even worse mess than the one I was about to jump into myself...]

He muttered.

Meanwhile, beside the Sword Saint, the candidates and their knights turned their gazes toward the red-haired Saint.

[Felt: Huh...? Hey, idiot. What are they talking about?]

[Felix: Yes, Rein! Explain it to everyone properly. Why is Miklotov-san referring to Subaru-kyun as a Sage, nya~?]

[Reinhard: ——]

Reinhard’s expression remained unchanged. Keeping his small smile, he took a few steps forward, making himself visible to everyone.

Subaru grew more and more concerned, hoping whatever he was about to say wouldn’t complicate his situation further...

[Reinhard: A little over a year ago, when I was sent to the Pleiades Tower to try and obtain the Dragon’s Blood to heal the Royal Family, I encountered some obstacles along the way. But I managed to reach the Tower. There, I was greeted by the two standing before us today... The Great Sage, Natsuki Subaru, and his apprentice, Shaula!]

He recounted with satisfaction, especially when referring to the two. And that crushed Subaru's hopes of reducing the confusion that was already unfolding.

It went without saying that more than one pair of eyes widened at that revelation, especially those of the Knights alongside the Candidates. After all, the legend of the Great Sage, the First Sword Saint, and the Dragon Volcanica—who in the past had defeated and sealed the Witch of Envy—was well known.

More than before, all eyes were fixed on the duo: the dark-haired boy and the girl in short clothing. The former now bore a tired expression, while the latter displayed a satisfied look, a big smile adorning her face.

[Julius: M-But wasn’t the Great Sage’s name Shaula...?]

[Shaula: Huh? No, no! Shaula was never the Great Sage! In the past, my Master put me in charge of the Tower to take care of it and ensure that those who entered—if they even managed to reach it—would pass all the tests on each floor! —— Like I said before: I am Shaula, the great DISCIPLE and APPRENTICE of the Master! Just like his——]

[Subaru: Don’t say that last part!]

Subaru was quick to stop her from saying the final words, embarrassed.

Though no one really paid much attention to their exchange.

[Crusch: Why...? —— WHY DIDN’T YOU DO ANYTHING TO HELP THE ROYAL FAMILY OR THE KINGDOM ALL THIS TIME?!]

The one who stepped forward at that moment was Candidate Crusch Karsten. Furious. Because, aside from having been deceived into thinking he was just an ordinary traveler in the past, the figure before her—as far as she knew—was one of the legendary figures who could have helped with the problems that had persisted over the past centuries. This enraged her, especially due to the personal losses she had suffered.

[Subaru: H-Huh...? L-Look, despite what everyone says, I really——]

[Shaula: Master couldn’t do anything! —— That old lizard didn’t even have the Divine Dragon Blood anymore! And Master lost his incredible powers and memories after he returned!]

Cutting off the boy’s explanation, Shaula stepped forward to shout back at her on his behalf.

[Emilia: —— I-Is that true, Subaru? A-Are you and Shaula the figures that everyone who reads the stories about the Pleiades Tower discovers?]

Emilia’s gaze fluctuated between surprise, confusion, and a slight sense of hurt—feeling as though she had been deceived by the friends she thought she had made.

[Subaru: Emilia-tan...]

[Bordeaux: And why is the Great Sage serving as a Butler at Margrave Mathers’ estate?! And under the orders of that half-devil, no less...?! —— Wait! Are you watching over her out of fear that she will become like the Witch of Envy from the past?!]

When that possibility was raised, Emilia’s thoughts froze on it—just like nearly everyone else in the room. It was a simple yet logical explanation for why the "Great Sage" was affiliated with a figure resembling the one who had almost destroyed the world in the past.

[Subaru: What...? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! Do you have any idea how idiotic that sounds?! You think I got close to her for that kind of reason?! Bastard. —— Emilia-tan is not the Witch of Envy, you fools! She’s still sealed! It makes me furious just thinking about how you’re treating her because of her appearance!]

He shouted in fury, pointing at the Sages, especially Bordeaux, in accusation.

[Subaru: She was kind to me and Shaula, taking us into her home after we helped her against the Bowel Hunter. Since we had been wandering for a long time, we decided to stay there. And I asked for a butler job as compensation! So I could have a place to stay and a source of income. That’s all. And also because I liked her!]

He declared while crossing his arms. Even though his answer only left most people in the room even more confused—except for Reinhard and Shaula, who simply accepted it as natural coming from someone like Subaru.

[Subaru: That’s why I won’t let you keep insulting her like this! —— And you guys?! WHAT’S YOUR DEAL, HUH?!]

He pointed at the knights, who instinctively took a step back.

[Subaru: You see a girl, a Candidate, being insulted like this and do nothing?! What a disgrace! How can you call yourselves Knights if you don’t even do what you’re supposed to?! Maintaining peace and order, you idiots! Instead, you just stand there like a bunch of well-dressed statues!]

He shouted with immense anger. The insults he hurled pierced the minds of every knight, especially Julius and Reinhard. But while these two began to feel ashamed at his words—one because he believed they came from the Great Sage’s anger and the other because they came from someone who treated him like a close friend—the other knights also started feeling resentment, even though they considered Subaru to be one of the three legendary figures from the world’s ancient tales.

[Shaula: Yes! And if Master weren’t here... I bet things would have been way worse!]

[Subaru: Huh? Don’t exaggerate, Shaula... I think I just made things more complicated...]

He murmured. Unaware that the scorpion-girl had begun to sense, little by little, the level of threat emanating from the crystal around Emilia’s neck—from Puck.

The boy’s attention returned to the Sages.

[Subaru: I’m not with Emilia-tan because I think she’s a threat or anything like that. She’s a cheerful, kind, innocent girl! A sweet and trustworthy girl! Don’t treat her like a Witch just because of her appearance, because that’s the only thing they have in common and nothing more! —— Besides, wasn’t she chosen by the Dragon’s Tablet, by Volcanica? Do you want to go all the way to the Tower to talk to him and tell him you disagree with his choice of Candidate?]

With his final words, no one spoke for a long time. Whether out of fear, respect, indignation, or simply lacking the courage to go against his words. Those last words were the nail in the coffin, as they all knew that no one there—except perhaps the Sword Saint and Crusch, though more for personal reasons—would dare go to the Dragon to say he was wrong.

Little by little, however, the previous tense atmosphere began to dissipate.

[Miklotov: I apologize for the indiscretions that took place in this hall, especially regarding your presence, Great Sage. You are right in what you said. And for those who still have something to say... I ask that you reconsider very carefully.]

He cast a sharp glance at his fellow Sage and the nobles, who remained deathly silent.

[Subaru: Alright, alright, no problem. —— Phew! I also apologize for all the commotion I caused here, you know? It’s just that I don’t like people attacking others for such a stupid reason as this. Seriously, appearance? That frustrates me a lot.]

[Miklotov: I see that you truly are as wise as they say, for you speak a truth I completely agree with.]

[Subaru: Hahaha! Now you're making me embarrassed, but I’m not that wise. I lost my patience so easily over insults that weren’t even directed at me... and now that everything is settled——]

[Shaula: It’s not settled yet, Master.]

Shaula’s words cut off what would have been the peaceful conclusion to the complicated situation that had been dragging on in that hall, once again drawing everyone’s attention to her.

[Shaula: Not only did they insult someone the Master cares about, but they also… insulted him, accused him, and I can even feel from here that some of those wannabe statues want to harm the Master, even though he only did what they should have done from the start! And that makes me very, very, VERY angry!]

She declared with a scowl directed at the knights and then at the Council of Sages.

[Subaru: S-Shaula... it's all——]

[Shaula: No, Master. The Master is too good to people and stops them from making many mistakes, but I can't allow them to take advantage of the Master by threatening him like this! —— I want proper punishment, or…]

Her threat made them uneasy, especially Subaru, who became nervous at the tone of the girl. He had been prepared to let it go just to avoid escalating the chaos already unfolding in the Royal Hall.

[Julius: If I may… I will take responsibility into my own hands on behalf of all the royal knights.]

[Subaru: I think… this is going to end badly…]

He murmured in concern.

—[X]—

[Subaru: Now I’m sure… this is going to end badly…]

He stood side by side with the Candidates and almost all of their Knights, Anastasia wearing the same worried expression as Subaru.

He commented in a dry tone, observing the arena where Julius and Shaula were standing together, ready to face each other. Julius had a concerned expression, while Shaula wore a confident smile and gaze.

[Julius: Julius Juukulius, the Knight of Knights.]

The knight positioned himself with his sword, ready to fight.

[Shaula: Shaula, the Guardian of the Stars and…]

Subaru widened his eyes in concern upon realizing what she was about to say.

[Shaula: the Master's Exclusive Body Pillow and Sex Slave!]

She declared enthusiastically, striking a pose similar to the one Subaru often made when saying those words.

Her words left everyone stunned. The knights, the candidates, and all those present who were unaware of such information stood wide-eyed in shock. Those standing beside the young man turned their gaze toward him.

Subaru had a blank expression. An incredibly blank, drier-than-dry expression, drier than anything they had ever seen on someone’s face. He lowered himself slightly, beginning to bang his forehead against the edge of where he stood.

[Subaru: Why didn’t I just keep my mouth shut…? Why didn’t I just keep my mouth shut…? Why didn’t I just keep my mouth shut…?]

He continued doing this as the one-sided duel in the arena unfolded. Shaula brutally beat Julius without using her magic, relying only on brute force, in an attempt to impress Subaru—who later made her apologize to Julius more than a thousand times with her forehead pressed against the ground.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Except for the Sages and Reinhard, no one knew that Subaru was the "Great Sage" of the Tower, as Subaru had requested that this information not be disclosed (since Reinhard and Shaula did not believe him when he claimed not to be the Great Sage). The Sages assumed he made this request because he wanted to roam the world on a secret mission—when in reality, he simply didn’t want to deal with the confusion of everyone thinking he was the Great Sage.

-Subaru remained in the Capital with Shaula to apologize to Julius for the beating he received and at the Sages' request to speak with him.

-The first two loops of Arc 3 unfolded almost identically, except that Shaula was with them. In the second loop, she was killed by Petelgeuse, who had possessed Subaru’s body. Subaru, upon seeing himself doing this, bit off his own tongue and died.

Chapter 42: [Epilogue - Shaula IF]

1) Shaula.

Shaula had always waited patiently for her Master.

When, in the past, her Master gave her a mission — a sacred duty — to guard the Pleiades Watchtower, she accepted it without fear, shame, or worry. Because it was a mission entrusted to her by her beloved Master. The clever Master who, even when faced with the worst situations, always managed to overcome them in the end, no matter what he was trying to accomplish.

Because that’s just how her Master is! An incredibly incredible Master whom she admires with all her heart!

That’s why she continued carrying out her mission diligently.

Waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day.

Waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day.

Waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day, waiting day after day.

During these days, she would wander between the floors, or go outside to attack the Mabeasts that approached her Master’s Tower. And she ended up feeding on some of them whenever necessary — which was basically every day. Because of that, Shaula had to adapt to the terrible taste they had. At least, she considered it terrible — since she had no other food to compare it to, she had no idea if what she ate was good or bad. She would drink water from the Tower to keep herself full.

And so, that was how she lived her life.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

Waiting day after day, eating, drinking water, wandering the floors, fulfilling her mission.

And sometimes, she found herself asking: Why?

Why did her Master give her this mission? Was it because she was the only one capable of doing it? Why did her Master leave her alone to take care of everything? Was it because he trusted her to handle things without his presence? Why did her Master leave and never return? Was it because he had something else to take care of and left her in charge to protect that Tower, which was important to him?

It had been a very long time since she last saw him, since she last talked to him, since she last smelled his scent — even though she completely remembered his scent, no matter how much time passed since they were together.

At some point, she even started counting the days: 487 days, 488 days, 489 days, 490 days, 491 days, 492 days, 493 days, 494 days, 495 days, 496 days, 497 days, 498 days, 499 days, 500 days, and so on, and so on. She kept counting and counting. 1476 days, 1477 days, 1478 days, 1479 days, 1480 days, 1481 days, 1482 days, 1483 days, 1484 days, 1485 days, 1486 days, 1487 days, 1488 days, 1489 days, 1490 days, 1491 days, 1492 days, 1493 days, 1494 days, 1495 days.

Counting to keep her mind active as she walked up and down the staircases. Counting as she fed on the horrible meat of the creatures that tried to attack the Tower. Counting as she continued waiting for her Master.

She even started counting the seconds she’d been waiting for him: 2,260,399,890 seconds, 2,260,399,891 seconds, 2,260,399,892 seconds, 2,260,399,893 seconds, 2,260,399,894 seconds, 2,260,399,895 seconds, 2,260,399,896 seconds, 2,260,399,897 seconds, 2,260,399,898 seconds, 2,260,399,899 seconds, 2,260,399,900 seconds, 2,260,399,901 seconds, 2,260,399,902 seconds, 2,260,399,903 seconds, 2,260,399,904 seconds, 2,260,399,905 seconds, 2,260,399,906 seconds, 2,260,399,907 seconds, 2,260,399,908 seconds, 2,260,399,909 seconds, 2,260,399,910 seconds, 2,260,399,911 seconds, 2,260,399,912 seconds, 2,260,399,913 seconds, 2,260,399,914 seconds, 2,260,399,915 seconds, 2,260,399,916 seconds, 2,260,399,917 seconds, 2,260,399,918 seconds, 2,260,399,919 seconds, 2,260,399,920 seconds.

She never stopped counting while she waited for the return of her beloved Master.

How long had she waited for this?

She waited for 400 years, which converted to 4,800 months, which converted to 20,857.1 weeks, which converted to 146,000 days, which converted to 3,504,000 hours, which converted to 210,240,000 minutes, and finally, converted to 756,864,000,000 seconds.

UNTIL THAT DAY CAME!

 

[Subaru: Oh, my very first official NPC. My name is... Natsuki Subaru! Newly summoned from another world, completely broke and clueless! Nice to meet you!]

Her Master had suddenly returned to the Tower, introducing himself with those characteristic poses of his, speaking in that cheerful tone he always used before. Something she loved to see! And when she saw him there again, she recognized him instantly by his scent — the unique scent of her Master, which stood out from anyone else’s, even among those with a similar scent — like her mother and creator, Daphne, whose scent was extremely different from others like her.

And her first instinct was to hug him with all the happiness that had built up over those centuries of patience it took to reach that moment.

After waiting so long for him... he had come back to her.

Shaula felt incredibly happy about it. Shaula felt that all her efforts had been rewarded. Shaula felt that everything she went through had been worth it when he returned.

Because the two of them could finally see each other again.

2) [——]

Many of the things Shaula had dreamed of for when her Master returned had come true, while others turned out to be extremely surprising as time passed with them together after everything. Some were so surprising that they made her think her Master was even more wonderful than she already believed.

Now, she only had to wait: 0.0333333 hours, 2 minutes, 120 seconds.

A pretty short time for most — especially for someone who had waited four entire centuries for her beloved Master to return. But today, those two minutes felt like the most agonizing of her entire existence. Because she had to be away from her Master once again, behind those doors, waiting just a little longer to finally be with him again.

It wouldn’t be the first time, but it would be one of the most important moments.

Ever since they left the Pleiades Tower, she had lived a life full of adventures with him, adventures that erased all those years of loneliness in such a short time — which made sense considering how incredible her Master was in her eyes! They traveled the world, first with the descendant of Reid Astrea — the person she wished to never meet again in life or death — discovering new places and new people, going on every kind of adventure possible. Spending every moment together.

She did find some things strange.

Like how he became affectionate with her during important moments — not that she disliked it. He would suddenly hug her or treat her with sweet gestures and loved making her smile — something Shaula believed was because he was falling in love with her after all the flirting techniques she had used to win him over! And she would get her moments to open her heart to him... like those times when he let her cry onto his lap pillows.

Even though, over time, living these adventures, they met many people — which, in her opinion, included love rivals: like the silver-haired girl, the blue-haired girl, the pink-haired girl — whom Shaula still suspected of having a slight mental illness that made her fall in love with the man who wore clown makeup — the Earth Dragon, that green-haired woman, that blonde-haired maid, and then her biggest opponent, her rival, the one Shaula considered her nemesis and ultimate enemy — Petra. The one who made her feel the greatest fear of losing her Master’s love when she started working at the Weird Clown’s Mansion.

Not just rivals in love, but also rivals for exclusivity — especially when he made a contract with that Great Spirit from the Mansion’s Library where they started living. A rival too difficult for Shaula to deal with. Why? Because of her adorableness — she could steal her spot on her Master’s lap, sit on it, lay her head on it to rest, or even hold his hand and do things like that — things Shaula was extremely jealous of because she was missing out on them!

But now she was about to claim an exclusivity that none of the others could ever reach!

And that’s why she was so excited for this final minute ticking down. Because it was something she longed for. Finally, she would be with her Master in one of the ways she most desired — a way she had dreamed about many times, though if she were to be completely honest when asked, she never truly believed it would actually happen.

Shaula was there, waiting. Wearing an outfit very different from her usual one.

Why?

Because it was an outfit made especially for this important day.

The day of her wedding! The day of her wedding with her beloved Master!

A dress that was a bold fusion of sensuality, extravagance, and elegance. The top was made of shiny black satin, fitting her body perfectly like a second skin. It was a strapless corset that left her shoulders and chest fully exposed, elegantly — yet provocatively — highlighting her model-like figure and generous bust. Across the bust, delicate golden filigree traced patterns resembling the pincers of a scorpion.

The skirt was asymmetrical and daring. In the front, it was short — ending mid-thigh — made of translucent black tulle with tiny silver sparkles resembling stars. In the back, it extended into a long, dramatic train made of layered tulle and chiffon in black, burnt orange, and gold, evoking the colors of her tattered cape. Each layer was irregular, deliberately torn at the edges. Around her waist was a wide black leather belt with orange detailing, designed in a sophisticated style, directly referencing the belt she normally wore. At the center, a golden scorpion-shaped buckle completed the look.

Despite being strapless, it had optional sleeves: detached sleeves starting mid-arm, made of black lace with tiny gold and red embroideries, referencing the three red dots of her eyes. The sleeves ended in sharp points, mimicking stingers.

Her hair remained styled in her iconic “scorpion tail” braid, now decorated with small golden clips and red gemstones, simulating tiny stars and stingers along the braid.

She wore high-heeled boots, made of glossy black leather, reaching just below the knees. Orange stitching details and small golden accents in the shape of scorpion tails adorned the sides. Instead of a traditional veil, she kept her signature accessory: a butterfly bow tie, now stylized in black silk with golden edges, along with a necklace featuring a small red gem in the center — like a scorpion’s stinger.

The outfit was entirely her own choice.

Of course, at first, she wanted to ask her Master for help with the outfit, to help make the dress. But he left that responsibility to her. He gave Shaula complete freedom to choose whatever she wanted to wear for their wedding ceremony, accepting whatever she decided. Something that filled her with both happiness and nervousness due to the weight of such an important decision for the most meaningful day of her life so far.

Only 30 seconds remained before her dream would come true...

[Shaula: 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21...]

She kept counting, even now, in different situations.

Counting down to the moment she would see her beloved Master again.

[Shaula: 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11...]

Even now, she was nervously fidgeting, bouncing slightly in place.

Holding in her hands a bouquet made of her favorite flowers.

[Shaula: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]

The doors opened, revealing the interior of the venue. It wasn’t a regular church or anything of the sort. This place was the Royal Hall — the hall prepared for her and her Master to hold their ceremony. Because he was the Great Sage, the hero who had saved the kingdom they now lived in countless times.

Destroying the weirdos who tormented people using the abilities granted by his creator and her friends, and even those who would have been his “siblings,” who terrorized the people of the world.

And that’s why she was there — in this most important moment.

Surrounded by so many people, so many figures she had become friends with, those who would now be important to her.

She had waited for two minutes. And now, there. Waiting for her was her Master.

Now that she thought about it, in those two minutes, not only had she waited for him, but he had waited for her, both of them waiting to accomplish what they wanted to accomplish.

But this time she hadn't been trapped in a huge tower in the middle of a desert, she hadn't been alone during the four centuries that had passed, she now couldn't even count on her fingers the number of people she knew who were important to her.

The Master was still the most important person in her life, but she would still have people she could have as friends should he ever need to leave again for a new mission. The Master was still the most important person in her life, but if she were to be left behind again for another few years, she would no longer be locked up in a tower of stones. The Master had given her so many new things that she wouldn't be able to thank him for everything she has now!

It took four hundred years for him to come back and two minutes to reach that altar.

And she couldn't be happier about it.

Finally, after so long. She could realize her goal in life and live a happy life with her beloved Master. Her thoughts were the happiest of all, as she also thought...

[Shaula: Tonight there's...!]

Looking at her Master, she couldn't wait for them to rip off their clothes that night and finally have sex without Otto complaining about them making a fuss - like the first time they'd accidentally done it when they were sharing a room with him after setting fire to the first Mathers Mansion.

 

 

—————

This IF finale would take place after all the events of the Royal Selection.

Chapter 43: Kazuma IF

What if...? Someone else was summoned in Subaru's place?

 

 

—[Kazuma]—

[Kazuma: Uwaaah! So sleepy...]

I could only complain a little as I continued "piloting" that dragon carriage to make another delivery. A boring, time-consuming job. Something very, very, very annoying and irritating, and unfortunately, I can't avoid doing it if I want to survive right now.

[Kazuma: Why is my luck so horrible?]

I am Kazuma Satou, an ordinary teenager who was summoned to a fantasy world. And as the protagonist of this adventure... I have to say, this sucks!

It happened in a weird way.

When I was heading home one night, taking the metro from the city to the countryside, it happened suddenly. I was next to another guy who wouldn't stop playing with a baby in a stroller—a guy with scary eyes, weird-looking—and he seemed like a NEET, just like me.

And when I blinked at that moment, I found myself in a brand-new world!

I even thought: "How amazing is this?! I was summoned to live an adventure in another world! MY TIME HAS COME!"—the excited thoughts of a NEET otaku addicted to isekai anime and manga.

Positive thoughts—at least until the first problem in this stupid world.

There was no one there to teach me anything, I couldn't use a Status screen or magic, I couldn't read the letters of the things around me, and I was even attacked by three annoying bandits!

And when I thought I had found a loli heroine... SHE ABANDONED ME IN AN ALLEY!

Why?!

When I was being robbed and beaten up, that was when the person I thought was a true heroine appeared to save me! She was beautiful, had long hair, and I could tell she had a nice pair of breasts in that outfit of hers—no one could blame me for sneaking a peek—and I got excited when I met her!

 

Despite her weird personality, I tried to help, and we went on an adventure together. It felt like scenes from a romance story.

I thought I had found the first heroine of a standard isekai protagonist’s harem—not that I would complain, of course.

I wouldn’t mind one or two of them, honestly.

That’s when the first failure event happened! When we arrived at a Loot House, I died! Seriously! I died, and it was very, very painful! Horrible! And I'm pretty sure I even wet myself while dying... BUT NO ONE COULD BLAME ME! It was too painful, I couldn’t even think of anything else. Terrifying, absolutely terrifying.

Even now, I shudder a little just thinking about it.

And that’s when I discovered my super-special ability, which I like to call: Checkpoint. When I die, I go back to a previous point in time.

Amazing, right?

NO! I have to die to go back, and it hurts a lot most of the time!

When I returned for the first time... I ended up wetting myself because of the phantom pain. It was horrible. And when I finally got myself together, I made a decision: I wasn’t going back there!

Being killed like that? No, thanks, not happening. That girl, Satella, was cute, but she wasn’t worth the risk of dying again. Especially since I didn’t know how many deaths I could take. Also, I had already paid my debt in that loop, right? I took her to the Loot House, and that time I wasn’t attacked for her to save me

Anyone would have done the same thing as me, right?!

I managed to find a shop to sell some of my stuff after getting directions from the Appa guy. I sold what I had with me:

A limited-edition eroge game I had bought for my gaming nights,

Some snacks I had stocked up to lock myself in my room,

Tissue paper and lotion for... men’s things,

And a few drinks I had.

I made enough money to buy a ticket out of the city on a dragon carriage, with enough cash in my pockets to survive for a while in this new world.

Helping that heroine shouldn’t be that important, right? It must have been an optional event to help her, and we could meet again later, and I could add her as part of my team.

The next day, I heard a story from the Capital that made me grateful for leaving early!

 

Some kind of monster created an ice storm that devastated that part of the slums and the noble district, until a guy named Reinhard—a guy with a cool title... Sword Saint—defeated the monster and saved everyone...

How frustrating!

I don’t even know this guy, but I bet I already know what he’s like.

He’s probably a typical handsome dude, loaded with money, from a noble family, who had an easy life and got everything handed to him, with all the power in the world and a gigantic harem of all the girls he could ever want! What a jerk!

A typical handsome, arrogant idiot who probably doesn’t even understand what it means to struggle!

Now I feel my teeth grinding.

I’m so jealous!

I started off unable to read or write this world’s language, with no money—only managing to get some after selling my stuff—no Status screen, no magic, and just one crappy ability!

Who’s supposed to survive like this?!

And things just kept getting worse! Because while I managed to escape those annoying events of dying in a dirty Loot House or being frozen like the rest of those people, I found myself trying to figure out ways to survive on this journey of mine.

Until I got involved with a guy, Otto, and he taught me the Merchant trade. I thought it would be much easier since I was a guy from another world and could introduce some things from the land I came from. And at first, it was. I managed to introduce a few things and build them to sell, like lighters. I even made a good amount of money alongside that guy named Otto.

Like everything in the beginning, we did really well. We even drank together! A great friend, yes. Until we got involved with a guy named Russel Fellow and... we fell into a debt trap. All because we got too drunk and signed things that we should have signed sober, agreeing to sell things at prices that would profit him, but our luck ran out badly.

And we suffered a huge business loss to a girl named Anastasia Hoshin. It was a phenomenal loss because, without meaning to, I ended up losing some products, selling the rest at prices that didn’t generate profit, and handing over many of my ideas from my world to her on a silver platter. All because I got drunk and thought she would be another heroine for the Isekai protagonist’s harem.

I was tricked by a cute face, okay?! She had a good way with words.

And that Russel guy? He wasn’t happy at all. Not with me, not with Otto. Since we were in debt and had no immediate way to pay...

Well, sort of.

Otto still blames me, and we don’t even talk anymore, but secretly, I managed to sell that Earth Dragon—he called it Frufoo—that Russel seemed very interested in. And we reduced our debt, even if only a little. Otto wouldn’t even look me in the eyes because of it... Hmpf! It’s not my fault, okay? We needed to find a way to pay our debt because of our stupidity. And it was just some random animal, wasn’t it? What difference does it make?

But the debts were big enough for me to become an employee and start working as a merchant. Making deliveries, making sales, using my knowledge to create and sell new items on the market—but that Anastasia girl had made greater progress than me in that regard, thanks to my stupidity.

And that was just some of my stories...

There was one time when I accidentally caused trouble on the estate of a woman named Priscilla Barielle. I met a guy named Al, who’s from the same world as me, in the middle of all that mess. She killed me! Just because I accidentally groped her in one of those anime Ecchi fall scenes.

I really hope she isn’t one of the main heroines... I wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Anyway, more and more trouble in this stupid fantasy world.

WHY?!

Wasn’t I summoned here for a reason? Am I not the protagonist?

Where are my super abilities...? My luck...? My great superpower? The mandatory Isekai protagonist’s harem that would include a princess...? Epic adventures with loyal companions...?

So annoying! I’ve already died three times, damn it! In the Capital, by one of those monsters called Majuun, and because of that Priscilla girl!

No one could handle dying three times in less than a month.

[Kazuma: Arrr. What an annoying Isekai fantasy adventure... The mangas lied so much... But the one who summoned me must have a super special reason, right? I must be someone important to have been brought here, right? —— My moment will come! And I bet it was a super beautiful girl who summoned me and must be all excited to meet me!]

I proclaimed confidently. After all, it had to be that, right? At least something good!

—[Nobody]—

Inside the Seal, Satella was banging her head against the "floor."

[Satella: Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot.]

It was her mantra now. Banging her head against the "floor" nonstop, even though she didn’t get hurt, trying to punish herself for the stupidity she had committed that day.

Satella had been trying to summon her beloved.

Natsuki Subaru, her beloved. She saw him in that thing that, in the other world, was called a: Subway Station. A place where someone takes a metal transport to go from one place to another. He was with several people, playing with a woman’s baby while she was distracted on one of the devices from her beloved’s world.

She was preparing to summon him. And when she did... she missed.

Subaru had moved from the spot he was in. That distracted woman, unintentionally, dropped the baby carriage onto the train tracks, and Subaru ran and jumped to save it. Moving out of the path of her hand to summon him.

Kazuma Satou, the young man she summoned, was standing behind Subaru, and she ended up grabbing him instead, giving him the power that was meant for her beloved.

When she thought to correct her mistake, it was too late. Subaru had died.

The stroller had gotten stuck on the train tracks and he tried to free it, but he couldn't get the stroller off the tracks. So he had to try to save the baby. The thing that connected and kept the baby safe, the belt, was also stuck and Subaru had to tear it to get the child out when the train was close to hitting them. He managed to throw the baby back to his mother and save him, but was run over in the process.

Making it impossible for her to summon her beloved until he was reborn into the world again.

Now?

She had committed a summoning by accident, her beloved was unavailable until possibly the next century and the world was in turmoil.

[Satella: Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot. ]

If anyone saw the figure of the very threatening Witch of Envy in that cursed seal... they would see her slamming herself against the ground for what she would consider to have been her greatest blunder.

 

 

—————

I've been watching Konosuba recently. I really enjoyed the comedy. So I thought: What would Kazuma be like in Subaru's place from the start, and vice versa?

No offense to anyone who likes Kazuma, but I feel that he wouldn't be a good protagonist for Subaru in the world of Re:Zero. Because I don't think he'd have Subaru's mental and emotional stability to deal with things. Especially since his mentality is even worse than Subaru's in Arc 3, in my honest opinion based on what I've seen and read of Konosuba.

That's why I thought of this IF.

In this IF:

-Kazuma and Subaru are from the same world. Subaru died saving a baby from being hit by a train while Kazuma was summoned by Satella by accident.

-Almost all the initial events of Void IF happened: Felt's death, Rom, Emilia at the hands of Elsa. Puck attacking the Capital. And Roswaal freaking out about losing Emilia and his Gospel being wrong.

-In this universe, Otto is depressed by the sale of Frufoo at the hands of Kazuma.

-Subaru has gone to the world that Kazuma should have gone to at the hands of Aqua.

-Kazuma would die an infinitesimally smaller amount than almost any other Subaru.

Chapter 44: [Extra - Kazuma IF]

——[Kazuma]——

[Kazuma: Off to Kararagi...]

With that said, I kept guiding my personal carriage with my personal belongings. Moving forward to the next step of my journey: Kararagi, a nation described as simple, calm, and good compared to other nations. And that's only because I could use the Kingdom of Lugunica as a comparison, which wasn’t that great.

I had gone through the worst months of my life in this new world.

Things simply got way too complicated as time passed here. For example: There was a time when I had to escape from a damn giant Whale! SERIOUSLY?! Luckily, my Earth Dragon was fast enough when I abandoned my old carriage — and because there was an army there to fight that monster. I don't know who they were, nor do I know what happened to them, but THANK YOU! Thanks to you guys, a simple merchant could get out of that situation alive.

However, my luck only kept getting worse after that.

I ended up meeting a weird lunatic with green hair and sickly pale skin. A guy named Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti. He said he was a Sin Archbishop representing Sloth from the Witch Cult. Or something like that. He was a super-weird guy! He kept contorting, talking about the love of some weird witch, about sloth and diligence.

Weird is an understatement. Can you imagine having a face like that?

But what happened next was even worse; because that guy, along with his group of weirdos — which he called Fingers — mistook me for some Archbishop of Pride and asked if I had a Gospel. The first time I denied it, I died. I came back a few minutes before meeting them and couldn't escape.

So, I followed the best option I had: Lying. Lying like crazy!

I had to become the so-called Archbishop of Pride. Using the right words, I explained that my Gospel had been destroyed by a knight, which infuriated that guy, Petelgeuse, against the Knights.

And... I joined a Cult.

I always thought that if I went to an Isekai, I would join a group to fight a Demon King's army or something like that. But I joined a Cult! I JOINED A DAMN CULT?! WHY DID I JOIN THIS DAMN CULT?! Oh, to avoid dying in several repetitive loops because of that lunatic.

At least it was better than being chased by a Whale. At first... then everything just got worse.

I had to join their group and received a Gospel from a little girl with platinum hair and blue eyes, whom they referred to as 'Pandora-Sama,' the leader of the Cult — the one even that weirdo seemed to address with respect. She looked like just a common loli. But I knew I couldn't underestimate her, especially with everything I learned about this new world — which seemed overly uncomplicated.

By joining this group, I ended up doing well. Like some kind of villain. I just had to follow the Gospel's orders, and I could live however I wanted. I had good money, housing, food. It wasn't bad at all. Plus, I became one of the leaders there, with some people obeying me just as I commanded.

Should I be worried about how well I fit in with them?

Yes, worrying. But I simply did what was necessary to stay alive, so can you blame me for simply surviving in the way I could?

Essentially, I couldn't be considered a bad person for that.

Besides the subordinates and missions, I had to deal with the Archbishops — the other guys who had the same level of importance as me, or some even superior due to their experience as leaders. Not that I was far behind. Not to brag, but at least I could solve everything I was asked without creating a huge amount of chaos and destruction compared to them.

I got along with each of them differently.

Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti was the first I met; He was weird, weird, and weird. Almost every conversation I had with him ended up going down the path of him talking about sloth, diligence, and love. Saying how we should all follow the Gospel and accept the love of that Witch of Envy. Scary.

Sirius Romanee-Conti was the second I met in this Cult while she chased after Guese; She was psychotic, obsessive, and strange. If she wasn't talking about Petelgeuse — how she loves him, how she admires him, and how they should be a couple (she even took his name in some kind of forced marriage) — she was talking about her concept of love, a unified love. Stalker.

Regulus Corneas was the third I met; Arrogant, proud, and talkative. He seemed like he never shut up, and whenever anything happened, he started rambling about how he was a satisfied man, someone without greed, whose rights were "violated" by everyone who did anything that annoyed him in any way — and he used his power to attack anyone in his path; and the bastard had a gigantic harem! Jerk.

Lye Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard were the fourth and fifth ones I met in the Cult; Savage, controlled, and bizarre. Sometimes you could exchange a few words with them, sometimes not, and they were irritating with their habit of speaking in the third person with everyone — and they talked about a little sister, who I deduce is just as weird as these guys, who sometimes seemed like wild animals — and they were the owners of that Whale, THAT DAMN DISGUSTING WHALE! Bizarre and crazy.

Capella was the last I met in this group of weirdos; Sadistic, sarcastic, and a bitch! When I met her, I thought I’d finally have some heroine to have a romantic story with... but her personality was horrible. I think she was the only one I really got along badly with because she always insulted me whenever I stared at her too much — blame that outfit of hers, BLAME HER OUTFIT CHOICE! — and she called me a disgusting piece of meat, not caring about my feelings — she even turned me into a stupid insect to make fun of me when I did that. Nasty.

I couldn't like any of them, but my ranking from worst to "best" would be: Capella, Regulus, Sirius, Roy, Lye, and Petelguese. And even so, I wanted to beat them all up! But I knew that each of them could finish me off whenever they wanted since I didn't have any damn ability or special protagonist power besides Return by Death.

WHAT THE HELL! WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE ME AN OP ABILITY TO SURVIVE, DAMN IT?! WHAT KIND OF FIGURE SUMMONS A PERSON FROM ANOTHER WORLD AND DOESN'T GIVE THEM AN ABILITY TO DEFEND THEMSELVES?!

You should have at least given me an Excalibur...

Anyway, I didn't last long in the Cult. Because of some... problems. Those problems now included them hunting me down! All because of my choices, like some kind of cosmic karma for my life decisions.

Things started on a journey I took with that Petelguese.

We went on a mission for the Cult, and everything was going well. Until I met those Knights, and among them, a guy named Julius Juukulius — another typical pretty boy who had everything handed to him by the world. The plan was to get something in the Capital, so I came up with a plan to act in the shadows, but Guese acted on impulse to spread his “love.”

I was supposed to help him escape, but... I decided to get out of there. If the guy wanted to make his own choices, then let him deal with the consequences, and no one could blame me for that.

It's not my fault he died to that idiot pretty boy.

Of course, I had to lie to that woman Sirius: saying I fought to the end to save him and how Petelguese made a diligent sacrifice to save me, and I said I tried to sacrifice myself in his place! She believed it... or at least I think she did. I got out without dying again.

I thought nothing could get worse, at least until Priestella.

The goal for everyone there was just to get some kind of bizarre thing from some Witch of Pride. We were all sent. And there was that purple-haired pretty boy, the so-called Sword Saint, and several other guys that I'm sure would have been part of my group as a hero if I had gotten the right power — my OP ability.

My problem with the others, besides their terrible personalities, was that they didn't know how to work as a team.

That's why everyone started acting however they wanted. Sirius was the first to start the attack, in a tower with a child. It was pretty disgusting, but there was no way I could stop it, right? I could have killed myself and gone back to warn the others... but I would end up getting involved in more problems for killing myself and dealing with the consequences of telling something like that.

So, after seeing that, I made an impulsive decision. I snitched everything I knew!

I found that pretty boy called the Sword Saint. I told him the weaknesses of the Archbishops I knew and most of their powers, confessing what each one was capable of doing. To let him handle everything. And after that...? I left that city! I didn't care which side would win, I left the responsibility to the heroes of this world.

They're the ones who have to take care of their own problems, right?

After leaving that city, the first thing I did was grab my things, pack up, and leave. If they survived in that city, I didn't even want to know what they would do if they found out I was the one who told everything about them to be defeated. So I needed a quick escape.

With my time in the Cult, I focused part of my objectives on my current goal.

Go to Kararagi.

It was considered a good land for merchants, and I was already a good merchant before joining the Cult. And during my time, I managed to gather a good amount of money for when I needed to flee from them.

That was the moment!

Several days passed since then, I hadn't been found or attacked, and everything was set for me to build a calm and perfect life in a relaxed place, from what I heard from several former colleagues and people I met outside the Cult.

[Kazuma: It's a shame not being able to be a hero... it's time to focus on my new life. I'm sorry, everyone, but there's not much I can do, right? Besides: It's not my problem. I was summoned out of nowhere, to a strange city, without warning, without any cute girl explaining what to do and giving me a special power or weapon, or at least an explanation of how to turn things around since my arrival. I was tricked, betrayed, and had to deal with people extremely stronger than me! —— No one can blame me for thinking about my own survival in this insane world, right? It's not my responsibility... I'm not a hero, I've already learned that.]

That was my conclusion.

I don't have any really deep connection with anyone here, it's not my world, they're not my villains.

I'm just an ordinary Hikikomori, a NEET. I became one after seeing my childhood friend, who promised to marry me, ride off on a motorcycle with one of my Senpais. That broke me. And that made me lock myself in my room and start playing RPGs non-stop. Even when I tried to still be a student at that private school my parents paid a lot of money to get me into, I kept making so many excuses that the school called my parents.

They fought with me, of course. I was even worried that my father would give me the same beating he did when I was younger when I asked him to divorce mom and marry again with a woman with a younger girl.

But they let me continue with my Hiki-NEET life.

I'm sorry, fantasy world.

This Hiki-NEET already understood. I'm not a hero. Just a guy traumatized by one of the worst experiences that could hurt a man, and no one could overcome suffering a heartbreak from the girl who promised to marry me when we were kids, who became a recluse. There's nothing worse than that, is there? No! My friends, parents, and online friends never understood that.

[Kazuma: Cute girl who summoned me... I'm sorry for failing you. But you would still love me anyway, right?]

——[Nobody]——

Satella kept banging her head against the ground with extreme violence, trying not to explode the seal.

[Satella: Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot.]

She continued, even though she wasn't hurting herself with her headbutting against the ground.

 

 

—————

I know some might ask:

Why do you seem to be making fun of Kazuma so much?

Honestly? Because that's really how he is — and because of the fans.

When I started watching Konosuba, I understood that it was a parody. Kazuma was meant to be the opposite of many Isekai protagonists. He would choose to avoid fighting enemies, even if they were on the same level as him, just to avoid getting hurt or dying. He’s not a hero or someone like Subaru, who would push forward to help others even without considering himself a true hero like those he dreamed about in his Isekai fantasies.

And in the story itself, Kazuma is responsible for his own problems. Like I must have already said: HE was the one who chose to take AQUA instead of a superweapon or some super magical power — just because he was pissed at her for mocking him and genuinely believed she was overpowered enough to defeat all enemies for him while he did nothing.

Let's not forget that by Kazuma's own description: he's someone who, when he finds himself in a good situation, falls back into his Hiki-NEET habits — like when he thought he was going to become extremely rich and just pay adventurers to do his job for him.

The fandom in several stories portrays Kazuma in the Re:Zero world as if he were some legendary, invincible hero who could easily do everything Subaru did — without taking into account the situation each one finds themselves in within their respective fantasy worlds. Seriously... it's almost a joke.

Especially when someone says something like:

Goat Kazuma; Chad Kazuma.

Virgin Subaru; Simp Subaru.

Without realizing that between Kazuma and Subaru... Subaru would fight (and literally die) thousands of times to save people, while Kazuma would think more about himself if placed in the same situation.

I wish people would realize the real difference between Kazuma and Subaru.

Another issue is that people put all the blame on Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness — without realizing that...

Aqua – Was taken by Kazuma, who could have chosen a superweapon, power, or magic instead.

Megumin and Darkness – He could kick them out of the group at any time.

Or he could just leave the group himself. He's not actually forced to stay — he could join other parties or quit and get a job as a merchant (which was even suggested to him in the first episode by the receptionist), but he chooses to remain an adventurer. His choices.

Well... that's it.

I'll still make a Second Extra in the future, telling about Subaru in the Konosuba world.

Other Consequences in this IF:

-The Whale and the Rabbit remain alive.

-Kazuma accidentally attracted the Whale earlier against Crusch's army while they were preparing, forcing them to attack with less coordination. They survived, but with half the army destroyed and Crusch missing an arm (the right one).

-Kazuma became the Archbishop of Pride and was considered, by lower-ranking members, the best boss — since he always diverted part of his missions to go drinking or to the Red-Light District in Flanders (a brothel).

-Petelgeuse is the only Archbishop who died among all the others.

-Regulus fought Reinhard, and even knowing about Regulus's power and that he didn't know how to fight (thanks to Kazuma snitching), Reinhard still couldn't kill him — because he didn't want to harm Regulus's wives and didn't know how to destroy the hearts inside them.

-The Archbishops were expelled from Priestella, some heavily injured, but they caused enormous destruction and deaths (even opening two of the water gates). However, they were all filled with hatred for Kazuma — the Archbishop of Pride — for fleeing and snitching on everything he knew about them.

-Kazuma, in Kararagi, lives a peaceful and happy life as a merchant, even becoming a drinking buddy of Halibel (not as deep as Subaru in the original and Sloth Route, but enough for them to drink together and crack some jokes at each other).

Chapter 45: [Extra 2 - Kazuma IF]

[Aqua: Natsuki Subaru... you died.]

Those words would be shocking to anyone who heard them, but not to the boy who had gone through it. Because it was quite clear that he had died even before that girl had said so. How? Because of what had suddenly happened to him shortly before he ended up in that place.

Subaru Natsuki, a young man with black hair and intimidating eyes. He was at a train station, returning home.

His goal was clear: to get back for another night of gaming with his basic supplies—snacks, instant ramen, and energy drinks. Everything he needed to finish the game that had been entertaining him during his time locked inside his room, something that had become a routine after waking up. Ever since he became a hikikomori.

But while he was at that station, he came across a child—a baby—whose mother was distracted by her phone.

On instinct, he started playing with the child while the mother was distracted. But in her distraction, she didn’t notice that the stroller had been pushed and had fallen onto the train tracks—just as the train was approaching.

Before he could think, his body moved.

Natsuki Subaru jumped onto the tracks, trying to remove the stroller, but its wheels were stuck. The train was getting closer, about to hit them. But breaking free from the straps that held the baby in the stroller, in a desperate act, he grabbed the child and threw it back to the mother—who only noticed at the last moment. His final sight was the baby flying into the mother's arms and the people who had just realized what was happening—before he was hit.

It hurt for a few moments. He was struck by the high-speed metal train, destroying his body—or at least, that’s what he thought.

He was now in an ethereal place.

Dark, with stars. And standing there was a divine figure, with an aura of blue hair and clothes, youthful and beautiful in appearance. The typical kind of girl who would summon a hero for an Isekai adventure, a divine figure.

[Aqua: My name is Aqua, and I am the Goddess responsible for this sector. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.]

[Subaru: The baby... is it okay?]

[Aqua: ——? I see. Yes, the baby is fine. When you threw it, the mother caught it in time, unharmed. They are both safe. I'm sorry, but as you obviously must know, you died upon impact with that train. Your body was severely mangled due to the force of the collision.]

[Subaru: Damn...! Now I have that image stuck in my head...]

Complaining, he scratched his head with a bit of irritation at the thought of his body's state after his death. But then he refocused on the girl in front of him.

[Subaru: And... what’s going to happen to me, Aqua-sama...?]

Scratching his left cheek, he asked.

The blue-haired girl gave him a big smile.

[Aqua: Do you like RPG and Isekai video games?]

[Subaru: Huh?]

Over the next few minutes, she explained what she meant. She told him about a world that was being tormented by the Demon King's army, where the souls of the dead in that world no longer wanted to reincarnate or return, gradually decreasing the population to the point of potential extinction.

So Subaru had three options:

Go to Heaven (which Aqua described as a boring place where Subaru would stay forever, without any fun, stuck with his relatives for the rest of eternity).

Reincarnate (starting his life over on Earth as a new person).

Go to this new world as a hero to defeat the Demon King.

[Subaru: Go to a boring place... start over... or go on an adventure...? Well... ——. I guess I only really have two choices. I think I’ll go with the adventure... Starting over sounds nice in theory, but I don’t think I’m ready to abandon who I am—Natsuki Subaru—to become a completely new person.]

[Aqua: Perfect! Now... choose! ——. Among all the divine items, you may choose one thing to take with you to the new world!]

As she said that, numerous papers fell from above onto Subaru. Many. There were countless choices: weapons, magic, objects, etc. Dozens of options for him to pick from. Subaru fell among the papers, starting to search for a good choice.

Aqua calmly sat in her personal seat and began snacking, waiting for Subaru’s decision. Normally, she would mock Subaru for being a hikikomori and a reclusive otaku, but she refrained. Even she had to respect someone who had sacrificed his life in such a way to protect another—a newborn baby, no less—from a grotesque tragedy like being hit by a train. But she wasn’t that interested, so she distracted herself with food.

The black-haired boy started reading through the papers, searching. Thinking about what kind of weapon or power he could obtain to deal with the challenges he would face in this new world, especially against a Demon King’s army so powerful that people refused to come back to life. His first instinct was to go for something focused on attack. That was his usual mindset in RPGs, especially shaped by the Isekai stories he had seen.

Then his eyes landed on one in particular.

A paper with something strange.

[Subaru: Aqua-sama...! This one called: “Blessing of Wisdom,” what is it?!]

[Aqua: Hm? You want that one...? Alright, you can have it. If that’s your choice.]

[Subaru: Eh?]

As those words left the goddess's lips, the other papers disappeared, and a kind of magic symbol appeared beneath Subaru’s feet, encircling his body. He looked confused, still holding the paper he had picked up earlier.

[Aqua: With your choice made! Noble hero, we hope you will accomplish great acts of bravery and——!]

[Subaru: W-W-Wait, A-Aqua-sama! I didn’t mean to choose this! I was just trying to ask about this so-called “Blessing of Wisdom”!]

[Aqua: Eh? Eh?! EEEEEHHHHH?!]

The blue-haired girl’s expression fell just like Subaru’s. As the young man began to levitate slightly in the light, the goddess also started to panic.

[Aqua: W-W-W-W-W-W-W-Well... Great hero! When you overcome these challenges, you may receive a special divine reward! So... DO YOUR BEST, OKAY, NATSUKI-KUN?!]

[Subaru: ——?!]

[Aqua: Goodbye!]

Those were the last words exchanged between them, as Subaru wore an expression of both confusion and disbelief at the goddess’s actions.

Forcing the farewell as quickly as possible, Subaru was thrown out of that place, while the goddess began sweating profusely in personal panic over her mistake.

—[X]—

Subaru's eyes blinked a few times as he took in his surroundings. A city. A typical old medieval fantasy-world city, with human people and people with animal-like traits, such as special races—like elves—and some individuals dressed in typical adventurer attire, gathered together.

His first instinct was to scream at that goddess for sending him so suddenly. Also, for having been transported without being given anything extra to help him get by, other than what he was already carrying. But that anger soon faded with a sigh, his mind calming down as he looked at the paper he was holding. He opened a small smile.

[Subaru: Well... it's the start of a journey, isn't it? —— Dad, Mom... I'm sorry...]

He gripped the paper slightly. After the initial shock had passed, the image of his parents flashed through his mind in that sudden moment.

Thinking about how they would react to his death.

His only solace? He could say that he used his life to save a baby from a horrible death. At the very least, his parents might feel a tiny bit of pride in him. Perhaps it was a morbid wish? But for someone who considered himself useless, being able to do that for another person would make it all worthwhile.

Setting those thoughts aside for now, he wiped away the tears that had begun to form. Determined to think about it later.

He quickly shifted his focus back to his current situation.

[Subaru: I think the right start... is finding an Adventurers’ Guild. If we follow the classic Isekai or RPG setup, I should be able to see my stats, as well as get my first job. That might be a good start. I have no money, so any job to at least get a roof over my head would be good. —— Alright! Let’s get started!]

Taking his first steps, he began looking for directions; he soon helped an elderly woman carry some things and also assisted a few children in the meantime, learning a bit more about the city. He even managed to get some money—a “Side Quest” reward.

Then he headed to the Adventurers’ Guild, a classic-looking building. He entered it, taking in the wooden architecture, as well as the distinct figures of receptionists, adventurers, and staff members working there. A normal place for an adventurers’ guild.

[Subaru: Oy, excuse me.]

[Adventurer: Hm? What do you want, huh, kid? Weird clothes.]

[Subaru: I came from far away and I’m here to become an adventurer, to help fight against the Demon King’s Army.]

[Adventurer: ——? Seriously? Alright... Then welcome to the gates of hell, kid! If you want to join the Guild, the Admission Desk is over there.]

Pointing towards the counter, he gestured to a place where other receptionists were stationed.

[Subaru: Ah, got it. Thanks.]

Giving a thankful wave, he walked over to the Admission Desk. He waited in a short line until it was his turn. Soon, he stood in front of a receptionist—a woman with blonde hair.

[Receptionist: Are you sure you're serious about this?]

[Subaru: Yes, yes. I wish to register as an Adventurer to fight against the Demon King’s Army.]

[Receptionist: I see. There will be a registration fee, is that okay?]

[Subaru: Registration fee...?]

[Receptionist: It’s 1000 Eris.]

Pulling out the coins from his pocket, the ones he had received from the elderly woman he helped earlier, he placed them on the counter.

[Subaru: Would this be enough...? I’m from a faraway countryside, and we didn’t deal with Eris coins there, you see? Sorry for the inconvenience.]

[Receptionist: No problem at all. I’ll be happy to explain. ——Alright, you have a total of 800 Eris here... Hmm. Let’s do this, okay? I’ll let you register, and for your first job, you can pay the remaining 200 Eris, alright? Normally, I wouldn’t do this if the price was higher than 1000 Eris, but since it’s such a small amount and you’re new here, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, okay?]

[Subaru: Thank you so much, Receptionist-Sama!]

Clapping his hands together and bowing his head in an exaggeratedly comical manner, he expressed his gratitude to the blonde-haired receptionist. Meanwhile, she waved her hand dismissively, as if to say, “No need to thank me.”

[Receptionist: Alright then. Since you said you want to become an adventurer, you must have some level of understanding, but I’ll explain from the beginning. First, adventurers are responsible for exterminating monsters that roam outside the city—people who eliminate dangerous creatures that might harm citizens. They also take on odd jobs that require their skills. Collectively known as adventurers, they are people who make a living this way. And among adventurers, there are different job classes.]

As she explained, she pulled out a card before handing it to Subaru. It was the size of a driver's license and seemed to be a type of identification card.

[Receptionist: Please look here; do you see the word ‘Level’? As you may know, all things in the world have a soul, no matter what form they take. If you eat or kill a being, you can absorb part of its soul’s memory, known as ‘Experience Points.’ Experience points are normally intangible, but... ——With this card, the Experience Points that an adventurer absorbs will be displayed here. At the same time, the level corresponding to your experience points will be shown here. This indicates how strong an adventurer is. The number of enemies you defeat will be recorded here. As experience points accumulate, all creatures will eventually become stronger, a phenomenon known as leveling up. Simply put, leveling up grants various benefits, such as skill points to learn new abilities. So please, work hard to increase your level.]

She explained gently while pointing to the card, making sure Subaru understood.

[Receptionist: Now... Please fill in your height, weight, age, and other blank fields. ——Then touch your card, and it will display the strength of each of your abilities as a reference for choosing your class. After accumulating skill points, you can learn abilities available for your class. This is one of the key factors in choosing an occupation.]

The black-haired boy absorbed every word she said with great concentration. Especially regarding levels—if there was a limit on how many skills he could use based on his level, he would need to think wisely about how to allocate his points. And so, he began filling out the form as requested.

Following the receptionist's instructions, he completed the card and then touched it as explained. The card emitted a faint glow. Subaru’s expectations were slightly high as he waited for the woman’s analysis, showing his card to her in hopes of choosing his class.

[Attendant: Very well, thank you. Natsuki Subaru-san, right? Let’s see... Strength, vitality, agility, and speed are above the common average. Magic and intelligence are better than your other stats, but not by a significant margin. Your luck isn’t very high, but that’s not very relevant for adventurers. Among the classes you can choose: Adventurer, the Basic Class, like Fighter or Swordsman, which, over time, you could evolve into more efficient classes as you level up and improve your stats. You could even reach the level of a Sword Master if you progress enough. Or, with your skills, you could become a Merchant, Chemist, or even an Alchemist. And of course... When you level up, along with your skills, you can switch classes to one you find more suitable for your personal choice.]

She explained.

[Subaru: Hmm. I practiced Kendo before, but I was never really good with a sword. ——Could you explain more about the basic Adventurer class, please?]

[Attendant: Yes. The Adventurer Class is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a combination of all jobs. It may be a basic-level class, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse than the others. Adventurers can learn and use skills from all types in the end. On the other hand, you’ll need more skill points to learn abilities. Without the bonus attribute of a specialized class, your skills will be weaker compared to theirs. It’s a jack-of-all-trades, but unfortunately, it excels at nothing.]

[Subaru: I see, I see.]

Subaru's gaze then shifted to the pocket of his jacket, to the paper that had been his choice for this new world. A choice somewhat forced upon him by the Goddess who was supposed to guide him.

[Subaru: ——I choose the Adventurer Class.]

[Attendant: Eh?]

[Subaru: I’m not really good at anything anyway. So, for now, I think I want to focus on improving myself in general. And you said I can change classes once I level up enough, right? I want to start with something basic... is that okay?]

Scratching his cheek, he spoke nervously to the woman.

[Attendant: No problem. As I said, you can change your class later. I’ll register you in the basic Adventurer class.]

It took a few seconds for her to finish his registration.

His card was handed to him.

He received some congratulations from the receptionists and then left, heading to a more secluded area away from people. Then, he began reading the contents of the paper.

[Subaru: ——. Blessing of Wisdom. Basically... a Class Upgrade.]

That’s what caught his attention.

[Subaru: In this case... By signing the contract on this piece of paper, my class will be elevated to a divine level. In other words, every class should still have a potential limit based on the race using it... Some races may have better efficiency in warrior classes, just as in magical classes. That should include the levels I can reach as a human. The “Blessing of Wisdom” breaks this by raising my Class abilities to a level beyond my base human potential, which makes sense.]

He placed a hand on his chin, thoughtful.

[Subaru: To illustrate. If I had a mana bar of 100: If I were a mage and used a spell that required 30 mana, it would deal an X amount of damage with high efficiency. If I were in a superior class to a regular mage, using the same spell might cost between 10 to 20 mana, dealing a Y amount of damage with greater efficiency than the mage class. But as an Adventurer, I might have to spend 40 mana, dealing a Z amount of damage with lower efficiency. ——However. The “Blessing of Wisdom” allows me to reach the efficiency of a superior class even without belonging to it. Even though I am in the Adventurer Class, I could use a Mage’s skills with the same or even superior efficiency.]

That’s what he realized by carefully analyzing the “Blessing of Wisdom,” a magical power written on the paper, which he could sign and make a reality.

Even if it was an accident, such a thing was still perfect for him.

As an Adventurer, he should lose the bonuses of other classes when using their skills, even though he could learn abilities from each of them. However! By having this contract, he would increase the effectiveness of his skills to the same level as advanced classes and still be able to learn abilities from other classes in the process.

Whether it was skills from Fighters, Swordsmen, Mages, or Healers, he could learn abilities from all of them while also having high efficiency in each one.

[Subaru: Of course... not everything is perfect.]

He then read the [WARNING] section of the contract: Upon signing this contract, the person who does so will have to spend 80% more points to acquire a skill.

[Subaru: If a Fire Magic spell for a properly classified Mage costs 3 points, for an Adventurer, it might cost 5, and for me, it would cost 9. But in return, my efficiency would be superior to both classes, right? ——Phew. Quite a high price. If I have a level cap, this could make things even harder, especially considering that I can’t recover these points if I spend them on a skill that isn’t very useful, right?]

Deep in thought, he crossed his arms. Furrowing his brows, he pondered the choice he had been given.

It made sense in his mind.

A skill that would allow him to stand out, but with an effect that would still limit him.

[Subaru: Well... There’s no turning back now. And since this is what I have at my disposal, I’ll gladly accept it. I’ll take full advantage of this ability!]

Making a small cut on his left thumb to draw a thin line of blood, he “signed” the magic circle in the center of the paper, sealing the contract. A divine golden light surrounded him, as well as his card.

And so: Natsuki Subaru had arrived in the new fantasy world.

 

 

—————

In this IF, from Subaru’s perspective:

-(My OC part) The "Blessing of Wisdom" was an item created by Eris, but most of those who were brought to this world didn’t even pay attention to it because Aqua usually placed the "more useful" weapons and items on top of it. This caused Eris’s contract to end up buried at the bottom of the pile of papers.

-He started out the same way as Kazuma: sleeping in the stables while earning money by working at construction sites. He saved up his earnings to buy his first basic equipment (weapons, potions).

-Before starting the frog-hunting quest, he held a general recruitment, where he gathered a few adventurers, including Megumin, and they went on their first mission together. They managed to kill all five frogs, but he didn't form a party with the other adventurers because they refused to accept Megumin.

-He officially started his party with Megumin: She would carry the equipment and use her explosion magic as their "Secret Weapon" in moments of desperation (an excuse Subaru made up just because he felt sorry for her after hearing that she went hungry for three days when they first met, but he also understood the pride she had in her Chuunibyou persona).

-Subaru met Chris and learned thief skills from her: Thanks to the efficiency granted by the "Blessing of Wisdom," he was able to steal Chris's Blade and retrieve his own Money Pouch. Since his luck was low, he couldn’t steal her panties like Kazuma originally did. Later on, she ended up joining his party.

-Subaru met Wiz during a cemetery exorcism mission (where he had to protect a nun from Aqua's sect in the process): He stopped the nun from exorcizing Wiz after learning about the services she provided, thus becoming acquainted with her. Subaru even asked Wiz to teach him some of her magic later as a form of gratitude. They started becoming good allies, and she even became an unofficial member of his group. Later on, Subaru even helped her reincarnate and stop being a Lich, making her one of his romantic interests.

-Subaru met YunYun when she came to challenge Megumin: Over time, they became friends and grew closer romantically. They helped each other overcome their past traumas, strengthening their bond with Megumin as well.

-Subaru met Mitsurugi: They got along well and even worked together to defeat Dullahan and other threats in the world. They started forming a strong friendship as they both overcame their fantasies of being "chosen, predestined heroes," with Subaru being the first to go through it and later helping Mitsurugi, further strengthening their bond. The only time they fought was when Subaru protected Wiz, and Mitsurugi challenged him only to showcase Subaru's strength to everyone, proving how he would protect those around him (playing the villain in the story, much like Julius did in the Training Arena during Arc 3).

Chapter 46: [Epilogue - Kazuma IF]

[???: What was your son's name?]

[???: Kazuma...]

The two matriarchs began.

[???: And what was your son's name?]

[???: Subaru...]

The two patriarchs continued.

Ironically, on that cold winter night, as snowflakes fell, it was the first time both members of each family spoke to each other. Exchanging the first words they had never said in all those years. Other than that, they had never said anything — not even offered condolences or sympathy. Nothing.

The Satou family: Okina Satou, the matriarch, and Dai, the patriarch. And the Natsuki family: Kenichi, the patriarch, and Naoko, the matriarch. Sitting on a bench together, but slightly apart — about an arm and a half in distance — both sets of parents looked in the direction of the train tracks. Each of them dressed to face the cold of that night, each of them prepared to endure the snow falling over the place. A cold station. Where two disasters happened three years ago.

Kazuma Satou, a young man, had disappeared in the middle of the crowd at that station. No one saw him at that moment. No camera captured what happened to him, no one knew what occurred, and the only thing they knew — the only thing they thought they knew — was that he had been kidnapped and vanished into thin air amidst all the confusion that night.

Subaru Natsuki, another young man, had died on the tracks of that station when he was hit by a train. Everyone saw him at that moment. They saw him jump onto the tracks to save a small baby who was stuck in a stroller, which in turn was stuck on the tracks and would have died if not for him unfastening the straps and throwing the child back to their mother.

Two young men were lost that night, leaving their two families behind. While one family sank into uncertainty about their son’s fate, the other could only grieve with the sorrow of unfortunately knowing exactly what had happened to theirs.

[Naoko: What was your son like?]

[Okina: —— Kazuma was... different. —— He was always a sensitive, honest, and open young man in some ways, someone who followed others. Someone who let himself be influenced quite easily by his surroundings and by people... Haha, I remember, haha, a time when he asked my husband to divorce me...]

[Naoko: Really? Why?]

[Okina: Fufu, haha, he didn’t mean any harm, believe me... No. My Kazuma wanted a younger sister, like in those anime stories, to have a romantic adventure... But I don’t think he really understood what that meant. We were pretty upset at the time, you know? And... now I remember how excited he looked about something he didn’t quite understand...]

Okina gave a small smile as she recalled that day, a slight bitter taste in her mouth. Not from disliking the memory. Far from it.

Anyone who could step into that woman’s mind — or that man’s — would know that neither of them hated the memories they had with their son. Memories now remembered with bittersweet affection, because of the memories they would never get to make. And they wished they could go back...

[Kenichi: I know this might sound cruel, but... do you regret anything?]

[Dai: —— Not being better for him. I feel like I was never a proper role model father. I never taught him good values to follow — ideals he could truly lean on. —— When he dropped out of school, when he stopped leaving the house. I just let it happen. Not because I didn’t love him, but because I... didn’t see myself as capable of knowing what to do for him... I felt like if I said anything, it wouldn’t be enough and wouldn’t carry any weight to help him overcome whatever he was going through. —— I wish I had been the kind of father he could talk to about what he was feeling.]

[Kenichi: I think he would have listened to your words.]

[Dai: If he had... I think I would’ve been the happiest father in the world, to have my son believe in me...]

Speaking with sorrow, Dai held back his tears as he clasped his hands tightly together. Trying to suppress what he was feeling.

The frustration of feeling like he hadn’t been a good enough father to his son — a father his son could trust with any problem. Someone he could confide his greatest fears and secrets to without fear of rejection or shame, someone who could help lift him up...

[Okina: And your son... what was he like?]

[Naoko: He... he was always... Well... In the past, he was more cheerful, energetic, always getting into trouble, always trying to stand out in everything he could. He even inherited our love for mayonnaise. He was always so open, playful... until...]

[Okina: Until...?]

[Naoko: When he started growing up... he changed. Not that he became violent, not that he turned into a bad person. But... he started to close himself off. Spoke less, played less, opened up less. He’d lock himself in his room for hours or even days, and sometimes only came out to eat, go to the bathroom, or to get things just to go back into that room.]

In Naoko’s mind, as in Kenichi’s, was the image of their little smiling Subaru — and how, over time, that image slowly changed into a withdrawn, sad-looking young man.

Happy memories that turned into sad ones. Memories of someone they had lost forever — in a way some might consider heroic, but for them, even if it was selfish, they wished it had never happened. Memories of someone who was lost because of the mistake of a woman too distracted to care for her own child, whom theirs had to sacrifice himself to save.

[Dai: And do you regret anything...?]

[Kenichi: —— I think... not being more direct with him. Because we saw him sinking into that abyss, shutting himself in that room, pushing everyone away. And I thought — we thought — that if we gave him time, gave him space, that eventually he’d open up to us. That he’d talk. But...]

[Dai: But...?]

[Kenichi: Why was it him who had to make the first move? —— We were — we are... we were his parents, right? Why did we just stand there waiting for him, when we could’ve reached out before it was too late? Maybe... because we thought we had more time? Because we thought we’d always have him, and that one day he’d be able to trust us enough to tell us what he was going through? —— People have told me it wasn’t our fault, that we did our best... But I don’t think so. If we had truly done our best, we would’ve been direct when we saw he needed help.]

With the bitter taste of regret in his mouth, thinking about what he could’ve done for his son before he died — the life that could’ve been if he hadn’t wasted time waiting instead of acting. If he had been more assertive. If he hadn’t been so passive.

What would it have been like? How could life with their son have changed if they had done just a little more? How could Kenichi and Naoko Natsuki — the people their son once admired most — have helped him if they had taken control of the situation and kept him from slipping away when he was still within reach?

Both parents shared the same thought: What could we have done for them? How could we have helped them? But most of all...

Did their sons still love them?

Did they still admire them?

Would they be proud to call them their parents?

A feeling, a desire, from each of them — from each parent — to have their sons there, even if only for a moment, to tell them what they thought of them.

A wish that could never be fulfilled...

But as the snow fell that night, even if they couldn’t explain it to anyone, they felt something too. The parents would later describe that on that night, they received something from their children in that moment of unity. A hug. As if from within the snow, from within the cold wind, the figures of their children had appeared between them on that bench and embraced them.

Kazuma and Subaru seemed to manifest in that moment, held on to their mothers, looked at their fathers, and spoke the same words:

"I love you."

Words they had heard before from their sons. Loving words that brought back memories of when they were just children, small children, easily amazed by the world they lived in, with bright eyes full of hope for the future. Words that held no malice, no hidden intentions, only the pure desire to express what those young men felt for their parents.

And in that moment, all barriers fell, along with any lingering doubts. The two mothers clung to each other, crying, holding each other like newborns. While the two fathers cried deeply, without a sound, clenching their fists so tightly they bled.

Grateful. Even without knowing who had allowed such a thing, they felt grateful to have been able to hear those words from them — real or not. And without understanding how, they knew deep within their hearts and souls that those were truly the words the two of them had wanted to convey to each of them.

Accepting that bitter sadness mixed with happiness, they broke down in tears, in embraces, in pain, releasing all the negative feelings they had held and comforting each other.

So they could rise stronger, guided by the words of their beloved children.

And without them knowing, such a thing had been permitted by two figures…

[???: You... did a good job, Eris.]

[Eris: T-Thank you very much, Aqua-senpai. B-But… I only conveyed what they felt in their final moments…]

[Aqua: And even so, you did well. Be proud.]

The two goddesses watching that scene had gentle smiles on their faces. They had completed the mission given to them by the wish of the hero who saved the world Aqua had assigned him to. And after witnessing that, they left — but Eris, in a selfish act, blessed them so they could keep moving forward strong and steady... and Aqua said nothing upon seeing it, but wore a small, proud smile at her Kouhai’s gesture.

 

 

—————

I originally had a different idea for this epilogue, but then I thought deeply about it and realized my original idea was foolish. So I changed it, aiming for something more meaningful, and decided to write this epilogue which, even though it’s shorter than many others, is personally one of my favorites that I’ve written.

I apologize to anyone who didn’t like it or expected something different.

In this IF:

-Kazuma Satou: He lived many years in Kararagi as a merchant, married a lovely young woman, and grew old happily — though with regret for the mistakes of his youth, especially for not helping those he could have. He didn’t see himself as an Isekai tale hero, but wished he had done more for others instead of simply running away. So: Satella, moved by the sorrowful and repentant heart of the young man who had changed completely from who he was when summoned, gave him a second chance and sent him back to his first checkpoint. Unlike the first time: This time, Kazuma helped Emilia with Reinhard’s aid, assisted the country in fighting the Great Beasts, the Witch Cult, the Archbishops, and even helped during the Great Calamities in Vollachia and Kararagi (Zarestia’s case). And after all of that: He met again with the same young woman he had married in his first life. They fell in love again, married, and lived a peaceful life once more — and this time, Kazuma felt satisfied, having not run away from helping those around him.

-Subaru Natsuki: He faced and fought all the Demon King’s generals alongside several companions, including Mitsurugi, until he became worthy of the wish that would be granted to him in the end. He made his wish, but chose to remain in that world, to continue protecting it and caring for everyone important to him. After the times of war and terror, Subaru found himself living a peaceful, simple, and happy life. He married, had two children (Rigel and Spica), and lived as a retired adventurer, teaching his kids everything he knew — until he died of old age beside his wife.

-Wish: Subaru’s wish was for his parents to find a way to be happy even without him around. Aqua and Eris granted that wish — not just for them, but for Kazuma’s parents as well. They conveyed all the love both sons felt for them, even at the end of their lives, allowing both families to find closure together and move forward, guided by the love each son felt for them.

-Hankou: Kazuma’s brother, in the future, would have two sons: One he would name Kazuma, in honor of his late brother, and the other Subaru, in tribute to the Natsuki boy whose family had become close friends with the Satous and even helped pay for Hankou’s university tuition.

Note: Since Kazuma’s parents don’t have official names, I created OC names for them: Hankou, Dai, and Okina.

Chapter 47: Destroyed IF

What if...? What if Subaru had survived Rem’s attack?

—————

 

 

Since that day, Subaru could only see half of the ceiling. Even if he tried to force his eye to see, he would never be able to, for it was impossible for something that was no longer there to perceive anything. And all he could feel was the hole inside his skull whenever he placed his fingers there.

The fingers of his only hand—the only one he had left since that day.

And that night, he couldn't sleep properly because of it.

Turning over in his bed, he saw the wheelchair beside it. He struggled to move toward it, but with great effort, he tried his best to grab it and sit down. It took him several minutes of attempts, along with a few coughs of exertion, before he finally gathered enough strength to adjust it and sit, moving around the room in it.

One of the rooms prepared for him in the mansion of one of the first friends he had made in this new world—at least, he hoped he was his friend.

The Astrea Mansion, belonging to his friend: Reinhard van Astrea.

The black-haired boy moved, feeling the glow of the light from the windows shine over his body. Moments later, he found himself in front of a mirror, staring at that horrendous figure. The horrendous figure that once was Natsuki Subaru, the son of Kenichi and Naoko Subaru—someone who had come from Japan to a fantasy world.

But now?

He saw someone unrecognizable. Starting with his face, he was missing his left eye. If he kept his eyelid open, he could see only the darkness within his skull. Placing his right hand over his face, he once again touched the hollow space before lowering his hand to his left arm—or rather, the absence of it. From the shoulder down, nothing remained.

Moving his hand to the pajamas provided by the mansion's servants, he pulled them open slightly, revealing scars.

A deep scar on his neck, which constantly prevented him from speaking for long periods. In fact, it stopped him from being who he used to be. If he spoke too much, he would choke, begin coughing violently, or even suffocate on his own words, forcing him to catch his breath again. And a large, deep scar on his chest.

If that wasn't enough, looking further down, he saw his legs—or rather, his leg. Only his left leg remained; the right had been torn away, and the way his pajama pants draped over the chair made it painfully obvious. His leg was still badly wounded, preventing him from moving it naturally.

The person who was once Natsuki Subaru now had not even half of his former body.

A cripple.

Even with treatment from the best healer in the kingdom, his wounds could not be fully healed, leaving him condemned to a life bound to a wheelchair, dependent on the kindness of others to survive. Beyond his injuries, he could barely eat properly unless someone forced him to.

A few tears threatened to fall from his one remaining eye, while the empty socket of the other burned.

[Subaru: Do... n’t... cry... idi...ot...]

He could barely speak to himself as he tried to wipe his tears away.

How had he ended up in this state? He would never forget as long as he lived.

It all began when he met a half-elf named Emilia on his first day in this new world and tried to help her recover her insignia. That was when he died. He discovered his ability to Return by Death that day, after dying three times in a row while attempting to help her. And he would have died even more if he hadn't also met Reinhard that same day when he asked for help after being attacked by three thugs.

Emilia and Reinhard were the kindest people he had met that day.

And then, he ended up injured and unconscious, taken in by Emilia and healed as part of her gratitude for helping her recover her insignia and saving her from being killed by Elsa. He was brought to the mansion of her sponsor, Roswaal L. Mathers—a man Subaru found eccentric, with his clown-like makeup.

There, he also met other figures: Beatrice, a loli-sized girl with drill-like blonde hair, and a pair of twin maids—Rem and Ram.

Just remembering them made him tremble from head to toe.

As his reward for helping Emilia in his first loop, he asked for a job. He worked as a butler for a few days that time, learning from both of the girls, picking up skills for his job, and even learning to read and write. In the second loop, he made the same request, trying to find a way to survive. But then, he started vomiting blood and experiencing excruciating pain—pain that only ended when his skull was crushed, shortly after having one of his arms torn off.

This led him to suspect that there was a killer attacking the mansion and its residents.

In the third loop—the final one in the mansion—he asked only to be a visitor.

After spending a few days there, he decided to leave. A carefully crafted lie. He took a knife and went to a hill overlooking the mansion, intending to watch over it. He tried to act like a hero, hoping to help the people he had met and believed he had befriended in those lost days.

But it was all a lie…

The one who had killed him in the second loop—whom he also suspected had killed him in the first—was Rem. The blue-haired Oni maid. She attacked him, wounded him severely, and when he tried to flee, she tore off his leg, leaving him incapacitated. She left him at her mercy to be tortured for hours.

Beaten, healed, tortured, broken. His mind and body destroyed.

For he realized how little they had ever truly trusted him—how everything he had experienced with them had been a lie.

And then, she slit his throat with wind magic.

But by some stroke of luck, he did not die. He went into shock from the damage and watched as his body was discarded by Rem and Ram—who he realized had been the one to attack him so brutally—tossed into a shallow grave.

Like trash.

They wasted no time, eager to return to the mansion.

He survived.

Bleeding, crying, wounded.

He crawled out of the grave, making his way through the forest until he reached the road. At some point, he passed out. Perhaps by a twist of fate, someone found him and saved him, taking him to the Capital a few days later.

An event he was grateful for.

When he arrived in the Capital, he was taken to a place where Healers managed to keep him alive, but he wasn’t recovering. Somehow, he convinced them to contact Reinhard by mentioning his name and where they had met.

Faster than he expected, his friend found him in that healing facility, took him out of there, and brought him to the mansion.

Soon after, Reinhard reached out to Felix, hoping he could heal him as much as possible. He managed to save at least part of Subaru’s vocal cords, allowing him to still speak—though with difficulty, in a choked and faint voice. But he was condemned to that life in a wheelchair, that life of a cripple.

Because when he died again, he found himself outside the loop of the mansion.

Accepted into the Astrea mansion, he was also accepted into Felt’s Camp, who was furious upon learning what had happened to him at the mansion. Subaru had never seen Reinhard as angry as that moment—he would describe it as those times when he did something stupid and his father had to scold him, only a thousand times worse—and he wanted to bring them to justice.

But Subaru didn’t want to worry Emilia. So, he asked them to wait a few more days, so it wouldn’t interfere with the Election campaign of the girl he cherished as a dear friend.

A foolish reason? Perhaps.

But he didn’t want to harm Emilia. Felt and Reinhard, even though they were clearly displeased with his request, accepted it. They agreed to do nothing against Emilia and her maids until the right time. So as not to disrupt Emilia more than he already felt he had by being taken to that place and left there.

Going back to his seventh death—it happened during the Royal Selection.

While Reinhard and Felt went to the Castle to make their presentation for the Royal Selection, Subaru was taken there to meet with Felix, who would check his physical condition and examine his Gate—since the first time he had assessed Subaru’s Gate, it was as underdeveloped as a child’s. The three of them gathered in the castle.

That’s where he met Ram again.

She had been brought by Roswaal and Emilia, finding him in a room where Felt and Reinhard had left him to rest until the end of the event, which the girl didn’t want to participate in. He thought he was safe—until she entered.

It was terrible, not because of the pain, but because of the words.

[Ram: I’m sorry, Barusu. I don’t care whether you are or aren’t a Witch Cultist... but Rem and Roswaal-sama are the only things that matter to me in this world. It is my duty to protect them, by removing the obstacles in their way.]

An obstacle? Was that all he had been reduced to in the eyes of someone he had grown fond of during the days they spent working together?

Subaru cried before having his head cut off by the sister of his torturer.

When he returned again through Return by Death, he was saying goodbye to Felt and Reinhard before they left him alone. And Reinhard noticed his emotional state. He tried to make up a quick excuse, but in the end, he had to confess part of his ability. He couldn’t fully reveal his power, but enough for Reinhard to trust him.

He had been saved from death at Ram’s hands. That incident two days ago made it clear—he would never recover from the pain he had endured.

Looking at himself in the mirror again, he felt useless. A useless fool. Someone who had entrusted his life to people who attacked him in such a cruel way and showed him they would never trust him back. Just because of his scent.

A useless cripple now being carried from place to place in a massive mansion, treated as an incapable person—someone who could no longer even help in the ways he wanted to.

Even though Reinhard insisted that it was to make up for the damage he felt guilty for, for allowing him to suffer as he had, Subaru still felt that the blame was his own.

And now, he could no longer truly trust people.

Sometimes, he imagined the maids plotting to stab him in the back, the butlers laughing at his failed attempts to help, Reinhard considering getting rid of him—though, in that last case, he thought it was impossible, given his perspective of the red-haired swordsman.

He waited anxiously for his next torture, his next death at the hands of someone he once trusted with his life.

Subaru felt pain.

He felt sadness, he felt despair.

But he also felt one last emotion.

[Subaru: Di... di... die... di... di... die...]

Amid the tears he shed, there was also his rage. His hatred.

Sometimes, late at night, he would do this. Stare at himself in the mirror to see the useless atrocity he believed himself to be, even before he was crippled, letting out his sorrow and anger.

Anger at Rem and Ram. Hatred toward the two sisters.

He hated them. He wished for something he never thought he would ever wish upon someone: death.

He wished for them to die. He wished for them to meet an end as cruel as the end of his trust and his body.

Because that cheerful boy, that enthusiastic boy, that boy who tried to act as excited as his father—was gone.

He had been crushed, tortured, cut apart. Destroyed by the hands of the two Oni maid sisters of the Mathers mansion.

Magic from another world, like the maids themselves, had been broken beyond repair for him.

 

 

—————

This was based on another fanfic, though I don’t remember the name.

I was thinking about making a ranking of Subaru from the weakest to the strongest in my IF stories. What do you think? It would just be a joke chapter to give my personal opinion on which I think are the strongest and weakest, with some explanations.

In this IF, some things have changed:

-Emilia thinks Subaru left and doesn’t know his current condition, even when Reinhard stopped Ram from killing him again in the Royal Selection Castle loop.

-Subaru is missing: an eye, an arm, a leg. His vocal cords are damaged, part of his lungs (along with his torso) is so injured that he has breathing issues and coughing fits, and he vomits blood when he strains too much to speak.

-This Subaru is almost the same as the Wrath Route version, except his hatred is entirely focused on Rem and Ram. However, he is still willing to kill himself to go back and save Crusch and Emilia.

-Reinhard has learned to trust Subaru’s "intuition" because he uses his Blessing to know that Subaru is always telling the truth. Thanks to this: He saved his grandfather and Crusch’s Camp from being killed by the White Whale and saved Emilia from Petelgeuse. Subaru killed himself to warn Reinhard to act and save them, earning both achievements for Felt’s Camp.

-Subaru has become the strategist of Felt’s Camp.

-Felt is the one taking care of Subaru in almost everything: helping him bathe, dress, eat, cheer him up, and constantly watching him to prevent suicide or self-harm attempts.

-Later, Subaru would unknowingly be found by Rem and Ram, who would try to eliminate him again in secret. But they would be defeated by Reinhard, who would threaten them without Subaru knowing. Their next face-to-face meeting would only happen in Priestella.

Chapter 48: [Extra - Destroyed IF]

[Julius: You did a great job.]

Rem couldn't understand...

[Felix: Yes, Subaru-Kyun~! Thanks to your planning and Rein's work, everything went perfectly~!]

Rem couldn't comprehend...

[Wilhelm: The combined efforts of Subaru-Dono and Reinhard produced an impressive result. You should be proud of your two allies, Felt-Dono.]

Rem couldn't accept it!

[Felt: Of course I am! Rein and big bro handled everything really well!]

Why? Why was everyone praising... THAT?!

In the middle of a post-battle meeting, members from four of the five Camps that had come to the city gathered at the place Anastasia had designated when they first arrived in Priestella. It was there that Rem saw him again — the cultist she thought her sister had eliminated, the cultist she had destroyed.

And it infuriated her! Why was he still alive?

She couldn't accept it, so that night, she tried to hunt him down and kill him with the help of her sister. But she was stopped by the Sword Saint. He stood between the two of them and Subaru's room in every possible way. The way he acted to threaten them... was terrifying.

That was when Rem realized just how manipulative the cultist she wanted — should — eliminate was. How he must have manipulated the Sword Saint into thinking he was a normal person. But Rem couldn't accept it — not when the stench of that disgusting man had grown stronger, thicker, more REVOLTING.

It became harder and harder to hold herself back from killing him.

There was only one moment when Rem didn't want to kill him: when the Witch Cult's attack on Priestella began. Even the Archbishops were there. She tried to help by fighting, evacuating people, and venting her anger on them. She even searched for him to kill him, but he always seemed to slip away from every place she went.

As if that wasn't enough, now everyone saw him as a hero. Because he had apparently helped eliminate the Archbishops — Lye Batenkaitos of Gluttony, Regulus Corneas of Greed, Capella of Lust's expulsion, and Sirius of Wrath's capture — by leading the Knights' attacks alongside the Sword Saint himself.

And the speech he gave through the city's communication system only cemented his image as a master strategist, a leader — a hero to the people of Priestella.

And now?

Members of almost every Camp were gathered: Emilia, Rem, Ram, Roswaal from Emilia's Camp, Anastasia, Julius, Ricardo from Anastasia's Camp, Crusch, Felix, Wilhelm from Crusch's Camp, and Felt, Reinhard, and Subaru — the cultist — all in one room, drinking and eating together.

But Rem couldn't focus on the celebration because of the disgusting smell preventing her from enjoying her meals. Her eyes were locked on the man she had sworn was dead — sitting comfortably, delighting himself alongside the small, short-haired blonde candidate.

Worst of all were the compliments everyone kept showering on the black-haired boy, who looked embarrassed at the words.

[Subaru: I... di... n't... do... mu... ch...]

[Felt: Big bro! You shouldn't try to talk too much, especially when you're going to say something stupid, you know?]

[Reinhard: Despite our Lady's indelicate words... it's true, my friend. We couldn't have handled these matters without your strategies. Thanks to you, we managed everything perfectly with minimal casualties and damage to the city itself.]

[Subaru: Hmm. I... still... think... I... do... n't... de... se... rve... thos... e... pra... ises...]

That was the final straw.

[Rem: You really don't.]

Even though her words were spoken in a normal tone, they echoed through the silence like they were shouted.

Many eyes turned to the Oni.

Subaru closed his mouth, a defeated, sad expression on his face. He resigned himself to staying quiet — but there was also a glint in his eyes... of fear.

[Felt: What do you mean by that?]

[Rem: That he really doesn't deserve the praise everyone is giving him.]

[Emilia: Rem, please. P-Please don't say things like that. —— I apologize, Felt-Chan.]

Emilia lowered her head, especially after hearing the threatening tone in Felt's words. Her expression of sadness was the same as when she first saw Subaru again in the city — seeing the pitiful state of the person who had once saved her felt like a knife in her heart, imagining what could have happened to make him end up like that.

[Subaru: Do... n't... wor... ry... Emi... lia-tan...]

[Roswaal: No, Subaru-Kun~ Ouuuur~ dear Rem shouuuldn't speeak like that to someone so honored, right?]

[Ram: ——]

The pink-haired maid quickly furrowed her brow — something few would notice. But another figure did: a lavender-haired merchant.

[Anastasia: But it seems your other dear maid doesn't share those thoughts.]

[Ram: I don't know what you're referring to, Anastasia-Sama. Master Roswaal-Sama's words are true. Barusu demonstrated good timing in resolving unlikely situations...]

[Felt: His name is Subaru!]

[Anastasia: And your words sound quite accusatory, don't they?]

The two candidates raised the point, leaving Emilia even more nervous, glancing between them, trying to find the right words.

[Roswaal: I feel you might be confuuu~sed, Anastasia-Sama. Aren't you, Ram?]

Roswaal's commanding gaze was one that ordered her to confirm — something she would have done, for him.

But another figure spoke before she could — her sister.

[Rem: That man is a Witch Cultist!]

When those words were spoken, as she jumped to her feet, everyone's eyes in the room were on her.

Roswaal's gaze, in particular, narrowed in what Ram knew to be anger — something shared, albeit for different reasons, by Felt, who gritted her teeth at the blue-haired maid's words.

They stood in silence for a few moments, as if waiting for her to say she was making a bad joke.

But she didn't.

[Julius: Rem-san, please. Such words must be measured. Accusing someone of having ties to the Witch Cult right after an attack of this scale... is an act that cannot be taken lightly, especially if it is a tasteless joke.]

[Rem: I'm not joking, Julius-sama. —— This man is a cultist of the Witch Cult who is trying to infiltrate one of the Camps with still unknown malicious purposes, because Rem cannot think in the same disgusting way as these animals. And he seems to have succeeded in joining Felt-sama’s Camp. —— Disgusting.]

[Anastasia: And why should we believe that?]

[Rem: His smell is the same as that of the cultists, at the same level as the Sin Archbishops. Or even worse than theirs.]

[Ricardo: The smell?]

[Roswaal: Rem is a member of the Oni Clan, they possess the ability to sense Miasma. Which is present in Witches, Majuuns, and cultists, especially in the Sin Archbishops.]

[Crusch: —— They are not lying. Or at the very least, they believe what they are saying.]

The woman spoke, her gaze then drifting to the black-haired boy. But she quickly looked away, embarrassed. For she herself had a debt to him; it was thanks to him that an alliance between Felt’s Camps was formed to take down the Whale.

[Ram: And also, the coincidences that Barusu causes, right? —— Throughout the entire attack, didn’t it seem suspicious how he knew almost all the cultists' movements, knowing their positions and the locations of the Archbishops? Just like how he knew the ways to defeat them. Don’t you find it a bit suspicious how he always seems to be one step ahead in these kinds of situations?]

This made Crusch’s slight suspicions grow. After all, it seemed somewhat suspicious, especially since Reinhard had mentioned that the alliance was formed because of Subaru and that the strategy to eliminate the Whale was his. On top of that, she had heard that it was thanks to Subaru that they hunted down Sloth of the Witch Cult after the battle against the Whale.

It all seemed too coincidental to be natural, or at the very least, not orchestrated, as if he already knew what was going to happen.

[Felix: And if he were a member of the Witch Cult, why would he help us eliminate his own companions?]

[Ram: Disloyalty, obviously. They have clearly shown that they do not care at all about their own group members. Eliminating their allies is as natural to them as breathing; monsters like them have no loyalty to each other. —— Barusu could have infiltrated the Camps to eliminate his companions and then eliminate us.]

[Felt: Big Bro's name is SUBARU! AND HE IS NOT A WITCH CULTIST!!!]

The blonde-haired girl lost her patience and shouted as she jumped up to glare down at the pink-haired maid.

[Felt: The only thing you all want is to accuse him to finish the job you started, isn’t it?! BECAUSE YOU—!!!]

[Subaru: FELT! Cough, cough]

Forcing himself to interrupt her with a shout, he began to cough violently, even spitting a bit of blood into his fist. He bent forward slightly, struggling for air and in pain.

[Felt: Big Bro!]

[Felix: Subaru-kyun, don’t push yourself so hard...]

The half-cat knight approached to use his healing ability on him. But while some were worried about Subaru, Emilia’s Camp was particularly focused on Felt’s accusatory words.

[Emilia: Felt-chan... what did you mean when you said... finish the job?]

[Felt: ——]

[Roswaal: I fear that Felt-sama may be trying to accuse our dear maids of Subaru-kun’s current condition, yes? And what leads you to believe they are responsible for such acts? Do you truly have any proof for such an accusation? Because if you say it so clearly...]

[Felt: Big Bro said——]

[Ram: He said we attacked him? Do you realize how cruel such an accusation is? Barusu most likely told you that to deceive you, to give an excuse for you to pity him. A way to manipulate you all. Who guarantees that he didn’t inflict those wounds on himself? Or had an ally from the Cult do it for him?]

Little by little, her words began to make some in the room start to doubt. After all, many things were lining up: Subaru’s predictions, the Miasma’s scent that was comparable to that of an Archbishop, his presence in a Royal Selection Camp for over a year, and now they had pointed out another important factor that could support this theory.

After all, those who had faced Capella saw how she could use her power to create new members for herself and to regenerate. Who’s to say she couldn’t do the same with one of her allies?

[Reinhard: I can confirm it.]

With those words, all eyes turned to one of the quietest figures in the room. But his serious expression made it clear that he wasn’t joking with his next words.

[Reinhard: Thanks to my Divine Protection of the Wind, I was able to confirm that his words were true. The attack that caused him all these injuries... came from within your property, Lord Roswaal-sama. If you wish to deny it... speak now, and I, along with Lady Crusch-sama, can confirm whether or not you are lying.]

[Roswaal: ——]

[Ram: ——]

[Rem: ——]

[Crusch: So... we can confirm that it is true, judging by your silence and expressions. Now, what were the reasons?]

[Ram: —— During Barusu’s stay at Master Roswaal-sama’s residence, Roswaal-sama asked us to keep an eye on him in case he tried anything suspicious. Since he could be a spy, an intruder in disguise, or connected to the woman Elsa Granhiert, who attacked Emilia-sama in the Capital. —— Then, one day, he suddenly decided to leave. So, we allowed him to go.]

[Rem: But to be sure, I followed him. And as we suspected... he was on a hill watching the Mathers mansion. Carrying a knife with him.]

[Ram: What made us act in defense of Master Roswaal-sama and Lady Emilia, as well as everyone else. He was acting quite suspiciously by wanting to leave and being in such a... convenient position for an attack on the Mathers' domain.]

[Crusch: —— They are not lying.]

[Félix: But wait a moment...! How can you be absolutely sure he was a suspect, a cultist?! And more...! The wounds I healed showed extensive damage, which included, what I believe to be, healing magic to prolong the injuries that would have been more easily treated! You could have simply eliminated him, but the signs indicated torture.]

[Rem: We needed to know if he had any important information. That's why I interrogated him in the necessary way.]

[Ram: And I tried to be merciful by cutting his neck.]

[Felt: MERCIFUL?!]

Felt's anger was rising exponentially as she heard that accusation, just as the suspicions about her older brother figure were increasing.

[Roswaal: How would you justify Subaru-kun's actions, Felt-sama? The facts he knows before everyone else? The way he seems... aware of everything.]

Roswaal spoke, now without his accent, cornering them even more at that moment. It was a boiling point that would pit them against all the other Camps and could put Subaru in hot water.

[Reinhard: Subaru has a curse.]

[Félix: A curse...? But I——]

[Reinhard: When I tried talking to Subaru about what happened, I noticed some irregularities in his speech regarding time... And then when he tried to explain it to me, I felt as if he was falling into despair, and I sensed something malevolent coming from him. That's when I realized what it could be; Subaru has a curse that allows him to act based on certain events in the future, and I confirmed it when he mentioned the events of the White Whale and the Sloth attack regarding Lady Crusch and Emilia-sama's Camps. —— I believe it's a power similar to the Witch Cult members', which makes him have the same stench.]

[Anastasia: A power that lets him see the future...?]

[Reinhard: I don't believe so. He can see possible outcomes, but not the complete future. Using that as a basis to act. He knew about the difficulties Lady Crusch would face and the Sloth attack, but not exactly how it would happen. —— If I had to deduce: He can only foresee things from his point of view in the future, not the whole picture.]

[Julius: As if: He can see what will happen in the next hour, but only what he is capable of seeing and not the overall situation. —— That explains him having some information, but not entirely. Yet it's still suspicious that he has the same Miasma scent as the Archbishops.]

[Reinhard: As suspicious as it is, this power must be the same as the Archbishops' abilities. —— From what Subaru managed to tell me, when he arrived at the Capital, he discovered this ability and was able to help Emilia-sama and Felt-sama against the Bowel Hunter. That might explain how he knew about the Bowel Hunter's events.]

[Anastasia: Isn't that interesting? And we have no knowledge of Natsuki-kun outside the events mentioned. Where he came from, his relatives. As if he didn't exist. Not even my sources can find anything related to him.]

[Reinhard: I also verified that. Using my Divine Protection of Wind, I could confirm... Subaru comes from Beyond the Waterfall or at least appears to, based on his knowledge.]

[Roswaal: Aren't we straying from our main subject? —— Why was Subaru-kun in that place? Why was he acting suspiciously?]

The mage brought them back to the main part of the conversation — the reason for Rem's attack.

[Subaru: I can... tell...]

[Félix: Subaru-kyun.]

[Subaru: Please...]

[Félix: All right. But I'll help you as much as I can.]

Using his magic, prepared to assist him when it became too much to speak.

[Subaru: When I was... at the mansion... I used my... ability... twice in a way I couldn't... couldn't control... —— Cough I could... foresee an attack... I thought that... the mansion... would be... under attack by an assassin... I thought... about telling... but I believed... you wouldn't... believe me... for not being able to expla... explain my power. —— Cough, cough I thought... I could protect you...]

Amid intense coughing, as if struggling to breathe, he managed to tell them. Everyone also felt the broken tone in his words, as well as the tears streaming down from the only eye he had.

[Anastasia: Did any attack happen after Natsuki-kun left?]

[Ram: —— The day after his departure. We had suspicions of another accomplice, so we patrolled Arlam Village. It was a coordinated attack by Majuuns against the innocents. We managed to repel them, but some of the people, some children... were lost. —— We suspected they were part of the attack... at least until.]

[Anastasia: —— Did you order them to attack him...?]

[Roswaal: No. I ordered them to keep an eye on him. Not to act.]

[Ricardo: Throwing your subordinates into the fire like that?]

[Roswaal: Before, I thought it was a justified act when explained by their words, but now... I don't want such problems to fall upon me.]

Ram couldn't help but cast a strange look at Roswaal, as if she felt betrayed.

[Felt: I'm done! —— I don't care if you believe in Big Brother or not! I believe! Me and Rein! Until now, everything he's done was saving the lives of everyone who needed help! At the Loot House, with the White Whale, with Sloth, and the Archbishops here in Priestella! HE IS A GOOD PERSON! —— I don't care if you had reasons or not, if you knew or not, I WANT YOU ALL TO GO TO HELL! SCREW YOURSELVES! I WON'T LET YOU LAY A SINGLE FINGER ON HIM ANYMORE! IF YOU GET CLOSE TO HIM AGAIN, IF YOU THREATEN HIM, IF YOU TRY TO KILL HIM AGAIN, I WILL MAKE SURE YOU SUFFER MORE THAN BIG BROTHER SUFFERED!]

Neither of the twins said anything about the threatening and accusatory glare from the blonde-haired girl, the Candidate with clenched teeth. Reinhard said nothing about stopping her, nor did he condemn her attitude, because he shared the same feeling. The two stood as Subaru's protectors in that room.

And no one in the room stopped them as they began to leave. Not even Subaru said anything, but he felt grateful for the two figures accompanying him out of that place. Subaru cast with his "eyes" the cruelest look of hatred he could muster toward the twins, showing how much he truly despised being near them.

But in the room, a few figures remained, staring at Emilia's Camp in different ways, while they did the same.

Roswaal glared at the sisters with anger, frustrated, thinking about how all his plans had been ruined and his bet with Ram lost — even more so realizing that Subaru couldn't fix things, or he would have already done so. Ram and Rem exchanged a few glances; Rem felt bad, very bad, as if something she couldn't explain, especially because of the look she had received — the same look she knew how to give to Witch Cult members. Meanwhile, Ram tried to remain strong, as she had already made her choice, her decision, hoping to withstand the hatred that the once cheerful boy now felt toward her and her sister.

Emilia, on the other hand, remained quiet... silent... her hands resting on her legs.

Feeling alone. That person who had saved her, who had protected her from Elsa, who she thought was fine... was in that state because of her. Because she hadn't noticed what was happening within the Mathers estate's perimeters and had let him suffer those pains. And now? She didn't know what to do, having nothing.

Because Puck was no longer there to help her and... she felt even more alone with those people she lived with.

If only everything had been different.

 

 

—————

I received so many positive comments, that I decided to do this Extra early.

Chapter 49: [Extra 2 - Destroyed IF]

[Kamadoro: Wow! Kid, are you here alone?!] 

The man selling Appas on that crowded street carefully observed the young man in front of him with surprise. He had seen this boy before—a cheerful, strange young man wearing odd clothes, something similar to what he wore now, but back then, he had a perfectly healthy body. 

But the second time he saw him, the situation was different. 

He was confined to a wheelchair. An eye, an arm, a leg. One from each pair torn from his body like a doll. Kamadoro never expected such a thing to happen to the cheerful and strange boy he had met in a brief exchange of words on the same day he heard news about a fight in the Capital’s Slums—about an assassin attacking a Candidate and being defeated by the Sword Saint. He had a gut feeling that this young man had something to do with it. Thinking along those lines, he deduced that must have been what happened. 

Kamadoro felt sympathy for the boy. 

Many times, he saw him accompanied, being pushed in a wheelchair by two figures who had become quite well-known as they wandered the city with him: Reinhard van Astrea and Felt, the Sword Saint and one of the Five Candidates. And not only were their names famous, but this young man’s name was also becoming more and more well-known for his strategic feats: The White Whale, Sloth—where the Sword Saint himself revealed that he had been able to defeat them with this boy’s help. 

And then there were the recent events in Priestella. That had made him a hero in the city, and almost across the entire country, for the defense he had managed to organize and the Archbishop eliminations. 

It was a testament to the strength of his mind, despite his confinement to a wheelchair. 

[Subaru: So... what... do you think...?] 

He pointed to where his real leg should have been. Now, in its place, was what the boy had recently named a “Prosthetic Leg,” made of wood and metal. It resembled his other leg despite the obvious material it was made of. The Appa vendor’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. 

[Subaru: It... took a lot of effort... and investment... but I managed to get the craftsmen... to create this for me.] 

He explained in his slow, strained voice. 

Kamadoro smiled excitedly at that. 

[Kamadoro: So maybe I don’t have to keep looking down when talking to you, huh? Not that I’m complaining. I’m happy for you.] 

[Subaru: Me too...] 

[Kamadoro: And who are those...?] 

He cast a glance to the side. 

A pair of small attendants were, at the edge of his vision, trying to blend in near a stall not too far from the two who were casually chatting.  

[Subaru: They’re following me... Rein asked them to keep an eye on me... on my first day walking alone again... —— Back to the main point, I’ll take 5 Appas.] 

[Kamadoro: Sure thing. —— Here, on the house! Just because you made me happy, kid!] 

Speaking in a tone that left no room for refusal, he handed the black-haired boy a bag of Appas. Subaru didn’t refuse either, instead responding with a smile that conveyed his gratitude for the gesture. 

Turning around, he walked toward the small attendants. 

[Subaru: Flam, Grassis. Let’s go? I got what I wanted.] 

[Flam and Grassis: Yes, Subaru-sama!] 

With the energetic response from the small duo, they proceeded down the street, moving through the crowd. 

With heavy, slightly slow steps, Subaru was getting used to his new leg. 

Even though it was difficult, he was overcoming the challenges ahead of him. Because now he could walk almost as he had before his leg was torn away. He lifted the prosthetic leg high, stomped it against the ground, taking one step at a time, and moved through the people—some of whom glanced at his leg. He opened a small smile. 

Felt and Reinhard were the ones who had given him this gift. 

Even after everything they had been through, he still worried about the two of them—just as he did for everyone—until he received this gift. It had brought him to tears, a shameful amount, when he received it. And in the days that followed, they had helped him train to walk again, helping him put strength into his steps. 

Every step he took, as he was taking now, was thanks to them. 

Because what had been broken... was being mended. 

—[X]—

[Emilia: I will be... withdrawing from the Royal Selection...] 

Those simple words utterly shattered Roswaal’s mind. Simple words, a short sentence. It destroyed him completely, along with all his plans and objectives. 

Now seated in his office, his expression was impassive. 

His hands were clasped in front of his face, as he sat in his chair, facing his desk. His eyes gleamed with what could only be described as barely contained fury—just enough that anyone facing that gaze would freeze from the sheer intensity of what was being held back within them. He had that gaze fixed on the two figures standing before his desk. 

Ram and Rem. 

The Oni maids remained still, their hands folded over the skirts of their uniforms. Ram looked at Roswaal, while Rem’s gaze was fixed on the floor. Despite the neutral expression on the pink-haired Oni’s face, her feelings mirrored those of her sister—extreme sadness. 

[Roswaal: ——] 

Four hundred years. 

Four hundred years of planning, four hundred years of hard work, four hundred years of pure effort and determination. All in pursuit of his life’s goal: To revive his teacher. Echidna, the Witch of Greed. She had given him his most treasured possession—his Gospel. 

The Gospel that allowed him to glimpse the future, guiding him toward his most precious goal. His happy ending. 

That was what he sought so desperately. His happy ending with his teacher. That was why he endured for so many years, why he was willing to poison his soul with cruelty, committing the most heinous acts without caring about the consequences for his soul after death. 

For Roswaal, there was nothing he wouldn’t do to achieve this goal. Kill? Torture? Manipulate? Destroy? Of course! He was even willing to possess the bodies of his descendants to keep living. He was willing to sacrifice anyone’s life in exchange for his own selfish, greedy desire. 

[Roswaal: ——] 

That gaze remained fixed on the girls he had once saved—when he had allowed their village to be destroyed by Witch Cultists. All because his Gospel had commanded him to do so. And then, he had taken them under his care, placing them under his protection. All because his Gospel had commanded him to do so.

Roswaal had always believed that by strictly following the commands of his Gospel, he would be able to fulfill his wish—to see his teacher’s face once more. Everything was for the woman he had fallen in love with in the past. 

All 400 years of effort, all 400 years of sacrifices, all 400 years spent trying to reclaim what he had lost in the past due to forces beyond his control—everything was supposed to be realized thanks to two important figures: the half-elf Emilia, whom he had found in the Elior Forest and who was a Royal Candidate, capable of granting him the Blood of the Divine Dragon upon reaching that position; and the boy she was supposed to bring to him on the day he hired Elsa to contract the Candidate Felt to steal Emilia’s Insignia—Natsuki Subaru, who had the power to make it all come true. 

To him, they were the two pieces that would bring his deepest goals to fruition and grant him true happiness. All of it, when he finally brought his beloved teacher back. 

And did he regret some things? Yes, some things. 

But would he be willing to do it all over again to fulfill his purpose? 

He would, without hesitation. 

The Court Mage’s soul had long been marked by a cruelty that no human in modern times should possess. From his perspective, even some of the worst criminals—even the Archbishops—were not as cruel as he considered himself to be, given what he had been doing over the past four centuries. 

[Roswaal: Do you realize… what you’ve done?] 

These words were laced with such venom that it was impossible not to notice the sheer fury in his voice. Because standing before him were the two people who had destroyed over four centuries of planning for what he considered to be one of the most foolish reasons imaginable. 

 [Rem: ——] 

[Ram: Master Roswaal-sama… what my sister——] 

[Roswaal: Silence!] 

With his shout, he slammed his hand down onto the table, shattering it in the process with his superior strength. 

The two instinctively took a step back. 

Rem’s expression grew even worse than before, while Ram’s momentarily faltered at hearing such a roar. After all, the Master who had taken care of them was now furious. 

[Roswaal: Emilia… Emilia has withdrawn from the candidacy… —— Ram, unlike your sister, you should understand what this means to me, shouldn’t you? The end of my dream, the end of my goal. The end of my desires that have persisted for more than 400 years. And this throws everything I have done, everything I have sacrificed, everything I have lost in pursuit of this goal… all away. —— No matter what you say to me now, it wouldn’t matter even if he really was from the Witch Cult… everything I desired… was destroyed in the end.] 

[Ram: —— If this puts an end to those dangerous desires of yours, driven by THAT… a necessary sacrifice…] 

[Rem: ——] 

Rem couldn’t comprehend anything being said before her, glancing between her Master and her precious sister at her side with a look of utter confusion. A silent exchange passed between them. 

As he began to walk, Roswaal stepped away from the remains of the shattered table. 

[Roswaal: —— I lost my chance to fulfill my goals, Ram. As you must have expected to happen at some point, given your own personal desires, dear Ram. Isn’t that right?] 

[Ram: ——] 

[Roswaal: But it doesn’t really matter, does it? To you, my efforts would mean nothing anyway, because my personal goals, to you, would be monstrous and indecent. Even if I wanted to deny it… I couldn’t, could I?] 

[Ram: ——] 

The two continued staring at each other as the mage now looked down at the oni, locking gazes. 

[Roswaal: If you want me to fulfill your wishes from this moment on… I won’t oppose it, because I have nothing left to lose.] 

These words were everything Ram had been waiting to hear for a long time. 

For a long time, the pink-haired oni had known. She had known since long ago—who had truly caused the destruction of her home, who had truly made her lose her horn, who had truly brought about the worst misfortunes of her life. She knew that everything that had happened was part of Roswaal’s plans. 

At first, she had felt hatred toward him, longing for revenge against the man who had brought so much misfortune upon her. But as time passed, those feelings faded. The rage, the hatred, and even the thirst for vengeance slowly disappeared—until they transformed into admiration and love for the Court Mage who had given her and her sister a home, even if only for his own purposes. 

Even knowing that they had been recruited to fulfill this man’s sinister schemes, she could not deny her feelings. That was why she had gambled on his Gospel failing—on him having to live on after it failed without throwing his life away. 

For that, Ram was willing to do anything as well. 

Ram had even considered finishing the job her sister had started… back at the Royal Selection Castle, unaware that Subaru would foresee her actions using his special power to protect himself—whether he wanted to or not—and escape by using the Sword Saint for that very purpose. 

Whether he survived or not, it didn’t matter—he had already served his purpose. Subaru had helped her in the way she desired. 

[Roswaal: —— However, Ram… I am quite a vengeful person, you know? And as a Master… I must deliver a punishment befitting the crime committed. You understand that, don’t you?] 

[Ram: Is that so? Perhaps I could say that it’s just the petty grievance of a Master throwing a tantrum for not getting what he wanted, but I can’t deny it, given your situation. As a servant… I will accept my punishment.] 

[Rem: Sister, you—— Ghhk!] 

Ram’s eyes widened as she saw what had just happened before her.

A swift, precise strike. A quick blow from Roswaal pierced Rem’s chest where her heart was, his fist going straight through her and emerging from her back. As he withdrew his hand from her body, a spray of blood splattered onto Ram’s face, leaving her paralyzed with wide eyes. 

Roswaal was neither smiling nor showing any emotion. 

[Roswaal: Just as you killed my dream and my desires… I have killed the desires and dreams you once had. —— Something that others must share. The dreams of a young woman to save her forest, the dream of a girl trapped in a library, the dreams of children who never got to live beyond childhood and reach adulthood. And of an innocent young man with delusions of helping others like some kind of hero… a fair price.]

Uttering this last statement with venom, he turned toward the door, no longer caring about what was happening in his office. 

Ram did not move. She couldn’t. Even as she was left with this sight. 

Rem coughed up blood as she was impaled, feeling immense pain—both physical and emotional—unable to comprehend what her Master had been discussing with her sister. The light faded from her eyes as she stared at the ceiling of that cold room. 

Her final thoughts? Those eyes. The terrifying, hate-filled eyes directed at her. 

She wished she could find a way to apologize to that boy, and in her selfish desire… to be forgiven. 

But such wishes were lost in that world. 

Because for her, everything was… destroyed.

 

 

—————

If I were to write this story, this would be the concept of the ending, only it would be a little longer.

Chapter 50: [Epilogue - Destroyed IF]

1) Ram.

When she woke up, pain coursed through her body. Naturally, it was what she expected every time she awoke in her bedroom at the Mansion. Not only was her body sore, but her heart ached deeply—a pain unlike the physical one. Her heart hurt for different reasons.

In those moments, it would usually be her sister who came to wake her.

She would open the doors, help her up, dress her—putting on her uniform, fixing her hair. Helping her stand completely so she could face the difficulties of the day.

But that didn’t happen now. In fact, it hadn’t happened in a long time.

That was enough to make the girl not even want to wake up on days like this.

Ram remembered that day years ago very clearly, as if it had been yesterday, while lying in her bed.

She was behind a tree. She was watching that boy with hair black as night, seeing him run—running from her sister. Her younger sister. Her impulsive sister who had simply lost control against that person. Her sister, whom she should have stopped from doing such things. An irrational act.

That person—Barusu—was the one being chased. He was managing to avoid her sister’s strikes, dodging her attacks and blocking her line of sight.

Running. Running as fast as he could, yet doing nothing more.

Just struggling fiercely to preserve his life, as anyone would in that situation—attacked so viciously by someone without having done them any harm. He was running as fast as possible to escape from her… from Ram’s sister.

[Ram: Fura.]

But he hadn’t expected to have to deal with Ram.

When she used her wind magic, she sliced through his leg—making him fall to the ground, screaming in agony as his leg was torn apart, stopping him from continuing his escape. He kept groaning and crying out in pain from the blow she had dealt him.

He kept moaning and screaming until her younger sister arrived… and healed him.

Why did she heal him?

Ram would like to say it was out of kindness—because her sister was too good to those who didn’t deserve her mercy. She would love to praise her sister. She would like to say she was the best person in the world, that her sister was the most incredible person, the kind who would do something like that simply because it was the right thing to do.

CLANK! But after the healing came the first strike—a dry, metallic thud, iron hitting flesh with force—dense, wet. THUF! Then another blow, forcing a muffled, dragged-out groan from the victim’s throat. CRACK! Something broke—a bone—the short, precise, nauseating sound unmistakable.

But then she heard her sister’s words: “Water Magic…”

Reminding her that her sister wouldn’t let it end so quickly for that person. And Ram knew it well—she knew her sister. She knew her sister believed that boy was a member of the Witch Cult, all because of his scent—which she herself had warned her about, as Master Roswaal had instructed her to keep an eye on him, egging her on to act like this.

Though Ram knew that wasn’t enough reason for such an act.

The Great Spirits had confirmed he wasn’t a threat, and she herself had assessed him as extremely weak—so weak that anyone could see he posed no danger to anyone in the Mathers Mansion. He didn’t have a Gospel or anything similar that might make him suspicious of being a Witch Cultist.

Still, he had acted somewhat suspiciously in the Mansion… and he was there for reasons she didn’t know. Acting in a way that seemed to give her sister room to act as she was.

CLANG! Stronger this time. Another impact, making the young man let out a raw, guttural scream of pain. SLPACK! Another blow met something soft, followed by a wet, choking sound, and yet another CRACK—smaller, but audible. Was it a finger bone? Or a rib?

And then, CLANG!

Again, CLANG! Again, CLANG! Again, CLANG! Again, CLANG! Again, CLANG! Again, CLANG! Again, CLANG! Again, CLANG! Again, CLANG! Again, CLANG!

Again, CRACK! Again, CRACK! Again, CRACK! Again, CRACK! Again, CRACK! Again, CRACK! Again, CRACK! Again, CRACK! Again, CRACK! Again, CRACK!

It never seemed to end—for seconds. Then for minutes. Then for hours.

Meanwhile, Ram stood there, waiting for it all to end—waiting for the moment her sister might lose interest in the person she was beating so viciously. Patiently waiting for that person to suffer just a little more, for her to lose interest, and then finally crush his skull with the last blow of her weapon.

[Rem: Are you with the Witch Cult?]

Then came the question.

The question Ram had expected to be asked during the long hours of torture at her sister’s hands. Yet it came only now—after so much time in that place, after so many blows. Ram had been waiting for it, though she didn’t want it.

And after that, she only heard madness. The desperate words of that boy.

That innocent, who posed no threat to anyone, who had been cruelly and violently tortured by the person Ram loved so dearly—her beloved, gentle sister—began to speak deliriously. Whether cultist or not, he no longer had the mental strength to endure it rationally, as would be expected after so long under such relentless blows from her sister’s spiked metal weapon.

It was left to Ram to end it all. Stepping out from behind the trees while watching that sad scene, she delivered a strike…

Ram thought it would all be over that day.

By cutting the throat of that innocent, she believed it would be over, and she hoped things would come to an end—especially since she thought she was on her way to fulfilling one of her deepest personal desires: freeing her beloved Master Roswaal from the Gospel he clung to so strongly.

But things unfolded differently from what she imagined. Everything turned to ruin for whatever plans her Master might have made until that moment. Still, in her mind, anything that happened differently could lead to the perfect ending she desired most.

Keeping those she loved as close as possible: Roswaal, the man she loved, and Rem, her little sister.

Getting out of bed, she no longer had her sister’s help to get dressed, no longer had her support as she had every day in the past since they began working in this grand Mansion. She now had to handle everything herself—dressing, grooming, staying healthy—without the help of her blue-haired twin who should have been there.

Doing so, she felt sore, as she always did—without her horn, she had always needed Rem’s help to manage even the smallest tasks to keep herself stable and try to fulfill her duties, though never with the same level of perfection her younger sister had.

Rem. When she looked in the mirror, when she saw her own face, she obviously saw that of her beloved sister. And in that moment, she swallowed hard, clenching her hands so tightly that her nails tore slightly into her palms from the pressure—something to be expected from someone suffering like this. Because no matter how much time passed—whether a day or more—she felt the exact same pain she had in the past: the pain of losing one of the only people she truly loved in the whole world, someone she would have been willing to die for.

But now, she had no way to do that for her anymore.

Because Rem was dead.

Dead by the hands of the man Ram loves. Her chest pierced by his fist on the day he gave up all his goals and his main purpose—especially after his Gospel became useless and his Candidate, Emilia, completely gave up and left when she realized what Rem and Ram had done at that moment. The day that marked… Ram’s victory?

She had achieved what she wanted; she had gotten everything she desired.

Or at least that’s how it seemed for a moment on that fateful day.

A moment when she could imagine a perfect, prosperous, and happy future for herself, her sister, and her beloved—thinking all three of them would be free from what she imagined was her Master’s sick obsession with someone who had clouded the kind heart he might have had years ago if it weren’t for the Witch.

A gentle thought, born from her desire and hope that things would turn out the way she wished.

But it was only a single moment before her sister’s blood splattered across her face.

Before she saw her Master’s hand pierce her chest with ease in a strike that left no hope of healing.

Moments before she was clutching her cold corpse, crying uncontrollably and wishing it were a lie.

But the cold reality still settled in front of her.

When she finished getting dressed, when she was finally as ready as she could be, she left her room monotonously. Automatically greeting Frederica, who had returned to manage affairs in the Mansion after Rem’s death.

Doing her daily care duties, she walked to her Master’s room to wake him. To help him get dressed and presentable. A task that took longer and longer, due to Ram’s own exhaustion and personal pain, while he himself resigned to looking at her neutrally. No anger, no emotion at all.

Because, despite the hypocrisy to some extent, he wouldn’t judge the very plans and decisions Ram made to get what she wanted.

Ram herself looked at him without much passion left, nor the anger that might have been expected.

Because she didn’t know what to feel.

Should she hate him? Should she still love him? Should she feel furious at what he had done?

Should she understand what he did as a consequence of what would be expected from Ram and Rem’s responsibilities for their actions that day against Subaru?

Subaru… Barusu…

What should she call him? How should she act towards that young man from the past who caused everything happening now?

How should Ram feel about Natsuki Subaru?

The pink-haired Oni now walked the halls asking herself that question after helping her Master—the Master who once had expectations about that black-haired young man when he saw him in the Mansion, a Master who seemed to have great plans for someone who didn’t seem like much when he suddenly appeared at the Mathers Mansion after saving Emilia—the same week as an assassination attempt via a Curse from an assassin that caused the death of many children in the village of Arlam.

Why?

Though she didn’t understand, she wondered—why did so much seem connected to that boy?

That boy who had since done extraordinary things in the world.

Stopped the Whale, stopped the Archbishop of Sloth, stopped the Cult’s attack in Priestella and the deaths of Archbishops in that city, stopped other Sin Archbishops, and even helped conquer the Pleiades Tower. Someone whose abilities, even weakened by injuries that incapacitated him, elevated him to great status—especially with the help of the Sword Saint at his side. Like he was the strategist mind, and the Sword Saint his weapon to do what he could not do alone.

Such grand feats that no one would expect from that weak figure—one his own younger sister could have ended at any moment if she weren’t trying to keep him alive to torture him and extract information she believed he had about the Witch Cult.

It seemed like a joke in hindsight—expecting someone like that to become so important.

But now? He was considered one of the personal advisors to Lugunica’s ruling Queen, Felt, who won the Royal Selection among many other candidates. Thanks to the popularity Reinhard, the Sword Saint, naturally had because of his status, political and administrative skills, and his support in both battles and kingdom decisions with Subaru’s help—and another advisor she had heard of, Rom, who was like a grandfather figure to the young man.

How was he capable of achieving so much?

Was that why her Master wanted him? His supernatural ability to see part of the future and accomplish things impossible for a normal, weak person like him?

Yes, that must have been the reason.

The reason her Master desired him—to fulfill his dark goal that lasted decades before it was destroyed by her and her late sister. When Rem destroyed him and Ram tried to kill him, whether success or failure, it was the outcome now surrounding them.

Was this fate the future that awaited her even if she had killed him? Probably. Because if she had killed him, his ability would have failed, right? It should have a limit—he wouldn’t deliberately lose parts of his body, would he? Not even a monster would sacrifice its body that way. Or at least she hoped not.

Leaving Ram to wonder:

Would he have saved the children who died at the hands of the unknown assassin? Would he have helped her end her Master’s obsession?

Those questions had no answers. Maybe Ram didn’t even want answers.

Because if she got a yes… if she knew he would have helped even after all the suffering she caused him… if Ram thought he could fix everything and was willing to do so…

Ram would feel disgusted with herself.

Why? Because she would be willing to ask for that. Ram would be willing to beg for her younger sister’s life and for him to help them. And that selfish thought disgusted her, for in those moments she realized how monstrous she truly was as a real Oni.

Because even after doing such terrible things to him, Ram had the audacity to ask him to be kind and help her.

Disgusted with herself, she continued to live her life.

A life that was no longer bright. Because she could no longer see life as she once did. Colors no longer shone—they faded into an intense gray. The taste of food no longer mattered, as nothing tasted good without her sister preparing it. Scents no longer made her react, for even good or bad smells were nothing that stirred any feeling in her.

For Ram… everything had turned gray.

 

 

—————

My YouTube channel: ThinkMind.

I posted this chapter today because I might not be able to tomorrow.

I was going to include Subaru in this epilogue, but I thought it better to keep it focused on Ram—since she is the one who, technically, caused the divergence point and is one of the main culprits behind most of the problems in this IF: she prevented Subaru’s escape, didn’t stop Rem’s torture, tried to kill Subaru in the forest after the torture, etc.

So I thought it poetic to leave her alone at the end of this epilogue.

In this IF:

-Subaru acts as one of Felt’s counselors and strategists within her court, often working alongside Rom to assist Felt.

-At some point in the future, he went searching for Emilia in the Forest of Elior, discovered what happened there, and decided to help her—with Felt’s support. They began to get along and became close friends.

-Although he is currently doing better, Subaru still feels uncomfortable around maids or similar people. He does not have any romantic partner—both because of his appearance, which tends to push most women away, and because he has lost interest in pursuing romantic or physical relationships.

-Roswaal has become almost an empty shell, acting solely based on Ram’s interests—like a wind-up toy. He has completely given up, to the point that he won’t even try to possess Annerose’s body, accepting death when his body’s age limit is reached.

-Ram and Roswaal had a child, a daughter, whom Ram named after her younger sister. That daughter, in the future, in the future, would unknowingly fall in love with Subaru when she first met him.

Chapter 51: Vollachia IF

What if...? What if Subaru had shown up in Vollachia with two other authorities?

—————

 

 

[Todd Fang: Damn... what the hell...!]

The man with bright orange hair grumbled, clenching his teeth as he watched those figures approaching their camp in the middle of the forest.

It was supposed to be a simple journey.

Todd, Jamal, and other soldiers from their camp were returning through a shortcut in the forest. Something simple. While on their way back, they were intercepted by a group of figures—hooded figures with red markings on their faces.

But the main representative figure was one. A man with green hair, sickly pale skin, wearing a different robe from the others involved.

[Petelguese: Oh, what misfortune. Unfortunate, unfortunate, unfortunate, unfortunate twist of fate, no? We were simply following the orders given to us by the Gospel, which contains the love of our dear Witch, oh, the Witch, and we ended up encountering such... indulgent people! Who intruded upon our path! The path of our love for the Witch! Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love!]

Petelguese Romanee-Conti of the Witch Cult was in that forest along with his Fingers.

Unfortunately for Todd, Jamal, and their companions.

They were now surrounded, fighting against the cultists attacking them in every possible way, while Petelguese himself annihilated most of the men who dared face him in that part of the forest. Everything seemed to be leading to an unhappy ending for the soldiers of Vollachia.

Todd fought with all his might—dodging, counterattacking, trying to survive against his opponents at this stage of the battle. Even wounded and bleeding, he was thinking of how to overcome such adversity.

[Todd: Damn! Damn, damn!]

He couldn't understand how their enemies were able to attack them. Todd couldn't even see the attacks launched by Petelguese, making it seem like they were invisible strikes.

[Petelguese: Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love! Oh, LOVE! You should surrender to the true love of the Witch! A sweet and gentle love for all!]

[Jamal: Doesn't this guy ever shut up?!]

[Todd: Tsk!]

The two men were now in the best condition to keep fighting.

But even with minimal injuries, it was clear that the end was inevitable—no matter how much they fought. In the end, after all the struggle, they would be crushed like many of their companions had been, reduced to grotesque, smashed lumps on the ground.

[Todd: I don't want to die here. I don't want to die here. I don't want to die here!]

If he could see Petelguese's attacks, he would have seen how an invisible hand was flying toward his face, ready to crush his head with a powerful punch. Todd would have his head smashed—killed—where his blood and brain would be splattered on the ground.

An end for the soldier.

If not for what happened next; a wave of destruction erupted from the middle of the trees, causing massive damage and launching the cultists and Petelguese far away from the soldiers, Jamal, and Todd. Saving them. Creating a path of destruction through the forest trees up to the open area where they stood.

All eyes turned to that path. From there, a few figures walked toward them.

[???: Damn, boss~ Don't you think you overdid the attack a little?]

[???: I'll have to agree with the idiot, boss. What's the point of going to battle if we can't enjoy crushing them properly?]

[???: Arrf. Don't martyrize me for this, okay? I just don't like to think we're wasting our time here. —— I'd rather be resting, eating a little.]

[???: Even though your power no longer requires you to do so, right, boss~?]

[???: And who doesn't like tasting food.]

Amid the start of a trivial conversation, the trio that arrived at the battlefield was quickly recognized by the soldiers of Vollachia—Kurgan, the Second Divine General, and Cecilus Segmunt, the Third Divine General.

But the third figure was the most important among them:

[Petelguese: Oh, I feel it in you! In you, in you, in you! The scent of the Witch's love! Tell me... would you be Pride?]

["Ankaa": I am known in Vollachia as Ankaa, the First Divine General of the Emperor of Vollachia. And I came here to resolve a situation. —— From what I see, this situation now seems more complicated.]

He was a young man with neatly combed black hair, wearing beautiful, elegant clothes—clearly of Vollachia's nobility—and possessed frightening eyes. A rather handsome appearance. His cold gaze swept over the wounded soldiers, who felt uneasy being seen by such a figure.

["Ankaa": Which one of you is in command?]

[Jamal: I-I am.]

["Ankaa": Keep your soldiers away. We'll handle the problem from now on. —— But before that, tell me. What would you do if you found yourself cornered in this scenario, given two choices: surrender and become a prisoner or fight to the end?]

[Jamal: I-I-I, uh, hm—— I'd fight to the end!]

["Ankaa": Would you offer such a chance if you were on the opposite side in one of these situations?]

[Jamal: ——]

["Ankaa": I don't care. Go.]

With a simple command, Todd, Jamal, and the remaining soldiers—some supporting others—moved away, following the path opened by the Generals, who stood still. The black-haired man's gaze lingered on Todd and Jamal for a moment, judging them.

[Petelguese: Oh my! You came to save your companions. What a display of care, of love! Love, love, love—]

["Ankaa": It isn't love or camaraderie. We came to deal with a problem in this area—you. And we ended up saving them. —— What is your name?]

[Petelguese: —— Oh, what a lack of courtesy, isn't it? From the Witch Cult, representing Sloth, I am Petelguese Romanee-Conti, Desu~!]

Striking an exaggerated bow, he lowered his head almost to the ground before raising his gaze to the trio. Cecilus, Kurgan, and "Ankaa" paid little attention to the display.

["Ankaa": Cecilus, Kurgan. Eliminate the rest. Feel free. I remember that last time it was quite boring to face one of these, wasn't it, Kurgan?]

[Kurgan: I remember it being quite irritating. You wouldn't give me the opportunity to face him, would you?]

["Ankaa": No. I don't know this guy's ability. It would be annoying to lose you.]

[Kurgan: Such consideration. —— I'll settle for crushing the rest.]

[Cecilus: We can make this a competition. I bet I'll kill more of them than you, how about that~?]

[Kurgan: Hmpf! Don't get cocky.]

While they started talking, they began walking towards Petelguese's Ten Fingers and the cultists accompanying them. A small but considerable group, between thirty to forty people. They prepared to fight.

Petelguese stood still, unable to react, as the two Divine Generals quickly passed him to confront the cultists behind him, beginning a massacre against them. The Sloth of the Cult stared at him, and "Ankaa" stared back.

[Petelguese: You are not Pride, but you said you have already encountered one of ours from the Cult. Were you the one who eliminated Brother Corneas of Greed?]

["Ankaa": Talking about the long-winded guy? Yes. —— He showed up one day in the city of Garkla when he tried to attack us. He was disrespectful and irritating. I think I must have tried about... fourteen thousand seven hundred and seven (14,707) times to deal with that guy... Truly irritating, don't you think? —— I won't deny that it made me happy to see him dying after I discovered his dear little secret.]

[Petelguese: ——]

["Ankaa": And the reason was what pissed me off the most... At least I received some gifts that day, both physical and non-physical. Among them, my new loyal ally: Kurgan. —— Well, it doesn't matter much now, does it? I'm having to deal with another irritating clown just like that guy, aren't I? Because you really seem like a very irritating guy.]

[Petelguese: I understand! I understand, I understand, I understand! My gospel sent me to complete the gospel's work of Brother Corneas! —— Oh, Witch, give me strength to share your love! Your grand love with this infidel!]

Petelguese screamed in ecstasy and fury, conjuring several invisible hands.

They struck "Ankaa" violently, launching him backwards, dragging his body across the leaf-covered ground. Rock, wood, and earth shattered around, but "Ankaa" simply rolled like a lifeless puppet, without emitting a single sound.

The hands lifted "Ankaa" into the air, compressing his body between the invisible fingers.

Bones should be breaking, organs should be being crushed — but nothing happened.

"Ankaa"'s body remained intact, without any reaction. His glazed eyes simply stared into the void, as if he didn't even recognize his own existence. Petelguese screamed, in a mixture of frustration and ecstasy, throwing "Ankaa" against a tree. The wood shattered, cracking like glass, while the boy's body collided with the trunk and collapsed to the ground.

Dust rose, but "Ankaa" just slowly got up, as if he hadn't felt anything.

Every invisible punch struck him echoed through the forest. Each blow was brutal, capable of destroying any living creature — but "Ankaa" remained motionless. Blood did not flow, pain did not manifest.

He simply accepted everything.

Petelguese approached, grinding his teeth, as more hands rose, trembling with hatred and ecstasy. He lifted "Ankaa" off the ground, shaking his body like a doll, smashing his skull against rocks and trees. But "Ankaa" simply allowed himself to be massacred, without resistance, without pain, without fear.

The forest became a stage of violence without response. The bones that should break remained intact. The cuts that should tear his skin never formed. Petelguese's screams echoed through the night, but "Ankaa" did not move.

He did not react.

He simply existed — a walking untouchable being, cut off from time, incapable of feeling.

In the end, when the invisible arms began to dissipate, Petelguese panted, his eyes wide in disbelief. His opponent remained standing, untouched.

[Petelguese: This is... The Authority of Brother Corneas, isn't it?! The power granted to him by the Witch's Love!]

["Ankaa": Talking about the crybaby's power? —— Yes, yes. It's true. I acquired that guy's power after managing to eliminate him. It was quite interesting, actually. Since it was another ability I acquired like the ones I already had before.]

[Petelguese: Before...? You already possessed abilities from the Witch's Love?! What abilities?! How can someone be so blessed to receive so many gifts from the Witch?! Lies! Lies, lies, lies! Don't lie!]

Petelguese, consumed by his fervent insanity, extended his Invisible Hands in a frenzied frenzy. The invisible appendages tore through the air, advancing toward "Ankaa"'s motionless body. The translucent claws couldn't even tear his clothes and couldn't even mark his skin. "Ankaa" remained still, his eyes fixed on the ground, without reacting.

Petelguese's fury increased, his invisible hands multiplying to a hundred, each one striking the young man with force equivalent to cannonballs.

The impact bent trees, cracked stones, and hurled debris around.

"Ankaa," with the Lion Heart active, remained motionless. No expression formed on his pale face, his body ignoring every blow, every scratch, every attempt at destruction. Petelguese screamed in despair, his words mixing devotion and hatred. The Invisible Hands joined into a single gigantic hand, which descended like a guillotine to crush "Ankaa" in a single blow. The ground trembled, trees fell, but "Ankaa" remained untouched, his silent figure like a statue before the storm of violence.

Petelguese recoiled, his wide, delirious eyes watching how his attacks were useless. He threw rocks with his hands, broke trees to hurl splinters, but nothing had any effect. "Ankaa" didn't even blink. The gravity around "Ankaa" remained constant, without alteration, as if nature itself refused to interact with him.

Every strike from Petelguese was met with the same overwhelming silence.

The Apostle of Sloth, now desperate, howled as his invisible hands whipped through the air, dragging “Ankaa” across the ground, smashing him against trees and rocks. The young man’s body was flung around but always returned to the ground without a single scratch — as if space itself bent to protect his untouchable existence. “Ankaa,” like a distortion of time and space, remained motionless amidst the chaos.

His terrifying eyes gazed at the horizon while Petelguese exhausted all his strength, his screams echoing through the forest.

The madness and despair of the archbishop deepened with every useless attack. Finally, exhausted, Petelguese fell to his knees, staring at “Ankaa,” whose figure stood unwavering — as if the very concept of death could not reach him.

[“Ankaa”: This has irritated me enough. The others must have had their fun by now...]

He muttered while scratching his neck, sighing.

Slowly, “Ankaa” raised his hand, activating his other Authority. The gravity around Petelguese became crushing, pinning his body to the ground. The invisible glow wrapped around the archbishop, compressing his bones and crushing his flesh under an unseen force. Petelguese screamed, writhing, his Invisible Hands vanishing one by one before the absolute power. Every attempt at resistance was suffocated by the increasing pressure — his bones cracking, his body flattened against the earth.

“Ankaa” remained silent, his hollow eyes fixed on the agonizing figure of Petelguese.

The forest fell silent, the weight of the Authority of Melancholy dominating everything around.

Finally, with one last snap of broken bones, Petelguese’s screams ceased — his body reduced to an unrecognizable form under the relentless pressure. Without a word, “Ankaa” lowered his hand, ending the gravitation.

“Ankaa” stood still, looking down at Petelguese.

[“Ankaa”: Do you prefer to surrender or fight to the end?]

[Petelguese: No, no, no! Witch! I cannot betray your love! Not now, not here!]

[“Ankaa”: Annoying. —— You know, I’m not sure if you'll understand what I’m about to say. —— Here in Vollachia, they believe in the survival of the fittest. That the strong rule over the weak. For someone like me, who arrived in this country — like my brother — it suddenly became a cruel reality. At least at first. Until I awakened the abilities I gained in the arena. —— That’s why I ask this question. Here, surrender is seen as weakness. And fighting to the end when the enemy is impossible to defeat is stupidity. Do you see the contradiction? They criticize you in every way. But I like to praise some for their choices: Wanting to survive by surrendering? Normal. Dying fighting to the end without regret? Admirable. What irritates me? Hypocrisy. —— Those who called themselves strong begged for their lives when they found themselves in the place of the weak, but never showed the compassion they demanded when they were in power. Like your friend Regulus. Until the moment of his death, he was arrogant, confident — willing to do anything without caring about the lives he took. And he begged when he found himself in the place of his victims. —— Which will you choose in the end? Will you surrender or fight to the end?]

[Petelguese: I choose the Witch’s love! I will never deny it! Never reject it! Never, never, NEVER! NEVER, DO YOU HEAR?!]

[“Ankaa”: —— I don’t know if that’s madness, foolishness... or courage. I’ll admit that at least... you were strong. Be proud of that in the end, Petelguese Romanee-Conti, for I will remember your name — unlike your friend who begged to be spared when he was defeated. —— Any last words?]

[Petelguese: DIE!]

A fist flew toward “Ankaa’s” face in one final, desperate attack — trying in vain to crush him. In a swift, final motion, the General flicked his finger — erasing him completely in the next instant.

Petelguese Romanee-Conti was effortlessly eliminated at that moment — in the “battle” against the current First Divine General of the Vollachian Empire. Later, he would be entirely erased when he attempted to possess this man’s body — only to be expelled, leaving behind only his Authority of Sloth.

[“Ankaa”: Exhausting.]

Taking a few steps forward, spinning 180 degrees, he began walking back toward the battlefield's starting point. There, Cecilus and Kurgan waited — showing no signs of fatigue, not even a drop of sweat on their bodies. Around them lay the “army” of cultists — eliminated by the duo of Generals.

[Cecilus: Did you finish him off, boss~? He seemed like a good challenge — we heard part of the fight from here. Must’ve been fun. At least, but you don’t have a single scratch.]

[“Ankaa”: It was irritating and unnecessary, actually. Kurgan could’ve killed him in a minute or less — probably without any difficulty at all.]

[Kurgan: Then it wouldn’t have been worth much. I expected more when you called us.]

[“Ankaa”: So did I.]

[Cecilus: You could’ve at least let us fight him for a bit, right, Kurgan?]

[Kurgan: Hmph. Not really.]

They began walking side by side, barely caring — just talking. The First Divine General, alongside the other two, walked between them — following the path the black-haired, frightening-eyed young man had carved to reach that place.

To anyone judging by appearances alone, they would believe Kurgan and Cecilus to be the strongest among the three.

But those who truly understood would fear the one in the middle.

The one who claimed over two thousand victories in the arena.

The one powerful enough to defeat Vollachia’s mightiest warriors — including Kurgan, who now followed him — and others just as formidable, like Cecilus.

A figure known across Vollachia for his power — a man forged over more than two decades until he officially became the First Divine General, serving Vicente Vollachia as his greatest and most trusted general — completing the missions assigned to him, crushing the opponents who needed to be destroyed, and quelling rebellions.

Currently regarded as the most powerful Divine General in Vollachia’s history — the Emperor’s advisor, the leader of his own personal army named Pleiades — and the strongest being in the entire country, rivaling even the Sword Saint Reinhard.

This figure calls himself Ankaa — a name he chose in honor of the brightest star in the Phoenix constellation — as a pseudonym.

But his real name is:

Natsuki Subaru, the Son of War and the Shield of Vollachia.

 

 

—————

Do you think I should do a ranking of the Subarus (from weakest to strongest) in my IFs?

In this IF, there have been big changes:

-Subaru appears in Vollachia more than twenty years earlier. Even before Al. Dying hundreds of millions of times in his first month (around 123,488 times) in the Arena as a Gladiator.

-His other authorities awoke after his deaths exceeded more than 100,000 times, because his Miasma had grown so exponentially. Possessing with him the Authorities of: Melancholy and Pride. Working in different ways, which he named: Total Gravitation (総重力, Sō jūryoku) and Pendulum of Justice (正義の振り子, Seigi no furiko), the latter of which I plan to bring up in a future IF.

-He had a big personality change from dying in both Arenas and living in Vollachia. Gaining part of the personality of its inhabitants, but keeping part of his own and with a new one. In this new personality: He doesn't like hypocrites; For example: If Jamal killed someone who surrendered because he believed they wouldn't give him the chance, but later begged for his life as the one he killed did and had his life spared, Subaru would kill him. Or something like that.

-Subaru has a deep friendship with Al and Vicente, along with Priscilla too. As well as great admiration from the other Divine Generals.

-He saved Kurgan from being killed by Regulus and helped him kill him after finding out about his weakness (after more than ten thousand loops).

-Although he still hates dying, Subaru has become so psychologically strong that he no longer feels real pain or despairs when he dies.

-His total number of deaths during his life in Vollachia over the two decades was more than: 1 million deaths (making him almost as, or even more, indifferent to death than the Greed Route).

-He has among the ranks of the Pleiades: Kugan, Cecilus, Halibel and Zarestia as his most powerful bodyguards, Zarestia as his contracted Spirit. These three possess the Hearts that Regulus shared with his wives, together with the other soldiers, which allows Subaru to use his Authority of Greed in almost the same way as Regulus (except that Subaru has the total loyalty of his allies).

-Subaru has Vincent's complete loyalty. He even swore that he would prevent his death in the Great Calamity, in his plan to collect the Archbishops' abilities if necessary.

-Currently he possesses: His Authority (of return through death), Melancholy, Pride, Greed and now, in this Short, Sloth.

Chapter 52: [Extra - Vollachia IF]

[???: It's a pleasure to welcome you here again, Subaru-kun~]

[Subaru: And it is a pleasure to return once more to your beautiful residence, Lady Yorna-Sama.]

With a formal and polite bow, he greeted the woman in front of him inside the grand hall of her palace.

The palace at the center of Chaosflame, the Demonic City, was the Crimson Lapis Castle, its towering height giving the impression that its tip could almost reach the sky. A beautiful palace that seemed—and truly was—formed from brilliant ruby and lapis lazuli stones, even though such materials were quite rare to find. This place had been built by the city's residents, who surrounded this magnificent monument in a circular formation. The area was filled with ruined houses and buildings alongside others that appeared newly constructed, resembling towers.

And the owner of this palace, raised by the hands of the people? She was the very figure standing before him—the Seventh Divine General, Yorna Mishigure.

A beautiful and tall fox-woman with a slim yet alluring physique. Her narrow blue eyes carried a languid yet sharp gaze that could captivate anyone who met her stare. Her well-groomed hair was mostly white, gradually transitioning to orange at the tips. Adorning her head was a variety of animal bones, lending her an appearance both majestic and somewhat mythical. Complementing this were a pair of sharp orange fox ears, visible even from a distance.

[Yorna: There's no need for flattery. Even though I am truly beautiful, there's no need to remind me of it constantly whenever you return. Just as there's no need for the honorific ‘Sama’ when we talk, right? After all… if we were to consider the ranks that matter in Vollachia… you would actually outrank me in terms of importance.]

[Subaru: Maybe? No, I’m not superior. You're an Empress in this city. —— Alright, Lady Yorna-San. I also don’t want to be rude. And I really do enjoy appreciating the famous ‘Demonic City’ whenever I visit. Your palace is a testament to that, isn’t it? Beautiful and built with the dedication and love of all its inhabitants.]

[Yorna: Yes, I can’t disagree with that. The beauty of this palace exists only because of the collective efforts of those who gave everything to build it, as a testament to their personal will against this world.]

Her words couldn’t have been more truthful, especially coming from a figure who spoke with such a tender tone when referring to the city's people. They reflected the love she felt for them—just as they felt for her every single day.

The residents of Chaosflame.

A city where those who had nowhere else to go found a place to call their own. A community entirely composed of demi-humans, particularly those with horns—who were extremely persecuted. In the Empire of Vollachia, people followed a strict code: The strong prosper, and the weak perish. The strong rise, and the weak fall. A simple philosophy.

But here, they did not follow such a doctrine. They cared for one another, whether they were considered strong or weak by the world's standards. They took care of each other. Yorna took care of them, and they, in turn, would do the same for her if the time ever came—a day none of them wished for, yet one they would face head-on if necessary.

[Subaru: How are Zoey-Chan and Tanza-Chan?]

[Yorna: They’re doing well. I gave them some time to rest and enjoy themselves with their friends. Tanza still struggles to make friends, and Zoey has to drag her along to have fun with the other children. She should be a little more open, don’t you think?]

[Subaru: Yes, yes. Zoey-Chan should push her to socialize more and make friends on her own.]

They were referring to Zoey and Tanza, the two sisters who had caused Subaru and Yorna’s first meeting, even though they had already been Divine Generals at the time.

Zoey and Tanza—almost identical in appearance. Both had fair skin and brown hair, but they differed in one aspect: their eyes. Zoey had green eyes, while Tanza had purple eyes. Being part of a deer-human lineage, they each had antler-like horns, decorated in various ways. Both wore colorful kimonos gifted by Yorna—some even personally sewn by Subaru as presents.

He had met Zoey two years ago, when she was leading a group of demi-humans to the city, trying to save them, only to be ambushed by Imperial Soldiers. It could have led to the deaths of many, as well as Zoey’s capture. However, Subaru intervened, defeating the soldiers, protecting the group, and escorting them safely to the city.

But that was far from the only time he had meddled in matters concerning the Demonic City.

Escorting fugitive demi-humans.

Attacking Imperial troops attempting to abuse their power against the city’s citizens.

Even helping in the construction of houses and other projects to contribute to the people’s lives.

He had become an ally of the city's residents, just as Yorna had in the past. He had even formed a friendship with her, partly because he had protected her two beloved girls—Zoey, the more serious and responsible one, acting as Yorna’s hardworking assistant, and Tanza, her quieter younger sister.

Yorna took a puff from her purple-and-gold kiseru, exhaling a stream of purple smoke.

[Yorna: But I know you didn’t come here just to talk about them. —— Actually, wait, you would do that, wouldn’t you? You’ve come here before just to deliver kimonos you personally sewed for some of the city’s girls, Zoey, and Tanza.]

[Subaru: If only I could come here for trivial matters, Lady Yorna-San. My desire to avoid work might surpass anyone else’s… and believe me when I say that.]

Speaking with a proud tone, sitting cross-legged on the floor, he crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly, closing his left eye in a dramatic gesture.

[Yorna: Calling yourself lazy, when you’re the hardest-working Divine General, Subaru-Kun? Weren’t you the one who even founded an entire group to maintain peace in the Empire? And I must say, I appreciate it. A good portion of your group is stationed near my city, keeping those who would harm my people in check. Are you trying to win my heart that way?]

[Subaru: I won’t deny that having a beautiful woman like you fall for me would boost my personal pride. But that’s not my goal. —— I’m more of an incomprehensible guy. —— I don’t really like the ‘the strong survive, and the weak perish’ ideology. Because many of those considered weak still die with their heads held high, while some of the so-called strong wouldn’t even have that kind of mindset… don’t you think?]

[Yorna: It’s easy to understand you. You don’t like hypocrites.]

[Subaru: Yes, for me. Those who proclaim themselves strong cannot beg for mercy when they do not offer or give it to those who need it. Though I still try to understand the weak who take advantage of opportune moments to get rid of the strong, who would do the same to them if the situation were reversed.]

Saying that, he leaned back, placing his hands on the wooden floor and looking up with squinted eyes to observe the ceiling — as if trying to see the blue sky beyond it.

[Yorna: And what exactly did you come here to talk about?]

[Subaru: —— If we went to war with Lugunica, would you support it?]

[Yorna: ——?]

Yorna’s right eyebrow lifted in curiosity.

[Subaru: As you may have heard, I recently defeated another one of those Sin Archbishops who invaded Vollachia’s territory. Just like in the past, with that crybaby… And that raised the point that Archbishops from Lugunica are invading our land, after one of our own, Stride, invaded theirs in the past. —— Fate’s retribution, perhaps?]

He tilted his head while scratching his chin, deep in thought.

[Subaru: Anyway... some of the Third and Second Generals, as well as some of our First-rank colleagues, have been considering retaliation. This could even spark a war between our nations, despite the past treaty.]

[Yorna: I have heard rumors about this. —— And you're asking if I would fight? If the Emperor called for it and gave me a good reason, I might end up accepting.]

[Subaru: So it would be... —— We, the Nine Divine Generals, my Pleiades allies, Hal-san and Tia-san, against Lugunica’s most famous warriors. Reinhard van Astrea, the current Sword Saint, Julius Juukulius, a Spirit Knight, Félix Argyle, ‘The Blue’, along with some knights and the Kingdom’s Divine Dragon, Volcanica. —— In a bet, do you think we would win?]

As soon as he asked that question, she automatically thought about the rank of each Divine General:

Subaru – First Divine General

Cecilus Segmunt – Second Divine General

Kurgan – Third Divine General

Arakiya – Fourth Divine General

Olbart Dunkelkenn – Fifth Divine General

Goz Ralfon – Sixth Divine General

Groovy Gumlet – Seventh Divine General

Yorna Mishigure – Eighth Divine General

Moguro Hagane – Ninth Divine General

Considering the abilities of those allied with Subaru, Zarestia, the Great Wind Spirit, and Halibel, "The Admirer," both from Kararagi, would be placed as: First and Second Divine General, respectively. Zarestia was said to rival Subaru in power, while Halibel was considered on par with Cecilus in skill.

[Yorna: I don’t know.]

[Subaru: Me neither.]

They sighed together, Yorna releasing purple smoke from her lungs.

[Yorna: Why such an interest in hunting them? Haven’t only two appeared in almost two decades? We could just wait a little longer. —— But that look... that look of yours worries me.]

[Subaru: —— My interest in them is related to an issue with the Empire itself. —— More for Emperor Vincent and the Empire in this case… Because he says something really bad is coming...]

He spoke in a solemn tone, as if thinking about a loss that was already right in front of him—something Yorna would remember well.

[Subaru: He’s such an annoying guy sometimes, you know?! Really irritating, yes! An annoying Emperor!]

[Yorna: You are quite diligent in protecting the Emperor, aren’t you?]

[Subaru: Hm? Maybe? —— I think I just want to complete my little collection. It would make future problems easier.]

[Yorna: Collection...?]

[Subaru: Nhan! Forget it, forget it for now, please, Lady Yorna-san. It’s not an issue we’ll deal with immediately unless my request to the Emperor fails. And if it does, I’ll have to stop going into ‘War Mode’ and switch to ‘Assassin’s Creed Mode’... from war to stealth...]

[Yorna: Leaving aside the meaning of some words you said, the intention is clear: If you can’t handle things directly through open battles, you’ll proceed in a way that doesn’t attract attention and prevents a war between our nations. Hmm. Fufufu~ Interesting, Subaru-kun~]

She couldn’t help but give a mischievous smile as she grasped his idea—how he would act based on the situations imposed by the things he wanted to do for his personal ambitions.

[Subaru: Just don’t spread it around, okay?]

[Yorna: My lips are sealed.]

At that, Subaru gave a grateful smile at the woman’s honest words.

[Yorna: Do you plan to stay a little longer? Your presence wouldn’t be a problem, especially for the people who are grateful for your constant protection against the kinds of dangers that surround us.]

[Subaru: Huuummmm? I think I’ll stay a little longer, okay? I want to see Zoey-chan and Tanza-chan before I leave. My companions will have to deal with my choice in the end.]

He commented with a relaxed face while they continued looking at each other.

The companions he referred to were Todd Fang and Jamal. While he enjoyed irritating the first with some teasing, he liked making the second help him provoke the first even more for his amusement. People he had met during the Petelgeuse event, whom he had researched out of personal curiosity and a secondary survival instinct he had developed during his time in this kingdom.

They would wait a little longer until he was ready to leave—whether they liked his decision or not.

[??? & ???: Subaru-sama~!!!]

Meanwhile, two figures entered—Zoey and Tanza. That brought genuine smiles to both of them.

 

 

—————

If a real battle took place between:

Vollachia IF’s Divine Generals + Subaru’s Pleiades forces (Halibel & Zarestia) + Subaru (Authorities: Return by Death + Melancholy + Pride + Greed + Sloth)

vs

Lugunica’s Knights (including Reinhard, Julius, Félix, and Al) + Volcanica

How do you think it would go? And who do you think would win?

For me, it would be a draw, but with extreme losses on both sides. Since they wouldn’t be able to kill Reinhard or this IF’s Subaru.

Oh, the next chapter of Consequences IF is being written: It will focus more on one of the most underrated waifus of Re:Zero (in my opinion), Al, our beloved one-armed knight.

Chapter 53: [Extra 2 - Vollachia IF]

[???: Are you really going to do something like this, Subaru?]

[Subaru: Hm? Do you really want to doubt that I wouldn’t do something like this? —— What do you think? Stylish, right?]

He countered his ally, who was looking at him with a friendly smile. Meanwhile, Subaru was admiring the outfit he was wearing with a particularly joyful and excited sparkle in his eyes.

Like a small child who had just received a great gift.

His new outfit, specially prepared for his missions; a white tunic with red and silver details, made of firm but flexible fabric. An asymmetrical design: one side longer than the other, with a “tail” or flap that fell over his left leg. On the back: the tunic split into two parts in the shape of a swallowtail — something no one in Vollachia understood, even after Subaru had explained it. With a pointed and angular hood in the front, partially covering his eyes to keep his face hidden but without impairing his vision. It was directly sewn into the tunic or coat and featured subtle lines that emphasized its sharp shape. It also had metal shoulder pads.

Underneath the tunic, he wore a long-sleeved beige shirt. The sleeves were slightly puffed and secured by leather bracers on his forearms.

Around his waist, he wore a red sash fastened with an ornate leather belt and a buckle. On the belt were small pouches, perfect for carrying necessary small gear — such as knives, smoke bombs, or even just money if needed.

With leather gloves, fitted black boots, and even a red cape hanging over his left shoulder.

[???: Is that really the outfit of an assassin from where you come from?]

[Subaru: Don’t be disrespectful! This outfit is an almost perfect replica of one worn by one of the greatest assassins from the Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Auditore. Simply, one of the best of the best. And I won’t tolerate any disrespect towards his iconic outfit, Balley-San! Show some respect!]

[Balleroy: Alright, alright, Subaru. Hahaha~]

Balleroy Temeglyph, one of the top first-class generals, someone once considered for the Nine Divine Generals, and one of the most powerful members of the Pleiades Battalion; a tall man with dark brown hair, pale skin, and droopy eyes, wearing his usual green shirt under a copper-plated armor, brown gloves on his hands, black pants with four small pouches on the hips, and brown boots.

The Pleiades Battalion. Subaru’s personal group — those who were directly led by him.

Members consisted of Vollachian soldiers, gladiators from the Arena whom he had received the Emperor’s permission to recruit when he saw potential, allies from other nations he had made during his travels — some even from Lugunica, although he had visited there the least — and even some second- and first-class generals of the Empire, although they still primarily answered to Emperor Vincent Vollachia himself.

Subaru, for his part, was the leader, strategist, and the primary administrator of this elite force he had formed as his special companions. Many of them carried his Heart, which connected them through his Authority of Greed — a power he had based on the Archbishop from whom he had stolen it: Regulus Corneas, a man Subaru considered an arrogant and pretentious idiot.

And it was ironically that very man he defeated who enabled him to recruit Kurgan into his group. Which also allowed him to earn the favor of both the former and current Emperor for his position and the creation of his personal battalion.

The man sitting across from Subaru was one of those recruited into such a group. Balleroy had met him many times before and felt he owed him a great debt.

Their first meeting had been when Subaru visited Serena Dracroy, where he met him along with other children who became his friends, Flop and Medium O’Connell, who also helped hatch the egg of a Flying Dragon named Carillon. It was an interesting encounter between them. Despite Balleroy’s fame as a great and powerful warrior of the Arenas — and of all Vollachia since that time — he had shown himself to be playful, kind, and someone who helped those around him.

He had even helped him at other times.

Like during the battle against Mezoreia, an extremely powerful dragon who cared for a little girl named Madelyn Eschart of the Dragokin race. Balleroy helped him in the fight against that massive beast. A fierce, powerful battle that caused great destruction at the peak of Mount Palzoa. All because Balleroy tried to take Madelyn out of the cave where she had lived since birth, cared for by the enormous dragon. But in the end, the three made peace, and she came under Subaru’s protection after he proved himself capable of facing the great beast and earning its respect — gaining Balleroy’s permission for her to leave the cave.

And if that weren’t enough, he later heard from Miles, his sworn brother, that Subaru had saved him from death during one of his missions in Lugunica. And Balleroy himself had his life saved by Subaru during an unfortunate incident with one of Lugunica’s knights, Julius. Not just his life, but also that of his dragon companion, Carillon, which might have ended that day if not again for the intervention of the black-haired general.

Not only had Subaru proven himself to be kind and true to his word since the moment they met, he had protected the lives of those dear to Balleroy — and his own life when in danger.

That’s why Balleroy joined Subaru’s group.

[Balleroy: When I heard from Halibel-san that you were going on a secret mission to Lugunica, I got curious. You’ve always had a habit of making impulsive decisions, but they’ve always been reliable and effective in the end. And I trust you — both because of our friendship and my unwavering loyalty for all you’ve done for me and for those dear to me. That’s why I’m questioning this decision of yours.]

[Subaru: Hm? While they may seem impulsive, my decisions are actually well thought out — at least to a certain extent. —— My main objective is already clearly defined, and along the way, I make decisions that I feel will positively benefit that goal in the end. Creating a strategy thinking everything will go exactly as planned isn’t enough — I’d only drown in disappointment and despair if things didn’t go the way I wanted.]

[Balleroy: So, that’s why you just leave it up to luck with confidence?]

[Subaru: More or less. Like I said, you can’t plan for everything. No one can 100% expect to have a plan for every possibility — not even me, with a cheat-like ability that you couldn’t fully comprehend... Even so, I’d still struggle to fully predict and handle the entire sequence of events. The best I can do is give it my all and, as I said, adapt along the way with whatever I can.]

He explained briefly, without revealing the full truth about Return by Death, since he really couldn’t do that. Even with his other abilities, it was impossible for him to confess or fully explain himself in every necessary situation — and it had even caused many people, including the current and previous Emperor, to mistake him for a Star Reader.

[Balleroy: The Great Calamity. That which lies in the future, and is said to bring about the death of our Emperor and the fall of the Empire.]

[Subaru: Something I obviously won't allow. —— Hmph! That guy annoys me with how easily he accepts death. He thinks he can be replaced by Chisha if he dies. Sure, he trained him for that... but even Chisha himself confessed to me that he doesn’t want that. And I don’t want him to die, for my own personal, selfish, and petty reasons. That’s part of why I want to go to Lugunica.]

[Balleroy: The powers of the Archbishops, right?]

It became quite obvious to anyone who had witnessed Subaru’s battles with the Archbishops so far: He had abilities similar to theirs and, somehow, was able to absorb and use their powers after eliminating them, becoming more and more powerful. Currently, not only his intelligence but also these abilities earned him the position of First Divine General and one of the closest to the Emperor. Still, Chisha remained even closer to Vincent than Subaru himself.

So, the main plan of the black-haired general was almost obvious.

To collect all the abilities, becoming so powerful that he could handle the Great Calamity alone, should it arise. Trying to become for Vollachia what Reinhard van Astrea is for Lugunica. His focus was to prevent the calamity from happening, and if it did occur, he’d ensure it wouldn’t bring about the predestined destruction that would ruin all of Vollachia. In short: Either he would prevent it entirely, or at the very least, he’d minimize the damage if he couldn’t do the first. A thought partially shared by Vincent, albeit reluctantly. Strengthening Subaru to become the Empire’s ultimate weapon to face that fate, alongside Chisha. And if Vincent were truly to meet his end—something both of them would truly hate—then they would deal with the consequences together, along with all their other allies.

Balleroy let out a small smile.

[Balleroy: You know... if we went at it directly, maybe we’d win?]

[Subaru: As epic as it would be to see Madelyn and Mezoreia against Volcanica, you and the others against the Knights, and me, Halibel, Zarestia, and Cecilus against Reinhard... Do you realize how pointless that would be? We could lose hundreds of allies in a needless battle when we can act more discreetly, don’t you think? The fewer losses, the better.]

[Balleroy: I know, I know. I don’t want war either, like you. But that thought always crosses our minds, you know? —— Especially since, even though we know you’re not easy to kill, it’s still worrying that the strongest among us is going in with so little backup... even if you’re taking Flop and Medium to help.]

[Subaru: Bringing too many people would draw unnecessary attention, especially when starting a search for Archbishops who always seem to come from Lugunica. And then there are the beasts that live there too. If I meet some allies there, that could be useful as well. Even though I think taking Hal-San with me would be a big advantage, I believe that to blend in better, it’s best to go with those who won’t draw too much... attention.]

The mission: Infiltrate Lugunica to search for clues about the remaining Archbishops who seem to be living there.

For this mission, Subaru recruited a specific group of allies: himself, Flop, Medium, Zarestia, and the new recruits Todd and Jamal. That made a group of five people and one spirit to accompany him on his personal journey.

[Subaru: Flop-San is a good merchant—he and Medium-San can basically make friends with anyone if given enough time. As for Jamal, despite his rough personality, he’s very loyal to those close to him and to the Empire’s methods. People like him are rare, and his potential is huge—it would be a waste to let him roam around and end up dying when I could try to polish his skills. —— Then there’s Todd Fang... he’s a coward of the worst kind: the paranoid kind. He believes it’s always kill or be killed, thinking that anyone stronger than him is constantly plotting how to eliminate him. That’s why he only connects with people physically weaker than he is, so they can’t kill him if they try to betray him. But given the persecution people like him have faced... I can’t completely blame him, even though I despise his nature.]

[Balleroy: So why are you bringing him?]

[Subaru: I’m giving him some chances. Even with all his cowardice, I can’t deny the overwhelming potential he has as a strategist who’s willing to do anything to get what he wants. I can respect that mind. So, if he changes his mindset, sees beyond just kill or be killed, we might have someone truly worth keeping around. And if not... I’ll let him go free.]

[Balleroy: So basically... either he changes and proves the potential you’re talking about, or he stays the same, disappoints you, and you let him go free in Lugunica to live away from the country he apparently fears so much due to persecution. In both cases... he gets a chance to change his life however he wants... growing into someone new or staying the same. —— Arf! Makes sense in your dumb logic.]

[Subaru: Don’t call it dumb logic if you're saying I’m totally right! —— Anyway. Tia-San can stay hidden and invisible for as long as needed, even if she doesn’t like it much, so there’s no chance she’ll cause trouble. Plus, we’re Contractor and Spirit, and she wouldn’t want to be left behind. —— Aside from the Knights, no one in Lugunica knows my true name or identity, since I’ve always avoided standing out. And with this disguise for infiltration and searching... I can act like one of those Creed Assassins and get everything I want! And thanks to Hal-San’s training, plus the countless times Olbart-San tried to kill me, I’ve learned enough ninja techniques to not be totally awful at it.]

[Balleroy: I don’t know if that’s actually a good disguise or if your supposed infiltration skills are any good, but... I won’t be able to stop you. —— And what does the Emperor think of this idea?]

[Subaru: As the Emperor, he thinks it’s idiotic for me to step away from my duties in Vollachia to go on a hunt that might end up fruitless, but he also knows it would be completely beneficial to everyone if we wiped out the remaining monsters and I gained the powers to protect the people, just like he does. —— As for Vincent himself, I think he’s sad I’m leaving... but I can’t blame him, can I? I think he’s fallen in love with me and I try to keep him at a distance so Chisha doesn’t get jealous.]

[Balleroy: Hahahahaha! A love triangle inside the Castle! Hahaha!]

Letting out a hearty laugh, Balleroy wiped away a tear from laughing so hard at Subaru’s words, who was now striking strange poses as if being seen naked by Vincent himself—something that always earned an angry glare from the Emperor when Subaru did it in front of him.

But aside from that, the plan was in motion.

Despite the discomfort from many, including Balleroy and the entire Pleiades Battalion, who didn’t like sending Subaru into foreign territory with so little support. Not just for fear of triggering war between the two countries, but also out of fear that the Sword Saint might take the life of the most powerful and kind Divine General that anyone in Vollachia had ever seen. And unfortunately, no one could stop Subaru once he made up his mind.

Only if necessary: Balleroy, Carillon, Madelyn, Mezoreia, Kurgan, Halibel, Cecilus, as well as all the others in the Battalion, would go up against Lugunica to save him. After all? He was the Boss.

No one would mess with the Boss without facing them first.

And if someone did?

They might die, but they would ensure that he was avenged. For that was how they would choose to leave, for that man.

 

 

—————

Just to remind you and give you some more information about this IF:

-Remember that: This Subaru arrived almost 20 years before the original story began.

-The members of the Pleiades Battalion (the ones Subaru interacts with the most):

1. Kurgan.
2. Cecilus.
3. Halibel.
4. Zarestia.
5. Balleroy.
6. Madelyn
7. Mezoreia
8. Kafma Irulux
9. Zikr Osman (Ironically, he is one of the people Subaru likes and trusts the most, to the point that they usually have dinner, drinks and fun, sometimes just the two of them and often together with Halibel, Zarestia, Cecilus and Balleroy, Zirk being the one who is the weakest and the most protected by the others around him.)

(Unofficial, but allies)

1. Flop.
2. Medium.
3. Yorna, Zoey and Tanza.
4. Jamal and Katya (who receives full protection from Subaru in the name of Jamal's loyalty).
5. Todd (Subaru usually puts him in complicated, stressful and annoying situations to try to push him to the limit of his explosion point, but without any real malicious intent against Todd, since Subaru actually still sees potential in him to grow).

-Subaru feels very angry at Vincent for being so willing to sacrifice his life, but he doesn't hate him. He just wants him to value life itself more (Ironic, don't you think?).

Chapter 54: Envy and Pride IF

What if...? What if Subaru had awakened another ability alongside the Invisible Providence at the Sanctuary?

—————

 

 

[Regulus: What an irritating thing. Why? Here I was, living my satisfied life, simply coexisting with my dear wives, trying to introduce them to my newest wife, but what happened? We were abruptly interrupted by your sheer audacity. No, not audacity. Arrogance and cruelty! Yes, your words, your actions, your motivations behind your interruption. But I keep asking: Why? Why am I tormented by the audacity of people as selfish as you and that other annoying knight? This world enjoys tormenting me with the audacity of ruffians who don't care about the satisfaction of a complete man like me. —— What do you have to say about that, huh?]

[Subaru: Man, seriously... you're a pretty complicated guy, aren't you?]

[Regulus: Complicated? Pretty complicated? You dare call me complicated when I'm merely living in a completely satisfied existence with my wives, only trying to improve it without affecting the lives of others, like a good man, husband, and person does, right? Then how can someone as kind and gracious as I be complicated when I'm just trying to live a simple life with my wives? It's truly audacious of you to classify me as someone complicated. It would be like classifying me as greedy when I'm someone so satisfied.]

[Subaru: ——]

Subaru's gaze remained fixed on the Archbishop of Greed, tired of all the man's rambling — the white-haired man who usually had an arrogant smile on his face and a mocking tone in his words — but now a little more irritated by the previous events.

It was the attack on Priestella.

All the Camps had gathered in the city, each for a different reason, but summoned by Anastasia to fulfill their desires. Emilia's Camp, which Subaru was part of, had been summoned to restore Emilia's crystal to bring Puck back. Then the attack began. The first attacks came from Sirius of Wrath, but they continued with the other members of the Cult.

Among them, Regulus. Who kidnapped Emilia with the intention of making her his 79th wife.

That frustrated Subaru. But he had been incapacitated by the combined attacks of Regulus and Sirius at that moment, which also incapacitated Beatrice. And everything kept getting worse due to the Archbishop of Lust, Capella, and the threats and demands they were making — threatening to flood the city using the dams surrounding it, turning the entire place into a kind of bowl.

Everything was getting too complicated!

Until they began a counterattack plan. Subaru was part of the group facing Regulus, the Archbishop of Greed — a man with white hair and white clothes standing in front of him. They now stared at each other. Earlier that night, in the church where Regulus had taken his wives and Emilia, Subaru and Reinhard had stormed the wedding, starting a battle against the man who claimed not to be greedy.

Reinhard fought at first. It was a battle that devastated many houses, buildings, and streets. Emilia even tried to help in the fight alongside Subaru, when he broke free from Reinhard — sending the knight soaring into the sky, toward the Moon. That was when the knight fully understood Regulus's power.

And now, it was Subaru's turn to fight...

[Subaru: I just need to buy enough time for Emilia-tan, and I can only use this once per day... it's time. —— Regulus! I have a question for you: Do you accept me as your opponent in a duel?]

[Regulus: Uhhh? What audacity you have. You first attacked the church where I was holding my wedding — a beautiful, simple wedding where only my wives were present, without interfering in anyone's lives. Everything simple and without greed. Living calmly, living without problems. And that's all I want to do. Live without problems. But you dared to interfere and put yourself between me, my satisfied and complete life. And now you simply ask such a thing? —— Frankly, it's irritating. Why do people like me always go through this at the hands of people like you? By the audacity of simply believing you can have control over my destiny, my choices, my life. Asking such a question? —— I will divert my satisfied path to entertain such a thing. I will accept you as my opponent in this duel and end everything to return to my satisfied life.]

Regulus spoke, his arrogant smile returning, standing still with his hands on his hips — as if waiting for Subaru's first move and imagining him breaking his hand if he tried, only to finish him off.

Meanwhile, Subaru's lips curved into a happy smile.

[Subaru: By this: We are bound, and with that, my ability is activated; Seigi no Furiko! For the next 4 minutes: We are matched!]

His words were spoken with such certainty and authority that the air vibrated. The atmosphere shifted. An invisible pressure spread through the area. The air felt heavy, suffocating. And as if it were an illusion, the image of a Pendulum appeared behind Subaru — swinging to one side before balancing both sides and releasing a kind of explosion in the air.

Regulus, who always boasted about his invulnerability, felt something strange... a sensation he had never experienced before: weakness.

Subaru advanced, his steps firm and controlled. His calm eyes locked onto Regulus, as if already knowing the outcome of that battle. The first punch struck the Archbishop's face with precision. Regulus's head snapped to the side, spitting saliva mixed with blood. Regulus tried to move, to raise his arms to defend himself — but his body wouldn't obey. He never needed to fight, never needed to learn how to block a blow. He had always relied on his powers, on his invulnerability.

Another punch. Then another.

Subaru attacked with confidence — each blow precise, without haste, without fury. Only the constant rhythm, like the swing of a pendulum that could not be interrupted. Regulus stumbled back, his eyes wide in shock. His arms rose clumsily, without technique, trying to ward off the relentless blows. Subaru's fists reached him effortlessly — breaking bones and crushing flesh.

Subaru pushed him against a wall, continuing the assault.

Regulus's ribs cracked under the blows — each impact drawing out muffled groans. Blood trickled down the Archbishop's face, mixing with the tears starting to well up in his eyes.

[Regulus: What? What happened...? What... what... what did you do? How did you punch me...? My Authority... didn't...?]

[Subaru: You look surprised... pretty interesting, isn't it? —— It's my ability. It's almost like yours, but way more interesting: I like to call it the Pendulum of Justice. This ability allows me to disable other people's powers. The first time I used it was against a guy I consider a brother, Garfiel. And if it weren't for that, I probably would have completely lost that fight.]

Remembering the boy with a chuunibyou syndrome who called him Captain, he opened a small smile. Meanwhile, Regulus gritted his teeth as tears continued to fall from his eyes.

[Regulus: Oy! Oy, oy! What are you talking about?! Explain... Explain now, NOW!, what did you do to me?! What did you do to my power?! The power that was granted to me to defend myself from this cruel world trying to destroy my life! The perfect power for someone satisfied like me that connects me to my dear, beloved, and obedient wives! WHAT DID YOU DO?!]

[Subaru: Ah, I rambled a bit, didn't I? I'll go back to my explanation. —— My ability allows me to establish a deal between us for a fair fight: It removes all of our other abilities — Mana, magic, Authorities, blessings, etc., etc. Basically, it strips away all our weapons and leaves us as normal human beings. With no support from anything else. —— Both of us are equal. No powers, just normal humans. Which means you no longer have your Authority or your Invincibility.]

A smile grew on Subaru's face as he explained his ability and saw Regulus' face contort into an expression of horror on his bruised and slightly swollen face.

[Subaru: You're just like me. —— No Mana enhancing your physical strength, no magic to attack, no Authority to protect you, no spirits — and even if you had a magic weapon, it wouldn't have any power. This is my power: Seigi no Furiko, the Pendulum of Justice! That makes both sides balanced like the pendulums of a scale. —— That's why I can do this...!]

Subaru advanced toward the Archbishop again, who raised his arms.

[Regulus: Wai...! Wait, wait, wait! WAI——!!!]

In a desperate impulse, Regulus tried to react, his fist moving in a pathetic attempt to punch Subaru. The movement was clumsy, slow, guided more by the instinct of survival than by skill. Subaru easily dodged, twisting the Archbishop's arm with a smooth motion, breaking the joint with a dry crack. Regulus let out a muffled scream, but the sound was interrupted by another punch to the stomach, folding him instantly. He fell forward, spitting bile mixed with blood, while Subaru remained impassive, his gaze fixed on the helpless prey.

Subaru grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to face the full moon. Regulus' tear-filled eyes trembled, reflecting the silver glow of the sky — before being crushed by another punch directly to the face.

Subaru's fists moved as if guided by an automatic force. Subaru felt no anger, only absolute calm. Each punch was an adjustment on the scale of balance — a just punishment for someone who had never known pain.

Regulus fell to his knees, trembling, unable to even raise his arms. His glazed eyes reflected only despair. Subaru raised his fist once more.

Another punch. Then another.

Time seemed to stop. Only the repetitive sound of blows and Subaru's controlled breathing filled the space. The smell of blood mixed with the cold night air. Regulus' face was beginning to be completely deformed, swollen to the point that his eyes could barely open. His broken nose gushed blood, while cracked and broken teeth fell from his mouth with each new impact. He remained conscious, trapped in his own weakness, unable to scream — only feeling each blow with agonizing clarity.

Subaru did not hesitate. His fists continued to descend — each punch meticulous, without rush, without emotion. It was as if he were weighing each blow on the scale of justice, balancing the suffering Regulus had caused with his arrogance.

The dry sound of bones breaking echoed in the night. Subaru did not hurry. He knew Regulus would not die easily — not because of physical resistance, but because the punishment was not yet finished.

When his arms finally began to feel heavy, Subaru stepped away, leaving Regulus kneeling — a man reduced to nothing but pain and regret.

[Regulus: Fou... hggth...]

[Subaru: What...? I think I hit you too much, didn't I? —— Urgh! Well... I'm reaching my limit, aren't I...? But that should have been enough for Emilia-tan...]

He felt a weight on top of him, as if his energy was reaching its limit. Opening a small smile, he ran one last time toward his opponent, jumping and then landing one final punch on the Archbishop's face, launching him backwards — dragging him across the ground before falling into the canal's water nearby.

[Subaru: And with that... I have nothing left.]

And with that, his power automatically deactivated. The fight now left in the hands of Emilia and, later, Reinhard when he returned... from the Moon.

 

 

—————

Some might ask: Why do I make so many IFs where Regulus dies or gets beaten up? And my question is: Why not? Who doesn't like seeing him take a beating? I really enjoyed seeing that adapted in the anime, seriously. It's quite satisfying.

In this IF, there were some changes:

-Alongside the Invisible Providence, he awakened the Authority of Pride (which in this IF does not belong to Al, as many theorize that Al possesses the Authority of Pride) during his fight against Garfiel. This power is called Pendulum of Justice, and its functionality is as follows:

Authority of Pride (傲慢の権能, Gōman no Ken'nō)

Pendulum of Justice (正義の振り子, Seigi no Furiko): When Subaru uses this ability, it acts like a pendulum that balances both parties. In other words: He creates an area where, while active, all abilities of everyone inside — including Subaru — are deactivated. This usually only affects one person at a time. While inside this area, all powers are nullified for both sides, making them equal. For example:

If Subaru and Reinhard were inside this area, all of Subaru's Authorities would be deactivated, and all of Reinhard's Divine Protections would be nullified — along with his ability to strengthen himself with Mana. They would be stripped of any powers or enhancements, reduced entirely to their natural physical capabilities. Equals. Humans whose powers have been erased.

This power only works for 4 minutes when both sides willingly participate, and 1 minute when Subaru forces someone into the area. He can only use this ability once — ONLY ONCE — per day, and must wait 24 hours after the last activation to use it again. It doesn't leave him extremely tired, but the energy of this ability seems to wear out, needing time to recharge before being used again.

Additional Details:

-This ability works similarly to Domain Expansion from Jujutsu Kaisen, specifically like Hakari's technique — lasting for a limited 4-minute duration when fully activated.

-Subaru started training in combat with Garfiel and Clind to better utilize hand-to-hand combat during battles within the Pendulum's area.

-The range of the area is 200 meters in a circular radius. Once inside, neither participant can leave until the time runs out — like a video game arena where anyone who tries to cross the boundary is pushed back into the battlefield.

-In the world of Re:Zero, it's said (although not officially confirmed) that most people naturally strengthen their bodies by absorbing Mana from the air, making them physically stronger than Subaru — even without intense training. What Subaru's ability does is strip away everything: Mana reinforcement, magic, blessings, Authorities — everything — reducing everyone to their natural human state.

-His power affects himself as well, meaning he can only fight with fists or normal weapons — no Invisible Providence.

-If Subaru dies during the activation of this ability, the Pendulum of Justice automatically deactivates and Return by Death triggers, saving him from permanent death.

Chapter 55: Oni IF

What if...? Subaru reincarnated as an Oni?

—————

 

 

Otto never considered himself a lucky person. On the contrary, from an early age, he considered himself extremely unlucky; starting with the ability he received at birth, which only continued to bring him misfortune over the years. Of course, he received help from his brothers and parents as much as he could — until he got into big trouble that led to his expulsion from his city to avoid being killed.

Thus began his journey as a merchant around the world, accompanied by two important figures from his youth.

But not even with his merchant skills, exceptional intelligence, and great social capabilities did he feel far from the bad luck that had followed him since childhood. Perhaps his only true stroke of luck was the companions who had been with him since the beginning of his journey: his beloved Earth Dragon and his brother, who followed him on the journey to protect him. He wasn't his blood brother, as he had been rescued by Otto's father in the past, but he was someone Otto considered his brother regardless of shared blood.

He was a little older, but it was often his brother who took care of him in extremely complicated situations.

Returning to Otto's misfortune — he couldn't imagine that his bad luck could get any worse... until he got into big trouble again. He bought several products after hearing that they would yield great returns, only to discover that the location where he would make a good sale was a lie.

The place where he was supposed to make a good profit was the Capital of Lugunica.

Quickly, he began to change his route to reach the Capital in time to still get some return, receiving several teasing and mocking comments from his younger brother — as he always did when making such mistakes. In his haste, he took dubious paths — routes that no merchant would take unless they were desperate, which Otto was.

That's how they ended up on this route. Everything seemed fine, as if it would be a peaceful journey.

But fate showed just how colossal Otto's misfortune was.

[Lye: From the Witch's Cult, the Archbishop representing Gourmet Gluttony, we are Lye Batenkaitos!]

The Witch's Cult.

Of all the things he could encounter on his journey, the beings he most wanted to avoid were: the Whale, the Rabbit, and the Cult.

Above all!

And standing right in front of the carriage was one of them. Even worse, a Sin Archbishop.

The figure of Lye Batenkaitos stood before the carriage — someone who appeared to be thirteen years old, with a high-pitched voice denoting youth. His dark brown, straight, and unkempt hair had red tips reaching down to his knees, obscuring his right eye. Despite his slender appearance, his body was remarkably strong, with well-built muscles.

[Otto: Damn...]

He muttered with despair and sadness over his misfortune, clutching the reins of his Earth Dragon with trembling hands at the sight of that being.

[Lye: We came here guided by our gospel to find a merchant carrying with him a different being that should not be there. Tsu~]

[Otto: I-I don't know what you're talking about.]

[Lye: Ohh~ You don't know what we mean? Terrible liar, merchant. We are not easily deceived by the wretched words of a liar like you, especially when you make your lies so obvious to us. Tsu~]

[Otto: Glup]

[Lye: We can also feel... that aura... that smell... the sensation of threat and anger against us. Come out from where you are so we can settle this! Tsu~!]

With threatening words in a loud tone, Lye called out the figure Otto knew was inside the carriage. The figure stood up and revealed itself to those outside. A hand emerged, resting on the side near Otto, who watched it through the hole in the carriage behind him, making its way to the driver's seat.

Lye observed the figure carefully.

A figure with black hair, frightening eyes, quite tall, and physically well-built, with exposed muscles beneath his attire — a kind of semi-kimono in black with yellow-orange hues, leaving much of his arms and legs exposed, wearing nothing on his feet for protection. This figure carried two very obvious weapons on his back, forming an X — two tetsubos, giant clubs with wooden handles and metal heads covered in spikes along their length.

[Subaru: Of all the things I expected today because of my brother's luck... I didn't expect something as irritating as this. Hah! Otto, you really are a lot of trouble.]

[Otto: IT'S NOT MY FAULT! He said he came here looking for you!]

[Subaru: Throwing your brother into the fire? What kind of brother are you, huh? Cruel.]

[Otto: ... Sorry.]

Otto's expression became defeated at the end of the exchange, unable to retaliate against his brother's words.

[Lye: Ohh~ He's an Oni~! We thought they had been exterminated long ago. How delicious! We've never tasted an Oni before. You look quite succulent~!]

[Subaru: Erk! Too bad for you, I'm not edible. But my weapons might satisfy you when I shove them down your throat by force. —— My name is Subaru Suwen, the Guardian of the Suwen family and the son of my saviors. For the honor of my debt, I will crush you for my people and for my brother!]

With that, he leaped from the carriage, landing a few steps away from the Archbishop. Both fighters drew their weapons. The breeze cut through the arid terrain as Subaru gripped his two tetsubos tightly, the familiar weight of his weapons resting in his hands.

Lye Batenkaitos began his advance, smiling, moving with light steps, the threat reflected in his eyes.

Subaru lunged forward, swinging one of his weapons in a brutal arc. Lye dodged easily, his body disappearing in a short leap with the Leaper, reappearing behind Subaru. The Oni barely had time to turn before a devastating kick struck his ribs, forcing him to retreat, dragging his feet across the dry ground. Lye gave no respite, advancing with inhuman speed, his daggers dancing in precise cuts. Subaru defended as best he could, crossing his tetsubos to block the blows.

Sparks flew as metal clashed, but the relentless pressure of the Archbishop of Gluttony pushed him back.

Every strike Subaru delivered found only empty air, as Lye moved like a shadow, using the Leaper to reposition himself. When an opening finally appeared, Subaru attempted to crush his opponent with a brutal blow, but Lye dodged nimbly, his left palm glowing with the Palm of the Fist King. The strike landed on Subaru's stomach, making him spit blood as he was thrown backward.

Subaru struggled to rise, his muscles aching, his breath heavy. Even without activating his horns, his physical strength surpassed that of a regular human — but Lye was no ordinary enemy. The Lunar Eclipse pulsed through his body, granting him the abilities of countless victims. Every movement was a spectacle of technique and precision.

Lye attacked in bursts, his daggers slicing Subaru's flesh with small incisions, weakening him slowly. Subaru tried to retaliate, swinging his tetsubos in wide arcs, but his speed was insufficient. The Archbishop danced around him, like a predator toying with its prey.

Subaru felt the exhaustion building, blood dripping from deep cuts. Even so, his eyes burned with determination. He tried another charge, raising both tetsubos for a crushing strike.

Lye, with an agile leap, dodged at the last second — landing behind him and driving one of his daggers into the Oni's thigh.

The cry of pain was muffled as Subaru fell to his knees, his vision blurred by sweat and blood.

Lye stepped back a few paces, a satisfied smile on his face. In his mind, the fight was already decided.

[Lye: We're going to love tasting your memories, Oni. Will it be an interesting new flavor? Tsu~]

[Subaru: Not in your dreams, freak.]

Subaru resisted, his fingers tightening around his weapons — but his body could no longer keep up with the overwhelming pace of his opponent. He gritted his teeth, heat coursing through his body as a blue glow burst from the left side of his forehead. The First Horn emerged, pulsing with raw power.

His muscles expanded, and his eyes gleamed with determined fury.

With an explosion of speed, Subaru charged forward, his tetsubos tracing violent arcs through the air. Lye was forced to retreat, his daggers clinking as they deflected the fierce blows. The Oni advanced relentlessly, each attack carrying the strength of a monster, shattering the ground beneath them. Lye leapt and spun with Leaper, trying to maintain distance — but Subaru was adapting, his movements now fast and unforgiving.

The impact of the tetsubos cracked the earth, making the Archbishop falter for brief moments.

The tide had shifted — the Oni was now an equal match.

Lye's expression twisted in frustration. With a gesture, his body began to distort. The black light of the Solar Eclipse enveloped him, transforming his appearance. The new form of Neiji Lockhart emerged — and with it, the Palm of the First King.

The devastating strike cut through the air, forcing Subaru to leap back at the last second.

The two combatants were now on equal footing, the ground trembling with each clash of power. The Oni's roar echoed across the battlefield, while Lye's laughter rang out in broken gasps, his eyes glowing with cruel ecstasy.

The battle was far from over.

The fight escalated, with Subaru and Lye trading devastating blows. The Oni, with his First Horn, held his ground against the copied abilities of the Archbishop.

However, the sadistic grin on Lye's face began to fade when Subaru brought his hand to his forehead — unleashing his Second Horn.

The pink horn glowed intensely, and in an instant, Subaru's aura became crushing. His strength and speed skyrocketed, making the ground quake beneath his feet.

Lye attempted to use Leaper, disappearing and reappearing at different points around Subaru — but the Oni was already one step ahead. Every appearance was met with a brutal strike, swatting Lye through the air like a ragdoll. The Archbishop's daggers slashed through the air, but they were easily deflected by Subaru's tetsubos. He now moved with overwhelming precision, his eyes burning with restrained fury.

Lye tried combining different abilities from the Lunar Eclipse, but none seemed to work.

Subaru's raw strength crushed any attempt at counterattack.

In a final, desperate effort, Lye activated Leaper to gain distance — but Subaru was already behind him before the Archbishop even realized. A violent blow from the tetsubo struck Lye's back, launching him into the ground with such force that cracks spread across the earth.

Subaru gave no room to breathe. His fists and weapons hammered down without mercy, breaking bones and crushing flesh. The Solar Eclipse barely held Lye's borrowed body together, as his form unraveled beneath the Oni's brutality.

For the first time, the Sin Archbishop felt the genuine fear of imminent death.

With each blow, Subaru seemed to lose more of himself — sinking deeper into bloodlust. The timer on the Second Horn was running out, and Lye knew he only needed to survive until the Oni's strength burned out.

The question was — could he last that long?

Dust swirled through the air as Subaru advanced, his movements now too fast to follow. Lye desperately teleported back and forth with Leaper, but Subaru always found him — as if he could predict each escape before it even happened. The tetsubos carved through the air, shattering the ground and cracking the earth beneath them. Lye barely managed to defend himself, his daggers swatted aside like toys against Subaru's overwhelming force.

Subaru's muscles pulsed with brutal energy, his cold, wild eyes locked onto his enemy.

Lye used the Lunar Eclipse to reinforce his limbs, his techniques blending into a whirlwind of fierce strikes. He attacked with the Palm of the First King, then shot away with Leaper — only to be intercepted again. Each attempt at attack grew more desperate.

The ground quaked with every impact as Subaru struck blow after blow without mercy. Lye was flung through the air, crashing into the ground and coughing blood. His bones cracked — but Subaru didn't stop.

His tetsubos descended like hammers of destruction, smashing flesh and bone, burying Lye deeper into the earth.

Lye tried to crawl, his eyes trembling, but Subaru only walked slowly towards him, his face impassive.

He raised a Tetsubo with both hands and brought it down, crushing Lye's legs. The Archbishop's scream echoed across the field, but Subaru didn't stop. Another blow, and Lye's arm shattered. Another strike, and his chest caved in.

The rain of blows continued, relentless, until Lye was nothing more than a twisted mass of flesh and bones on the ground. Blood spread across the soil, mixing with the dust. Subaru stood over the mutilated body, panting, his eyes still wild. He dropped the Tetsubos, which fell heavily to the ground, and remained there, motionless, as the wind carried the metallic scent through the air.

The Second Horn still pulsed on his forehead, glowing intensely, but his eyes showed no emotion. Only silence accompanied the death of Lye Batenkaitos, under the weight of Subaru's monstrous strength.

Little by little, his horns began to shrink and then disappeared.

[Subaru: Oh, shit.]

With that comment, he fell backward. With a thud, he landed on his back on the ground. Exhausted from the effort he had put into the fight, wounded by the attacks he had received, and his energy drained from using two of his horns.

A price to pay for his victory against one of the leaders of the monsters that had massacred his people in the past.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, he saw a figure standing over him.

[Subaru: Oh, hey Otto... what's up? I'm totally wrecked... gonna take a nap... handle the rest... okay...?]

[Otto: What?! What are you——?!]

[Subaru: Zzzz...]

[Otto: SUBARU!!!]

Shouting in frustration, Otto gave a small smack on the head of the black-haired Oni, irritated and helpless. Looking around, he took a good look at the amount of destruction caused by his brother in the battle against the terrible Archbishop and sighed in acceptance.

After all, he had been saved by his brother once again.

Subaru Suwen. From the stories his father had told him, Otto knew Subaru was rescued by him as a twist of fate. He had been found after the attack on the Oni village by the claws of the Witch Cult. Otto thought he was strange at first, as he always thought everyone was because of his power.

Until they started growing up together.

Subaru showed himself to be quite mature from an early age, despite the pranks he still played to tease him. And also when he said and did strange things that even he couldn't understand. He even created things out of nowhere, without knowing how or why, but still understanding how they would work. That even made him a talented inventor in the city they had come from.

Despite his larger appearance, Subaru was still younger than Otto — the youngest among all the Suwen family siblings.

And they got along incredibly well.

Among all the brothers, Otto and Subaru were the closest. They played, talked, read, and did business — always together like a duo. And when Otto was expelled from the city, Subaru followed him. Even when Otto didn't want him to, he followed. Subaru served as a guardian to Otto in problems that required physical strength — which were many — becoming the older brother's personal bodyguard.

Today was yet another day he had protected him from danger. Otto could feel proud of his little brother at that moment. He had defeated one of the Sin Archbishops — the Sin of Gluttony! Something that many knights in the last four centuries had tried but failed.

And he had done it!

[Otto: But no one will believe us... it would be so good for business.]

He commented with slight exhaustion. Looking back at the carriage, he saw his brother's sleeping body after carrying him and placing him there to continue the journey they had to make to the Capital.

[Otto: Hmm... I'll buy him a special meal.]

He said with a cheerful smile, as they slowly continued the journey ahead.

 

 

—————

In this IF, some changes happened:

-Subaru died at the moment the Witch of Envy was about to bring him to the new world. She then pulled his soul, reincarnating him into the body of a stillborn Oni child.

-Because he was forcibly reincarnated by the powers of the Witch of Envy after death, he only has flashes of his past life. His previous life would only be fully revealed to him when he reached the Sanctuary, receiving a fusion of personalities.

-He possesses Return by Death but does not have the Scent of Miasma, as if his Oni incarnation blocked such a scent.

-Subaru, as an Oni, was born as an anomaly, having not one, not two, but three horns:

First Horn – Manifests a Blue Horn on the left side of his forehead (increasing his physical attributes by at least 5 times).

Second Horn – Manifests a Pink Horn on the right side of his forehead (increasing the attributes already amplified by the first horn by at least 10 times).

Third Horn – Manifests a larger horn than all the others, dark and orange in color, in the middle of his forehead, between the other two horns (increasing the attributes already amplified by the other two horns by at least 500 times).

He can only use his horns for a specified time that decreases with each horn invoked:

First Horn (5 minutes): Leaves him tired and fatigued.

Second Horn (1 minute): Makes him cough up some blood.

Third Horn (20 seconds): Leaves him extremely exhausted to the point of being paralyzed and unconscious for a long time.

With each new horn, he loses control: the Third Horn makes him an irrational beast that simply charges at the last target the Second Horn had set as the objective to destroy.

-This version met Rem and Ram during childhood, becoming friends with them (even a crush for Rem, since he, along with Ram, always tried to lift her spirits and self-esteem).

-He was found and rescued by Otto Suwen's father after the Oni village massacre, becoming the youngest adopted brother of the Suwen family.

-In terms of Oni strength, for comparison:

Subaru (Base) >= Rem (With Active Horn)

Subaru (First Horn) = Ram (If she had her horn)

-In the Camp's physical classification in this IF: He would be the strongest physically.

-Despite having a developed Gate, he is incapable of using magic, even though he can make contracts with Spirits. In exchange, he can physically fortify himself like Reinhard. If he used this ability alongside his horns, he would become extremely more powerful, but is unable to do so without becoming far more irrational than usual in his Oni Form.

-The first time he died would be against Puck, the Beast of the End, when Emilia died to the Witch Cult in Arc 3, and that was when he discovered his ability since he had never died before. He then began to undergo an arc of understanding his own physical limits, realizing he cannot save everyone or defeat every monster in front of him. He had a Loop of 8 days in the case of the Whale, Sloth, and Puck.

-If he fought each member of every Camp in a battle using his Three Horns, he would be able to defeat almost all of them, each one at their peak power, with a single strike — with three exceptions:

The only ones who could face him would be:

Beatrice (50% chance of victory: if she went all out right from the start using all her mana accumulated over the centuries).

Puck in Beast of the End Mode (75% chance of victory: if he focused all his power on killing him instead of destroying the world, but would still receive many attacks before managing to exterminate him).

Reinhard (100% chance of victory: using his blessings and if he did not hesitate to fight him, but it would be the longest battle Reinhard would ever face, even having to draw his sword).

-With the Three Horns (without the 20-second time limit), if he fought each Sin Archbishop one after another in consecutive battles:

Roy Alphard – 1 Strike.

Lye Batenkaitos – 1 Strike.

Rui Arneb – 1 Strike.

Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti – 1 Strike.

Sirius Romanee-Conti – 2 Strikes.

Capella Emerada Lugunica – Wouldn't be able to kill her, but could knock her out after 3 strikes.

Regulus Corneas – Wouldn't win, but could launch him far away like Reinhard does using all his strength.

-He becomes Garfiel's Master after the Sanctuary, for both to continue becoming stronger (having a relationship almost equal to Yami and Asta from Black Clover).

I wanted to share the story of a dear reader that many know from the incredible Reaction comments that give almost all the charm to this story of mine:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63504844/chapters/162729799 by @CondorKalum109

Chapter 56: [Extra - Oni IF]

I was the son of Natsuki Kenichi — Natsuki Subaru.

My childhood was perfect. I had the most amazing parents, the most perfect father in the world, and I could keep up with him effortlessly. Because I was fast, because I was smart, because I was the best among everyone around me. Just like my father. I could see myself becoming just like him—I could become someone as incredible as he was.

But… soon, people who were smarter, more skilled, and better appeared.

So, I desperately tried to get everyone’s attention. Doing things no one else would do, pushing forward on the most dangerous paths that others didn’t have the courage to take. Because I wanted to keep that attention, because I wanted to keep everyone's eyes on me. All to be just like my perfect father.

But… soon, I found myself alone.

No one wanted to be near me, no one wanted to talk to me. Everyone forced themselves when I joined in to talk to them. I even remember when I walked into a classmate’s birthday party, thinking they had forgotten to invite me—but no, they hadn’t. And after that, I was almost never—no, never—invited to any birthday party or event from my classmates again. I sank deeper into my loneliness, into my isolation, all because of my own mistakes.

And when I grew up, when I entered a new school, I thought I could start over. I even started reading, watching anime, manga, and other things—trying to find ways to connect with people, even just a little. I kept the same personality and actions as my father, who was still my greatest role model for the kind of person I wanted to become.

But… once again, I found myself in the same situation.

No matter how much I tried, no matter how much effort I put in, no matter who I tried to befriend—there was no one. Not a single person in that school wanted me around. There wasn’t a single person who wanted me as a friend or anything close to it.

I was a failure. A failure as a student, a failure as a person. A failure as a son.

I couldn’t become like my great father—Kenichi Natsuki.

They were still affectionate with me, still treated me well, still cared for me as they always had. They still treated me well, even though I was a useless son. And the worst part? Even if I didn’t want to admit it, I knew they did it because they truly loved me. They loved me even though I was a useless failure, they loved me even when I couldn’t do anything perfectly, they loved me even when I gave up on everything and became a lazy shut-in in my room.

And I didn’t want that. I wanted them to be angry with me, I wanted them to hate me. I wanted them to call me useless and force me to try harder. But they were kind, they were patient. They were affectionate and wanted to believe in me, even when I showed no potential to be like my father.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do it.

I couldn’t move forward, I couldn’t progress, I couldn’t become the perfect son I knew they deserved. And it infuriated me how much they loved me. How lucky I was to have them, how blessed I was to be born to such amazing and understanding parents—parents who could have easily discarded me when they no longer wanted me and started over.

And my uselessness led me to that night. When I went to buy some supplies for yet another marathon locked in my room, only to be run over by a drunk truck driver.

A pathetic end for the son of Kenichi Natsuki.

And I… I didn’t want them to cry for me. I wanted them to move on and have a new child, a new chance at having a son worthy of how incredible they were. I wanted to believe they wouldn’t be sad for me…

Because I would hate to think that I was their pain. Because I was a useless son in life, and I didn’t want to be a burden even in death.

That was who I was… Natsuki Subaru.

…..

...

.

...

…..

I was Subaru, one of the Ultimate Weapons of the Village.

My childhood was never perfect where I was born. Because from the moment I gained awareness of my surroundings, I realized I would never truly be happy with those around me at that time. Almost no one was like me? No—no one was like me.

As a three-horned Oni, I was born as the greatest anomaly ever recorded. Even greater than my Nee-Sama, who was born with two horns—because I was a being that had never been seen before.

Because of that, I was treated differently. I was treated as if my birth determined that I would only do glorious things and that my abilities would always be perfect. And I had to maintain that. Because I was taught that way, because I was raised to believe that I had to be like that—a perfect being to represent our race. But it was so lonely—it was horrible.

Because no one understood me, because no one saw anything beyond a simple perfect weapon. No one seemed to want to see anything else. Even I believed I was nothing more than that.

Until I met Rem and Ram.

While Ram was someone I could relate to, Rem was different. Rem was born with a single horn, smaller than most other Oni. Someone who only survived because of her twin sister’s protection. That was how I met them—that was how I saw them. Until I understood them better. Because they were as lonely as I was, as unloved as I was.

One was meant to be a perfect weapon, and the other was seen as an inconvenience.

But if I were to judge importance in other areas, even back then, Rem was the best of us. Because even without extra horns, she was able to perform tasks more efficiently than us—she dedicated herself more than I ever did (or was ever asked to do)—and she showed she could master anything she set her mind to with total concentration. Someone no one had expectations for, yet she was talented in ways even we, the so-called blessed prodigies, were not.

I felt a little jealous of her for that.

Because being born “perfect” wasn’t worth it—not when everyone expected so much from you, and you felt like you didn’t want to live just to meet the expectations of people who only cared about your talent, not about you as a person. That’s why I think I started liking her so much. Rem was amazing, skilled, able to accomplish things without any special birth-given power—and an extremely… adorable girl, to say the least.

Then it happened.

The attack of the Witch’s Cult. Several cultists attacked our village, our people. And I could do nothing, even with my abilities. Because when I saw people dying, when I saw the horrors those creatures caused, when I saw the blood—I lost control. I used all three of my horns.

When I came to, I was no longer there. My village had been destroyed—that much I realized later, even though I was far away. And I assumed that Rem and Ram had died.

And that was when I met Mazeran Suwen, a merchant.

He took me into his carriage when he found me on the road, brought me to his home in his hometown, introduced me to his family, fed me, clothed me. I got to know his family. And he took care of me with love, as if I were part of his family, even though we didn’t share the same blood.

And… that was the best moment of my life.

Even without Rem and Ram, who were the best people in the village where I was born, those moments were precious to me. Because they expected nothing extraordinary from me.

They educated me, taught me what they knew, and gave me chances to try to be more than just a Perfect Weapon. And honestly? I feel like I was able to show skills almost equal to Rem's! Cleaning the house, helping with food, washing clothes, assisting with business by welcoming people, etc. Framir, my "mother," even praised my dedication when I cooked some meat dishes with my wonderful creation: Mayonnaise, a special sauce I developed based on memories of things I didn't understand at the time—but now I do.

It was losing my village, my people, and the kindness of a man who didn’t need to help me when he saw me collapsed on that road. That was everything that led me to where I am today, where I was able to reunite with Rem and Ram once again.

And this is who I am now... Subaru Suwen.

.....

...

.

...

.....

In that mental landscape, those two figures could be seen once more. No longer ethereal beings, but their real images. A human wearing his sports jacket and an oni wearing her modified kimono. The two stared at each other, eye to eye.

[Natsuki: You must be disappointed in who you used to be, right?]

[Suwen: No. Actually, no. I even envy your parents.]

[Natsuki: And I envy your strength... even though I've seen the price of what it means to have it...]

Both lowered their heads, small, sad smiles on their faces.

[Natsuki: I couldn't stand being incapable of being what I thought others wanted.]

[Suwen: I couldn't stand having to be what everyone wanted me to be.]

[Natsuki: I loved my parents because they were incredible. And I knew that even if I failed, I could count on them, and... that made me feel even worse. Because I wanted them to see me as I saw myself... a failure.]

[Suwen: I didn't love the parents who gave birth to me, but I love the parents who took care of me. Because they didn't see me as someone who had to represent our race, didn't see me as a perfect weapon, didn't expect me to do everything in the name of something that isolated me... Because they saw me as myself and not as "that."]

They spoke one after the other and started to step closer.

[Natsuki: I... regret not telling them how much I love them.]

[Suwen: I understand. After what you told me, I love my new... No, my first real family, after Rem and Ram, even more. I love the kindness and warmth they gave me and taught me to give to others.]

[Natsuki: I... regret not being able to be the son they wanted.]

[Suwen: Everyone regrets not being able to meet others' expectations, but sometimes, there are people who will be happy just to have you around, whether you're perfect or not. And I was able to learn that again when I came here, when I met you. I love my family even more.]

[Natsuki: I... wish I had the chance to change my life...]

[Suwen: Who doesn’t want to change their life? Who wouldn’t want a second chance? And I was blessed with that more than once... When you were gone, and I was born... and when I discovered that even being strong, I can still lose... and more than just my life, but those who are important to me.]

The two stood face to face.

[Suwen: Thank you, Natsuki Subaru. I was able to learn more about myself than I ever thought possible, and understand something I never thought I could. And thanks to you... I love everyone around me even more! And I promise to tell them that, again, again, and again. Because I don’t want to have regrets at the end of my life!]

[Natsuki: ——. I see. Subaru Suwen, I'm glad to know that my other self won’t make the same mistakes as this lazy hikikomori.]

Both laughed a little before clapping their hands together in a handshake. Smiling, looking each other in the eye, their grip firm, both reached the same resolution.

The past could not be changed.

The past shaped them into who they are now.

Each of their pasts was opposite, yet they still left their marks.

But now, each could understand the weight they carried.

Natsuki Subaru showed the weight of a life where others' expectations lived in his mind; Subaru Suwen showed the weight of a life where others' expectations truly rested on his shoulders.

Each had their flaws, just as each had their strengths. But they both had one thing in common: important people who would support them, whether they were perfect or not. And that made them love them even more.

In that Sanctuary... the past had been reconciled.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Subaru is with Rem and not Emilia.

-After the Sanctuary event: Subaru was the only one who struck Roswaal, but the blow was so strong that Roswaal needed a week of healing magic treatment to recover.

Chapter 57: Sociopath IF

What if...? The events in the Capital and Arc 3 traumatized Subaru even more?

—————

 

 

[Emilia: Subaru, can we talk?]

The silver-haired girl asked while looking at the back of the black-haired boy in the corridor, a bit nervous. Her request made the boy suddenly stop. What seemed to be a sigh escaped him as he turned to face her, Emilia shivering slightly under Subaru’s cold and sharp gaze.

[Subaru: What do you want, Emilia-sama?]

[Emilia: H-Hum.]

That made her even more uncomfortable than before.

Before the Capital, he would have looked at her with affection, and even his frightening eyes wouldn’t have affected her negatively as they did now. But now, even the way he spoke was different. His tone was polite, rehearsed, as if he was trying to hide his true feelings towards her. And the way he referred to her…

"Emilia-tan~!"—the affectionate way he once called her, something she had even explained to him with great excitement and warmth.

Now, it seemed she was receiving a cold treatment since the previous events. Their argument in the Capital, the elimination of the Archbishop of Sloth in the battle against the Witch Cult in Arlam Village—there had been no time for them to discuss these recent events, and Emilia realized that he had been ignoring her.

[Emilia: I-I think we should talk about... what happened.]

[Subaru: What exactly are you referring to?]

[Emilia: The Capital... our fight... and the attack on Arlam...]

[Subaru: ——What do you want to discuss, Emilia-sama?]

She noticed that his tone had become a little colder when she mentioned those events. A reaction—but not the one she wanted from him.

[Emilia: ——I think... we both need to get everything off our chests, don’t you?]

[Subaru: Argh! —— Get everything off our chests? Haven’t we already? You dismissed me as your ally and friend, leaving me in the Capital to be healed, right? That ended our personal relationship. —— I am still a servant of the Mathers Mansion until I receive a formal dismissal from Roswaal L. Mathers, the true owner of this mansion and the lands we stand on. And I will fulfill my role as a butler until that moment comes.]

[Emilia: I-I... h-hum... —— Then why did you come back?]

[Subaru: To save the people in danger from the Witch Cult, since you had already proven yourself incapable of doing so on your own.]

His tone made her swallow dryly.

[Emilia: H-How do you know? How do you know I wouldn’t be able to handle them?]

[Subaru: Because you are too incompetent to deal with important matters like this. Simple as that. And I was slow to realize and understand that.]

[Emilia: W-What——]

[Subaru: Do not interrupt me, half-devil.]

His words felt like a stab to her. Of all people, she had never heard him say those words or speak in that threatening, cold tone. She never thought she would hear that from the cheerful boy who once took her on a date to a hill full of flowers.

[Subaru: Since the day we met, actually. If it weren’t for my intervention in bringing Reinhard to the Loot House, you, Felt, and Rom would be dead. That would have stopped the Royal Selection from even beginning. Because there was no knight there to defend you, and I can only imagine that none of them would have been able to stop her—even Reinhard struggled. And the worst part? The slums are so neglected by the government that even an assassin like her could roam freely without any concern of being recognized.]

And it was true. In his last loop in the Capital, he had seen her wandering freely, and there had been no guard or knight there to protect the people if she had decided to start a massacre.

[Subaru: You had one simple mission as a candidate, didn’t you? —— To protect what symbolized your entry into the Royal Selection, and yet you failed to do so. Even if Felt was a skilled thief, you still failed to protect something so important? And more than that... you didn’t even try to seek help from the knights? And why...? Ah, that’s right. Because no knight would lift a finger to help you because of your appearance, while I did so more than once. —— If you had died that day... I can only imagine the disaster that would have followed. Two candidates chosen by the Dragon lying dead on the filthy floor of a forgotten Loot House in the slums? What irony.]

He didn’t even mention what Puck would have done if Emilia had died—that is, freezing the entire Capital. A death he was well aware of.

[Emilia: How can you be so sure that Puck and I——?]

[Subaru: How do I know that you would have failed to defeat her...? To be honest, isn’t it obvious? She had a cloak that protected her from your attacks and Puck’s, she was more skilled in combat than everyone in that Loot House, and she survived an attack from Reinhard. Or did you forget that last part?]

[Emilia: ——]

Emilia swallowed dryly, remembering that battle all too well. How Elsa had easily dominated her, Felt, Rom, and Subaru—especially when Puck had to leave after reaching his contracted time limit. And how she had survived Reinhard’s powerful attack.

[Subaru: Not even mentioning your personal competence, combat skills, and survival ability—shall we discuss the attack on Arlam Village? If it weren’t for me and Rem taking care of everything, how many people would have died because of you and Roswaal? No matter what excuse you give... the responsibility would have been yours.]

He pointed at her accusingly, making her take a step back in shock.

[Subaru: Within your sponsor’s domain, the people there are your responsibility to keep alive. Especially since the attack could have been a deliberate attempt to kill you or politically weaken you by exposing your incompetence in protecting your people—even those closest to you. —— And that would have been true if, once again, I hadn’t been there to help and fix everything for you with the help of Rem, Ram, and finally Roswaal.]

His tone grew colder and colder with each word, sending a chill down her spine.

[Subaru: Speaking of the Capital... Maybe I made a promise to you not to interfere. Maybe I was arrogant in saying what I did. But you know what? If I had to regret anything, it would be: Declaring myself your knight.]

Emilia’s eyes widened slightly.

[Subaru: Seriously... The Knights are a disgrace. They don’t protect the people in the slums; they ignore them. That Felix—he’s supposed to be the greatest healer in the kingdom, yet he doesn’t even bother trying to help the people there? Please, he already lives in a mansion. If he were afraid of being attacked, he still has Wilhelm and others to protect him, but... I guess the fear of dirtying the dress his mistress gave him is too much, to the point that he doesn’t even care about the sick crying from hunger and pain in that place.]

[Emilia: ——]

[Subaru: To call myself the same as them... those incapable of protecting the people around them, whose greatest achievement in the last 400 years was eliminating a single Archbishop—while I managed to allow and eliminate one of the Three Great Beasts along with another Archbishop. An Archbishop who would have massacred all of you, making everything infinitely worse for the entire world because of a problem you wouldn’t even be able to comprehend since you’re too ‘innocent’ to understand.]

The mention of "innocent" was spoken with such malice and disdain that it hurt the half-elf’s heart even more.

[Subaru: Even worse... They saw you being insulted like that, and what did they do? Nothing. —— That idiot Julius insulted me, insulted Al, saying we could never be knights. And the nobles, along with one of those from the Sage Council, attacked you with cruel insults. But no one did anything. Not even you did anything—to defend us or yourself from something so degrading. If it’s offensive for a commoner to proclaim himself a knight, then how offensive should it be for a noble to attack a Candidate to be this country’s next ruler? And yet, I was the one who was wrong for protecting you from those insults? If it was because I called myself a knight, it was because I didn’t understand the real weight of it... the weight of being a bunch of arrogant men who dress nicely and refuse to intervene to help others unless there’s something in it for them.]

His eyes became empty as he spoke his next words.

[Subaru: And you? You just left me there without even letting me properly explain what I was really feeling. —— Maybe it was foolish to say that I did everything for you, as if you were some defenseless person. But was I wrong? Honestly, why do so many bad things happen when you’re around and I’m not there to fix them? I was worried that something like that would happen. —— Definitely, my reasons were selfish. Because I wanted to feel useful, I wanted to feel important, I wanted to prove myself to you in the hopes of earning a place in your heart. I had no one. Aside from you, the people in that mansion, and the village, I have nothing else. Because I can’t even go back home to my parents. That’s why I tried to cling to the only person I thought was reliable... because, yes, I idealized you as someone who would be there to comfort me through so many bad things.]

She realized how much sadder his words sounded toward the end.

[Subaru: I helped you regain what you lost, I saved your life, I saved the people you proved incapable of protecting on your own, and I defended you against people who attacked you cruelly just because of your appearance. And I did it because part of me wanted to feel like a hero... and another part because I deeply cared about you as something more than just an ideal. —— But you simply abandoned me. You left me when I needed you, because the only thing I did was want to help you. And I even came back to do it again! Damn it! Do you realize how messed up that is?! I had to come back again to save people from your incompetence! And you still want to be a Queen?! WHAT KIND OF QUEEN DOESN’T GIVE A CHANCE TO SOMEONE WHO HAS DONE SO MUCH FOR HER?!]

The anger finally burst out of the black-haired young man, making the girl step back slightly, startled by the sudden explosion. Even though she was physically stronger, more experienced in combat, and more powerful with her magic, she felt the force of his threatening anger and the fury in his eyes.

[Subaru: So you want to know why I came back?! —— I didn’t return because I wanted to be a hero for you, if that’s what you were thinking. No. I came back to save the people of Arlam Village, I came back to save Ram because I knew how sad Rem would be if she died, because neither Roswaal nor you would be capable enough to protect them. And I came back to prove my point—to you and to everyone here. —— Without me cleaning up your messes, you’d be nothing more than an incapable leader with piles of corpses at your feet. —— From this moment on, don’t worry about me acting so intimately or proclaiming myself as a knight in shining armor, and don’t expect me to treat you like some flawless figure. I will stay here until Ros-Chi returns. If he chooses to fire me, I will leave without any grudges—because it was the true owner of these lands who dismissed me. If he chooses to let me stay, I will stay.]

He turned away, now facing his back to her.

[Emilia: S-Subaru...]

[Subaru: I will serve as a butler until then, Emilia-sama. Don’t hesitate to ask me for things of that nature. But don’t call me Subaru anymore. In my homeland, the first name is used only by those who share intimacy. —— You may call me Natsuki, or butler, or whatever you wish. Just don’t treat me as if we’re close friends or even friendly acquaintances. I am merely a simple butler... who cleans up all the messes of my masters. Have a good night, Emilia-sama.]

Saying his final words in a tone of forced politeness, he started walking down the hallways, leaving her alone to reflect on his words. Emilia’s eyes welled up with tears before they began to fall, sadness overtaking her. His words had pierced her heart deeper than any insult she had ever received in her life from those around her.

The gentle words, the tender gaze, the kind tone he had always used with her.

She realized, in that hallway, that all of it was lost. That she might never receive again what she had before. All because she had believed that day that Subaru was risking himself too much for her, giving her special treatment she never wanted or thought she deserved from someone else, and saw all the bad things that happened to him as solely and entirely her fault.

Now, he saw what she once did. But he saw even more in her—he saw the selfishness in being unable to deal with something and simply leaving it behind for her own selfish desire, even after seeing his desperation in that bed.

Now?

Emilia found herself in a worse state than before. Because the only person who didn’t dislike her appearance, besides Puck, now treated her as nothing more than a dead weight to be carried and saved from herself and her mistakes.

 

 

—————

Honestly, I’m not sure if this was my best IF idea. It was just something I thought of at the last moment.

In this IF:

-Subaru developed a deeper sociopathy. Due to the accumulated traumas since arriving in the Capital, such as the Royal Selection event and the deaths caused by Puck, he became increasingly colder. But instead of falling into depression and deep self-loathing, he entered a different kind of reflection: where he realized everything he had done up to that point and the worse consequences that happened without his involvement, making him feel even more anger as he perceived everything going on in the Arc.

-He became more focused on proving his point: that he is the one who ensures victory over everything. Almost bordering on megalomania, he is willing to use everything and everyone to prove that he is superior to others.

-Subaru managed to make the alliance between Crusch and Anastasia happen, but he did something: he let Crusch suffer significant losses at the beginning of the battle against the White Whale before he and Rem got involved. In the end, he secured victory over the Whale as in the original, but ensured that Crusch’s Camp was more traumatized by the battle.

-He didn’t let Rem go with Crusch, preventing her from being attacked by Gluttony and Greed.

-Against Petelgeuse, he deliberately delayed the campaign so that some villagers would die, even making sure that Rem’s warning arrived late to Ram and Emilia (something no one knows he did). This increased his reputation in the village when he arrived to "save" them.

-Subaru used the secret of Return by Death as a weapon: this is how he killed Petelgeuse alone. By saying the full phrase, "I can Return by Death," he made the Witch of Envy kill him just like she did with the Fingers, preventing Petelgeuse from possessing him, while the others (including Rem) took care of the cultists attacking the village. He used the Witch as a weapon.

-He still has slight feelings for Rem and Emilia, but if he doesn’t improve his mentality in Arc 4, he would probably only love the side of the Witch of Envy that is willing to kill for him, using her as his ultimate weapon when his plans fail. However, he would reject Satella if she tried to convince him to care for others, even being willing to make a contract with Echidna

Oh, I posted another Typhon IF Extra. I was without my computer yesterday because of maintenance and it arrived recently. That's why I posted two chapters on the same day.

Chapter 58: [Extra - Sociopath IF]

[Echidna: Ho, oh, how interesting~]

The white-haired woman in a black dress spoke in a tone of interest at the events that had unfolded with the young man sitting in front of her, in the middle of her Tea Party garden, her black eyes fixed on him. After all, he had just passed two of her trials in record time, without hesitation or difficulty.

[Subaru: ——? What? Aren’t tests meant to be overcome?]

Natsuki Subaru asked with an impassive expression, but with a hint of mockery in his tone.

From what would be considered nearly three weeks from the young man's perspective, many things had happened. Among them were the events of the Sanctuary. He and Emilia had been summoned by Roswaal to that area, where the tomb of the Witch of Greed, Echidna—the woman in front of the black-haired boy—resided. They ended up meeting her the moment they entered the Sanctuary area.

It was a brief conversation.

Because as soon as Subaru awakened, he had to deal with rather complicated figures: Garfiel, Ram, and Roswaal. They told him that from that moment on, the mage would be under house arrest until Emilia was able to complete the Sanctuary’s trials, which was also necessary to free the Demi-Humans within that place. Notably, Emilia had unintentionally become a prisoner as well—something that deeply irritated Subaru upon realizing the potential consequences.

And when she attempted the First Trial, she failed. As for Subaru, who had entered the Tomb when he heard Emilia’s scream—his instinctual concern for her well-being—he, too, began the Trials.

His First Trial was about his past.

[Echidna: You surprised me a little. You were able to reconcile with your past by realizing not only that your parents would love you unconditionally, regardless of whether your abilities were extraordinary or mediocre, but also by understanding how you had idealized them incorrectly. You saw the mistakes they made and accepted them, as well as your own blindness caused by the admiration you felt for those who raised you—not that this was unexpected. —— Overcoming such a trial so easily deserves my congratulations.]

Those were the Witch’s words when he reached the end of the trial. Not only had Subaru realized his own mistakes regarding his parents, but he also recognized their mistakes toward him. A bridge that had prevented him from feeling resentment and truly understanding the love they had for him.

And when he woke up, he found Emilia unconscious.

 

Emilia had been unable to overcome her First Trial. And in the following days, she continued to struggle with it—something that increasingly irritated Subaru.

Since their relationship wasn’t at its best, he tried to ignore her most of the time, leaving the responsibility of taking care of her entirely to Ram, despite her complaints. His excuse was that, outside the mansion’s perimeter, he didn’t have to worry about Emilia’s safety or the challenges she needed to overcome on her own.

When Subaru decided to return to the Mansion with Patrasche, intending to warn Frederica, Rem, and Petra—who had recently become one of the new maids—about the situation, he found himself in a difficult predicament: Elsa.

The Bowel Hunter. The woman who had killed and injured him the most had returned.

Not only had she eliminated the people in the Mansion, but she also killed him upon arriving and witnessing the scene of destruction. This caused him to die and return, waking up inside Echidna’s Tomb and once again encountering the Witch for a brief conversation. And when he returned? Not only was Emilia in the same state as in the previous Loop, but now Garfiel was suspicious of him due to the Witch’s Miasma, which created tension between them in this new Loop.

And things only continued to get more complicated. Subaru even had the terrifying experience of being devoured alive by the Great Rabbit, which Echidna had explained was created by the Witch of Gluttony, Daphne—whom Subaru refused to meet.

[Subaru: I don’t want to deal with anyone else if possible.]

That was his simple request to Echidna when she offered him the opportunity to meet the other Witches. However, he refused and limited the interactions in that space to just the two of them. The Witch of Greed respected his request, blocking the entrance of the other Witches.

Returning to the present moment...

After going through yet another Loop, Subaru had come seeking help. He then underwent the Second Trial: An Unthinkable Present, where he saw how each world continued after his death.

[Echidna: What surprises me is your attitude… I thought you’d be in shock from what you witnessed.]

[Subaru: ——?]

[Echidna: Seeing how people reacted to your death, realizing the importance they gave to your end. After all, you had thought about it yourself, hadn’t you~? That maybe life continued after each of your loops ended, that everything carried on after your death. And doesn’t that terrify you?]

[Subaru: Why would it?]

He raised an eyebrow, maintaining the same indifferent expression, now with a cold tone. Something the Witch couldn’t help but find even more intriguing.

[Echidna: Could you elaborate? —— Not that I didn’t witness what you saw, but I’d like to hear it from you. Specifically, I want to hear your unique perception of the events in your Second Trial. About the possibility that those worlds may actually exist, about how your life ended but the lives of others carried on. I’m interested. Feel free to explain however you like; anger, sadness, despair, coldness. Just tell me what you saw and what you felt.]

[Subaru: ——]

Leaning back, he murmured a small “Since that’s the case.”

[Subaru: I’ll share my perspective: My victorious loops are thanks to my final influence over the decisions everyone makes afterward. After all, if we’re being honest, the loops that allowed me to get here were all thanks to me—not really to others. —— I’ll talk about my deaths before the Sanctuary, to better illustrate what I mean.]

[Echidna: ——?]

[Subaru: My first death, or first loop; I helped Emilia try to recover her Insignia. She helped me, wasting her time, so I decided to help her. When we arrived, we were killed. And what “happened” after our deaths? Puck started freezing everything without hesitation, without considering the lives he would exterminate. —— If I didn’t have my power, everyone would have died. Could Reinhard have stopped him? Maybe. But he wasn’t there in the first place.]

[Echidna: What you’re saying is true. You all would have been dead.]

[Subaru: On the second loop, I tried to negotiate. Since I wasn’t there in the alley, Emilia should have arrived earlier, right? But in my fourth loop, which I now remember, Felt had hired people to delay Emilia with false information. This made her, as it did in my second loop, arrive a little earlier because she didn’t waste time with me or the false information. But still, it was after Elsa had already killed me, Felt, and Rom. Or maybe she had stopped to help that trio of bandits I had beaten up, I don’t know. —— Even if she arrived a little earlier, it wouldn’t have been enough. She would have killed us, and Puck would have emerged to kill everyone.]

[Echidna: Possibilities…]

[Subaru: In my third loop, I wouldn’t have known who to blame. I didn’t know Emilia’s name, I was attacked by the bandits, and I died pathetically with blades in my back. A disgrace to a true swordsman and warrior. —— It was in my fourth loop, gathering all the information from the previous three, that I could get a complete picture and even managed to bring Reinhard to help. But… why should I feel bad?]

[Echidna: Ho~?]

[Subaru: What was within my control? Emilia? She went to the Capital with Ram, as I recall, and got separated from her. Not only that, but even with Puck’s help, she lost her Royal Insignia—the most valuable item she was supposed to protect with her life. Ram was careless in letting the two of them out of her sight. Felt, even in a difficult life situation, could have chosen not to accept the contract to steal from Emilia. Almost nothing I said or did would have mattered. The fate, without my interference, would have been: Felt steals from Emilia, Emilia eventually goes to the loot house and dies, Puck starts freezing everyone, and Reinhard kills him. —— It was thanks to the private suffering I had to endure that everyone in the Capital is alive, and they got the fifth candidate for the throne. Isn’t that right?]

[Echidna: —— Your analysis does have valid points. I don’t see how responsibility could fall on you. If you weren’t there, or if you were far away, these events would still likely have proceeded in this way without your external interference. I believe your interference only brought more positive results when considering the number of lives saved in this event.]

Nodding, Subaru continued:

[Subaru: At the mansion… Even though we didn’t have deeper relationships, Beatrice and Puck didn’t help me with my Curse in my first death, did they? So, I ended up dying, and possibly others also died because of it. A tragedy. —— And in my second loop, as if the Curse weren’t enough, I had to deal with Rem’s fury. She killed me when I was already dying. —— In the third; even if I lied and said I had left, I was still suspiciously watching the mansion with a knife. She could have just incapacitated me. But, losing control, she mercilessly attacked me after Ram tore off my leg and took out all her anger toward the Cult on me, even without proof that I was a Cultist. And even though she called it: Mercy… I know that Ram only killed me because she feared that if I survived, it would stain Roswaal’s and Rem’s incredible reputation, not because she actually cared. —— And the fourth time was my own decision.]

[Echidna: Like in the other situation…?]

[Subaru: If it weren’t for my deeper understanding of everything, many people would have died due to a lack of action. Like, Roswaal and Emilia should have been watching over the territories they protect, but if it weren’t for me, the children and the people of that village would have died, right? The first and fourth loops of my life there clearly show that, don’t they? —— And even if I hadn’t died the first time… Rem probably would have tried to kill me. My scent, a sudden attack that caused several deaths. Especially considering the beasts that attacked us… she would have had enough reason to attack and kill me.]

[Echidna: Looking at it that way…]

Sighing once more, Subaru scratched his head, irritated.

[Subaru: In the Capital… My first loop clearly showed what would happen without me, right? Emilia and the Arlam Village massacred by Petelgeuse, and I think Crusch would have been crushed by the Whale… given the lack of preparation and courage I saw in my personal perception of that battle I participated in. —— In all three loops, Petelgeuse manages to reach Emilia, kills her, and Puck only appears to kill everyone because “we were useless” and “incapable” of giving our lives to save his “dear” daughter.]

[Echidna: Those are pretty harsh words about him, but I can’t blame you. Your experiences don’t seem to have been particularly happy.]

The white-haired Witch made a small gesture with her hand.

[Subaru: Do you know what conclusion I came to in the end?]

[Echidna: ——?]

[Subaru: That my deaths—my loops and my way of gathering information—are the only things keeping everyone from dying. —— Maybe it’s a disgusting thought: treating my life only as a means of gathering information. But without that, how would things change? My first time in the Capital; if I hadn’t met Emilia, I would have been lost there, and if I hadn’t left by nightfall, I probably would have frozen to death because of Puck. At the mansion; if I had stayed without changing anything, either Rem would have killed me, or Ram would have tried if she thought I was the one who killed her sister and the others in the village. After the Capital; I might have survived, but how many would have died? —— Ironically… every way I find to stay alive without dying multiple times means others would die if I weren’t there to save them. And most of my deaths were truly beyond my control from a moral standpoint, don’t you agree?]

[Echidna: In this case, I think you’re referring to: “If I know something bad might happen to someone, it’s my duty to help that person”? Like how you couldn’t have abandoned the half-devil to live your life, even knowing she and the other candidate would die. But you were still altruistic. Just as you could have found a way to escape and leave, but everyone in that life—possibly including the blue-haired maid—would have died. And in the Capital, it would have been the same.]

[Subaru: My deaths, for the most part, didn’t leave anyone particularly sad to the point that they should be considered important. And it was thanks to them that I was able to keep surviving and saving everyone who should now be dead. At least, in comparison, don’t you think? If I die, fine, everything continues. But if Emilia dies? Puck loses control and starts killing everyone. —— I can be happy that my death at least saddens a few, but it still irritates me to think that the ones responsible, in the end, wouldn’t be able to survive without me returning in the next loop to save them. To show how arrogant they are.]

Pouring all his venom into the last sentence, he allowed himself a cynical, victorious smile as he proclaimed with a more prideful and arrogant tone. Not that Echidna cared about the tone he used or what he said—after all, it was becoming more and more interesting.

[Echidna: What are you planning?]

[Subaru: I'm going to use my power to survive. —— Even if I have to use others, I plan to find a way to live my life well, safely, healthily, and as comfortably as possible. Of course, I don’t want to die dozens or hundreds of times. I plan to die and do only what is necessary for myself and to show everyone just how important this small, weak, useless person is in securing victory over all.]

[Echidna: Fufufu~ I know someone in particular—no, perhaps a few people in particular—who would find your way of thinking repugnant. But me? I don’t really care. I'm quite interested. —— What do you think… about making a contract with me?]

Leaning forward to rest her chin on the back of both hands, elbows against the table, she watched him with even more interest. Meanwhile, Subaru also seemed intrigued.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Subaru in this IF easily passed the First and Second Trials of the Sanctuary.

-So far, Subaru has only met Echidna: He hasn’t encountered any of the other Witches yet.

-Subaru considered using the Witch of Envy to kill Garfiel by trying to reveal Return by Death. But he hasn't done so yet, only because he’s still trying to understand him, with the little patience and kindness he has left.

-He met Otto when he was saved at the beginning of the Witch Cult’s attack on Arlam Village. Subaru still holds a grudge against him for the loop where Otto threw him to his death. If the Otto from this IF tried to do to this Subaru what he did to the original, Subaru would hate him even more and would include him in his plans to kill him for these two simple reasons.

I'm thinking of making an Extra for the Elsa IF, what do you guys think?

Chapter 59: [Extra 2 - Sociopath IF]

Roswaal watched carefully as Ram left the room, leaving him and Subaru alone. The previous exchange between him and the pink-haired oni, along with the mage’s request, had been enough to dismiss her. He also knew very well that she wouldn’t use her ability to listen in on their conversation. That fact, in particular, was quite interesting from the perspective of the man now without his clown makeup.

[Roswaal: What would yooou~ like to taaa~lk about with me, Subaru-kun?]

Asking that question, he waited to see how Subaru would act… this time.

Imagining that they had had this conversation more than once already, he expected Subaru to be in a personal state of desperation, coming to him seeking his support.

Assuming that was the case, he was prepared for just about anything coming from him...

[Subaru: I’d like to discuss something important with you... Altair.]

[Roswaal: Oh~? So we’ve talked enough for you to know that, huh?]

[Subaru: Not as much as you think.]

Turning to face him, Roswaal wore a suspicious look in response to the cold glare he was receiving from the dark-haired young man.

The teenager began pacing around the room.

He stopped in front of Roswaal’s bed, and the two locked eyes, staring each other down.

[Subaru: You know, Altair, it’s honestly kind of irritating when someone like you acts so... idiotic... trying to force me into carrying out your personal goals without considering those around me.]

[Roswaal: Hohoho~ But don’t you thiiink~ it’s far more proooduc~tive to let others clear the path for you through obstacles you can’t overcome alone?]

[Subaru: Normally? Sure. If that person wasn’t me... and if you actually understood the kinds of things you’re forcing me to deal with.]

[Roswaal: While I do feel a mild sense of pity for your suffering, I won’t back down from my goals, Subaru-kun. And you know full well that, in this game, I hold the advantage.]

Subaru raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

[Subaru: Care to explain what that advantage is?]

[Roswaal: If we’ve had this conversation enough for you to figure out my original name... then you must know what advantages I hold, correct?]

[Subaru: Like I said... we haven’t talked nearly as much as you think we have, Altair. In fact... it’s pretty interesting that I figured out so much without needing to come here that often. —— Now, for the sake of this conversation, how about you lay out your advantages? At the very least, that would make this little exchange interesting enough for me to decide not to walk away... and end everything right now. Got it?]

[Roswaal: —— Looks like you’re really serious, Subaru-kun.]

Roswaal’s grin widened, growing even more malicious.

He adjusted himself in bed, sitting upright instead of lying down, so he could face Subaru more properly.

The two held that position in silence for a few moments.

[Roswaal: Emilia-sama, Beatrice, Rem, Ram, Petra, Frederica, the villagers of Arlam... I’d even wager that merchant and young Garfiel too. You care about every single one of them, don’t you? That’s exactly why you’ve been fighting so hard to help them in your recent loops, isn’t it? That... is what gives me the upper hand in this situation. And now you must choose. What I want... is for you to dedicate yourself entirely to one person — Emilia-sama. That alone would satisfy me. Because then I’ll have you, my greatest trump card, perfectly prepared to handle any difficulty or obstacle that stands in our way.]

[Subaru: I see... So your “advantage” is the belief that I’ll break... crushed by the desperation of trying to save everyone I care about within my reach. Is that it?]

[Roswaal: Precisely, Subaru-kun. When you finally realize that you can’t save everyone... I know you’ll sink into despair. And that despair... will help mold you into the ideal tool to accomplish my goals — and, consequently, Emilia-sama’s goals as well, since I know you wish to help her.]

Roswaal explained this with deep satisfaction, even with a touch of pride. His gaze darkened, taking on a cruel glint as he narrowed his eyes, watching Subaru sharply, waiting for his reaction.

Roswaal understood something very well — Subaru was human, just a human like any other.

Of course, he knew of his incredible abilities thanks to that power — the one revealed to him by his Gospel — a power that could always “fix” any problem that arose. But there was one catch: Subaru needed to be shaped, molded into a form that fit the plans Roswaal needed to accomplish. To guarantee his objectives’ success.

And what better way to shape him... than by drowning him in despair through loss?

Subaru had made it clear how much he cared for those around him.

So, if he backed him into a corner... if he forced him to choose between the people in the mansion and Emilia, Roswaal fully expected Subaru to pick Emilia.

Break him. Break him to guarantee a 100% foolproof victory.

All to revive his beloved teacher... and fulfill the goal he had chased for the past four centuries.

Now... he should begin begging him to——

[Subaru: Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHA! Hahahaha!]

Why... was he laughing like that?

Laughing as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. Laughing so hard he clutched his stomach and wiped a tear from his eye.

The laughter started like that... before growing colder, sharper... until the cruel glint in Subaru’s eyes, naturally frightening on their own, made the air turn icy.

They locked eyes again, with Subaru still wearing that unsettling grin.

[Subaru: Altair... Do you realize how pathetic your attempt to control me really is?]

He crossed his arms, his voice laced with mockery.

[Subaru: Your line of thinking is ridiculously simplistic. I’m someone who forms deep, permanent bonds with others — on a level that’s probably beyond your comprehension. I never abandon the people around me. I do everything in my power to protect them... even if it costs me my life or my sanity. But... do you realize something? Right now... I hold all the cards.]

[Roswaal: What are you——]

[Subaru: What if I just walked away? What if I simply grabbed Patrasche... and left? Ran far, far away?]

[Roswaal: ...]

As Subaru posed that question to the Court Mage, he remained perfectly calm... still smiling.

[Subaru: What would happen then? You’d still unleash the Great Rabbit. You’d die. Ram, Garfiel, Otto, and Emilia would all die... along with everyone in the Sanctuary. And Rem, Beatrice, Frederica, and Petra... would be slaughtered by Elsa and Meili. By the way — in case you didn’t know — Meili’s the one who attacked the village during that first week I was here. She was assigned to this mission alongside the assassin you originally hired. Everyone... would die without ever having a chance to prepare. —— Do you know what that means?]

[Roswaal: ...]

[Subaru: It means... you have no power over me, Altair. The only leverage you think you have is this assumption that I’ll do everything you want... just because I still feel something for Emilia. —— But I don’t. Not anymore, Altair. And you didn’t even notice. You wanna know why? You really wanna know why?]

Subaru stepped close enough to grab the edge of Roswaal’s bed, leaning in until they were face to face.

[Subaru: Because you’re an idiot when it comes to understanding people’s feelings. You didn’t even realize something as simple as this: Ram doesn’t hate you. She doesn’t want to kill you. Even though you’re the one responsible for her entire clan’s death... even though you’re the one who took her horn... she still loves you. Completely. She’s utterly loyal to you. —— Which is honestly kind of sad, when you think about it. She fell in love with the man who slaughtered everyone she ever knew... and ripped away one of the most important parts of her body. A part that, when torn away, literally forced an intimate bond between the two of you. Isn’t that right?]

[Roswaal: From what I see... you know more than I expected you to.]

[Subaru: You truly believe that by following your little Tome of Wisdom to the letter, you’ll get everything you want, without ever considering that people can grow beyond the expectations you created based on those pages that supposedly dictate the future you want us to follow, just to fulfill your personal desire. But right now... you’ve handed me all the bargaining power in this situation, you realize that, right?]

[Roswaal: ...Tell me. How?]

Roswaal narrowed his eyes in irritation.

This only made Subaru’s smile widen a bit as he stepped away, pacing around the room.

[Subaru: Like I said before... I can simply walk away. And I won’t regret it. Because, from my perspective, you’re all alive right now only because I chose to keep pushing forward for that outcome. Without that... without my effort, you know what happens? You don’t even have to think about it. I do. You fail. You die. You throw away four hundred years of effort all because you cling to the idea that I’ll just restart and prevent the bad ending in every loop. —— I am the victory card. You yourself said it; even if Emilia is powerful, even if Rem and Ram are skilled, even if you have your magic... there’s still a limit to how far you can go. Because the obstacles you’re facing go beyond strength, beyond power. And I’m the one who can solve them, using my ability to think through problems, and my special ability that you know very well.]

[Roswaal: ——]

[Subaru: Right now... I have nothing tying me to you or this camp. Emilia? I’ve more than repaid any debt I owed her. Rem and Ram? I’ve done more for them than anyone could’ve expected. Petra and the villagers of Arlam? I don’t hate them, but even they can’t hold me here, expecting me to keep saving them over and over... from you, Altair, who keeps treating them like chess pieces. Frederica? Otto? Garfiel? I don’t know them well enough to truly care... and honestly, they’ve already brought me enough trouble. So if I wanted to leave, I could walk away with my head held high, heart at peace, knowing I did everything I could to help them through this mess you caused with your manipulations. But... I’ve simply decided that I’ve done enough for everyone. —— Don’t you agree... Al-ta-ir~?]

[Roswaal: ——]

Standing before Subaru now was Roswaal, glaring down at him with a cold, furious expression, brows furrowed.

Roswaal grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up until they were face to face again, their noses just centimeters apart. Subaru kept a neutral expression, a mischievous glint in his eyes, but his smile was gone.

[Roswaal: If you’re not going to help me... what’s stopping me from killing you right here?]

[Subaru: You’ve already tried that, Altair. Believe me. You’ve tried it more than a few times. But I keep coming back... and I learn from my mistakes. For example, right now... I can give you everything you want—if you choose to follow the path I’ve decided, without relying on that stupid Tome, and instead trust my words.]

[Roswaal: Don’t you dare insult my Teacher’s book if you don’t understand its value, Subaru-kun. —— So... tell me. What path is that?]

[Subaru: I’ve done my homework on every key member of the Sanctuary. I know Garfiel’s trauma. I know how to make Otto friendly with me. I know how to convince Ram to act in a way that both helps me and fulfills her own goals. I know how Rem and Petra will react to my words... even the villagers of Arlam. I know what to say to Beatrice when the time comes to do what needs to be done to save the Sanctuary. I know how Frederica will act... and even Elsa and Meili. And yes... I even know Emilia. I know enough to execute the plan I’ve crafted. And you know what else I know...? If I wanted to, I could crush you. Crush your plans. Crush your dreams until they’re nothing but dust. All it would take... is one move. —— But... I also know that if I did that, I’d just be creating a future enemy. Someone who would never forgive me for doing something they couldn’t accept. That’s why... I’m offering you a chance. A chance for us... to be allies.]

Speaking coldly, he grabbed Roswaal’s wrist. Slowly, Roswaal began lowering him, setting him back onto the floor of the cabin.

Neither of them broke eye contact. But Subaru’s gaze was colder... more terrifying than the Court Mage’s—something that anyone who understood the difference in power between them would say should be impossible.

Once Roswaal let him go, Subaru adjusted his clothes.

[Roswaal: Tell me... what do you want me to do?]

[Subaru: You’re going to help me defeat Garfiel. Not directly, of course. What we’re going to do is... something very different. We’re going to knock some sense into that stubborn head of his. Get him thinking straight. That’ll be the first step... in everything that needs to be done.]

[Roswaal: That part might be easy... but... what comes next?]

Subaru’s smile returned—crueler than ever—as he prepared to reveal his entire plan.

For the first time... after more than twenty loops... he was ready to finally solve this situation the right way.

 

 

—————

Thanks to @Smiky for this chapter, since it was his idea that made this one happen.

In this IF:

-Subaru made a contract with Echidna, but one far more balanced than in the Greed Route. Most of the information he has about Roswaal and Beatrice came from her.

-Subaru used multiple loops to investigate and dig deep into the intentions of everyone around him. He figured out exactly how to act. But he didn’t even need that many loops—around 20 at most—since his acting skills in this route are far better than his counterpart from the Greed Route, and he knows how to manage his emotions better.

-Subaru had already paved an almost 100% perfect path before this loop. He tricked Otto by “opening up” to him and strengthening their friendship. He made a contract with Beatrice by delivering the same passionate speech the original would’ve. He defeated Elsa and Meili with Rem, Frederica, and Garfiel (whom he defeated in almost the same way as the original route), and he defeated the Great Rabbit in the Sanctuary with Beatrice’s help. But... his relationship with Ram didn’t improve because Roswaal’s Tome of Wisdom hadn’t been destroyed.

-In this loop, Subaru will be able to replicate everything he achieved before plus improve his relationship with Ram by having Roswaal, “of his own free will,” burn his Tome of Wisdom right in front of her. Making her believe Subaru managed to convince Roswaal to give up the Tome, giving her hope that maybe his soul can be saved from the Witch of Greed (without realizing this is all part of both their plan).

-Subaru has now begun his final plan... to make Emilia... "perfect".

Chapter 60: [Epilogue - Sociopath IF]

1) Subaru.

[Subaru: Huff. I thought we’d never get out of Pristella.]

[Echidna: I believe that’s because of your hard work, isn’t it?]

[Subaru: Yeah. I really had to put in a lot of effort for that. And even then, my work wasn’t completely perfect because of a few small details, but… that was to be expected. Well, almost.]

Complaining with a hint of frustration, the dark-haired boy sat in front of the table at Echidna’s tea party. A cup rested before him, and he took another sip. That drew a sly little smile from the woman in dark clothes, who folded her hands, resting her elbows on the table and propping her chin on them.

[Echidna: You remember what this tea is made from, don’t you?]

[Subaru: I do. Honestly, it has no taste. And besides talking, drinking this—along with your flavorless cookies—is one of the few things I can actually do here, right? So, I drink it out of habit, nothing more.]

[Echidna: To say that a drink prepared by this lady has no taste and that you only drink it out of habit—why, that wounds me deeply, you know? You’re truly cruel to a lady’s heart.]

[Subaru: If my little comment wounds your heart that much, then you should probably toughen up your heart to handle my lighthearted remarks meant to brighten up the mood between us.]

She puffed out her left cheek slightly, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair in a cute way—something that drew a chuckle from the dark-haired boy.

[Subaru: But until then, I apologize for my unnecessary comment about your tea and cookies. —— Still, if I could use my mind to give flavor to other things, that would be pretty interesting, wouldn’t it? I’d love to taste French fries again… or ramen. Though, I’ve been working on trying to bring some food from my world into this one. It’d be nice to feel familiar flavors again, just to relax a bit.]

He crossed his arms as he said this, leaning back in his chair the same way Echidna had moments earlier.

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments.

[Subaru: So… can you?]

[Echidna: I could try, but I don’t see it being very effective if you actually wanted to quench your thirst or hunger.]

[Subaru: I already know it won’t. But just having a sense of familiarity would be enough to soothe my heart a little, one that’s fractured from the constant effort I’ve had to put in. It wouldn’t be cruel of you to torment the heart of this young man, who’s only asking for your help to relax after so much effort… My, what a cruel lady~]

Hugging himself as if being watched with malicious intent, he turned his face to the right with his eyes shut and a pouty expression, cheeks puffed in frustration and mock anger—almost comical.

Echidna shot him a half-lidded look.

[Echidna: When exactly did we switch roles here? And how dare you steal my words and provocations, acting like they were yours from the very beginning?]

[Subaru: Did you patent those provocations? Then you have no right to claim them as exclusively yours. The truth is, I can tease you that way whenever I feel like it—it’s just that only now I realized it.]

Subaru gave her a mischievous grin as he opened one eye.

[Echidna: Hmph! —— But you didn’t come here just to talk about flavors and food, did you?]

[Subaru: I’d like to have trivial conversations we can openly share before we move on to more serious matters. Isn’t it better for us to have an open relationship where we can throw little jabs at each other instead of only talking about heavy subjects we can save for later?]

[Echidna: Uuoh~ So you want to talk to me openly, deepen our bond, and you use these excuses just to have more reasons to spend time with me~? It almost sounds like you’ve fallen for my feminine charm and want to spend as much time with me as possible~]

[Subaru: I wouldn’t put it like that. Though I do have to admit I’m really lucky to have such a beauty interested in me. I just wish she wasn’t only after my body and mind, staring at me with such a lustful gaze~]

Teasing her again, both of them wore faint smiles.

[Echidna: The situation in Pristella unfolded quite favorably, despite the setbacks.]

[Subaru: True. It wasn’t perfect from everyone else’s perspective, but it went exactly as I planned.]

The attack of the Sin Archbishops in Pristella.

Not that Subaru had been expecting—or wanted—the attack to happen. No, but when everything was spiraling out of control, with unexpected events unfolding, he had to take advantage of every possible situation. On that single day of their invasion, he had to face them alongside the other rival camps of Emilia’s.

Subaru used his abilities to deal with all the problems in the city.

Not perfectly, but in the most effective way possible for his own goals. And that’s how things played out. After all, Subaru had to maintain his image as the general of Emilia’s Camp, with Garfiel as the Knight—and Shield—of the camp.

[Subaru: Each of the Archbishops was interesting to fight against, up to a point. Too bad I didn’t get much help from you in dealing with them.]

[Echidna: I’ve been stuck in my own tomb for the last four centuries. Isn’t it far too cruel to blame someone who hasn’t even had the chance to set foot in the outside world? Only now do I have that chance—through your eyes.]

[Subaru: I know, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t blame you so much, but I do have the right to get stressed out, given the things I’ve had to deal with.]

[Echidna: I won’t fault you for being stressed by having too much work. And if you’d like, I could even help you relax~ That’s part of our mutual agreement, after all~]

[Subaru: Tempting me so maliciously? No, as tempting as that is. If I were to flirt with you, it would only be in life—not in mind.]

Waving dismissively, Subaru brushed off that part of the conversation.

He rested his head on the back of his left hand, his elbow propped up for support.

After a few moments, both of them let out amused snorts.

[Subaru: Sirius’s initial attack was really complicated at first. So many people around, an ability that could redirect damage to others, and she was already pretty strong with her physical and magical abilities. While I only had Emilia, Priscilla, and Beako with me… Of course, also Reinhard.]

[Echidna: But his summoning only worked after a conversation with one of those thugs you mentioned.]

[Subaru: Yeah. And not just Sirius, but also the sudden appearance of Regulus. Two Archbishops, when dealing with even one had already cost me two loops to plan and understand their power.]

[Echidna: And letting that stupid girl become a target for kidnapping?]

[Subaru: You know very well why I made that choice. —— Emilia fought Sirius. She’d deal the least damage to her without hurting the people around, preventing unnecessary casualties while Beako and I handled everything else. And by using Rachins to summon Rein at the right moment with her fire magic. By the time he appeared, Sirius had already launched the attack that made Regulus step in to protect her.]

[Echidna: And then you used the Sword Saint as a scapegoat for the next actions.]

[Subaru: Rein would clearly try to face the Archbishops to help Emilia and everyone else. Something admirable. But he was also affected in a way that made him act recklessly, and when his leg was injured, everyone else, including me, suffered for it. That gave Sirius and Regulus the opening to escape, leaving us with no deaths at that point, but also no chance to eliminate them—aside from rescuing the hostage.]

Remembering the strategy to deal with the first wave of the attack, he could say it was more effective than he had thought.

There were injuries, but no deaths.

And Beatrice was able to use her ability to heal the people around her.

Reinhard became the scapegoat for the failure at the start of that battle.

[Echidna: And then there was the City Hall event.]

[Subaru: The takeover was truly an event with certain complications on the side. —— Capella proved herself a versatile opponent thanks to her Authority of Lust and her blood; if I hadn’t used my power, both Crusch and I would’ve likely ended up in a dire situation, as would the others facing those undead opponents inside City Hall.]

[Echidna: I must say, your strategy to overcome her would be considered rather unusual by some.]

[Subaru: We couldn’t focus entirely on defeating her. The important thing was to eliminate her minions. As I explained before—like a game.]

[Echidna: Your words were: “Capella is the final Boss, while the others are just smaller bosses meant to drain our party’s HP and Mana bar as much as possible.”]

[Subaru: Exactly. On top of that, she would strike when our guard was down. —— That’s why the first step was making sure Crusch wouldn’t be caught off guard and coordinating so we could use our advantage against her. At least I only needed to use one loop to get around that problem.]

The first time he tried to face the challenge at City Hall, he and Crusch suffered from the cursed Dragon’s Blood in her body, but fortunately, by then he no longer had any hesitation in using his secret weapon for victory.

[Echidna: And after the takeover of City Hall thanks to that little flood…]

[Subaru: It only took some words.]

[Echidna: And I must say, your words truly sounded convincing and kind to the people.]

[Subaru: There’s: “Saying what people want to hear,” “Saying what people need to hear,” and “Saying what people will believe when they hear it.” A pre-written speech relying only on fame, titles, or my name wouldn’t actually have worked as effectively. That’s why I said what I did before introducing myself—so they’d see I wasn’t like Julius or the other Knights, but someone relatable. Only then could they trust me when I finally revealed who I was.]

[Echidna: A bit cruel… but truly effective when it comes to winning over the masses around you.]

It wasn’t a lie.

Subaru didn’t need loops to use the right words. That was something he could accept. The words flowed in the way he thought most efficient for the situation at hand.

The people needed to trust them, so the best way was with sweet words—containing truth, at least to a certain degree.

[Echidna: And then… the final clash for the city’s takeover. Your grand master plan.]

Subaru wore a small, proud smile he allowed himself to show openly at that moment. After all, it was through his sacrifices that Priestella was saved, without deaths among the Camps—though there were injuries to a certain extent, something expected.

When it came time to part ways with the others at City Hall, Subaru used a reconnaissance strategy to handle each of the Archbishops.

He followed different paths that led him to different battlefields: one against Capella, another against the Gluttonies, and another that threw him once more against Sirius. That way, he learned the best way to fight each of his enemies, taking into account the skills of the allies available to create efficient ways for everyone to overcome their challenges.

[Subaru: Thanks to that, we had Regulus killed by Rein, we expelled the other Archbishops, Sirius was captured by Priscilla, and Capella was nearly captured and eliminated thanks to the combined efforts of Crusch’s, Priscilla’s, and Felt’s Camps, with Reinhard finishing the fight. A good result. The only failure came from…]

[Echidna: Your dear ally, Julius. —— But his failure came entirely from your plan being set up that way, isn’t that right?]

[Subaru: You’re not wrong, but you’re not right either. The plans, ideas, and tips I gave each group were clearly meant to be effective if followed properly. That was the expectation. But they also had flaws, which could cause huge damage if the people executing them didn’t have the courage or strength to carry through with every part of it. —— Unfortunately, that’s what happened with Julius.]

When he sent Julius’s group to face the Gluttony siblings, he already knew they had taken Joshua’s name, which would destabilize Julius’s mind in the middle of such an important, emotionally charged battle.

And because of his weakened mental state, his name was eaten.

But not only that.

[Echidna: That werewolf Ricardo lost an arm, many city guards died, Otto Suwen suffered damage to his legs, the triplets nearly died from their wounds, countless buildings were destroyed, and nearby civilians perished. Compared to the results of the other battles against the Archbishops, this one showed the highest level of destruction and casualties.]

[Subaru: In truth, among everyone, Julius’s group was the only one that suffered losses. Both deaths and permanent injuries—something that leaves a bitter taste for me. Ricardo lost an arm, Mimi lost one of her ears, Hetaro lost a leg, and Tivey lost the eye where he wore his monocle. Far too many losses. And the blame would’ve fallen on Julius, had his name not been eaten. Instead, it shifted to me, as the plan’s creator.]

[Echidna: Something that ended up working quite well for you, isn’t that right?]

[Subaru: Julius, as a Knight, would never run from his responsibilities. It was his own choice to follow my plan, and that’s what led to the battle ending as it did. And it was good for me to gain a new, more loyal ally.]

[Echidna: Taking advantage of his fragile state to have a sword at your service~?]

[Subaru: The blame… well, part of it really is mine. But he couldn’t avoid his own responsibility either.]

Speaking in his own defense, he didn’t deny what was rightfully his.

The truth was that Subaru’s plan had not intended for Julius’s name to be eaten, nor for the triplets to be maimed, nor for the extra deaths. Those were beyond the plan.

Julius was expected to fail if he didn’t follow it, some would die and others would be injured because of that, but not so gravely, and not people so close to the Knight of Knights himself. That went further. Julius not only failed to protect his brother, but also failed to protect his allies, causing their deaths and permanent injuries, and now had a more strained relationship with Anastasia because of it.

Now Julius seemed like a shell of what he once was.

[Echidna: Are you sure it wasn’t personal revenge?]

[Subaru: Hm?]

[Echidna: You said he offended your parents, humiliated you, and declared you unworthy of standing beside that creature you protect. Are you sure it wasn’t personal revenge?]

[Subaru: Whaaat~~? Why would you think that~? Just because I showed him that his power, his sword skills, his spirits, even his title meant nothing when it came to protecting those around him and defending his family and allies~? What kind of monster do you think I am, huh?]

The smile on Subaru’s face, with one eye closed and the other open, carried a mischievous expression that clearly showed just how much he delighted in the fate of someone who had said Subaru wouldn’t be able to do exactly what he had just proven he could.

A cosmic or karmic mockery?

Whatever it was, he was even a little pleased with what had happened to Julius.

But, if he were honest: one thing that left him bitter about the events was the fate of the little orange-furred triplets. That hadn’t been part of his plans. And even if he wanted to use the excuse that it was Julius’s responsibility, he still didn’t like the damage that had befallen them.

[Echidna: Even though you began using your power knowing it might lead worlds to unhappy ends through your death, you still feel sad about what happens to some of the others?]

[Subaru: Of course I do, obviously. But only for those who shouldn’t face such consequences. Poor Mimi shouldn’t have to lose an ear, just as her brothers didn’t deserve to lose a leg or an eye, even if they serve someone I don’t hold in high regard. They should have been innocent. But I have to accept that such things could happen, even if I dislike that they really did.]

[Echidna: Accepting that bad things will happen and taking responsibility only for what was within your control… at least that’s something acceptable.]

[Subaru: I have to agree with you on that. I won’t blame myself for what I can’t control, but I’ll still try to carry the guilt in my heart, so I can keep moving forward with my own life and continue helping those around me.]

Both had their arms crossed as they looked at each other.

Subaru sighed again in a sort of resignation.

[Subaru: I’m grateful for the time we’ve had talking here. I really needed to vent a little.]

[Echidna: Leaving me already? How cruel~ You barge in, take some of my time and my tea, insult it as tasteless, and now you leave right after pouring your heart out without even considering my own feelings~ Truly, a man of terrible manners when it comes to a lady’s heart~]

[Subaru: You know very well almost none of that is true. Except the tasteless tea part, that’s real. Are you sure we can’t change the taste? Though honestly, all tea tastes almost the same to me, so don’t feel too offended that it wasn’t good.]

[Echidna: Is that your way of complimenting me as you walk away so I won’t feel bad? Really… what a dreadful man. I’m still surprised you manage to touch the heart of a lady with a calm soul.]

Echidna spoke with a smile caught between wickedness and satisfaction, while Subaru took his leave.

The two bid farewell at last as Subaru returned to consciousness.

△▼△▼△▼△

Blinking his eyes a few times, he awoke.

As he blinked again, feeling a weight on his leg, he looked down. On his left side was his contracted Spirit, Beatrice, gently holding his hand; while lying on his right side, head resting on his leg, was a silver-haired figure. To anyone who didn’t know him well, it might have even looked like a small family.

He placed his free hand on Emilia’s head, stroking her hair from crown to end, making the girl slowly stir awake.

Emilia blinked several times and looked up, straight into Subaru’s face.

[Subaru: What are you doing?]

[Emilia: S-Subaru… hmm… I-I…]

[Subaru: You saw me resting with Beako and decided to join us?]

[Emilia: W-Well, y-y-yes, I-I mean… I-I just wanted to be c-close to you.]

Speaking in a shy, almost tearful tone, she confessed to Subaru.

His expression stayed calm as he offered a small smile.

[Subaru: If you wanted to rest with me, you could have asked.]

[Emilia: B-B-But, B-Be—eatrice s-s-said…]

[Subaru: I know. I know how Beako can act. But don’t give it too much importance, alright?]

As he continued stroking her hair, her face seemed to brighten.

[Subaru: You are a Royal Candidate and I’m the strategist of your Camp. If you want to rest on my lap, against my will and Beako’s, you can command it and we’ll obey. Even if it hurts me.]

As if to emphasize, he held the top of her head with his hand — a hand now missing two fingers, torn away, scarred by what looked like frostbite.

Feeling that touch, and hearing those words, the brightness on Emilia’s face collapsed. As though a spark that had just lit into a small flame of happiness had been stomped out until nothing remained. She turned her face away, staring into nothing, while Subaru continued caressing her hair.

[Emilia: I’m sorry, I-I— I’m s-so sorry…]

[Subaru: Emilia… There’s no need to apologize. I forgave you a long time ago, didn’t I? Even if others didn’t, I still managed to find forgiveness for you in my heart.]

[Emilia: I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…]

Emilia seemed broken, tears beginning to fall, while Subaru gently stroked her hair, his faint smile unwavering. After a few moments, Emilia crawled away, dragging herself to the other side of the carriage, climbing onto the seats with her back turned to him.

At that, Subaru’s smile only widened slightly, before returning to a serene expression so no one would notice.

[Subaru: I almost feel a little pity.]

The cruel tone contrasting with the serene look on his face.

 

 

—————

I don’t consider this my best Epilogue.

In this IF:

-Subaru overcame the challenge of winning over Garfiel through his plans, without breaking his Gate, just as he gained Beatrice’s trust and, together with Garfiel, Otto, Rem, and Ram, defeated Elsa, Meili, and Roswaal, as well as destroyed the Great Rabbit.

-The difference is that while doing so, he let Emilia keep trying to finish the Sanctuary’s Trials. Thus Subaru became the savior of those inside when he and Beatrice defeated the Great Rabbit, while Emilia failed to overcome the Trials.

-Emilia spent over a month trying to overcome the Sanctuary’s challenges, before Subaru managed to have Puck break their contract. But Emilia’s mind was already so fractured (from the countless attempts and lack of support — especially from Subaru) that even with her true memories she still couldn’t overcome the first trial.

-When Subaru (as part of his own plan) offered to take over, Emilia accidentally exploded with her ice magic, blowing off two of his fingers and leaving his body permanently scarred (something he had anticipated).

-That attack from Emilia made everyone, even members of her own Camp, start treating her with coldness, while Subaru returned to treating her only as a “friend.” This broke Emilia to the point she is now a mix between the Wrath IF Emilia, the Greed IF Emilia, and someone plagued with trust issues that keep her from becoming as unstable as her other versions — but extremely loyal to Subaru and obedient to everything he asks.

-Emilia is now emotionally fragile, having only Subaru as her single friend in the Camp, since her attack on him made everyone else see her negatively. This made it easier for Subaru to make her more controllable and dependent, turning her into the “perfect” Emilia he had hoped for.

-In Priestella: Subaru led the Camps to victory almost like in the Original Route, only more efficiently, to the point that Crusch wasn't even affected by Capella and they defeated a large part of the Cult without any casualties or major destruction in the city. Where the big loss in this battle was the aforementioned Anastasia Camp, with Julius.

-Subaru has only one plan: To turn Emilia into Queen and let her choose:

1) Use the Blood of the Dragon to free the Elves, but Subaru would leave her forever.

or…

2) Give the Blood of the Dragon to Roswaal and sacrifice her chance to save the Elves, but Subaru would stay with her forever.

Chapter 61: Anastasia IF

What if...? Subaru had arrived in Kararagi nine months before the main story?

—————

 

 

[Ricardo: Will the boy really impress us again?]

[Julius: I don’t know. I just hope he hasn’t done anything that will get Anastasia-sama involved in... another financial problem.]

[Anastasia: That financial problem wasn’t that... bad. After all, when you make so much profit that you end up having more work than you can handle, it just shows the success of the investments made so far, doesn’t it?]

[Mimi: ... Huh?]

Four out of the six exchanged words inside the main office of the Hoshin Company, the place belonging to one of the four candidates known by the Dragon Tablet: Anastasia Hoshin, known as the Merchant Queen. Someone whose image was already extremely well-known in Kararagi.

They were now waiting in the large room, all together, waiting.

Waiting for whom? For one of the figures who had become quite famous within Kararagi. An inventor who, in recent months, had been quite successful with each of his creations. And most of these creations were investments funded by the very same lavender-haired royal candidate.

That figure entered through the door.

[Subaru: Anastasia-sama, today I bring you a new invention!]

[Halibel: And, as always, he won’t stop talking about how it’s going to revolutionize the world.]

The person they had been talking about was none other than Natsuki Subaru. A teenager with black hair and sharp eyes, wearing a type of clothing different from anything they had ever seen—though they had grown used to it over time. He was the inventor who had brought great profit to the Hoshin Company.

Subaru had suddenly appeared in Kararagi’s Second City, Banan, located in Western Kararagi, near its center.

No one knew where he had come from, nor his intentions. But the first person to meet him in this world quickly became his friend. Halibel, the man the boy had nicknamed the "Eternal Playboy," was considered the most powerful in Kararagi. It seemed like fate’s providence! Because they almost instantly got along from the very first moment they met.

As the others later discovered, the young man possessed great knowledge of Kararagi’s culture, despite having no prior awareness of where he was. He later even displayed knowledge similar to that of Hoshin—the founder of Kararagi’s cities and the one who introduced the entire culture shared by its people.

And the one who found him in the midst of all the chaos his arrival caused was none other than Anastasia Hoshin.

When she first heard about the black-haired young man, she didn’t pay much attention to the rumors, which initially seemed highly exaggerated when comparing him to Hoshin. But little by little, some of them proved to be true. One of the first things she discovered about the boy was what is now famously known as: Mayonnaise. A type of condiment that, when mixed with food, provided a new flavor, particularly complementing meat dishes.

Not that she disliked it, but the taste wasn’t bad either.

The important thing was the profits obtained from selling the condiment. It quickly became popular in Banan, especially after Halibel started distributing it to people, having become the boy’s first business partner.

And Subaru’s new creations kept getting more elaborate and increasingly profitable—for him and for those investing in him.

With such an opportunity right in front of her, the candidate wasted no time in making an investment. If this was truly the beginning of a New Hoshin Era unfolding before her eyes—though she was still reluctant to admit it—at the very least, their partnership had proven extremely profitable for both sides.

Condiments, objects, events.

All kinds of constructions and inventions made by him were turning out to be extremely lucrative for the lavender-haired candidate and her company. To the point where she found herself in a financial predicament she never expected—making so much profit that she had to keep reinvesting to avoid an overwhelming accumulation of money and work. This forced her to stay up for long hours drafting documents—even with the support of her most loyal companions.

Ever since he became affiliated with the group, at least every few weeks, he would bring a new groundbreaking invention.

That’s why the eyes of the main members of her camp were on him: Anastasia, Julius, Ricardo, Hetaro, Tivey, and Mimi—the small girl more excited than anyone else there, since Subaru always let her be the first to play with his new inventions, sometimes along with her brothers.

[Subaru: Ladies and gentlemen! Allow me to introduce the revolution of writing: the typewriter!]

Placing the object on the center table, everyone could see the strange metallic device. A box with several small levers arranged in rows, and at the top, a roller holding a sheet of paper.

[Anastasia: Type... writer?]

[Ricardo: Looks like just a bunch of little metal plates stuck together.]

He pointed as he observed it more closely. Subaru grinned mischievously, full of excitement.

[Subaru: That’s the secret! Everyone knows how to write with ink and quill, right?]

[Julius: Yes. It’s a process that requires precision and time.]

[Subaru: Exactly! You have to dip the quill in ink, write carefully, and wait for it to dry. Now, what if I told you we could write much faster without needing ink? —— Each of these little plates has a letter or a symbol. When I press one of them... that letter appears on the paper!]

As he spoke, he demonstrated for everyone watching, pressing a button on the keyboard, making the mechanism imprint the character onto the paper held in the roller.

Most of their eyes widened in surprise, while Halibel, already familiar with it, just let out an amused chuckle at their reactions.

[Subaru: Inside this box, there are small levers called typebars. Each one has a letter engraved on it. When I press a key, the corresponding bar rises and strikes against this fabric ribbon with special ink, transferring the letter onto the paper.]

[Hetaro: Wait! So you can write just by pressing these little things?]

[Subaru: Yes! And much faster than with a quill!]

He proudly proclaimed.

[Julius: That would eliminate the need for inkwells and drastically reduce writing time... But what about durability? Wouldn't it break over time?]

[Subaru: Good question! The mechanism is made with simple springs and gears, so it can last a long time with proper maintenance. And if the ink ribbon runs out, you just replace it. —— Now: Instead of spending hours writing reports with a quill, we can simply do everything by pressing a few buttons.]

These words seemed to spark great interest in the merchant, whose eyes appeared to shine more and more intensely as she looked at the machine and listened to him explain it further.

[Tivey: And how does it work completely?]

[Subaru: Very good question, Tivey! —— First, we have the keys, which are the parts we press to write. Each key is connected to a mechanical lever, which moves when pressed. This lever, in turn, activates a typebar, a metal rod with a small plate at the tip containing a raised letter or symbol.]

He pointed to the mechanisms.

[Subaru: When a key is pressed, its rod rises and strikes the ink ribbon, which is a fabric roll soaked in special ink. The ribbon is positioned between the rod and the paper, so when the tip of the typebar presses the ribbon, the ink transfers the shape of the letter onto the page.]

He then gave another demonstration on the paper already in the machine.

[Subaru: Now, every time we press a key, the machine's carriage—this part here that holds the paper—moves slightly to the side. This happens thanks to a system of springs and gears, ensuring that each new letter is written in the correct space.]

He explained while showing the process as he typed more and more on the machine, using the styles of letters he had learned in this new world. Eventually, he reached the end of the line on the page.

[Subaru: And when we reach the end of the line, we use this lever to return the carriage to the beginning and move to the next line. This is how we can write entire pages quickly and efficiently!]

After finishing his explanation, he showed what he had written: “This is the first official test of the first typewriter sponsored by Anastasia Hoshin!” This made her even more excited as she thought about the possibilities before her.

[Mimi: So Mimi could write any letter to anyone! And Mimi could even write the stories she wants?]

[Subaru: Yes, yes! My cute Mimi!]

As he said this, he patted the head of the orange-haired girl, who let out a happy sound, enjoying the affection, which was normal for him with her and her siblings. However, Hetaro gave him a stern look whenever he saw Subaru doing this to his sister, out of a brotherly jealousy—something Subaru found extremely cute rather than annoying.

[Anastasia: How would mass production of such a machine work?]

[Subaru: Now, about how to manufacture it… We need a few key materials.]

For the next few minutes, he began explaining parts of the production process...

Structure and mechanical parts – Made of iron or brass, strong metals that can be molded into small gears, springs, and levers. Some parts can be made of wood to reduce production costs.

Keys – Small wooden or bone discs, covered with a thin layer of ink or varnish to mark the letters.

Typebars – Small metal pieces engraved with raised letters. These can be crafted by specialized blacksmiths.

Ink ribbon – A thin fabric soaked in charcoal or oil-based ink, rolled onto two cylinders so it can be replaced when necessary.

Paper cylinder – A wooden or metal roll that holds the paper in place while writing.

[Subaru: The most challenging part of manufacturing is ensuring that all the pieces fit together correctly. The gears need to be precise, the springs must have the right tension, and the typebars cannot be misaligned, or the letters will print crooked. —— But if we set up a small workshop with skilled artisans, we can mass-produce these machines and completely change how people write documents. And the best part? No more waiting for ink to dry or risking smudging an important document. With this, writing is instant.]

His words continued to flow with the same confident tone since the beginning. He was genuinely happy with the invention he had created, and he could see Anastasia’s face glowing with both satisfaction and excitement at the potential right in front of her.

[Anastasia: Natsuki-Kun, I think you just made this greedy girl even happier~]

—[X]—

The candidate, Subaru, and Halibel walked together down the corridor of the Company, Subaru between the two with a smile on his face that didn't fade as he listened to the woman beside him.

[Anastasia: Natsuki-Kun, your inventions are getting more and more elaborate, aren't they? You're becoming bolder with what you build and the investments you put into them.]

[Subaru: Those who don’t take risks don’t progress, don’t you think?]

[Halibel: I wouldn’t take those words too literally, Su-San. That could bring you a lot of trouble in the future, don’t you think?]

[Subaru: Don’t say that, Hal-San! That only makes things worse. It's like saying, 'It can't get any worse'... because everything can always get even worse!]

He spoke in an exaggeratedly exhausted tone, striking a strange pose in the process, which earned a satisfied chuckle from the eternal playboy and a small giggle from the candidate beside him.

[Subaru: I just hope you liked my new gift for you, Ana-tan~!]

[Anastasia: Was it meant to be a gift, Natsuki-Kun?]

[Subaru: Yes! I saw that you were working too much, especially because of the profit you were making. So I wanted to help somehow. The typewriter is my gift to you so you won’t waste so much time in that office anymore. That’s why the first machine I made was for you~]

[Halibel: Su-San doesn’t waste time giving modern gifts to win a girl’s heart, huh~? What a sly one~]

[Subaru: OY! Don’t say it like that, Hal-San, or it’ll sound like I’m trying to buy her love, and I already said that I’m going to win it!]

This elicited a deep laugh from the two around him. It was almost always this kind of response they got from the boy, with little filter or hesitation in clearly stating his intentions in a playful manner, even if they were serious.

Anastasia, for her part, was amused by this.

Ever since they truly got to know each other, she had already heard a similar remark from the boy. And she had made her own greed very clear to him.

[Subaru: If this is a battle of greed... then my greed to win your love will surpass yours and anyone else’s!]

Those were his words when she tried to put an end to his romantic intentions toward her. It might have been persistence on the young man's part, but he had shown himself to be deeply focused on satisfying his personal "greed." And the woman did not disapprove of such actions, as long as they did not harm her or interfere with her profits. On the contrary, the boy's actions had been of great help to her.

It wouldn’t even be a lie to say that ever since his unofficial entry into her Camp, as well as his role as a business partner in the Hoshin Company, her fame had grown, and her usual profits had nearly tripled in the market-related areas of her business.

And she could already imagine with great satisfaction the profits the typewriter would bring her and how it would revolutionize the world from that day forward.

But beyond the profits, Subaru had also proven to be an interesting figure in his own right through his way of acting. Especially as a fraternal or even paternal figure to the triplets she had been taking care of for quite some time alongside Ricardo.

He was someone fun to be around, with a lighthearted and playful personality.

He also treated her kindly—with compliments, gifts, and gestures she knew weren’t attempts to flatter her for business purposes. For an experienced merchant like her, it was quite obvious when someone was doing such a thing. And it was just as obvious, to the point of being ridiculous, how much of an open book he was about his feelings. Not that she found it undesirable, since she could "manipulate" him to a certain extent—even though she still repaid the favors of the profits he brought her.

He even addressed her differently inside and outside of business: "Anastasia-sama," "Ana-tan." He used different names for different moments. He vehemently refused to call her by her nickname in front of Julius, finding his monologues about etiquette for a Royal Candidate far too boring to endure for more than ten seconds.

To her, his passionate actions and the things he did for her had not become undesirable at all...

[Anastasia: You shouldn’t spoil this girl’s greedy heart so much, Natsuki-kun, or I might actually start feeling something for you~]

[Subaru: Hm?]

[Anastasia: Nothing. Just thinking out loud.]

As she continued walking, ignoring the surprised and confused look on the boy’s face, Halibel couldn’t help but grin, having clearly heard the girl’s murmured words and enjoying the unfolding of such a scene right before his eyes.

[Halibel: What new fun things will you bring in the future, Su-san~?]

 

 

—————

I based this short story on this work: https://archiveofourown.org/works/63528655?view_adult=true. All credit goes to the original creator, despite my personal adaptation.

In this "IF," there were consequences for the world:

-Subaru arrived nine months before the main story, in Banan, where he met Halibel during his first week. They quickly became friends, as the wolf-man initially pitied the boy who couldn't even read or write.

-Some of Subaru’s first inventions as a starting merchant were: mayonnaise, kotatsu, and kites. These became quite popular over time, attracting the attention of Anastasia and her company, just as she was discovered to be a Royal Candidate by Julius Juukulius (half a month earlier).

-He became well-known in Kararagi after Anastasia’s investments in his inventions, particularly in things like roller skates and lighters, and even by introducing events such as Valentine’s Day, April Fool’s Day, and other festivities that gradually became part of the cities’ culture—starting with Banan.

-After spending considerable time with Anastasia’s Camp, his relationships with its members changed:

Anastasia – He fell in love with her after spending time together.

Mimi, Tivey, and Hetaro – Became friends/"siblings," especially with Mimi (who is always the first to test Subaru’s newly created toys for this world).

Ricardo – Often tries to help Subaru relax, even insisting he drink alcohol (just like Halibel).

Julius – They have a neutral-friendly relationship, to the point that Julius even saw Subaru’s spiritual affinity and helped him form a contract with minor spirits.

Joshua – He doesn’t like Subaru much.

-Thanks to Julius’s help, Subaru managed to contract one elemental spirit of each type, which quickly developed (to Julius’s surprise, Joshua’s envy, and frustration).

-Halibel joined Anastasia’s Camp both because of his friendship with Subaru and his belief that the young man would bring future entertainment. This made him a powerful ally for the group.

-Otto joined Anastasia’s Camp in an unusual way: he was transporting typewriters when he accidentally destroyed some ink ribbons, putting him in a 200 Sacred Gold Coin debt to the Merchant Queen. Subaru, feeling great pity for the merchant, paid his debt, effectively making Otto "belong" to Subaru until he could pay it off.

-Subaru saved Emilia from Elsa when he traveled to the Capital with Julius to gather materials for his next invention: light bulbs, which would precede his greatest creation, electricity. And it was there that he finally discovered Return by Death, as he was still in his "First Loop".

-Before the Royal Candidate meeting began, Subaru got involved in a major incident caused by Zarestia and Reize, making him even more famous in Banan and Kararagi by not only resolving the conflict but also forming a contract with Zarestia. As a result, both Halibel and Zarestia joined Anastasia’s Camp before the Royal Selection even started.

[You might be wondering: "Why do you always make Zarestia join Subaru and the cast in your 'IFs'?" And my answer is simple: I like her, and I’m really sad that she hasn’t appeared in the main story yet alongside the others—especially with Subaru, Rem, and Halibel, like in the 'Rem IF.']

Chapter 62: [Extra - Anastasia IF]

[Ricardo: What do you think about training the kid, huh, Julius?]

[Julius: ——?]

[Ricardo: I heard he's been doing pretty well in Spirit Arts.]

Julius was a little surprised by the question, though he completely understood the reason behind his colleague’s inquiry. In fact, he himself had been reflecting on the training he was conducting with his fellow Spirit Arts user.

It had been a surprise when he discovered this fact about Subaru.

Through his Divine Blessing, Julius could naturally attract Spirits—just like Reinhard could. And due to his rare affinity with them, he was able to form contracts with his own spirits, the Lesser Spirits.

There are various degrees of spirits, and they don’t develop with time or age, but rather through accumulated power, among other factors such as a sense of identity and knowledge. Once a spirit accumulates enough of these qualities, it advances to the next rank.

Spirits begin their existence as Lesser Spirits, beings that, before becoming spirits, are essentially balls of mana. Though they don’t communicate with words, they can still transmit and receive emotions through mana. They can start developing knowledge and, if they gain enough power and a sense of identity over time, they may become Regular Spirits.

There are also Quasi-Spirits, which still lack an understanding of words but can transmit emotions. They have a sense of identity and can carry out tasks assigned to them by their contractor.

Once a being that was born as a Lesser Spirit and became a Quasi-Spirit accumulates sufficient power, it finally reaches the rank of a true Spirit—a being with a developed mind and the ability to communicate. Though spirits typically follow liberal principles, most of them take on animal-like forms. However, in some cases, they can assume a human shape, though some prefer not to. With enough time and accumulated power, they could even become Great Spirits.

This was the fundamental knowledge of the Spirit world for those with such an affinity, like Julius and Subaru. Julius had taught Subaru everything he could, even demonstrating his Quasi-Spirits the first time: Ia, Kua, Aro, Iku, In, and Nes—one spirit of each type of Magic.

Then, he explained Spirit Contracts.

Contracts.

A type of promise between two parties, contracts hold great significance for spirits. It’s actually quite rare for someone to have a natural affinity with spirits and form a contract with them, and even rarer to do so with powerful spirits. Contracted spirits tend to reflect the magical affinity of their contractor. However, there are also those with exceptional skill who can form contracts with spirits regardless of affinity.

Each spirit desires different conditions to fulfill a contract. Simple requirements, such as maintaining contact with their contractor, are usually all that Lesser Spirits ask for.

A person who communicates with spirits, forming a contract and borrowing their power, is called a Spirit Arts User. Spirits and Spirit Arts Users use Spirit Arts, which draw mana from the atmosphere around them. This process differs from standard magic, which draws mana from within a human, though the principles and effects remain the same. The strength of a Spirit Art User’s magic depends on the power of the spirit they are contracted with.

Although Spirit Arts Users can form contracts with multiple spirits, extraordinary talent is required even to borrow the abilities of Lesser Spirits.

[Julius: ——]

As he continued walking beside Ricardo, staring at the ceiling while deep in thought, Julius recalled the conversation he had when explaining everything he knew to Subaru on the day the dark-haired boy met his first Lesser Spirit—thanks to the purple-haired knight.

Saying that Julius was surprised would be an understatement.

In a short period, Subaru had not only formed a contract with a Lesser Fire Spirit, but also with spirits of multiple different types—just like Julius himself, proving his affinity. However, Subaru’s talent did not stop there.

In less than four months, under Julius’s proper training, Subaru’s Lesser Spirits had already reached a level close to—or, if Julius were to be completely honest—even equal to his own spirits. Their evolution was happening at an alarming rate.

Not just one, but all of Subaru’s Lesser Spirits were developing rapidly. A truly exceptional feat!

Even Julius couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy at such an achievement.

Especially considering Subaru’s unique condition—his undeveloped Gate. Subaru’s Gate was comparable to that of a child or a newborn. That’s why contracting with spirits was more beneficial for the dark-haired boy; it allowed him to avoid overstraining his Gate, letting it develop naturally while still enabling him to use magic for self-defense or personal needs.

[Julius: I admit, I didn’t expect him to have such exceptional abilities when I first met him. But he’s proven to be quite talented.]

[Ricardo: Is that so~? I was surprised too. —— The kid keeps surprising us in every possible way; he comes up with crazy inventions that make a fortune, he’s fun and great with kids, he made friends with Halibel-sama, he formed contracts with multiple spirits, and even impressed you—our great Spirit Knight. I wonder what else he’ll be capable of in time, huh?]

[Julius: Yeah, I’d rather not think about it. With the way things are going… people in Kararagi are already saying this might be the ‘New Era of Hoshin.’ —— If what Subaru said is true—that Hoshin came from the same place as him, since he can read the ancient texts left behind—then maybe we can’t deny that possibility. And I don’t even want to imagine how all the merchants around the world would react to that, especially our Lady.]

[Ricardo: We might be in for some tough times if we have to deal with multiple competitors chasing after him, huh? —— Luckily, we already have him on our side. And that’s not a bad thing, don’t you think? I always love seeing how happy Mimi gets when she eats the new desserts he creates and plays with his new toys… though, honestly, I kinda wanna try them myself too, you know? —— And Ana-Bo seems really, really happy with the Mini-Chef.]

With the last comment, Julius couldn't help but crack a small smile at the mischievous tone his colleague was using when referring to the Candidate. Both of them had to hold back when recounting what had happened in the Capital—about Subaru, with Halibel's support, acting as a kind of hero to save Candidate Emilia.

This was also a positive point for their Camp, but a strange one—so to speak—when it came to their relationship. Now, a rival Camp had a debt to them, not just a life debt, since she had been saved from the Bowel Hunter, but an even greater one, as they had also saved the half-elf’s Insignia. The strange part, however, was how Ricardo teased Anastasia and Subaru, mentioning how heroically he protected the girl and acted like a gallant figure—even though Subaru insisted that Halibel was the one who had done most of the work.

[Ricardo: I think she got jealous~]

[Julius: —— Huhu.]

Julius tried to suppress his laughter at the thought of the emotional mess they had now gotten themselves into.

The door beside them opened.

A young man with grayish hair appeared, dressed in green. Otto Suwen, someone tied to the Camp due to a debt he owed Subaru—his way of being saved from Anastasia—200 Sacred Gold Coins. Their relationship was quite amusing now, as Subaru always found time to make jokes at the expense of the gray-haired Merchant.

[Otto: Julius-san, Ricardo-san. Please, come in. Natsuki-san is ready for his private demonstration.]

[Ricardo: I don’t know why, but I’m curious about what he wants to show us.]

Entering Subaru’s Private Room, they were once again met with its structure—an incredibly spacious, large room with various inventions scattered all over the place. "Mess" wouldn’t even begin to describe the situation. Even so, they didn’t need to be careful when moving around, as there was enough space to walk through.

Approaching the center of the vast room, they found Halibel and Subaru himself. The room’s windows were covered, and the only source of light came from the candles burning at the center of the table, barely illuminating their path.

[Ricardo: Why is it so dark?]

[Subaru: For the demonstration. —— Now, behold!]

He pointed to an exotic metallic structure resting on the table, with coiled wires and a small glass vial containing a thin filament inside. This left them both surprised and curious.

[Subaru: You are about to witness the greatest revolution since… I don’t know, the wheel?]

[Ricardo: Sounds like an exaggeration, kid. But… go on.]

Ricardo gestured.

[Subaru: This, my friends, is a lightbulb!]

He pointed to the object on the table.

[Subaru: And it will illuminate this world without the need for candles or magic stones. —— Have you ever heard of electricity? —— Judging by your looks, no. That’s fine, I expected that. —— Alright, think of it this way: the world has something invisible that flows through everything, from our bodies to the clouds in the sky. When you rub your hands together in the cold and feel a small shock when touching someone else? That’s electricity.]

[Julius: Almost like Mana?]

[Subaru: More or less! The difference is that electricity doesn’t need to be summoned. It’s already present in nature and can be generated in various ways. Lightning is an extreme example. —— But I discovered, using some Texts and my own personal creativity, a way to generate electricity in a controlled manner.]

He pointed to a set of metallic cylinders beside the lightbulb.

[Subaru: Here, we have something called a dynamo. When we turn this crank, it generates electricity. That electricity travels through these copper wires and reaches the lightbulb, where it makes a filament inside glow.]

With that said, he gave a thumbs-up to Halibel. Following the command, the black-furred wolfman started turning the crank while Otto began extinguishing the candles on the table, temporarily darkening the room. Initially, nothing happened. But then, the filament inside the lightbulb glowed with an orange hue, gradually increasing until it became a dim white light.

Ricardo and Julius' eyes widened slightly, while Otto and Halibel had more reserved reactions, having seen it before.

[Subaru: This is light! This small filament inside the bulb is heating up so much that it starts to glow. But since there’s no air inside the glass, it doesn’t burn like a candle.]

[Julius: With this… we wouldn’t need candles or any type of magic…]

[Subaru: Exactly! And if we have an efficient way to generate electricity, we could light up entire cities! And this is just the first step! —— I hope I’m being ambitious at the right level, but over time, I can replicate even more things from where I come from! I think you guys will love fans on hot days. This is going to change the world!]

With a playful remark, they continued to stare at the first lightbulb ever created in this world. Or at least the first one that hadn’t exploded in Subaru’s face. And no one would disagree with how right he was about the change this invention would bring, nor about how ambitious he was in creating new ones.

To Julius, Subaru was proving himself more and more as someone truly interesting. Whether in Spirit Arts or his inventions. He now had expectations for the accomplishments this boy would show in the future, especially the first achievement he had already brought to the Capital.

[Subaru: Today, I discovered… something new about myself…]

A few words spoken in a dark tone, which he did not understand.

But he wanted to understand in the future to ease his worries...

 

 

—————

They say Subaru has one of the highest spiritual affinities and the greatest potential for spirit development. From what I understand, in the Pride Route, the Subaru of that route developed a Small Spirit into a rather powerful one passively—without trying or even training, simply letting it absorb his Mana. So I wonder what would happen if he actually had proper training for this.

Fun Facts About the Characters:

Otto – He has a debt of 200 Sacred Gold Coins to Subaru. He doesn’t hate his new job, as Subaru, despite the jokes, treats him better than any boss ever did, even with the massive debt Otto owes.

Julius – Became Subaru’s teacher/master in Spirit Arts and combat.

Subaru – Discovered his Return by Death "thanks" to Puck… and he already deeply dislikes him.

Ricardo – Has secretly given his blessing to any relationship between Subaru and Anastasia. He also loves leaving Subaru to babysit the triplets but gets jealous because Mimi seems to like Subaru more than him due to the food and toys she receives from him.

Question for you all:

Should I write what I consider the Most Powerful Version of Subaru from my IFs? Because I haven’t written it yet. The Yokai IF version, while quite powerful, is still in second place in my opinion due to intelligence factors.

Chapter 63: [Extra 2 - Anastasia IF]

[Subaru: How are you enjoying your first time in the Capital?]

[Zarestia: Yes, yes. Su, it’s not bad at all. You said you’ve only been here once?]

[Subaru: Yeah. My first time was a bit complicated, but everything turned out fine. ——And you, Mimi?]

[Mimi: Hm?! Mimi has been here before with Ricardo and the siblings to get some things for big brother-chief’s inventions! Mimi can show you the best place to eat now!]

The small half-cat figure spoke excitedly as she led the way for the white-haired woman and the dark-haired boy, bouncing forward with confidence. The group of four walked along the streets of the Capital, with Anastasia strolling slightly behind them, a small smile on her face as she observed their interactions.

Once again, Anastasia found herself reflecting on Subaru’s influence up to this point in her Camp.

It had been only about eleven months since he joined her Company, and by extension, her Camp under their contract. Since Kararagi, he had demonstrated the ability to read Hoshin’s ancient texts—revealing that they were both from the same place of origin—, an astonishing number of inventions that could rival or even surpass those of the Great Hoshin Era in the past, and exceptional conversational and spiritual abilities. Even in forming alliances.

To give an example of this last point, Halibel was a good reference, but the most recent was the figure dressed in white with matching hair: Zarestia, the Great Wind Spirit, one of the Four Great Spirits, and a resident of Kararagi—just as the other Great Spirits resided in their respective kingdoms, like the Fire Spirit in Lugunica. A powerful and widely known entity.

The event that led to her becoming their ally had occurred less than a month ago.

To summarize the events that took place in one of Kararagi’s major cities: An oni, Reize, had stolen Zarestia’s sphere to absorb its power. Her sole objective was to hunt down Subaru, having mistaken him for a member of the Witch Cult. If not for the combined forces of Halibel, Julius, and Subaru’s spirits, she could have caused massive destruction in their first encounter. But that didn’t happen. That’s when they met Zarestia, in a weakened state.

She wasn’t in a dire, hopeless condition, just weakened to a certain extent. Still, she was powerful enough to be a threat to those she wished to eliminate. She sought to understand why that oni had stolen her sphere and attacked Subaru—something they had no knowledge of at the time—so she decided to stay close to them until she could face the one who had stolen her sphere again.

Several days passed, and surprisingly, Mimi, Halibel, and Subaru formed deep bonds with the Great Wind Spirit among all the members of the Merchant’s Camp.

Whether through conversations, shared moments, or even letting her experience the new era of inventions being developed in the camp.

And Zarestia, like the little Mimi, loved tasting the new foods Subaru created, especially desserts or anything sweet—except anything related to alcohol, for personal reasons.

Zarestia eventually encountered Reize again when the oni tried to attack Subaru once more, and she ended up being defeated in a group attack organized by Subaru. This plan even involved a weakness Zarestia had mentioned: Alcohol, which affected the oni who had stolen Zarestia’s sphere and taken on her appearance as part of her personality.

This led to an explanation from the oni about what had happened and revealed to everyone that Subaru carried the stench of miasma, like a Witch Cultist. This was quite surprising since no one had imagined he had such a problem. But the issue was resolved. Subaru was cleared of Reize’s suspicions, Reize was placed under Halibel’s protection in the city of Banan, and Zarestia...?

Her personality was complicated.

During the time they had spent together, they had truly formed bonds. Zarestia had also become an extremely well-known figure across the city-states due to her incredible work as a bounty hunter, particularly in Banan, where she helped citizens with their problems through various jobs.

But her true personality, with an endless thirst for battle, had returned. Yet, she had no desire to harm them or threaten the people she had met in Banan.

So she formed a contract with Subaru.

Subaru already had contracted spirits, with the potential to evolve into Great Spirits. This could have complicated the contract, right? But in reality, it didn’t. She didn’t require Subaru’s mana or any energy—the contract was more of a formality. It was clear to everyone that she just wanted an excuse to stay with them.

And so, after many challenges, Subaru became the contractor of one of the Four Great Spirits of the present era: The Great Wind Spirit. A force to be reckoned with by anyone who considered Anastasia’s Camp a rival—something the candidate herself used to her advantage.

Like in the negotiations they had recently.

They had been summoned to meet Roswaal L. Mathers in person—the sponsor of Emilia, the candidate Subaru had saved. A figure described as eccentric by many, especially by Subaru and Zarestia, who both agreed that if they ever saw the mage walking alone at night, they should keep him away from any small children.

The mage seemed to have a great interest in Subaru—something that was obvious to Anastasia as a negotiator. Throughout their conversation, the eccentric man appeared to be testing Subaru, bringing up Emilia and asking what he thought of her.

[Subaru: She seems like a good girl… Kind, cute… I don’t dislike her! But I don’t trust that Puck guy!]

That was his response to Roswaal’s attempts to get his opinion on the candidate. He focused on Puck, perhaps as a form of preemptive intimidation. Roswaal then explained that Puck was the Great Fire Spirit, known as the Beast of the End.

Subaru and Mimi's reactions at that moment were the same. Wide eyes and shouts of surprise upon hearing the mention of such a title as the Beast of the End—although the lavender-haired merchant noticed that Subaru's reaction seemed somewhat fake, as if he were merely filling in the gap for something he had already been deliberating internally. But Anastasia partially understood the veiled threat.

Since she was meeting with a rival royal candidate to the one she sponsored, in the merchant's perception, Roswaal was using this opportunity to showcase his protégé’s potential and the power she possessed.

A way to keep Anastasia in check, as if pointing a blade directly at her neck and warning her not to act recklessly against Emilia. Something her years in business had already taught her, and such a threat was received as an outright insult due to how blatantly it was being displayed. So, to counterattack him in a “friendly” manner, she calmly brought up the statuses of Julius and Subaru as spirit contractors: their affinities, their potentials, and, in the end, mentioned Zarestia, whom Roswaal only seemed to recognize once she explained her true identity.

Laying the cards on the table. Not only did she have two "Knights"—since Subaru did not hold that title—who were Spiritual Contractors, but her camp also had the protection of: Halibel, the Eternal Playboy—a title given by Subaru, which he enjoyed flaunting—one of the four strongest individuals in the Four Kingdoms, comparable to Reinhard; as well as a Great Spirit who could be on the same level as the Fire Spirit under Emilia’s command.

Presenting it as a battle of power:

Her camp’s main combatants: Roswaal, Emilia, and Puck.

While Anastasia’s camp had: Halibel, Julius, and Zarestia.

And that didn’t even take into account Subaru and his spirits, Julius’ spirits, or the Iron Fangs members. Nor Roswaal’s well-known maids who accompanied him. If all of those were factored in, in terms of numbers, combat skills, raw power, strategy, versatility, and dexterity, the advantages leaned toward Anastasia’s group—especially considering Halibel’s cloning ability, which only further amplified his power.

Roswaal seemed to reluctantly accept this fact, earning the merchant a genuine victorious smile. A battle would be useless if he did not have enough power to win or, in the event of a loss, could not recover from the losses incurred by facing her in a full-scale war between candidates—who hadn’t even met each other yet to warrant such a confrontation.

Well… if she were honest, perhaps there were two reasons for a fight. Both involving the black-haired young man who, unaware of the girl’s internal thoughts, was happily walking ahead, chatting with the two girls.

The first: Commercial Greed.

She could clearly see how interested Roswaal seemed to be in Subaru's capabilities, mentioning his achievements, inventions, and how he was revolutionizing the modern world. In particular, he expressed gratitude for the introduction of typewriters into commercial use. This, of course, piqued the merchant’s interest.

It was nothing new for people to try and find ways to bring Subaru into their personal business ventures.

Sometimes she handled it, but other times Subaru took care of it himself. Like in this in-person meeting meant to reward Subaru for saving Emilia and retrieving her insignia. He outright rejected Roswaal’s obvious bribery attempts, as the clownish-looking mage subtly tried to lure him into his camp—either as Emilia’s knight, given his skills, or as a magical inventor under his protection.

[Subaru: Sorry, Ros-Chi! But I already made a personal promise! ——I promised myself that: My heart, my mind, my inventions, and my abilities will put Anastasia-sama on the throne! And I plan to see it through to the end! After all... what guy wouldn’t want to see the girl he likes sitting on the throne as a queen?]

That was his counter-response to the offer.

Even now, remembering it made her smile a little.

[Eridna: You were really happy when he said those words, weren’t you~?]

[Anastasia: I don’t know what you’re talking about. After all, he’s said similar things before, hasn’t he? He already established his goals with me and our business.]

[Eridna: His goal is you, don’t forget that. Whether you return his feelings openly or not, remember, that won’t matter to him—he’ll help you either way.]

At her spirit’s words, she couldn’t help but huff, irritated by the provocation.

Which led to the second reason, one raised by the artificial spirit: Jealousy. Over the sweet words he had directed at the half-elf at the start of their conversation. Something Anastasia claimed not to feel, even though Eridna called her a liar—refusing to admit openly that Subaru was truly making progress in winning a place in the heart of the greedy merchant.

And the candidate couldn’t counter-argue when they claimed she was happy to hear Subaru refuse Roswaal’s offer. She would insist it was simply because it secured her commercial ventures with a young dreamer, though she couldn't help but replay his words in her mind:

"I promised myself that: My heart, my mind, my inventions, and my abilities will put Anastasia-sama on the throne!"

"What guy wouldn’t want to see the girl he likes sitting on the throne as a queen?"

And the enthusiastic tone he had used when saying them.

As they walked in search of a place to have lunch, somehow, her day already felt satisfying—both from the negotiation they had at the meeting with Roswaal—whose debt would extend a bit longer until they found something they truly wanted from him—and from Subaru’s declarations.

The next day would be when she would meet Emilia in the Royal Hall, accompanied by Subaru and Zarestia—to Julius’ dismay—and once again, she felt jealous seeing their interactions. However, she was also slightly charmed when Subaru nearly fought Roswaal after the latter made a “formal” display to showcase Puck’s power in the Royal Selection Hall.

An event... interesting, to say the least.

Later, Julius ended up lecturing Subaru and Zarestia for hours—the latter having torn Roswaal’s clothes apart with wind magic, leaving him half-naked, at Subaru’s request… and for her own personal amusement.

 

 

—————

I decided to write a lighter chapter after the heavy one I posted today (the Epilogue of Promise IF). To brighten people's day, especially since I'm going to my niece's birthday today! So... like Thanos: “Everything perfectly balanced, as everything should be.”

A, for curiosity: about Subaru and his spirits.

-The Contract with Zarestia only has two terms: “Subaru would have to give her desserts whenever she asked.” and ‘Subaru could only be killed by her or he couldn't die.’ Since she draws Mana from the Atmosphere and from herself, she doesn't need Subaru's energy and this allows him to keep his other spirits.

-The names of Subaru's spirits:

Spirit of Fire — Antares.

Spirit of Water — Deneb.

Spirit of Earth — Vega.

Spirit of Wind — Altair.

Spirit of Yin — Algol.

Spirit of Yang — Rigel.

Chapter 64: [Epilogue - Anastasia IF]

1) Otto;

Adjusting himself in front of his private mirror, he observed his personal kimono, made for him by his current employer—or slavedriver, as Otto affectionately nicknamed him—for the highly important event that would take place today. Not that it was unpleasant to wear, but it was simply strange for someone who wasn’t used to it. Yet, he had no choice! 

Otto Suwen's kimono flowed smoothly around him, its emerald-toned fabrics captured by the light around him. Made of lightweight, luxurious silk, it was adorned with golden patterns that intertwined like gusts of wind dancing across the fabric. The sleeves were slightly wider than usual, allowing for elegant movement while still maintaining the practicality needed for a merchant constantly on the move. 

Tightly fastened around his waist, a deep red obi created a beautiful contrast with the vibrant green of the outfit. 

Tucked delicately between the knots of the belt, a small white feather was attached—a subtle yet striking detail, reminiscent of the iconic hat he always wore. The edges of the kimono were finished with fine golden embroidery. Resting gently over his shoulders was a dark green fabric hood, attached to the kimono's collar, though it wasn’t large enough to cover his entire face. 

[Otto: Natsuki-kun really has quite the sewing skills...] 

Placing a hand on his chin, he massaged it while observing himself. He didn’t find the kimono he had received as a gift bad at all. One of the handmade kimonos sewn by Subaru himself. He really didn’t find it unpleasant, truly. No—he would still prefer his usual clothing, which he had been wearing for years. 

The outfit wasn’t uncomfortable. Somehow, it truly wasn’t uncomfortable. 

That was one of the things he could deduce about Subaru’s tailoring skills, much like his other abilities, which Otto had properly noted during the time he spent by his side. Unfortunately for Suwen, that time had been under hateful and unfortunate pretenses, burdened by a massive financial debt. 

No more than a year ago—specifically, a little over a year and a half—he met him when, along with other merchants, he began engaging in business in Kararagi. These dealings involved the production of the now-famous typewriters. These machines had started gaining immense popularity among nobles for writing documents, stories by writers, archives, and more—something that was generating massive profits! 

Otto was never truly a greedy person, but what merchant wouldn’t be interested in an opportunity to capitalize on something that seemed like a guaranteed fortune? He, like many others, was drawn in. 

But his terrible luck followed him. 

While making his delivery of ink and essential components for the writing mechanism, he lost a vast quantity of them in an accident. The total loss amounted to a staggering 200 Sacred Gold Coins, as calculated by the lavender-haired Merchant Queen—an amount so immense that it nearly gave him a heart attack when he realized the depth of his financial ruin. 

For the first time in his life, overwhelmed by profound fear as he was stared down by that elegantly dressed lady with her calm gaze, he saw his life flash before his eyes. It was as if all his memories, from the earliest moments he could retain, passed in a rapid blur. 

It had not been a particularly prosperous life, at least from his rational perspective. There were parts where he cursed his luck—just as he cursed his Divine Protection—when thinking about why his childhood had not been as good as the other children he had met and remembered. His life as a merchant was also riddled with misfortune, mishaps, and embarrassing or complicated situations. Yet, it was still his life—a life he wanted to say he was proud to have lived. 

He was on the verge of being "killed"—forced into debt slavery under one of the Royal Candidates. 

Until Natsuki Subaru appeared and "saved" him from that fate, agreeing to take on Otto’s debts if the merchant accepted a job as his assistant. Desperately, Otto accepted, eager to rid himself of the colossal debt he had amassed. But soon, he would regret it due to the events that followed. 

The job itself wasn’t all that bad. But the insults, the constant jokes about being forgotten—those complicated their employer-employee relationship. Yet, in comparison… Subaru was a lenient boss who allowed Otto to act freely, express himself, and even enjoy himself however he wanted—including drinking—without fear of mistreatment or being fired. 

Knock, knock. A knocking sound drew his attention to the bedroom door. 

[Otto: I’m coming.] 

Saying that, he walked to the entrance of his room. Standing in front of his door were two figures—the Juukulius brothers: Joshua Juukulius and Julius Juukulius. They, too, wore kimonos crafted by the most well-known figure in Anastasia’s Camp—the black-haired young man who had titled each outfit uniquely. 

Joshua’s attire could be summarized as: "Elegance of Tradition." 

Joshua’s lavender silk kimono draped smoothly over his slender frame, the impeccable fabric reflecting his noble origins. The soft lilac tones blended with subtle golden details, forming intricate patterns of lilies and waves that wove across the sleeves and hem of the garment. The cut was perfect, tailored to his slim build without sacrificing the fluidity of movement. 

Around his waist, a black brocade obi adorned with silver threads shimmered under the light, keeping the garment securely fastened. The knot was impeccably tied. 

Over his shoulders, a sheer black silk overlay added a layer of formality to the attire. The fabric swayed gently, enhancing his already distinguished presence, as if it were designed to move with him, ensuring every motion exuded grace. 

Meanwhile, Julius' kimono could be described as: "Honor Woven in Silk." 

The kimono was a reflection of his very essence—noble, imposing, and impeccably refined. The deep blue silk fabric seemed to capture the light upon its surface, subtly shimmering in the ambient glow. Golden and silver embroidery wove across the entire garment, forming intricate depictions of dragons and lotus flowers—a bloom from Subaru’s homeland—symbols of strength and purity. 

The high, well-structured collar of the kimono added a touch of formality, while the wide, elegant sleeves gave his movements a regal air. The cut was tailored just enough to highlight his imposing stance and well-defined physique without compromising the fluid grace characteristic of such attire. 

The obi, a reinforced fabric belt, was a vibrant gold, tied perfectly at the back with a knot that symbolized his position as one of the most talented knights of Lugunica. 

Over his shoulders, a blue-gray overcoat, made of slightly heavier fabric, completed the outfit, giving him an air of respect and military discipline. 

Figures with the same hair color, elegantly dressed. 

[Joshua: I see that you are prepared for Anastasia-sama’s celebration. ——The outfit designed and sewn by Subaru-san really suits you well, Otto-san. I must admit that he truly did a good job with the attire for this important event. Even though he is not really well-versed, nor elegant, nor capable of presenting himself as a refined person. Something he loses out on extremely when compared to my brother.] 

[Otto: Humm.] 

Otto gave a tired look, while Julius merely offered a nervous smile at the younger Juukulius' words, as it was well known by everyone. 

Joshua held great respect for Julius, admiring his abilities since they were younger, especially when he became a knight. A Spirit Knight with the title: "The Knight of Knights." Someone admired by many, particularly his adoptive brother. 

However, he had issues with Subaru. Both because of his lack of discipline, his unrefined way of speaking and acting, and also because of the circulating rumors that the young inventor was stealing Julius’s glory as Anastasia’s knight. Diminishing the shine of the fact that his brother was the knight of the Merchant Queen. Joshua disliked that Subaru lacked his brother’s elegance, yet still managed to stand out and accomplish things that increased the fame of the candidate they both served—something he had expected Julius to do. 

Even though they sometimes got along when circumstances demanded, it wasn’t uncommon to see them talking properly, with Joshua trying to correct Subaru’s behavior. 

A behavior Subaru described as: “Tsundere.” 

And after discovering the meaning of such a term, Otto couldn’t help but find Subaru hypocritical. Since Subaru behaved the same way in most of his interactions with Julius. Almost like a complete cycle, where Joshua acted that way towards Subaru, and Subaru acted that way towards Julius, but in an opposite manner with each brother. Otto saw how Subaru treated Joshua the same way Julius treated him. 

From an external and internal perspective, the three of them actually got along quite well. 

[Julius: It’s time to go. Subaru should have everything prepared, and I believe Anastasia-sama must be excited for the surprise as well.] 

[Joshua: I hope it’s at least somewhat interesting. Do you have any idea, Otto-san?] 

[Otto: ——I can’t say. He forced me to keep quiet.] 

[Joshua: ——I figured as much.] 

Otto sighed tiredly as he stepped out, pressing the so-called "switch" to turn off the electric light in his room. A thing that had become quite common within Hoshin’s domain. 

2) Halibel;

When he met Subaru, Halibel admittedly didn’t expect much from the boy he found lost in the city. It was a coincidence. A twist of fate, perhaps? He wouldn’t have thought about it if not for everything that happened afterward. Revolutionary inventions, spiritual abilities, the capacity to gather people around him, as well as leadership skills. 

If his normal abilities weren’t enough: It was he who led Zarestia and the Iron Fang to the Capital almost a year ago, over six months ago, in the hunt against the White Whale and Sloth. Bringing more fame to the Hoshin Camp, as well as his company beyond Kararagi and into Lugunica. 

It seemed that the young man with black hair and unusual clothing was destined for greatness. Whether by himself or by helping and being helped by others, like his current allies. 

But what Halibel didn’t expect was how close they would become since the day they met. The strongest in Kararagi did not dislike the boy—he truly didn’t. They started getting along very well. Over time, Halibel even joined Anastasia’s group, a figure he had previously known through Ricardo, becoming part of her camp because Subaru had established a business partnership with her—and then became interested in her as a woman. 

If Halibel were to be honest, there were two reasons: 

1. He wanted to look after the boy he had befriended.
2. He saw how exciting his life would become from that moment on, thanks to the young man with black hair.

Snapping out of his thoughts and back to the present situation... 

In a private room, five distinct figures stood— all demi-humans—three small figures and two larger ones. The triplets and the two wolf-men watched as they dressed in their tailored clothes for the event that would take place in a few minutes, while the older ones observed the younger ones. 

[Mimi: What do you think?! Huh, huh?! Didn’t Big Brother make a beautiful kimono for Mimi?!] 

[Hetaro: Mimi really looks very pretty.] 

[Tivey: I can’t deny that the work Natsuki did was really good. Magic, spirits, and inventions like tailoring. He could really do well as an independent merchant, don’t you think?] 

[Ricardo: Yeah, yeah. The kid really did a great job with you all—and with us. Don’t you think? I didn’t think he could make this handsome guy even more handsome!] 

[Halibel: I didn’t think it was possible either. I really like my new outfit, though I would still prefer my everyday kimono.] 

He said as he examined himself and the others. 

Mimi wore something titled: A Mischievous Glow. 

The kimono, made from soft, slightly shimmering fabric, had a pearly white base, as pure as freshly fallen snow. Over this immaculate background, vibrant patterns in shades of orange and gold wove across the fabric, forming elegant cat paw prints that seemed to dance along the sleeves and hem. Small details in aqua green, the same color as Mimi’s bright eyes, were delicately interwoven into the design, bringing harmony to the ensemble. 

The sleeves were long and loose, designed specifically to give a fluid and graceful air to her movements. 

But the most charming detail was in the Obi, a well-fitted bow in a vibrant aqua green, with fine embroidery of tiny sakura flowers and minuscule golden bells that would jingle softly with every step. 

As she twirled in excitement while wearing it, Mimi felt the fabric wrap around her small feline body like a soft cloud. 

At the back, an adorable detail made her tail wag eagerly: Subaru had sewn a small fluffy decoration in the shape of a cat’s tail onto the Obi bow, perfectly matching her real orange tail. 

The kimono was not only beautiful but designed to allow her the freedom and joy she always exuded. 

While Tivey’s would be: Contained Wisdom; Among the many kimonos he was sewing, Tivey’s required a special touch. He knew the cat-man wasn’t one for unnecessary ostentation, but he also couldn’t make something too simplistic. It needed balance: sophistication without excess, class without drawing too much attention.

Tivey’s kimono was elegant, refined—something that perfectly matched his calculating and intellectual personality.

The base fabric was a deep navy blue, almost black, reflecting his serious demeanor and preference for enclosed environments, away from his siblings’ mischief. In contrast, fine golden lines formed subtle geometric patterns along the sleeves and lower hem, reminiscent of precise diagrams—like those a scholar would draw while compiling knowledge. Small, discreetly embroidered symbols along the hem, such as tiny scrolls and open books, added a personal touch without compromising elegance.

The obi (sash) was a deep aquamarine, a subtle nod to Tivey’s eye color, bringing a sense of continuity and unity with his siblings. The sash was adorned with a small golden brooch in the shape of a fox, symbolizing his intelligence and loyalty to Iron Fang.

The sleeves were slightly adjusted, allowing for a fluid drape but without excess fabric that might hinder him while writing or organizing documents. An extra detail was the light golden chain attached to Tivey’s monocle, subtly connecting it to the kimono—a refined touch that enhanced his intellectual appearance even more.

And the last of the siblings, Hetaro: The Silent Guard; The main fabric was a soft orange, leaning toward an amber tone—a color that evoked both the warmth of his presence and his undeniable connection with his siblings.

Unlike Mimi’s vibrant energy, the chosen shade was more subdued, conveying maturity and balance. To complement this base, delicate aquamarine arabesques wove along the kimono’s edges, like gentle wind currents or leaves carried by the breeze. This detail not only added a touch of sophistication but also highlighted Hetaro’s expressive eyes. The medium-length sleeves draped smoothly over his arms, ensuring freedom of movement without compromising the elegance of the piece.

The obi (sash) was carefully chosen in a moss-green color with a subtle burnt-gold finish—a shade that reinforced the sense of firmness and responsibility Hetaro carried. The sash was precisely adjusted, without exaggeration, bringing a perfect balance between sophistication and practicality.

However, the detail that made the kimono truly unique was discreetly embroidered on the back of the garment. There, drawn with subtle golden threads, rested the emblem of a sword piercing through a pair of wolf tracks.

The triplets admired themselves as they looked at the final work Subaru had crafted for them. Usually, they were adorned in different ways. But the most meticulously designed among them was undoubtedly Mimi’s, as almost everyone knew she was Subaru’s favorite, whom he always spoiled in whatever ways he pleased—a fact that even irritated Hetaro, as it was not uncommon to see Mimi sitting on Subaru’s lap, receiving head pats.

Ricardo watched them with a satisfied smile at their excitement while also glancing at his own, which the boy had simply titled: Great Wolf.

The outfit was made of thick, durable fabric, yet it did not lose its smooth drape. The base was a deep burgundy red, like the twilight of a recently ended battle, while golden details shimmered along the sleeves and hem, forming tribal markings inspired by wolves and flames that seemed to dance across the fabric.

The kimono did not follow the traditional style. Subaru knew Ricardo wouldn’t feel comfortable with long, heavy sleeves.

So, he made a sleeveless version, allowing the warrior’s muscular arms to remain free, as if always ready for battle. The obi—the sash tied at the waist—was black with golden details, bringing balance to the ensemble and maintaining a touch of authority. Additionally, a discreet Iron Fang symbol was embroidered on the lower back—a small but significant detail for the pack leader.

To complete it, Subaru added a personal touch: a golden chain attached to the obi, lightly dangling at the side, matching the wild gleam in Ricardo’s eyes and giving him the air of a fearless commander.

The outfit earned some playful remarks and compliments from Ricardo for Subaru’s hard work in preparing it.

His gaze then wandered to Halibel’s new kimono. Even Kararagi’s strongest did not escape a “revamp,” as Subaru liked to call it, for the upcoming nighttime event just a few minutes away: The Mist Wolf.

The piece was as black as a moonless night, reflecting his enigmatic nature, yet adorned with subtle patterns of purple and golden mist rising along the hem and sleeves, as if his very presence was always shrouded in mystery. The sleeves were long and frayed at the edges—a deliberate detail by Subaru to match the wolf-man’s scruffy and casual appearance.

However, the biggest surprise was on the back: a stylized tribal wolf symbol emerged in gold over the dark silk, as if sculpted from the night itself.

The obi, a wide belt that held the kimono in place, was an aged gold, with small purple lines forming geometric patterns reminiscent of Halibel’s tribe markings. The dark tone of the gold harmonized perfectly with his predatory eyes. He pulled the sleeves up slightly, satisfied to see that the garment did not restrict his movements. An elegant kimono, yes, but still functional—perfect for a man who carried the honor of his race and the freedom of a night wind.

[Halibel: The kid really went all out, didn’t he?]

[Ricardo: You know exactly why, don’t you? Hahaha! I should be mad, as Ana-Bo’s guardian. But… no. I can’t help but admire the way he acts based on his feelings. And at the very least, he makes everything fun! Hahaha!]

[Halibel: Exactly. ——Arrf, that boy.]

Blowing smoke from his kiseru, Halibel nodded in agreement with Ricardo’s words and his amused tone when speaking about Subaru. The two adults couldn’t help but be entertained by the boy’s enthusiastic way of doing things in the most extravagant ways possible.

And he had promised that tonight would be unforgettable.

3) Anastasia;

[Anastasia: Natsuki-kun really put a lot of effort into today’s outfits, don’t you think? Not that I’m going to complain about the work he put in—I’d rather not think that he went through all that effort for nothing.]

[Reize: Don’t worry, Anastasia-sama. While he was working, Otto-sama and I did as you asked and made sure he didn’t overexert himself. We even tried to help him where we could.]

[Zarestia: Su really puts in a lot of effort. ——I won’t complain about the gift, but I feel like I could have made it myself. As a spirit. But Su really did an impeccable job on this, yes, very diligent. —Urgh! That weird guy.]

Recalling the Archbishop she had faced, Zarestia couldn’t help but evaluate the kimono Subaru had crafted exclusively for her: The Chaotic Beauty. Unlike the others, her attire seemed to glow on its own, as if made of liquid light. A pure, immaculate white, the fabric was as soft as freshly fallen snow, gliding over her skin like a second natural layer. The neckline was modest yet subtly hinted at her femininity, while the long sleeves swayed gently with her movements.

However, it was in the details that Subaru’s true craftsmanship shone through.

Lime-green streaks spread across the fabric, resembling gusts of wind charged with energy, forming delicate spirals around the waist and flowing down to the hem of the skirt. Unlike Zarestia’s original kimono, this one retained a short skirt but added an extra layer of translucent fabric, creating an ethereal effect as she moved.

The obi was silver with greenish reflections, shimmering at different angles of light, as if a piece of her own Light Sphere had been sewn into her waist. At the center of the knot, a lime-green crystal pendant was fastened, capturing the gaze of anyone who approached.

The other two couldn’t help but admire her beauty. If she was already naturally stunning, her radiance was further accentuated by the delicate craftsmanship of the kimono she now wore.

But the same could be said for the other two—the Merchant and the Oni.

For Anastasia: The Cunning Elegance. The pure white fabric, like freshly fallen snow, served as the base for a delicate pattern of hand-painted plum blossoms in soft teal shades. Tiny golden stars were interwoven among the flowering branches, reflecting light whenever she moved—a detail that echoed the hairpin adorning her bangs. The long, flowing sleeves had floral embroidery at the tips, almost imperceptible, hidden like secrets waiting to be discovered. The hem of the kimono displayed a subtle gradient from teal to white, giving the impression that Anastasia was wrapped in an enchanting mist.

The obi, a richly decorated fabric sash, was a deep purple, velvety to the touch, with intricate golden lines winding along its length. These lines gleamed like molten gold under the light. At the center of the obi, a golden coin-shaped pendant swayed gently with each step.

To complete the ensemble, a thin, almost translucent blue silk scarf was elegantly tied to the obi, moving with the breeze as if it had a life of its own—a simple yet striking piece.

And in Reize’s case, things were a little different. The Oni girl felt unworthy of receiving a gift from someone she had once unjustly tried to kill, blinded by an instinctive reaction to his unconscious scent. However, her desire to reject the gift was ignored by the dark-haired boy and the rest of the Camp. After much insistence, she accepted it, at least to wear for the event.

Hers was different but just as elegant: The Silent Fury in Silk. The dark silk, in shades of midnight blue and deep gray, enveloped her body with a cold elegance, like the silence before a storm.

Subtle embroideries of raging waves and turbulent clouds adorned the sleeves and the hem of the garment. The long, flowing sleeves, common in more formal kimonos, gave her an air of restrained nobility, but the way her obi was tied—a deep red belt with subtle flame patterns—was firm, almost military, as if serving as a reminder of her mission. The knot at her back was simple, devoid of extravagant embellishments, reflecting her practical and straightforward nature.

Over the kimono, Reize wore a thin haori—a short black silk coat with ice-blue details, its edges slightly frayed.

The three women were beautifully dressed. The elegance of their kimonos enhanced their already natural beauty—so much so that, in Subaru’s own words, they outshone the garments themselves. They walked gratefully through the corridor, illuminated by the lamps crafted through Subaru’s hard work. These lamps pushed back the darkness outside while casting a warm light on their outfits.

As they walked, they soon arrived at the entrance, where the others were waiting for them.

[Ricardo: Fiiuuu!!! Mini-boss really did a great job!]

[Mimi: YES, YES! Lady is super, super, HYPER pretty! And Tia and Ze too!]

[Halibel: I won’t disagree. There’s no argument against it.]

[Julius: Truly... you all look stunning in your outfits. Zarestia-sama, if I may say, you look magnificent. As do you, Anastasia-sama and Reize-san.]

As the four figures openly commented on the trio’s beauty, the others either remained silent in awe or chose not to speak upon seeing them dressed in such a way. The ladies, however, reacted differently to the compliments: Anastasia maintained a neutral expression with a small smile, Zarestia appeared indifferent—though secretly pleased—and Reize was visibly flustered by the words.

[Anastasia: Thank you for the kind words, Julius. But I think it’s time we head out... to see the show Natsuki-kun has prepared for us.]

[Otto: I can guarantee it will be quite... thrilling.]

He spoke with a small, contained smirk.

—[X]—

[Subaru: I see everyone’s here! ARE YOU ALL EXCITED?!]

[Mimi: Mimi is, Mimi is!]

Shouting back with just as much enthusiasm as he did, the girl in her kimono jumped up and down with her fist raised, as if to emphasize the “Me! Me!”—which only fueled Subaru’s excitement, making his smile grow even wider.

Everyone gathered there also took notice of the outfit the boy was wearing.

Like the others, he had made his own kimono.

The one Subaru wore bore a title only he would truly understand, something deeply personal to him: The Kimono of Regression. The black fabric rippled gently in the cold night breeze, absorbing the surrounding darkness and becoming one with it. Its cut was traditional but carried a modern touch—the sleeves were slightly shorter than usual, allowing for freer movement, while the hem ended in an irregular pattern. Subtle gray lines ran across the fabric, like scars marking the story of his journey, forming geometric patterns that seemed to shift depending on the angle of the light.

The sash around his waist, the obi, was a vibrant orange, slicing through the black of his attire like a ray of hope amidst despair. The fabric was firm yet not rigid, as if it had been made to embrace and support him through his hardest moments. At the center of the knot on his back, a small embroidered emblem of the company stood.

His legs were covered by a fitted hakama, allowing him to move with agility without compromising the traditional aesthetic. Small golden traces decorated the edges, almost imperceptible, like distant stars in a dark sky. The zori sandals he wore were reinforced, made for someone always on the move, and their orange straps intertwined around his ankles, giving the impression that flames ignited with every step. Around his neck, a thin black scarf swayed gently, made of a lightweight fabric that seemed to absorb the wind. On one of its ends, discreetly embroidered, were words only he could understand — 仕事 (Business) = 愛 (Love), an inside joke of his own due to his personal interest in the main figure of tonight’s event, who had everyone’s eyes on her.

Finally, a dark metal chain hung from his obi, its links jingling softly as Subaru walked.

[Subaru: As everyone knows, today is a special day...! For this person, and for all of us! —— The birthday of our dear Anastasia-sama!]

Shouting at the top of his lungs, his tone was filled with great excitement as he reaffirmed what everyone already knew. This earned some amused glances toward the merchant, who maintained a simple smile on her face, not revealing whether she was genuinely excited or just holding back her feelings.

[Anastasia: Natsuki-kun is really making a big fuss over a lady’s birthday. Don’t you know some don’t like to be reminded that they’re getting older?]

[Subaru: Eh? Really? But you don’t have to worry, Ana-tan! No matter how old you are, you’ll still be the most beautiful, I truly believe that! Just like Mimi-prepre will always be the cutest, right, Hetaro?!]

[Hetaro: H-Huh?! A-ah, YES! Lady Anastasia and my sister always will be, yes!]

Forced into the spotlight, with nervousness and embarrassment, he agreed with Subaru’s words when he felt everyone’s eyes on him, while Tivey resigned himself to sighing in exhaustion over his brother surrendering so easily to Subaru’s antics. Subaru placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest with pride, meeting Anastasia’s gaze without hesitation, noticing a hint of amusement in her expression.

They were in the garden. ——Well, not exactly a garden, more like an open space with several well-maintained areas. It was a large, well-kept open space belonging to Anastasia’s Company domains, serving as the stage for whatever Subaru had planned for tonight. A place properly prepared for his next actions.

[Subaru: Without further ado, I’d like to present to you all my latest invention! A gift for Ana-tan and the world!]

Although he wanted to correct Subaru’s way of addressing their lady, Julius refrained from doing so.

Allowing it—just for tonight.

In the air around Subaru, flames appeared, taking a physical form. A kind of bird. A bird not even half the size of Mimi, with a rosy belly, thick red plumage, a golden beak, intensely bright blue eyes, and a gigantic feather that resembled a sort of horn—blue at the tip, red in the middle, and orange at the base. Subaru’s newly developed great fire spirit, Antares.

[Subaru: Are you ready for the show, my friend?]

[Antares: Absolutely, Su-Su~~!]

Speaking in an enthusiastic tone, it flapped its small wings forcefully as it began to fly. Beating its wings rapidly, the people of Subaru’s world might have thought that its wing movement and flight pattern resembled that of a hummingbird from his homeland.

As it distanced itself a little, Subaru moved to join the group.

[Subaru: I hope you’re all prepared. Because this is going to be a grand show!]

[Ricardo: I sure hope so, Mini-Boss. Because just having kimonos as gifts would be interesting, but not enough unless they were exclusive for our lady.]

He "warned" with a "threatening" tone, heavily teasing Subaru’s decision to make clothes for everyone using his skills and wasting so much time that could have been spent sewing an exclusive outfit for Anastasia herself.

Meanwhile…

Antares flew to the exact spot and, with a flick of its tail feathers, lit the first fuse. The fuse began to burn down. Sparks flew, and an intense hissing sound echoed as the projectile shot up into the sky. FWOOOSH! Suddenly, the darkness was torn apart by a golden explosion of light, followed by red sparks spreading across the sky like fiery petals.

[Almost everyone: WUOOOH!!!]

Another burst followed quickly after the first, exploding in a brilliant blue pattern. Then another in a vibrant green hue. To them, it resembled the magic they had used during the hunt for the White Whale, which had illuminated the entire sky—but this one produced colorful lights that quickly dissipated after their explosion, in beautiful patterns.

[Mimi: So pretty! SO COOL!]

[Tivey: What is this, Subaru?]

[Subaru: This, Tivey, is something from my homeland. We call them fireworks.]

[Joshua: F-Fireworks...? How are they made? What are they made of?]

[Subaru: Great question, Joshua-kun! This, my friends, is the result of gunpowder! A small black powder. ——Gunpowder is an explosive mixture made of three main ingredients: saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. The saltpeter provides oxygen for combustion, the charcoal acts as fuel, and the sulfur makes ignition happen faster. When we light a fuse connected to a container full of gunpowder… BAM! The reaction creates a rapidly expanding gas, generating an explosion!]

Other fireworks exploded in the night sky, illuminating it rapidly before the colors faded and were replaced by new ones. Over and over again, in an incredible yet beautiful succession.

[Reize: What gives the colors, Subaru-sama?]

[Subaru: Another great question! To create different colors, we add specific metals to the gunpowder! Copper creates blue, strontium gives red, barium produces green, and sodium generates yellow. When these metals burn, their electrons enter an excited state and release energy in the form of colored light! We use wooden or metal tubes to launch the fireworks and small compartments filled with gunpowder to create different shapes. Depending on how we arrange the explosive charge, we can create various patterns in the sky!]

With that said, new colors adorned the night sky in the garden. Subaru then gave a meaningful look to his Fire Spirit, who immediately understood the signal.

[Subaru: Now... let’s see something even more interesting.]

As he spoke, Antares lit the next set of firework fuses. It began again. The rocket shot up, FWOOOSH! The fire quickly climbed into the sky and then exploded. But instead of just a simple ball of light, Halibel’s face was formed in purple light with gray sparks still standing out against the night sky.

[Halibel: WHAT?!]

More fireworks were launched, and soon, the faces of Mimi, Tivey, and Hetaro appeared in orange and bright green lights with white accents, personalized based on their hair, eyes, and standard clothing. The three of them, in turn, stared wide-eyed. Their faces were side by side, smiling in the sky. And as the triplets’ faces faded into the air, another firework shot up.

This time, Ricardo's canine face formed a gigantic smile, with a sword symbol right behind him.

[Ricardo: HAH! Hahaha! Now this is beautiful!]

More fireworks, new explosions. This time, forming the faces of Joshua and Julius in the night sky. Soon after came Zarestia’s face in a white and green light, and when it dissipated, Reize’s appeared, his eyes shining intensely along with the great wind spirit.

[Zarestia: Su, Su! How did you do that?! Did you use some kind of magic?!]

[Subaru: No, no, Tia-chan! I just used science in the fireworks! To form the faces, all I needed was a shaped charge!]

[Reize: Shaped charge?]

[Subaru: Exactly! Normally, fireworks explode in all directions at the same time. But if we place small individual explosives arranged in a specific shape—like a circle, a star... or a face—we can mold the explosion so that it follows a defined pattern!]

From his pocket, he took out one of the cartridges that hadn’t been fired yet and showed its interior. Inside, several small explosive spheres were arranged in a circular pattern.

[Subaru: Each of these little balls contains a bit of gunpowder and metallic salts to create the colors. Before launching, we align these spheres inside the cartridge in the desired shape. When the projectile explodes in the sky, these spheres are launched in a pre-defined pattern, creating the shape we want!]

[Anastasia: So... You basically make the explosion follow a design?]

[Subaru: Exactly! ——But it’s a difficult process. If the gunpowder isn’t distributed perfectly or if the explosion timing isn’t calibrated correctly, the design could come out all crooked. That’s why I had to test it multiple times until I got it just right. And I used Otto to help me.]

That earned a small sigh from Otto, who remembered being a test subject, taking light explosions to the face that left him covered in soot multiple times, forcing him to wash up over and over again.

Subaru gave a meaningful look to Antares, who understood the message once again. Lighting the fuse of the last firework. This final firework was big and shot into the sky with a powerful FWOOOSH!, even greater than the others. When it reached its highest point: It exploded.

In multiple rainbow colors—golden, white, purple, and green—forming the complete face of Anastasia Hoshin, with a big smile and her characteristic accessories.

Everyone’s eyes widened and sparkled again upon seeing such a display, but Anastasia’s lost the neutrality that usually shaped her businesslike face. A genuine, radiant smile spread across her lips, and her eyes glowed as the colors reflected in them. A magnificent spectacle! She was clearly excited, happy about the grand display.

[Subaru: Yes!]

The celebration beside her made her glance to the side while the lights of the massive explosion lingered longer than any previous one. Subaru stared at her with a huge smile and shining eyes, clearly as excited as a child who had conquered the world, looking at her without averting his gaze.

[Anastasia: What is it...?]

[Subaru: Nothing! I’m always happy when you smile for real! It’s in these moments that I fall in love with you all over again!]

Declaring such words with enthusiasm, sincerity, and without shame—despite his flushed cheeks—he spoke his thoughts directly to the girl beside him. This, in turn, made her feel something she rarely experienced: nervousness and embarrassment, at hearing such direct words, spoken eye to eye. A slight contrast between the one usually in control and the one at the mercy of his own emotions.

[Subaru: So... did you like your gift?]

[Anastasia: ——]

While everyone else remained distracted, gazing at the sky, none of them noticed the duo standing slightly behind the group. They didn’t see the merchant grabbing the young man by the collar, surprising him, and even more when she pulled him in. Normally, he wouldn’t have been so easily pulled downward. But caught off guard, he gave in. At the same time, she also rose slightly to reach his height.

In the middle ground—one being forced down, the other rising up—they met halfway.

Their lips collided in a kiss just as the fiery lights of the display dissipated, marking the end of the show. Without realizing it, the two remained locked in the kiss for a few moments before separating. Both faces flushed red.

But while Subaru looked slightly shocked, Anastasia wore a genuine smile.

[Subaru: W-What was that...?]

[Anastasia: Your reward... for finally making me fall in love with you, you idiot.]

As she said this, she knew there was a slight lie in her words. Because, for quite some time, she had already fallen for the honest young man in front of her.

But only now did she allow herself to open up honestly to him, after so long. Only now did she realize that it would be impossible for someone to say such things so shamelessly, with such a foolish face, without being hopelessly in love.

At last, the love-driven greed of the boy with fearsome eyes from another world had surpassed the infinite greed of the mauve-haired merchant from Kararagi.

 

 

—————

This ending would take place a little before Priestella, around a month and a half earlier. If I were to actually write a story, this would be the ending of Part 1 (adapting from his arrival in Kararagi, like Arcs 1 and 3 of the Original Route) and would start Part 2 (from Arc 5 onward). If anyone wants to use my idea, feel free to do so.

Chapter 65: [Extra 3 - Anastasia IF]

[Anastasia: Subaru-kun didn’t seem well at all this morning or during the meal.]

[Zarestia: Indeed, Su seems quite tense about something.]

The two women commented as they sat enjoying the backyard and the view of the stars and the Moon shining brightly in the sky, resting after the events of the day. It was something that would clearly exhaust many people—Anastasia among them—due to her work as a candidate and hostess to so many important, illustrious figures within her territory.

She had gathered all the Royal Candidates in the city of Priestella under several pretexts: to improve her relationships with them or at least create debts that bound them together. A decision aimed at a controlled political battle. After all, for her goals, “Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.” Those were Subaru's words when he accepted Anastasia’s real intentions in bringing them together, which was more about negotiating and building better relationships under the public eye—for both the Candidates and any external observers.

With Crusch’s Camp, they already had a good start thanks to past alliances formed through Subaru himself, against the White Whale. A resounding victory that fortunately brought great fame to both Camps. Naturally, due to the weight of eliminating such a legendary beast that had plagued the world for centuries, killing innocents and merchants alike, and even slaying the former Sword Saint, Theresia van Astrea, one of the most skilled of her generation. This greatly improved the merchant's image in the Kingdom.

And if that wasn't enough, he also gave her another achievement: the killing of an Archbishop—Sloth—within the lands of Marquis Mathers.

Thus securing two legendary feats that boosted the fame of her Camp while also strengthening relationships between them—especially between Crusch and Emilia—and creating debts with her political rivals that Anastasia could readily use at the right moments. And that truly benefited her. It not only brought fame to Subaru, as an inventor, negotiator, and strategist, but also to Zarestia, as the spirit responsible for ending those two threats in the name of Anastasia's Camp, and Julius, who already possessed vast natural fame as a Knight—and even more so as “The Greatest of Knights.”

Speaking of other allied Camps, Felt’s Camp was a bit... hard to define. She seemed to like Subaru a lot—likely due to the help he and his companions gave her against Elsa in the Loot House. Reinhard also seemed to treat him like a good friend, because Subaru treated him that way. Anastasia could even see a bit of jealousy in him due to their close relationship, which made her chuckle slightly. In her view, this was a good thing to keep negotiations and relations on neutral ground—especially since Felt seemed to dislike merchants or nobles in general, which would make things very complicated.

Priscilla was a case of her own. Subaru got along with Al, but no one truly had a positive relationship with her—especially due to her arrogance and aggressiveness in many aspects. Still, Anastasia clearly remembered how Priscilla had laughed when Zarestia, last year, cut Roswaal’s pants in front of everyone during that incident caused by his dramatic performance with Puck. Their relationship might even be worse than with Felt’s Camp, which only had a poor connection with Anastasia due to her merchant status and ambition—something Anastasia wouldn’t deny, considering the girl’s past. Priscilla’s Camp had poor relations with everyone, not just hers in particular.

The relationship with Emilia’s Camp, however, was different from all the others, even tying back to the conversation the two had started earlier. Subaru had been the one responsible for rescuing Emilia in the Royal Capital—even though he insisted he hadn’t done anything remarkable—as well as recovering her insignia, which was extremely vital information in Anastasia’s opinion. He also saved the lives of those in the land of the half-elf’s patron during the Witch Cult attack and the Sin Archbishop’s appearance. So many special debts that her Camp would never be able to repay without offering things of equal value. That would be impossible, even for the Court Mage, considering each favor could cost a fortune—something Anastasia, proudly, thanks to Subaru, no longer needed from them—or resources, like the mining in Elior Forest, which would be a great benefit for them. They couldn’t refuse, even if they tried a thousand times.

But then, there was the matter at hand...

[Zarestia: Su really seemed worried about that little furball.]

[Anastasia: I wish I had your level of power or special abilities, Tia-chan, to be able to offend someone as powerful as another Great Spirit—especially one with a title as strong as “Beast of the End.” It’s a shame I’m not that strong.]

[Zarestia: Yep, Ana’s way too weak to insult someone stronger. She’d probably get beaten to a pulp before being torn apart, or at best, have her head ripped off.]

[Anastasia: Urgh! You could be a little nicer, you know?! Subaru-kun would say kind words about how I could make giants kneel with my negotiation skills and intelligence...]

Quoting some of the many compliments the dark-haired boy gave her, she puffed out her cheeks as she listened to Zarestia’s teasing words about her physical strength and abilities in a head-on fight—especially against a Great Spirit like Puck.

And speaking of him...

Not Emilia, but Puck seemed to make Subaru nervous—more than someone normally would be around a spirit with such a terrifying title. But what was making him feel that way? That question crossed her mind as she imagined his reasons, especially because...

[Zarestia: An, De, Ve, Tair, Gol, Gel.]

The nicknames Zarestia gave to Subaru’s Spirits: Antares (Fire), Deneb (Water), Veja (Earth), Altair (Wind), Algol (Yin), and Rigel (Yang), besides Zarestia herself—who was Subaru’s spirit more as an excuse than from any real need for his mana.

[Zarestia: They say that with a special bond—at least, that’s what I imagine—many Spirits can sense and express their Contractor’s hidden emotions. I’ve never seen anything like that in all my years of life. So, if those little ones have been with Su since they were “babies,” they must have a deeper connection, and… I saw it firsthand today.]

[Anastasia: Even if I don’t completely understand it... it was easy to read those little ones.]

[Zarestia: They were anxious. Maybe that’s the right word? Not just anxious—worried, scared. They even seemed ready to fight to the death. That kind of feeling only arises in the face of a monster or powerful enemy that needs to be taken down... like some people felt toward me when they saw me. But this time, it felt different. As if they were feeling that way because of something they’ve already been through and hated...]

[Anastasia: Like a desire for payback or revenge, right?]

Nodding to confirm the merchant’s deduction, the two became more thoughtful about it.

Zarestia clearly remembered the way they had looked.

Moving nervously around Subaru, with auras of concern for the boy, as well as apparent anger directed at the feline-looking spirit when it appeared, summoned by Emilia the moment they met — when they were at the entrance and he was with Julius welcoming the rival Camp. Something she remembered even from the day in the Capital, when they had a meeting before the Royal Selection presentation. She could see how the spirits acted, and she felt this sensation coming from them and from Subaru himself at that encounter — a sensation she knew others normally felt towards her.

It was strange — VERY strange. Because it meant that the fact he was composed and unafraid when he met her, despite her power, showed that he had already met someone on her level. Which narrowed it down exclusively to Puck.

[Anastasia: This could get rather complicated. Thinking of him being angry at a member of a Rival Camp — and such an important one to my rival, with such high status... Don’t look at me like that. I know I’m thinking from a business standpoint, but I also have personal concern for him.]

[Zarestia: I really hope so. I don’t know how Su finds attraction in someone whose first thought is about coins.]

[Anastasia: He already knew that when he said he was in love with me, Tia-chan. So of course, he wouldn’t be surprised to see me thinking rationally about my campaign for the throne. Especially considering the personal reasons I myself confessed to him. I’m acting the way he expects me to, while keeping a place for him in my mind just as I’ve already reserved one in my heart.]

[Zarestia: ———— Hmpf! I thought only Su could say cute things like that.]

Pouting, the assassin spirit puffed her cheeks at the merchant's eloquence.

[Anastasia: The focus here should be on thinking about what motivates him to feel anger and apprehension toward the Great Spirit of Fire. Perhaps it has something to do with Subaru-kun’s strange ability?]

[Zarestia: Strange... ability?]

[Anastasia: I deduced it through you, Reize-san, my own spirit who talks about that strange scent coming from him, connected to the Cult, and the odd conveniences he experiences. —— Subaru-kun has a special ability that lets him stay several steps ahead in some situations. He may not have confessed it yet, either because he doesn’t want to or because he can’t, and the use of this ability may have some special trigger that causes him concern and anxiety... Which leads me to an unpleasant deduction about what could activate such a power. —— What matters is that I deduce he might be able to see probabilities and guide himself through the ones that will bring success to him — and to us.]

[Zarestia: Aren’t you afraid he might be using this ability to manipulate you?]

The spirit posed the question with narrowed eyes, full of suspicion.

Anastasia kept a neutral expression, then let out a small smile.

[Anastasia: I don’t think that makes sense.]

[Zarestia: ——?]

[Anastasia: My answer. I could say I trust him because I have to. But that’s not it, and I know it. I trust him because I want to trust him. More like... I can’t imagine him as a manipulative mastermind. Argh! Is this what made me fall for him? Am I letting go of logic and reason in my businesslike mindset because of sentiment? Not that I completely dislike the warm feelings I get in my heart, but sometimes I miss the days when all I had to worry about were my little ones and Ricardo.]

Grumbling as she spoke at the end, Zarestia couldn’t help but show a small smile. Because despite the apparent frustration in her words, which might have sounded like a complaint, her tone clearly showed she wasn’t particularly unhappy about now being unable to doubt Subaru due to her feelings.

[Anastasia: What will you do about what we discussed, Tia-chan?]

[Zarestia: I’ll look after Su. After all, I don’t want to lose his food, and we have a contract. And I don’t want him to get hurt.]

[Anastasia: You say I lie about my emotions and intentions, but you, Tia-chan, are trying to do just that — and in such an embarrassing way, you know? And there’s no need for that when we’re having a conversation between friends.]

[Zarestia: Don’t provoke me, Ana. —— And what will you do?]

Raising an eyebrow, the wind spirit asked.

—[X]—

In the boy’s room with black hair.

[Subaru: Normally, people would talk about this ahead of time, don’t you think?]

[Anastasia: In a relationship like ours, which is in progress, sometimes we should surprise each other, right? I thought this would be a surprise for you and at the same time a reward for having won me over and for us being on such good terms at the start of our relationship.]

[Subaru: But a leap like this in the relationship might make some people think we’re perverts or rushing too much.]

[Anastasia: I already told you about my lifestyle and my condition. If I’m going to live a short life, then I’ll bet on having a good one. A short, fulfilling life, with no regrets, betting on what can bring profits to my Company or to myself. Like my personal life motto: “Lose everything in the end or rise to the top before I die — the only way to know is to try.” So, since I’ve already bet on being with you, I’m going to bet on deepening our relationship and see if it was worth it in the end.]

[Subaru: I get it... but it still feels a little complicated for me...]

He said, glancing sideways at the girl beside him.

In his room at the inn they were staying at in the city, rented by the merchant.

The two were lying together.

[Subaru: I just wanted to know what made you come here. Julius would probably scold me if I got involved with you since the Royal Selection rules specifically say the Candidates shouldn't have romantic involvement until it’s over. So, that brings the question: why are you here now? —— Ark!]

His nose was pinched.

[Anastasia: Didn’t you hear what I said? I came here knowing the risks, alright? I reminded myself completely of the rules for all the candidates and simply said that for this situation, ignoring that last one would be best.]

[Subaru: I understood that part, but I still wanted to understand better.]

[Anastasia: I came here to comfort you.]

[Subaru: Comfort me? Did I seem a little sad? Sorry if I made you worry by showing a gloomy expression.]

[Anastasia: Not that much. It’s because of you and the others expressing the things I feel in my heart that I can stay focused on what I need to do. That’s why when you’re a bit off or anxious, it becomes concerning. Both for business... and for a maiden’s heart.]

[Subaru: In other words: “I don’t like seeing you sad, so I came to cheer you up.” That’s so cute~!]

Saying that, he pulled her close and cooed, rubbing his cheek against hers.

A somewhat cute scene. Even though the merchant puffed her cheeks at the childish tone used by the black-haired boy. She didn’t deny the words he used to summarize the situation — because that was exactly it.

Anastasia was worried about a sad Subaru.

[Anastasia: Tia-chan and I saw you looking worried about Emilia’s fire spirit.]

[Subaru: O-Oh, h-hmm. Maybe I was. But you know who he is, so...]

[Anastasia: But the gleam and your expressions were those of someone who had already faced the danger he represents in this world, Subaru. That’s quite concerning for someone who doesn’t know anything about your past. And when I say that, I mean someone who doesn’t understand or wouldn’t accept that you came from Beyond the Waterfall. That’s why it worries both of us — especially me. And I’m not referring to my business or campaign to become Queen... I’m talking about our relationship.]

[Subaru: ———— To be honest with you, completely open. I'm really worried about Puck-san. I can’t explain it properly, and I don’t even know if anyone would believe me, but I know how dangerous he can be when he’s in a rage. Especially when it involves Emilia-san. I get worried. —— Ana-tan, if something happens, please be concerned.]

[Anastasia: Aren’t brave men supposed to say the opposite?]

[Subaru: I’m an idiot, Ana-tan. I don’t want to lie to you. If something involving him happens, Julius, Hal-san, Tia-chan, and I can handle it. Just focus on staying alive and safe.]

[Anastasia: You ask me to do that and still say you’ll take the risk, knowing it’ll hurt my heart? You really can be sweet and stupid, arrogant and kind at the same time. Which just makes you a little more amazing and fun. —— But with that look of yours, I’ll accept it. If something really bad happens, I’ll handle it like I always have. And I’ll let you all take care of things and spoil me afterward.]

Saying that, accepting there would be no negotiation against her boyfriend’s serious expression, she wrapped her arms around him, returning the hug he was already giving her.

This made him smile, a mix of happiness and relief.

[Anastasia: My goodness. When kids read stories, it's usually the knights who say such things to the ladies and princesses.]

[Subaru: Honestly. I can’t see Julius taking off that armor of his to speak so openly, even though I think he could say something better than I can and, with his elegant tone and appearance, would melt the hearts of maidens far more than the stupid me. —— Ow! Why did you pinch me?!]

[Anastasia: Because I don’t like it when you belittle yourself. Humility is good, but not when you can’t see your own worth. If you want to live your life to the fullest… see yourself as gold, even if you’re copper, and give yourself the value you deserve if you can prove it. I prefer the merchant without the armor, you know...?]

[Subaru: Urgh! Those are too kind words coming from someone as cute as Ana-tan! Stop it, this unworthy idiot’s heart can’t take it anymore!]

Subaru said comically, receiving a mildly disapproving yet amused look from the girl in his arms.

Little by little, with their exchange of words, his heart calmed.

The two remained like that for a while, talking. Enjoying the slightly chilly night in the city of Priestella and pushing away Subaru’s thoughts about the monster he feared because of the cruel deaths he had suffered.

He saw himself as a pathetic coward.

Because his fear of that cat-shaped creature still lingered even now, after so much time. Even with his own Great Spirits and the support of Zarestia and Halibel. He feared that creature — not only because of the trauma from the deaths he experienced, frozen and shattered while still alive — but because he feared that others he loved might suffer the same fate.

His spirits, Halibel, Zarestia — even though Subaru believed she could survive — Reize, Otto, Ricardo, Hetaro, Tivey, Mimi, Julius — even though he also trusted their skills, just like he trusted Halibel — and especially Anastasia, with Echidna, who might be in worse combat condition than him — even though Subaru strongly believed in her ability to defend herself when needed, but not against a being like Puck.

Thinking of them suffering in such a way made him tremble with fear and worry.

[Anastasia: You're still feeling anxious.]

[Subaru: I am. I’m sorry. I just can’t stop worrying, even in moments like this. I keep thinking about bad things.]

[Anastasia: Thinking about bad things while I’m right in front of you? Seriously? That makes me feel bad and offended, you know? Especially since I came here so you wouldn’t think about those things.]

[Subaru: I’m really sorry. I’m an idiot. I didn’t mean to——]

Interrupted by a kiss on the lips, he was slightly surprised.

[Anastasia: Didn’t I already tell you to stop doing that...?]

[Subaru: ———— Okay, okay.]

Smiling softly, the two began kissing again.

Finding another way to ease the worries he had about the Great Spirit of Fire.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Subaru has trauma with Puck due to his fourth death (after defeating the Whale) caused by Puck’s power (after Emilia died to Petelgeuse). Puck, in blind fury, began freezing and destroying everything. Subaru witnessed Mimi and the twins dying frozen by Puck’s powers before his own death. He fears seeing this again if Emilia dies.

-Subaru and Anastasia are dating, but not officially in the public eye. Julius tries to prevent them from showing too much physical affection in public because of this (often receiving an attack from Zarestia that rips his pants).

-With the help of Zarestia, Halibel, and his spirits, Subaru only died once during the entire Priestella arc. It was thanks to his ice spirit that he froze the hearts of Regulus’s wives and secured his defeat.

-Joshua did not have his name eaten, thanks to Halibel.

-Halibel, Ricardo, and Julius confronted Lye and Roy, along with Otto and the others. Roy was eliminated, but Lye fled without an arm, while Ricardo kept his.

Chapter 66: Conquest IF

[???: Arrf~ The task that Master assigned was soooo boring~]

The figure complained while traveling along the road, seated atop her Earth Dragon—a White-Scaled Earth Dragon with purple irises that lazily trudged along the familiar path it had traveled countless times before. A road well-known from the many journeys taken.

On its back, it carried the figure of its mistress and master.

Earth Dragons were once among the pre-planned creations of her Master, designed as means of transportation—just like the Dragons. At least, that’s what all the old stories suggested.

[???: Only Master could create something so magnificent!]

Her perception of the world was small and one-sided, accepting only certain things as truth while rejecting others as falsehoods, reality, or fiction. To her, her words of reverence for her Master were the only acceptable ones. To deny them would mean contradicting her simplistic worldview.

And what would be the problem with not thinking so simply? From her perspective, it would mean questioning her Master.

To question meant not accepting his words faithfully.

Not accepting them was something disloyal people did. And to her, being disloyal to her Master meant losing trust in the one who had guided her through every year of her existence—more than an entire century. It would also mean betraying the figures in her life who had cared for her since she was a child, something she would never do.

She would never do that.

Just the thought of it irritated her.

[???: You're being a bad girl~!]

With a small tap on her own head, she punished herself for letting such thoughts cross her mind. The issue arose because she had started thinking about how incredible her Master was from her perspective and how he should be in a grander scheme—through her simplistic view of the world.

As they continued down the road, an image appeared on the horizon before them.

A massive, towering structure—an enormous citadel that stretched from the ground all the way to the clouds, its peak seemingly piercing through them due to its sheer size. White, pure white. White like the purest snowflakes—something she knew well. That was the image the entire structure conveyed.

Surrounding it in a circular formation was a vast city.

The city appeared to be divided into rings, from the bottom to the top, with five different levels. The base was the largest, widest, with the tallest structures, and where most of the population resided. Not that this place was divided by social class. No, it wasn’t. This place was structured so that the majority of people, regardless of their wealth, could live at the base, while the upper levels were designated for commerce and other essential structures necessary for the city's maintenance, life, and protection as a whole.

This city was built around the colossal structure with the permission of its owner—someone everyone knew could destroy it at will.

And no one would object, of course.

From her perspective, there was no reason to oppose her Master's wishes when he deemed something necessary. After all, his guidance had always led everyone toward protection—for all living beings, for every kingdom.

She puffed out her chest as she gazed upon the place while passing through.

Humans and Demi-Humans.

All kinds, with no separation. All walking freely, heads held high, happy with the lives they had built since coming to this city.

In her mind, she sometimes recalled stories of wars between races.

[???: Master fixed that, and he always fixes EVERYTHING~~!!!]

She proclaimed with pride from atop her Earth Dragon.

Such words would be shared by the others.

The others?

The others were THEM—her team members. The people granted the same permission to act on the Master's personal orders and approach him directly whenever necessary—sometimes even for personal reasons, simply to visit him.

Her cheeks puffed up in frustration, turning red as she furrowed her brows to show her irritation.

Not that she disliked her companions, of course. They shared her admiration for the Master, who ruled over the grand citadel—who, in her simplistic and almost childlike perception, ruled over EVERYTHING.

As she moved forward, the citizens cheered for her, greeted her, casting joyful gazes and warm welcomes upon her well-dressed figure atop such a majestic creature. A beautiful creature created by the Master specifically for her, just as the others had received their own.

She returned the greetings in a reserved manner, with simple waves.

Feeling a bit of personal pride. Perhaps it was arrogance or something similar, but she enjoyed being celebrated this way whenever she was welcomed back—and deep inside, she wished her Master would be at the entrance to greet her.

And so, she continued on her path until she reached the entrance of the place.

Still riding her Earth Dragon, she eventually dismounted.

Running her hand over its snout, she left it behind, allowing it to move freely within the territory of the colossal structure and return on its own to its resting place among the other Earth Dragons—those that were present, as some might still be in the city.

A massive entryway opened before her after a brief moment, allowing her to step inside.

Soon, she found herself in a grand corridor.

Numerous pillars supported the ceiling, arranged in double rows along the hall, while a red carpet stretched across the floor, guiding any visitor toward the central point of the place. Not far from sight, she could see a stairway leading up to the top, where a throne stood—the Master's throne.

And behind that throne, a door.

A door leading to the other places within the vast structure at the heart of the city—a secret known only to her and the others, a privilege she cherished due to her closeness with this figure.

She had entered the first floor of the enormous structure, the designated area for visitors and those with business to discuss with the ruler of this grand, well-structured domain.

The female figure followed the red carpet forward.

Step by step, her excitement grew. Just like her smile. She became more and more thrilled because she had finally spotted, seated on the throne, the figure she had longed to see. The figure of the Master who, in the past, had always cared for her and her people alongside her adoptive father. She had been raised and educated by them to understand how important he was to her, to everyone, and to the entire world.

When she was close enough, near the first step, she instinctively knelt. Her silver hair flowed with the movement, her amethyst eyes hidden beneath her closed eyelids, and her fingers pressed against the ground, some bent for support. A delicate smile adorned her face, also reflecting her personal satisfaction with how flawlessly she had executed the motion.

[Emilia: Emilia, just Emilia. Representative of the Commandment of Purity.]

Introducing herself with excitement, she waited patiently.

On the throne sat the figure of a man.

His presence was distinctive. He rose from his seat and began descending the stairs, step by step. Little by little, he came to stand in front of the silver-haired, amethyst-eyed half-elf.

He only stopped when he reached the last step. He gazed down at her, pausing as if analyzing the sight before him.

[???: Raise your face.]

It was an order. Somehow, the weight she hadn't even realized was on her shoulders was suddenly lifted.

She felt relaxed.

Following his command, she raised her face, opening her eyes to look up at him.

As mentioned before, his presence was distinctive—

A tall, muscular man. His attire consisted of a long obsidian-black cloth wrapped around his waist, extending just above his feet, an orange scarf draped over his shoulders and falling on both sides of his well-built torso, and a semi-transparent gray cloth over his face that concealed everything above the tip of his nose. However, from below or if the wind happened to lift it—which rarely worked—one could glimpse his entire face. Beneath that cloth, strands of black hair cascaded down, and from her vantage point, she could see the frightening eyes that stared at her with cold indifference.

But it wasn’t just his physical presence—it was the aura he emanated.

A cold aura. A controlled coldness that provided both comfort and fear to those who stared for too long. Yet, for those loyal to him, it painted a different picture. One that they alone could perceive.

[Emilia: —— Beautiful.]

Muttering those words, her cheeks flushed a deep red.

As previously mentioned, for those devoted to him, his aura did not repel, did not make him terrifying, nor was it displeasing. Instead, it was different! That aura granted him a terrifying beauty to those who gazed upon him. If he wished, everyone would see him that way—but he never did.

She gasped, realizing what she had just done. Biting the inside of her cheek in embarrassment.

[Emilia: Forgive me... I spoke without thinking.]

[???: ——?]

[Emilia: ——My mission was successfully completed, Master. There were no unexpected events outside your advanced planning. Not that I ever doubted such a thing, but I wanted to emphasize that your planning was simply perfect, as always, Master.]

Trying to compose herself nervously, she corrected her statement.

But his indifferent gaze did not change. Even so, she didn’t mind.

Just having his gaze upon her already made her happy.

Stepping down the last stair, he extended one of his strong arms, lifting her chin, then placing a finger over her rosy lips. He made a small caress, though without any apparent emotion behind the gesture.

[???: Do you have any doubts about me?]

[Emilia: I have no doubts about your decisions.]

[???: Would you obey my commands?]

[Emilia: If Master ordered me to cut off my left arm, I would do it, for it should not be part of my body if Master does not wish it. If Master ordered me to tear out my eyes, I would do it, for even though I would be saddened not to see Master anymore, I would be happy to live with only the memories I have. If Master ordered me to die... I would create a blade to cut my own throat.]

[???: You... what do you feel for me?]

[Emilia: I love you. I love you in a way I could never love anyone else. I love you more than anything. I love you as the one who gave everything to me, to my people, to my entire family, and to the whole world! I love you, Master.]

Her words were spoken with joy, euphoria, and ecstasy. She awaited any command he might give her at that moment—or perhaps, for him to acknowledge her words of love.

[???: —— Very well. —— I have no further orders or requests for you, Emilia. You may now rest, do whatever you wish. I will continue with my own duties.]

[Emilia: ——hm.]

[???: ——?]

[Emilia: Forgive me, Master. But may I ask for a reward? I know I only did what was commanded, following your instructions to the letter. But I would like to know if I may request something from you as a reward for executing your orders so diligently.]

His frightening eyes continued to stare at her.

[???: What do you desire?]

[Emilia: ——! A date! Yes, a date! It doesn’t matter if it’s short or not, just a date is enough!]

Excited, she jumped to her feet.

A bright, radiant smile spread across her face, full of great expectations. She also fidgeted under his gaze, eagerly awaiting his response.

[???: I will grant your request, Emilia. Tomorrow, I will call for you.]

[Emilia: Thank you! Thank you, Master! Hihihi~~!]

Hearing that her request had been accepted, Emilia became even more excited, clapping her hands. She then turned and started skipping happily toward the entrance/exit, leaving him alone.

[Natsuki Subaru] watched her for a while.

His eyes did not leave her until she disappeared from sight. Then, turning around, he ascended the stairs, walking calmly to his throne. Sitting down, he rested his hands on the armrests. With the lift of his left index finger, several types of screens appeared, showing images of himself and others—yet all were different versions of him.

Bending his right arm, he rested his head against his open palm. A cold, deadly gaze lingered on his face, giving no importance to anything he saw.

After all... he saw everything. He had always seen everything since the Tea Party.

 

 

—————

I consider this the most powerful and dangerous version among all my IFs that I could imagine. For comparison: I consider him the second strongest physically, only behind [HIM, THEM, ALL] from the Yokai IF. But aside from that, he is the: Smartest and most powerful. If I were to create a Multiverse story in Re:Zero, he would be the Main Villain, even capable of triggering an "Invincible War," like in the Invincible series.

In this IF:

-During the Tea Party in Arc 4, he read the Book of Wisdom (Memories of the World, as Echidna named it), based on her description of it.

Book of Wisdom – [The Book of Wisdom is a white book that allowed its user to extract knowledge from the world's memory. The book did not just know the present and past but also foresaw the future and extracted the necessary information from it. A normal person's mind would fry from the overwhelming knowledge flowing into the reader’s mind. She dislikes using the Book of Wisdom because it directly sends knowledge to her mind, skipping the learning process she enjoys.]

-When he did this, he not only absorbed all the knowledge of the world he was in but also of all the worlds where Natsuki Subaru had ever appeared across the Multiverse. From the beginning of the world to the possible end that would appear—but only the end of each Subaru’s life.

For example: He saw the Pride Route – [From the beginning of the world until his final death at Emilia's hands in the Royal Capital.] Just like all the others.

-This Subaru didn’t "die" from absorbing all the knowledge of thousands of worlds, but his mind did: It was "killed" multiple times until he adapted and contained all the knowledge the Book gave him. The exact count of "mental deaths" he suffered to achieve this was: 10000... (an unknown number of zeroes) times.

-He gained access to other realities/timelines where his variants exist. He can learn everything about them, travel to them, and even absorb them if he remains connected to them for a long time. Return by Death evolved with his mental growth and also disconnected from Satella (the Witch of Envy), making him gain full control over it. His power evolved to a level beyond his Alcor variant. His Return by Death changed to work in a different way:

When he dies, he gains total control to alter the Timeline however he wishes. He can modify even the world's beginning up to whatever future he desires. However, he can only modify his own Timeline and those he has been in. For example: If he spent 1 hour in another timeline, he could only modify the time within that single hour. The only timeline he can modify with total freedom is his original one, where changes would be permanent (unless the entire timeline was reset).

-In his timeline, he erased the Witches (all of them), the Archbishops, and the Witch Cult. He restructured the World in the way he desired, even recreating Volcanica according to his will.

-He created a personal group of loyal commanders following almost the same concept as the Seven Deadly Sins: The Ten Commandments. The original Authorities were modified to function according to each prescribed Commandment and the way the user desired.

-He modified the Timeline to make everyone's life perfect in the way their original versions would wish, but he made them completely subservient to himself. Their level of loyalty would be comparable to or even surpass that of characters like Shaula and the Witch of Envy herself.

-The timeline he currently lives in is no longer connected to Od Laguna. Subaru himself now holds the same position and power that Od Laguna had over the others, even gaining control over the Divine Blessings people receive. He can grant, remove, or erase Divine Blessings (just like Reinhard can receive them).

-He no longer identifies as Natsuki Subaru, and his feelings toward all existence around him have changed. Like the Yokai IF version, he sees other Subarus as brothers, but in a deeper way.

By division:

[Natsuki Subaru] – Represents the Mind.

[HIM, THEM, ALL] – Represents the Spirit.

There is also: The Body (which is the third strongest physically) and the Emotion (which serves as a balance against the evil versions of Subaru).

 

What do you think of this version?

Chapter 67: [Extra - Conquest IF]

The silver-haired, amethyst-eyed half-elf walked through the streets with her head held high and proud as people respectfully greeted her. While returning to her home within the Citadel, she passed by the house of her companion...

Of the Ten Commandments who serve the Master of the Citadel, Emilia represents Purity.

This elite group has always been highly regarded within the Citadel and throughout the world since its foundation years ago — how many, no one knows — and is widely known as the most powerful in the world. It is speculated by many, especially those who understand their powers, that each of them could conquer an entire country if they so wished. They are powerful enough to be second only to the most powerful being in the world — their Master.

But this power stems not only from their natural talents, magical and physical abilities, but also from skills earned through years of training and combat experience. Among those abilities are the special ones known as Commandments, granted to each trusted member by their Master.

[The Commandment of Purity]: Those who commit impure acts against her are Cursed, suffering from extreme physical weakness and eventually dying from Mana poisoning.

When she activates it: even insults or impure thoughts directed toward her transfer this curse to her opponents. This ability had always protected her from those kinds of people, whom she often had to face in some of her missions. It allowed her to avoid direct combat, keeping her life safe as those who attacked — or planned to — were crushed without her lifting a finger. After all, it let her remain untainted even before dangerous opponents. And she proudly used it as protection during the harsh missions her Master had assigned to her!

But she wasn’t the only one to receive such a special power.

Among the others who received a Commandment was one of her most friendly companions: a woman with green hair, military attire, and a confident gaze — Crusch Karsten, who appeared before the silver-haired girl.

[Crusch: It’s a pleasure to see you again, Emilia. I see you returned completely unscathed from your mission.]

[Emilia: I didn’t have any problems, Crusch-chan. Compared to other tasks I’ve faced before... this one was lighter. It makes me think the Master might be going easy on me for some reason. Which is unfair! I heard you got a mission to deal with a Rebellion in Sector 16 not long ago, right?!]

[Crusch: Fufufu~ Emilia, I wouldn’t call it a rebellion. More like a disorganized uproar. I handled it in just a few minutes, and, as permitted by Subaru-sama, Felix and I took the time afterward to rest, as always recommended by our Master. I heard the Master gave you a similar assignment.]

[Emilia: The Master sent me to take care of a few assassins in a village... nothing important that our newer soldiers couldn’t handle.]

Emilia pouted as she crossed her arms in frustration, while Crusch simply nodded in amusement at the half-elf’s reaction to the difference in mission difficulty. But in the eyes of the current head of the Karsten family, both missions were of great importance simply because they came from their Master — no distinction needed.

Returning to the Ten Commandments, the main force: Crusch Karsten and Felix, her battle partner, were two other members of this elite group.

When Emilia compared her abilities to theirs: she was physically stronger and had greater magical power than Crusch, but when it came to battle tactics and combat skills, she admittedly fell far behind. As for Felix, he was always faster and more agile than her, not to mention smarter. Due to his magic, he had immense durability, stamina, and regenerative capabilities.

What helped balance them out were their Commandments. At least, in one-on-one fights: she could defeat Crusch but lose to Felix, while Felix could be defeated by Crusch.

[The Commandment of Truth], possessed by Crusch: When someone lies to or deceives her, Crusch can seize control of their soul, tearing it out to destroy or absorb it, stealing their combat abilities.

When activated: she can extract souls through her opponent’s shadow — this may or may not kill them, depending solely on her will. This kept her from ever being deceived or manipulated by anyone with hidden intentions, while also expanding her arsenal of combat knowledge.

This felt unfair from the pale-skinned girl’s perspective. The knowledge of absorbed souls remained with Crusch even when the Commandment was inactive, while hers did not. Her Master explained Crusch’s was a Passive skill — one that remains permanently active — whereas Emilia’s was a Toggle ability.

Another with a similar ability was her battle partner, as mentioned: Felix.

[The Commandment of Pacifism]: When someone takes a life in his presence — regardless of the motive, “good” or “evil” — that being’s soul is burned and completely destroyed, erasing them entirely.

When active: any act of killing by others triggers this automatic punishment, ensuring the destruction of whoever committed the transgression. However, he can choose who lives or dies with this power, sparing those he wishes to.

Remember when she said she would still lose, even with her Commandment?

Even if she attacked him directly, Felix would survive thanks to his healing and regeneration. And if she made the mistake of killing someone while he intended to eliminate her: that would be her instant end. Even freezing him would count — stopping his heart would still qualify as “death” for his Commandment and kill her anyway.

[Emilia: Where’s Felix?]

[Crusch: He’s currently delivering our report to Subaru-sama. Didn’t you see him earlier?]

[Emilia: YES! And guess what? I got a date with him, for later!]

[Crusch: Then congratulations, Emilia. In the battle for Subaru-sama’s heart... you’re only a thousand steps behind.]

Lightly teasing, Crusch gave a small wink as she passed by her companion and rival, heading toward the entrance of her estate — the Karsten Mansion. Emilia huffed softly in irritation as she continued walking through the streets, passing by the people.

Meanwhile, she also thought of someone else who would be a difficult opponent in battle.

Priscilla Barielle, like Crusch, held a higher position among the members of the Commandments compared to Emilia. This ranking reflected their importance and the number of missions completed: Crusch and Priscilla were the Master’s most trusted, thus they received more assignments from Subaru and handled them with the most efficiency — especially those that didn’t rely solely on brute strength, which were usually the ones Emilia was sent on.

[The Commandment of Patience]: Anyone who directed anger toward her or harbored hatred in their heart would be paralyzed, completely losing control over their body, turning into statues—down to their very soul—petrified into a material that could only be destroyed by Priscilla and Subaru themselves, and only undone by her.

When activated: Even simple anger, like reacting harshly to the rude words she throws at others, would condemn the person to petrification. It essentially serves as a test: to maintain patience in the face of someone who can easily provoke others through their words and actions.

Emilia, though a calm and kind person, could also lose her patience when it came to her teammate—especially due to the closeness that everyone else shared with her beloved Master, who seemed to trust her and the others to carry out the main missions they were created for.

But there was one being she could not currently face, even if she herself was not affected by his Commandment.

[The Commandment of Mercy], belonging to Reinhard van Astrea: Those who committed acts of betrayal or dishonesty would have all their abilities stolen. From Divine Blessings to the powers known as [Authorities], meant to be eradicated. While Divine Blessings would be added to his arsenal—where duplicates would fuse and further empower him—the [Authorities] served as a kind of nourishment that increased Reinhard’s raw and physical power to unknown levels.

When activated: He drains everything from his opponent’s soul, and even if they don’t die, they fall into a coma from which they will never awaken without his permission, and they will never die from hunger or old age.

He could easily defeat her in her current state, as he could everyone else. Even Felix’s Commandment had no effect on him.

As she walked, looking up, she could see it.

Worlds. Worlds like her own, floating in space. Worlds pulled from their original universes and times by her Master, brought into his.

The Worlds where she and her companions were sent to rescue their Master’s siblings. And if necessary: they would eliminate the enemies who stood in their way. For it was the duty of the Commandments to exterminate the evil of the Sins that existed in other worlds.

And to fulfill their Master’s primary mission: rescue all of his siblings and destroy those he had sworn to annihilate.

[Emilia: ...but who are the [Observers]?]

She once again wondered about the beings her Master occasionally mentioned.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Known members of the Ten Commandments:

Emilia – Purity

Crusch – Truth

Felix – Pacifism

Priscilla – Patience

Reinhard – Mercy

Based on effectiveness among the Commandments: Emilia would rank among the lowest. The top three would be: 3. Priscilla, 2. Crusch and 1. Reinhard

-The Worlds: Worlds from other universes that were conquered by the Commandments and Subaru.

-Compared to their original counterparts: The Commandment versions are more powerful. For example: Felix in this IF would be able to face all Seven Sin Archbishops and would only lose to Capella and Regulus due to being unable to kill them (even without using his Commandment).

Chapter 68: [Extra 2 - Conquest IF]

As she walked through the city, Emilia always enjoyed observing what the atmosphere was like at night.

Thanks to her Master and his vast knowledge of everything, there were things no one would have ever heard of without his genius. Like electricity. A creation that allowed the night to be illuminated instead of the ancient stones and magical gems that once lit the world in the past—all thanks to her beloved Master!

She felt proud of him every time she walked through places like this plaza. Full of life, with so many people coming and going throughout the capital.

This place, created by her Master so that everyone in the world could behold his magnificence! And also for his own purposes, which she could not, nor would ever be capable of, understanding. These moments were important to her—moments to contemplate her Master’s abilities.

[???: Emilia.]

[Emilia: Ah, Subaru!]

Turning with a radiant smile on her face, she saw him just as he had been that morning upon his return, when she had asked him for a date as her personal reward.

At that moment, both of them were in part of the capital that was a central park.

There were several simple shops there, ready to fill the bellies of anyone hungry at that time. And despite the appearance of the one who had built this place and owned everything, the people carried on with their lives as usual, for no one would dare disturb a member of the Ten Commandments and his Master during a well-earned moment of rest for their services.

Emilia took Subaru’s hand. He did not resist her touch and allowed her to lead him along whatever path she chose. He didn’t seem to particularly care about such things.

Walking through the area, they passed by people who stepped aside to make way for them.

[Emilia: Isn’t it a beautiful night?]

[Subaru: Yes, I would say it is.]

[Emilia: The cold feels so pleasant for us to walk together. And the stars are so beautiful, don’t you think?]

She spoke as she felt the evening breeze make her hair flutter.

Looking upward, she observed the stars shimmering brightly in the night sky, their beauty undeniable. Emilia wore a soft smile upon her face as she gazed at them beside Subaru, who remained impassive throughout. As they walked, they approached the edge of a low wall, overlooking the city from above and beholding the glowing lights.

They both watched together—the girl smiling, while the man remained unmoved by the sight.

[Emilia: Master… may I ask you something…?]

[Subaru: ——? You asked me for a date. And now you want to ask me questions?]

[Emilia: F-Forgive me, Master. But I really… had a personal curiosity…]

[Subaru: —— You may ask me whatever you wish.]

[Emilia: —— Why do we keep seizing those worlds?]

Her eyes focused on the worlds among the stars.

Worlds that had been conquered by them—the Commandments of Subaru.

What left her confused was something different.

[Emilia: Don’t you think it’s useless?]

[Subaru: ——? What do you mean by useless?]

[Emilia: To keep them. Shouldn’t we just exterminate them? Since they lost all purpose the moment we saved the Master’s brothers and sisters.]

Speaking with a slightly innocent tone, she tilted her head.

To her, it seemed time to wipe out all the useless life in those worlds, leaving only what was necessary for the Master’s world: resources such as food and water, Mana Stones, new forms of magic that might differ from their own. Everything essential! The rest…

She opened a cute smile as she looked at her Master.

[Emilia: Keeping the people doesn’t become redundant? Governing them… doesn’t it turn into a worthless occupation once they have nothing left to offer?]

[Subaru: —— Is that what you think? If I gave you permission, would you exterminate all life on an entire planet, regardless of how long it took?]

[Emilia: Of course! With your permission, I would bring extinction to the meaningless beings of those worlds. Even the versions of myself and my families. After all, there is no reason to keep them when they have nothing to offer the Master or anything of the sort.]

Speaking with conviction, she cared nothing for the implication of genocide, uttering her words with the innocence of a child.

Such words earned her a long look from Subaru.

She did not mind, of course. Being watched by him filled her with joy and determination whenever she had the opportunity. For better or worse, gaining his attention was worth it from her perspective.

At this point, the two continued to stare at each other for a few moments.

[Subaru: —— Doing such a thing would be futile. Though I have no love for them, I would not waste labor resources either.]

[Emilia: Hm?]

[Subaru: From those worlds come some of our loyal soldiers, as well as my creations. To waste such materials when they can continue producing for me what I require for my own goals——— Imagine them as animals. Animals that exist in vast numbers, but are limited. Yet they possess the ability to reproduce and multiply. I say this: It would be wasteful to throw away a means of having infinite resources of creations, when instead we can wait and have more and more for our numbers in the future.]

[Emilia: Ah, yes. You’re right~!]

Nodding cheerfully after hearing her Master’s words, she agreed. She had been a bit foolish in that moment.

Her Master was brilliant!

The people of those worlds were useless if not for serving as resources.

And how were they used? When her Master needed new soldiers or new toys to aid them in conquest, he used his power to reshape them—turning them into his own: the Klauen. Beasts suited to follow orders, immensely powerful, capable of exterminating countless soldiers or even the so-called Knights of Lugunica.

The Klauen, if you could see them, could be described in different forms.

Three different forms they possessed: humanoid with beastly traits.

The first type?

The weakest of the three: quadrupeds with dark coloring and vibrant purple, three eyes on each side of their elongated canine-like faces, sharp teeth reminiscent of Mabeasts that resembled dogs, bodies over five meters long and one and a half meters tall. With long tails tipped with arrow-shaped points. Usually, they were sent to the frontlines, rushing to be the first wave of monsters everyone had to face at the start of their assaults.

The second type?

Medium-sized: They walked on two legs, though they possessed six. Massive arms—thick and sturdy like tree trunks—followed by two smaller ones beneath them, similar to Emilia’s or any other person’s, still quite strong. They stood slightly hunched. Their skin, covered in scales, was dark with even darker green. Their elongated faces bore two pairs of eyes—one above, one below—for a total of four. With sharp teeth like the first type. These followed behind the first wave, smarter and more capable in combat, though not truly intelligent. Some reached two to three meters tall, and up to four meters in length.

The third type?

Large-scale: Much bigger than the second, reaching five to seven meters tall. Huge arms and legs. Upright posture, robust and muscular, with elongated faces combining traits of the first two, but with only a single pair of eyes. Giants, their claws sharper than blades—capable of scratching even her, if they tried hard enough. One of these alone could annihilate an entire battalion of Knights without being seriously threatened. They possessed a particularity: they could move like the quadrupeds of the first type, had greater strength than the second, and could even fly using their wings.

It was a simple strength classification, up to a point. The first type were the most common, the weakest. The second type also common, but intermediate in power. And the third type—extremely rare, extremely strong, so rare that any death among them was unusual. This was their attack force, formed from the beasts.

The people were used by her Master to generate these soldiers.

Some with greater potential could become of the third type, but generally they became only of the first. This was usually good for their ranks, as they provided a large supply for sacrifice.

[Emilia: Then it makes sense to let them continue producing more for the Master’s frontlines, doesn’t it?]

[Subaru: Correct.]

[Emilia: That’s great~~! Forgive me for doubting, Master, but when you wish to exterminate them, you may call upon me and I will do it without hesitation~!]

Speaking in a passionate tone, she clung to his arm with excitement.

Thinking about how much she longed to massacre those entire worlds, to make her Master happy and fulfill his objective!

After all, she needed to fulfill his purpose: to save [Natsuki Subaru].

 

 

—————

I had written this chapter some time ago, but had forgotten to post it. I decided to post it today since I couldn’t write a chapter for another IF.

Chapter 69: Mage IF

What if… Subaru’s Gate was appropriate for his age?

—————

 

 

[Emilia: I wonder what Subaru is doing today?]

[Puck: I don’t know, Lia. Maybe he’s training with Beatrice again.]

The cat spirit said as they made their way outside the mansion. Walking down the main stairs leading to the entrance door, Emilia saw Rem passing by.

[Emilia: Rem! —— Have you seen Subaru? I went to check his room, but he wasn’t there.]

[Rem: Ah, Subaru-kun? He left to train earlier. Rem wanted him to wait a little longer and eat something first, but Subaru-kun seemed too excited to continue the training he stopped yesterday.]

The maid said in a cheerful tone, though slightly nervous at the mention of Subaru skipping part of his daily meals.

[Emilia: Hmmpf! I’ll talk to him. If he doesn’t eat properly, he won’t be able to grow up well.]

[Rem: I would appreciate that, Emilia-sama. But please, don’t be too harsh. Subaru-kun is just really excited.]

[Puck: Don’t worry, Rem. We won’t do anything bad to Subaru.]

 

As Emilia, pouting slightly, continued walking with Puck toward the door, Rem’s last words were spoken in a worried tone regarding Subaru’s safety. Even though she knew the half-elf and the spirit wouldn’t harm him, it was still a silly scene—one that would have been rare before the arrival of the black-haired boy.

Rem and Ram now seemed to be more open with Emilia, just as Emilia was now able to walk more freely around Arlam Village. The silver-haired girl was getting along well with everyone, especially the children.

When Emilia stepped outside, she followed a familiar path—heading to the back of the mansion. There, a training field had been formed. This field was created with the combined efforts of Emilia, Puck, Roswaal, and Rem—who was the most active participant—so that Subaru could practice his skills.

What kind of training? Yin Magic.

From what Emilia understood, with additional explanations from Puck and Ram, Subaru had grown up without knowing what magic was or how to use it. Even though he had a rare affinity—Yin—he had never been able to use it. This surprised her, and Puck even theorized that Subaru might be from Vollachia, a place where magic was not commonly used. And so, they began helping him, with Beatrice, the Great Spirit of the Mathers Mansion Library, acting as a sort of teacher alongside Roswaal in Subaru’s magical training.

The Training Field was a designated area within the estate where Subaru could practice without disrupting Rem and Ram’s work caring for the garden and front yard. It was located a bit farther from the mansion, deeper into the forest but still far from where the Majuuns resided.

The field itself wasn’t anything extraordinary—just an open space with some training dummies for Subaru to test his skills.

[Emilia: Subaru?!]

[Subaru: Ah, Emilia-tan, how are you?]

[Puck: —— What is this?]

Emilia and Puck’s eyes were wide open—hers more than the cat spirit’s—while Subaru stood with an excited and confident smile. The boy in question was standing in midair as if glued to it, unmoved by anything—as if nothing could shift him. And, in fact, that was true.

[Subaru: I’m testing a new spell… I call it EMM! With this ability, I can temporarily remove myself from the world’s time. That makes me intangible to attacks from others. If you want to test it, go ahead—you can already see it, can’t you? Not only am I stuck in the air, proving that gravity doesn’t pull me down, but even the wind can’t move my hair or clothes. However, as you can see, I can’t move freely… but I’m working on that.]

[Puck: Wow~~ That’s impressive, Subaru.]

[Subaru: ——?! Really?! Ah, I don’t think it’s anything special. I just thought of this magic while I was going to sleep last night and wanted to test it.]

[Puck: Really? Subaru… scary.]

[Subaru: What’s with that sudden shift, huh?! And what’s that look—like you’re seeing some kind of freak of nature?!]

Subaru exclaimed angrily while still standing in the air, unaffected by anything around him. Not even the wind could reach him. Puck could already imagine that even if he attacked—no, he knew that if he attacked, it wouldn’t affect Subaru. It would only break his ice. Of course, he wouldn’t try it without a good reason, especially not in front of Emilia.

Emilia remained surprised by what she was seeing. Even though it might not seem like much, very few mages created new spells, and rarely were they as impressive as this—especially with Yin Magic.

But she shouldn’t be too surprised by Subaru.

Not only had he helped her with Elsa, but he had also aided in the fight against the Majuuns and was earning the trust of everyone in the mansion and the village. Another surprising fact about him was his Gate. Subaru’s Gate was, of course, appropriate for his age—it would be concerning if his Gate were underdeveloped—but, in Puck and Beatrice’s words: The amount of mana his Gate produces, even at a young age, is astonishing. With an affinity for magic primarily used for weakening effects, but an absurd amount of mana, he was very eager to learn magic.

This led Beatrice and Roswaal to train him in his natural affinity—Yin Magic.

However, from the beginning, Subaru had proven to be a fast learner in this type of magic. He was even able to use the spells taught by Beatrice in a record time of just a week and a half.

Beyond his quick learning, his creativity stood out.

Not just this spell—he had created other extremely impressive Yin Magic spells, despite Beatrice’s remarks that they still lacked the refinement of experience. But for Emilia, who had witnessed these creations, she couldn’t help but think that even in their unpolished state, they were astonishing—especially for someone who barely knew how to use magic a short time ago.

Among the spells he had created:

Murak; Subaru explained that it allowed him to reduce gravitational effects on himself. This enabled him or anyone affected by the spell to move freely at high speeds—even fly, though there was a risk of being carried away by the wind. However, he wouldn’t spin out of control and could stay steady. For comparison, he even created a variation called El Murak—this reduced gravity to the point where, with a single jump, he could cover a distance of 200 meters almost instantly. Which made one wonder… what would happen if he used Ul Murak and Al Murak, the higher levels of the basic spell and "El" version?

EMT; Subaru demonstrated that: Within a small area of a spherical field spanning dozens of meters, he would be able to negate the effects of mana inside it. Perfect for combat against Mages and those who use Mana in their techniques, but not against experienced melee fighters and those naturally strong by nature, like Rem. Subaru even considered testing how his technique would work with: "El," "Ul," and "Al."

And now? He had created a technique derived from another, an absolute defensive countermeasure against his opponents, if used at the right moments. Once again showcasing his remarkable abilities.

With that said, Subaru deactivated his magic, landing on the ground.

[Subaru: Urfs. —— I can use this magic for a limited time, of course. Until my Mana runs out. But it's still a perfect defense for extremely complicated situations, don’t you think?]

[Puck: Yes, I can’t deny it. A skill like this is really quite useful.]

[Emilia: That’s amazing, Subaru! I was really surprised that you developed a technique like this with so little training. Subaru really is suuuuuper hardworking!]

[Subaru: Argh! Sweet words of encouragement from Emilia-tan this early?! No, don’t say that! It makes me want to try a thousand times harder just to see that smile and hear words like that again!]

[Emilia: Hmm? I actually came here to make you go eat, but if my words will make you want to train more, then I take it all back.]

[Subaru: What?! First of all, too late, you know?! I’ve already engraved those words in my heart! And I’ll never let them go! Besides... —— I was already going to eat anyway, Emilia-tan. I just got too excited, you know? Magic is so incredible that I couldn’t contain myself.]

Saying that, he scratched his left cheek with a finger, nervous. This dissipated some of the silver-haired girl’s anger and concern, as she understood how excited he must have been to test his newly learned abilities.

[Emilia: Subaru, you’re such a fool. —— Just don’t push yourself too hard, okay? Shall we go then?]

[Subaru: Eating together with Emilia-tan, Rem-rin, and the others? Of course! —— Ah, I just wanted to show you a new technique, okay?]

[Puck: I just hope it’s nothing indecent.]

[Subaru: Oy! Don’t say things like that, okay?!]

Shouting with a comical expression of anger, Puck shrugged.

Emilia, on the other hand, just watched Subaru with curiosity.

Stepping back a few steps, he took a deep breath. It was as if a dark aura covered him.

[Subaru: SHS!]

With those words spoken, the aura grew and then disappeared. Along with the aura, Subaru also vanished from their sight. This caused their eyes to widen in shock as they could no longer see him.

But it wasn’t just the disappearance.

Puck could no longer sense him. His presence, his intentions—nothing. Subaru seemed to have been erased from existence momentarily. Not like when using EMM or EMT, but in a completely different way.

[Subaru: Here!]

At his call, the two turned to see him standing right behind them.

Subaru stood there, holding something in his left hand: Emilia’s hair ornament. He tossed it into the air and caught it as it fell, repeating the motion a few times. A small drop of sweat formed on his forehead.

[Subaru: Using two powerful spells in a row is really complicated. But it was worth it, don’t you think?]

[Emilia: W-W-What w-was that, Subaru?]

[Subaru: Sorry, Emilia-tan! It’s a little secret for now, okay?! I swear I’m trying to learn how to use this technique more effectively, so I ask for a little more patience, all right?]

[Emilia: I-If you say so, I won’t say much. But I hope you really use it responsibly, got it, mister?]

[Subaru: Hai, Emilia-tan! I don’t want to make Emilia-tan mad at me for any reason. —— Here.]

Returning the ornament to her, both smiled with excitement, while Puck observed them with a different thought: concern.

Not just because of what he had just seen.

Subaru had seemed like a strange person to Puck ever since they met, from the moment he saved Emilia and helped against the Majuuns. Not only was he capable of increasing Emilia’s social and personal affinity with others, helping them open up and accept one another, but he also formed many bonds in a short amount of time.

But there were other factors too. His Gate, even in his teenage state, already showed a surprising Mana production—surprising enough for Puck to deduce that in the future, he could surpass even Roswaal or even Emilia when he reached adulthood. Then there was his creativity in developing his current Yin Magic abilities, as well as the skills he had learned from Beatrice so far—like Shamak, Vita, and Minya, for which even Beatrice had privately praised him to Puck in her own way. Moreover, his affinity with Spirits proved to be quite powerful—Puck even speculated that he might be capable of forming multiple Spirit contracts and evolving them to the level of a Great Spirit.

To Puck, this young man was strange. Predictive abilities, social skills, and magical talent. It made the Artificial Great Spirit keep a close eye on him.

 

 

—————

In this IF, a few things were different:

-Subaru does not have a young Gate, but one appropriate for his age. It is fully open, with an astounding Mana production, holding enormous potential to become even stronger.

-Subaru went through almost all the events of Arc 1 and 2 in nearly the same way.

-During the Majuun attack: He was able to fight alongside Rem, acting as her support.

-Beatrice and Roswaal started trying to teach him magic; Roswaal attempting to stay on good terms with Subaru, wanting to make him an ally and friend (especially out of a personal desire to truly see Subaru’s potential as a Yin Magic user).

-As a Yin Magic user with enormous potential thanks to his Gate, Subaru can use nearly the same level of techniques as Beatrice.

-He created the techniques: Murak, EMM, EMT, and SHS (originally mine, meaning: "Subaru wa Hontōni Sugoi" — Subaru is Really Amazing): A technique that allows him to stop time by continuously using Mana, similar to EMM (almost like Za Warudo, but limited until his Mana runs out). He can also use this with "El," "Ul," and "Al," even allowing allies to move within the frozen time.

-Since his Gate was not injured, Subaru did not go to the Capital, choosing to stay at the Mansion to continue training with Beatrice, leaving Emilia, Rem, and Roswaal to go without him. Without Subaru’s presence, Roswaal proceeds with his plan: letting Puck attack the Nobles and Council Members (But without any deaths, just a few injuries: Some serious and some not.) instead of stopping him, trying to force Subaru to use his power to help Emilia. However, this plan fails (similar to the Promised IF). But the attack was more intense, leaving Crusch and Anastasia injured as well.

-Reinhard was unable to act in time. Even with his Blessings, the attack was so sudden that the Nobles and the Council members were hit, even if they weren't killed. Since the attack, in this IF, was more in the area and ended up hitting some candidates. Where Reinhard acted more to save those close to him before those who were far away at the time. Reinhard first focused on saving Felt from danger, then went to pacify before there was lethal damage.

-During his time training with Beatrice while Emilia, Rem, and Roswaal were away, their master-student bond grew even stronger.

-In the battle against Petelgeuse: Subaru was one of the main combat forces against the Archbishop and was even responsible for his death, as well as eliminating over half of the Witch Cult forces, using a strategy that involved "Ul Shamak" and "EMT" to ensure Petelgeuse had no chance to possess his body. This secured an absolute victory against the Witch Cult, restoring part of the lost reputation caused by Puck and beginning to build Subaru’s fame.

Chapter 70: [Extra - Mage IF]

[Otto: Tsk! Damn it...]

The silver-haired merchant complained as he looked at "his" opponents—or rather, his aggressors. He also glanced around at his wounded allies: Ricardo, Julius, Felt, along with other soldiers and knights, as well as the dead bodies of several Water Dragons. The surrounding buildings were either destroyed or damaged.

It had been a grueling battle. At least, for the merchant’s side.

Earlier that day, the attack/siege of Priestella had begun, launched by the Witch Cult, including the Archbishops—those who were the most powerful members of the Cult. Among them was Petelgeuse, one of the most notorious, who had been defeated and eliminated in the past by a member of Emilia’s Camp. During this attack, the forces were split up to handle individual battles. While some went to deal with the Archbishop of Lust—like his friend, who went with the Sword Saint to confront Greed, and Priscilla Barille, who handled the Archbishop of Wrath—he, along with his now-defeated group, had been sent to deal with the Archbishops of Gluttony.

[???: My, my~ No matter how hard you try, it just won’t work, huh? Tsu~]

[???: Disgusting! I thought they would last longer, but... no. Such a shame, really a shame. And that one over there even left a bad taste in my mouth. Tsu~]

Lye Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard. The Archbishops of Gluttony, whose appearances were almost identical—their hair color, eyes, and sharp teeth set them apart only by their clothing styles. These two were the ones who had caused all this destruction in battle. Although they had a few scratches and some blood on them, they were far from being in the same dire condition as their opponents.

[Lye: Aarh, how boring. I was really hoping we’d have an interesting meal here, but everyone is so on guard. And they don’t even introduce themselves... such bad manners toward their opponents, don’t you think? Tsu~]

[Otto: As if we’d fall for such an obvious trick...]

[Lye: Hm? Merchant? You’ve been one of the most irritating ones, you know? Tsu~]

Lye commented with a sharp glare directed at Otto Suwen, who had so far managed to prevent his allies from revealing their real names to their opponents. He knew about their ability to devour names and memories, which had made this task extremely difficult.

What frustrated Otto even more was how none of his plans had worked as intended against these opponents, though he tried to justify it by the fact that they were powerful Archbishops.

Now, they were in an extremely dire situation. Even though Otto was still in relatively good shape, he knew there was nothing he could really do—his plans and attacks had already been blocked or destroyed by the pair of brothers. His allies were also severely injured. Ricardo was the most wounded, having been stabbed multiple times and even losing one of his arms in battle against the brothers.

[Roy: Let’s just finish this already. I didn’t even really want to devour your name, merchant. Tsu~]

With a powerful lunge, he dashed toward the silver-haired man.

Otto’s eyes widened.

For a moment, he saw his life flash before his eyes. It seemed to the merchant that his life would end in that instant, with no chance of anything saving him—not even Julius, who was trying to move as fast as possible to rescue him.

[???: This situation is really troublesome, isn’t it, Beako?]

[???: Yes, I suppose so. And we’ve already done so much today, I suppose. —— Minya!]

From atop a building, multiple stakes made of mana, covered in light purple flames, flew toward Roy just as he was inches away from slicing Otto with one of his weapons. This forced the Archbishop of Gluttony to leap back, returning to his place beside Lye while looking toward the source of the attack.

There, on top of a building with shattered windows—

[Otto: Natsuki-san! Beatrice-sama!]

[Subaru: Yo, Otto! Murak.]

Jumping down while using Murak to reduce his weight, he began falling until he landed a short distance from Otto. Subaru and Beatrice, both covered in a bit of soot and with minor injuries, stood there.

[Subaru: Good thing we got here in time—I wouldn’t have liked to see my friend without a head.]

[Otto: That’s morbid... but I’m grateful. ——! Wait! What happened to your battle?! And the——!]

[Beatrice: What a foolish question, I’d say. Isn’t it obvious that we’ve already eliminated the one you’re referring to, I suppose?]

Letting out an annoyed huff and crossing her arms, the blonde-haired spirit shot a sharp look at the merchant, as the question seemed foolish in her view.

Otto’s eyes widened.

[Otto: YOU ALREADY ELIMINATED GREED?!]

Otto’s exclamation took everyone still conscious by surprise.

Lye and Roy’s eyes widened the most—even more than Otto’s. They knew exactly who he was talking about and how powerful the Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas, was. To them, such a thing was impossible.

Meanwhile, the other allies felt a mix of shock and relief.

Ricardo, who had previously witnessed Subaru’s abilities during the Iron Fang alliance against the White Whale, grinned fiercely and excitedly at the revelation.

Julius felt both emotions—but mostly surprise.

Having only met the duo that day, he had already heard of their achievements: hunting down and eliminating the Archbishop of Sloth, the White Whale, and the Great Rabbit, as well as the contract that the black-haired figure had with a powerful Great Spirit.

[Lye: Oy, oy! What’s this? Are you saying you guys killed that pompous idiot? Tsu~]

[Subaru: Hm? Of course, why? Surprised? Don’t be! —— It was a team effort. With Emilia-tan’s ice abilities, Reinhard’s strength, and the adorableness of my incredible Beako... that guy’s defeat was inevitable the moment he stepped into this city!]

[Beatrice: Hmpf! Exactly, I suppose.]

Agreeing with her contractor’s enthusiastic proclamation, Beatrice let out a small proud huff at his words, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest arrogantly. Otto shot her a slightly tired look.

[Roy: Who the hell are you guys, huh, HUH?! Tsu~]

[Subaru: Hm? Shouldn’t that be obvious? I thought we’d be quite well-known after taking down that guy, Petelgeuse, and those two monsters.]

[Lye: ——! Wait! YOU! YOU! I’ve heard about you! A great Mage who appeared out of nowhere and not only eliminated Sloth but also killed my dear pet! My Whale! DAMN YOU! Tsu~]

[Roy: And this is the guy Mama kept complaining about, saying he nearly killed her when he took over the city hall and then took it back. Tsu~]

Both of them grumbled while grinding their teeth in clear fury, but instead of intimidating anyone, it had the opposite effect.

[Beatrice: Hmhmpf! Of course, you would recognize Betty’s contractor the moment you thought about his grand achievements, I suppose. Indeed, Betty’s contractor accomplished all that—and more—with his incomparable combat skills, I suppose!]

[Subaru: Ow~~ But my skills only blossomed because I had the most incredible and cutest teacher in the world! THE AMAZING BEAKO~~!!!]

[Beatrice: Kyaaa~~! That’s not a lie, I suppose!]

While Beatrice boasted about Subaru’s accomplishments, he grabbed her and lifted her up, spinning her in the air with excitement and a bright smile on his face. It would have been an incredibly adorable scene—if not for the situation surrounding them.

As their allies looked at them with tired and confused gazes, Otto was already considering drowning himself in alcohol if he managed to survive. Meanwhile, their opponents glared at them with absolute rage.

Without wasting a second, Roy charged at the duo. His blades were powerful and sharp, easily capable of cutting into their flesh if he struck with full force. And that was exactly the plan! Taking advantage of their distraction, he would avenge his brother’s pet and eliminate one of the biggest obstacles in their way. A simple plan.

But sometimes, a simple plan is not an effective one. Not against them.

[Subaru: El SHS!]

With a single word, the spell activated. Suddenly, the figures standing before Roy vanished instantly, without any sign of movement.

And it wasn’t just the spirit-contractor duo that had disappeared.

Almost instantly, the wounded soldiers and knights—along with the blonde-haired candidate, the purple-haired knight, and the one-armed wolfman—vanished in the same way as the duo and the merchant. This left only the two brothers standing alone in the devastated battlefield, confused.

[Lye: W-Where did they go?! Tsu~]

Exclaiming in shock, he started scanning the surroundings, looking for an answer.

Nothing.

No blood trails to indicate movement, no lingering scent of their adversaries from mere moments ago. Everything was empty. They had been left alone on the battlefield.

They continued searching through the ruins and the empty, destroyed buildings for a few minutes, trying to find any trace of them.

But just like before, they found nothing. No one.

Both of them returned to their previous positions, standing side by side with grim expressions. They looked like children or wild beasts whose prey had been snatched from their claws just as they were about to sink their teeth into it. An unforgivable offense!

[Roy: Where the hell did they go?! They just disappeared into thin air! Tsu~!]

[???: Is that what it seemed like?]

[Lye and Roy: ——!]

Roy immediately leaped backward upon hearing the voice, while Lye did the same, gripping the hilt of his weapons tightly.

Behind them, right where they had been standing moments ago, was Subaru with Beatrice sitting on his shoulders, her chin resting on the top of his head as she clung around his neck.

[Subaru: See? They even jump in fear when they see us.]

[Beatrice: Nothing less than expected, considering they know how powerful Betty and her contractor are compared to them, I suppose.]

Both of them spoke with smug grins, their arrogant smiles fully on display to clearly provoke the brothers, who gritted their teeth even harder.

Once again, Roy was the first to charge.

His blade thirsted for the blood of those two damn bastards. Not only had they killed his and his brother’s pet, but they had also stolen their precious prey as if it were theirs to take.

Rage flickered in his eyes. His blade gleamed under the moonlight as he swung a powerful strike aimed straight at Subaru’s neck.

[Subaru and Beatrice: RMY!]

With that word, the spell was activated.

And Roy’s attack continued, continued, continued.

But it never landed.

[Roy: What?!]

The blade never seemed to reach its target.

[Subaru: RMY, Remu wa Hontõni Yasashi—In my native language, “Rem is Really Kind.” A spell I created in honor of one of the girls I love the most, you know? I made it because she got a little jealous when I made spells in honor of Emilia-tan and my adorable Beako over the past year and two months, you know? Her little pout was so cute~!!!]

[Roy: What the hell are you talking about, you bastard?! Why isn’t my attack reaching you?! Tsu~!]

[Subaru: It’s a simple explanation, but it requires context. —— My adorable Beako has a magic that allows her to stretch hallways, right? She can basically create an infinite corridor that keeps going until you find the correct door that leads to where she actually is. And that gave me the idea for this technique! —— Did you know that, fundamentally, there are an infinite number of numbers between 0 and 1? For example: 0.1, 0.2, 0.01, 0.001—countless possibilities, infinitely many ways, you know? Pretty interesting, isn’t it?]

[Roy: ——?!]

[Subaru: That’s the principle behind my technique. By combining my adorable Beako’s Corridor Magic, I can create a sort of… infinite space between me and anything around me. Distorting space and time. That’s why, even though your attack is just 1 cm away from hitting me, it never advances any further… because it’s traversing an imaginary space that extends infinitely, preventing it from ever moving from 0 to 1. Get it now?]

He calmly explained while flashing an even wider and more arrogant grin, mirroring Beatrice’s expression as she sat on his head. He pointed shamelessly at the tip of Roy’s blade, which was aimed at his neck but remained completely ineffective against Subaru or the Great Spirit.

This made Roy’s eyes widen in shock.

Because he could truly feel it—his attack was moving, but it was covering an impossibly long distance. A distance that he now understood was infinite.

[Subaru: And unlike my other spell, EMM, which stops my body in time, I can still move while using this one. But it does come with a condition and a cost: I can only use it with the support of my adorable Beako, and I end up consuming twice as much Mana as with EMM. But that’s no big deal! My adorable Beako can handle it like a champ, isn’t that right~~?]

[Beatrice: Of course! This technique is easy for someone like me, I suppose~!]

Declaring proudly, she huffed with a small, smug smile.

For the third time, Roy was forced to retreat from that troublesome duo.

Grinding his teeth, now in frustration and shame at the situation.

[Lye: Are you just going to keep playing around like this, HUH?! Do you really expect us to fall for the idea that you did everything you claim, when you act so idiotically?! Tsu~!]

[Subaru: Wow, how rude. People just don’t understand that it’s impossible not to brag when you have such an adorable Beako on your shoulders. They’re lost souls, don’t you agree?]

[Beatrice: Yes, yes, I suppose so.]

Both declared this categorically to the pair of siblings, who only became more enraged.

That is, until they received a sharp look from the two.

[Subaru: El SHS!]

Once again, they vanished from the brothers’ sight. Instantly, it was as if they had disappeared into thin air, as though they had never been standing right in front of them.

At the same time, something else happened.

Minya crystals. Several Mana crystals had surrounded them. At least a hundred of them, encircling them. It was as if numerous pins were aiming at two balls of thread—the two brothers.

The crystals quickly shot toward the pair of Archbishops. In an attempt to defend themselves, they started counterattacking.

[Lye: Huma!]

Using a shimmering water barrier, he attempted to create extra defense against the attacks.

But that barrier was easily shattered by the sharp crystals.

With quick, coordinated strikes, they began destroying the crystals around them with great precision. The blades of their weapons clashed against the sharp crystals, breaking them. It was a well-coordinated defense to handle the sudden situation, but not entirely effective.

Several cuts began to appear on their bodies—legs, arms, torso. Even their faces were marked by these wounds. Until, in the final wave of crystals, some struck Roy’s left arm, making him unable to defend his brother’s back against the incoming barrage. More crystals struck him, one even piercing him at rib level.

With that breach in their formation, they were hit directly. Altogether, between the two of them, they were pierced by seven Minya crystals.

The two brothers now bore multiple wounds that the previous battle had not inflicted. Some were light, like cuts and scratches, but others were serious, like punctures. One of Roy’s arms was badly injured, as if it were about to break.

[Subaru: The Dio and Kakyoin-style attack almost worked.]

[Beatrice: Even though Betty’s contractor has mentioned those names before, Betty still doesn’t fully understand the references, I suppose.]

Not far from the brothers, the two sat calmly. Subaru was seated with Beatrice on his lap, both staring at them with sharp gazes. The black-haired boy still wore an arrogant and confident smile.

[Subaru: You handled yourselves quite well after our attack. I congratulate you, though I do wish you had taken more hits.]

[Lye: Tsk, you bastard! What the hell did you do?! Tsu~!]

[Subaru: Hmmm? An attack at nearly full power. Enough to wound you but not kill you completely. After all, I need to ask you something, since I trusted in your ability to defend yourselves against my personal charge. And if you’re referring to my magic... I’m not about to reveal all my secrets, alright? —— Now, you can either listen to me, or we can proceed to the end of this battle. Understood?]

[Lye: ——?]

[Roy: ——!]

Exchanging a glance with Roy, they took on a more relaxed posture, though their weapons remained in hand.

[Subaru: Let’s negotiate. —— I didn’t want to say this, but I want to offer you a way to escape, if you agree to my request.]

[Roy: What request? Tsu~]

[Subaru: Last year, right after eliminating your friend, Sloth. To help my dear Emilia-tan, I got involved in the hunt for your little pet, the Whale. And I helped cut off its head, you know? —— The important part is that after that, you attacked Crusch-san’s caravan, and that… really pissed me off. Because you were after me—you, Lye, and that guy Regulus, who I’m already happy to have helped eliminate and to have freed his wives. But you, in particular, have something I want…]

[Lye: ——! Ho~, you’re talking about Crusch Karsten’s memories, aren’t you? Tsu~]

A grin spread across his face, his tongue slipping out of his mouth.

[Beatrice: Disgusting.]

[Subaru: Yes. You ate her name, just as your brother recently seems to have eaten the name of a good guy’s brother I met—Julius. His brother’s name is Joshua. So, you already understand my deal, don’t you?]

[Lye: You want us to release Crusch Karsten’s memories. Tsu~]

[Roy: And Joshua Juukulius’ name. Tsu~]

[Subaru: Exactly. —— It shames me as a Knight to even attempt making a deal with you. That’s the deal—those two, in exchange for your lives.]

[Lye: If not? Because you wouldn’t do something like this without a reason, right? Tsu~]

Speaking in a provocative tone, his grin widened as he saw Subaru’s face harden.

Anger was evident on the boy’s sharp-eyed face. And Subaru’s rage became Beatrice’s, as she clicked her tongue and gave him a few comforting pats on the chest when she saw him biting the inside of his left cheek.

Subaru sighed.

[Subaru: I want to eliminate you, but that would be a bad move. Because if I kill you, will everything go back to normal? Will the names and memories return? Since I don’t know enough about your Authority, I don’t want to risk losing something permanently. —— That’s why we’re negotiating. If you release those names, you can go.]

[Roy: Or?]

[Subaru: We’ll attack you with full power. —— What you just saw was only one of the techniques we have to kill you, and another one we have will guarantee complete elimination, just like Sloth. I promise you that. And I’ll test my theory on whether the names and memories will return or not with your deaths and the end of Gluttony’s Authority. —— It’s in your hands because I would be more than happy to kill you. Here and now.]

His words carried a deep amount of pure rage, along with venom directed at the brothers, who fully understood the situation they were in. Subaru would absolutely keep his word, depending on their choice.

They could release two people to save their own lives, or they could risk continuing to fight against the Mage and the Great Spirit, who had not only given Capella trouble but had also helped in Regulus’ elimination.

It was a choice that should have been carefully considered under better conditions, but they were not in such a state—physically, mentally, or emotionally. They had faced an entire group, and in less than a minute, that duo had backed them into a corner.

With another exchange of glances, they were deciding which path to take...

—[X]—

From the beginning of the attack, the ones who put in the most effort among everyone were Subaru and Beatrice. It might seem impossible, but they were the ones who had faced the Archbishops the most throughout the entire attack.

Starting with Sirius, they dominated the battle alongside Emilia—at least until Regulus arrived. This forced them to retreat when Emilia was kidnapped by the Archbishop of Greed. Not long after, the transmission from the Archbishop of Lust, Capella, was heard, and Subaru and Beatrice also joined the group that faced her at the city hall in the early evening—alongside Julius, Ricardo, Garfiel, Wilhelm, and Crusch.

Subaru and Beatrice fought her alongside Crusch inside the City Hall, where a large amount of their mana was used to save the green-haired candidate and in an attempt to eliminate Capella. But it wasn’t enough. Despite forcing her to retreat with some unhealed injuries—thanks to another technique created by the duo that mirrors Ul Shamak, a powerful Black Hole—it wasn’t enough to finish her off.

Then came the moment to face Regulus. Reinhard, Subaru, and Beatrice fought the Archbishop with full force, and the Sword Saint died—even though he survived by resurrecting—and they themselves almost died in the battle. However, their main objective was simply to buy time. After discovering the secret of Regulus' Authority, Subaru, thanks to Emilia, was able to defeat him when his wives were frozen, and he destroyed the heart Regulus had implanted in the half-elf—using the Invisible Providence he had gained from the fight against Petelgeuse.

Afterward, they moved on to continue providing support. Reinhard went to assist his grandfather, while Subaru headed to Otto to face the Gluttonies—since they had been his targets from the beginning.

[Subaru: Good thing we didn’t have to fight any more…]

The black-haired boy expressed his gratitude as he finally relaxed after everything that had happened.

Beatrice also rested against his chest.

Accepting the deal, the Gluttonies regurgitated the names of Crusch and Joshua, which Subaru hoped was true. Then, they left like two wounded and humiliated beasts—something not far from reality.

This turned out to be very beneficial for Subaru and Beatrice.

As mentioned earlier, they had spent the entire day fighting, using the maximum of their powers in battles against every Archbishop they encountered—from Sirius to Lye and Roy. Since they had reached their limits, before returning to face the two, they resorted to their ultimate trump card: the Bokko Fruit.

The Bokko Fruit was a small purple nut that could stimulate mana within a person’s gate when consumed. It was always used in emergencies, when a magic user's mana was completely drained, forcibly reactivating the gate—though at the risk of damaging it.

Luckily for Subaru, his gate was strong enough, and he still had Beatrice and Felix’s healing support.

Moving forward, they had eaten the fruit after using the last of their energy to save Otto and the others in the middle of battle, carrying them as far away as possible in the stopped time of SHS, also using Murak on some of them to transport them in groups—an exhausting task. Then, they used their remaining strength in a powerful bluff, showcasing their RMY abilities to intimidate the enemy—proving they couldn’t be touched if attacked directly, thus cutting off close combat. They then used SHS with Minya as an offensive tactic—even though it didn’t cause as much damage as they had hoped, it was enough.

[Subaru: If we had fought… we would’ve had to use everything we had left, right?]

[Beatrice: Yes, I suppose… We would’ve only had enough energy for one more move and just one Ul Shamak, and… I don’t know if we would have made it out alive if it didn’t work, I suppose.]

[Subaru: I see. —— You can rest now, okay, Beako? We’ve done our best, and Otto should be coming after us soon…]

Saying this, Subaru lay down with Beatrice on top of him. The two fell into a deep sleep after scaring off the two Archbishops with their bluff.

Not long after…

Otto arrived and took them straight to Felix, who quickly healed Subaru’s gate. And the next morning, when they woke up, they discovered that Crusch Karsten had regained her memories, and Joshua Juukulius was remembered and awake—but without his own memories. This prompted Subaru to make a new promise: to take Lye or Roy’s head for it.

But the battle of Priestella would not be forgotten by the Archbishops. For the stories about the Yin Magic user and his Great Spirit had proven to be true, and now, they would be more cautious when facing him in direct combat.

 

 

—————

In this IF, we had a few additional things:

-Crusch and her entourage were attacked by Regulus and Lye, with the only difference being that Rem was not there.

-Due to Puck’s attack on the Royal Capital, Emilia had a strained relationship with most of the candidates—except for Crusch (due to Subaru’s involvement in the White Whale hunt) and Felt. Anastasia and Priscilla still held grudges against Puck.

-Anastasia only agreed to help with the Mana Crystal for Puck so that Subaru and Roswaal would be indebted to her.

-Subaru invented new techniques (originally mine, with a touch of reference/inspiration/copy from other anime/manga techniques) that work in conjunction with Beatrice:

EMY (Rem is Really Kind): Created because Rem was always worried about his injuries. Using Beatrice’s space-time distortion ability, he generates an area around himself and Beatrice that essentially prevents an attack from being completed. Unlike EMM, he can move and use other magic within this zone, but it requires double the Mana (which Beatrice compensates for).

RHI (Roswaal is Really a Jerk – Rozuwāru wa Hontōni Iyanayatsuda): A technique that combines Vita, Murak, and Shamak. Like Ul Shamak, it creates a Black Hole. It starts off minuscule but expands upon hitting the intended target, engulfing everything within a giant sphere before disappearing instantly (like an instant explosion). This technique nearly killed Capella, but she managed to save herself by throwing her head away. He used the UL RHI version of this technique, as the base version only creates an attack half the size (height and width) of Beatrice, while the UL version makes it Capella-sized, and the AI version makes it Roswaal-sized.

RHS (Ram is Really Sharp – Ramu wa Hontōni Surudoi): With Beatrice’s assistance, they use a technique that combines Shamak with the spatial folding of the Infinite Corridor, generating a slashing attack similar to a “Dimensional Cut.” It is akin to a blade made from a black hole. In its base form, it hits a target up to 10 meters ahead, in El form up to 100 meters, in Ul form up to 1 km (1000m), and in Al form up to 10 km.

BHSIK (Beako is Really the Cutest in the World – Beako wa Hontōni Sekai de Ichiban Kawaī): A technique Subaru developed with Beatrice. He can use it alone or with her, functioning similarly to the dimension created by Al Shamak, but with greater control (I plan to showcase it in the next extra).

-Subaru only died once in Priestella—during Sirius’s first attack, when he was caught by the power of the Authority of Wrath. Since he had taken Beatrice with him, Emilia followed along due to Priscilla’s advice.

-If the fight against Lye and Roy had continued, Subaru and Beatrice would have been able to kill only one of them before exhausting themselves and then being killed by the survivor. Subaru would then restart at the point after Regulus’ death.

-They will still go to the Pleiades Tower to try to find a cure for the damage caused by Capella and the Gluttonies.

-Julius had already admired Subaru before Priestella—for his feats against Sloth, the White Whale, and the Great Rabbit, as well as for forming a contract with a Great Spirit. The battle at Priestella (and the rescue of his brother Joshua, even without his memories) only made him admire Subaru even more. Just like Felix started to like Subaru more after Crusch got her memories back.

—

[And @BrilianceLost... yes I will... I will do the Echidna IF for you.]

[And I'm also going to make the Subaru Majuun or Beast, as some are asking for. But, question: Would you like him as the Rabbit or as the Whale? What do you think?]

Chapter 71: [Extra 2 - Mage IF]

Beatrice was proud of her contractor — obviously, even more so when he officially became her contractor. Before that, he was more like... well, her unofficial disciple, since she was a bit reluctant about it — a tsundere, as Subaru would call her.

But since then, she had admittedly seen great potential in Subaru's abilities as a magic user, even though he had an affinity for a type of magic considered one of the least offensive among all others. Most Yin-type magic was generally focused on support, helping others in combat or serving defensive purposes — like the Shamak spell, which could obscure an opponent’s vision. But that was just common knowledge for most; there were offensive Yin spells that Beatrice, as the Great Yin Spirit, knew well.

So when he developed his first personal spell — while she was explaining how magic functioned — she couldn’t help but feel proud of him at that moment. And only now would she admit to feeling that way — since back then, she would’ve denied it with all her might to avoid inflating Subaru’s ego even more. And her pride only grew — along with surprise — when he began developing other spells within his affinity that could be used for offense, defense, or support, both for himself and others.

They even developed some spells together — like the one he named in her honor: BHSIK, Beako wa Hontōni Sekai de Ichiban Kawaii, 'Beako Is Truly the Cutest in the World,' as he called it. And she was definitely not happy about that name! No, the reason she blushed and smiled so brightly back then was not because of that, obviously. She wasn’t happy about developing a spell together with him, nor about him naming it after her... obviously...

The BHSIK spell worked as a reality-altering technique.

They would overlay their reality by creating an exact copy of the world in a separate dimension — a dimension somewhat like the Forbidden Library or the one they once sent the Great Rabbit into. But in this case, it was a mirrored reality of their own.

By doing so, they would pull their opponent out of the real world and into this reality they had created. Inside it, they had complete control: the sky could become the "floor," the ground could become the "ceiling," and the surroundings could twist, rotate, or shatter however they wanted. Reality followed their rules in that space. They could reshape it however they wished, and none of their attacks — or their opponent’s — would ever affect the real world. They could even create a black hole in this mirrored reality, and the real world would remain untouched!

It was a dimension with limited size but with infinite possibilities, entirely based on their imagination. A technique she was certain only a handful of people in the current era could ever create or even conceive.

And Subaru kept pushing further, trying to create new spells to improve himself and uncover his maximum potential. The Yin magic techniques he developed were always fascinating to watch or learn from...

[Subaru: Alright, Beako~! Today I’m gonna show you a new technique I based on an anime!]

[Beatrice: Betty doesn’t understand why her stupid contractor is so excited to show a technique based on a fictional story, I suppose. But Betty wouldn’t mind hearing more about it, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Oh? You say that, but what’s with that little smile?]

[Beatrice: I-It’s not because I’m excited or anything like that, I suppose! I’m just wondering what kind of stupid thing my contractor came up with, I suppose.]

The spirit crossed her arms with a tiny smile, secretly excited to see what he was about to do.

They were both now standing in the training field created specifically for them and Garfiel alongside Subaru. The entire place had been modified for both pairs to train together and master their abilities — specifically designed so they wouldn’t cause damage to the mansion or Roswaal’s domain... not that any of the three particularly cared about wrecking the clown’s land.

Subaru stood a few meters away from Beatrice, both staring at each other as they prepared for what was about to happen.

[Subaru: Shoot a Minya at me.]

[Beatrice: — You’ve already started this training with an idiotic request, I suppose. Why would I attack my stupid contractor for no reason?]

[Subaru: Because! I developed a defensive technique that I need to test with someone attacking me — and I only trust my lovely Beako to help me with this! So... PLEASE, BEAKO-SENSEI! THE CUTEST IN THE WORLD!]

[Beatrice: W-Well... I guess I-I c-can help you with that, I suppose.]

With a bright smile and her cheeks glowing red, she nodded, agreeing to Subaru’s request. Both stood ready, prepared to act at the exact right moment.

[Beatrice: Minya!]

She cast purple mana crystals straight at Subaru, but the black-haired boy remained still, wearing a confident smile.

As the crystals neared him, Beatrice felt a sudden worry... Subaru still had his arms crossed when he calmly said:

[Subaru: OHY!]

And in the very next instant...

The crystals suddenly appeared behind Subaru, smashing into the trees beyond him. Subaru stood untouched, completely unharmed, maintaining both his posture and his smile.

Beatrice blinked a few times, stunned.

[Beatrice: What... did you do, I suppose.]

[Subaru: I erased the third and fourth seconds.]

[Beatrice: What does that even mean, I suppose?]

[Subaru: Look... When you need to move from point A to point B, you spend X amount of time to do it, right? Now, say your lovely Beako’s crystals wanted to hit the trees ten meters away. If it took five seconds for that to happen, then they’d be moving two meters per second. Now... what happens if I’m standing in the path of that attack — or worse, I’m the intended target? Well... I found a way to bypass the problem of taking that hit.]

[Beatrice: Stop stalling and explain already, I suppose!]

[Subaru: My bad, Beako-sensei! —— So, as you can see, I’m standing between the seventh and eighth meter from you to the trees ten meters away. Meaning, based on the five-second travel time, I occupy the space-time of the third and fourth seconds of your attack. —— My technique erases the passage of time for the third and fourth seconds. It’s kinda like my time-stop spell, but instead of stopping time, I’m cutting seconds out of it. Your attack continues... but skips over me.]

Beatrice blinked multiple times, her face filled with shock as she processed all of it. Why hadn’t she noticed it sooner?! The time hadn’t just been paused — it had literally been cut out, sliced cleanly, allowing the attack to teleport behind Subaru as if that part of time had never existed.

It was... incredible. Her jaw dropped, her eyes sparkling as she rushed over to him.

[Beatrice: H-How did you do that, I suppose?!]

[Subaru: Hahaha! I love your reaction! —— Like I said, I based this on the power of an anime character I used to watch! His name was Diavolo, from JoJo — I’ve told you about him before — he had a Stand ability that could erase ten seconds of time whenever he activated it.]

The young man explained, once again referencing one of the anime that resonated most with his spirit when telling stories about his world—especially when it related to his powers. He included an explanation of how his ability to stop time with his SHS worked.

In reality, many of the techniques he possessed were inspired by abilities from his own world and from the stories he read. Subaru could honestly say that, in those moments of creation, he was adapting the powers of those characters for himself, or using effects he had learned in his classes. But he used these abilities as self-defense, as a means of attacking his opponents alongside Beatrice.

At least in his opinion, even though he felt like an imitator, he could still be happy seeing the expressions on his spirit’s face.

[Beatrice: And… what does OHY mean, I suppose? I feel like it’s one of those silly names you use just to provoke others, I suppose.]

[Subaru: They are not silly at all! The names I give are special tributes to everyone! Including this one! Well… except the one I gave to Ros-Chi’s technique. That one doesn’t matter much in this case. But this one is definitely not a silly name!]

[Beatrice: Then what does it mean, I suppose?]

[Subaru: OHY stands for Ottō wa Hontōni Yopparaida, “Otto Is Truly a Drunkard”!]

Proclaiming this proudly, Beatrice couldn’t help but mutter a quiet, “Why?”

[Subaru: When Otto gets drunk, he sometimes says he’s in one spot and suddenly ends up in another, like time just disappeared. So, I thought… Actually, it was more like—I remembered this power. And since Otto reminded me of it, I figured I could try adapting that ability for self-defense. It costs less than EMM and EHY. Basically, I slow down time for myself and speed up time for everything around me, as if I disconnect myself from time. It’s almost like EMM or SHS, but again, it’s not really a time-stop technique—it’s more of a space-time modification of the world itself. Since it’s like a temporal editing power, it doesn’t consume continuous mana while I’m using it because it’s not a passive technique but an active one.]

[Beatrice: You’re using those weird words again, I suppose. But I can’t deny this is a pretty useful technique for high-stress situations. And it’s even more impressive that you pulled it from a strange story… and a drunk merchant, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Beako, please, don’t insult JoJo! Go ahead and insult that idiot Otto as much as you want. He’s a masochist who loves being insulted by Nee-Sama, so he’ll probably enjoy being insulted by others too.]

Defending the anime, he didn’t care at all about the attack on his adopted brother.

Of course, besides that, he had also created a technique in honor of Garfiel.

GHS – Gāfīru wa Hontōni Subarashī, “Garfiel Is Truly Incredible.”

A technique that allowed him to become physically stronger without using the Flow Method. Basically, he reduced the gravity on his own body to increase his speed and agility—it even allowed him to float like with Murak, but without the risk of being blown away by the wind. At the same time, he could increase his strength by creating a pseudo-gravitational boost effect on his attacks.

In short: He could reduce gravity on himself to move as if he weighed less than one gram, while his strikes would have the force equivalent to a punch weighing 100 tons. It was a technique that allowed him to become both faster and stronger. This was particularly interesting because, thanks to this, he could also boost his speed by completely ignoring gravity.

Basically, using Newton’s force formula in this power’s concept — M x A = F.

If he were moving at a speed of 100 m/s, with an effective “mass” of 10 tons, he could deliver a strike with a force of 1 million Newtons. A power greater than what he could normally achieve with his regular punches. Something that impressed even him—but it was a technique he couldn’t abuse, since it consumed a huge amount of mana. Depending on the situation, he could only use this for four punches if he still wanted to be able to use his other techniques.

[Subaru: Maybe… I should create one in honor of Petra-chan and Frederica-san...? Yeah, I should try to make one.]

Thinking about it, he started imagining what new spells he could create to honor them, just like he did for the others.

 

 

—————

This chapter takes place shortly before the Priestella events—about a week earlier. The power Subaru created for Beako works similarly to Doctor Strange’s Mirror Dimension.

In this IF:

-Subaru created other techniques as well:

PHK – Petora wa Hontōni Kawaī, “Petra Is Truly Cute”:

He can bend space, modifying reality to teleport from one specific point to another. It costs a large amount of mana, and he also needs a mental image of the destination to arrive exactly where he intends. If he only has the location via a map as coordinates, he can still arrive, but the teleportation will be somewhat randomized.

FHK – Furederika wa Hontōni Kinbenda, “Frederica Is Truly Diligent”:

A Yin Magic technique that allows him to control gravity in his surroundings similarly to Vita or Murak. However, instead of focusing on a single target, this can affect an entire group or area. It can even cause sensory disorientation when the sense of stability and contact with the ground is removed. This allows him to precisely control how and whom it affects—either by reducing or increasing gravity.

Chapter 72: Mabeasts IF

What if…? What if Subaru were reincarnated as The Great Rabbit?

—————

 

 

Petra had always lived an easy and happy life.

The perception of whether one's life was good or bad, easy or difficult, only comes in important moments that mark a change in one's life, such as: The day one realizes they love someone, the day of their wedding, the day they lose someone important, or the day they face a traumatic situation. Among dozens of other possibilities, these moments serve as a reflection on life.

For Petra, it was that moment.

When she did something stupid out of childish immaturity.

Petra had always known that she was considered cute by others. Whether it was her parents telling her such things, the other adults in the village treating her well, or even her friends seemingly competing for her attention, fighting for her hand and focus. It was something she realized early in life, and she took advantage of it. She used it to her benefit in certain situations, to escape punishments, to receive gifts, to manipulate others through the fact that she was considered cute.

It was her special ability, so she used it to the fullest to live a happy life. Something she wouldn’t let go to waste, just as others wouldn't miss the opportunity to use their personal abilities to get the best out of situations around them—a very adult way of thinking, despite her young age.

But she was still a child, a small and naïve little girl.

So she wasn’t free from making mistakes or acting impulsively in certain situations. One of those times was when she was provoked by others.

One of her friends had challenged her to play a simple game.

To go through the Majuun Forest, reach the stones that protected the outskirts, leave, and bring back even a single strand of fur from the terrifying, bloodthirsty creatures. A challenge everyone expected her to refuse. Something any other child would normally turn down because they also understood the stupidity of accepting such a thing—because no one was foolish enough to act that way with such dangerous creatures.

But Petra had something that had developed through her time manipulating others: Ego. An ego built by the amount of praise she received.

That made her accept the challenge. Against the common sense of all her friends, she agreed to do it. And she walked into the forest with her head held high, determined to go beyond the barrier that protected the village just to grab a strand of Majuun fur. It was a rash decision, strengthened by the laughter and taunts that she wouldn’t be able to do it. Worse, she noticed they thought she would back out—the playful look in their eyes as she stepped into the forest— and that only hurt her ego more, pushing her to continue so she could prove herself exceptional. Because that was her ego.

The ego of a little girl who had lived a short, good, happy life. Surrounded by people who gave her whatever she asked for and praised her so much that she saw herself as someone grand, despite being too young for such proud and arrogant thoughts.

Maybe she had realized that. —— No, she did realize it.

When she kept walking through the forest, past the point where it was safe. That was the first sign, the first time in a long while that she swallowed hard in fear. After all, she had always been able to rely on being cute when dealing with the adults and people of her village. But what about the Majuuns? That was what her quick perception made her notice as she kept moving forward recklessly without thinking about whether she should continue or not.

Petra kept going. Internally, she hoped to find one of the terrifying creatures unconscious, dead, or asleep so she could steal a strand of its fur. At the same time, she wanted to go back as quickly as possible, imagining the worried faces of all her friends and important people—a desire for everyone to be concerned about her, which was a little selfish and arrogant, but she knew they would feel that way for anyone in the village.

But she kept following her impulse, her ego. To prove herself. And she proceeded recklessly.

And that was when it happened.

A Majuun, shaped like a type of wolf, leapt from the trees with a fierce growl and an enraged expression. The creature made the little girl fall onto her backside.

And so the scene unfolded with the small girl;

Her legs trembling, the tips of her knees knocking together, too weak to stand. Her hands clutched tightly against each other in front of her open mouth, frozen in horror. Her eyes wide, spilling tears, with a little bit of snot.

Shock, terror.

That was what she felt at that moment.

A child facing a monster.

That Majuun didn’t care how cute Petra was. In its perception, she was just another meal that would soon end up in its stomach, forgotten once she was nothing but digested remains. A terrible end for a child like her, so sweet and full of expectations and dreams—to become a seamstress in the Capital and marry a Knight or someone similar, childish aspirations that might never become reality.

At that moment, Petra realized how good her life had been, how easy it had been. She realized how spoiled she was and how that had created the ego that led her to take a reckless action just to show off unnecessarily.

[Petra: Dad... Mom...]

She called out. But she knew it was useless, for they wouldn’t appear, nor would they be able to save her.

But it was the cry of a scared child.

The monster approached, growling, drooling. Thirsting to devour her. And it would, within moments, because Petra was incapable of fighting or running away. She was too weak against a creature like this, too slow, or too terrified even to consider such an act.

Petra would die, and only at this moment would she understand how well she had lived and how she had never fully appreciated it. What were the last words she had said to her parents?

[Petra: Dad... Mom... I love you...]

She wouldn’t be able to say those words that she now so desperately wanted to express.

It leaped at the little girl.

This was the end. With a single bite, her head would be torn off, and her blood would burst from the spot where it had been ripped away. —— But no.

[Petra: H-Huh?]

Petra slowly opened one eye, having shut them tight to avoid seeing the creature’s fangs as they crushed her head—trying to lessen the shock in an instinctive act of denying visible reality—and she saw something.

The face of the Majuun being struck by a paw.

The paw struck the top of the head. — No, multiple paws struck the top of the enormous monster’s head and drove it into the ground.

CRACK

A nauseating sound followed—the monster’s skull being crushed against the ground, blood spurting out. Its tongue fell from its half-open mouth, drool and blood dripping down, with some of its own teeth piercing through it.

[Petra: ——?!]

Petra's eyes widened at the sight of the dead creature. But even more so at what—or rather, who—had killed such a monster so easily.

She saw rabbits.

White rabbits with red eyes and a horn on top of their heads. But one, in particular, stood out among the group—different from all the others: A black rabbit with dark eyes tinged with orange, a horn larger than the rest, and a size that made it stand out even more—if its fur and eyes weren’t enough to distinguish it. Each rabbit had sharp fangs, their noses twitching rapidly.

The black rabbit was the leader. Even though Petra didn’t know how, she easily deduced this by observing its posture, different from the other nine that surrounded it. It stood upright on two legs, while the others remained on four, their eyes fixed on its movements.

A single motion.

When the black rabbit raised its right front paw, they acted. The white rabbits, along with dozens of others that leaped from the trees, began to devour the Majuun slain by the sudden attack of the first ten.

Petra was startled.

She realized that these were no ordinary rabbits. Even she knew about the dangerous creatures that stood out among the most infamous beasts of the world—one of them being The Great Rabbit.

A flesh-devouring creature with a danger level equal to that of its "siblings."

In this situation, anyone who found themselves near such a creature would tremble, realizing their life had reached its end upon being targeted. —— But strangely, Petra didn’t feel that way. Not when she saw the black rabbit calmly approach her and place one of its paws on her left leg.

She felt something different from fear.

The touch, the gaze—it was as if that rabbit was an affectionate older brother, conveying a clear message.

"Don’t worry, okay? You’re safe."

Even without understanding how, she knew that was what it was saying.

Moments later, the rabbits had finished their meal.

They stood still, aligned. Waiting. They were waiting for the black rabbit with its intimidating eyes—the one standing between Petra and the flesh-devouring creatures, infamous for their insatiable hunger in the stories told by those unlucky enough to survive an attack and live to recount the horrors they had witnessed.

Another movement of its paws and a squeak. This prompted several rabbits to move around Petra, while the black-furred one still gazed at her in a friendly manner.

Without knowing how she understood this—

Petra stood up, surrounded by the creatures. She gently picked up the black rabbit, holding it tightly in her arms, and began to walk. The rabbits surrounding her weren’t there to attack her but to attack anything or anyone that tried to harm her or their leader as they followed the path back to Arlam Village.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive. A great sense of relief washed over her as they reached the front of the barrier.

[Petra: —— Thank you.]

Even in shock from everything that had happened, she remembered every detail of her farewell to that adorable creature. She placed it on the ground, petted its head, received a small lick on her fingers, and allowed it to give her some of its fur when it requested—telling her its story and why it had taken the path they followed with her carrying it. Then, it turned around, following its companions on their way.

No one would believe the story she had witnessed.

Petra realized this truth deep inside. Not when it was a tale about such a legendary creature.

But Petra would forever cherish the memory of the black-furred rabbit, with its dark, eerily orange eyes, and how it had gently commanded its followers—its pack—to escort her safely back to her village, protecting her from any other predators, all because of the impulsive decision of a girl.

Petra would treasure these memories forever.

The story of The Great Black Rabbit.

 

 

—————

In this IF scenario, we had a few changes:

-Subaru’s mind was summoned by Satella and cast into The Great Rabbit, making him the dominant consciousness.

-He can command the other rabbits at will, being the Alpha of the pack. And ironically, since he is the only male rabbit in the group (at least in this IF universe, where all the others are female), the rest end up being his "harem."

-To survive and feed the insatiable hunger of his "kingdom," they devour Majuuns, and he forces them to eat vegetables instead of humans (though they sometimes end up eating each other when he’s not paying attention).

-Somehow, Subaru always ends up getting involved in conflicts that pit him against other Beasts and the Witch Cult. The first Archbishop he killed was Capella, using his overwhelming numbers against her.

-Instead of dying when he is slain, he reincarnates into another rabbit, which then transforms into him (turning from white to black, from red eyes to terrifying orange-black ones, and its horn growing).

-At some point in his journey, he met Otto. Upon understanding Otto’s Divine Protection, Subaru "kidnapped" him to be his personal translator so he could communicate with people. However, the other rabbits see Otto as the "Consort Queen of the Alpha" rather than just a translator.

-Satella is having an existential crisis: While she still loves Subaru, she finds it strange that her Jealousy side still feels physical attraction to him even in rabbit form, which leaves the rational part of her, Satella, utterly confused.

Chapter 73: [Extra - Mabeasts IF]

Félix could expect to see many things in his life. Some things might be believable, while others would be difficult to witness, but there were those that should be impossible. In his world, based on the life he had lived so far, among the impossible things was that sight. A sight he never thought he would see on the battlefield.

That night, the silver moon shone brightly in the sky, as the stars were visible through the few clouds slowly drifting by. The green fields gleamed under the moonlight. In that field, two armies had gathered. The army of Crusch Karsten—the Valkyrie with lush green hair, clad in armor, leading her group of soldiers who had assembled to fight. Among them was an older man, also dressed in elegant clothing, with a beard and carrying a sheathed sword—Wilhelm van Astrea, the Sword Demon.

A group that had been gathered for one purpose: to hunt. To hunt one of the great natural disasters—the White Whale.

But for that, they needed major preparations. In those preparations, they sought support from a group. A group that had begun wandering the lands of Lugunica. They knew little about this group until they met them before the preparations for such a troublesome hunt. So, imagine their surprise upon meeting them in person.

Those leading the second "army" stood before Crusch, Félix, and Wilhelm, each of them with their eyes fixed on the figure standing ahead of them. Beads of sweat dripped from their foreheads and down the backs of their heads. Their gazes and expressions revealed how truly terrified they were by the sight of those beings—how utterly disbelieving they were.

[Otto: He said, "You can leave everything to us. If we fail to handle this, you may intervene if you wish. But I find that unlikely. After all... our support services ensure total safety for your allies and will satisfy us for now."]

That was how Otto translated the words transmitted to him by the figure beside him, who was calmly biting into a vegetable until there was nothing left but the tip. The gray-haired merchant had a nervous look.

[Félix: I can’t believe this...]

[Wilhelm: Truly...]

[Crusch: Félix, Wilhelm...!]

Giving a warning glance to the pair at her sides, she refocused her gaze on the smallest being among the five present. A small black rabbit with frightening eyes, while several other rabbits were scattered behind him and Otto, running in different directions—some standing still, staring at the human soldiers.

The Great Rabbit—considered as great a threat as the White Whale. For everyone, seeing this being without it attacking and devouring was already shocking. But even more so was seeing one capable of "dialoguing" through someone with the Divine Protection to do so—Otto Suwen, a merchant who, until then, had been just an ordinary man in everyone's eyes.

It had been a few months since Otto first met that small being, known as Natsuki Subaru. A peculiar name, in Otto’s opinion, for one of the most dangerous creatures in the known world up to that century. And their first encounter happened when Otto was rescued from a group of bandits—bandits who were quickly devoured by the white rabbits at the command of the black rabbit. That was the first time they spoke.

The explanation the black rabbit gave him—that it had once been a human who suffered something called "Isekai"—made little sense to Otto. He quickly dismissed it as impossible within his perception of the world. But at the same time, the Great Rabbit was speaking to him and preventing its companions from devouring him like a light snack—something for which he was deeply grateful.

At first, Otto saw hope in returning to a normal life, but that hope was quickly shattered when he was "hired" by Subaru as his translator for his business.

Extermination business. Ironically, a creature considered a plague offering to exterminate other plagues to protect others.

There was nothing Otto could do.

His life had been saved by Subaru, and he could be devoured by the other rabbits if Subaru so wished. Even though Otto had learned over time that Subaru would never give such a command, he had come to enjoy working with Subaru in the business of hunting other beasts and criminals to help people—though he strongly disliked being called the "Black Rabbit’s Consort Queen."

And this was yet another job—supporting Crusch Karsten’s hunt against the White Whale, one of the Three Great Beasts. A whale, which was one of the "sisters" of the Great Rabbit.

[Otto: He said, "Don’t make those faces. It’s bad enough with everyone else... I’d feel terrible if such a beautiful girl looked at me like I’m some kind of cruel monster." His words, HIS WORDS!]

The merchant quickly exclaimed, making exaggerated gestures toward the rabbit, who gave him a tired look. They also received tired looks from the other three. ——Until suddenly, something happened. Something expected.

"BUOOOH!!!" A thunderous roar.

Descending from the clouds with a great bellow, that massive white-skinned creature with gigantic horns flew toward the ground near the Flugel Tree. A gigantic being with a terrifying aura, whose presence and roar made all the human soldiers tremble in fear and despair as they watched it descend upon them.

The White Whale. The great beast they had come to hunt. But Crusch and her allies froze at the sight of such a monstrosity descending onto the moonlit green field.

None of the humans had the courage to advance—not even the man who sought vengeance.

"ALPHA ATTACK FORMATION!!!"

That was what the rabbit’s shriek would mean to those who could understand it. Otto understood, and they saw exactly that happen.

Obeying the black rabbit’s will, who had stepped forward ahead of the others, the white rabbits charged.

The battle that followed was something unbelievable to witness.

The rabbits surged across the field toward the flying Whale, which initially paid them no attention, focusing instead on the still-paralyzed soldiers. And in the middle of their charge—they did it!

They began climbing on top of each other, side by side, merging together, forming something out of the mass of rabbits—a hand. A white hand that extended toward the Whale’s head, causing its eyes to widen in shock.

The first rabbits fell onto the top of the massive flying whale’s head, spreading out and biting intensely, some even landing on its eye. The Whale thrashed, shattering the rabbit-formed fist with its powerful movements, but that did not stop those already on it—nor the others that joined in, crawling all over its body to attack.

The Whale flew through the air, thrashing about, trying to rid itself of those clinging to its body.

Crusch, snapping out of her stupor, joined her companions in attacking the great beast, which began to descend from the sky due to the intervention of the various creatures. The Valkyrie unleashed a powerful strike that hit the Whale, sending it crashing face-first into the ground, assisted by the rabbits that were already attacking it. Other rabbits quickly rushed toward the whale’s body.

To sum it up, the battle between the two creatures, with the support of the humans on one side, was brutal. And Otto witnessed it all from right beside Félix.

The rabbits swarmed up the beast’s rear, climbing its thrashing tail as it tried to shake off the hundreds of creatures—flinging some away, to the sides and into the air, or crushing them with the force of its tail—while others kept climbing. Biting. Hundreds of teeth sank into its flesh, then thousands, and the number kept growing. The Whale surged forward, desperate to escape the claws and fangs of its small but relentless attackers.

Those at its head continued devouring a path through the creature’s hide.

The Whale took flight once more, trying to escape as fast as possible. Otto couldn’t believe what he saw next: Using them as a ladder, Wilhelm climbed up through the rabbits and struck the center of the creature’s left eye in an attack seemingly coordinated between both parties. The blade’s strike sliced through the eye, making the creature roar in fury.

The battle kept dragging on.

Otto’s eyes widened again as he watched the enormous beast split into three, attempting to flee from the relentless assaults. But it wasn’t enough to stop the rabbits, not enough to evade the strategies of the black rabbit that had latched onto its body from the very start and burrowed into it.

You see,

In Subaru’s strategy, the best approach was a swift assault.

That’s why, during the first advance, he had some of his companions dig into the skin just above the right eye’s eyelids, creating an opening for him to enter. He slipped through that hole and made his way inside the skull. From there, he began his exploration—an attack from within. He brought in more of his companions to do the dirty work.

Skin, flesh, muscle, nerves. Digging deeper and deeper throughout the creature’s head, until they reached their goal.

The brain of the terrifying monster continued struggling externally, trying to rid itself of the creatures attacking it from within. But it was proving futile—it was being assaulted from multiple angles, inside and out, leaving it no time to breathe or focus on more than one action at a time. And that was the core of Subaru’s strategy: rendering it incapable of fighting back.

He kept issuing advance orders to the companions who followed him, commanding them to attack the creature’s brain. He watched as they chewed through the gray matter as if it were made of gum.

Meanwhile, on the outside, the Whale crashed violently against the ground once again, spitting blood, only to be attacked once more by the hundreds of millions of creatures alongside the humans. The beings resumed burrowing into its body, creating holes, tunneling deeper, reaching its organs, and indulging themselves as they drowned in its blood.

The grotesque sight only grew more horrifying to those witnessing it from the outside.

First, the tail was devoured—skin and muscle torn away, then the bones shattered. Then came the fins.

The great being, the mighty creature that had spent all this time spreading its mist of oblivion—where people would be erased from the world’s memory—continued to struggle, trying to free itself, but it could do no more than crush the tiny creatures beneath its massive body and release more of its mist.

But soon, its struggle ended.

From the inside, through countless teeth, and from the outside, through Wilhelm’s blade, the Whale’s head was severed.

And as part of the agreement: The rabbits would not devour the head. They would take everything else, which was soon consumed. Only the head of the winged monster remained.

Crusch was panting heavily—exhausted from unleashing so many attacks on the beast, and stressed from being surrounded by numerous rabbits, who eagerly rushed toward the promised portion of the monstrous carcass.

It was a battle that every human who participated in it would remember.

Otto was one of the lucky ones who, even without fighting, got to witness the clash between two Great Beasts and one of the Royal Candidates. The fall of the White Whale, the creature that had long tormented armies and merchants alike with its mist and its habit of devouring those in its path.

As the white rabbits left the head behind, they hurried to join their companions, trying to quench their hunger, absorbing the liters of spilled blood.

Crusch observed the scene with a mix of disgust and concern, fearing that these creatures might one day turn against them and attack. A deep-rooted fear.

But then, her gaze locked onto the black rabbit running toward her, staring at her with its eerie eyes.

"Good job!" Somehow, she understood. That was what its gaze conveyed, as if it were raising a thumbs-up with its left paw.

A strange sense of comfort filled her heart at that small gesture.

She felt as though she was looking at someone—not a rabbit, but a young man with black hair. Someone reliable and kind.

And for the first time, she felt at ease looking at a rabbit.

 

 

—————

What do you think of a Crusch IF? If anyone has ideas or suggestions, feel free to share! You'll be pleased to know that: I'm writing Extra 2 for Priscilla IF and the Epilogue for Anastasia IF (which will be cute, a much better happy ending than Promise IF.)

Some additional details about this IF:

-Otto receives a salary from Subaru. Ironically, he earns more working for this version of Subaru than he did as a merchant.

-Subaru can make the rabbits form constructs with their bodies, such as hands, feet, arms, etc., similar to Robin in One Piece.

-If this version of Subaru were to support a candidate, it would be Crusch. All because she was the first to reach out to him, and because he didn’t trust Roswaal when the latter tried to contact him.

Chapter 74: [Extra 2 - Mabeasts IF]

[Miklotov: Unbelievable.]

Miklotov is one of the members of the Council of Sages—a man with long white hair and beard, with a sharp gaze in his eyes. He wears the standard robes of the Council of Sages. Sitting beside him was one of his colleagues, Bordeaux—a bald old man with wrinkles and large blue eyebrows—who was staring at the same image in front of everyone in that place.

The Royal Hall. A place that had been properly prepared to receive the royal candidates known so far—four: Emilia, Priscilla, Anastasia, and the current favorite, Crusch Karsten. This meeting had taken place no more than a week and a half ago, but once again, all four candidates, the knights, the sages, and the most important figure in the kingdom—the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea, with his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword—were gathered.

Because everyone’s eyes were fixed on the same point.

[Otto: He said, “Good morning to all members of the council and those gathered here. It is a personal delight to meet you at this meeting.” ——Ow! Don’t bite me just because I didn’t say what you wanted, Natsuki-san!]

Complaining about the bite he received on his ankle through his pants, the merchant took a step away from the small creature that was the center of everyone’s attention. A Black Rabbit. The rabbit, standing in front of a sort of powerful mini-army of white rabbits with red eyes, all of whom were looking around while twitching their noses rapidly.

The Great Rabbit.

As well known to those who live in or are familiar with this world, this is one of the Three Great Beasts—three legendary creatures whose level of destruction throughout history was considered unparalleled, given the losses they caused with their destructive nature. But among them, the rabbit stood out due to its voracious hunger, special abilities, and especially its "immortality"—the terrifying speed at which it multiplied while hunting its prey.

A relentless, uncontrollable predator. To the point that those with a good head on their shoulders, those of sound mind, would not take even a single step toward such a monstrosity out of fear of facing its unfathomable fury and hunger.

Yet here were the rabbits, led by the black rabbit standing beside the gray-haired merchant. A black rabbit with unsettling eyes, standing there like a normal person rather than a quadrupedal animal.

Some squeaks were heard.

[Otto: He’s asking why we summoned him.]

[Bordeaux: Isn’t it obvious?!]

Some of the Sages’ eyes widened at their colleague’s outburst.

[Bordeaux: When we first heard about this, we thought it was absurd! A foolish, impossible tale told by madmen! But not only did Lady Karsten confirm it, her allies also verified the truth of the story about the Great Rabbit’s battle against the Whale and the latter’s elimination! And all of this was led by an alliance formed between our candidate and the mysterious Black Rabbit! DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS?!]

As if to respond, the rabbit stared at the old man, then at Otto, before looking back at him. It shrugged.

[Miklotov: W-What my colleague meant to say is… After so many years of endless massacres caused by your limitless forces, why did you direct your power to exterminate the Whale? Why have your attacks decreased, and why only now have you begun attempting to communicate with us? ——Great Black Rabbit, Natsuki Subaru. What caused this change?]

Upon hearing the question, the small creature nodded, understanding what they were asking. Moving its left paw toward Otto, the merchant crouched down so they could look each other in the eye and converse in their own way.

Everyone had their eyes fixed on the small creature and the human, wondering what they were discussing. Meanwhile, some significant glances were cast in Crusch’s direction; after all, she had been the one to organize the meeting between the Black Rabbit—who had aided her in her hunt against the Whale—and those present in the room, with a clear intention of mutual understanding.

[Otto: ——. Seriously? ——? You want me to say that...!? Don’t you realize how ridiculous that sounds?! ——! No! Don’t you dare try to eat my clothes! AND DON’T TELL THE OTHERS TO DO IT EITHER!]

[Everyone: ——?]

[Otto: Fine...! Fine... Ugh.]

Reluctantly, but accepting, Otto stood up with a nervous expression while receiving tired looks from those around him, especially from the candidates and some of the sages.

[Otto: Natsuki-san said, “You might not believe it, but... I only gained real consciousness a few months ago because my consciousness was transferred into this rabbit in a... unbelievable way, so to speak. But I consider myself more human than rabbit. After all, before becoming a rabbit, I was a human from Japan... Not that you’d understand that part, but I just wanted to see if Otto would say it or not.” SERIOUSLY, NATSUKI-SAN?! ——Okay, okay. He continued, “My goal is to try to feed my companions. They have an apparently endless hunger, but they still follow every order I give them. That’s why they’ve never attacked any innocent people and why no one in this room has been harmed so far. My ultimate goal? To find a way to stop them from continuing to cause massive devastation in the world, even if I have to face the worst monsters like that weird Whale. And to be honest... I thought Crusch-chan was super cute and wanted to help her!” His words, HIS WORDS!]

Finishing the strange, inconsistent, and lengthy message the rabbit had given him, Otto quickly pointed at the small creature, trying to shift all blame onto the black-furred being. He received more exhausted reactions—even the rabbits behind them gave him a similar look.

[Miklotov: So... You gained another person’s consciousness...?]

[Otto: From what I could interpret, yes. But Natsuki-san seems to be the only one who gained consciousness; the others remain the same, except that, as he said, they follow Natsuki-san’s commands without question.]

To illustrate, Subaru raised a paw, and the others followed suit.

[Miklotov: ——. Based on this, we can assume you have no negative intentions toward the people of Lugunica and other kingdoms, correct?]

[Otto: ——. He said, “Yes. I have no intention of attacking any innocent people or as few as possible. That’s why I even tried to help against those criminals, like that guy called Lust, Sloth, Gluttony, and I’m currently hunting that one called Greed. All to show that my intentions are purely to live peacefully.”]

[Miklotov: Would you be willing to make a treaty with the Kingdom of Lugunica? ——. We would not interfere with your affairs, as long as you continue following the path you mentioned wanting to take. And if you agree, we will assist you by helping to feed your... companions, as you called them, with whatever is available at certain times, in addition to your personal hunting with your pack. In exchange, we would also ask for your help in dealing with threats that arise in the Kingdom. ——; What do you think? Is there anything you wish to contest?]

Having offered such an agreement to the creature, he intertwined his fingers, deep in thought, resting his chin on the backs of his hands as he observed the rabbit with interest.

The expectations of the others were also high.

With another movement of his hands, Otto crouched down to listen to Subaru. In an exchange of words that only the two of them understood, due to the language used, they were discussing the matter.

Otto then stood up with an answer.

[Otto: Alright, alright. Natsuki-san said: “I agree to the alliance with the Kingdom of Lugunica. We will offer you our protection and eliminate your threats, such as Beasts or Archbishops, but we will abstain from fighting humans from other Kingdoms, unless there is an extreme risk of losses due to the actions of other countries. And if possible... I would like for us to have permission to obtain a piece of land where we could settle. Because I can’t stand my friend Otto sleeping on the floor of a cart anymore...” Natsuki-san!]

With the last part, Otto got a little emotional over his friend's consideration for his well-being, realizing the significance behind those words.

[Miklotov: That... can be negotiable... We may be able to gain the support of some nobles for that...]

[Bordeaux: But only as long as there are no more attacks on innocents!]

[Otto: ——. He said: “Obviously.” And he seemed quite irritated when he said that, as it was already part of the original negotiation.]

[Miklotov: Understandable. ——. If you could leave, we will deliberate on your last request. But I promise we won’t take too long.]

Otto exchanged a glance with Subaru, and then they both looked at the council, bowing at the same time. Agreeing to the request, Subaru motioned for the rabbits to head toward the entrance doors, which were immediately opened by the guards, while Otto and Subaru waited a bit longer before following them.

Before leaving, Subaru looked in Crusch's direction, and she returned his gaze. Raising a hand in a gesture of "Thank you," he expressed his gratitude for her arranging this meeting for them. The candidate nodded. And before moving forward, he also gave her a quick wink, which no one besides Crusch and Otto noticed, causing the candidate to react unexpectedly—blushing, feeling her heart race, before turning her face in another direction.

Subaru continued on his way, indifferent to the effect he had just caused. Meanwhile, the merchant stared at him, mouth agape and eyes wide.

[Otto: How... how does even a rabbit have better luck with girls than I do...?]

Asking himself this, he walked away with his head down. Because the black rabbit had managed to use his charm to clearly make a girl like him. Even though he didn’t notice it, the implications were clear. But his pride had already been wounded at that moment. Because Otto, like some knights inside that room—especially Félix in relation to the Duchess—would never receive the same kind of attention he had just gotten from a girl.

 

 

—————

Some additional changes in this IF:

-Roswaal did not hire Elsa to hire Felt to steal from Emilia. So... Felt is still in the slums.

-Elsa and Meili are searching for whoever eliminated Capella to thank them (and might even become allies).

-Crusch is confused about the rabbit Subaru, having fallen for his charms (even though he is a rabbit, showing his ability to flirt even without speaking).

Chapter 75: [Epilogue - Mabeasts IF]

1) Subaru.

When Subaru imagined an Isekai adventure, he expected a typical one. Generic. Being summoned by a cute girl, receiving a special mission to defeat a Demon Lord alongside various companions with different abilities, and then adventuring in a way he never had before—in his life in Japan.

But he didn’t imagine this.

The first thing he saw was no longer the road in front of the convenience store. No. What he saw were rabbits. Many white rabbits, red-eyed, with horns. He even thought they were giant rabbits since they were at his eye level. But he soon discovered that wasn’t exactly the case.

When he moved, he fell face-first onto the ground. He had tried to walk like a human, without realizing that he was now a quadrupedal animal.

After falling, he got up shortly after, but not with much delay—since he no longer had his usual height. It took him a few moments to understand; to realize that he was no longer human. When he tried to look at his “hands,” which were now paws, he saw dark-furred limbs. And when he found a puddle of water—indicating that it had rained recently—he saw himself in it, struggling to walk towards it.

A black rabbit.

With the typical frightening eyes, as well as a horn larger than the other rabbits’. A black-furred rabbit with the characteristic large teeth of one.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” he tried to shout, but all that came out was an irritated yet cute squeak—a rabbit’s sound. A rabbit was what he now was, so it made sense that only that would come out of his small, buck-toothed mouth. He held his head as best as he could—since his paws couldn’t reach the top—scratching rapidly where he could, having a fit of rage.

“I reincarnated as a rabbit?! A RABBIT?! Why? Why?! WHY?! DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT!”

If anyone besides the other rabbits could see him, they would have seen an adorable, dark-colored rabbit rolling on the ground in frustration—a cute tantrum, at least to someone who didn’t know what those creatures were. But only the other rabbits could witness the scene, and to them, it was just another one of their kind—a newborn—having a small outburst over something they didn’t understand, and ultimately didn’t care about.

Subaru got up from his tantrum, breathing rapidly—as a rabbit normally would. A defeated look in his small eyes: “Damn... I just wanted a normal Isekai... geez...” he complained softly to himself while tapping the ground with his “foot.” The others continued watching him.

Recovering slightly, he looked around, noticing the gazes of the other rabbits fixed on him, seeming interested in the small dark-furred figure. “Uh... hmm... Hey...?” he waved at them, greeting them. But nothing happened. The rabbits simply stood up, mirroring the gesture he had made with his paw, making him feel odd. He observed them with interest. “Can they not talk to me...?” he wondered. “Ironically, I was never really very social, was I?”

Starting to move again, now trying to get used to his quadrupedal form, he walked past the white rabbits around him, who parted to make way. He felt increasingly strange as he walked. The rabbits' eyes stayed on him as he searched for something—or someone—that might indicate a leader among the tens of thousands of rabbits surrounding him. And he kept going for a while.

“Is there none...?” he wondered as he moved past them.

Then he stopped on top of a rock, looking around. To make him even more nervous about his situation, he saw them all watching him. From the not-so-large rock, he could see how many rabbits there were—more than a thousand, more than ten thousand—forming a white sea in the middle of that land, a massive number. All those nearby were staring in his direction.

“Uh, hi?” he raised his paw to greet them again. All of them stood up as if standing at attention, like soldiers. This made him sweat slightly. “Hmmm.” Seeing this, he moved his raised paw, and all of them followed its movement with their eyes. He quickly realized something. “Hmmm. Jump...?” With this murmured command, those around him jumped, and the ones behind them followed the order with a slight delay, as they hadn’t heard Subaru’s command directly.

His small eyes widened slightly at this realization.

Then he made a gesture with his paw and said: “Circle around.” With this command, the nearby rabbits heard and began running in circles in the direction Subaru pointed—left—around the rock. The others followed their example. Anyone watching from above or from the top of a tree would see a massive whirlpool-like formation, with a small black dot in the center atop a rock.

This led him to a realization: The rabbits were following him. Even if they couldn’t respond, they heard what he said and obeyed without hesitation.

This made him curious about what else might happen.

2) [——]

Subaru learned about hunger. Not normal hunger, not extreme hunger. But infinite hunger. One so enormous that he felt like his stomach was devouring itself in a cruel attempt to fill the void. It made him tremble with pain—but also with terror...

The first time he felt such hunger, he panicked. Because of what his rabbit companions did.

They started attacking each other, devouring one another. Tearing each other apart in grotesque ways, consuming each other until there was nothing left—not even blood, which was absorbed by the creatures. Killing themselves endlessly. As they ate, he too began to eat. Desperately consuming his companions, feeding on them until he satisfied his hunger.

After eating for some time, his hunger was sated. And in horror, he saw the destruction.

But soon, that horror faded.

Subaru theorized some things about that event and confirmed others. Even though his rabbit companions obeyed him—even occasionally rubbing affectionately against him—they had no thoughts or regard for one another, seeing themselves as mere food. He was the exception, perhaps because he had consciousness. And the hunger he felt was the same hunger they experienced. That’s why they didn’t particularly care about each other—and he even felt it himself.

Suppression of emotions. Even though he didn’t understand how, after the initial horror of his first slaughter, it seemed as if he could control his emotions perfectly, enduring it. Not vomiting, not running away, not feeling guilt. As if his mind had adapted to the hunger that this creature felt, adjusting itself to bear the burden of the things he would have to endure as this small being.

But even so, he is Natsuki Subaru.

Even after transforming into a monstrous carnivorous rabbit, in his essence—whether soul, mind, or memories—he still considered himself human, the son of Naoko and Kenichi Natsuki, and he would endure and overcome this one way or another, so as not to lose the little that remained of himself. His morals and integrity.

For that, he also realized something.

When he was fed, when he was satisfied, the others seemed to be as well. They did not enter a desperate state where they would eat without concern for what—or who—they consumed. They obeyed him. So, he deduced: If he was satisfied = they were satisfied, and if they were satisfied = the rabbits remained obedient. Because of this, he began forcing himself to stay well-fed to maintain control, whether by eating grass, trees, vegetables, or even dirt if necessary. He would sustain himself to prevent them from losing control.

But sometimes, he also lost control and gave in to his hunger for flesh. In this regard, he developed a mental system to uphold his chosen morality: devouring the bloodthirsty beasts that attacked him, his companions, and innocent people, as well as devouring evil humans—criminals or monsters. This was a way to at least maintain his morals, directing his endless hunger toward those who seemed to deserve such a fate.

As he wandered through his memories, flashes of a time when he had lost control over an individual from a certain group resurfaced—someone who would later become one of his targets: Capella Emerada Lugunica, the Archbishop of Lust, who had devastated a village. But, unfortunately for her, he had been there.

He remembered little...

The destroyed village was silent for a brief moment, except for the crackling flames and the distant sound of the rabbits. Capella, still wrapped in her arrogance, forced a smile as she watched the small rodents gathering around her. Her body, covered in black scales, flickered in the firelight as she raised a claw and summoned her black flames.

[Capella: Tsk… Do you think these insignificant rats can devour me? I am Capella, the most beautiful of all! You will burn to ashes!]

She opened her mouth and spewed a jet of black fire, so hot that the very air seemed to melt around her. The flames engulfed dozens of rabbits in an instant, their white fur charring in seconds. But for every rabbit reduced to ashes, hundreds more emerged, unwavering, their red eyes gleaming with insatiable hunger.

The rabbits surged toward her like a living tide. Capella snarled, flapping her wings to try and lift off, but the first bite came fast and cruel. A rabbit leaped and tore a chunk from her leg with a single snap of its sharp teeth. Dark blood gushed, but before she could react, more rabbits pounced, sinking their fangs into her flesh.

Capella screamed in rage and desperation, trying to transform to regenerate her wounds, but the rabbits were everywhere. Their claws shredded her flesh, gnawing at her scales as if they were brittle bones. Her wings were reduced to shreds of flesh and membrane as the rabbits devoured them without hesitation.

[Capella: No… NO! I am the most beautiful! I am immortal! I—AAARGH!]

She roared, her voice wavering for the first time with true fear.

The rabbits attacked her throat, opening a massive wound as her blood gushed in torrents. Her wide eyes reflected only the small white silhouettes devouring her mercilessly. She tried to regenerate, but each new piece of flesh that emerged was immediately torn away by dozens of hungry mouths.

Capella’s scream echoed through the ruined village—a sound filled with hatred, despair, and utter disbelief. She, who saw herself as the pinnacle of existence, was now being torn apart by mere irrational beasts.

But this was no simple massacre.

It was a meticulous, sadistic process, as if each rabbit understood that her immortal flesh had to be consumed until absolutely nothing remained.

Her arms were the first to disappear, the rabbits sinking their fine, serrated teeth into her flesh, ripping entire chunks away in seconds. Bones cracked, muscles were torn, and her thick, hot blood soaked the ground. She tried to transform to regenerate the lost parts, but each attempt was brutally interrupted by the relentless onslaught of the ever-multiplying rabbits that swarmed her like a living, ravenous shroud.

Her mouth twisted in a scream of rage and terror as her leg was devoured down to the bone, leaving only the exposed tibia, which was soon chewed and crushed into pieces. Every attempt to spit insults or summon her flames was stifled as the rabbits forced themselves into her throat, shredding her vocal cords from within. Her neck grotesquely swelled before exploding in a rain of flesh and black blood, the rabbits bathing in her foul essence as they continued their orgy of destruction.

Her torso was torn apart from the inside out, the rabbits burrowing under her skin and devouring her organs before her hollow shell even hit the ground.

The horror did not end there.

Even without half her body, her consciousness persisted, witnessing her own flesh being chewed, swallowed, and digested by thousands of rabbits.

Her wide, agonized eyes were the last to be devoured, plucked from their sockets by relentless little mouths, chewed slowly as if they were a final delicacy. Her mind, once a fortress of pride and arrogance, dissolved into complete despair and horror.

And then, when nothing remained but scattered blood and broken bones, Subaru, the leader of the massacre, sank his teeth into her skull, crushing it until the last spark of Capella’s existence vanished forever.

The Great Rabbit triumphed, and the ruined village was now nothing more than an altar to the insatiable chaos of that small, black-furred beast. The arrogance of Lust had met an end far beyond pain or redemption—only absolute oblivion in the guts of her own victims.

She was the first victim he vividly remembered killing. Not that he enjoyed it, but to satiate his hunger and prevent unnecessary destruction with his more than ten thousand companions, he needed to do it. He had to accept that he would have to devour the enemies who crossed his path in order to survive in this world.

But sometimes, he felt lonely as he wandered through the world.

Even though his companions treated him well—"hugging" him, snuggling against him, sometimes forming piles with him in the center so he could rest in their soft fur, obeying his commands—he soon discovered that their thought processes were not strong enough to form words. Even though their gestures conveyed understanding, it was not enough for someone who wanted to speak and be answered.

It was lonely.

Until he found his salvation: Otto Suwen, a merchant who had been attacked by bandits whom Subaru had ordered to be devoured. It seemed like a routine event—until Subaru spoke to Otto, who, up until then, had wet himself in terror at the sight of the bandits being devoured and the prospect of being next, but then… he responded to Subaru’s words, initiating a conversation.

For the first time, he made a friend in this new world. A friend who, strangely, was treated as a Consort Queen by his companions. And so, he began to wander the world with his new companion, taking on jobs together.

Subaru, the rabbits, and Otto.

That was the beginning.

3) [——]

That was four years later. After dozens of events, such as: The Whale, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Gluttony again, Wrath, the Black Serpent, the Zombies, and the Witch in Vollachia, Subaru and his companions had gained a great positive reputation as saviors: "The Legion," as the army of the black rabbit was called.

However, over the years, he also developed other things. Among them: his Authority. The Authority of Lust, which years ago had belonged to Capella—the power to transform. Thanks to this, he was in his current state.

A Demi-Human form. Not as tall as a teenager, nor as small as a young child. But somewhere in between in both size and appearance, resembling a younger version of himself, just about to hit a growth spurt into adolescence. Black hair, with patches of fur still persisting, as well as large rabbit ears protruding from his head.

He adjusted his clothes in the mirror.

A well-kept white shirt under a sleeveless black jacket with golden buttons, featuring small rabbit symbols in the center, matching his black pants that led down to his bare feet—a choice he made after becoming unaccustomed to wearing shoes during his time as a rabbit—still keeping a small pom-pom bunny tail behind him, adding a touch of cuteness. An outfit he liked to wear for his meetings.

Despite so many threats having been eliminated, he was still working.

As he walked to the door of his room and opened it, he was met with a figure.

[Meili: Good morning, Subaru Onii-San~~~!!!]

Greeting him was a little girl, a head taller than he was, waiting for him with a small smile on her face. One of those who had been a child of Capella but now worked alongside him.

After exchanging a few words, they started walking together down the corridor.

No one would have expected something like this. A mansion. Not an immense mansion, but a large one, near a vast forest—for him, his rabbit companions, and his new group of friends/helpers/colleagues. Given to him by the kingdom as a reward for his services to everyone, both in Lugunica and beyond.

Reaching a set of double doors, they were opened from the other side by another figure. Elsa. Another of Capella’s daughters who had become his ally after he eliminated the Archbishop of Lust.

Entering the room, it resembled both an office and a throne room.

His personal desk was on an elevated platform near the windows on one wall, with the entrance door for guests at the “north” side and his own entrance on the “left” side, near his desk, which was positioned at the “south” end of the room.

He walked to his personal chair—a comfortable golden chair with dark red cushions. Beside him stood Otto, his right-hand man, his advisor, his first and best friend—and his “Consort Queen.” The gray-haired man was welcoming their guest, Kiritaka Muse, who was accompanied by Liliana, the most famous singer in Priestella.

Taking his seat, Subaru crossed his small legs. Elsa stood behind his chair, Otto to his left, and Meili to his right. The little assassin handed Subaru’s red kiseru to his left hand, while Elsa lit it shortly after, and Otto placed a small glass of drink—a drink he was likely already enjoying, as Subaru well knew—beside him. A standard, elegant procedure.

Taking a puff from his kiseru and exhaling a small cloud of purple smoke, Subaru spoke.

[Subaru: So… how can we help?]

For even now, he had work to do. Because his “Legion” would always be out in the world, devouring monsters and criminals, ensuring everyone’s safety. And he would lead them in the best way possible.

Like a sort of... Godfather.

 

 

—————

2) [——] Whenever this appears, it means the narration continues with the same character as before.

What did you think of this epilogue?

Chapter 76: Reverse Isekai IF

[Subaru: Good morning, Rem-rin~!]

[Rem: Good morning, Subaru-kun!]

That’s how the mornings of the black-haired boy began, greeting each other. A young butler with a young maid. His mornings, of course, weren’t always like this. As a young Japanese man, he lived a simple life with his parents in a traditional house.

He had been summoned to another world.

What started as a classic isekai story, where he imagined he would be an overpowered protagonist like in the stories he read, turned out to be false. He didn’t receive any special abilities or classic status bars from the usual isekai tales. Instead, he received a power that allowed him to return from death by rewinding time. And he had already been forced to use it seven times—six deaths caused by others and one by his own hand.

During this time, he had formed strong friendships and bonds with the people of the Mathers Mansion. Among them, Rem, the blue-haired Oni, who served as an exemplary maid in the mansion, handling 80% of the household chores with diligence that no one could surpass.

Subaru now served as a butler, a role he had requested as a reward after saving Emilia, the Half-Elf he met on his first day in this new fantasy world. Someone he liked very much. He had helped her in two different crises—one involving the assassin Elsa and the other the attack of the Mabeasts a little over four days ago.

It was a complicated life, but not an unwanted one for the black-haired young man. For the first time since arriving, he was finally experiencing some peace.

Working in the mansion as a butler, he diligently performed his duties alongside Rem and her twin sister, Ram, who had called him "Barusu" since the day they met. He kept company with the girl in the Magic Library, Beatrice, a spirit whose behavior he classified as a "Classic Tsundere," but whom he also found extremely cute. Then there was the mage Roswaal, about whom he had many doubts regarding his intentions. And finally, the sweet Emilia, who was always accompanied by the cat spirit, Puck.

A complicated group of companions that he had never expected to have in his entire life.

But a good one.

At the moment, he was returning from Arlam Village alongside the Oni maid. The two of them chatted along the way about the dinner they would prepare together—Subaru was still learning the trade from Rem. They also talked about the village, which Subaru had helped protect and save.

The village children, in particular, got along well with Subaru, thanks to his Radiocalisthenics exercises and the rewards he gave them for participating whenever he held them. He encouraged them to stay active for their well-being and health—values that, even as a former shut-in, he considered important, especially for the protection of their home.

[Subaru: Petra really seems to be getting the hang of Radiocalisthenics.]

[Rem: Yes. And Rem has noticed that she seems to enjoy staying very close to Subaru-kun.]

[Subaru: Hm? Really? I never noticed that before. But seriously, those brats are getting better too. Soon enough, I can see Radiocalisthenics being practiced by everyone in the world.]

Speaking with a bright smile, he proclaimed this as if he could see the future. And in that future, his beloved Radiocalisthenics was shared by all people. It might not have been something important to others, but for this black-haired young man, spreading it—along with mayonnaise—was a sacred duty passed down from his family.

A mission not truly assigned to him by his parents, but one he had taken upon himself to preserve some memories of his past life. These intentions extended to his cherished clothes in his room at the mansion—some new copies sewn by Rem so he wouldn’t always wear the same outfit—and his cellphone, a device that had lost signal since he arrived in the Kingdom of Lugunica in this fantasy land.

As they walked and approached the mansion, they neared the entrance of the grand structure. Subaru felt a bit nostalgic for his phone’s ringtone: "Yoake no Michi"—Flanders no Inu.

LALALA LALALA

ZINGEN ZINGEN KLEINE VLINDERS

LALALA LALALA

ZINGEN VLINDERS LALA

LALALA LALALA

ZINGEN ZINGEN KLEINE VLINDERS

LALALA LALALA

ZINGEN VLINDERS LALA

Even now, he felt like he could hear it, loud and clear. His ringtone.

Miruku iro no yoake

Mietekuru massuguna michi

Wasurenai yo kono michi wo

Patorasshu to aruita

Sora ni tsuzuku michi wo

Patorasshu!!

[Rem: What is that strange sound…?]

[Subaru: Hm?]

Komugibatake namiuchi

Kaze ni hikaru kazaguruma

Wasurenai yo kono michi wo

Patorasshu to aruita

Tooi to oimichi wo

Ringobatake no mukou de

Kawaii Aroa ga yonderu

Wasurenai yo kono michi wo

Patorasshu to aruita

Nagai nagai michi wo

Patorasshu!!

It was at the mansion’s entrance that he realized.

It wasn’t just in his head, in his memories. The sound of his phone’s ringtone was filling the air around him. The song was playing from inside the mansion, and as they opened the door, they heard the sound more clearly than before.

[Ram: Barusu! Your weird device suddenly started making a loud noise!]

[Beatrice: Yes, an annoying noise, I suppose.]

[Emilia: Really...? I didn’t think it was that bad.]

[Roswaal: Subaru~~kun, could you plee~ase take care of that?]

[Rem: Subaru-kun…?]

Subaru didn’t respond. In fact, he barely heard what they were saying, as his eyes were focused on the phone Ram held between her fingertips with an irritated expression.

In shock, surprised, he walked up to the pink-haired Oni, took the device, and opened it.

[MOM — Answer - Reject]

Written clearly on the screen was something he never expected to see.

His mother was calling him.

Just when he thought this new world couldn’t surprise him anymore, there was something that made his eyes widen, his mouth go dry, and his heart nearly stop.

His mother was calling him—somehow.

But while this was unknown to Subaru, to the rest of the world…

—[X]—

The Entire World was in shock.

And it was no surprise.

After all, an entire new continent had appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean—a supercontinent that, according to satellite images, seemed to be divided into four nations. That was enough to send the entire world into alarm.

Instinctively, the leaders of various nations wanted to reach this newfound land that seemed to have come straight from a fantasy world. Expeditionary forces were sent by each country, some carrying heavy weaponry.

Among them, Japan dispatched its own expedition: ten armed helicopters.

But the beginning of this event did not unfold as expected.

Over the vast ocean, the turbulent waters reflected the colossal figure of a black dragon. Along the way, they encountered her—one of the Archbishops of the Witch’s Cult, Capella Emerada Lugunica.

Not that they knew who she was or whom she was affiliated with.

All they saw was a black dragon with a grotesque smile flying between them and the new land.

[Capella: Hohoho What are these little metal insects swarming around this beautiful lady~? The Gospel was right when it said I’d find interesting and disgusting things if I followed this mysterious lake I discovered~~!]

She asked while looking around with disdain, observing the flying machines with twisted amusement. To provoke them, she launched a jet of black fire at one of the transports, which barely managed to dodge in time. However, the clear panic inside the aircraft drew a distorted laugh from her.

[Capella: What's wrong, huh?! Miserable pieces of flesh stuffed in metal are too afraid to approach this beautiful lady, Gyahahahaha~~! If you don’t come soon… this lady might just choose to end you all!]

[Pilot: Hostile target, fire!]

The pilots immediately received orders to open fire. Within seconds, tracer bullets and missiles tore through the sky, heading straight for the colossal beast. At first, Capella laughed, watching the attacks as if they were mere raindrops.

Then, the first explosions struck her body.

The impact made her scales tremble. Bullet salvos pierced her black armor, burning her flesh. Her expression of superiority wavered, her mouth twisting into a growl of irritation.

[Capella: How dare you...!?]

She roared, unleashing a sea of black flames in fury. The inferno tore through the sky like a living curse, engulfing two helicopters, which turned into fireballs before crashing into the ocean. But the Japanese forces did not hesitate. The remaining helicopters dispersed, adjusting their formations and doubling their attacks.

Missiles tore through the sky, exploding against her wings and forcing her to momentarily retreat.

Capella gritted her teeth, feeling the pain tingling through her body. For the first time, she realized these insects were more troublesome than she had expected. Her wounds began to regenerate, but rage boiled inside her.

[Capella: You... miserable rats... YOU DARE to hurt ME?! I, WHO SHOULD BE WORSHIPED?!]

She beat her wings in fury, creating a shockwave that shook the helicopters. With a movement of her claws, her wings began to transmute, growing black blades that reflected the sunlight. With a burst of speed, she shot through the sky, colliding directly with one of the helicopters and shredding it like paper. The black flames consumed the wreckage.

However, the Japanese pilots were trained to fight high-threat targets.

Another coordinated attack came from different angles, hitting Capella's side. Her roar of pain and fury reverberated, her tail whipping through the air and taking down another helicopter in retaliation.

The battle intensified. Every wound Capella suffered only fueled her growing rage. But the humans did not retreat.

Below, the ocean reflected the fires in the sky as the clash between the demonic beast and military technology grew increasingly violent.

With eyes burning with hatred, Capella lunged at another helicopter. Her claws tore through the metal fuselage, ripping pieces off as if they were mere scraps of paper.

The soldiers inside barely had time to react before the monstrous archbishop crushed them in a brutal grip. The helicopter exploded amid her furious roar.

Other helicopters tried to retreat, but the beast gave them no chance. With a powerful flap of her wings, she launched herself into the squadron, her sharp claws slicing another vehicle in half. The twisted metal spun through the air in flames before crashing into the ocean, leaving only floating wreckage behind.

The machine guns continued firing at her body, while more missiles struck her scales. Each explosion tore away chunks of her flesh, exposing gaping wounds and splattering dark blood.

But even wounded, Capella advanced, driven by her twisted pride and her desire to annihilate those who dared to defy her.

With a deafening roar, she unleashed another blast of black flames, incinerating another helicopter midair. The fire consumed the aircraft, turning it to ashes before it crashed violently into the waters below.

Now, only two helicopters remained.

The desperate pilots used their last ammunition. A rain of bullets and missiles struck Capella, piercing her wings, shredding her claws, and ripping pieces from her gleaming scales. The pain was excruciating, her body trembled, but her pride would not allow her to fall.

With a final movement, she lunged at the second-to-last helicopter, crushing it between her teeth. The metallic taste, mixed with the soldiers' blood, flooded her mouth before she spat it out like garbage.

The last helicopter tried to flee.

Capella saw it and smiled cruelly.

With a swift dive, her massive claw closed around the aircraft midair. The vehicle shuddered, its engines spun in vain, but the overwhelming strength of the archbishop was absolute. The metal groaned and twisted as the soldiers inside screamed in desperation.

Capella squeezed tighter.

In an instant, the helicopter imploded in her grip, her deadly blades piercing every inch of the vehicle until nothing remained but twisted wreckage plummeting toward the ocean.

Panting, wounded, and bloodied, Capella gazed at the sea, now littered with debris and black smoke.

[Capella: Was that it...? Ridiculous...]

She spat into the air, her breath still heavy.

Although she had won, she was far from unscathed. Her body burned with pain, and her wounds were regenerating slowly.

But for her, the final result was all that mattered.

This was the first encounter between a Sin Archbishop and the forces of Earth.

Marking the possible beginning of a greater conflict.

 

 

—————

Let’s wish our favorite character, Natsuki Subaru, a Happy Birthday! Today I’ll try to post a few chapters, but I might not be able to release all the ones I’m planning.

This IF is also my gift to: CondorKalum109 , our dear reader who has been making wonderful reaction comments since I started posting this story. It was a request from him. I hope you liked it, my friend, and I hope everyone else enjoys it too.

In this IF:

-The entire “planet” of Re:Zero has been transported to the center of the Pacific Ocean.

-Outside the continent, beings with magic can only use it at 20% efficiency, but those with Divine Protections and Authorities can still use their abilities.

-It takes place after the end of Arc 2.

-The story will focus on Subaru trying to negotiate peace between his world and the new one while also attempting to stop the Archbishops and Great Beasts roaming the Earth (The Whale in the USA, the Great Rabbit in Europe, and the Snake in South America.)

Chapter 77: Echidna IF

What if...? What if Subaru was summoned to the Tomb of the Echidna with her?

—————

 

 

[???: What an unusual situation we find ourselves in, don’t you think?]

A female figure spoke. A very beautiful woman with white hair and pale skin, wearing a black dress along with a small accessory in her hair that matched the dark color of her outfit, sat against a small wooden fence in the rural landscape.

[???: Don’t even mention it. —— But honestly? Our situation is a little better than before, from my point of view, you know?]

[???: Ho~, really? Why don’t I feel that, you know, Subaru-kun?]

[Subaru: Don’t talk about what you don’t understand, Echidna-chan.]

[Echidna: If you say so...]

The two shared a brief, amusing exchange—at least from the perspective of the white-haired woman. Echidna, the Witch of Greed, was the woman who sat calmly beside the teenager with wary eyes and strange clothes for a medieval era, like the one in this world.

But that was because he wasn’t from this place—not even close.

Natsuki Subaru was a Japanese teenager who, just a few days ago—perhaps a little over a week—had been summoned inside a tomb. The Tomb of the Witch of Greed, Echidna, who was very much alive, as anyone would notice if they saw her at that moment on the road and later got to know her—which would be a rare occurrence for anyone who hadn’t been around 400 years ago. Inside a place called: The Sanctuary.

Following the usual isekai instinct, Subaru made an unflattering comment.

[Echidna: Oh, ooh~ What a way to speak to a lady, Subaru-kun~ Not to mention, kidnapping me suddenly without prior notice, and how am I supposed to trust you after just a week together? And didn’t you tell me that I was... a Goddess who summoned you when we first met~~?]

[Subaru: Hkk—!!!]

[Echidna: What? Are you going to take back your words about me? It was such a lovely compliment, one I haven’t received in so long.]

[Subaru: Look... even though you’re as beautiful as one, you don’t seem to have the personality of a goddess...]

[Echidna: ——? How should I react to such words? I feel flattered externally, yet my inner self is being criticized. It would be like praising a beautiful chalice while saying the refined wine inside it tastes awful.]

Her words carried no clear emotion as she stared at him, as if expecting more from him—either a defense or a counterattack. As if she didn’t care which choice he made, as long as he made one.

[Subaru: —— Hm. Where should we go?]

He asked while looking at the crossroads ahead, which could lead them down different paths.

[Echidna: I don’t know. It’s been so long that I might not be able to navigate the world properly anymore. Or at least, I think I can’t. —— Maybe I know a place we could go, and MAYBE we’d be welcomed there, or we could go back to our starting point, where we know we’d be safe.]

[Subaru: I-I don’t think that’s a good idea.]

[Echidna: —— I’m not great at reading people, I admit. But your eyes don’t seem to be speaking without a solid reason behind your words.]

Crossing her arms, she accepted the boy’s response. Was it out of belief or some petty personal reason? He couldn’t say. Even with the experience he had with her, Subaru couldn’t read the Witch.

And what was his reason for fleeing the Sanctuary?

A personal reason called: Garfiel Tinzel, who ended up revealing his special ability in this new world—Return by Death. A power where he would die and be sent back to a specific point in time.

His first death happened by accident.

As mentioned, Subaru appeared in Echidna’s Tomb, where, in a rather vague manner, she explained that she couldn’t let anyone see her at that moment. It was quite suspicious, but in a situation where he needed someone to trust, he decided to establish himself as someone who could find a way to provide for her since she couldn’t leave that place. When he left the tomb, he met Garfiel, as well as the so-called Ryuzus. They got along for a while.

He told a story about how he was lost. Which was true, and that gave him a chance to better understand where he had been summoned to.

Whether through Garfiel or Echidna, he managed to progress in his learning—learning about the country he was in, Lugunica; its neighbors, Gusteko, Vollachia, and Kararagi; the most well-known legends of heroes and the greatest threats that had passed through the world or still roamed it. He learned a lot about the present with Garfiel’s group and about the past with Echidna—a good combination.

Subaru developed a routine of secretly bringing food to Echidna and keeping her company during the nights of that first week. It wasn’t so bad, despite her enigmatic and sometimes provocative way of speaking during their conversations while he learned under her guidance. It wasn’t the worst thing.

Although he did feel guilty, leaving her to live in such conditions inside the Tomb.

Then came the day. —— Or rather, the night.

He was once again sneaking food to her when he was caught by one of the Ryuzus and Garfiel on his way to the tomb. That already raised suspicions. But things got worse when they saw her at the entrance of the arena after Subaru, having been struck by Garfiel, let out a cry of pain. And things only went downhill from there!

Subaru only remembered being struck. A hard slap that sent him flying against a tree. An excruciating pain as he was impaled by a branch, which broke and caused him to fall face-first onto a rock. It was a world of pain. He heard the sounds of battle. Even though he had lost an eye and his remaining eye was clouded with blood—barely allowing him to see ahead—he saw what looked like a fight... and then saw her die in some way.

And then he woke up in the Tomb. The morning of that same day, when he had gone to sleep the previous night to keep her company. —— Which left him wide-eyed and sweating coldly from the fresh experience he had just faced.

After that, thinking it was some kind of dream or déjà vu, he tried to repeat the day.

That’s when things spiraled out of control.

Garfiel and Ryuzu became strangely aggressive toward the black-haired youth. Accusing him of carrying a strong scent of the Witch, he was imprisoned by the blonde-haired boy. Later—two days later, as he counted—he was killed by the claws of some wild beast— which he later discovered was Garfiel.

He made several attempts to find a way for both of them to survive. Many attempts, until he tried telling her about his power. —— The first time: He felt his heart being squeezed. The second time: He ignored the warning, told her anyway, and something killed her. It hurt her. And that made him kill himself—to save her from what he considered his own stupidity.

Subaru picked her up in his arms, lifted her, and ran—carrying her like a princess or a bride. Fleeing through the forest he had memorized during the weeks he spent dealing with Garfiel and Ryuzu. It took several attempts to evade Ryuzu’s clones and Garfiel’s transformed assaults.

By luck—or effort, depending on how you see it—he managed to overcome the challenge and escape.

Which led them to this moment on the road.

[Echidna: Even if it was just a small one, I’d really like a reasonable explanation for why we left behind our monotonous days in my cold, unwelcoming, and eerie tomb.]

[Subaru: As you already pointed out, that’s one of the good reasons. I didn’t like it, and I’m sure you didn’t either.]

[Echidna: Whether you like it or not, it was the best option we had in that situation, wasn’t it? Please... could you give me another reason for grabbing a maiden like me and carrying me as if I were a princess or your beloved bride in such desperation? Not that my heart didn’t race—whether from surprise or from such advances from someone like you, Subaru-kun.]

[Subaru: I don’t want you to get hurt.]

[Echidna: ——!]

A direct and brief response from the black-haired boy to the woman in the dark dress, something that seemed to truly surprise her.

Her eyes widened as her cheeks turned red.

She clearly noticed how he genuinely spoke with the intent behind his words, showing his concern. Subaru was truly worried about her safety.

Even he himself couldn’t understand it.

Maybe it was because of the time he spent trying to escape alone, and/or blaming her in some loops—since she was one of the triggers for him being attacked by Garfiel. Or maybe it was because she was one of the few who had truly treated him well since he arrived in that place, teaching him what she could in those moments. Creating a bond.

Maybe a bond he forced himself to have because she was the only friendly figure that remained—but one he wanted to keep.

And that made him genuinely care about her.

Leaving her to die? The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. Whether she was a Witch or not—something he still didn’t fully understand the weight of in this new world.

He couldn’t let her die.

[Subaru: —— My male pride wouldn’t allow me to leave a beautiful girl behind with danger right in front of her. And my heart would ache if you died.]

[Echidna: A week with me made your heart cling to me~? Really, it inflates a girl’s ego to know that her charm can do such things to men.]

[Subaru: Then I take back everything good I just said about you...]

[Echidna: Whaaat~~~? You wounded this delicate maiden’s heart, you know~~? How rude!]

Making such a remark, she puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms—something that only earned a snort from Subaru.

[Subaru: Now... we need to decide which path to take. —— What do you think?]

[Echidna: We’re in a complicated situation. —— We have three paths... The first leads to the Sanctuary, where, inexplicably, we’d be in a situation of certain death, according to what you said. The second path could lead us to potential allies—or enemies if we fail to explain certain things. And the third will take us into the unknown.]

[Subaru: —— I see. You summed it up well. The place we know isn’t safe, the one you know may have similar or worse risks, and if we follow a path with no destination in an attempt to understand things better, we might face even greater difficulties... or better luck.]

Each placed a hand on their chin—Echidna on her right, Subaru on his left—deep in thought.

[Subaru: These possible allies of yours... can you give me a brief idea of what you think of them and what you remember...?]

[Echidna: —— I have confidence in them, based on what I remember. But one of them... my former disciple... may be a bit...]

[Subaru: Intense...? —— From that look, I can already deduce that. I don’t want to deal with someone you consider intense, whether for better or worse, but the fact that you still consider him means he might be somewhat reliable, right?]

[Echidna: That, I can’t deny. And he may still be with Beatrice, the adorable little girl I’ve told you about. —— Compared to what we had before, you seem to have reduced our number of allies based on your personal experience with those in the Sanctuary. The ones we have now are those I remember.]

[Subaru: And this Roswaal guy would be the descendant of your first disciple and, by extension, your disciple as well...]

[Echidna: Yes. We can say that.]

Deliberating, they continued deciding the best path to take. Subaru was a bit nervous about the options they had.

He couldn’t tell her about his power to explain what really happened in the Sanctuary. About the deaths he suffered at the hands of Garfiel and Ryuzu. Or about the death he inflicted upon himself because of the death he caused to her.

A problem that made choosing their path even harder.

[Subaru: Damn it! Couldn’t we have a better option?]

[Echidna: We could go to the Capital. If we go there, we could have a more stable starting point than what we had at the Sanctuary. Besides, it would be a good place to gather information about the current situation. —— Don’t tell me you forgot that I have over four hundred years of experience?]

[Subaru: With a face that young... are you sure you don’t have some kind of power or divine blood keeping you looking like that?]

[Echidna: Fufufu~~ Aren’t you quite the charmer~? Such a gallant man. You could make this maiden’s heart race with such flattering compliments, you know? If that was your intention.]

[Subaru: Nhan! —— I think we should go with that plan, then. We’re aimless, uncertain whether we’ll have allies or not. The best option is to at least have a starting point. —— If we follow this path, do you think we could find a ride to the Capital?]

[Echidna: I can’t say for sure. There may have been changes I’m not aware of. But the best way would be to try following a path until we find a solution. Trying. Whether we succeed or face failure will be the consequence of moving forward and trusting in our great... or your great intuition, Subaru-kun.]

[Subaru: Why does it sound like you’re putting all the responsibility on me?]

He shot a sharp look at the white-haired woman, who responded with the small smile on her face as if to say, “You know the answer to that question.”

[Subaru: Alright. —— I took you out of the Sanctuary without explaining the reason in depth, without giving a proper solution, and even carried you against your will. So I can’t blame you for putting the responsibility for the subsequent events on me.]

[Echidna: Exactly. And I don’t plan on letting this slide.]

[Subaru: Alright! I get it, okay!? Stop with that cynical smile!]

He waved a hand, annoyed.

That earned a small snort, almost a laugh, from the white-haired witch. Not that he was actually irritated by it.

Subaru seemed to reflect more deeply.

[Subaru: Since the choice is mine, I choose to go to the Capital. Not a very solid decision, in my personal opinion, but it’s better than continuing to risk trusting people who might try to kill us with sharp claws and take your head off with a powerful bite.]

[Echidna: Pretty specific, huh? —— Since we’ll be walking, could you carry me again~~? I liked it so much~ I felt like a princess.]

[Subaru: ——Arf.]

He turned around and crouched.

[Subaru: You can get on.]

[Echidna: ——!!!]

[Subaru: You must not be feeling well after being in that tomb for so long, right? I’ll carry you as far as I can.]

Saying those words with a bit of embarrassment and without turning his face to look at her, he remained in the same position, offering to carry her again if she truly wanted to be carried.

The woman's eyes widened in surprise that the young man had actually offered such a thing, as her cheeks flushed red. With a strange throbbing in her chest. She had only wanted to tease him, but there he was, offering himself without hesitation. The young man who didn't even know her and wanted nothing from her but help.

From her point of view. She hadn't expected him to actually do that.

[Echidna: N-No, don't worry. I was just teasing you, you know, Hmpf!? Don't make it difficult.]

[Subaru: Huh?]

Pouting slightly while puffing out her cheeks, she took the lead. This only confused him more, as he thought he had a good read on the situation and what she wanted at that point.

And following that road, the journey between a young man from another world and the Witch of Greed officially began.

 

 

—————

In this IF, there have been some changes:

-Subaru was summoned to Echidna's tomb in the Shrine and thought she was a Goddess who summoned him from another world.

-There are 5 Echidnas in this IF: 1. the original one, who died; 2. the one in Omega's body (who also possesses the other Witches and can carry out the Shrine tests); 3. the one who is the Artificer Spirit; 4. the one who was Ryuzu's defective clone; and 5. the one who awoke in the tomb. The one who awoke in the tomb with Subaru's arrival, having the mentality of the Echidna from the Tea Party.

-Subaru died a total of 32 times at the shrine. 6 times were accidental due to Garfiel not controlling his strength, the other 6 times were for Garfiel's uncontrolled Tiger form (the times he caught Subaru trying to escape alone or with Echidna) and the other 19 times were for Omega (not that he knows, since he thinks Garfiel killed him every time in the escape attempts), and 1 time Subaru killed himself to go back in time and save Echidna after telling her about his power and her being killed by Envy.

-Who makes Garfiel attack Subaru is Omega when she learns that “Echidna” is alive, thinking she is somehow Sphinx.

-Echidna, as in the Original, really likes and is in love with Subaru, but doesn't understand such feelings.

-They arrived in the Capital 1 week before Emilia had her Insignia stolen and so they ended up helping her, ending up in Roswaal's Mansion as a stroke of fate.

Chapter 78: [Extra - Echidna IF]

[Echidna: This really is a place with a nice view for a... date... as you call it, right?]

[Subaru: Hm? A date? Sorry, but that’s not what I invited you for. Among my current priorities... taking you on a date wouldn't be anywhere near the top, you know?]

[Echidna: Ohww~ Do you realize how that might hurt the heart of a beautiful maiden like me? To think I was being courted, only to find out it wasn’t even considered—does your heart have no mercy~?]

[Subaru: I don’t want to hear that from you.]

Commenting while putting his arms behind his head, he kept calmly resting under the shade of the tree he was lying against, a small picnic basket beside him. Next to him, standing, was Echidna, who had made her way to the top of the hill they were on, gazing over a field full of flowers.

Saying they were doing well would be a bit of a stretch... things had been getting more complicated ever since the Sanctuary.

They went to the Capital and spent a week there, surviving as best they could and trying to gather information, until a powerful blizzard hit and killed them—it was painful. That led him to investigate what was going on. Subaru only found out later, after all the chaos with Elsa had been resolved: Puck.

The whole Elsa situation, the Bowel Hunter, was connected to Emilia—someone Echidna seemed to dislike at first sight—and Puck, who apparently already knew Echidna.

It took more than twelve loops to save her, and to stop Puck from losing control. And then things just got weirder.

As thanks for what he did to save her and recover her Insignia—which he claimed was mostly Reinhard’s doing—she brought them to her sponsor. Someone he found out was the person Echidna had mentioned: Roswaal L. Mathers. The royal court mage, with a bizarre appearance and strange speech, who—during their first interaction—cried.

Saying he cried is an understatement—he broke down in front of everyone. Subaru, Ram, Emilia, and Puck just watched as the man wept for his “Teacher,” who simply let things unfold without looking either sad or happy. She was neutral. Expressionless, while Ram looked increasingly surprised and irritated—something Subaru took special note of.

When he finally stopped his endless joyful sobbing, he turned his gaze to Subaru, who felt a strange sensation from him. Unreadable. He questioned who he was, what he was doing with his teacher, etc., etc.—things Echidna promised to explain herself. But she said words that only complicated matters:

“In a way, it was he who allowed us to meet again. He woke me up, saved me, and started taking care of me. I hope you can treat him well.”

Words he would later be grateful for, as they gave Emilia a better impression of him.

But what really mattered were Roswaal and Ram. Roswaal looked absolutely delighted, almost like he admired Subaru and was eternally thankful. While Ram shot him a cold, biting glare, as if preparing to kill him at any moment—which, as he later found out, was quite accurate.

Then they entered the mansion.

While Roswaal seemed excited to stay close to Echidna for as long as possible, Subaru noticed the woman didn’t seem to share the same interest—not that she disliked it either, which only made him more anxious about how things might unfold. He allowed himself to go with the flow only after another dozen deaths and finally finding shelter. And there, things got even weirder when a tingling sensation ran through his body.

That tingling came while he and Echidna were being guided by Ram and Rem—twin maids with different hair colors—who kept shooting irritated looks at the two guests their beloved master had told them to treat with utmost care.

But the hostility was so obvious and their cold, aggressive words so awful, Subaru didn’t even bother responding, afraid of antagonizing them too much.

Trying to at least start a stable relationship with them however he could, he asked about the mansion, the rooms, and who would be staying in each. He got short, rude answers, filled with venom from both girls. Echidna, meanwhile, looked completely indifferent.

Shortly after, following that tingling sensation, he opened a random door in the mansion and found himself in a surprising place—with a new figure inside.

[Beatrice: Subaru~! Mommy~!]

Right behind them, a small figure came running up the hill. Blonde hair in twin tails, a pink dress, and a happy smile on her face, climbing joyfully until she reached them, holding two books.

The Great Yin Spirit of the Forbidden Library, Beatrice, who had become Subaru’s contracted spirit after the events following their arrival at the mansion.

The first time he met her was when he opened that random door, guided by intuition, and saw her there, sitting on a small stool. It was a sudden encounter. And their first interaction wasn’t so bad, because soon after he entered, Echidna followed. And what happened almost mirrored the scene with Roswaal in front of the mansion.

Only this time, it was a little girl crying and calling her “mom” over and over again. A touching scene for him—even without knowing the context.

A reunion day for the woman he had rescued from the Sanctuary.

When he got his room that day, he felt a chill at how threatening Rem sounded when speaking to him. She seemed one step away from killing him without giving him a chance to explain or understand why she was doing it.

But besides that, he appreciated the comfy bed.

And the next morning, Subaru woke up to a visitor—Beatrice—asking if he wanted to make a contract with her.

“You’re the person Betty was waiting for!” were her words—still a mystery to him at the time, until he understood later.

Echidna had told him: she had made a contract to watch over the Forbidden Library until she found “That Person,” someone special.

But that was... a lie. That person wasn’t anyone specific—it would be whoever she, Beatrice, decided was “That Person” based on her own judgment. That’s what the woman in the black dress explained to Subaru during one of his loops when he asked.

That infuriated Subaru, overwhelmed as he was by everything.

To learn that Beatrice had been left alone for 400 years in a library, waiting for someone, because of a stupid contract—while Echidna seemed indifferent to the pain she caused a spirit who saw her as a mother—was too much.

Even though he wanted to free her without lying... in the end, he had to become “That Person.”

All because of... Ram and Rem.

As a reward for helping them join Echidna and for saving Emilia, Roswaal offered to grant him anything he wished. And he asked to stay on as a butler. Even though it seemed like a silly thing to ask, considering how grateful the owner of that estate was, he didn’t want to take advantage of it and become lazy at that point. He chose a job, to at least earn a salary, and start saving money in case something happened. Echidna seemed amused by his choice in that loop — as she almost always would in the next ones, regardless of what he chose as a reward for his actions.

In his first loop at the Mansion, he nearly died from a Curse, if not for Beatrice, who seemed to have expectations for an answer he didn’t yet have in that loop. But his life wasn’t truly saved, as shortly after, his head was crushed by a chain weapon — Rem’s weapon, as he would find out.

His save point? The same morning as Beatrice’s question, just minutes before she entered.

What followed were dozens of loops. Trying to figure out who was cursing him in the loops, trying not to be killed by Rem at night, and by Ram during the events of the battle in Arlam Village. The beast attacks. Many times they coldly tried to kill him, and he managed to gather enough information to understand why...

Their village had been destroyed by the Witch Cult, their people massacred to near extinction if they hadn't survived. Roswaal had rescued them, but he carried the same smell as the cultists — a terrible stench — and so they would kill him.

But Subaru could deduce something different, based on how they behaved. Their differing actions gave him a deeper understanding over the course of the loops. Rem was aggressive, definitely, and the first reason was the one she truly followed, but it was accompanied by the selfish personal desire of a second figure: Ram. Ram wasn’t only after Subaru, but also after Echidna, trying to eliminate her for a purpose he strongly believed was rooted in Roswaal and the jealousy he clearly saw in her regarding the woman’s interaction with her master.

Confirmation came in one loop. When Echidna tried to protect him — she had done this before with Rem, but this was the first time with Ram. And she did it truly out of a personal desire to rid herself of Echidna, to free him, in her eyes, from the greedy obsession that had consumed Roswaal since the day Ram met him. And even in the loops when Subaru got help from Roswaal, he still ended up killed by one of the two — always one of the two — in a single careless moment from the mage, even when encouraged by Echidna at Subaru’s request.

So after so much suffering, Subaru had to make a decision: He would no longer hold back to survive, even if it hurt his soul. But he had gone through too many loops, too much torture and death, too many months dealing with everything, being murdered by Rem and Ram just because of his scent and their personal reasons.

Accepting a contract with Beatrice, he would never forget the sweet smile and sparkling eyes she had at that moment, and he would keep his promise — that he would become better than any expectation she could ever have, burying her in such happy memories that she would never forget them, not even after centuries or millennia. That was the first step. He once again asked for a job at the mansion, and began his personal investigation to deal with the beasts that would attack Arlam Village — handling it with ease — all while Beatrice became his guardian against any evil intent the twin sisters might have.

It was a moment of relief. The people were safe, Ram and Rem were restrained and unable to attack Subaru under Beatrice’s protection, and Echidna — who was almost always being watched by Roswaal or the twins — in moments like that...

[Subaru: I'm always happy to see my lovely Beako with a smile like that~~!]

[Beatrice: Of course Beatrice is lovely, especially when she smiles, I suppose. ——. Have you come to join us too, Mother, I suppose?]

[Echidna: ——? What are you all doing here again?]

[Subaru: We're here to relax away from the Mansion and the Library. A quiet moment alone. We sit, we talk, Beako reads me her favorite books and teaches me things I don’t know, and I tell her everything I know about my world.]

Speaking with a teasing smile, he spoke while Beatrice took a place beside him.

[Echidna: Oh really? I’ve been replaced as the teacher? And my dear Beatrice is now receiving the stories you used to tell me? Oh~, how cruel of you to say that so openly in front of this fragile lady~!]

[Subaru: Want to join us?]

[Echidna: ——?]

[Subaru: You can join us. I may have accidentally made a few extra snacks in case someone — like Petra — showed up and wanted to hear some stories.]

Echidna knew exactly that he was lying, especially seeing the eager look on Beatrice’s face and the mischievous smile on Subaru’s. After all, he had left a rather vague note earlier, just saying where he’d be going that morning.

Something he had done before.

He’d lead her to a place first, then Beatrice would “show up” out of nowhere to be with her contractor, and both would “encourage” Echidna to join in on the activities prepared for “just the two of them.” Something that happened often. And she almost always joined, mostly out of interest in the knowledge he had of his homeland — something that truly sparked her curiosity.

It was his way of drawing her away from Ram and Rem, preventing her from dying at the hands of the twin Oni sisters. When Echidna realized this, she even joked with him about it, but when she seriously asked why he wanted to take care of her, he replied:

[Subaru: I guess... meeting you was the first good thing that happened to me...]

Even if he wanted to blame her for everything, even if he wanted to say that the cruel and cold world was her fault, even if he wanted to put the mask of a terrible monster on her — he couldn’t. Because even though she still spoke in riddles and did things that seemed irrational to him... she was honest, at least to a certain degree.

He could tell her things she wouldn’t question too deeply when trying to help him. He could vent and yell at her and she’d accept it — not because she expected it, but because whether he did it or not, she would be content with the result. He could even cry, and she would offer what comfort she could, in her slightly distant way. A release valve. Because even though she acted strangely, she was the only one in all the loops he could openly talk to about things that would otherwise be questioned regarding Return by Death.

And that response of his even seemed to draw a blush from the woman that time he allowed himself to be honest — something he didn’t notice, much to her relief.

Back to the present:

[Echidna: I suppose... I can't say no, unless my little Beatrice doesn’t want me to join.]

[Beatrice: Betty will always want her mother's company, I suppose!]

[Subaru: Now... it’s just up to you to decide whether you want to or not.]

[Echidna: As I said... I can’t refuse. So, I’ll stay with you both. I hope my intrusion won’t disturb the two of you.]

Sitting on the other side, Beatrice was now between the two of them, with her books, as they were about to start a small picnic with reading and knowledge sharing. Such a strange scene. Because despite the physical differences between them — black, white, and blonde hair; haunting eyes, butterfly eyes, and dark eyes —, outfits — foreign clothing, a pink dress, and a black dress —, and even ways of thinking, still, to someone watching, they might be mistaken for a small family.

 

 

—————

There were other changes:

-Subaru went through a four-day loop: He ended up dying 45 times. 8 times to Ram and 37 times to Rem, where most of the time Rem aimed not to smash his head in first to make him suffer.

-Beatrice asked Echidna if Subaru was “That Person”, but Echidna still let her decide if he was or not. Which Beatrice decided to be because she didn't want to wait any longer, as she thought that Subaru had brought her beloved mother back to her at the same time that he had saved Emilia.

-Because he had Echidna back, Roswaal stopped his plans. He no longer had plans with Puck and the Sanctuary. Since his goal was accomplished, he is only supporting Emilia as a form of retribution for her having been the one “responsible” for him meeting the one who brought his Teacher back. And he in a few loops, without Subaru knowing, purposely left Ram and Rem to kill him in order to have his Teacher all to himself again.

-Echidna knows that Subaru has an ability, an Authority, that allows him to loop, but she doesn't know the trigger yet, only theorizing that it's through death. And she really has been in all the loops trying to help him survive. Handing him the right “tools” whenever possible. Although she didn't even realize it, developing more than curiosity for him, since she can't see the loops and understand deeply and only seeing the “right loop” unfold, she began to develop affection and really fall in love with him, seeing the ways he overcame challenges using the knowledge and resources laid out in front of him.

-Although several of the deaths Subaru has suffered so far were indirectly Echidna's fault, this version never actually killed him, threatened him, tortured him or forced him into anything, accepting whatever decision he made. It even tried to save his life in some loops, and even controlled Roswaal so that he wouldn't try to kill Subaru, either directly or indirectly. Really protecting him and helping him to die less than he would if he didn't have her support, but still keeping a few secrets along the way.

-Even if unconsciously: Subaru harbors a lot of resentment and hatred towards Ram and Rem, to the point that he wouldn't use his power to save either of them. For the deaths and torture he suffered at their hands on every occasion. And for the fact that they clearly still want to kill him.

Chapter 79: [Extra 2 - Echidna IF]

[Echidna: You look tired.]

[Subaru: Well... maybe because I actually had a rough... couple of weeks?]

Sitting on a bench next to Echidna’s chair in the Forbidden Library, he was sprawled out. He had a few small cuts, but nothing serious—especially after being healed. He was catching his breath with his eyes closed while the woman continued reading her book, occasionally glancing at him.

Saying the past few weeks had been hard would be a cruel joke, especially when compared to his first week at the Mansion from his point of view. Over forty deaths, more than a hundred and twenty days trapped in four—an odd joke for a time traveler. And while he died far fewer times in the past month—only four—he had received cold treatment from the maids. He’d even endured verbal abuse and once found a needle in his food that pierced his tongue.

“Betty will finish off those idiotic maids!” Beatrice proclaimed with fury, but Subaru stopped her from retaliating. He knew that would only cause more problems.

But this time, everything had been a rush of pain, suffering, suffering, suffering, and death. So many deaths! All he could do was blame a few people: Puck and Roswaal. Two idiots who’d made a massive mess for him and Beatrice ever since the Royal Selection, for reasons Subaru couldn’t fully understand.

Well, from the beginning.

Roswaal had invited him back to the Royal Capital along with Emilia and Puck, because the Marquess had a special reward he wanted to give the black-haired boy for his services at the Mansion—for helping save the Insignia and Emilia’s life, defending Arlam Village and its property from assassins, and for bringing his teacher back to life. Even though none of those reasons were truly noble or selfless, not like the usual Isekai protagonists in those moments of hardship.

He saved Emilia to stop Puck, he saved the village to help the children and reduce the number of people trying to kill him during that first week—even while still dealing with Rem and Ram, even now.

Subaru had been taken to the Royal Capital along with Beatrice to find out what Roswaal wanted to give him as a reward. But he was worried about leaving Echidna alone with Rem and Ram, fearing they might do something bad to her. So, he asked Echidna to come with them.

[Echidna: Are you trying to take me out on some kind of date, Subaru~?]

[Subaru: Don’t tease me like that. I said I’d give Beatrice tens of thousands of good memories to make up for the four hundred years you made her stay here, so I thought a family trip would be nice, don’t you think? Besides, you’ve only gone to the village and that hill of ours, so wouldn’t you like a change of scenery?]

[Echidna: How tempting. Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. And maybe I’ll find something fun to do there, perhaps?]

He didn’t know if she had come because he convinced her or if she already wanted to go and was just teasing him. But it brought him comfort not leaving her at the mercy of Rem and Ram. Even if they might’ve been disappointed to lose the opportunity, they also seemed relieved at their temporary departure—“Please die while you’re away, Barusu.” were Ram’s parting words when they left for the Capital again. And while Subaru had grown somewhat numb to their treatment, those words still hurt deeply.

It was a relatively peaceful trip. Although, inside the carriage, there was a clear divide between who liked who, who didn’t, and who remained neutral.

Roswaal and Beatrice liked Echidna very much, Beatrice liked Subaru a lot—“Betty’s contractor” and “Betty’s Subaru” were always how she referred to him. Echidna and Subaru got along well, even if the boy didn’t fully understand the depth of their relationship. Echidna didn’t seem to like Emilia—something that had gotten worse over their time at the Mansion—and Subaru and Emilia were good friends, though Subaru didn’t like Puck, who only seemed to care for Emilia, Beatrice, and maybe Echidna. Roswaal seemed strange to Subaru, even if there was no direct hostility between them—yet.

When they arrived in the Capital, they had some free time before the Royal Candidate Meeting since they had arrived a day early. So, they decided to enjoy it. Emilia went out with Puck to explore the Capital again, somewhat excited, while Roswaal tried inviting Echidna to go out with him—only to be rejected as she instead joined Subaru and Beatrice on their outing.

It wasn’t a bad day.

They wandered through the Capital, and Subaru witnessed a woman in a red dress—who he’d later learn was Priscilla Barielle, one of the candidates—kill three bandits in an alley while he was buying some Appas for himself, Beatrice, and Echidna. At first, he thought about interfering, but in the end, he just watched, which resulted in their deaths—not that he really cared about those muggers.

Subaru decided to focus on enjoying the day.

Wandering through the Capital, buying sweets and small gifts for Beatrice, books for himself and Echidna, and a few things for himself. The Appas were just a way to eat some fruit after all the candy he bought to please his little Great Spirit. And really, aside from that incident, it wasn’t a bad day.

They actually had a good time together.

At one point, a man in a store mistook them for a small family of three. And oddly, Beatrice didn’t seem to mind them being mistaken for a family.

But after the pleasant moments came the chaos.

To start those terrible weeks: the next day, when Beatrice and Echidna were away, Roswaal began treating Subaru differently. Not in a polite manner. His tone became more aggressive, though he stayed just short of physical aggression. He mostly talked about how his ancestors had long sought what Roswaal had now achieved thanks to Subaru, and as thanks, Subaru would no longer be just a simple butler in his Mansion.

Subaru was confused at first. Until Roswaal took him and Beatrice to the Royal Candidate Meeting. There, after Emilia’s introduction, Roswaal declared that he would name Subaru a Knight under his personal recommendation as Court Mage. For Subaru’s deeds both inside and outside the Mathers estate, and for the contract he had made with Beatrice—who was revealed to everyone as a Great Spirit, the Great Spirit of Yin.

This took them by surprise, especially how he went about it: he made Puck lose control during the insults aimed at Emilia and attack Subaru as a “demonstration” of how he would react to threats. Beatrice, also stunned and feeling betrayed, protected Subaru from her older brother’s attack and was furious when Roswaal revealed he had planned this with Puck without telling her. It was his way of showcasing the power of both Puck and Beatrice—the spirits of the Candidate and her Knight.

This left them all furious, including Emilia.

But the worst part was the way the other knights looked at Subaru—not just Emilia’s rivals (except Reinhard and Al), but all the others as well.

Only later would Subaru begin to understand that feeling.

So those weeks would only continue to get worse; the relationship between Beatrice and Puck began to slightly deteriorate due to the events in the Capital, as Puck didn’t seem willing to apologize to Subaru for what he had done alongside Roswaal. But the worst part was how Emilia seemed to believe that Subaru and Beatrice knew about Roswaal’s plans, even though she didn’t actually treat them aggressively. This broke relationships even further.

As if that weren’t enough: Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti appeared to attack the Mathers Mansion — the Archbishop of Sloth, guided by his Gospel. And facing him was complicated.

Echidna, Roswaal, Puck, and Beatrice seemed to have previous relationships with Petelgeuse from when he was formerly known as “Geuse,” an Archbishop of the moderate faction of the Witch Cult. This complicated things when trying to confront him. Subaru was only able to defeat him with Beatrice’s help, in a battle that destroyed part of the forest, but only after dying a few times due to the Archbishop’s attacks, and also having to deal with the problems known as Rem and Ram.

Why were they a problem?

Rem was experiencing abnormally heightened loss of control in that situation because of the cultists — she even interfered with Subaru and Beatrice in some loops, killing him with a stealth attack or distracting him long enough for Petelgeuse to kill him with his Invisible Hands. Meanwhile, her sister was using every possible opportunity to kill him or kill Echidna, forcing him to restart in order to save her — especially in the loops where he saw Beatrice crying desperately over her mother’s death, something that hurt his soul more than any blow he’d ever received.

Guiding Emilia was also really complicated, thanks to Puck. He wouldn’t allow her to go to the front lines, and he wouldn’t help Subaru with Rem and Ram, even if it meant protecting Echidna. During that attack, Subaru only had Emilia, Beatrice, and Echidna as allies. Roswaal would only protect Echidna and let Subaru die — “You’re a knight, Subaru-kun. Shouldn’t you handle it yourself?” were his cold words, leaving Subaru to die after taking a punch from Petelgeuse that destroyed the lower right side of his body, along with a “coincidental” wind-blade slash from Ram to his upper left torso.

That forced him to go through several loops with just a trio of allies willing to help him.

But in the end, he managed to get the right loop with an extremely risky strategy: keeping Rem and Ram away, handling the cultists together with Emilia, while he brought Beatrice and Echidna — the court mage and the Witch of Greed — to fight Petelgeuse and his Fingers. A battle that finally ended in their victory, with no casualties on their side — not even among the villagers of Arlam.

But the week had to end in the worst possible way; Subaru had to take a trip to the Royal Capital as a knight, to report the defeat of the Sin Archbishop. It wasn’t a request, it was an order. Roswaal wanted to keep him away after the victory over Geuse — an excuse to have alone time with his esteemed Teacher — and left Beatrice under his protection from Rem and Ram. At least this gave him some time alone, away from the mansion’s chaos, traveling with Beatrice on a two-person journey.

He and Beatrice traveled together on a borrowed Earth Dragon.

And since Subaru’s luck is terrible, especially when he’s in a delicate situation, he soon found himself in a second battle: the White Whale. On a devastated field with an entire army massacred — which he discovered belonged to Crusch Karsten, the green-haired candidate he had met in the Capital at the candidates’ gathering — he found her corpse: only the upper right part of her body remained, with half a head, erased by the Whale’s mist. The only one left from that group was Félix, her knight.

Saying the battle was complicated would be a cruel understatement.

Beatrice did all the work, using all her power and energy to take down the enormous four-century-old creature. She killed it with a combined attack they had developed together during that one month — which had only been theoretical until that point.

A second victory over one of the legendary creatures that haunted the world.

The Earth Dragon they had received died. And by a stroke of luck, a new one appeared — whom Subaru named: Patrasche.

Taking Félix with them, Beatrice was now in a state of inactivity due to the energy spent in the effort. Petelgeuse and the Whale had been too much for someone like her, who had to spend all the energy she had stored during centuries in the library. So Subaru had to take care of a small unconscious Great Spirit and a paranoid knight...

When the attack happened.

Two Archbishops on the way to the Capital: the Archbishop of Gluttony and the Archbishop of Greed. How many times did he die? None, because all they did was attack them as a small act of revenge in the name of the Archbishop of Gluttony’s pet. Regulus ripped off Subaru’s right arm; and Lye devoured Félix’s name. But they left them alive, stating that their Gospels specifically instructed them to only destroy, not kill, the knights traveling the road to the Capital.

Still alive, injured. And if it weren’t for Félix instinctively stopping and healing Subaru’s arm wound — now lost forever — he would have died. The result allowed them to escape, dragged by the Earth Dragon, which Félix also healed after it was injured trying to help fight the duo.

When they arrived in the Capital, they were in a miserable state.

Beatrice? Unconscious.

Félix? Mentally shattered.

Subaru? Missing an arm.

But things kept getting worse and worse, because upon arriving in the Royal Capital — at least initially — they received help from someone Subaru knew: Julius Juukulius. Who saved them. Whether it was out of personal desire or because his candidate wanted a favor from Roswaal and Emilia, Subaru was deeply grateful. Especially since Julius prepared a room to accommodate him and Beatrice, where he could let his spirit rest as long as she needed. Particularly over the three days he spent in the mansion — in Julius’ perception, as it felt longer for Subaru.

The Royal Knights. He understood those looks he got that day.

Because he had been proclaimed a Knight by the Court Mage while being a mere commoner, he was already hated by the noble family Knights. And the problem came when he brought Félix with him and started taking care of him — “Who is this dressed as a knight, Subaru?” Julius had asked, surprising him.

Crusch, her soldiers, and Félix had been erased from the world’s memory.

So they started being hunted, started being killed by some of the radical knights who couldn’t accept a commoner knight walking alongside a Demi-Human who, in their eyes, was self-proclaiming as a knight — a crime in their perception. Ambushes, beatings, torture. They did everything possible before killing him, but always made sure to kill Félix in front of him first.

Something that frustrated him more and more — especially because he couldn’t defend himself properly without an arm.

Which led him to enter a state of isolation in the mansion, along with Felix. Trying to protect himself and Felix until Beatrice awakened, since he didn’t know if he could trust Julius at that moment, fearing he might also be part of it. So he had to take every possible opportunity to keep them safe inside the mansion until they recovered—eventually even managing to convince Julius to bring Commander Marcos to them so he could deliver his reports of victory against the two beings.

And when everything finally ended, he even personally managed to set up an ambush for the group of knights that were trying to kill him and Felix. Thanks to Marcos and Julius, those knights were captured and would be put on trial. The Knight of Knights himself, along with the Commander, stated they would ensure proper punishment and the expulsion of the knights who tried to kill them.

After that, he was able to return to the mansion, accompanied by a still slightly exhausted Beatrice and an extremely attached Felix—someone Subaru couldn’t abandon to die at the hands of other potential knights with intentions as bad or worse than those already captured. So he brought him along.

Roswaal didn’t seem to mind after seeing Felix’s abilities.

A powerful healer, even superior to Rem, Emilia, and Beatrice combined. Something Roswaal saw as a great asset for his camp, so he allowed him to stay. Especially since Echidna supported Subaru, which irritated Roswaal a bit when he saw the two of them getting along.

[Subaru: I don’t know about you... but I’ve never worked this hard in my life...]

[Echidna: I can imagine. But honestly, you could argue you did a really good job—eliminating an Archbishop and one of Daphne’s little pets.]

[Subaru: I don’t know who Daphne is... I just hope she doesn’t get mad...]

[Echidna: I don’t think she would. She herself says that if you want to eat, you must be ready to be eaten. Killing one of her little pets would be a natural part of life, from her perspective.]

The woman explained calmly. His left arm was hanging down, his palm slightly open. She then moved one of her hands to grab his, gently squeezing it, following a small instinct. Subaru was surprised, but he didn’t move, didn’t complain, and didn’t even open his eyes.

[Subaru: ——Why did you do that?]

[Echidna: In some places, it’s said that men feel more comfortable holding hands with beautiful girls. Or are you just too shy~? Or maybe you don’t like my touch, hmm~?]

[Subaru: ——No, it’s not that. Thank you. ——Holding your hand was one of the most comforting things I’ve felt in a long time, Echidna-chan.]

With a big smile on his face, he remained in the same position, gently returning the hand squeeze, staying like that without either of them pulling away. And seeing that, she subconsciously liked it, smiling softly.

The two stayed there.

Subaru would soon fall into a deep sleep, feeling safe with the woman’s friendly touch.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Petelguese (with indirect help from Rem and Ram getting in his way and killing him) killed Subaru more than 28 times.

-The Knights killed Subaru more than 8 times.

-As in the Original Pride Route and Promise IF (from my story): Felix is attached to Subaru after he picked him up, cared for him and protected him after he lost his memories of Crusch and was forgotten by the world. But not so deeply as to abuse him.

Chapter 80: [Epilogue - Echidna IF]

1) Echidna.

The Witch of Greed was someone who mildly enjoyed the unexpected. Watching the paths people could take, the endless possibilities of how they would react to events, while also trying to predict how they would respond and what choices they’d make in those moments. Would they follow what she thought they would do, or would they surprise her with a different decision?

She preferred the latter.

Don’t think it’s easy to understand her, but her tastes weren’t exactly complex either. She liked people's choices. The outcomes they’d get in the end, whether they liked them or not, how they'd react, the emotions—they didn’t really matter to her. As long as she could witness them. But at the same time, even though the results didn’t matter as long as she could see them unfold, she also enjoyed when people reacted differently to these options.

For the Witch of Greed, Echidna, the results were satisfying to her regardless of whether others were satisfied or not—simply because she enjoyed watching the paths they chose. It allowed her to feed her infinite greed for the possibilities they pursued.

Did she have something she didn’t like? For example, her own Tome of Wisdom. She liked acquiring knowledge, receiving it, living it, reading, listening—but not getting it directly into her head. To her, experiencing what could happen was better than living through a timeline that was already set. Because “What if...” was better than “What will be...”

[Subaru: Whoaaa! Are you the pretty goddess who summoned me?]

When she blinked inside her Tea Party, she suddenly found herself standing in her Tomb within the Sanctuary and saw someone in front of her. A teenager with black hair, unsettling eyes, weird clothes, holding a semi-transparent white bag, and staring at her with excitement. Something she hadn't expected to happen at that moment. She quickly figured out what had happened, which irritated her—because of a certain familiar figure...

Natsuki Subaru.

Someone she came to interact with inside her tomb ever since he was suddenly brought there, awakening her presence. It was strange from the beginning. The way he introduced himself to her, calling her a “goddess,” and acting completely indifferent to her status and deep knowledge, only asking for the basics. It was strange for someone like her, who had always been sought out for her extensive knowledge.

So she began teaching him what she remembered—about kingdoms, spirits, magic, and so on—going back as far as four centuries ago when she was sealed away. Meanwhile, he took care of her inside the tomb, since the Witch couldn’t leave into Sanctuary territory without risking an attack by Ryuzu and Garfiel, whom she believed would get along better with Subaru anyway.

They lived like that for about a week, until one day, suddenly, he warned her they needed to escape. A sudden plea. He grabbed her and started running, avoiding all possible opponents on the way like he had done it dozens of times before. As if he had prepared for it over days. Whether it happened within the same week they were together in the tomb, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that he was taking her out of the tomb, out of the Sanctuary—and she was free in the world again, unexpectedly.

An unexpected outcome. Especially since he couldn’t fully explain why, other than saying she would be in danger if she stayed behind.

In his words:

[Subaru: I don’t want you to get hurt.]

Simple words, with a determined look—like someone who had seen horrors he couldn’t describe to her, even if he wanted to. And even if Echidna didn’t deeply understand emotions, it became obvious that Subaru genuinely cared about her safety. It gave her a strange feeling in her chest for the first time.

And when they arrived in the Capital, Subaru acted to take care of both of them.

That continued for the single week they stayed there, until they ran into the half-elf Emilia, along with one of Echidna’s own creations—Puck—who was caught in some confusion after the girl was robbed. From that moment on, Echidna disliked Emilia—not only due to an old personal feeling, but also a new sensation when witnessing her interactions with Subaru. Especially since Subaru seemed to already know her and Puck for some strange reason, and Echidna was starting to suspect the cause.

Which was confirmed when they arrived at her student’s mansion.

Roswaal, or rather his current version, Roswaal L. Mathers, acted exactly how she expected—especially in that possessive way. She also met Beatrice again, in the library she had told her to guard, still waiting for “That Person.” Echidna wondered if Subaru was the one she had waited centuries for, and thus allowed Beatrice to keep her free will and ask Subaru herself—leaving the choice up to him.

That’s when she confirmed her theory: Subaru had an ability that let him return to specific points in time and act however he wanted. This made her even more curious and interested in him. He apparently couldn’t share what happened in those loops, but she could see the outcome in the present—acting in the best way based on the knowledge he gained during them. Subaru made a contract with Beatrice, avoided an assassin’s attack, and protected the Oni sisters’ attacks—all without causing any harm or death. Showing great mastery thanks to what he knew.

It was interesting.

Another interesting thing was how he treated her.

He saw her as a trusted ally, but not someone he would follow blindly. Someone he’d criticize if he disliked something about her—and still praise her, just to make her happy, without expecting anything in return. In a strange way, he didn’t idolize her, but treated her with respect. He also protected and cared for her, while criticizing her harshly for how she acted—her relationship with Beatrice being an example. He was making Echidna make up for the four centuries she left the girl alone in a library, not caring about her excuses. Not caring much about her vast knowledge or intelligence either.

To him, Echidna wasn’t “The Witch of Greed,” one of the ancient witches who plagued the world—she was just... Echidna. A normal, weird woman, whom he knew had a terrible side and didn’t see through admiration or love—like Roswaal or Beatrice—but still cared for her just like he did with everyone else.

It was something different. Something that gave her a comforting feeling in her chest because of how normally she could interact with someone else. Able to open up fully and without restraint. As if the image she had to maintain for others didn’t apply to him. Because Subaru had seen the depths of her blackened heart, consumed by endless greed destructive to the world—and still wanted her near him. It truly was a new, gratifying emotion that allowed her to act in different, genuine ways—something she still couldn’t manage with Roswaal or Beatrice.

And so, their lives went on.

Living day by day, growing more and more connected, discovering more about the new century she was in, and learning more about the world and the life of the boy she met at her tomb.

It wasn’t such a bad life. That boy always seemed to get involved in something big or had something new to share — information he only shared with her during the moments they spent together with Beatrice, having those mother-daughter moments — or they would simply enjoy something monotonous that he tried to turn into something fun.

The problem arose on a surprising day.

Apparently, he was in some kind of dispute with Roswaal. A dispute that extended across loops beyond what she could comprehend. What she, like many others, knew was only the successful loop from his point of view, as he had called her to that hill they went to nearly every week to talk.

[Subaru: I'm leaving.]

[Echidna: ——? Hm? That’s sudden, why is that?]

[Subaru: Roswaal. He’s quite... jealous.]

[Echidna: Expected from him, but a bit unexpected from you. Someone who faces adversity with pride, I thought you'd do something about it.]

[Subaru: I’m a knight in service of Emilia and appointed by him. He’s the Court Mage, currently the most powerful one. Even if I face him with Beatrice... there’s still Ram and Rem, who want my head as well — in the most literal and even grotesque way possible, if you ask for my personal opinion. ——Even if I somehow managed to defeat him, I’d still be hunted unless I had a really good reason beyond just a beautiful girl, don’t you think?]

[Echidna: Hoo~? Being fought over by two men like this really makes a lady’s heart flutter and feel loved. ——You said you want to leave to avoid a confrontation that would only bring negative results, whether you win or lose, so I assume Beatrice agrees and is going with you?]

[Subaru: Yes. She doesn’t fully understand what I want to do... but she understands enough to know I’m serious about my wish. I don’t even know if she’s doing it to make me happy or because she genuinely wants to leave this place. Either way, I’m grateful that she’s willing to follow my selfish desires. ——And you?]

[Echidna: ——?]

[Subaru: You can come with us if you want.]

[Echidna: Inviting a lady to run away with you again~? What a depraved man you are, Natsuki Subaru.]

[Subaru: Maybe I am. ——I’m not going to force you. If you want to stay, you can stay. I won’t bother you about it. I’d just wish for you to be happy, even if I worry about your safety, especially with those two who want you dead. And Roswaal, that intense guy... be careful.]

[Echidna: You’re already assuming I’ll stay? Didn’t even ask if I want to go. Or do you not want me to and only asked about Beatrice?]

[Subaru: I want you to come with us. ——Why? I don’t know. Maybe I really do like you. ——Even though I know you don’t fully understand people's feelings or even your own, you accept them as they are and express yourself however you want most of the time. Even if I don’t completely understand what you’re thinking or feeling, which makes things more complicated in most crises, I can still see honesty in everything you say in a strangely powerful way. ——Man, I really don’t know how to express what I feel about you. But what I do know is that I like you and I want you to come with us.]

[Echidna: ———— What a confession. ——I have infinite greed, you know?]

[Subaru: I know very well.]

[Echidna: What would you do about that?]

[Subaru: My original plan is to wander the world. Learn everything I can, meet new people, discover new things. Learn things I don’t know yet. Live away from trouble...? Hmm, I think that’d be impossible for me, you’ve noticed that, haven’t you? I know I chose this path ever since the day I got involved with you and decided to take full responsibility for keeping you alive. ——If you want to satisfy your greed, I don’t know if I could do it. I think it might be impossible to satisfy it the way you might want... or the way I imagine you might want. But I do know that if you came with us, I’d at least try to feed it a little... because I’m arrogant and greedy enough to think I could fill at least a part of your heart and stay there. ——I can’t promise a perfect life, or an easy one, nor can I promise you’ll like or dislike it, nor that in the end you’ll have made the right choice. What I can try to promise is: I’ll do my best to make everything as exciting as I can for you and Beako. And I think exploring the world would be pretty interesting, don’t you think? ——But only you can decide, only you can choose. The outcome this time depends solely on you. And I’ll be satisfied if the answer leads you to a happy life.]

A long speech, which he gave with a cheerful smile, his eyes glowing. His only arm extended, palm open, offering her the choice to go or to return and head back to the Mansion.

To choose the life she wanted to live.

Return to the Mansion? She would be with Roswaal, could have her library, live the way she used to in the past. With someone who would indulge her whims, who would follow her desires, who would follow her no matter what. Someone who, for the past few centuries, focused solely on following the orders of his Tome without ever straying from the path shown to him, as long as it led him to his desire, molding everything to go as he commanded.

Follow Subaru? That would mean following someone who, like her and her Beatrice, didn’t really know much about this world, who lived his life fighting to achieve what he wanted, pursuing his own greed without relying on orders or a book, diving into the unknown driven by his own selfishness and ambition. Believing he could shape everything around him to fulfill his vision. And up until now, he had done just that — crushing everything in his path that tried to crush him.

The choice was hers...

2) Subaru.

Saying that Subaru made an unexpected decision to flee wouldn’t be accurate, because he had always been thinking of leaving that place due to the Oni twins who wanted him as dead as Echidna. Maybe even more. At least in Rem’s case, while Ram was more specifically focused on eliminating the Witch of Greed.

Two furious demons with blood in their eyes out for them.

But then came the final nail in the coffin.

Roswaal revealed his true face. Not only did he expose how he kept swapping bodies with his descendants, but also how he waited four hundred years, using his Tome of Wisdom to guide him back to his teacher, and how he had been counting on Subaru — who ended up doing everything he wanted before he even needed to manipulate him.

And as thanks, he tried to keep Subaru close to Emilia and away from Echidna.

But every attempt, in his eyes, failed — frustrating him more and more as Subaru didn’t seem to focus on Emilia and seemed to draw Echidna’s attention to himself.

Jealousy.

It was indeed the reason why Roswaal was now seeking to kill him—not guided by the Tome of Wisdom — “Ever since my Teacher returned, it’s stopped working. It’s blank. And I thought having her with me would be enough to guide me from now on, and he must have understood that deeply before I did, for it to never work again.” — but simply driven by his own personal feelings in an unplanned way.

Not that he disliked the feeling of acting independently from the orders of something like a book, but now he would face him because of the personal feelings both of them held for the same woman he had cared about longer than Subaru. Something that would determine who had the strongest will. But Roswaal had one obvious flaw to Subaru: his arrogance in believing he could perfectly guide everything the way he wanted, whenever he wanted, without considering that others could grow beyond his manipulative point of view.

Escaping from him took longer than Subaru expected, due to the loops he endured to face him with his plans. With a five-day loop to accomplish his personal goal of leaving, now that he finally had nothing left to cling to in that place except Beatrice and Echidna — who was Roswaal's target.

However, Subaru couldn't allow himself to leave without offering her the chance to come with them. In fact, he wanted her to come.

Maybe it was the time he had spent with her through so many loops? Maybe it was a silly feeling born from the kind gestures she occasionally made? Maybe he didn’t want to separate Beatrice from Echidna until they had made up for all the time they’d been apart for centuries?

He didn’t know if it was a combination of all those things that made him fall in love with that woman.

He knew he struggled to understand others’ emotions—as well as his own—and maybe it was just a fantasy, a dream, to help her understand both.

In the end, he knew he would be satisfied with whatever outcome, as long as she was happy.

It wasn’t just empty words.

To him, who had seen everything unfold, who had known her for so long, who had opened up to her and vice versa in difficult times—Subaru would respect her wish to stay, if she wanted to, without ever bothering her again so Roswaal could have full control over her — and he’d guarantee her protection from the Onis in any way necessary, something he realized he’d never truly tried to do on his own.

But Subaru deeply hoped she would choose them.

That’s why he opened up on that hill where they used to sit together and read and share stories. He spoke his true feelings in the words he could find, expressing himself the best he could. And even after countless tortures followed by deaths: he still got incredibly nervous expressing his feelings to a girl.

The current times reflected the result of that decision...

On a lonely road, a carriage traveled. One figure guided the beasts pulling the carriage — Patrasche among them — while another sat beside him, chatting.

Flop O’Connell, a traveling merchant.

[Flop: Subaru-san, you’re really quite the travelers, huh? I never thought I’d run into people from Lugunica in Vollachia. At least not while they were traveling.]

[Subaru: Really? We've been traveling together the past few years to learn more about the world, you know? Curiosity, fun, the desire for the unknown, and adventure. Maybe one day we’ll find a true place to settle down and stay.]

[Flop: Haha~ That’s pretty interesting, Subaru-san. My sister and I love to travel too. Especially to carry out our revenge against the entire world!]

[Subaru: ——Sometimes you scare me, Flop-san. I’m pretty sure if you had enough time... you could win my heart.]

Next to the blond-haired figure was another with dark hair, the shadow of a months-old unshaven beard — something he had already planned to shave off at the next opportunity — older, with a more developed body from age. Missing an arm and wielding a whip. A small burn scar on the upper right part of his face, hidden under his hair. Subaru Natsuki.

[Subaru: If you don’t mind... I’m going to check on the others.]

[Flop: No problem, Subaru-san. I’ll keep guiding — I bet you just want to make sure your little girl and wife are okay, right?]

[Subaru: Not that I don’t trust Medium-chan, but I’m a pretty worried guy.]

No cheerful words were exchanged between them — something impossible for the merchant, as Subaru had learned. He was always too kind to others, a trait all four members of the group had noticed in just one conversation with the traveling siblings. Not that it was a bad thing.

Entering the carriage, he found a taller woman with blond hair, holding Beatrice in her lap — the spirit was extremely annoyed in her usual tsundere way about being treated like a little kid. That brought a smile to the dark-haired man’s face, who liked seeing his spirit act that way with others — like she didn’t want to, but he knew she longed for bonds beyond those she already had with the two of them.

[Medium: How’s my brother?]

[Subaru: Flop-san’s fine. Cheerful, happy as always. It’s even comforting to know someone like Flop-san exists. He’s so kind.]

[Medium: Hm?! You’re happy my brother was born?! Yes! I agree! Every time I remember he’s real, I’m so happy! I LOVE MY BROTHER!]

[Flop: I LOVE YOU TOO, SISTER!]

Their exchange made Subaru chuckle a bit, amused.

Beatrice let out a small huff.

[Beatrice: That kind of person is irritating, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Don’t say that, Beako. Did you know people like that are rare these days? I actually feel guilty for taking advantage of them. ——As promised, I’ll pay when we reach our next stop. And I’m sorry for any trouble we might be causing. But our journey... got a little longer... We needed to leave Kararagi temporarily due to a personal issue.]

[Medium: We don’t mind giving you a ride! Actually, we’re thankful for the adventures you brought us. Especially with all the difficulties the empire’s faced in recent years since that thing in the Capital...]

[Subaru: Hm. That’s why I want to repay such kindness even more.]

He turned his gaze toward a figure beside Medium.

[Subaru: Are you alright, Ferris?]

[Felix: Of course, Subaru-sama~, I’m helping Medium-chan take care of Beako-chan. Nya~]

[Beatrice: Only the contractor and Betty’s mother can call her that, I suppose!]

[Felix: She really is strict with everyone, don’t you think, Subaru-sama? Maybe we should punish her with no sweets for a week so she learns her lesson. Nya~]

The angry, disgusted glare Beatrice gave to Felix said everything: she would tear up his dress the first chance she got. That only drew a small laugh from the blond woman and a mischievous smile from the cat-boy.

[???: I don’t think she’s going to let that slide this time.]

[Subaru: Not sure. If she really does tear Ferris’s clothes, she’d only be proving his point, wouldn’t she? Would it be worth it?]

Scratching his chin lightly, he sat beside a figure who had been quiet the entire time, reading. She lowered her book, and they looked at each other sideways.

[Subaru: It’s almost boring how predictable you are when you’re bored...]

[Echidna: Are you calling me predictable? You know that's rude, right? Especially considering the deep bond we've shared over the years?]

[Subaru: You're right, you're right. I'm sorry, Echidna-chan. As your husband, I was a bit insensitive to say I’d like to see you doing reckless and different things while I handled the logical and cold ones, just for a change. ——Nyan! I think I’d be scared if you started doing too many impulsive things.]

[Echidna: Running away with you without any certainty wasn’t too impulsive of a decision?]

[Subaru: Hm? Was it? Sorry, I was arrogant and insensitive. It’s just that I thought it was so beautiful that back then, you fell in love with me for that and decided to follow me. Now you're saying you did it on impulse? Well, I’m glad to know my words moved you to act that way—it truly makes me happy, from the bottom of my heart.]

[Echidna: ——. Yes, be grateful. But I can’t deny I’m also happy about that decision and that moment. Doing something like that—leaving the known world—was quite fascinating.]

They smiled at each other as they leaned into one another. Resting while also enjoying their time together.

At the same time, his gaze lowered to their hands, instinctively intertwined, fingers wrapped together—and then, to something else on the white-haired woman’s figure: her belly.

Slightly rounded, visibly showing that she was carrying a child.

It was something that had surprised them both, but not something unwanted, as it was a possibility they had already considered before.

[Echidna: Aren’t you nervous? They say men usually get nervous at the thought of having a child. Especially when they haven’t lived their so-called “golden years,” where they chase after as many women as they can to satisfy their lust. Not that I’d enjoy seeing you after other women after everything we’ve been through.]

[Subaru: Don’t take me for a pervert! You know that someone like me—my real dream—is to start a family! To have a child that tries to surpass me, or to spoil a little girl like she’s a princess. That’s the wish of many men of culture! ——And what about you? Aren’t you nervous? They say a daughter might fight for the father’s attention just like a son would for the mother’s. Doesn’t that make you nervous?]

[Echidna: Hmmm. I think it’s going to be interesting. ——A new life. Will they have new ideas the world has never seen? Will they do things no one has ever done? What will they do in happy or sad moments? How will they face each challenge? So many questions, so many possibilities. Especially since we’ll be raising him or her… because influence can lead to great or terrible outcomes. And will having them make me see good and evil in a new light, simply because it’s about my child? ——What’s that smile for?]

[Subaru: Normally someone would be concerned that you're turning this into some kind of experiment, but... I think that’s just your way of expressing how excited you are to see what this child will become, and that you’ll love them no matter what.]

That was the conversation they had when they found out about the pregnancy, when they discovered they would become parents.

In their own ways, they were both filled with hope and expectations for the birth of their child.

 

 

—————

Fates of some characters:

- Roswaal: He went into a state of rage and sorrow when Echidna told him she would leave with Subaru. He even lashed out with the phrase, "I love Subaru," when Roswaal tried to confess his feelings to get her to stay, completely shattering what remained of his sanity and intensifying his hatred for Subaru. He also declared that Echidna was no longer the original. Currently, he is actively hunting Subaru and Echidna, though the two use Roswaal’s status against him—as a Court Mage, he cannot invade another country without sparking a war, especially since his destructive potential is immense.

- Ram and Rem: They still follow Roswaal, with the intent to eliminate his two targets. Ram clings to the hope that Roswaal can be "freed" from his obsession with Echidna. Rem, meanwhile, is driven by the anger Ram constantly expresses and feeds into her, turning Rem into an increasingly unstable ticking time bomb.

- Puck and Emilia: They returned to the Elior Forest because of Roswaal’s instability and total abandonment of everything in order to pursue Subaru and Echidna. Emilia doesn’t know what happened between them to cause such fury in Roswaal, but Puck harbors resentment toward Subaru and Echidna and declares that they ruined everything—secretly manipulating Emilia into staying in the forest forever.

- Omega and Garfiel: Omega was never able to leave the Sanctuary, as Roswaal never told her anything (believing there was nothing left in the Sanctuary since Echidna had returned to life). Garfiel continues to isolate himself from the outside world, deeply hurt by Subaru’s seemingly unjustified abandonment. As a result, the Sanctuary Trials were never completed.

- Subaru’s Deaths: Although Echidna was indirectly involved in some of his deaths, she never intentionally caused any of them, nor did she attack or encourage others to attack him. She even gave him tools to survive and several opportunities to leave freely. This places her on the same level as Emilia in terms of overall intent and support.

- Archbishops and Beasts: Even though Subaru no longer directly involves himself in the Royal Selection conflicts, he still offers support to the knights. Since their escape, every 9 to 10 months, he helps eliminate an Archbishop. He even managed to slice Regulus’ throat when given the chance—to avenge his lost arm.

- Calamity: Vollachia was struck by a great calamity, one so devastating that Lugunica sent support, including the Sword Saint and its knights. The Great Calamity was eventually averted, and Vincent survived, but the event threw the country into chaos, especially with lingering zombies and the mysterious disappearance of Sphinx.

- Subaru, Beatrice, Echidna, and Felix: The four travel the world together and have homes bought with money earned from Subaru’s inventions, hidden in isolated places in all four countries. They retreat to these homes whenever they hear that Roswaal, Rem, or Ram are nearby. They mostly live in Kararagi, where Subaru has a strong friendship with Halibel—who still doesn’t know Felix is a man and continues to flirt with him. Subaru and Echidna had a daughter: Subaru named her after the brightest star in the Horologium constellation (a Pendulum Clock). The girl would go on to possess great spiritual affinity and talent for all elements of magic, especially Yin magic like her father’s. Eventually, she would become a Witch after absorbing one of her father’s Authorities.

Chapter 81: Volcanica IF

What if...? What if Subaru was summoned as Volcanica?

—————

 

 

[Subaru: Ok... this is still weird...]

[???: Why do you say that?]

It wasn’t the first time he had noticed it at that moment. Natsuki Subaru. A regular young man from Japan, with black hair and unsettling eyes, he also wore common clothes, like his characteristic personalized training jacket.

The son of Kenichi and Naoko Natsuki, he had lived a relatively normal life. Facing the challenges of being the son of Kenichi Subaru, an extremely well-known figure in his small world—the neighborhood where he was born, grew up, and remembered so well. Living under expectations, especially his own, of becoming like that great figure who had formed in his mind—a man invincible, superior in everything he could attempt, someone perfect.

He really tried his best to meet the expectations he believed everyone had of him. The expectation of becoming like that incredible, perfect figure.

Subaru was a genius as a child.

At least, that’s how he saw himself. Confident, bordering on arrogance—if not already drowning in it—he proudly believed himself to be just like his father, whom he considered perfect. An important and imposing figure. But that only lasted a short time, as his expectations, like childish happiness, were gradually shattered as he grew up and became a teenager.

That’s why Subaru became a Hikikomori.

Unable to bear the thought of disappointing his parents by not being like his great father, and struggling to connect socially with people at his school, he gradually sank into laziness, isolating himself from the world to protect himself from the pain of feeling like a failure. And this went on for months. Until, on another night like any other, he decided to go to a convenience store—a regular night—until then... he was pulled away.

Natsuki Subaru was dragged by an invisible force that took him away to another world. It should have been a dream! But that dream quickly turned strange when he found himself at the top of a tower with nothing but his clothes, a shopping bag, his cellphone, and a necklace with a strange white crystal.

[Subaru: Volca-Chi, couldn't you give me a better hint on how to do this?]

[Volcanica: I don't know what you're talking about, Natsu-San. Despite this being your first experience performing such a thing, your abilities are truly impressive. After all, remember, you were once a being who lived on land through your feet, but now you can access a level that would require having been born to adapt to such an environment.]

[Subaru: N-N-No, d-don't praise me like that...!]

Volcanica. That was the being he met through his Crystal. Not directly, but when he spent a long time at the top of that tower, unable to leave, he heard the voice of that great being.

He was taken to an ethereal, purely white mental landscape. And there, that gigantic figure stood out.

[Volcanica: I am Volcanica, the one who has followed the contract until this moment. And I see that I was right to interfere. For I have found the new candidate for Sage of this new century, just as Flugel was in the past. ——Tell me your name this time, child.]

The figure of a Legendary Dragon: An enormous Dragon covered in shining light-blue scales that gleamed like jewels and were sharp as a sword. Thick paws equipped with black claws resembling stones. Its face had two large milky-white horns protruding from each side of its head, with a pair of golden, intelligent-looking eyes that emitted a wise and inspiring aura—bearing a white scar located directly below its jaw.

Even while crouching, Subaru could clearly see that this being stood at about 16 meters tall. Making him think: "How big would it be when standing upright?"

A majestic, powerful being. A creature whose presence alone would make anyone feel crushed, as if they couldn’t breathe without its permission—the Divine Dragon. A being that clearly stood beyond normal human comprehension, capable of crushing the small black-haired boy without trouble if it so desired.

[Subaru: What's up!]

[Volcanica: ——. What's up. All good?]

That was their first exchange. A young Japanese man raising his arm, waving casually at the great dragon, as if greeting an acquaintance he had just run into on the street. And the Dragon only gave him a meaningful look before replying in a similar tone and waving back with one of its paws.

[Subaru: More or less, you know? I was just out buying some supplies to continue my Hikikomori life and then—BAAAM!—I ended up on top of a weird tower.]

[Volcanica: The Pleiades Tower.]

[Subaru: That’s what it’s called...? ——No offense, of course. In case it’s your home.]

[Volcanica: It has been my residence for the past four centuries, young one. You do not offend me by calling it strange. To be put in this situation... again.]

Sighing, the Dragon didn’t seem truly irritated with Subaru or his comments but still appeared annoyed by something that led to this situation. And even the “again” part was lost on Subaru as he focused on the first part of the sentence.

[Subaru: Four hundred years?! Wow! You really must be some kind of Legendary Dragon or something, right?]

[Volcanica: ——. Hahahaha! I thought my appearance and presence would have made that obvious to you, New Sage. But your lighthearted and amusing comments put me in a good mood. ——Now, if you’ll allow me to ask: What is your name this time?]

[Subaru: This time...? I didn’t get that part, but... ——I’m Natsuki Subaru! Not only do I not understand anything, but I’m also completely lost and broke! Nice to meet you, Volca-Chi!]

Striking his signature pose, he flashed a wide, excited smile as he introduced himself to the great creature. Seemingly indifferent to the fact that he was striking a childish pose in front of a magnificent and powerful being that could wipe out entire kingdoms if it wanted, yet looking at him with significance in its worldly words.

[Volcanica: ——. Just like the young bearer of this new century, huh? This world is truly heading toward an unexpected conclusion... What are your plans, hmm, Flugel? For your vessel to be in this state, just like your beloved.]

[Subaru: ——?]

[Volcanica: Nothing you need to worry about for now. ——Young Natsu-San, once again, I introduce myself as Volcanica, but you may refer to me as Volca-Chi, as you did earlier. The place you were before I brought you into my mental landscape is called the Pleiades Tower. The land you now find yourself in lies within the territories of Lugunica, one of the four nations alongside: Gusteko, Kararagi, and Vollachia. And in the past, I made a pact with a young maiden in the name of the Lion King of four hundred years ago, Farsale, to protect the kingdom from any threats outside its borders.]

[Subaru: Wooaaah~~ Such a lore dump. ——You called me the new candidate for Sage, and kept saying this time. Like... have you met me before...? Because I also feel like... I’m reacting in a different way...]

If Subaru were honest, he really felt like he was talking to a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.

[Volcanica: ——Hm. I don’t feel like I know you. ——And when I refer to a Sage Candidate... it’s something related to a point concerning your abilities. ——I think I can tell you about it later, Natsu-San.]

[Subaru: I noticed you’re dodging the question, Volca-Chi, and you’ve already given me a nickname too, huh? Can’t argue with you. I was the one who did it first, in that case. ——Argh! I don’t want to think about that right now, the most important thing. Why didn’t I see you outside?]

[Volcanica: When I sensed you being summoned, my friend. I realized who was doing it and decided to interfere out of a selfish personal desire. To try to protect you, I forced a contract between us; a contract that binds our souls. ——The crystal around your neck. My consciousness is in it, as well as my full control over the corporeal form. Without it, you end up taking my form.]

[Subaru: EH?!]

Back to the present moment. That young man with black hair was now flying through the blue sky, at cloud level, passing through them.

Bluish wings on his back, like the scales on Volcanica’s body.

From what Volcanica had told him shortly after: Subaru had originally been summoned into his body as the main consciousness, but Volcanica managed to work around it by forming the contract between them. Volcanica’s consciousness was inside the crystal, allowing him to control the parts of Subaru’s body that would transform into the dragon’s while he couldn’t do it on his own.

If Subaru removed his necklace, he would fully turn into the Dragon Volcanica. Something he still couldn’t control, which is why he was learning under the wing of the ancient dragon.

[Subaru: Volca-Chi... do you plan to tell me more about what it means to be a Sage Candidate...?]

[Volcanica: Hm. Maybe? ——A friend of mine in the past once said: To keep readers hooked, some authors leave various clues about important mysteries and only explore them much later. Just to keep stretching the story.]

[Subaru: YOU’RE PULLING AN ODA ON ME, VOLCA-CHI! Don’t drag it out too much, alright?!]

[Volcanica: Hahaha! Don’t worry. You’ll learn in time, I’ll make sure of it. But until then, I’d like to prepare you properly. The best way to do that is to first teach you about the abilities you now possess, as well as the place you now find yourself in. Don’t worry. For this ancient Dragon will be your guide until you can stand on your own.]

[Subaru: ——Man, you’re really cool.]

[Volcanica: Of course I am... cool.]

Crossing his arms while flying, Subaru smiled as he heard the kind words of the Dragon speaking from the crystal. Both enjoyed the flight, happy and satisfied with the presence they shared, and later they would return to the Tower, meet Shaula, face Reid, and then set off.

An astonishing journey was about to begin.

 

 

—————

This IF was a gift for a reader of my story on Ao3: @F01. Hope you like it.

The universe of this IF is based on a personal theory I have about Re:Zero and my story Re:Consequences IF. That’s why I can’t talk much about the consequences of this IF or the theory I have about the world of Re:Zero, as I might end up giving away more spoilers from my other Spoiler. But one thing I can say is:

-Roswaal gets screwed over a lot in this IF, from start to finish.

Chapter 82: [Extra - Volcanica IF]

[Volcanica: Why do you look so irritated?]

[Subaru: YOU STILL HAVE THE AUDACITY TO ASK?!]

Shouting at the being that was only partially present in that place, the black-haired boy yelled at the figure of the Divine Dragon residing within the crystal around his neck. At that moment, Subaru was trying to relieve his stress with a good bath. The place was quite spacious, a massive bathtub that looked more like it belonged in a bathhouse. He was the only physical presence there — although Volcanica was spectrally present, wrapped in a fake towel over his shrunken body to fit in the rest of the tub, even though he wasn’t actually interacting with the water.

Naturally, a place like a castle would have a relatively large and luxurious area for its residents to bathe. After all, it was made for members of the royal family of that kingdom — members who were now dead due to a strange disease unknown to everyone who had heard about it. It was the royal family’s former bathhouse in Lugunica.

How could Subaru be bathing in a place like that when he was just a regular teenager from another world?

Well... That story was both long and simple.

After leaving the Pleiades Tower, Subaru, now accompanied by Shaula — a girl who was extremely attached to him but didn’t seem to like the Dragon — was guided by Volcanica to the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Lugunica. It was a beautiful place. They tried to act quietly, without drawing attention, until they witnessed what looked like a robbery taking place; something that caught Subaru’s attention due to a strange tingling sensation inside him.

[Volcanica: It’s the presence of a Dragon Candidate.]

That was his explanation. The Dragon Candidates: those chosen by Volcanica from among all the ladies in the kingdom who could assume the throne of Lugunica as its next ruler. The new king or queen of the entire realm — something Volcanica hadn’t explained to Subaru before, leaving him shocked to learn such a thing in such a casual way, only to get the classic “You didn’t ask” in response.

Subaru, along with Shaula, got involved in the situation, since Volcanica also seemed interested in what was going on.

Using his abilities, he tracked the source of the Dragon Candidate that Volcanica had mentioned, following her to the slums. The one he followed was a small thief who, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, had stolen the insignia of a rival candidate — coincidence? — in exchange for a few gold coins at a pawn shop. Subaru initially thought of letting things unfold on their own, until he sensed a threatening presence coming from a woman.

The presence of an assassin.

And when he added that to the noise of a commotion happening inside that place, Subaru and Shaula instinctively intervened. Crashing through the roof like protagonists making a dramatic entrance — striking poses and breaking several things in the process — they found themselves in the middle of an attempted assassination.

That woman in a black dress, Elsa, was trying to kill the old man and the young, unaware candidate, who didn’t even know she was involved until that moment. It felt like a typical Isekai scene, Subaru noticed, while Volcanica made a more amused comment.

Subaru would like to lie to anyone who asked — or even to himself — and say he handled everything perfectly. But he would be lying. Because Shaula, unable to hold back, began the fight by using her powerful Hell’s Sniper, causing massive destruction and wiping out the already-damaged pawn shop. Subaru was left speechless at the scorpion-girl’s attacks — she was clearly trying to show off.

But the real problem came when Elsa didn’t die.

Thanks to her absurd regeneration, she came back to attack them again, just when they thought it was over. And what happened? Even though Subaru managed to dodge her lethal blows, the same couldn’t be said for his necklace with the crystal, which was torn — triggering the real chaos:

Volcanica transformed into his full, enormous form in an instant.

Now imagine: A dragon over 16 meters tall suddenly appearing in the middle of the slums.

Yeah. If the light beams fired by the scorpion-girl hadn’t drawn enough attention before, that transformation certainly did. Especially since Subaru didn’t have much control and caused several accidents while trying to help — one of them being landing face-first on Elsa and smashing her into the ground. Yet somehow she still managed to escape, though she seemed visibly shaken, as if haunted by something she had experienced before.

[Subaru: Then that guy Reinhard and Emilia-san showed up... And now...? Everyone thinks I’m some sort of special servant of Volca-Chi who embodies his physical form inside the kingdom...]

[Volcanica: They’re not entirely wrong. If you’d like, I can fix that statement, since you’re actually the SPECIAL friend of this Dragon.]

[Subaru: Oh, I appreciate it. But that might just make things even more complicated for me...]

Despite his dragon friend’s kind words, the truth was that after the discovery of the last royal candidate — which was interpreted as something deliberately orchestrated by Volcanica — Subaru’s already-complicated life in this kingdom got even more complicated. He was taken to the castle and met with the Council of Elders.

They gave him a place to stay in the castle. Apparently, they believed that he was chosen by Volcanica to be the one who would decide which of the royal candidates would become the next ruler of the nation. Something he couldn’t really deny. All because...

[Subaru: Why did you have to say that?]

[Volcanica: Because you needed a place to stay, and so did I — and what’s better than a castle?]

Volcanica hadn’t told Subaru until he demonstrated it personally in front of the Elders: he could manifest that illusion in front of everyone whenever he wanted. And he did.

The Great Divine Dragon revealed himself.

Proclaiming in front of everyone in the room — including the Sword Saint himself — he named Subaru as: The Great Judge who would decide the next ruler of the kingdom based solely on his own opinion.

Something that deeply annoyed the black-haired boy, who couldn’t even object because Volcanica prevented him from doing so.

[Volcanica: Besides having a place to stay, we’ll also be in a position to witness all the important events firsthand... Though I can still learn about things even without being nearby. I’m aware of many events happening in the kingdom.]

[Subaru: ——Speaking of which... why... didn’t you help the people in the kingdom?]

[Volcanica: You mean the royal family? Well... because of my contract.]

[Subaru: Could you explain a bit more?]

[Volcanica: As I told you; I made a contract long ago with the First Dragon Lady, at the request of the first Lion King of Lugunica. I promised to protect the people of the kingdom from any external threats. But I also promised not to interfere directly with internal matters — not with the lives of the people, even the Royal Family.]

He explained this in a solemn tone, staring up at the ceiling as he spoke.

While Subaru kept staring at him with curiosity.

[Subaru: Are you sure it’s not just laziness...? Or not caring?]

[Volcanica: Ha! I’ll admit I haven’t really cared about much in a long time. I’ve become someone people from the outside might call... senile. And you became my special exception the moment you showed up.]

[Subaru: I feel really special. But why don’t you defeat those villains they mentioned? Those Archbishops?]

[Volcanica: If I fixed everything, they wouldn't grow, would they? ——. Stop, think, reflect. If I showed up to solve every tiny problem, preventing them from dealing with even the smallest hardship in their way, they would become completely dependent. Incapable of growing and evolving to become better. Even the first Lion King said something like that... ——. They have the Sword Saint, the most powerful I’ve ever seen, with over two thousand knights in total. Along with many others with great fighting abilities and powers. Each one capable of handling such threats—if they know how to use their abilities. If they have a good leader. So, no offense to the dead... If the leaders weren’t capable of handling the threats within their own kingdom to the point they believed only I could take care of everything, doesn’t that make them too dependent on someone else? Wouldn’t it be sad for me to be the only one protecting people from dangers inside and outside the country?]

As he explained, crossing his arms, he dipped his face slightly into the water while sharing his personal opinion on the matter. His tone was completely serious, with a hint of sadness—not from the losses, but more from how people seemed to think he could fix everything.

Subaru, in turn, was deep in thought about the words of the Divine Dragon. Even though he wanted to help everyone, he couldn’t deny the validity of what Volcanica said.

If Volcanica fought and eliminated all threats both inside and outside the Kingdom (with the latter not even being part of the supposed contract he sometimes mentioned), people would become overly reliant on him to the point they couldn’t manage anything on their own.

And wasn’t that what was happening?

As harsh as that thought might be, those responsible really should deal with their country’s problems the best way they could.

Even though he hadn’t seen this Reinhard’s abilities yet, if Volcanica called him the most powerful among all in four centuries, that had to mean something important.

Using Reid Astrea as a metric—someone he had met in the tower—and remembering that if it weren’t for Volcanica and his abilities, he was certain he would’ve died like a bug crushed by a meteor... The fact that Reinhard was even stronger let Subaru see that Volcanica had valid points when he said they had the means to handle things. They just didn’t know how.

[Subaru: About the royal candidates… could you tell me more about them?]

[Volcanica: Ho~ Interested in the girls you’ll be spending time with? I figured.]

[Subaru: HEY! I have a job that you shoved on me, Volca-Chi!]

[Volcanica: Hahaha~~! Alright, alright.]

Adjusting himself in the bathtub, he crossed his arms.

[Volcanica: Otome.]

[Subaru: ——?]

[Volcanica: If I had to sum up part of their personalities, I’d use the framework of those Otome games my old friend Flugel used to talk about. We’ve got: a Tsundere, a Gap Moe/Tomboy, a typical innocent girl, a cute one who doesn’t show emotion, and the classic one who keeps calling her senpai “big bro” or something like that. Priscilla Barielle, Crusch Karsten, Emilia, Anastasia Hoshin, and Felt. Each one matching those classic Otome game character types. ——. What’s that look for?]

[Subaru: The look that says: Did you really just reduce the possible rulers of this nation to basic character tropes from dating sims?]

That was a good way to describe the look he gave the astral dragon, who seemed more amused than offended by his friend’s reaction.

Subaru, in turn, wiped his face with a wet hand, trying to fight the urge to scream in frustration. He was getting tired, nearly fainting from exhaustion in the water, letting his head fall back and lying on the edge of the tub.

He kept thinking.

[Subaru: Anything else?]

[Volcanica: Priscilla, Crusch, Emilia, Anastasia, and Felt, in that order… that’s their "proportions." Priscilla has the biggest bust, thighs, and butt of the five; Crusch comes next, tying with Miss Barielle in the rear department; Emilia’s right in the middle in terms of size; Anastasia and Felt are nearly tied in the chest department, but Anastasia slightly wins in bust and has a more noticeable advantage in thighs and backside. ——. What’s that look now?]

[Subaru: The look that says: Are you really a Divine Dragon or just a pervert like Reid?]

Volcanica couldn’t hold in a little laugh at those words.

[Volcanica: I’m giving you tips, my friend. In case you want to use your role or rising popularity to try going out with one of them. When in doubt: Go for the busty one. Though… the small-chested ones have their charm too, don’t they? Smaller proportions shouldn’t be overlooked.]

[Subaru: You’re really a Perverted Dragon, Volca-Chi! QUIT IT AND TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY! OR DID YOU PICK THEM BASED ON THIS JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE A SENILE PERVERT?!]

[Volcanica: Alright, alright. If you want to know important stuff about them… ——. Oh! Candidate Emilia is backed by a guy named Roswaal L. Mathers. You’ll recognize him—he wears clown makeup, talks funny, and has a creepy “child toucher” vibe. It’s really disturbing. He wants to kill me. And he might try to kill you and Shaula too if you get in his way.]

[Subaru: Seriously?! ——. Did you say he might be a child toucher?!]

[Volcanica: HAHAHAHA!!! That’s what you focused on? HAHAHAHA! You’re really fun, Natsu-san.]

[Subaru: But this Roswaal guy...? Is he strong? Could he... kill you?]

[Volcanica: He’s not weak, I admit. He could give me a bit of a fight.]

[Subaru: You… would lose?]

[Volcanica: Nah, I’d win. No trouble. Don’t worry—Volcanica solos.]

Saying this with pride, he puffed out his chest as he leaned back on the tub’s edge, mirroring Subaru, staring at the “sky” with a smug and slightly arrogant smile from the way he spoke.

Subaru gave a small, knowing smile at the dragon’s words, not disliking how confidently he talked about his abilities to handle things. He thought Volcanica might just be a senile pervert… or a crazy one, like Shaula often pointed out.

Speaking of the scorpion girl...

Hidden somewhere in the bathroom, she watched Subaru. A perverted smile formed on her face as he stood up: his fully exposed body from head to toe was visible to the love-struck girl, who was proudly wearing only a small bikini top.

She burned the image into her memory permanently.

[Shaula: What a beautiful legendary sword… Master.]

She thought as she stared at her Master’s personal “dragon” between his legs, with blood gushing from her nose like a geyser and dripping onto her exposed body. While Volcanica sensed her presence, he did nothing—after all, he didn’t deny that he had also taken a peek at Subaru, as well as many other figures in the past, usually female.

Of the three in that place: Subaru was stuck with two childish perverts, both over four centuries old.

 

 

—————

Volcanica's personality in his Wiki description:

[Volcanica was described as a benevolent and wise entity, who defended Lugunica from many threats in the past and brought peace to the Kingdom. In complete contrast to her reputation, by the events of Arc 6, Volcanica had fallen into a dragon-shell state, operating purely on instinct. Beatrice and Eridna speculated that Volcanica in his current state exerted about 10% of his former strength, although his condition is not physical at all, but rather a “spiritual death”. The Divine Dragon has lived for so long that most things have lost their meaning, although he still feels obliged to keep the covenants he forged with the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica and Flugel respectively. Before falling into a dragon-shell state, Volcanica was referred to as cynical by Shaula . During her fight with Valgren, about four decades before the main story, it was mentioned that she felt sorry for the state the Dragon had ended up in, which implies that she had a strong sense of pride. After temporarily awakening in Arc 6, Volcanica proved to be quite fond of those with whom she formed a good relationship, such as Satella, Flugel or Farsale . Likewise, she even hesitated to hurt Satella when she started to become the notorious Witch of Envy. She also feels tremendous regret for allowing herself to falter in the past and allowing such a tremendous disaster to occur under her watch, and when remembering the disaster, Volcanica would probably become violent and agitated].

Since you don't really get much of what he was really like in the past with his friends, I decided to give him a more... personality. Relaxed, comic and slightly perverted. Since he would act like that around his friends, close companions, but he would act like the: Divine Sage Dragon in front of others to maintain his image. What do you think?

Chapter 83: [Extra 2 - Volcanica IF]

[Subaru: Urfs. What a tiring day.]

Saying that, the young man threw himself face-first onto the mattress in his room within that massive castle. It wasn’t an uncomfortable place, and the bed was the best part—thanks to the clean sheets, the soft mattress, and the incredible lighting and cool breezes coming through the window! He always managed to get a good night’s sleep in that luxurious place, even though he didn’t feel he deserved it despite the title forced upon him by Volcanica.

Today, he had attended the meeting of the Candidates to become the next leader of the nation of Lugunica.

The five candidates, along with the council members, their personal knights—Emilia being the only exception, as she was accompanied by Roswaal—and the kingdom’s knights, as well as various nobles. In a beautiful location. Subaru had received a special seat due to his particular position, placed above the others—literally, where he looked down on them from above.

At his side, projecting himself in an astral form for everyone to see, was the Dragon, who allowed Subaru to do all the speaking from the very start. Of course, he still interjected from time to time, but only when he thought something was worth saying out loud, keeping the more personal matters in mental conversations with the black-haired boy.

Something Subaru hated dealing with; talking in public, in front of a crowd, full of people who had expectations for him. But his mental conversations with Volcanica were enough to keep him calm, as they distracted him from his anxiety.

[Volcanica: Imagine them naked.]

[Subaru: SHUT UP, VOLCA-CHI!]

These were some of the exchanges that made him lose his focus and nervousness before regaining the ability to handle the situation. Then came the introductions.

Priscilla Barielle was the first one he deeply analyzed after her introduction.

She declared how she would conquer the throne.

That the world revolved around her, claiming that everything would prosper simply because she was in power. Basically, that just by being herself, the world would make everything work out—but even he knew she didn’t fully believe her own words, lacking something to support them.

Despite the arrogant words, her eloquent way of speaking and the elegance in her actions really gave off the image of a leader. Confident. That was one way to describe her, especially since she could actually rely on her achievements within her own territory. Someone who could make others follow her through sheer charisma, despite her noble rude attitude—“Big boobs...” was Volcanica’s comment the moment he saw her.

But, despite her qualities, she also displayed a very evident flaw. Arrogance. One might call it pride when she spoke of her real accomplishments, and arrogance when she said she could guide the nation however she wanted through sheer luck. It even surprised Subaru how deeply rooted it was in her mind that the world would revolve around her if she simply ordered it.

[Subaru: She has elegance, confidence, and charisma. Facts. But I fear she might become someone who can’t handle losses or even people who don’t meet her expectations...]

Next came Crusch Karsten, and he immediately found her incredibly beautiful! And her first words were very brave.

Because she declared that she would break the contract with the Kingdom’s Dragon, Volcanica.

That even drew some mental laughter from the blue-scaled dragon, who hid it in his physical form, finding it amusing.

She also showed true confidence in how she spoke. But she also conveyed something else. Composure. Someone you could really follow into battle, fight side by side with, and feel happy to die with—or for—in a war. A leader with unshakable character. And Subaru picked up on this easily from her tone, composure, and especially her firm confidence in such a bold statement—“Nice butt,” was Volcanica’s assessment.

But like Priscilla, she had a flaw. Grief. As she bitterly declared in her speech; she wanted to break the contract with Volcanica because he hadn’t done anything to help the Royal Family or the country for centuries, and that seemed valid to Subaru, who knew the truth thanks to Volcanica telling him. The problem was possibly her true motivation. Grief over the death of Fourier, the prince who was her fiancé, and that raised a red flag for Subaru about what was really driving her.

[Subaru: She really might be someone I could fight for… maybe even fall in love with… But also someone driven by the pain of her loss. And even though I’m in no position to judge, she doesn’t seem to want to talk to Volca-Chi to understand his motives, nor does she seem to remember what he’s done before. So… I think she’s being led too much by her sorrow.]

The third was Anastasia Hoshin,

who planned to make her businesses flourish across the kingdom.

He felt he was in front of someone who, despite appearances, could really walk among giants without bowing her head. On the contrary, she could walk with her head held high. Intelligent. It was a simplistic assessment, but it’s what he could extract from that woman’s image: someone smart enough to know how to run her business, how to deal with people, and analyze everything rationally. Not like a soldier, but like a merchant and company owner—which she actually was—“Small boobs, bigger butt to compensate... Perfectly balanced, as all things should be,” was Volcanica’s evaluation of her.

Yet she wasn’t free of flaws either. Greed. A capital sin that many didn’t care much about, since greed could take people very far down their paths. But it reminded him of Midas.

King Midas, who wished for the ability to turn everything he touched into gold, and used it selfishly and recklessly; objects, food, liquids. He turned everything into gold. Even people, including those he loved, and he could barely eat because all food and drink turned to gold the moment they touched him.

[Subaru: Greed can really take you far... But it can also drown you in golden illusions, leading only to pain and suffering… and that might affect others too.]

The fourth was the little girl.

She first said she didn’t want to be part of the Royal Selection and wanted to leave. Subaru and Volcanica even agreed she should be free to choose that if she truly wanted.

However, that sparked anger from Priscilla and the nobles over the blonde-haired girl’s words.

If not for Subaru’s intervention, Priscilla probably would’ve done something awful. Even Reinhard had to step in. To lighten the mood, the boy even joked about how Reinhard had done something worse: Basically kidnapping a little girl in the middle of the chaos caused by Subaru accidentally turning into a Dragon because of Elsa’s actions at the Sques House—though he was secretly talking with Volcanica to keep an eye on him, in case he really was doing something inappropriate with the candidate, which the Dragon strongly agreed with, recalling Reid Astrea and fearing Reinhard might be similar.

Then more chaos followed, leading the girl to eventually decide: to break the kingdom from the top down, wiping out the nobles and knights.

Felt, despite her statement, truly demonstrated admirable qualities — one of them being potential. Someone who wouldn’t bow her head, someone who would face problems head-on when necessary, and someone who also seemed to understand people with a level of eloquence quite impressive for her age. If Subaru were to be honest, she might already be his favorite to take the throne, given the way she interacted with others around her — “Small proportions in all three areas, but don’t be fooled… small bodies are amazing too!” That was Volcanica’s evaluation.

The problem? If he had to name one: Fury. Judging by her behavior and personal declarations — proclaiming what she did — she seemed like someone guided by an anarchist mindset, without seriously thinking about the kind of situation she might be putting people into. In a darker light, she could be plunging the country into chaos where people would merely survive, not truly live.

[Subaru: Someone who wants to tear something down out of rage, but doesn’t realize they might not know how to build something new after. It’s like tearing down the walls that protect people — even if they’re not perfect — without thinking of putting something else in place to keep helping them.]

With the last candidate, Emilia, it was a deeper case.

She had been heavily attacked for being a silver-haired half-elf by everyone around her. To the point of being threatened by nobles, with no knights stepping in to help — even one of the wise men on the council was slandering her at that moment. Volcanica even sensed a threatening presence from the Great Spirit who was with the half-elf, but it wasn’t necessary, because…

[Subaru: THAT’S ENOUGH!]

Slamming the side of his chair above everyone, the impact of his transformed fist made part of the hall tremble, silencing everyone. Not only because of the blow he had struck, but also due to the threatening aura emanating from him and from the astral presence of the dragon. The entire hall froze in place.

[Subaru: What do you think you're doing?! Do you think that just because of who you are, you can say whatever you want?! Huh?! ——. All the candidates were chosen by Volca-Chi, Volcanica, the Divine Dragon! This one! Divine Dragon! If you’ve got something to say about her being a candidate, stop glaring at her and say it to his face!]

Pointing directly at the Dragon, no one spoke when Volcanica seemed to let more of his aura leak out.

Subaru then stood up.

Calmly stepping down, one step at a time, he found himself in front of the nervous girl. Then, in a swift motion, he bowed his head and kneeled in a gesture of reverence.

[Subaru: I apologize, Emilia-San! That should never have happened.]

[Emilia: N-No——]

[Subaru: Don’t say it’s okay, Emilia-San. ——Do you realize how shameful this is?! The nobles, the knights — how each person is supposed to reflect the image of their leaders and their kingdom — and what are you reflecting right now, huh?!]

Shouting, he kept addressing everyone in the room.

With clear anger in his eyes. Strongly despising any reason — be it simple or complex — for hating Emilia just because of her resemblance to someone from the past. He knew. But unlike his father, who placed high hopes on him, these people placed negative expectations on the shoulders of a girl who seemingly had nothing to do with the so-called Witch of Envy.

That made him want to act.

[Subaru: What do you think, Volca-Chi?]

[Volcanica: Though I made my choices in a state that was… quite incapacitated in ways you all wouldn’t understand... I will not allow my decision to be questioned like this! She was chosen. As a chosen one, she can decide whether she wants to participate or not, but it must be of her own will. Or if Natsu-San decides she’s unfit. Anyone who wants to question me, attack her, or slander this girl... step forward.]

Declaring with the tone that truly reminded everyone of a Divine Dragon — especially after Subaru’s challenge — no one dared say anything else. They accepted it out of the fear they felt toward such a powerful figure.

They waited a bit longer, then proceeded with Emilia’s turn to present her motivations. Her desire to create a nation free of prejudice against Demi-Humans. Compared to the other objectives, hers seemed morally better than those of the other royal candidates.

Emilia truly had a good, kind aura. Gentle. Not only in the goal she proclaimed, but she also genuinely seemed to be that kind of person toward everyone. An admirable quality that many leaders forget, or never learn over time. Something Subaru truly liked about her — “Breasts, thighs, butt. Not above average, nor below... Truly balanced, not overemphasizing one point over another.” That was Volcanica’s evaluation.

But even she had a flaw, as Subaru had noticed earlier: Naivety. You could be a kind leader, but you couldn’t be naive — because a naive leader might lead those they guide to death. It was like being the leader of sheep; you had to guide them, watch over them, and protect them — especially from wolves disguised in sheep’s clothing.

[Subaru: Kindness… I’d like to say it should be enough… But at the end of the day, in a world like this, believing everything can be solved through good intentions alone is a flawed path, even if it’s a sad truth. Because you might end up wasting your life by believing only in good things without any bad consequences…]

[Volcanica: You don’t have much moral ground to say that, do you, my friend?]

[Subaru: No, I don’t.]

 

He had been sitting on the mattress, and then flopped onto it again to lie down as the dragon — now appearing in his room in a much smaller projection than usual — spoke in front of him. The two stared at each other for a moment. Subaru lying on the bed, looking into the dragon’s eyes as the dragon lay beside him.

[Subaru: What…?]

[Volcanica: Like… what did you think of the candidates?]

[Subaru: Hmm. If we evaluate who would be the best ruler based on capability... Crusch-San seems like a military leader with more experience than the others. Not far behind her in terms of leadership and administration, I’d rank Anastasia-San and Priscilla-San as equals. From what I’ve heard about them in my personal research, and based on our first interaction, they truly seem to know how to handle people — what they want and what they need — which is essential for a leader. And I can tell that when it’s time to make decisions, they won’t hesitate. Which is important when you’re responsible not just for yourself, but for the good of everyone under your command. ——. Although I’m fond of Felt-San’s energy and Emilia-San’s kindness, they both seem immature in opposite ways, even though they appear to have faced hardship. The real issue is their lack of experience with territorial administration — something that Crusch-San, Anastasia-San, and Priscilla-San have. And that’s crucial when choosing a leader of an entire nation who must manage hundreds of millions of people, both inside and outside the country. ——. If I had to give my opinion in the most neutral way possible, my ranking would be: Crusch and Anastasia tied at the top, Priscilla not far behind, then Felt, and finally Emilia — based on the skills I've researched and my personal evaluation after meeting them.]

Telling everything he had to share based on the task he was being forced to do, Subaru spoke part of it with a hand on his chin, pausing now and then to catch his breath and then resume the thread of what he was talking about.

He kept a professional mindset the whole time he spoke.

When he looked at Volcanica, he saw him with a bored expression. He didn’t seem truly interested in what Subaru was saying.

[Volcanica: I was asking what you thought of them. Did you like any of them outside the professional context? I thought I made that clear in my question, because I figured seeing them in person would spark your interest… especially given how varied the choices were, don’t you think? Big breasts, no breasts, medium breasts. Didn’t you think of any of that?]

[Subaru: ——. Am I the only one taking this job seriously?]

[Volcanica: I am. You’re still a virgin, so I’m taking my job seriously as your friend trying to find you a partner——]

[Subaru: STOP! Seriously, stop!]

Covering his face with both hands, frustrated. He yelled in exasperation, effectively silencing the dragon.

[Subaru: First I suddenly appear on top of a tower…! You tell me a few things, then stop explaining anything! YOU MAKE ME COME ALL THE WAY HERE! You throw me into the middle of a high-stakes political game of an entire kingdom, and then just...! Start talking nonsense about breast sizes! SHOULDN’T YOU BE TAKING THIS MORE SERIOUSLY!? YOU’RE A DAMN DIVINE DRAGON, FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING SACRED TO YOU GUYS!]

[Volcanica: ——. You’re really stressed out, huh? At times like these… Reid, Hoshin, and I would go get a good drink, they’d chase after some women… Reid would probably get a few, and Hoshin would pass out drunk somewhere... ——. How about it, huh? Go to a nice bar, eat a bit, meet a pretty girl with a nice butt and——]

[Subaru: STILL ON THAT?! URGH! —— That Reid guy sounded like a pervert too...! Seriously! YOU GUYS ARE LEGENDS, HEROIC FIGURES, HUH?! THAT FLUGEL GUY, WAS HE A PERVERT JUST LIKE YOU TWO?!]

[Volcanica: No, actually... He was the opposite.]

The dragon’s words silenced the boy, especially because of the tender smile and reverent tone in which he calmly responded.

[Volcanica: Flugel was... the one who held everything together. While we could act freely, happily, talking, drinking, and having fun... he was almost always dealing with everything on his own and making sure we could keep living our carefree, lazy lives. ——. It saddens me to think that if not for him, we wouldn’t be legends, you know?]

Crossing his arms, he wore a more solemn, nostalgic, and thoughtful expression. A look that reflected on what he considered the best days of his life, which may have been centuries ago, but still meant as much to him as the days he was living now — if not more. The kind of look you'd see in an old man reminiscing about his best days.

[Volcanica: Reid? He was a guy who wandered around; drinking, fighting, sleeping with women. No purpose beyond satisfying his insatiable lust. Only thinking about who he’d kill next and what woman he’d sleep with after drowning in alcohol. It was Flugel who met him, who treated him as more than just a sword and a bottle, but as a comrade. And now? The Astrea family is a house of heroes, when they could’ve been known as drunk brawlers who attacked anyone for cheap thrills. ——. Hoshin? He was also a heavy drinker, very unlucky, could barely stay in one place. But he had immense potential in his creativity. Flugel saw that, shared his ideas, and let Hoshin mold them into today’s world, even helping that greedy Witch to found the city-states and everything in Kararagi. From a sad man with nowhere to go, to a historical figure who ushered in a new Era. ——. And me? I lived not caring about anything after losing important people in the past... But he showed me it wasn’t the end, that not all was lost. He showed this Dragon that life was worth living, not just existing out of laziness to end it myself. ——. Kind, compassionate, hardworking, honest, fun. A friend who saw the worst in all of us, but also the potential to be better, and led us to become the people we are known as today. ——. You remind me of him, deeply. To a degree you have no idea.]

Subaru didn’t know how to react to such revelations. Especially the last one, where the Dragon looked at the young boy as if he were seeing his cherished old friend again.

[Volcanica: I think that’s why I wanted you to relax more, to think more with your lower head than your upper one... Because all of us back then wished Flugel would do the same. We wanted him to be more prideful, more angry, more lazy, more greedy, more gluttonous, more lustful, more envious. ——. We were never legends until he made us legends. Just a dumb swordsman, a drunken loser, and a lazy dragon who didn’t care about the world. ——. He was the kind of person who would forgive you even if you hurt, tortured, or even killed him. He would fight to find a way to forgive you, a way to reach out to help anyone who needed it, would fight entire wars for them. The kind of person so purely altruistic and kind... he wouldn’t accept any reward even if he deserved it. And that irritated a special friend of ours at the time… Even if she didn’t like how we tried, she still appreciated that we never gave up trying to make him see how important he really was to all of us… and it hurts me to think that his name today isn’t even a fifth as well-known as ours, even though he did so much to make us into the grand figures people admire…]

As he continued speaking, he grew more and more emotional. He let go of the perverted persona, dropped the playful and childish side, and didn’t make a single joke as he described someone he clearly loved deeply. Even now, Subaru couldn’t bring himself to look away, nor interrupt him, and stared like a grandson watching his grandfather share precious memories.

It truly felt like that in that room.

The figure of a legendary dragon, at the height of wisdom, speaking with the kind of reverence and respect that shouldn’t ever be profaned, told him how pathetic he truly felt compared to the human who changed his life. A thought that would seem ridiculous to most, as Volcanica was adored — but he openly admitted how much he admired that man.

[Volcanica: So, don’t be afraid, okay? I won’t hate you for whatever choices you make. If you want to follow a good path, that’s fine. And if you fall into evil, you could wound my soul, and I’d still forgive you. Because... I want you to live the happy life my friend deserved to live after trying so hard for this world and the selfish people who drowned him in pain. ——. And if you ever need me, to talk, to vent your anger, to ask for help… Do it. Because this Dragon is here for you.]

He said it with warmth and a lively gaze, regaining a bit of that playful energy — but without losing the respectful and reverent tone that filled the moment as he opened his heart.

Something that eased Subaru’s mind, for some reason. It even made him happy, seeing the admiration this being seemed to have for that person—Flugel—of whom he only knew one relevant thing: he had been part of that extremely famous group and had left Shaula alone in the tower for four centuries — “There’s a story behind that. A long, important story, forgotten by many. But I assure you… If Flugel had known what he would end up doing to the poor child, he would’ve begged me to burn him alive without hesitation, and he would’ve accepted the pain of that burn as a small punishment compared to any suffering he caused her.” That’s what Volcanica said in a tone almost similar to that one.

[Subaru: Sorry. ——. I think I got really stressed and took it out on you.]

[Volcanica: No problem, my friend. If you need to let your frustrations out… go ahead. I’ll listen.]

Holding onto that moment, both smiled at each other.

[Volcanica: So, what did you think of the candidates' companions?]

[Subaru: Hmmm. Reinhard… he’s very different from Reid, but I’m still worried about him kidnapping Felt. We should talk to him, don’t you think?]

[Volcanica: Reid wouldn’t even accept him as a descendant until he lost his virginity, you know?]

[Subaru: What kind of requirement is that for accepting a descendant?!]

Exclaiming, he huffed in frustration.

[Volcanica: I liked that Felix. Femboy, half-cat. If he were a hot girl… No, a hot boy-cat is fine too. Arf, if only I were human! Or could take that form!]

[Subaru: …Okay.]

[Volcanica: You’ve got a weird look on your face, but I don’t care if you judge me. Volcanica doesn’t live off women alone!]

Declaring with pride, he seemed to rise up high enough to hit the ceiling.

Subaru continued to stare with that strange expression.

[Subaru: Julius… I don’t know. He didn’t seem that bad, except for what he said to Al… that really pissed me off.]

[Volcanica: Who’s Julius?]

[Subaru: Anastasia’s knight… The one with the title “Knight of Knights”… The one with purple hair! ——. Do you seriously not remember him even though we met him just recently?!]

[Volcanica: ——. Who’s Julius?]

At that point, Subaru realized there was no use trying to remind him who Julius was. And that this wasn’t a joke. Volcanica had really forgotten about the purple-haired knight—not because of magic, but simply because he left no impression whatsoever.

[Subaru: And Al… we’re from the same world, and I realized it just by looking at the guy… I don’t know how, but… I felt it.]

[Volcanica: Like a “Bro” energy, like Flugel used to say?]

Subaru had to nod, thinking that must be it.

When he locked eyes with Al—Aldebaran—even though the guy was wearing a mask, he felt it. A “Bro” connection between them, almost like love at first sight, except it bonded them through the shared fact that they were from the same world. It almost made them walk up to each other and do a super high-five.

Volcanica, on the other hand, didn’t really care. He just liked the helmet.

[Subaru: And Roswaal… He seems like a weirdo, but strong. And I’m afraid that… I hope I’m wrong, but his appearance…]

[Volcanica: Looks like a child groper, doesn’t it?]

[Subaru: YES! He looks like a damn child groper! With that clown makeup, those eyes, that way of talking! Seriously?! The guy couldn’t look more suspicious if he tried! ——. I pray that he never gets close to a park full of kids or stays alone in a room with them! I pray they’re kept far away from him! In Volcanica’s name, please!]

[Volcanica: In my name, I’d give full permission to beat the crap out of that nutcase if that ever happened. ——. It was just pathetic how he tried to kill us, don’t you think?]

Yeah, Roswaal did suddenly try to attack them not too long ago. Actually: Less than an hour and a half ago. The “battle” was more like… Roswaal tried to attack them with everything he had right from the start, it didn’t work, they punched him in the face and knocked him out, then just went back to the room.

In short: It had been a very long and stressful day for both of them—more for Subaru than for Volcanica.

They were now laying back and relaxing, though “laying” was a stretch since Volcanica didn’t have a physical form, only existing in space like a hologram—sometimes able to interact with the physical world and sometimes not. It was something some people might find interesting, but not Subaru, who didn’t find their conversations as fascinating as some might expect.

They were side by side.

Volcanica turned, facing him with a playful smile.

[Volcanica: What’s your type? ——. I’m being serious, no jokes, and I want a direct answer. Focused, please. Since we’ve shared such special moments together so far, friend. And I don’t mean your type of girl. I’m talking about something more on the perverted side. Your… particular fetish. Tell me.]

[Subaru: ——. You’re gonna laugh.]

[Volcanica: C’mon, tell me. What’s your type, huh?]

Subaru blushed hard, pouting a little, before finally answering.

[Subaru: Virgins…]

[Volcanica: —? Virgins?]

[Subaru: I don’t care about breast size, thighs, or butt… I-I just want to know that I shared my first time with someone who did the same. L-Like… going through it… together. Sharing every special moment… from beginning to end… I-I prefer that kind of girl.]

Revealing that with a red face, he was being completely honest—and it was obvious to anyone looking at him. This boy was dead serious about his preferences. Virgins were his type.

[Volcanica: Heh! And since when is that something to be ashamed of, my friend? Honestly… It’d be great if more people shared that kind of thinking.]

Saying this, he also spoke with honesty.

That eased the boy’s heart even more as he began to rest.

[Shaula: MASTER, I’M A VIRGIN!]

From the wardrobe, the scorpion-girl jumped out—almost ready to rip her clothes off and have both of them lose their virginity together.

Volcanica, meanwhile, just laughed, having expected something like that.

 

 

—————

I decided to add a bit more lore I wanted to include in my story "Consequences IF." Especially if Subaru and Flugel really are the same person; I like the idea that he was the one who made Reid, Hoshin, and Volcanica into legends—and was planning to do the same for Satella and the other Witches—because he’s as kind as Subaru is to those around him. That would explain why Subaru is so benevolent: it’s part of his nature, inherited from Flugel.

What did you think of the chapter? I hope I managed to develop it well and not make it too OOC.

And from what I remember, I don't know if it's true, but I think the author said that: Subaru really has a preference for virgins (besides already liking silver-haired girls before receiving the Isekai).

Chapter 84: [Extra 3 - Volcanica IF]

[Schult: Here’s your tea, Subaru-sama.]

[Subaru: Thank you, Schult-chan. That’s very kind of you.]

He thanked the child who handed him a gently steaming cup of tea, from which he quickly took a small sip. Not that he actually liked tea. For the black-haired boy, tea was just hot water with plants — neither good nor bad — and he couldn’t tell the difference between the so-called “different” types of tea. While many people in this world seemed to enjoy it.

Subaru was currently watching the third, and main, figure in the room take a sip of the tea served by the little boy: Priscilla Barielle, whom the young butler served both in this mansion — the one in the Royal Capital — and outside, throughout her territories.

His eyes were on her. With her legs crossed, a relaxed and confident expression on her face, she was the very image of beauty — like a true baroness or a leader. She took her sip and then lowered the cup, still holding it by the handle, and stared at him with her critical and analytical eyes — the kind that could make many feel nervous just by being targeted by them. Even Subaru might’ve felt that way in the past, if it weren’t for the situations he had been through long enough to handle such pressure and stay focused.

[Subaru: Once again, thank you for receiving me. I’ll do my best to ensure this isn’t a waste of time.]

[Priscilla: I sincerely hope so. You met with the others who believe they can usurp my throne before coming to me. I’d like to hear your thought process, Evaluator.]

[Subaru: Hm. So you already know...? Yeah, I should’ve figured. Since I arranged this meeting to reveal some things about the other candidates. —— I’ve been warning them about a possible attack from the Witch Cult and the appearance site of the White Whale.]

He revealed that directly after setting his tea cup down on the table and crossing his arms, gazing at her with a hint of anticipation. Priscilla remained in the same posture, with a small smile.

[Priscilla: So you’re giving the same information to everyone?]

[Subaru: No. I told Crusch-san about the Witch Cult attack, informed Emilia-san about the location and time of the White Whale’s appearance, told Anastasia-san about both situations and how the others are handling them, and asked Felt-san to have Reinhard ready to support Crusch’s camp in the Whale hunt.]

[Priscilla: —— Hmm. Interesting. You warned Karsten about something unrelated to her… and did the same with the half-devil, am I wrong?]

[Subaru: Like Anastasia-san, you understand perfectly.]

The fact that the Witch Cult was targeting Emilia had become clear to the other royal candidates.

Satella, the Witch of Envy, had caused the destruction of half the world in the past. She was a half-elf with silver hair, said to look exactly like Emilia — or rather, Emilia looked like her. And the Witch Cult was a group of fanatics who worshipped her, leaving destruction and death in their wake across every country.

And now, they were targeting the one who looked just like her.

[Priscilla: How did you obtain this information?]

[Subaru: Hmmm. It was teamwork — between me and Volca-chi. Even though he’s connected to me, he still has knowledge of many things in this country, especially concerning the Beasts that plague it, as well as the Archbishops. And I have a... special ability that lets me investigate situations before they actually happen.]

[Priscilla: —— So, the Divine Dragon granted you the knowledge you needed. Now, in your choice to share this with everyone, were you planning to give us all equal chances? Or are you planning to favor some over others with unequal support?]

[Subaru: ———— Priscilla-san, if Emilia-san came to you and asked for your help to protect her territory purely out of the goodness of your heart, would you accept?]

[Priscilla: No. If the half-devil had nothing to offer me and still expected my support to solve problems caused by her own incompetence... I’d kick her out without her own head. For the audacity and greed.]

Responding in a tone of indifference to Subaru’s question, he could also sense her anger just from imagining such a scene, making him maintain his expression — though his eyes gleamed as if to say, “I knew it.”

As if confirming a theory he had been forming.

[Subaru: Explanation. —— Crusch-san already planned to hunt the White Whale and was preparing for it. All she needed was the precise location to know how to defend against it; And Emilia-san didn’t know, nor did her sponsor, as far as I know, that the Cult — including a Sin Archbishop — was planning an attack on the Mathers Margrave’s territory. Where she’d have no defenses except herself and the Mage, who might not even be there for some unknown reason. —— Both are facing extremely difficult, nearly impossible challenges if they don’t get support.]

[Priscilla: So, did you make sure they got it?]

[Subaru: Obviously, as you’ve likely guessed. —— I scheduled a meeting with each of them. For Crusch-san, I explained the Witch Cult attack: their location, the number of cultists, the Archbishop and his special ability — his Authority, as it's called — and how it works. I also told her I’d be giving information about the Whale to Emilia-san. And that’s what I did; I told her where and when it would appear, all its abilities and behavior, and also warned her about the Witch Cult’s attack and that Crusch-san had all the detailed info about it. Vital information that would be useful for both. —— That questioning look in your eyes, but one that already holds a conclusion... Tell me.]

[Priscilla: You did it to force an alliance between the two. The half-devil would probably panic and ask Karsten for help, who would refuse... unless she had valuable information to trade.]

[Subaru: Emilia-san isn’t powerful on her own, but she has a strong ally — Roswaal L. Mathers. The Court Mage would be very useful against the White Whale, and Crusch-san’s army, especially the Sword Demon, would help minimize civilian casualties against the Cult. But... not enough.]

[Priscilla: Which led you to speak with the Greedy Fox.]

[Subaru: A rather rude way to refer to a fellow candidate, don’t you think...? —— Well, yes. She not only has connections with merchants and many carriages — which would help evacuate civilians — but also has the Iron Fangs, a mercenary group that could be very useful in the fight against the Whale and the Cult. And... Emilia has the right to let them mine in the Elior Forest.]

[Priscilla: That would create a triple alliance, allowing each to pursue their own objectives. Karsten would have the strength to take down that filthy beast, the half-devil would have an army to eliminate her enemies and reduce losses caused by her pathetic incompetence as a leader, and the fox would profit both in reputation for helping and in mining gains for her company.]

[Subaru: Perfectly stated.]

With that, he picked up his cup to take another sip of tea.

Even though he still didn’t like it.

[Priscilla: And why did you warn the Sewer Rat and the Sword Saint?]

[Subaru: Contingency plan. —— Volca-Chi warned me that the Whale is always guided by one of the Archbishops, the Archbishop of Gluttony. Someone who could attack if their beast was killed. So, what to do if the allied forces were too weak? Simple. Send in a safety measure to ensure their protection. Reinhard van Astrea. That way... if an attack happens, they’ll have some serious backup.]

[Priscilla: I see. —— A union of the weak depending on each other's strength to cover their shortcomings, and worse yet? Helped by someone who was supposed to remain neutral.]

[Subaru: But I am neutral in this.]

With an ironic smile, that seemed to pique her interest even more.

[Subaru: I gave information to Crusch-san about the Cult and to Emilia-san and Roswaal at the same time about the Whale. But only they can decide whether to ask for help or share and/or use the information I provided, based on what they believe. Crusch-san could argue that the price of helping Emilia-san is worth more than just the Whale intel and demand extra. Just like Anastasia-san, upon learning of their need for support in two different scenarios, could refuse to help; Crusch-san would be crushed by the Whale, and Emilia-san by the Cult, eliminating two candidates while she walks away clean. Since I don't intend to allow any candidate to reveal that I gave the same intel to all of you.]

[Priscilla: So this isn't just a test to see how they'd act, but to find out what would motivate them to act. Karsten wouldn’t tarnish her honor manipulating someone as pathetic as the half-devil, while the fox surely would, if not for the risk of her image being tainted and damaging her business. Allowing at least the two of them to become allies.]

[Subaru: Same goes for Felt-san and Reinhard. —— My hope is that they’ll act together, so they can eliminate two or possibly three threats and gain from it, both physically and morally in the eyes of the people. But I also have to remain skeptical that they’ll do what I hope they will… which saddens me, just thinking of the bad outcomes...]

[Priscilla: And that brings us to me. You're telling me all this so that I...? What, I decide to ally with those fools and make an alliance between all of us, even though we’re rivals?]

[Subaru: No. Maybe? Kind of. —— I'm warning you because it would feel unfair not to give everyone the same tools in this political game, you know? But I'm only giving you nearly the same amount of info I gave to Anastasia-san and Felt-san. Whether you choose to lend your strength or stay out of it, that’s up to you. I won’t... well, I will judge you. But still in a neutral way.]

[Priscilla: And what’s your real goal with all this, aside from judging us?]

[Subaru: Protect people. —— I couldn’t care less which of you ends up on the throne, as long as she proves to be a capable leader. But I won’t let a political game cause unnecessary deaths, or at least not the ones I consider unnecessary. —— Based on that... I’m acting out of personal interest, not just as an Evaluator.]

Revealing this as he finished his tea, he stood up, still wearing a smile.

[Subaru: Whether you choose to help them or not... it won’t really change my opinion of you, Priscilla-san. As an Evaluator, I must remain neutral and stick to the imposed rules, one of which is: Each candidate must take care of their own territory. And I gave Emilia-san the tools needed to gain the support of two others for that. It’s now up to her to decide what to do with that and how to use it. I just wanted to make sure she had a fair shot like everyone else.]

[Priscilla: —— I don’t plan on supporting the half-devil. Like you said, you gave her what she needed. No more, no less. Even if it was in an unworthy manner, in my opinion, she’s the one who must bear the consequences for how she chooses to act after receiving such a gift. —— Schult, guide him out. We’re done here.]

[Schult: Right away, Priscilla-sama.]

[Subaru: Thank you for your patience, Priscilla-san. I hope we can talk again soon.]

With a mutual nod, that was their farewell. A rather revealing conversation between them. Even though Subaru hadn’t fully told the truth about how Volcanica gave him the information — a sort of time travel.

It happened a few days in the past (?), or maybe a future erased by his Return.

He had learned about all the events after hearing about the awakening of the Beast of the End, which began a trail of destruction from the Mathers Mansion to the Capital. He was filled with sorrow from the countless deaths caused throughout the country.

Even more so, because he, along with Volcanica, had to eliminate the Beast of the End — Puck — learning about Emilia's death and many others. Then he found out about Crusch’s brutal defeat to the Whale during their return to the Capital. The loss of two candidates devastated him.

Volcanica seemed to understand.

"I can use your special ability, with a little help from this Dragon." That’s what he said when he explained it to him.

Subaru had an ability he had never used before: Return in Time. And he could do it with Volcanica’s help, who had other special abilities. One of them was knowledge.

When Subaru returned in time, he gained awareness of how events would unfold from point zero. He knew about the Whale and the Cult. He wanted to warn everyone immediately, to make a difference. But he had to restrain himself.

Because Volcanica had explained his reasons for not getting involved a long time ago. As an Evaluator, unfortunately, Subaru had to act the same way to some degree to allow progress without too much outside support. So, he decided to turn it into a test.

A political test in which he would give the necessary information to each Candidate and ally so they could act against the many opponents that would appear one after another. That way, they could act on their own, as well as with his help.

Not that Subaru wouldn’t offer his support if needed.

[Subaru: Shaula, let’s go!]

As they were in the mansion garden, he called out to the scorpion girl who, for some reason, was putting Al in a leg lock. Al didn’t seem to mind being crushed by the girl’s thighs.

[Shaula: OKAY, MASTER!]

[Al: Farewell, dude. And thank you... miss.]

Lying on the ground, Al thanked her, clearly content.

And instantly, she ran to Subaru.

[Subaru: Did you find the guy I told you about?]

[Shaula: Yep, yep! That guy… I forgot his name.]

[Subaru: Otto! Volca-Chi with Julius and you with Otto, my god. I feel bad for those guys. —— Anyway. Volca-Chi?]

From the crystal, an ethereal version appeared on Subaru’s shoulder.

[Volcanica: Yes?]

[Subaru: You’ll only be back to full power in five days, right?]

[Volcanica: Exactly. Because we used our combined abilities, I’m now at just 5% of my total capacity. In this state, I could only defeat that child-groping clown in 99% of our fights instead of my usual 1000% win rate. —— I think I still have the power to take down the Whale or recover Guese.]

[Subaru: That last part. You said you can recover his soul, right?]

[Volcanica: Guese is a Spirit. If he’s eliminated, I can absorb his Spirit, freeing it from the Authority and the power that corrupted him, and eventually bring him back. It’s easy. But for that, we need to be close to him.]

[Subaru: And that’s why we need Otto.]

Otto Suwen, a merchant who would be killed by the Witch Cult in Subaru's vision.

But at this point, it would be the best way to help everyone.

That’s why he sent Shaula to hire him for a price of ten sacred gold coins to serve as support. They would use his carriage both to follow Crusch’s group and to help Emilia’s. While they would refrain from eliminating the Whale, only driving it away using Shaula’s Hell’s Snipers, they would attack Petelgeuse with the intention of recovering the Spirit, whom Volcanica said would be a great ally if retrieved.

That’s how he would act.

Although he considered it a bit unfair from his point of view, Subaru focused more on dealing harshly with the Witch Cult. To ensure that the visions he had through Volcanica would not come true. But he also hoped his plan to unite the candidates had really worked.

[Subaru: Alright… LET’S GO!]

[Volcanica: Got it.]

[Shaula: LET’S GO, MASTER!]

The three set off on the mission created by the black-haired boy himself.

 

 

—————

I decided to go ahead with my idea of doing more than just 2 Extras for my IFs. Not all of them will have that, of course. Only a few that I feel have the most potential for additional Extras. What do you think?

And just to let people who don’t know yet:

Anyone who wants to use my IFs to create stories, feel free to do so, whether it’s: making reaction stories about the chapters of my IFs (which I think would be super interesting to read) or even taking the idea of my IFs and continuing them, or using them as a base for new stories (which I’d also love to see).

Because, as I’ve said, I use these stories to share my ideas with everyone so they’re free to use.

Other things in this IF:

-Royal Selection Rules (some are from the official Novel/Anime):

1) Anyone of any race, if chosen by the Dragon Jewels, can participate, no matter what. No amount of prejudice, racist complaints, or even illegal use of authority can stop someone from joining, once chosen.

2) Candidates must take care of their badges, as they qualify their ability to rule. If lost, the candidacy may be revoked.

3) If the candidate owns land, they remain responsible for it and cannot simply transfer it to someone else. Among many things, this helps determine whether a candidacy remains valid.

4) No candidate may marry during the Royal Selection period, to prevent political alliances via marriage from exacerbating tensions.

5) The only ways to leave the Royal Selection are by death or resignation.

(In this IF):

6) The Evaluator may visit the domains or the Candidates at any time he or the Divine Dragon desires.

7) As neutral parties in the Candidate selection, the Evaluator and the Divine Dragon must refrain from giving unfair advantages to any of the Royal Candidates. Balance must be maintained as much as possible.

8) Subaru's decisions, orders, and opinions carry more weight than Volcanica's (This rule was imposed by Subaru, because Volcanica considered adding a rule to the Dragon Tablet that would allow a Candidate to flirt or even sleep with the Evaluator, Subaru, to improve her own image. Volcanica accepted—only because he wanted to add Rule 9).

9) Any threat or attack against Volcanica’s contractor, motivated by things like class prejudice or similar reasons—even from a Candidate—will be punished directly by Volcanica.

10) Attacks, whether verbal or physical, against a Candidate based on social class, nationality, origin, or race will be punished with imprisonment, regardless of the class or position of the offender. All Candidates must be treated equally, even by those who support or oppose their rule. Especially if the attacks are public.

-Subaru has “Return by Death”: In this case, Volcanica puts him into a state of “death” where he can use his ability without feeling any pain. At the same time, Volcanica gives him knowledge of certain events—such as Petelgeuse’s and the Whale’s attack—allowing him to learn how they occurred in detail, even discovering their abilities. However, this costs so much energy that Volcanica is left with only 5% of his power for a whole week.

-Volcanica at 5% (at least in this IF) is still more powerful than Roswaal: If they fought 100 times, Volcanica would win 99 of them. But he still asks Shaula to protect Subaru as his bodyguard.

-Upon "Returning by Death", Subaru initially wanted to solve everything on his own using Volcanica’s and Shaula’s power. But he then remembered his role as Evaluator and his conversation with Volcanica (from Extra 1), and reconsidered—developing a more elaborate plan to try and unite the Candidates to defeat both the Whale and Petelgeuse together. This would also serve as a test of character for them. Meanwhile, he would stay behind the scenes to observe and make sure no innocent person—or candidate—would die.

-Roswaal had originally given up on his plans with his Tome, which had given him a warning (“Do everything the Evaluator commands until the right moment.”). He was focused on eliminating both Volcanica and Subaru at any cost. However, upon realizing that Subaru did a loop to help them, his motivation tied to the Tome returned. He now thought he could use Subaru even if he was allied with Volcanica. In the first loop, he had given up and let everyone die to Petelgeuse, but not in this one.

-Otto — Subaru wants to use Otto as his carriage driver to secretly follow Crusch and Emilia to keep an eye on them and on everything happening. Later, Otto would join Subaru’s group at the Castle, with nearly the same role he had originally—but now living in a castle and earning a much better salary.

Chapter 85: [Extra 4 - Volcanica IF]

Emilia was nervous as she waited. No, saying she was nervous would be an understatement of how she felt at that moment. Scared, desperate, tense, drowning in internal fear — those would be better ways to describe how she was feeling as she waited to be called in, standing outside Roswaal’s office — where, ironically, he wasn’t, even though he would normally be there almost every day while at the mansion, which he was.

Roswaal was actually standing beside her. His expression was neutral, making it impossible for her to guess what he might be feeling.

But at least she knew how she herself felt. And that was important. Because this nervousness came from the figure who was inside Roswaal’s office — a figure who had come for a visit about a month after the events of the Alliance with Crusch’s and Anastasia’s Camps, where, through their union, they were able to face and defeat the White Whale and the Archbishop of Sloth — though Emilia hadn't faced him directly, following Puck’s advice to stay and defend the villagers of Arlam while the knights handled the Archbishop. Their success was thanks in part to the information provided by the person now waiting inside that office.

Moments later, that person’s voice called out to her.

[Subaru: Emilia-san, please come in.]

With those words spoken, she took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for whatever conversation awaited.

[Puck: It’s going to be okay, Lia.]

Puck, perched on the half-elf's shoulder, spoke gently, trying to calm her.

Emilia nodded, glanced at Roswaal, who gave her a small smile — but with no clear emotion behind it — and then turned her attention back to the door. She opened the double doors and entered the office. Subaru was seated in the chair usually reserved for Roswaal, across the marquess' desk, while a single chair was set for Emilia to sit across from him. She quickly walked over to the chair.

After a small respectful bow, she took her seat. They stared at each other — Emilia with her hands resting on her knees, lightly gripping the fabric of her skirt, while Puck remained on her shoulder for support; Subaru had his elbows resting on the table, his fingers interlaced, and his gaze fixed on the girl, offering a small friendly smile to try to comfort her — which partially worked, although his gaze also carried an air of seriousness.

[Subaru: Once again, it’s a pleasure to see you, Emilia-san — and you as well, Puck-san.]

[Puck: I’d like to say the same, Natsuki-san. But I’m more curious and concerned about why you’ve come to visit so soon, just a month after the Royal Selection began.]

[Emilia: P-Puck!]

[Subaru: It’s alright, Emilia-san. It’s a fair question.]

Remaining in good spirits, Subaru didn’t mind the slightly accusatory and suspicious tone of Puck regarding the young Evaluator’s motives for appearing so soon after the Royal Selection had started.

Even though Emilia was nervous about Puck potentially saying something rude to Subaru, she herself also wondered why he was there so soon — especially considering he had specifically requested a private place to speak with the silver-haired candidate. This had made everyone in her camp uneasy, especially herself, the marquess, and the Great Spirit of Fire.

The young man took a deep breath and then sighed. His expression was calm, but with a clear serious undertone.

[Subaru: Emilia-san, I came to talk seriously about your situation in the Royal Selection. Because, as you must know, among the other candidates, even after your recent achievement alongside Crusch-san and Anastasia-san, you are still considered the candidate with the least support. It saddens me deeply that this is mainly because of your appearance. And even if you don’t accept it, I want to apologize for that.]

[Emilia: There's no need to apologize, Subaru.]

[Puck: But I appreciate your concern for my daughter, ever since the Royal Hall. —— However, it doesn’t seem like you came just to talk about that, right?]

[Subaru: No. I didn’t come just to talk about something you, like everyone else, already know. The reason I’m here, Emilia-san, is regarding the event a month ago — the attack by the Archbishop of Sloth — and your alliance with the other candidates, through the information I provided specifically to save lives, both yours and the innocents'. —— Emilia-san, why haven’t you hired an army or even a group of mercenaries to protect the Margrave's lands yet?]

[Emilia: ——!]

[Subaru: After that attack, I expected you to take action. Hiring or asking Roswaal to hire forces to defend the lands and the nearby villages, like Arlam. And I would like to understand why you or he have not done so.]

Although his words remained cordial and friendly, his tone stayed serious, making Emilia’s mouth dry up. She swallowed hard, feeling as though she had been caught doing something wrong by a parent. She cast a brief glance at Puck, who, thanks to their contract bond, understood the nervousness she felt.

[Puck: Subaru. Why would we need something like that? Even though it was an unforeseen attack, I don't see the need for an army or mercenaries for support. Especially considering the risk that they might harm my daughter out of prejudice. With my strength, Roswaal’s, the maids', and Lia’s growing abilities, we should be able to handle any threats that arise.]

[Subaru: ———— Emilia-san, do you agree with Puck-san’s answer? Do you take it as your own?]

[Emilia: I-I... Yes. I-I take Puck’s answer as my own.]

Even though she was caught off guard by the question, she managed to compose herself enough to respond. She looked at Subaru with determination, although a small bead of sweat ran down her forehead. Puck nodded approvingly at her agreement.

In contrast, Subaru’s expression changed.

Emilia felt slightly unsettled by the change in Subaru’s eyes. That warmth, that patient and uplifting light in his gaze dimmed a little. It became a harsher look, like that of a disappointed father toward his child. Yet, he didn’t seem angry or hateful — only genuinely disappointed, as if she had said something he wished she hadn't.

Subaru adjusted himself in his seat, uncrossing his fingers and folding his arms instead, still staring directly into her eyes without looking away.

[Subaru: Emilia-san... I will speak frankly with you. I don’t want you to think I’m attacking you or trying to humiliate you — that’s not my intention at all. Please believe me. But I’m going to say things that may sound, or even truly be, harsh to hear. And I’m saying them because I genuinely want to help you stand a chance against the other candidates and overcome the challenges to become a good leader — and then, a good queen. Do you understand?]

[Emilia: I-I understand.]

[Subaru: I’ll be honest now: I’m disappointed that you haven’t increased your defensive forces. —— You are a half-elf with silver hair, someone whose appearance alone reminds everyone of the Witch of Envy. A being feared by many and adored by others. Whether you like it or not, the attack by the Witch’s Cult should have been anticipated by you — or at least by Roswaal. In the past, members of the Cult have launched even worse attacks for similar or even lesser reasons. Like the Archbishop of Greed, who leveled a city in the Vollachia Empire and killed one of their Divine Generals.]

[Puck: So, why would we hire soldiers or mercenaries if they can do that kind of thing? Wouldn’t having more people in the middle of a battle just make things harder for us?]

[Subaru: You think so? If you have good coordination, proper management, and strategy, even a small number of soldiers or those who aren't particularly strong can make a huge difference in risky situations like the ones you’ve faced. Like you said: You, Roswaal, Emilia-san, and the maids could kill the Cultists and might even defeat the Archbishop... but what about the people? —— Actually, let me be even harsher. Believe it or not, I know exactly what would have happened if I hadn’t provided you with the information I did. They would have started by massacring the Arlam Village, then moved on to attack the Mansion. And even with your strength, you would have lost and died.]

[Emilia: —— Could you tell me, how do you know that?]

[Subaru: It's one of my abilities, with Volca-chi’s help. It's the ability that allowed me to gather the necessary information to support you all the way I thought was needed at the time and to save as many lives as possible, while still maintaining my neutral role in the royal selection. —— Even if the soldiers and mercenaries weren't on the front lines, they would be extremely useful in ensuring the protection of innocents, like evacuating them. Their focus would be on one of the essential parts of any conflict: protecting the rear and civilians who can’t defend themselves during combat.]

With every word, Emilia grew a little more anxious, and Puck’s expression became increasingly doubtful, wavering between anger and concern, but he couldn’t come up with anything solid to counter the boy’s argument in that moment.

[Subaru: Emilia-san. If you ascend to the throne, you'll have to deal with these kinds of situations many times over. You'll have to lead knights, guards, and soldiers. Countless cases like this will appear, and somehow, you’ll have to organize ways to deal with the problems that arise. Could you delegate to someone else? Someone trustworthy? Yes. Or you could try handling it all by yourself, relying solely on your own strength. Yes, that’s possible too. But even then, you’d run into trouble. Because if you don’t show yourself to be a capable leader, someone worth following, there won’t be people willing to help you. And it won’t just be because of your appearance. —— In your current situation, everyone will be looking for ways to challenge your candidacy. If they deem you unfit for the role of queen, they’ll try to find ways to stop you from ascending the throne or even remove you if you manage to get there. And even I wouldn’t be able to do anything against the will of the people if you fail to live up to the responsibilities that come with the crown.]

[Emilia: ——]

[Subaru: I know how nervous you are. Managing an army, even a small one, and administrating the lands within your territory isn’t just another job. It’s a way to prove your competency in the responsibilities that come with ruling the entire country — to show you can take care of the people who will entrust their lives to you. I truly want you to have the same chances as the others. Crusch-san, Priscilla-san, and Anastasia-san all have their own territories and groups they’ve been managing for quite some time now. Even Felt-san, though she only just started, has made progress not only in administering the Astrea family's lands and making them prosper, but also by creating jobs for people from the slums, even hiring some as mercenaries and protectors — not that effective yet, but they’re working together with the guards and soldiers that were already serving the Astrea family. I’m trying to warn you, to help you: you're falling behind in this competition, even with the victories shared with the other Camps.]

[Emilia: —— I understand. Thank you for your honest words. I-I-I’ll really try to do better, Subaru.]

The half-elf said, trying to control her nervousness while absorbing the words the boy patiently offered to help her.

Puck remained aloft, paws crossed, wearing an unreadable expression.

Meanwhile, Subaru kept a relaxed and friendly look, though his voice carried a serious tone that didn’t match the smile on his face. It almost looked like a teacher giving a lecture to a student — or a friend giving heartfelt advice to another friend.

[Subaru: Urgh! I talked seriously for way too long. This job is really killing me, Emilia-san~~~!!!]

[Emilia: H-Huh?]

Subaru jumped up from his seat with a smile on his face.

[Subaru: I really didn’t mean to offend you or anything. I genuinely want to help you reach your potential as a leader. Because for now, with the position I hold, helping you this way is the best I can do. The same way I try to help the others too. So... let's do our best, however we can, to make this work, okay?]

Facing her with the same solemn yet friendly expression, he flashed a big smile while looking her directly in the eyes. Seeing his expression, Emilia also gave a small smile.

[Emilia: Y-Yes, I’ll do my best too.]

[Puck: And I'll help you with whatever you need, Lia.]

Saying this, the spirit made a lively little leap into the air, trying to cheer his daughter up. And he succeeded in grabbing her attention and pulling a small smile from her. Although, unknown to her, he also shot a doubtful glance at the boy.

—[X]—

Through the skies, flying among the clouds with dragon wings, partially transformed thanks to Volcanica, Subaru flew gracefully over the land, heading from Mathers Mansion straight to the Royal Capital. Could he have gone by carriage? Maybe. Otto could have brought him, but he decided to leave him behind to babysit Shaula while he was away from the Castle.

As he flew, the astral figure of Volcanica accompanied him.

[Subaru: I really felt those threatening glares from that cat...]

[Volcanica: I warned you. Some spirits can be quite dangerous, especially those who are very attached to their contractors. Especially one created by the Witch of Greed four centuries ago. She also created two other artificial spirits — the one in the library and another currently with candidate Anastasia.]

[Subaru: Three? She was pretty busy, huh? And that little girl, was she a spirit too, like you?]

[???: No, Subaru-sama. As Volcanica-sama said, they are artificially created spirits, made by Echidna-sama centuries ago.]

From the crystal, another presence appeared — Guese. A spirit with green hair and dark clothing.

He was once Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, a member of the Witch's Cult representing Sloth. He was one of the enemies the united Camps faced. In the end, Subaru, with Volcanica's help, delivered the final blow, purging the Authority of Sloth that had corrupted the once-gentle spirit and restoring him to his former self.

With Volcanica’s assistance while he was weakened, Subaru managed to forge a contract with the re-purified spirit and gave him a place inside the same crystal where the Dragon resided, making them "roommates" — and Guese became Subaru’s contracted spirit, thanks to Subaru’s high spiritual affinity as noted by Volcanica.

Now, this spirit had become his ally, returning to his former pure self.

[Subaru: Do you think that spirit is dangerous?]

[Guese: Puck-sama... He is quite a powerful spirit, if not the most powerful among the three created by Echidna-sama. With truly formidable abilities. However, I fear that his self-control and line of thinking can be very irrational. Spirits can prioritize their contractors and take the contracts they make so seriously that they are willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill them.]

[Subaru: Like, willing to do anything?]

[Guese: Unfortunately, yes. Beatrice-sama is an example of this.]

Speaking in a solemn and sorrowful tone, he couldn't help but shed a few tears for the blonde-haired spirit. He had been her tutor in manners after she was created by the Witch of Greed, and he was quite well known among the other spirits, as well as by Roswaal A. Mathers in the past.

[Subaru: And how did it feel to see Emilia-san again?]

[Guese: I felt elated, Subaru-sama. After so long in agony, the happiness of seeing her there, alive, well, and grown up. Nothing can truly describe the joy that exploded within me, in my chest, knowing that the little girl had grown into this beautiful young woman who could even become a Queen. I feel so proud... and yet so ashamed for almost hurting her in my crazed state...]

Speaking those words in an emotional state, Guese began to cry again. But he wasn't sad. He was emotional — overwhelmed with joy at finally being able to see her again after so many years and after freeing himself from madness after absorbing the Authority of Sloth — an Authority now wielded by Subaru. Subaru even wanted to give them a chance to reunite, but Guese asked to wait for a more appropriate moment.

Until then, Subaru would help him fully recover. He wanted to make their reunion the best possible moment — when a father figure would meet his little girl once more. The thought brought a small smile to Subaru’s face as he imagined the scene in his mind, under that solemn blue sky...

[Volcanica: Orgasm...?]

[Guese: What, Volcanica-sama...?]

[Volcanica: You spoke of an explosive feeling coming from your chest, of happiness you couldn’t describe. Could that be the word? Orgasm. Something explosive, that usually comes from inside people.]

[Subaru: ———— You stayed silent all this time, just to come out with THAT kind of nonsense and completely RUIN THE MOOD OF THE CONVERSATION?!]

Shouting in frustration at the Dragon, who was now letting out a small mocking laugh at the ethereal red face Guese had made upon hearing the explanation, as well as at Subaru’s current expression — frustrated and irritated by how quickly Volcanica had destroyed the atmosphere with just a few words.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-The reason Subaru can share more information about his loops is because Volcanica repels the Witch of Envy (who otherwise uses him as a justification for Subaru having such information, masking the Authority of Return by Death).

-Subaru acquired the Authority of Sloth, and Volcanica is helping him endure the burden of such power.

Also, I wanted to share some questions for theories I have:

-Could it be that Emilia is actually older than 100 years? Like, if Echidna created Puck for Emilia 300 years ago, could it be possible that Emilia herself is over 300 years old?

Maybe she was born and was alive shortly after the Witch Era — when the Witches were already dead and their Authorities had been passed to other holders. Being a half-elf, she might age very slowly. Plus, if we add the theory that Emilia could be Minerva’s daughter — Minerva being a human with Authority — it could explain how Emilia's mother (who the author said was human) knew the Witches during their time. Or it could be something similar. But I'm not sure, since I don't know if anyone besides Emilia herself has ever confirmed that she is only around a century old.

-Could Aldebaran be a case similar to Louis'?

My theory is: like Louis, he might have been created in the world as a new being by Echidna through the Tea Party or something similar — but carrying the memories of Flugel (Subaru). I base this on the fact that: I don't recall anyone pointing out that Aldebaran has the Witch's Miasma scent. If he really possesses the Authority of Pride, he should have the Witch's scent or something similar. But he, Clind, and Louis seem to be the only ones who don't have the Witch’s smell (at least I’ve never seen it mentioned that Aldebaran and Clind have it). Could it be crazy for me to think that they might have been "born" in a way similar to Louis? Created with Authorities but without the stench? Or did I just miss something?

Chapter 86: Crusch IF

What if...? Subaru was at Crusch's Camp?

—————

 

 

[Subaru: Are you ready for our lesson today~?]

[Felix: I wouldn’t call it a lesson, Subaru-kyun, because I’m just here to listen to your theories. And that’s only because Lady Crusch-sama asked Ferris-chan to set aside some time to learn about your skills, nya~]

[Subaru: How cruel, Ferris-chan~~~!!!]

Shouting and striking a dramatic pose, he clutched his chest where his heart was, pretending to have been hit by a powerful invisible attack. This act made him lean backward, almost falling onto the table behind him in his personal study.

Felix didn’t actually dislike Subaru.

The young man had been recruited about a month and a half ago by Crusch after they heard about his skills with something called "gunpowder," which served as an effective weapon for defending merchants on roads infested with Mabeasts. He had easily agreed to join the camp after meeting the duchess. However, her knight, Felix, didn’t like how the boy with those unsettling eyes seemed to react to his Lady.

But aside from that, he did his job.

And he did it in this room—Subaru’s personal study or laboratory, built so he could continue producing his equipment to support Crusch’s military forces. This area was constructed within the Karsten estate, near the main mansion. Typically, Wilhelm was assigned to help and watch over him to ensure both his safety and that of others, given how dangerous his inventions could be.

But this time, the subject was different.

[Subaru: I’ve noticed that many people here don’t seem to understand atoms, molecules, and microbes. Some even think certain diseases are curses—can you believe that?!]

[Felix: Some... diseases...? Subaru-kyun, you keep saying our world is made of tiny invisible things, but that sounds so... hard to believe, nya~?]

[Subaru: Well, it’s not so far from the truth. Where I come from, the first people who presented such theories were also considered crazy. But some were even seen as wizards! Though, in reality, this has nothing to do with magic—it’s all science.]

He then picked up an object from his desk, which was covered, revealing a bit of sand.

[Subaru: You can see this, right? The sand, up close, looks like a bunch of tiny little stones. But what if I told you that these tiny stones can be broken down into even smaller parts... until we reach something so small that even your cat-like eyes wouldn’t be able to see it?]

[Felix: Hm... So, everything in the world is made of these invisible parts?]

[Subaru: Exactly! These tiny parts are called atoms. They’re like the building blocks of everything—the wood of this bench, the water you drink, even the air you breathe.]

[Felix: Nyaa~? But how do we know these little things exist if no one can see them?]

Subaru sighed, trying to find a way to explain and keep the cat-boy engaged in the conversation before revealing his trump card. He smiled slightly, getting an idea of how to provide a lighter explanation.

[Subaru: Okay, let’s try this. Think of a strong smell, like that of a flower or a healing potion. You can smell it from far away, right?]

[Felix: Yes... even without touching it, nya~]

[Subaru: That happens because tiny invisible bits of the smell travel through the air to your nose. These bits are made of atoms that escape from the flower or potion. They’re so small that they mix into the air and reach you without you seeing them!]

Felix’s eyes widened slightly at that.

[Felix: Ohh... So even smells are made of these tiny little things?]

[Subaru: That’s right! And atoms don’t come alone. They combine to form larger things called molecules. Think of it like this—one atom alone is like a letter, but multiple letters together form words and sentences. That’s how the world works.]

[Felix: Hm... And how does this help with medicine, Subaru-kyun?]

Subaru smiled. Now things were getting more interesting.

[Subaru: Because many diseases aren’t caused by curses, but by tiny living creatures called microbes. And guess what? They’re also made of atoms. If we understand how they work, we can find better ways to prevent diseases... without needing magic!]

He declared with excitement and pride, puffing out his chest, feeling like he was making real progress in explaining what he wanted to the blue-dressed knight who watched him with a mix of indifference and slight interest. The conversation continued.

Ferris was still processing the idea that everything in the world was made of tiny, invisible parts. Subaru could see his ears twitching slightly, as if they were trying to catch some hidden truth in the wind.

[Felix: Alright, Subaru-kyun... If everything is made of these things called atoms, how do they form different things?]

Subaru smiled. That meant Ferris was starting to accept the idea. He then pulled out a slightly dirty glass of water.

[Subaru: Let’s use water as an example. You know you can freeze it into ice or heat it until it turns into steam, right?]

[Felix: Yes, yes. Fire magic does that all the time.]

[Subaru: Exactly. But why is it still "water" even when it changes form?]

[Felix: Nyaa~... Because it’s still the same thing?]

[Subaru: Yes! And that happens because water is made of molecules. Think of it like this—atoms are like puzzle pieces. Alone, they don’t do much, but when they fit together the right way, they form molecules. Water, for example, is made of molecules that combine two hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom.]

Ferris blinked, trying to visualize the explanation.

[Felix: So... water is like a group of tiny invisible beings holding hands?]

[Subaru: More or less! They’re not alive, but they connect as if they were. And the way atoms join together completely changes what they create. For example, if we change the number of atoms and how they connect, we can get completely different things—like the air we breathe or the iron we use to forge swords.]

Frowning, Felix showed clear signs that he was getting more interested in Subaru’s words. Subaru’s confident smile grew even bigger as he became more excited about explaining his knowledge from his world.

[Felix: That would explain a lot... But what does this have to do with diseases?]

[Subaru: Because the real culprits behind diseases are tiny creatures you can’t see—microbes!]

[Felix: Like insects?]

[Subaru: Yes! But much, much smaller. They’re so tiny that even if we gathered thousands of them, they’d still be smaller than a grain of sand. But even so, some can get into our bodies and make us sick.]

[Felix: And how do you know that, Subaru-kyun? Have you ever seen one of these microbes?]

Crossing his arms, the cat-boy gave Subaru a skeptical look.

[Subaru: I plan to get to that point soon. Relax. We used microscopes where I come from to see them, but we’ll get to that soon. ——Back to our topic. When you get a cut, why do you clean the wound?]

[Felix: To prevent infection, of course.]

[Subaru: Exactly. But what causes the infection?]

[Felix: ——!?]

[Subaru: If there’s no visible curse or poison, then what’s causing the infection? Something invisible must be entering your body and attacking it, right?]

Ferris opened his mouth to respond but stopped halfway. Subaru smiled.

The knight remained silent for a moment, his tail swaying slowly. Then, he sighed and crossed his arms.

[Felix: Nyaa~... That makes sense.]

Still digesting Subaru’s explanation about microbes, he crossed his arms and slowly wagged his tail. His gaze still carried some skepticism despite the logic of Subaru’s arguments.

 

[Felix: Nyaa~, okay, Subaru-kyun… Your idea of 'tiny beings that cause diseases' makes sense, but how can I believe that if I can’t see anything? You yourself said that in your world, you use a… micro…scope?]

[Subaru: Well, I figured you’d say that. So, TADAA!]

Subaru smiled, expecting this exact doubt. With a gleam in his eyes, he pulled a small object covered by a cloth from his table—it had been there from the beginning, but Felix hadn’t paid much attention to it.

He pulled off the cloth, revealing a rudimentary microscope made of brass and polished glass, resembling the earliest models that existed in the real world. It was a small object with a wooden base, a cylindrical tube, and a lens at the tip.

Ferris blinked a few times, staring at it with suspicion.

[Felix: Is this… a weird toy?]

[Subaru: It’s not a toy, genius! This is a microscope. I spent the last few days convincing a craftsman and a jeweler to create this special glass with the right curvature. It’s not perfect yet, but it should be enough for you to see the microbes with your own eyes.]

[Felix: So… how does this thing work, nya~?]

He asked, moving closer for a better look. Subaru then picked up a slightly dirty glass of water he had been holding and poured it onto a small glass slide.

[Subaru: First, we need a sample. I got some water from the slums of the Capital to make a deeper example—there was a lot of accumulated dirt. If my theory is correct, it should be full of microbes. ——Alright, now look through here and tell me what you see.]

Sliding the glass over the microscope’s lens, he then carefully adjusted the focus for a clear view.

Ferris hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and placed his eye on the lens.

For an instant, everything seemed blurry, but then…

His eyes widened.

[Felix: W-What…? Subaru-kyun… what are these things?!]

He blinked several times as if trying to confirm if he was really seeing that. Tiny creatures, invisible to the naked eye, moving in the water. Some twisted into strange shapes, while others seemed to move with tiny filaments.

Subaru crossed his arms, satisfied.

[Subaru: Microbes. The invisible beings I was talking about.]

[Felix: So… does this mean that… whenever we drink unpurified water, we might be swallowing these little things?!]

[Subaru: Exactly! Some of them may be harmless, but others might be the culprits behind fevers, stomach illnesses, and many things you call 'curses.']

Ferris was still leaning over the microscope, his eyes wide as he observed the tiny creatures moving in the water. He blinked, looked at Subaru, then at the flask, and returned to the lens as if trying to understand a whole new world that had always been there but had never been seen before.

[Felix: Subaru-kyun… this is terrifying. These little things are alive! And we drink them?!]

[Subaru: Yes, but calm down. Your body isn’t as defenseless as it seems.]

[Felix: What do you mean?]

Subaru sat on a nearby wooden stool and gestured for Ferris to pay attention.

[Subaru: Okay, imagine that your body is a kingdom. Let’s call it… "Kingdom Ferris." Now, like any kingdom, it has inhabitants, right?]

[Felix: Hmph… I like where this is going, nyan.]

[Subaru: Great! But a kingdom isn’t just made up of happy citizens. It needs soldiers to protect it from invaders, right?]

[Felix: Nyaa, right…]

[Subaru: So, in your body, those soldiers are the cells of your immune system! They patrol the entire body, ready to fight any dangerous invaders.]

Ferris tilted his head, interested.

[Felix: And the invaders would be… these microbes?]

[Subaru: Exactly! Some microbes are harmless and even help the body, but others… well, they’re like bandits trying to raid Kingdom Ferris.]

[Felix: Huh.]

[Subaru: When a dangerous microbe enters your body—through the air, food, or even a cut in the skin—it tries to multiply, just like an enemy army setting up camp inside the castle walls.]

The knight frowned, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.

[Felix: That… sounds gross.]

[Subaru: Yeah, but that’s where your soldiers come in! Your body has several defenses. First, there are natural barriers like your skin and saliva. The skin prevents invaders from entering, and saliva has substances that kill some microbes.]

[Felix: And if they manage to get past that?]

[Subaru: Then your immune system kicks in. There are special cells in your blood that identify invaders and start attacking them. Some "eat" the microbes, while others produce weapons called antibodies, which are like poisoned arrows designed for each type of enemy.]

[Felix: So that’s why not every illness is a curse?]

[Subaru: Exactly! Some are just battles your body is fighting. If you know how to help your army—like resting, eating well, and keeping things clean—it has a much better chance of winning.]

As he received more explanations, Felix was starting to understand Subaru’s point of view and was even beginning to accept it. It made sense, though he still had some doubts and points of interest he wanted to understand better.

[Felix: So… this so-called 'immune system' is like the royal guard of Kingdom Ferris, nyan?]

[Subaru: Exactly! But your body’s royal guard is much more complex than ordinary soldiers. The immune system is a super-advanced defense network spread throughout the body. It doesn’t just have one type of soldier but several special units, each with a specific function.]

[Felix: Like what?]

Subaru pointed at his own hand, as if counting the invisible soldiers.

[Subaru: Okay, so we have macrophages—they’re basically the frontline warriors. They patrol the entire body, and when they find an invader, they swallow it like a giant monster. They’re like knights who devour enemies. But besides fighting, they also alert the rest of the army that an invasion has begun.]

[Felix: Hmm… and then?]

[Subaru: Here we have the T lymphocytes, which are like war generals. They analyze the enemy and give orders to the rest of the immune system on how to fight.]

[Felix: So they’re the strategists?]

[Subaru: Exactly! And then there are the B lymphocytes, which are like artillery. They create antibodies, which are like super-precise magic arrows, specially made to defeat each type of enemy.]

Ferris tapped his chin with a finger, thoughtful.

[Felix: So… if I get sick and my body wins the battle, does that mean it already knows how to defeat that enemy if it comes back?]

[Subaru: Bingo! That’s how immunity works. The body "remembers" how it won last time, so if the same enemy appears again, it can defeat it much faster.]

[Felix: But then, why do we sometimes feel so weak when we’re sick? I’ve seen people so exhausted they could barely move.]

Subaru sighed, leaning back against the table.

[Subaru: That happens because, during the battle, your body is using up A LOT of energy to produce more soldiers, more antibodies, and to keep the temperature high to make life harder for the microbes. It’s like the kingdom is putting all its resources into the war, so other functions, like strength and energy, take a backseat.]

[Felix: So… heat is a kind of weapon against microbes?]

[Subaru: Yep! Fever is the body trying to "cook" the invaders. Many microbes can’t survive high temperatures, so the body raises the heat to make it harder for them to survive. But if the fever gets too high for too long, it can end up harming the body itself.]

[Felix: And what about when someone gets sick repeatedly? Like, a weak person who catches one illness after another?]

Ferris then recalled a very familiar figure—Joshua, Julius’ younger brother, who was constantly sick.

Subaru nodded.

[Subaru: That means their immune system is overwhelmed. If you keep sending your soldiers to fight without rest, without food, and without reinforcements, they’ll end up weakening. The same thing happens with the body. If someone doesn’t eat well, doesn’t get enough sleep, or is under a lot of stress, their immune system becomes weaker, and the enemies take advantage of the opportunity to attack. ——Nutrition, hygiene, rest… all of these strengthen your internal army and keep the enemies from taking over.]

As he listed the last part, he raised three fingers to count the key aspects he considered crucial for human health. Subaru kept his enthusiastic and confident smile at the end of his explanation, looking at his companion.

Ferris, on the other hand, was massaging his temples, deep in thought. Processing everything he had learned from this one long conversation, his head was starting to ache slightly from all the information.

He truly disliked Subaru’s interest in his Lady, as well as his dangerous inventions that caused destruction and death… but he couldn’t dislike the knowledge that could help him save lives.

If he had the freedom to do so, Felix would gladly work with Subaru with the purpose of helping others.

 

 

—————

I'm not sure if in the world of Re:Zero they already have knowledge about atoms, molecules, microbes, etc., or if they even have microscopes. But for this IF, I assumed they don’t, though feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

In this IF, some changes occurred:

-Subaru arrived about a week after Fourier’s death (seven months before the start of the original series).

-Subaru began his adventure as a merchant. During this time, after realizing he was frequently attacked by Mabeasts, he started developing weapons based on gunpowder, including spears with explosive gunpowder charges. Having first learned of his power when he was killed by a Majuun, and once by a miscalculated explosion of gunpowder from his weapon.

-Because of his inventions involving gunpowder, he caught the attention of Crusch, who attempted to recruit him as an inventor. Subaru almost fell in love with her at first sight.

-As a member of Crusch’s Camp, he took on multiple roles thanks to his talents:

1) Wilhelm: Helps him with weapon inventions.

2) Felix: Started assisting Subaru in creating medicines and remedies based on Subaru’s knowledge from his previous world.

3) Crusch: Subaru began learning about strategy and planning.

-Little by little, the relationship between Crusch and Subaru developed similarly to that of Crusch and Fourier, if not even stronger. They even started going on dates.

-Subaru developed a strong bond with Wilhelm, almost like that of a grandson and grandfather, and he also tried to improve Wilhelm’s relationship with Heinkel and Reinhard out of respect for the Sword Demon.

Chapter 87: [Extra - Crusch IF]

[Subaru: I never thought I’d be hunting a whale.]

He said to himself as he walked a bit to stretch his legs during the night, unable to sleep properly. Of course. Anyone in his position—either from this world or his own—wouldn’t be able to sleep well either, or at least not rest deeply enough to recover as needed. They were about to hunt the White Whale.

One of the Three Great Beasts that tormented the world he was currently in.

As its name implied, a Great White Whale—a massive creature that flew through the skies, devoured people, and erased them from the world, more than just consuming them. A shocking and incredibly powerful being. From what Subaru had learned, this ancient, mighty beast had even managed to kill the former Sword Saint: Theresia van Astrea.

A title not given lightly, but rather passed down through the Astrea family via a Divine Blessing.

That alone was enough to make him nervous, but even more so because of his deep involvement in this hunt. Due to his newest invention: a Ballistic Harpoon—something he based on 19th-century whaling harpoons and ballistae. A new weapon built with the sole intention of eliminating that beast.

Its main structure was made of reinforced wood and braided leather cords for propulsion, some of which were mounted onto carriages being built specifically for that purpose. It worked through mechanical tension—like a giant crossbow. The projectile was a penetration harpoon: forged steel tip, conical and serrated—for gripping flesh—a long shaft with rope attachments secured to hooks, with additional folding barbs that would open after penetration, making removal even harder.

The goal was immobilization. Long, durable ropes, magically reinforced, and a significant number of these weapons on carriages to overpower the beast through quantity.

[Subaru: If that thing flies like a blimp and can withstand magic attacks, then hitting it head-on might not be enough. That’s why—giant ballistae with steel harpoons. I’ll try to keep that damn thing as close to the ground as possible. If I miss? I die. If I hit? I make history.]

That was part of his pitch to convince Crusch to invest in building the equipment. It could give them an advantage, provided they could actually pin it to the ground and fight on even footing. But he also prepared contingencies—so they wouldn't rely only on the “maybe” of pulling it down with ropes. He had created alternate versions of the harpoons for other purposes.

Harpoons with hollow tips. Some filled with poison to weaken it. But others—these being the main ones—contained different substances: highly flammable oil, and his beloved gunpowder that had led him to this situation.

While some harpoons would be used to soak the creature with the flammable oil, others contained gunpowder. These harpoons were customized: each had a metal container filled with gunpowder and a timed fuse made from flammable resin. These would be lit by the shooters before firing, but only after the oil-filled harpoons had landed and doused the massive target.

[Subaru: Getting a harpoon into the Whale is only half the job. It’ll thrash, flee, disappear into the mist... That’s what these are for. Basically, I’m turning my ballista into a set of giant crossbows that shoot grenade-harpoons. If everything works... we’ll be watching that giant beast turn into barbecue. Or... we’ll have to try again until we do.]

Speaking in a darker tone, Subaru didn’t like where his thoughts were going. So he slapped both cheeks to calm his mind, then noticed where he had wandered off to. He was in the garden. The full moon was shining in the sky, lighting up the area, and revealing to the young man that he wasn’t alone.

Wilhelm. Crusch Karsten’s butler, with whom Subaru had a friendly professional relationship—or so he thought. They didn’t argue or fight, and often talked, having a fairly neutral to good connection. But Subaru never saw himself as someone particularly important in the old man’s eyes. Wilhelm seemed like a warrior with countless amazing stories to tell, and he...? Well, Subaru believed Wilhelm wouldn’t waste time listening to fantastical tales from his homeland.

He found himself standing there, unmoving, for a while, only realizing it after a few minutes. The scene was strangely captivating. The man standing there, admiring the flowers, a different kind of light in his eyes as the moon gave him a magnificent, solemn glow—something Subaru had only seen in scenes from novels or anime and manga.

[Wilhelm: Subaru-dono, you couldn’t sleep either?]

[Subaru: Huh—?!]

Subaru realized he’d been standing still for too long and walked over in small steps until he was side by side with the solemn-looking man.

[Subaru: N-No, I couldn’t. —— I’m sorry if I bothered you, or if I came off as some weirdo staring at you.]

[Wilhelm: There’s no need to apologize, Subaru-dono. You didn’t bother me in any way, and I’m even grateful for your thoughtfulness in not distracting me from my thoughts.]

[Subaru: Silly question: You couldn’t sleep either, Wilhelm-san?]

[Wilhelm: Yes, obviously.]

He replied in a neutral tone.

The two then stood in silence, facing the garden’s flowers under the silver light of the moon.

And the dark-haired youth didn’t hesitate to speak again...

[Subaru: Your wife... I know I might be being rude, bringing up a delicate topic as someone who’s still a stranger... a meddler to you. But I wanted to ask... is there something you’d like to say about your wife?]

[Wilhelm: —— She loved flowers. She loved admiring them, loved talking about them, loved sharing her passion for them with me. She even tolerated my foolish self who couldn’t open up and wasted so much time talking only about swords. She was an incredible and kind person.]

Opening up to the young man, Wilhelm’s words carried more energy, happiness, and nostalgia as memories of his wife flooded his mind. Memories of his past with Theresia. And Subaru couldn’t help but notice how wonderful that all sounded—even such a simple act.

[Subaru: Is there anything you regret about her? —— Sorry to ask that so bluntly, prying more and more into your life. But I felt that if I didn’t take this chance to ask... I’d regret it.]

[Wilhelm: I regret that my past self took so long to say what I already knew I felt for her. I regret not being there with her when she faced that monster. I regret failing our family, my son and my grandson when they needed me—while my Theresia would never have fallen as I did to my blind rage and fury.]

Subaru nodded, thinking of the figures he’d heard about. He had left the Karsten estate—its territories—entrusting Felix to help gather materials to construct the ballista for the whale hunt.

Heinkel Astrea and Reinhard van Astrea. He’d heard of them after the day of the great blizzard in the Capital, which caused massive destruction there. It had destroyed the slums, part of the noble district, and many shops in the city. Caused by a great fire spirit.

This spirit caused a large number of deaths and destruction before being stopped by the current Sword Saint—Wilhelm’s grandson—Reinhard.

From what the black-haired boy had heard, Reinhard had defeated such a being using the legendary sword Astrea, Reid — a blade that contains immense power and can only be wielded when it deems its opponent worthy. A weapon Subaru classified as a legendary sword that, in his world, would be compared to the mythical sword Excalibur.

[Subaru: If you could speak to her one last time, would you?]

[Wilhelm: If I were given such a chance, yes. I would speak to her. Even if I no longer feel worthy after everything I’ve done, I would wish to see her and speak to her one last time. To say everything I couldn’t before.]

[Subaru: But unfortunately, you’ll never be able to do that… so why not take the chance to talk to those who are still within your reach?]

[Wilhelm: You mean my grandson? —— I feel like… I don’t deserve it. If I have one greater regret than not being there with her at the end, it’s becoming who I became with my grandson. And I feel like I can’t just go back and fix that so easily.]

Lowering his head in shame, he didn’t want to show Subaru the pitiful expression on his face.

[Subaru: Teacup.]

[Wilhelm: ——?]

[Subaru: I always felt like I didn’t deserve the parents I had. —— My dad was an amazing person, no, more than amazing to me! Someone I wanted to be just like, everything I did was to become worthy of being his son. But over time, that became too much… too much for me. And I started isolating myself from the world, trying to push them away — yet they remained patient and kept trying to help me. —— The last time I saw them, before I came to the Capital, was one night. A night just like this. I had gone out to buy a few things for myself, to hole up in my room again. And when I was leaving… my mom asked me to wash a teacup. Something simple, something easy, something quick. I could have turned around, gone to her, cleaned the teacup, and then left. But I didn’t! And when she told me to come back soon, I didn’t even say anything. I didn’t do that one simple thing she asked, and I didn’t say anything to her before leaving and… doing the same thing I always did. Isolating myself… and now I’ll never be able to say how I felt to them.]

[Wilhelm: Subaru-dono…]

Subaru only realized he was shedding tears when he heard Wilhelm call his name, looking him in the eyes — eyes shining under the pale glow of the moonlight.

[Subaru: Even if I can’t explain how, Wilhelm-san, I know… I know I’ll never be able to see them again, never again be able to say how I feel, never have the chance to wash that teacup and say goodbye to my mom, just like I’ll never be able to tell them how much I love them and regret everything I said. —— But what about you? Aside from your shame, what’s stopping you?]

[Wilhelm: —— I’m… afraid of being rejected.]

[Subaru: And you couldn’t blame him, as you yourself said, since you did something you consider shameful and unforgivable. —— But that’s still not an excuse not to try. —— My first thought, whenever I had a chance, was always: give up, sit down, let things go. Because I thought I could do it later, wanted to believe I’d always have more time to fix and undo my mistakes, or achieve what I wanted… but now I can’t anymore. —— Wilhelm-san, don’t waste this. Don’t lose the chance to say how you feel to Reinhard. Even if you don’t apologize, or even if he doesn’t forgive you. Don’t leave it for later… when there’s no more ‘later’.]

[Wilhelm: ———— Your words are sharp, Subaru-dono. I feel like I could never win against you in a battle of words.]

[Subaru: Hahaha! Don’t underestimate me! I’m a charlatan who survives off the goodwill of others, and for that, I need to know how to make everyone like me — one way or another.]

[Wilhelm: You don’t even feel ashamed painting yourself as some manipulative villain, but even this old man can see through that mask.]

After those words were spoken, each of them held a small, solemn smile on their lips. A feeling of nostalgia mixed with sadness, longing, and a little bit of hope filled their chests and hearts. And so they remained, gazing at the flowers for a few more minutes, in silence.

When those minutes passed, they quietly said their goodbyes. Each returned to his room, laid down in bed, and slept. Their hearts and minds allowed them to fall asleep and wake up the next morning feeling renewed.

 

 

—————

It’s been a while since I updated this specific IF, so I decided to do it. Especially since I had two reasons — one good (in the sense that it gave me inspiration), and one bad (in the sense that it made me think, "What’s wrong with me?"):

1) I rewatched the episode of George’s death in Young Sheldon, and it hit me hard and inspired me to write this Subaru and Wilhelm chapter. Especially after watching the funeral episode and seeing Sheldon regret not talking to his dad one last time.

2) Because I’m going to do an Extra for the Capella IF, and Crusch is going to get really screwed over there… so I wanted to give something nice to those who like this IF. Oh, speaking of that! I changed the "tags" in the Capella IF’s final notes.

That said…

In this IF:

-Wilhelm, Crusch, and Felix already like and respect Subaru, but he still can’t see it. He believes they merely tolerate him, which is why he’s especially nervous around Wilhelm, afraid of saying something wrong to the man.

-Subaru wasn’t in the Capital to save Emilia and Felt from Elsa, as he was out gathering materials to build the ballista to hunt the White Whale. He only returned a week after the incident where Puck destroyed part of the Capital.

-Roswaal is irritated about Emilia’s death but still tries to find the young man mentioned in his book, as his last hope. He eventually hears about Subaru at Crusch’s camp and would later propose an alliance with them, planning to take them to the Sanctuary: where each of the four would face the trials.

-Due to Emilia’s death, the Royal Candidate meeting was brought forward. Anastasia, Crusch, and Priscilla are now competing. Crusch has the upper hand after eliminating the White Whale, a feat her camp accomplished alone thanks to Subaru’s inventions, which allowed them to crush the monster.

-After the Whale’s defeat, while they were returning, they were attacked by Lye alone (without Regulus), forcing Subaru to kill himself (his first death within Crusch’s camp) because: Lye had killed Wilhelm and erased Crusch from the world’s memory. Subaru returned to prevent them from taking the same path, saving everyone from the Archbishop of Gluttony and ensuring they safely reached the Capital.

-With Emilia dead, the Witch Cult has become far more inactive compared to canon.

Chapter 88: [Extra 2 - Crusch IF]

When she woke up, Crusch had to blink several times to get used to the light. Even after all this time — how long had it been? — she still couldn't get used to the sunlight filling their room — their room? That’s why, as she got up, she rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up properly. It was a sign she was developing a bad habit upon waking.

[Crusch: I can’t allow myself to grow complacent.]

Saying that to herself, her tone was critical. In her opinion, she needed to remain as capable as she had been in the past.

Maybe the years of marriage had made her a bit lazy — marriage?

With a few quick movements, she got out of bed and started walking around the room. A room quite different from the one she had at the Karsten Mansion. Not because of elegance, but because of the apparent value of each of the objects inside. Even the mirror in the room was a clear example of that. And as she approached it, picking up a hairbrush, she was met with her own reflection — was that her?

A woman slightly older, but just as beautiful as ever. Taller, wearing a lighter nightgown than she usually wore, revealing part of her mature figure. Her hair was longer too, even shinier, well-kept in a way she hadn’t maintained before — because she used to enter battles so often and believed she didn’t need or have time for such a trivial luxury on the battlefield.

The figure she saw in the mirror was the result of a decade having passed.

Crusch blinked a few times, thinking that image would vanish. But… why? Why should that image disappear suddenly?

It was her.

An older Crusch Karsten, more beautiful with time. And it was something she should’ve already gotten used to after so long — had it really been that long?

She stepped away from the mirror and went to her personal wardrobe, the conjugal one that held both masculine and feminine clothing — especially dresses. Her eyes fluttered lightly.

[Crusch: Where is my…?]

Just as she was about to ask herself where her uniform was, she remembered she hadn’t worn it in a long time. Not since that day — but which day?

And now she allowed herself to wear the dresses that emphasized her more feminine side, as people often said dresses did — especially his words.

So she picked out the noblest green dress she could find: beautiful, well-tailored, and comfortable to wear.

Then she heard knocking at the door.

[???: Crusch-sama.]

[Crusch: Yes?]

[???: Forgive me. His Majesty asked me to check if you had woken up. He and Felix-sama are waiting for you.]

[Crusch: I’m already awake and just finishing getting ready. Thank you for your service. I’ll join them in a few minutes — I’m just checking if my outfit is suitable for… the occasion.]

As she spoke those words, uncertainty grew in her voice as the sentence ended.

Thinking to herself: What occasion?

Even in formal events, she would still wear her usual formal attire. An outfit she had vowed long ago not to remove unless a certain promise was fulfilled.

So what made her choose such a dress for this occasion?

That question lingered in her mind as she stepped out of their room — their? — and found herself in the hallway with a maid she didn’t recognize, but the place itself was familiar. Because in her mind, she had many memories of this place, where she often came to see someone.

The corridor of the Royal Palace. A hallway once familiar, then strange and dark, but now shining again in a way that felt like a dream.

And as she kept walking, memories of special moments came to mind. Some memories, however, felt... strange.

But she shook her head, refocusing from the memories to what lay ahead. Because during her moment of nostalgia, she hadn’t realized how far she had already walked with the unfamiliar — yet oddly familiar — maid, until she blinked and found herself in a place where her memories overwhelmed her with emotion.

The garden. The royal palace garden——

[???: Crusch, there you are at last!]

[???: Ferris was starting to worry that Lady Crusch might be oversleeping, nya~]

The two figures sitting at the table were people she never imagined she’d see together again. Not out of hatred, of course. But because one of them simply shouldn’t be there — why? — the figure of a young man who had grown very handsome: Fourier Lugunica, the former prince and current king. Like her, age had made his appearance more mature and even more attractive, especially in the clothes he now wore that emphasized his title.

It was hard for her to believe the change he had undergone — and even harder to believe that he was her husband — husband? Since when were they——

[Fourier: What’s wrong, Crusch? You look like you’ve seen a ghost! Ah! Did you fall in love with your incredibly handsome husband all over again? I couldn’t blame you if you did.]

[Crusch: ———— No. I’m just still surprised that after all these years, I can still see that foolish, reckless young man in someone who should’ve become his opposite.]

[Fourier: Arrgh!!! That hurts! To receive such harsh words from my beloved wife is an unbearable pain for a man’s heart! Ferris~ heal me!]

[Ferris: Sorry, even Ferris-chan can’t heal wounds as deep as Lady Crusch’s words, nya~]

Joking with his friend, Felix gave a mischievous smile at the prince’s exaggerated reaction.

Crusch, in turn, allowed herself a small, amused laugh.

Without wasting more time standing there,

The Valkyrie took her seat with the other two, receiving a cup of tea. Thus began the morning ritual they shared nearly every day before starting their duties.

[Fourier: I heard recently that Cecilus crossed the border again to challenge Reinhard to a duel. Honestly. It's become so routine now that even Volcanica-sama doesn’t seem to care anymore, or maybe he just believes Reinhard can handle it alone.]

[Ferris: Honestly, I don’t see any productivity in him sneaking into our lands just to get beaten up. It even complicates our relationship with the Emperor of Vollachia, nya~]

[Crusch: Though it seems that way, we should remember that the Emperor doesn't take responsibility for the actions of his Divine General, since Cecilus is... how was it described again?]

[Fourier: “A clueless, reckless adrenaline junkie”?]

Fourier’s words drew a few light chuckles from the other two.

As mentioned,

Cecilus Segmunt, the First Divine General, often crossed borders seeking to challenge the Sword Saint. Something that would normally be an outrage — if it hadn’t become such a running joke that some people would actually pay to watch.

Even so, relations with Vollachia were no more aggressive than usual.

The case of the Vollachian swordsman had become a unique matter between both nations over time. A rather amusing one.

It was almost like letting a child go outside to “play” with a friend.

[Crusch: Honestly. We can’t let this go on. If we allow him to invade whenever he pleases, what’s to stop others from doing the same?]

[Fourier: Volcanica-sama. Even if not as active as we’d hope, he still ensures our safety from attacks by neighboring nations. Let me remind you of the Stride incident in the past.]

[Crusch: Even so, Fourier. The country must not become so dependent on our contract with the Divine Dragon. We cannot always guarantee that it would protect us from everything that may appear. It didn’t even protect...]

"you and the royal family from the illness."

The words died in her mouth at that very instant.

Why? Fourier and the royal family were alive, right?

Those words wouldn’t make sense if they were still alive.

[Fourier: Hahahaha! I always love your words, Crusch. Not relying on the kindness and goodwill of a powerful being like Volcanica-sama to fix all our mistakes... that kind of thinking is one of the things I most admire and love about you.]

[Crusch: ———— Why are you looking at me like that, Fourier?]

[Fourier: ——?! Nothing! It’s nothing! —— No, no. Actually, it is something. I still can’t get over how beautiful you look in these dresses that highlight your feminine side so much. How did I end up with such a beautiful wife? What do you think, Ferris?]

[Ferris: Even if Ferris wanted to disagree, I couldn’t. Lady Crusch in such a dress is the epitome of elegance, beauty, and grace, Nya~]

The sudden compliments about her appearance made her blush intensely.

Even though she hadn’t fully gotten used to it, wearing a dress did admittedly emphasize her feminine features compared to her armor and classic military uniform, which she used to wear to set herself apart and command respect. She had always worn that type of outfit in the past.

Until the challenge and promise were fulfilled. When Fourier had defeated her in combat, and she had agreed to stop wearing such masculine clothing and start wearing dresses whenever he asked. Something she hadn’t made easy at all, until the day she finally faced him. ——

A day that wasn’t supposed to happen, right? Because Crusch knew something was wrong when thinking about that important day she now only partially remembered.

Lost in those thoughts, the dark green-haired woman found herself at an impasse. A strange feeling blooming in her heart. A mix of nostalgia and melancholy swelling in her chest, inflating and then emptying as she shared those moments with two of the most important people in her life up to that point. Then, she continued living that precious moment.

Drinking tea, eating the sweets that Fourier so loved to share. As they now talked about everyday trivialities. A casual conversation surrounded by a sea of uncertainty in Lady Karsten’s heart.

[Fourier: This is one of the best places to be, you know?]

[Crusch: ——?]

She hadn’t realized when they had arrived at that place.

They had finished the tea and treats, finished exchanging a few words with Ferris — who loved teasing them when they asked to be alone in the garden after moments like those shared between the three —, they had walked around and admired the flowers before sitting on a bench.

Fourier was resting his head on Crusch’s lap, on her thighs. Resting peacefully.

[Fourier: My wife’s lap is the most comfortable place in the world. Not even the most luxurious thrones compare to you.]

[Crusch: D-Don’t say things like that so suddenly!]

[Fourier: Suddenly? I must have said it a few hundred times by now. But I don’t mind if you forget, because I’ll say it hundreds more until it’s engraved in your mind for ALL eternity!]

[Crusch: You really... are hopeless.]

Though slightly embarrassed, with pink cheeks, she couldn’t help but smile faintly.

Sitting there.

A calm many would wish to experience. A beautiful scene between two lovers, a scene that—— wasn’t supposed to be this way, because in the past, it was something different.

[Crusch: What was your dream, Fourier?]

[Fourier: ——?]

[Crusch: I’m not asking about grand goals, but your dream. Something you... would’ve regretted not doing had you died...?]

[Fourier: ———— Not freeing you from your clothes. —— It might sound silly. But if my promise kept you from doing what you truly wanted, like laying down your sword, your uniform, for beautiful dresses like this... it’d be a nightmare. Not freeing you from that obligation.]

His words hit her deeply.

Deeper than she expected.

[Crusch: So... that’s what you wanted?]

She asked, looking up at the blue sky and the clouds drifting by. A breeze blowing her long, loose hair, like the flowers and leaves in the garden, while a feeling of calm filled the place. Again, a magnificent scene fit for a romance, seeing such a beautiful woman with her husband in a place like that...

But it wasn’t real.

As much as her heart, immersed in that intoxicating feeling of happiness, felt content and wanted to stay there, something had already revealed itself wrong in her perception. Because she now fully understood that this was not the reality she was living in — but the reality she wanted — and could have lived.

[See the Unimaginable Present]

Those words were spoken in the Witch’s Tomb, and she now remembered them clearly as she heard them from Fourier.

And why was she there?

To help the people of the Sanctuary, to help Felix and the others. Facing the hardships of that illusion, with the support of those who counted on her. Not just in that place, but beyond it. Those who relied on Crusch Karsten, the leader and Royal Candidate who needed to be strong to overcome all trials.

That burden had almost crushed her a few times, if it weren’t for...

[Crusch: I met someone who reminds me of you.]

[Fourier: Incredibly handsome and funny?]

[Crusch: A bit of both. —— No, I think what reminds me of you is... the stubbornness. The impulsive way they sometimes act. Running into danger without fear. Or at least controlling it so well it seems like they aren’t afraid of the challenge in front of them. Turning the impossible into just... a challenge they can overcome with time. —— Someone admirable. Truly admirable in ways I can’t fully express. Inspiring others; Running to face monsters even while weaker, which inspires us to simply move forward and face danger too. Speaking words of support that anyone could say, but with so much certainty and conviction that they sound like a leader. —— Intelligent, formidable, brave. But also impulsive, hardheaded, and, I think, a little spoiled too.]

[Fourier: You said he’s like me, and I have those flaws too? That’s mean of you to say to me, you know?!]

His playful words made her laugh a little.

[Crusch: I always wanted to know what your dream was. —— I always regretted not knowing what you held in your heart, what you couldn’t express to me before your end. —— It hurt my heart. It made me think about how the Divine Dragon didn’t protect you, and how much I wished it had, or how I wished that illness never existed and hadn’t taken you from me.]

[Fourier: I’m sorry. I should’ve expressed my wish earlier.]

Sitting up to face her, Fourier said, looking into her eyes with sadness.

Crusch shook her head.

[Crusch: You don’t need to apologize for that. Knowing it now, like knowing it before, fills me with happiness. Knowing your thoughts were still selfishly about the promise we made in the past. —— That person I mentioned didn’t care about that. He praises me even when I wear such unfeminine clothes, says I stole his heart, and that I’d be the most beautiful woman in the world even in a simple common dress instead of my uniform. He also says how incredible a leader I am, and that he’d follow me into battle even to the ends of the earth if needed.]

[Fourier: I must say, this guy is incredibly smart! I can't deny that all these words are true, because he's someone amazing for noticing all the wonderful qualities of my beautiful Crusch. —— What's this guy’s name?]

[Crusch: Natsuki Subaru-sama.]

[Fourier: Natsuki Subaru...? A good name. The name of a clever man to see something as important as your best qualities and bring them to light for the world. And what do you think of him?]

What did she think of him?

As she had expressed, he had as many flaws as virtues.

But... he was different.

"Crusch-tan looks so beautiful today that I feel like my heart’s going to explode!" — those were some of the words he enthusiastically shouted when he once saw her in a more casual outfit for a special wine-drinking occasion.

And that wasn’t all.

Gifts, compliments, so many demonstrations of affection and care. Even though she had received such treatment from many noble men, Subaru was different—very different—because she saw a kind of warmth and light in him that inexplicably reminded her of Fourier.

Then she blinked again.

A door seemed to materialize in front of her. A door that seemed to carry a meaning she completely understood when resolution settled into her heart. ——

In that moment, her heart weighed more than tens of millions of tons. It beat so strongly it felt like it would burst from her chest. As she instinctively held the hand of Fourier, her beloved husband. —— Was this what she truly wanted? Was this the life she desired for herself? Was this the thing buried deepest in her heart that she had longed for long ago? Yes, it was.

Crusch knew that this illusion was the desire she carried within. A wish for what could have been, had she not lost Fourier to that illness. Her heart wanted to keep her in that place.

But at the same time, that earlier emotion—that joy and euphoria—had already vanished once she realized the central truth.

It was an illusion. It wasn’t a life she could live anymore—because Fourier and the royal family were dead. As much as it hurt to accept that, as much as it pained her to let go of that feeling and the touch of her beloved's hand—something she knew she would never experience again—she knew she couldn't stay.

Not just because of her responsibilities as a Royal Candidate, not just as the Matriarch and leader of House Karsten, and not merely because of duty.

She couldn’t sink into that illusion—because she was Crusch.

The woman to whom the Sword Demon entrusted his blade. The woman whom the Blue pledged loyalty to as her knight, ready to help her however he could. And the woman loved by Fourier, the Prince, and Subaru, the one who enabled the hunt of the White Whale.

So she couldn’t fall into that illusion when so many wanted her to live.

To live outside that illusion.

That’s why the door had appeared. That’s why those feelings had faded. That’s why her heart ached. Because Crusch had accepted the end of the life she could have lived beside the one she once loved. For the simple fact that she had now accepted the unchangeable, embraced the pain, and had to move forward into the future.

Standing up calmly, Fourier remained seated, looking at her with a tender and proud smile, and let go of her hand as she stepped away. Walking toward the door, she opened it by turning the handle—thus completing her Trial. And her heart felt lighter, finally understanding what Fourier had been thinking in his final moments.

 

 

—————

What did you all think? I'm not sure if I managed to properly capture Crusch’s [Unimaginable Present].

In this IF:

-Even though she wasn’t a Half-Human and didn’t possess any Authority, Echidna still allowed Crusch to participate in the trials along with the other members of her camp. This was because Emilia was already dead and Echidna wanted to test Crusch, Wilhelm, Felix, and Subaru.

-Wilhelm and Felix passed the Trials, overcoming the First Trial: Facing the past. Subaru also did, and he also faced the Unimaginable Present (in this IF, with more ease, as he had died only a few times by this point).

-Garfiel joined Crusch’s camp after, with Subaru and Wilhelm’s help, he managed to overcome his past and pass the First Trial as well. Ryuzu and the demi-humans were then taken to Karsten territory to begin a new life.

Chapter 89: [Epilogue - Crusch IF]

1) Crusch.

Date.

When she first heard about that term from Subaru, she partially understood the idea behind it. Where two people go out together—for lunch, dinner, or simply to spend time with one another. And during that time, there might be flirting from one side toward the other, or even mutual attempts to win each other's hearts.

Crusch found the concept mildly interesting when he proposed it to her, asking for it as a personal reward after she had offered him one once they left the Sanctuary. Something that had been completely resolved thanks to the young man's support. She wouldn’t be ashamed to admit it, since, thanks to him—his support and kind heart—her own heart had managed to face the hardships thrown at her by the Witch's Tomb.

Even more so when he gave her a kiss to push her forward...

But it wasn’t just regarding the Sanctuary that she wanted to reward him.

Since the day they met, in a way, he reminded her of Fourier. But despite a slight resemblance, he was also entirely different—in a good way.

He had also been the key to allowing her, and her camp, to win against the White Whale.

And just like her advances in medical research with Felix’s support had, over the past year, begun to allow unexpected progress in finding new ways to heal ephemeral lives. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say such efforts could change the world in the future if they kept investing in that field with the same passion they had shown—Crusch even laughed at how Felix seemed like an excited child with every new discovery meant to save people and make them less dependent on healing magic by providing alternative means.

Speaking again of the Whale—or rather, of a certain person.

Wilhelm van Astrea.

The butler who still served at the Karsten Mansion.

She had seen his relationship with Subaru improve significantly after the hunt and again after the Sanctuary incident. With Subaru’s support, Wilhelm seemed to truly begin mending his bond with his grandson, Reinhard van Astrea, the Sword Saint.

Thinking about that: Subaru had introduced a sport called “Fuo-tebuoul.”

A game played with a ball between two opposing teams. She even remembered how he used it to bring Wilhelm and Reinhard closer together in a grandparent–grandchild match. Reinhard had easily defeated his grandfather in every position they played, but she remembered seeing the two of them having fun during those simple moments.

And not just on the day the game was introduced for everyone to play together—their relationship improved so much that they began seeing each other even outside situations that required interaction.

After all this time, she could truly see her butler smile openly and act with enthusiasm. Not that he hadn’t before—but now, he seemed less rigid, less focused on decorum, and more like an open, cheerful person.

He had transformed into an almost entirely different figure—still dignified enough to remind everyone of who he was, even though some deeper parts of him had changed.

[???: Thinking about something…?]

[???: Nothing important.]

The “masculine” one answered the “feminine” one’s question as they sat together.

It was a restaurant with a beautiful view of the rest of the Capital—finally rebuilt after the recent events—now lit by magical stone lights that made the scene even more stunning. The two figures sat at a table, exchanging smiles.

Some might think they were just an ordinary couple.

A woman with long black hair, beautiful, wearing a fine dress that accentuated her beauty and voluptuous curves. And sitting across from her, another attractive figure—a man with slightly short green hair, dressed in elegant attire, looking like a noble of high status and elegance.

Each of them would draw attention individually, from both men and women alike—and together, no one would doubt they made a striking pair.

Who were they?

Natsumi Schwartz and Crusader Grun.

But what people didn’t know was who they really were: Natsuki Subaru and Crusch Karsten.

Both wearing clothes different from their usual attire—the young man dressed as a beautiful woman, and Crusch dressed as a gentleman.

Both sitting together, on a special date that Subaru had suggested.

[“Natsumi”]: You know it’s rude to leave a beautiful woman without the attention she deserves, right…?

[“Crusader”]: Forgive me for my improper behavior during our date. My thoughts were occupied with something related to… us.

[“Natsumi”]: “Us”? You’re not thinking of proposing to me right now, are you? Because I’ll have to say no.

[“Crusader”]: ——?!

The handsome “man’s” face flushed slightly from the unflattering tease that the “woman” delivered with a mischievous smile on her lips.

But what made “her” even more embarrassed were the stares they received from those around them and the murmurs that followed the apparent “rejection” of a proposal that hadn’t even happened.

To compose herself, she cleared her throat into her fist.

[“Crusader”]: That wasn’t my intention. Forgive me if I disappointed you, Natsumi.

[“Natsumi”]: No need to lie just to protect yourself. Even though I rejected your “proposal,” I would never reject the feelings we’re sharing in this special moment.

So don’t be embarrassed by your boldness—know that I’m honored by your courage and flattered to know I could be the focus of your gaze in such a way.

Even if I do get embarrassed by your shameless stares at my curves now and then.

[“Crusader”]: I haven’t been looking at you that way—I assure you. And I hope you believe me. My only intention was to admire… your beauty.

[“Natsumi”]: Fufufu~ Admiring my beauty? But merely admiring it wouldn’t stop those kinds of thoughts from entering your mind, would it? Admit it—that’s the price beauty carries when one draws the eyes of others.

Still speaking with a slightly teasing tone, “Natsumi” delivered those words confidently, as if stating an irrefutable fact of life.

“Crusader” couldn’t help but feel even more “flustered” by that.

Reflecting more openly on those words and noticing the stares from those around her, she also couldn’t help but become more aware of what “she” had just declared so confidently.

Ever since her vision with Fourier, Crusch had grown more conscious of the way people actually looked at her—not just because of her appearance, or status, or the title bestowed on her by birth, by name, or earned through her hard work.

That thought—of being “watched” because of her beauty—made her briefly wonder if there might be someone special she’d like to be “watched by”…

[“Crusader”]: That makes me think… Have you been observing me in the same way you’re teasing me for?

[“Natsumi”]: ——? Asking if I’ve been watching you—or thinking of you—in such a provocative way? Don’t you realize how improper it is to ask a lady about the kinds of thoughts she may have about her dinner partner?

But tell me… What kind of thoughts do you want to know whether I’ve had about you?

[“Crusader”]: Wouldn’t they be the same kind of thoughts you said people naturally have about beauty? So then, what thoughts do you have… when it comes to my beauty?

[“Natsumi”]: Normally, my thoughts can be summed up in two different ideas.

One: seeing you on the throne of the kingdom, ruling with the courage and wisdom of a true sovereign.

And the other… my mind drifts to a wedding dress, an altar, and a life together—with our family.

The answer came again with a teasing smile as the “woman” crossed her hands and rested her chin on them atop the table they were sitting at, seeming very focused on locking eyes with “Crusader” without looking away as she spoke those words.

[“Crusader”: I appreciate the first part of your thoughts about my beauty, but what interests me is the second part. You just told me you would refuse if I were truly to make such a proposal to you.]

[“Natsumi”: Saying I would refuse doesn’t mean I’ll actually do what I said I would. Unless I made a promise or took an oath to reject your proposal, words aren't 100% definitive about what I’ll do. In this case: I may have said I’d refuse just to make you feel comfortable thinking I’d do exactly what you expected, only to surprise you by saying ‘yes’.]

[“Crusader”: So if I asked you now, would you accept?]

[“Natsumi”: Right now, I can say… maybe.]

[“Crusader”: What does a ‘maybe’ mean in a marriage proposal?]

[“Natsumi”: When there’s a ‘maybe,’ it means both parties must reach a mutually beneficial agreement and make concessions to prevent unhappiness. Though my only request would be something so simple that the mere act of proposing would fulfill it to earn my yes.]

Spinning her utensil to place a piece of meat in her mouth to chew, “she” then grabbed a small napkin to gently wipe her slightly soiled lips.

Her words only made “Crusader” more curious about what it could be.

[“Crusader”: And what would that be?]

[“Natsumi”: A simple request. That you share your life with me for as long as we have. That you share with me your happiness and your sorrow. That you let me grow angry by your side against what we deem unjust, and let me protect what you believe to be justice, just as I want to be your shield — and that you also allow me to be your sword. And that you let me know how deep our bond could go. By saying the words that define the act of truly sharing the delicate bond that leads to marriage…]

Her words sounded like a rehearsed little poem, but so natural that one would believe it was pouring straight from her heart — a glint in her eyes, often described as intimidating, now made them beautiful in that very moment.

At that moment, despite the makeup, despite being dressed up as an incredibly handsome man, “Crusader” once again gave way to the figure to whom her body, mind, and feelings truly belonged. Her gaze became sharper. Determination gleamed in her eyes, as a small smile turned into a confident and assertive one, with a radiant aura showing the full pride she held for House Karsten — a pride she had carried since the moment she understood the weight of her responsibilities and even more so after becoming a Royal Candidate to rule Lugunica.

She looked at the figure in front of her not as Natsumi, but as Subaru.

[Crusch: Natsuki Subaru… I love you.]

Proclaiming it without shame or hesitation anymore, she didn’t look away as she awaited his response.

Even if it was just through his gaze, she understood that it wasn’t “Natsumi” anymore who opened her mouth to say the next words...

[Subaru: Crusch... I love Felix.]

[Crusch: WHAT?!]

She suddenly stood up, slamming her hands on the table with a pale face and her mouth comically wide open, shocked. As if something had hit her pride and heart all at once. Meanwhile, Subaru held in his laughter as long as he could before letting out a chuckle, easing the strange tension he had just caused.

[Subaru: Hahahaha~ I’m joking. You should’ve seen your face.]

[Crusch: That’s not funny at all! I had to gather all my courage to tell you how I feel and what I think about you, and you respond with a joke?! Do you have any idea how much that——!]

Before she could continue, he stood up and closed the distance between them.

A kiss.

A deep kiss that cut off her complaints, surprising her, making her heart nearly explode as she received another kiss from the person she now openly admitted to loving — the surrounding people were slightly surprised watching the scene, even if they didn’t fully understand the context.

They pulled apart, and Subaru looked into her eyes, while Crusch's face was frozen in surprise, just like her body, caught off guard by the sudden second kiss. He gave her a big smile.

[Subaru: I love you too.]

Returning the words she had given him, he kissed her again — this time, she responded after a few moments.

That scene brought even more excitement to those watching. A “woman” returning the feelings of her “partner.”

But only four people in that place knew the truth about who those two really were: Subaru and Crusch themselves, and two other figures watching the scene — barely disguised: Wilhelm and Felix. They had been nearby the whole date, hiding in poor disguises to secretly follow them — unaware that the two knew all along and let it happen for the fun of watching them try.

Sitting together, they watched the scene with small smiles — though Felix had a slight frown on his face.

[Wilhelm: Not bad, my boy.]

He murmured with a satisfied smile, watching as the battle of those two hearts finally came to an end in that moment, hoping they would now start a happy life together, with both of them ready to support their journey ahead.

—[CHIBI MOMENT]—

2) [——]

In the future, they were lying together after many years, after Crusch Karsten had won the Royal Selection.

It was a fierce dispute between all the Candidates, at least if one puts it modestly. But in reality, it wasn’t much of a fight. Crusch Karsten had already been one of the most beloved Candidates by both the people and the Council members, even though her initial goal had been to break the contract between the Divine Dragon and the Kingdom. And the achievements she accumulated since the official start only made people desire her even more as ruler — from the defeat of the White Whale, to the implementation of Subaru’s inventions into Lugunica’s army (some of which would later help eliminate the Great Rabbit with Reinhard’s support), to medical advancements from the joint efforts of Subaru, Felix, and other healers in their research.

In other words, despite the virtues of her rivals, some had considered her victory nearly guaranteed from the beginning. Of course, she never underestimated the other two, just as Subaru advised her not to.

When her victory was secured, she promptly offered Priscilla and Anastasia positions of political power in Lugunica. Their administrative and strategic prowess made them too valuable to be ignored. Priscilla flatly refused, content to admit defeat and return to her own domain, though she would sometimes grace them with her “perfect advice” when necessary. Anastasia still had her company, and her personal desire to fix her Gate — something that was resolved thanks to a deal between Subaru and Roswaal, who implanted an Artificial Gate that had been working just as effectively as a natural one. When offered the position, she said she would take it as a kind of second job, one she could step into temporarily when she needed a break from her main focus.

In other words, it was their polite way of agreeing to help, without lowering their heads in obedience. As equals, to some extent. And neither of the two figures denied this — after all, it allowed them to strengthen their bonds in the process.

No one could deny that her victory was fair, and that she offered equal opportunities for the talents of the others to be shown to the kingdom.

As for her initial wish? The desire to remove the Divine Dragon from power by breaking the contract between it and the kingdom? That was not carried out. Crusch decided to honor the wishes of others and allow the contract between the kingdom and the entity to remain — though she also declared it would make no difference, as in the future she intended to make the kingdom no longer need the dragon’s help, with the support of Subaru, Wilhelm, and Felix to make that dream a reality.

At that moment, you could find the new Queen lying in bed beside her husband.

[Subaru: Another tiring day, huh?]

[Crusch: Not really.]

Lying on top of him as the man read a book, she snuggled in.

Both of them had changed, but the change was more noticeable in the young man than in the lady. Subaru had reached adulthood, become more handsome, stronger, better groomed, and wore clothes befitting his noble status. Meanwhile, Crusch had matured slightly as well, becoming even more beautiful, wearing her classic style of clothes — though looser now, letting her express more of her natural feminine beauty.

They were both lying in their room. After another exhausting day of work, they enjoyed each other’s company, relaxing.

At least, that’s how it was supposed to be — until Subaru felt her embrace tighten slightly around him. That made him glance away from the book and look at her. Seeing the small smile on her face pressed against his chest and the glint in her eyes, he almost instinctively understood the message.

[Subaru: No.]

[Crusch: ——?]

[Subaru: That look you're giving me — I know exactly what you're thinking. And the answer has to be: No. Felix asked us, the Sage Council asked us — heck, even Wilhelm asked us to practice some self-control.]

He knew that look from his wife all too well.

It was the same look she gave him when they tried for their first child, Leo. The same look again when they had their twin children, Sylas (a boy) and Astrelle (a girl). And again for their fourth child, Noelith, another girl. And again for their fifth, Caelum, a boy. They even had another set of twins, Denebola (a girl) and Therion (a boy), making it seven children in total so far.

Subaru had even been advised to stop provoking her — ironically, the roles were reversed.

[Subaru: Don’t give me that look.]

[Crusch: ——]

[Subaru: It won’t work. I promised them I wouldn’t give in.]

[Crusch: ——]

Subaru tried to avert his eyes from hers, focusing entirely on anything else. Trying to stick to the request made by those around them — that they should stop for a while, since they had been starting a family ever since getting married after the Royal Selection. Though Crusch’s father seemed very excited about it.

While focusing, it almost seemed like a tiny mental image of Felix appeared on Subaru’s shoulder — like a little angel.

[“Felix”: Don’t give in, Subaru-Kyun! Stay strong, nya~]

[Subaru: I won’t... I won’t give in.]

He declared this with seriousness, truly ready to keep resisting… until his wife straddled him and pulled off her shirt, revealing she wore nothing underneath.

Subaru and the spectral Felix stared at her — then turned to stare at each other.

[Subaru: I’m sorry.]

[“Felix”: Understandable...]

And with that, the little imaginary Felix disappeared. He knew Subaru wouldn’t resist anymore — and he couldn’t blame him. After all, he was a figment of Subaru’s imagination, and the real Felix probably would say something similar in that situation.

As the vision vanished, Subaru put down his book.

Nine months later, a new baby girl was born — Athena. And then more children followed... to the point where Felix considered castrating or sterilizing Subaru.

 

 

—————

What did you think?

In this IF scenario:

-Subaru and Crusch got married almost immediately after the end of the Royal Selection, where Crusch became Queen.

-The contract with Volcanica remains.

-Anastasia received an artificial Gate from Roswaal that allowed her to continue living without needing Dragon Blood. This placed her in eternal debt to the two, becoming a major ally — even more so when she began helping them with business and administration whenever they asked for advice.

-Thanks to Subaru and Felix, many medicines were developed to help people with illnesses and diseases. Their names became immortalized in the history of scientific and medical progress for the breakthroughs they helped achieve over the years.

-Wilhelm now has a much better relationship with Reinhard — even when they faced Theresia, who had been controlled by the Witch Cult. Wilhelm personally asked Reinhard to help lay her to rest permanently, allowing them to preserve the bond they had begun to rebuild. They are both thankful for Subaru’s support.

-Due to the destruction and deaths caused by Puck, Crusch and Subaru began working to ensure no one would ever suffer again as those in the slums had in the past — preventing people from falling back into those conditions.

-Crusch and Subaru had more than ten children — always an equal number of boys and girls. They had sixteen children by the time Leo, their eldest, turned twenty.

Chapter 90: Sharing IF

What if...? What if there was a Subaru in every world?

—————

 

 

A hospital wasn’t like many TV shows made it seem. It wasn’t an extremely busy place with bodies coming in and out, it wasn’t a place full of doctors working relentlessly, nor was it even a truly crowded place most of the time. At least, it wasn’t as exaggerated as TV shows made it seem when compared to reality.

In the hospital’s reception area, two figures sat—parents of a young boy who had been brought there a few hours ago after an attack. He had destroyed his own room while writhing in agony, tormented by some invisible assault.

His parents had rushed him to the hospital to treat the self-inflicted injuries, after finding him sprawled on the ground, convulsing, drooling uncontrollably, and completely paralyzed—looking almost lifeless. It shattered their hearts. Just a few hours earlier, he had been perfectly fine—or at least, what they considered normal, since nothing physically bad had happened to him up until that moment.

[Doctor: Mr. and Mrs. Natsuki...]

A doctor approached the couple—a heavyset man with graying hair and beard, square-framed glasses, and a gentle, understanding gaze.

Kenichi and Naoko Natsuki stood up, holding onto each other.

[Kenichi: Doctor... so?]

[Doctor: We ran every possible test. CT scan, MRI, ultrasound... We found nothing that indicates physical injuries besides the ones your son inflicted upon himself during his first... attack. There are no cuts, no internal bleeding, no damage that could explain why he acted the way you described... convulsing in pain.]

[Naoko: But the way he screamed... as if he was dying... as if he was being tortured...]

[Kenichi: So you have no explanation at all?]

Naoko clutched her hands against her chest while Kenichi frowned, his fists tightening in frustration at the doctor’s words.

The doctor sighed, crossing his arms.

[Doctor: The only thing we can confirm is that your son is experiencing something I’ve never seen before... It appears to simulate real pain, even though he isn't actually going through it. I’ve never encountered anything like this. We're monitoring him, so maybe we can—]

[Nurse: DOCTOR!]

A woman’s urgent shout cut him off—a nurse came running towards them, looking distressed as if something serious was happening.

And that made the parents’ hearts clench, for she was one of the staff who had first received their son, Subaru, when they arrived.

—[X]—

The cold, pale hospital light cast faint shadows over Subaru’s face as he lay motionless in bed. His eyelids twitched, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his breathing grew erratic, as if he was fighting for every breath. The electrodes attached to his body picked up the sudden acceleration of his heart rate, triggering frantic alerts in the room. Doctors exchanged puzzled glances while nurses struggled to restrain the violent spasms wracking his body.

Pain erupted within him like a blade slicing through his insides. His chest heaved, his muscles seized up, and a piercing scream tore from his throat, echoing through the sterile hospital corridors.

[Subaru: PLEASE! HELP ME! MAKE IT STOP! I CAN’T TAKE IT!]

Subaru screamed, his voice thick with raw terror. His body thrashed uncontrollably, his arms flailing in the air before clutching his own abdomen, his fingers clawing at the thin fabric of his hospital gown, scratching at his own skin in a desperate attempt to reach the agony shredding him from within. His nails dug into his flesh, leaving red marks, while his face twisted in an expression of sheer anguish and absolute horror.

It felt as if something invisible had ripped him open from the inside out.

The searing cold of a blade slicing his stomach was unbearable.

He could feel every inch of his skin and flesh being torn apart, his nerves screaming in agony as warm blood poured out, soaking the once-pristine white sheets. But none of it made sense in his head! It was as if it was happening to him—but not really to him. As if he was experiencing the pain of another version of himself!

His vision blurred, and for a moment, he saw nothing but darkness—only darkness.

Then, the light returned, and with it, the horror of something sharp piercing through his eyes. The pressure, the grotesque sound of his eyeball being punctured, the warm, viscous liquid coating his face—it all felt too real.

He couldn’t see anything anymore except distorted shadows and crimson smears.

His scream turned into a guttural, agonized howl as his fingers clawed at his eyes, rubbing them frantically, as if trying to scrape the pain away. His nails tore into the skin around them, while nurses fought to hold his arms down before he hurt himself even more.

He was suffocating. Blood filled his mouth, slid down his throat, hot and suffocating. Every attempt to breathe resulted in a grotesque gurgling sound, drowning him in his own essence. Each inhale was a struggle, his lungs burning in desperation. His tongue trembled, his teeth bit at the air, trying to spit out blood that wasn’t even there.

The terror consumed him.

He was going to die.

He was going to die again, without understanding, without escaping.

[Doctor: HOLD HIM DOWN!]

The doctor’s voice rang through the room as he rushed in after being called, and Subaru felt strong hands pinning his arms down, pressing his body against the mattress. But his mind was blinded by pain and panic. He struggled furiously, his nails digging deeper into his own stomach, as if trying to rip his own guts out just to end the torment. His legs kicked wildly, his knees trembled, and his head slammed against the pillow—then against the metal railing beside the bed. A dull thud echoed, followed by another, and another, as the nurses scrambled to stop him from injuring himself further.

[Subaru: MAKE IT STOP! I’M GOING TO DIE! IT HURTS! PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO DIE! PLEASE, GET ME OUT OF HERE!]

His voice became a desperate sob, choked between screams and coughs, suffocated by the imaginary blood he felt pouring from his mouth. Despair consumed him, agony tore him apart. He fought, but there was no way to win.

His limbs weakened.

His throat burned.

His vision blurred into nothing but distorted shapes.

Tears and blood—at least in his mind—mixed together, his consciousness teetering between lucidity and unconsciousness. His mouth opened in a silent scream, and then... everything went cold.

A terrible silence swallowed him whole.

And then… it was over.

Subaru’s body went still on the hospital bed, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths, his wide eyes staring at the ceiling, unfocused. The doctors stepped back, exchanging bewildered glances.

He was alive.

But his mind—his soul—had just crossed the threshold of death once again.

The echoes of his agony still lingered in the air, even though no one in the room could truly understand it.

Not far away, his parents had witnessed it all. They had heard his screams for help, his desperate cries as he died in that moment. And their hearts clenched even tighter as one terrifying question filled their minds:

What was happening to their precious son?

 

 

—————

In this IF, some things happened differently:

-There is a Subaru on Earth and a Subaru in the world of Re:Zero. Both share the same physical sensations.

-The Subaru on Earth feels the pain of the Subaru in the world of Re:Zero, and vice versa.

-Each one experiences precisely and exactly the same sensations (especially pain) that the other feels.

-Due to the effects of drugs and anesthetics in the world of Earth, the Subaru in the world of Re:Zero is also psychologically affected, becoming groggy or dazed, though not to the same extent as the one on Earth. For example: If the Subaru on Earth underwent brain surgery, the one in Re:Zero would feel the pain of the procedure.

Chapter 91: Shrine IF

What if...? What if Subaru were a Great Spirit created by Zarestia?

—————

 

 

[Mercenary: Are you sure this is the way?]

[Mercenary 2: Don’t worry about that. I saw that kid’s abilities with my own eyes, and I heard he would be coming down this road!]

Near one of Kararagi’s main roads, between the Sixth and Seventh City-States of Kararagi: Azamiki and Tenmitsu. Two cities not as well known as others but just as important. And in one of them, they had heard that That Figure was about to pass through.

That figure was said to have appeared in Zarestia’s Bed. A fantastical tale for those who heard about it, since that place was infamous for its danger. Entering that area meant certain death, usually by razor-sharp wind magic that slashed intruders to pieces. The power of the Great Spirit that resided there—the Spirit known as Zarestia. Only suicidal lunatics in Kararagi would dare to go there.

But the important thing was not the Wind Spirit, but rather the figure that had become known as The Golden Spirit.

A strange kind of spirit that had suddenly appeared in Banan, with a distinct appearance to those who lived in the country and its city-states. Some even suspected he looked like someone born in Gusteko due to the color of his hair—if they didn’t know he was a spirit, they might assume he was just a human child.

No one knew the circumstances of his birth or the reason for his appearance.

All they knew—and what the second mercenary had seen—was his ability to heal anyone from any illness or injury. Even severed limbs could be restored, treated as if they had never been lost in the first place. A powerful ability! And his figure was that of a normal human. Someone who traveled the country and its cities, healing people. Few knew his true motives, and those who thought they did didn’t seem to care enough to remember and retell them to others.

What mattered now was—

[Mercenary 2: There! It’s him!]

At those words, the six mercenaries looked in the direction the second had pointed. They all fixed their gaze on a figure walking calmly down the road as if the world around him was just an ornament to his existence—or, rather, just a backdrop for him.

A young figure.

Short, messy black hair, with a few strands falling over his forehead. His eyes were large, expressive, and unsettlingly bright, radiating intensity. Slightly arched eyebrows. A delicate face, yet carrying a resolute air. He wore a traditional outfit, resembling a ceremonial uniform. The upper part was a long-sleeved, loose-fitting white tunic, with black details at the edges. A golden belt secured the tunic at his waist, adding a refined touch to his appearance. He also wore long black pants, complementing the outfit.

A red cord was tied loosely around his neck, adding a dash of color to his attire.

[Mercenary: This is the Spirit they talk about...? He just looks like an ordinary kid...]

[Mercenary 2: Doesn’t matter! Spirit, child, monster—whatever! I saw it. Yes, he has the abilities they talk about. He’s a source of infinite healing.]

[Mercenary 5: Alright... if you say so... Still think you might’ve just been drunk.]

The last mercenary commented dismissively. Having known his comrade for a long time, he was well aware that his friend might have just been drunk.

[Mercenary 3: Who cares?! Let’s go. Whether it’s true or not, we can get something out of him.]

With that, he and his comrades stepped away from the roadside to approach the small figure. Upon seeing them, the boy stopped in front of the six armed men towering over him. He lifted his head to meet their eyes, appearing undisturbed by their sudden appearance in this place.

[Subaru: Hello. My name is Subaru. I am the Great Spirit of Healing. Tell me, do you need any help?]

[Mercenary: The Great Spirit of Healing? Quite the grand title for such a small figure like you. Then again... we’ve heard of you. Even if your name isn’t well known among the people, kid, we’ve heard about your abilities.]

[Subaru: You have? That’s good. If you need healing, please, tell me, and I will help you to the best of my ability.]

[Mercenary 5: How adorable~~!]

Though he spoke in a mocking tone, Subaru remained unshaken by the provocation, maintaining a neutral expression and a small, expectant smile—as if waiting for them to show him something in need of healing, something he truly wished to do.

Approaching the small figure, Mercenary 2 grabbed his chin, forcing him to look directly into his eyes. Wearing a smug grin and speaking arrogantly, he continued.

[Mercenary 2: Actually, brat. You can help us. ——. You’re going to come with us, nice and easy. We’ll go to the next town, find sick people, you’ll heal them with your abilities, and we’ll make a huge profit, got it, brat?]

[Subaru: ——. I’m sorry, but no. ——. If I charge people, there will be those who won’t come to me, thinking I’ll only heal them if they have money. That’s something I don’t want. I will heal anyone, without charging. As long as they’re sick, missing a limb, or in need of help. That is my duty with the abilities I have.]

Stating this as if it were obvious, Subaru gently removed the mercenary’s fingers from his chin, stepping back slightly.

[Mercenary 6: Listen, brat. Either you come with us willingly... or we’ll make you come with us.]

[Subaru: ——. I don’t like fighting, but I can fight. That’s why I developed my abilities: Light Fist and Delicate Palm. So... if you want to fight... I will defend myself against you. Please... don’t force me to fight.]

He spoke with genuine kindness, his unnerving eyes reflecting sadness—like someone forced to do something they truly didn’t want to do.

But he already knew—whether he liked it or not—he would have to fight.

A cold wind cut through the air as the six mercenaries surrounded Subaru, forming a tight semicircle around him. Each one, experienced and armed, adjusted their stance to leave no openings. Yet Subaru did not move immediately, his calm gaze contrasting with the rising tension.

The first mercenary, a tall man wielding a short blade, was the first to act. He lunged with a quick slash, aiming to cut Subaru’s side. But before the blade could complete its arc, a bright golden light filled the space where Subaru had been.

The mercenary blinked, confused—Subaru had disappeared.

A moment later, a brutal impact struck his abdomen.

The force sent him flying backward, doubling over in the air before crashing violently to the ground.

The other mercenaries reacted swiftly.

Immediately after, the second one, wielding a heavy axe, swung it in a destructive arc, trying to catch Subaru mid-motion.

But Subaru was no longer there.

A golden flash flickered behind him, and before he could realize it, a precise strike hit his shoulder. The force of the Delicate Palm sent him crashing to the ground, his weapon slipping from his hands as he groaned in pain.

In a pair, the third and fourth mercenaries decided to attack together, trying to corner Subaru with long swords. The third delivered a precise thrust while the fourth spun his blade to cut off any escape route. Subaru disappeared in a golden flash, reappearing between them. With terrifying speed, he dodged both strikes, sliding on the ground and rising to land a direct punch to the third mercenary's chest. The impact was so strong that the mercenary was thrown backward, landing heavily. The fourth tried to react, spinning his sword to block a possible counterattack, but Subaru was already at his side.

His palm struck the man’s ribcage, causing him to immediately lose his balance and fall to his knees, gasping in pain.

The fifth mercenary, now desperate, drew a crossbow and fired an arrow directly at Subaru’s position. However, at the exact moment the projectile should have hit him, Subaru dissolved into golden particles. He reappeared beside the archer, his palm striking the shooter’s arm with a sharp blow. A cracking sound echoed in the air as bones shattered, and the crossbow fell from his hands. The man screamed, clutching his useless arm, and collapsed to the ground.

In the end, the last mercenary, a veteran of countless battles, knew he was at a disadvantage but had no intention of going down without a fight. He gripped his spear firmly and took a defensive stance, cautiously circling Subaru. When he spotted an opening, he lunged with a swift and precise thrust, aiming for his enemy’s chest. Subaru moved with a golden gleam, dodging the spear’s tip by a fraction of a second. The mercenary retreated and attempted another strike, spinning the spear to extend his reach. But Subaru was already within his space. He grabbed the spear’s shaft, yanking it out of the mercenary’s hand, and delivered a decisive blow to the man’s chest.

The impact reverberated across the battlefield, and the mercenary fell to his knees before collapsing unconscious.

Subaru stood in the center of the fallen bodies. The cold wind blew again, slightly rustling his clothes. The battle had ended before it had even begun. Sighing with sadness, he opened a small cut on his palm, releasing a golden liquid—his blood—and quickly dropped a single droplet on each of the unconscious mercenaries, healing them of all their wounds.

That wind returned, passing over him in a different manner. Soothing.

[???: You know they wouldn’t do the same for you, right?]

[Subaru: And if that stopped me, I wouldn’t be able to help people.]

[???: Su, you really should think about just exterminating everyone. It’s easier.]

[Subaru: Exterminating others is easy. Healing them, helping them, improving them. That’s the hard path, one that only those with courage can walk… and those who have no other choice, like me. I don’t have the courage to harm them, you know.]

Approaching him from behind, the white figure gently wrapped their arms around him, embracing him, pressing the back of his head against themselves, and lowering slightly, bowing down to rest their chin atop his head. This beautiful figure was widely known throughout Kararagi and beyond—Zarestia, one of the Four Great Spirits of the current era.

[Zarestia: You know this might end up hurting you, right? And your abilities don’t work on yourself?]

[Subaru: That’s why I have you to take care of me, Mama Tia.]

[Zarestia: ——! Urgh! Don’t look at me with those eyes, Su~~!!!]

With bright, hopeful eyes. Subaru gave a look of total trust to the white spirit, known for her brutality, bloodlust, and immeasurable power in causing destruction and death. But she found herself powerless when faced with those shining eyes of her beloved “son”—even if not by blood.

The Spirit of Healing and the Spirit of Wind, the Kindest Healer and the Most Beautiful Reaper. A duo that helped the world in an unusual way wherever they went.

 

—————

This Subaru is an IF scenario based on some people's requests: that he be a Great Spirit, be Zarestia's "Son," and also a request from a reader for me to create an IF based on this version of Subaru from the story "Variants, Variants and More Variants":

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63789406/chapters/164789812

In this IF:

-Subaru was born as a sick baby in his world—extremely ill, to the point that he only lived for three months before passing away. The only things he remembered from that life were the love and sadness of his parents at his birth, his short life, and his death.

-Satella ended up saving his soul and fused it with a Lesser Spirit, which then developed into a Great Spirit with the appearance of his childlike self (as shown in the image). He was then born into Zarestia’s home.

-Zarestia did not understand what he was when he was born. But after some conflicts, they developed a mother-son relationship, with her being a mother who loves to pamper and protect her child, who in turn does the same for her. This created a duo of two Great Spirits.

-Subaru possesses Golden Blood, which allows him to heal any and all damage (LITERALLY ANYTHING), making his healing power even greater than Felix’s and Minerva’s. The only restriction is that: He needs to be cut or cut himself to use his healing blood, and he cannot immediately heal himself with his blood (he would need to wait one minute for the wound to heal completely, leaving no scar). He is even capable of reviving people as long as they have died within the past hour, functioning infinitely better than the "Sacrament of the Immortal King" ability.

-He is literally immortal: Even Satella, Reinhard, and Pandora cannot kill him. Even if he were reduced to less than an atom, he would still be able to regenerate.

-If he were classified as a Great Spirit, he would be the Great Spirit of Yang.

-This version of Subaru is completely good and innocent: With the personality of a small baby, he is 100% gentle and dislikes violence (despite being strong enough to engage in it), to the point of having no truly malicious desires. He is the second kindest Subaru among my IFs, to the extent that he is considered a kind of pure saint. He has never taken a life and does not intend to, no matter who it is. To sum it up: He is an incredibly good and innocent being, incapable of turning evil or doing anything malicious intentionally. He is also so innocent that he is easy to deceive—he wouldn’t recognize someone even if they disguised themselves right in front of him. He is literally a Baby/Innocent Child.

-He developed two combat techniques by secretly watching Halibel and his Shinobi skills:

Light Fist (ライトグリップ - Raito Gurippu) – He delivers light punches, strong enough to destroy steel.

Delicate Palm (デリケートな手のひら - Derikētona Tenohira) – He delivers delicate slaps, with half the power of Light Fist.

He even possesses a Multiplication technique like Halibel.

His combat style is both strong (he can amplify his physical strength with Yang Magic to an unprecedented level, making him one of the physically strongest Great Spirits—stronger than Puck in his Beast of the End form, where he would win 7 out of 10 fights if he took the battle seriously) and fast (as fast as light—LITERALLY transforming into it while moving). This means that even if the Three Gluttonies fought him at once, he could defeat them without getting hit (though he wouldn’t actually attack to seriously harm or kill them).

-He does not care about money or material possessions. His philosophy is: "If someone needs help, I will help." Due to the love and sadness imprinted on his soul by his parents in another life, he does not want anyone to suffer anymore. He is willing to heal anyone, regardless of whether they are rich, poor, good, or evil.

-When he traveled to Lugunica, he settled in the slums of the Royal Capital to heal anyone in need.

-He was able to cure the Royal Family’s illness and save their lives, making the Royal Selection unnecessary. He became a known ally of Lugunica and, unknowingly, a target of Roswaal for disrupting his plans.

-Zarestia always follows Subaru and protects him when he refuses to fight his opponents, as he often hesitates or outright refuses to fight due to his fear of seriously harming them.

Chapter 92: [Extra - Shrine IF]

Fourier had always imagined the Great Spirits differently — both in appearance and personality — in the rare moments he ever thought about them. Especially now, with the recent events that had shaken his family. But whenever he did think of them, he expected imposing figures with immense power.

In the Royal Hall, seated on the throne, was the figure of his father. A man with a stern expression, shaped by years of experience — both as a ruler and as a warrior — which was evident to anyone who looked closely. He had long blond hair, faded from the vigor of youth long gone, and piercing red eyes. The King of Lugunica, Randohal Lugunica.

The paternal figure whom Fourier so deeply admired was now watching the two figures who stood out in the middle of the hall.

They were surrounded not only by other family members but also by nobles. Yet the one standing at the front, in the king’s place, was Fourier’s brother, Zabinel. Like his younger brother and father, he had golden hair and red eyes — a strong presence, but one that also conveyed wisdom and cunning.

[Zabinel: On behalf of all the members of the Royal Family, here and now, in front of all the nobles and knights who serve this kingdom, I thank the Great Spirit of Yang, Subaru, for saving my life and the lives of all our family members!]

Such a declaration was made in a truly joyful tone, with a level of excitement the younger prince had never seen in his brother — who usually behaved so seriously during events like this. But this one was special. The entire royal family had been saved — saved from death — thanks to one of the two figures.

About a month ago, every member of the royal family had fallen ill. A mysterious illness that lingered, even after being treated by the greatest healer of the time, Felix, alongside many others. None of them were getting better, no matter what treatments were applied. It had reached a point where it was believed that the entire royal family — the king, his brother, and the two princes — would die. A tragic end that could have plunged the entire country into chaos.

But then they heard rumors.

A spirit had come from Kararagi, brought by a well-known figure there: Anastasia Hoshin and her company. The reason for their connection was unclear, but now, given the Great Spirit’s abilities, it was easier to imagine. Healing. He had likely healed her, and as a form of gratitude — or so Subaru had said — she had helped him reach the most important place in the Kingdom of Lugunica.

A healing campaign — that’s what Subaru called what he was doing, entering the Capital’s Slums and using his healing powers on every resident he met. Healing incurable diseases, even regenerating lost limbs — whether recently lost or long gone. An incredible miracle taking place there, and the rumors spread all the way to the nobles and the castle.

Julius, Reinhard, and Felix went in search of the mysterious figure who was healing so many people.

When they found him, both Julius and Reinhard instantly recognized the two distinct figures as spirits — and not just ordinary ones, but powerful Great Spirits. The ones he had spoken about, the ones he always mentioned, whom he had thought of as strange. Zarestia and Subaru, the Great Spirits of Wind and Yang, as they were named.

Zarestia was a stunning spirit. Pale skin and white hair, matching her kimono. A deadly beauty, reflecting the lethality her presence held — like a sharp whirlwind capable of decapitating anyone in the room. Her threatening aura made that perfectly clear, the murderous intent she radiated fiercely affecting everyone in the grand hall.

A sharp contrast to the smaller figure, Subaru. A spirit in ceremonial attire, with dark hair, glowing and intense eyes, and a childlike aura that made his youthful, innocent appearance even more striking. He held Zarestia’s outstretched hand like a small child clinging to his mother, while using his other hand to munch on a sweet treat he’d brought with him — leaving a trail of crumbs on his cute, childlike face, giving off the impression of a slightly messy but adorable kid.

The two couldn’t have been more different, at least judging by the auras they gave off. While the Spirit of Wind radiated a deadly intent, the Spirit of Yang radiated a desire to help everyone — no matter who they were.

When they met them, Zarestia didn’t hide her opinion that they should all die right then and there. She didn’t care about the Royal Family’s lives — treating them as if they were common, meaningless people, no different than anyone else — all equal in death’s eyes. In contrast, Subaru acted immediately to save them.

He tore open his own palm and let his golden blood flow, placing drops into their mouths. And then a miracle happened. They were almost instantly cured of the mysterious illness. Saved from the painful death they were heading toward. The country — like them — was given another chance at life and at a future.

Fourier would personally give thanks for having his brother and father saved — and for not dying before fulfilling his dream. The dream of defeating Crusch Karsten, stripping her of her unfeminine clothes, and marrying her.

And it was all thanks to that small figure now being praised by everyone in the hall.

[Subaru: I’m glad you’re all okay.]

[Zabinel: And it’s all thanks to you, Great Spirit Subaru. Without your healing abilities, I fear we would have all succumbed to that mysterious illness. No matter how long we live, we’ll never be able to repay such a kind act.]

[Subaru: You don’t need to give me anything. After all, you were sick, right? And I have the power to heal people... It’s what I should be doing from the start, isn’t it?]

Among the crowd of knights, one person was especially moved by those words — Felix. He had tried to heal the royal family and failed. Even with help from other healers, they couldn’t do it. He feared the worst. Felix had prayed for a miracle — even hoping the Divine Dragon would come and save the Royal Family from such a tragic fate. And then, by fate’s design, the spirit with the greatest healing power in history appeared to help them.

When he first saw him in the slums, he thought Subaru was just a strange kid — one who was hurting himself.

But then he saw the golden blood — saw it drip onto people — and saw them heal. Diseases and wounds vanished. Lost limbs grew back as if they’d never been severed — and without apparent pain. Instead, people seemed to feel relief. Felix had found his miracle! As if by instinct, he was the first to try and reach the boy to ask for help — even before he knew what Subaru truly was.

And he was nearly killed by Zarestia.

If not for Reinhard.

As the reaper spirit explained later, she would protect Subaru from people with eyes like Felix’s — eyes that clearly wanted to use Subaru for selfish desires, without truly considering the small, dark-haired spirit’s personal wishes. Greedy eyes, which were then revealed to be the desperate eyes of a knight trying to save his friend.

Such a wish that Subaru would clearly fulfill after hearing it, not caring about the supposed greedy look from the feline knight.

Felix was deeply grateful for the good intentions of the young-looking little spirit. Even though he disliked a bit the way Subaru had to use his healing power, he wouldn’t deny he was thankful for the existence of an ability that surpassed his own and allowed anyone to be saved — especially those important to him, like his friend. He even strongly thought about how much he wished he could form a contract with such a spirit: working together, they could heal many people across the kingdom. But he kept receiving those stares from Zarestia, as well as from Julius and Reinhard.

From her perspective as Subaru’s adoptive mother, they were individuals trying to take advantage of her son’s kindness and steal his heart. Something she would never allow! As a mother, she wouldn’t let him have a boyfriend or girlfriend until the appropriate age. Like 500 or 600 years old — all because of a slight case of maternal jealousy.

But back to the main point.

[Randohal: Even if you refuse a reward, you must understand how grateful we are. We’d be dead if it weren’t for you — your kindness and your powerful ability, Great Spirit. As my eldest son said, we are eternally grateful to you, Subaru-sama.]

[Zabinel: So, if there’s any request you’d like to make — please! Don’t hold back. Even if it’s difficult or impossible, we’ll try to make it happen. I know it might sound arrogant to believe we could grant whatever wish you may have, but we want to try.]

[Zarestia: Hmpf! If it were up to me, we’d already be gone. But if you want to reward Su. ——. What do you want?]

[Subaru: Hmmm.]

Looking thoughtful, he seemed to be deeply debating, showing a doubtful expression. A cute expression, in the opinion of those watching — the way he thought and reflected on what to ask for. Until he seemed to have a sudden idea. Letting go of Zarestia’s hand, to her dismay at separating from her child, he started walking toward Zabinel.

They weren’t that far apart, but it still took a little while for him to walk there, taking quick steps. Yet, his slightly clumsy gait made the whole scene look like one of the most impossibly adorable things unfolding in front of them — something everyone shared.

When he reached him, Subaru made the following movements: He took Zabinel’s left hand, lightly ran the palm of his small left hand over the back of it, and then gave it a small kiss.

[Subaru: If you want to reward me… I know I’m going to ask for something difficult, maybe even impossible, but…]

He raised his face to look him in the eyes.

 [Subaru: Don’t push yourself when you’re not well, don’t hurt yourself, don’t get sick. Eat well, bathe properly. Rest a lot, sleep well. Smile, be happy. And… live strong and well, okay?]

With his eyes slightly glowing, he tilted his head to the side, a big, toothy smile spreading across his face, his cute aura making the act even more overwhelming — to the point it generated a wave of energy from the sheer adorableness.

That wave hit everyone in the hall.

Zabinel had to try to close his eyes, Randohal looked away, and Fourier tried to cover his vision with an arm. The knights mimicked their leaders’ actions — even Reinhard, with his Divine Protection, was barely enduring the sight. Meanwhile, Zarestia clutched her chest, as if an arrow had pierced her at that very moment.

All of them were completely enchanted, thinking the same thing:

[Everyone: THIS IS SO CUTE~~~!!!]

They all screamed in their minds.

 

 

—————

Additional Notes for this IF:

-Subaru repaired Anastasia’s Gate using his own blood.

-He often asks for head pats as rewards from those who want to thank him.

-Zarestia holds deep resentment toward Reinhard and Julius because of their Divine Protections, seeing them as playboys trying to corrupt her son’s pure heart.

Chapter 93: [Extra 2 - Shrine IF]

[Subaru: What... is happening?]

A powerful icy wind emanated from the forest that, not long ago—although also cold—was a place where warmly dressed people could easily enter and pass through without much trouble. But now, the cold emanating from it, even for a Spirit, was powerful and aggressive, like a great storm of pure ice. A powerful ice born from powerful magic.

As he kept walking, he thought of the figures he needed to reach.

Not long ago, Subaru and Zarestia had ended up in Elior Forest, a forest said to have once housed elves who had been frozen. They heard from a man named Roswaal L. Mathers about a lone figure who lived there, and that in the past there had been a battle between the former Spirit of Fire and the one who stole its position. Having hinted that she might need support, Subaru quickly volunteered—though he had to convince his mother with his famous puppy eyes for a long time.

When they arrived, they met the isolated figure. Emilia—just Emilia—a half-elf with silver hair.

She lived in the frozen region of the forest with her contracted spirit, the current Great Spirit of Fire, Puck, who took the form of a small floating magical cat. He quickly got along with the girl, while Zarestia didn’t get along with Puck at all—always wary and suspicious—preferring to stay away from interactions with the two and letting Subaru handle things. Subaru easily became friends with both of them, especially the girl, who seemed to share an almost identical mindset.

Both pairs began spending a lot of time together in the forest.

Exploring, talking, bonding. Though Zarestia never really tried to get close like Subaru did. And he truly enjoyed spending time with them, talking to them. He was even willing to try and help with the problem of the frozen elves, since, thanks to his connection to the Royal Family, they could offer the Divine Dragon’s Blood to help revive the elves.

Emilia seemed happy and extremely grateful for it, and Puck... seemed neutral about it, but grateful for the happiness Subaru was bringing to the half-elf.

So Subaru sent Zarestia to arrange a meeting between Emilia and the Royal Family.

Even though Subaru was faster than Zarestia when both went at full speed, he knew his mother preferred moving through the world more than he did—he liked walking and getting to know the world more deeply, not just rushing past everything. A sharp contrast. For her, the place she’s in is more important than the path; for the younger, he liked exploring the path to discover more along the way. So sending her was the best choice to handle the matter quickly.

Subaru stayed in the forest. Enjoying time with her, talking. Then today, he went to get some different food from the villages closest to the forest. Using some money he had in a pouch given by the Royal Family to hold his belongings.

And as he returned, he found himself in the middle of this storm.

Trying to reach its center, worried.

[Puck: This world... no longer deserves to exist.]

He heard the cold words. Extremely cold, cruel words. And upon reaching where he needed to be, he saw a figure. A gigantic figure in the form of a great lion, which he quickly recognized as Puck—even in such a drastically different form from his usual small and adorable one, now massive and powerful.

[Subaru: Puck-san! What—?!]

He shielded his face with his arm, looking around.

Until his eyes landed on what lay beneath the creature’s massive paws.

Emilia. Emilia, fallen, with bloodstains on her white clothes, lying against the snowy ground, with blood scattered across the surface. A horrible, cruel sight. It made the young spirit’s eyes widen in shock at what he was witnessing. Because just minutes ago, she was alive and well.

[Subaru: N-N-No! W-What happened...? —— Puck-san! What happened?!]

[Puck: My daughter. My beloved Lia. She was... killed. And for that... I shall fulfill my vow, fulfill my Contract, and destroy this despicable world.]

[Subaru: Wha——!]

Subaru jumped back when a shard of ice tried to pierce him—tried to impale him with chilling force. His eyes widened, beginning to tear up.

[Subaru: P-Puck-san... why?]

[Puck: —— My contract. My reason for existing. The reason every Spirit—especially us, the Great Ones—must follow to the end. That’s all that matters. My purpose was to care for her, my purpose was to help her grow, my purpose passed down to me. My younger sister, Beatrice, fulfills her vow to guard the Forbidden Library until “That Person” arrives—she would understand. Because if our purpose can no longer be fulfilled... why should this world continue?]

[Subaru: —— But what about the people?]

[Puck: Why should they live when my beloved daughter cannot? —— I don’t care about them. Men and women, children and elders, good and evil. The mere fact that they continue to live while she doesn’t... is a crime. One whose only punishment is the fulfillment of my contract, the completion of my purpose. To destroy this world.]

Such words were spoken with a tone cold and indifferent to all life in the world. His tone made it clear—Puck cared little for other living beings. And that hurt the heart of the Yang spirit.

[Subaru: Please, Puck-san. I know I’m young, an immature spirit, to the point that my words may not matter to someone who has lived for four centuries like you. But I don’t think this is what Emilia-san would’ve wanted... she wouldn’t wish for the world to be destroyed just because she died. Please, in Emilia-san’s name, reconsider and don’t carry out such a cruel act... taking lives would not be a way to honor someone so kind.]

[Puck: ———— You truly are a fool who knows nothing of what he speaks.]

[Subaru: Please, I don’t——]

[Puck: If she cannot live in this world... then NO ONE else will.]

Standing before him in the snow—like a blur of light bathed in serene whiteness—was Subaru. His childish eyes, sweet like those of someone who had never known evil, were now steady.

No hatred. No desire to kill.

But with a cold and unshakable focus. He stared at Puck with the lightness of a breeze—and the power of a contained hurricane.

The forest roared when Puck no longer held back.

A glacial roar exploded from the throat of the Beast of the End, and thousands of ice spears burst forth like serpents, firing from all directions. The forest trembled, the skies darkened, and a blizzard of pure magic consumed the area.

But there was no impact.

Subaru was no longer there.

He appeared above, floating like a feather in the moonlight. His body dissolved and rematerialized as pure light, moving at such an absolute speed that space itself was forced to readjust.

[Subaru: Sorry, Mister Kitty...]

Subaru appeared right in front of Puck’s right eye and…

CRACK!

A Light Punch exploded against the Beast’s titanic cheek, making Puck’s head spin from the impact that knocked down trees for kilometers. The ground caved in from the shockwave.

Before Puck could react, Subaru was already at his left flank.

BAM!

Another punch. The ice around them shattered like thin glass, and Puck’s colossal paw was thrown to the side.

Puck growled.

He steps back, but immediately gathers mana—and the forest plunges into a cold, absolute darkness. From his mouth, a beam of freezing destruction explodes, a blast of frosty fire mana so powerful it could obliterate an entire city.

But Subaru simply raises his hand. Gentle Palm. A tap. Simple. Soft. But as his palm meets the energy beam, he completely redirects it, making it ricochet into the sky and vanish among the clouds.

Even the mana in the environment halts for a second—startled.

Puck leaps. His colossal body spins in the air with the grace of a predator, and he tries to smash Subaru with his icy tail, coated in crystals hard as diamond.

But Subaru vanishes again—reappearing ON TOP of the tail, walking on it as if it were solid ground, his steps light, childlike.

[Subaru: I don't want to hurt you... Please, stop...]

Puck roars in even greater rage. The image of Emilia dead flashes back in his mind.

His daughter. His reason.

The pain intensifies.

He releases all the mana he can muster in that moment, not holding back as he unleashes his full power. Everything around is swallowed by a dome of frozen magic that turns the air to crystal, the wind to blades, and the mana into utter chaos. The world begins to freeze until time itself seems to stop.

But even inside that…

Subaru is still there.

Untouched.

He walks slowly through the air, childishly calm, while time fractures into shards of crystal around him. Each step leaves a trail of light that disintegrates the frozen particles.

Subaru closes his eyes for a moment. He doesn't want to do this. But he has to. He charges at Puck again. A flurry of punches and slaps begins. Each attack is measured, precise, strong enough to break steel—but deliberately non-lethal. Subaru strikes Puck's hind leg, then the shoulder, then the torso.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The beast reels, howls, writhes. It tries to retaliate, tries to bite, tries to freeze everything in rage. But every attempt is countered with soft yet violent precision.

Puck moves. A leap, a swipe of massive claws that slice the forest in half—

But Subaru vanishes like a flash of light.

Literally.

The golden light that appears cuts through snow and air. In a second, Subaru is above Puck’s head. He spins in the air and lands a Light Fist, striking the top of the beast’s skull with enough force to break the sound barrier and shake the ground below.

Puck is launched into an icy mountain. Fragments scatter for hundreds of meters.

But he's already back on his feet the next moment, roaring and releasing a storm of magical ice spears.

Subaru dances between them. His movements are graceful, like a child in a field of flowers... except each step is faster than light.

[Subaru: I'm sorry about this...]

He whispers, just before appearing in front of Puck’s snout and landing a Gentle Palm, powerful enough to drive the beast’s face into the frozen ground.

Still, Puck doesn’t stop.

He howls, summoning a massive blizzard of seemingly endless snow and ice, mixing in his mastery of fire magic to create a devastating explosion.

Subaru doesn’t retreat.

He closes his eyes. His body shines even brighter and then transforms into pure light, passing through the explosion as if it weren’t there.

He reappears behind Puck and activates his Multiplication: now five Subarus emerge around the Beast.

All move like golden beams, punching, spinning, leaping, and striking precisely at Puck’s mana control points, destabilizing his beastly form.

Puck screams. The pain is real, but Subaru measures every hit perfectly: only to incapacitate. Never to kill.

[Subaru: You’re sad… and angry… I understand. But… that doesn’t give you the right to freeze the world, Mister Puck. Pain… doesn’t make you its judge.]

Subaru says, gently landing in front of the creature.

Puck tries to rise one last time. His body trembles. The mana around him begins to crack. The icy ground shatters like glass beneath him.

Subaru takes a deep breath. His eyes shine with a deep compassion—the compassion of a pure soul.

The small feline body of the fire spirit trembles, not just from physical pain and exhaustion, as he lies in the snow.

The Yang spirit extends his hand toward him, his eyes glowing with empathy.

[Subaru: Let’s end this… please… You still can——]

[Puck: SHUT UP!!! —— You… you talk like you understand! Like you know what it’s like to have everything ripped away from you! YOUR PURPOSE FOR EXISTING! Beatrice still has that stupid Library or might find that someone, but what about me, huh?! I DID EVERYTHING RIGHT!!! DAMMIT! I TOOK CARE OF HER, DIDN’T I?! EVEN BETTER THAN I WAS ASKED TO, DIDN’T I?! I CARED FOR HER JUST LIKE YOU ASKED ME TO… ECHIDNA!!!!! —— So… why...? It’s not fair, IT’S NOT FAIR!!!]

Screaming in rage. His body starts glowing again, erratically, unstable. Breaking down.

A furious storm of ice continues to pour out of him, freezing everything around, destroying more and more trees and tearing up the ground where he’d fallen.

[Puck: It's not my fault…! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IT’S NOT MY FAULT! —— I PLAYED MY ROLE BETTER THAN I WAS ASKED TO!!! And if… If… If she’s never going to smile again… THEN NO ONE ELSE WILL EITHER!!!]

His will continues. He wants to go on. He wants to destroy the world, even knowing he’ll be destroyed too—and that Emilia would never allow him to do that. Even knowing it’s pointless.

Puck jumps high. His body explodes in a final transformation—monstrous and incomplete—an unstable mass of mana and ice.

A gigantic head, with eyes burning with pain and madness, emerges from clouds of frost.

Subaru, until now silent, letting him vent his grief, waits—facing him with determination and… sorrow.

Because in that moment, he realized he would not be able to make him stop.

The feline spirit then fires a blast of pure freezing energy—so powerful it tears the sky in two, splitting the clouds.

The ground cracks. Everything freezes.

But Subaru doesn’t move.

A single tear rolls down his face as he whispers one final:

“I’m sorry, Puck-san...”

Preparing himself. His fist clenched. The air vibrates as the snow begins to melt. The world around them trembles—and there is no anger. Only resolve.

[Subaru: Heavy... Fist.]

Time stops. No sound, no wind. And then— A single beam of light, as thin as a needle, crosses the space between them like a comet in the night sky. Subaru, with his fist extended, strikes Puck’s head with a single punch—and finds himself with his back to Puck, who still floats in the air, unmoving—

As if his body hadn’t yet registered the hit, but his attacks had ceased.

There is no explosion. No scream. No destruction.

Only silence.

The head of the Beast of the End shatters like glass. A second later, the body begins to dissolve into mana—like shimmering snow.

A massive BOOM!!! echoes in the sky—the sound of Subaru’s movement and strike finally caught up by space itself, by the very concept of existence and sound— And with it, all the ice crystals, all the stakes created by Puck, are destroyed.

Puck is dead.

Subaru no longer smiles, no longer cries. He simply watches, eyes lowered. Saddened by what he had to do for that being so deeply drowned in sorrow. The forest, though destroyed, begins to regain its sound — the whispering of the wind, the distant flapping of wings from birds returning.

Subaru remains there for a few minutes.

Silent.

Feeling the weight of his decision. He lifts his eyes to the sky. The world moves on. Even if there's now a hole in his heart. Then, he followed the trail of destruction to Emilia’s corpse, and with her blood, he would later bring her back and tell her everything that happened... a sad story.

But unbeknownst to them, unnoticed by any of them—

A figure had witnessed everything.

A man in clown makeup, who upon seeing Subaru’s abilities... could only smile with joy, seeing that not everything was lost.

 

 

—————

I'm sorry if the fight didn’t turn out great. I decided to give Subaru a power boost:

-Subaru's new move is called: "Heavy Fist" (ヘビーフィスト - Hebīfisuto): A punch in which he puts all his strength into it while moving with everything, hitting his target. For a better description: It's like Saitama using a Serious Punch.

-As long as the bodies of the dead people are preserved (in this case: They are not just bones and still have flesh) he can still revive them with his blood. Even if they are Undead (Zombies).

-If Subaru were to make a contract with either Julius or Emilia (specifically these two), in just ten years, he could become five times stronger than he currently is (that is, five times stronger than his version capable of winning 7 out of 10 battles against Puck in Beast of the End mode). All because of absorbing Mana from within them. By absorbing their Mana, he also absorbs part of the "essence" of their souls and grows stronger. For context: Absorbing Mana from the atmosphere keeps him at his current state, while absorbing Mana from someone allows him to grow and mature. From a certain perspective, he’s still in his initial stage, compared to others, and his full potential depends on him evolving through a contract with someone.

-He will eventually go to the Mathers Mansion to try to meet and help Beatrice.

-Subaru is sought after by several individuals wanting to form a contract. Because of that, Zarestia becomes furious and kicks the butts of the "harem of perverts who want her son’s purity."

—

I don’t know if it really makes sense, but... Have you ever considered the idea that the “Destroy the World” contract might’ve actually been a test?

Like with Beatrice. While she was supposed to wait for “That Person,” the true test was for her to choose who she wanted to pass the Library on to and become her spirit. As for Puck: He was supposed to choose whether or not to destroy the world after Emilia’s death; and it’s interesting that, according to trivia on his Wiki page, due to the contract with Emilia, he became extremely weakened — which makes one wonder...

Maybe he was never supposed to make that contract?

What if Puck was created to protect Emilia not directly, like a Spirit with a contract, but more like a figure that would help her from afar? Like a father: handling her problems, supporting her, and letting her grow. But by choosing the contract, both he and Emilia were weakened, and parts of their memories were erased or altered (at least from what I recall, though I might be wrong).

Basically: Echidna gave him the choice —

1) Take care of Emilia

2) Destroy the world if he made a contract with her.

It was a test of free will. To choose to care for her in a way that allowed her to grow. But he chose the contract, and that ended up harming them both. And when she dies, he realizes his mistake and decides to follow the clause of destroying the world, for having failed his only mission. In both cases: He chooses to follow orders, without thinking for himself — the same way Beatrice chose to remain in the Library with her Gospel.

What do you all think? I don’t know if anyone’s ever thought of this before, but I pondered it a bit...

That maybe Echidna hoped they’d break free from her orders, think for themselves — but instead, they chose to follow the goals she gave them without questioning, and because of that... she placed obstacles and temptations to make them give up, to grow, to evolve in the way she believed they could.

Where Beatrice succeeded with Subaru’s help, by choosing him — but Puck... that’s something that may or may not still happen.

Chapter 94: [Epilogue - Shrine IF]

1) Subaru.

[???: Hey, little guy, how are you doing, huh?]

He couldn’t recognize that figure, couldn’t understand who it was, but he heard the voice and felt a strangely comforting warmth whenever those words reached him. And no matter how much he tried to move, tried to understand what was happening, tried to find a way to recognize that figure—

Even so, he could still see it in a different way. A tall, dark, large figure.

But it wasn’t only the figure he saw yet could not recognize, or the voice he heard—familiar yet belonging to no one he could place—there was also that warm sensation he didn’t understand: affection. Along with it came a kind of touch on his head. And in what seemed like a quick motion, his tiny body—back then—drew closer to that figure, closer to the face of that figure. There, he could finally start to see the man’s face clearly.

The face of what looked like a man—and it really was a man. Dark hair, a beard beginning to grow, glasses on his face.

Showing him a warm smile.

[???: Subaru… How are you, huh? Feeling better today?]

The question was asked in a gentle tone.

Subaru? Subaru was his name? Maybe… that must be his name, right? Because that figure was calling him that for a reason—so it had to be true.

But who was this figure?

[???: I hope you slept well. You’ve been asleep for quite a few hours, you know? But given your age, and… well, it makes sense. You have every right to rest as much as you need, little guy.]

He had been sleeping? Was that what he had been doing?

The little Subaru, who was now accepting that name, thought about apologizing for having slept so unnecessarily long to the point that the man was teasing him about it.

But no words came from his mouth—only a small sound.

[???: Uh. Don’t worry, okay? It’s all right. Your dad is here with you. No need to get so restless.]

Dad? That figure was his dad? What exactly was a dad?

That figure kept holding him—laying the tiny baby in his larger arms—and started slowly walking around the place they were in—a room that little Subaru couldn’t really understand.

Another sensation reached him in the man’s arms.

Something had fallen onto his face, sliding down across it.

[???: Sorry… I’m sorry…]

The man rubbed his eyes with the back of his left hand to wipe them.

That figure, his dad, was crying.

His eyes were wet, and tears were falling from them.

[???: I… —— When we found out your mom was pregnant with you. When we found out we would have our little one… our little boy, or little girl, it didn’t matter, because we would love you either way… And me? I started acting like an idiot, you know? I got so excited and began doing too much… to the point your mom said I was overdoing it… Hehe.]

He chuckled softly as he spoke, his smile returning even as a few more tears fell.

[???: I wouldn’t let her walk anywhere without wanting to go with her… I wouldn’t let her work too hard, not even cooking, because I wanted to do it for her… But I’m not a good cook, not like your mom. I’m terrible. I think I stressed her out more than the worries we already had preparing for your arrival… Man, I really was an idiot… well, I still am, since I don’t want her pushing herself too much…]

As he went on, he spoke in a lively yet also sorrowful tone.

Even with tears in his eyes and that sadness in his voice, Subaru’s dad looked at him differently.

The little Subaru, resting in the man’s arms, couldn’t understand it.

[???: I did all of that because… I love her. I love her so much. Just like I also… love you… I loved you from the very first moment I saw you in your mother’s arms, loved you from the very first moment I saw your face. To be honest… I think I loved you from the moment I knew we were going to have you. —— And I love you even more now than when I first found out. I love you so, so, so much that I would face the whole world just to see you happy… And that’s what we do, we do these kinds of things for people—out of love, out of compassion… because nothing is better for a person’s heart than helping those around them… and seeing her smile when we did…]

He placed his hand against the cheek of the little one in his arms—Subaru now knew that hand, that index finger, was pressing against what counted as his cheek in that moment of his existence—and caressed him gently with affection.

It all seemed okay… until the man’s happy expression turned sad for some reason. His smile fell into something Subaru disliked seeing on the man’s face—melancholy.

[???: I’m sorry, Subaru. I’m sorry for not being a… —— a father who could do more for you and your mom… I’m sorry for… not being more… — being more for you… I’m sorry, I… I’m sorry…]

As he spoke those words, he held the little being closer to his face…

Subaru didn’t understand what those memories were.

From the moment he came into existence, he remembered being a lesser spirit who had appeared in the place where his Mama Tia lived long ago. A pleasant place that grew along with her. Mama Tia, at the beginning, was the first figure he remembered ever meeting, the first to begin teaching him what he did not know.

Subaru didn’t fully understand those memories—and didn’t share much of them with Mama Tia either, since she herself didn’t seem to understand or explain when he mentioned it once—but… he kept them in his heart. That strange man, the one Subaru couldn’t quite understand, who had said he was his father—even though spirits weren’t really born of a father or mother—and who said another woman, a woman named Naoko, was his mother, just as he, Kenichi, was his father.

All Subaru knew was that this person was sad, and that filled him with sadness too. Because he didn’t like seeing people sad, didn’t like seeing them hurt.

What did he like?

Those were things he only learned later.

The warmth of people’s arms in his memories, the affection of their words, the kindness in every gesture—and that made him want to share it with everyone he saw in need of such kindness.

That’s why he never refused to help anyone who crossed his path. Whoever was hurt, whoever was sick. Anyone at all. Whether men or women, young or old, people deemed good or bad. All because Subaru wanted to give back the affection his parents—from memories of unknown origin—had given him back when he was something else, before becoming the Great Spirit he was now.

Subaru wanted to share that warmth and kindness with everyone! So he would always fight, always face problems head-on to make it happen!

With Mama Tia, he began to travel the world. He faced hardships: cruel people who wanted to hurt others, wicked people who still seemed to need saving like anyone else, and those who didn’t seem to want saving at all despite the deep pain in their eyes. But Subaru wouldn’t give up.

Because giving back love and affection—being kind—that was what he wanted to do…

[???: Who do you think you are, barging into my library like this, hmm, I suppose?]

The figure with blonde hair in front of him in that library was similar to those people.

The blue eyes with pink butterflies still showed a trace of sadness he had often seen in others—and he didn’t like seeing it there.

That pushed him to do once again what was necessary: to help whoever stood before him.

[Subaru: I’m called the Great Spirit Yang… My name is Subaru! It’s a pleasure to meet you!]

Introducing himself before that figure dressed in pink clothing, he flashed a big smile while bowing politely. And he would give his all to help someone who seemed to need it once again!

 

 

—————

What did you think? I know it was a little short, but that was the idea I had for the epilogue of this IF.

In this IF:

-Reminder: Before going to the other world, Subaru died at three months old, due to being born sick.

-Thanks to Satella, he still has memories of those three months, like the things his father told him, and he treasures those memories as well as the feelings behind them.

-Because he died at three months in his world, Subaru has some difficulties: walking (he has poor balance), sometimes speaking (he mixes up words), and eating properly, often seeming like a baby in some cases.

-This Subaru loves sweets and is easily lured by them. Once, he was captured when someone offered him a piece of cake, but Zarestia saved him.

Chapter 95: Cultist IF

What if...? What if Subaru was an Archbishop who was extremely different from the others?

—————

 

 

Ragholna was just an ordinary soldier among many others. Someone who didn’t stand out much. Green hair and eyes, not too bright, a bit of stubble on his face, wearing a standard soldier uniform that wasn’t as well-kept as many others—since he didn’t care much about that, unlike a Knight who would take pride in their white uniform. He was just a regular guy.

But that ordinary man found himself in an unusual situation. Of all the things that could’ve happened to him, being approached by the feared Witch Cult was not one of them.

The Witch Cult is a malevolent group well known across this and all other kingdoms—an organization that seemed to act randomly, appearing out of nowhere and causing destruction on a catastrophic scale. Most of its members were witch cultists, and their leaders were known as Sin Archbishops, each representing one of the sins: Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Lust, and Pride. Years ago, the Archbishop of Pride was eliminated, and no one had ever occupied the seat of Envy, for reasons unknown—some speculate it is considered too profane under the Witch Cult’s rules.

And he, just a simple, ordinary soldier, was approached by a member of the Witch Cult—not just any member, but Shenx, a former soldier comrade who had mysteriously disappeared months earlier. No one knew where he had gone, and no one, except Ragholna himself, really cared, since Shenx had no living family members. So finding him—especially as a cultist—was shocking.

His first feeling was disbelief, and his first instinct was to fight.

But... he seemed different from what Ragholna expected of a cultist. He looked healthy, more energized than before. Shenx, once a man with long, unkempt purple hair, often sporting dark circles and a perpetually drunk-looking, gaunt face, now looked well-groomed, with short hair, no dark circles, and a revitalized body—quite the opposite of Ragholna’s current state as a soldier.

What surprised him the most was that Shenx invited him to join the cult. He spoke about a man who now held the seat of Pride in the Witch Cult—someone who was making a real difference within the organization, according to Shenx.

Ragholna didn’t care about any of that.

What caught his interest was the opportunity to gain information about the Witch Cult. Some might’ve considered it beyond his pay grade, but when he saw the opportunity, he decided to take it. Even the smallest piece of true information could mean a good promotion and better pay. So, he thought, “To hell with it!” Whether he stayed the same or got a new chance—he didn’t mind.

So, one night, he followed Shenx from the capital, keeping a calm pace. They reached a small cluster of trees and a cave nearby.

Shenx told him to go in alone, handing him... a strange sheet of paper, which only made things feel more suspicious. Still, he entered the cave alone, carrying the paper, expecting the worst... but found something bizarre. Inside, the place had been strangely modified—it was now a cubic space, with a large table in the center, a strange machine on top, and a hooded man sitting in a chair in front of it.

There was a single, strange light source from the cave ceiling, but it was bright. A leather chair stood facing the cultist's table.

[Cultist: Hello, good evening. Welcome... Mr. Ragholna. Please, have a seat.]

[Ragholna: ——.]

[Cultist: The paper, please.]

Nodding, as if obeying, he slowly walked to the chair and sat down in front of the cultist, handing him the paper.

[Cultist: You come highly recommended by our member Shenx. He said you were a friendly acquaintance, and quite talented. I don’t want to question your skills. But as part of our interview, let’s begin with: How long have you served as a soldier?]

[Ragholna: W-Well, a little over a decade and a half, I think. I don’t really think about it much.]

[Cultist: I see... Do you feel undervalued in your current workplace?]

[Ragholna: ——? Well... I never really thought about it, but... I guess... maybe?]

Thinking more about it, he realized he had never felt particularly respected or appreciated in his job as a soldier of Lugunica. Especially when it came to assignments. Compared to the Knights—sons and daughters of noble families—he was treated with far less care, which was the norm for regular soldiers and guards.

[Cultist: Could you open up more about that...? If you're uncomfortable, please don’t force yourself.]

[Ragholna: ——. I guess not; we barely get paid properly, the structures we work in are poor, work shifts are unstable. Overtime every other week. Basically... we live the way our superiors want us to.]

As he spoke, he noticed the cultist tapping away at various keys on the strange machine—something Ragholna had never seen before.

[Cultist: Very well. Shenx must have told you about our benefits, right? About the health plan, dental coverage. Also about our Human Resources department and our Union, and of course, our “Coffee Break” policy, as it’s called, right?]

[Ragholna: ——? What?]

[Cultist: Judging by your expression... you’ve never heard of any of these terms. But don’t worry! Part of my job is to explain everything introduced by our new Archbishop. ——. Let’s start with something simple: “The Coffee Break,” a term our leader uses; It’s a mandatory rest period in our group where we stop, relax, eat, and recover energy during missions.]

[Ragholna: Isn’t that just a regular break...?]

[Cultist: No, no. A regular break during a mission would be optional if people want to push through. But the Coffee Break is mandatory for everyone to rest. If this is not respected, or if our fellow members are forced by an Archbishop to skip it, you can report it to Human Resources or the Union—especially in cases of abuse by an Archbishop. Most commonly... those of Greed and Lust.]

He explained calmly, fingers interlaced and hands resting on the table.

[Ragholna: ——. What is Human Resources?]

[Cultist: Human Resources is a concept brought in by our new Archbishop. It’s a new department responsible for taking care of our members. As he said: “Yes, we’re a cult. But before that, we’re a community. And every community needs to ensure its members are safe, respected, and supported.” Wise words. ——. HR, as we abbreviate it, handles recruitment, onboarding, and development of new members—I’m even part of it. It’s also the department that receives misconduct complaints, resolves internal conflicts, and ensures everyone has the physical, mental, and emotional conditions to carry out their duties. Furthermore, HR ensures every person knows their rights, break times, days off, workload limits, and of course, as mentioned earlier, the mandatory Coffee Break.]

[Ragholna: ——?!]

[Cultist: Now, about the Union, another term coined by our new Archbishop. Our wonderful new Archbishop! It's a workers' union. An organized group within our group that comes together to protect all of our rights. ——. In the words of our Archbishop: “When a single voice speaks, it can be ignored. But when many voices unite, it becomes impossible not to hear. The union exists to ensure no one is exploited, that working conditions are fair, and that if there is abuse, there is a collective force strong enough to face it.” Almost like an army. But instead of swords, we use arguments. Negotiation. Unity. They speak directly with our leaders to negotiate better conditions: wages, hours, safety, fair breaks, respect, and better health and dental care plans.]

Ragholna’s eyes blinked a few times upon hearing such things. He had never heard anything like that before. Thinking about it, it didn’t seem like a bad thing at all, so why did it feel like that cult member was talking about positive things for workers? And the words that really caught his attention were…

With his mouth slightly open and a dumbfounded look on his face, he questioned him.

[Ragholna: Health plan? Dental... plan?]

[Cultist: Another new innovation from... guess who? It’s about preventive care for life. A health plan is a system that guarantees you access to healers, healing spirits, medicine, and treatments whenever needed, without having to spend a gigantic amount of money. When you’re sick, injured, or need exams, the plan covers those costs. In this case: The Cult pays for your healing. ——. The dental plan is a specific part of that, focused on taking care of your teeth. In many places, when someone has a toothache, they just accept it as part of life. “But it shouldn’t be like that.” That’s what he said: “Everyone has the right to eat, smile, speak—without pain.” The dental plan covers our specialists for checkups, cleanings, treatments, and even dental reconstruction if necessary.]

[Ragholna: As if... my health mattered?]

[Cultist: Exactly! Because it does matter. Your body, your mind, your dignity. All of that deserves protection. Even if you are here to serve a greater cause... you’re still a living being.]

Those words struck the man deeply.

For over a decade, he had been a soldier of Lugunica, tirelessly serving his country. Fighting for everyone. But never before had he heard anything like what that cultist said was being offered—something that seemed as wonderful as a dream for disregarded workers.

But his mind kept reminding him: It’s the Witch Cult! The most dangerous people in the world, natural enemies to him. Enemies of the Sword Saint. They were cruel people;

Regardless of the benefits he never had, or the chance at a healthy life like his friend—who he now realized had incredibly clean and well-cared-for teeth, something he had only seen in knights, not soldiers, and looked well-fed.

He had to stay true to his mission.

[Cultist: And this... will be your starting salary. If you perform and show good work, your salary can increase.]

Showing how much he would earn on a sheet of paper, Ragholna’s eyes went wide. His eyes bulged so much that it looked like they might pop out of his skull from sheer surprise.

[Ragholna: ——. W-W-W-Where... D-Do I have to sign anything to join?!]

[Cultist: I knew I’d convince you!]

With a small laugh, the cultist enjoyed himself.

That day: A new member joined the Witch Cult.

Receiving a salary higher than the average knight, getting healthcare better than what the country offered to its soldiers, and labor rights that, later, he would discover were so good they made the Kingdom’s system look like a bad joke written by a sadistic child.

By joining the Witch Cult, Ragholna improved his health, his diet, became happy, and never again had negative thoughts about ending his own life!

All thanks to the Archbishop of Pride, the Protector of the Proletariat, the Defender of the Abused Workers: Natsuki Subaru.

 

 

—————

This IF (What If) was a joke idea some readers gave me a while ago, but I wanted to take it seriously.

In this IF:

-Subaru saved Emilia by sending Reinhard alone to the Loot House, trusting him to save her. He just watched from afar, happy to help.

-While in the Capital, he was recruited by Pandora (who, in this IF, has the same level of interest in him as her counterpart in my Vainglory IF), and became the Archbishop of Pride.

-Within the Cult, he introduced: Labor Rights, Unions, Health Plans, Dental Plans, Coffee Breaks, Fair Salaries, etc.

-Within the Cult: All employees of the other Archbishops, including Regulus’s wives, want to work for him.

-Since his arrival: The number of cultists increased 13 times. In contrast, the number of civilian and cultist deaths dropped to almost just 5 per month at worst, usually caused by the other Archbishops. The faction became pacifist rather than aggressive.

-Even though not in an aggressive way: He doesn’t get along with most Archbishops, but he gets along with some.

[Doesn’t Get Along With]

Regulus, Capella, and Roy.

[Gets Along With]

Petelgeuse, Sirius (who receives special help from him for her romantic development with Petelgeuse, since they are Subaru’s favorite ship within the Cult), Rui, and Lye (both often enjoy wine together and usually work together—some even confuse Subaru, Lye, and Rui’s relationship as sibling-like).

-Roy, Lye, and Rui are the ones who benefit most from the dental plan. They receive dental care that keeps their fangs in top shape, with fresh breath and no pain when eating—enhancing the taste of their meals.

-Reinhard and Subaru often “clash,” where they mostly just spend time chatting, eating together, and doing other things.

-Subaru often tries to set up Petelgeuse and Sirius on dates.

-Subaru also acts as a psychologist within the Cult for the Archbishops, who, under Pandora’s orders, have to attend therapy sessions with him. Even if they pretend not to enjoy it, they like talking to him during those moments—so much so that they become less aggressive to those around them. Even Regulus and Capella, who, though they won’t admit it, compete for more session time.

-Even among those who don’t like him much, like Roy, Regulus, and Capella, everyone in the Cult likes Subaru and wouldn’t try to harm him—especially since they fear facing Pandora, who gives him total freedom to act however he wants.

-They even have the: Secret Santa.

Question: Should I include this Secret Santa idea in one of the Extras? If so, what ideas do you have for pairs and gifts? Like...

Sirius --- Regulus: A painting or drawing of Petelguese or something.

Anyone who wants to have their say, let me know. But try to come up with combinations and gifts that they would give each other in a funny way. Remember that the participants would be: Petelguese, Regulus, Lye, Roy, Rui, Sirius, Capella and Subaru, with just the Archbishops.

Chapter 96: [Extra - Cultist IF]

[???: Today... I gathered you all here for something of utmost importance.]

A figure spoke from their seat, the room silent as they let him speak.

Who is speaking?

Natsuki Subaru, the Archbishop of Pride, wearing an outfit he refers to as a suit. Black pants tailored to highlight his legs, a white button-up shirt, a dark long-sleeved coat draped over his shoulders like a cape, and an orange tie that stood out against the white shirt. His shoes were dark and well-polished.

He sat in his personal chair, legs crossed, hands folded, with an energetic, sharp smile on his face. His eyes wandered through the dimly lit room.

[Subaru: Because today, as you all know, we’re having... OUR SECRET SANTA!]

Speaking with excitement, he opened his eyes wide, the room seemingly lighting up automatically as he opened his arms. The space was illuminated by crystals of various colors—red, green, yellow, etc., etc. But the most dominant light was a normal, unspecified hue.

This was the Witch Cult’s meeting room for the Archbishops, with chairs for each representative of the sins, all occupied except for Envy’s.

The room used to be dark and gloomy—perfect for temporary meetings of cruel criminals. But since Subaru’s arrival, things had changed. For example: There was now a table in the corner with snacks and food, including some he brought from his world—like bagels and donuts. A more pleasant place, thanks to his modifications.

Some didn’t mind the changes, but others disliked them.

The point now was the reason for the Archbishops’ gathering in this place.

[Regulus: I can't believe this. You actually dared to pull me away from my satisfied, simple path while I was relaxing with my lovely and loyal wives. Something a devoted, humble, and noble husband like me deserves to enjoy, don't you think? After all, I desire nothing more than to live my simple life in satisfaction without unnecessarily hurting anyone. And what do I get in return? Not that I can't find forgiveness in my noble heart for such a transgression, but it’s still an insult, an offense. A violation of my rights, don’t you agree?]

[Subaru: Thank you very much, Regulus-Senpai.]

[Regulus: Hmph! Yes, you know you must be grateful for my patience. Very well. I really am a patient person, a humble one who allows himself to be diverted from his satisfied path to please others around him. Isn’t that wonderful? For I, being so humble, show my kindness and humility by giving you the honor of my presence.]

[Subaru: Yes, yes. Thank you, Regulus-Senpai. Let’s not waste unnecessary time.]

Speaking with patience, he nodded to the white-haired Archbishop who was complaining about being there instead of where he really wanted to be. But he truly didn’t have much of a choice. After all, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to go against the person who made him come: Pandora. As powerful as he was, he knew it wouldn’t be wise to have her as an enemy.

[Petelguese: I want to thank you, Bishop of Pride! You’ve done an excellent job preparing this room for the event! And your effort to bring us all together for this event focused on strengthening the bonds we share as a group—how diligent! Diligent, diligent, diligent, diligent, diligent, diligent, diligent! Oh, what WONDERFUL DILIGENCE!]

[Subaru: Oh, thank you, Petelguese-Senpai. I really wanted to put some effort into this gathering, especially so we could, as you said, strengthen our bonds as a team. And you too, Sirius-Senpai, I’m glad you could make it~]

[Sirius: Oh, thank you, yes? I couldn’t resist when I heard that my beloved Petelguese would be attending this meeting! And also, the chance to share love with others, to become one—it wouldn’t be bad. No, it’s perfect! Thank you for your effort, and I’m sorry for not thanking you sooner!]

With a small hand gesture that said "No need," he turned his attention to another pair in the room.

[Subaru: And I’m glad you could come, Lye-Senpai and Roy-Senpai.]

[Lye: Of course, of course, right? If almost everyone was gathering to join this, to create memories of it, wouldn’t it be best to enjoy such a moment? Tsu~]

[Roy: I don’t really care much, but I can’t deny that there might be a delicious taste to this kind of moment. Tsu~]

[Subaru: ——? That’s... basically the same answer from both of you, but... okay.]

Nodding, he accepted their motivations. Even if they were identical. After all, from his point of view, their presence was what mattered to the Archbishop of Pride.

His gaze returned to the last Archbishop in the room.

[Capella: Oh, what, you piece of meat, your perverted gaze turned to this lady so intensely. Disgusting, how disgusting~~ Gyahahaha~ You’re having lewd thoughts about me, aren’t you, aren’t you~? You filthy pervert~]

[Subaru: ——? No. I’m just happy you came, because now we’re all here for the event, right?]

[Capella: Gyahahaha~ Trying to lie about your intentions, you lecher~]

[Subaru: Okay.]

Shrugging, he adjusted himself.

His gaze wandered across the room, to everyone gathered, then he clapped his hands. The small sound caught their attention.

He was smiling.

[Subaru: Alright! Secret Santa is very simple, but just a reminder to everyone: Each of you chose a gift for someone randomly assigned. We’ll take turns, each giving three hints about who we picked, and the others will try to guess.]

[Regulus: Huh? Why should we actually follow such ridiculous rules? Don’t you realize that by going down such an annoying, drawn-out path just to give a gift to someone—something we could do directly—we’re only wasting time? That may seem irrelevant to you, someone who probably doesn’t carry the same responsibilities as the rest of us, but I, even if I humbly don’t let it show to preserve everyone’s peace, struggle to manage my time. I must fulfill the gospel’s mission and my personal goal of keeping my beloved wives—who love me too—satisfied and happy. Don’t you see how disruptive this is, huh? This is clearly a violation of my right to live humbly and in satisfaction. I never stray from that path to bother those around me as you are now.]

[Subaru: Let’s start the game, okay?!]

Clapping his hands energetically, Regulus’ words were completely ignored by everyone.

[Subaru: Who wants to start?]

[Petelguese: I would like to take the lead, Archbishop of Pride! After so much diligent work from my colleague, I would consider myself a sloth if I couldn’t make an effort to go first! Slothful! Ah, I would really be a sloth!]

[Subaru: Very well, thank you for your courage, Petelguese-Senpai.]

Giving a thumbs-up to the Archbishop of Sloth, who rose from his personal seat.

Some eyes locked onto the man as he began choking himself while speaking.

[Petelguese: The person I picked is truly diligent in their work! Yes, diligent, diligent, diligent! But someone who doesn’t seem to truly see the value in the pursuit of Love! THE WITCH’S LOVE! Love, love, love! THE WITCH’S LOVE! WHY DON’T WE FIGHT FOR IT TOGETHER!? Oh, my brain trembles, Desu~~!!! And he has an ability that lets him try to satisfy his endless hunger~!]

[Subaru: Look… based on the description you gave… I think it might be either Lye or Roy, especially with that ending… So I’ll guess… Roy?]

[Petelgeuse: EXACTLY! YES, Pride Archbishop! THE ONE I HAD THE PLEASURE, THE JOY, WAS ROY ALPHARD, THE ARCHBISHOP OF GLUTTONY! He’s been diligent in his hunts, not discriminating among his targets! Oh, how diligent he is in fulfilling the duty of satisfying his gluttony, his sin, sharing his LOVE! SO DILIGENT! Diligent, diligent, DILIGENT!]

[Subaru: Alright.]

Looking between Petelgeuse and Roy, he saw the scene unfold. The package in the hands of the Archbishop of Sloth began to be carried toward the Archbishop of Gluttony through the Invisible Hands. Roy grabbed it when it was close — a light green package with a darker green ribbon.

Without much care, he tore open the wrapping with his nails and opened the box.

[Roy: Alright. What do we have here, huh? Tsu~]

It was an object that looked like a small leather pouch.

[Petelgeuse: THAT IS A POUCH TO CARRY YOUR GOSPEL! The gospel is the ultimate symbol of our faith in the Cult, the Witch, in LOVE! As devout followers, we must protect it, carry it with us in the most sacred way possible! All to show how devoted we are to the love she gives to beings like us! That’s why you must do so with diligence — and so, I give you this pouch to carry your gospel in the best way possible!]

[Roy: ——. What a pain. Tsu~]

[Petelgeuse: What...?]

Seeing him throw the gift over his left shoulder, the Archbishop of Sloth looked confused.

[Roy: Well, now it’s my turn, right? The one I drew is really bizarre! Too bizarre, disgusting. A strange being with a strange obsession! A meal we can’t even enjoy because it’s so weird! Chasing someone just as bizarre, dressed in horrible clothes. Tsu~]

[Regulus: With such an uninformative description, I’m surprised you expect anyone to guess who you’re talking about. But since you said ‘that one’, we must assume you’re referring to a woman. Since there are only two here — Capella and Sirius — it’s obviously one of them. Based on your description, it could be either. Though I don’t like to speak ill of others, being someone kind and open-minded about how others live — including their appearances, which mean nothing to me unless they interfere with my image or life — they are both naturally bizarre. That said, your description of someone bizarrely chasing someone equally strange lets us exclude Capella. As vulgar and revolting as her existence and mannerisms are, she doesn’t act like that. So it’s obvious the one you mean is the second, just as or even more bizarre — Sirius — who chases after Archbishop Petelgeuse relentlessly.]

[Subaru: He said, “I think it’s Sirius.”]

[Roy: Yes, it’s her.]

With Subaru’s summary — the only one who listened from beginning to end — Roy nodded and tossed a thin package to Sirius, refusing to stand up for it. Sirius caught it in the air.

[Sirius: Oh, such a well-decorated and wrapped gift, Bishop Alphard. Even though I would’ve preferred a gift from my beloved Petelgeuse, I thank you for your effort in giving me something — though it may never compare to what my beloved might have given me if I had been so honored.]

[Roy: Whatever. I prepared a gift and she complains before even opening it? Such a lack of... LOVE, don’t you think? Tsu~]

[Petelgeuse: Indeed! Such a lack of consideration, ignoring the feelings of someone who tried so hard for you, even before seeing what they gave you! Don’t you realize how sad, how cold that is? How slothful such a thought can be?!]

[Sirius: OH, MY PETELGEUSE! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. You’re right! I was insensitive not to consider the intentions of my fellow Archbishop. Thank you for showing me how undiligent I was by acting so rashly. I’m very sorry, thank you so much.]

Lowering her head before them, she repeatedly bowed to atone for her apparent mistake. Wasting no more time, she opened the small package — more like an envelope — and took out its contents. A painting. The painting was of Petelgeuse, with his twisted, insane, signature smile that made many uncomfortable… except for the madwoman who received it.

[Sirius: UAAAH!!! What a wonderful gift! Splendid, magnificent!]

[Roy: I used our memories of an artist to create an exact painting of Bishop Romanee-Conti. It wasn’t that hard. And since you’re so desperate for him, and I didn’t want to spend anything... it was, as Subaru says: “Two birds with one stone.” Tsu~]

[Petelgeuse: What...?]

[Sirius: THANK YOU SO MUCH! I’LL KEEP THIS WITH ME FOREVER! I’ll take it on my missions, sleep with it, and feel as if my Petelgeuse is with me! Thank you, thank you so much!]

Bowing repeatedly, the two ignored the blank, confused stare of the Archbishop of Sloth, who was trying to figure out what to say or how to react. She stored the artwork she received and pulled out a package.

She settled into her seat with a smile.

[Sirius: The person I drew, whom I was lucky to draw! Is someone diligent, though not as diligent as my Petelgeuse! Has long hair! Works with his relatives, in a very united way — like all families should — a bond formed by unified love!]

[Subaru: Look... I’m gonna say it’s Lye.]

[Sirius: Yes, Pride Bishop! You really got it right! I had the pleasure of drawing Lye Batenkaitos — and just like my beloved Petelgeuse had the joy of drawing his brother! Do you see, my love?! We both, as a couple, drew the two brothers! Do you see how this proves we are interconnected?! That we are destined for one another, don’t you think?!]

[Petelgeuse: ——. Do I need to contact HR again for invading my personal space, Bishop of Wrath?]

Petelgeuse said while Sirius stood far too close for his liking. The threat referred to something he had done before — a complaint to HR that allowed him to stay a week away from her. That threat made her quickly back off, fearing the worst like last time. Especially since Subaru was there, with his terrifying eyes locked on her, ready to sign a complaint if needed.

Since HR was created, she had developed a terrible fear of those working there, not wanting to face them head-on.

Returning her focus to Lye, she stood and walked over, holding something in the palm of her hand she pulled from her pocket. Lye looked confused as she extended her hand toward him, so he raised one of his and opened his palm. She opened hers and let what was inside fall into his.

[Lye: This... is hair? Tsu~]

[Sirius: YES! These are part of my well-preserved sacred treasures. These are the tufts I collected from my beloved Petelgeuse two months ago, during our... super important meeting in the Priestella canals given by the Pride Bishop! I managed to grab them, and since I was supposed to give something valuable, I hope you like them very much.]

[Lye: ——? Well, I guess I’ll have to accept it. Tsu~]

[Petelgeuse: I’d like to file my complaint with HR as soon as we leave here.]

Speaking in a normal tone, without his usual madness, to Subaru, who was already writing down the complaint he knew Petelgeuse would want to make. Lye, for his part, was resigned — grabbing the tufts, lightly squeezing them, pretending to put them in his pocket, but letting them fall to the floor without Sirius noticing.

The Archbishop of Gluttony then pulled out a large rectangular package.

[Lye: The one I picked is someone who's made big changes since joining us. I even appreciate the dental plan we received! He has a connection with someone in our cult. And his eyes are quite… striking. Tsu~]

[Capella: Ho~~ The animal is talking about Pride's new perverted piece of meat, isn’t he? Gyahahaha! How sad, how awful, don’t you think~~? A perverted piece of meat is about to get a horrible gift from a grotesque animal, Gyahahaha~~!!!]

[Subaru: Oh, was it me?]

[Lye: Yes.]

The Archbishop of Gluttony walked over to Pride, who was grinning excitedly upon learning he’d been chosen. He handed over the package gently, without damaging the wrapping or spilling anything. Inside was a bottle.

[Subaru: A wine?]

[Lye: Aged 70 years, it came from a noble’s estate. He hid it in a secret cellar inside a secluded cabin. But since he so... adorably shared his life with us, this is one of the five bottles. I already tasted one, and the flavor is strong, sweet, delicious~ You can really tell he had impeccable taste in drinks. Tsu~]

[Subaru: Whoa! That’s amazing, thank you. I can’t wait for our next tasting to try it. That’s scheduled for the day after tomorrow, right?]

[Lye: Yes. I’ve been preparing some food pairings too. Plus, I got some new special wine glasses. They hold more wine, but not too much, allowing you to enjoy multiple servings while keeping the strength, sweetness, and bitterness of the fruits. Tsu~]

Speaking calmly, this was a typical conversation between the two Archbishops.

They both did wine tastings in their free time. It all started with Lye, who had this hobby, but his siblings didn’t share the same taste. Eventually, the two began enjoying it together.

Now it was Subaru’s turn. He prepared his large package, decorated with a few symbols.

[Subaru: Well... My Secret Santa is someone super cute~! Also very skilled in combat and has such beautiful hair, you just can’t help but want to pat her head~!]

[Capella: What a pervert~~~! Speaking like that about this lovely lady, a truly beloved lady, right~? Talking so sweetly~~! Honestly, what can one even do? Gyahahaha! Very well then, give me your precious gift for this beautiful lady~]

[Subaru: Sorry, but it’s not you, Capella-Senpai. I’m talking about another cute person~!]

[Sirius: Would it be the third Gluttony, Louis Arneb?]

[Subaru: Yep, you got it~~!]

With the confirmation, a huge smile spread across Subaru’s face as he nodded excitedly. Meanwhile, Capella stared with a blank, frustrated look, arms crossed and mumbling softly—clearly jealous.

Focusing his gaze on Lye, the Archbishop of Gluttony understood what he meant. With a motion, space seemed to shatter, revealing what was known as the Corridor of Memories. In Lye’s place appeared a girl.

She wore a white dress, had long blonde hair that reached the floor, piercing blue eyes, and a wide smile full of sharp teeth—now whiter, like her siblings’, thanks to the dental care they all received thanks to Subaru.

[Louis: What an unusual situation, being summoned just for this. You really have some nerve with your requests, Natsuki Subaru, Pride. I can’t help but at least be curious about what you’ve prepared for me. Tsu~]

[Subaru: I made something really special, Louis-chan! W-Well, I don’t know if you’ll like it, but I worked really hard on it.]

He handed her the large package, then returned to his seat while she tore it open and opened the box. Inside—

[Louis: Dolls?]

There were several dolls inside.

Chibi-style dolls of each Archbishop and some knights, like Reinhard and Julius—two people Subaru “faced” the most (though secretly just drank tea and ate cookies with while disguised as Natsumi, but only when Julius was around, since he acted like Subaru when it was just the two of them).

She picked them up one by one, examining them. The stitching was quite beautiful.

[Subaru: Well, I heard where you stay is kind of lonely. So I thought... what would she like that I could make? And this idea came to me. I-I don’t know if it turned out well, but I hope you like it, at least a little. I used my skills to sew each one by hand. But if you don’t like them, just let me know and I’ll try to get you a different gift, if you want.]

Speaking nervously, he rubbed his bandaged hands together—bandaged from sewing each doll.

Louis stared at him for a moment.

She looked at the dolls, then at Subaru’s hands, and finally gave a small smile.

[Louis: Well, I can’t complain. Compared to my siblings, at least I got a decent gift that doesn’t make me want to punch someone. Thanks, Subaru. I’ll enjoy your work. Tsu~]

[Subaru: That’s great!]

Smiling brightly again, his worries disappeared.

Storing her gift, she pulled out another package.

It wasn’t very big, but not small either—medium-sized, poorly wrapped and simple.

[Louis: And now it’s my turn. The person I picked currently has a disgusting look on their face. Looking pretty frustrated. Maybe because they didn’t get what they wanted, huh? Tsu~]

Mocking with her big smile, she glanced at another blond-haired person in the room.

[Regulus: As is obviously evident from your mockery and focused gaze, it couldn’t be me. For although I am frustrated by the delay in finishing these trivialities that interrupt my path to satisfaction, I still restrain myself from showing such frustration. My humility, my patience, and my solemnity at times like these are monumental——]

[Capella: Alright, it’s me! Can you skip the annoying speech?]

[Regulus: HOW DARE YOU?! Are you really trying to rob me of my right to speak, to analyze?! DON’T YOU SEE THAT’S OFFENSIVE?! In this game that, once again I remind you, I was forced to join in this tiresome attempt at bonding with you all, WHEN I COULD BE AT HOME WITH MY WIVES! So I have every reason, every justification...]

Accepting the long speech was inevitable, they decided to move on.

Capella turned her arm into a snake, stretching it toward the package Louis held. Pulling it to herself, she ripped it open with a blank expression.

Once she finished opening it—

She looked confused, shifting her gaze from inside the package to Louis, then back again.

Then she turned it over… and nothing fell out. There was no gift. Completely empty—to everyone’s confusion, except Regulus who continued his speech, unaware if anyone was listening (he believed they were).

[Capella: There’s nothing.]

[Louis: I live in the Hall of Memories and I have no money. Since I wasn’t supposed to reveal what I’d buy to my siblings... Well, I didn’t buy anything. And if I were in the real world… I wouldn’t buy anything either. Bye. Tsu~]

Disappearing to make room for Lye again, Louis left with her gift and returned to the Corridor of Memories.

Leaving Capella with an annoyed expression, crushing the empty package with force, while the others who were paying attention started to get worried.

[Regulus: ...that would be... a violation of my rights, wouldn’t it?]

Regulus finished speaking with a stern look, staring at the group who had completely ignored his words.

The Archbishop of Lust took a deep breath, calming herself down, trying not to kill the brothers of the little Archbishop of Gluttony, Louis—who, when she showed up again, would be hunted down by the blonde woman and beaten in a way she’d never forget. She'd be turned into flies or a worm.

Putting her signature smile back on, she deformed her body to pull a package from within herself.

[Capella: Since it’s my turn, it must be more than obvious who I picked, right~~? Someone with the ugly look of a chunk of meat, a crybaby who thinks he deserves more time to talk about his pathetic little problems, isn’t that right? Disgusting, rude~~ Gyahahaha!]

[Regulus: ——. You know what, Capella? I’m going to take the high road. Just hand it over.]

In a surprising twist, Regulus actually resigned himself to simply extend his arm to receive the gift. He said very little—something that shocked everyone—since he chose not to launch into one of his usual rants about Capella’s disrespect toward him. Subaru, as his and the others’ therapist, felt a surge of pride, nearly shedding a happy tear.

Capella stretched out her grotesque arm and dropped the package into Regulus’ outstretched hand.

The Archbishop of Greed calmly opened it, indifferent, focused solely on ending what he saw as a completely pointless meeting. As he opened the simple package, he saw what was inside. His expression shifted to one of surprise and rage.

[Regulus: WHAT... THE HELL IS THIS?!]

[Capella: Gyahahaha!]

From inside the box, Regulus pulled out... a fake penis.

[Capella: Well... I heard you couldn’t do anything with your dear wives because your little friend doesn’t work... and maybe because it’s extremely small. So, this kind and generous lady, in a moment of pure altruism, decided to gift you with an object that would more than make up for your uselessness in fulfilling your main role as a husband, you know~? Gyahahaha! What do you think, huh? I bet your wives will be happy to know that now their husband can do more than just collect things, maybe, right? Gyahahaha!]

Regulus said nothing.

What did he do? He simply launched a wave of attacks at Capella, not caring who got caught in the crossfire.

And in no time at all…

That Secret Santa meeting turned into a massive battlefield between the two. Regulus trying to annihilate her, Capella mocking him, Lye and Roy munching on donuts while tossing more fuel on the fire, Petelgeuse heading off to file an HR complaint, and Sirius running over to try and stop the chaos.

And Subaru? He was just watching it all, deep in thought.

[Subaru: Man… Secret Santa is the best.]

He thought to himself with a satisfied smile.

 

 

—————

So, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it. I didn’t have many ideas for how they’d give each other presents, aside from Subaru with Louis and Capella with Regulus.

The next Extra in this IF will be about therapy, while the Epilogue will focus on the current operations of the Witch Cult.

Chapter 97: [Extra 2 - Cultist IF]

Psychologist.

Not a wizard, nor a title related to magic. Far from it. A psychologist, as explained to everyone in the Cult by Subaru, is someone trained to help people understand their fears, their pain, and their doubts. They don't heal people with magic, but with listening, conversation, and guidance.

Helping to heal wounds that don’t bleed, but hurt just as much as a blade.

Losses no one sees.

Guilt that hides away.

Traumas carried in silence.

The psychologist helps give a name to these things. Helps ease that weight.

And why would anyone do that?

“Because living is hard. Even more so when you're at war, constantly fighting, facing horrors, or even just feeling alone. And that’s why the psychologist must be there—to remind you that you don’t have to face everything alone. That feeling fear, sadness, anger… is not weakness.”

Those were Subaru’s words when explaining this to the Archbishops, as well as the members of the Witch Cult—especially those he personally trained to help him in this mission of healing the minds of their fellow members.

Naturally, some found the concept strange, foolish, and pointless—expressing emotions in a way that might make one appear weak. Among them, the Sin Archbishops stood out, who wouldn’t do it unless forced. Unfortunately for them, they were forced.

If you were walking through a hallway in their gathering place—a church founded centuries ago to be the main base of the Witch Cult—you might come across a newly built corridor. A completely new area, constructed and established exclusively after Natsuki Subaru became the Sin Archbishop of Pride.

A hallway lined with comfortable chairs, where the Archbishops could be seen sitting in a row: Lye, Roy, Sirius, Capella, and Regulus, in that order, next to a door labeled “NATSUKI SUBARU’S PSYCHIATRIC OFFICE” in dark lettering on the glass.

On the other side of the door—the opposite side of where the chairs and Archbishops sat—there was a desk with a chair. The desk of the psychologist’s secretary, equipped with a typewriter.

Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory, sat there. She wore what Subaru described as a classic secretary outfit: a white mini-suit with blue stripes and a white blouse underneath, along with small decorative fake glasses.

Why was she there? Why as the secretary? No one knew her true intentions except herself—intentions that, if revealed, would expose the depravity behind them, the personal desire she harbored. A desire that could lead her to a clash with the most powerful beings in the Witch Cult: the members of HR (Human Resources), whose capabilities were so terrifying that they could make Sirius stay away from Petelgeuse, even against his own will.

She watched the Archbishops with a calm expression and a small smile, fingers intertwined, observing and keeping them under control.

Regulus sat with his arms and legs crossed, scowling.

Capella had puffed cheeks, arms crossed, legs swinging impatiently.

Sirius was staring at a drawing of Petelgeuse she had received.

Lye and Roy were occupied playing a card game—a modified version of something Subaru brought from his world: “Yu-Gi-Mo.” Roy had three White-Eyed Volcanics against his brother, who now had all five parts of Reinhard van Astrea…

It was a typical waiting room scene for some. Regulus and Capella were clearly impatient for their turn to speak, even if they wouldn’t admit it. The others were more indifferent.

Inside the room, there were others.

It was a large, cube-shaped, well-decorated room. The walls and floor were made of polished wood. There was a desk as well-equipped as the one outside and a window with a decent view—well, as decent as beauty gets in that part of the church.

There was also a chair like a sofa/bed, both cushioned and comfortable, meant to provide rest and ease for those who sat or laid there.

Subaru sat in the chair, while Petelgeuse was lying down. A normal setup.

The dark-haired man held a notepad and wrote with another invention from his other world—a pen—taking notes of the words he would hear, just as a psychologist would keep a record of what their patients said.

Even though most of his colleagues weren’t fond of opening up.

But Petelgeuse was a different case.

Normally, the Archbishop was deeply consumed by the so-called “Diligent Love,” a love entirely focused on following the Gospel’s orders without question or regret. This made him act like someone mad, unstable, even perverse—hurting innocents and even allies (although lately, HR and the Syndicate had restricted such freedom).

He was the most active Archbishop of them all. The Slothful one, but with the highest level of diligence in carrying out the tasks dictated by the black books.

But in these moments...

[Subaru: Guese... last time, you mentioned a woman, didn’t you...? The image of an... elf?]

[Petelgeuse: I don’t know what to say, Bishop of Pride. Every time I close my eyes to rest... when I look away from my Gospel for too long... I... I see flashes of memories about her... I see her image... her smile, her gentle aura even in those strange eyes I cannot quite identify, but... I feel they’re beautiful... Memories that bring me a strange sensation...]

[Subaru: Can you describe that sensation?]

[Petelgeuse: A comforting warmth in my chest. An intoxicating warmth that makes me want to smile, even when all I see are those memories. Something I only used to feel when reading my Gospel, thinking about my Gospel, following my Gospel. But now... these memories started coming back... Ever since... you arrived, Bishop of Pride, not just that, but other sensations too have returned.]

[Subaru: Hm. Could you explain? I know it might sound redundant, as if I’m repeating myself, but I’d like to dive deeper into that.]

[Petelgeuse: ———— It’s a feeling of familiarity. As if everything I’ve lived until now wasn’t truly what I was meant to live, or something that was forced upon me against my real will. That my love, my diligence, was something imposed to replace something I had long forgotten. —— Sometimes, I feel like crying because of these feelings being there. And my mind... it doesn’t tremble, doesn’t hurt... when I think about them. —— I feel like I’m recovering something precious.]

As he spoke, Subaru noticed something he sometimes saw in the Archbishop of Sloth during such moments.

A calm, relaxed, undisturbed expression.

The expression of a man you could easily describe as kind, gentle, someone whose wish was to help those around him.

With soft tears rolling from the corners of his eyes and a sweet smile capable of soothing and warming anyone nearby.

In those moments when Petelgeuse opened up, he seemed to return to the man Subaru suspected he once was—before whatever it was that had hurt him.

[Subaru: Petelgeuse. I’m glad you’re feeling whatever it is that you’re following, because it seems to be making you more comfortable—more willing to open up, to accept things. I hope that continues. And if you ever want to talk about anything else, please don’t hesitate. In our next session, I hope you’ll have more to say about that elf you see in your dreams.]

[Petelgeuse: Understood… Brother Bishop Subaru. I will continue… I will continue… I WILL DILIGENTLY CONTINUE TO REMEMBER EVERYTHING! Yes! How could I forget something like that, like a sloth! Yes, Sloth! Sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth! I’m an incurable sloth! Oh, what a sloth I am!]

From the couch, he fell while making erratic movements with his body, twisting, biting his own fingers until they bled, banging his head and fists against the wooden floor, cracking it and slightly soaking it with his blood. Subaru let out a slight sigh as he watched the display, observing him as he left.

He then looked over his personal notes about him, just as he turned to the pages for the other Archbishops.

Petelgeuse – Memories: Seems to have lost part of his memories, and others appear to be altered. Sometimes enters episodes of sanity where he behaves as the persona: Guese.

Regulus – Parents: Severe issues with his parents. Father, alcoholic. Mother, cruel and talkative—possibly the source of his speech patterns. Though he appears strongly against opening up, believing it to be weakness, he seems genuinely desperate for gentle and true attention. His wives reported that he’s become more open to listening to others.

Capella – Parental Abuse: Also has major issues due to years of physical, mental, and emotional abuse from her parents. However, she seems to be slowly opening up. She’s showing signs of becoming calmer—even her daughters, Meili and Elsa, have noted this. She seems to genuinely want to talk more and resolve her inner struggles.

Sirius – Memories: She also appears to suffer from altered memories. It’s unclear what causes this, but she sometimes stops talking and stares into nothingness when speaking about her past. Among these memories, she often references candidate Emilia as if she were a blood relative—suggesting a strong connection between the two.

Lye and Roy – Former Slaves: They seem to genuinely hate Kararagi, its merchants, and especially slave traffickers. They don’t talk much about their past, but they speak a lot about how they love people’s good memories—their favorite ones to devour. Given the marks, especially on their wrists, it’s possible they were once slaves who dreamed of a happy life and still couldn’t find it in Kararagi.

Louis – Life: Imprisoned in the Hall of Memories. She truly seems to have the desire to live, to create her own memories—perhaps due to her long confinement and inability to escape her prison. Finding a way to free her might be one of the first steps to helping her, and her siblings would likely be happy to meet her in person.

These were some of the notes written by the Archbishop of Pride, trying to find ways to communicate and help the other Archbishops improve.

Speaking of which, he saw the door open, with Regulus entering and wearing a smug look.

Subaru was preparing to face one of his greatest challenges: Regulus’ long, nearly endless speeches when expressing himself. But he was ready to face it once and for all.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Over time, the Archbishops are genuinely improving thanks to Subaru listening to them.

-There are other psychologists for other group members. Support groups have even been formed for issues like alcoholism, suicide, and other problems many are going through.

-Pandora assists Subaru as his assistant/secretary because she saw in his mind—during a porn scene—how relationships “work” between the two sides, thinking he would do those things with her. Like putting her on the desk and taking her. When in reality, Subaru just genuinely appreciates her help and is oblivious to her intentions—though HR staff are keeping an eye on her because they feel an odd disturbance whenever they see her staring at him for too long.

-I was thinking of having Regulus or Capella speaking in this IF during their session, but… I changed my mind later. I’ll leave Capella’s and Lye/Roy’s parts for their own IFs, since I’m planning to do a “Capella IF” like a “Gluttony IF.”

Question I’d like to ask you guys: Which IF should I bring next, in your opinion?

Sun IF – What if...? What if Subaru had already been a Sin before everything?

Or…

Lucky IF – What if...? What if Subaru was so unlucky that it actually made him the luckiest person in the world?

Choose.

Chapter 98: [Extra 3 - Cultist IF]

Sylphy never wanted any involvement with the Witch Cult in any way. After all, they were, are, and likely always would be the greatest villains the world has ever known. They committed countless massacres and destruction across various villages, cities, and against all kingdoms and races—both existing and extinct. All simply because these people followed the orders of a book that compelled them to commit cruel acts in the name of their personal desires, which would supposedly be fulfilled through those actions.

But life wasn’t so simple. Unfortunately for her, Sylphy ended up being chosen to become one of Regulus Corneas’s many wives—his 184th wife—forced into it.

Like it or not, she had no choice. As his wife, she wasn’t allowed to smile, couldn’t disobey his orders, had to listen to his endless speeches, and basically, like all the others, had to live for him. Her heart no longer beat for herself, due to his Authority of Greed—making them his wives and subjects so he could wield his power through them.

And her only wish? To die.

Because, like all of Regulus’s sister-wives, they all knew that death was the only true liberation from the cruel life of being at Regulus’s side. All the others who had died in the past had, fortunately, found peace in never again having to be in the presence of that hateful man. In their eyes, death was the only salvation from that cold, horrible, disgusting man.

But until that moment came, they had to obey his commands. Until they were finally free to die, to no longer live in his world.

And that’s why they were in that place…

[Subaru: It’s a pleasure to meet you, dear wives!]

Subaru gave a gentle and calm bow from the stage he was standing on, facing the many women seated in front of him.

All of Regulus’s wives were gathered in a large chamber—a giant, rectangular cave-like room that served as a grand hall. The Presentation and Speech Hall. The center part was a lower stage where the Archbishops could give their presentations—especially the Archbishop of Pride. They had been requested to attend this meeting by the man currently speaking: Natsuki Subaru, the Archbishop of Pride.

They had heard of him before through their husband. To their surprise, he had spoken relatively well of him, and it seemed that thanks to Subaru's influence, Regulus was—surprisingly—becoming calmer and even listening to them a little more.

Not that he had truly changed that much.

But compared to his old self, he had indeed improved somewhat.

For that, they were mildly grateful to the man standing before them, though they still didn’t completely trust him—after all, he was a member of the Cult and an Archbishop at that, capable of being just as cruel and terrifying as their husband, who stood silently beside Subaru.

[Regulus: Hmph! I really don’t understand the need for such a meeting with my wives. Don’t you see how terrible this is for me? Don’t you see how terrible it must be for them, too? How stressful this is? Even if your motivation may appear altruistic, even if it might seem kind… you're still making a selfish decision and forcing me—us, who live a simple, satisfied, and happy life—to deal with your selfish requests just to satisfy YOUR needs and happiness, without even thinking about how this might be affecting OURS, especially MY peaceful and satisfied happiness. Can’t you see that? Truly lacking in decorum, in basic common sense, you interfere with a peaceful marital life. Can’t you see your own selfishness? Don’t you realize this is a violation of my rights—of OUR rights? You really are someone stupid and lacking in common sense to handle situations like this.]

[Subaru: —— I understand, Regulus-Senpai. I appreciate your patience, and we’ll handle everything quickly.]

Subaru responded with a confident smile as he spoke, while Regulus snorted in frustration and looked away. The wives, meanwhile, were surprised by how Subaru had managed to listen to all that and respond in such a composed way.

The black-haired young man then turned his attention back to them, visibly excited.

[Subaru: As I said earlier, it's truly a pleasure to meet you all! Regulus-Senpai has told me quite a lot about you. —— Since you are his wives, and because of how power is connected to you, I thought it would be interesting to give you one of the Cult's lectures! And among all the topics, the main one I want to talk about today is: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. —— Sexual harassment is any behavior of a sexual nature, such as: Words, gestures, touching, or propositions made in an unwanted way, especially when the person doing it has some form of power or influence over the other. It could be a persistent “compliment,” an unaccepted invitation that keeps being made, an unsolicited touch, or even a threat like: 'If you don’t please me, you might lose your position here.']

As he spoke kindly yet seriously, the wives couldn’t help but compare his words to the treatment they received from Regulus himself, who stood beside Subaru with crossed arms and a blank stare into nowhere in particular.

It was almost ironic—to speak of sexual harassment while standing next to someone who, even without physical sexual acts, could be considered an abuser of that kind and even worse for making constant threats to their lives.

[Subaru: In my opinion, everyone here deserves respect. That’s why I created a self-defense course to help you take care of yourselves in this work environment. —— And for that, as a gift: Regulus-Senpai will help me today in place of Petelgeuse-Senpai.]

Regulus scoffed, annoyed.

But there was nothing he could do, as this "substitution" was his overdue Secret Santa gift, which he never delivered after losing his patience with Capella.

[Subaru: Alright… you, what’s your name?]

[Sylphy: I am the 184th wife of our Husband-Sama.]

[Subaru: And… your name?]

[Sylphy: —— I am called Sylphy.]

She replied, while receiving a look she interpreted as approval from Regulus, though it still held a trace of displeasure at having to allow it. Subaru, however, looked genuinely pleased.

[Subaru: Very well, Sylphy-Chan! If you could, please come up here and join me and Regulus-Senpai on stage. I would be extremely grateful! Please.]

[Sylphy: If that is the wish of my Husband-Sama and of Subaru-Sama… I shall comply.]

Treating the black-haired man’s request as a command, she walked up onto the stage, standing face-to-face with Regulus, who remained with arms crossed, looking around with mild irritation. Subaru, meanwhile, looked at them with excitement as he pulled an object from behind him.

An object with two small needles attached to coiled wires, glinting under the room’s light.

[Subaru: Behold! One of the best self-defense weapons. This, ladies, is the remote-fired electric conduction weapon. But among us, it’s simply known as “Zappy.” When you pull this trigger, two darts are launched, connected by wires. Once they hit the target, they send electric pulses strong enough to temporarily disrupt the aggressor’s nervous system. The shock isn’t lethal, but it’s extremely unpleasant. The aggressor momentarily loses muscle control and collapses. Average incapacitation time: 5 to 15 seconds. Just enough time to retreat, run away, scream for help, or land a hit on your attacker. Never use it on someone submerged in water — the conduction disperses and you’ll just make them angry. Remember: using this isn’t aggression. It’s defense. And no one has the right to touch you without permission. If someone tries… Zappy does the rest!]

Speaking like an honest salesman, he explained everything to the women while handing the device to Sylphy, and Regulus seemed confused, curious, and slightly worried.

[Subaru: Alright… Sylphy-chan… You aim, get ready, and then… fire!]

[Regulus: Wha——!!!]

Before Regulus had the chance to dodge or question what was going on, Subaru had already handed the weapon to the woman, helped her take aim, and got her to fire it at Regulus. The needles hit Regulus right in the face, where she had aimed, and then electrocuted him, causing him to writhe violently.

The woman’s eyes widened slightly, shimmering with something she hadn’t felt in a long time: happiness and excitement.

Just like the eyes of the other girls.

Regulus twisted in agony, trembling from the shock as he fell to the ground, drooling and groaning in pain. When it stopped, he was collapsed on the floor, his arms and legs bent in strange angles, foaming at the mouth and unable to recover. It was a sight that made Sylphy unconsciously smile.

[Subaru: And if you pull the trigger again… you can give him another dose.]

Quickly following the command, she did just that. Another shock struck Regulus, still lying on the floor, making him convulse even more from the powerful “Zappy” attack. It lasted for a few more seconds and made all the women watching even more excited at the sight of their “beloved” husband suffering in their name.

[Subaru: Alright! Now that we’ve finished with our Zappy, I think we can move on to the next one, right…?]

[Sylphy: What would that be, Subaru-sama?]

She asked as she saw him putting away the Zappy and pulling out a small metallic canister with a button on top.

[Subaru: This little tool is Pepper Spray. It may look simple — and it is — but it’s one of the most effective defenses a person can carry. Inside this canister is a concentrated liquid made from the active compound of the strongest known peppers. When sprayed into an aggressor’s face — especially the eyes, nose, and mouth — it causes an immediate reaction: intense burning, temporary blindness, severe coughing, disorientation, and in many cases, existential regret.]

Regulus began regaining consciousness on the ground.

[Subaru: The aggressor will be forced to retreat. He won’t be able to see properly, won’t be able to breathe normally, and will be completely vulnerable for a few minutes. Just enough time for you to run, get help, or land a solid hit! Never test this on yourselves. Never spray against the wind. And always make sure the can is full and within reach. It won’t kill. But it will protect. —— Here, Sylphy-chan. Now, test it!]

As he spoke, Subaru handed the item to her. Regulus had stood up and was regaining his composure and awareness, trying to reorient himself after the shocks he had received. As he looked at his wife and then at Subaru, he was greeted by a direct jet sprayed into his eyes, nose, and mouth.

[Regulus: KYAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!]

He screamed, rubbing the affected areas, trying to make sense of the burning pain.

[Subaru: As you can see. He’s disoriented, defenseless. This is when you can strike a few blows to fully incapacitate him.]

[Sylphy: Understood… Like… this!... and... this!]

As she said those words, she kicked Regulus in the groin, bringing him to his knees, then delivered a powerful punch to his face, knocking him to the floor in immense pain — in his eyes, groin, and now cheek.

[Subaru: Very good, Sylphy-chan! Those double hits are really effective. And it’d be even better if you had a weapon, even if improvised… like… like…]

A folding wooden chair was tossed at her feet by one of her sister-wives.

[179th: THE CHAIR! USE THE CHAIR!]

[Subaru: Yes! If you have one nearby, a chair can be used as an improvised weapon for self-defense against a possible aggressor. A chair, regardless of its material, when used properly, can be quite useful for hitting someone. And remember: The goal is to keep the aggressor on the ground. Just as Sylphy-chan is demonstrating with such passion!]

He spoke as he watched the woman beat Regulus with the chair, striking him with extreme force and wildness all over his body, preventing him from concentrating enough to recover. The other women continued to cheer at the sight, while Subaru watched with a small smile — thinking they were happy about the lesson, not because Regulus was getting beaten.

[Subaru: Alright… Let’s continue. Who’d like to go next?]

And with that question, all of them raised their hands to be the next ones to test the tools — and to test them on Regulus. The Archbishop of Greed, now beaten and bruised, stared wide-eyed in terror. Meanwhile, Subaru remained oblivious, smiling softly as he thought, “People really do seem happy when we give workplace harassment self-defense lectures.” After all, he often saw cultists cheering as Petelgeuse and other Archbishops were used as test dummies — like that time Elsa and Meili watched their boss go through the same treatment. For the first time in a very long time, Sylphy felt true happiness. Something she never thought she’d feel again while with Regulus. She even considered trying to find a position in the Witch Cult near Subaru as a form of gratitude.

Ironically, that day was the closest Regulus ever got to giving his wives an orgasm.

 

 

—————

I decided to post this one before going to bed. The idea just came to my head and I couldn't help myself. What do you think?

Chapter 99: Avenger IF

What if...? What if Subaru had been a hero before going to the new world?

—————

 

 

[???: Don’t do anything stupid until I get back.]

[???: How? You’re taking all the stupidity with you.]

Those were the last words he exchanged with his friend before heading off to complete his mission—something agreed upon by many people across many moments in time. And like a good soldier, he would carry out that mission no matter the cost. It was something truly important not just for his world, but for all of time itself.

When he was born, his family was going through some difficult times.

He was of Japanese descent but was born and raised in America—New York, to be specific. His parents were immigrants who came in search of new job opportunities and a new life due to the struggles they faced. His parents worked hard to find a way to survive and build a life. He was always someone who never bowed his head. Not to bad people, not to bullies, not to those who took advantage of the weak.

A sense of justice had been instilled in him by his parents.

The problem was, he was born sick. Full of illnesses, physically weak—someone no one thought would survive past infancy. But like his father, he never gave up. "A hopelessly stubborn mule," is what his mother called him and his father—not as an insult, but affectionately, showing her pride in their attitude, even though she didn’t want to encourage it too much.

The moments he remembered most were how he got into fights. Never allowing himself to be intimidated by bullies. Like the ones who tried to steal money from him and other boys when he was a child—he never gave up anything without a fight, even if he was usually the one taking the beating. And it was during one of those moments that he made his first friend. His friend saved him from a beating and helped him fight back against the bullies, who then stopped mugging the other kids in the alleys of Hell’s Kitchen.

Then came the first big blow of his life—his father died in World War I, serving on the front lines as an infantry soldier.

Even though he had wished to be by his father’s side during childhood, he had always felt proud of him. His father had fought for what he believed in, for what he thought was right, and had done what he believed needed to be done. That desire to help others in whatever way possible was something they both shared. And although he had a frail body, his mother would say he had a heart stronger than anyone else’s—even stronger than his father’s.

The second blow came with the death of his mother due to illness—tuberculosis. She had worked as a nurse until the end, trying to help and heal others.

That’s when he found himself almost completely alone in the world.

The only person he had left was his best friend, who supported him after he lost both parents. As much as it hurt his pride, at that time, he truly needed help due to his fragile and weak condition, riddled with illnesses and physical frailty. He was extremely thin and weak for his age, especially as an adult—to a point he personally considered humiliating—and he could barely find work because of this condition he had since birth.

Then it happened.

During an art class, they learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor. This, of course, brought up a lot of inner conflict for him, as the attack came from Japan—and he was of Japanese heritage. He also learned about the number of people who died in the attack. That made him immediately want to join the war. Not to kill, not to cleanse his image due to his origins, but because he genuinely wanted to help as many people as possible by facing the so-called enemies on the front lines. Just like his father in the past and himself during childhood, he always wanted to face the bullies head-on—regardless of where or when.

But he faced major difficulties enlisting due to his medical history. He was always rejected, no matter how many times he tried.

Until one day, he met a man.

“Well, there are already so many big guys fighting this war. Maybe what we need now... is a little guy, right?” Those were the words of Abraham Erskine—the doctor who would change his life by allowing him to join the army.

As a recruit... he was terrible.

He had no physical qualities, no ideal soldier build, no notable skills—even for an average soldier. Nothing that qualified him to be respected in the military, especially when he wanted to fight on the front lines. Even more so when Erskine had plans for him to join a secret military project.

But he didn’t give up. In every trial, even if he came in last place among his peers, he was the only one who always finished.

After all, being last might be bad for some—but simply having a place at all was enough for others.

And as long as he could keep trying, as long as he could help even just a little, he didn’t mind being at the back of the line—if it meant protecting those who needed protection.

During that time, he also met a special girl. The special girl. Someone who made him stronger to face what was coming.

Then came the day of the experimental procedure—Abraham’s experiment to help soldiers win the war against the Nazis. The Super Soldier Project. A project meant to make soldiers stronger, more capable of fighting. To make them better suited to win the war.

That made him ask: Why me out of all the soldiers?

“I believe that’s the only question that really matters,” Erskine answered, showing him a photo.

“This is Augsburg—my city. The first country the Nazis invaded was theirs. After the last war, my people struggled. They felt weak. Small. Then Hitler came with his marching, the parades, the flags. And he found out about me—about my work. He sought me out and said: ‘You. You will make us strong.’ I wasn’t interested. So, he sent the head of HYDRA, his research division. A brilliant scientist: Johann Schmidt. He was part of Hitler’s inner circle, very ambitious. He shared Hitler’s obsession with the occult and the Teutonic myth. Hitler used those fantasies to inspire his followers. But to Schmidt—it wasn’t fantasy. To him, it was real. He convinced himself that there was a great power hidden on Earth—left by the gods to be claimed by a superior man. When he found out about my formula, he couldn’t resist. Schmidt had to become that superior man. But there were other effects. The serum wasn’t ready. But most important of all—the man. The serum amplifies everything inside. Good becomes great. Bad becomes worse. That’s why you were chosen. A strong man, who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength—and knows compassion.”

And those words gave him hope.

Then the day of the experiment arrived. The day of truth. To see if he could live up to everyone’s expectations. He went through with the procedure—and became who he was meant to be. But it came at the cost of losing Erskine, killed by a HYDRA infiltrator just after the procedure that transformed him.

[???: Good morning.]

At the door of the small room where he was, the voice made him sit up. With some bandages around his torso and left arm, all the way to his wrist, under his uniform, he waited for the door to open.

A man entered wearing armor. Chiseled face, tall, blue eyes, and square-cut green hair—something extremely unusual for someone like him.

This man, in turn, stared at the other.

[Marcos: It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Marcos Gildark, and I am the Captain of the Royal Guard and the Knight Commander. I hope your accommodations are satisfactory, sir...]

The man standing before him was also older. He had slightly long black hair that hung down, no beard. Muscular, tall, about the same height as Marcos. He wore a kind of uniform unlike anything Marcos had ever seen before—bluish, with two star symbols on each side, each bearing an 'A', and a final one in the center of the chest. A truly strange outfit to Marcos, though it slightly resembled military uniforms.

[Subaru: Subaru. Subaru Natsuki Rogers. Natsuki came from my father’s home country, but Rogers was a name we received when we moved countries so my parents could have a chance to adapt and get better jobs, given the situation we were in before.]

[Marcos: Understood, Mr. Natsuki. Once again, I apologize for keeping you in this place. But I hope you can understand our reasons. ——. Last week, you appeared in the middle of the Royal Capital during a thunderstorm, with an explosion in the sky. Something we haven’t seen in years. Especially... because of the destruction it caused.]

[Subaru: I’m very sorry.]

[Marcos: Thank you. Fortunately, we had no deaths, though there were injuries.]

Subaru still didn’t seem satisfied, even with that response.

[Marcos: I would like you to follow me. We'd like to ask a few questions in the presence of someone who can help confirm any doubts we may have about you—and help you understand any you might have as well. I know it may not be to your liking, but I hope you can understand.]

[Subaru: I can't blame you for being cautious, Captain Marcos. I completely understand. I'll do whatever I can to help for now, and I hope it doesn’t cause too much trouble.]

[Marcos: ——. Thank you, Mr. Natsuki. If you would please follow me.]

[Subaru: If I may ask... could I bring it with me...? I don’t like being separated from it.]

Marcos nodded in agreement.

Next to the bed Subaru had been lying on, there was a shield. Round; colored blue, red, and white, with a large star in the center. He grabbed it and strapped it to his body using the leather strap attached to it. The shield that had accompanied him from World War II to the battle against Thanos for the fate of the universe.

The shield that belonged to the First Avenger: Subaru Natsuki, Captain America.

—[X]—

On that fateful morning in the Royal Capital, the sky suddenly darkened with lightning and black hands. A destructive battle whose impacts caused tremors in the earth. The sky of the Royal Capital was the stage for such a duel, taking place above, before a great explosion occurred...

Unknown to anyone but Subaru, from that massive explosion, seven powerful objects were scattered across the world:

A purple stone... Power.

A blue stone... Space.

A green stone... Time.

An orange stone... Soul.

A yellow stone... Mind.

A red stone... Reality.

The whereabouts of each stone were lost across the world, left to whomever might find them—and succumb to their power. But one of these seven objects was different: a hammer with ancient runes engraved on its sides—glyphs of a people as old or older than even the most ancient beings this world had known.

This weapon had landed within the domains of a woman: Priscilla Barielle.

And since its fall—which created a massive crater on her property—neither she nor anyone else had been able to move the object. It emitted faint bolts of lightning—not lethal, but brimming with ancient and powerful magic. Waiting for the one who is worthy to return and lift it once more, so it could again be protected from the magic that had brought them to that moment.

For the power of a God of Thunder now resided in this world—to face the malice of the Witch's powers.

 

 

—————

When I was thinking of creating this What If at the request of a reader—who suggested it based on “Re:Avenger,” where Subaru is Spider-Man—I considered making my own version of him as Spider-Man. But then I thought... every time I think of Subaru’s character, I also think of Captain America: two guys taken from their world into a new one, who find themselves amidst things they don’t understand, surrounded by people far more powerful than they are—yet they still become the leaders who guide others into battle and help those around them become better.

So, I decided to write it with him as Captain America.

In this What If:

-Subaru was returning the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to their proper places in time after the battle against Thanos when he was pulled into the time stream by the Witch of Envy. Mjolnir's power clashed with the Witch’s and caused an explosion that scattered the Stones and the hammer across the world.

-Subaru is 105 years old chronologically, but biologically between 39 and 41—only a decade younger than Emilia in terms of existence, since she is around 114 years old.

-Without the hammer, and only with the shield, he is physically capable of taking on many enemies—on par with a knight’s level. He can even fight nearly evenly with Julius and his spirits.

-Roswaal would be seeking the Stones to resurrect Echidna—especially the Soul and/or Time Stones.

-If I were to give the villains one Stone each, they’d be:

Regulus – Power

Capella – Reality

Sirius – Mind

Petelgeuse – Soul

Lye and Roy – Space

The Time Stone would be lost.

-Puck would encourage Emilia to go after the Time Stone—or all six—to use their power to unfreeze the Elior Forest (while secretly wanting the Power Stone himself to grow stronger and eliminate anyone in his way of protecting her).

-If Subaru were to have a romantic interest in this What If, it would be Crusch or Priscilla.

-Only Reinhard has ever come close to lifting Mjolnir—he managed to move it a few centimeters before it became too heavy.

-As an experienced soldier and superhero team leader, Subaru in this What If would try to reform the Knights from the inside, after witnessing the kinds of things they do.

Chapter 100: Lucky IF

What if...? What if Subaru was so extremely unlucky that he ended up being lucky?

—————

 

 

——|Subaru|——

[Rem: You did something incredible, Subaru-kun!]

No, I didn’t.

[Wilhelm: I didn't expect such a strategy from you, Subaru-dono.]

Because there wasn’t any strategy...

[Crusch: No doubt. Although it would have been good to have a warning about what you were planning, the way you executed it was precise and allowed us a clean victory without losses. Which increases our debt to you and to Emilia-sama's Camp.]

I really… didn’t do anything special...

But no one would believe that, even if I repeated it over and over again, no one ever believed me when I said it. And that was even before I got thrown into this new world! I’ve always been an unlucky person, an extremely unlucky person—so much so that calling me unlucky is just ridiculous.

How?

I think it started back in my childhood. But it had more to do with problems I always had compared to others, like: my sensitivity. For me, all the stimuli around me always felt different.

A sound that was small for others? To me, it sounded like thunder.

The light from a flashlight? It felt like I was staring directly at the sun.

A pleasant smell? It was so strong to me that it became repulsive.

A simple, ordinary touch? It felt like someone was pressing my skin and flesh against my bones—even though it left no wounds, bruises, or permanent damage, just the sensation.

And I’ve had this since I was little, so I didn’t get along well with other kids, especially because of these issues I mentioned. It was hard to play with other kids when I had these problems. Do you know how hard it is to try to play with children whose shouting felt like it would blow out my eardrums? Or to smell so many people nearby without going crazy?

But I always tried my best for the people most important to me—my mom and dad. Because I didn’t want them to worry about me being a lonely kid. That’s why I started trying to control my emotions, to deal with these problems.

But that was the beginning of my troubles.

I don’t know why, but besides the sensitivity in my senses, I’ve always felt extreme fear of things. Not just physical things. For example: Sometimes simple-looking things seemed ten times scarier to me, to the point where my heart would pound like it was going to explode. So whenever I got scared… I’d freeze. And I don’t know why, but people around me never noticed this. Because my paralysis made me freeze completely.

Which gave me a terrible reputation.

Because of my scary eyes, which I inherited from my mother, and my frozen reactions, people misunderstood me.

They thought I was a bully.

Me. The most sensitive and scared guy around. Had the reputation of being a bully.

This reputation came because when I froze in fear, people said my stare became more intense, making my eyes look intimidating. So they got scared, thinking I’d do something. And that caused confusion when a group of bullies from the neighborhood tried to intimidate me and some other kids at the park and I ended up… interfering.

The truth? I just stood still, frozen, waiting to get beaten up by the biggest one.

He came at me, trying to hit me, but tripped on a rock and fell beside me like I had tripped him with my foot. When he tried to attack me again? Another stumble, and again they thought it was me. It kept going like that. Until something fell on his head—a kind of rock that was being carried by a bird—knocking him out, but no one saw it and they thought I did it. That made the bully, and the others, run away and start spreading stories that I was the new top bully.

That even got me in trouble with my parents. Luckily, I only got grounded. And staying in my room, away from everything? That felt more like a dream than a punishment to me, because I didn’t have to deal with so many problems—especially those caused by my physical sensitivity.

But time passed and I thought I could leave all those kinds of things behind...

But no.

As I grew older, it seemed like my bad luck kept growing exponentially with each passing year. All I wanted was a normal life. My main goal was: DON’T STAND OUT!

Stay invisible, go through everything I had to, from start to finish, without getting deeply involved with anything or anyone. I just wanted to live away from all unnecessary trouble. Reducing my interactions to only what was necessary, but not in a way that made me look like an outcast or made my parents worry I was isolating myself.

To be a normal person, an ordinary person.

But, like I said, it wouldn’t be that simple.

When I tried to do something simple, like talk? People would get so intimidated that they’d step back or freeze in front of me. Try to get average grades to not stand out? Even when I made mistakes on purpose, I still got perfect scores—so much that my teachers created different, harder tests just for me—using me as an example in a way that made me look like I was showing off. Avoid trouble? Remember those childhood bullies? I went through similar situations again, and again, and again. To the point that people thought I was the leader of bullies inside and outside of school, making them afraid of me.

A cold and distant person, extremely smart, and the strongest bully in the whole city. That’s how everyone saw me. But if they knew the truth—that I was: a socially awkward person, with average intelligence, and so weak I’d get beaten up by anyone at that school—they’d understand I’m just an idiot… a very unlucky idiot.

Some people might consider all that success, right?

Being seen as intimidating and intelligent. Being considered top of the class academically. Being the example everyone wanted to be in some way or another.

Well… not for me!

I just wanted to live a normal life, like a regular person. Even being compared to my dad wasn’t that bad, because now my reputation seemed bigger than his, and that was annoying. I didn’t want anything more than to be in someone’s shadow—not in the spotlight.

I even thought becoming a Hikikomori would help me.

But guess what? My grades in school, and in extra exams—especially those involving academic competitions with other top-level schools—were already so good that even if I missed the second half of the school year, I’d still pass with honors and no issues. Something impossible, something I thought was so ridiculous it would never happen… and yet, it did.

Could that be considered bad luck or good luck in my case?

I’ll count it as good luck, just this once.

So at least I could stay away from all the problems I had at school.

But my problems didn’t end there...

I got transported to another world. Of all the things that could’ve happened, I was taken to another world. HOW MUCH UNLUCKIER COULD I GET?! Right after I was summoned, I got involved in some kind of chase—Felt, a thief, was being pursued by a girl named Emilia. I ended up getting involved and was forced to help her.

And when that happened, we went to a place called the Loot House.

I wish I could say it was normal, that we resolved everything without a problem. But I’d be lying. We ended up facing a bloodthirsty killer—Elsa, a murderer who targets intestines. Terrifying. And even more terrifying was how she tried to attack us—how she tried to attack ME with those blades of hers...

But she didn’t.

She kept leaping around me, striking everything around me, destroying that loot house, as if she were chasing an invisible opponent. Even declaring how fast and skilled I was… but I was literally standing still. Frozen, not moving, heart pounding, in the middle of that wave of sudden attacks she unleashed on me and the others. Just there. Still. And the others seemed to believe it was happening! It was like they were really seeing me fight that assassin just like she claimed it was going down.

And I asked myself:

HOW?! HOW COULD THEY THINK THAT I, JUST A REGULAR TEENAGER, WAS ACTUALLY BATTLING A TRAINED, SUPER-POWERED ASSASSIN STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL A GIANT?! SERIOUSLY?!

That’s when our real savior showed up. A guy. A really cool guy. Reinhard van Astrea. Now that’s a protagonist! Strong, handsome, friendly. Definitely someone you’d see as the lead in an isekai! And he took her down so easily, in such a cool way, that I couldn’t even move from how shocked I was—even when he blew up that place, I didn’t move an inch, and by sheer luck, no debris hit me that time.

But… everyone thought I was the one who saved everyone’s lives.

They praised me for confronting that assassin, for buying time until Reinhard arrived—“That little girl you helped told her dad you were heading toward the slums... so I came to check on Lady Emilia,” he explained why he was nearby when Felt went looking for help—and apparently I was the one who saved Emilia from Elsa’s surprise attack—kinda true, since I just tripped and fell on her, pushing her out of the way. And now everyone thought I was some kind of amazing hero. Just like back at school!

I wish I could say that was my lowest point of bad luck in this new world...

Then came the Mansion. With those Majuun creatures. I accidentally discovered and stopped another assassin—Meili—who was planning to kill a bunch of people under an assassination contract. Not only did I stop her, I even captured her. At least from their point of view! When in reality, her pet creature tried to bite me but ended up biting her instead, cursing her in my place. If she hadn’t confessed, she would’ve died instead of me and the others.

Luckily, it wasn’t too bad, and it actually made people from the village and the Mathers Mansion start to like me.

Even my relationship with Rem, who at first clearly didn’t like me, started to warm up. We built a good bond—she started helping me more and more. Not just her though. Emilia, Beatrice, and Ram too. Roswaal seemed… weird, in my opinion. But everything was going well.

Until we went to the Capital.

There, I got into a fight because I was nervous and spoke out of turn. A fight against a knight! A guy named Julius—Julius Juukulius—a Spirit Knight. All because it seemed like I had somehow insulted the knights!

SERIOUSLY?!

WHY?!

And I wish it had ended positively for everyone. But I’m an unlucky guy. What happened with those bullies, what happened with Elsa at the loot house, what happened with that assassin in the village—it all happened again. He tried to attack me? Something would happen to make him trip or chase an illusion of me or hit his surroundings. All over again! While I was there, frozen, scared, just thinking about how I wanted to surrender, but everyone seemed to think they were watching an epic duel! BUT THEY WEREN’T!

What happened next, the final result... was another accident caused by my bad luck.

When I instinctively lashed out to defend myself: I hit him directly on top of the head, in a spot that made him lose balance, stumble, spin, and slam into a wall. Semi-conscious, exhausted, filthy. But apparently still ready to keep fighting. He came at me full force again, and I instinctively hit him again. Same result! But this time, he went unconscious… and I won the duel… staining that poor guy’s honor.

SORRY, JULIUS!

In my defense, I was absolutely terrified in that moment. My heart was beating so hard I thought I might pass out.

And then… more bad luck followed.

We formed an alliance with Crusch Karsten and Anastasia Hoshin because, again thanks to my ridiculous luck, I somehow knew the exact time and place the White Whale would appear. Which, guess what...? I ACTUALLY GOT RIGHT!!! I LITERALLY NAILED IT BY COMPLETE ACCIDENT AND LED EVERYONE INTO A BATTLEFIELD AGAINST A MASSIVE CREATURE! SERIOUSLY, WHY?!

And when I tried to stay away from the battle... I somehow ended up doing something ridiculously dramatic.

I stood next to the huge Flugel Tree.

My plan? Not fight.

What happened? The Whale came straight at me, tried to devour me instead of fighting the massive army attacking it! And what happened to it? The impossible. A LIGHTNING STRIKE!

THE BIGGEST FREAKIN’ LIGHTNING STRIKE I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE JUST HAPPENED TO HIT THE WHALE AND THE GIANT TREE!

The lightning stunned it just enough that when the tree fell on top of it, it pinned the beast long enough for that man, Wilhelm van Astrea, to finish it off with a final powerful strike, avenging his wife who had been killed by that monster. All because, from their perspective, I—apparently an unstoppable warrior mage—had lured the beast to me and used some powerful lightning spell to stun and trap it so the old swordsman could complete his mission. A flashy victory, with no casualties!

And now they were all gathered, praising me the whole time.

[Wilhelm: I thank you once again for your help, Subaru-dono. Thanks to you, I was able to finish an old battle against this cruel being. And for that, I will be eternally grateful for what you did for us.]

I didn’t do anything…

[Félix: Even though I’m still mad about what you did to Julius-kyun… I can’t help but be thankful for your help with Lady Crusch-sama. Nya~]

I really didn’t do anything…

[Crusch: Our debt to you, Subaru-sama, extends beyond just your camp. If you ever need anything, we will gladly offer our assistance.]

Thanks, but I really didn’t do anything…

Now, standing on top of a small hill after that battle...

[Crusch: This is where we part ways, Subaru-sama. Thank you again for your help in our alliance. I hope we get to see you and Rem-sama again. —— We’ll follow the main road back to the Capital.]

[Subaru: Hm? Ah... a guy named Otto at a bar in the city gave me directions to a safer shortcut after I helped him with something involving oil. If you’d like, I’d suggest taking that path.]

[Crusch: Hm? Normally I wouldn’t go with something so sudden… but you’ve shown very precise judgment up to this point, from what many have said and what I’ve seen myself. So... show me.]

Well, at least that tip I can give honestly.

So far all I’ve done is fumble my way through things and ended up making people think I’m doing something amazing...

Ugh! I just hope things don’t get worse over time.

I’m already tired of this miserable bad luck following me.

When will this poor soul finally get his dream of a peaceful life?

 

 

—————

I based this story on the characters King from One Punch-Man and Krai from Nageki no Bourei wa Intai Shitai, where they are so unlucky/lucky that everything works in a way that benefits them.

In this What If:

-Subaru has always considered his luck to be misfortune. He always wanted to live a normal life, just to be an ordinary café owner, but something always ended up dragging him into a grander path. He constantly ends up standing out, even though all he wants is to stay invisible to others.

-Despite finding himself in countless difficult situations, he has never been injured in his life. From birth to the day he dies, he never receives a single scratch, scar, or even a bruise.

-Subaru’s luck in this What If is so absurdly great that everything bends to fulfill his goals. For example: if he set the goal of reviving Echidna and killing Volcanica within a week, everything—no matter how impossible—would somehow work out in the most efficient way possible. It’s such overwhelming luck that, whether he wants it or not, he will always succeed in anything he sets out to do—or even things he doesn’t.

-This Subaru suffers from:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): A type of anxiety disorder where a person experiences constant and excessive worry or fear, even when there’s no real or immediate reason for it.

High Sensory Sensitivity: A neurological trait where the brain processes environmental stimuli far more intensely than normal—sounds, lights, smells, movement, touch.

In Subaru’s case: A clap? Feels like thunder crashing beside him. A normal light? It’s as if he’s staring directly into the sun without blinking. The scent of simple perfume? It’s like being dunked in over 10 liters of a powerful fragrance.

-He learned to try to control his emotions by entering a state of paralysis where he shows no expression on his face, even though internally he may be in total despair. His heart beats so fast that he’s always on the verge of a heart attack—yet to someone listening, it sounds completely normal. His emotions cannot be read by even Puck or Beatrice.

-In this What If: He has never died, never taken damage, never failed a mission, and never lost a fight.

-Sometimes his body shakes. These tremors are seen by others as him performing ultra-fast movements, creating illusions that make them fight against “ghosts” where they think he is. That’s what happened with Elsa and Julius.

-Every guess and piece of advice he gives is always correct—even when he doesn’t mean it. When he casually suggested that Crusch take a different path, he ended up saving her from being attacked by Regulus and Lye, protecting both her life and her memories.

-In this What If: No one died to the White Whale or during Petelgeuse’s attack. He defeated them without a single casualty.

 

A reader of my story on Ao3 gave me the idea for another What If: where Theater Reaction Subaru answers questions from the readers, while the other characters react to his answers—without Subaru knowing they’re watching. What do you think?

He also wrote his own story here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64763314/chapters/166416469

But he gave me the idea beforehand and told me I could do it too if I wanted. I think it would be fun—but what do you think?

Oh, and just a heads-up: when I officially post Chapter 100 of this story, there will be a special bonus chapter posted as its own separate story. It won’t be a special What If, but it will be special to celebrate reaching the 100-chapter milestone.

Chapter 101: [Extra - Lucky IF]

When Roy heard people throughout the Kingdom talking about Natsuki Subaru, he didn’t believe that anything they said about him could possibly be true. He figured it had to be some kind of mistake, judging by the image that guy gave off.

Why?

The sight of that guy wasn’t impressive at all.

Black hair, startled-looking eyes, thin build.

Nothing about him screamed “legendary figure” or anything of the sort.

How could someone like him defeat Elsa, one of Mama’s favorite daughters?

How could he defeat the White Whale — their pet, which had been causing destruction for decades, even centuries?

How could he beat Petelgeuse, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, who was powerful enough to obliterate any regular knight?

To Roy, none of it made sense. The idea that someone like Subaru could accomplish such legendary feats just didn’t add up. Defeating Elsa without even getting hurt, killing the Whale with a lightning strike, and breaking Petelgeuse’s spirit?

But then… when he met him in person, he smelled it.

The scent of an Authority.

It suggested Subaru could be a Sin Archbishop himself — maybe Pride — which gave some explanation as to how he was capable of such things. Even if, to Roy, that still wasn’t a very satisfying explanation, given how weak Subaru appeared. He didn’t look threatening at all.

So when the Priestella attack happened, Roy was completely caught off guard by what followed.

It all started with the Sin Archbishop of Wrath, Sirius.

She tried to attack, tried to kill people, but ran into Subaru right away.

And what happened? He distracted her just long enough for the Sword Saint to show up and knock her out, capturing her at the very beginning of the Witch Cult’s assault.

Next was the Sin Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas.

When he tried to kidnap Subaru’s lady, Subaru defeated him… with nothing but his cunning and the overwhelming pressure of his aura.

What did he do?

He gave the man a heart attack.

A FREAKING HEART ATTACK!!!

He provoked Regulus with just a few words, driving him into rage, panic, and fear — to the point that Regulus started rambling non-stop. And then, unconsciously, he began suffering heart attacks in every single heart he had distributed among his wives.

All of them — at the same time — stopped beating in an instant. Including his own.

Killing him on the spot.

In the exact same place Sirius had been captured, right at the start of the attack — before they even had a chance to harm anyone around them.

As if that weren’t enough, once the City Hall was seized, Roy and Mama, Capella, believed they held the upper hand in the battle. They had lured the Sword Saint away from the fight, leaving them to face a much smaller and supposedly less dangerous group.

But what happened?

Subaru showed up with a full team consisting of: Julius, Crusch, Ricardo, the triplets, Garfiel, Wilhelm van Astrea, Beatrice, and Emilia.

A powerful group, led by the black-haired knight himself.

Roy remembered how they were overwhelmed in battle, even after his brother Lye joined in to help.

Even with the support of the undead Kurgan and Theresia van Astrea, they couldn’t keep up with the strength of Subaru’s team.

And Mama?

When Subaru went into City Hall alone to confront her, Roy only heard the sounds of explosions and flames, the structure groaning and cracking as it almost collapsed.

But after some time?

He saw Capella get launched through the roof at high speed — everything crashing down as she fled in fear. She had even reversed the transformations she had inflicted on people before!

That left only a few of them still resisting as part of the attack:

Lye, Roy, Kurgan, Theresia, and a few Cultists — who were being taken out one by one until, realistically, only the four of them remained to stand against the enemy forces.

And it was hopeless.

So they began to flee.

They started searching for any possible way out of the city without dying.

A desperate escape plan began to take shape — one that sacrificed both undead warriors to the hands of the Camps, leaving only the two brothers behind.

Roy and Lye escaped through a route that had been mostly abandoned by the Knights and Camps, as they focused on other fronts.

They thought they were safe…

Until they ran into Natsuki Subaru.

At that moment, they got the opportunity to face him.

Lye, the older brother, charged forward with conviction, thinking they would finally achieve victory.

Roy watched as his brother fought, gave it his all, used every last one of his abilities to try and defeat the greatest enemy the Witch Cult had ever known.

But Subaru effortlessly dodged every attack his brother threw at him —

Dodged so easily, it was humiliating.

He was always one step ahead, never even uncrossing his arms.

As if they weren’t even worthy enemies.

But the most shocking moment came when Roy tried to attack — thinking he had caught Subaru off guard — and launched a volley of ice spikes…

Only for them to pass right through Subaru like he wasn’t even there!

[Roy: BASTARD! HOW?! HOW DID YOU AVOID THAT WITHOUT EVEN MOVING, TSU~?!]

He shouted in rage, demanding to know how he did it.

Even Lye paused his assault after witnessing it.

[Subaru: Heh… The tunnel effect…]

[Lye: Huh? “Tunnel… effect”? What’s that, tsu~?!]

[Subaru: Everything that exists… everything… is made up of something smaller. Much smaller. You, me, the houses around us, even the tiniest pebble. That tiny stuff is called particles. There are lots of types — atoms are like Lego pieces that build everything. And inside atoms? There are even smaller pieces! Like electrons, protons, and neutrons. And if you go deeper… you find quarks, photons… and then you reach the quantum world. That means you and I are made of the same tiny building blocks. The only difference is how those particles are arranged. They’re like invisible bricks that make up everything.]

[Subaru: But here’s the crazy part — those particles? They don’t follow the same rules we do. They’re unpredictable. They dance like ghosts, vanish from one spot and appear in another. And in that invisible world… that’s where the Tunnel Effect happens.]

The seriousness in his eyes made Roy swallow hard.

They both felt like something massive was about to be revealed.

[Subaru: It’s a phenomenon where particles can pass through a barrier using their own energy — even though the chances are infinitesimal. Imagine a ball trying to go through a wall. Normally, that’s impossible, but in the quantum world, particles don’t play by the same rules. When a particle hits a barrier that, according to classical logic, it shouldn’t be able to cross, there’s a ridiculously small — but very real — chance that it just appears on the other side. As if it tunneled through it. In other words: the particles from those ice spikes and the particles from my body simply didn’t collide. THAT’S THE TUNNEL EFFECT! When particles ignore a barrier — not because they’re strong, but because reality at that level is unstable, full of uncertainty, giving a chance for something “impossible” to happen.]

As he finished his explanation, the other two’s jaws were practically hitting the ground after hearing what he just said.

They thought that should be impossible!

But standing right in front of them was someone capable of doing just that — someone who could make the impossible look like a child’s plaything.

And what could they possibly do against a being like that?

A being who could pull off something like this, even after saying it was almost entirely impossible?

They thought about fighting… but then…

[???: Oh, Subaru. Looks like you’ve been keeping them busy. Need my help?]

[Subaru: Ah, Reinhard. I’d really appreciate it.]

That was when the Sword Saint appeared behind them — a friendly smile on his face, hand resting on the hilt of his sword — revealing that the rest of the Witch Cult forces had already been defeated, and only they remained.

And at that moment, with no hope left of escaping from these two overwhelmingly powerful beings, they made the only logical choice for survival…

[Roy and Lye: WE SURRENDER, TSU~!!!]

The two shouted at the same time as they dropped their weapons and allowed themselves to be captured.

Because they weren’t about to throw their lives away for nothing.

That day, in that battle, they had lost…

To Natsuki Subaru — and to the Tunnel Effect.

 

 

—————

I decided to make this Extra after seeing this image on Reddit:

Where I got the image.

And someone there asked me to do a joke involving the Tunnel Effect. What did you all think? Could someone please let them know that I did what they asked me to do?

Chapter 102: Interrogation IF

What if…? What if the Theater crowd saw Subaru answering questions?

—————

 

 

[Alpha: Hey everyone, how are we doing?]

The little witch asked as she walked in, eating popcorn from a large makeshift bucket. It was usually like this when she left them to watch the screenings while she went out. In the room, some always looked sad, others nervous, others embarrassed. But this time, they were excited, entertained.

Why?

Up to this point, Alpha had allowed them to view other universes however they wished. All so she could see what each member of the Camp thought. During this time, she let the Camps and the Witches, along with Shaula, witness some lighter and more fun IFs after seeing so many horrifying things, like: Shaula IF, Typhon IF, Anastasia and Crusch IF, Mabeasts IF. To help cleanse their minds a bit from all the horrors they had witnessed.

Not that Alpha truly cared deeply about their mental state. Why? She only wanted them to be well enough to keep watching, not only to witness how they would change Subaru's fate, but also to see how such screenings would change them. Would they mature? Go insane? Be guided by their minds, their hearts, or both? Alpha wanted to witness that personally and closely.

Part of her motivation came from her personal connection to Subaru — an extremely personal connection that made her want to protect him, while also seeing what he would do when faced with the treatment his companions gave him.

So, she sat down in her designated seat.

[Emilia: So, Alpha-chan, what are you going to show us today?]

[Alpha: Well… I was thinking. Thinking about what I could show you next… Good things, bad things. Horrific things, cute things. A balance between both, or throw everything into the air and see what happens. —— A part of me doesn’t really care, but I know you’re all kind of... worn out from some of the more... intense screenings, right?]

With a sly smile, she also mentioned some of the cruel IFs she had shown to haunt and torment them: Yokai IF, Vainglory IF, Black Butterfly IF, Promise IF, among others. Of course, she felt a little bad for the Subaru versions, but the feeling of watching the others in the theater and their variants suffer — from light to brutally intense ways — always warmed her heart.

Such a perception was obvious to some in that room, who thought she was sadistic for it. But they were also grateful to her.

Knowing the bad things that could have happened, the bad things that still might happen, and those that are definitely going to happen — that knowledge could help them change, help them grow. It also showed them and helped them understand how deeply evil they could become if they took the wrong path, whether by force, intent, or someone else's mistake.

 [Beatrice: You could at least pretend to care about our mental health, I suppose?]

[Alpha: I could pretend… but I don’t want to! I really enjoy expressing my feelings toward you all honestly, directly, and without shame. After all... my personal goals depend on you going through: SUPER NATSUKI SUBARU DEVELOPMENT! But, y'know, without being mentally abandoned while being physically tortured in the most horrible ways possible. While you're all sitting comfortably in cushy chairs with AC and candy... —— Actually, why do I keep giving you sweets if I want you to grow through suffering?]

[Al: I don’t know about that, but... do you really think we want that “super development” for that guy you keep talking about?]

Al was the only one who kept answering Alpha without shame when she started rambling like that — simply because he didn’t care.

 [Anastasia: Continuing from Emilia’s question. What are you going to show us now, Alpha-chan? Could it be something more... positive about Natsuki-kun?]

[Alpha: Something... positive? Well... As I said, I came here with an idea. An interesting idea. An idea so crazy, so weird, that anyone would call it idiotic if it weren’t so stupid!]

[Ram: —— Is this really a being capable of stopping the Sword Saint and the Witch of Envy?]

[Alpha: Of course, Pink!]

Pointing finger guns at Ram playfully, she realized her thought had been read by the little Witch of Time, who was wearing a sharp smile and slightly indifferent eyes.

Everyone then waited for her next move.

And with a snap of her fingers, Subaru — who was holding hands with Emilia and Rem, serving as a seat for Beatrice, and with his head hugged by Crusch from the seat behind — vanished into thin air.

But before they could ask anything—

The screen turned on: Their Subaru appeared on it, still asleep, sitting on a white couch in a room while seemingly being filmed by something. It surprised and confused them. What was she planning? That thought quickly spread among them. Because on the screen, Subaru started waking up.

[Subaru: Uaaah! GOOD MORNING WORLD!]

Subaru — their Subaru — appeared on the screen in front of everyone, stretching.

[Emilia: Subaru!]

[Beatrice: Betty’s Subaru!]

[Rem: Subaru-kun!]

Not just the three of them — everyone else reacted the same way.

They shouted in surprise at the sudden event.

Subaru began looking around, trying to figure out where he was, orienting himself. He didn’t seem particularly scared or worried as he should’ve been. He scratched his chin.

 [Subaru: Either I’m still dreaming... or I’m probably hallucinating...]

[Alpha: Which of those options would you prefer?]

[Subaru: Hm? Alpha-chan? Why did you bring me here?]

Looking toward a figure that had been out of the screen’s view until then, she appeared and sat in a chair in front of him. The two stared at each other calmly, as if they already knew one another.

[Beatrice: Wait! Why did you take Betty’s Subaru to that room? And how does he already seem to know you, I suppose?]

[Alpha: Eh? You think I only talk to you all? No, non, nein! For the sake of this chapter’s plot—— I’ve been talking to Subaru (Otō-chan) a few times before this. All to prepare for this moment. A really fun one... for some of us.]

[Alpha: I brought you here so we could have some fun! —— Subaru, how would you feel knowing there are higher beings watching you? Beings that really like you and your friends?]

[Subaru: I’d say that’s kinda creepy but also interesting. They don’t watch us while we shower, right? ‘Cause that would be really creepy. —— But why ask something like that? And more importantly... WHY DO MY HANDS HURT SO MUCH?! It feels like someone kept breaking them over and over again!]

That comment partially broke the mood of what had been said before, as some glances were thrown at the girls who liked Subaru — who lowered their heads, embarrassed — while Alpha sat next to a conveniently placed foldable metal chair — the chair she used to hit the heads of all the ones who kept breaking Subaru’s hands.

[Alpha: That particular matter is... slightly irrelevant right now. THE REAL ISSUE IS SOMETHING ELSE! —— I asked you that for the exact reason I brought you into this room. Because of them! Many of them are your fans, and many would love to ask you a few questions if they had the chance.]

[Subaru: And so...?]

[Alpha: That’s exactly why I brought you here!]

She picked up a box and placed it on the coffee table between them. Inside? Several letters.

[Alpha: These are letters from people curious about you and what you think of those around you. A bit invasive, right? But they’re questions from fans who want answers to satisfy their curiosity.]

[Subaru: Alright, let me get this straight. —— You, Alpha, the Witch of Time, who kidnapped me so I could take a “sabbatical year” to sleep and recover my energy, brought me here, to this strange room, while my hands are still sore, just so I can answer questions sent by higher beings from a different dimension than mine — who, by the way, are my fans — purely for fun?]

[Alpha: ——————————— Putting it like that, it sounds like an extremely weird kind of nonsense. ———————— So, are you in?]

[Subaru: ————— I’ve got nothing else to do, and I don’t think I really have a choice. If I at least get a snack out of it, I’m good.]

Commenting with a certain degree of amusement, he crossed his legs and looked at the letters.

[Priscilla: Why are you showing us such foolishness?]

[Alpha: Well, it’s for fun~~ He doesn’t know you’re here, and you don’t know you’re watching. And like I said, people will send him all kinds of questions. Some of them about you — personal opinions or things like that. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know what he really thinks of you without any filters, without the politeness or fear of how you'd react if he said it in front of you?]

That instantly sparked everyone’s curiosity, thinking about Alpha’s words, the kinds of questions that would be asked, and the answers Subaru would give. And in the end: Would they even get to choose whether or not to watch? The truth? No, Alpha wouldn’t give them that choice.

Now then… what would be the first question?

 

 

—————

I know… I know. Strange chapter. But it was a suggestion from a reader, and I liked the idea — I enjoy pleasing the readers who’ve followed along for so long.

This IF takes place in the theater of my Re:Zero stories — specifically the “Re:Consequences IF.”

Here’s the idea behind this IF: You send questions in the comments as if you were asking Subaru directly about things (For example: “What do you think about the deaths caused by Puck?” or “What do you think of [Character]?” etc.), he answers, and the people in the theater react to his responses. The members of the Theater, at least for now, will only be from the Camps, the Witches and Shaula, along with Alpha. Without the Cult or the people from Kararagi and Vollachia. At least, that’s the concept the reader gave me for this IF.

That same reader on Ao3 started his own story, but allowed me to adapt it into an IF. Still, I’d like to share his original story:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64763314/chapters/166416469

So, with everything explained:

You, the readers, send questions for Subaru to answer (with me trying to interpret how he would respond). And to make things more fun: There are no restrictions on the types of questions! But please, use pseudonyms for yourselves. For example, “ThinkMind” could be “TM” or “Mind” or something like that — just so I don’t have to write weird usernames with @ symbols, alright?

Oh, and one more thing: Subaru doesn’t know about the Theater, what they’ve watched, or the IFs. So if you want to ask questions like “What would you think if there was a version of you in the Witch Cult?” — go ahead, since he knows absolutely nothing. Alpha kidnapped him just so he could sleep away from danger, as a kind of act of charity.

Well… that’s it. Anyone who wants to join in, feel free!

Chapter 103: [Extra - Interrogation IF]

[Alpha: From “CB: What’s your honest opinion about the royal candidates?”]

Just the first question made them tense. That question alone instantly made each of them uneasy. After all, Subaru’s impressions were still based on his last interactions with each of them in Arc 3, since this takes place post-Arc 4 and pre-Arc 5. This also sparked their curiosity...

[Subaru: Hmmm. As for Emilia-tan, it's easy to give my opinion: I’ll make her queen with all my might! Crusch-san... she’s really incredible too, and I think I might’ve fallen for her if I hadn’t met Emilia-tan first. Felt... is cool... We didn’t interact much, but the times we did made me like her. As for Anastasia and Priscilla... I don’t have a good impression of them... But I can’t really blame them, from my point of view.]

...Their curiosity gave way to relief, in one way or another. Emilia gave a small smile when she heard Subaru’s declaration about making her queen, although she was slightly annoyed by his comment about Crusch, who in turn gave a small, amused smile while her cheeks turned faintly pink — murmuring, “Subaru-sama... you’re incorrigible.”

Anastasia was pleased Subaru didn’t seem to hold a grudge or resentment toward her, while Priscilla... was mildly indifferent and content.

[Alpha: From “ARZ: What would you think if your loved ones found out about RBD and the journey you’ve been through?”]

And after one tense question came another...

Subaru went quiet for a moment, placing a hand on his chin. Thoughtful. Trying to find an answer that felt right to him, all while appearing slightly tense about the question. He scratched the back of his head, near his neck, and sighed.

[Subaru: In a hypothetical scenario where they knew and had seen everything...? —— I want to say I’d be happy. Yes, I would be. I’d be more than happy to talk about this power, to open up, to share everything I think. But also... if they knew everything I know... everything I’ve been through... —— I don’t know. I want to say I do, but I really don’t. They’d see me as the... real pathetic loser I am... and I think they’d see me as a useless good-for-nothing whose only merit is dying and coming back, someone selfish... I think they’d be disappointed in me.]

He said in a sad tone, looking down.

Looking devastated.

Before slapping his own cheeks.

[Subaru: Sorry! I ruined the mood, I’m really sorry, Alpha-chan! But I’m back, right~!]

That left a bitter taste in nearly everyone’s mouth in the theater room, and it irritated others too — the idea that Subaru thought that’s how they would react to his journey and what he believed they’d think of him.

It upset them, and saddened them.

Because, yes. They did feel disappointment — but not toward Subaru. Not entirely, at least for most of them. The truth is, from the perspective of almost everyone there, except those too proud to admit such thoughts or who don’t care much about self-image, they were the ones who saw themselves as pathetic losers. Especially when the episodes seemed to love showing how much they would have suffered and died if Subaru hadn’t taken care of them.

[Emilia: Subaru... You’re such a gooood boy! Stop thinking like that!]

[Rem: Rem’s hero is nothing close to pathetic or useless! Subaru-kun is amazing!]

[Beatrice: Betty’s Subaru could never be useless, he’s the best of all, I suppose!]

[Otto: Natsuki-san... do I need to punch you again?!]

[Ram: Barusu really is incorrigible... Even if his skills as a butler and fighter are ridiculous, to say we’d consider him pathetic and useless after everything he’s done for everyone. Hmph! I think he needs to give himself... a bit more credit.]

These were the words from some in Emilia’s camp in response to Subaru’s own harsh words. Many others silently agreed with their feelings.

Priscilla said: “Foolish commoner... when will you stop belittling yourself and act with dignity?” She was irritated by thoughts that didn’t seem to match the boy she currently knew.

[Typhon: Baru is a good person. Why is it so hard for him to see that?]

[Sekhmet: I think Yawn he Yawn is just too hard Yawn on himself...]

[Minerva: IDIOT! STOP TREATING THE FACT THAT YOU DIE AS A GOOD THING! Urgh! I really want to punch you like that merchant did.]

The Witches shared the same opinions as the others, particularly the younger ones, who found it incomprehensible why Subaru put himself down so much.

And one remained quiet, murmuring — Satella, who wept while wishing Subaru could see that theater and how people were reacting and saying:

“You should know how much they love and value you.” She hoped Alpha would allow him to know that. And they would try to make that happen. Because in their eyes, Subaru would never be two things: Useless and pathetic. Not after all he had done for them.

[Alpha: From “TM: Hey, Subaru, if you weren’t in Emilia’s Camp, which Camp would you like to be in?”]

[Subaru: Good question... —— Hm. I think either Crusch-san’s or Felt’s! With Crusch-san, I could work with her, Felix, and Wilhelm-san, and that would be really interesting. As for Felt... I think I’d get along much better with her and Reinhard, since they were the first people I met and befriended. Definitely those two.]

[Felt: Yeah! Big bro really knows how to choose... but I think I would’ve preferred if he had picked me and Rein before the Duchess.]

[Crusch: Forgive me, but as he said first... I think his heart would have led him to us.]

[Felt: You mean to you.]

The little former thief smirked sharply when she saw Crusch blush slightly again. Emilia looked a little uncomfortable.

[Alpha: From “B1412: What would you do if Emilia ended up going insane in a way that became dangerous to your Camp, or even your son or daughter, to the point where RBD wouldn’t help stop what caused her to go mad?”]

That caught them off guard — they knew exactly what this was implying. The “Promise IF.”

Emilia became tense, waiting for Subaru’s response...

Subaru went silent for a few moments.

[Subaru: I... really don’t know what I’d do. —— I’d want to save her, I’d want to help her. And I don’t think I’d give up. Ever. But if she became a danger to everyone... even to our children, if we had any... I think I’d try to at least get her away from everyone. I’d try to keep them safe while trying to find a way to help her... even if there was no hope.]

He answered with a sad tone, expressing his desire.

And that made Emilia give a small, thankful smile. Because even though it saddened her that Subaru might be willing to sacrifice his happiness for her — and filled her with disgust remembering that version of herself — she couldn’t help but feel that selfish bit of joy.

Because she was truly grateful to think Subaru wouldn’t give up on her, no matter what hardship he had to face — even if, paradoxically, she also wished he would give up on her if it ever came to that point.

[Alpha: From “KD: What would you think if a portal suddenly opened in Gusteko leading directly to Shibuya and their army started attacking Japan while you were just living your life in the mansion?”]

[Subaru: Whoa! What a question.]

That really caught him off guard with how oddly specific the event was...

The people in the theater too.

[Subaru: Well... there wouldn't be much I could do at that moment. Because I’d only find out right after, and by the time I got there... the situation would probably already be unstable... Because, damn, they started an attack out of absolutely nowhere against people from another world. —— So probably, when I found out, it would be with the others, and I’d have to think based on how the situation was post-attack... And I don’t think my power could help prevent the start of the problem, which in this case would be the attack.]

[Wilhelm: A logical thought. Even if Subaru-dono used his power, he might not have enough time to arrive and turn things around. So in this context... analyzing it together with all of us might be the best path forward.]

[Crusch: I agree. Even though ideally, it would be better if there were no attacks from either side against the other.]

[Alpha: From “PP: Would you rather explain to Emilia how children are REALLY made, or give up mayonnaise for a month?”]

[Subaru: Mayonnaise. —— Honestly. Between going through the embarrassment of explaining something like the miracle of life or going a month without mayo, I’d still rather choose the second option. I’ll push that job onto Frederica or Ram as much as I can.]

Some were surprised by the answer, while others weren’t.

[Ram: Lazy Barusu...]

[Otto: So you are going to explain it...?]

Ram looked slightly tense upon hearing that question and glanced toward Frederica, who had also been mentioned and was now avoiding eye contact, while also eyeing Emilia, who looked curious and wide-eyed.

[Ram: Ram would rather go a month without mayonnaise too.]

Many from the Camp, except Emilia herself who huffed in irritation and frustration, agreed with that decision. While people from the other Camps felt either slightly frustrated by her innocence or by the others’ lack of commitment in explaining such an important matter to the girl. It made them turn their attention back to the screen to wrap up that topic...

[Alpha: From “P: Do you believe in reincarnation? Because many people think you’re the reincarnation of a guy named Flugel.”]

[Subaru: Flugel... like the one from that tree? Nah. Even though I’m not religious, and neither are my parents, I still can’t bring myself to believe in reincarnation.]

Some had differing opinions on that.

Because the answer to such a thing was in the hands of one person, specifically a Witch. This witch with a dark aura and dual personality wouldn’t say a word.

[Alpha: From “Boww: If you could go back to the first day in the Capital with your current knowledge, would you do everything the same way?”]

[Subaru: Going back to the beginning with my current knowledge...? Wow. —— I don’t think I would do everything the same. From that point, I’d try to make some changes, but I think three are the most important: First, I’d try not to damage my Gate, which was my biggest stupidity. Second, I’d try to avoid all those events in the Royal Capital... I wouldn’t go through that shame with Emilia-tan, even if I don’t regret much of what I said... And third — most importantly — I’d try to avoid what happened to Crusch-san and Rem-rin.]

That answer was part of what they hoped he would do if given such a chance — to fix what he considered broken.

Regarding the Gate: No one could blame him entirely. Because even though he’d been warned, based on what they saw, the situations were way too complicated for him not to give it his all amid so many hardships.

The second part would be more complicated. It touched on what would happen if he hadn’t shown up, since Puck, due to Roswaal’s plan and his own desires, would cause massive destruction against the nobles and a member of the Council. So if Subaru hadn’t been there, even with his knowledge of future events, things could’ve turned out worse due to what the great fire spirit would’ve done.

But here was something good.

Crusch and Rem couldn’t help but smile with gratitude, as did Felix, Wilhelm, and Ram, upon seeing that one of his key priorities would be to help them against Regulus and Lye. That warmed their hearts, seeing how highly he regarded them.

[Alpha: From “BY: Subaru, why are you so amazing?”]

That question made Subaru slightly surprised, blushing a little and scratching his left cheek.

[Subaru: Uh... thanks...? Well, I wouldn’t say I’m amazing... There are so many people more amazing. Reinhard, Julius, even Felix, Otto, and others. I don’t think I can call myself amazing.]

[Ricardo: And once again the mini-boss downplays himself way too much... why’s it so hard for him?]

[Mimi: Does the big boss have a screw loose? Mimi doesn’t understand why he doesn’t see what we see.]

Others couldn’t help but agree with those comments.

While those mentioned also shared those thoughts, they were happy to be seen as amazing in the eyes of the black-haired knight whom they all considered way more amazing than themselves.

[Alpha: From “HB: Do you think that just because someone has power, they have to save others? You have RBD, but does that mean you have to use it every time something goes wrong? Should someone be a hero even if it hurts them?”]

Subaru seemed to ponder for a moment, deeply thoughtful at such a personal question (others in the theater were also waiting expectantly for his answer). He sighed.

[Subaru: That’s... complicated, you know? From some perspectives: If you can help others, you should. But from other perspectives: Just because you have the power to do something doesn’t mean you’re obligated to do it. —— I thought that by using Return by Death, I could fix everything, if I just threw away my life. A cruel and disgusting thought... as some have described it (Minerva and Felix nodded vigorously). —— So... my answer is: It depends on who you are. It also depends on what you want to protect. Because while I’m willing to fight any battle to help others... I wouldn’t force anyone to do the same if it meant they’d go through what I went through.]

He answered honestly, with a more solemn and contemplative tone.

Some of them wanted to call him out on his hypocrisy — saying he wouldn’t want anyone else to suffer what he did, but that he’d go through it again if necessary. But they also saw truth in his words.

Some of them hoped Subaru would live by those words and not take responsibility for every bad thing that happened, nor carry the duty of having to protect and care for all his Camp companions and others.

They believed that: He didn’t have to try being a hero, that he could afford to be more selfish and let go of certain things. But they also knew that this very personality was what allowed him to fight against the odds and help everyone around him — especially them, the people who hurt him, who killed him. And they were grateful that he chose to help others.

[Alpha: From “LKG: Of the Witches of Sin, who do you think would make the best mother figure?”]

[Subaru: What a question... Well, Sekhmet and Typhon are mother and daughter. So, I’ll go with Sekhmet.]

[Typhon: Yes, Mommy is the best!]

Sekhmet would’ve thanked the words and the hug she got from the little witch, but she was tired. She nodded slightly in gratitude.

[Ram: But Ram knows well who wouldn’t even come close.]

Her sharp and sarcastic remark made some people huff and laugh—Otto, standing beside Ram, was among those who laughed the most—and even though she received a disapproving glance from Roswaal, her beloved, she didn’t lose her smile or the cold gaze she cast toward Echidna. The Witch of Greed remained indifferent, accepting the comment without giving a direct response, content to sip her tea calmly.

[Alpha: From “SZ: Why don’t you use your supernatural knowledge to increase Emilia Camp’s economic advantage?”]

[Subaru: I actually tried this past year… Like, I wanted to introduce the Typewriter and Printing Press to Otto… but he and Nee-Sama said it was too strange and too much work, that it might not be a good investment for Ros-Chi’s money. So… I let it go. I was able to focus on training with Garfiel and spoiling my lovely Beako~!]

The world doesn’t spin—it flips.

Because the two who had just laughed together at the Witch of Greed’s misfortune, who couldn’t even be considered seriously, lost all amusement from their faces. They gulped, eyes wide, faces pale. Their expressions seemed to say: as if they had just swallowed something extremely sour—and it only got worse as they felt the stares of everyone around them—especially the now amused gaze of the Witch of Greed.

It was only moments before...

[Ricardo: ANA-BO! ANA-BO, PLEASE! PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!]

[Julius: Anastasia-sama, please don’t lose your composure like this, I beg you!]

To everyone’s surprise, Ricardo and Julius were working together to hold Anastasia down. The small candidate with the mauve hair seemed to have gained the strength of a thousand men in that moment, and it was nearly impossible to restrain her. The triplets rushed in to hold down her legs, pulling and pushing to try to stop her.

[Anastasia: I’M GOING TO END YOU! IDIOTS, IDIOTS! YOU IDIOTS! Can’t you see how much profit you’ve lost from this?! I’LL END YOU, YOU *Censor* *Censor* *Censor*]

[Alpha: To protect the children and our more sensitive viewers… I added a little censorship to the foul language of our lovely angry candidate.]

Alpha said, looking directly at the readers, focused on the scene while munching on popcorn. It took a long time to stop her from trying to kill the two. It required the combined strength of Anastasia Camp to hold her back, which surprised some—considering her usual physical strength compared to others.

[Priscilla: I can’t believe it… Not only does she lack the basic skills of a maid… the merchant in charge of finances and internal affairs kicks over a whole pile of gold like it’s nothing… —— Half-elf! How many more times will members of your Camp disgrace us all?!]

Yelling with fresh anger and frustration, she had once believed—at least hoped—that she couldn’t be more disappointed in the figures from her rival’s camp, but she was wrong. Even the two who were supposed to be the most reasonable, especially the one in charge of the camp’s internal and financial affairs...

Ram and Otto sighed in shame.

[Otto: Damn... I think I deserve a punch——URF!]

[Anastasia: YOU DESERVE WAY MORE THAN THAT, YOU *Censor* *Censor* *Censor*]

The mauve-haired candidate somehow managed to rip out her chair and throw it at the former merchant. She then tried once again to leap onto him and strangle him with her own hands, only to be stopped by the rest of her Camp.

After a while...

Alpha fixed Anastasia’s chair. Once everyone had calmed down, they turned back to the screen and the next questions. Otto, on the other hand, had a huge bump on his head. Others looked exhausted, while Anastasia was already planning to beat up Otto when she got the chance and implement Subaru’s ideas in her Camp—and maybe even steal that black-haired knight for herself... in more than one way.

[Alpha: From “JP: If you could tell someone about your power, just one person, who would it be and why?”]

[Subaru: ———— Beatrice. Even though I’d want to tell Emilia-tan and everyone else, I think that... after everything we’ve been through together, especially some... personal moments... I think, as Spirit and Contractor, it would deepen our trust. —— I’m sorry, Emilia-tan, Rem-rin. But I think my heart would choose her.]

He gave an honest, wide smile full of excitement.

To say that Beatrice was happy to hear those words wouldn’t quite describe how she felt in that moment. Because what was being said on screen was: Out of everyone—including the girls he loved—he would choose her to be the one to know about the most important thing, his biggest secret. Something she had been doubting she even deserved, not too long ago.

She straightened herself. Wearing a smug smile, puffing out her chest with pride, nose high in arrogance.

[Beatrice: A-As expected of Betty’s Subaru, I suppose! He knows that Betty would be the best partner to share his burdens and misfortunes about his power, I-I suppose!]

Speaking in her usual proud tone, she declared with one hand on her chest in a pompous motion. No one reacted with jealousy, even though some expected it, since they all knew about the close bond those two now shared, and simply found it adorable how much Subaru trusted Beatrice with such a secret—if he ever got the chance to tell.

Alpha, at that moment, gave a sly little smile only noticed by a pale witch, as the screen kept rolling.

[Alpha: From “FW: Hey Subaru, if you found out that Beatrice had a way to fix your Gate but kept quiet to keep you dependent on her, what would you think?”]

[Subaru: What?]

He looked genuinely confused by the question, deep in thought.

Everything seemed to crash down on the Yin spirit—causing her to lose all the previous grandeur.

“Huh?”—that same thought was shared by a few in the room, not understanding what the question was referring to. Meanwhile, Beatrice grew slightly tense, and Roswaal’s smile grew a bit wider. Because among everyone present, the two of them knew what this question was really about.

[Anastasia: Beatrice-sama... what is this question referring to?]

The mauve-haired candidate asked, curious, though in her controlled tone there was also a hint of intrigue, concern, and anger. Because everyone had learned that Subaru had a broken Gate, which caused him magical poisoning that could eventually take his life. So this was a very sensitive topic from her perspective—especially for someone who had a similar problem, since hers was from birth.

Many eyes were now on the small blonde spirit, also curious. Echidna and Roswaal, however, were the only ones who remained calm.

[Roswaal: Beatrice~~ Would you like me to eee~explain it for them?]

[Beatrice: No... I don’t need you to say anything on my behalf, I suppose.]

With a sad and stern expression on her face, the spirit sighed deeply, knowing she would have to reveal something that had never been shown until now. Because even if she tried to lie, it would be impossible—since Crusch Karsten and Reinhard van Astrea possessed Divine Protections that would prevent it.

[Beatrice: Not long after Betty made the contract with Subaru following the events of Arc 4, Roswaal offered to make an Artificial Gate for Betty to replace her broken one, and he left the decision up to Betty, I suppose. And I... refused.]

[Anastasia, Felix, and Minerva: YOU DID WHAT?!]

The scream the three let out could make everything around them tremble.

Such an act wasn’t just bad — it was terrible. Horrible. Subaru’s Gate, which worried them so much during Arc 7 when he was separated from Beatrice, and still worried them — especially the merchant who understood that kind of pain — could have been replaced with a functional one by Roswaal, but was stopped by the Yin spirit.

[Emilia: Beatrice… why?]

Beatrice turned her face away when she met Emilia’s saddened gaze, as well as those around her from her Camp. Because such an act was a complete betrayal to some, if not all, when it came to something as important as a Gate. And she knew it very well.

[Otto: I-I’m not sure if that would be trustworthy, don’t you think? Coming from Roswaal——]

[Priscilla: Don’t come with such words, you foolish merchant. As she herself said, this was after they experienced Arc 4 firsthand, not merely watched it. She had no reason to doubt him back then as she does now… even after the things that clown had done. And still, she chose — she preferred — to leave the commoner without a chance to decide whether or not he wanted a new Gate, even if it came from that disgusting being. —— Do you realize he doesn’t even know about it? Clearly, she rejected the opportunity, never revealed it to him, and chose instead to leave him with a damaged Gate so he would remain dependent on her. All because she didn’t want to be abandoned by him, right? Preferring that he stay weak, so he would run to her and stay at her feet, so he’d never leave her.]

Priscilla’s cutting, cruel, and aggressive words, despite how harsh they were, made complete sense to everyone who heard her explanation. She spoke with great anger toward the blonde spirit. Beatrice, in turn, remained silent.

All the happiness, all the pride she had felt earlier from the trust Subaru placed in her in the previous question, vanished from her almost instantly.

Roswaal, on the other hand, remained silent, not trying to calm or worsen the situation, even though it involved him. He was waiting. Because while everyone was expressing their opinions, the one who mattered most hadn’t answered yet. He was watching him patiently...

[Subaru: I… would forgive her.]

That hit everyone like a punch.

But for Beatrice, it was a blow heavier than anything else.

[Subaru: I don’t know the full context of what you’re talking about. Maybe it was a situation with low odds of success… or high odds. But she still chose not to do it. Even if it truly hurt me… —— She spent 400 years alone, spent so much time by herself. I couldn’t blame her for making a decision like that for personal reasons… in a way, I’m even glad she wants me to stay with her that much. As her contractor— no, as her Subaru… I want to believe that even having made a decision like that, she didn’t do it out of malice. —— I would forgive her and try to trust her again. After all, someone has to, right?]

He replied calmly.

On his face, a small, friendly and caring smile…

Shattered. That’s how Beatrice now felt after such a confession from Subaru who — even without knowing anything, even thinking it was just a possibility — would still forgive her. Something she knew he would do even if he knew the full story.

Because that’s the kind of person Subaru was: He would forgive Beatrice instantly, even after such an act. He would find a way to forgive her, any excuse, a simple reason that would let him forgive her and stay by her side, just like they always were before this whole spectacle.

Something that particularly irritated some present, who wished he had at least some anger or resentment toward her.

Even Beatrice herself wished for that — that he would get angry, shout, maybe even hate her if he wanted.

Especially for something like this.

And now, some began to increasingly doubt Subaru’s contracted spirit who had made the decision to deny him such a chance. Regardless of the reason — good or bad, selfless or selfish. Even Beatrice herself began once more to doubt her own worth, as she sank into a growing sense of melancholy.

[Alpha: The questions are just beginning… and it’s already so much fun.]

He commented...

 

 

—————

The request for questions has been closed. And that was just the first batch of questions.

Note: For those who don’t know, let me remind you that: In one of the side/extra stories of the Re:Zero Light Novel, Roswaal truly did offer to replace Subaru’s broken Gate with an artificial one through Beatrice, but she refused — and I think she didn’t even consult Subaru about it.

Chapter 104: [Extra 2 - Interrogation IF]

Alpha didn’t give them much time to reorganize after the last question. Maybe out of a bit of mischief? Definitely. But he also didn’t want to delay too long before the next questions were asked by his counterpart on the screen to Subaru — all to observe everyone’s reactions and the answers from the black-haired knight.

[Alpha: From “DBK: Subaru, did you know there are several universes where you have children with each candidate? What do you think about that?”]

Subaru blinked in surprise.

The Candidates blinked too. Some, like Felt and Emilia — the latter becoming slightly jealous and blushing, wondering if she was included — while others, like Anastasia and Priscilla, tried to remain impassive, even though they seemed very interested... very interested. Crusch was somewhere in between. Meanwhile, the knights also tried to maintain neutrality.

[Al: My man’s d*** took him places no one else ever reached...]          

That was the knight’s thought, reflecting on Subaru's alternate universe versions that managed to win over these women — especially the one who won over the sun princess.

Beatrice, even though she was still sad about the events from minutes ago, showed interest. Of course she would be excited that her contractor might have sons and daughters — lots of them! And she wouldn’t mind who he had them with. But now? Even if she was interested, guilt weighed heavily on her due to the situation with her contractor’s Gate. She felt she wouldn't be worthy to be the Spirit of his descendants.

[Subaru: Seriously? Look... it's not that I find them unattractive or undesirable, but up until now I never... you know... thought of them that way... —— I think... I would be happy to meet my sons and daughters. I wonder if I’d be a good father? I'd be sad if I failed at that... and I would hope my Beako would be there to help me, like a big sister to them.]

None of the candidates felt offended by his comment. After all, this was the Subaru from Arc 4, who hadn't had many interactions with them since then. But some couldn't hide small smiles at how comically Subaru worried about being a good father — a concern that Wilhelm had also once shared and now regretted not having been a better figure himself.

While Beatrice felt a little happier, guilt still gnawed at her. She was honored by Subaru’s words.

[Beatrice: Betty... will work hard for Betty’s Subaru...]

It was a tiny, almost whispered proclamation, but full of conviction that she would fix the mistake she had made in the name of her personal selfishness — a selfishness Subaru said he would forgive, even if she couldn't forgive herself. What mattered was that she would try to become better for the children she hoped he would have.

[Alpha: From “TCH: Bro Subas, if you could go back to your world but take anyone you wanted with you, would you go back and live a normal life?”]

A question that made Subaru thoughtful. He rested his hand on his chin, thinking.

[Subaru: My first answer would be: Yes, I'd like to go back. And take some of them with me. But... staying? That would be more complicated. If I took anyone, it would be complicated. I’ve already been through this: having to adapt to a new world, a new language, new customs. So many different things. —— I think I would hesitate, and first, of course, I’d ask them and get their permission. To take them with me. I don't want to kidnap them or force them into something they don't want.]

The people in the audience agreed.

They had seen how hard it was for him to adapt to the new world, where — from his perspective — technology was less advanced and magic existed. Something everyone else had grown up with naturally, but not Subaru, who had only appeared a year ago and still didn't know everything. If the situation were reversed, they would very likely end up in similar, or worse, situations — or even dead, with no way to return.

Mentally, everyone from each Camp thanked Subaru for his thoughtfulness in questioning them before making such a decision.

Although they also felt a bit bad, realizing they were limiting his chance to return to his parents if he ever truly wanted to. Deep inside, they wished Subaru could be more selfish — and make a decision impulsively, for his own personal desires.

[Alpha: From “NOS: Besides your parents, we know the Sword Demon is the person you respect the most. Who would be second? And who do you respect the least?”]

[Subaru: Hmm. The second...? I don’t think I ever thought about that strongly... But I guess it could be Rein. Even though he was off duty that day in the Capital, he still came to help me in that alley and later saved my life, Emilia-Tan's, Felt’s, and Rom’s when we needed it against Elsa. Plus, he's a pretty amazing guy, right?]

[Reinhard: Not as amazing as you, my friend.]

Those were the warm words of the red-haired knight.

His cheeks were slightly pink, grateful for the praise he received. He liked being seen in such a respectful way by someone he now greatly admired, though he also felt the envious stares from others in the theater.

[Subaru: Who do I respect the least? Definitely Ros-Chi. More for personal reasons — the things he put me and others through...]

Roswaal resigned himself to a small smile. He truly didn’t mind the negative opinion coming from the black-haired knight. After all, it was a fair judgment he couldn’t disagree with. Considering everything Subaru had endured because of Roswaal’s personal obsession over the past four centuries, it was only fair he wasn’t admired. Roswaal accepted that.

[Alpha: From “CPT: My friend Baru, how would you react if, in an alternate universe, you were married to Echidna and even had a daughter with her?”]

The look Subaru gave was one that clearly said, “WHAT THE HELL?!” — he was so shocked by the question his eyes were nearly as big as plates. Meanwhile, Alpha remained silent, with a small smirk and a raised eyebrow, as if saying, "Was that subtle... or direct?"

In the theater, some were surprised by the question but recalled the IF story being referenced — where he really had married and had a child with Echidna (though they didn’t know it was Alpha).

Roswaal wore a disgusted expression. Unlike not caring about Subaru’s lack of respect for him, he couldn’t accept — absolutely couldn’t accept — Subaru doing those kinds of things with his Teacher, whether it was the original or not, from his world or another.

The Witch herself maintained an enigmatic smile, waiting for his reaction and answer.

[Subaru: That's kind of... just... Wow! It's not that I don't find her pretty, but... I think her personality is kind of... difficult for me. —— Can I skip this question?]

[Alpha: I don’t really care.]

Alpha shrugged, discarding the paper with the question.

[Echidna: Oh my, how cruel~ Subaru and Alpha-chan so coldly discard that reality with such harsh words~]

Speaking with fake sadness, she wiped a fake tear from her eye — earning a few looks from the crowd. But she wasn't really offended; after all, they were different routes.

Although, she would still use Subaru’s critical words about her personality as an excuse to tease him later.

Meanwhile, the girls who liked Subaru shot Echidna a mix of irritated and mocking looks — clearly feeling victorious since their Subaru was rejecting the Witch at that moment.

[Alpha: From “BS: Subaru, did you know there's a car brand with your name? I'm even thinking about buying one in your honor. Also, if you could pick a board or card game from your world, which would you bring?”]

[Subaru: Yeah, I know about that car. —— As for a game? I think I'd choose Uno or Monopoly.]

[Otto: There's actually a vehicle brand named after Subaru? And wait, what’s Uno or Monopoly?!]

The merchant summarized the questions and doubts that everyone listening had in their minds. Then they all felt a pressure. A kind of spiritual pressure, an overwhelming one, filled with one thing: arrogance, confidence, pride. All of it emanating from a being smaller and older than them.

Sitting on Subaru's lap was the being that held such answers.

Beatrice held those answers.

[Anastasia: Great Spirit-sama, would you please grace us with your knowledge?]

[Beatrice: Humhmhum! I suppose Betty could actually grace you with such a thing, I suppose. —— Subaru from Betty's world said that their vehicles have brands with specific names, and one of those brands is Subaru. It’s also connected to the stars that Subaru’s parents named him after, I suppose. As for Uno and Monopoly, they are card and board games that groups of four or more people could play together, I suppose.]

[Anastasia: Do you think Natsuki-kun could recreate those games if he had support?]

[Beatrice: Betty believes he could, I suppose.]

Anastasia and Otto's eyes shone brightly, the possibilities appearing clearly before them. Although, somehow, everyone also felt that something very, very, very bad might come from this—especially Emilia and Rem, whose eyes stayed fixed on the merchant with the lavender hair.

[Alpha: From “Void: What would you think if I told you there are versions of you based on the seven sins, and that you're considered the Sin of Envy?”]

[Subaru: Seriously? What are they like?]

[Alpha: One’s a lunatic; another is a murderer; the third is a family man; the fourth is a perfectionist; then there’s a schizophrenic; and lastly, a guy with a harem.]

[Subaru: ———— What a weird variety.]

He said, looking tired as he listened to the quick summary about his alternate versions.

Some of the others couldn't help but nod in agreement with his words about the variants.

Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust — although they hadn’t seen much about the Lust universe specifically.

[Alpha: From “TC: Subaru, how did you handle dying so many times? Any tips on how not to get sad?”]

[Subaru: No... I can't really explain it properly. It's more like... I just can't or won't give up. And... how to not get sad? Well, it's hard, if not impossible. —— But it gets easier when you have a super-cute spirit, receive lap pillows from amazing girls, have a big sister to play fun word games with, a drunk friend to tease, a younger brother to have little competitions with... among others... I think that helps a lot.]

As he said the second part, a small smile formed on his face. Thinking about the people who supported him.

[Beatrice: Betty will always help, I suppose...]

[Emilia and Rem: We wouldn't mind giving you as many lap pillows as you want...]

[Ram: Ha! Even though Barusu is nowhere near Ram’s level when it comes to teasing, she can at least praise him for pathetically managing to keep trying.]

[Otto: Even though I don’t like being teased... I guess I can accept it.]

[Garfiel: My amazing self will always love competing with my amazing Captain!]

Almost everyone in Emilia’s camp reacted that way, and others smiled warmly seeing how Subaru tried to deal with his struggles.

Even though they also knew other, much darker ways he coped... and they swore to do anything so he would never go through that again!

A promise made by almost all of them.

[Alpha: From “OTV: Subaru, my bro, how do you feel about not being able to know the ending of One Piece?”]

[Subaru: Well... a little disappointed. But, didn’t Oda say there were only five years left?]

Alpha and Subaru stared at each other for a few moments... before bursting into laughter together.

The same thing happened with Al and Alpha, who fell out of their seats laughing.

The others didn’t understand what was so funny.

But in that moment, those three laughed together at the irony:

They’d probably die before Oda actually finished the One Piece story — which, ironically, two of them already had, even if they'd been brought back to life.

[Alpha: From two important questions: “ZV: Who are you most afraid of angering? And another important one: What do you prefer: thigh or breast?”]

[Subaru: Frederica-san... I've seen how most people react when they lose patience, and while I’m scared of a lot of them... I think I've never seen her lose it... and I don’t want to.]

[Garfiel: Wise decision, Captain...]

[Frederica: Fufufu~]

Some laughed at Subaru’s answer.

Many expected him to say Roswaal, or someone else.

But he picked the one person whose patience he hadn't yet tested — which really made them curious about what her reaction would actually look like.

Their attention then shifted to his answer to the second question...

[Subaru: Thighs or breasts? —— Even though breasts have more meat, there's just something special about biting into the meat around a thigh bone. I think I’d choose thighs. I remember having to fight with my dad over the chicken and turkey thighs when my mom cooked.]

Some sighed and laughed. Subaru had skillfully avoided getting smacked on the head by steering the conversation toward food.

Even though innocent Emilia hadn’t noticed it at all.

[Alpha: From “MJ17: Hey bro Baru, how's it going? Hope you're good. So... How do you feel about your title as a Lolimancer?”]

[Subaru: I think it’s ridiculous! I don't attract lolis, you know!?]

Some people in the theater had a few things to say about that, based on what they had seen during the screenings.

They had witnessed the overwhelming power of the one known as the "Little Girl Whisperer."

His skills at winning over little girls, with head pats, lap pillows, and endless compliments.

A terrifying ability.

[Alpha: From “Determined: Who do you think has the best lap pillow? Emilia, Rem, or Carmilla? Carmilla might have used Rem’s appearance, but it still counts.”]

[Subaru: I couldn’t choose between Emilia-tan and Rem-rin; it would be like choosing perfection over perfection. —— As for Carmilla-san, no offense, but I still prefer Emilia-tan and Rem-rin’s lap pillows. It’s not that I’m not grateful for what she did for me, even if it was because Echidna manipulated her. But my heart can only truly accept their laps!]

Carmilla didn’t mind Subaru’s words too much. She found it understandable that he would choose the girls who held his heart.

But she still felt a cold shiver.

She was under the deadly gazes of the two girls who loved Subaru, silently warning:

"If you do that again, no matter how much we appreciate the intention, we will hunt you down."

It made Carmilla shrink back and seek protection among her Witch friends.

Meanwhile, someone else was thinking...

[Al: If bro gets shown getting a lap pillow from another girl, would it be... NTR for them?]

He wondered, hand resting thoughtfully on the chin of his mask.

[Alpha: From "AP: Hello, my checkpoint cattle friend, Subaru Natsuki, how are you? Honestly, I don't really know how to introduce myself, but you can call me Kaiser. I have a question for you: Be honest; What do you think of each person from the Candidates' Camps? Including yours. I’m asking because of the personalities of the candidates and the members, not so much the Camps themselves, like Emilia, so innocent and kind...”]

Emilia gave a small smile...

[Alpha: “but, let’s be honest, she’s a fool, yes! Foolish — the way she acts and her inability to do anything alone is just pathetic. There are others too, like that Priscilla, who is way too arrogant and prideful, don't you agree?”]

…but those words made her smile fade.

Many members of all the Camps growled in anger and irritation, especially Priscilla and Garfiel, wanting to protect their Princess and their Captain. There was also frustration, because even though the words were harsh and cruel, they held a great deal of truth shown to them during that theater.

And Emilia felt the worst about it.

Subaru narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth, along with his fists. Furious. His first instinct was to find whoever said those words and punch them square in the face for insulting Emilia. But he took a deep breath, focusing, keeping his mind calm.

He answered in a venomous tone.

[Subaru: I have respect and appreciation for most of my fellow Camp members, as well as for my colleagues from the rival Camps of Emilia-tan.]

He said briefly, holding himself back from saying anything he might regret.

The members from each Camp nodded, accepting that this was probably the best answer they could expect after such provoking words that almost made Subaru explode with rage.

Showing again the self-control he had developed over time.

[Alpha: From "OCL: Subas boy, among the 7 Witches of Sin, which one would be your favorite and which one your least favorite? For what reasons?"]

[Subaru: Among the seven...? I think my favorite might be Sekhmet-san, just because she seems the calmest of them all. I could just sit by her side, resting, and she wouldn't mind much. And sometimes just being next to someone, without talking, without stressing, just resting... you know?]

[Sekhmet: Yawn I completely Yawn agree, boy...]

[Subaru: As for the one I like the least... I think, personally, it would be Jealousy. —— Not Satella, because they are two separate entities, right? I first thought of Echidna, but I think Jealousy is definitely more terrifying and cruel. At least that’s how I felt when she appeared in front of me that time in the Sanctuary.]

[Satella: Subaru...]

Satella managed to smile a little. He had specifically worded it so that he wasn’t saying he disliked her — but her other side; the side she herself didn’t like.

His words also made Echidna feel somewhat satisfied.

She had expected to be the least favorite, but learning that, between her and that "Envy bitch," she was still ranked above, even after everything she had done, she couldn’t help but give a small smile.

Though she was still somewhat offended that he had even considered putting her close to the Envy Bitch.

[Alpha: He asked me to tell you a few more things. To answer you: we don't watch you 24 hours a day, only during specific moments, as part of what we call "Arcs."]

[Subaru: Urfs! That's a huge relief! —— I wouldn't be able to marry Emilia-tan if someone had seen me during my most intimate and embarrassing moments, you know?! And my heart wouldn't survive being spied on like that.]

He said it in a comically dramatic way, making Alpha let out a small chuckle at his words.

[Alpha: He also asked me to tell you: You are amazing, Natsuki Subaru. Out of all the universes I've seen, I think I've seen very few with a personality as kind as yours. Just like the people around you, we like you too, and we hope you live happily.]

That shut Subaru up from making any further jokes.

His face heated up, his cheeks turning bright red with embarrassment.

Those unexpected words of praise hit this young man, who rarely valued himself the way others did, especially the way this person had just shown.

[Subaru: Hhh-hum, th-thank you, I guess...]

He said, scratching his cheek shyly, but with a small, trembling smile.

The people in the theater who cared about the black-haired boy couldn’t help but smile warmly, feeling happy and grateful to whoever had sent such a message to Subaru.

It was comforting for everyone to know that besides themselves, those beings from another world also liked and admired the knight who had done so much for them — and they hoped Subaru would accept those words and feel even more motivated to grow...

[Alpha: From "Guy: Subaru, why do you let your friends die so much? Are you really trying your best, or are you committing to things half-heartedly, like you always do?"]

All the happiness and embarrassed comfort Subaru had felt before disappeared in an instant.

Like a balloon that had been popped.

His expression dropped, the smile and brightness in his eyes vanishing, that cheerful aura completely wiped away.

He looked down in shame and sadness; like a child being scolded by their parents — or even worse.

Returning to a pitiful state.

[Subaru: ———— I'm trying...]

He said in a sad and broken tone, crossing his hands and timidly moving his thumbs. All the joy and warmth from moments before were completely gone.

And upon hearing and seeing that, the entire theater’s happiness vanished, replaced with an intense feeling: Rage and Hatred.

Even the most controlled, even the coldest, even the proudest of them couldn’t stand hearing those words or seeing that scene.

Watching Subaru’s cheerful expression being instantly crushed into sadness by the cruel words of one of those beings.

[Everyone: I want to punch this "Guy" in the face!]

It was the shared thought of everyone there, while some even thought further.

Beatrice, Petra, Rem, Satella, Shaula, and several other girls were all thinking: They would hunt down this "Guy," find this "Guy," and, like Liam Neeson in Taken, they would kill this "Guy."

 

 

—————

I am not accepting new questions for this IF yet.

My Uno and Monopoly joke came from this awesome fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/64940611/chapters/166935307

Chapter 105: [Extra 3 - Interrogation IF]

It took quite some time and a few sedatives to calm down the Theater group before they ended up destroying everything inside. Alpha took the opportunity to use her chair on them—especially on the girls—as a form of therapy for the Witch of Time, making them all return to their seats.

[Alpha: From “FR: Subaru, what would you do if your Gate wasn’t broken?”]

[Subaru: I think I’d try to develop my magic more with Beako. That wouldn’t be so bad. But... I was an idiot and lost that chance.]

The young man replied, embarrassed, a bit ashamed even, as he recalled not following the advice of those around him and overusing his Gate in different situations—sighing quietly.

This caused Garfiel and the others to show sorrowful expressions, especially the young tiger himself.

[Garfiel: Sorry, Captain.]

He murmured, disappointed. If only he hadn’t been so hard-headed... His Captain’s Gate was shattered, and now he couldn’t be away from Beatrice without the risk of dying from mana poisoning. Garfiel wished he could go back and stop himself from hurting the one he admired most.

Others shared the guilt—except for Roswaal.

The clown didn’t mind limiting Subaru even further, binding him more tightly to everyone in his Camp.

[Alpha: From “ML: Hello, my friend. What do you think of Ram and Roswaal’s relationship?”]

[Subaru: Wow, that’s the kind of question that puts me in a tough spot… Nee-sama might hate me, but in my opinion, she deserves someone better than Roswaal.]

[Roswaal: I can’t help but agree with him, Ram~]

[Ram: I appreciate Barusu’s concern, but I still choose you, Roswaal-sama. Because I still believe in you.]

[Roswaal: Aaah, what a pity.]

Roswaal replied, speaking without his usual accent—because deep down, he truly wished Ram would give up her love for him, or at least move on. He knew Ram’s perspective was, at best, nearly delusional.

A thought shared by almost everyone in that room. Why?

Because they had seen what Roswaal was willing to do for his goals—and even in that room, he showed no hesitation about continuing his plans or repeating his actions if it meant reaching his long-sought goal. It showed what kind of monster he truly was. With or without the book given to him by Echidna, it was clear—even to the man in clown makeup—that Roswaal L. Mathers was beyond redemption, for the simple fact that he would commit any atrocity to achieve his ends.

Some felt sadness or anger, but others were simply disappointed in the oni girl. Among them was Rem. Even though she admitted it was hypocritical—given her own obsession with Subaru—at least she could say the person she loved wasn’t a repulsive monster who hurt and killed others in manipulative games for cruel desires. He did it to save as many lives as he could.

One loved a monster, and the other, a hero.

[Alpha: From “Nebulosa: Hey, Suba—Sorry, I meant Barusu. What would your perfect happy ending look like?”]

[Subaru: Only Nee-sama can call me that! —— I think my perfect happy ending would be for all the people I love to be safe and happy. Almost a utopian future.]

There wasn’t much to say about that. Many people had their own ideas of a perfect happy ending, but the core always came down to safety and happiness—for themselves and those they love, respect, or admire. So no one judged Subaru’s almost childish wish for a utopia.

[Alpha: From “Endearing: Hey Subaru, I was curious—if you had actually gotten the Isekai fantasy you expected, what powers or abilities did you hope to have?”]

[Subaru: Man! I think I’d just want to be able to use magic without breaking my Gate, that’s it! Honestly, for someone who never had that, using those kinds of powers is a dream come true.]

He said this with excitement, placing a hand on his chin and nodding enthusiastically.

[Otto: Natsuki-san really has a deep interest in using magic, huh?]

[Beatrice: Of course he would, I suppose. Betty’s contractor comes from a world that developed without even a speck of mana or magic, so obviously, when he found out he could use it, he’d be curious to try it, I suppose.]

[Emilia: Too bad he can’t do much with it now.]

[Garfiel: ——]

Once again, the tiger boy felt guilty—thinking he was the main reason his Captain had lost that potential.

[Alpha: From “SD: Hello Subaru, I’ve got a question—would you be interested in getting to know the other four royal candidates better, since you haven’t really had the chance yet?”]

[Subaru: Get to know them better...? I wouldn’t mind spending more time with Crusch-san and Felt, but I’m still a bit hesitant about Anastasia and Priscilla. So I guess... yes to some, maybe to others. I don’t want to be used to steal info from Emilia-tan’s camp, or get slapped for ‘being too flattering.’]

He made air quotes with his fingers on the last words.

[Anastasia: First impressions really are lasting, huh? Arf.]

[Priscilla: Hmpf!]

The two commented after hearing the black-haired knight’s words. Meanwhile, the others allowed themselves small mocking smiles, casting smug glances as if to say they were clearly ahead of their rival candidates in more than one way.

Beatrice, for her part, let out a small huff.

[Beatrice: Betty’s contractor is about to go through some really tough times, I suppose.]

[Alpha: From “JM: Hello Subaru, I’ve got a question—As his brother-in-law, do you approve of Garfiel and Mimi’s relationship? Or do you think he’d be better off with someone else?”]

[Subaru: Oh! Another relationship question? That’s a cheeky one, don’t you think~? —— Honestly, I think they’d make a cute couple, and I’d love to tease him about it. I can’t really see him with anyone else. Even with Nee-sama. But... I think he’s in for some serious trouble.]

Normally, Garfiel would’ve responded to everyone’s laughter with angry shouting at his Captain’s slander. But he froze—first because he was tackled in a tight hug by Mimi, who leapt onto him like a lovestruck girl shouting, “Mini-boss approves of Mimi!”

And second...

[Garfiel: What’s this pressure...?]

A crushing aura weighed on him—a threatening force as if to crush him entirely. Where was it coming from? From Anastasia, Ricardo, and Mimi’s siblings, whose piercing stares felt like arrows stabbing into his soul. He couldn’t move in the face of the overwhelming power they emitted. Not even Elsa had pressured him like this during their deadly mansion battle. Back then, he realized, his life had been in less danger than now. Because these people were absolutely ready to tear him apart if he ever hurt the tiny girl clinging to him.

[Alpha: From “RUM: Hey, Barusu! Do you think Patrasche and Beako are the best girls?”]

[Subaru: Of course they are! Even though Emilia-tan and Rem-rin hold a big place in my heart, my sweet Beako and loyal Patrasche are definitely the best girls! But yeah, it’d still be a fierce competition between them—I won’t lie.]

Otto did not feel safe in that moment.

He saw Beatrice’s smug and excited smile at Subaru’s words—but then caught a glint of fury in Emilia and Rem’s eyes. And then... he felt it being directed at him. Not just from those two—but from every single girl interested in Subaru.

And if you’re wondering:

Why was Otto being stared at like that by everyone around him?

Because of an unfortunate joke he made—saying Patrasche was the best girl while teasing Shaula about how Subaru didn’t even know her well enough to consider her a romantic interest—

everyone there somehow knew that the question had been asked specifically because of the merchant’s comment.

That same merchant now found himself in serious danger, surrounded by people who wished to take the place held in Subaru’s heart by those two, made even more obvious thanks to Subaru’s answer now displayed on their screens.

[Alpha: From “V: If Wilhelm offered to adopt you into the Astrea family, would you accept?”]

[Subaru: To be part of Rein and Wilhelm-san’s family?! Whoa...! Look, I-I think that would be way too much of an honor for someone like me.]

[Wilhelm: On the contrary, Subaru-dono, it would be an even greater honor for the Astrea family to receive someone like you.]

That sentiment from the grandfather was shared by his grandson, as they both thought of the black-haired youth’s qualities—and also their slight frustration with how little he valued himself.

But, as they knew too well, everyone felt the same way when Subaru belittled his own importance compared to others.

The only member of the family who didn’t share this view?

That would be Heinkel, who scoffed in disgust. Because if Subaru were adopted into the family, he’d likely be made Reinhard’s “brother,” which would technically make Subaru his son—a thought he had no desire to entertain.All he wanted was to stay as far away as possible from the dark-haired idiot who seemed to attract trouble like a magnet.

[Alpha: From “RC: Hey, Subaru, how many years—or even decades—are you willing to wait for Emilia to accept or reject your confession?”]

[Subaru: Anywhere from one year to all eternity if that’s what it takes! —— Okay, maybe I overdid it a bit. But I think you get the point, right? I promised to wait until she tells me how she really feels. Since I’ve broken so many promises before, I want to at least keep this one.]

He explained nervously, scratching his left cheek.

[Emilia: Subaru...]

Emilia didn’t know exactly how to feel about Subaru’s words.

Happy? Yes, she felt happy knowing he was willing to wait and fulfill the promise to wait for her answer.

Sad? That too. Because even though it made her heart warm knowing he loved her that much, she didn’t want to bind him like that through a selfish desire.

[Emilia: Thank you for your dedication, Subaru. And I promise I’ll return your feelings as soon as I can!]

Declaring it to herself with determination, she knew she wouldn’t let him lose any more of his life waiting in silence—especially not while suffering so much in secret.

A few others, upon hearing this, found themselves wanting to compete with her for the love of the black-haired boy.

[Alpha: From “Adra: What important advice or life lesson would you want to pass on to your children, if they could hear you?”]

[Subaru: Never trust a lunatic with clown makeup who talks weird. Seriously, you’ll only end up in the worst kind of mess.]

Everyone nodded before a few turned and glared at Roswaal.

The mage, in turn, just resigned himself to letting out a small smile.

[Alpha: From “F01: Subaru, what would you do if your first checkpoint never updated?”]

[Subaru: ———— I’d scream my lungs out, like there’s no tomorrow. Imagine going through the entire Sanctuary arc, dying, and then BAAAM! Back to the beginning again. And what if it reset all the way to the Mansion? Damn. I think I’d go insane pretty fast. —— But if I had no choice, I guess I’d have to find a way to deal with it.]

[Alpha: Honestly, I think that would be just plain cruel. I’d understand if you went insane.]

[Subaru: Don’t even get me started. Having to redo everything from scratch every time I died? Sounds good in theory, but in practice—it’s awful.]

Once again, everyone in the Theater nodded—even the coldest members like Roswaal and Echidna.

Although the Witch of Greed couldn’t help but feel a bit curious about such a scenario.

But to always go back to the beginning? They imagined how stressful it would be for Subaru—to die, reset, and repeat everything from Elsa to the Great Rabbit. It would be far too heavy a burden for anyone’s mind. Once more, they silently thanked Satella, the Witch of Envy, for changing Subaru’s save points and sparing him from that unending suffering.

Though, some had more selfish thoughts—wishing that favor extended not only to Subaru but to themselves, too.

They would’ve been thankful if he’d been able to save Rem and Crusch.

 

[Alpha: From “Je: Hey, Subaru, would you sleep with—like, have sex with—Reinhard or any other royal candidate’s knight, like Al?”]

[Subaru: —————————— WHAT THE F*CK!!!]

[Felix, Julius, and Al: WHAT THE F*CK!!!]

Everyone except Reinhard yelled at the same time as Subaru— and the cheeks of all four men turned bright red after hearing such a question from Alpha. Some people around them reacted the same way. Others differently. Some blushed from embarrassment, others turned red from laughing way too hard— Felt, Ricardo, Garfiel, Otto, and Ram among them.

[Julius: W-W-W-What an i-indecent q-question...!]

[Felix: H-How e-e-embarrassing, Nyaa~!!!]

[Al: Sorry bro. But I don’t swing that way.]

[Reinhard: ——]

Reinhard was too embarrassed to speak or react to what had just happened.

His face was so red, it was impossible to tell where his flame-red hair ended and his skin began— a sight that only made the whole scene even more ridiculous for those watching.

[Shaula: NONE OF YOU ARE TAKING HIM!!!]

The disciple screamed in fury at the mere idea of the four becoming rivals for her Master’s heart.

[The Four: WE DON’T WANT HIM LIKE THAT!!!]

They shouted back in unison after hearing the scorpion girl’s words.

They had nothing against the black-haired boy—or against people who wanted same-gender relationships. But being in that kind of relationship with him wasn’t something any of them desired.

Little did they know… some were already seeing them as potential rivals.

Though one particular maid had very different thoughts…

[Frederica: Would he look better with Reinhard-sama or Julius-sama...? Felix-sama wouldn’t be a bad choice either, right...? But Al-sama could be the wildcard that surprises everyone!]

The blonde maid’s mind was racing through all the possible scenarios that question had just unlocked. Her fujoshi brain concocted dozens of storylines that would develop such a romance.

Stories that made her smile, baring her teeth, the more she imagined them. She was tired of the usual man-and-woman drama— Why not imagine four men fighting over a fifth? Her head was a whirlwind of steamy fantasies—romantic scenes, and some quite intense. Like all four of them in a room with Subaru in the center, tied up in a compromising position, gagged, and—

[Alpha: Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA! STOP RIGHT THERE!]

[Frederica: H-Huh?]

The maid turned to face Alpha, who was staring at her wide-eyed in complete shock.

[Alpha: I’ve seen some intense stuff, but... I think you just outdid yourself after what you’ve witnessed in my theater...]

She thought about saying more, but gave up.

Now the image of her father surrounded by four knights doing indecent things was burned into her mind. Things she never wanted to think about—not even when it involved her mother or any other woman. In Alpha’s innocent little head, her father didn’t do those kinds of things— She believed she was born simply because her father was awesome enough to create her out of thin air.

She would never accept someone saying he did those things.

Chapter 106: [Extra 4 - Interrogation IF]

Okay, I know a lot of people are waiting for the next chapter of this IF and I'm sorry I haven't posted about it for a long time. But I thought I'd make the next chapter more special. That's why...

You're going to ask questions to the cast!

In this case, whoever wants to, can send a question to the people in the room (which can even include Alpha). Just like they did with Subaru. But it can only be ONE.

IF SOMEONE SENDS A MESSAGE FULL OF QUESTIONS, EVEN IF THERE ARE TWO, THEY WILL NOT BE ANSWERED! It's been giving me a headache reading these messages with so many questions and picking one to answer.

So, please send your questions. I'll write them down and when I post the next chapter of this IF, I'll delete this one after I've written down all the questions you asked the cast. These can be questions for members of any room: Lugunica, Kararagi, Cult, Vollachia, Dead (yes, all rooms created in the history of Condor can be considered canonical in Absolute Cinema).

Well, that's it... ONLY ONE QUESTION PER PERSON.

Now, enjoy this incredible image that I loved (EternalWhisper):

Chapter 107: [Extra 4 - Interrogation IF] (Answers)

After washing their eyes, ears, and even mouths after the last episode, the Knights returned to the Theater Room. They sat in the red chairs, waiting for the beginning, while the screen’s Alpha stared directly at them. That left them confused.

[Alpha: Although many people want to talk and ask questions to Subaru, many also have questions for our beloved cast, so… THIS TIME, WE'RE ASKING THE QUESTIONS TO YOU ALL!]

People in all the Theaters were confused about this, looking at each Alpha in each room. Each one of them shrugged and gave an indifferent smile, showing that they had no choice but to accept. The questions would be asked, and they would have to answer—whether they liked it or not. Everyone in each room prepared to answer, readying their minds.

[Alpha: To Anastasia: “Knowing the state of your Gate in the Future Arcs, how do you plan to solve that problem?”]

Anastasia sighed lightly.

[Anastasia: Since the Divine Dragon’s Blood can’t be obtained at the Pleiades Tower, I’m left with trying to win the Royal Selection or finding another way to save it.]

[Emilia: I wouldn’t mind—]

[Anastasia: Don’t say that, Emilia. I know some here might say they’d help me by offering the Dragon Blood if needed, especially after everything we’ve been through, but I wouldn’t want that. Not as charity. I’d prefer it to be a fair negotiation for both sides.]

Saying this, she stopped her from finishing her words, already knowing what Emilia and perhaps others would say. She didn’t want charity or anything of the sort. Now her mind turned to other options. Roswaal? She would need a reason to convince him. Subaru with the Authority of Lust? If she could modify Gates, could hers be fixed?

Options began forming in her mind.

[Alpha: To Al: “When are you gonna use Ol Shamak on your bro, dude?”]

Al began sweating profusely. Echidna also began sweating heavily. They exchanged glances and then noticed the stares of everyone in the room, who seemed to want to question them about it. The sweat wouldn’t stop.

[Al: Can I... skip?]

[Alpha: Sure...]

She shrugged, indifferent for now. But at the same time, she wore a slightly sadistic smile. It was clear to them she would do something later, which worried them even more.

[Alpha: Conquest said he was getting a bit bored with that other Heinkel...]

[—THEATER OF THE DEAD—]

[Alpha: To the White Whale: “How did you feel when you saw Subaru on your Horn in the middle of the battle?”]

[Whale: UUOOOOHHH!!!]

The Whale screamed/responded with great irritation at the memory.

[—LUGUNICA THEATER—]

[Alpha: To Ram: “If there was a version of you married to Roswaal, would you want to meet her?”]

That surprised some people, who turned their gaze toward the duo. Why? Simple: after everything they’d seen in various universes, it seemed downright impossible for anyone to be excited about being married to that Clown. Some even thought maybe she had come to her senses and realized he wasn’t a good option... even Roswaal was in that group.

[Ram: Obviously. I’d like to meet her and see how she finally freed Master Roswaal-sama from the Witch of Greed’s schemes.]

Some sighed.

Even though they once partially understood her admiration for Roswaal, now, after everything, they hoped her mindset had changed. Roswaal himself sighed.

[Roswaal: You’re mistaken if you think I’m giving up on my goal. And even more if you think I plan to have a long and happy life anyway.]

[Ram: It doesn’t matter. Amid so many universes and possibilities, I now believe I can help him. And even if the time we share is short, I wouldn’t mind spending as much of it with him as possible.]

[Roswaal: —— Don’t delude yourself.]

Roswaal huffed, but felt a bit happy.

It was unfair, disgusting—he knew he didn’t deserve even a drop of happiness for someone still thinking of him and his well-being. That’s why he would deny those feelings. After all he’d caused, it wouldn’t be right to live even a slightly happy life with someone else.

[Alpha: To Crusch: “From 0 to 10, how would you rate Miss Natsumi?”]

Crusch blushed slightly, while those nearby, including Felix, let out some chuckles at her current expression.

[Crusch: W-W-Well... I’d have to... give a... 10.]

She replied with slight embarrassment, stammering. That just made the others laugh more.

[Alpha: To Al: “If you could replace your arm with a prosthetic from the following options: a plasma-toothed chainsaw or an electric cannon, which would you choose?”]

[Al: Electric Cannon. Definitely, Electric Cannon.]

Replying, he looked dreamily at the little Witch of Time, who gave him the middle finger in response—just in case he was planning to ask her for one.

At that moment, many wondered just one thing: What is a plasma-toothed chainsaw? WHAT IS AN ELECTRIC CANNON?! Many wanted answers, but unfortunately, it was their turn to be questioned.

[Alpha: To Alpha: “If the Great Rabbit were a loli, would Subaru be able to defeat her with his ‘lolimancer’ skills?”]

Although many felt a bit uneasy picturing him with the Great Rabbit, curiosity won.

[Alpha: That universe exists. He had a hard time...]

[Ricardo: He lost?]

[Alpha: Nah, he win. Lolimancer.]

[Julius: It’s amazing that in nearly every universe, he always ends up with a loli.]

Some couldn’t help but laugh upon realizing this.

[Alpha: To Satella and Emilia: “Which of you has the bigger boobs/butt?”]

That made many blink in surprise. Some glanced around shyly, faces red, while another figure—Minerva—gritted her teeth in pure rage at the question. But the two women? They looked at each other, glanced at each other's bodies, then their own, then back at each other’s. Internally questioning who had the advantage.

[Alpha: For general knowledge. They are tied in that regard.]

And that answered the curiosity of all. Al and Ricardo gave each other a small fist bump in response.

[Alpha: To Beatrice: “Have you ever caught Subaru beating his meat?”]

Al’s eyes widened behind the iron helmet.

[Beatrice: Hm? Of course, I’ve seen him beating meat, I suppose.]

[Petra: I’ve also seen him beating meat.]

[Frederica: Yes, even though he can’t cook money, when we need to tenderize the meat, he’s good at beating it.]

[Ram: Despite his great uselessness, he’s good at beating meat. Barusu at least serves to beat meat.]

That made Al sigh upon realizing no one understood the innuendo. He exchanged a glance with Alpha and saw her trying to contain her laughter, just as he was.

Should they tell them?

[—ALPHA’S ROOM—]

[Alpha: To Alpha: “Are you aware that you’re just an OC?”]

The original Witch of Time was in her hammock, poorly dressed, eating Doritos.

She swayed gently.

[Alpha: But... Aren’t we all OCs? Every new character in the story, every time a character changes from one thing to another, don’t they become an OC? For example: Beatrice, Rem, and Ram were all OCs back in Arc 2. Even you, who asked this question, wouldn’t you be an OC in someone else’s story?]

She asked while speaking to the readers, continuing to eat her snacks and staining her fingers orange.

[—ALL THEATERS—]

[Alpha: To everyone: “If you had to spend an entire day with one of the different Subaru IFs, which would you choose?”]

The answers varied, but if they had to choose, most went with either Sloth IF or Shrine IF. Why? Because they were the most gentle, friendly, and kind versions of Subaru. That way, they wouldn’t have to worry about being killed or attacked—these Subarus would either live their own lives or help others.

[—VOLLACHIA THEATER—]

[Alpha: To Vincent: “What would you do if the IF Subarus fell into your world with the Sin Authorities they represent?”]

Vincent raised an eyebrow at the question.

[Vincent: If I had prior knowledge of Natsuki Subaru’s abilities like I’ve acquired here, I would prepare based on his original power, knowing I must capture him without letting him die, and prepare for powers he could gain from other Authorities. If they’re like his, that could be positive, as they seem weaker. But if they’re like the Archbishops’... at least we could count on the fool of Lust and the runaway from Sloth.]

Coldly analyzing, he had already considered how to handle each version, based on personality. The most difficult? Pride, Wrath, and Gluttony. And of those three? Pride was definitely the worst—pure madness. Even Greed wasn’t too troublesome, as he only intervened when it involved people he wanted to protect.

Vincent then shot Alpha a questioning look.

[Vincent: Is this some kind of... omen we should know about?]

[Alpha: Nah. Don’t worry. —— Maybe.]

She replied without much certainty.

[—???—]

Somewhere outside the theater, in a different universe, several Subarus were gathered by a figure: Conquest Subaru. Before him stood various versions of himself—those who had chosen to fight for a shared goal. They were his warriors—his Commandments.

Soon... THE SUBARU WAR WOULD BEGIN!

 

 

—————

What did you think? I'm not accepting new questions, so don't even make them up.

I'm thinking of new stories for the future:

-UA High School: A Re:Zero story in the modern world, except that Subaru's family in this case would be the members of the Witch Cult Archbishops. It would be a premise almost similar to one I saw in the past on Ao3 and really liked, but it didn't have anything more than 1 chapter.

-Family: Where would Subaru's children from my IFs be, unintentionally, being sent to Arc 1 and meeting Subaru right at the beginning.

What do you think of these ideas? And what did you think of the chapter?

Chapter 108: Forgotten IF - Path of Revenge

What if...? What if Subaru followed the path of vengeance after being forgotten?

—————

 

 

Wilhelm was finding it increasingly difficult to carry that tray. Holding the teacup along with the teapot. Climbing the stairs and walking down the halls of Karsten Mansion. But not for the reason one might think. That man, despite his age, was still the Sword Demon—someone who could still fight through hundreds of battles until the end of his days.

No, it wasn’t the weight of age or physical burden.

It was the weight of what had happened.

“We managed to capture the Archbishop of Pride… Natsuki Subaru,” were the words Felix had told him with hope in his voice. And just remembering that moment left a bitter taste in his mouth, his stomach churning, the weight on his shoulders feeling like it had grown by dozens of tons, and the shame threatening to consume the rest of his life.

Because, back then, they had believed him to be an Archbishop—one of the most powerful and important members of the Witch Cult. With his help, there would be a chance to recover Crusch’s memories and cleanse her from the Dragon's poison injected into her by the Archbishop of Lust.

But how wrong they had been.

Subaru Natsuki was not the Archbishop of Pride, not even a member of the Witch Cult! The mere thought of him being part of that group of monsters—especially as an Archbishop—was something Wilhelm and everyone who knew him would reject with all their hearts. The old butler had been one of Subaru’s strongest defenders whenever someone questioned his loyalty!

He would never doubt the kindness and loyalty of the young man who had helped him avenge his wife against the White Whale. Someone who emanated such trust and goodness, despite the eyes that carried so much pain—pain that few warriors knew.

But, to his shame and sorrow, such a thing could not be said back then.

It was when Subaru had returned from Vollachia with his group, after stopping the Great Calamity that would have destroyed the Empire, helping the people alongside Priscilla’s camp and making a deal with Emperor Vincent Vollachia in Lugunica’s name. Amazing feats! But even more so for them personally, that one person he always looked after—Rem, Ram’s twin sister—had awakened, even if without memories. And that alone made him happy.

Because Subaru had helped her walk again, live again—and Wilhelm believed that the boy would recover everything he had lost with her, including the memories of the girl, and Crusch’s as well, which both Wilhelm and Felix longed for.

But it was like a cruel twist of fate. For after one of his greatest triumphs came his greatest downfall.

Roy Alphard, the Archbishop of Gluttony, had escaped—how, no one knew. And the worst happened: Subaru Natsuki had his name eaten by the Archbishop of Gluttony and was forgotten by every person in the world, including Wilhelm.

And that wasn’t all. Beatrice, the Great Spirit, and Rem, the Oni girl, accused him of being an Archbishop because they said he smelled like a Witch Cultist—like an Archbishop.

But that shouldn't have been enough, since he didn’t act like one and didn’t carry a Gospel.

Those things could have proven his innocence.

And they even gave him a chance to try to explain himself. Using Reinhard’s Divine Protection of Wind of Falsehood, they interrogated him to find out whether he was truly an Archbishop or not. They questioned him about many important things.

But the problem during the interrogation came when they asked whether or not he had an Archbishop’s power, and if he had any connection to the Witch of Envy—something that, unfortunately and for reasons Wilhelm still didn’t understand, he confirmed. Condemning himself.

A theory was born: Gluttony’s power allowed him to steal names and memories, erasing them from people’s minds, making them forget or suffer amnesia.

And who’s to say it couldn’t implant memories as well? With that theory, Subaru was accused of being a member of the Cult—a planted Archbishop by Roy, under the excuse that he had been forgotten by everyone.

But the problem?

He smelled like a Cultist on the level of an Archbishop, admitted to having the power of one, confessed a connection with the Witch of Envy, and to make matters worse, Roy Alphard had called him "Pride," saying he was the Archbishop of Pride of the Witch Cult.

That was enough for chaos to begin.

Thinking about it now, Wilhelm swallowed hard again. Regret heavy on his heart.

Subaru was left to the mercy of the Knights, of Felix.

The old butler didn’t witness it, but he could imagine it from seeing the state of his cell.

Tortured. Subaru was abandoned by his companions, had his knight title stripped away by the woman he loved—back when they still thought he was a mad Archbishop—and was thrown into a cold, small cell and tortured by his own fellow Knights. Felix was one of them, using his healing magic—something he confirmed himself.

And the worst part?

Every week, Wilhelm would hear from Felix how Subaru kept trying to convince him that he wasn’t an Archbishop—that his name had been eaten. He spoke of things only truly close companions would know.

And they didn’t listen.

Wilhelm could only take pride in one thing about the boy locked away: how he managed to survive in there. Saying the right things, revealing important details—he made it seem like he had critical information. That way, he bought time, avoiding execution. Something impressive that required a sharp mind. Trying to hold on until he could escape, or until they killed Gluttony and remembered him.

But… was it worth it?

Prolonging his stay meant continuing to be tortured. It meant continuing to live in a cell, alone. It meant suffering at the hands of his own companions. Something Wilhelm would never wish on someone who had done so much for so many—especially not that boy.

Life went on. Subaru was tortured while everyone else lived normally.

Their memories rewritten so that he had never been part of their lives, up until the moment he was accused of being an Archbishop and imprisoned.

A cruel fate.

Then came the day Subaru escaped.

How? According to the guards, it was through an ability Wilhelm and Julius remembered being related to the Archbishop of Sloth—the power that could explain the Witch’s Scent on him and his contracts with multiple spirits, after breaking the one he had with Beatrice.

It frightened him.

Because a supposed Sin Archbishop had escaped his cell, causing a wave of destruction as he disappeared.

Until the day Reinhard captured Roy Alphard again.

And then, perhaps in a sadistic moment to destroy them, Roy released Subaru’s name—making everyone remember him and what they had done.

Wilhelm still remembered the state of the boy’s cell when he visited.

Blood—so much blood. Fingers missing from hands and feet—those infected with the Dragon’s Blood from the Archbishop of Lust, which regenerated every time they were ripped off.

And if what he was told afterward was true: beyond the physical blows, they also starved him, kept him from sleeping—whether comfortably or uncomfortably, as they chained him to the wall and pierced his arms to keep him pinned, with stakes slicing through skin and flesh.

An incredibly cruel fate.

Far too cruel for someone like Subaru.

Which made Wilhelm understand why Subaru had to escape.

He was tortured in countless ways, clinging to the hope that someone would remember him, that someone would come to save him, as he suffered so deeply. And at the moment he lost all hope, he escaped that cursed place, fleeing, disappearing. Something Wilhelm completely understood, even thinking about how he wished Subaru had done so earlier.

There was no need to describe how many people reacted. Guilt, rage, sorrow. Everyone drowned in those feelings, which then started to clash with one another. They began to destroy each other while trying to find the former knight with black hair and terrifying eyes who had fled. Emilia’s Camp was a prime example of this, as they appeared to be crumbling — even if Wilhelm understood why — falling apart, becoming unstable in the worst possible ways. Wilhelm even had to be the one to stop Emilia, Rem, and Garfiel from killing Felix when they discovered he was one of those who had tortured Subaru.

It was in moments like these that the weight of everything made Wilhelm feel old, as he could no longer bear the burden of such guilt. Nor of his own rage toward all those who had harmed the young boy, even as he tried to justify their actions as the fault of the Archbishop of Gluttony.

To think that the people he cared about, the ones he had fought alongside, had committed such cruel acts against that special young man.

The Camps were no longer the same. The alliances, the friendships — all destroyed simply because that young man was no longer there to fix things. And it only grew worse when news of Subaru spread.

That the young hero, who had been responsible for the extermination and capture of several Archbishops, and the deaths of two of the Great Beasts that had terrorized the world for four centuries, had heroically died on a mission for their country. A blatant lie. That lie was told to cover up what had really happened — that the people's hero, that boy, had been abandoned and brutally tortured after being wrongly accused of being an Archbishop of the Witch Cult.

All to prevent chaos from spreading among everyone. Control had to be maintained. Even more so when he was connected to a Royal Candidate who looked just like the Witch of Envy from the legends.

As he continued toward Crusch’s room, Wilhelm was regaining his composure. Now standing before his lady’s door, with a simple motion, he entered the room, expecting everything to be normal — Crusch lying in bed, resting, with one of her eyes covered due to the Dragon’s Poison inflicted by the Archbishop of Lust during the events at Priestella, along with Subaru. A pitiful sight for the old man who had once envisioned her as the future queen during her glorious years.

But this time, he was met with a surprise.

A hooded figure. A not-so-tall, hooded figure. This strange figure, covered from head to toe by a large dark hood, was leaning over Crusch, and Wilhelm could clearly see what they were doing: choking her. One hand gripped her neck, and the woman couldn’t move properly, unable to free herself from the hold — her body seemingly paralyzed.

Her dragon’s poison seemed to be flowing into the hand of the figure, who was staring her directly in the eyes.

While Crusch was completely helpless.

Upon noticing Wilhelm’s presence, the figure turned their face toward him, though Wilhelm still couldn’t see their face under the hood. But he did sense the negative, malicious aura emanating from them with overwhelming power.

It happened in a second.

Wilhelm drew his sword, dropping the tray he had carried with such care, leaping forward with the blade unsheathed, gripping the hilt tightly. A fast and precise strike aimed at the figure. The tip of the blade was just centimeters from its target — when Wilhelm suddenly found himself frozen midair, held in place by an invisible force, which then struck him with the power of a punch, launching him backward into the double doors behind him and smashing through them — and even part of the wall.

In the midst of his flight caused by the impact, Wilhelm twisted in the air, recovering, landing on his feet and propelling himself straight back into the room he had just left.

The figure was no longer beside Crusch’s bed, who was now coughing violently, sitting up on the mattress. The figure now stood by the open balcony doors, the wind fiercely blowing at their hood — but still not revealing their identity.

[Wilhelm: Who are you——?!]

But before he could finish his question, several lights began appearing around the figure — lights from spirits, dozens of minor spirits. The figure pointed in their direction, making an unknown gesture, folding three fingers against their palm, stretching the index finger toward them, and pointing the thumb upward. Something that momentarily distracted both Wilhelm and Crusch...

[???: Goa.]

A familiar voice...

The spirits launched their attacks at the two. Wilhelm didn’t waste a second — he ran to his lady, grabbed her, and sprinted out of the room through the destroyed doorway. The multiple blasts hit the room behind them, causing a massive explosion of flames that shot through the broken doors, nearly hitting them, grazing the Sword Devil’s clothes. Wilhelm fell, rolling on the ground, still carrying Crusch, and turned to look back at the destroyed room.

The flames roared in that ruined chamber, and it was clear that part of the mansion had also been obliterated. The fire would spread if not stopped soon.

But the shock was still visible on Wilhelm’s face.

A sudden attack on Crusch. But it wasn’t just the attack — it was the way it was done. Holding her as if using something invisible, draining her Dragon Blood, and then grabbing him midair with the same invisible force and hitting him with it — like a powerful punch — followed by an explosion of fire from a basic spell. The most important part of all that... was the voice.

A voice Wilhelm would never forget as long as he lived...

[Wilhelm: Subaru-dono?]

He wondered...

 

 

—————

It was an idea I already had. I have the desire to write my own version of the story "Re:Forgotten," but in my mind, I ended up writing different versions of this story that I would call: Paths of the Forgotten.

Path of Vengeance (the path where Subaru wants to destroy everything); Path of the Vigilante (the path where Subaru doesn't want revenge, but no longer wants to be near people); Path of Pain (the path where Subaru is in a semi-brain-dead state and focuses on the people around him and the consequences of their actions); Path of the End (where Subaru meets his end, dying permanently).

In this IF, for all the Paths:

-Subaru helped Al, and together they managed to save Priscilla.

In this IF, for this Path of Vengeance:

-Subaru was tortured for months from the perspective of those around him. But from his own perception, it lasted over ten years.

-Satella and the Witch were affected by the Authority of Gluttony. This made them unable to control Return by Death: It kept Subaru trapped in loops within the prison, unable to return beyond his first day.

-What happened to Subaru at the hands of Felix and the guards: He was beaten, had his fingers and toes (those infected by Dragon Blood) cut off daily as a game by the guards, Felix burned his nerves, they left him without food or water for long periods, his arms were broken by the guards at night and only healed by Felix the next day for the cycle to repeat again and again. He was slashed multiple times, had thorns and blades put in his food, was forced to drink hot oil, was whipped, hit in the groin multiple times, had things shoved into all his orifices, was chained against a wall in a way that he had to sleep stretched out on the wall (sometimes they just drove stakes into his hands to make him sleep instead of using chains), sometimes they broke his jaw before meals, among other tortures.

-During this time: Subaru's rage and hatred toward people grew, even altering his Authorities, making them more powerful. Not quite like Petelgeuse or Regulus, but close:

Sloth – He can summon multiple hands, which can become intangible.

Greed – He can create a connection with the world and people around him. He can transfer damage he receives to the surrounding environment, while also absorbing Mana from the atmosphere, surroundings, and from people around him, stealing it. This allows him to transfer Mana to Spirits in multiple ways: through his broken Gate, through forcibly absorbed Mana from the environment or people, and through the spirits themselves absorbing atmospheric Mana.

-While in prison, Subaru ended up contracting several lesser spirits. In total, he formed contracts with over thirty spirits, equally divided among all elements. Each of them grew stronger over time, and at a certain point, all the lesser spirits of Water would merge into one, as would those of Wind, Earth, Fire, Yin, and Yang. He would then go on to contract more lesser spirits as the others evolved into quasi-spirits and eventually into full spirits. Thanks to the amount of Mana he already possessed and the amount he could absorb, he can maintain several spirits at once.

-Subaru is now hunting down the members of each Camp one by one, but his main objective is to reveal how he was imprisoned and kept secret to be tortured. His ultimate target is: Felix, who was discharged as a Knight and whom Subaru has not yet been able to find.

What do you think? Would you like me to bring the other Paths I mentioned earlier?

The spirit idea was inspired by this amazing story I’ve been reading:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64587352/chapters/165888148

Chapter 109: [Extra - Forgotten IF - Path of Revenge]

Julius couldn’t feel more disappointed in himself than he did at that moment, as he looked at the figure lying on the bed in one of the rooms of the Juukulius Mansion. The figure on the bed? Joshua Juukulius, said to be his adoptive brother, the biological son of his esteemed uncles. Someone he couldn’t remember on his own, despite feeling different sensations from him—feelings he knew were of affection kept for that person, even though he couldn’t remember why he felt that way.

Sitting in the chair next to his bed, he merely watched him with a tired and defeated expression, taking another sip of the drink he had brought with him.

Anyone who entered the room at that moment would see the Finest of Knights in an extremely pitiful state compared to what he once was—especially before being completely forgotten by the world. That included the lady he had sworn to protect. Something that filled him with frustration, dragging him into sorrow over the mistake he made in revealing his name to his adversary—one of the Gluttonies—who devoured his name, just as he did with his brother and many others in the city of Priestella, and who tore off Ricardo’s arm. Causing massive devastation that day.

Everything that happened to him was because of the Archbishops of Gluttony.

[Julius: Roy...!]

He clenched his fist again to the point of piercing the glove on his left hand, even tearing part of his palm. Frustrated. Angry. Furious. And with a sense of helplessness beyond comprehension—not even he could fully understand it.

But his anger was also directed at himself...

[Julius: Joshua... were you... proud of me as your brother...?]

He questioned as he looked at his brother lying in that bed, sorrowful. He believed no one should be proud of him as a knight. Why would anyone be? A knight who not only failed to save himself but also his own brother from oblivion. Someone incapable of even recovering himself. And even worse: A knight who couldn't help or save the one he wanted to call a friend.

[Julius: I... am not worthy of calling him my friend... and even less as a companion...]

Subaru Natsuki, the one who, in the past, was accused of being the Archbishop of Sin of Pride and then tortured.

Even Julius played a small part in that. A part that filled him with such shame and pain that he could never erase it, even if he went out and hunted down every Archbishop of Sin together. For he had committed two unforgivable crimes:

He attacked him: In his cell, when he visited once to try to get information. They had a relatively normal conversation. Until Subaru started acting strangely in the cell—furious, muttering angrily about Felix—which made Julius suspect he was an Archbishop. Things got worse when Julius claimed to have defeated the attack of the Archbishop of Sloth alone, with Wilhelm and the other knights, without anyone else’s help.

That made Subaru explode in rage—probably from the stress of being imprisoned so long—and Julius attacked him with his sheathed sword and beat him down, nearly the same way he had during the Royal Selection in the past, leaving him in an even worse state due to his already weakened condition.

He abandoned him: Even when Subaru said such obvious things about his mission against Sloth. When he used arguments Julius couldn’t even explain, when he spoke such personal things that made him tremble... Yet Julius abandoned him. And why? Simply because he was afraid—afraid that everything he knew was a lie, that his memories were fake, and to think... someone so precious to him had been locked in that cell and tortured unjustly for such foolish reasons.

Those were his two sins.

It didn’t matter what words were used to justify that Julius, like everyone else, had forgotten Subaru and therefore couldn’t be blamed for what he did to someone who had done so much for him and for everyone.

Subaru Natsuki.

Someone who, in the past, he unjustly deemed unworthy of being a knight, but who showed time and time again that he could help those around him when it mattered. Even without brute strength, he used his intelligence and extraordinary knowledge to overcome difficulties and face problems—problems Julius openly admitted he couldn’t have handled the way Subaru did at those times. And Subaru was also the only one who remembered him and his brother when they were forgotten, helping him not feel alone.

And what had he done when the same thing happened to Subaru? He chose to believe the so-called facts and arguments used to accuse him of being the Archbishop of Sin, especially the words of a Great Spirit who, in his false memories, had a contract with Royal Candidate Emilia and would be doing everything to protect her from harm.

No matter the excuses given to defend himself, no matter how much they tried to justify his actions, no matter how hard he tried to find a way to apologize for his failure—Julius Juukulius, for the rest of his honor, could never forgive himself for the crime he committed against the friend who had done so much for him and everyone around them, time and time again. Subaru, in his own view, had been betrayed by all his companions—even as he begged and tried to tell everyone who he really was.

He had completely failed someone who should’ve been his ally and friend.

[Julius: How much can someone fail...?]

Asking himself, he stood up from his seat, finishing his drink.

Now carrying the empty bottle with him as he left the room.

As he stepped into the hallway, where the light of the bright moon shone and illuminated him—Julius included—it revealed his current state. His hair was messy, his eyes dull. His knight uniform? One could even spot a small stain from the drinks he’d consumed. No one would think he was once the Finest of Knights.

[Julius: Not that anyone remembers, right? —— Good thing Lady Anastasia isn’t here...]

Anastasia and the Iron Fangs had left a week earlier for negotiations not far from the Capital.

Even though they had a strained relationship following the revelation that Subaru was not an Archbishop, she continued to conduct her business, trying to maintain her campaign while also protecting Julius’ image amid the scandal that could arise from the revelation that Subaru had been tortured at the hands of the knights—something that could destroy him even more, especially since he was still seen as a self-proclaimed knight by those who had no memory of him, only aware through Subaru having warned them of who he was.

Though he understood his Lady’s desires and the weight such a revelation could bring, he wished for it to happen, just so he could be punished in the way he believed appropriate for himself—a criminal sinner.

The feelings of sadness once again invaded his heart.

And as he walked, a different light appeared through one of the windows. A blazing orange glow. It approached from the horizon, then pierced through the window, shattering it and striking toward the knight himself.

Julius quickly drew his sword to defend against the magical attack: Goa.

His defense prevented the attack from hitting him directly. And when he tried to summon his spirits—those evolved in the Pleiades Tower—he couldn’t. Because it had begun. Other attacks came through the shattered window, while around it, the walls were destroyed by more magical attacks. Not one, nor five, nor ten—but dozens, nearly a hundred attacks.

Goa, Fura, Dona, Huma, Minya, and Jiwald.

Dozens of these spells shattered the walls in front of him and flew toward him—as well as toward the entire mansion. The attack wasn't just aimed at the Knight. If he could see from outside that place, get a full view of the assault directed at the mansion,

He would see dozens of Lesser Spirits and Quasi-Spirits, each of a different type, casting their magic at the mansion.

An absurd number of attacks were launched at every part of the mansion, targeting all its areas at once. Fire spells caused explosions; ice spells stacked up and froze parts of the walls, while the Minya crushed them with their blows; Yang magic pierced through everything like intense rays of light; and wind spells cut through everything like blades.

All of it left a massive trail of destruction throughout what was once the grand mansion of the noble Juukulius family.

—[X]—

After a few minutes, Julius opened his eyes, the rays of the sun beginning to light up the area around him, and the black sky turning slightly blue. As he stood up, he felt everything—pain all over his body, exhaustion, the sensation of his blood slightly boiling, and the throbbing in his head as he looked around, trying to understand what had happened.

He ran a hand across his face, seeing a red stain on the glove he’d used. Instinctively, he knew it was his own blood.

Looking around, Julius saw the mansion's ruins. The entire structure had collapsed in a way he never thought possible. The fallen walls, barely any of the grand structure remaining—only a few standing walls left—and almost everything else reduced to rubble. It broke his heart.

[Julius: The servants had been dismissed last night, so no one was working then. At least Lady Anastasia and no one important was——!!! Joshua!]

He ran toward where the bedroom should’ve been, guided by the debris, until he reached where his so-called brother's body should be. And he saw it. Not just what he didn’t want to see, but something else as well.

A corpse and a message.

Or what at least looked like a corpse. Sliced by wind magic, burned by fire magic, with frozen parts from ice magic. That was definitely his brother's corpse. He couldn’t recognize it due to how badly it was destroyed—reduced to something unrecognizable. But there was also a very clear message:

“Seems like not even the Best of Knights is worthy of the sword he wields if he can't even save his own brother!”

Written in dried blood.

Julius gripped the hilt of his sword tightly—then dropped it moments later. The weight of his failure crashed down on him again as he realized who had done this. The one who destroyed the Juukulius Mansion, killed his brother, and stole his dignity in such a way. This act had been committed by someone who knew all of that.

[Julius: Subaru...]

Lowering his head, he choked up at the thought of who could have done this—but he didn’t want it to be true.

 

 

—————

These events occurred two days after the attack on the Crusch Mansion in the previous chapter of this Path...

Chapter 110: [Extra 2 - Forgotten IF - Path of Revenge]

[WARNING][WARNING][WARNING]

The following chapter contains a high degree of violence, nudity insinuation, torture, and other +18 content.

This chapter does not glorify or condone the kind of behavior displayed by the characters in the story.

This warning serves as an initial alert for those sensitive to the theme.

[WARNING][WARNING][WARNING]

—————

 

 

—Rem—

While Rem admired herself in the mirror of this humble cabin, she couldn’t help but feel happier than she ever had during all that time without her memories. For at last, Rem felt whole! Thanks to Rem’s hero, finally, she could feel happy and complete with who she truly was.

When Rem finally regained her memories of Suba—Baru-kun and of who she herself was, Rem couldn’t help but feel like the worst trash in the world for everything she had done to him in the Vollachian Empire and after returning to Lugunica, when we returned home.

I felt horrible for the horrible things I said to him, horrible for the horrible things I had done, horrible for the pain I had caused him for so long.

The thought of ending my own life crossed my mind dozens upon dozens of times, until it became hundreds, then thousands of times that I thought of simply ending it all—imagining that the sin of hurting someone as kind and good as Rem’s hero could only be repaid if Rem suffered enough before ending her own life, ensuring that all her sins might be redeemed in death.

But those around me always stopped such a thing. Blocking Rem’s way when she only wanted to rid the world of the monster who had hurt her hero.

Wishing only to end it all...

Remembering those days not so long ago, she let out a small smile—a double smile through her “faces”—as she seemed truly happy.

[Rem: How wonderful that Rem did not go through with such a thing... For Rem’s hero even gifted her in a way she would never have expected.]

Running a hand over her “faces,” she couldn’t help but feel even happier and more complete after such kindness from him, even after everything she had done.

When Rem reunited with her hero, he had returned to the Mansion in secret. In secret from everyone—even Emilia-sama and Beatrice-sama—and only Rem and Nee-sama had seen him. Or rather, he had seen them.

Rem’s hero was different.

His appearance was different, his scent stronger, yet he seemed almost the same once we started talking. Always so gentle, so compassionate. Being that good, cheerful, fun, and loving person to her in a way Rem felt unworthy of after everything that had happened before that true reunion—Rem being the Rem he once knew.

It was on the very day of his return that he asked for her help.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Rem... Rem, please... Rem, take this map, and with it, bring Ram to the cabin nearby... I really need your help... I need both of you there so I can finally help you—and myself... Please, Rem. Please.]

Rem remembers how he begged for her help and spoke those words with such affection. Even hugging Rem and caressing her head as he spoke so tenderly. And after hearing such a request from her hero—that he needed her help, HER HELP—Rem couldn’t help but want to do her very best for him!

Rem moved away from the mirror to put on her new maid uniform.

Sewn and made especially by Suba—Baru-kun! A gesture of kindness before leaving this place, leaving Rem to contemplate the beautiful work he had done.

And she couldn’t help but feel happy as she put on her new uniform.

Rem recalls that she didn’t really understand what had happened to her.

For when she had appeared at that cabin with Nee-sama, still uncertain but kindly accompanying me, we ended up fainting. By a surprise attack from Rem’s hero. One might think she would feel angry, sad, or betrayed, but instead she was surprised at his ability to knock her and Nee-sama unconscious.

When Rem opened her eyes again, she was tied up and unable to move.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Don’t strain yourself too much, Rem. Don’t worry. I learned from Felix-kun how to use water magic to stop people’s movements. And my dear water spirits helped me quite a lot with that.]

He told me while staring at me as I was bound with ropes to something—a wooden beam—that kept me standing, unable to move at all.

Completely helpless.

And from Rem’s perspective, she could see one thing. One thing that made her eyes widen.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Nee-sama... I missed you so much!]

Suba—Baru-kun said as he caressed Nee-sama’s face, who was lying on a table in front of Rem. Without her uniform, with nothing covering her beautiful skin, nothing between her and Suba—Baru-kun as he began caressing her form. An adorable—cruel—smile on his face as he ran his fingers over her.

Nee-sama’s eyes were open, moving, but she couldn’t move her body, couldn’t move at all.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Don’t try. I damaged your spinal cord. I broke some of your bones because I needed you completely still... and I had to do it... Burning your nerves alone was useless. So I did both this time! Burned nerves, broke your spinal cord. Isn’t it amazing?]

He spoke in an animated, childlike tone to Nee-sama, who could not move.

She couldn’t even speak, couldn’t do anything.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Rem... Rem, Rem, Rem... Rem...]

Repeating Rem’s name so many times, Suba—Baru-kun came closer to hold my face.

He looked at me with shining eyes—in a wicked way.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Who is Rem? Who is Rem? Whooooooooooooo is Reeeeeeeeeem?]

Repeating the same question, he stepped back, almost dancing, spinning around.

Taking little hops back to Nee-sama and grabbing her face just as he had grabbed mine.

He seemed truly excited and happy—like a monster.

[Suba—Baru-kun: She’s your sister... How could you forget your sister and move on? How can someone forget someone so important and treat it like it was nothing? How, even forgetting such an important figure from your memories, did your heart still remember her, but... didn’t remember me? Hm? Why do you forget and keep living as if nothing ever happened? Hm? Isn’t that sad? Hm?]

He kept asking more and more questions, seeming increasingly irritated. A forced smile on his face, trying not to show his anger. While tears began to fall, he squeezed Nee-sama’s face tighter, shaking her up and down against the table with light force—but not enough to cause real damage, not enough to kill.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?]

He kept repeating the same words while making the same movement.

Until suddenly, he stopped speaking and froze in place.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Aaah… It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter now, does it? You can’t answer me anyway. I paralyzed you, and there’s no way you can say anything back to me anymore. Forgive me, I’m really sorry, Nee-Sama. I really think I did something stupid just now, didn’t I? Sorry, sorry. Let me help you.]

When Suba—Baru-kun saw that he had drenched Nee-Sama’s face with his tears, he began licking her face. Licking her face in every way, making sure to lap up every single drop of his own tears. Once he had cleaned her of his tears, he rubbed her face with a cloth to wipe away his own saliva.

[Suba—Baru-kun: I’m sorry. I really am, it’s just… I’m so happy to see that you remember Rem, Ram. I’m truly so happy that you remember her now… But…]

He kept holding her face, with a pained expression.

An expression that showed his torment as he spoke.

[Suba—Baru-kun: But what if you forget her…? What if you forget Rem again? What if you end up forgetting the sister who admires you and wants to be you? What if you lose those precious memories between you two, and then she’s forgotten by the world again, simply because her own sister can’t even remember the dear girl who always followed her around like a loyal puppy? Huh?]

Suba—Baru-kun stood up from on top of her and went to a nearby table, grabbing some items—various kinds of blades—and placed them on a stool beside Nee-Sama’s body.

Then Rem saw something: an axe floating in the air, hovering as if something invisible was holding it, though she couldn’t see what.

Suba—Baru-kun grabbed the axe out of the air with both hands, a gentle smile spreading across his face as he raised it as high as he could, aiming for Nee-Sama’s leg. His smile grew wider and wider, showing an expression of pure joy—demonic joy. His head tilted slightly to the side.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Don’t worry. I’ll help you. I’ll make sure you two never forget each other, ever again!]

The sound that followed was dry. A metallic crack mixed with something that should never be heard. My eyes widened, but I couldn’t look away. The blow fell again, and again—each strike heavier, more rhythmic, as if Suba—Baru-kun was dancing to the tune of his own grotesque melody.

I wanted to close my eyes. I wanted not to hear. But I couldn’t.

With each impact, the table shook slightly, and Nee-Sama’s paralyzed body jolted along, unable to react, unable to even scream. She only breathed, slow and painful, trapped in silence. The drops began to fall. At first a few, then more, dripping onto the cold floor, spreading around Suba—Baru-kun’s feet. The metallic scent filled the air, invading my nostrils, and I felt my stomach twist.

He smiled. Always smiling. Not like someone cruel, but like a child finally able to play the way he wanted. A smile so happy, so pure, and because of that—monstrous.

When he stopped, the silence was worse than the strikes.

Suba—Baru-kun looked at the result with shining eyes, tilting his head, as if captivated by the sight.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Look at this, Rem. Look!]

Rem remembered him coming closer, remembered him holding up that piece of flesh—that severed leg of Nee-Sama—placing it in front of her face like a trophy, while his eyes sparkled and his enormous smile made him look truly happy.

[Suba—Baru-kun: Back in my homeland… We had a story about a princess, Cinderella, who was mistreated by everyone around her, until one night, she was given an opportunity by a Fairy Godmother… I’ll be your Fairy Godmother, Rem. I will. I’ll give you the best dress, the best shoe, the best everything so that you’ll be… complete!]

He told me those words while caressing my former face with a hand soaked in the hot, still-dripping blood from Nee-Sama’s leg. And I was so foolishly terrified of it back then! But now? Now I cherished his gift!

Looking down at my left leg, the first leg torn from Nee-Sama, I could see the lines of the needle that pierced through my old skin… and my new skin. Nee-Sama’s leg skin, stitched over mine, two layers. And it went all the way down to my foot. Looking into the mirror, I couldn’t help but marvel at what I saw there as well.

My sister’s face. My sister’s beautiful, magnificent face, overlaid upon mine. Sewn perfectly; stitches across my mouth, around my head, fastening it like a flawless mask for the absolute monster it crowned.

And before putting on my uniform, I looked at myself completely naked in the mirror. I could see Nee-Sama’s body perfectly overlaid upon mine, literally sewn to me, like a strange suit that was far too tight in some places…

But, PERFECT!

Rem is so happy for Suba—Baru-kun’s kindness in finally making us one. So that we’ll never forget each other again, and stay together forever.

 

 

—————

This was a test chapter for me to loosen up a bit.

For those who didn’t understand: Subaru tore the skin from Ram’s body and stitched it onto Rem’s skin, discarding Ram’s flesh, bones, and organs. All so that Rem and Ram would become one forever.

I decided to add these extra notes for anyone who wanted to know why Subaru acted the way he did in this chapter:

The difference in this case is the degree of compatibility Subaru had with the person, and how he wanted to humiliate them:

-Crusch: Despite hating Felix, he simply chose to take the Dragon's Blood and humiliate her by showing that he could kill her if he wanted, damaging her mansion and her morale. Especially since Felix's expulsion had already been a blow to her.

-Julius: He didn't participate in Subaru's torture, but he was one of those who imprisoned him and continued, even though he had been forgotten in the past, free and happy, caring for Joshua, even though it was Subaru who provided this. So he took revenge by killing Joshua and destroying the Julius Mansion.

-Rem: This Rem in my story is post-Vollachia, where he, when she was without memories, took care of her and cared for her even when she treated him coldly. She, along with Ram, helped him torture her, with Ram even using her magic to cut a very... intimate part of Subaru's body. So he chose to take revenge on them in a more personal way.

That was my premise. A ladder, of those who were forgotten (in Julius's case) or forgot themselves (in Crusch's case), or both (in Rem's case), that Subaru took revenge based on the suffering they caused him physically, mentally, and emotionally.

In this IF:

-Subaru went through several loops to discover the workings of the Mansion and the emotional state of the Camp to figure out how to secretly lure Rem and Ram outside.

-When he burned the nerves to paralyze Rem and Ram, he did it in such a way that they couldn’t move, but could still feel pain.

-He had to break Ram’s spine because in some loops she managed to gather the strength to escape, and Subaru had to kill her.

-After the “surgery” he performed on Rem, he ripped both of their uniforms to create a hybrid version of the maids’ uniforms, as a gift for the new figure that was born.

-"Rem" now calls Subaru Suba—Baru-kun due to it being a fusion of "Subaru-kun" and "Barusu".

-Now: his only targets are the Capital and Felix, since he already took revenge on those who were affected by Gluttony but didn’t suffer as he did.

Chapter 111: Forgotten IF - Path of Vigilant

What if...? What if Subaru followed the Path of the Vigilante?

—————

 

 

In a forest lived a man and his family — his wife and daughters.

The forest wasn’t too far from Pappelt. If someone left the small town heading toward the Shamrock Valley and crossed the fields, they would reach a not-so-distant forest. Not long ago, this forest had been threatened by the Earth Spider’s Web, a dangerous Mabeast that caused great harm to the people living there.

That was until the man who lived in the forest dealt with it after moving to that region.

There was a huge battle between the two — the man and his wife — against the creature. The fight resulted in their victory! A victory that marked that territory deeply, and also made the man widely known and respected by everyone: Subaru Natsuki. The man who saved their lives — a powerful figure and the hero of Lugunica — who carried a strange and enormous secret...

[???: Why was he declared dead...?]

This question was asked by a young figure, quite handsome, though not very well known despite his older brother being recognized for working at the camp of one of the Royal Candidates: Regin Suwen, the younger brother of Otto Suwen. A tall young man with long grayish hair, a white cloth tied around the back of his neck, and a tired, tan complexion. He resembled his mother, just like his two siblings.

At the moment, he was riding a carriage, delivering supplies to the man, his wife, and their daughters, who lived in the forest not too far from the cursed valley that many feared.

He was one of the few who had earned the permission and friendship of that heroic figure, allowing him to travel through the area, enter the forest, and approach without being seen as a dangerous enemy. This filled him with a bit of unintentional pride — though he was a calm and gentle person, not arrogant like others.

The carriage had already crossed the fields and entered the makeshift road carved into the forest. It clearly wasn’t a naturally formed path; it looked like trees and their roots had been removed to create a new trail, carefully prepared by the pair of parents who lived there specifically so that Regin could pass through easily. Even the forest creatures that posed a threat had been cleared to increase his safety — and the safety of the four living there.

Driving his carriage along the improvised road, he admired the beautiful, serene scenery, bathed in brilliant sunlight that gave the place a unique atmosphere. It was the kind of place so charming and welcoming that it made you want to get off your carriage and walk alongside your Earth Dragon, taking your time to enjoy the surrounding landscape.

Regin even considered doing just that, but today he couldn’t afford to stay any longer than necessary.

Still, his thoughts kept circling back to the same question: “Why would someone like Natsuki Subaru, the Hero, choose to live here? And why is he still officially considered dead?”

Even though the forest was beautiful now, it had once been home to dangerous creatures — the kind no one would dare try to exterminate just to live in such a place. Especially when someone like him could easily live in a mansion or even a palace after everything he had accomplished!

Regin knew the stories well.

The hunt for the White Whale. The hunt for the Archbishop of Sloth. The hunt for the Great Rabbit — which was still unconfirmed, but widely believed to be true. The hunt for the Archbishop of Greed and the defense of Priestella under siege. The aid in conquering the Pleiades Watchtower and the elimination — and capture — of two of the Archbishops of Gluttony. His help during the Great Calamity in Vollachia. And then the hunt and death of the Archbishops of Lust and Wrath — though that part was a bit strange, since it was after those events that both he and many villagers had suffered terrible headaches.

Returning to the main point...

Why would someone so incredible choose to live in such a distant and isolated place after all those achievements?

It made Regin think about the humility that man possessed.

Perhaps, after everything he went through, he chose to live happily, far away from problems and fame. An act of great humility, and honestly, something quite amazing. Amazing because so many achievements could easily turn someone arrogant — but not him. Natsuki Subaru had proven to be a man who didn’t like talking about grand conquests or heroic tales. He preferred to talk about mundane things and live each day without thinking about wars or anything like that.

Lost in these thoughts, he continued down the road until he heard the sound of movement — rustling bushes and breaking branches.

Regin braced himself for the worst.

Though physically weak, he was intelligent and cautious, much like his admirable older brother. He was ready to defend himself against any Mabeast that might appear, relying on his personal Earth Dragon — one he had raised ever since receiving it after completing a job as a veterinarian. He was prepared to fight like the merchant his brother once was, using strategy and wit, with a magic stone in hand ready to throw at any creature that appeared.

[???: Uaah!]

[Regin: Aaaaahhhh!!! —— Urf, arf. Spica-chan, don’t do that.]

[Spica: Ua, uah, uau.]

The little girl answered with a silly grin after sitting down beside him.

A young girl with long blond hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a long white dress, and smiling with slightly sharp teeth peeking through her adorable pearly grin.

She had made a sudden appearance, dropping from a tree branch to scare him.

In fact, this was something quite common.

Spica always came to greet Regin on the road and scare him like that, since he always fell for her jump-scares. It amused her greatly to prank her friend from the nearby town — especially since he rarely came by to play with her, even though her mother allowed it.

The two sat there as the little girl giggled mischievously.

[Spica: Idi— idi-idi — Idio...]

[Regin: Were you trying to call me an idiot?]

[Spica: Y—ye—ye...]

[Regin: I’m still surprised a little girl like you hasn’t learned to speak properly yet, Spica-chan.]

He sighed as he commented, feeling a bit worn out.

Why did he even translate the insult she was trying to throw at him?

In a way, Regin had been tricked by the girl.

Meanwhile, they continued down the road, passing between trees as a cool breeze brought a refreshing feeling to the situation, which had started off strange.

When they finally arrived, they reached an open area.

An open clearing in the middle of the forest, created through hard work and magic by the person who lived there. The road led to a serene hill. On top stood a wooden house — not just a simple cabin, but a slightly robust, well-crafted building. Its walls were made of perfectly fitted, polished logs. The windows were framed with carved ornaments. The roof was covered with dark tiles sloping gently, protecting a spacious porch that wrapped around part of the house — a house he recognized, since he had been the one to purchase part of the materials and even helped with some of the construction alongside a carefully chosen group from the town.

Around the house, the ground was clean, covered in lush green grass that stayed strangely perfect, without a single weed or fallen leaf in sight. Small flower beds dotted the yard, along with a plot for growing food on the right side of the house.

As he continued approaching the house, Regin recognized a figure standing on the porch, holding something small in her arms.

[Regin: Lilac-san, it's good to see you again.]

[Lilac: It's a pleasure to see you too.]

Descending the porch steps, she approached the figures getting out of the Dragon Carriage.

Lilac, a half-elf; with long purple hair adorned with two black Mariposa lilies. Her outfit was slightly revealing—a short, sleeveless black dress. She accessorized with a crimson red rose on her left arm, a dagger tied around her waist, and a small gold pendant with a purple ribbon worn like a choker. Her appearance was incredibly beautiful.

[Regin: You're just as beautiful as always, Lilac-san.]

[Lilac: I appreciate your words. And how's Marone-san? Did you manage to confess to her?]

[Regin: I-I-I'm w-working on it. Unfortunately, not yet.]

[Lilac: Don't worry so much. I'm sure she’ll return your feelings.]

Saying that with a bit of cheerfulness, she gave the young man a gentle smile as they stood close to each other.

A small sound came from the woman’s arms.

In her arms, delicately held, was a small two-months-old baby wrapped in cloth. It was easy to see the baby had Lilac's ears and hair, mixed with some darker strands—from her father.

Regin smiled softly upon seeing the child.

[Regin: She's really such a cute baby... She seems to get cuter every time I visit~]

[Lilac: Hahuhuhu, I can't say you're wrong, Regin-san.]

[Regin: Where's Natsuki-san?]

As he asked that, a distant sound of something falling echoed.

They looked toward the trees. Footsteps could be heard coming from the woods, accompanied by the sound of branches snapping and leaves rustling. Then, a figure appeared, calmly carrying a large tree trunk in both arms. Approaching the four figures watching him, he dropped the trunk halfway to them before continuing forward.

[???: Dear.]

[Lilac: Darling.]

The two shared a deep kiss before parting.

Regin looked closely at the figure.

An adult man who still looked to be in his early thirties. His hair, dark with streaks of white, was slightly long, reaching near his shoulders. He had a short beard of the same color and a well-trained, muscular body that clearly showed he had maintained it over the years. His body was marked with deep scars, ones that Regin figured came from countless battles against Archbishops and monsters throughout the years.

It was quite the striking appearance.

This was Natsuki Subaru, the heroic figure of the Kingdom of Lugunica.

[Subaru: It's a pleasure to see you again, Regin-san.]

[Regin: The pleasure is mine, Subaru-sama. I'm truly happy to see you all again.]

[Subaru: No need for the "sama," Regin. I don’t like titles like that being attached to my name anymore.]

[Regin: I don’t fully understand your request, but I still feel it would be rude not to use it for someone as important as you. My apologies.]

The young man could see from the look on Subaru’s face that he was uncomfortable with this, judging by his expression.

But Subaru knew that Suwen wasn’t at fault for this.

He had little knowledge about what had led him to that place, to that cabin, and to that life. But he certainly wouldn’t complain about the life he had now, with his beloved wife and his two daughters—not when his past was no longer worth thinking about. It had only taken one major incident to change his life.

But thinking about that now would only reconnect him to the people of his past—something he had promised himself never to do again, as long as those who had been by his side during this last half-decade were still with him.

Subaru wanted nothing more to do with anything related to the Royal Selection or the Camps.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Roy escaped together with Sirius, devouring Subaru's name during their escape.

-Subaru endured the same tortures as his other counterparts from Forgotten. He no longer wishes to be involved with anyone from the Royal Selection or the Camps, realizing how much he had suffered at their hands for so long.

-Spica, like Roy, was the only one who remembered Subaru. She rescued him after learning about his capture, escaping from Vollachia with the help of Arakiya, who noticed something strange about Spica. On their way to rescue Subaru, they met Lilac, who joined them after mistakenly thinking Arakiya had kidnapped Spica for some reason.

-The three of them successfully rescued Subaru from prison.

-Subaru formed contracts with spirits, with Arakiya’s help, to prevent his own mana poisoning. The three women then began helping him recover.

-Deciding never to be involved in the Royal Selection again, but still wanting to help people, Subaru—supported by the three—began hunting down and eliminating the remaining Sin Archbishops: Capella, Sirius, and Roy.

-Subaru further developed the Authorities of Sloth and Greed for the sake of his small group.

-During this entire time, they faced off against the Knights. Garfiel, as Emilia’s “Knight,” was constantly defeated by Subaru and Spica in every fight they had.

-They managed to eliminate the other two Archbishops and almost 100% of the Witch Cult. However, Roy was captured (or rather, willingly surrendered) to Reinhard.

-It took them two years to complete their mission while being constantly hunted by the Knights. Arakiya mostly refrained from participating in battles to avoid being recognized and accidentally triggering a conflict between the Vollachian Empire and the Kingdom of Lugunica—something Subaru requested to avoid an unnecessary war, in his opinion.

-After eliminating the other Archbishops, Arakiya returned to Vollachia but still visits the three of them, having practically become an aunt to Spica and Aconita.

-Roy released Subaru’s name after Subaru faked his death to deceive Sirius. This gave him the chance to escape from the life of being hunted as an Archbishop and focus on living with Lilac.

-Currently, four years have passed since his escape. They now live as far away from the capital as possible, pretending Subaru is dead.

-At some point, Regin eventually revealed to Otto that Subaru is still alive. This led the Camps to try to reach him—even though Subaru wants nothing to do with them and is doing everything he can to avoid them.

-Over this time, Spica began developing her speech abilities.

-Vollachia and Lugunica lost their peace treaty once Subaru’s name resurfaced, causing relations between the two nations to become worse than ever.

Chapter 112: [Extra - Forgotten IF - Path of Vigilant]

—[Stenn]—

I remember that day like it was yesterday!

It was an ordinary day—quite ordinary, in fact—for me and the other residents. I was opening my shop like everyone else was opening theirs.

My name is simply Stenn.

I’m not a well-known man, or anything like some people are.

In our small village, among everyone, I’m just a regular merchant from our little town, and I don’t really have any expectations of becoming someone famous or anything like that. That’s why I lived my life in the calmest, most relaxed, and happiest way I could—without trying to do anything unnecessary that would bring me trouble or bother those around me, since I’m someone who doesn’t like to be a burden or be burdened by others.

My products are usually construction materials. For that, I even need the trees we have in the forest not too far from the Shamrock Valley.

Even though the village of Pappelt is small and somewhat distant from the major cities, it still faces a major problem that, to this day, hasn’t been solved. That problem is the Earth Spider. Its webs would often cover the buildings in our small town whenever it attacked us, whenever it came to hunt. And today could’ve been just another hunting day for that terrible monster, who wouldn’t hesitate to kill us.

As always, the ground trembled first.

The kind of tremor that makes your chest feel hollow. And then, the thing came out of the ground.

A Mabeast, a monster. Giant, with a darkened, shiny body like wet stone, standing seven meters tall, with long legs, each thicker than oak trunks. A long face with fangs that reminded me of iron daggers. Dozens of eyes, unmoving, reddish with brown tones, watching everything and all of us at once. It emerged from the earth and entered our town. Its first step did what it always did… it crushed a house like someone squashing a fruit.

It looked like it would be just another day like the others when it attacked our beloved town. And I thought maybe today would be the day I died.

That’s when he showed up!

Subaru Natsuki, the hero of Lugunica, accompanied by other figures who allowed him to take the lead in that moment. He ran straight toward the Earth Spider without hesitation, and it tried to strike him with a leg that carved through the ground hard enough to shatter stone, but he dodged easily. He leapt at it with all his strength.

I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw it.

It would seem impossible for anyone to do what he did—if it weren’t for the great hero!

I saw him leap toward it and, with his own strength, grab its trunk and lift it into the air. His momentum sent them both flying out of the city’s edge, where we already were. And then we saw the Spider burrowing into the ground, the soil parting for him as if made of water, dragging itself and him away from the town.

It was unbelievable! Unbelievable!

For some reason, instinctively, I followed them, just like everyone else did. Including the figures who had been accompanying him earlier. We all went to see the fight that had begun, the battle that was about to unfold...

We went to the northeastern part of town. There they were, out in the plains beyond the city limits, while the rest of us watched as if our very souls were bound to that figure. The field out there was open, vast, bordered by a rocky valley.

That was where the true battle restarted.

The Earth Spider emerged again, carrying him, fury pouring out of every grotesque movement. He flew off of it and landed not far from it—part of his clothes already torn from the fight. The monster’s mouth opened in a spray of web, covering the ground as if trying to build a prison around our hero. And even then, with his feet nearly stuck, he didn’t hesitate!

I remember it charging at him, its legs cracking the ground and rocks like dry shells, one of its limbs descending like a living stake, trying to crush him brutally. But we saw him spin his body, letting it pass by, and then...

The sound that came next was a monstrous snap!

He grabbed that monstrous leg and pulled. A pull so violent that the creature’s bone structure groaned, cracked—and with an echoing shriek—broke. He had simply broken one of its legs with his bare strength!

The Spider screeched, a dissonant, high-pitched sound meant to hurt your ears.

I saw it retreat, thinking maybe it was trying to flee. But I was wrong! The creature wasn’t trying to escape out of fear or anything like that. It backed off to gain the advantage of a good position, where it could observe, aim, and attack with everything it had! And that’s exactly what it did.

With a new roar—more grotesque, more animalistic—it leapt like a winged beast, even without wings or balance, its broken leg dragging uselessly behind, still having the other seven which it used with desperate fury. It crashed down on our hero like a living avalanche.

I remember the tremor, the ground caving in from the impact, the dust covering everything for a moment. And my heart nearly stopped—just like, I’m sure, everyone else's did too. But when the dust settled... he was still there. One arm raised, holding her up with his strength. It was pressing its body against him as if trying to crush him into nothing—but it couldn’t. He was still there, standing strong!

He screamed, not with words or pain. But from sheer effort.

We saw our hero push her off with a fierce shove, making her stumble and lose balance, especially because of her already broken leg, and then he charged at the monster. Climbing on top of it, he spun mid-air and, with a powerful blow, broke a second leg with a kick so precise it seemed impossible for any ordinary human! The Spider’s bone cracked, twisted, and snapped out of place, causing the creature to collapse again.

But it still tried to fight back, using its other six legs, spitting web in every direction.

Needless to say, that field was devastated by the sheer scale of the battle that was taking place. The destruction was immense, as if two powerful armies were clashing—though it still hadn’t managed to land any real damage on our hero! And he kept breaking her, leg by leg.

The third leg: a leap and another kick—broken at the joint. The fourth leg: I remember it attacking from below, trying to impale him; he rolled, grabbed the leg at the bend, and twisted it with a nauseatingly dry crack. The fifth and sixth legs: each with a strike, shattering the bones, tearing flesh. That monster howled in pain, now retreating, nearly crawling.

No matter how much it tried to escape though, he seemed set on breaking every last leg.

I remember him launching at the seventh leg, climbing up the creature’s filthy back, digging his fingers into the joint between leg and body, pulling. The force of the movement tore open the creature’s flesh in dark, oozing strands—and the leg fell, loose. It tried to turn, using the last one. But it was too late. The eighth and final leg—he broke it by jumping from atop the beast and crashing down with both feet, smashing it into the ground, shattering it like rotten wood.

There we saw it, on that plain, the monster that had tormented us for so long—its body still intact, but unable to move. Trembling, crushed by its own weight. Every breath it took sounded like slow death.

I thought that was the end, that nothing more could happen.

The monster lay there, legless, defeated—though still alive.

But...

The monster’s body shuddered, and then, from its throat, a new burst of web exploded. It wasn’t like before. The web wrapped around our hero’s torso and legs, thick as chains, and with a violent pull, he was dragged.

And then... he was thrown straight into the monster’s mouth.

We all heard the grinding of teeth, the fangs closing, as his body disappeared into the damp darkness of that throat. We were all breathless.

I even glanced at the woman and the little girl, wondering how they would react.

But then...

The monster’s body tensed. It arched, freezing. A muffled sound, like a thunderclap from the inside out, echoed from within the creature. And then it screamed. It screamed in pain—as if feeling an absolute, unbearable pain.

What I saw next shocked and disgusted me:

The left side of the Spider’s face exploded in a spray of blood and flesh, with the hero emerging from within it, ripping his way out like a beast tearing free from a cursed cocoon. His arms brutally forced the flesh apart as he emerged.

The eyes on that side of the monster’s face were destroyed instantly as he surfaced, covered in dark blood, his skin lightly marked by cuts. But he was relentless.

He climbed up the side of her face, running. Then he leaped, landing at the base of the creature’s head and plunged his fists into her flesh.

And he began to pull.

I remember how the monster thrashed, trying to move. But it couldn't anymore—no legs, barely any vision left even with the few remaining eyes, which were now flooded by the blood pouring from the other side of her face.

We watched—and heard—the brutality of it all.

Flesh began to tear. The creature’s tendons snapped with horrifying sounds, and ligament by ligament, piece by piece, as blood gushed out.

The creature’s body thrashed one last time in a desperate attempt to survive—but it was no use. With one final pull...

CRAAACK!

The creature’s head was ripped from its body, blood gushing violently in an explosion as it was torn off.

The Spider’s body trembled once more, then fell still.

It was... astonishing.

And the final image we saw at that moment?

We saw him standing atop the corpse, soaked in blood, holding torn pieces of flesh from the Spider’s neck. The head bounced, then rolled a short distance away, its remaining eyes losing color and life.

He was breathing deeply, calming himself. And all of us witnessed the greatest hero of the Kingdom perform yet another miracle for us.

The Earth Spider, the curse of Pappelt’s plains, was dead.

My eyes remained on the corpse even after he left my field of vision.

He had gone to rejoin the two women who had rushed to him, and then the three began walking toward us.

And when we finally realized what had happened, he was standing right in front of us—or rather, right in front of me. As if by fate, I got a full view of him—his torn shirt revealing his trained body and scars, soaked in black blood. Despite the battle, he didn’t seem as exhausted as he should’ve been.

The little blonde girl at his side held his hand, and the woman beside him had her arms crossed.

The three of them stared at me.

[Subaru: Would you happen to know where we can find a room to stay in?]

[Stenn: ————————— Would you like to stay in mine?]

[Subaru: Hm?]

[???: Uau.]

[???: What a weird offer.]

I think that’s what they said. And honestly? I don’t even care, because that was the first time I exchanged words with Subaru-sama, Lilac-sama, and Spica-sama—the heroes of our village!

The ones who forever changed our lives after that moment — and Subaru-sama even started working with me, bringing logs from the forest for me to sell and letting me do whatever I wanted with them.

[————]

Stenn had a smile on his face as he clinked his drink against the counter of the small town’s bar, looking at the person next to him.

[Stenn: I’m glad you listened to me this far. And if I may ask… what’s your business with Subaru-sama?]

In front of him, at the bar in the small town that had since grown and improved thanks to Subaru, were several figures: A former merchant, a maid with pink hair, a blonde-haired boy with green eyes and sharp teeth, and a man with purple hair in a knight’s uniform.

The four stood together.

[Otto: We came with my brother… to try to make up for a mistake.]

 

 

—————

My biggest wish was to try writing a fight scene of Subaru in this IF (What-If) scenario against a monster in the style of God of War. What did you think?

In this IF:

-Subaru’s Authority of Wrath works to increase his physical strength based on his anger: The more enraged he becomes, the more his physical abilities grow. However, he gets increasingly exhausted the more he uses it (similar to Kratos’ Rage Mode). Still, he can use it passively, which lets him easily lift tree trunks.

-Subaru’s Authority of Lust allows him to recover faster and increases his stamina. It works together with the Authority of Wrath, enabling him to fight longer without tiring as quickly.

Chapter 113: Forgotten IF - Path of Pain

—|Ram|—

Ram feels unworthy as the older sister.

You might think something like that would be impossible, after all. Ram is possibly the best older sister of all time, just like her beloved younger sister always said she was, right? And to me, that would be a mistake—because my sister, Rem, who is the cutest and kindest girl in the world no matter the situation, deserves more. Even if some say that’s just what siblings do—they’ll always proclaim their family member as the best.

But for Ram, that would have sounded ridiculous in the past! Because my sister really is the best and cutest in the whole world.

Truly, there is no one better for Ram than Rem. Because she has always been the most diligent, capable, and better maid than Ram in all the years we’ve served together. Because she is the best person in the world to Ram! Even though I love Master Roswaal-sama, my sister still holds a slightly higher place in Ram’s heart for being so incredibly important in my life...

So then, why did I forget about her in the past?

How could I do something like that?

I’m the older sister my younger sister always admired, always spoke so highly of Ram, always proclaimed me better than everyone else around me. That always made my heart race with happiness! Because I felt like a compliment from my younger sister was worth more than a hundred compliments from anyone else in this world, simply because it was a compliment from one of the people I love most in this entire world. Above anyone else Ram might have connected with.

At least... that’s what I thought.

Because Ram didn’t even deserve a single compliment from Rem. If Ram were the perfect sister that Rem should admire, I should have never forgotten her—even if it was due to the power of that disgusting Archbishop of Gluttony—and I should never have needed someone else to remind me of everything.

Especially not someone who... once again showed Ram’s failure as a big sister.

That person, [Natsuki Subaru].

Just remembering his name made Ram’s heart ache, made my body freeze and stop mid-step. Because of everything that happened.

Events that brought disgrace to Ram, as well as to everyone else.

Continuing my way to the bedroom door of Ba—

No, Subaru. I have no right to call him that anymore.

Not when Ram failed the only person who kept me from failing my sister in an unforgivable way.

Not when Ram shamefully helped to humiliate someone who did so much for me in so many ways.

Not when Ram lived her days calmly and happily, enjoying the fruits of his and my labor, without thinking anything more than terrible words and thoughts directed at him in those horrible times—not even two weeks ago.

And if you ask what I’m talking about, Ram would show it openly upon entering Ba—Subaru’s room.

Entering the room that had once felt empty without Ram, I finally understood why it felt that way—as if something were missing. Not a thing, but someone.

Inside Ba—Subaru’s room, I saw what could be seen ever since his return.

[Beatrice: I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry...]

I heard the dozens of ceaseless murmurs of Beatrice-sama’s apologies, lying in bed, clinging to someone’s arm.

Someone who you could only tell was alive because of the sound of his breathing.

As I entered, Beatrice-sama’s gaze drifted toward Ram. I could clearly see the state she was in; red, swollen eyes from crying, a tired expression with dark circles under her eyes—deep, dark bags—her hair in a completely neglected state as if it had never been brushed before, and her clothes, like her eyes and hair, all looked so colorless that she appeared gray—drained of all color. A truly pitiful sight for anyone who remembered the height of her energetic beauty, as everyone at the mansion once knew when Ba—Subaru was here with us all.

That now felt like a very distant past.

[Ram: Beatrice-sama... I came to help Ba—Subaru get ready.]

[Beatrice: ————]

A spoken answer wasn’t necessary. Just her eyes showed that she understood what I meant and was giving me permission to approach, even if she didn’t like it.

Something not only I, but the others had to get used to in dealing with Beatrice-sama’s new protective personality.

Ram still remembers how she almost tried to decapitate Roswaal-sama when he came into Ba—Subaru’s room to speak to him, for reasons unknown to Ram, though she could guess they had to do with his plans—which in the past had left him in a catatonic state.

Wasting no more time, calmly, Ram approached the side of Ba—Subaru’s bed, pulling the blanket off his body.

It was now possible to see—unpleasantly—his current physical condition.

A state which, unfortunately for Ram’s heart, was caused by a failure that Ram believes should never have happened if she truly upheld her pride as an admirable older sister.

His black hair was now white, and almost no trace of its original color remained except for a few black strands falling on his forehead, with many scars on his face—especially on his lips, which seemed to form a grotesque, forced smile. He had other scars on his arms, neck, and Ram knew they covered his whole body—something grotesque had happened.

Gently picking him up, Ram had to do her best not to wake him from his state.

Though it didn’t matter much, since Ram knew how little he spoke since his return.

From the Capital... the prison... the torture.

The story had become well-known across the camps in recent days, as people shared what happened since his near-public execution...

An event that fortunately was stopped thanks to Ba—Subaru’s name being restored just in time, preventing a tragic end in front of everyone—along with the names of others, after the death of that vile monster, Roy Alphard.

When everyone thought he was a foul Archbishop of the Witch Cult, but he actually wasn’t.

[Ram: ————]

I always wonder what I could say to apologize. But then I stop, reflect, and think: Why would I even deserve forgiveness?

Me—a sister who forgot her own sister.

Me—who verbally and physically attacked the only person who remembered and brought my little sister back to me, who also—thanks to him—restored my memories, even if indirectly.

Me—who lived happy days while he was imprisoned, tortured, suffering the pain of no one remembering him, even though he remembered Sir Julius and my dear sister, suffering grotesquely at the hands of his allies.

As if the visible scars through his clothes—especially in that pajama—weren’t enough, there were other kinds of scars. Like the ones I saw in his mouth.

Not the outside, but the inside too; his tongue had numerous blade and thorn wounds, likely caused by being continuously pierced as he tried to eat.

Continuing toward the bathroom, we entered the place. Still accompanied by Beatrice-sama for my personal support—and because she would never leave Ba—Subaru alone.

Inside, the bathroom was ready, with a bit of steam rising from the warm water.

And I began to help him remove his pajama robes.

Ram has to bite his lip when he looks at his condition in this state. If it was possible to see deep scars on his arms before, the rest of his body was the same. A sorry state would be putting it mildly. With scars from blades, from blows such as punches and kicks, whip attacks, burns, etc. But not just his scars, but the state of his body. Thin. Extremely thin, to the point where his skin seemed almost stuck to the bones of his body, leaving him in a small, extremely small, almost inhuman state.

A deplorable state.

Removing the pieces, with Beatrice's help, we began to put him into the water, sinking part of his body and I felt his body shudder slightly. While I began to help him clean himself up in whatever way I could. Beatrice helped in any way she could too, although she seemed to act as if the mere act of touching him was a personal crime.

But no one could blame her.

After all, it's Ram's fault, isn't it? Ram failed as a big sister to Rem, Ram failed as a big sister to Subaru, Ram failed in every aspect of life.

If Ram were more capable... If Ram were someone better...

But Ram was nothing.

That's why, in those moments, Ram had to help him in the best way she could. For Ram's crime of doing nothing more than leaving him to suffer while she lived happily and proudly having her sister back, without realizing who had sacrificed herself to do it for her. Because... because Ram has to be useful in some way...

Ram was a failure as an older sister...

 

 

—————

In that IF:

-Subaru suffered the same torture as in Path of Revenge: What happened to Subaru at the hands of Felix and the guards: He was beaten, had his fingers and toes (those infected with Dragon's Blood) cut off daily as a game by the guards, Felix burned his nerves, they left him without food and drink for a long time, he had his arms broken by the guards during the night and they were only fixed by Felix the next day for the cycle to repeat itself again and again, he was cut several times, they put thorns and blades in the food he ate, they made him drink hot oil, he was whipped, hit in the groin several times, they stuck things in all his orifices, he was handcuffed against the wall so that he slept stretched out on the wall (where sometimes they just put stakes in his hands to make him sleep instead of handcuffs), sometimes they broke his jaw before he went to eat, among other tortures.

-Subaru is in a state where he briefly regains consciousness, he completely forgets everything up to the initial state (no memories even of his past life in his world), looking like a child (almost like Spica, but able to formulate words and sentences). In his mind, he is in a state of hallucination with his mother and father in his world.

-Subaru, when he receives Healing Magic in his body, ends up remembering all the torture he suffered and tries to enter a suicidal mode to escape all the pain.

Chapter 114: [Extra - Forgotten IF - Path of Pain]

When people thought of Emilia, at least those outside her camp, they would immediately associate her with the cursed Witch of the past—the one who once swallowed half the world in darkness.

That prejudice stemmed solely from the fact that she was a silver-haired half-elf.

And yet, despite the fear she inspired, she was undeniably beautiful—her beauty only overshadowed by the terror others felt in her presence.

But that was before.

Before everything.

If they saw her now, they would see her rising from bed with slow, erratic movements, her vision slightly blurry.

Her eyes were glazed over, nearly colorless, red, with dark bags underneath them—deep and haunting.

Her once fair skin looked pale and drained.

Her beautiful hair? No longer brushed in its usual elegant style, but messy and unkempt, with patches torn out violently by her own hands—something she had done during her time locked away in her room.

And when she stood, one could see faint, poorly healed scratches on her arms and bruises on her knuckles from striking something repeatedly.

Emilia stood up and felt a crushing weight she had never felt before—not until everything that had happened.

A weight that showed just how deeply all of it had affected her.

She walked toward her private bathroom, her steps heavy, her feet dragging slowly across the wooden floor.

Reaching the door, she opened it with a slight pull, not caring about anything around her, and walked straight to the mirror.

What she saw was a battered, broken version of herself.

Her appearance now reflected the true exhaustion that plagued her, especially in her mind.

But even still... she felt she didn’t deserve to feel sorry for herself.

[Emilia: Not when he suffered so much...]

Her knight.

She had forgotten her own knight.

She had abandoned him to be tortured.

And she had stripped him of his title when he had begged her—begged her—for help.

Why?

She asked herself that constantly, but she knew the answer:

Distorted memories.

Twisted recollections of all the major events she and her camp had gone through together—memories that made her seem like a leader capable of handling everything on her own, without help.

Like saving the villagers with Ram.

Like defeating the White Whale and Sloth.

Like the victory against the Great Rabbit and the salvation of Garfiel, Beatrice, and the Sanctuary—with Otto and Ram’s help.

And then the triumphs that followed in the year after: Greed, the Pleiades Watchtower, Rem’s awakening, the victory in Vollachia, the defeat of Sphinx, and the alliance formed with Vincent...

Memories that made it look like she had overcome everything on her own, just with the support of the friends she had earned along the way.

But it was all a lie.

She only realized it once the true memories returned—

When Subaru’s name came back into her mind, along with the real memories of others, after the Archbishop of Gluttony had been defeated.

And with their return came overwhelming pain.

Pain as they realized what they had done to the one person who had fought so hard for them.

With tears, blood, and sweat—he had guided them, protected them, and helped shape them into who they had become.

As she thought of that, her stomach churned.

A violent pain rose into her throat—

And she vomited heavily into the sink, emptying what little food she had eaten the night before. She gasped for air, nearly breathless, before looking back at her reflection in the mirror. She couldn’t breathe properly, her lungs barely drawing in air. A panic attack was hitting her, and the pain in her chest throbbed with an intensity she had never known— Not even physical pain could compare.

Overcome everything on her own?

Emilia scoffed.

She never would have survived the Loot House in the slums. She never would’ve saved Petra and the children. She never would have formed the alliance to fight the Whale and Sloth.

No... She knew the truth.

It was all thanks to a boy who appeared suddenly in the Loot House and saved her—with Reinhard’s help.

Thanks to a dark-haired boy who didn’t see her as a monster.

Thanks to a boy who declared his love for her, even when others claimed she was the same as the one who nearly destroyed the world.

Every morning, she remembered all of this the moment she woke up.

Looking at the ceiling, she’d pray it was all a nightmare... But it wasn’t. It was reality. And even if she wished it weren’t, nothing would change. She had reached a point where there was no going back—no way to help him, no matter how much she wanted to.

And in her opinion, her broken-down state... wasn’t even enough punishment.

And now... how was her knight?

He was likely still lying in bed.

In the same state as when he arrived— Malnourished. Covered in deep scars. Eyes empty, unfocused, lifeless. In such a pitiful condition that no one would believe this was the same cheerful boy from the past—

The boy who once lit up every room he entered.

The one who helped others just out of the goodness of his heart.

The one who would tell her almost every day how much he loved her...

Loved her?

Loved a woman who forgot about him?

Loved a woman who—when he trusted in her kind heart—abandoned him because she wanted to believe in a sweet lie?

No. Right now, she couldn’t accept that. She couldn’t accept that this kind-hearted boy still loved her as he once did. But the truth was... It didn’t matter what she thought or wanted. Because her knight was now lying in a bed, unable to move— Trapped inside his own mind.

And every time he woke up...?

"Who are you?" he asked with that sweet, gentle smile.

"Who are you?" he asked with that sweet, gentle smile.

"Who are you?" he asked with that sweet, gentle smile.

"Who are you?" he asked with that sweet, gentle smile.

"Who are you?" he asked with that sweet, gentle smile.

"Who are you?" he asked with that sweet, gentle smile.

"Who are you?" he asked with that sweet, gentle smile.

"Who are you?" he asked with that sweet, gentle smile.

"Who are you?" he asked with that sweet, gentle smile.

"Who are you?" he asked with that sweet, gentle smile...

"Who are—?"

CRACK!

With a single punch, she shattered the mirror.

She tried to punch the face of the abomination in the mirror— The one wearing the face of a cruel witch. But her fist failed to land on that hated reflection. All she did was slam her hand into the broken glass— Cutting herself again, letting the shards sink into her flesh like so many times before.

[Emilia: You don’t deserve to be remembered by him... You don’t deserve to be near him... You only deserve this...]

Muttering to herself, she picked up one of the shards and sliced her arm again—

Making cuts she wouldn’t fully heal, just to keep the pain alive. To try to simulate even a fraction of the pain he must’ve felt in that cell. And so she would remain in her room, as she always had.

Only leaving for food... or air.

Because for Emilia... She wanted nothing more than to return to the ice— Where she could no longer hurt someone so kind again... by being so utterly incapable.

 

 

—————

So... What did you think, @EternalWhisper-Chan? Was it worth it?

In this IF:

-Emilia's memories were modified to believe that she overcame everything with the power of friendship and inspiring speeches to people alone.

-In the Sanctuary memories, she replaced Subaru with Otto in the kiss.

-She believed that it was Otto who said he was in love and loved her.

Chapter 115: [Extra 2 - Forgotten IF - Path of Pain]

[Felix: It’s not Ferris’ fault… it’s not Ferris’ fault…]

If someone were to go to an inn near the Capital and enter one of the rooms, they would see the figure of the healer who once wore a light blue dress, but now wore a more professional outfit, sitting on the bed’s mattress.

It wasn’t a bad inn, honestly. The mattress was comfortable, the room was clean, with a window that allowed the sunrise to gently light the room little by little.

This room belonged to Felix Argyle — the one who is, or rather was, known as the "Blue", the greatest healer in the Kingdom. Now, the former Knight of the Royal Candidate Crusch Karsten. No longer under the Karsten family’s protection, he was now alone, by himself, just like in his past with his parents — a life that was slowly turning into a lonely one.

[Felix: It’s not Ferris’ fault... Ferris didn’t do anything wrong... he just... he just... Ferris was doing everything for Lady Crusch-sama.]

He repeated that to himself over and over while locked inside that lonely — though neatly kept — room, trying to find an answer to everything that had happened. An answer to how he ended up there, after his Lady regained her memories. An answer to why he was now so far away from the place that had become his home for so many years.

But who could he blame in that moment? Who could he hold responsible for his misery?

[Felix: Gluttony...]

Yes, he could blame the Archbishop of Gluttony. He could blame all the Archbishops of Gluttony, and every last member of the Witch Cult. Anyone would, after all. The truth is, if it weren’t for them, if it weren’t for their power, he wouldn’t have suffered the way he did. No one would’ve had to experience the pain of losing everything the way they did!

And that was true... at least partially.

The Archbishops of Gluttony had always caused chaos and destruction to those around them, inflicting so much loss over so many years that it was impossible to even measure. They were monsters. Abominations. Creatures so vile that speaking of them wasn’t even worth it. That’s how he would describe those beings who had brought so much suffering to the world — to his former Lady, to someone he could no longer even serve. They were the root cause of nearly everything that had shattered his life...

But if they were only partly to blame, then who else would he hold responsible?

If his heart truly opened to reveal what he was thinking...

There were two other important figures he would blame. People who, from the moment he met them, had been the source of his greatest tragedies and most devastating losses. People who seemed to have been there from the start — to destroy all his happiness.

[Felix: Emilia...]

She was one of them. A figure cursed since birth.

Could he blame her?

Yes. He could. Because that girl... it was like she had never even heard of the Witch Cult before. She’d even once said something like that in a conversation they had.

And honestly... what had she really lost since the beginning?

His Lady had her memories stolen. His Lady had been poisoned by the Dragon’s Blood of an Archbishop. His Lady had lost the sight in one eye because of that.

Compared to all the other candidates, Emilia seemed to be blessed by the forces of the world — as though nothing could ever cause her permanent harm. Sure, she had an appearance that many hated — and still hate — but compared to the suffering his Lady endured, how could she complain? Even Felix, as a healer, found himself wishing that she could at least grasp a fraction of the pain others carried — a pain she didn’t seem to know. And yet, she was still luckier in another way...

Even when she lost her memories of the people who mattered...

Even that was unfair, in his eyes. Because she didn’t lose the things that truly mattered most in her life. She didn’t have to watch someone lose everything they were and become a different person entirely.

When she lost her memories, she got a brand-new life — new memories — without having to directly suffer until they came back. When she lost her memories, she was praised, celebrated for achievements that weren’t even her own. When she lost her memories, her life continued like normal — happy — surrounded by people who were all thrilled for her and her accomplishments... accomplishments that didn’t even belong to her.

To Felix, Emilia was blessed. Blessed for escaping without a scratch. Blessed because, even when bad things happened, she never suffered as much as those around her.

To Felix, the person who should have suffered the most... always seemed protected from pain.

But there was someone else he blamed for his current situation...

[Felix: Subaru.]

The Knight of the Half-Elf, Emilia.

Felix blamed him for everything. He blamed him for every obstacle that had come their way. From the moment Subaru entered their lives, everything seemed to revolve around him — what he wanted for his candidate, and what he wanted for himself. Subaru appeared out of nowhere, no one knowing where he came from, and humiliated himself until — suddenly — he turned things around to show he wasn’t entirely useless, despite how weak he truly was.

It was he who formed the alliance that led to the defeat of the White Whale and Sloth... but it was also because of him that they were attacked by Greed and Gluttony.

It was he who orchestrated the defense of Priestella against the Archbishops... but because of him, Crusch was poisoned by the Dragon’s Blood of the Archbishop of Lust — and he didn’t even fully absorb it when he had the chance to do it for her, to save her when Felix, in desperation, simply couldn’t.

Subaru was there for every major event in the world since the very beginning. And yet... he only ever protected the people he cared about. He never seemed to care about what happened to anyone else.

[Felix: Weak... Idiot... Lucky...]

That’s how he would describe him.

Subaru was weak — someone who any half-decent knight could beat without much effort. Subaru was an idiot — someone whose victories came only from being just smart enough, but who was still incredibly foolish, incapable of handling the complicated parts of life. And Subaru was lucky — someone who had everything handed to him, just like Emilia.

From his perspective, Subaru was someone who only ever had moments of pure luck — with the world itself bending in his favor, letting him have everything he wanted. He never had to suffer the way they did. And how could someone like him achieve so much... without losing anything?! Subaru was an existence that shattered Felix’s understanding of how the world was supposed to work.

Because he was someone with no strength, no talent, no power. Nothing special except his luck. An existence that — like Emilia — never had to face the suffering that people like Felix endured.

It was unfair in every way. Brutally unfair.

That’s why everything happened, wasn’t it...?

That’s why he was forgotten by Gluttony’s power.

Because Subaru’s luck had to run out eventually.

Because of that simple fact, Felix was erased from the memories of the world, after everything... after all his accomplishments...

As if it were some sort of karmic payback for everything Subaru had gained without ever losing anything truly precious — while letting so many around him suffer.

The world gives... and the world takes.

In Felix’s eyes, the world had given too much to Subaru. Too much to Emilia’s camp. Too much to people who never seemed to truly appreciate what they were handed on a silver platter. People who never suffered the way others did to achieve what they wanted.

And what happened next? When everyone’s memories came back... all the blame for what had happened with Subaru... fell squarely on Felix’s shoulders.

Why?

Because back when everyone thought Subaru was actually Pride... Felix had simply done what he was asked to do.

Because he trusted the words of a spirit... and an oni... who did nothing but bring more destruction wherever they went.

Felix lost everything because of it.

His lady didn't listen to him when he tried to explain why he had to do everything he did. His lady didn't let him tell her his version of how he was willing to do anything to help her at the time he thought he could get something out of an Archbishop! His lady simply threw him out of the Mansion and left him to live on his own with what little credit he had left.

Felix even remembers how Wilhelm threw him out.

With a cold look, a sharp look, a look he had seen directed at the White Whale when they were hunting it.

A look that showed that he was at that moment restraining himself out of respect for all the moments they had lived together, but that he wanted to punish him. Even more so because of Felix's words in trying to justify what he had done, when he tried to explain that it wasn't his fault but Subaru's, and that he had done it all for Crusch. It seemed that his words only increased his fury more and more.

Since Felix's name was not made public as Subaru's torturer, he could at least continue to act without being hunted down or intimidated by those who still insisted on protecting Subaru. He could even still act as a Healer, still be recognized as a Knight, even if his title had not officially been taken away, and thus be able to support himself by working with people and getting paid by the Knights for missions or healing those injured in missions.

Thus losing his home of years and also losing the trust of everyone around him...

But it wasn't Felix's fault what had happened, it wasn't his fault everything that had happened that had led him to that moment, no, it couldn't be, right?

[Felix: No. It's your fault... It's your fault... It's your fault...]

He always said it in those moments, he always repeated those words, he kept the words in his head to remind him whose fault it was.

But... to whom did he say those words?

To the Archbishop of Gluttony...?

To Emilia...?

To Subaru...?

In reality, he didn't know who he was saying these words to. But for a moment, he came to think that...

Was he saying them to himself?

And every time he thought about it, he pushed the thought away. Because to admit it would be to admit his failure with his lady. But he would never give up on it.

Felix had done everything for his lady and if he had to do it again, under the circumstances, he would make the same decisions. Because he needed to protect her! He had to save her!

For Felix did everything for his lady.

At some point she would notice, at some point she would understand.

Because she could go back to her home and get on with her life as she had always lived it.

 

 

—————

I wanted to give a new perspective to Felix in this Forgotten Fic, since he almost always blames himself, here, he has suffered an injury that makes him unable to bear the guilt.

In this IF:

-Garfiel tried to kill Felix, but was stopped by Wilhelm and Julius.

-Felix has been in a paranoid state where he can't admit his part of the blame, where he just piles it on top of his sadness to throw at others.

-If he were to meet Subaru again, Felix would try to use his healing magic on him to activate his suicide mode, trying to end it all at once.

Chapter 116: [Epilogue - Forgotten IF - Path of Pain]

1) Subaru.

How strange to wake up in a place like this, without mom or dad.

Where are they?

Dad and mom don’t usually go out without telling me, and they wouldn’t leave me in a place like this, right...? But… why can’t I remember their faces...? Where are they, what do they look like again...?

[???: Subaru...?]

[Subaru: Huh?]

I looked at the girl beside me with oddly shaped blonde hair. She was lying next to me on that strange bed in that strange room. She was staring at me with those weird butterfly-shaped blue eyes. The little girl seemed to have marks in her eyes—very strange marks.

She kept staring at me for a while.

[Subaru: Who are you?]

[Beatrice: I’m... Beatrice, I suppose.]

She seemed to get sad for some reason when she spoke to me.

Why? Am I supposed to know her?

No, that doesn’t make sense because it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her in my life. I’ve never seen a girl like that in my neighborhood before. I can’t help but think she’s kind of cute, but why would mom and dad leave her with me?

Who are mom and dad again?

[Beatrice: Did you sleep well, Subaru? I hope you got plenty of rest, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Hm? Yeah, yeah I slept. Thanks, umm, Beatrice-san.]

Why did she flinch when I called her Beatrice-san? Was I too formal with a kid? Yeah, maybe that’s it.

Looking around, I couldn’t help but find the room strange again… because it even felt slightly familiar, except I couldn’t remember why. Had I been here before and just don’t remember?

Maybe that’s really what happened to me and for some strange reason, I just can’t remember it. Could it be that I—

[???: Excuse me, Beatrice-sa——]

A new strange figure walked in through the door of the luxurious room.

Whoa! She’s really pretty, long blonde hair, green eyes, and… sharp teeth? Do people have sharp teeth? Do I have sharp teeth?

Wait, who am I? Beatrice called me Subaru, so I guess I’m Subaru.

[???: S-Subaru-sama, um...]

[Beatrice: He woke up again... and doesn't remember anything again, I suppose.]

[Frederica: I see... Subaru-sama, my name is Frederica Baumann. I’m one of the maids of the Mathers domain. Even if you don’t remember, we’ve met before.]

[Subaru: Hm? We have? Weird, why don’t I remember? Well, anyway. Nice to meet you again, Frederica-san. Sorry I don’t remember you.]

[Frederica: There’s no need to apologize to me about something like that. The truth is that... i-it’s not your fault...]

Why does she seem so nervous saying something like that?

So it’s not my fault that I don’t remember anything? That’s strange… then whose fault would it be? Is it weird that it feels like they want me to remember something important, but I just can’t?

Isn’t it weird that no matter how hard I try, I can’t remember any of this?

[Frederica: Well… since you’re awake, Subaru-sama. I could bring you your breakfast in bed so you can eat a little, if you're feeling hungry.]

[Subaru: Actually, I am a bit hungry. How long was I asleep, anyway?]

Was I asleep...?

Was I really asleep...?

I don’t feel like I was sleeping just now—or am I just confused...?

[Frederica: I think you might want to take a bath.]

[Subaru: A bath...? Yeah, that might be a good idea...]

A bath really might be a good place to start, right? A nice bath… bath…

Why am I thinking about this so much...?

I think——

[Frederica: When you two are done, please don’t hesitate to call me or anyone else, Beatrice-sama.]

[Beatrice: You don’t have to say that to Betty, maid, I suppose?]

When did we end up in the bathroom? I just blinked, and we weren’t in that strange familiar room anymore with those two strangely familiar people—now we’re in this strange familiar bathroom. How? I don’t remember doing anything to get here. Do I even remember entering this place with Beatrice-san...? No, I don’t remember, or why she came in with me either.

Are we close enough to bathe together? Or is she like a caregiver, or a sister, or a relative who helps in this kind of way and shares this level of closeness? I don’t remember mom and dad having a relative like Beatrice-san, but... I don’t even really remember mom and dad now, do I?

I wish they were here now to explain what was going on.

Mom and dad would help me understand something like this, right? That’s weird… I could’ve sworn I was just with them not long ago.

[Beatrice: Subaru, you should get into the water soon, I suppose. Betty will help you get clean, I suppose.]

[Subaru: ———— Okay.]

I couldn’t argue with that kind of request right now.

Walking over to the edge of the massive bathtub in the center of that huge room, I could see part of my reflection.

White hair? Was I supposed to have white hair? Why do I think it’s weird that I have white hair? Shouldn’t it feel normal to me—recognizing that I have white hair and these... scars? Did I get into some accident that caused this to happen, and maybe that’s why mom and dad aren’t here? Could that be it?

No... wouldn’t it be even weirder if they weren’t here with me, helping me through whatever happened after some accident...?

Weird, weird, weird.

[Beatrice: You can get in the tub, the water’s at a good temperature, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Okay, Beatrice-san.]

Saying that, I removed my towel.

Slowly, I put one foot in at a time, then lowered my legs and sat down inside the water until it reached my neck. Warm water. Cozy. Very hot.

Hot...

Hot...

HOT...

It’s burning. IT’S BURNING! IT’S BURNING!

It’s burning my skin. It’s burning my flesh! IT’S BURNING MY BLOOD!

Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.

It’s burning! Please, stop, stop!

My body’s on fire! It won’t stop burning!

Please, please, please!

Stop it!

It hurts.

It hurts, it hurts.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!

Make it stop!

Please!

What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?!

I don’t know! I don’t know, I don’t know anything.

Please!

I don’t know anything!

Why is this happening?! Why does it hurt so much?! Why are they doing this to me?!

“Pride.”

I’m not... I’m not... I’m not...

I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not... I’m not...

Please, please, please, please, please...

I don’t know who Pride is, but I’m not him, please...

Stop it, I don’t like feeling this pain. I DON’T LIKE IT!

GET ME OUT OF HERE! PLEASE! SOMEONE, PLEASE! GET ME OUT OF HERE! GET ME OUT OF HERE! DAD! MOM! IT HURTS SO MUCH! PLEASE! PLEASE! GET ME OUT OF HERE! GET ME OUT OF HERE! PLEASE! PLEASE!

I DON’T LIKE THIS! I DON’T LIKE THIS! I DON’T LIKE THIS!

I DON’T, I DON’T, I DON’T, I DON’T, I DON’T, I DON’T, I DON’T, I DON’T, I DON’T, I DON’T, I DON’T, I DON’T——

[Beatrice: Are you feeling okay, Subaru?]

[Subaru: Hm? Of course, Beatrice-san. I think the bath was good for relaxing.]

Why is she asking me that? It was just a regular bath, nothing special.

Actually, I even enjoyed the warmth of the water that gently relaxed me in that place...

Why do I feel like I’ve forgotten something...?

Did I forget something just now in the bath...?

Weird, weird, weird.

What am I—

[Beatrice: Subaru, why are you standing there?]

[Subaru: Hm? Sorry, just felt something strange...]

I commented while looking toward that strange room, the doors of a strange room, from which came the sound of something breaking, as if something had been struck really hard. That’s strange, isn’t it? What could’ve broken? Maybe someone broke something, and I feel strangely worried about what might’ve happened inside that room for some reason...

It doesn’t matter, does it?

Should it matter to me? I think it should, right?

Yes, maybe later I should ask Beatrice and Frederica about it. It must be something really important that I should remember.

Should I knock on that room’s door...? I think I—

[Frederica: I hope you enjoy your meal... Subaru-sama.]

[Subaru: Hm? Thank you, Frederica-san.]

I couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed when she served me a beautiful meal right in front of me on that giant table.

I noticed the room felt quite empty, with no one else besides me, Beatrice-san, and Frederica-san by my side, setting a plate for me to eat.

Isn’t it really kind of her to do something like that?

[Subaru: Thank you for the meal, Frederica-san.]

[Frederica: No need to thank me now. Please, go ahead.]

There was a spoon next to the plate and I picked it up with a strange feeling. Why?

My fingers felt slightly unfamiliar, as if I hadn’t held a spoon in a long time.

Seems strange.

Could it be because of the accident? Or was it something from before that...?

I wish my parents were here, I don’t know why, but I really wish they were here to help me with this.

Would it be childish to want my parents here with me at a time like this?

Maybe it is, maybe it really is.

Maybe it’s because of this strange feeling of discomfort I got when I brought the food close to my mouth and took a bite.

The taste was strange — metallic, cold, with a bitterness that made my whole body shiver.

Then came the sound.

A dry, horrible snap — something hard, something that shouldn’t have been there. A pain cutting through me like a blade.

Pins.

Several pins inside my mouth when I started to eat, again. I felt the tips stabbing into my gums as if digging down to the bone, another pierced my tongue, like it was split in half for a moment, and every small movement to escape only made the others dig in deeper.

I tried to force my mouth shut, and then I felt the roof of my mouth tearing. My cheeks were being pierced like wet paper.

Then came the taste of blood — strong, hot, filling my mouth until it felt like I was drowning in it.

I tried to spit, but my tongue felt like dead dough — full of holes, swollen and trembling, with pins everywhere, mixed with saliva, blood, and pieces of what I was eating.

Every attempt only made the pain worse, like biting into glass.

It didn’t stop hurting. It wouldn’t stop hurting. It didn’t stop.

I tried to move my arms, tried to take it out with my own hands...

But they were broken.

The guards had broken them, twisted the bones so I couldn’t do anything “smart,” bent them in a way I couldn’t move no matter how desperately I tried.

They were destroyed in such a horrible way it made me panic.

Please, please, please... make this pain stop.

I just want...

I just, I just, I just, just, I just, I just, just, I just, I just, just, I just, I just, just, I just, I just, just, I just, I just, just, I just, I just, just, I just, I just, just, I just, I just, just, I just, I just...

I just—

[Subaru: It was really good, Frederica-san!]

[Frederica: Thank you, Subaru-sama.]

She seemed genuinely happy when I spoke with so much excitement. Strange. Why would she be so happy with a simple compliment on a meal?

Don’t people praise her as much as they should?

Strange. Shouldn’t it be the opposite? With such good food, she should be so used to praise that my words wouldn’t mean much. Right?

Maybe I’m wrong. Frederica always cooked well...

She cooks well...? Has she always cooked well...? Did she ever cook for me, for Dad and Mom before...?

Strange, strange, strange.

That’s really very stra—

[Beatrice: Subaru, you... seem very distant, I suppose.]

[Subaru: I am, sorry.]

Saying that, but I think she’s right. I didn’t even notice I was back in the room after eating.

Little Beatrice-san was beside me, staring with deep concern.

This is really strange.

It feels like every time I blink, I end up somewhere different than before.

But why? Do I always do things like that without explanation? And what do I do when it happens? Do I talk, or do they not notice?

That would be really strange, wouldn’t it?

I want an answer to this, an answer to this, an answer to this, an answer to this, an answer to this, an answer to this...

[Beatrice: Subaru...]

[Subaru: Ah.]

I realized I had done something strange.

Looking at my wrist, I had scratched my hand until a thin line of blood trickled from the wound I made.

And why didn’t I feel much pain?

It didn’t hurt at all. I didn’t even feel the warmth of the blood dripping from the small wound.

Beatrice-san brought her hand closer to place it over the injury.

[Beatrice: Let me take care of this.]

[Subaru: Hm? What——]

A strange glow came from her hands.

A strange feeling ran through my body.

A sensation bloomed inside me and a mix of various emotions made me feel something.

[SUBARU!!!]

How strange...

Why am I staring at the ceiling?

Wasn’t I just looking at Beatrice-san?

Ah, there she is. Looking at me with... tears in her eyes?

She was screaming and saying something strange. She looked really scared, like she was in complete despair.

While I was feeling something different, like a slight calm and release.

Along with a bit of pain in my neck...

Why was my neck hurting like that?

Strange, strange, strange.

Why—

The door to my room opened.

[Kenichi: Wake up now, son! We’re going on a picnic today!]

My dad walked in with my mom right behind him, smiling kindly.

—it doesn’t matter, does it? Anyway.

A chill ran through my body before I began to close my eyes, until——

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Subaru interacted with others, but he simply doesn’t remember. Every time he blinks, he forgets things.

-Whenever Subaru receives healing magic, he uses Providence to snap his neck, turning it 180 degrees and killing himself in a way that prevents revival. That’s why he was looking at the ceiling at the end—because he broke his own neck and fell onto the bed while Beatrice watched him die.

-When Subaru kills himself, he doesn’t wake up in the next loop. Only Beatrice and Rem notice something odd as the Miasma begins to intensify.

Chapter 117: Forgotten IF - Path of Witch(s)

What if...? What if the Witches Saved the Forgotten Star?

—————

 

 

Subaru found the sensation strange. A feeling of calm, where his senses and mind now relaxed after so long. The storm in his head had mysteriously disappeared in a way that… he didn’t understand. An extremely strange way for the dark-haired boy.

Lying down, he felt another sensation. Something like grass.

Very different from the feeling he had before.

That feeling when they would put him to sleep. Or let him sleep on the floor during their gentler days—though there were days they would chain him to the wall with shackles. But there were also days when they managed to be more cruel, when they truly wanted to hurt him…

They would nail him to the wall even when he was already chained.

He always remembered the sensations… especially the ones he felt most often during his torture.

[Félix: I think our dear cultist needs a new rest on the wall. Don’t you think, nya~?]

Whenever he wanted to hurt him for answers, he would say those words.

The iron touched him first like a silent threat, cold against tense skin. There’s a moment where the whole body seems to know what’s about to happen, and every muscle contracts without being able to stop it. Subaru wished, every time, in every loop he had to go through it, that they wouldn’t do it. Because it always hurt, every single time.

Then, the first strike.

The thick tip pierced the skin like a bolt of frozen fire, tearing flesh and crushing what it couldn’t cut through.

The pain was sharp, electric, radiating not only through the hand but shooting up the arm, as if every nerve fiber was a lit fuse. It was impossible to distinguish heat from cold—it was a shock that burned and froze at the same time. When the iron pushed deeper, it found the nerve. The contact was instant and cruel: an explosion of pure, white pain, as if every signal the body sent to the brain had been twisted into something unbearable.

In a flash that ran from his arm all the way to the back of his neck, his vision threatened to black out for a second.

The second strike pushed the metal even further, grinding against bone.

The nerves kept screaming, but now the scream seemed to fade, muffled, as if something inside was being switched off. The tip sank deeper, piercing more sensitive fibers, and the pain blended into a strange feeling of weight, as if the hand was no longer a part of him.

With each hammer blow, the pain changed nature: from sharp, searing agony, it became a deep, heavy throb, pulsing in time with the blood pumping around the wound. Electric jolts still shot through him whenever a nerve was pressed, but they became more spaced out, more distant.

Then came the numbness in his limbs.

First in the fingers, which stopped responding to the impulse to close or move. Then, the palm felt swollen, strange, almost nonexistent. The cold of the iron began to dominate, replacing the warmth of the blood dripping down. When the final blow fixed the iron firmly into the wall, there was no control left over the hand. It was there, trapped, immobile, and all that remained was a distant echo of the initial pain, as if the body still remembered it but no longer had the strength to fully feel it.

The weight of the metal, the cold seeping in, and the silence of dead nerves made the hand feel as foreign as if it belonged to someone else.

In those moments, not only his hands, but his arms seemed to disconnect from his body—just as Subaru tried to disconnect from himself to stay away from all that pain. But he couldn’t. Not because he didn’t want to, but because his whole body seemed unable to detach—it was simply too much pain.

Too much pain. And not just in his hands. But because he felt there would be no one to help him at that moment.

[???: Ba—Baru—— Baru, you——]

He heard a voice…

[???: Hey! Are you——! listening——?!]

He heard another voice…

Everything felt strange. Both from the sensations running through his body and the ones clouding his mind. Still trying to understand what was happening.

His eyes began to adjust to his surroundings.

The light, seemingly from the sun, made his eyes ache. As he continued to try to piece things together, he saw green grass, like rolling hills not far away. So different from the cell’s walls, the bars, the door, and the faint light that served only to remind him that not everything was darkness in that cell.

Instinctively, he began to gather his strength. Strength that shouldn’t have been in him—not after so long imprisoned, in his weakened body.

He struggled to his feet, his legs trembling, and he almost fell if he hadn’t been caught. A new sensation. Even in a body that should have been broken, he felt as if it had been mended, despite everything it had endured in that cell.

[???: No—— Don’t push—— yourself so much…]

[???: Stop forcing yourself——!!!]

Blinking several times, Subaru’s blurred vision finally began to focus, letting him understand what he was seeing.

Several figures.

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman with a clear look of anger on her face; a small green-haired girl in a white dress with flowers at the hem; two other women—one with pink hair, fully covered by clothing, acting timidly, and another in some kind of large-legged mechanical equipment. And one figure closest to him, a lethargic-looking one lying on the ground with massive hair.

[???: Looks like you’re regaining part of your consciousness, isn’t that right, Natsuki Subaru?]

Another figure caught his attention, making him turn toward the voice. A woman in a black dress with white hair. One who was seated at a table, drinking tea.

Figures Subaru recognized perfectly.

[Echidna: It’s been a while, hasn’t it?]

Speaking in her usual enigmatic tone, the boy’s eyes widened.

△▼△▼△▼△

The Knights couldn’t fully understand what was happening, but they had their suspicions.

That night had begun like any other inside the dungeons beneath the Royal Capital Palace. A heavily guarded place to keep the Archbishops and members of the Witch’s Cult locked away. With many guards keeping watch, it also allowed visits from figures such as the Camp Knights.

Then it happened. Suddenly, an attack struck the outskirts—against the walls and part of the city in the process—an explosive assault that forced them to act quickly in the line of duty. Most moved immediately to respond, also concerned with finding out what had happened or who had carried out such an attack on a place of such importance—and against them.

But then they saw something.

As the Knights patrolled the outskirts, checking the site of the attack, another explosion—another assault—came, but this time from inside the dungeons.

They were able to see figures escaping together. A group of apparently four women—one with green hair, another with golden hair, another with black hair accompanied by some kind of beast aiding in their escape, and a final one with pink hair. With them, carried on top of that beast, was a very important figure: the Archbishop of Pride.

A rescue team!

And just as they prepared to act—it was instantaneous—black hands, hundreds of them, unleashed a massive attack that destroyed much of the palace and struck part of the Capital itself, preventing pursuit.

What did they know? That it had all been orchestrated to help the Archbishop of Pride.

What didn’t they know? That it had been the Witches of Sin—at the request of the Witch of Envy herself—who had come to rescue Natsuki Subaru from his prison.

 

 

—————

This IF came from an idea a friend told me he would make. So, I wrote this as a kind of “semi-prologue” for when he decides to write it in full.

In this IF:

-Satella contacted the other Witches to help Subaru in his cell.

-The Omega team consists of: Omega (the Witches plus Satella), Colette, Palmrye, Noelle, Shion (and Lilac), but later Spica—fleeing from Vollachia in search of helping Subaru—would join the group.

-With some difficulty, Satella manages to use her powers to help Subaru and the others in combat, creating dark hands with her Yin magic. But she can only sustain them for 5 to 8 seconds to prevent the miasma from becoming lethal to everyone nearby, and must wait about 30 seconds before acting again.

-Their group is on the run through Lugunica, trying to reach Gusteko or Kararagi—more the former than the latter.

-Subaru’s mental state is so fractured that even inside the Dream Castle, he can barely keep himself together.

Chapter 118: Capella IF

What if...? What if Subaru and Crusch had been kidnapped by Capella in Priestella?

—————

 

 

Subaru was used to waking up next to someone. Well, not in the way most people would think. After the events at the Sanctuary, and after forming a contract with his spirit, Beatrice, he had started sharing his bed with the small being with blond hair and butterfly-symbol eyes. The one he affectionately called Beako, caring for her like a younger sister or even his own daughter.

Given what she had been through, he didn’t mind being close to Beatrice. Even if she used the excuse of absorbing Mana from his broken Gate. But both of them enjoyed each other’s presence — and he was thankful for her help with other issues he had developed during his nighttime habits.

Normally, when he woke up, he would see the ceiling of his room, feel Beatrice’s familiar presence, smile happily at seeing her sleeping beside him, and then either wake her up or be woken up by her if he had overslept. It was something he liked. Because starting his day next to that cute little great spirit, chatting with Emilia and the others in the morning, helping Frederica, Ram, and Petra with their mansion duties (since he wanted to continue his work as a butler), training with Garfiel in their secret training grounds, teasing Otto, and ending the day telling Rem about everything that had happened — it was a daily routine he had developed. Something he had grown used to, something he really enjoyed.

Did he want to change anything?

He wished Rem was awake so they could talk and share what they had done during the day. He hoped that somehow, someday, she would awaken, and they could talk about everything he had experienced up to that point. All because of how much he cared about the blue-haired maid. The person who held the second spot in his heart — not far behind Emilia.

But one change that happened suddenly was this.

He woke up in a completely different room from the one he usually woke up in, staring at a different ceiling. The ceiling of what looked like a room. A large, elegant, beautiful room. The bed was extremely comfortable — fitting for the owner of such a place. A room you would expect to belong to royalty, or at least to a noble.

His room at the mansion didn’t even compare in terms of elegance, even though he held great importance as a knight — not just any knight, but the knight of a Royal Candidate. Still, he wouldn’t complain. For Natsuki Subaru, a comfortable bed, a ceiling to keep out the rain and keep him warm, a house — big or small — was enough for him. After all, having a place to live was already more than enough for someone simple like the humble young man with black hair.

But was this detail important? Yes. Why? Because the person who owned that bed, that room, was the one keeping him in that place.

The person — no, in his perception, the monster — who kidnapped him in Priestella.

Emilia’s camp had gone to Priestella on a mission to obtain a special crystal — a crystal that would allow Emilia to recover Puck and bring him back someday. They had also been invited by another candidate, Anastasia, who had gathered the other camps for different business ventures — likely, Subaru assumed, in order to get everyone indebted to her. As any good merchant would do to her business rivals — or in this case, political rivals.

But the problem began, as it always did, with Subaru dying and Returning by Death — thanks to Sirius Romanee-Conti, the Sin Archbishop of Wrath from the Witch Cult, who launched an attack on the city. They started an assault, a siege on the city. Subaru even tried to face Sirius and Regulus Corneas, two Archbishops, alongside Beatrice and Emilia. But they failed, and the half-elf was kidnapped while he was left gravely wounded, and his spirit unconscious after using all her energy to heal the wounded — something he would have asked of her if he had been awake when she started doing it, and something he approved of even now, as she chose to help everyone around her.

And just when he was thinking of how to rescue Emilia from Regulus, who had taken her...

That’s when her announcement came.

An announcement that echoed from the city's Metia, for all to hear — listing the demands to spare the population and not open the city’s floodgates to drown the people. Subaru, on his own, wanted to save Emilia, but at that moment, he knew he had a responsibility to help the rest of the city.

So he formed a group whose members were: Subaru, Crusch, Wilhelm, Garfiel, and Julius to face those who had taken over the city hall — and this mission was extremely important. Upon arriving, they were met with three figures: two hooded ones and a dragon. They tried to fight right away, charging straight in. Especially when Subaru lost control after facing one of the people he hated the most: Roy Alphard, the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, who he believed was responsible for Crusch's memory loss and Rem’s coma. Something that truly pushed him over the edge, made him lose control at that moment, and clouded his judgment.

When they entered city hall, they walked right into a trap. Her trap.

While he was thinking about this, the second figure in the bed he had woken up in — the one beneath the silky sheets that covered him — began to stir. Letting out small waking sounds, she lifted the sheets, letting them fall behind her back, revealing not only Subaru’s bare torso but also her own naked figure sitting atop the black-haired knight’s body.

A figure with short blonde hair, gleaming red eyes, and a slightly sadistic smile with a few sharp teeth. A slim, youthful body — still beautiful to look at, especially in this exposed state. A woman Subaru had met during the event that brought him to this place, that forced him into this situation: Capella Emerada Lugnica, the Sin Archbishop of Lust from the Witch Cult.

[Capella: Good morning, Subaru-Chan~~!]

Throwing herself onto the figure beneath her, the woman planted a kiss on the boy’s lips, who didn’t resist and allowed her to do whatever she pleased. Lips locked, her tongue entered his mouth, passing over his teeth and trying to wrap around Subaru’s tongue in a semi-lascivious act between the two.

And when they pulled apart, leaving a trail of saliva between them, the Archbishop lay on his chest, pressing hers against the boy’s torso. As she stared at him with a cheerful and satisfied smile, Subaru stared back with a shadowed gaze and an expression somewhere between neutral and grim — clearly displeased by the act. Seeing his expression, she puffed her cheeks with a cute pout of childish dissatisfaction…

[Capella: I don’t like that look, Subaru-Chan~ Not when we woke up so close after a lovely night together, don’t you think~?]

[Subaru: ——]

[Capella: Geez... But I don’t care about that right now... How about we have a little fun together now~?]

Sitting up on him again, the woman started to move her hand beneath the sheets toward the area between Subaru’s legs. His gaze hardened slightly, and a few beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead with concern. But she stopped when she heard the sound of knocking — someone was at the bedroom door, calling to them. And that made a small vein bulge on the blonde woman’s forehead.

[???: Mama?]

The feminine voice that called out only made her frustration grow even more as she got up, leaving the bed and sheets behind as she placed her feet on the floor near Subaru’s clothes. Meanwhile, he pulled the sheets over himself, well aware of what kind of situation could arise if he was seen like that by whoever was about to enter—he had already witnessed such a scene before.

[Capella: Enter, you chunks of meat!]

With a completely irritated and disgusted tone, she ordered, gritting her teeth.

The bedroom door opened and two figures stepped in. Both women entered the room: one was tall, wearing a tight skirt, with light skin, red eyes, and purple hair—a very beautiful woman at first glance. But anyone who knew her well understood she was a sadistic, narcissistic woman. The other was a lovely young woman with long purple twin-tails that reached just a centimeter from the ground, a small ahoge, and amber eyes. She wore a nun-like outfit—with an Arabic aesthetic. Her attire consisted of a blue slit dress and tall white boots.

Two of the Sin Archbishop’s "daughters": Sakura Element and Melty Pristis.

Upon entering, they instantly understood part of the situation.

Sakura swallowed hard, worried, while Melty’s cheeks flushed bright red as she stared down at the floor. They both knew they had already committed an unforgivable act by interrupting them, and it would only get worse if they dared look toward the person in bed—someone they must never gaze upon, not even for a second, in that state.

[Capella: What do you want?]

[Sakura: M-Mama, I’m so sorry to bother you so early. A thousand apologies. I only came to inform you that your request has been fulfilled and we’ve brought it.]

[Capella: Yes~~? Perfect~! —— But do you really think that’s enough reason to come in here, to interrupt me, us, just for that?! Even though I ordered to be notified the moment my request arrived, my first order, THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE, should never be disobeyed! You could’ve waited a little longer, couldn’t you, COULDN’T YOU?!]

[Sakura: Yes, Mama! P-Please forgive me, i-it was a mistake.]

Nervously, the woman lowered her head in shame. Her mouth went dry from fear.

Even a narcissist like her feared this woman.

Sakura clasped her hands in front of her skirt, intertwining her fingers so tightly they turned white from the pressure. An irrational fear coursed through her entire body the moment she saw the anger on the face of the woman who must never be angered.

Melty nervously looked at Capella’s figure—still naked. And, unintentionally, she glanced toward the person in bed, instinctively seeking support from someone other than Sakura—who wouldn’t offer any help if Mama’s wrath was focused on her.

That was a mistake. She saw him there, lying down, pulling the sheet up to his neck, and noticed a small bite mark near his chin—causing him to cover himself even more out of nervousness.

Immediately, she turned her gaze away—only to meet fury…

[Capella: Did you lose something, Melty?]

Her words dripped with venom and barely contained rage, the veins in her forehead seemingly about to burst.

Because Melty had made a grave mistake.

[Melty: I jus— Urgh!]

[Capella: First, you interrupt our morning awakening to deliver news that could’ve waited, and now, so boldly, you dare look at MY Subaru-Chan with the lustful gaze of a piece of meat that doesn’t know its place?! I’ve clearly been too lenient, or are you just too arrogant to remember the proper manners I worked so hard to drill into your head?]

Capella transformed her left arm into a dragon arm, stretching it out to grab Melty’s left leg and lift her into the air, bringing her face-to-face. A method she sometimes used for intimidation. Not that she even needed it—previous treatments her “children” had received were usually enough to make them tremble.

[Capella: What should I do with you, hmm?! Are you ready for a nice punishment for your transgression, hmm?!]

[Melty: Irrk! P-P-Please, M-Mama, p-please!, I-I’m s-sorry, i-it was j-just a s-small mistake!]

[Capella: You...!]

[Subaru: Capella!]

Before Capella could begin punishing the girl for breaking her precious rule, Subaru stopped her with a shout, getting up and unintentionally revealing part of his body as the sheet slipped slightly—prompting him to cover up again to avoid more trouble.

Sakura stepped back slightly from the situation.

The Archbishop shifted her gaze from the small, long-haired girl to the black-haired boy, still visibly angry but softening a little as she looked at him. Torn between her simmering rage toward the girl she held in her hand and the tenderness she felt for the boy under her gaze—someone she clearly held a certain affection for.

[Subaru: I-It’s okay, i-it was just an accident.]

[Capella: Hm? Subaru-Chan, aren’t you being a little too kind? Even if she’s one of mine—qualified to care for you—I can’t let her cast such a filthy, lustful gaze your way. Don’t you see how disturbing that is for a beautiful lady like me, seeing one of my trusted girls trying to corrupt you?]

[Subaru: I-I-I know, and I don’t want you to feel that way because of me. But… I really don’t feel threatened when you’re around… Why… why would I look at anyone else when you’re right in front of me…?]

[Capella: ———— Kyaaah! Yes!, yes! You’re right, aren’t you~~~?! You really are right~~ Fuuh! —— Melty-Chan, you’re really lucky, don’t you think~? You committed a terrible transgression—breaking one of my rules—but thanks to that, I got to hear my beloved Subaru-Chan reaffirm his loyalty, and say something so very correct~~! —— Very well.]

Capella returned her arm to normal, releasing the small girl in nun’s clothing.

She turned toward the bed.

She reached Subaru and leaned in to give him another quick kiss. Her traditional clothing began to form over her body through her Authority. And when they separated, with a thin thread of saliva between them, she wore a satisfied smile.

[Capella: I have to leave now to pick up something very important, so behave yourself, yes~~? Today, you can take an extra treat to that piece of meat in the cells~! For putting me in such a good mood despite their mistakes~~!]

[Subaru: Thank you… my dear.]

[Capella: Gyahahaha~~ No need to thank me like that~ As your companion, our bond involves rewarding and encouraging such acts, doesn’t it~~? —— Now, go on! Subaru-Chan needs to change, and I won’t give a second chance if your lustful eyes fall on him again~~!]

[Sakura and Melty: Yes, Mama!]

Following her as she headed for the door, the two girls quickly obeyed the blonde woman’s command, knowing well there was nothing to gain from refusing—or even hesitating a second longer. With a final wave, a wink, and a kiss blown in the air, Capella said goodbye to Subaru.

The knight remained still.

Holding onto the sheets for a few more moments, he remembered the words he had said. Biting his lower lip hard enough to draw a small trickle of blood, he held back his nausea, his urge to vomit. But he also couldn’t let Melty suffer the same fate he had seen one of the others endure. No, not someone as kind as that little girl in a nun outfit who had helped him more than anyone else. Wiping away some of the blood with one of his arms, he let the rest dry.

Getting up, also naked, he looked over parts of his body. Bite marks, small scratches, like a tiny “tattoo” in the shape of a heart made with Dragon Blood on his chest, just above where his heart was. He looked at some scratches and bite marks on his legs too. But no deep wounds—nothing she had ever done to him physically, despite the mental and emotional injuries she had inflicted.

The light in his eyes had vanished.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his heart. Preventing himself from hurting it more, from letting his emotions get the better of him.

All to avoid falling into the abyss that could suffocate him.

He quickly grabbed his clothes from the floor, dressing slowly. Not because he wanted to—no. More than anything, Subaru wanted to be far from the state he was in just moments ago. Now wearing the traditional clothes he had arrived in this world with, he felt more comfortable, more complete, and even a strange sense of being hugged and comforted.

That’s when he realized.

[Subaru: Don’t cry… please… don’t cry, don’t cry…]

He repeated mentally to himself, just as he did every morning he had to endure such things since being brought to that place. Trying to focus his mind on familiar faces. Emilia, Rem, Beatrice. The people from his camp, everyone he loved and hoped to see again soon.

But it didn’t stop him from feeling dirty because of the marks still on him, even if he bathed a thousand times.

Still, he had to be strong…

—[X]—

Walking through the corridor while carrying a tray, he reflected on where he was.

Capella’s hideout, along with her assassins, her “daughters” and “sons.”

At least, he believed this place had to be the Main Base of Operations—Subaru assumed that because it had a special room for the mistress of all the assassins. Though he imagined every hideout might have a similar room for her to use whenever necessary.

But what mattered was that he had deduced the general location of the Base. Gusteko. In a territory between both nations, Gusteko and Lugunica, allowing her to remain both inside and outside without triggering the Divine Dragon's presence as an external threat. He had heard how the Divine Dragon would face and destroy anyone who invaded Lugunica’s territory. And if she, an Archbishop, wasn’t considered a threat, then the Divine Dragon must have another restriction: He wouldn’t attack threats that originated from Lugunica and then returned.

As if saying: “I’ll destroy threats that come from other countries. But threats from our own? They can do whatever they want.”

Something that would make Subaru agree, even slightly, with Crusch about breaking the contract—thinking logically, it wasn’t helping them against a dangerous internal enemy. But that line of thought could wait for later, when he wasn’t analyzing his current imprisonment. Because even if he had deduced the general location, that didn’t mean he knew exactly where they were right now.

It was like saying you know which country you're in, but not the exact place inside it. Impossible to locate without more clues, like names of nearby towns or landmarks—or even a named road.

But he didn’t have much to work with.

Even though he was free to roam the base, he wasn’t allowed to leave unless Capella took him out herself. She never let him go with any of her spoiled “children.” Subaru at least knew the place was massive—far larger than the Mathers Mansion. From what he deduced, walking from Capella’s room to the main entrance took as long as walking from the Mansion to Arlam Village. And even if he ran, it took the same time as when he used to make those runs.

Some areas were well-maintained. Others looked like something straight out of an RPG dungeon—the kind Subaru played back in his world. Ironically, this contrast reminded him of MMORPG adventures where a character would head into a dungeon to fight a powerful Boss—like a dragon. Again, ironic, since Capella could transform into one. And that sort of thinking helped him calm his mind amid so much stress.

Back to his current task.

He had arrived in front of the wooden door with black iron bars over a small window, and, using his special key, he unlocked it. Looking around, he saw no guards; a request he had made so the person inside wouldn’t be disturbed—something that had cost him a few “favors” for the mistress of this place—or threatened in any way. Opening the door carefully while carrying the tray, he saw a figure inside.

Sitting on a not-so-comfortable bed, one clearly made for a prisoner, was the figure of a woman. Flowing green hair, eyes that radiated certainty and leadership, wearing slightly worn but once-elegant clothes. A Royal Candidate—Crusch Karsten.

[Crusch: Subaru-Sama... thank you.]

[Subaru: You don’t need to thank me, Crusch-San. I would never abandon you… even though it feels like I do every time I leave this cell.]

[Crusch: Don’t blame yourself for that, Subaru-Sama. I know very well that, like me, you don’t want to be here—no matter how little choice we have.]

[Subaru: You have no idea.]

Murmuring that last part, he approached and handed her the tray. With food and drink. This time, it was better than last time. Not that Crusch would complain—she knew how hard Subaru must have worked to help her in any way he could.

And why was she there?

During the siege of Pristella: both of them fell into Capella’s trap at City Hall. Subaru found her behavior strange, as if they’d met before, like they had known each other. But the worst part was when she declared she would take him with her. Of course, he resisted with everything he had. But he was helpless after Crusch was taken hostage, used as a bargaining chip.

So, in an attempt to help her, he surrendered—hoping to find a way to escape on his own. He tried not to consider using Return by Death to reset the situation at City Hall, wanting to value his life instead of treating each one as a failed loop.

But he was too naive. Not only did she take him easily, but she kept Crusch as well.

Knocking them both out.

It was awful. When he woke again, he was already in this massive place—far from Pristella, far from all his allies and friends, in the clutches of the Archbishop and her assassins. And yes, he did consider using his power again… but only for a moment. Subaru had to stay focused, especially because Capella was keeping Crusch here too, as a hostage. Forcing him to put her safety above all other concerns while they were trapped in this place.

As he had discovered, she was disposable in the eyes of Capella and the others. Unless he begged and showed just how willing he was to keep her alive, safe, with a bed, food, and water to survive. And he was very willing to do that.

He tasted a slight bitterness in his mouth as his eyes began to sting once again.

[Crusch: Subaru-sama...? Are you okay...? Your expression seems a little...]

[Subaru: Don’t worry, Crusch-san. I’m just... thinking about a few things. Please, don’t hold back and eat.]

Trying to push the negative thoughts out of his companion’s head, he spoke with all the tenderness he could muster amidst the storm of darkness drowning him. He couldn’t do that to her, not when she was locked up in a cell like this because of him — because she was a hostage, keeping him from acting on impulse, because he didn’t want her to get hurt because of his actions.

So he had to try, for her sake.

That’s why he constantly tried to map out the massive place, learning about every killer and guard stationed there. With the goal of finding a way to escape, together. But now, when he was near Crusch, instinctively, he felt disgust. Not towards her — but towards himself. Disgust. Disgust at his own skin, at the body marked and defiled by that woman’s hands, teeth, and tongue. But he endured it, for Crusch.

As long as he fulfilled Capella’s desires, she wouldn’t do to Crusch what he saw her do to her beloved “children” — grotesque acts born from her Authority — and she’d allow him to care for the candidate as her “special guest.” So he would do that. He would go on the dates she demanded, say the words she wanted to hear, become what she asked him to be, and give her his entire self — including his body.

The food Crusch was eating now was one of the things he earned through this trade.

By letting Capella do whatever she wanted to his body — letting her steal his first time, which he had dreamed of giving to the girl he loved — and hoped to share in a stable relationship or even after marriage — she granted his request to keep the guards and killers away from Crusch, as long as she also behaved. And he kept making trades. Subaru no longer cared what happened to his body, as long as it meant Crusch stayed alive and safe, and that he could eventually return her to Felix and Wilhelm, bring her home. He didn’t care how filthy he felt in his own skin.

As long as Crusch remained strong like him, Subaru would endure as long as he could.

Subaru wouldn’t break.

 

 

—————

Once again... Subaru finds himself in that kind of situation. In the future, I plan to release an “Emerada Lugunica IF,” which would be the healthy version of this IF — but that one is very, very far from having a happy ending.

In this IF, we had some consequences:

-Subaru and Crusch were kidnapped at City Hall. Subaru never gave his speech, and didn’t help Reinhard or Emilia fight Regulus. Regulus caused mass chaos and destruction in Priestella, including many deaths — one of which was Emilia’s (something Capella has not yet revealed to Subaru).

-Garfiel, mentally shaken despite Otto's encouragement, lost his battle against Kurgan. Although he survived, the people he was trying to protect (including his mother and half-siblings) were killed. Kurgan didn’t kill Garfiel, but interrupted Wilhelm and Heinkel’s battle against Theresia, helping her and causing the deaths of Wilhelm and Heinkel. This worsened Garfiel’s mental state even more.

-Julius had his name devoured by Gluttony, and Ricardo died in battle. Otto and many other guards were also killed. Felt avoided that fate by retreating, since Beatrice didn’t show up to help during the fight — having fallen into a state of panic after Subaru vanished, she broke down searching for him.

-Reinhard developed a massive sense of guilt from the battle in Priestella: not only did he fail to save Emilia or stop Regulus (who escaped along with the other Sin Archbishops, except for Sirius, who was captured by Priscilla and Al — the latter helping in this battle alongside Liliana), but also over Otto’s death, the kidnapping of Subaru and Crusch, the deaths of his grandfather and father, and countless civilians as well. He took it upon himself to try and find Subaru.

-Capella kidnapped Subaru because she’s in love with him (the reason will be revealed in the Epilogue), and her obsession is stronger than Rem’s but slightly weaker than Satella’s. However, she genuinely doesn’t intend to hurt him — even if she ends up doing so unintentionally. Her goal is to make him addicted to her.

-The “sons/daughters” have rules regarding Subaru, almost as if they were his staff:

1) They cannot see him naked or even shirtless.

2) They must treat him as they would treat her.

3) None of them are allowed to let him leave the hideout (only she can).

4) Subaru has full freedom to walk around the base.

If this IF were to become something, it would be a hentai, with tags such as: Mind Break (Male), Rape (Male), Cuckquean (Female - Crusch), Mind Break (Female – Crusch), Humiliation (Female – Crusch being humiliated by Capella in a style similar to Griffith and Guts).

A hentai with a... heavy ending, as you might expect.

Chapter 119: [Extra - Capella IF]

Crusch didn’t see herself as [Crusch Karsten].

Ever since she opened her eyes that day, after the attack they suffered, being cared for by everyone around her. And some of the first special figures she met were: Felix Argyle, Ferris-chan as he liked to be called, and Blue, known for his healing skills; Wilhelm van Astrea, the Sword Demon with exceptional combat abilities; Emilia; and Natsuki Subaru, a boy who seemed different to her.

Even without the memories of [Crusch Karsten], strangely, without remembering anything, she could still feel something inside. As if her mind lacked the images and reasons for her emotions, but her heart remained the same for everyone around her.

She felt affection for Felix as if he were a long-time friend; she felt respect for Wilhelm as if he were a cherished comrade who had fought beside her many times. She felt a warm sensation in her chest when she spoke and thought of him, something beyond the affection she felt for Felix. Feelings that still remained in her heart. Feelings that persisted, allowing her to trust those people, allowing her to open up and attempt to become [Crusch Karsten], the figure so many admired and followed for her strength and abilities.

But she still felt incapable.

How could she ever match the wonderful image they had of [Crusch Karsten]? How could she become the person that [Crusch Karsten] was?

That was what the current Crusch pondered so deeply in that cell.

[Crusch Karsten] wouldn’t have been captured, she thought. [Crusch Karsten] wouldn’t have lost the battle she lost at the City Hall to Capella and been made a hostage to capture her companion in that place—Subaru. And she wouldn't be here now. Crusch knew that if [Crusch Karsten] were still around—if she didn’t exist and that admirable, reliable woman, in whom everyone placed their hopes, were here—she would’ve done everything differently.

Looking at the walls, both the large ones and the cell door, her expression was saddened. She felt trapped with no chance of escape. Not only because she lacked strength or knowledge of how many enemies there were, or how powerful they might be, or even whether she could help or save Subaru from the clutches of his captor.

Something she wished to do, because she felt something was happening to him.

[Subaru: I'm fine, Crusch-san.]

Those were his words, but she knew something was happening beneath it all. Something so awful that she couldn’t help but want to follow her instincts and face that monster. But she knew it would be useless, that she would probably die and be unable to do anything against such a powerful opponent without putting her companion at even greater risk.

Speaking of him...

She heard the sound of her cell, as she saw it open. Revealing the figure of a woman—Sakura—with an unfriendly look. Crusch returned the look in kind. Because both women disliked each other from the very moment they met. Which kept their interactions restricted to silent rage.

[Sakura: Come. You're getting a reward.]

[Crusch: A reward from you? No, I don't want anything from you.]

[Sakura: This comes directly from Mama. Believe me, you don’t want to refuse a reward from Mama. She considers herself quite... generous... when it comes to delivering them to those she deems worthy. So, like it or not, you have two options: accept the reward and stay out of trouble, or refuse—and Mama won’t be kind to you... or your friend.]

The mention of Subaru stripped all will to fight from Crusch—not her anger, but it stopped her from acting impulsively. Thinking how [Crusch Karsten] wouldn’t let herself fall into rage that might risk her companions' lives. Even if it left a bitter taste in her mouth to submit like this to one of her captors.

Resigned to accept the woman’s words.

Crusch stood up from her cell bed, walked to the door, and extended her hands so Sakura could put on the cuffs and a blindfold over her eyes, allowing her to leave the cell—something she could only rarely do, usually for baths. While being led, she tried to count the steps needed to keep up with the assassin, as well as the turns they took—straight, right, straight, right, straight, then left—until reaching the point where they stopped.

[Sakura: You've been here almost a month and haven’t done anything wrong during that time, except defending yourself from some of our... “dumber” brothers. That’s something Mama appreciates in her prisoners—those who stay composed and don’t waste their energy on pointless attacks or escape attempts. Something I also appreciate, believe it or not. Because it spares all of us from Mama’s wrath.]

[Crusch: I don’t want your gratitude.]

[Sakura: I wouldn’t either if I were in your shoes. —— Now, let’s go. Mama can’t wait to give you your special reward for good behavior. And honestly? I hope you enjoy it. Whether you believe it or not, what you're about to receive—whether you like it or not—is far better than the punishments Mama gives to those she dislikes or who dare provoke her.]

[Crusch: What do you—!!!]

Unable to finish her question at that moment, she continued to be dragged a little further. Entering an unfamiliar place. Whether she liked it or not, she was dragged until she was finally shoved into what seemed to be a wooden chair—roughly and violently—causing her to grit her teeth slightly in frustration. Then, her handcuffs were removed.

Still resisting the impulse to retaliate against her captor, she allowed her hands to be guided onto the armrests of the chair, and then her wrists were cuffed to them, preventing her from moving—though she could break the chair arms if she wanted to. Before she could do anything else, her mouth was forced open by Sakura, obviously, and a strange, warm liquid was poured into her mouth, which she instinctively swallowed...

—[X]—

Subaru no longer had the same emotions he used to feel during bath time. It was something he had to go through, and he, “fortunately,” had the “luck” of being allowed to use Capella’s private bathroom. Since the baths for the others, from what he had seen, were nowhere near as nice or clean as this one.

The bathroom looked more like a small banquet hall—larger than the one in the Mathers Mansion. The ceiling, high and decorated, supported by white columns.

At the center of the room reigned a massive sculpted bathtub, carved entirely out of white marble. It was large enough to comfortably fit six to seven people, with smoothly curved edges and backrests ornamented in the shape of dragon wings. The water was still, calm. A perfumed scent hung in the air. And beside the bathtub, not too far—close enough to reach from the edge without having to get up—stood a black marble table offering a selection of towels, aromatic oils, a small bucket for pouring water, and a bar of soap. The floor was heated and comfortable, almost as if it massaged the feet of anyone who stepped into that beautiful place.

But what really stole the breath away was the mirror - a colossus of clear crystal almost three meters high and two meters wide, framed by a carved gold frame. The frame featured detailed figures of intertwined dragons, all polished with such precision that they looked alive.

It was a bathroom that not only served the body, but also the ego, vanity and the illusion of eternity. And it was perfect for those who belonged...

[Capella: Subaru-Chan always admires this beautiful lady's bathroom when we go in together, it's magnificent isn't it~~?]

[Subaru: ... why do bad people always have such beautiful things...?]

Mentally questioning himself again in that same place, he resigned himself to keeping quiet when he received the blonde-haired woman's question. Uncomfortable enough with the situation. Since, yes, he had the right to use that bathroom to clean himself - it was the only one he could use — but unfortunately he could never do it alone.

The Archbishop who owned that place always accompanied him, making him perform his service of helping her clean herself as an exchange for him cleaning himself as well.

No longer saying anything, allowing himself to concentrate mentally only on his personal desire to remove the disgust he felt from his own body, he did what he always did; he calmly removed the pieces of her clothing. First the top of his tracksuit, then his pants and then his underwear, undressing completely. While his bathing companion quickly made hers disappear with the use of her Authority, also undressing.

And he followed suit.

Subaru walked over to the bathtub, stepped into it, sank into the water and sank almost half his body over the edge, keeping his gaze lowered. And then the girl who had been accompanying him followed to join him. Not away, far from it. When she entered, she went straight to him, sitting down in the space between his legs, staying together, the blonde's ass poking and prodding at Subaru's member — something that was done intentionally in an attempt to provoke and excite him.

[Capella: Clean me up, Subaru-Chan~~!]

[Subaru: Right...]

Complying with her request in a childish, honeyed tone, Subaru allowed himself to comply with the woman's wishes. He stretched out his arm to the table next to the bathtub, having to lift himself slightly — making his member press more lightly against the female figure's ass — and grab the soap — an invention he begged Capella to help him create, because he desperately wanted to wash himself and feel free of that woman's touches - as well as the bucket of water.

Leaving the bucket beside him on the edge of the bath. He first wet the soap, then rubbed it into his hands, lathering them, before placing the bar on the edge after having enough in his palms.

Calmly, Subaru moved his hands down the woman's body.

Starting at the nape of her neck and shoulders; smoothing them with a little force, running the soap over them, at the same time as the pressure he applied served to try to massage her, to calm her down, while he also had a quick thought of wanting to strangle her - but he knew it was useless. He heard sounds of satisfaction from her as she felt Subaru's hands massaging her. Finishing this, he again lathered his hands in the soap, and continued, now going down her left arm, doing what he did before, putting just enough pressure to be considered a massage, and when she raised her arm; he went down her arm to her armpit, doing what he did before and eliciting a small laugh from the woman. He repeated the same thing on the other arm.

Having finished lathering the back of the neck, the shoulders, the arms and the armpits of the woman, he went on to continue his service, to continue his task - all to please her. Soaping his hands again. He moved them down the woman's body, to her hips, then to her belly, then calmly upwards, until he reached her breasts. There he felt his cheeks heat up. As he passed the soap over the woman's breasts, he lathered them up to the tip of her nipples, eliciting a few moans from the woman.

[Capella: You really know how to please your lady, don't you~~? But control yourself a little, will you~? Although... I can understand my Subaru-Chan not being able to control his love for this sweet girl, Gyahahaha~]

[Subaru: ——]

He concentrated not to answer, but to control his angry gaze at the figure sitting in front of him, continuing his service. Continuing to use the soap to lather her from her neck to her belly area. And then he picked up the bucket, put her in the water, and then began to slowly pour the water over the Archbishop's body and let the soap slowly wash away.

The process was repeated a few times until all the soap was removed, cleaning her body as best he could.

Still repeating the process of lathering her up and rinsing her off again. Doing his job as her companion, while she allowed him to guide her so that she could be cleaned by her lover. A process they've both been through before, the other times he's been allowed to bathe.

[Capella: My turn~!!!]

Getting up suddenly, she turned to face him, her knees on top of his, standing face to face, just inches from each other, as he stared at her body unwillingly. Seeing her chest almost coming up to his face as she leaned over to pick up the soap. And even though he'd been through the most inappropriate things, he couldn't help but turn slightly red and look away.

[Capella: No need to look away, Subaru-Chan! Even though it's super cute how you still act so cute, you know~~?]

[Subaru: —— Don't tease me like that...]

[Capella: Gyahaha~ I'm not teasing, really, you're so cute when you act so cute even after everything~~]

[Subaru: Tsk. After everything you've done.]

Without saying it out loud, he allowed himself to be quiet and continue with everything without wasting any more time.

Capella dipped the soap in, wetting it, before calmly starting to rub it on Subaru's body. Calmly. Starting with the torso, the trapezius, the shoulders, beginning at the top. As she did this, she had a small, calm, even gentle smile on her face, humming in a carefree way - a cute, controlled way that Subaru could swear didn't belong to the kind of person who did all those horrible things to other people. Doing such a job with care.

But it still didn't make him feel any cleaner than he would have felt doing it at the Mathers Mansion.

She began to run her hands down his torso, over his worked body, and he could feel her nails scratching him slightly, but not hurting him. In a possessive way. As her smile grew wider, turning from ear to ear, she faced him and ran her tongue over her lips.

[Capella: Sometimes it's so nice to touch those muscles~ They're not so big, not so small, but well worked and they suit you so well, Subaru-Chan~ You have a naturally beautiful body, hihihi~]

[Subaru: Thank you...]

Clenching his jaw a little at her comment about his body.

Since for Subaru, if his body was to be praised by someone, he wanted it to be by someone he really liked: Emilia, it would make him happy, Rem and Beatrice, it would make him euphoric, one of his friends, he could be happy. Because it would make him feel comfortable with the work he was doing to fortify himself and overcome the difference in strength against his opponents, who would be dozens of times more powerful than him. He would like to be praised by anyone, he would even feel proud if someone admirable like Wilhelm praised him, or even?

Crusch. Remembering her again, he calmed his mind. As if it would reboot his brain. He kept thinking about how to help her, how to stay focused so as not to let his mind break down.

[Capella: Are you thinking about your friend again?]

The neutral tone made his eyes suddenly widen in concern.

Staring at her for fear of her trying anything against Crusch.

[Capella: Don't look at me like that, Subaru-Cha~~ I'm not going to do anything to her for no reason, you know? She's been behaving properly, following the rules, she hasn't tried to attack any of my children. Your friend really has been so well-behaved that I wanted to give her a reward~]

[Subaru: Reward...?]

[Capella: Yes! I have a special room where my sons and daughters can rest and relieve themselves, away from everyone, without anyone bothering them, obviously~ And I asked Sakura to take her there and get out of that cold cell for a bit! -- Don't you think it's nice of that beautiful lady~?]

[Subaru: A-I think so. If she doesn't get hurt... I'd appreciate it]

Her smile seemed to change, from a mischievous one, to a more seductive one, as she bent down and wrapped her arms around his head, getting even closer than before.

[Capella: So, I think I deserve a good reward too, don't you~~?]

[Subaru: —— Fine...]

Accepting his fate, he kissed her as she moved her lips closer. In an attempt to encourage her to do more of the same, for the sake of continuing to help Crusch. And soon the kiss began to become intense and would later turn into a libidinous act between the two of them.

But Subaru didn't know about something very important at that moment...

The mirror. That big mirror in the bathroom, not just big for ego's sake or placed in that spot overlooking the bathroom so that people bathing could stare at each other. No.

The mirror was a one-way mirror, a mirror where one side is brighter, which would allow a person to see their reflection, while the other side is darker, so that whoever was on that side could see what was happening on the side where they could only see their reflection.

Because of the difference in lighting, those on the dark side can see through the glass, while those on the light side can only see their reflection.

And this place had such a mirror.

The special reward room made specifically for Capella, and Sakura knew this well because, since Elsa's death, it was now her duty to bring her brothers and sisters, like prisoners, to this room. A room that wasn't that big, but big enough to have a table on one side and a chair in the center. The reward chair. For those who behaved well, where they were placed and handcuffed to the chair, then someone, Sakura, would take one of the bottles from the table. What was in those bottles? Aphrodisiacs, from the weakest to the strongest.

When someone was put in that room, tied to that chair, they would receive an aphrodisiac based on how well they deserved to be rewarded. The weakest were for those who deserved it least, and the strongest were for those who deserved their rewards most. To balance it out. People were forced or given the chance to purposely drink those reward drinks.

The chance to contemplate their Mama bathing.

A reward that, in her opinion, hardly anyone deserved to receive if they weren't well behaved.

Usually, the person was placed there, Sakura left, and let the person decide what they would do. Whether to close their eyes or keep their eyes open to the images they would see in that bathroom. And the aphrodisiacs only served as part of the “reward”, in an attempt to boost the pleasure of watching her bathe. But this time it was different.

[Sakura: Looks like Mama's really going to have enough fun.]

Opening a small smile, she spoke to the person with her hands on her shoulders. Looking at the scene that was beginning to unfold on the other side of the mirror. Like, when Capella and Subaru started kissing, and then, brutally, the boy penetrated her and they both started having sex with each other. Something that had started as a simple bath was becoming more and more erotic and leaving the primary objective behind.

An intense act. But a more than disgusting act for the second figure.

Crusch was the one in that seat, having been given one of the aphrodisiacs - the strongest among them - while her head was tied in such a way that she couldn't move to look away. What if she tried to close her eyes? Sakura forced her eyes open so that she could once again see what was happening in front of her. To see what Subaru was doing to Capella.

And in her head came the question: Why? Why was he doing that to that woman? And she didn't even realize that she was asking this question in whispers...

[Sakura: For you, why do you think? Ever since they arrived... Mama has taken a great interest in him, A LOT of interest in him, and so she's given him opportunities to look after you... Did you know that he does this kind of service for you? Almost every night, almost every week after you arrived here, and almost every time he could help you].

[Crusch: What...?]

[Sakura: Food, clean sheets, no one attacking you, a cleaner cell and even the right to bathe, unlike any other prisoner we've ever had in this place, and take care of yourself in a way that maintains your beautiful image. Haven't you ever wondered how he did it? He simply learned to play the game to keep you alive and keep Mama happy. And I'm grateful... because even with us she's been kind, in her own way, but kind enough for everyone to thank our new... “Father”?]

Speaking the words into the green-haired woman's ear.

Such a revelation sent a small shock through her body. A realization that now made all the things that had happened to her make more and more sense. Especially given how empty Subaru seemed when they interacted when he came to visit.

Something that made a few tears start to fall lightly at the corner of her eyes.

[Sakura: Enjoy your reward... because Mama wouldn't usually allow someone like you to have such an inappropriate view of her beloved].

Speaking now with a little distaste, Sakura said as she continued to watch the show taking place on the other side of the mirror. Something that Crusch also had to watch, and couldn't do anything about.

Not because she couldn't.

Feeling the arms of the chair with a few tugs at first, she knew she had the strength to break it, it would be so easy, she could do it in an instant and throw it against the mirror and stop the act.

 An action so easy that she could easily see herself doing such a thing right now, at this very moment, to ensure that such a shameful scene didn't continue, that the person who held a place in her heart - even if in a way she didn't understand - didn't degrade any further.

But she couldn't.

The shock of it all prevented her from acting; the sight of seeing Subaru and Capella naked in that bathroom, the sight of him bathing her and then of her bathing him, before they began the act that was taking place at that very moment in front of her eyes. An intimate and usually sacred act. And she could see how Subaru penetrated the woman, first in the bathtub, with her moving her body on top of him, before they got out of the bathtub and he laid her down against the floor next to the bathtub and did it in repeated, strong acts, each time more and more intense.

And another thing the woman felt at that moment was a sensation: disgust. Not just of the scene that was taking place. But of herself. For not being strong enough like [Crusch Karsten] to defeat that monster, for not being able like [Crusch Karsten] to protect her all-important companion, and how, unlike the legendary figure of [Crusch Karsten], she felt a great warmth inside her as she watched that scene.

A warmth in her body. A warmth that came from her womb, a warmth that made her try to rub her legs together. Something else was a sensation of dampness in her lower area between them.

She didn't fully understand what she was feeling and didn't know what or who to blame at that moment.

Capella? The monster who had imprisoned her in that place.

Sakura? The one who had imprisoned her in that room and forced her to watch that scene against her will.

Subaru? But she wouldn't, not when she found out that he had done, and was doing, it to protect her from being abused or killed in a shameful way in his cell.

The aphrodisiac? Yes, those sensations she felt in her body, the warmth in her chest, the heat in her womb, the dampness in her clothes. Even the thoughts she was now having, the thoughts of how she would like to be on the other side, in the place of that monster who was lying with that boy. Everything that was happening to her. She would have liked to, and did, blame that liquid.

But now she couldn't concentrate. Because at that moment, feeling what she was feeling, her thoughts were on the scene she couldn't turn away from. Her body getting hotter and hotter as she watched that scene.

And after the hours she'd spent in that chair...

She didn't remember how she was freed from the chair, how she was grabbed and carried by Sakura, how she wasn't blindfolded, or how she was thrown onto the floor of that scene after receiving her “reward”. She didn't remember any of it. She only remembered two things...

1) In detail, every action Capella and Subaru took, every position they were in, every time the boy threw himself at the woman in an almost animalistic way and her face contorted in a way she never thought she'd see in another woman, a lustful expression of pleasure. She remembered every hour, every minute, every second. Even the bulge on the way from her intimate area to her uterus, due to the size of the black-haired knight's member.

2) How disgusting she felt, when in her cell, on the night she didn't receive a visit from Subaru, she removed his pants, how she took off her damp panties—wet with her own juices—and then stuck two of her fingers inside her pussy. Replaying those scenes in her head. Thinking specifically about someone...

[Crusch: Subaru-Sama...]

As she murmured, she also bit her lips until they almost bled from the force she had put into them. Still feeling all that heat from the aphrodisiac. And thinking how [Crusch Karsten] would never fall that deep, how she wouldn't do such an act while thinking about that boy, and how she wouldn't think about being in the Archbishop's place.

Chapter 120: [Extra 2 - Capella IF]

[Subaru: Damn it, damn it, damn it. Damn her, damn her...! Hkk!]

Landing light punches on the wall, he tried to suppress some of the agony he felt. With a faint gnashing of teeth. Now leaning against one of the corridor walls, he focused on taking deep breaths, struggling not to sink any deeper than he already had.

At the same time, he clenched his fists tightly, trying to shift his thoughts away from what he was feeling.

All because of a game...

[Capella: Subaru-chan, shall we play a game~?]

[Subaru: Hkk——?]

Early that morning, as he woke up, she jumped on his shoulders and hugged his neck. Even when they didn’t engage in the physical acts she wanted in exchange for him taking care of Crusch, he still had to sleep in the same bed — essentially as a living body pillow. And he had to keep his rage in check.

It didn’t matter if she said she wouldn’t hurt him. He knew that doing something stupid could push her patience to its limits, and then he'd see for himself just how vast the power difference between them truly was.

In moments like these, he had to allow himself to be patient. Why? Because, once again, he wasn’t fighting just for himself. Throwing his life away — no matter how many times he could come back — wasn’t a way to live. He had learned that. That’s why he had to find a way to get through this without dying, without treating his life like it was something disposable over mere inconveniences — if he was going to die, it would be fighting to the very end, without discarding any part of the life he’d built up to now.

[Subaru: And what game would that be... d-dearest Capella-chan?]

[Capella: Hihihi~ Since you’re always so worried about that meat sack Karsten and even act like such an obedient boyfriend when you’re helping her, I decided to give you a wonderful chance to help her~ Though... I do get soooo jealous of how much Subaru-chan tries for that hunk of meat.]

She poked his cheek with a pouty expression, puffing them up, displaying what seemed to be a childish kind of jealousy as she spoke those words.

It made him sigh in frustration.

[Subaru: I'm taking care of her and doing what you want... isn’t that enough?]

[Capella: It will be, when you come running into my arms to give me your love and receive mine in return with the same passion as a pair of love-struck fools~~]

Saying that, she pressed herself against him.

The closeness and the sensation of her body against his made him feel both uncomfortable and embarrassed.

[Subaru: What’s the game?]

[Capella: It’s veeeery simple~~! Look...]

She shifted her body to pull something out from inside it. A large pink vial with a reddish cap, adorned with the image of a crimson flower.

[Capella: This~ is one of the vials I give to my children as a reward for a job well done~ It contains an extremely potent aphrodisiac~ Stronger than the ones I usually hand out — this one, I’d only give to someone who’s been my good little doggie for years~~]

[Subaru: Why... would anyone... Why would you even give people aphrodisiacs...?]

[Capella: So that when I grace them with my presence and the gentle touch of my feet, they can savor the full extent of the pleasure that just a single touch from this lovely lady can bring~!]

She spoke as if it were an absolute truth, and it left him even more worried. His thoughts began to spin.

[Subaru: Now that I think about it... it makes sense, doesn’t it? She’s the Archbishop of Lust, after all... She’d have something to provoke people somehow... And usually that would involve sexuality or seduction of some kind... That’s even common in darker fantasy stories... Why am I thinking about fantasy stories again? Focus on what’s in front of you...]

He focused a bit more on the vial.

Staring at it from below, puzzled.

[Subaru: Explain it to me... What do you want me to do?]

[Capella: It’s a very simple game, simple enough that you have no reason to disagree~~! —— You’re going to drink some of it~!]

[Subaru: ——? Why would I do something like that?]

[Capella: The game we’re going to play, like I said, is simple: you’ll drink the contents of this vial — the aphrodisiac — not all of it, because it would be too strong even for you~ If you can endure its effects for an entire day without running to me to satisfy your Lust and drown me in your love... I’ll consider giving that meat sack Karsten a whole month’s worth of resources, the kind I normally only provide when you share your love with me~]

That made his eyes widen slightly in realization of what that meant.

A whole month without having to lie with that woman to ensure Crusch’s safety. A full month where they could secure their own protection in this place — a fortress impenetrable from the inside out. A month of advantage.

But he also knew there was more to it.

[Subaru: If I agreed... and lost?]

[Capella: Then you’d have to drink it again tomorrow, just like you did today~]

[Subaru: What——?]

She cut him off, placing a dainty finger over his lips.

[Capella: I know my Subaru-chan, ever since you arrived here, has had eyes only for helping the companion who came with him — an admirable act~ One that shows a beautiful kind of love! But this beautiful lady desires Subaru-chan’s love for herself, because the world’s love is meant for her, for Capella-chan-sama~ That’s why I’ve been trying to show you that this beautiful lady’s love is the best you could ever receive~!]

[Subaru: ——]

[Capella: But the process is taking far too long for Subaru-chan to realize that this beautiful lady’s love is the only one he’ll ever need~ That’s why this little vial is meant to help you, just like it helped my beloved children understand the glorious love that only I can provide~!]

Declaring this with arrogant pride, she spoke with a smile while running her finger along his face with calculated tenderness and teasing, until stopping at his chin and pulling him to look directly into her eyes.

[Capella: It’s a very simple game, and the two of us will define the rules~]

[Subaru: Why should I agree? If you’re so confident in this thing, then you must know how powerful it is and prepared it to give me a “special” experience, different from everyone else’s, didn’t you? Am I wrong to assume that?]

[Capella: Hmpf! How mean of you to think that.]

She puffed out her cheeks again, crossing her arms around his neck.

The Sin Archbishop leaned against him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

[Capella: You’ll get the same dose everyone else got — not a drop more or less, and that’s a promise I’ll make just for you~]

[Subaru: And I’m supposed to trust your word, right? —— Unfortunately for me, that wouldn’t be the first time I’ve found myself having to do that, now would it?]

[Capella: I’m still being soooo generous, don’t you think~? This beautiful lady is giving you a whole month in exchange for just one day~ Or... would you rather continue sharing our mutual love~? I only offered this out of kindness, seeing how down you’ve been lately — but we don’t have to play if you’re fine with how things are now~]

[Subaru: Nngh.]

Staring at her slightly amused and sadistic smile, he let out a sigh of exasperation at the situation.

On one hand, he could get a whole month of relief from everything he had to do. On the other, he might be walking straight into a dangerously well-crafted trap from a Sin Archbishop.

Either way, it was a complicated situation for him, no matter which path he chose.

Stay in his current position? Or take the risk?

At this point, it was becoming harder and harder to reason whether he should keep enduring or try to tip the scales in their favor. Because up until now, they’d just been waiting to be rescued — and Subaru was desperately trying to come up with a strategy to get both himself and Crusch out of this situation, in case no one arrived in time.

[Subaru: You said we’d set the rules together, right?]

She nodded eagerly.

That made him feel a bit more uneasy.

[Subaru: Very well, I’ll accept. And I assume a month is the best I can get from you without being too bold, I suppose.]

[Capella: It’s the most I can offer, even for you, Subaru-Chan. But in return, I’ll give you unlimited chances to try again, and again, and again—as many times as your body, mind, emotions, and spirit can handle before surrendering to the beauty of this gorgeous lady~~]

[Subaru: Fine. First rule: You cannot touch me in any way while I’m under the effect of the aphrodisiac from that vial. No caresses, no kissing, no coming onto me in any way.]

[Capella: I already assumed you’d set that rule and I think it’s fair to start with. It won’t make a difference, because in the end, you’ll be running into my arms and we’ll indulge in pleasure together~~~ Now, the second rule—and the only one I want to set—is: You must not try to satisfy yourself in any way. No touching yourself indecently or asking someone else to do it. Even worse if it’s a kiss~~! If that rule is broken, it’s an automatic loss!]

That rule took him by surprise, since he expected her to set an unfair condition just to throw him off balance. But the only thing she was asking was that he not derive pleasure from himself or anyone else.

[Subaru: I bet this is out of petty jealousy, isn’t it?]

[Capella: Obviously~ If you don’t want the pleasure this beautiful lady can give you, you should avoid pleasure from anything else too~ But it’s also to give you another advantage~ My special aphrodisiac has two stages of effect: The first one kicks in after ingestion—you’ll feel and understand its effects then, and let me say, they’re very intense~ And the second activates through saliva-to-saliva contact—via kissing. If you’re kissed, no matter how strong your will is, it’ll break~~! Which is great for me, obviously, but I’m greedy and I want only ME to be the one to push you to that point~]

[Subaru: Possessive. —— Basically, I’m facing this challenge on stage one, while stage two means my total defeat? That actually makes some sense. —— Like I said, I accept, but I don’t want you cheating in any way!]

[Capella: I won’t! To help you out, I’ll even offer you a little support: Since I don’t need to leave my room for anything, I’ll stay in all day. So if you fail—in fact, when you fail—I’ll welcome you with open arms and all the love that only a lady as kind as me can give~]

She declared it with the same arrogant pride that bordered on narcissism, the same belief in her invincibility he was used to seeing in her. Subaru stared at her for a moment, then looked at the vial in Capella’s hand. He swallowed hard, bracing for what he was about to do.

It had been a while since the bet started.

Twenty-four hours to endure the effects of that aphrodisiac and keep his head straight without slipping or losing his composure. He pounded his fists and even his head against the wall to stay in control.

[Subaru: I’m an idiot. Definitely an idiot, the biggest idiot of all. Why couldn’t I be a little smarter like Otto or literally anyone else?]

He bit down hard on his lower lip, drenched in sweat. His whole body felt unbearably hot. But it wasn’t just the heat—he’d even taken off his jacket, left only in his signature black shirt—it was the sensations across his entire body.

When you think of an aphrodisiac, the obvious comes to mind:

It would heighten the pleasure you could feel during intimate, sexual interactions with someone else. Or at least serve as a stimulant to make you feel more inclined toward such acts. A simple one would do for that. There’s no need for a stronger one unless something serious—like an inability to feel attraction—requires it.

He had expected something like this. He figured it’d be difficult. And arrogantly, he believed he could handle it. Why? Because of pain.

He’d endured horrific, agonizing pain—to the point where he literally died bearing the worst kinds of suffering. Subaru could honestly say he knew some of the worst types of pain. Decapitation? Freezing? Being eaten alive? He’d been through it and moved forward.

He also endured the pain of loss: his parents, Rem, witnessing the massacre of Arlam—even if he managed to save them.

For a brief moment, he arrogantly thought he could handle stimulation that wasn’t pain. Because if he could bear those things—even though he never wanted to get used to them—he believed he could handle the extreme opposite.

He thought: "I must have gained at least some resistance from everything I’ve been through in this world."

But he said it himself—he was an idiot. An arrogant idiot, right?

[Subaru: There’s a difference between the sensations of pain and pleasure...]

They’re practically opposites—at least, that’s what some might think.

The pain of watching someone you love die versus the pleasure of seeing them alive and well. The pain of having a finger broken versus the pleasure of receiving a kiss from someone you deeply love.

Opposite sensations that both hit you intensely.

His body had adapted mentally to withstand moderate levels of pain.

To the point that he even started to develop a disgusting habit of hurting himself while he slept—not that he wanted to or liked it, especially because of the pain it caused Beatrice, who had to heal him and keep the secret.

He could endure pain more easily than most people—and in his mind, he still considered himself pathetic, believing people like Julius, Reinhard, Al, Felix, Wilhelm, Garfiel, Otto, Rem, Ram—basically everyone he admired—would handle it better and with less struggle than he had.

To clarify: Subaru thought he was ready to face this challenge for Crusch and himself, believing that his experiences had made him resilient. But those experiences only trained him to endure pain, not other sensations.

At that point, his body felt hot beyond words.

Not a burning pain kind of heat, but one that made him sweat, feel flushed—every muscle, every fiber, every part of him tingled with a strange sensation.

A sensation made possible only by the new level of sensitivity brought on by the aphrodisiac.

The feel of his clothes—just the fabric of his shirt brushing against his skin—became unbearable. Another reason he ditched his jacket.

Even a soft breeze through the corridor felt like it touched him in an intimate spot, raising goosebumps on his arms.

A single bead of sweat rolling down his neck sent a shiver down his spine like lightning.

The sensation of every muscle, every joint—everything felt so present.

It was almost as if the mere act of existing was now something completely new after drinking that lightly sweet-tasting fluid.

He also noticed how heightened his other senses had become. His lips, his sense of taste, how they tingled, the sensation of touch. The air entering his nostrils. Even the colors now seemed more vivid—their brightness, their movement as he moved his eyes and things shifted around him. He could even feel his heart pounding as if it might explode in his chest.

The effect of that drug. That damn drug!

It made his body feel like it was exploding with a sickening excitement that could truly be described as pure lust.

But at this point, he couldn't just give in, not allowing his mind to drift toward anything other than his purpose in that moment.

He straightened himself, trying to ignore the sensations crawling through his body, refocusing on the task ahead. Carrying a food tray, he had to deliver it to the other person in that place. Subaru kept walking until he reached the cell door. He calmly opened it, closing it behind him, and saw the figure of the green-haired woman sitting on the cell bed, still slightly immaculate even in her current condition.

[Crusch: Subaru-Sama… you seem… different today…?]

[Subaru: I-It’s nothing. I-It’s just that today, our dear jailer was a bit more gentle.]

[Crusch: Hmm. I see. It must be difficult for you. If you want to talk to me about whatever you’re dealing with, I wouldn’t mind listening to what you have to say.]

[Subaru: I appreciate that. I really do, but…]

He truly wanted to talk. Subaru really did.

But he felt like this was... too personal to speak about.

To say it was a sensitive topic regarding his body would be different from talking about his deaths—because the filthiness he felt in himself now was of a different nature than the despair he faced in those deaths.

Subaru handed the meal to the woman, who graciously accepted it. Sitting on the bed, she remained composed.

Normally, he would look at her with dedication and admiration for the posture she maintained even in a situation like this. Something he assumed all nobles upheld, even under such conditions. It even made him think—naively, during rare moments when he had time not to think about the hardships surrounding them—how much he wished to have that kind of self-control. A knight should be able to do that, right?

At this point, he desperately wished he could maintain his composure with what he was feeling.

[Subaru: Focus… focus… focus…!]

Thinking that, he tried to keep his mind away from any erratic thoughts while inside that cell. Feeling how his body felt so different from the aphrodisiac and how it made him look at the woman right in front of him.

Subaru knew Crusch was a beautiful woman.

Hell! That kind of beauty wouldn’t be lost, even in a place like this. It was obvious.

Looking at her in that moment, her figure, he felt hotter, more sensitive. His body tensed. The admiration he had for her was partially clouded as he stared at her figure—her eyes, her lips, her body in that slightly worn uniform.

So he tried to focus on other things.

He tried thinking about the memories he shared with the important people in his life.

Like Beatrice.

When he faced the horrors of this place, he thought of the spirit and felt reinvigorated.

Thinking about how just thinking of her could drive away all the evil and give his mind the push it needed to stay on track, undistracted. Thinking of her in that moment, he would often feel a sense of freedom. He thought about how he’d stroke her head, how he gave her sweets, how she puffed her cheeks in anger, how she slept beside him and comforted him.

Beatrice did so much for Subaru that it felt unfair to even compare.

Even now, she was doing something for him.

Allowing him to remember her, to feel something different.

Trying to focus on her, he could even feel the same sensations he’d felt before. He felt her small, delicate fingers touch his hand gently, caressing it, healing him with water magic, even not minding touching his scars—which he found disgusting.

The sensation of the subtle pressure of those tiny, lovely hands.

The feeling of each finger, the temperature, the soft texture of the little and cute Beako.

The comfort he always felt when he was with her.

But...

But...

But...

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

Because he didn’t just remember the sensation of her touch—he could feel it even now.

Just like he could feel the touch of every person important to him.

The kiss with Emilia, the feeling of holding Rem in his arms, the feeling of patting Petra on the head, even the sensations from fighting with Otto and training with Garfiel.

He could feel it all. He could feel the smell, the touch, even the taste and scent seemed to be there. He could feel each one at the same time and yet still distinguish them as if they weren’t mixed into one new sensation.

His body reacted. He felt chills, waves of heat climbing up his spine again, rushing down his arms, burning under his skin. The heat accumulating in the wrong places. Muscles trembling, his breath turning slightly irregular.

Like a growing void in his chest.

As if each distorted memory was breaking something inside him, as if each bond was burning away due to lust, as if every feeling he once had was being replaced by sweeter, more warped copies that didn’t match the reality he faced in each real memory.

He needed to get rid of it. Subaru knew this would break him if he didn’t push that feeling away soon.

That’s why he had to think and act quickly—he had to focus.

And so, he clenched his fists until one of his nails pierced his skin, sending another shock through him.

Subaru arched his body.

What hit him was a searing heat, as if every nerve ending in his body was celebrating. His breath escaping in a broken sigh, a restrained, guttural moan. A violent shiver raced up his spine, hitting his nape, chest, hips—his legs slightly gave out.

A wrong sensation. Completely wrong.

When he did that, it was supposed to hurt—to push away the feelings of sensitivity and the erratic thoughts about the woman beside him. He should have felt burning, discomfort, pain.

But it was the complete opposite!

It was as if the aphrodisiac had done something to his body, altering even the pain and pleasure receptors. Because all he could feel in that moment was an unbearable sense of ecstasy. His heart pounded harder, the wounded hand trembled and pulsed.

Each tiny drop of blood sliding down his wrist felt like a celebration of that new sensation—which deep down, he knew was wrong.

[Crusch: Subaru-Sama…?]

[Subaru: Hkk! Ah, Crusch-San.]

With the woman’s voice pulling him back—who had eaten during his delirium—he returned to a normal posture.

She now stood in front of him with the empty plate and neatly placed utensils.

[Crusch: You seemed lost in thought about something. What happened?]

[Subaru: Huh?! Oh, just a bit of envy, you know? Every time you eat, I keep thinking: “She’s gonna get a piece of veggie stuck in her teeth.” That always happened to me, and I always hope it happens to others too so I can make a joke.]

[Crusch: There’s no need to lie to me like that. Still, I find it comforting that you can hold on to your silly thoughts even in the chaos we’re in.]

[Subaru: If we can’t laugh, even a little, it means we have no hope left. Worse than facing things with coldness is facing them with no hope at all.]

[Subaru: To face the abyss with the certainty that falling into it is inevitable, or to face it with the belief that we can cross without fear? If we’re going to face difficulties while believing in something, then at the very least, let’s choose the more positive path. That’s the path I want to follow.]

[Crusch: But wouldn’t that same thinking make the fall even more devastating if it happens?]

[Subaru: And that’s exactly why, when we overcome it, the rewards are even greater.]

Speaking with a tone of certainty, he shared his belief.

He still wanted to maintain, even just a little, the woman’s hope. And he also wanted to hold onto his own hope in the face of the hardships they were going through at that moment. Maybe out of desperation. Maybe because he truly wanted to cling to the only thread of hope he had left. Maybe because he was an idiot.

Subaru allowed himself to say those words, still with a hint of belief. And that belief grew stronger when he saw her smile.

[Crusch: Thank you for those kind words, Subaru-sama. I wish I could repay you somehow.]

[Subaru: A beautiful smile as a reward to brighten my day is more than enough, Crusch-san!]

Proclaiming that with his signature smile and a thumbs-up, he allowed himself to relax.

Those overwhelming sensations seemed to slowly calm down.

At that moment, the feelings of heat and sensitivity in his body, the warped sensations of past memories, and even the twisted pleasure he’d felt instead of pain, were slowly giving way to something more comforting.

And in that moment—

[Crusch: Let me reward you in a gentler way.]

[Subaru: Wha—?!]

——And in that instant, he was suddenly kissed by the woman. Her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him in to lock lips. It would have been a sweet, romantic scene in any other moment.

But not now.

Not at that moment.

Because his eyes rolled back as chills raced down his spine. His body arched uncontrollably.

—[X]—

Capella sat patiently on her bed, swinging her legs one after the other, wearing a confident and sadistic smile as she stared at the door.

Waiting patiently, like a predator expecting her prey to walk right into her trap and offer up its life.

But at that moment, she was waiting for him—the one who had won her heart—waiting for the moment he would return to her room.

Because if all her steps had gone according to plan, it would be any second now.

Why did she believe that?

She could say it was her unshakable confidence in herself—and that wouldn’t be wrong—but it wasn’t just belief in her body.

It was belief in her entire being: her mind and her perfect schemes.

She knew Subaru would endure it to a certain point, resist it until the aphrodisiac became unbearable.

Then he would seek out someone he believed was unquestionably on his side.

And when that moment came—when he was comfortable, when he was vulnerable—he would be broken by that very person, at the exact moment both were weakened, just trying to lean on one another to bear the weight of the world on their shoulders.

The door burst open with a loud crash—predictable to her.

And there stood the black-haired boy.

[Capella: Huuum~~ Seems like you came back sooner than I expected, Subaru-chan~~ Are you feeling alright~~?]

[Subaru: Huff… Huff…]

Panting heavily, he approached the woman who remained unfazed.

She sat like a modest lady awaiting her beloved.

[Capella: Hmm? You look a little different from before~ Missing this lovely lady, were you~? Gyahahahaha! I wouldn’t blame you for that.]

[Subaru: Huff… Huff…]

With no warning, he pushed her down onto the bed. Not that she resisted.

Subaru climbed onto the bed.

The boy loomed over the Archbishop of Lust, both hands on either side of her face as she lay beneath him.

She looked up at him with a delighted, eager smile.

His eyes were glazed over, hearts dancing in their centers, his face flushed red, panting heavily like he was about to burst.

[Capella: Oh~ Looks like someone was naughty and broke our second rule, huh~~? Such a bad, bad thing for someone to do to my Subaru-chan~ But… don’t worry about that…]

Her hands reached up to his face, cupping his cheeks.

Her legs rose and wrapped around him, as if inviting him.

[Capella: I’ll take care of you… So don’t hold back, don’t worry, just let it all out in me, my darling~~~!]

Those words shattered him completely.

Every rational thought he had vanished.

Only instinct remained—only lust.

At that moment, he had lost the bet.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Capella had previously manipulated Crusch into believing Subaru was pulling away from her. That’s why, when Crusch kissed him, it was her trying to push back against those words. But it had all been part of Capella’s trap.

-When Subaru kissed Crusch, he lost consciousness and fled the cell to avoid attacking her. But that made Crusch think he had abandoned her for Capella.

-Subaru lost the bet and had to take another vial the next day—this time without the rule that Capella couldn’t provoke him. He lost again and had to take another, and another, for an entire week.

-This made him gradually forget Crusch, who was growing more and more sorrowful, believing she was being abandoned.

-Slowly, Capella began breaking Crusch, molding her into one of her “daughters.”

-Capella had long since repaired Subaru’s Gate, preventing him from dying from mana poisoning.

Chapter 121: Emerada Lugunica IF

What if...? What if Capella joins Subaru's side?

—————

 

 

Subaru was expecting many things when he came to Priestella. Spending time in the city, reuniting with Anastasia’s Camp — even if he didn’t like Julius —, helping Emilia in her negotiations with Kiritaka for a new Crystal for Puck, and, if he was greedy enough, even going on a date with Emilia. He’d even accept being accompanied by Beatrice if necessary — since she, even if she wouldn’t admit it, disliked being far from Subaru for too long.

Normal things. He even got excited about seeing people from another Camp, even thinking about how he could attend Reinhard and Wilhelm’s knighting ceremony.

But things could never go the way he wanted. Obviously not, especially after an entire year of peace with his companions. And he knew he shouldn't have expected anything less, given the horrible things that always happened to him and Emilia ever since the first day he met her — just ask Elsa.

This time, what happened was similar to what happened the year before, before the Sanctuary — Elsa and Meili, the Witch Cult.

An attack from the Archbishop of Wrath, Sirius Romanee-Conti, which began at the top of the tower, during his first loop in the water city. From his perspective, it was disgusting.

Then he tried two more times: once alone and once with Reinhard, and neither attempt had worked. Acting in his usual desperate way, trying to solve everything on his own to avoid putting Emilia and his friends in danger — all out of a selfish desire to keep solving everything without anyone’s support.

But he had managed to realize that in time.

That’s why, in this loop, he brought his trusted Beatrice to face the challenge and his enemy, and had left Emilia with Priscilla and Liliana, hoping to keep her safe from such a foe.

But she had appeared, thanks to the words of the Sun Princess, and that, at first, made him nervous and worried about the safety of the girl he loved.

But her words calmed him down and reminded him to start trusting Emilia’s abilities.

And then it began!

Emilia launched the attack against Sirius, and both began battling, while Subaru and Beatrice tried to deal with the people controlled by the Archbishop of Wrath.

A battle in which both sides were giving it their all. But Emilia began to lose her fight against Sirius — to the point where, for a moment, it seemed she was about to die in the Archbishop’s flames.

But it didn’t happen!

Which led to the situation they were now in, as Emilia was indeed saved — but by the Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas, whose attacks none of them had managed to affect, and who was already pushing Subaru’s patience to the limit.

[Regulus: Ah, so her name is Emilia, huh? What a perfect name for such a lovely girl.]

[Subaru: You didn’t even know her name? What do you see in her that makes you call her your bride?]

[Regulus: Her face. —— She has a beautiful face. That’s all that matters when it comes to love, right?]

[Subaru and Beatrice: You better die/, I suppose.]

Both contractor and contracted spirit declared with fury against Regulus’s indifferent words.

But before they could act, their attention was also drawn to the other Archbishop present in the scene, Sirius, who was looking at Subaru in a passionate way.

[Sirius: I found you. I found you! I found you! I found you! I found you! Yes! I knew it! It’s really you! Sorry for not realizing it! But it’s really you!]

[Subaru: W-What?]

[Sirius: So that’s where you were! My love reached you! That’s why you came back! I waited all this time just for you! My dear, my beloved... Petelgeuse!]

Subaru was extremely surprised and disgusted by the bandaged woman’s words directed at him.

While Beatrice looked confused, but also raised her guard.

[Regulus: Ugh, seriously. I can’t be bothered. I bet seeing that magic trick of his earlier gave you that filthy illusion.]

[Sirius: Yes, yes. Thank you. Sorry. I’m in the middle of something right now. If you’re done, could you leave?]

[Regulus: Are you giving me orders? Get this into your head — it’s terrifying to simply name someone and use blind devotion as an excuse. In a way, that’s a violation of Petelgeuse’s rights.]

[Sirius: He and I loved each other! After all, we made eye contact several times a day! When I, nervously, stole something from him, he didn’t scold me! He forgave me for eating the rest of his food, and when I inhaled his exhaled breath, he didn’t say a word! He gave me my name, smiled at me! At me! AT ME! AT NO ONE ELSE BUT ME!]

As she spoke passionately, the people around, still under her Authority’s control, began to cry blood and collapse.

Subaru saw that and became even more anxious.

Even in such a complicated situation, he needed to focus on helping the people around him.

[Subaru: P-Please stop! If you care about me, don’t drag the others into this!]

[Sirius: Hahaha! Even if it’s you asking, I’ll have to refuse. I mean, I finally found you again! And you’re telling me to wait? To be patient? You bring along a spirit girl I’ve never seen and tell me to wait? —— I’ll burn you! I know that filthy half-devil is the one you really want! If you love her so much, I’ll burn her right in front of you!]

[Regulus: You’re not even making sense anymore. —— Look, sorry to interrupt when you’re having so much fun... But time’s up. —— Do you hear those bells? Free time is over. Be grateful to me for choosing to follow my Gospel. Because even though I have personal desires — as everyone does — and we all wish to fulfill them to satisfy our final wants, I still remain calm, focused, centered on not breaking the orders of my Gospel and guiding myself to continue living a satisfied life, without the horrible greed that many have for wanting more than what is due and necessary.]

Just as he was about to leave...

[Subaru: Wait! Let her go!]

[Regulus: You know, I was thinking... It would be really sad if my bride’s side were empty at our wedding, and I’d feel bad for not inviting you, given your illicit love for her. I just can’t be that insensitive. Yes, you heard me? The one speaking to you is a man satisfied, happy to have a full and complete life, whose only wish is to maintain it in the best way I can. Even if it means facing difficult decisions and situations involving people who have no respect whatsoever for the wishes of good people like me to have good, simple, complete lives. However... you treated me extremely rudely, Natsuki Subaru.]

Ending his words with a neutral face, but eyes glowing with clear irritation, he kicked a small rock toward Subaru’s leg to incapacitate him.

The rock flew at high speed and in a trajectory that would hit its target without any way to defend against it.

Subaru saw it. Even if he couldn’t react in time to dodge it, he could see it coming.

And he knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge that strike. And he understood it was dangerous.

Because the man in front of him wasn’t only completely unharmed by all his attacks — the stone he had just launched was flying in a way no ordinary stone should.

The blow should have hit and blown apart part of his leg...

But it didn’t happen.

Because something stopped it.

An explosion of earth, something huge hitting the ground, along with a tremor, sent Subaru — who had been moving forward — flying back and crashing into Beatrice, both of them being dragged backward.

The dust also covered Sirius and Regulus, irritating them.

Subaru sat up, coughing.

Trying to recover.

[Beatrice: Subaru, are you all right, I suppose?]

[Subaru: I-I’m fine, Beako. No broken bones, just my pride, which wasn’t that big to begin with.]

[Beatrice: Pride can be recovered, even if it’s not that important right now, but you being injured can’t, I suppose!]

[Subaru: Your words are too kind… especially when you say them with such a sweet, worried tone—sorry! —— Emilia! I hate to say this right now, but we don’t have time to worry about me! We have to help Emilia! Save her from that guy and help the people against that lunatic!]

Declaring this as he stood up again, Beatrice, though clearly worried about Subaru, nodded and refocused on what was happening around them. After all, they were still in the middle of a battle, alone against the Sin Archbishops.

They focused on the cloud of smoke that was starting to dissipate.

[???: This is the moment when this lovely lady just has to butt in, Regulus~! You can’t hurt him like that!]

A melodic voice said loudly, clearly irritated and directed at the Archbishop of Greed.

Both Subaru and Beatrice then saw what was happening. And who—rather than what—had fallen in front of them. Their eyes widened in surprise at the sight in front of them and the other two Archbishops.

A being Subaru had hoped to see in a fantasy world someday—especially after learning about the kingdom’s guardian, Volcanica—this was the very apex of fantasy.

A dragon. A dragon with black scales and fierce eyes.

[???: You really are a disgusting being, Regulus~, not only do you keep your useless collection of women you’ll never do anything with, but now you’re attacking someone this beautiful lady wants to protect? What a filthy idiot you are~]

[Subaru: Why is the dragon talking like a little girl...?]

[Regulus: Hm, HMM?! A filthy idiot? You dare call me an idiot and filthy simply for welcoming the women I desire as my wives? Unbelievable, unacceptable. I can’t allow myself to be insulted like this by someone like you! After all, my life is an ordinary life, a fulfilled life, where I live together with all the women who willingly chose to be with me. Your words are simply unacceptable for someone as satisfied as I am, who only wishes to live a life far from unworthy people like you, incapable of understanding the life a man like me has.]

[???: Gyahahaha! Even your justifications are so dumb, so inconsistent, they’re just pathetic, you know?]

The dragon's words only further enraged the white-haired man in white clothes, which seemed to be exactly the creature’s intention. Subaru was growing more and more concerned about what this might mean for Emilia.

 [Subaru: H-Hey! I don’t know what’s going on! But you shouldn’t provoke him like that! He’s with my Emilia-tan, and he might end up doing something terrible to her!]

[???: ——?! Oh, you're okay! How wonderful! This beautiful lady was worried about you! Don’t worry, okay? Even though Regulus is a disgusting, useless being far from a real man, he’ll only kill the half-elf if she directly provokes him. Gyahahaha~!]

[Regulus: YOU, YOU, YOU——!!!]

Subaru didn’t understand what happened after the Archbishop of Greed started shouting “YOU!” over and over again, but he did know that a huge part of that place was destroyed.

And he was in the air, along with Beatrice, being carried away from the attack site, held by the hand of that dragon as they were moved farther and farther from where the fight had been taking place.

They finally landed on the rooftop of a building, where Subaru was gently placed down and Beatrice was tossed, while the dragon landed.

Subaru rushed over to Beatrice.

[Subaru: Beako! Are you okay?]

[Beatrice: Don’t let your guard down yet, Subaru, we’re not safe yet, I suppose! —— I hadn’t noticed before, but not just her appearance, her scent too—she reeks of Miasma, she has an Authority, I suppose!]

[Subaru: What——?!]

[???: I knew you’d notice and warn him to protect him right away. Not that I mind—it’s actually rather sweet. Which is why... I can totally accept you as part of our little family without any issue!]

The “dragon” spoke in that same melodic and gentle tone, leaving them confused.

Subaru and Beatrice immediately took combat stances in case the being tried anything against them.

[Subaru: Who are you?! Tell us now!]

[???: Of course. It would be rude of me not to introduce myself. Even though… we’ve actually met before, even if you don’t know it~~!]

The dragon began to change shape, shrinking and abandoning her draconic form, transforming into a human shape:

A blonde-haired woman with rosy eyes, a sharp yet cute smile, wearing a tight, short outfit that left much of her body exposed for anyone to see...

[Capella: From the Witch Cult, representing Lust, my name is Capella Emerada Lugunica! And I came to Priestella just to see you, Subaru-chan~ Because… I want you to become my knight and my beloved husband!]

Striking a cutesy pose with a smile, she introduced herself to them.

Subaru and Beatrice blinked a few times.

They looked at each other, then at the Archbishop standing there, then at each other again—still blinking in disbelief.

[Subaru: Okay... WHAT THE HELL——!!!]

 

 

—————

This would be the counterpart to the “Capella IF.” While that one followed the bad route, this one takes the good path (at least compared to the bad one).

In this IF:

-Capella fell in love with Subaru in the same way she did in the original Capella IF, but followed a different path.

-She has the same level of passion as in that other IF, but this time following a more comedic route (in full "Boa Hancock from One Piece" style—seriously, it’d basically be a copy of her character).

-She would help in the Priestella battle against the other Archbishops without hesitation if Subaru asked her for help—both by fighting the Archbishops and using her Authority to heal the wounded.

-Capella would eventually become part of the duo—now a trio—with Beatrice and Subaru, forming the main offensive team, while others provide support.

I decided to create this IF to follow a more positive, wholesome route than the Capella IF, to try and cleanse the minds of those who had to read that previous one. So... don’t worry. I’ll be trying to make this one healthy.

I’ve already decided what the One Hundredth Official Chapter of the IF series will be. It will be: Electra IF (based on the star of the Pleiades constellation, and its myth inspired by the tragedy Electra by Sophocles and Euripides), and it will serve as a continuation of one of my previous IFs.

Chapter 122: [Extra - Emerada Lugunica IF]

[Beatrice: The ceiling looks different today compared to other days, doesn’t it, I suppose?]

[Subaru: Yeah. When big changes happen, things feel drastically different. It was the same for me when you started sleeping here with me, Beako.]

[Beatrice: That’s quite... unsettling, I suppose.]

[Subaru: You don’t have to tell me... It almost feels like a bad joke...]

It was a brief exchange of murmurs between the two — contractor and spirit — as they stared at the ceiling of the room right after waking up, simply lying there, facing upward. The two were side by side on the bed, with Beatrice gripping Subaru’s hand more tightly than usual. Both were staring up, frustrated and worried by a big change in the room.

What reason could they possibly have for such concern?

Because of the third figure on the bed.

A figure lying on the opposite side of Beatrice, clinging to Subaru’s arm with affection and a smile on her face. Sleeping peacefully, someone no one would expect to see in such a state: Capella Emerada Lugunica. She wore a pinkish pajama with small animal images — a design that Subaru himself had chosen for her, instead of her usual attire. A satisfied smile rested on her face.

While Subaru stared down at her, and Beatrice had to sit up to look at the figure on the other side of the bed, both wore deep frowns of disapproval. They were trapped in an inescapable situation inside that room with none other than the Archbishop of Lust. They sighed, turning their gazes back to the ceiling.

How did they end up in such a situation?

Once again: Priestella.

It started when she saved — “Kidnapped, I suppose,” Beatrice would remark if the word “saved” was used — them from Regulus and took them far from danger. She introduced herself in a way that made them clearly uncomfortable, understandably so, as she was a Sin Archbishop — specifically of Lust — who had picked them up in the middle of battle while in her transformed state, as a kind of dragon, just moments before revealing herself.

She introduced herself, declared her intentions, and then... started clinging to him affectionately.

[Beatrice: Get off of him, I suppose!!!]

[Capella: Nooo~~ Beako-Chan, don’t be so jealous~~!]

The little spirit was trying to pull the Archbishop off Subaru as she held him tightly against her chest.

[Subaru: A romantic comedy trope scene being wasted in such a desperate moment. What awful luck I have.]

[Beatrice: Useless and frivolous words to say in a situation like this, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Yeah, yeah. I know. But it still hurts what’s left of my dreams and fantasies for a kind of romance. Honestly? So many have already been crushed that I just wanted to keep at least something safe, you know?]

[Beatrice: I’m sorry if that’s so important to you, I suppose.]

The little spirit said that after seeing the tired and saddened expression of the black-haired boy as he brought up that scene.

He then began to reflect more deeply on the events that followed.

To say what happened next was pure chaos would be an amusing way to describe it. Because, imagine this: a massive Witch Cult attack is happening in the city, and you — a Knight of a royal candidate with the appearance of the Witch of Envy — show up with a Sin Archbishop by your side? That doesn’t look good, especially when she’s clinging to you like that.

So the first thing that happened when she introduced herself to the members of all the Camps present at the time was... everyone getting into attack stance to wipe her out. Which was expected.

Subaru and Beatrice found themselves in a complicated position in the crossfire.

Of course, they were on the side of their allies, against the Sin Archbishop, especially since they wanted to eliminate her quickly. But even they stopped when she began pouring out very important information. Like: the bodies of Kurgan and Theresia van Astrea were in the city, serving the Witch Cult. Subaru even shuddered remembering the aura that emanated from Wilhelm, to the point it looked like he wanted to crush Capella to get all the information she might have.

But she — as she soon proclaimed — already intended to provide them with information.

[Capella: This lovely lady would never let her darling face danger without info to defend himself~~!]

She made this proclamation while clinging to Subaru in a clingy manner — “She’s like one of those high school girls!” Subaru recalled those classic clingy harem rom-com characters from manga and anime — and she said she was willing to tell them everything they wanted to know about the Witch Cult. Including the abilities and attack methods of her companions. Something they didn’t expect her to offer so easily, especially considering those from the Camps were technically her enemies and actively wanted to kill her.

Of course, at first, everyone had doubts about her words. That’s why they wouldn’t believe her 100% without the approval of two important figures: Crusch Karsten and Reinhard, who could verify whether her statements were true and clarify her real intentions.

Naturally, she told them everything she knew about each of the Archbishops.

Like about Regulus: who couldn’t be harmed by any type of attack, even by her own Authority. Also about Sirius. Then she spoke about the abilities of Lye Alphard and Roy Batenkaitos — even revealing that there were two Gluttonys — who could steal people’s names by hearing them spoken, including their titles if they had any, and then “devour” them, erasing them from the world, erasing their memories, or both, even leaving them in a hibernation state. She also spoke about the “zombies” — Subaru’s special nickname for those figures — Theresia and Kurgan: highly skilled combat forms with no conscious thought, nowhere near their original peak strength.

She also revealed the number of cultists attacking the city and their plans to target civilians.

Subaru wanted to doubt she was handing over all this information so easily, suspecting she might be deceiving them somehow — but neither Crusch nor Reinhard detected lies in her words. Reinhard, in particular, didn’t detect any malice toward Subaru — which left him more than a little surprised, given the declaration from his friend.

And if that wasn’t enough... she helped them in battle.

All it took was Subaru asking for help to fight the Archbishops, and she actively decided to assist. In more than one instance. Thanks to her Authority-granted powers, she managed to prevent numerous casualties on their side. Especially in battles against the Archbishops. Like during the battle at City Hall, when she helped capture Roy Alphard, who was supposed to take over City Hall alongside her in the middle of the attack, and also helped drive off those guarding the place, Kurgan and Theresia, although they weren’t able to eliminate them then. Alongside her own strategy, she also supported the retaking of the main dam points around the city, which could flood all of Priestella if opened.

Her plan was to take over City Hall and make an announcement using the city’s Metia, which would allow everyone to hear her demands — something the city had kept secret: the remains of the Witch of Pride, Typhon.

[Subaru: As always… bandits taking hostages… except this time, it’s an entire city. I can’t really blame them… it’s a classic villain strategy, and they might actually get everything they want.]

Reflecting on it again, he had to give credit to the Archbishops for such a strategy, even if it was used for something so terrible.

The battle in the city, of course, wasn’t over. Things were only getting more complicated. After the battle at City Hall ended, it was time to rescue Emilia from the forced marriage that Regulus wanted to impose on her—something Subaru would never allow.

After giving his speech, he, Beatrice, Reinhard, and—much to his and Beatrice’s displeasure—Capella, set out to face the Archbishop of Greed.

It was a scene of massive destruction.

[Emilia: Who is she?]

[Capella: The former Sin Archbishop of Lust of the Witch Cult, Capella Emerada Lugunica! I came with my darling Subaru-chan to save you~~ And I came… to take him as my knight from you~~!]

Those words, in such a situation—especially with Reinhard and Regulus already locked in an intense clash since the moment the group stormed the church—were surreal.

But… Subaru and Beatrice had to give Capella her due in that moment. In that battle, she was the one who stood against Regulus head-on during Emilia’s rescue, especially when Reinhard was thrown to the Moon.

She fought bravely against her former Archbishop colleague.

Regulus truly possessed devastating power, leaving an immense trail of destruction across the city. But thanks to her abilities, Capella had such advanced regeneration that it made it impossible for the white-haired man to completely eliminate her.

This gave Subaru, Beatrice, and Emilia time to find a way to penetrate his defenses. It took quite a while.

That delay allowed Subaru to discover Regulus’s true weakness: his wives. He noticed how he didn’t seem connected to the world—or even time itself—which made him appear disjointed.

Once that was discovered, Emilia became instrumental. She used her magic to temporarily freeze the wives, and then Subaru used the Invisible Providence to destroy the Lion’s heart implanted in her by the Archbishop after her abduction.

The Archbishop of Greed lost his powers, making him vulnerable.

Emilia landed dozens of punches in the name of all the wives. Capella hit him too, for all the ongoing damage he’d caused her—even if not permanent, she remembered the pain and trauma of the attacks.

Beatrice used her Minya spell to pierce his leg—and even hit his groin at one point, something that took Subaru by surprise.

Subaru even used his whip right across the Archbishop’s face, and when Reinhard returned from the Moon, he finished the job.

The five of them united to beat down the man who wouldn't stop whining about his violated rights.

They even had to deal with Lye Batenkaitos, who came after Capella to avenge himself and understand why she helped them capture his brother.

It was a fairly even fight: Lye was faster and a better fighter, but Capella had overwhelming physical dominance that created a massive gap.

In the end, the battle for Priestella concluded extremely favorably for them.

The side of the Camps and the city’s people were victorious against the Witch Cult.

They had captured three Archbishops: Roy Alphard, Lye Batenkaitos, and Sirius Romanee-Conti—the last of whom was defeated by Priscilla.

They also eliminated multiple members, including the “zombies” of Kurgan and Theresia van Astrea, as well as Regulus, the Archbishop of Greed.

An absolute victory! But there was still one matter left regarding the Witch Cult.

The Archbishop of Lust, who was still trying to affiliate herself with Subaru and his Camp. Something that wouldn’t be well received—especially with the very obvious possibility that she was trying to infiltrate them to get close to the one who resembled the Witch of Envy, whom the Cult worshiped with such fervor.

A very logical concern, considering who they were dealing with.

And what could they do?

Against such an unpredictable adversary—nothing.

After all the battles had concluded, she suddenly vanished amid the chaos.

Expected, wasn’t it? She left the city as quickly as possible before she could be attacked, captured, or even killed by the united Camp members.

Because perhaps even she couldn’t survive Reinhard van Astrea, the Sword Saint.

And Subaru wouldn’t blame her for being afraid of him.

Subaru couldn’t imagine anyone capable of fighting, defeating, or even killing Reinhard. It just seemed like an absurd impossibility.

But of course, nothing is ever that simple, is it?

Because she suddenly appeared at their Camp not long after.

She entered his room at night, sleeping next to him and Beatrice on their very first night there.

When he saw her, both he and Beatrice let out a shared scream—partly due to embarrassment at how little clothing she was wearing—which drew everyone’s attention.

Chaos followed, especially with Emilia nearly freezing the entire room and Garfiel smashing through one of its walls.

A new cliché unlocked—used by none other than the Sin Archbishop of romantic comedy harems.

[Subaru: Of all the story clichés… why did these have to happen to me? I just wanted the cliché where I unlock the power to save everyone around me without dying over and over…]

Even after learning how this world broke all his Isekai fantasy ideas, he couldn’t help but complain when clichés like these happened to him—especially one after another, ever since encountering the Lust Archbishop in Priestella (even though she claimed they had met before, and he simply couldn’t remember due to her shape-shifting ability).

Subaru and the others found themselves walking a tightrope.

If they tried to capture her?

She could cause massive destruction in the Mathers Mansion or the territory. If she fought back, it might be impossible to stop her without someone dying or being seriously injured.

She might even transform everyone into weird creatures and never change them back— “I won’t do that to Subaru-chan~”

If they tried to call Reinhard or the others for help?

She might escape and hide so well that no one would be able to track her.

She could vanish before Reinhard even arrived, resulting in an even greater loss for them by losing track of such a dangerous person— “It’s no problem for this beautiful lady to hide for years without anyone ever getting close~”

If fighting or capturing her were impossible options at the time, what could they do?

Easy—according to Roswaal: keep her in the Camp, within their territory, under their control.

Which really meant: under Subaru’s control.

Many disagreed vehemently — Garfiel shouted a lot about it. And others reluctantly accepted it — Otto and Ram, for instance, who saw some truth in Roswaal’s logic.

Although Subaru noticed Otto really wanted to punch Roswaal again, just like he had done back in the Sanctuary that one night.

So they had to keep her close, to watch over her, rather than leave things to chance and risk an assassination or capture attempt. Because there was always the chance she would become violent toward them, like a wounded animal surrounded by hungry predators.

In this case...

That led to their current situation. No matter where they tried to keep her, she would always escape and come to the Knight’s and the Great Spirit’s room, joining them in their bed. Just like one of those clichés he had mentioned before—though he wished it were someone else in her place, out of fear that she might try something indecent with him.

[Subaru: We're really in a complicated situation, huh...]

[Beatrice: I’d rather not even think this is our reality, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Accepting the reality you're in and that it's unchangeable... That's something I’ve had to learn a lot about in times like these, you know? It’s not my first time going through a shift, but this is the first of its kind...]

[Capella: That’s kinda worrying, Subaru~chan.]

The two turned their gaze toward the blonde upon hearing her speak.

She was staring at them with an expression somewhere between happy and curious—like this: (OwO).

[Subaru: She’s awake? Why didn’t you tell me?]

[Beatrice: I was reflecting on my life choices up until now, considering my contractor ended up in bed with a woman before marriage, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Don’t even remind me. That breaks the heart of a man who wanted a romantic story.]

[Capella: I’ll marry you if that’s the case, and you won’t have a problem having your wife sleep next to you, right~?]

She continued smiling.

Subaru and Beatrice sighed wearily, thinking about the kind of things they might still have to deal with. At times like these, they wished there was an easy solution to everything.

In this case, Beatrice even considered opening the Great Rabbit’s Dimension... but only if Subaru’s chastity was in danger.

 

 

—————

I'm thinking about bringing up a conversation between her and Meili in the future.

In this IF:

-They didn't head to the Pleiades Watchtower right after Priestella, but they will, since the Knights couldn’t get anything out of Lye, Roy, and Sirius regarding the return of the victims' names eaten by Gluttony.

-Julius didn’t have his name eaten, and Joshua and Ricardo didn’t lose an arm.

-Crusch wasn’t poisoned.

Chapter 123: [Epilogue - Capella and Emerada Lugunica IF]

1) Emerada Lugunica.

If you asked Princess Emerada if she knew what love was. She would think she knew what it was. But over the years, she came to deeply understand the types of love she believed she knew. She was able to grow from a childish mindset to a mature one after her childhood.

And she began with the love of her parents...

Her “mother”, the Queen, didn't show her love in the way she thought some people would. Even though she appeared to people as a loving, kind mother, who treated people as she would treat her daughter, it was the opposite of reality, because she didn't receive the same treatment as people outside the castle where she grew up, a different treatment.

Emerada always thought she was loved by her mother. In her own way, but that she was loved.

When she started to remember her mother, it always began when she was four or five years old; her “mother” showed her tough love in order to discipline her like a princess, so that she could become a queen like her, something that Emerada longed for. Emerada wanted to become like her mother and be loved by all her people as a queen. And the way her mother raised her was with blows and punishments; slaps, punches, or even locking her in one of the castle's dungeons, which usually had flies and were dirty, disgusting places with a horrible smell. But Emerada believed that this was to discipline her and make her like herself, which the little princess wanted.

Even if she was surprised why she received such treatment, while others didn't.

Why did her “mother” look at her differently from strangers? Why did she beat her to educate her? Why did she lock her in such a dark and disgusting cell when she did something wrong?

But she understood later, she understood thanks to her father.

The King...

The king was also a figure loved by the people, a handsome man whom she inherited his features, such as the colors of his eyes and his hair. The almost symbol of the Lugunica family members, passed down from generation to generation. And she had been quite a pretty figure since she was a child. Her face, the only one not hit by her mother in her punishing lessons, was beautiful even when she was a small child, allowing her to admire her looks from a very young age.

He was a well-liked man at the time, as well as well-respected, and his beauty was such that he received more than one glance from the women passing by.

Emerada always received different treatment from her father, treatment that she believed to be love. Even if... she largely disliked it. For these treatments came when her “mother” fought with him and wouldn't allow him to sleep in her room — which was often. And this caused him to collapse into drink on the nights that this happened. An addiction that made him spill whole bottles until he either fell asleep or came to see her in her room.

Her father liked to play with she. Even when she wasn't in that state, Emerada could always be seen having fun, most of the time with her father. And he was always the one who let her out of her cell in the dungeon when she was grounded and then filled her with presents. Which Emerada really liked. Her father always filled her with toys, always pampered her, praised her, showered her with affection and kisses on the cheek, like kisses on the top of her head and, when they started, kisses on her lips.

For his father felt lonely when his mother threw him out of his room, and even lonelier when he drank to try to dispel the sadness he felt. But it never seemed to work. And from the night he kissed her on the lips for the first time, he would come back to play and be comforted by his daughter.

“Sons and daughters should love their parents unconditionally, that's all.” were part of the words her father said to her when she asked him about the things she felt from his kisses.

Then she thought about what she felt in those cases. Her stomach lurched, she felt dizzy and wanted to vomit when she smelled him, when she tasted the alcohol he always drank. She thought it was love. Love that a daughter should feel for her father, as she should for her mother, and for this reason, in childhood, she never questioned it. Because when he did this to her, he always gave her presents afterwards for being a good and obedient daughter.

When she did the things he asked, he rewarded her with everything she could possibly want, and this spoiled her mind, because she always wanted to receive more of her father's love, as well as all the things she would be given. The things he asked for always involved kissing him, as well as helping him with his body part with her hands or mouth and she always did it — even though she always hated the taste of that white stuff he spewed out when she made such requests for her beloved father.

On the night of his seventh birthday, she even presented him with something he had asked for. His chastity. Something that, from what she'd heard, was important for a lady, and that should be given to the man she loved and in return he should love her unconditionally for the rest of his life - an exchange of something for eternal love. And that made her agree! For it was her beloved father who explained this to her.

Her father who took care of her in a way that her “mother” didn't, who filled her with toys, who also gave her the things she asked for when she was a good daughter.

Believing in her father's words of an exchange for eternal love, she purposely gave it to him so that they could make such an eternal vow. That marked the first time she entered adulthood. Something that happened on her bed in her bedroom, surrounded by the toys she remembered her father buying her when she was five, as well as toys she had long before that, and she remembered the blood, as well as the sensations of pain, the tears she let out, how she begged for it to be over quickly so she wouldn't have to do it again, and her father's expressions as he used his “toy” to take away her chastity and mark her with his vow of eternal love.

The next morning after that event, Emerada couldn't look her father in the eye or her “mother”.

Emerada spent that day locked in her room. Despite receiving her food there, like a little visit from the maids, no one seemed bothered enough to take her out of it. She lay on the sheets marked by her father's sweat, the blood of his chastity, as well as that strange liquid that leaked from him. And she wondered if that was really the love a daughter should share with her father and mark the eternal love they should have.

After she had managed to endure that pain the next morning, she went back to walking around the castle.

But from that night of her seventh birthday, everything changed. For her father began to perform that act of eternal love again on certain nights. Not every night, but the ones when he was kicked out of his “mother's” room. And he would ask for her affection. He asked her to let him join her again, sharing the “eternal love” they had sworn to each other.

A good daughter should do that for her father. She knew that, because it was her father who had told her so.

To help her loving father's wounded heart with her love, which he asked for so much.

A good daughter should love her parents unconditionally.

That's why she always helped her father calm his heart. She accepted him into her room, accepted him into her heart.

Even though she didn't entirely like what she had to do for him, because it was still an uncomfortable and strange feeling that she felt with her father at those times, she liked how he rewarded her with all the presents she asked for, even more than before, and she really liked how he protected her.

Like the time she killed a child.

A little noble girl who had gone to her parents' party at the castle, a little girl who had done something that Emerada didn't like. She had picked up and started playing with one of her dolls. Her favorite doll, the doll she loved the most, the only doll given to her by her mother. That's why she was so special! And that's why Emerada did what she did. When she saw her, she pushed her and unintentionally pushed her off the top of a staircase.

She watched her fall, step by step, until she broke her neck at the end of the staircase. Surprising her. Thinking she had done something very wrong, Emerada ran to her father, ran to ask for help from the man who had sworn to love her. The king helped her. For as he explained to her: "You didn't do anything wrong, dear. It was an accident. You're not wrong to want to take back what was yours. But don't do it again." He spoke with a tone she had never heard before, a tone that sounded worried.

Promising not to do that kind of thing again, Emerada was happy to know that she hadn't done anything wrong. Since her father had never told her anything.

And even though he had helped her.

Her mother looked at her differently. With disgust. A look of disgust that pierced her soul, that made her shudder.

And later she understood why she had received that look.

One night when she couldn't sleep, when she wanted to ask her father for help because she was feeling sick all over her body without understanding, she went to her parents' bedroom. She was at their bedroom door when she heard her mother's screams, while, through a crack in the door, she saw her father sitting on the bed, with a defeated expression on his face.

[Mom: I told you it was only a matter of time before this happened...! She... She has the same temperament as that woman...!]

[Father: She didn't do it on purpose. Emerada is just a child. It was just an accident, an accident that any child could commit. She didn't——]

[Mom: She's just like her mother! —— No matter how hard I try, I can't! She looks just like her damn sister! The horrible eyes, the way she talks, the way she looks is just a spitting copy of her! And now... and now... And now she's started doing the same things! —— I bet you've even started visiting her, like you used to visit your sister, haven't you?]

[Dad: I don't want to hear this from you! DON'T YOU DARE SAY THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW! I am not and have never been her biological father...! Even if you consider her my daughter, she's only that in title, not in actual blood!"]

Those were the only words she remembered from that night as she listened outside without anyone noticing.

The words spoken by her “mother” and her father. They clearly told her something she had to learn: that she, Emerada Lugunica, was only related to the King by blood because she was his niece, not his daughter. She could be a royal heiress, but not a princess by title.

Discovering that her real mother was actually the king's sister.

A woman who looked like her as a child, a woman who had committed the same accidents she had, a woman her father visited as he did now. These were things she learned about her mother. Things that etched themselves deeply into her seven-year-old head as she moved into her eighth year, which was developing more and more.

She tried to reason. She tried to get it through her head that, despite everything, they loved her as they would their daughter. Emerada wanted to believe that despite not having her blood, her “mother” and father really were kind and charitable to her, because they loved her.

The little child wanted to believe in love...

And it was in her ninth year that she began to understand that her “parents” didn't really love her.

When her little “sister” was born. A little girl almost like her, but less beautiful than her and more loved than her. For from the moment she saw her in her “mother's” arms and saw how her father looked at her, Emerada knew, it was easy for her to read the expressions of happiness and the sparkle in their eyes when they looked at the little child, as well as the glances they threw at her when she came close to the little baby.

All those things that she thought were love, she discovered were not. Not anymore.

For when her “mother” beat her and locked her up as usual, her father wouldn't take her out of that dungeon unless she had spent more hours than before. If she had spent three hours before, she now spent six. Trapped in that place of flies, rats, and a terrible smell that could destroy her delicate nostrils - in a way that made them more sensitive than insensitive. And her blows got worse. Just as her evenings with her father began to dwindle, and when he did come, he just played with her and left, without even rewarding her like he used to.

While her sister received better treatment than she ever had, at least that she remembered. And she saw how her “mother” loved her blood family so much that she simply seemed like a different woman, because she treated her as she treated their people, with a warmth and kindness that she hadn't expected.

It was in those moments that she realized that she had never really been loved by her “parents”, just as she was sure she wouldn't be loved or love her younger sister.

Because she would never have family love.

As the years went by, their relationship became closer, as if they weren't even really related. Her father even stopped visiting her on her sixteenth birthday. And as the relationship worsened, Emerada began to become smarter and more savvy, all in order to defend herself against her parents and to survive in that environment. Since they no longer had any interest in her, nor would they defend her as her father had in her childhood, they finally had their real daughter.

The years had only made her more beautiful. And at sixteen she still looked young and beautiful enough for many to want her.

Some considered her intelligent and thought her quite capable of leadership. But she still wanted to believe that she could find love, that she would find love even if it wasn't from her parents.

And she thought she could find it in people.

Trying to be an exemplary princess, trying to be a leader who could make her relative proud, trying to be more than her little “sister”. That's why she tried to stay focused and present at events concerning the kingdom. Thinking that, in time, she could get the love and admiration she so desired, to achieve what she most wanted. Love.

Even though her parents and most of the nobles considered her a cruel person because of the poison she put into her words when talking to the people around her. They considered her a nonconformist.

To the point where she was even feared, and she could clearly see it.

It was not only this that began to develop in her, but she would only discover it later.

It was in those years of growing up, developing, that she met “him”. At the age of sixteen, she met a boy and felt her heart beat. It was her first crush. A boy only two years older than her, handsome, someone from a noble family. And although she no longer remembered his name, she remembered the things he made her feel and did to her.

Emerada believed she had found love with that man.

Someone who treated her with affection, someone who cared for her in a way she had never been cared for before, someone who seemed to have no hidden intentions for staying with her. She thought she had found the person who would love her unconditionally, she thought she had found someone who would be hers for all eternity. Something that she imagined was reciprocal, something that was shared by both parties.

For she received sweet words, she received oaths of love, she received affection from a lover who would never abandon her.

She even received an oath from him that he would be her knight. Not just another knight of the realm, not just any knight. He swore that he would become her personal knight to defend her above all else. Even if it meant going against the King and Queen, even if it meant taking on the world, he would love her and put her above everyone else. He would love her.

But as life showed that young woman, it wasn't like that.

While she thought their love was growing, she even began to share his bed as she used to with her father, only this time it was a different sensation from all the other times she'd had with her father. It was something different and delicate that filled her with happiness. Only she discovered that it wasn't like that, it wasn't the kind of love she had thought, when she found out that he was sleeping with other women.

[???: Why shouldn't I do that? You've probably slept with other men, from what I've heard. And you weren't even a virgin when we had our first time.]

These were his arguments and she also discovered another reputation she was gaining, as a promiscuous woman who slept with several men - a rumor spread by the very man who claimed to love her. This further tarnished her image, which had already been destroyed by the nobles who already disliked her.

And that was the end of their relationship.

An end that was worse for the girl than for the boy. For her reputation was further tarnished, the relationships she had with the people around her, which she had built up to become the new heiress best suited to the throne, were being destroyed, and the one she thought she loved, who thought he loved her, had deceived her. And her parents had only helped her in a superficial way.

Because while her reputation hadn't been destroyed throughout the kingdom, she no longer had any remnants of the one she had built up over all those years.

But it seemed that life wanted to destroy her even more. Because thanks to the relations she had with the boy, she became pregnant. A difficult, painful, but hopeful pregnancy. For if she couldn't get the love of her parents, if she couldn't get the love of her sister, if she couldn't get the love of her first crush who had sworn to be her knight, she believed she would get the love of her child.

“Sons and daughters must love their parents unconditionally, that's it.” She remembered her father's words and believed them to be true. Emerada kept her pregnancy, kept the child to have it. She thought she would finally be loved. But in the end, life showed that she wouldn't receive what she wanted most. Love. For her daughter, a little girl, had been born dead. A malformed and sickly child. Who had died shortly after birth, leaving her even more devastated.

All the kinds of love she craved had been ripped away from her.

And soon she would discover that she had lost more than that.

Because she discovered a disease. An unknown illness, one that she felt great pain from. At least she believed it was a disease. But later the truth was revealed to her...

During the time of her pregnancy. Her “mother”, the Queen, had put something into her body. Divine Dragon blood with poison. Taking away the purified version of that blood, giving her a poisoned version, a devastating version that worsened her health over the time she was pregnant and that would eventually lead to the death of her baby, a tragic end to an unrecognizable and unrecoverable illness. The end of the little girl.

[“Mother”: Your mother was a monster. She tried to take everyone with her, tried to seduce everyone with her beauty and her body. A lewd monster. A creature who even scratched her own brother, all because of her own Lust. —— I hoped you wouldn’t become someone like that, but you did exactly the same thing she did. You’re trying to sink the entire family, just like she did.]

Cold words, harsh words. Words that crushed her soul and shattered her heart, for they were the last words she exchanged with her “mother”. The queen loved by the people of her kingdom, but who never said a single “I love you” to that little girl in her life that she could remember.

A girl who was born without love... A girl who grew up without love...

Sunk in the desires of the people around her, with no chance of getting her own. Poisoned by her own “mother”. Who would not be remembered by anyone, dying at the age of eighteen.

If it hadn't been for——

[???: Emerada Lugunica.]

the appearance of that figure. The figure with white skin, ocean blue eyes, a white cloth that barely covered her body and an enigmatic smile. The figure that allowed her to be reborn.

Reborn not from love, but from the Lust that had driven her to her death.

Becoming who she seemed destined to be...

2) Capella.

Capella, Capella Emerada Lugunica, the Sin Archbishop of Lust of the Witch Cult. When she received her Authority, she took on this name to combine with the one she already possessed, becoming a new person altogether. Someone who would no longer bow her head, who would no longer allow herself to be crushed by those around her, and who would finally receive all the love she believed she had deserved since birth.

That’s why she became who she was.

And over the years, she lovingly welcomed her beloved “sons” and “daughters.” All those rejected by the world and deserving of a Mama’s love. And she was that Mama, a figure that everyone should love, and to educate them, she would do exactly as her own “mother” had taught her in the past. She would shape them into the best children she could have, rewarding them with all the charitable love she could offer in return, so they would continue to obey her orders.

Something she adored! Seeing everyone adore her, proclaiming praises of love toward her.

Even if it meant following her Gospel, which promised to lead her to her greatest desire: Love. The love she knew she deserved from the moment she was born, but which everyone had refused to give her. But she would manage to obtain whatever she wanted, even if it meant doing something distasteful, like following the orders of the Cult leader, Pandora.

Over the years, she acquired many children. Among them, one who stood out was Elsa, a highly talented assassin with incredible skills.

Someone she could feel a little pride in.

So imagine her surprise when she discovered that Elsa had died at the hands of the half-devil Emilia's camp, whose newly appointed, commoner-born knight had not only killed Gluttony's pet but also caused the death of Petelgeuse, the most active member of the entire Witch Cult.

That intrigued her.

Because the commoner she had heard about had appeared out of nowhere and had been the one who, in two separate cases, stopped her daughters, Elsa and Meili, from completing their assassination missions — ironically, both targeting the camp of the silver-haired half-devil who resembled the Witch of Envy.

Normally, she would have just followed her Gospel and stayed away, uninterested. But... this time, it made her extremely curious.

Capella began to watch the black-haired Knight, a young man who confused her because she couldn’t understand how someone so seemingly weak could accomplish such feats. How was he capable of defeating the White Whale and Petelgeuse, and even causing the death of one of her beloved daughters? He appeared to be an ordinary and insignificant person compared to the other members of the camp. With no apparent special powers, and a personality different from everyone around him.

The cautious are the safe ones.

So, she decided to investigate him more thoroughly.

She waited until he was away from his spirit — since she knew those entities could sense her Miasma due to her Authority of Lust. That’s when she infiltrated one of the villages he visited, disguised as a child — the form she once had in the past — and approached him innocently.

At their first meeting, she found him incredibly stupid.

Not only because of the way he spoke, but also how he acted around her and the other children — in a way she had never seen anyone act before. No one had ever treated her like that.

He played, said sweet and sometimes strange words she had never heard before, and even did things like patting her head, making her participate in radio calisthenics along with everyone else in the village, and giving rewards to those who participated every time he led the activity. He treated her with the same affection she had seen parents and siblings give to younger children. Something that… felt strange to her.

Why did he treat her that way? He didn’t know her, yet treated her kindly. He wasn’t her relative or her “child,” but he spoke gently, helped her, and encouraged her to make friends with others around her, with the other children in the village. Treating her as if she were a sweet, innocent little girl. But she knew people only did such things with hidden motives, especially after she sensed his Miasma, revealing that he, like her, had an Authority.

In her mind, everything was part of a personal plan from that piece of meat, who had his own desires.

But she kept trying to understand him, to understand how his power worked. And she saw many strange things about that weird knight. His interactions with the half-devil Emilia were… unlike anything she expected. He praised her frequently, brought her to the village, encouraged her to interact with others — especially the children — and treated her with a clear affection that showed the love he felt for her. A kind of love, though Capella believed it was just lust.

Lust from a lascivious man who only desired the body of that girl who resembled the Witch. Like how Petelgeuse felt when he was alive — an obsession with the Witch of Envy, seeing her image in the half-devil.

That, in her mind, was the only explanation for anyone wanting to get close to the half-devil.

But… why did she seem so happy? Why did that girl, cursed with the appearance of a monster, smile like that? Why did that man seem to try so hard for her?

Capella was even surprised when she heard it from Subaru himself, when she "innocently" asked about the beating he had taken on her behalf:

[Subaru: That was something personal to me. —— Emilia-tan was the first person who had been kind to me when I arrived in the Capital. She called for help against three bandits even while busy pursuing her own mission, her own goal. But she still did it, just because she was kind. And I grew more and more attached to her, to the point I wanted to force my way into her heart so she’d never abandon me. —— I was an idiot… I went there hoping something bad would happen, just so I could act like some kind of hero or something… thinking only of myself instead of her. I don’t regret what I said! Because Emilia-tan didn’t deserve to be attacked like that! And I’ll never regret calling myself her knight, even after that beating! Because I’ve grown, and now… I’m proudly Natsuki Subaru, the Knight of Half-Elf Emilia, the cutest girl in the world who’s going to become the next queen!]

Those were his words when talking about that day. Embarrassed, but also without hesitation. With a loving smile on his face, his cheeks slightly red, showing how important that event still was to him — so much so that he now had no shame in speaking about it.

Something that surprised her. Because he had proclaimed himself a knight in front of everyone — the Knight of the half-devil.

But she still believed he was faking everything. And to prove it, she created a plan.

Using all her skills and contacts, she began to push away every member of Subaru’s camp — including Emilia herself — so she could then transform into the girl and invite him to what he called a "date." Something the two did together, going out alone as a pair. Something he used to court the half-devil, and she hoped he would treat her the same way he had treated the girl in the past…

But it turned out to be completely different.

He didn’t force himself on her the same way that other guy had, and he didn’t say kind or pretty words just for the sake of it — the conviction in his words was completely different whenever he complimented her appearance. He gave her simple yet emotional gifts, like the flowers she received when they climbed the hill. A hill he said reminded him of their first meeting.

That “meeting” of theirs... was interesting and, though she wouldn’t admit it at the time, it had been fun.

When they arrived at that hill and she received those flowers, she couldn’t understand why he was trying so hard for her. That’s why she questioned him, belittling herself, repeating what everyone always said about the half-demon, expecting generic answers, expecting empty, kind words meant to win her over. Trying to make him reveal the real reason why he did all those things for a half-demon with such passion...

And then, she got flicked on the forehead.

It wasn’t as painful as some of the stronger hits she’d taken, but it was surprising — even more so because of what he said.

[Subaru: Haven’t I told you this before?! Why else would I face that assassin? Why else would I face that Whale and that Rabbit? Why else would I face that Sin Archbishop of Sloth?! My god… But don’t worry, I’ll say it again... I love you, Emilia-tan! I don’t care what people think of you, I don’t care what they say! You are not the Witch of Envy! Do you know who you are? —— A kind girl, a naïve girl, a good-hearted girl, BUT! also an annoying girl, a girl who still has a lot of growing to do, a girl who is extremely irritating when she doesn’t seem to understand how much we care about you! And until you understand that: I’ll repeat this as many times as it takes!]

He stood up at that moment, striking a strange pose with one finger pointed toward the sky.

[Subaru: I am Natsuki Subaru! I am the Knight of the Half-Elf Emilia, the girl I love with all my heart! And I don’t care how many times I have to say it! —— I love you! And every time you say something you hate about yourself, I’ll tell you all the things I love about you! All you have to do is ask!]

Those were the words he declared, staring at her. His face beaming with energy, excited and gentle; his eyes fixed on her, not with malice, but with a level of kindness and love she had never truly experienced before — not in all those years. Treating her, even thinking she was Emilia, with a warmth and love she had never truly received from anyone in her past, not even when she became an Archbishop.

And after that, he did nothing she didn’t want.

He gently held her hands — so gently it was as if he was afraid to break or hurt them, even though it was impossible for him to do so. He leaned his face closer to hers, slowly, and then kissed her forehead — with a tenderness she had never felt before. A gesture of affection, expressing his love in another way.

[Subaru: I wish I could kiss you again… but now’s not the time. When we kiss again, I want it to be because Emilia-tan says it’s the right moment. Until then… I’ll be content with feeling the softness of your hands and kissing your cute forehead and cheeks!]

He said that, still wearing that goofy expression, caressing her hair with a touch so tender and gentle it hardly felt real — that someone could treat another person like that, especially someone like her. Doing something that guy from the past never did — never said those words, never preserved her space so she could choose whether or not she wanted to kiss him by her own will.

And that made her heart pound.

Because ever since she met him in the village, she had seen him show all kinds of love she had ever longed for:

Parental love: The way he treated the children, especially the child-like spirit.

Sibling love: The way he treated her when she was disguised as just another child in the village.

Romantic love: The way he treated her when she was disguised as Emilia, the half-demon who should’ve only received disdain and hatred from everyone in the world.

And she envied all the love everyone else received.

Why?

Why did all of them receive that unconditional love from that knight, when she didn’t?

Why did even that half-demon, cursed from birth because of her appearance, receive affection from everyone around her — when she herself, from the moment she was born, never once heard an “I love you” from her “mother”?

She didn’t understand. She couldn’t comprehend. She couldn’t accept such a truth.

Because that half-demon had everything she ever wished for.

But on that hill, she understood why she had met him.

Because it was him!

The one who would love her the way her parents never did, the way her sister never did.

The one who would take the place of the man who once swore to be her knight.

The one who would love her forever.

The one who made her heart beat again like it hadn’t in so many years.

Capella had fulfilled the wish of Emerada Lugunica — she had found her love.

And it was Subaru Natsuki, the man who seemed capable of achieving the impossible in the name of the love he felt for the one he wanted to protect.

That’s why she decided she would have him for herself.

She would win him over.

One way or another, she would have what was promised to her.

Be it through Love... or through Lust.

 

 

—————

This is an epilogue for Capella's IF and Emerada Lugunica's IF — an epilogue for two IFs at the same time.

Because in this split, she could choose a path.

Lust – Capella IF.

Love – Emerada Lugunica IF.

What did you think? I don’t know if I managed to create a good enough backstory for the character and a convincing reason for her to fall in love with Subaru, so I’d love to hear your thoughts. Even though it’s quite long, I trimmed and removed parts I felt were redundant in my head to avoid making it unnecessarily lengthy — since this is my second longest Epilogue and IF chapter.

The next one is the hundredth. Are you excited?

Chapter 124: Felt IF

What if...? What if Reinhard had brought Subaru along with Felt?

—————

 

 

[Felt: You better let me and big bro leave right now, you stupid jerk!]

[Reinhard: Lady Felt, please. Such language is not appropriate for a lady.]

[Felt: SCREW PROPER LANGUAGE! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO LECTURE US AFTER KIDNAPPING US, DO YOU?!]

[Subaru: Huh—?]

When the blonde-haired girl turned her gaze toward him, the black-haired boy, already a bit nervous, scratched his left cheek nervously while sweating lightly. They were in the middle of an extremely fancy dining room. One of the newcomers to that enormous mansion, he sat beside the girl, both looking toward the figure sitting across from them — Reinhard van Astrea.

The story was both simple and complicated. Contradictory? A little, but only if you looked at it from the outside: where the black-haired boy, Natsuki Subaru, had saved the lives of Felt, Rom (the girl's adoptive grandfather), and Emilia (a silver-haired half-elf) from the notorious assassin Elsa Granhiert, known as the Bowel Hunter — who was eventually stopped by Reinhard during a fight that destroyed the Loot House with everyone still inside.

Something unusual that had happened in a very strange way.

But for Subaru? No. Summarizing his story up to that point: Subaru had gone out to buy supplies for yet another night locked in his room when he was suddenly summoned to another world, under the illusion that it would be a typical fantasy isekai story. There, he met Emilia — who saved him from an attack by three thugs (which Felt, in that loop, had ignored) — and decided to help her recover her stolen item, her Insignia, which led them to the Loot House. That’s when the unthinkable happened for the first time.

Natsuki Subaru died.

He was murdered for the first time, stabbed from behind by the assassin.

He was in shock, but somehow overcame it by convincing himself it was just an illusion, running back to the Loot House, thinking Emilia — who at that time introduced herself as "Satella" — was still in danger. But it wasn’t that simple. He ended up meeting Rom and Felt, trying to trade his cellphone for the Insignia. Then Elsa appeared, he won the negotiation, foolishly revealed his true intentions, and, just like Rom and Felt, he was cruelly killed by the sadistic assassin.

That led to his third loop, where he ended up dying by accident — from his perspective, because of his own mistake.

He had chased after Emilia, calling her by a false name without realizing it. In doing so, he cornered her into an alley and was stabbed in the back by the same trio of thugs from the earlier loops. He died but managed to gather the crucial information that he should ask for help next time, noticing that the thugs were afraid of a patrol guard.

That led to the victorious loop.

He screamed for help with his most "manly" — feminine — voice, caught Reinhard’s attention, who scared off the thugs. They quickly hit it off, and Subaru rushed off on his mission, going straight to Felt to negotiate as quickly as possible instead of wasting time like in the second loop.

It didn’t go as planned.

This time, though, Emilia showed up herself and began fighting the three, until Elsa arrived and became everyone’s common enemy. Subaru then helped Felt escape, wanting to save her, unable to stand Elsa mocking her, and took responsibility by fighting alongside Rom and Emilia to stop Elsa — until Reinhard arrived, thanks to Felt having gone to call him for help.

The battle?

For Subaru, it was truly something out of another world — ironically — where the Sword Saint managed to subdue the Bowel Hunter.

Everything was going perfectly!

Subaru even managed to get his reward — learning Emilia’s true name — before passing out from a wound Elsa had inflicted when she tried one last time to attack Emilia, only for Subaru to block her with Rom’s club.

When he woke up again, he found himself in a room inside the Astrea Mansion, receiving treatment from a healer hired by Reinhard himself.

The first thing he needed to know was if everyone was safe.

Not just if they were alive, but for a particularly selfish and desperate reason: he needed to know if they remembered him.

If he had really managed to overcome that loop and wasn’t the only one left with all the memories after those three deaths.

And to his great relief — the answer was yes. Everyone was alive, safe, and remembered everything that had happened.

His first real victory, marking the beginning of his chaotic new life in this new world!

But then almost immediately after he woke up, confusion began involving Reinhard and Felt...

[Subaru: From what I understand so far. —— The country’s in a tough spot after the Royal Family died, and so this Dragon Tablet passed on the words of some Divine Dragon saying there would be five candidates to become the next ruler, and they’re chosen by that Insignia Emilia had. Is that right?]

[Reinhard: Exactly.]

[Subaru: And after I passed out using the last of my heroic strength to stop that lunatic Elsa’s attack, Felt went to return the Insignia — and it started glowing in her hand, revealing that she’s the last royal candidate. And you, immediately after that, knocked her out and kidnapped her?]

[Reinhard: Hm—? Subaru, I wouldn’t quite put it like that.]

[Felt: BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, YOU DAMN IDIOT!]

[Reinhard: Lady Felt, please, manners.]

Still feeling slightly nervous from the way the two attacked him with their words in different ways, Subaru tried to stay rational while Felt was clearly furious, arms crossed and teeth grinding slightly.

[Subaru: Wait... So Emilia’s Insignia was that important...?]

[Reinhard: Yes. Like I said, it’s the symbol given to each Dragon Candidate to prove they’ve been chosen to become the next ruler. If it were lost or stolen, the Candidate would be disqualified for being unable to protect it — especially if they couldn’t recover it.]

[Subaru: And she let it get stolen that easily by some random street thief?!]

[Felt: I’m not just some random thief, big bro...]

[Subaru: Don’t take it personally, Felt! I’m just shocked! Something that valuable — she should’ve guarded it with her life! And that idiot Puck too... —— Losing something so important! That’s like losing a pile of sacred gold coins! Would you just let someone snatch a pile of sacred gold coins from you in the middle of the street?]

[Felt: I’d lose my arms before I let that happen!]

Proclaiming proudly, Felt slammed her fist on the table.

[Subaru: And I asked for such a dumb reward...]

[Felt: You really did.]

[Subaru: Oy! You should say it was something amazing and romantic! Like I was a hero, a knight in shining armor making a beautiful wish like those old love stories!]

[Felt: ————Not gonna say that, big bro.]

Saying it with a mocking smile, she laughed at Subaru’s comical anger when she teased him at that moment. Both wore amused smiles. Reinhard watched their exchange with a small smile on his face.

[Reinhard: Lady Felt-sama, I know this situation may not be to your liking. But I assure you. With the support I wish to offer you, if you accept me as your knight, you could become——]

[Felt: I don’t want anything to do with this! GOT IT?!]

Growling in anger, she cast a glare that silenced the red-haired boy. Reinhard let out a small sigh. Subaru kept switching his gaze between the two, deep in thought, analyzing the exchange taking place.

[Subaru: You said that... without Felt, the Royal Selection can’t begin, right?]

[Reinhard: Yes. Without Lady Felt-Sama's presence to start the Royal Selection, we cannot begin. We already have four candidates, and only the last one is missing for the official start.]

[Subaru: And how long would it take to officially start?]

[Reinhard: With the information that would need to be passed on to the Wise Council and to formally announce her participation, it would take about a month. That’s when the candidates would gather and declare their intentions as rulers alongside their official Knights.]

With this new information, Subaru placed his hand on his chin, thinking even more deeply about what he was hearing.

[Felt: What are you thinking about, big bro? You look kinda suspicious, especially with those eyes of yours.]

[Subaru: Even if you say that, I can’t exactly change my eyes, you know?! —— Reinhard, if Felt chose to drop out after the Royal Selection officially starts, could she?]

[Reinhard: If it were her wish, she could indeed drop out. Although I firmly believe she could become a good ruler, for reasons I’m still trying to fully understand.]

[Subaru: That would sound really suspicious coming from someone else, but from you, it sounds less suspicious than it should. But still important. —— How about we make a deal?]

Raising a finger as he pointed upwards, Subaru flashed a confident smile, which left the other two confused and curious about what he was about to propose, as well as his intentions.

[Subaru: Felt doesn't want to be part of the Royal Selection, but you want and need her to participate to start the contest among the candidates who have already been chosen and are eager to compete, right? So here’s the deal... Felt, you’ll agree to take part in the Royal Selection, at least until the month is up and everyone has made their declarations. Once the official start happens, you can announce your resignation. That way, you get what you want, Rein.]

[Felt: And what do I get out of it?!]

[Subaru: How about 100 Sacred Gold Coins?]

[Felt: ——?!]

The girl’s eyes sparkled, and Subaru could have sworn he saw a little trail of drool escape her lips upon hearing those words, while Reinhard simply looked on curiously.

[Subaru: That’s the deal: For the next month, Felt will stay here, listen to you, and do the things a Royal Candidate is expected to do, and you'll do your best to convince her to accept her role as a candidate. But if by the official start she still doesn't want to continue... you'll give her 100 Sacred Gold Coins as payment for helping the selection process move forward to choose the next King of the country! I think that's pretty fair, don't you? You give everyone what they want, and you get a chance to win her over — and if you fail, she gets a nice pile of gold.]

[Felt: Hmmm. Sounds interesting, but——]

[Subaru: And if you went back to the Slums right now, there’s a good chance Elsa would be there, waiting to clean up the loose ends of a failed job. And if you ask me, I doubt any confident, sadistic, and cruel assassin would allow any slip-ups in their perfect record. Wouldn't it be better to have Rein as your bodyguard until everything is safe?]

[Felt: ———— You know what? Staying here might not be such a bad idea after all. Don’t you think, big bro?]

Subaru couldn’t help but give a small smile seeing her deliberate and look slightly nervous at the mention of the Bowel Hunter who could be after her in the slums.

[Subaru: BUT! You have to agree to listen to Reinhard, even if he makes you do ridiculous and weird noble things, okay? Let's try to cooperate with the guy who could blow us into dust if he wanted to.]

[Reinhard: I wouldn’t do that, my friend.]

[Felt: And people say you wouldn’t kidnap someone either, huh? —— Alright, alright. If the Sword Dunce agrees to this deal, I can... put up with staying here for a month... at least until I’m done with all this stupidity... and I can go back to old man Rom with a bag full of gold. —— So, can you accept what big bro said? Or do you want to demand something else?]

[Reinhard: I see no problem with it, Lady Felt-Sama. If this allows you to at least initiate the Royal Selection and gives me a chance to convince you to accept your role as ruler, I won’t oppose your decision to step down if you choose to do so. And as Subaru suggested, yes, I will compensate you with the amount asked and will no longer bother you, ensuring your safe departure.]

Even if he didn’t seem too thrilled about it, Reinhard politely accepted the agreement made between the three seated at the table in the Astrea Mansion.

[Subaru: That being said. —— Rein, could you get me a job here? I really have nowhere to go and I’m flat broke beyond broke! I'd be grateful if I could stay here, at least until I get back on my feet.]

[Reinhard: I wouldn't mind helping you, my friend. If you'd like: I can arrange a job for you as one of the mansion's butlers.]

[Subaru: Butler, huh? —— Looks like you’re gonna see a lot of me around here, Felt.]

[Felt: Good! Because I wasn’t gonna let you leave after dragging me into this mess.]

[Subaru: But... weren’t you the one who dragged yourself into it when you agreed to steal the Insignia?]

[Felt: ———— I’m hungry.]

Choosing not to answer Subaru’s logical counterpoint, she decided to change the subject altogether. Subaru was ready to continue the debate about whose fault this whole mess really was. Meanwhile, Reinhard had a small, amused smile on his face as he watched their interactions.

And as he had said the night he brought them to the mansion, it would be the last night he could peacefully observe the moon... but the future didn’t seem all that bad.

 

 

—————

Should I write an IF where Subaru becomes a Candidate?

In this IF:

-Subaru started working as a butler and also helped educate Felt, since he tried to assist Reinhard in dealing with her aggressive attitude, managing to “handle” her better than the Sword Saint himself.

-To help Reinhard and Felt, he also became Felt’s unofficial tailor, adjusting her dresses to let her move comfortably while maintaining the elegance of the clothes chosen by Reinhard’s Divine Protection.

-Subaru acts as a messenger between Rom and Felt: carrying messages from Felt to Rom and back, since she couldn’t leave the mansion to go to the slums. He even took food from the Astrea Mansion to the old giant and kept him updated on everything Felt was doing, comforting him.

-When he learned about Reinhard’s Divine Protection of the Teacher, he asked to be taught how to read, write, and even how to fight for self-protection.

-During that month, Felt began to develop feelings for him.

-The attack on Arlam Village would happen around the same time Roswaal and Emilia came to thank Subaru for the help he had provided, leading to the deaths of Rem, Petra, and the children of Arlam.

Chapter 125: [Extra - Felt IF]

[Subaru: My character deductions never fail!]

[Felt: Eh? How did you find me here?]

[Subaru: Given your rebellious personality, the way you like to sneak out, and the fact that no one found you trying to get past the walls. It's easy to deduce where you'd be. Never underestimate a NEET’s skills at finding people!]

[Felt: I don’t know what a NEET is, but it sounds pretty sad…]

Speaking in a tired tone, with a weary look and expression, that hit Subaru’s pride a little, and he could only sigh, realizing there was no way to defend himself — even if she didn’t know the actual meaning of the word, it would be easy to guess he’d be lying if he tried. But for now, he let it go, as the two now found themselves on the rooftop of the Astrea Mansion, Felt calmly sitting in one spot and Subaru, slightly trembling, approaching her.

[Felt: What are you doing here, big bro?]

[Subaru: Ah, I dunno. Came to get some air. Although, the air down there’s probably the same, huh? At least up here, I’m less afraid of falling and breaking something so badly I lose my breath.]

[Felt: Then what are you doing here? Did sword-dumbass or the old men send you?]

[Subaru: Kind of. They just said you were up here, and that you weren’t seen trying to sneak off again — which, I’ll remind you, is really bad for that agreement we made with Rein, you know? I’d appreciate a bit more cooperation. —— Urgh!]

Sitting with a small drop of movement, he joined her in a weird way, swinging his legs.

The girl remained calmly seated.

They sat together. Subaru in an awkward position, legs dangling over the edge of the roof, while Felt sat calmly like she was on a regular chair in a house.

[Subaru: And you? What are you doing here?]

[Felt: Nothing much. Just… enjoying the view.]

[Subaru: ...and looking for a way to escape?]

[Felt: Of course, and looking for a way to get out of here.]

Felt admitted it openly, with humor, and Subaru gave her a mischievous smile in agreement.

[Subaru: Alright then, I’ll help. My vision, sharpened by video games, could be of great use!]

[Felt: I still feel sad when you say weird things like that as references. —— This place is so different.]

[Subaru: Hm?]

[Felt: From the slums.]

The black-haired boy couldn’t help but nod.

Even though he barely knew the slums — besides his first few days and his visits to Rom — he could already clearly see the difference between a noble’s mansion, especially one with such renown, and the homes and inner layout of the slums in the Capital.

The Astrea Mansion was huge, unbelievably massive. A place with such a large area that you could build several houses within its grounds. There were trees even inside its gardens, hundreds of colorful flowers, a large wall surrounding the entire mansion, and even a few small towers — the estate of an extremely rich and powerful family.

The place oozed nobility, wealth, power, and elegance so much that Subaru was sure the Astrea family were like the billionaires in his world who owned private islands just for vacations — which made him feel a bit envious.

Totally different from where Felt came from, it was obvious to Subaru. He had even seen the house she lived in, and Rom’s as well. Both could fit inside this mansion and wouldn’t even take up one percent of its space — which made the vast difference even clearer.

From the roof of the grand, noble mansion, they could see the mansion grounds, a bit beyond, and if you sharpened your vision, even catch a glimpse of the Royal Capital.

Even though the slums weren’t visible, it was still easy to guess where they’d be, where they’d begin and end, even if just by deduction from the limited view.

The moonlight and the stars sparkling in the sky made for a spectacular sight for anyone viewing the horizon from this place.

Extraordinary for common folk.

[Subaru: Felt-chan, why do you want to run away so badly? You’ve already tried so many times. Didn’t we make that deal to score big once you made your little debut in the Selection?]

[Felt: ———— Hmpf!]

[Subaru: What? Did I say something dumb? I feel like I said something dumb, and that feeling only gets stronger when you give me that look like “I’m gonna push you off this roof.”]

[Felt: I do want to, big bro.]

With a slightly irritated expression and a puffed cheek, she confirmed Subaru’s worried words.

The black-haired boy stayed silent.

Analyzing.

Even though he thought of himself as someone who couldn’t read the mood, an idiot, and a totally useless person, Subaru allowed himself to take a little pride in his quick thinking when he managed to catch some hint to understand a situation.

Because ever since they made the deal between Felt and Reinhard, Felt had already broken part of the agreement by trying to escape several times — even though Subaru had started doing her the favor of visiting Rom and keeping them both updated.

It particularly worried him. Not necessarily because the deal was being broken, but because of what could happen to Felt if she kept doing what she was doing, without any sign of change in her impulsive behavior of trying to run back to the slums and Rom — though he could understand why.

But something still felt missing. A piece.

Subaru realized that when she expressed herself the way she did when he…

[Subaru: Do you hate being a Royal Candidate?]

[Felt: —— Maybe…]

[Subaru: Wanna talk about it...? I’m not the best at talking, believe me, I’m a dumbass who doesn’t know how to give good advice or guidance, but at the very least I can try to make you feel comfortable so you can open up with someone who’s actually good at this. So—— OW! What?! Why?!]

[Felt: Nothing. I just found your rambling annoying.]

She said after punching Subaru in the ribs, nearly making him bite his tongue.

[Subaru: Tsk! I’m here trying to act like a cool guy and super awesome big brother, and this is how you treat me?!]

[Felt: Then try a little less!]

[Subaru: No, I can’t! Not when you look like you want to say something and keep dodging it! And believe me, I’m an expert at that kind of thing!]

[Felt: ——?]

That confused her, the way he accused her.

But also the serious, almost worried tone he used.

With that, they both stopped looking at each other, returning their gaze to the front, just sitting side by side, watching the estate grounds.

[Felt: Do you think I matter...?]

[Subaru: ——?]

[Felt: I mean... Would they care about me... if I weren’t a Candidate?]

[Subaru: Ah.]

Finally understanding what she meant, it now made sense what she was thinking. Or at least, he could imagine what she was likely thinking. From what he knew himself...

[Felt: They keep treating me well, serving me, giving me all this stuff, and sword-dumbass keeps talking about the expectations he and the others have for me...]

[Subaru: But it makes you wonder: “Would they do all this if I weren’t a Candidate?”]

[Felt: Yeah. —— In the slums, people look after each other. Unless they have to choose survival over loyalty. So, you get it, you get used to it, and can even see a kind of honor in that, but… With these people? It doesn’t feel that way.]

[Subaru: Because they never did anything before, right?]

[Felt: Yeah, exactly! Before I became a Candidate, I already lived in that slum, surviving day by day, fighting for every single thing that was mine, and none of them ever showed up to give those things to me or to the others! They didn’t lend a hand, didn’t give any gifts, didn’t even try to do anything, and just kept ignoring us...!]

With great frustration, she clenched her fist and slammed it against the side of the roof, grinding her teeth.

Finally, Subaru understood what she was thinking in that moment, and why she got so angry whenever he mentioned the agreement. Because he also completely understood Felt’s importance to those around her. Just a title and a sack of gold.

And that made Subaru connect all the dots.

Connecting everything he’d learned about the girl, the black-haired young man pieced together the full explanation behind her anger and frustration toward her current situation. Felt had lived in the slums since she was a baby, raised by Rom, an old giant who cared for her like she was his own granddaughter. They never received any help or support from the nobles — which included Reinhard, even though Subaru didn’t think it was out of malice. And now? She was in a noble setting, seeing their luxurious lives up close, receiving that kind of treatment... because she was useful for something they wanted.

An object.

Realizing that left a bitter taste in his mouth. He swallowed hard, feeling like he had played a part — even if unintentionally — in what was hurting her now.

It even reminded him of how he felt about his father, Kenichi Natsuki.

Did people praise him for being himself, or for being his father’s son? Did they expect him to be better or to match his father? Did people want what he had to offer, or did they want him to give what his father once gave them?

Would people even look at you if you had nothing to offer them?

[Subaru: Would they even care to treat me the way they do, if I had nothing to give them or didn’t have something they desperately wanted...? That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?]

[Felt: That’s exactly it. —— None of them cared about me before, so they won’t care when I’m gone after I leave the Selection... and all I’ll have is what I’m worth to them, a sack of sacred gold coins, and I’ll go back to the slums. And you’ll stay here, happy. Living the fancy life.]

[Subaru: ——!]

[Felt: I’m not gonna blame you for that, alright? A job in a place like this, good pay, no need to fight for food. It really is a good life. I guess when I’m gone, you— OW!!!]

Suddenly, before Felt could predict or dodge it, she was struck on the top of her head by a punch.

She turned to him, ready to yell.

But she stopped. She stopped because of the look in his eyes — a glare full of anger and frustration, which, thanks to his intense eyes, became even more powerful and prevented her from counterattacking — even though she was more than capable of doing so, especially there on the rooftop.

[Subaru: You think I’m using you? You think that’s what I was doing with you?! Urgh! I can’t even blame you for thinking that way — I’m not exactly trustworthy. Both my eyes and my personality, right? —— When I asked for a butler job here, it was for a lot of reasons. I had nowhere else to go, I couldn’t read or write — which I’m only learning now thanks to Rein — I had no money and no way to understand this place I was in. I had to take the opportunities I had, just to get a roof over my head and find my bearings. It was never about using you, got it?! I’ve taken way more advantage of Rein’s kindness and generosity in all this!]

[Felt: ————]

[Subaru: It offends me that you think I’d try to exploit your situation. The truth is, I thought you wouldn’t care, that you’d just take the money and live happily. But then I realized how stupid I am to think people don’t have more complex feelings than just profit!]

Blaming himself, he slapped both cheeks with his hands.

While Felt just stared at him, trying to understand what he meant.

[Subaru: I’m sorry I didn’t realize how much what I said and did hurt you, Felt. I should have seen it... but I’m an idiot.]

[Felt: —— Yeah, you are.]

[Subaru: I won’t argue with that. —— And I’d go with you, if you wanted me to.]

[Felt: What?!]

She was surprised by those words.

[Subaru: If you wanted me to go, I’d go with you to the slums and help you and old man Rom. Even though I’m completely useless physically, terrible at chores, a total idiot in negotiations, and even worse at lying, I’d still try to help.]

[Felt: Nothing you just said about yourself makes me want to have you around, big bro.]

[Subaru: But! I am pretty smart in some areas, if I may say so myself. —— Even if it was hard, I wouldn’t mind going with you and helping in any way I could. For me, at least I can say for sure, I don’t care if you’re a Royal Candidate. You’re still the girl who ditched me in an alley to be mugged by three thugs.]

[Felt: H-Hey, I don’t remember that, big bro, but... I’m sorry.]

Speaking nervously about the last part, a bit of nervous sweat dripped from her forehead.

Before a small smile appeared.

[Felt: But I think it’d be impossible for you, big bro. You’ve barely survived here. And I’m not saying that to crush your self-esteem or to hurt that joke you call a sense of pride, but... you’re not cut out for the slums. I wouldn’t want to drag you there, not when you can have a better life here.]

[Subaru: You sound just like old man Rom.]

[Felt: What...!?]

[Subaru: He said something similar when he told me to try to stop you from running away and to enjoy this new life. Because he wants you to have what he couldn’t give you.]

Remembering the talks he had with the giant old man, Subaru couldn’t help but think how he truly was a real grandfather to the blonde girl with red eyes — even if not by blood.

[Felt: Of all people... At least it’s just the words. If it were the looks, I’d rather get punched in the head. Even though I love him... I don’t want to end up like him.]

[Subaru: Understandable.]

Both nodded as they crossed their arms.

Unaware that back in the slums, Rom felt like giving both of them a few whacks.

Subaru stared at her for a moment.

[Subaru: Why don’t you care about them? The people in the slums.]

[Felt: Huh?! Of course I——!]

[Subaru: NO! No, no. I messed up my words, forgive this idiot! —— You said no one ever looked at you until you became a Candidate. So, how about you be the one to reach out to them like they’re doing for you?]

[Felt: What could I even do, big bro? Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t make any difference.]

[Subaru: You could try. —— If you won’t make a difference by trying to change things, you’ll make even less by giving up before even trying. That would be worse, don’t you think? Giving up before trying and trading it all for the comfort... of a room... or a sack of money with a hundred coins.]

[Felt: ——]

Felt noticed Subaru’s expression growing sadder as he spoke, and even saw how he mentioned a “room,” trying to focus on something he may have experienced himself.

But setting that aside for now, she focused on Subaru’s words.

Was it worth fighting against the nobles? She knew it would be useless for someone like her—a poor girl, a thief from the slums—who held no importance in the eyes of high society. But… now? Stopping to think, analyzing the black-haired boy’s words deeply… her situation was different now. She had the support of someone powerful, the backing of a renowned household, and now she held a sort of title that gave weight to her words—words that would otherwise be categorically dismissed by others.

An opportunity to change something… or a bag of money? A choice that felt easy for Felt.

To give up and accept life as it was. To fight for survival another day in the slums, accepting how unfair the world was to those less fortunate. Accepting that some people had money, status, and power, while others didn’t—and would have to live with that until the end of time. It was an opportunity for great profit.

But even so, she still had doubts, still had fear...

[Felt: If I decided to try... would you help me? —— Hm?]

[Subaru: If you decided to try, I’ll be there. Whether you succeed or fail, I won’t stop helping you with whatever you need. Okay?]

Saying that, he gave a big smile while closing his eyes. His teeth showing. One hand on the top of her head, gently rubbing the spot he had hit earlier—massaging it to soothe the pain while also comforting her and trying to push away her doubts.

From the girl’s perspective, everything behind him—the stars and moonlight, which had been hidden by a pair of clouds—seemed to shine even more brightly.

Such a scene made her heart skip a beat, and her cheeks warmed slightly.

Subaru then stood up with some difficulty, unaware of the reaction he had caused in her, stretching a bit to ease the pain from sitting in such an uncomfortable position on the edge of the rooftop—unlike the girl, who didn’t seem to find any difference between sitting there and on a regular comfy chair.

[Subaru: How about we head inside, huh? Let’s enjoy a nice meal and take a good bath, what do you sa—WAAAAHHHH?!]

[Felt: Big bro!]

She watched him lose his balance and fall off the roof onto a tree below.

She heard the sound of branches breaking, like rustling leaves, followed by a dull thud. It made her worry, her face shocked.

[Subaru: I’m okay...!]

Shouting from the ground, Felt let out a relieved sigh.

Then let out a small laugh at what she had just witnessed.

Unbeknownst to her and Subaru, on the other side of the roof, hidden, was Reinhard—listening and watching them, without interfering. Observing them. With a small, reassuring smile on his face as he realized that Felt seemed to be accepting the idea of becoming a Candidate, thanks to Subaru’s support.

And that made him smile slightly, relieved.

Chapter 126: Candidate IF

What if...? What if Subaru was the Sixth Real Candidate?

—————

 

 

When Subaru imagined adventures in an Isekai, he expected everything—except this. Well, at least, that wasn’t where his focus had been. The adventure stories he knew, the ones he dreamed of living through, focused on things like: being the chosen one from another world, summoned to face a great threat, making many companions along the way, and even finding a romantic interest—just one would’ve been enough for the black-haired young man.

Something a bit generic, sure, but what he really wanted was to have a fun journey with other people. Something to escape his routine as a useless hikikomori, locked inside his parents' house.

But the situation he was in now was completely different from everything he had expected or wished for.

The fearful look in the young man’s eyes was fixed on a pile of papers on the desk of the private office where he now sat. Where was he? In the house of a former noble, in a territory not too far from the Royal Capital. It couldn't quite be called a mansion, but it was a large manor—big enough for at least five people to live comfortably. And although it was poorly maintained, it was still a beautiful house with elegant furniture—though some pieces were quite dusty from the long time without anyone there to clean, like a maid or other staff.

Why was he there? That tied into his current life situation. When he was summoned to this other world, he found himself dealing with: three bandits, a Sword Saint, a thief, an old man, a half-elf, an assassin, a Sigil, and the ability to Return by Death. Sounds like a joke, right?

But that was the best way to summarize his situation in the Loot House.

That’s when it happened: when Felt, the thief, was returning the stolen Dragon Sigil, Reinhard, the Sword Saint, noticed that it glowed in her hand and did what anyone would do… he knocked her out. That surprised Subaru at the time, making him raise his guard, wondering what was going on, and that’s when he instinctively picked up the Sigil… and it glowed in his hand as well.

Something strange to him, but important to others. And only afterward did he begin to understand, thanks to Reinhard’s explanation.

[Subaru: The Royal Selection. After the Royal Family died, the Dragon Tablet—a prophetic artifact—foretold that five candidates would appear to take the throne as the new ruler of the kingdom. And the way to identify a candidate was to make the Sigil glow.]

He reflected as he held his own Dragon Sigil, one forged specifically for him.

The Sixth Royal Candidate.

Somehow, he—Natsuki Subaru—had made the Sigil glow and been accepted as a candidate. A surprise to everyone, he soon found out, since there were only supposed to be five… and all of them were women.

The black-haired boy was then treated as an anomaly—an error.

When Subaru was brought before the Council of Wise Men by Reinhard to address the matter, they didn’t take it well. Whether because of his uncertain origin and sudden appearance in an event involving two Royal Candidates and the Sword Saint himself—which seemed highly suspicious to anyone unaware of the truth—or because his appearance seemed related to rival countries of Lugunica, such as Gusteko and Vollachia.

So, a mission was assigned to Reinhard and Subaru: to meet with the Divine Dragon, Volcanica, atop the Pleiades Tower. A dangerous mission, considered impossible by some, but intended to test Subaru’s abilities and verify his legitimacy before the very being that had chosen the Royal Candidates. A task that greatly worried Subaru at first—but he found himself with no way out.

If he accepted and failed? He’d be dismissed.

If he refused? Suspicions that he was trying to manipulate the Selection would grow.

And if he succeeded? Even he didn’t believe he would, but it might clear all doubts about him, and he could truly become a Royal Candidate. Three very different outcomes that would define his life depending on what he chose to do.

So Subaru and Reinhard set out on the journey to complete the mission. Something Subaru expected to fail completely—so that he could focus on finding a way to survive in that world after being dismissed, as he still hadn’t found a place to stay or a way to support himself. And he didn’t want to burden Reinhard—one of his first friends—with the responsibility of looking after someone like him.

But he was wrong.

Because Subaru succeeded in his mission. He reached Volcanica after overcoming all the challenges designed to stop them from getting to the Dragon—with the help of his own knowledge, Reinhard, and someone he met in the Tower who treated him with such kindness and admiration that it felt strange to the dark-haired boy.

When he finally met the Great Dragon to learn the truth, the being seemed to ponder after analyzing Subaru in a way that, to the boy, felt nostalgic.

[Volcanica: I, Volcanica, protector of the Kingdom, the one who chose the Candidates in the name of the prosperity of the country under the First Lion King, hereby proclaim and inscribe upon my Guiding Tablet for the people of Lugunica: Natsuki Subaru is accepted as the Sixth Royal Candidate and must, like the others, face his journey to decide his own destiny. —— Good luck, young one.]

Aside from the last part, spoken in a solemn tone that seemed to carry both the sorrow of longing and the joy of nostalgia, he proclaimed it—and the words were apparently inscribed upon the Kingdom’s Tablet, which they confirmed upon returning.

[Subaru: Summoned to become a king...? Heh! I guess that wouldn’t be so bad. —— If I weren’t in such a complicated situation...]

To Subaru, it felt like—even though his situation was better than being homeless and lost—he was being thrown into something far bigger than himself. A boy who had spent so much time trapped in his own room… and his own fantasy world.

After bidding farewell to Reinhard, he was soon informed that his achievements would not be made public just yet.

[Subaru: In the words of Miklotov-san: “The Tablet once predicted five candidates, and for a long time we searched for all five. To suddenly announce that not only was the last candidate found, but that an additional candidate had appeared, could cause massive repercussions—not just in our country, but in neighboring nations as well. Therefore, the revelation of your achievements and your entry will be postponed until the Gathering of All Candidates, which will occur in one month.”]

Subaru didn’t argue at the time. In his already-overloaded mind, it made sense—not to stir up chaos by announcing that a random outsider had visited the Dragon who protected the entire kingdom… and had been welcomed as someone who might one day rule it. Subaru didn’t even want to imagine how much confusion that would cause.

But he would have argued if he were in his current situation—because now he better understood the weight of what that title meant. If he had the fame of being: The Conqueror of the Tower and the Sixth Royal Candidate, it could really help him deal with his current situation… inside the territory that had been granted to him.

It was a kind of "gift," the beginning of real tests of his abilities as a leader, in which he was granted a small territory: This territory once belonged to a noble who was recently discovered to have ties to the Witch Cult. As a result, he was stripped of his titles and lost everything that once belonged to him, including what had been passed down through his family. Thus, Subaru was given a place to stay — just like the other Royal Selection candidates — a territory, including land and people, that would now be under his care.

Looking at the map spread out on his desk, he could get a broader idea of what the territory that now belonged to him was like.

An area not very large compared to the rest of the world; A long road crossed by a bridge led to the territory’s main village. There were fields for farming and a vast forest surrounding the village, not too far from it. Continuing along the road and crossing another bridge, one would reach a junction: going left, in the direction the river flowed, would lead to the mansion that now belonged to Subaru, and going right would take you to a smaller village. This territory was the "gift" he had received.

(illustrative image made by AI, just to get a better idea since my description is not that good)

Would this seem like a great deal for someone like him — someone with no connections — to receive after gate-crashing such an important event? In a way, yes.

Of course, there was a “but” to this story.

In fact, there were several — enough to make him feel like a fool who’d been tricked.

[Subaru: Starting with the farmlands; the fields are practically screaming for help. They farm without crop rotation, without proper irrigation, and harvest next to nothing. If it goes on like this, they won’t even be able to make a thin soup. —— The soil is hard and dry, too. They’ve been planting the same crops for years without letting the land rest… From what I remember from my teachers’ lessons, they always talked about this. Crop rotation. Corn, then beans, then wheat or some legume. That way the soil recovers naturally.]

This was something he realized when one of the villagers who worked there tirelessly showed it to him — and it filled him with concern.

After all, a sustainable agricultural process was vital not only to maintain himself but also to care for the people now under his responsibility.

And as if that weren’t enough:

[Subaru: The people seem extremely wary of me; Most of them are Demi-Humans, and from what I heard, the former noble who ruled this territory wasn’t even remotely kind to them — nor was he loved in return. He handled resources terribly, was prejudiced and abusive, and made terrible investments. He dragged his name through the mud with these people even before his ties to the Witch Cult were revealed. And now? They’re cautious and seem to distrust me… not that I can blame them. —— Still, they’re being kind. They haven’t attacked me, they allow me to conduct business. But that’s more because of her than me, really, since what I’ve done in the past two days is lock myself in, cleaning and trying to settle in.]

He said while reflecting on his interactions with the locals. The disdain in their eyes was obvious — especially to someone like him, who had learned how to read such looks in his home world — how they clearly wanted nothing to do with him. A stranger who had received this land for seemingly no reason.

[Subaru: I’m also broke and have no credit…]

Those words weren’t entirely false. He had been given enough money to survive until the end of the month — food, clothing, and other essentials — but nothing extra for leisure. A second, temporary “reward” until the official start of the Royal Selection, when his name would start to carry weight due to his involvement in the competition to become the next ruler of the country.

Remember when he said revealing his conquest and title might become a problem later? Well, here’s why. At this point, for the plans he wanted to make, having a publicly recognized accomplishment like conquering that tower or being the sixth candidate could have earned him at least a bit of support to help raise initial campaign funds and assist in the growth of his territory. But if he said that now? He’d just be labeled a madman.

[Subaru: So, to recap. Do I have land? Yes, but it’s so worn out that if nothing is done, recovery might be nearly impossible. Do I have people to help me? Yes, but they’ve been mistreated to the point of “I’ll tolerate you, not follow you.” Do I have money? Only enough for my own survival, and not a single coin can be spent on investments without sacrificing basic needs like food. Do I have a place to sleep? Well… at least that I won’t complain about. —— And of course, the Forest and those things...]

Thinking about something he hadn’t mentioned before.

The forest within his territory was heavily infested with Majuuns — beasts that hunted, killed, and devoured people to try to satisfy their endless hunger. Created by the Witch. Monsters that, during his mission in the sands with Reinhard, he discovered were drawn to him specifically, attacking him over anyone else in their path.

And that forest was full of them. With no magical protection or even properly trained soldiers to defend them, the villagers of the main settlement were regularly attacked. So much so that: the smaller village — built by the villagers themselves — housed mostly children and women, while the main village was left to the workers, in hopes of ensuring the safety of their loved ones. One place was for those who were willing and “meant” to die, and the other was a refuge for those who couldn’t or shouldn’t die.

[Subaru: New recap. I’m broke, my territory is in ruins, no one trusts or even seems to like me, and we’re frequently attacked by terrifying monsters. —— WHAT THE HELL IS THIS LUCK OF MINE?!]

Slamming his fist onto the table in frustration, Subaru — slouched in the cushioned chair that once belonged to the noble who ruled this place — let out his complaint, letting his anger boil over from the odds stacked against him since the beginning. His fantasy of a magical world being crushed once again. And as he huffed, he also tried to collect himself, focusing and staying sane.

[Subaru: Like it or not, I now have to think rationally about what I can start doing. The main point is: 1) Gain the trust of the people, and 2) Ensure this land’s prosperity — which, in turn, will earn me the first anyway. So it’s time to think a little... —— What if I use those simple shallow-channel irrigation techniques? Nothing fancy, just use the land’s slope and dig a few trenches. I could ask Shaula to help dig — she loves having something physical to do.]

He thought, crossing his arms and staring at the ceiling.

[Subaru: Maybe I could even build a makeshift greenhouse with wood and glass to grow out-of-season vegetables... Okay, slow down, one thing at a time, Natsuki Subaru. This place was abandoned, but it’s not a lost cause. If I start small, just with one experimental field, maybe they’ll see it can work. —— But first, I need some money…]

He sighed, placing a hand on his chin and closing his eyes, thinking and analyzing everything deeply.

[Subaru: Okay, okay… I need something easy to make, cheap, and that people will want to buy. Something useful, but that seems almost magical to them. No smartphones or combustion engines… let’s keep things grounded. —— What if I made something like a water filter? Like that setup with sand, charcoal, and stones. Dirty water goes in, clean water comes out. It’s nothing revolutionary in my world, but here it could be a hit in some places, right? This might be a good investment for later. For now, I need to think of something small, easy to make, quick, and that becomes popular fast. —— Ah!]

He stood up quickly, slamming his left fist into his right palm with an expression that clearly said “I’ve got it!” even without saying the words aloud.

[Subaru: Soap! Handmade soap! Oil, ashes, and herbs with a nice scent… It’s easy to make, has appeal, and can be sold to nobles, travelers, and anyone who enjoys bathing and smelling good without depending on liters of perfume. If it works… I could even create different versions: bath soap, laundry soap, one with a floral scent, another with citrus… and even give it a cute and catchy name, like: “Imperial Subaru Soap.” Since I’ll need fame for my campaign, something like this might be a bit over the top, right? Hm. “All-Clean Soap”? Maybe I should think about the name later. —— With this, I kill two birds with one stone: I generate income quickly and even help improve basic hygiene. Fewer diseases, more cleanliness, and people’s trust. And I can even teach people here how to make it with me. A mini soap factory! Ha!]

Proudly saying that, an idea was taking shape in his mind. Something that would allow him to act quickly and efficiently to gain people’s trust and make progress in his lands. A seemingly brilliant plan!

But he quickly lost his enthusiasm, slumping back into the chair with a defeated and tired expression.

[Subaru: But I still don’t have a way to properly handle this… People don’t trust me enough to follow what I say, believe in my plans and ideas that might be pretty complicated for those with no experience, so asking for something like this could damage my credibility even more, especially if it doesn’t succeed. And even if I wanted to invest in myself… with what money? And how can I negotiate without any support? Urgh!]

Realizing even more problems he’d have to deal with, he rubbed his hands over his face. Then he removed them and looked toward the cellphone on his desk.

[Subaru: Old Man Rom said my phone could be worth over 20 sacred gold coins. If I sell it… I could get a good amount of money to start my investments. Even though it’s a household item, it wouldn’t be a huge loss if I look at it more broadly; I don’t have internet, I can’t call my parents, I can’t play games on it, and soon enough it might stop working due to no battery and just become a useless object. The profit I could make while it’s still useful might be better when thinking long-term.]

He analyzed deeply.

Even though he felt attached to it, since it reminded him of home, he still had his memories of his parents — just like the coat he so proudly wore even now.

By selling his phone, he would at least begin his progress toward achieving his goals. While he was thinking, the door to the office burst open.

[Shaula: Master, I’m back!]

Shaula, the second person who helped him at the Pleiades Tower. A very beautiful girl wearing quite revealing clothes that showed off her figure, with an extremely energetic personality. But beyond her looks, Subaru discovered a few things about her: 1st, that she considers him her Master because of his scent, and 2nd, that she’s extremely strong and powerful.

[Subaru: You finished off those beasts again?]

[Shaula: Yes, Master! It was actually pretty easy, they’re nothing compared to your Shaula, Master!]

Proclaiming that with a touch of arrogance, she stood in front of the desk with her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out.

Remember when he talked about the creatures from the forest? Even though it hurt his pride to want to defend everything on his own, he left the defense of the territory in her hands — allowing her to hunt down the creatures that attacked the village and eliminate the beasts that tormented the villagers.

That earned him at least a bit of respect and trust from the people. Even if they didn’t like him, they would accept the protection of the cheerful girl.

Aside from security, he also needed her help with another problem…

[Shaula: You got another letter, Master!]

[Subaru: T-Thanks, could you… read it for me…?]

[Shaula: Of course!]

Shaula opened the envelope, preparing to tell him what the letter was about. One thing that had become obvious by now to some: Subaru couldn’t read or write in the language of the kingdom he was in.

Simply amazing, right? As if his bad luck and lack of basic survival resources weren’t enough, he didn’t even have the ability to read or write in this world’s language — something he had hoped he’d be able to do, especially since he could understand and speak it just fine — something that would’ve been very useful at times like this. This made him dependent on others until he learned it for himself, which Shaula had already said she’d help with, no problem.

Learning to read and write was at the top of his priority list when it came to personal matters. Not just out of pride, but real necessity as a royal candidate — it would be an even greater shame if he weren’t at least at that level to face off against his possible rivals in the race for the throne.

[Shaula: Hmmm. A guy named Roswaal wants to talk to you, Master, about you helping a girl named Emilia.]

[Subaru: Emilia…? Oh, right. I kinda did that on my first day. I heard about this guy from Reinhard, that he’s some kind of super powerful mage.]

[Shaula: He wants to reward you with something you want.]

[Subaru: A reward…? Hm. I asked for her name as a reward, but if he wants to reward me… reward… a powerful mage with a lot of money… —— THAT’S IT!]

Jumping once again with excitement, he startled Shaula while she still held the letter she had just summarized. His eyes were glowing with excitement and hope.

[Subaru: Get ready, Shaula! We’re going on a little trip to get the kickstart we need for our journey!]

[Shaula: I don’t really get it… But Master looks really cool when he’s confident!]

Each of them declared their own excitement for the journey ahead.

 

 

—————

In this What If, a few things happened differently:

-Subaru wasn't injured by Elsa, because Reinhard stopped her in time and wounded her more seriously than in the original. This allowed him to be discovered as the Sixth Candidate.

-Subaru and Reinhard faced the Tower together and conquered it.

-Most of the Sage Council, heavily influenced by Bordeaux, don't want to accept Subaru as a Candidate and are trying to hinder his entry (either because they suspect him of being a Cultist or believe he's from the countries of Gusteko or Vollachia, since they are already "tolerating" Anastasia, who is from Kararagi). Even after Volcanica acknowledged him as a Candidate. That’s also why he received this territory as a "gift," hoping he would fail in his mission to develop it.

-Subaru went to meet with Roswaal to get funding (money and connections) for the production and sale of his inventions (soap, filters, lighters, mayonnaise, etc.).

-When Subaru and Shaula met in Roswaal’s territory, that’s when Meili launched her attack (later than in the original, because Elsa was more severely wounded by Reinhard’s attack at the Loot House), and the two of them stopped her. This earned them even more rewards from Roswaal, who also confirmed for himself that Subaru was "the one" he had been waiting for (still unaware that he is a Candidate).

-Rem considered attacking Subaru when she first met him and he spent the night at the mansion, but she was quickly stopped by Shaula, who gave a “demonstration” of what she would do if Rem tried to hurt or kill her Master: she crushed Rem’s weapon with one hand.

-Emilia helped Subaru form a contract with three minor water spirits (which he wants to use in his plans within his territory).

-Subaru had a brief interaction with Beatrice, who drained his mana and threw him out of the Library when he called her a "Loli NPC." Subaru doesn’t dislike her.

-They met Liliana on the way back after receiving their reward at the Mathers Mansion, when she was being attacked by some Mabeasts. Out of gratitude, she said she would follow them until she could repay the life debt (when in reality, she had unknowingly started falling in love with Subaru after he heroically saved her from being killed by one of the Mabeasts).

I've been planning who would be members of Subaru’s Camp, and here are the ones I already want to include:

-Subaru

-Shaula

-Liliana

Some others I'm considering:

-Meili (who would take care of the Mabeasts in Subaru’s territory.)

-Elsa (who would ally with Subaru after being defeated by Shaula and spared by him in Meili’s name, since Elsa wants Meili to live a normal and happy life in Subaru’s territory.)

-Halibel (through negotiations involving Kararagi and Subaru helping with the spirit-related troubles.)

-Cecilus (who would seek out Subaru after discovering that his knight is the "Grand Sage.")

-Louis/Spica (in a future arc, where he returns to the Pleiades Tower.)

This way, we’d have members from each country and group: Liliana (Lugunica), Shaula (Lugunica - Pleiades Tower - from the Ancient Heroes), Meili (Lugunica), Elsa (Gusteko), Halibel (Kararagi), Cecilus (Vollachia - Divine Generals), and Louis/Spica (Lugunica - Former Sin Archbishop).

What do you think? Any suggestions for more characters? And what did you think of the chapter?

Chapter 127: [Extra - Candidate IF]

Saying that Anastasia is an intelligent and observant woman would not be just a supposition—for some, especially herself—it would be a concrete fact. To be the owner of one of the largest companies currently operating in Kararagi, a country where only the smartest survive, she had to be both intelligent and perceptive, as well as focused and possessing a level of self-control beyond the ordinary.

It was a necessity. She wasn’t physically strong when compared to common humans and the Demi-Humans she had to interact and negotiate with. So she needed to be at least intelligent enough to stay several steps ahead of her opponents. Not just to survive another day, but to build a comfortable life for herself and for those she deemed important. Especially because of her greed. Even though she wasn’t as powerful as the being known as the Sword Saint—or others—she wanted to conquer the world. An exaggeration? Perhaps, but her greed was great enough to drive her to pursue such a dream.

That’s why she developed the skills to become a great merchant and an exceptional negotiator. Her advanced perception always allowed her to take control of situations and gain the upper hand in everything.

Because of that, when she discovered she was a Royal Candidate for the country of Lugunica—after visiting the Juukulius estate to make negotiations and being discovered by Julius, who would become her knight—she quickly found herself drawn to two goals: to make her business flourish and to fix her broken Gate by using the Dragon’s Blood, which was said to be possessed by the royal family. Two things that stirred her greed and quickly made her change her plans to participate in the Royal Selection in order to achieve her desires.

And she wouldn’t hide that.

When all the Royal Candidates were found—the five of them—they were gathered in the Royal Hall, along with all the Knights, dozens of nobles, and all members of the Council of Wise Men. It was a necessary event to introduce the five chosen maidens and their knights. It wasn’t just about showing who would participate and who their protectors were, but also about presenting their objectives.

Once all were gathered, the introductions began in a relatively ordinary manner. And the merchant was quick to assess who would have the most and least support within moments.

Among the participants were: herself, a person from Kararagi, who would normally be overlooked compared to those from Lugunica, but who currently stood in the middle ground; Crusch Karsten, probably the favorite due to her noble lineage, reputation built by both her and her family, and her nationality; Priscilla Barielle, who—despite her arrogant and rude tone—still stood out positively among the nobles due to her personal conquests in her territories; Felt, the last candidate to be found, with quite unsettling manners, though understandable due to her origins; and finally, Emilia, a silver-haired half-elf supported by Marquess Roswaal L. Mathers.

If she had to rank them, the order would likely be: Crusch, Priscilla, herself, Felt, and Emilia. Even though the fifth candidate had terrible manners when speaking to others—openly displayed by how she spoke to the others and to Baroness Priscilla when threatened—something that could have ended terribly if not for the Sword Saint’s intervention. But the undeniable fact was that Emilia was the most hated among everyone there, simply due to her resemblance to the Witch of Envy.

That was why Anastasia didn’t want to have direct contact with such a figure.

Some might call her insensitive or cruel—especially because of the harsh tone she used when she distanced herself from Emilia after being approached—but in truth, Anastasia valued her own safety and prosperity. Which, let’s be honest, most people do, right? She knew that even if the girl wasn’t actually the Witch, just being associated with her, even briefly, could spell major problems for anyone who kept her nearby. And Anastasia had to protect her image for her own sake and for those who depended on her and her company.

A cold attitude? Yes—but a necessary one.

It allowed her to focus on the main event unfolding before her.

Because not only were the candidates now being introduced along with their allies, but they also had to state their main objectives. And it started with the one who clearly enjoyed standing out: Priscilla.

“The selection is pointless. I am the only one worthy of ruling this nation! All you need to do is crawl at my feet and serve me!”

—Priscilla, accompanied by Al, proclaimed with pride.

“If I become the new ruler, I will make the Dragon forget the pact it demanded. The Dragon Empire of Lugunica does not belong to the Dragon, but to us.”

—Crusch, with her knight Felix—Ferris to those close to him—proclaimed with conviction.

“I’m a greedy girl, so I want everything. No business success ever satisfies me. I want my own nation!”

—Anastasia, with her knight Julius, said with straightforward honesty.

“I have only one wish. That everyone be equal. I want to create a nation where all citizens are treated the same.”

—Emilia, with Roswaal as her companion at the time, said, though her tone seemed slightly uncertain.

“Hold on! Don’t get me wrong! I never said I wanted to be the next ruler! Who would want to take part in a Royal Selection?!”

—That’s what Felt said when it was her turn, accompanied by Reinhard as her knight—something that sparked a wide range of angry reactions from the nobles who already disliked her for coming from the slums.

This opened the path for what became more of an assault by the noble members against Felt and Emilia—who, as Anastasia had previously noticed, were the most hated candidates, due to their origins and physical appearance.

It could’ve escalated into a massive mess if not for…

[Miklotov: ENOUGH!]

The Sage’s shout interrupted everyone, especially when accompanied by a powerful strike on the ground by Commander Marcos, which echoed through the hall and forced everyone to stop whatever they were about to do, drawing all eyes to the elder man.

[Miklotov: Even though we have presented all five said candidates... I’m afraid we haven’t finished introducing all who may become rulers—the next King.]

[Anastasia: Hm?]

That thought didn’t just cross the mind of the lilac-haired merchant, but everyone else’s—especially the Candidates, their Knights, and Companions, as well as the entire audience. She could sense the nervousness among the Sages, filled with uncertainty.

[Miklotov: Around a month ago—no, exactly one month ago—the Sword Saint not only found Lady Felt as the fifth candidate but came across... an anomaly. A surprising event that none of us could have predicted, as such a possibility never appeared on the Dragon Tablet. —— What I’m about to reveal may completely change how the entire selection process unfolds. Because... there is one more Royal Candidate.]

As the old man’s final words left his lips, murmurs began to fill the hall.

Among the nobles and knights, everyone began exchanging glances and whispers, surprised. Even the five women, even Felt who had no interest at all, seemed taken aback by such a revelation, as did four of the five companions, while Reinhard wore a calm expression. After all, such things couldn't be spoken lightly in a place like this.

At the same time, once again, the doors to the Royal Hall opened. Drawing everyone’s attention as two figures began to enter...

[Miklotov: This information has been kept secret from everyone. And I would like to introduce them here and now…]

[Marcos: The Sixth Candidate for the throne, Natsuki Subaru, and his companion and guardian, the Great Sage Shaula!]

A young man with black hair and a woman wearing very revealing clothes presented themselves before everyone, side by side, standing still as all eyes turned toward them, while the atmosphere of the room seemed to both cool and heat up at the same time.

[Emilia: Subaru...?]

[Felt: Big bro?!]

[Roswaal: ——this wasn’t supposed to happen…]

Anastasia managed to catch those three murmurs from the people beside her. A tone of betrayal, a tone of surprise, and a tone of... frustration and anger?

But she herself was feeling a bit of each emotion displayed by the three figures. After all, surprises like a new competitor in a contest like this were extremely unpleasant when it came to business. And everyone who knew her knew how she neither liked nor played games when it came to business.

However, her attention was also drawn elsewhere. “Natsuki.” That name wasn’t so unfamiliar lately, for reasons she had recently become involved with.

“Natsuki Company”, a business company that had been founded by a mysterious figure not too long ago, about over half a month—over twenty days, to be more precise—whose products had been gaining popularity in the Capital due to the rapid trade among shops and merchants. Like the soaps. A product she had personally come in contact with, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy such a hygienic item with a pleasant fragrance. A new invention she had never seen before and that was becoming highly profitable.

It was a company that had been gaining strength over time, to the point of sparking her interest in meeting the owner of said company and the inventor of the product. Her instincts were strongly warning her that it could be an excellent source of money—something she would never pass up.

Her attention was only drawn back when another person spoke—someone beside her...

[Crusch: With your permission and everyone else's! But... how is this possible? Wasn’t it declared by the Dragon Tablet that there should only be five candidates? And only women?]

[Bordeaux: I'm well aware, Lady Karsten. Don’t take us for uninformed, as we ourselves didn’t expect such an event. Not when it finally seemed we had found the five who would begin everything. But the circumstances that led us to this... well, could not be ignored.]

[Roswaal: If you’ll peeeermit me~, what circumstances might those be? Because I fear that my candidate and I are now starting at an unfair disadvantage, due to conditions that, had we known beforehand, might have been better for us.]

[Marcos: I understand your words, Marquis Mathers. But this matter will be explained.]

Speaking in a neutral and compassionate tone, Marcos addressed the clown-like man, before his gaze wandered to the Sword Saint. A simple nod was enough to issue the command, shifting all attention to the red-haired knight.

[Reinhard: I will begin by explaining the main point. ——Thanks to Subaru, I was able to find my candidate, Lady Felt-sama, in the slums by helping him in his situation. I cannot provide many detailed explanations about the event, but the important thing is this: That night, not only was Lady Felt but also Subaru accepted by the Dragon Insignia as Royal Candidates. And that shocked me too. So I quickly brought the matter to the Council of Elders.]

[Miklotov: We, in turn, were just as surprised—if not more so—than the Sword Saint. Because this was an event not foretold in the Tablet, something that should at the very least be considered an error or an anomaly. But indeed, Candidate Subaru was shown to be accepted by the Insignia as possessing the qualities of a ruler. However, we needed another form of confirmation. Which leads us to the next point of interest.]

[Bordeaux: As you all know well—but it bears repeating—the Divine Dragon, Volcanica, is the one who enabled the start of the Royal Selection and has been the Kingdom’s Guardian for the past four centuries. So, if such a thing were to be accepted by him, it could not be contested. For that reason, in order to verify the truth, we sent Candidate Subaru and the Sword Saint Reinhard on a mission to reach the Pleiades Tower and speak directly with the Divine Dragon.]

More than one pair of eyes widened at that moment.

Not only due to the absurdity of how events were unfolding in the story, but due to the realization of what it meant for Subaru to be the Sixth Candidate.

Roswaal, in turn, seemed deeply intrigued by the tale.

[Reinhard: Thanks to Subaru, not only was I able to reach the tower and enter it, but we both met its guardian, Shaula, and made it to the top, where we had an audience with Volcanica-sama. During our conversation... Volcanica-sama himself accepted Natsuki Subaru as the Sixth Candidate to become King of Lugunica, granting him the right to compete equally with all other candidates.]

[Miklotov: And this fact was inscribed in the Dragon Tablet itself after the act was performed. ——And with that said, as you’ve likely noticed already, I must reveal the following: Candidate Natsuki Subaru, with the support of the Sword Saint—who is now officially acting as the knight to his Lady—not only conquered the Pleiades Tower but also made contact with Volcanica. And currently, Shaula-sama, the Sage who guarded the tower, the one Commander Marcos referred to as Subaru-sama’s companion, is now his ally and guardian. This makes two of the three accomplishments shared between both camps, with the third one being exclusive to Subaru himself.]

If before the room had been filled with disorganized murmurs, now? They might as well have been shouts—if they weren’t already—due to the commotion stirred up among nearly everyone present by this revelation.

“A sixth candidate,” “The conquest of the Tower,” “Was accepted directly by Volcanica-sama,” “The Great Sage Shaula,” were the most prominent phrases heard among those present.

And it all made perfect sense! The sudden appearance of a new figure in a contest that had been foretold and prepared for five, the conquest of the Pleiades Tower—which even Reinhard himself had failed to do in the past—being directly accepted by the Dragon himself, and then making Shaula, the Great Sage, his guardian! These were not light achievements—far from it—they were feats that could already elevate the person responsible for them to the level of a legend.

Nearly every eye was fixed on the black-haired boy and the girl beside him, who stood with arms crossed, wearing a confident and seemingly excited smile. In contrast, the boy maintained a serious posture, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. Apparently, each had their own way of handling the attention they were receiving.

[Miklotov: Now that we’ve finished our explanation, this matter can no longer be disputed. Natsuki Subaru has been accepted as the Sixth Candidate, and like the five others, he shall receive the same treatment. He must also abide by the same rules as each of the other candidates.]

[Bordeaux: And as a way to give you an opportunity and reward you for your performance in the tower... we grant you the lands, a small territory, of a former noble. Where you are now officially its owner.]

Those words drew a small reaction from the young man, who seemed slightly displeased, and Anastasia noticed it — since she didn’t take her eyes off the new surprise opponent who had appeared and seemed to have taken the lead in deeds, if not in fame.

[Miklotov: Subaru-sama, please, just as the Candidates had their turn, you should also take the floor to declare your intentions toward the kingdom.]

[Subaru: Hm? Got it.]

Scratching the back of his head, he walked forward with an expression of “Yeah, that’s right,” as he stepped into the spotlight.

[Subaru: I want to lead this country to a happy ending. —— That proclamation is kind of vague and open to interpretation, isn’t it? But, well. These were the only words I could think of to express what I want to do for the people. Because over the past month, after receiving the territory you so generously granted me, I’ve seen people in terrible conditions in the villages I’m supposed to look after — barely holding on, barely able to live or even survive. I also noticed their lack of trust in me due to how they had been mistreated, either because no one cared for them or because most of them are Demi-Humans. Even though I was able to help them, I realized many others might be in the same situation.]

He crossed his arms again and looked directly at the Council of Sages with determination.

[Subaru: I plan to do for everyone in this country what I did for them! I want to make sure that everyone within my reach can thrive — not just survive, but truly live. I want them to have a good life, to the point where they worry about silly and ordinary things instead of fearing being devoured by dangerous monsters. That’s what I want! —— But, even so, I can’t just say I’ll make it happen and expect it to come true. I had to learn that. So I realized the best way to go about it was through actions rather than just pretty words. —— So! I came here to ask something directly of you!]

He pointed directly at the council in a childish and undignified way, surprising them.

[Bordeaux: Ask something of us? What do you mean? What do you want?]

[Subaru: A noble title. —— I’m still a commoner on paper, or even less than that. So I know that, at some point, my lands, my territories, could be taken from me. Because even though I’m a Royal Candidate, I don’t have full ownership — just like my fellow candidates, except for Crusch-san and Priscilla-san, who don’t exactly have noble titles and rightful lands either. That puts them at risk of facing the same issue I do, where the real owners of their territories could evict them and make them lose everything. —— That’s why I want a noble title. Officially, I would be able to keep the lands I have, and no one could take them from me just because they have a higher rank and want to take away all the progress I made through my effort and sweat, with Shaula’s help and all the villagers, and even with some of the money I managed to earn on the side...]

[Miklotov: That interest is understandable and your points are valid. But I fear that even with all you’ve accomplished and your position as a Candidate, we cannot grant such a request without deliberation. After all, your entry, your territories, and your listed deeds were already considered rewards for what you’ve done.]

[Subaru: I know that very well, Miklotov-san! I’m not a fool... No, wait. I take that back. I am a fool, stubborn to the core — but I’m really trying to grow, so I ask for your patience. —— What I mean, and what I should’ve said right from the beginning, is that I’m going to take on a task for you and for everyone, and I want a noble title as a reward — along with the official appointment of Shaula as my Knight, since so far she’s only self-proclaimed herself as my Knight.]

His words, just like his cheerful and undignified manner, made everything feel more and more awkward, confusing — and strangely entertaining to some. Like Felt, who was clearly enjoying the expressions and casual way he addressed those important figures, speaking in a way that even seemed to challenge them.

Others, however, tried to remain serious amid the chaos.

Julius, for example — Anastasia could clearly see his discomfort since the introduction of the black-haired boy, and his evident surprise that one of the ancient figures from old legends was actually present in that hall and had declared herself a Knight. His instincts screamed to correct such boldness. But he restrained himself from interrupting the Candidate, though he was clearly anxious just thinking about challenging someone of such reputed importance.

[Bordeaux: And what task would make us grant both requests...?]

[Subaru: Haha! Curious now, aren’t you? —— I, Natsuki Subaru, current Sixth Candidate, hereby proclaim that I will take on a task that hasn’t been completed in four centuries: I will hunt down and eliminate the Great White Whale and bring its head to the Royal Capital!]

Declaring it proudly and with excitement, he flashed a confident smile, showing all his teeth. It was an unshakable expression that conveyed certainty — as if the act of hunting that ancient monster was already a done deal before he had even spoken it out loud.

His words made everyone fall silent, watching him with a new understanding of what he had just done.

He had just, indirectly, declared war on all the Royal Candidates.

And if they knew what he was really thinking... they would realize it was indeed true.

[Priscilla: How interesting...]

The baroness commented beside the merchant, seemingly amused.

 

 

—————

I was going to write the Extra for Capella IF and Felt IF, but the reactions to this one were so positive that I decided to change the order and wrote this one right away (also because I was already excited to write this Extra).

Some things about this IF, and some I want to explain:

-In Meili’s case in Arlam: Shaula discovered the Mabeast's attack by sniffing it out in the village and noticing the dog Meili had, alerting Subaru so both could handle everything when the children were in danger from the Curse, with help from Emilia and Puck. It was revealed that Shaula can easily track and locate Mabeasts, especially the Three Great Beasts, as they are the oldest and most powerful like her. (This is something original I came up with, because I thought it would be interesting for Shaula to be able to smell and track Mabeasts through scent, especially the three Great Beasts.)

-The villages within the territory began developing rapidly. Thanks to Subaru’s investments, they started restoring the health of their fields and even began building greenhouses, as well as helping in the production of soap for sale.

-Subaru contacted a merchant to begin selling his products, and that merchant is: Otto Suwen. Together they started the “Natsuki Company,” with Subaru as the owner and inventor, and Otto as the salesman. Otto initially had some doubts about Subaru, but an instinct inside him told him it was better to invest in Subaru than in the oil he was going to buy. Over time, Otto even officially joined Subaru’s Camp, serving as a merchant, manager of internal affairs, and partner of the "Natsuki Company."

-When Subaru was officially announced as a Candidate and his achievements started being publicized, Liliana decided to support her beloved in the best way she could: singing about him to people, creating songs about his deeds. She even followed him in secret, sometimes with Shaula’s help, to witness events firsthand and compose songs based on them.

-Subaru decided to obtain a noble title out of fear that his territory might be taken from him by someone who held one, aiming to protect himself. He realized that among all the Candidates, only Priscilla and Crusch had noble titles, while the others could lose their territories if they lost their support (Anastasia relies on Julius, Emilia on Roswaal, and Felt on Reinhard).

-Subaru declaring that he would hunt and eliminate the White Whale was his declaration of war against his rivals, the nobles, and the start of his campaign as a Candidate. He was previously hunting the Whale with Otto and Shaula’s help.

-Each Candidate has their own opinion about him:

Emilia – Feels hurt, thinking he deceived her by not telling her he was a Candidate, since she thought the glowing Insignia was a mistake. She doesn’t know he couldn’t reveal himself.

Crusch – Neutral to disliking him, since Subaru took her idea of hunting the Whale and refused to form an alliance to do it together, wanting to accomplish it on his own with Shaula’s help. Also, Patrasche ran away to follow Subaru after meeting him during a visit to the Karsten Mansion.

Anastasia – Suspicious of him, but interested in his Company.

Priscilla – Intrigued by his confidence and skill, especially after seeing his achievements, such as the growth of his territory and business. Later considers him a better rival than the other Candidates.

Felt – Likes him as in the original, and they get along well despite being “rivals.”

-Shaula defeated the White Whale alone using her full power. She did this simply after hearing Subaru say, “If you win… my first kiss is yours,” at which point she massacred the Whale (in the style of that meme: “If you win, I’ll sit on your face”).

-Liliana and Otto joined the hunt for the Whale and witnessed the “battle” between Shaula and the great beast—Otto to prepare the carriage to carry the head, and Liliana who followed along for the ride.

-After defeating the Whale, they went to visit Emilia, where Subaru wanted to talk to her and explain everything that had happened. And he ended up doing two things:

1) Avoiding Regulus and Lye.

2) They hunted down and eliminated Petelgeuse.

Subaru and his group spent about a week and a half there, during which he: met Frederica who had returned, slightly improved his relationship with Rem and Ram, saw Petra become a maid-in-training (wanting to work for Subaru in the future after finding out he didn’t have maids), and improved his relationship with Beatrice.

-Arc 4 was quite different in this IF and more complex (something that would be quite long), so I’ll try to summarize it briefly (only covering the important key points). The changes are as follows:

1) Subaru was invited by Roswaal to go to the Sanctuary under the pretense of helping Emilia, forming an alliance.

2) Subaru died to Elsa when he returned to the Mansion without Shaula, then died to the Rabbit when he sent Shaula with Otto to deal with Elsa. He ended up stuck in a loop of several deaths because Shaula was the main strength of his Camp to deal with threats, and he had to choose which one to handle in order to save just one side. But with Otto’s help, he managed to deal with both, like in the original.

3) Shaula fought Garfiel instead of Subaru, and she did as Subaru would have: reflecting and growing enough to be able to leave the Sanctuary.

4) Subaru went through two of Echidna’s trials, also learning about Beatrice’s past during this time with the Witch and Ryuzu. That’s when he decided to save Beatrice from the loneliness of the Library.

5) Subaru helped Emilia not because he was in love with her, but simply because he wanted her as a worthy rival. He helped her overcome the Sanctuary by convincing Puck to break their contract.

6) Subaru succeeded in contracting Beatrice as his Spirit by delivering the same speech he gave in the original.

7) With the duo Shaula and Garfiel, they captured Elsa and Meili, and Subaru took them as prisoners of his Camp after the whole incident.

8) Subaru and Beatrice defeated the Great Rabbit.

9) Roswaal and Emilia were the ones who made the bet, which Roswaal lost, forcing him to stay by Emilia’s side and truly help her as a Candidate, whether he liked it or not.

10) Roswaal’s Mansion was not burned down, and Garfiel became Emilia’s Knight, aiming to surpass Shaula, who would become Subaru’s Knight.

(I really summarized the heck out of the events, because it would be way more complex otherwise.)

-Subaru’s Camp by the end of “Arc 4” would be (in chronological order):

1) Subaru.

2) Shaula.

3) Liliana.

4) Otto.

5) Patrasche.

6) Beatrice.

7) Elsa and Meili (whom he started trying to reform, especially because of the skills and knowledge they possess as assassins and former daughters of Capella—whom he promised to hunt and eliminate in their name. Elsa agreed, particularly because she wanted Meili to have a normal childhood.)

Later on (during the time skip leading to the beginning of “Arc 5,” which would be an original arc about Subaru expanding his Camp and his Company’s business to improve his image and territory)...

8) Pleiades Battalion (He started his own group of soldiers to protect the territory and to have his own army, similar to Crusch and Priscilla, Anastasia with Iron Fang, and Felt with her guards, soldiers, and bandits in the Astrea territory.)

9) Petra (She joined as Subaru’s maid, trying to grow closer to him.)

10) Cecilus (He’s not officially part of Subaru’s Camp for now, as he appeared to challenge Shaula, thinking she really is the Great Sage. But he gets along so well with everyone that he’s considered a member, as he also does some tasks for Subaru and protects him.)

11) Halibel (He joined after Subaru, shortly before the events in Priestella, during the one-year time skip, after helping with the Zarestia incident in Kararagi. Subaru had visited the region to expand his business, as his sales were now reaching beyond the country.)

12) Reize (She joined along with Halibel, after being caught spying due to her robbery against Zarestia, the chaos she caused in Banan, and her attempted assassination of Subaru, becoming an apprentice maid of Petra.)

-Heinkel tried to join Subaru’s Camp after hearing about the conquest of the tower, the defeat of the White Whale and Sloth, hoping to obtain Dragon Blood to save his wife. But Subaru rejected him, and Heinkel ended up joining Priscilla’s Camp, as in the original.

Chapter 128: Electra IF

What if...? What if a star wished to save?

—————

 

 

"Do you love your father?"

If such a question were asked to that little child, to that little girl, she would say: "Yes!" with absolute childish certainty and great determination, because that was truly how much she loved her father. All the memories she had with him were usually happy ones. Like the games they played, the affectionate gestures — the head pats —, holding her in his lap, cooking sweets from his homeland just for her. A loving figure she adored deeply!

Subaru Natsuki. From the first day she learned she was his daughter, she found herself loving him.

In her small world, inside that not-so-big house, he was one of the greatest people among the four she knew. If there were a list: her father would be at the top, obviously. And not far behind would be a second figure who took care of her — the maid — who also looked after her when her father had to leave to work and provide for them all.

Two admirable figures, through her childish eyes.

That's why it wasn’t unusual for her to sleep in her father's room, or for her father to sleep in hers — or even the maid.

In a room, a small six-year-old girl, with long black hair, slightly pointed ears, and haunting amethyst eyes, was lying beside a woman with short blue hair. It was her bedtime, but she couldn’t sleep. Why? Because she was worried about her beloved father — worried about what he might be doing at that hour, when he should be tucking her in and sleeping beside her, just like he had done so many times before, something she absolutely loved — especially when he told her a bedtime story.

Carefully sitting up, she slipped out from under the blue-haired maid’s arms.

“Do you love Rem?”

Yes, she also loved the figure known as Rem. Because Rem was a kind person. She taught her things she didn’t understand when her father couldn’t, she cooked for everyone, cleaned the house, and was a diligent presence that kept everything running. And she treated her with great affection, just like her father did.

Even though she still preferred her father's affection a hundred times more — especially the head pats — she wouldn’t deny she also loved the pats she received from the blue-haired maid when she did a good job. And she tried to help whenever she could! Despite being very young, she was a little girl who liked helping with whatever she could, even if it was something as small as fetching and carrying things while Rem did house chores. She even got sweets as rewards when she did well.

She really liked her.

Because on the nights her father didn’t come sleep beside her in her bed, in her room, Rem would come — tuck her in, cuddle her, and make her feel comfortable for sleep on most of the nights she faced. But tonight wasn’t one of those nights.

The little girl, though grateful, had her “paternal affection level” extremely low and needed to recharge that energy with at least: one hug, ten head pats, three minutes on her father's lap, and two bedtime stories. Greedy of her? Maybe, but she didn’t even know what “greedy” meant. Because honestly, she couldn’t understand a lot of things yet. And she considered herself smart enough to understand many things! Even though, in truth, she wasn’t as clever as she thought — due to her high level of innocence, still being a very young child.

And because of that innocence, she still did things like this.

Getting up past bedtime and sneaking out of her room — even if her personal excuse was that she couldn’t sleep without her father’s affection — she found herself in the hallway, quietly closing her bedroom door. Now in the hallway, she stood where several doors were. Her own door, Rem’s room, and two others:

One she liked to stay away from, though she occasionally entered — it was the cat-boy’s room.

“Do you love the cat-boy?”

She thought he was strange.

A figure in a blue dress, youthful in appearance and feminine, even though he was a boy — something that shocked her when she discovered that at five and a half years old. He spoke in a funny way and said things she still couldn’t understand. She thought he was mildly funny, but still couldn’t bring herself to like him.

This was mostly due to the interactions she saw between him and her father.

She didn’t understand much about adult life — not even close — since she’d barely left the house she lived in to understand the world. The only thing she knew was that she found the things the cat-boy, Felix, did with her father strange. Like when he hugged him for too long, touched his neck, bit his ear, or ran his hands across his body.

And she found it even stranger when her father went into Felix’s room to be healed — because of the exceptional healing powers he had — and she heard weird noises.

She even had a strange memory — a blurry one — of how she once saw the cat-boy peeking through the crack of her parents’ door, with a look of rage on his face and squeezing his hands so tightly that blood dripped from them. She had already found that odd. But what she found even stranger was what happened after her father left the room to go to Felix’s, after some time, for healing — and she decided to secretly follow to spy on his work.

Though she didn’t remember it all clearly, she did remember Felix scratching her father as if in a fit of rage, and her father trying to calm him down with kind, comforting words — something the little girl admired in him. She tried to recall what happened next, because she was sure she saw Felix make some strange movements toward her father. Strange movements that her young mind couldn’t understand. She tried to hold onto that memory, but she didn’t know why — she just felt something had happened that night. But she didn’t see it all because Rem had taken her away before she could witness more.

In other words:

She didn’t dislike him, nor did she like him. She found him strange in a way that gave her a disturbing feeling in her heart whenever she saw him near her father — a feeling she would later come to understand as unease. That’s why she always avoided playing with him too much, even if Felix himself seemed to enjoy playing with her.

But now, ignoring the cat-boy, she focused on her personal goal: the head pats to recharge her energy.

Walking toward her parents’ room, she carefully opened the door.

That room was one of the places she spent most of her days, usually with her father or her mother, ever since she was younger. A place she was familiar with. But even so, she didn’t like it very much — because of a fear that made her small body tremble, and it almost always made her want to leave as quickly as possible.

When she entered, she saw him there. Against the wall of the room.

The punishment corner.

The punishment corner was where she and her father were placed when they did something her mother considered wrong. She would scold them, then give a small punishment — usually physical — which the little girl didn’t like when her mother carried out.

She could see her father there. His body slumped against the wall.

The fingers on both hands were twisted and broken, and his palms looked as if they had been crushed like fruit. His chest bore marks of punches. His face was swollen and purple, with dried blood on his lips, some broken teeth, and a shattered nose also bleeding. His eyes were shut, and he breathed with difficulty — heavily — and she knew that even if he opened his eyes, he would only see her halfway... because one of them no longer worked.

A common sight whenever her mother punished her father.

“Do you love your mother?”

...

A question that little child’s mind couldn’t answer with certainty. She loved her father for the things he did for her, but she didn’t quite like her mother—ironically, for the exact same reasons. Her mother seemed to be the complete opposite of her father when it came to how she interacted with her.

Emilia, the silver-haired half-elf, was a strange figure to her.

Her mother had always seemed distant. They only talked when the girl initiated the conversation. The looks her mother gave her seemed to hold affection, like the kind she saw in her father's eyes—but it never felt the same. Her mother even seemed displeased whenever the little girl spent too much time with her father. This led to a relationship full of friction. Because whenever the girl tried to recall memories of her mother, almost all of them were unpleasant.

Like the time her father lost the use of his left eye.

The little girl had gone out with her dad on her fifth birthday. They had a wonderful day together—alone, having fun like a father and daughter in a way she had never experienced before. It was one of the happiest moments of her life. Until they had to return home. Something she hated, because it meant her mother would be there. She didn’t like going back to a place where her mother would be waiting—it gave her a bad feeling deep in her heart. Especially when she was with her dad.

And then, it happened almost immediately after they arrived.

Part of the house’s interior was frozen, with Rem and Felix trapped, and her mother? Standing in front of them, grabbing her father and beating him mercilessly.

The little girl, who had just spent a perfect day, now watched her father get brutally beaten by her mother that night. She hit him hard enough to break his jaw. Hard enough that he could barely move after the assault. Hard enough to crush one of his eyes—he lost it forever. And he would have died, if not for the fact that her mother healed him herself.

Why?

Why did she do that to her dad?

Why did she hit him with such rage?

Because they were late.

They had arrived late because the little girl had asked for candy, which made them wait in a line, which made them arrive two minutes later than promised. A broken promise—and that made them the worst thing in her mother’s eyes: Liars.

Liars had to be punished for their mistakes. So that night, the little girl was thrown into her room and wasn't allowed to see her father for the next two days. It was to compensate for the two minutes lost when they broke their promise.

That was the moment the girl realized just how important promises were to her mother. Promises were sacred—sacred enough to warrant punishment if broken.

No longer dwelling on those cold memories, she focused...

Lights sparkled around her as small spirits appeared—many of them. She focused and channeled her magic through those tiny beings. Healing magic.

Magic she had seen her mother and Felix perform.

And little by little, his wounds began to heal—broken bones, bruises—until most were gone.

She was proud of her water magic. Even Felix praised her healing skills.

After finishing his treatment, the little girl walked up to him, placed a small kiss on his forehead, and left the room.

She didn’t want to cause problems for her father. She knew entering her parents’ room without her mother’s permission would be considered a breach of trust—a broken promise between them—and it would make her a liar.

And that would mean her father would once again take the hits from her mother to defend her, facing her wrath.

Chochorina.

That was the name her mother had given her.

But… she didn’t like it. Not just because the name sounded weird, but because it came from her mother. Someone she didn’t know how to feel about—except for fear and anger, for what she did to her father.

But on her fifth birthday, her father gave her a name as a gift.

A name he had always wanted to give her.

Elektra.

Elektra Natsuki—the name of one of the stars in the Pleiades constellation.

Because the name was linked to the stars that had given her father his own name, and because it had come from him, she loved it.

That’s why she longed for the power to claim that name as her one and only.

One day, she would...

One day, she’d go to the Capital and meet the Queen...

One day, she’d collect the debt that had remained unpaid for years...

One day, she’d bring the Sword Saint to save her father and Rem from her mother’s grip...

One day, Elektra Natsuki would save her father...

 

 

—————

I want to thank all my readers who’ve been with me up to this point.

I decided to post this chapter as the official hundredth, as a tribute to the very first IF I ever wrote in this story.

And this story—surprisingly, to some—was never something I expected to be so successful. I always thought no one would like the stories or chapters I posted here.

Because I never really saw myself as a good writer. But to my surprise, many people did enjoy it and began to support me. And I truly appreciate all the support you’ve given me so far, pushing me to keep writing this story.

I hope you liked this chapter, and I’m sorry it’s so short.

In this IF, some information about Electra Natsuki:

-She has higher spiritual affinity than her mother, but a smaller Gate in comparison.

-She made contact with several water spirits to use healing magic and help her father.

-She has a permanent scar on her back from when her mother poured boiling water on her for crying too much at the age of one.

-She loves Subaru (not in a romantic or sexual way, you pervs) and loves Rem, believing they are truly her parents.

-As an adult: she would be physically weaker than her mother and have a weaker Gate, but better control over spirit arts and superior intelligence in combat.

-She has affinity with two types of magic: Fire and Water.

-She loves mayonnaise.

Chapter 129: [Extra 2 - Electra IF]

Emilia’s smile was cold as she stood in front of Electra, who stared back at her with deep anger and a furrowed brow. Both mother and daughter radiated rage and frustration toward each other. Neither of them truly wanted to face the other. Because they simply hated each other — yes, hated. And it had been that way for a long time, ever since Electra was born as part of a plan her mother devised to tie herself to her father, with no concern for anyone else.

Now, the two of them stood face to face in a forest — the same forest where Electra’s father was supposed to be. Behind Emilia was a freshly vacated cabin.

[Emilia: Electra~~ It’s sooo good to see you again, how have you been~?]

[Electra: ————]

[Emilia: Your father was really heartbroken when he thought you were dead, you know~~? Yes, very, very sad. I had to comfort him in every way I could, with Felix helping me out a little, like a good little pet and a skilled healer. I was hoping to keep comforting him until we could get another chance at having our own family again~~ Of course, this time, yes, this time we’d finally be truly happy if we had an obedient, perfect child who listened to her parents properly~]

[Electra: ————]

Electra remained with a cold, expressionless face.

There was no need for further words or explanation from her mother — Electra understood all the connotations behind them.

The only thing that truly disgusted her was the sweet, semi-childish tone of her “mother’s” voice.

[Emilia: So, what did you come here for?]

[Electra: I came to take him. I came to save my father.]

[Emilia: And... where’s Subaru~~? I came here with sooo much desire to unwind after such a long, hard day, yes, yes, so much effort I gave, and I — as a good girl — should be rewarded, right, right~~?]

Still speaking in that childlike tone with a wider, colder, cruel smile, laced with sweetness meant to veil her sinister insinuations. Electra remained unfazed.

[Electra: Dad and the monster were taken by Reinhard, Mother Rem, and the Knights. At this very moment... he’s being well protected by them not too far from here.]

[Emilia: ——?!!]

[Electra: You know the Sword Saint, don’t you? Even a dumb creature like you couldn’t possibly not know who he is. Dad is being well cared for by them now. And I’m glad they were all so kind to help him. Julius-san was a true gentleman — he tore his own uniform to cover Dad and carried him the entire way.]

Remembering what the spirit knight had done, she couldn’t help but feel grateful.

Her father’s clothes had been in such a terrible state, barely resembling garments anymore, reduced to scraps barely covering parts of his body. She refocused on the woman in front of her.

Emilia’s cold facade cracked, replaced by pure fury directed at her daughter — the daughter she thought she had gotten rid of for good less than four months ago, never to worry about again — and whose fifteenth birthday had passed just three months ago. A girl now recognized in this world as a full-grown woman.

[Emilia: Give him back to me...!]

[Electra: No, no. I don’t think so. He’s being treated far better now than you or that freak ever did, monster.]

[Emilia: Monster...? Monster...?! DON’T YOU REALIZE HOW OFFENSIVE THAT IS?! Why am I a monster, huh?! Because I chose to live here with my husband and a healer, keeping him from doing something stupid — from making the mistake, the evil of dying and leaving me behind like Puck did?! A monster?! No, no, no! I’m not a monster! I’m just a devoted wife, trying to keep her husband safe, alive, and wrapped in the love only a worthy, capable, and good girl like me could give so passionately! Monster? That word, thrown at me as if I were some villain — ME, someone who did nothing more than what any loyal spouse should do! ME, who even accepted for years the atrocities you, Rem, and Felix committed against MY Subaru! Don’t you see how deeply offensive that word is?! Don’t you also see how ridiculous it is to say that to ME?! No, you don’t understand, do you? Because your father never raised you properly. I bet he only spent time with you while secretly thinking about me — trying to make me jealous. That’s what Felix told me some couples do to tease each other! So, no, I’m not a monster. I’m not, I’m not, I’m not, I’m not and I AM NOT!! I’m just a good girl, a good wife, a good person who only wants to live a happy and peaceful life with her husband, raising the children who should learn the RIGHT things they must be willing to do for their parents! A-and you...?! Didn’t I give you the chance to leave, to live with Rem far away from us...?! I was so good, so benevolent, so generous, and still my kindness was cruelly thrown in the trash by the wickedness of an ungrateful daughter! DON’T YOU SEE HOW SELFISH YOU ARE?! You’re the monster, yes... you are the monster! You’re the one ruining the happy, incredible life we’ve had since you were born! This is a... violation of my rights, of Subaru’s, of Felix’s — our right to a peaceful life without anyone else interfering and without interfering with anyone else as everyone wanted! Everyone always wanted me gone — EXCEPT SUBARU! And when all I want is to be with the one person who’d never abandon me, DESPITE EVERYTHING, what happens? Huh? WHAT HAPPENS?! YOU COME BACK AND TRY TO DESTROY EVERYTHING!!! Why...? WHY, WHY, WHY...?! WHY CAN’T I JUST LIVE MY HAPPY LIFE AWAY FROM SUCH CRUEL PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS WANT TO TAKE EVERYTHING FROM ME?!]

Emilia screamed at the end, scratching her face so hard it left small cuts, thin trails of blood dripping from them. Electra remained still, unaffected by the flood of words her “mother” had thrown at her.

The silver-haired half-elf took a deep breath, regaining composure, clapping her hands softly in front of her chest like a child.

She seemed calm now, after her furious outburst and long rant. Electra raised an eyebrow in surprise at the shift. They locked eyes again.

[Emilia: I’m going~ to~ kill~ you~~]

[Electra: ————]

[Emilia: I should’ve done it when you were a baby, but your father kept stopping me~~ Again and again and again, because Subaru is always gentle to broken and useless things he wants to fix, did you know~? So now, I’m going to kill you, and then I’ll get MY Subaru back~~ And we’ll have new children. What’s another 15 years, right?]

[Electra: ————]

The younger girl’s eyes narrowed while the older one’s turned cruel.

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

Then, in a flash, Electra conjured a Flame Bow using her “Creation Fire Arts,” firing a blazing arrow at the woman. Emilia barely tilted her head as a shield of ice shaped like spikes formed and melted the arrow on impact. But Electra was already on the move — she lunged forward with a flaming spear in her right hand and an ice dagger in her left, spinning with deadly force.

The first clash. Ice against fire. Mother against daughter.

Emilia grinned from ear to ear as she blocked the strikes with her bare hands wrapped in crystalline ice. But Electra spun midair and delivered a brutal kick to her mother’s stomach, launching her into a tree that exploded on impact.

The half-elf gritted her teeth and lunged again with monstrous speed, crushing the ground beneath her feet. Electra barely had time to conjure a flame shield before being hit by an explosion of piercing ice. Several icy spears shredded her side, blood trailing down her body. The air shifted.

Electra’s magic glowed with blue fire and black ice — something unnatural, born purely from the will to survive. She charged again, now wielding two long swords — one of ice and the other of blue fire.

Emilia starts losing ground—despite her superior brute strength, Electra is faster, more precise, and deadlier.

[Emilia: Why does everyone want to take him from me?! I made him promise he’d stay with me! HE PROMISED!]

Emilia screams in desperation, now with tears of rage in her eyes. She leaps, creating a tsunami of ice with one hand and a vortex of sharp spikes with the other. Electra jumps into the attack, crashing through the blades with her shield of blue fire, absorbing the impact. Her skin burns, her flesh bleeds, but she endures. Electra spins her body, leaving her weapons behind and using her fist wrapped in fire. She punches Emilia in the stomach with brutal force. Ribs break. Her second hand wields an ice spear, which pierces her mother’s left shoulder. The third move: a blast of blue flames directly into Emilia’s face, launching her backward, spinning through the air until she crashes into the ground.

The forest falls silent.

Emilia is on the ground, body broken, face partially burned, still breathing—but her eyes are distant.

[Emilia: Subaru… he won’t… he won’t ever leave me…!]

[Electra: Shut the fu——]

Just as Electra was about to end it, it happened. The ground froze suddenly—a field of frost more than fifty meters wide spread like a deadly ice flower. Electra tried to retreat, but her ankle was already partially trapped. Too late.

Translucent spikes erupted from the ground, impaling the side of her left leg and piercing her shoulder. Blood splattered, warm, onto the freshly formed snow.

Emilia rose, laughing silently. Her body trembled. Her skin peeled with burns, but the childish, empty smile remained. Her eyes were no longer violet—they were now dull slits of absolute madness. She raised both hands. The air was sucked from the forest for a moment. Then, it rained ice spears—hundreds of them, thin, fast, lethal. Electra rolled across the ground, tearing her own skin to escape the freezing. One of the spears grazed her cheek, slicing a deep cut to her jaw.

Still, she stood up, gasping.

Her clothes were burned, bloodstained, and torn. One of her arms trembled uncontrollably. She materialized a trident of blue flames... but her vision blurred. A buzzing throbbed in her head.

Her mana was nearly depleted.

[Electra: Dad…]

[Emilia: Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…! Please die…!]

Muttering the same words over and over, she continued. Electra clicked her tongue and flipped her off.

[Electra: As if I cared, you crazy bitch…! Half-demon whor——]

Emilia charged. With every step, the ice grew like a living creature. Electra tried to strike—horizontal slash with the trident—but Emilia parried it with a dagger made of pure ice crystal and spun, landing a kick straight to Electra’s gut. Electra was thrown ten meters and smashed through a tree trunk, breaking a rib on impact. She fell. Motionless for a moment. Blood trickled from her mouth.

A broken leg. A dislocated arm. Blood soaking the soil. Her lungs barely pulled air. The taste of iron filled her mouth. A constant buzzing hammered her mind—the sound of flesh crushed under ice, of displaced bones, and shredded breath.

She could no longer feel her leg, and her left arm was useless.

Emilia approached slowly, ice forming beneath her feet with each step, as if the forest itself crowned her the queen of death. Spikes floated around her head, orbiting in irrational circles like petals of a dark lotus. Electra, still on the ground, kept her eyes half-open. Internally, she wasn’t praying. She wasn’t begging for help.

She was calculating.

[Subaru: You can use fire magic to create both ice and fire… it could be really useful if used together. Just be careful not to blow everything up!]

[Electra: How would I blow everything up...?]

[Subaru: There’s a scientific basis that might work with this world’s magic. —— Where I come from, a study was done. When you introduce a very intense heat source into an extremely cold environment, there’s thermal shock. It can cause fractures in materials, rapid vaporization of liquids, and a sudden expansion of air: when denser air is abruptly heated and rapidly expands. It can, in theory, generate something like an “explosion” due to the sudden release of energy and air movement. —— In other words: if the environment is very cold, frozen, and suddenly heated, it can create a massive explosion.]

Electra remembered her father’s explanation, now with an idea of how to end the fight. This could finish it.

With the last of the mana still burning in her heart—the faint flicker of blue flames pulsing in her chest—she gathered it all. Everything. Emilia raised her hand, forming a thick ice spear. Long. Lethal. The air around her was no longer just cold—it was cutting. Vegetation died at her touch.

The ground cracked.

Then, Electra moved her right hand—just that.

The forest’s moisture trembled. All the water in the area converged. A dome of ice sealed around Emilia in an instant. Thick ice. Pressurized. Molded with surgical precision, fed by the very moisture Emilia had summoned without realizing.

She laughed inside, thinking she’d shatter everything with a gesture.

She tried.

She struck.

She cracked the ice.

She made fissures and almost escaped.

But then...

Electra dragged herself. Inch by inch, with blood in her mouth and burning eyes. She pressed the palm of her right hand against the ice—right at the center of the dome.

And in silence… ignited.

A sudden eruption of absolute heat, bluish and pulsing fire, expanded like a supernova inside the ice. The thermal difference between the sealed ice and the concentrated heat caused a violent pressure collapse. The ice imploded. Then exploded. The blast hurled Electra harshly to the ground. A wave of energy and steam swallowed the forest.

[Electra: Did I...?]

She wondered, crawling forward, until she reached the edge of something.

When the mist cleared, only a steaming crater remained where the dome had been. Inside the crater stood a figure still on her feet. Her body was scorched, clothes nearly incinerated, patches of flesh exposed and burned to near-blackness, one eye dangling and half-melted grotesquely — with some bones even visible. She still stood, and on her destroyed face remained a smile.

[Emilia: Su... ba... ru... Su... ba... ru... Su... ba... ru... Su... ba... ru... Su... ba... ru... Su... ba... ru...]

Electra stood at the edge of the crater, despite the pain, slipping down into the crater and slowly advancing toward the woman still standing.

[Electra: ———— I couldn’t care less about your story, your reasons, your excuses. Even if we share blood. I don’t give a damn! The things you’ve done... the things my father had to endure to protect me and Mother Rem... I don’t care what drove you to this! I hate you. That’s why I’ll protect him from everything and everyone who tries to hurt him!]

[Emilia: Su... ba... ru... Su... ba... ru... Su... ba... ru... Su... ba... ru... Su... ba... ru...]

[Electra: So... if it's any consolation... I hate you, but that doesn't mean that if you had chosen another path and had another life I would want you to suffer... I'll just never be able to feel anything for you beyond this explosion I feel every time I see you and want to throw it at you... That's why...]

Electra placed a hand against Emilia's chest and used the rest of her strength to freeze her body, from the inside out, turning her into crystal, before breaking her into several pieces. A quick and painless death, despite the way it was carried out. Because at that moment something happened that would not have happened before, for those who knew the first intentions of the girl known as Electra Natsuki and not the figure of the little girl she was before becoming who she is today.

Killing her like that... was the first and last "I love you" that Emilia's former daughter managed to give, little Chochorina who still felt sorry for that figure that Electra hated so much.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Electra spent about three months, straight, training with Reinhard to learn how to fight and refine herself at least enough to face her mother. In that time she turned fifteen.

-Electra learned how to create weapons of ice and fire.

-Electra asked everyone to evacuate and let her fight Emilia and decide her mother's fate.

-Electra may be younger, physically weaker and have a gate with half the power of Emilia, but she is more adapted to combat and can defeat this version of her mother thanks to Emilia's inability to use her own magic without spending more energy than necessary for each attack, tiring faster.

Extra information from my Multiverse for those who want to know:

-If Helena faced Electra, both at the height of their powers: Helena would win with little to medium difficulty.

Chapter 130: Alpha IF

What if...? What if the greedy daughter wanted to know more about the world?

—————

 

 

One of the things Alpha liked the least to do during the day was walking.

Call her lazy or even sedentary, she strongly hated walking around, especially over long distances. That’s why, when night came and she could use the excuse of it being late to go to bed, she took full advantage of it! She was lying in a hammock—a hammock placed on top of a bed, a bed with several mattresses.

A special request made by the girl to her father as a birthday gift. All because she hated falling to the floor from any possible height—she’d probably even hate falling upward if that meant hitting something that caused her unnecessary physical pain. Alpha hates pain. That’s due to her delicate body, one that’s extremely sensitive and fragile—especially since she made no effort to train and strengthen it.

She’s a little girl with a simple appearance: long dark hair, unsettling black eyes—unsettling just like her father’s—and slightly pale skin, as she rarely exposed herself to sunlight, preferring to stay in her room.

Her room is medium-sized, at least in comparison to her adoptive sister’s and her parents’ rooms. Still smaller than the Library inside their house. A massive library that she sometimes likes to go to—to read, to learn, to understand, to evolve, to grow. All kinds of things that would allow her to reach a higher level than she was just moments before. But in a way, isn’t everyone like that?

[Alpha: How do you define yourself if you yourself are not constant, but a being in constant transformation to the point where not even your mind is the same when you wake up? Don’t be constant—accepting change won’t make you someone else. Since you’re not even the same person you were a few seconds ago. What makes a difference is how you go through that change.]

One of the philosophical phrases she sometimes told herself, based on her father's teachings as she grew up and matured, trying to understand things she hadn’t before. Just like her own desire to change and understand such things. That was the core essence of Alpha.

Change is interesting.

Imagine what things would be like if someone had changed their way of thinking at a certain moment? How would the world change in that process? How would many people change if they witnessed something that made them shift their mindset through an external or internal force?

Such thoughts sometimes lingered in her mind when she thought about the word: “Probability.”

A word that completely defined what “what could have been” or “what could be” meant, based on the personal choices of those around her, as well as the person she was considering in that possibility. But not only personality—environment and early interactions also mattered.

In her case: she liked the “What ifs...?” because they defined that there was never just one possibility, but a web of them, all of which completely shaped the kinds of things others had done, were doing, or would do to create new branches in time, based on their interactions in current or non-current space. Even that reminded her of her parents, who, by definition, followed one of the possible routes that led to her creation, her birth, her naming—with the intention to raise and teach her.

Something that amused her, while also giving her chills.

[Alpha: I respect her, but I don’t exactly want to be like her.]

Alpha definitely respects and holds significant appreciation for her mother.

If she had to describe it, she’d say what she admired most were her magic skills, her knowledge, and also her beautiful appearance. The white hair and the way she wore her signature black dress. Something that helped her understand the attraction her father felt toward her mother.

Her figure, shown through the tight black dress, gave her an allure that was undoubtedly attractive to men—and that probably included her father.

Which made her think...

[Alpha: Why don’t I have any siblings if they must do “that” so many times...?]

She wondered.

But like her mother, she had a fragile body. A body that got tired easily from even the slightest movement that resembled strenuous activity. That also helped her understand why her mother sometimes woke up late and extremely tired and drained from her nights with her father—she once even saw her mother nearly looking like a skeleton, completely devoid of bodily fluids.

Considering how hard it was to have her, Alpha, even as just an eight-year-old child, understood that her mother could’ve died trying to give birth—or at the very least suffered so much that she never wanted to go through it again.

Even though they had the support of someone once known as the “Greatest Healer in Lugunica.”

Even if her mother was greedy enough to want to see the results of birthing other children—whether or not they’d be like Alpha herself.

Even Alpha was very curious to know what her potential brothers and sisters would be like, although she did have a small fear about one thing...

[Alpha: I’d have to assert dominance, right? The younger ones would have the cuteness of early age to manipulate Daddy and get more head pats, lap time, even sweets and chances to sleep in his lap pillows. It would become a territory battle. But to show dominance, how would I do it? Would I need to show all the power I possess? Or should I keep using the cuteness I still have while I’m not yet an adult? Though Daddy does know how to balance things between me and Beako-Nee-Chan-Sama. Could he do the same with three or more? I don’t think I want to find out for now.]

Speaking of her parental figures—if she had to say who Alpha loves the most between the two she has, it would definitely be him, her father: Natsuki Subaru. The best dad ever!

Even if it sounds childish, she couldn’t imagine anyone better than him as a father.

Fun, playful, intelligent. With games and quotes that entertained her. Strong and handsome.

Obviously, she didn’t feel that kind of attraction that some might—but given his appearance, she, as a smart little girl, understood why women were so drawn to him—to the point where she wouldn’t even be surprised if he had more than one partner like her mother.

And even with only one arm, he had amazing combat skills. Not to mention his physique. And he was talented—not only in magic, as he had shown with his spirit, Beako-Nee-Chan-Sama, or even alone, but also in his skill with making objects from his homeland and cooking, especially a condiment known as mayonnaise.

If there was one thing Alpha loved as much as sweets—it was mayonnaise.

Putting it on a nice piece of meat before eating was one of her favorite daily pleasures.

Sometimes she couldn’t even wait until mealtime to smother food in mayo and gulp it down, savoring the taste.

She delighted in all kinds of mayonnaise that could be crafted. Her least favorite?

The spicy ones. Why? Because she didn’t like the burning sensation on her tongue and throat.

Though sometimes she didn’t hate eating it—contradictory, right? But that’s how she was with a lot of things.

And mayonnaise was introduced to her by her father, which made her love it even more.

And love her grandfather and grandmother even more, thinking they were the ones who introduced her father to the wonders of mayonnaise—especially when she found out her grandmother was just as addicted as she was...

Or at least, she thought they were on the same level of mayo addiction.

[Alpha: But sweets are so good too~~! Cakes are my favorite, especially the ones with frosting~!]

She licked her lips thinking about the desserts that could be there for her right now, but weren't. Either because she couldn’t turn her thoughts into reality or because her father wouldn’t allow her to lose control over her blood sugar levels — not just for the sake of her weight, of course, but mainly for her physical health, especially considering how debilitated she was due to her lack of exercise and her seemingly fragile body.

At times like this, she wished she had inherited her father's body.

Because he could do things like hundreds of push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and even run for miles during his radiocalisthenics training. That was something she always saw as monstrous. Though, more than anything, it was an unfair comparison — she, on the other hand, could barely manage eight push-ups without her bones feeling like they were about to snap, or without vomiting or fainting — things she had actually done before during training.

She was terrible at physical training, unable to meet the challenges her father imposed. She even remembered nearly giving up on walking altogether just because she scraped her knee falling down a small staircase. She even considered crafting a wheelchair so she’d never have to move again. That was how petty and sedentary she was — and why she admired her father so much more.

This also led her to think of another figure, “The Shadow,” or as she was taught to call her, “Jealous Bitch” — her favorite nickname for the figure known as the legendary: Witch of Envy. But mostly because she hated the bad feelings that surrounded her father whenever she caught sight of her, when her claws seemed to be directed at her beloved father. And also because of the powerful scent that came from him when something important was happening, allowing him to act with frightening precision.

[Alpha: I wish I understood more about that…]

She said to herself whenever she thought about that particular topic, but she knew it would be dangerous to uncover. Yet it would also be worth it — because it involved the person she most admired and loved. The price of that knowledge… she wondered what it would be. And in those moments, she would do something late at night.

She’d roll off her hammock, fall onto her mattress, then — through awkward, embarrassing, and erratic movements — she’d get out of bed and place her feet on the slightly cold floor, making her shiver from head to toe and instinctively clench her fists, also feeling a slight discomfort in her body. Nearly cramping. Because, believe it or not, she could feel physical exhaustion and cramps just from climbing down from her hammock and getting out of bed. A proud demonstration of her shamefully weak physical condition!

Walking calmly toward her window, she opened it. The wind blew in and made her tremble again from the cold.

[Alpha: Urgh! —— Kamin Goa.]

Using magic, she created a small flame. A circular flame in the shape of a fireball. It started orange, then turned blue, and began to warm her surroundings. Not burning, of course, but keeping everything cozy — as if a small fireplace had just been created in that very moment.

This was one of the magical variations she had developed with the creative help of her father. This flame was used to keep her warm in times of intense cold, bringing her comfort. It was in these moments she appreciated her magical talent for preserving her own happiness, sparing herself inconveniences like needing firewood or similar things to stay warm — she had even created other spells for these light needs so she wouldn’t have to rely on physical things.

But setting aside her focus on this type of magic, she turned to something else — looking out at the horizon through her window. Specifically, the night sky, with countless beautiful stars, while the fireball remained alive beside her, keeping her comfortable in the chilly breeze. Her gaze wandered there, patiently waiting.

Letting out a small melodic whistle, until several points of light began to appear in the sky.

Hundreds of new points — not stars, but spirits. Lesser Spirits and Quasi-Spirits. A number that her mother, her Beako-Nee-Chan-Sama, and her father had all said was incredibly impressive for her to summon with just a simple call, as she had done before when first learning about spirits. And this made her proud — proud of having something her father would praise, maybe even be a little envious of, though she knew well it wasn’t a malicious envy — it was clear just by looking at his eyes.

Seeing those spirits made her feel like trying something… and among the things she wanted to try, she focused on one.

As if by magic, she focused on something — something within herself. Desire. The desire to accomplish what she wanted. The desire to see what she liked. The intense desire to understand and learn more to make it happen. Her Greed.

Even without knowing, that’s what guided her in that moment — and allowed her to create something.

A book. A book with a cover and a single page.

Opening it, she saw the only page was completely blank — a shining white sheet, as if it longed for its owner, the one who created the book, to write something on it, something important… though she didn’t understand what yet. The cover had no title, only a space where one could be written. But she understood the reason, even if only indirectly — as if something deep inside her head was trying to explain why the book had only a single page, created mysteriously by her own hands.

Because she wasn’t ready yet.

Maybe she understood what she needed to do.

She had to grow stronger somehow. She had to evolve, change, become powerful enough to bear the responsibility and the weight of what she wanted — and needed — to face on her own.

That thought brought her back to the moment when she had summoned so many spirits.

She lightly wondered about something...

[Alpha: Could I... become one?]

Asking herself more deeply, she imagined if she could become a Spirit. One strong enough for her book to gain a title on its cover and fill with the pages she knew it was meant to have. Powerful enough to command what she wanted without fearing the Shadow that surrounded her father.

In the future, she would go through that “accident”...

In the future, her hair — like her eyes — would change. Her hair would turn lavender, and her eyes would become a mix of black, purple, and green — as she fused her very soul with hundreds upon hundreds of spirits, becoming something more…

In the future, she would become powerful enough for the book created by her Authority to gain its title and pages — pages that would tell the story of her father...

In the future, she would witness every life her father lived and every life he could have lived — across the infinite possibilities of what could have happened to him. And her hair would turn white from the stress of so much difficulty…

In the future, she would become so powerful that she would rival the power of the one who would be: The Witch of Time!

A daddy’s little girl...

 

 

—————

A bit about Alpha...

 

Image from: Variants, Variants and More Variants. I thank him again for this design and for letting me use it.

Fun facts:

-Alpha has always been completely devoid of any outstanding physical abilities. The only thing she's remotely good at is running or squatting, but even that takes so much effort that she'd need at least 30 minutes to reach the 100-meter mark in a race.

-Alpha doesn't like heights and is very afraid of falling, but ironically she likes to sleep in hammocks so she puts beds under herself to keep herself safe in case she rolls over and starts to fall towards the ground.

-Alpha likes to read in Beatrice's Forbidden Library, staying there for a long time when she has free time. Learning as much as she can from the books. Also learning specifically about magic, spirits and authorities.

-Alpha hates all kinds of clichés from romantic comedies or harem stories. Especially scenes where a character gets jealous of another character interacting with the character and starts using violence to show her jealousy. Making her almost set fire to those books in annoyance at those scenes.

-Alpha has a high affinity with Yin magic, despite being talented in all types (even better than a professional), and with spirits, two to three times greater than her father (where her natural affinity could even be mistaken for Reinhard's Divine Protection of Spirits, since some would even be willing to commit suicide to help her if necessary).

-Alpha has a list of her favorite things: 1. Her father; 2. Mayonnaise/Doces; 3. Beatrice and Echidna; 4. The rest.

-Alpha was only able to read her Version of the Books of the Dead when she became powerful enough to face and defeat the Witch of Envy or even Reinhard, her subconscious having stopped her beforehand so as not to cause her death or the destruction of the world and the death of others.

-Alpha possesses the Authority of Greed: With it, Alpha was able to create the Book of Life and Death; as, in the future, the Theater she would name “Absolute Cinema.”

-Alpha experimented with spirits to merge with them and increase their power to an unknown level, especially their magic. Making her hair become half-dark, half-purple. How his dark eyes became an extra mix, adding purple and green to his dark eyes.

-Alpha possesses the Book of Life and Death:

A book similar to Echidna's Book of Wisdom, which allows her to see the life of the person she chooses. Including the life they could have lived. Only the past and present, as well as the future, up to a maximum of three years. For example: She saw the life of her version of her father from birth to three years in the possible future on her timeline.

The stress was so great that her hair turned white, with only a few strands of her dark purple hair remaining.

Chapter 131: [Epilogue - Electra IF]

1) Subaru.

When he woke up, he felt the sheets and the comfort of the bed like a gentle embrace around his body. Every part of him was comfortably settled into the mattress, cradled softly by the blankets covering him. His eyes lazily wandered around the room, still groggy from the act of waking up, sensing that strange feeling everyone gets after a peaceful night’s sleep — not fully understanding where they are just yet.

Sitting up slowly, the sheets fell slightly, revealing the scars that marked him — the ones that would remain for years. They would never go away.

He tasted bitterness in his mouth.

Could he have done more? Should he have done more? Was he a bad person for not having done more for those around him?

Had Subaru failed Emilia?

During all the years he spent with her, the man with black hair believed so. He thought of how he should have helped her during the Royal Selection Candidate Meeting, how his power should’ve worked so he could fix the problems caused by Puck and Roswaal. But he didn’t. He didn’t follow her. He kept his promise, and his power didn’t work to save her — so he promised to care for her however he could. Which included saving her life.

And the damage she caused him?

To him, they were damages he deserved. Because… he failed her, didn’t he? He was the cause of all the evil that befell her, and he couldn’t do anything to help her, right? And when she went mad… he gave in. He let himself believe it was his punishment — his atonement. And he believed he deserved to go through all of that, and worse. Especially as he continued failing as a father to protect Electra… and as a lord, for failing to protect Rem during the time they lived together.

He believed Emilia’s madness was his fault, and that he should suffer because of it. That he shouldn’t be saved in any way. Because it was his Sloth, his inaction, that caused all that chaos. And so, he used his ability to fix every mistake he could when those mistakes came from Emilia’s actions.

After all, wasn’t that what his power was for? He was supposed to be someone who fixed everything so that everyone could live happily, right?

...So why didn’t it feel right...?

He was supposed to help Emilia, wasn’t he? Then why did he feel like he didn’t want to? Why did he wish he didn’t have to use his ability to fix each and every mistake and cruel act she caused?

Even if he still blamed himself for the bad things that happened in the past, always wondering how he could have done more… he couldn’t help but also want to blame others for what had happened.

Puck. Roswaal.

They were the ones he wanted to blame for the terrible things that happened to Emilia and turned her into someone he no longer loved or admired — someone who made him feel fear and disgust. They were the main ones responsible for the tragedy of the Royal Selection. They were responsible for everything that happened at the Mansion — the thing that stopped him from saving everyone… and the home he had managed to build in that first month.

But still… was it wrong of him to resent Emilia?

Even knowing she went through deep trauma to become what she became, was it wrong that he still couldn’t forgive her for what had happened? Maybe he wanted to push the blame away from her so he wouldn’t lose his memories of the old Emilia... and maybe to justify what she and Felix had done to him?

Felix.

Just thinking about him made Subaru shudder slightly.

He had been imprisoned.

It had been against the will of Rem, of Electra, and even of the current Queen, Felt, who all wanted him to pay for the crimes he had committed against Subaru over the years. They wanted justice. Even more so because Felix still didn’t seem remorseful, still believing in the twisted memories that remained from his paranoia and madness.

But the Council of Wise Men used every argument they had to prevent his execution. In their opinion, his healing abilities were too valuable to waste.

Stripped of his Knight title — and his “Blue” title — he was now more of a medical resource than a person. Treated more like an object used to heal others. And despite being a prisoner, he still had better accommodations than a normal inmate — due to his past achievements and titles still carrying some weight.

Yet Felix didn’t seem happy about being separated from Subaru.

Subaru remembered how he looked on the verge of madness until Subaru promised to visit him…

...Would it be wrong not to keep that promise?

Even though just the thought of breaking a promise with someone so desperate caused him pain, he still couldn’t bring himself to feel comfortable with the idea of going to see him. Of facing him again, after finally being free.

But didn’t he owe that to someone he had lost? That person would surely hate him if he broke his word and gave up on taking care of Felix after promising so long ago.

[Subaru: Would you hate me if I didn’t want to keep that promise…?]

He asked no one — and felt a painful tightness in his chest.

Then he heard the soft sliding of a door and saw her entering.

Rem, no longer wearing her traditional maid uniform, but a kimono, stepped into the room and smiled at him. Not a sad or pitying smile — but a gentle, compassionate one. And that warmed his heart, to be able to see that smile again after so long — after everything they had lost that day at the Mansion.

[Rem: Good morning, Subaru-kun.]

[Subaru: Good morning, Rem-rin.]

It had become almost a daily routine between them.

Rem would come to his room to help him dress. He could normally do that alone, but during the time he had been isolated with Emilia and Felix in that forest... some of his nerves had been burned. Now it was hard to move his arms and legs — almost his entire body.

So he needed help to wear his dark kimono, tied at the waist with an orange sash. The kimono was longer and wider than usual — at his request — because he didn’t want people to see his scars. It covered almost his entire body, even his neck up to his chin. Only his face and hands were visible — though even his wrists were wrapped.

While Rem helped him dress, Subaru could only think one thing:

[Subaru: I’m sorry, Rem-rin… I’m sorry, Nee-sama…]

He apologized to both sisters. The one still here, and the one who was gone.

He apologized to Rem for having to touch his filthy, used, marked body — and for being too kind to say no to doing so. He apologized to Ram for having become more useless than he already was — for depending on her younger sister’s kindness to touch something as disgusting as him. He begged her forgiveness for not being good enough — though he didn’t feel worthy of forgiveness at all, for being so worthless to everyone around him.

Once she finished helping him, Rem gently held his left hand and let him lean on her. Without her support, he could barely move.

[Subaru: I’m sorry you have to deal with this every day, Rem-rin.]

[Rem: To Rem, it’s nothing. Compared to what Subaru-kun has endured for Rem and Electra, she still thinks this is little in return.]

[Subaru: If it wasn’t because of me… none of you would’ve had to go through any of this...]

Thinking that, he started spiraling into guilt again.

At least… he would’ve, if not for a small act of kindness.

A kiss on his cheek, soft and warm — enough to push those thoughts away.

[Rem: Subaru-kun looked like he was thinking something bad... I hope that helped a little.]

[Subaru: —— No, it didn’t bother me.]

Opening a small smile, he felt calmer. Rem seemed to know exactly how to soothe him with those small gestures of affection whenever he started sinking into his own thoughts.

The two kept walking through the place. Looking around, he felt a sense of familiarity.

Kararagi. The country whose city-states and culture resembled Japan in past eras. He had heard about it before but had never visited one of its cities to confirm. When he first came to this place, and saw the architecture, the clothes—he felt like he had traveled through time. It was magnificent!

Right now, they were inside a minka—a traditional Japanese urban house.

They kept walking until they arrived where they could eat.

Because of his weakened health, a result of the time he spent with Emilia and Felix in that cabin, and from old injuries, his condition had declined. That’s why he was a bit indulgent with himself and slept later than he used to. Then Rem would help him get to the dining area and assist him with eating.

When they arrived, Rem opened the door. Inside, two people were already waiting for them.

[Subaru: Ah, forgive me, Anastasia-sama, I forgot about your morning visit.]

[Anastasia: No need to apologize, Natsuki-kun. Considering your health, it’s probably more audacious of me to expect you to attend a meeting this early. But I have a feeling that if I apologized, you wouldn’t accept it.]

[Subaru: After everything you’ve done for me...? No, I don't think I could accept that.]

[Anastasia: You say that as if you’re taking advantage of me. But judging by the business we've done so far, I’d say it's a fair return.]

Anastasia Hoshin, known as the Merchant Queen of Kararagi, was also the owner of the house Subaru now lived in—or at least the one who bought it as an investment.

An investment in him.

For nearly a decade now, she had been one of the main buyers and resellers of the items he created alongside the Suwen Company, even attempting to recreate them herself but failing.

So when Subaru met Julius, her former knight who remained an ally, Julius spoke of the merchant who was interested in making deals with the black-haired man. She had always wanted to meet him in person but could never do so because he had hidden his name and identity for reasons unknown at the time.

The Knight of Knights introduced them, explained each other’s situation, and they were able to start negotiating.

Subaru would have a deal similar to the one he had in the past with the Suwen family patriarch. He’d be the inventor, both with his own creations and by interpreting the sacred texts of Hoshin, which were in his native language—Japanese—and some even in English. These would help him develop new items to be sold, generating profit for both sides.

Anastasia was a fair negotiator to those who were fair with her. That’s why she gave them that house, which even had a room for him to work in peace, allowing only those he trusted to assist him. She would sell the items he created.

A fair trade.

Looking at the figure beside her was a man in a pristine white uniform, his well-groomed violet hair in place.

[Subaru: Julius-san, it’s good to see you again.]

[Julius: The same to you, Natsuki-sama. It always brings me joy to see you looking healthier.]

[Subaru: Ow~ Don’t say that in front of Rem-rin, she might think you’re trying to flirt with me and get jealous.]

[Rem: Subaru-kun! Don’t say that kind of thing. Rem won’t get jealous over a knight casting a lewd gaze toward Subaru-kun’s beauty.]

Saying that with puffed cheeks, she looked at Julius with slight suspicion—almost like lasers shooting from her eyes.

That drew cheerful laughter from the other three sitting at the table.

[Subaru: So... hmm. Could you tell me, how is she doing...?]

[Julius: Ah, yes. Electra-san asked me to give you this when I saw you again.]

He pulled a few items from beside him on the table: a letter, a small pouch of coins, and a decorated cake. Three gifts. Subaru recognized them well—they were always the same kind of gifts his daughter sent him.

[Subaru: That girl... She doesn’t need to send all this. Just a letter would be enough... though I do wish she’d visit me once in a while.]

[Rem: Electra-chan probably wants to visit you too, Subaru-kun, but we both know how hard she works.]

[Julius: I have to agree with Rem-san on that. Electra-san has been very diligent in her current position. I dare say that if I don’t maintain my own training and efforts, she could surpass me and take my place.]

Hearing those words, he couldn’t help but smile softly with joy and pride, imagining where she might be now...

2) Petelgeuse.

“Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, desu~” — that’s how the Archbishop of Sloth introduced himself to others, usually to those who would soon become victims of his judgment through his Gospel.

And that judgment became even more intense after he failed once!

At the Mathers Mansion, where he was supposed to find the vessel for the Witch of Envy.

His beloved Witch!

But... she had vanished.

The beloved vessel had disappeared.

She had vanished, disappeared, and he could never find her again. Not even his precious Gospel could help him find her anymore! That’s why for the past decade, he had carried out attack after attack.

Including on Priestella and the city of Picoautatte, where he finally found her again... only to lose her months later.

[Petelgeuse: Oh, my beloved Witch. Forgive me, yes, forgive me. Please, forgive this slothful one! Slothful! Slothful, slothful, slothful, slothful, slothful, slothful, slothful! Oh, how I wish I had done my duty... with diligence!]

He spoke to himself as he set fire to part of that city back then.

But he didn’t give up!

He continued his search, more and more fervently!

Because he knew she was alive, because he knew he could find her again someday, because he wanted to fulfill the task entrusted to him long ago.

And Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti would——

[???: She’s dead.]

[Petelgeuse: Hm?!]

[???: Your precious ‘vessel’... is dead.]

[Petelgeuse: Dead?!]

The Archbishop exclaimed in shock, sadness, and fury, clutching his face.

Around him, many of his Fingers were dead, along with many of his cultist followers—killed by ice magic, others by fire magic, some impaled, others decapitated. He had burn marks on him.

These were caused by the figure he now looked at.

A dark-haired woman with amethyst eyes, wearing the uniform of a knight of the Kingdom of Lugunica.

[Petelgeuse: How?! How did the vessel die?! How, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how?! HOW?! NO! IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE! IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE! THE GOSPEL SAID I SHOULD JUDGE HER, THAT SHE WOULD BRING MY BELOVED WITCH BACK, THAT I WOULD FINALLY FEEL HER LOVE! OH, HER LOVE! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!]

[???: ——I killed her.]

[Petelgeuse: Hm? Hm, hm, hm? Hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm? You? It was you? You killed the witch’s vessel? You killed the vessel that would receive the Witch and give her love to everyone—and to me?]

[???: Yeah, it was me. I blew her up and destroyed her body until there was nothing left.]

Speaking with cold indifference, the woman crossed her arms as if she hadn’t said anything significant, leaning casually against a tree beside her.

That made Petelgeuse bite into his fingers hard, overwhelmed with frustration.

[Petelgeuse: You. You! YOU! YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU! YOU, YOU HERETIC! YOU SINNER! YOU... SLOTHFUL! YOU WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND THE WITCH’S LOVE, WHO DOESN’T DESERVE HER LOVE, WHO DESTROYED THE WORLD’S CHANCE TO KNOW HER SWEET LOVE! YOU MONSTER, YOU HERETIC, SLOTHFUL ONE!]

[???: Hah! As if I cared about the love of some random bitch.]

[Petelgeuse: YOOOOOOOOOOU!!!!! I’LL KILL YOU, I’LL KILL YOU! —— I AM... PETELGEUSE ROMANEE-CONTI, OF THE WITCH CULT! I AM THE ARCHBISHOP REPRESENTING SLOTH!!!]

[???: And me? I’m... ELECTRA NATSUKI, representing the Knights of Lugunica! And I came on behalf of everyone to deliver a single message: Lugunica is not yours to conquer or sink into your twisted desires!]

As both introduced themselves, the dark-haired girl let her six spirits shine around her and conjured ice weapons, ready to face the Archbishop.

Now as a Knight of Lugunica, she would fight to eliminate as many of those evil beings as she could who might interfere with her path to her father and her mother, Rem — and for that, she would always give her all.

She would be someone who protects her kingdom, protects those who cannot defend themselves, and protects her family.

Because to them, Electra would be what her father once was to her!

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Electra became a Knight to be someone capable of protecting others.

-Felt, the current Queen of Lugunica, appointed her as a Knight and assigned Reinhard to train her.

-Through the training of Reinhard and Julius, and with mastery of Spiritual Arts, Electra became an expert in hand-to-hand combat, weapon usage, magic, and made a contract with six spirits.

-Since childhood, Electra was taught by her father about the stars, including their stories. Thanks to this knowledge, she began learning how to deal with the powers of the Archbishops.

Examples:

1) She discovered the power of the Unseen Hands through intuition during her fight against Petelgeuse, using an ice fog to reveal their outlines, allowing her to dodge and counter his attacks.

2) She uncovered Regulus’s power after hearing his name and recalling Petelgeuse’s abilities. This led her to realize the secret behind his heart, and through how he spoke about his wives, she deduced that his hearts were in them. She didn’t win the first battle — instead, she faked her death to follow him to his mansion, and once there, before he could react, she confirmed the heart theory, froze his wives, and stripped him of his invincibility.

-Regulus suffered the most brutal death at Electra’s hands: she brutally beat him, humiliated him, broke his nose, tore off the lower part of his jaw, pierced his chest and removed his heart — then forced him to swallow it before crushing his head between her hands while he choked on his own heart.

-Electra eventually went to the Sanctuary. There, she met Garfiel, fought and defeated him, and even completed the Sanctuary Trials, liberating it and gaining Garfiel and Ryuzu (her clones) as allies in the group she was forming, which also included Otto.

-Electra visits her father and Rem at least twice a month when not on missions, bringing dozens of gifts and food to them.

-Anastasia began preparing Subaru to inherit the Hoshin Company, so when she eventually passed away, her legacy would be left in capable hands that would continue to make it prosper.

-Subaru and Rem were finally able to be together in the end. However, Rem waited five years before touching him intimately, not wanting to pressure him into anything he wasn’t ready for.

Chapter 132: [Extra 2 - Alpha IF]

Alpha shifted in her bed that night.

Of course, technically, it wasn’t her usual bed, but one of the beds in one of the houses her father owned—a fact she didn’t even brag about, despite him having more than one house scattered around the world.

She lay there, confined to the bed as punishment, no longer allowed to sleep in a hammock until she paid for what she had done a little over a year ago. Now, she was officially eleven years and one month old.

How much longer would this punishment last? Judging by the fury her father expressed back then, for what she did, it might last at least three years. After all, it had already been a bit over a full year, and she still hadn’t been allowed to return to her beloved hammock.

Not that she could blame them—because, honestly, a lot, A LOT, an insane amount had happened because of her.

Going back in time to when she was about ten years old, just a month away from her tenth birthday, she had conducted an experiment to turn herself into a kind of half-spirit. Something that still persisted to this very day.

But during that process, she had destroyed their house with the sheer force of her transformation—enough to scatter the clouds in the sky and create a hole visible to the entire world. She confirmed this when the news started reporting on the Migration Trip that followed.

Migration Trip.

What was that?

Many times, when she was younger, her parents would travel with her across the different kingdoms, staying in the houses they owned in each one. One house in each kingdom: Vollachia, Kararagi, Gusteko, and the one they lived in until then, Lugunica.

The house where she spent most of her childhood was in Lugunica, far from the Capital or any major noble estates known throughout the kingdom. Why? The reason was something she only officially discovered after her little experiment.

It was an attempt to stay hidden, away from prying eyes—especially from three particular figures she got to know...

Clown, Boobs, and the One That Looks Like the Other But Uses Wind Magic.

Nicknames she gave to the ones hunting her parents: Roswaal, Rem, and Ram.

She found out they were basically her family’s arch-enemies—or something close to that.

Alpha remembered how she had to fight them back then as well.

Her father, her mother, and Beako-Nee-Chan-Sama had all been severely injured and nearly defeated by them, ambushed by an overwhelming display of full power from the blue-haired man wearing clown-like makeup.

It happened right in the middle of the Migration Trip, leaving her and Félix as the only ones still standing to face them.

So imagine what it was like when she had to take charge of the conflict.

And for that, she was grateful that she had boosted her magical power by fusing with all the spirits she had trained with for a long time.

It couldn’t be said that it was an easy fight, obviously.

She quickly learned that she was up against two members of the Oni race—one of them being the incarnation of the Oni God—and the third was the Court Mage, possibly one of the most powerful figures in Lugunica.

But what she could say was: She did really well!

For her first real battle—not a simulated one, not training with her father or her adoptive sister—but a direct, no-holds-barred fight against a trio of such powerful enemies... she did great.

It was a long, devastating battle. For the first time, she was grateful for the radiocalisthenics training her father had drilled into her. It helped her recover energy and resist fatigue, despite also using magic to enhance her vitality—just like her mother had taught her long ago during their magic training.

This allowed her to fight them head-on, unleashing every spell she had ever learned, along with a few that she had created herself specifically for real combat situations.

A fight she held out long enough in for her parents to return and back her up.

Her father and sister were enough to subdue the blue-haired Oni and the Court Mage, but the hardest opponent was the pink-haired Oni, whose immense power stemmed from being the incarnation of the Oni God.

It took the combined effort of all four of them to finally bring her down—a fact that truly surprised her.

Even though now she was certain she could take all three of them down by herself in battle, back then her lack of experience and her inability to control her newfound overwhelming power meant she needed the others.

If she were to compare her current self to the one from that time, she’d say:

Alpha is, at the very least, 150 times stronger now, thanks to all the training she had done both in secret and with the help of the older figures around her to gain control over her powers.

Back then, she needed help simply because she wasn’t capable yet.

Too young, too unpolished.

But now? Now she was. She could feel it.

She felt it not only from the mana flowing within her, nor from the mana that coursed through the world around her, but also from that presence—the shadow that loomed over her father, the shadow that had always surrounded him:

The Shadow of the Witch of Envy.

She no longer felt the primal fear she had in the past. Now, she felt ready to face it head-on.

She felt powerful enough to take on anything.

That’s why she tossed and turned in her bed—unable to sleep properly.

Today had been another day of training, and something about her felt... different.

Getting out of bed, she looked around. The room was unfamiliar, after all—it wasn’t the room she grew up in—the one she had so kindly destroyed to satisfy her personal curiosity by fusing with the spirits.

This was a smaller room, on one of the upper floors of the house, with a window that overlooked the peaceful, snow-covered landscape of the region known as Gusteko.

Their house sat on a high point on a hill, near a small village not well known due to how mountainous the region was.

One of her father’s houses.

Not that she was bragging—again—she knew her father was a great man who did business discreetly to keep his name out of the spotlight, yet still managed to make enough profit to keep all of them safe and stable.

Walking over to the window, she took a deep breath and opened it.

Stepping up onto the window frame, Alpha looked down.

All she could see was snow and the height of the house she currently lived in, occupying one of its highest rooms.

[Alpha: Murak.]

With a gentle leap, she threw herself into the cold air.

[Alpha: Kamin Goa.]

Summoning a familiar fireball that floated by her side, its warmth completely pushed back the cold surrounding her, letting her walk forward through the soft snow after landing.

Walking calmly, putting just enough strength into each step to free her legs from the snow that clung to them, she made her way toward some trees.

A slow, steady walk, carrying her farther and farther along the path she intended to take, until she finally reached the trees—far enough to still keep her house in full view to make sure no one would follow her or show up unexpectedly to stop her from doing what she wanted.

[Alpha: I hope Odglass-Chan doesn’t show up when I start...]

Odglass—the Great Spirit of Gusteko, who looked like a mighty white bear.

They had met her when they first arrived in Gusteko, thanks to Alpha’s new spirit transformation.

Surprisingly, both sides got along quite well.

[Alpha: Beako-Nee-Chan-Sama even got jealous, didn’t she~?]

Thinking about it, it was strange how Odglass showed interest in her father as a spirit would to want to make a contract. Not that Alpha could blame her for that, it made sense, given that even she would make a contract with him if she were a spirit like Odglass or her father didn't have a contract. Her father's high spiritual affinity was something that surprised her even more after she became a spirit.

Focusing on the present.

She focused, concentrating on it again. Desire. Her desire to achieve what she wants, the desire to visualize what she likes, the intense desire to understand and learn more about it. Her greed. Now knowing that this was what motivated her, she guided herself to gather her concentration on it.

The book appeared again. The book that once had a simple cover and only one page was now different.

A book with a shiny black and orange cover, a book with hundreds of pages that now seemed to prevent it from remaining closed, a book that was important to her on a level she could only understand to a certain extent.

But she felt she needed to read it.

At that moment, when she understood that she had become powerful enough, the book responded to this and allowed itself to be filled with what she desired inside.

The cover bore a name written in a stellar color: [NATSUKI SUBARU].

His book, her father's book. A book that resembled the books she had heard so much about from her mother, a Book of the Dead or something similar, a book that would allow her to discover more about him. And that book would be the first step in understanding who her father was; his history, his mind, his essence, her father on a more detailed level than she could possibly achieve.

[Alpha: It's now... Go or turn back...]

Saying that to herself, she opened the cover and looked at the first line, and her consciousness wandered as her eyes widened and a powerful light enveloped her, at the same time as her hair began to turn white the moment she heard a distant voice, but at the same time she heard her whispering and screaming in her ear...

[I am... Natsuki Subaru!]

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Since Alpha became a spirit, a total of one year and three months have passed, during which she technically turned eleven years old. She was born on February 29, according to the Earth calendar.

-The Alpha from when she gained her powers compared to the current Alpha in this chapter is 150 times weaker due to lack of control, while the Alpha with the knowledge of her book created by her Authority of Greed would be at an astronomically higher level than that. Where she in her current state in this chapter could easily defeat Roswaal, Rem, and Ram at the same time.

-Roswaal, Rem, and Ram continue to be spared simply because Subaru considers them too pathetic to kill for continuing to hunt him after so many years when they could have moved on.

-Alpha noticed that her father seems to be able to attract Spirits around him when she realized that Odglass showed interest in him.

-Odglasse is the Great Spirit of Gusteko, and Beatrice dislikes her for showing interest in Subaru.

-The first timeline she saw was her father's, then she saw the others Subaru's. She can see both his perception and other people's perceptions of him, in the second person in this case.

Chapter 133: [Extra - Alpha IF]

Subaru sighed as he continued massaging his eyelids, breathing deeply and sighing again. His head felt like it was about to explode from the sudden, intense pain he was experiencing. After doing that, he looked ahead. Kneeling with a sad expression was a small girl with half-dark, half-purple hair, and eyes in a mix of dark, green, and purple—Alpha, his daughter, around ten years old.

He would have crossed his arms—if it weren’t for the fact that one of them wasn’t even his real arm, but a mechanical one crafted in a unique way by his wife.

What led to this situation?

He had gone out on a date with Echidna to a nearby village, a simple outing they usually did whenever they had free time—which, believe it or not, was quite rare given their circumstances. They planned to walk around, buy a few things ranging from groceries to books for the Witch of Greed, and enjoy each other’s company.

They had left Beatrice in charge of Alpha while they were out—a role they often gave the Great Spirit since she was the oldest and most responsible between the two girls. And Felix was supposed to watch over the house and them as well—though it was strange he wasn’t there, something Subaru would question later.

It should’ve been a completely normal day.

[Subaru: ...Would you two care to explain what you did?]

[Beatrice: —————————]

[Subaru: Silence isn’t an option in this specific conversation, you know?]

[Alpha: ———— I love you?]

Subaru’s confused expression became even more obvious.

His left eyebrow raised as Echidna let out a small laugh.

Because, of course, that’s a dialogue choice.

[Subaru: Is that a dialogue choice meant to keep me calm and open-minded about whatever stupidity you’re about to reveal?]

[Alpha: Maybe? Yeah. I’ll admit that my choice of words right now is aimed at keeping you happy. But I also genuinely love you, Dad, and I want to make that clear before I say... what I need to say. Something pretty important that I did and... — it’s all Beako-Nee-Chan-Sama’s fault!]

[Beatrice: WHAT?! How dare you put all the blame on me, I suppose?!]

[Alpha: Because between the two of us, it’s better for you to take the primary blame since you were the one responsible for me!]

As the little girl said that, pointing accusingly at the spirit beside her, Subaru could only feel the exhaustion creeping back while Echidna quietly watched the situation unfold without intervening.

[Subaru: I don’t care who’s responsible for who. No—wait, actually, I do. But first, I need to know what you DID! Because when we left, our house had a roof! And you had black and purple hair! And most importantly—WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT BEAM OF LIGHT WE SAW FROM THE VILLAGE?!]

[Alpha: Oh, that? Well...]

[Beatrice: The contractor’s daughter is a fool who did something utterly stupid for a ridiculously dumb reason, I suppose!]

[Alpha: It was not stupid! Extremely dangerous and risky? Yes. High chance I could’ve died? Maybe. But stupid? No, I wouldn’t call it stupid or even dumb. Because what I did was... mildly revolutionary, from my point of view! Not only was I able to preserve my existence effectively, but I also improved myself in a way most would only dream of!]

Speaking with a proud tone, Alpha puffed out her chest with visible satisfaction—completely oblivious to the incredulous look her father was giving her.

[Subaru: WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?! Just tell me already, so I know whether I should start yelling at you and grounding you right now!]

[Alpha: ———— I fused myself with spirits?]

[Echidna: — Hm? Wait. Did you just say... you fused with spirits?]

[Alpha: Yeah. It was an experiment I’d been developing for a few years using minor spirits and quasi-spirits, including those I made contracts with. It was to test a theory and—as you can see—it worked!]

Unlike her husband, Echidna seemed genuinely intrigued by the explanation their daughter was about to give.

[Echidna: Let’s start from the beginning. And don’t skip any details, please.]

[Alpha: Okay, okay. Hmm... right. So, I had this plan—or rather, this concept—for a while now. But it wasn’t until last year that I started putting it into practice. I made contracts with a bunch of minor spirits and began training them to become stronger and stronger until they reached the level of quasi-spirits. Then, I made even more contracts with other minor spirits. I got enough to have around a hundred under my control. And then... I created a spirit magic: the Box.]

[Echidna: The... Box?]

[Alpha: Yep, the Box! This Box held the minor spirits and quasi-spirits inside it. Then I started compressing it—both literally and not literally, since it’s both a physical and spiritual construct. Anyway, back on track. I compressed the Box, forcing them to cluster together in its center until... BOOM! They formed an entirely new existence. I essentially skipped the normal evolution and turned them into a Great Spirit. A Great Spirit composed of all elemental magic types, made with those hundred spirits. It was artificially created, yes, but using purely natural spirit resources. — Then all I had to do was do the same thing... to myself. I put myself into the Box with that Great Spirit and compressed it until it forcibly fused with my soul! — Which resulted in... well, this. My hair, my eyes, that giant blinding explosion, the partial satisfaction of my curiosity... and that very angry look on Dad’s face.]

She finished with a nervous grin, clearly uncomfortable with the furious glare Subaru was giving her.

Echidna observed everything with a scholar’s fascination rather than concern. In short, their daughter had made contracts with a hundred minor and quasi-spirits, trained them, empowered them, then placed them inside some kind of Box where she compressed them until a new being—a Great Spirit of all elements—was born. Then, she fused herself with that Great Spirit, binding it directly to her soul.

This fusion altered her to the point where her once black hair now bore purple highlights, and her eyes gained two additional colors.

It also explained the strange aura she was radiating—the kind normally associated with spirits. Essentially, their daughter had become a half-human, half-spirit hybrid, without losing her original consciousness to the fusion of countless others.

But Subaru... saw it differently.

[Subaru: You... risked your life... for an extremely dangerous experiment... just out of curiosity?!]

[Alpha: ———— It... wasn’t that bad... right?]

[Subaru: Not that bad?! NOT THAT BAD?! YOU COULD HAVE DIED! THE ROOF IS GONE! AND HAVE YOU EVEN LOOKED AT THE SKY?!]

[Alpha: Oh... so it wasn’t an illusion then, huh?]

Realizing that, both she and Beatrice glanced upward.

The clouds—or rather, the lack of them.

Today was supposed to be heavily overcast. While there hadn’t been any sign of rain, the sky was completely covered with dark or gray clouds for kilometers. Thick, heavy, and connected.

But now? Nothing. Not a single cloud in the sky—it was completely clear.

What had happened?

When Alpha completed her fusion with the Great Spirit, it triggered a massive, multicolored explosion. Not only did it utterly destroy the roof—to the point where it was literally vaporized—but when the blast shot into the sky, that explosion of colored light—visible even from kilometers away—blew the clouds apart entirely.

The clouds were then obliterated, blown away by the massive explosion of energy. The blast cleared the skies for hundreds of kilometers in a perfect circle that could be seen even from space—if anyone had been there to see it. The clouds were scattered to other parts of the world. It was something truly astonishing, spectacular... the kind of event that would make anyone stare in awe and admiration...

Except Subaru, because Subaru was pissed.

[Subaru: And you, Beako?! Why didn’t you stop her?!]

[Beatrice: W-Well, w-well, I-I m-might have... helped...?]

[Subaru: ————————————— YOU, WHAT?!]

[Beatrice: I’m sorry, I suppose! But she was already doing it before I even had the chance to do anything, I suppose! I only tried to stop it from getting worse, I suppose! She dragged me into this halfway through, I suppose!]

Lowering her head quickly and slamming her forehead onto the floor, she hurriedly explained to Subaru, desperately trying to figure out how to escape the punishment coming her way.

[Echidna: My two daughters working together to give my husband a heart attack...? I don’t know whether I should be proud or—— D-Disappointed, yes, I’m very disappointed in both of you.]

[Alpha and Beatrice: Coward.]

The two little girls thought simultaneously as they saw Echidna’s expression shift instantly when she caught Subaru’s furious glare—the kind of glare that said, “Either support me or you’re sleeping on the couch for a year.” Naturally, she preferred a comfortable bed over the couch—especially if it meant throwing her two little girls under the bus. In this case, it was justified since it was entirely their fault for being reckless.

Subaru sighed heavily, trying to calm his anger.

[Subaru: Look, Alpha. I don’t care if you did this out of curiosity, for some noble reason, or whatever it was! What matters to me is safety, do you understand?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW I WOULD FEEL IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU AND I COULDN’T SAVE YOU?!]

[Alpha: ———— I’m sorry... I’m really, really sorry.]

That shout hit her deeply.

Not because of the volume, but because of the tone.

That sad, worried, desperate tone... along with the look in his eyes that showed clearly how devastated he would be if something happened to her and he wasn’t there to help... to protect her.

It struck her heart like a dagger, realizing how much she had hurt her beloved father.

[Subaru: Huff.]

Subaru crouched down to their level and pulled them both into a tight hug, squeezing them against him like he never wanted to let them go.

[Subaru: Please, okay...? Don’t ever do something this stupid again, alright...? I don’t want to... I can’t... I don’t wish to... —— I couldn’t imagine a world where you’re not alive...]

[Alpha: ————]

[Beatrice: ————]

Both wore even sadder expressions now, fully realizing the weight they had placed on his heart. Especially with the desperation and heartbreak dripping from his words. They both returned the hug as best as they could, gently stroking his back while he allowed a few tears to fall.

Echidna walked up to the trio, placing a hand on Subaru’s head, gently stroking his hair, trying to help soothe his worries—even knowing it wouldn’t be enough. A tight, uncomfortable feeling formed in her chest, one she deeply disliked. That feeling also extended to her daughter. Just the thought of losing the two of them... was something unbearable.

[Echidna: So... where’s Felix?]

[Subaru: Yeah... where is he?]

[Alpha: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeh!]

Alpha immediately became extremely nervous—something painfully obvious to the two adults. Beatrice also started sweating slightly, growing just as nervous as her sister.

[Subaru: Alpha. Beako. What did you do to him...?]

Pulling away from the hug, Subaru grabbed them by the shoulders—one hand on each.

The girls exchanged a quick glance and then, together, pointed toward the left side of the house.

Subaru raised an eyebrow at that.

Getting up, he walked in the direction they pointed, the others following close behind. As they rounded the corner, not far from the house, Subaru spotted him—tied to a tree. Felix was bound tightly with ropes around his legs, torso, and arms behind his back, completely restrained. He was gagged, squirming and struggling even more the moment Subaru laid eyes on him.

The black-haired man cast a tired glare at the two little girls.

[Alpha and Beatrice: It was her!]

Both instantly pointed fingers at each other, accusing one another. This earned a hearty laugh from Echidna.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Due to her fusion with spirits, Alpha ages much slower. She ages even slower than Emilia. When she reaches 600 years old, she will physically look like an 18-year-old.

-She has the ability to age or de-age her body at will using her magic, but she usually only does it when she wants to enter places meant for adults. Otherwise, she prefers to stay in her natural form.

-Being part-spirit, she feels the Divine Protection of Julius and Reinhard. But contrary to what most would expect, she hates it. She feels no attraction to them whatsoever. Quite the opposite—rather than feeling drawn to them, it fills her with irritation and disgust whenever those protections are active.

Chapter 134: [Extra - Electra IF]

A girl, a quarter-elf with black hair, rested in the back of the carriage, arms crossed, while not far from her, a blue-haired woman was also resting...

Electra loved the overall-style dress she wore over her gray blouse, and she truly loved that dress more than people could ever understand. Why? Because it was a special gift given to her by her beloved father — one of the many gifts she had received along with the affection and love he always made sure she felt in the broken home they lived in.

But why was it so important?

She received it on her eleventh birthday, a dress long enough not to fit her perfectly at the time — something that would take a long time to become obsolete or worn out.

The girl ran her hand along the hem of her dress.

The dress now reached close to her legs.

When she turned eleven, Electra had started her day like any other. Waking up next to Rem. Hugging her, stroking her head, comforting her in the way she always did while they slept. Something the little girl always loved — especially when her ears started to develop and she began hearing more than she ever wanted to hear from inside their “loving” home — those nighttime sounds that made her want to vomit.

She was always woken by gentle strokes on her hair and a kiss placed on her forehead, waking her with an act of affection.

But not just like that.

Because on those days, her father always showed up earlier in their room.

Carrying a tray of food — usually pancakes he made himself — and juice he prepared just for her to have breakfast in bed. A warm, loving smile on his face… accompanied, as always, by a bruise near his eye and long-sleeved shirts down to the wrist — usually to hide his wounds, as she had learned — walking with a slight limp she’d come to notice, and a cut on his lip that no longer bled — dried up after the time it took him to come to them from the room he shared with her “mother.”

Ignoring all of that to focus on him when he arrived, Electra adored her little special breakfast in bed. The black-haired girl would pick up the utensils and eat calmly, surrounded by the two people she loved most. Bite by bite, trying to take her time, because taking her time meant they could stay there, together, enjoying every second they had before leaving that room and facing the other two unpleasant figures in the house.

Then, when she finished, Electra always had to force a small smile as she got up to leave with them.

Every year on her birthday, her present was spending the whole day with her father, and sometimes with Rem too — the three of them returning home only at night. Something she loved deeply. Because it meant staying away from that awful house, a house that would barely hold any warm memories if not for her father and Rem. But never because of the other days or the other people who lived there.

When they left, the first person they always saw was Felix, with a cheerful smile on his face.

[Ferris: Happy birthday, Electra-chan, Nya~]

[Electra: Good morning, Ferris.]

That was how she greeted him — with a neutral tone, trying to hide the anger and coldness she felt toward the half-cat knight.

The little girl hated that healer.

Why did she hate him?

Because he was one of the worst beings who did horrible things to her father. Things she learned — ironically — through books and the very medical lessons Felix himself taught her.

If Felix could see the true intent in her eyes, he would have noticed the coldness there.

The coldness of someone who would use her powers to kill him if only she had the permission and the chance to do so — something she absolutely would do in the future at the first opportunity. But Felix was incapable of noticing this, lost in his arrogant or delusional belief that she liked him — a thought born from his selfish, paranoid desires that drove him to do the things he did with Subaru at night in his room.

What he did to her father, believing her father loved him the same way, was disgusting in her eyes.

Not because of their genders — her father could love whoever he wanted — but because of how vile the acts themselves were.

The things he did so vigorously that she could hear from her room with her horribly powerful hearing, acts that left her father waking up with a tired expression and a fake smile on his face just to comfort her.

After that short exchange of words, she always had to meet her mother downstairs before leaving.

Emilia would look at her with a cold, small smile — just a thin line that showed how little she truly cared. Her emotions could be summed up as cruel coldness. And that was the best-case scenario. Why? Because Electra still remembered the time she got punched in the stomach so hard she spat blood — on her sixth birthday — simply because she asked her father if he could sleep in the same room as her and Rem. This happened despite the fact that she had already received her “gift” of spending the day with him — a decision for which he also got punished, as it was considered her “bad behavior.”

Subaru, Electra, and Rem left together for their day of fun — her special birthday “gift” for being a good daughter — with the warning that she would be punished if she made them go over the time limit set for her.

[Emilia: Don’t take too long, and don’t be a bad girl, okay~?]

[Electra: We won’t... Emilia.]

Emilia didn’t correct her cold tone, nor did she ask Electra to call her “mom,” because she clearly didn’t care about the lack of affection the girl had toward her biological mother.

The trio left the house that morning just like they always did after those so-called “affectionate goodbyes” on her birthday. And they walked down the streets of the city.

Electra always noticed the stares they received when they did this — the looks from people who knew exactly what had happened in their home for years but did nothing to help. Just like they despised her mother and her simply for being part-elf — even if just a quarter-elf — which was more than enough for them to feel the urge to despise her for it. And honestly, Electra didn’t really care about that.

Walking through the city like they always did, they followed their usual routine. That included eating at one of her favorite spots outside of home.

Simple moments. Brief moments. But ones she loved.

 

And it was on their way back home that she noticed that dress — the one she wore now — the small bluish dress layered over her long-sleeved gray blouse. A dress that sat in a shop window. A dress that caught her attention. A dress that made her gaze fixate on it. A dress that, for the first time in her life, made her desire something that wasn’t about killing Emilia and Felix or spending more time with her father and Rem.

[Subaru: You want it?]

[Electra: N-No, y-you don’t h-have to, daddy, I——]

[Subaru: We’re going to buy it for you. It’s your special day. Don’t you think she’d look adorable in it, Rem-rin? No, wait, she’s already adorable, but this might make her even cuter~]

[Rem: Of course Electra-chan is already adorable. And yes, I agree — she would look even cuter in that dress. Plus, we’ve got enough money for it.]

Those were their words, encouraging her to fulfill her selfish little wish.

When they bought the dress — when she put it on for the first time, even though it was much bigger on her back then, three years ago before her small growth spurt — she felt amazing. She felt... beautiful in a different way. Her father and Rem always made a point of making her feel beautiful, always making her happy.

And she loved their words about her. And she was even happier receiving that gift from the two people she loved most in the whole world.

When they returned home later that day...

Electra trembled with a phantom emotional pain and an almost blinding fury that made her let out a cold huff, but she held herself back from destroying the merchant's carriage that was carrying her.

Emilia hadn’t been happy about the “injustice” of Electra receiving two “gifts” from her parents. Those were: spending time with her father without her, and getting a new dress. She had thrown a tantrum, yelled at her father—so much so that Rem and Felix had prepared to defend him—while Subaru argued that the gift had been from Rem, and the first one was technically from her father. He even offered to take any punishment, even though Electra felt that no one in that situation deserved to be punished.

Her father’s left arm.

That cruel woman had broken her father’s left arm as punishment, stating that it would only be healed when he learned his lesson not to “spoil” the girl too much and to stop “lying” by not telling Emilia that they were going to buy another gift for Electra—even if it technically came from Rem. She broke it right in front of her to show what happens to “bad girls” and “liars,” just as she always did to “educate” her in the “right” way. It made the girl nearly lose control and attack Emilia, but she restrained herself—for the sake of protecting Subaru and Rem’s lives—even though she couldn’t care less what happened to Felix amidst that chaos.

Electra hated that woman. And when she looked at the other figure sitting with her in the carriage—the one she considered her mother figure, one of the two people she loved most and wanted to protect at all costs—Electra allowed herself a small smile as she saw her sleeping peacefully during this day of travel.

A voice then pulled her out of her thoughts.

[???: Electra-san?]

[Electra: Hm?]

[???: We’re almost there.]

Standing up in the back of the carriage, she moved to the front.

Otto Suwen, son of Mazeran Suwen, the man her father had been doing business with ever since she learned how they managed their affairs to keep their lives running in that home. He was now driving the carriage with his own Earth Dragon, along with the carriage itself.

Someone who owed a deep debt to her father—at least, that’s what the merchant always claimed since the day they met.

The merchant was giving her a ride as one way to repay that debt.

A request she made as part of a desperate plan—a desperate plan formed after the events in the city of Picoautatte, where she was born and raised for years, until the Witch Cult attacked, led by a Sin Archbishop who devastated much of the city.

With a few quick movements, she sat next to him in the front of the carriage, looking toward where he was staring. The Royal Capital. A large city with a castle. A place where she needed to go.

Go there to collect a debt.

And they would save her father.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Petelgeuse attacked the city of Picoautatte because of his Gospel, hunting Emilia.

-During the attack, Rem was knocked unconscious and Electra tried to save her. Subaru and Felix were also knocked out. During their escape from the city, Emilia attacked Electra and Rem, abandoning them while taking Subaru and Felix with her.

-When Subaru woke up again, they were in a cabin where Emilia had “kindly” gotten rid of the former residents for them. She told Subaru that Electra and Rem had died, now treating Subaru as her prisoner, with Felix helping her care for him. Subaru was mentally broken, believing he had failed to protect his own daughter.

-Electra is now searching for the Sword Saint together with Rem so they can save Subaru from Emilia—since in the past, Subaru had mentioned how he met Reinhard and believed they had formed a friendship while dealing with the Bowel Hunter.

Electra's appearance (Made by EternalWhisper, who I am very grateful to):

Chapter 135: [Epilogue - Alpha IF]

1) Alpha.

“What is Time?” they ask themselves.

This... thing that no one sees, no one touches, and yet, it rules everything.

It doesn't scream, it doesn’t run, it doesn’t hurry — yet it never stops.

It never looks back, and it never waits for anyone.

A constant and silent presence, like a whisper in the wind that you only notice when it's already gone — a polite thief that steals little by little, quietly, while you smile, dream, or simply breathe. And when you realize it, you're no longer the same. Neither you, nor others, nor the world itself.

Time.

The master of creation and destruction.

It shapes faces, erases voices, cools memories. It turns yesterday into a faded photograph and tomorrow into a blank sheet of paper that no one knows if they’ll have time to fill.

It is a judge that seemingly never errs. It gives everyone the same currency: seconds, minutes, hours.

But it’s cruel — because it never tells how much of it you still have left.

It toys with the illusion of permanence, making you believe there will always be a "later," always one more chance, one more day — until there isn’t.

It carries a paradox worthy of the gods: Being infinite for everything... but never enough for anyone. Everything, all at once — and yet, nothing. It passes the same for everyone — and still weighs differently for each.

In this place, where neither past, present, nor future exists, she, Alpha, found herself crushed under the weight of something that should have been simple — a line that flows, from beginning to end... or perhaps, from end to beginning.

But there was no line. Not anymore.

There was no beginning. There was no end.

The first thing she needed to understand was that Time had never been a line.

Not a straight path, not something that could be counted, measured, or even defined in something as simplistic as seconds, minutes, years, eras, or millennia.

Time is... like an Ocean.

A vast, deep, and unfathomable ocean.

Its currents cross, intertwine, break, and reconnect — infinitely — in every possible direction... including those that should never be possible.

The past? A never-ending echo.

The present? An arrogant illusion.

The future? A formless void, waiting to be filled with every possibility.

Time is like a fabric. But not an orderly fabric — not a beautiful, well-aligned tapestry — but a fabric of torn threads, patched, twisted, inverted, and tangled. Each thread is a line of possibility, an entire reality that lives, dies, and is reborn infinite times, in infinite places, under infinite rules.

And now, Alpha could see them all.

All of them.

EVERY TIMELINE OF HER FATHER!

[Natsuki Subaru... the Archbishop of Pride!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the King of Purging!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Husband of Rem!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Perfectionist!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Memory Hunter!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the King of Lugunica!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Knight of the Half-Elf Emilia!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Sage!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the One Who Kept His Promises!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the One Who Remained!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the King of the Sun Princess!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Archbishop of Vainglory!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Hero of the Knights!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Guardian of the Witch-Spirit!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Mad Strategist!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Guardian of the Witch of Pride!]

[Natsuki Subaru... the Alpha of Demi-Humans!]

[Natsuki Subaru...]

[Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...]

[Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...]

[Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...]

[Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...]

[Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...]

[Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...]

[Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...] [Natsuki Subaru...]

[Natsuki Subaru...]

“What is real?” they ask themselves.

Such a simple question.

So human.

So trivial.

But now, it stood before Alpha — not as a doubt, but as a sentence.

Because when you look at every reality at the same time, when you see not just what is, but also what could have been, what should have been, what will never be, and even what could never exist... then what is left?

What is... real?

She realized, in that timeless instant, that reality had never been absolute.

Reality is like a collective lie.

A fragile agreement woven by perceptions, senses, consciousness, and limitations.

A construct — not a truth.

Each universe, each world, each existence...

All of them float like bubbles, drifting in an endless ocean of possibilities.

And each bubble believes — with unshakable conviction — that it is “the real one.”

That it is “the true reality.”

Each one believing that everything outside of it is fantasy, illusion, a divergence from its own “original existence”. When, in fact, it’s just one among infinite others. But now, Alpha could see beyond those bubbles.

She could see the ocean. She saw that the very idea of “reality” was a comfortable illusion made for those too fragile to face the vastness of what lies beyond.

Reality was a mask. A painted layer over the chaos. A filter — meant to protect fragile minds from the madness of infinity.

She was no longer looking at one universe. She was no longer looking at all realities. She was looking at the raw code of existence itself, in its purest and most terrifying form.

And in that code... Reality was just a function. A line of command.

She could see everything.

[The reality where... her father followed the path of Pride.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of Wrath.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of Sloth.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of Greed.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of Gluttony.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of Lust.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of Envy.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of Promise.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of the Void.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of the Sun Princess.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of Vainglory.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of the Bowel Hunter.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of the Black Butterfly.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of the Merchant and the Witch.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of the Demi-Human.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of the Yokai.]

[The reality where... her father followed the path of the Scorpion.]

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[The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...]

[The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...]

[The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...] [The reality where...]

"What is death?" they asked themselves.

Perhaps it was the oldest existence, the most feared, the one question that every sentient creature, in any corner of any reality and any time, would inevitably ask.

And now, here, outside of time, outside of reality, outside of existence... Alpha was facing death.

Not "Death" itself. But death as a concept. Death as a fundamental structure of the universe.

And she saw—she saw everything.

She saw... her father, Subaru, dying.

Again, again, again.

Again, again, again. Again, again, again.

Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again.

Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again.

Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again. Again, again, again.

She saw him die a thousand, a million, a billion... a number so vast that even the mere idea of counting became an offense to the sheer magnitude of what she was witnessing.

And in so many different ways...

Starving, drowning, burning, crushed, stabbed, slashed, beaten, alone, forgotten, crying, begging, fighting, smiling. Every way a person could die—and ways that others could not.

Dying at the hands of enemies. Dying at the hands of strangers. Dying at the hands of allies. Dying at the hands of friends. Dying... at the hands of those he loved the most.

[Elsa][Rem][Ram][Beatrice][Puck][Roswaal][Meili][Julius][Anastasia][Félix][Crusch][Al][Priscilla][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...][...]

Endless lists of those who killed him across all timelines she witnessed, every timeline she could witness.

And she hated it...

She hated it.

Hated it.

HATED IT!

Her father.

Her beloved father. Her dear, gentle father who always reached out his hand to help whoever was in front of him.

In this place beyond time, beyond reality, beyond EVERYTHING...

Alpha floated within the endless void of NOTHINGNESS between all realities. But... is "floating" really the right way to describe what her body was doing in this place? No, it wasn’t. Because her body wasn’t standing, nor lying down, nor attached to ceiling or floor. She wasn’t close to the "sky" or to the "earth" of this utterly empty place.

As her senses returned, she began to look around at this emptiness, this endless NOTHING.

She "stood up" in this place, "standing" in the void.

Her eyes glowed. The book in her hands started to shine again as the space around her began to mold itself in a way no one could ever comprehend. The space started to reshape itself from the pages of that book, from the knowledge contained within it.

And so, this empty space, far from any reality, began to be filled... by a new creation.

2) [——]

Alpha slept awkwardly in her hammock—until she tumbled off, landing face-down on her bed with a groan of exhaustion and irritation. She dragged herself to the edge, and with a few sluggish, clumsy, and honestly embarrassing movements for someone without any special physical skills, she finally managed to roll off and stand on the floor.

Her room was designed in a way that suited her tastes:

Extremely colorful, diverse, filled with things that would be way too strange for anyone from another world to understand — because they came from her father’s world.

For example, her bed was shaped like a giant race car, and shelves were packed with manga from her father’s homeworld.

Of course, she slept in the hammock so that when she fell, she'd land on the bed — just like she did back in her father’s world.

Now she wore a long black shirt that reached below her knees, with her father’s face printed on it. On the back, it said:

“MY DAD IS A SUPERHERO. WHAT ABOUT YOURS?”

It was her way of telling anyone just how important her father was to her.

Walking across the room, she headed to the bathroom.

Rubbing her eyes to shake off the drowsiness, she grabbed her toothbrush — colored red and blue, decorated with the Straw Hat Pirates’ Jolly Roger from One Piece.

Brushing away her morning breath, she splashed water on her face to fully wake up. Looking at herself in the mirror, she smiled wide and made a finger-gun gesture at her own reflection.

[Alpha: Damn, girl, you’re hot~!]

Declaring that to herself, she was officially awake.

She jumped onto the rug, slid out of the bathroom, twirling before striking one of her father’s signature poses.

With a snap of her fingers, her pajamas were replaced by her usual outfit.

She spun once more, then started walking — almost stumbling — toward her bedroom door, which slid open automatically, revealing one of the many endless corridors of her Theater.

Infinite hallways, infinite doors, infinite people behind them.

Taking a deep breath, she focused her mind on one specific place.

A simple corridor. Not too long. A corridor that led to a door not too far ahead.

She walked calmly toward it. The door opened automatically, leading to an almost empty room — save for a single chair placed right in the center, facing a massive screen on the wall as the projector powered on.

She walked to it, sat down calmly, and waited for the screen to load.

"Alpha-chan, time to wake up," Subaru’s voice gently called as he walked into her room with a soft smile. The one-armed man approached the hammock where the small dark-haired girl was still fast asleep.

"... Urgh. Five more minutes..." the five-year-old Alpha mumbled, rolling over to face away from her father.

"Five more minutes, huh?" he muttered, tapping his chin with a mischievous grin. Standing over her, he reached out with his one real arm, picked her up with ease, and lifted her high into the air.

"If you're going to sleep five more minutes... you should do it somewhere more comfortable, don’t you think~?"

He gently placed the little girl onto his shoulder, cradling her to make her comfortable after the sudden movement.

Alpha let out a soft, contented hum, curling into a childish smile. “Hmm. Yeah... Daddy’s shoulder really is the most comfortable.” Taking full advantage of that, she snuggled in, getting even more comfortable on her new pillow and her new spot to fall asleep.

The gray-haired girl sitting inside the theater smiled as she remembered that day. For anyone else, it might’ve been just another ordinary day, nothing special. But each of those “ordinary” days from her past was as precious as the most important days in other people’s lives.

Why?

Because they were days she could never have again. Alpha had become something far beyond a child’s simple understanding, and there was no going back. Now, all she could do was carry those memories in her heart like her most precious treasures—just like every other happy moment she shared with her father.

And all she wished... was for her father to have the same.

As she watched the suffering of Natsuki Subaru—her beloved father—she came to understand who he really was. Someone who, in the middle of such a cruel world, still chose to be kind. So... didn’t that mean someone had to be cruel for him? To protect him from the cruelty of those around him?

Seeing how far he was willing to go—for her, and even for those who didn’t deserve his love—Alpha decided she would do anything for him.

Even if that meant using everyone as mere tools to fulfill that wish... she wouldn’t care, as long as her desire, twisted by her Greed, was granted: Her father’s happiness. Whether as a hero or a villain, as someone special or just a simple merchant, with a woman or a man... she didn’t care. Let the world burn, let it crumble to ashes. Let the people die and their corpses be piled into mountains.

She would do it herself if——

[Subaru: Alpha-chan. Why don’t you reach out to them?]

[Alpha: Because they’re cruel... because they’re primitive... because they’re violent.]

[Subaru: And are we so different? Freedom is a right for all living beings. —— Give them a chance. If once isn’t enough, give them twice. And if that still isn’t enough, keep giving and keep fighting for it. Because... in worlds where we can be so many different things, why can’t we choose to be kind? —— Never be cruel. Never be cowardly. Hatred is foolish... don’t you think?]

[Alpha: ——]

——and whenever those dark thoughts crept in, that version of her father would come to calm her rage-filled heart.

Pushing back the monster that tried to take hold of it.

Like a warm hug wrapping around her. Like a kiss placed gently on her forehead.

The kind of love she would always accept from her father. And with that feeling, she gazed once more at the screen before her.

Whenever she woke in fury... whenever she woke wanting to destroy this cruel world... whenever she awoke thinking of how much her father had suffered at the hands of those vile beings... she would come to this room.

She would watch those memories—scenes from the days she had lived, and the days she could have lived if she had managed to stay. She would listen to what her father had taught her.

 

Even if she couldn’t fully understand those lessons... at the very least, they were enough to guide her to never become someone he would hate.

Alpha stood up, dusting off her hands, feeling refreshed and ready for her daily mission.

[Alpha: So... what story are we going to see this time...?]

She asked herself as she left the room, walking toward the other visitors of her Absolute Cinema.

 

 

—————

I wanted to finish Alpha’s IF. What do you all think?

In this IF:

At the end: The Subaru who appears is the kindest version of him, who will eventually get his own IF. He shows up to talk to Alpha and stops her from committing mass genocide.

When Alpha wakes up in her Cinema: She comes to this room to watch scenes from the days she lived, and the days she could have lived if things had been different. She uses those memories to motivate herself—and to stop herself from destroying all timelines.

-Her Timeline: Her timeline still exists, preserved inside her book, guarded by her. She alone can see it, but she can no longer live within it. It’s like two separate consciousnesses: the Alpha who transcended, and the Alpha who remained on Earth, continuing to care for their father.

-Inside the Absolute Cinema: There are infinite rooms, each capable of housing any combination of characters imaginable. Every single room you can think of exists there. Volcanica could be in one of them. Liliana too. Any character, from any IF—even IFs from the Multiverse—can be found within its halls.

Non-canon fun fact I just wanted to include:

-Roswaal: If the Roswaal from her universe were ever brought into her theater... he would be locked in a room with Conquest from Invincible, a monster made of tentacles and baby oil.

Chapter 136: [Extra 3 - Alpha IF]

Everyone has heard of Alpha, the Witch of Time.

For those who haven’t, just a brief explanation is enough to understand who she is: The daughter of Natsuki Subaru from another reality and an Echidna from another world, the youngest sister of the three Great Artificial Spirits created by the Witch of Greed, the little girl who had to be healed by Felix every other day, a girl who fused with Spirits and transcended worldly knowledge through a book she called the “Book of Life and Death.”

That would sum up who the little girl with hair now a different color than it originally was. Her hair used to be dark, then became a mix of dark and purple/lilac, and eventually, due to stress, turned gray to white with some dark and purple streaks that reminded her of its original color.

Despite her age not being very advanced, she should be more physically mature—but she wasn’t. This was due to how slowly she aged, being part human, part spirit, and carrying the Authority, the Witch Factor of Greed, making it hard for her to grow normally like other children in the world—or in all the worlds she knew and didn’t know yet, due to the nature of her new body. This also affected her body's energy development. Surprisingly, although she wasn’t out of shape, she had no exceptional physical abilities—she was incredibly weak at everything. Don’t even ask her to do a push-up unless you want secondhand embarrassment watching such a sad creature panic.

This made her sigh in frustration whenever she thought about it…

[Alpha: The author really went too hard with this description, didn’t they...? Couldn’t I have more balanced stats...?]

She wondered aloud, frustrated with how unbalanced her physical, mental, and magical stats were. She wished she were more physically capable, like her father.

Speaking of him, she knew various versions of her father, and she loved all of them—no matter how kind or evil they might be. Why? Because she honestly didn’t care much about that. If he was brought into this world against his will, then people should accept the consequences of the decisions he made when forced to stay here, right?

It would be like bringing a wild animal into your home. There’s always the chance it could be well-behaved—or extremely violent in a new environment. Especially if that environment is filled with threats that provoke a violent reaction.

Stop and think.

A person would normally act in self-defense or out of resentment toward those who hurt them unfairly, right? So why would she be mad at a version of her father for acting how anyone else would? It would even be hypocritical or unfair to judge him for making his own choices, as if he had to make predetermined decisions for the benefit of everyone except himself, don’t you think?

That’s why Alpha never judged her father in any way. She praised him no matter what choices he made. Because she despised people who thought he had a specific duty and then complained when he had no choice.

In other words: Alpha doesn’t give a damn about what happens to others, because they’re just reaping what they sowed.

That’s partly why she created this massive Cinema, with infinite rooms and infinite possible residents within them to watch her father's journeys—along with those of other versions of him.

But aside from that, what did she do in her free time…?

Some might imagine that a being as powerful as her would be doing incredible things—marvelous things with her powers, spectacular feats that would be impossible for anyone less powerful than she is. And such imaginations would be partially correct! Since that’s what she did during her "work hours," managing everything—even with clones of herself to handle multiple things at once.

Because outside of work, she was a completely different girl than some might expect…

In a separate room, her own private space, there was a specific area just for her to relax. Almost like the one she visited each morning to calm down and get motivated after waking up. But this place was truly different, with an atmosphere some wouldn’t expect…

[Alpha: Haha, is that all there is, huh? Come on! Show something new…]

The girl was on a couch.

Normally, she wore a military-style uniform she designed to be intimidating to those who should fear her. But during these times, she wore something different: a loose dark shirt long enough to reach below her knees, with nothing written on the front or back, and a pair of socks that went up past her ankles.

At moments like this, she laid awkwardly and clumsily on her personal couch—a very comfortable one—lying on her left side with one leg scratching the other.

The couch must have once been elegant, beautiful, and well-kept. But when she came to relax, it turned into a mess of clothes, food—like chips, pizza boxes, bags, paper wrappers for burgers—and she even had a brigadeiro milkshake beside her with an extra-large straw reaching her mouth. If it spilled? Just another stain among the many from past little accidents—nothing she couldn’t clean up. It showed not only her lack of care but also her terrible eating habits. Her father would probably be embarrassed to see her like this. It made sense, of course—he used to worry (and probably still does) about her health in every aspect: physical, mental, emotional, magical. If there was a reason to worry, he would, simply because he cared about her.

And in the corner of the room? A mecha-Subaru—one of her own inventions. What did it do? When she went to bed, it gave her gentle head pats to comfort her as she fell asleep. It made her happy, even if just for a moment. It only recreated a tiny fraction of the power of her father’s head pats.

And what was she doing right now?

Aside from drinking her sweet beverage—one of her favorite flavors—she was fully focused on what was happening on the gigantic screen in front of her.

[Alpha: Take that...! Take, take, take…!]

She was actively mashing the buttons on the controller in her hands.

On the giant screen, her character, Ryu, was fighting his opponent, Akuma. He was now caught in a super combo, his health bar plummeting, while her character’s bar was only slightly lowered. She kept launching attacks, eventually knocking him into the air and starting a triple Hadoken combo, keeping him off the ground.

Could anyone blame her for using one of her giant cinema screens for this kind of thing? Even if they did, she wouldn’t care. After all, the screens were hers to do whatever she wanted with—even to watch movies.

The Witch of Time kept her focus on the game, not getting distracted. She moved her character close enough to her opponent.

[Alpha: And to finish it off…! Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku!]

With her character’s final spinning move, she struck down her opponent. Knocking him out with the last hit. A [K.O.] symbol appeared on the screen while her character struck a victory pose.

[Alpha: Take that, right in your face…! Noobmaster69...? Where have I heard that name before…? —— Whatever. Take that! Another win for me!]

She said, placing her controller on top of a bag of chips beside her.

She took another big sip of her drink, causing her to shiver a bit.

[Alpha: Brain freeze…]

She muttered in irritation at the situation. It always annoyed her when that happened from time to time.

Getting up from her personal couch. She had so many crumbs on her shirt that it was almost inappropriate to call them just crumbs—there were even small stains on her poorly cared-for shirt — but still deeply loved by its owner.

When she tried to stretch, she felt the infamous body aches from staying still for too long.

She bent slightly backward, wearing a frustrated expression of anger.

[Alpha: Ugh! Ow, ow, owww!!! Why is my body like this, huh? I even do a push-up every one week and three days... Wait, I was supposed to be doing more, right? Maybe I should use more magic to strengthen my body. But would that be cheating...? Whatever, I’m the kind of person who’d use cheat codes to get through or YouTube tutorials to get better at anything I’m stuck on—because I’ve got no patience for boring stuff. —— I still get mad about how long it took me to beat Malenia and I almost had to ask that one guy for help...]

Grumbling, she kept sipping her sweet drink.

She looked around the messy room, full of clutter.

Were people going to judge her for that kind of thing? She didn’t care in the slightest.

[Alpha: I should use magic to clean this room later... Isn’t it great to have magic for this kind of stuff? I’m going to abuse every cleaning spell I can to keep up my habits.]

Saying that to herself, she was smiling contentedly from the floor.

Stretching her arms out lightly, she thought about what she would do next.

[Alpha: I think I’ll grab a few more supplies and maybe watch another movie before doing something else... —— Maybe I could take a little break afterward and nap a bit? Later, later I can do that.]

Walking toward her front door, she turned off the game with a quick snap of her fingers, shutting off the screen too.

She opened the door calmly to head out.

Alpha now found herself in a corridor full of other doors like the one she had just opened. Except these doors were different from the ones that led to the viewing rooms—these were black and orange, colors that reminded her of her father—while the cinema room doors were usually red, designed that way so she could tell them apart without getting confused.

And she stepped calmly into the corridor, not giving it much thought.

These were doors to other dimensions, other universes. Universes with endless possibilities.

There were doors she already knew, like the ones where her father was an Archbishop—of Pride or Vanity—a King, a Hero, or a Villain; things like that.

And there were others she didn’t know so well but had a vague idea of what they might be like.

One of them led to a dimension where... Subaru became even more obsessed with Emilia after the Sanctuary.

One of them led to a dimension where... Minerva was summoned alongside Subaru.

One of them led to a dimension where... Subaru arrived a day later than expected.

One of them led to a dimension where... Puck was a good father and Emilia was able to grow up normally.

One of them led to a dimension where... Roswaal was in a female body when Subaru arrived.

One of them led to a dimension where... Return by Death had a second special ability whenever Subaru returned.

One of them led to a dimension where... pizza existed, but they only ate pineapple-topped pizza.

Just thinking about that last one made her shiver, since Alpha was the kind who preferred pepperoni—loads of pepperoni that made her mouth water just thinking about it.

As she continued down the corridor toward a specific door—the one she wanted—a door that led to a specific dimension.

Opening it calmly as usual, she stepped through, and her clothes changed from her usual rest outfit to something else. A huge coat with a dark hood that completely covered her head and face, extending below her wrists and down to near her knees. A slightly long skirt also appeared, reaching her knees, along with a pair of dark sandals landing softly on the asphalt beneath her feet.

Asphalt?

No, this wasn’t her father’s world—not that she couldn’t access it. It was a dimension of the world she was born in, a place where society had advanced enough to match the modern world her father came from.

Alpha now stood in front of a convenience store door.

[Alpha: Well... at least I won’t get dragged into another world by some dumb Witch. Because I’m the dumb Witch. —— Now, time to face my greatest challenge... interactions...]

Walking up to the glass door, it opened automatically as she stepped onto the pressure sensor.

Allowing her to enter the place where she got supplies not created by her powers.

Did it make a difference? Of course. Because Alpha was able to correctly imitate something as long as she had a reference for it. And this was the closest thing she had, aside from the memories of her beloved father, to recreate these things in her world.

Alpha at least had the decency to create high-quality products for her priso— special guests in her personal theater.

Entering the place, she saw the shelves full of items one would expect from a convenience store.

Walking in, she glanced at the person working there: Peter—well, the new Peter, since every Peter was replaced whenever she came shopping.

Just a regular guy with a mustache, eyes glued to a device from his world, ignoring her entrance. Something she was grateful for, since she didn’t want to talk or have any direct interaction with him either.

Heading to the shelf she usually visited, she saw all the different snack bags—various flavors.

And in one motion, she grabbed several, then picked up some sweet, cold drinks, and finally a few chocolate bars—some with peanuts. Only things her father would’ve said no to in adulthood, but ironically, they were the same things he used to eat during his hikikomori days—something she also ironically became in the process.

At least she was still out there doing a few jobs, like helping prevent his Conquest version.

At the register, she faced the man in front of her, who didn’t care enough to look at her.

[Dave: You know the drill...]

[Alpha: ——]

Alpha pulled out a pouch filled with money and tossed it onto the counter, a pouch holding nearly a hundred Holy Gold coins—worth at least a thousand times more than what she was buying—not that it mattered for someone who could create hundreds of them with a snap or even a thought.

Grabbing her items, she headed for the entrance, stepping out soon after and ignoring the startled shout from the new Peter—a common occurrence with all the other Peters when she came to shop at her favorite place.

She felt awful in that place. Because she particularly disliked social interactions with any unknown living being—at least she had info on the others.

And this dimension was weird, this universe was bizarre for another reason...

It was three centimeters shorter than the others.

People might not notice, but she could, thanks to her omniscience.

[Alpha: It’s nauseating.]

She muttered that while looking at the existence around her, three centimeters shorter than in other universes.

It made her so sick she almost vomited.

With that, she returned to her personal door and passed through it to go back home.

Back at her home, she changed back into the regular clothes she wore before heading out into the world.

Alpha began walking back to her private room until she heard a small scream coming from behind a white door. With a snap of her fingers, she opened it, and a figure stumbled out. A man—with long orange hair, a big orange beard, and terrified green eyes—collapsed on all fours on the ground, struggling to breathe.

[???: I’ve been running... FOR 30 DAYS!!!]

[Alpha: Oh. Hey, Todd. I forgot I put you in the endless hallway and forced you to keep running, huh?]

[Todd: YOU! YOU DAMNED! YOU DAUGHTER OF A BIT——]

[Alpha: Ah, nope. No time, bro.]

Opening a portal, she moved him through it, letting Todd fall endlessly for a while.

[Alpha: I’ll let him out in thirty minutes... maybe...? Maybe.]

Continuing on her way without caring about that man’s fate at the moment, she figured she might free him from the portal if she felt like it — which she usually didn’t. After all, it was just another Todd in the multiverse.

When she returned to her rest room, she saw her couch, turned her screen back on, and tossed her shopping bags all over the already messy couch before lying down again, letting laziness take full control of her body.

With a casual snap of her fingers, she reactivated her personal movie selection screen on the so-called “NETFLIX,” using the memories of various versions of her dad — and moms, the female versions of him — to update the movie list.

How did she do that?

There were versions of her father that came from a time before hers, or from a much farther future. For example: one came from before the 2000s, and another even from after the year 2100, or even the 3000s — believe it or not. These versions could provide her with infinite knowledge of mechanisms and marvelous inventions... but she only used them to update the movies and series she would watch during her rest time, allowing herself to be surprised when seeing versions of her dad recreating such things.

Scrolling through movie options, she stopped on one that had just come out: [TRANSFORMERS ONE].

She got curious since she hadn’t seen this one before. She had watched the other live-action movies in the franchise.

[Alpha: Hmm. It was well rated by the dad-version who saw this movie, but it can’t be worse than some of Michael Bay’s ones. That guy was good at three things: CGI, Explosions, and Action. No, wait. He had a fourth thing he was great at in this franchise: The closing speeches. The scene, the CGI, the background music, the speech, and the voice of Optimus Prime. —— That first ending scene, in the first movie, with him saying “I am Optimus Prime,” and then the song “What I’ve Done” coming in. That was really...]

She felt a slight shiver while adjusting herself and raising her arms excitedly with a smile.

[Alpha: Absolute Cine——]

“WHAT I’VE DONE!”

{DIRECTED by THINKMIND}

 

—————

This was supposed to be the [CHIBI MOMENT] of the Alpha IF Epilogue, but I decided to save it as a third extra instead of ruining the sad, desolate, and cosmic vibe I was trying to create at that time. So, I apologize — it was meant to be just a comedy extra about the kind of things Alpha does in her free time within the Absolute Cinema.

I’m sorry if anyone didn’t like it, but I just couldn’t resist making this chapter.

Chapter 137: Elpis IF

What if...? What if Vainglory's daughter was an abomination?

—————

 

 

If someone were to meet Elpis, they would immediately notice that she was unlike any other child.

A girl with a distinct appearance: jet-black, long hair, paired with striking, almost frighteningly bright blue eyes—perhaps even brighter than her mother’s. She almost always wore the dress her father had sewn for her; a half-dark, half-white dress that reached below her knees, adorned with blue and orange ribbons stitched along the hem. A little girl who, even at her young age, exuded an aura unlike anyone else around her.

An aura that, combined with her smile, gave her an air of unsettling mystery whenever she stared at someone for too long. As if her gaze alone placed an unbearable weight on their bodies. As if she were staring straight through them, into their very souls, judging them with a merciless, piercing look — and they would be right to think so.

But it wasn’t just her appearance.

It was her abilities as well. For instance, her affinity for Yang Magic or her power to devour Spirits. She could summon them. She could lure them in. And then... she would devour them. Absorb them. Sink them deep within her own being, fusing them with her soul, using them to strengthen herself and her body. Reducing them to nothing but pure energy to sustain her existence.

And did she need to do this?

No. Elpis didn’t devour Spirits for nourishment. She did it... to become stronger. Stronger to protect herself. Stronger to protect her father. And stronger to one day eradicate her mother. Although encountering her was rare.

Elpis didn’t often leave where she lived. Not because she couldn’t — her father encouraged it. But because she simply didn’t like to. Going outside meant meeting people beyond those she knew. It meant talking to them. It meant getting to know them. And worst of all... it meant realizing that there were people in the world who didn’t admire or love her father as she and her mother did. And that made her deeply, profoundly sad.

The very idea that there were people who didn’t love her father was...

To her... a crime worthy of destruction. A crime born of sheer stupidity. Because in Elpis’s mind— There was no valid reason not to love her father. Trying to imagine such a reason was near impossible from the moment she became conscious enough to form her own thoughts.

Her very first thoughts were of admiration. Admiration for the man she discovered was her father. Someone who, in her view, embodied the very definition of “Perfection.” Even if she didn’t fully understand him, she would always follow his commands. Because, after all. She loved making him happy. And what better way to do that than to fulfill his wishes? Not that she ever worried about failing.

Her father was understanding.

Like the time he asked her to try interacting with other children in some random village.

That was... an interesting day.

It was her first time interacting with anyone outside her parents or those directly connected to them since she was a baby. And when she said “interesting,” she meant it. Because that was the day she discovered something important: Her father was feared and hated by the world.

Natsuki Subaru, the Archbishop of Vainglory.

She had assumed his name — and his title — would be respected by anyone with any sense. She never imagined the opposite.

But some even went as far as to openly disrespect him.

Mocking his deeds. Speaking of the deaths he caused over the years as if they were crimes. As if they were something bad.

And all she could think was...

“Why?” She truly couldn’t comprehend why anyone would dislike him for killing people.

After all. In Elpis’s perception, if her father chose to take someone’s life, It was because that person had no value. No importance. And therefore, wasn’t needed anymore. Wasn’t it perfectly reasonable? If her father didn’t need them, Then it was absolutely his right to erase them— To eliminate the unnecessary. Elpis would proudly declare:

“If Daddy didn’t want them, then Daddy could get rid of them whenever he wanted.”That’s what she would say— Especially when thinking about him. Back to that first attempt at human interaction outside her comfort zone...

It was certainly different. When she arrived in the village, she first met the local children. Children whose names—and even faces—she never bothered to remember. Because, to her, remembering them would take up mental space better reserved for memories about her father. At best, she considered the interactions... acceptable.

Her goal was simple: Do what normal kids do. “Have fun.” Then return home to Daddy— Make him proud— And receive a wonderful reward for being his good little girl who always did as she was told. And at first, everything went perfectly fine.

People didn’t question her arrival— They assumed she was from a neighboring village or something.

Which suited her perfectly.

She didn’t have to waste time inventing fake stories for people who meant so little to her that they weren’t even worth the space in her memory.

All she remembered were the events that followed.

They played together—

Had “fun”— Chatted like children do. And for a while, it seemed like she was fitting in.

At least until...

Until she mentioned her father’s name. The moment the words left her lips, Every child around her froze. That was when she learned just how hated her father was. The kids started telling stories about him— Stories of the deaths he’d caused. The destruction he’d wrought. The chaos he’d spread.

And she couldn’t understand why they sounded so... negative about it.

In Elpis’s mind, those should’ve been happy stories. Stories told with excitement and pride— Because they were stories... about her father.

And then... One child insulted her father. A boy. Not much older than her—about seven or eight. If you asked her to describe him now, That’s all she could tell you— Because nothing else about him mattered anymore.

But oh... she remembered what happened next.

She walked up to the boy. With one hand, she grabbed the lower half of his face—his jaw. With the other, she seized his neck. And with that unnatural strength she had always possessed... She ripped his jaw clean off. Tearing his face open.

She smiled as he writhed in agony— Choking on his own blood. His tongue hung loose from the severed jaw she held, Still attached to bits of bone and teeth torn away by the sheer force of her pull.

The boy thrashed for a long while.

Struggling— Before finally collapsing to the ground, dead.

It filled her with happiness. His crime had been purged. But... then came the injustice. The other kids... The adults of the village... They turned on her. They attacked her— A poor, innocent little girl. For the simple crime of defending her father’s honor. A father who should never be insulted by anyone.

If her memory wasn’t faulty— And it was faulty when it came to things she deemed utterly worthless— She vaguely recalled massacring the adults who tried to stop her.

She used her power.

Her Authority of Pride— A gift her mother had told her about.

With that power, she judged them— One by one— And executed every last person who dared lay a hand on her. She wiped out the entire village. Starting with that boy— And ending with a small infant still cradled in its mother’s arms— All guilty of the same crime: Daring to insult her father. Daring to raise a hand against her.

On the evening of that day, she returned to her house, walking calmly, drenched in blood, and met her mother and told her about everything she had done, the lives she had taken in the name of protecting her father's honor. She remembers her mother's proud smile, transmitting a different energy from the other times they had both faced each other, when she had smiled at her. And Elpis didn't even feel the common urge to kill her in order to finally have her desired place next to the one she loves most, her father.

She was glad she had stained herself with blood! Because her father bathed her that night, one of the things she loved most. Because she could feel his touch on her. To feel the affection he had for her as he took care to remove the impurity of the blood staining her body, to feel his affection as he cared for her body, to feel closer to him than he normally felt.

The little girl also liked it when she rocked her to sleep. Gently placing her in her bed, tucking the blankets over her body, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. A normal display of affection, followed soon after by the words she most liked to hear in her day.

[Subaru: I love you, Elpis. Sleep well.]

His words would be heard in an ordinary way by anyone, an ordinary thing for a father to say to his daughter before she goes to sleep.

But for Elpis it was always a special moment.

For it made her cheeks heat up intensely, her insides burn intensely, while an abominable cute and cloying smile that always appeared on her mouth - a smile she remembered until she saw it on her mother's -, while her mind wandered to “those moments” of her father and mother, the moments when they were together in their room at night and she remembers that when she discovered them, she started watching them.

Watching out of desire! A desire that filled her being, warming her, making her imagine herself in the place of her mother figure to be with her father, as if to learn. The father she loved with all her heart! And that was why she would grow up well, healthy, so that when the time came, she could exterminate her mother and take her place.

In the future, she would be known as a monster...

In the future, she would be seen as a freak by the world...

In the future, she would be known as the Archbishop of the Sin of Pride...

In the future, she would be a being who stood outside every curve of the known world...

In the future, she would be the one who became her father's second most powerful weapon...

 

 

—————

This IF is a continuation of Vainglory IF, with a few changes:

-Elpis possesses the Authority of Pride: Absolute Love (絶対愛・Zettai Ai).

[The Authority of Elpis manifests itself as a distortion of the concept of “pride”. It functions as a Judgment skill almost like Typhon's. Divided into different forms for its use:

1) Heart of the One (唯一の心・Yuiitsu no Kokoro): By touching someone, Elpis can feel not the person's guilt or evil, but the intensity and purity of the love or devotion that person feels for another specific person.

2) Fragmentation of Devotion (献身の分解・Kenshin no Bunkai): Elpis can emotionally and physically tear apart anyone she judges to be "emotionally impure" or who loves someone other than their father.

1 — The victim's body begins to disintegrate from the heart, as if love itself were being ripped out.

2 — The stronger the victim's love or bond with another person, the more painful the disintegration.

3 — However, if the person sincerely loves or idolizes Subaru, they can be spared, blessed or even healed.

-Elpis loves Subaru as much as Pandora loves him, which is why she wants to replace her.

-Elpis is naturally strong and strengthens herself with Yang Magic, such as the Flow Method, and can become physically stronger by absorbing Spirits.

-Elpis can devour Spirits and has a classification: the ones she likes eating the least are small Spirits and she finds Spirits good, but she has never tried a Great Spirit.

-Elpis was often left with Regulus' wives, who acted as nannies when her parents needed time together when they went out. The one she most enjoys spending (teasing) time with is 79 (Emilia), because of the scent that emanates from her crystal and the fact that she feels the love that still flows from her towards Subaru, which makes her interested in knowing who she was or is today.

Chapter 138: [Extra - Elpis IF]

As the carriage moved on, Elpis didn’t mind, clinging to her father as she wrapped her arms around his arm—holding onto him as if she would never let go—with a sweet and calm smile on her lips, while receiving the same smile from her father—only without the profane hidden intentions she harbored toward him.

She swung her legs lightly as she enjoyed the ride.

[Subaru: You seem pretty excited about our trip today, don’t you?]

[Elpis: It’s just that it’s been so long since I’ve had time with just you, daddy!]

[Subaru: Really? But you, me, and your mother have had so much fun together playing all sorts of games, haven’t we?]

[Elpis: Hmm. Yes. But I like spending time with just you, daddy! Nothing’s better!]

Speaking in a sweet and “innocent” tone, he couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

From the older man’s perspective, it was amusing to see the affectionate way his little dark-haired girl, with eyes brighter than her mother’s, behaved. She always acted particularly clingy and loving whenever she was near him.

It even made him recall fond memories of when she was much younger.

[Elpis: What is it, daddy?]

[Subaru: Oh, nothing. I just remembered how you used to say you’d marry me when you grew up.]

[Elpis: And I will! I’ll replace mother as your wife! I just need to figure out how to get rid of her forever. So wait for me until then, daddy.]

Subaru couldn’t help but find that a little amusing as he watched his daughter’s teary-eyed expression, her bright eyes staring at him as if he were a prisoner in his relationship with his wife, Elpis’s mother, Pandora. He found it funny, never realizing the true intentions behind that shine in Elpis’s eyes. She was dead serious, while Subaru dismissed it as just childish play that would pass with time.

[Elpis: We’re going to visit that person of yours today, aren’t we?]

[Subaru: Yes, yes. I needed to pay them a visit. It’s a shame Dora-tan didn’t come with us, but she thought it was fine to give me some time alone with you. Not that I’d have minded if she came along with you. I just hope she doesn’t get angry or jealous. Not that I wouldn’t find that cute, but… that person is someone special to me.]

[Elpis: Mommy doesn’t mind you visiting that person. Don’t worry. She and I both know you love us more than anything.]

[Subaru: I’m glad you know that.]

Stroking the little girl’s head with his free hand, he wore a content smile as he listened to her words—never knowing she wished he would stroke her head and her entire body with that hand.

Turning his focus back to the journey, he suddenly noticed something.

Something familiar was coming toward him and the carriage, making him sigh in exhaustion. The impact struck, and the two inside remained unshaken even as the carriage flipped. Elpis still clung cheerfully to Subaru’s arm as they hung upside down.

What had just happened?——

Outside, the Cultist driving the carriage was dead, his head torn off and crushed by a weapon. A weapon known as: Morningstar. A weapon not wielded by many—or nearly anyone—except for one single figure: Rem.

The blue-haired maid who once served at the Mathers Mansion.

She wore an elegant outfit, ripped apart—by her own hands—breathing and panting heavily like an animal. Her horn glowed intensely. A murderous rage radiated from her, uncontrolled, her teeth clenched violently. Her only goal: to kill those who carried the scent of Cultists.

She walked toward the carriage, clutching the chain of her weapon tightly.

[Subaru: Rem-rin.]

[Rem: ——!!!]

Rem turned her face, teeth bared, toward the figure who had suddenly appeared outside.

Unharmed, untouchable. Subaru stood not far from her.

The two locked eyes—Rem’s burning with animal fury, while Subaru’s looked back with pity and compassion. A contrast that reminded him of a long time ago, during his first week at the Mansion. The Oni seemed to calm slightly, but the intense aura aimed at him still lingered—the overwhelming stench of the Witch surrounding him.

The dark-haired man, Archbishop of Vainglory of the Cult, stepped closer, making her step back in turn.

[Subaru: Rem-rin, please. Don’t start these attacks again. You must have seen yourself in some reflection for too long, right? Don’t worry. I’ll help you like I always have. Calm down, please.]

He asked gently, in a tone that seemed to affect the Oni, who let out broken, angry snorts. Rem began to calm as she looked at his figure.

And it seemed everything would be resolved peacefully.

At least, until the carriage door was ripped away by a strike—a kick—that sent it flying high into the air before it crashed down not far away, as a figure stepped out from within.

It was Elpis, unharmed, calmly stepping out and brushing the dust off her dress. She looked toward her father with a gentle smile, having disobeyed his request to stay inside while he handled everything—something she clearly hadn’t done.

[Subaru: Elpis, please, don’t do anything rash.]

[Elpis: I won’t, daddy, I promise. I won’t kill her even if she attacks me, just like you always ask, father.]

Speaking with a serene expression, she had already faced similar situations before regarding the blue-haired Oni maid—whose hair had grown slightly longer since the last time she’d seen her. And Rem herself remembered. The moment she sensed Elpis’s familiar scent—the scent of the Witch who had stolen her Subaru and caused all the terrible things that haunted her life—not a second was wasted.

Elpis and Subaru both realized it.

Elpis remained neutral, while Subaru sighed. They both knew what was about to happen.

The air trembled as Rem’s white horn pulsed with energy, her heavy breaths turning into guttural roars. The ground cracked beneath her feet as she lunged forward, the Morningstar whistling through the air like a metallic lightning strike. The chain stretched, the spiked sphere swung in a devastating arc and slammed into Elpis with enough force to pulverize a stone wall.

Nothing happened.

Elpis’s skin didn’t show so much as a scratch. She didn’t even flinch, merely tilting her head slightly, as if evaluating a persistent insect. Rem growled, muscles taut, and struck again. The chain whipped, coiled, tried to crush from every angle—fast, heavy blows, each impact echoing across the field like metallic thunder. The ground shattered, craters opened, trees splintered into shards in the path of her attacks.

But Elpis remained untouched, watching the Oni’s fury as if observing a child throwing a tantrum.

A faintly amused smile crept onto her face as, with a simple motion, she raised her hand and intercepted the spinning chain mid-swing.

The spiked sphere stopped just inches from her face.

Elpis released the weapon right after, as if returning a toy, and stepped back.

Rem screamed, consumed by frenzy, and charged head-on. Her fists—capable of crushing demonic beasts—collided with Elpis’s body in a furious barrage. Each punch reverberated like an explosion, shattering the ground around them, yet not leaving so much as a bruise on her enemy.

The force that should have broken bones dissipated like wind against a mountain.

Elpis, unhurried, moves with a lightness disproportionate to her strength.

She dodges some attacks with a lazy step, allows others to hit her without care, and at times simply touches Rem’s forehead with her fingertips or gives her shoulder a light push, sending the Oni flying several meters away as if she were a ragdoll.

The more Rem fights, the wilder she becomes.

Her horn shines intensely, her breathing is ragged, her eyes consumed by fury.

The world around them is torn apart by the blind violence of her movements, yet Elpis remains untouched — indifferent, almost bored.

At last, while Rem, panting and trembling, raises the Morningstar for another desperate strike, Elpis simply grabs the chain and pulls, dragging the Oni along with the weapon effortlessly. Rem’s feet scrape the ground, unable to resist. Elpis then releases her, allowing her to regain her balance, as if prolonging the game.

Rem charges again, her horn glowing with a feverish intensity, her eyes burning with instinct. The Morningstar’s chain whirls like thunder, cutting through the air in wide, brutal arcs.

Each strike is delivered with full force, with the intent to crush, to tear, to kill.

But Elpis does not move.

The spiked sphere collides against her body once, twice, three times.

The spikes bend, the earth around them bursts apart in fragments, yet Elpis remains motionless, upright like a statue. Her flawless skin shows no mark, her calm eyes reveal no effort.

Rem screams, spinning the weapon faster, striking relentlessly. The metallic clangs mix with the Oni’s primal roar, the blows falling like a storm, faster, more desperate each time.

The ground splits into craters, nearby trees are ripped from the soil by the shockwaves, dust rises in suffocating curtains.

But at the center of it all, Elpis remains still, as though time itself flowed differently for her.

The whirlwind of violence does not touch her.

No drop of sweat runs down her skin, no muscle tenses.

Only her hair sways gently in the wind stirred by Rem’s frenzy.

The Oni abandons her weapon for a moment and charges with bare fists, pounding Elpis’s body without pause.

Punches, elbows, knees — every movement accompanied by the wild glow of her horn.

The impacts rumble like rolling thunder, the ground shattering beneath her feet, but Elpis remains firm, immovable, as if she were part of the world itself.

Rem does not retreat, even as her body begins to show signs of strain.

Her arms ache, her muscles scream, but she presses on, more frantic, more violent.

Her attacks blur into motion, but the contrast is absolute: while the Oni consumes herself, Elpis does not suffer the faintest scratch.

Rem no longer thinks — she only attacks.

Each strike is paired with a guttural roar, each movement a desperate discharge of power.

Her horn pulses with an increasingly unstable glow, her body trembling under the continuous effort.

The air itself vibrates with the repeated violence of her blows, but nothing changes: Elpis stands still, untouched, watching her as though observing a storm incapable of scratching the sky.

The Morningstar crashes down once more, striking with absurd force.

The impact splits the ground, shattering stones, but Elpis does not yield a single inch.

Rem drops the weapon and turns to her fists, hammering the giant’s abdomen relentlessly until her knuckles crack from the strain of her own strength. Still, nothing.

Her breathing turns ragged, her body trembles, but her fury does not diminish — it only grows.

Fists, knees, kicks, headbutts.

The Oni’s body is a blur of motion, but with every attack, she only destroys herself further.

Her horn shines with an unstable, almost fractured light, and her body begins to falter.

It is then that Elpis moves.

Without warning, without haste, she simply raises her arm and delivers a single punch.

The air compresses at the instant of impact. The shockwave spreads like a muffled explosion, flinging stone fragments and dust in every direction.

Elpis’s fist strikes Rem in the chest with unimaginable force — not only knocking her down, but hurling her through the air like a ragdoll, her body twisting grotesquely as it rises, higher, higher, before crashing back down, colliding with the ground in an impact that opens yet another crater.

Silence follows.

Rem lies unconscious.

Her horn has lost its glow and vanished after she could no longer maintain it, the fractures in her bones evident, every fragile breath betraying the severity of her wounds. Almost every bone in her body was broken by that single blow.

Elpis, in contrast, remains exactly the same.

No sweat, no mark, not even the hint of effort.

Her eyes fall on the defeated Oni, not with hatred or anger — but with the indifference of someone who has crushed something inevitably fragile.

[Subaru: Elpis.]

[Elpis: Hm?]

Her father’s call makes Elpis turn to Subaru with a curious expression, interested in his opinion. She flinches slightly upon seeing him with crossed arms and a faintly tired look.

[Elpis: W-What is it, d-daddy?]

[Subaru: Elpis. I’ve asked you before, haven’t I? You didn’t need to do this. Just a little strength was enough, not such an exaggeration.]

[Elpis: B-But she attacked me violently!]

[Subaru: I know. Naturally, I was worried about you. But I remembered just how strong you are while you were fighting. —— I’m not angry or disappointed, only worried about Rem-rin, understood?]

He stepped closer and knelt to look her in the eyes. The difference in height wasn’t too great, but enough to make the gesture necessary, as he gently stroked her head to ease her worries.

She accepted his affection without hesitation, delighting in it, even wishing she could grab his hand and pull it to her mouth to lick it, to taste him. But she had to restrain herself. He had always found it cute when she did things like that, especially as she grew older, which now made her feel a little nostalgic for when she had been a baby.

Leaving her aside for now — much to the girl’s dismay — he went to the unconscious and badly injured Oni, her bones fractured, and crouched to pick her up, preparing to carry her back to the Mansion not far from there — a Mansion that, as her father had told her, had once been the home of the Court Magician of Lugunica, Roswaal L. Mathers.

Rem. Just Rem.

She is one of the Mansion’s residents, living there along with others from the nearby village of Arlam, a place protected by her father. Both are. To the point that her father had given her a direct and unchangeable order: do not attack the Mansion’s residents or the villagers to kill them. She had no permission to kill any of them, not even those who might try to insult her father.

Such land, apparently, belongs to her father’s territory — which, in Elpis’s perception, is the entire World, but this specific place is special.

The people who live here are seen in a positive light by her father. That’s why only he, her mother, and she herself had permission to come and go whenever he wished, while the other Archbishops were forced to remain distant. They were never allowed to come here — even though her father had once claimed to have brought the Archbishop of Greed, Regulus, to meet his new wife, who had such strong interest. This place is special and sacred!

Elpis had already faced Rem a few times. Just as, in the past, she had faced one of the residents of this place, Garfiel, the younger brother of a maid named Frederica. He tried to kill her, her mother, and her father without any fear — unlike Rem, who tried to kill only her and her mother whenever she lost control — and Elpis had put him in his place. In reality, it wasn’t that difficult. For the current tiger-man, no matter how much he trained, no matter how much he struggled, no matter how much he grew, he was never a real threat to Elpis.

From what the little girl understood, her father had spared him as an act of kindness toward the maid Frederica and toward an old figure her father called “Nee-Sama.” That’s why, despite his audacious attempts to attack and kill them, he received special treatment and his life was spared.

Elpis followed her father calmly as they made their way toward the Mansion, now not so far away.

The little girl was even a bit more excited to spend some time with her father at that moment. She might even go to the village and play with some children, pretending to have fun just to make him happy. And visit that woman, Petra, a skilled seamstress — not as skilled as her father, in Elpis’s opinion — who taught her a thing or two and gave her tea, though Elpis wished Petra wouldn’t put so much poison in it, since it made the taste a little unpleasant.

 

 

—————

I decided to post this chapter of this IF before Wednesday because I made a deal with someone. I hope you enjoyed it, EternalWhisper .

In this IF:

-During the attack of Regulus and Subaru against the Mansion in the past, they faced: Emilia, Roswaal, Ram, Garfiel, Frederica, Rem, and Puck. In that battle, Roswaal and Ram were killed.

-Roswaal was split in half by Regulus, under Subaru’s command, and Ram died by Subaru’s own hand after he discovered she knew about Roswaal’s Tome of Wisdom. But, as one last act of affection for her, he agreed to spare Garfiel.

-The Mathers Mansion and Arlam Village are under the complete protection of Subaru and the Witch Cult, whether they like it or not.

-Rem had her memories altered by Subaru’s Authority of Vainglory: she no longer remembers Ram, that Subaru is an Archbishop, nor Roswaal as her Master. Everything was rewritten to keep her inside a kind of Matrix and let her live happily.

-From time to time, Rem enters Oni mode, and though she never regains her memories, she tries to eliminate Elpis and Pandora whenever they appear, even though she doesn’t want to hurt Subaru.

-Garfiel remains alive within the area of the Mansion and Arlam Village, never leaving, just like in the Sanctuary — all because he doesn’t want to leave his sister unprotected. He continues training every day to try to save everyone.

-Once, Garfiel attacked Elpis head-on; he spent over an hour punching Elpis in the face, but didn’t cause any damage even though she didn’t fight back. In the end, he broke his own hands and arm bones from hitting so much.

-Pandora doesn’t really care much about Subaru’s “personal toys,” which is why she allows them to remain alive.

-The Archbishops do not approach this territory without Subaru’s permission. The last time someone did so was Capella, out of spite, and she was tortured for an entire month without pause — which included being devoured by the Great Rabbit.

Guys, I wanted to ask you something: Do you think I should start making my IFs heavier? I always try to keep my content — especially when it involves something sexual or torture — as light as I can, so the content stays enjoyable for people. But some of the IFs I’m planning would require me to make them heavier and darker (because of the content I’ll be presenting). So, what do you think? Should I keep things at the level I’ve maintained so far (where I don’t make the violence fully explicit and try to keep it as light as I can), or should I start letting loose more?

And what did you think of the chapter?

Chapter 139: Taygete IF

What if…? What if the daughter of two legends wanted to shine just as brightly as they did?

—————

 

 

In a room of the "royal" palace of the Demi-Human Capital, a small girl slept peacefully, wrapped in her sheets. A small trail of drool dripped from the right corner of her mouth as her face was turned in that direction. It was the image of a little girl sleeping soundly, worry-free, despite not being careless herself.

The moment her wake-up time arrived—self-imposed as a personal habit—she slowly opened her eyes and awoke unexpectedly. Moving carefully out of bed, wearing an oversized light-green pajama set, she placed her feet on the floor and immediately dropped forward, extending her arms to catch herself in a stable position before beginning her daily training routine. Push-ups. Lowering her body with her arms bending, she began the process of strengthening her arms, which still needed it despite her lineage. Rolling onto her back, she placed her hands behind her head and began lifting her torso. Sit-ups. A set performed right after the hundred push-ups she had just completed to begin her daily training—which she considered just a warm-up for the rest of the day’s exercises.

She then stood up and began the next set: squats, aiming to strengthen her legs with another round of warm-up training.

Once finished, she let out a small sigh.

Every morning upon waking, the dark green-haired girl liked to start her day in a productive way, ready to face whatever came next. This mindset had followed her ever since her father had taught her these kinds of warm-up routines, which she kept up daily to ensure she never lost the habit or slowed her growth.

Who is she? Taygete Natsuki, daughter of Subaru Natsuki and Shion Natsuki, a half-elf.

The girl had ears like her mother’s, intense eyes like her father’s—but with her mother’s eye color—and long dark green hair that fell just below her nape. She had inherited her mother’s good physique and trained daily under her father's teachings, growing stronger every day. Going to her personal wardrobe, the nine-year-old girl changed out of her pajamas into a more suitable outfit: a green and blue dress that somewhat resembled a military uniform—her own choice to help fulfill her role as the "princess" she had been since birth.

After changing clothes, she neatly folded her pajamas and placed them on the bed she had slept in just moments before. She then walked over to the still-closed window and opened it, letting in the sunlight and the breeze, which cooled her skin slightly as the wind hit her directly.

[Taygete: Once again, good morning.]

She said this as she looked out over the Demi-Human Capital illuminated by the morning light, a sight that made her smile. Watching the buildings, seeing the tiny figures of people walking—only visible as small dots from her distance—she could even see beyond the edges of the capital, which seemed to be growing more each day.

A knock at her bedroom door caught her attention.

[???: Taygete-sama, are you awake?]

[Taygete: Yes, I am.]

Speaking formally, she smoothed her clothes to look as tidy and proper as possible. She calmly walked to the door and opened it quickly.

On the other side stood a familiar figure.

A maid in uniform like the others in the castle, but hers was more elegant, indicating her higher rank among the younger or lower-ranked maids. Ram. A pink-haired Oni, whose once short hair had now grown longer, almost as long as Taygete’s mother’s hair. She wore a calm expression with a gentle smile on her face.

[Ram: Good morning, Taygete-sama. Did you sleep well?]

[Taygete: It was perfect, like every other night. Thank you again for taking care of my quarters, Ram-chan. I’ll also thank Reize-chan and Rem-chan as well.]

[Ram: There's no need for that, Taygete-sama. Our duty as maids is to perform our work diligently, worthy of our Masters’ praise. Receiving such praise is enough to show how appreciated our work is and that we are doing a satisfactory job.]

[Taygete: Even if praise is acceptable, I still like to thank you for your services. It would be rude not to after so much effort on your part.]

The little girl said with a small, respectful smile, and Ram’s own smile seemed to grow slightly, as if genuinely touched by the girl’s words. Not that this kind of exchange hadn’t happened before—it had, many times—as a reflection of how much Taygete appreciated the pink-haired maid.

Truth be told, Taygete was grateful to the three Oni maids who consistently showed great skill in cleaning the palace they lived in. Rem, the youngest of the three, still managed to handle about 20% of the total duties—since Taygete’s father had forbidden her from overworking. Ram, not only one of the central pillars of protection for both the Capital and the entire Kingdom (much like the Sword Saint is for Lugunica), also handled a large portion of the duties—around 10% in total.

Taking care of Taygete’s room was one of those duties, and she was grateful.

They were actually quite close. It could be said that Ram was not only her father's personal maid, but also Taygete’s.

[Ram: What do you plan to do now at the start of your morning, Taygete-sama?]

[Taygete: I already have my training schedule planned for today. But for now, at the start of the morning, I wish to continue my daily training. Would you like to join me?]

[Ram: If permitted, Ram would not refuse the chance to accompany you in your training. It would be my personal honor.]

[Taygete: I don’t really understand what kind of honor that is… but… I won’t turn down her excitement.]

Thinking that with a bit of nervousness, she said nothing about the maid’s enthusiastic smile at the chance to accompany her in her private daily training. It always made her a bit nervous.

Walking through the hallways, the maid followed the quarter-elf girl walking calmly ahead. With steady, quick steps. Her way of walking reflected discipline and patience—as one would expect of someone with the duty or desire to be a leader to those around her. She noticed the maid’s gaze on her—a kind and familiar look, the same one Ram often gave her father.

Ram truly was an interesting figure to young Taygete.

As mentioned before, the maid was one of the most important people in the Kingdom due to her powers and personal skills. One of those was being a maid—for which she received many compliments. Her skills in cleaning Taygete’s room and clothes were exceptional. Even the elegant, well-cleaned clothes Taygete was currently wearing had been cleaned by Ram—and for that, she was thankful. Another skill Taygete admired was Ram’s cooking. Many of the meals she, her mother, and her father ate were prepared by her—the only dish she couldn’t make properly was boiled potatoes.

And Taygete could easily see how much she liked her father — just like the other Oni maids. In fact, it was almost a fact stamped across her face and those around her. You only had to watch how she adjusted her hair and uniform multiple times whenever she was about to meet him in person or before they were going to see him — she even looked dreamy when they were together in the office for work.

Taygete was well aware of how much her father was loved by many people, especially women.

This became even more obvious on Valentine's Day.

The girl was surprised by the huge number of letters her father received, including the many marriage proposals he got on that specific date. Although she understood why people felt that way. After all, her father was a hero to all the Demi-Human people, from every race that currently existed — even reviving some that were once thought extinct, like the werewolves, who were now thriving again.

What was interesting about these people was how badly they wanted her parents — or more specifically, her father — to have more children. She even remembered letters asking him to have more heirs besides Taygete.

She herself wouldn't mind having siblings, but the requests people made could be... less intense.

Because she clearly remembered the trauma of reading a letter with extremely explicit content asking her father to have more children.

[Taygete: Urgh.]

[Ram: Is something wrong, Taygete-sama?]

[Taygete: Nothing you need to worry about, Ram-chan. My thoughts wandered to something I thought I had forgotten long ago, and it would be better that way. I apologize for worrying you about it.]

[Ram: Then please don’t worry. Ram understands Taygete’s desire and feelings to erase such things from her mind. If Ram can help in any way, please share with her, and she will do her best.]

Taygete nodded in gratitude to the woman behind her, which left her satisfied.

They continued walking through the hallways. Occasionally, they passed a few people — maids, butlers, and even some guards — who greeted her with politeness and respect. And the girl returned their greetings with the same level of respect, maintaining her image. Although, if you looked at her closely — ignoring her clothes — her feet stood in stark contrast to her uniform.

She didn’t like wearing anything on her feet. Sandals, shoes, or anything else that could cover them. Even now, she wore nothing on them and instead felt the ground directly against her skin. She was someone who liked to feel nature touching her as much as possible.

This even caused problems with some more noble figures connected to members of other nations — like the anti-Demi-Human ones that still existed in Lugunica — who criticized her habit of walking barefoot all the time. But the people around her didn’t care. Her father even encouraged her to wear or do whatever made her feel comfortable — be it feminine clothes, masculine ones, wearing footwear or not — “As long as you keep wearing clothes!” her father joked once, since he never told her whether she had to wear clothes or not.

And that’s why she walked freely with bare feet.

They soon finished the walk to their intended destination — a personal training field inside the palace. A lightly open area with a view of part of the Capital that surrounded the palace and even a specific group of trees from a small forest not too far away — visible even from that point. An open space meant to provide a free training area for anyone who wanted to use it whenever they wished.

This place had originally been built for other members of the personal guard — like Kurgan and Garfiel Tinzel — but was now adapted for the girl to use as she pleased. Because of this, it had a section open just so she could see the distant trees in the small forest for her personal technique training.

Taygete positioned herself 100 meters away from the first target — a bullseye with a red dot at the center of several red circles.

[Taygete: Bára.]

Upon saying the word, the air around her hands seemed to shift, glowing with a bright blue light. In the air, a bow began to form.

An orange-and-green bow: orange toward the bottom half and green toward the top, with a string in place.

What had just happened?

It was a new kind of magic, one she had been born with and developed alongside her father and mother — both of whom had rare magic just like hers.

Bára — named by her father. He told her the name came from a language called "Sumé-eriio," saying its meaning was: To create, to mold, to form. He explained that the people from that culture believed the "Sumé-eriio gods" were the creators of humans and the world through clay molding.

It sounded interesting to the girl, so she decided to use that name for her magic.

Was she able to create things in the air? That’s what she thought at first — but the truth was different, at least according to her father’s explanation. She could remodel atoms — the tiny structures that shaped the world around them, including the girl herself — and mold them however she wanted through her magic. She could create objects by rearranging atoms in the space around her however she pleased, and she did just that to create her bow.

Taygete was proud of many things: her father, her mother, her uncles, her friends, her companions, her magic. But she also took great pride in something else — her aim.

Something she trained nearly every day to never lose efficiency with bow and arrow. It was a personal desire to be able to defend herself and to stand out in some way among those who lived around her.

Preparing herself, she repeated the word.

[Taygete: Bára.]

She created a dark arrow with a purple tip and readied her aim, preparing to shoot at the stationary target.

Focused, with her bow drawn and the arrow’s tip lined up precisely—

The girl fired.

Her arrow flew and struck the target dead center.

That earned a small applause from the pink-haired maid.

Stepping back to a distance of 150 meters, she prepared again.

[Taygete: Bára.]

Creating another arrow, she aimed at the target, got ready, and fired again.

Her arrow flew slightly but still hit dead center.

The tip of the new arrow hit the previous one she had made, sticking into it perfectly, in an impressive display.

Another round of applause came from the maid, slightly louder this time.

Taking a few more steps, she was now 200 meters away.

[Taygete: El Bára.]

Using a higher level of her magic, she focused her power to create a more powerful arrow than before.

Once more, the girl prepared her shot and then released the string.

Her arrow flew as if weightless, at high speed — piercing through the tip of the second arrow, splitting it in half, and continuing on. It did the same to the first arrow and then hit the center of the target, going clean through, with the tip perfectly sticking out the back.

Ram clapped with even more enthusiasm, giving Taygete a little pride boost in that moment for her skill being as sharp as ever.

[???: Still magnificent as always, Tayge-sama.]

[Taygete: Hm? Kurgan-san, I didn’t know you were watching.]

[Kurgan: I apologize. I knew you'd come here early this morning, so I decided to see how you'd perform. I must say, your skills are still impressively sharp and continue to grow with your training. I’d like to join your sessions again, if you’ll allow it. —— What’s with that look, Ram?]

[Ram: Ram believes Kurgan shouldn’t get too close to Taygete-sama. I fear she might be contaminated if you tried to train her. I don’t want her to become someone rude in both words and behavior.]

The pink-haired Oni spoke with slight irritation toward the four-armed man.

Taygete couldn’t help but let out a small amused puff of laughter. Ever since she had met them over the past few years, she had seen them bicker lightly whenever they were together.

She didn’t fully understand the reason behind it, but she could guess. Apparently, the two had usually served as her father’s bodyguards and seemed to have an ongoing rivalry over who protected him better. Although, to the girl, it was quite obvious that part of it stemmed from Ram’s jealousy over how much more time Kurgan usually spent with her father — since he was typically his personal guard. And she figured that despite Ram’s status as royal guardian, one of the head maids, and a personal maid to both her and her father, Ram also wanted to be her father’s personal bodyguard.

The girl let them bicker a bit more, as they always did during their daily interactions, while she readied her bow once again.

[Taygete: Ul Bára.]

Aiming her bow, with a newly formed arrow that was even more powerful than the third one she had created, she prepared herself and then released the string.

The arrow flew at high speed.

But this arrow wasn’t aimed at her usual target. It soared, cutting through the air, heading for the trees not too far from the edge of the Capital.

Upon reaching its destination, the arrow struck the center of a target that had been placed on a tree.

Once again, Taygete had hit a target over 1800 meters away.

This is Taygete, one of the best archers in the kingdom...

This is Taygete, the princess of the Demi-Human Kingdom...

This is Taygete, daughter of two historical legends...

This is Taygete, who would be trained by the Scorpion in the Desert to become the world’s best marksman...

This is Taygete, who in the future would become one of the most powerful Guardians of the Demi-Human Kingdom and proud of her role...

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Rem doesn’t have self-esteem issues related to her sister, thanks to Subaru always taking care of her. Meanwhile, Ram is just as skilled as Rem when it comes to maid duties, but ironically, she can’t make boiled/steamed potatoes (unlike the original Ram who can). Both sisters, along with Reize, let their hair grow longer in an attempt to imitate Shion’s, thinking they might get more attention from Subaru that way.

-Taygete is colorblind and learned to distinguish colors with the help of her father. Her colorblindness is so severe that she sees Ram with green hair and Rem with red hair.

-Taygete never had to deal with the pressure of expectations from her parents, but rather from those around her, even if they did it unconsciously. This pushed her to work harder and harder to live up to her parents, who are considered legends by the people of the Demi-Human Kingdom.

-Taygete usually undergoes different training for her Magic, one of which is with Beatrice, who formed a contract with Subaru during their time together. She now resides in her library within the royal palace. They get along well, with Taygete treating her more formally than anyone else, showing her the utmost respect — on the same level as her mother and father.

-Taygete wants to become her parents’ pride to keep them happy, because in the past, Shion became pregnant again but suffered complications and lost the child. So Taygete tries to better herself in hopes of making up for that loss.

-At fifteen, Taygete would attempt to conquer the Pleiades Watchtower in hopes of impressing her parents and adding another accomplishment to the Demi-Humans, making a name for herself. There, she would end up meeting Shaula, who would recognize her Master's scent on Taygete. They’d get along well, and Shaula would begin training her in aiming and shooting — since the scorpion-girl is dozens of times better at it than the young girl.

Chapter 140: [Extra - Taygete IF]

Taygete had, in a way, told a small lie—or at least a half-truth—to the people who asked her about it. Not because she liked doing it, nor had she done it on purpose. But when talking about the matter, Taygete may have simply forgotten to mention that possibility. There was, in fact, an occasion when she wore shoes. Even though she completely disliked the act of wearing them, even though she hated the feeling they gave her feet, and even though it went against her personal desire—she would wear shoes for one specific event.

When she traveled to the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Lugunica.

Inside an elegant and luxurious carriage—one her father didn’t particularly like, as he preferred the simpler ones—sat the “royal” family of the Demi-Human Nation.

Natsuki Subaru, Natsuki Shion, and Natsuki Taygete—now a young girl of fourteen, less than a week away from her fifteenth birthday—sat together as a family. Accompanying them were Libre and Valga, seated on the other side.

The long black-haired man had his arm stretched across his wife’s shoulders, gently pulling her in and lightly squeezing their daughter in a soft embrace, offering them a bit of comfort. The small girl looked down at her feet, specifically at the shoes she was wearing for this special event—shoes she disliked slightly.

[Subaru: I’m sorry, Gete-chan. I really am sorry that you can’t go to the Royal Capital barefoot.]

[Taygete: You don’t need to worry about it, Father. It would be completely shameful not to wear appropriate footwear for a meeting of this importance. Even if it’s uncomfortable, it’s necessary to maintain our image. It would be disgraceful if we couldn’t at least uphold our respectable status in front of the important figures of the Royal Capital.]

[Libre: Hehe, did you hear that, Suba-chan? She’s got more noble and honorable behavior than you did at her age.]

[Subaru: You didn’t even know me at her age, but still managed to guess exactly how I acted back then. Congratulations, Libre, on your spectacular deduction.]

Subaru couldn’t help but flash a mischievous and playful grin at the snake-man, who seemed just as teasing as he replied to his friend.

[Subaru: But… should I mention your little… ramblings after a bottle or two?]

[Libre: ——!!!]

[Valga: Hahaha! You really shouldn’t provoke someone who could ruin you, my friend.]

The three of them laughed while Taygete gave a light huff and smiled at the playful exchange.

Shion, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow.

[Shion: Whenever you guys talk about your nights out, I start to worry about what kind of things you’ve been up to. Especially that time Libre-chan came back all dirty and with his hands scraped like he’d been tied up.]

[Libre: That was a one-time incident! Nothing serious, really.]

[Valga: —— You cried for an hour after we dug you up…]

[Libre: I DID NOT CRY!]

Yelling in protest, the snake-man shot a half-lidded glare at the giant beside him, remembering the night they went drinking and ended up accidentally burying Libre. The two men and Theresia had spent hours looking for him after the three of them drunkenly buried, tied up, and gagged him under a tree.

Shion shook her head in mild irritation, while Taygete gave a small giggle.

[Taygete: I hope I get to hear the full story someday.]

[Shion: You won’t, young lady. If I haven’t managed to get them to tell me, there’s no way I’m letting you hear it before I do. Hmph!]

[Taygete: That’s so childish, Mom!]

Seeing her mother puffing her cheeks and crossing her arms in such a childish way, Taygete protested.

That drew a chuckle from Subaru at the childish exchange between the two.

Valga shook his head, though he wore a small smile. Libre did the same, though his expression was more open than that of his white-haired giant companion.

[Taygete: I wonder what the Council members and the Queen want to talk about with us? And by us, I mean you all and Mother. A request for a special visit at a time like this, instead of the usual scheduled visits for the holidays—which was your idea, Father.]

[Subaru: I’m not really sure, Gete-chan. But we should keep in mind that this request came from the Council of Wise Men again. We can’t turn down their summons, especially when it’s important to maintain good relations.]

[Valga: It’s starting to get ridiculous, don’t you think? You defeated the Sin Archbishops, wiped out the Mabeasts. I doubt there’s any real threat left in the world to hunt down and eliminate. And yet they keep insisting you come back again, and again, and again. You know exactly who’s behind these constant summons, don’t you...?]

[Libre: Bordeaux Zergev.]

Libre’s words carried more venom than he would have liked, especially in front of the young girl sitting with them. But even without the tone, the look in his eyes alone showed how much he loathed the man. One of the members of the Council of Wise Men, Bordeaux Zergev was already well-known to Taygete, as were the other council members and the current royalty of the nation.

Bordeaux Zergev had a terrible reputation both inside and outside the Demi-Human Nation’s circles. The reason was his clear hatred and bitterness toward demi-humans, rooted in the losses he suffered during the war more than five decades ago. While somewhat understandable, Taygete had come to see more clearly how his prejudice and dislike for the very idea of a nation for demi-humans became more and more apparent to her young eyes.

Even her mother, one of the kindest people alongside her father, seemed to share in the distaste toward the man, who so openly behaved dishonorably toward half-human individuals—like Candidate Emilia and her Knight Garfiel during the time of the royal selection.

It might sound like madness, but some even associated assassination attempts against Subaru with the man himself.

[Subaru: I still think it’s a bit of a stretch to blame him for all that when we don’t have any solid evidence… It’s a shame we lost one of the assassins we’d captured the last time someone tried to kill me. At least we got one piece of information out of him. Do you all still remember?]

[Valga: Just the name… “Six Tongues.”]

[Subaru: And then he ended up dead… Honestly, it’s disappointing that we let that happen while he was under our supervision. —— Now, I expect everyone here to behave perfectly when we meet them. Understood?]

At that moment, his tone shifted—colder and more authoritative, showing his true level of command. He wasn’t speaking just as Natsuki Subaru, but as a true leader and king. The air inside the carriage grew slightly heavier.

Taygete knew well how her father could be when it came to serious matters that could endanger those he cared about. He knew how to step up when it mattered. And it was in those moments that the little girl’s eyes gleamed with even more admiration for the way he carried himself when needed. That level of composure, in truth, was something she wanted to reach herself—to be just like her father and mother. Her father was one of the people she admired most and wished to be like.

As her “uncle” Valga had previously mentioned.

He had been the main person responsible for the defeat and extermination of the greatest threats the world had known in many years—the Witch Cult and the Great Beasts. In addition to that, he was also instrumental in helping to place the current ruler of the Kingdom of Lugunica on the throne, offering his support, direct assistance, guidance, and teachings for her growth. Taygete also knew that her mother and her "uncles" helped shape the Queen into the person she is today.

That’s why she admired them so deeply.

That’s what she strove for—and even more so because… her parents would only ever have her.

They hadn’t been able to have another child due to complications in her mother’s pregnancy, or so she’d been told when she had a serious conversation with Ram. She had wanted to understand why she didn’t have any siblings. The memory made her hands tighten slightly over the fabric of the dress she was wearing—partly from nervousness, partly from the sadness she felt.

She couldn't help but feel they could have had someone better than her—a better daughter or son than she could ever be.

It was during moments like this that she felt her heart tighten, her throat catching slightly before she took a deep breath to regain her focus.

The carriage came to a sudden stop in front of the Royal Capital’s Palace.

[Subaru: Behave yourselves. And Valga, please, no throwing dirt on Bordeaux’s bald head again. —— Please, please don’t get caught doing it. At least disguise yourself properly when you do it. Hide perfectly. Like when Felt-chan and I did it together.]

[Shion: You two were the ones who did it that time?]

[Subaru: See? Not even my lovely wife knew.]

Speaking in a more playful tone, he pointed at his wife, who looked mildly concerned about the revelation, though her disapproval had no effect on her husband, who seemed entirely unaffected by her attempt to scold him as they stepped down from the carriage.

Taygete lifted her eyes to gaze at the palace ahead of them.

It was a grand and beautiful place, and stationed out front were several knights awaiting their arrival, as well as the people in the carriage that followed them. From it emerged some of the personal guards of the leaders of the Demi-Human Nation and the small “princess” of that nation.

One figure stood in front of all the knights. Emilia—just Emilia—the Queen, and beside her was Garfiel, her knight. He was now known as the Shield of the Kingdom, just as Reinhard was known as the Sword.

She had become queen thanks to the support of Taygete’s parents and the Demi-Human Nation. They had elected her as the final choice to govern, and she was currently doing a… decent job—though Taygete had firsthand experience observing her parents’ work, and comparing them was like comparing silver to gold. It didn’t seem fair to criticize the current queen openly, especially not as a representative of the allied nation.

She had also heard that it was thanks to her parents’ support that Emilia had managed to liberate the elves of Elior Forest.

The two approaching groups bowed lightly to each other, as did the five who followed. A polite bow from both sides, a basic formality when meeting between such important figures.

The sight of the queen slightly captivated the little girl.

[Subaru: It’s a pleasure to see you again, Emilia-san.]

[Emilia: An honor to see you again as well, Subaru, Shion-san. I hope your trip was a safe one.]

[Subaru: It was. I got to spend good time with my beloved wife and daughter on a fun journey. It would have been perfect if it weren’t for the presence of two incredibly annoying individuals who also happen to be my best friends…]

[Valga: Sweet words, you idiot.]

Valga crossed his arms and gave a slightly annoyed grin—not meant to be truly cruel, but definitely irked by his friend’s teasing.

Subaru just chuckled lightly at his tone.

Taygete stayed quiet, merely observing. She wanted to join the adults’ conversation, but shortly after that, she was taken by the castle staff to be looked after.

There, she had the chance to see the current Sword Saint, Reinhard, and speak with him briefly again.

But she also discovered the true reason behind the special meeting that had been called. With Reinhard’s help—who had grown quite easy to convince—she managed to sneak in and listen to the secret conversation held in the Throne Room.

There, gathered in secret, were the members of the Council, the Vice Commander and Commander of the Knights, the Queen and her Knight, and the four leaders of the Revolution.

They met in a smaller group, away from public view, to discuss a matter important enough to warrant such secrecy.

Something related to a figure from her father’s past... a figure named Sphinx.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Sphinx hadn’t actually died when Subaru saved Libre from her. She remained hidden for decades, working on a plan to create an army of Undead, to the point that she eventually started the Great Calamity within Vollachia with a group even larger than the original.

-Taygete was ordered not to interfere in the war that had begun against Sphinx.

-Sphinx had become so powerful she could now cause even more destruction than her original version alongside her army of Undead. Even the current Subaru couldn’t kill her permanently, as he still didn’t possess the complete Authority of Gluttony.

-Wanting to help her parents, Taygete—after turning fifteen—set off to reach the Pleiades Watchtower to try to find the Great Sage Shaula. She attempted to do so on her own.

-Ram, who had been assigned to watch over Taygete and protect the Nation while Subaru and the others went to war against Sphinx in support of Vollachia, had to abandon her post to go after the girl. It turned into a race: would Ram find her first, or would Taygete reach the Pleiades Watchtower.

-Taygete discovered a form of bodily regeneration through her magic when she had her arm torn off during one of Shaula’s attacks, learning that she could reconstruct limbs by manipulating atoms.

Chapter 141: Helena IF

What if…? What if the Sun Princess wanted to shine brighter than everyone else?

—————

 

 

[Al: This is getting more and more complicated…]

The one-armed man muttered to himself as he looked around the battlefield he was on. Surrounding him were craters almost shaped like his body. Holding a sword in his only hand, it was covered in minor cuts as he continued to push through the fight.

[???: Uncle Al, this is becoming pitiful, you know?]

[Al: Sorry, little princess. But I think I’m reaching my limit...]

[Helena: Already? We’ve only been fighting for five minutes.]

[Al: And I’ve already been knocked down more than twenty-five times. Even someone like me would have his pride crushed after a while, you know?]

Complaining as he stood up, he couldn’t help but sigh, his pride completely ground to dust.

Helena Benedict Natsuki, daughter of the current King and Queen of Lugunica. A little girl with an arrogant gaze and smile, even though she was only ten years old. Long dark hair, striking reddish eyes. Usually dressed in noble clothes, she maintained a royal appearance worthy of her title as princess. She was the “little niece” of the one-armed man who now stood across from her in the training field.

This was almost a daily occurrence between them, with the man acting as the little girl’s training partner—or rather, training dummy. Not that he would complain — not that his complaints would be heard by the girl or her mother, who forced him to be used in such a way to refine Helena’s combat skills. At that moment, he held a reinforced steel sword, while the little girl wielded two wooden ones.

Seemed unfair for an experienced adult to use a real weapon against her?

[Al: No one knows the little princess’s skills better than I do...]

Muttering that, he readied himself to continue fighting the best he could. Even while feeling tired and humiliated—as he always did in that training ground.

Al charged with his reinforced steel sword, trying to create an opening with a precise thrust. Helena intercepted the strike with one of the wooden swords, twisting her wrist lightly to deflect the blade and create an opening. With the other sword, she landed a clean strike to Al’s ribs, forcing him to stagger back. He tried to reposition himself, quickly calculating a new angle of attack. With a swift spin, he went for Helena’s flank, hoping to catch her off guard. But she was already there. In a fluid motion, she intercepted his offense with a double block, then disarmed him with an agile spin of her right sword, sending his blade flying to the ground.

Without hesitation, Al rolled back, picked up his sword, and lunged again, using strategy to feint a high strike and slash low instead.

Helena, without needing to move much, simply lifted a leg to dodge the low attack and struck Al’s hand with the side of her wooden sword, disarming him a second time.

He stepped back, panting, his arm throbbing. Still, he stood again, determined. With a firm stance, he launched a fast series of thrusts, all aimed at Helena’s torso. She blocked every strike effortlessly, spinning lightly around Al with quick steps, and struck his back with both swords after the final attempt. Al dropped to his knees, his entire body aching, but he made one last desperate attempt. Helena simply turned her body to the side, dodged the swing, and with one swift move, hit the base of Al’s neck, knocking him flat to the ground, completely immobilized.

She didn’t look tired. While Al lay on the ground catching his breath, Helena spun the wooden swords in her hands with grace and firmness.

[Helena: Uncle Aldebaran, really. It's becoming humiliating to beat you so easily again. Surpass your limits already and at least scratch me!]

[Al: Talking is easy, asking is simple. Doing it is the hard part.]

At that, he earned only an irritated huff from the girl.

Al rose with difficulty, his body sore, but his eyes still burned with determination. He retrieved his sword and adopted a more defensive stance, trying to read Helena’s movement patterns. He circled her slowly, looking for an opening—any weakness in her guard.

Helena, however, remained relaxed, almost carefree, as if she was just warming up.

When Al tried a side attack, she stepped in precisely, entered his range, and landed two sharp strikes—one to his leg, one to his shoulder—completely throwing him off balance. Before he could react, she spun behind him and struck his back with the hilt of her sword, pushing him forward. He stumbled and dropped to his knees again, panting, struggling to understand how she could predict every move.

Al got up with a grunt and launched a more unpredictable attack, faking a frontal slash and quickly pulling back to deliver an upward arc. Helena stepped back just enough to avoid the blow, then stomped firmly and spun fully.

The wooden blade struck the side of Al’s head with a sharp crack, knocking his helmet askew.

Reeling, he tried to counter, but Helena disarmed him with a single hit to the wrist. His sword flew far, sticking into the ground. Without giving him time, she placed the tip of one of her wooden swords against Al’s chest, freezing him completely.

She then turned, took two steps back, and waited.

Silently, Al slowly walked to his sword, picked it up, and stood again. His body shook, reflexes dulled, yet he prepared to continue. Helena, with a quick motion, crossed both swords and dashed forward. Al tried to block, but his guard was broken with a blow that combined strength and technique. In a blink, she spun, struck behind his knees, and as he fell on his back, she was already above him, both blades crossed at his neck, ending the training session once again with total dominance.

[Helena: Uncle, you really need to show your skills better. I won’t forgive you if you don’t give it your all.]

[Al: ———— If that’s how you want it, let’s take it up a notch. How about that?]

Al stood once again as the little girl backed off to give him space, watching him try to recover.

Staggering from the last blow, Al retreated, his body bruised and muscles trembling. His gaze now carried not just determination, but urgency. He raised a hand, and the ground beneath him began to vibrate with magical energy.

[Al: Dona.]

A wall of earth rose between him and Helena, tall and thick, creating a brief barrier. He used the time to retreat and gather mana, murmuring his next spell. Helena, with a calm expression, simply spun the wooden swords in her hands, waiting for the next move.

Al extended his arm and channeled energy intensely.

[Al: El Dona.]

Pillars of earth spikes burst from the ground in front of Helena, trying to trap and pressure her with pain.

The attack covered a wide area, and for a moment, it seemed like he had finally turned the tables.

But Helena just advanced.

With a precise jump, she landed between two spikes before they fully formed. Her feet touched the ground a fraction of a second before the next burst, and she was already moving again. With quick, calculated sidesteps, she weaved through the spikes like she was dancing.

Not a single scratch on her skin.

Al gritted his teeth and changed focus: he channeled the same magic into his own body, forming an improvised earth armor around his single arm and part of his torso. He charged at Helena like a living projectile, the magic boosting his steps and driving his movements with purpose. Helena spun at the last moment and, with a single strike to Al’s leg, completely broke the momentum of his charge. He crashed to the side, sliding along the dirt, and just as he tried to rise, a blow to his shoulder dropped him again.

Even with the magical armor, Helena strikes with such precision and force that the layers of earth crack and fall off Al’s body like dry clay. Every improvised defense is crushed with ease; every charge is neutralized with a simple step or counterattack.

Desperately, Al tries to raise another wall of earth behind him, using it as a springboard to push himself forward and land a direct strike. But Helena, anticipating the move, intercepts him with a kick to his side. The magical armor shatters like fragile stone, and Al’s body is flung several meters away, spinning through the air before crashing heavily onto his back.

He crawls to his knees, arm throbbing. Helena approaches slowly, light on her feet, not even a scratch on her. As Al tries to get up for the umpteenth time, she strikes with both wooden swords crossed, hitting his chest squarely and slamming him violently to the ground. With no time to breathe, Al feels Helena’s foot on his chest, pressing him firmly against the earth.

The wooden swords touch his shoulders with authority, as if marking his undeniable defeat.

He tries to raise his hand to cast one last spark of magic... but before any energy can gather, Helena lightly taps his forehead with the tip of her sword — a symbolic gesture, touching only the helmet he wore, as if saying: “That’s enough.”

And with that, the magic fades.

The ground falls silent.

Al is completely defeated — not for lack of effort, but because he stood before someone untouchable.

[Al: Man… if I didn’t know who your parents were, my pride would’ve been obliterated so badly that not even defeating the strongest of foes could help me recover from losing to a ten-year-old girl.]

[Helena: A ten-year-old girl? Don’t be foolish, Uncle Al. Even though you make for a good court jester, your silly jokes are sometimes too foolish, even if they’re amusing. Surely you know that a single decade of my life is nothing more than the faint spark of the Great Star that will shine above all others. And this little display was just that — a display. After all... neither of us went all out, did we?]

[Al: ————]

The man turned his helmeted gaze to the side, understanding exactly what she meant.

They couldn’t truly fight seriously — not due to their own will, but because of one specific person’s request...

[???: How’s the training going, you two?]

[Helena: Admirable Father~!]

[Al: Why doesn’t she react like that when greeting me…?]

He grumbled with jealousy as the girl spun away from him and ran to the older man who had just entered the training grounds.

It was an adult Subaru Natsuki — well-groomed, even more handsome in adulthood. Taller, broad-shouldered, with clearly defined muscles even under his noble white dress shirt, which hugged his frame lightly. His neatly combed hair made his mature features even more appealing. Contrary to expectations, age had only made him more attractive, something enhanced by the care he received to maintain his royal image — as requested (or ordered) by his wife.

He approached, lifting Helena high up toward his face.

[Subaru: How was training today?]

[Helena: I beat Uncle Al more than twenty times again!]

[Subaru: Really? If you beat Al over twenty times, then you could probably beat me at least sixty times in the same amount of time it took to beat him. My little girl is truly amazing!]

[Helena: Mufufufu~~ Of course I am! I have to uphold our family’s reputation and I can’t be defeated by just anyone. Not even Uncle Al. The only ones I’d accept losing to are the Sword Saint or maybe the strongest of the strong among the commoners.]

She was referring to people like Cecilus, Arakiya, other members of the Divine Generals, Halibel, and other extremely powerful figures. And she had already shown skills sufficient to match such formidable opponents! Truly, this little girl was astonishing — underestimating her would be an act only a fool with no love for their life would commit.

[Subaru: Thank you for training her again today, Al.]

[Al: No problem. Meili-chan and Spica-chan both complained she was hitting them too hard.]

[Helena: It’s not my fault they’re still too weak even with the age advantage. At least last time we fought, they lasted a full 20 seconds. Of course, I was only using one arm, one sword, didn’t use one leg, closed one eye, didn’t use magic or my spirits, and gave them a 12-second head start before attacking. I even used Soul Bond to make them stronger, and I used only a training sword while Meili-nee-chan used her beasts and Spica-nee-chan used her teleportation power, as you call it.]

[Subaru: So you nerfed yourself that much and they still only lasted 8 seconds…?]

Doing the math, it was almost laughable how little time an ex-assassin and a former Archbishop — now part of the kingdom’s royal guard — could last against a little girl still refining her combat potential, who had purposefully reduced her strength to give them a slight edge.

But this is who Helena Natsuki is! An outlier in combat ability, capable of crushing even the strongest with such little time on this world. It filled Subaru with immense pride to have such a capable daughter.

Setting her down, he watched her go put away her weapons alongside Al. He stood with arms crossed, observing and waiting.

[???: Seems like my contractor’s daughter is blossoming fast.]

[Subaru: She really is, Ares. She might end up being a real handful.]

Next to him stood the spirit he had long ago formed a contract with — now transformed into something entirely new. A fusion of horse and motorcycle — something only Subaru and Al truly understood — a spirit of flaming fury.

Its body looked like living magma and glowing metal, pulsing with every step like a heart of fire on the verge of explosion. Lava veins snaked beneath a hide of molten rock and warped steel plates. Its hooves were wide and brutal, casting sparks and flames wherever it walked. Its elongated head vaguely resembled a horse's, but with distorted mechanical features: Eyes like demonic headlights glowing within a cruel void, a metallic jaw exhaling scorching steam with every “breath,” and flames erupting from its nostrils. Two long black horns jutted from either side of its head.

It was the image of a War Horse born from the unholy fusion of machine, fire, magma, and raw brute power — monstrous and cruel in appearance, intimidating all who came near.

[Helena: Ares-chaan~~~!!!]

[Ares: Helena-chaan~~~!!!]

Lowering himself swiftly, the flaming spirit accepted the young girl’s affectionate hug as she began to pet his elongated snout — a truly heartwarming sight.

Despite his fearsome looks, this spirit had a gentle heart for those who respected him and his boundaries — though if pushed past his patience, his fury was merciless against those who threatened his loved ones.

Subaru watched it all with a wide smile, letting out a soft laugh. He couldn’t help but feel unfairly blessed to have a daughter like her, friends like Al and Otto, a spirit like Ares, and a wife like Priscilla. He thought of it all as a blessing to be thankful for every single day.

That little girl is Helena, the one who shines like a mighty star…

That little girl is Helena, proud and striving to uphold the faith placed in her…

That little girl is Helena, powerful like a sun born to burn away the darkness…

That little girl is Helena, who in the future would fight with a three-sword style and crush whoever stood in her way to reach the top…

That little girl is Helena, the Little Princess of the Sun...

 

 

—————

For those who want a reference for Subaru's appearance in this IF:

In this IF:

-Helena has a high spiritual affinity with Fire and Yang magic.

-Even at ten years old, Helena is powerful enough to occupy the Third Place of the Divine Generals, with great potential to become even more powerful.

-Helena has been able to summon the Yang Sword since she was less than three years old, the first time she did so was to cut a table when she became angry at the words of a nobleman insulting her father in front of her.

-Helena received a personal territory as a birthday gift and she easily learned how to manage it, making it prosper and become rich. To the point that the people there live happily, adoring her.

-Helena knows that her father and Al have special abilities, even deducing the trigger to use such abilities, just as Priscilla did in the past.

-Helena knows that Al goes easy on her and hides his true potential. But if both of them at the peak of their powers were to face each other, Helena would have a 75% chance of defeating him (knocking him out) and a 55% chance of killing him, even if Al went all out with his magic and intention to kill her.

-Helena can become so powerful that she would be capable of being the second strongest in the Kingdom.

-Helena has nine younger siblings. Subaru and Priscilla have not stopped since her birth, even when Al pleaded with them because of how unstable the castle's columns became when they performed such acts to try to have children.

-Helena would not be able to defeat her father if he gave her a look of disappointment.

-Helena loves her grandmother, but is jealous of Tanza. And she feels a certain love for Vincent, but their relationship is more neutral and respectful than truly intimate, even though they really like each other.

Chapter 142: [Extra - Helena IF]

It was supposed to be a normal day.

An isolated field near one of Kararagi’s major cities.

The evening light painted the sky in shades of orange, and a gentle breeze stirred the tall grass. In the center, two elite warriors — one surprisingly young for the role, but no less capable — faced each other. Not with hostility, but with curiosity and a hint of provocation.

The sound of metal clashing echoed. Helena, gripping two steel katanas, rotated her wrists in a precise movement. Halibel, holding a kunai in his right hand and resting his other hand on the hilt of his sheathed katana, smirked with a kiseru pipe hanging from his lips.

[Helena: You know… I heard you were the “Relentless Hunter of Kararagi.” But so far, all I see is a lazy smoker with decent reflexes.]

[Halibel: Heh… and I heard you were untouchable with two swords. But… I’m still here. Breathing and all.]

Halibel blew a thin stream of smoke.

Helena advanced with deadly grace, her blades slicing in opposite directions — one high, one low — forcing Halibel to choose between his neck and his stomach. But he spun lightly to the side, dodging by mere inches and slapping her sword away with the flat of his kunai.

[Helena: Fast… but still not enough to impress me.]

[Halibel: Haha! I’m not trying to impress you, girl. Just having fun. Today’s drink was weak… I needed something stronger.]

She spun on her heel, lunging forward with a double thrust. Halibel parried the right blade with the hilt of his kunai and twisted his body to evade the left, stepping lightly and throwing a throwing dagger that skimmed Helena’s shoulder and lodged into a nearby tree — deliberately off target.

She raised an eyebrow, slightly entertained.

[Helena: A warning, or a provocation?]

[Halibel: A time marker. When I throw the next one… maybe I’ll start taking things seriously.]

Helena smirked — the kind only confident warriors wear. She took a deep breath and attacked again in a rapid sequence of horizontal strikes. Halibel moved back gracefully, dodging and parrying as if he knew where each strike would land before she did.

Using his “Dead Point” skill, he slipped past one slash by mere millimeters and pushed her wrist away with two fingers, drawing a sharp look from her.

[Halibel: That last cut… there’s a half-second pause before impact. Your body weight shifts — almost imperceptibly.]

[Helena: Talking during a fight… habit, or just arrogance?]

[Halibel: Neither. Talking to someone worth it… is a rare pleasure.]

He said it with a serene smile — though still provocative.

The two took a step back. The wind blew harder, rustling their hair and clothes.

Their eyes gleamed — not with rivalry, but with respect.

[Helena: What if I said I want you to be my general someday?]

[Halibel: I’d say that’s bold… and dangerous.]

[Helena: I like dangerous people. As long as they’re loyal.]

[Halibel: I’m loyal to those who honor their word.

Betrayal was never a wolf’s thing.]

He gripped the hilt of his katana again, flashing a teasing smile, though his eyes burned with seriousness as he spoke.

[Helena: Then maybe we’ll understand each other better than I thought.]

[Halibel: I hope so. Especially after what your father told me about you.]

The girl gave a small, confident smile. She lunged again, this time faster and more precise — her strikes more fluid. Halibel still didn’t unsheathe his katana, but every move he made carried just the right amount of force and intent — neither yielding nor overpowering. A perfect balance. Neither of them wanted to win. They were just… testing.

[Halibel: If this is your idea of a special test… you’ve got a talent for hiring people the right way.]

[Helena: And you’ve got a talent for not being an idiot. That’s a great start.]

Another exchange of strikes.

None land.

None retreat.

Just quiet laughter between clashing blades, as if they already understood each other without words.

Halibel paused and smiled — a wilder grin this time. He twirled his kunai and, for the first time, unsheathed his katana, raising it with a near-respectful gesture.

[Halibel: Time to see if you can dance with real wolves.]

He vanished. No warning. No sound. As if he had dissolved into the air. Helena didn’t move immediately. She just breathed in. Her eyes scanned every inch of the field. But even with her reflexes, she couldn’t see Halibel — not yet.

Then… she smiled.

[Helena: Disappearing is easy. Surprising me? That’s the hard part. Time to stop playing.]

She placed her left katana in her mouth — the hilt held between her teeth with flawless precision — while her left hand opened in a noble gesture. A crimson flash answered. The Yang Sword emerged, blazing and pulsing like the sun itself. The field’s temperature spiked in seconds.

White-hot flames erupted from her body, forming a burning dress swirling around her like living armor. The ground beneath her began to melt, the vegetation igniting. And still… she remained untouched.

Halibel reappeared above her — not one, but four of him, all descending with inverted flaming katanas, perfectly synchronized like predators falling on prey.

Helena moved.

It was as if the air was shoved backward. With a spin, her three swords crossed in a flaming arc, blocking and countering simultaneously. The four Halibels struck with devastating force… but were stopped. Sparks and fire exploded on impact.

[Clone 1: She blocked it?]

[Clone 2: No… she reacted before we even struck.]

[Helena: You hunters talk too much. And you think as a group… that’s your mistake.]

In a blink, she slashed horizontally with the Yang Sword. The front-most clone was incinerated the moment the blade touched his kunai — not with ordinary fire, but with white heat that consumed even his shadow.

The real Halibel stepped back, eyes narrowed, more alert now.

[Halibel: Huh… so this is what it’s like to fight someone with imperial blood. That sword… it chooses who it cuts.]

[Helena: And it decided you don’t die today.

You’ll just walk away with a few holes in your ego.]

The three remaining Halibels attacked simultaneously — one head-on, two from the flanks. Another clone appeared behind. Helena spun her swords, summoning flames to guard her blind spots. The right-side clone lunged low, intercepted by a flaming kick. The left one struck — and landed. A shallow cut.

[Helena: Heh… you actually cut me. I like that.]

[Halibel: And you burned two of mine. I like that too.]

Halibel appeared behind her in a flash.

She swung the Yang Sword behind her as if she had predicted the attack — and Halibel stopped just short, eyes wide. The sword didn’t cut him. But he knew it would’ve been the end if he hadn’t stopped.

[Halibel: Heh… that would’ve left nothing but ashes.]

[Helena: You wouldn’t even be ashes.]

The two leapt away, landing on opposite sides of the now-ruined clearing. A field of smoke, heat, and shattered blades rose around them. Both breathed slightly heavier. Neither bled. Neither hesitated.

Helena smiled, now ready to take things seriously. To end this fight — for real.

[Helena: Let’s see… how long you last from now on.]

[Halibel: Hm? Don’t be so arrogan——]

He fell silent, shuddering slightly along with his clones.

The air vibrated.

Dry leaves ignited without ever being touched. The blazing aura around Helena pulsed with growing power, merging with the wind as if the world itself was fleeing her path. The Yang Sword gleamed with near-celestial brilliance, its light growing brighter with each step Helena took.

In the blink of an eye, she vanishes. She reappears already behind one of Halibel's clones, striking it with a precise thrust from her right-hand sword. At the exact moment of impact, the clone's body bursts into white flames, like a human torch made of fake flesh. Nothing remains. Not even dust.

The second clone tries to counterattack, coming from above. Helena spins on her axis, and the katana in her left hand — now replaced by the Yang Sword — rises in an arc. The strike doesn’t even make contact. The pressure from the slash already shatters the throwing dagger mid-air, which dissolves into heat and vapor before falling.

The clone tries to retreat. Too late. A double X-shaped slash consumes it, splitting it in half before it dissolves in the air with a red flash.

The third clone and the real Halibel try to flank her from opposite sides.

Helena jumps, spins her body mid-air, and the katana held in her mouth draws a sharp line against the clone to her right. The impact of the straight-line slash unleashes a flaming blast, like a concentrated wave of fire, that sweeps across the ground and drags the clone with it until it vanishes into smoke.

The real Halibel moves with mastery.

But for the first time, his movements are delayed — not due to lack of skill, but because Helena had now gone beyond what he could predict.

He throws a kunai. Helena intercepts it with a flick of her wrist. The kunai… melts in the air, struck by the searing edge of the Yang Sword.

Halibel steps back and draws his katana.

Helena falls like a comet, her three swords spinning. The impact of the attack causes a seismic shockwave, cracking the ground in all directions. Halibel blocks with his katana in a cross formation, but the blade gives in, cracks — and then splits in half with a deafening snap.

He leaps back. Halibel tries to unleash another volley of throwing daggers — each one perfectly aimed in the air.

Helena spins, dodging them all with minimal movements, and leaps once again. She appears in the air, arms crossed, with all three blades pointed downward.

The Yang Sword descends in a straight line.

The slash doesn’t hit Halibel — but the ground around him is scorched in a perfect circle. The crater created by the sacred/fire energy discharge burns the edges of the world around them. Trees vanish. The field becomes a temporary desert of melted glass.

Halibel charges with his kiseru in hand.

Helena flips the mouth-held katana upward, then kicks the air, launching herself once more with superhuman force, spinning like a living blade. The tip of the Yang Sword touches the kiseru — and it bursts into light. The weapon turns to dust.

Halibel is disarmed.

Helena stops moving. Her hair burns with white flames all around her, the flaming dress still twirling slightly as if suspended.

She’s behind him.

Halibel turns. Slowly. The tip of the Yang Sword is at his neck. So close his skin begins to glow red. A drop of sweat trickles down — and evaporates before reaching his jaw.

Helena doesn’t move.

The sword doesn’t touch him. But the world around has stopped breathing.

[Helena: So... will you surrender... or would you like me to show you a bit of my power?]

[Halibel: ———— Fuuu~~ I surrender, Helena-Chan-Sama. Su-San pushed me into an unfair fight from the start… what a sad thing.]

[Helena: Hmph! My father gave you the chance to understand who was on top before it was too late. If it had been, I’d have to deal with you more harshly. For today, I just wanted to entertain myself and test my abilities.]

[Halibel: I know I was defeated… but could you please preserve a bit of my pride?]

He asked with a sigh of sadness over being so brutally defeated by the girl, who then put away her Yang Sword and deactivated her flaming dress — the very thing that allowed her to achieve a complete victory over her opponent.

Not far away, two figures stood — one of them holding a small child in his arms.

Subaru, carrying one of his little children, and Al, had been watching the battle between both figures from the beginning, trying to keep up with the little girl who was testing herself in that fight.

How did it come to this?

Subaru had already met Halibel in the past, as they had become drinking buddies — just like Al. They formed business ties in Kararagi through the ventures Subaru started with his inventions — something he’d been doing since before Priscilla’s Camp had even won the Royal Selection.

The three usually got along well when they met.

Which led to this moment.

When young Helena turned twelve two weeks before that day, she had asked her father for the chance to challenge the strongest in Kararagi as a birthday gift — at least in a training match to test her skills.

It was something Subaru managed only due to his friendship and the debts Halibel owed him, for all the times Subaru had paid for Halibel and Al’s drinks when they went out — as Subaru was a moderate drinker and didn’t drown himself like they did.

Thus, the fight between the two had come to be.

Subaru held the small baby girl, who was excitedly watching the glow of the battle.

[Subaru: Your sister did really well, didn’t she, Nina~? Yes, she did very well, right~?]

[Nina: He-He-He.]

The little baby cheered in her father’s arms, waving her tiny arms up and down as her father gently stroked her head.

Al stood beside them, still watching Helena and Halibel, with one hand on his “chin.”

[Subaru: What did you think?]

[Al: —— The little princess is really strong. I can’t even believe she holds back with me in our training. I feel pretty humiliated about that.]

[Subaru: Don’t feel bad, Al. I’d lose three to eight times more than you fighting her if Helena really came at me to try and defeat or even kill me. —— And Hal-San? Do you think he was serious or…?]

[Al: No. I know he held back. Halibel-San definitely went easy on her. Not that she couldn’t beat him if both went all out, but I don’t think she’d have come out as unscathed as she did. I’d say... 55 to 45 for the Princess. Which, honestly? Is pretty spectacular — but not that surprising.]

The one-armed man said while analyzing the battle that had taken place.

Subaru couldn’t help but let out a small whistle at that.

[Al: I’m still amazed you can ground her.]

[Subaru: Me too. But not as often as I thought I’d have to over the years — she’s actually pretty well-behaved.]

[Al: I hope all the others turn out the same. —— I hope you’ll be well-behaved, Nina-Chan~~]

He teased, pointing a finger toward the baby’s face. She laughed and grabbed the tip of his finger, delighted by the simple teasing from the one-armed man who smiled under his mask with tenderness... until she bent his finger back — almost breaking it, making him grunt in pain.

[Al: I surrender, I surrender!]

[Subaru: Ow... why do all our kids do that kind of thing to you, huh?]

He asked while watching his baby nearly break Al’s finger, just like Helena and the other kids had done in the past — not out of malice, but because they wanted to play with him.

Not that the man particularly enjoyed it.

 

 

—————

Extra Info (forgot to include in the previous chapter):

-Helena has two Divine Protections:

Sun (same as Priscilla’s): She gets stronger while the sun is in the sky and hitting her.

Confidence (same as the Medium’s): She grows stronger the more confident she feels about herself. Ironically: due to the side effect of weakening her when she loses confidence, she could lose to her father just because of the disappointed look in his eyes.

-Her technique to create a flame dress combines Fire and Yang magic to strengthen herself: It accelerates her blood flow to increase her strength, speed, agility, and reflexes, while the dress acts as both extra defense and offense against direct attacks. It grants her a buff in all physical attributes. She was inspired by Arakiya to create such a technique.

-Helena has a good Gate and enough Mana to last longer than her mother when using the Yang Sword, even combining it with other magic and techniques. To the point that she is even considered an anomaly because of this fact.

-Helena aims to have strong people as her "Divine Generals" within Lugunica.

-Al almost has his fingers broken by Subaru and Priscilla's children when they are babies, but only Helena was able to break two of his fingers.

-In a serious fight with Halibel going for the kill: In this current fight, he would have a 50.5% chance of winning. If he went all out from the start and without hesitation.

Chapter 143: Leo IF

What if…? What if the Lion had claws?

—————

 

 

Both were in the gardens of the Karsten Mansion estate that day.

It had become almost a weekly or monthly routine for them to train together under those circumstances — a sparring match between an older man with purple hair wearing a knight's uniform, and a well-dressed young man.

The young man had dark green hair with black streaks in his bangs, along with intense, glowing eyes — a mix of his mother’s and father’s colors — and wore a simple, slightly worn training outfit. They stood face-to-face.

The youth held a wooden sword, while the older man wielded a real one.

Julius Juukulius, the Finest of Knights, was facing off against Leo Natsuki Karsten, the First Prince of the Kingdom.

It was one more bout in their regular training sessions, the long-haired knight giving it his all to overcome his opponent.

A soft breeze swept through the trees surrounding the mansion's wide training ground. The grass was well-trimmed, and the mid-afternoon sun filtered through the branches, casting dancing shadows on the ground.

The sound of wood clashing against metal echoed through the air.

Julius Juukulius breathed deeply. His usually calm and confident expression was slightly strained — a rare sight. In front of him, standing with relaxed posture, calm eyes, and a worn wooden sword in hand, was Leo Natsuki Karsten, heir of the house.

[Leo: Hah... You’re not really putting pressure on me, Julius.]

He said this as he effortlessly sidestepped another thrust, twisting his wrist in a smooth, fluid motion.

Julius stepped back twice, adjusting his stance. The spirits around him whispered, lending their strength to the Spirit Knight. He was preparing once more to face his young opponent — though fatigue was starting to show.

Fragments of magical light began to float around his blade.

[Julius: Even if this is training, I can’t afford to underestimate someone of your skill, Leo-sama.]

[Leo: You're not underestimating me. You're trying too hard to make up for the difference... That makes you slightly predictable, Julius-san.]

Leo shook his head, a faint smile on his lips.

Before Julius could respond, Leo advanced.

It wasn’t an aggressive or explosive attack — it was clean, direct, and terrifyingly efficient.

Julius barely had time to raise his sword before the impact struck the base of his blade. His guard shattered.

Clack!

With a sharp snap, Julius’s sword flew into the air. He reflexively stepped back, but Leo had already stopped, still in the same calm stance.

[Julius: Tsk. You really don’t hold back, even with a wooden sword.]

[Leo: That’s the point of using wood. So pain teaches — but doesn’t kill. Again?]

Leo replied almost instructively, spinning the staff in his hand and returning to his starting position, watching the slightly winded knight in front of him.

Julius retrieved his fallen sword, this time surrounding it with a more intense aura. The blade shimmered with elemental magic — lightning and wind intertwining around it.

[Julius: Yes. I won’t retreat from a challenge from you, Leo-sama.]

[Leo: Admirable. But remember... you can also learn by losing. As long as you pay attention.]

This time, Julius launched into a complex sequence of spinning slashes.

It was a refined dance of technique and magic — speed, precision, power.

Each strike aimed to push Leo back.

And yet, the young man didn’t retreat a single step.

Leo dodged calmly, using the bare minimum movement necessary, as if studying Julius’s choreography. Then, at the end of a pirouette, when Julius came down with a charged overhead slash, Leo parried it with a single motion and spun the staff — tapping Julius’s abdomen lightly with the butt of the weapon.

Julius dropped to his knees, breathless, the pain reverberating like a blow from a warhammer.

He stood again and charged at the green-haired youth.

Each step made the ground creak beneath his boots, his sword cutting the air with strength and precision. The magical blade shimmered in spirals of wind and elemental energy, spirits hissing around him, amplifying every strike with bursts of light and force.

And Leo... remained still until the last second.

He dodged with the grace of a leaf in the wind, moving in tight lines, heels nearly floating above the grass.

When he blocked, it was effortless — as if his wooden sword was custom-made to slip between the gaps in Julius’s form.

Julius spun. Thrust. Leapt. Struck with both hands.

He used bursts of wind to expand his reach, surrounding Leo with illusions of simultaneous blades.

Leo cut through all of them with a single fluid motion.

Julius roared in silence, pushing his body to its limit.

His breathing now heavy.

Temples pounding.

Sweat dripping from his chin.

He dashed in erratic lines, seeking improbable angles, even abandoning proper form in hopes of making Leo step back just once.

Nothing.

Leo still breathed calmly. Eyes unshaken.

Feet showed no tension, no rush.

His arms moved with inhuman precision, as if they already knew where Julius’s next blow would land.

And when Julius tried to break the pattern with a charge powered by elemental magic — lightning dancing across his blade, the air around him bending — Leo responded with a slight twist of his waist.

CRACK.

The wooden staff landed with a dry thud on Julius’s shoulder, throwing him off balance.

Before he could fall, Leo spun the sword and swept Julius’s supporting leg with a second, soft but precise strike.

Julius fell.

But he did not stay down. He rose again. Staggering, knees unsteady, chest heaving in short breaths. But his eyes… remained sharp. There was something in them — something beyond pride. A silent fire — not fighting for victory, but for dignity.

He didn’t call for a break. Didn’t announce his return.

He simply advanced.

No magic. No spirits. Just raw technique, distilled to its core. His sword trembled in his hands, but still sliced the air with perfect aim. His feet scraped the ground, but still knew where to land. He moved like a man who knew he would lose — and still chose to fight.

Leo received him as before: upright stance, steady eyes, calm breathing.

No emotion. No hesitation.

The wooden sword intercepted the first strike. Then the second.

The third was deflected with a smooth twist of the wrist that brushed Julius’s blade aside like it was straw.

Julius threw a kick — quick, unexpected.

Leo pulled back his leg, letting the foot pass harmlessly — and answered with a short tap to the shoulder using the staff’s edge.

Thok.

Julius spun through the air and hit the ground, rolling across the grass.

He coughed. A light scratch on his elbow bled.

Still, he stood again.

He took three steps. And ran. This time, he charged his sword with minimal magic — not to attack, but to accelerate. He tried to be less predictable, less forceful. Used short rotations, random slashes, feints.

Leo, still expressionless, didn’t take a single step back.

It was enough to throw off Julius’s rhythm entirely.

A short tap to the calf — and his leg gave out.

He fell to his knees, and as he tried to rise, a clean strike to the shoulder shoved him hard back to the ground.

Leo remained silent.

Julius stood again. Slower.

The fight became repetition. A cycle unbroken.

Advance. Slash. Dodge. Counter. Fall.

Each time Julius returned with less strength, but never with less resolve.

It was an uneven duel — the desperate perseverance of a man against the brutal serenity of a prodigy.

The air around them grew hot with Julius’s exertion — and impossibly still around Leo.

Even after twenty, thirty exchanges — Leo hadn’t lost his breath.

Hadn’t broken a sweat.

Hadn’t lost his balance.

It was like trying to cut through a current with a dagger.

Julius, on the ground once again, propped himself up on one knee. Blood trickled in thin lines down his face. His hair clung to his forehead. His hands trembled. But his eyes—still open, still burning. He wouldn’t give up until he managed to land at least one hit on the young green-haired boy!

With a near-inhuman leap, surrounded by light, he rose again. He charged forward, eyes locked on his target, ignoring the rising pain in his muscles. The grass scorched beneath his feet as he slid in with speed, unleashing a descending arc that split into five simultaneous slashes through magical manipulation.

Leo spun. With a single flick of his wrist, he neutralized all five strikes, breaking Julius's pattern once more.

He stepped forward twice, slipped under his opponent’s arm, and tapped the side of Julius’s abdomen with the hilt of his wooden sword.

A light strike.

But effective.

Julius staggered, nearly falling. His chest heaved. The hand gripping his sword trembled. His shoulders were tense. His legs, heavy. Even so, he planted his feet on the ground again. He spun his sword. Rekindled its magical aura. One last attempt. He jumped.

For the first time, Leo raised his wooden sword in a high angle — as if acknowledging an attack worthy of meeting head-on. The impact was deafening.

BANG.

But in the end, Julius was repelled like a leaf against a stone wall. His sword flew far, and he landed on his back in the grass, gasping for air, gathering what little strength he had left to get up.

Leo remained standing. Untouched. The wooden sword still firm in his hand, as if everything that had just happened had been no more than a calm afternoon in the mansion gardens.

Julius was now on his knees, panting, hands resting on the damp grass marked by dozens of exchanged blows with the young Karsten heir.

Sweat dripped from his chin. His lungs burned. Every muscle in his body screamed for rest. His sword lay a few meters away, abandoned after the last blow had thrown him off.

Before him, Leo stood — unshaken.

There was a heavy silence, thick like fog. Even the spirits surrounding Julius seemed to waver, their glow flickering.

It was then that Leo, for the first time, rolled his shoulders—as if preparing to truly begin.

His body shifted position. It wasn’t flashy. No magic, no explosions, no light.

But the air changed.

As if the sky had darkened, even with the sun still high. Julius instinctively looked up... and froze.

An invisible, suffocating aura enveloped Leo.

It wasn’t magic. It was something more primal — a pure instinctual sensation. A predator.

Julius felt a chill climb up his spine, as if his body understood before his mind: He was now within range of something that could kill him without hesitation.

Leo stepped forward.

One step. Two. Three.

Each step was silent, yet made the ground vibrate. Julius tried to stand, but his body wouldn’t respond immediately.

Fear — rational or not — chained him like invisible shackles.

The calm in Leo’s eyes remained, but now there was something more: total focus.

Like a blade finally unsheathed after only being shown.

Leo raised the wooden sword.

And at that moment, Julius could swear it was steel.

No — it was like staring at death itself, taking the shape of a blade.

The wooden sword came down.

Julius’s eyes widened. Time seemed to stop. He didn’t see the strike — only felt the overwhelming pressure slicing through the air, his hair standing on end, as if a sharp gust of wind had passed through his body. For a moment, he truly thought he had been cleaved in two.

His body froze. His chest failed to draw breath. Phantom pain shot from his shoulder to his waist, even though there was no blood.

Leo’s sword stopped.

Just millimeters from the top of Julius’s head, the wooden tip trembled slightly — not from lack of control, but from the abrupt stop of a blow that, had it continued, would’ve shattered every bone in Julius’s body.

The air behind them exploded outward, forming a spiral trail that tore the grass and left a small crater behind the kneeling man.

Silence returned.

Julius didn’t move for several seconds.

 

Only then, with a shaky tremble in his shoulders, did he inhale — for the first time since Leo had moved.

His breathing came ragged, gasping.

His heart pounded as if he had just escaped execution.

Leo stepped back. He spun the wooden sword and rested it on his shoulder with an almost casual motion.

The deadly gleam in his eyes faded like fog under the sun.

Julius dropped back onto the grass, seated, without strength.

[Leo: Forgive me, Julius-san. I lost a bit of my composure at that moment. I shouldn’t have gone so hard on you, and I could’ve held back that last strike. I apologize for that.]

[Julius: D-Don’t apologize, Leo-sama. Apologizing for taking me seriously only makes me ashamed of not being strong enough to face you right now. It makes me feel inadequate. Wounded pride shouldn’t be something that matters in our training sessions — especially given our statuses.]

[Leo: It’s not inappropriate to feel wounded pride in moments like this. As my father once explained to me: we all act in pursuit of our personal desires. Even I acted slightly out of pride, trying to show you my strength. Out of my own arrogance and pride.

Now, in your case — there’s nothing wrong with fighting me for your own pride and the personal desire to protect your family’s honor. In those moments, allow yourself to relax... and act according to your own choices for how and why you fight.]

Speaking in a gentle tone, Leo explained with a small smile on his face.

Julius felt slightly embarrassed to receive yet another lesson from one of the kingdom’s most authoritative figures — especially when the first prince himself was quoting the king to teach him how to relax.

Even more so coming from someone known for not relaxing much at all.

Leo Karsten was a serious, focused figure, dedicated to his training and studies for the sake of the realm.

To receive advice like that — for that reason — and from someone just as serious (or even more so) than himself when it came to serving the kingdom...

In that moment, Julius stood up again, a bit worn.

Brushing the dust off his knight’s uniform, he walked over to his sword.

It glimmered faintly as he picked it up.

[Julius: Leo-sama, may I be selfish… and request another training session with you for our next meeting? I want to continue trying to discover the limits that you, my prince, possess with my own eyes. I want to face you head-on once more.]

[Leo: With that... we’ll have faced each other around a hundred times total… and I already carry 99 victories.]

[Julius: Then you won’t mind earning your one hundredth victory over me, right?]

Teasing more casually, the man couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride in coaxing a small laugh from the normally too-serious green-haired boy — almost as serious as himself.

[???: Those kinds of things are mildly embarrassing to say. But that truth is so strong that even I feel shy admitting it.]

[Julius: Lady Crusch-sama.]

[Leo: Honored mother, were you watching our training?]

Crusch Karsten appeared in the mansion’s garden carrying a small child in her arms. She had a gentle smile on her face as she looked at the young man alongside the knight.

[Crusch: I was able to observe from afar. I apologize if it was inappropriate, Leo. But I couldn’t resist watching your abilities bloom.]

[Leo: It is not shameful for me, nor unpleasant, to have you watching my training. In fact, I would like to face you again in the future when you have some time free from your meetings with the Kingdom and the care you give to my brothers and sisters. Even with my father’s help, I know it must be difficult for you both to manage so many responsibilities.]

[Crusch: Me, Wilhelm, Julius, and Reinhard. You face us all to continue training and growing stronger, right? I believe your father is right in suggesting that you should rest and relax more. It can be a problem if you drown yourself in so many responsibilities at such a young age. Don’t you think it would be better that way?]

[Leo: Urgh. Please, mother. For me, training is a way to relax. It embarrasses me that father thinks I’m overexerting myself when I’m just trying to fulfill my duties. Not that I dislike his concern for me and my siblings. It’s just… I want to keep pushing myself for all of us, so that my brothers and sisters won’t have to push themselves so hard.]

[Crusch: And we’re grateful for that. But I agree with your father when he says you shouldn’t carry the burden of having to try so hard all the time. So please, when you’re tired, don’t push yourself beyond your limits. Remember to rest too. I say this not as your queen, but as your mother.]

Speaking in a gentler tone to her eldest son, he had no reply. Yet the three of them knew well this wasn’t something he did out of malice or obsession.

It’s just always been the way Leo Natsuki Karsten, the firstborn prince, is.

He is a powerful young man. Heir to the throne, someone who—like Julius and his mother—always takes his responsibilities to the Kingdom of Lugunica far too seriously. A commanding presence, respected, just as someone descended from such important figures in the Kingdom should be.

This young man is Leo, the honorable Knight of the Kingdom...

This young man is Leo, a youth dedicated to those who believe in him...

This young man is Leo, someone who would never back down if it meant protecting his family...

This young man is Leo, who fights to uphold the honor, respect, loyalty, and abilities of the royal family and the Karsten and Natsuki Houses...

This young man is Leo, the Lion Prince of Lugunica...

 

 

—————

My YouTube channel: ThinkMind.

Because I got excited, I decided to post this chapter and one from the Family IF to have some fun. But the next one will probably come only on Saturday—or maybe I won’t even post Saturday since I posted this one today.

In this IF:

-Leo is the eldest among all his 17 siblings.

-He is a very serious person who needs the help of his father and mother to remind him to relax at the right times.

-In terms of combat ability: From an early age, he’s skilled with a sword—so much so that the only one who surpasses him is Reinhard himself.

-Leo is right-handed, but he trains and fights exclusively using his left hand, since in the past, he nearly killed Julius during a training duel. Ever since, he deliberately avoids using his dominant hand so he never repeats that event. If not for Julius’s spirits healing him, the knight would’ve died during the match.

-He is considered an anomaly, much like Reinhard, Cecilus, and Halibel.

-In the past, he nearly killed Crusch by accident: He saw her interacting with Natsumi, not knowing it was his father in disguise. Thinking his mother was being unfaithful and tarnishing the royal family's name, he challenged her—and only later discovered the truth, leaving him deeply ashamed.

-Leo likes demi-humans and men. In the past, he even had a crush on Felix, but over time, he grew out of it and now sees him more like an uncle whom he deeply respects.

Extra info for those curious:

-If Leo and Helena (from my Helena IF) fought each other 50 times, they would tie in all 50 rounds.

Chapter 144: Lyra and Mercurius IF

What if...? What if the merchant’s children were greedy?

—————

 

 

The slums of the Capital… Well, no longer slums.

To speak more correctly, the place once known as the slums was now different from the past—very different—even though it still remained in its original location. At present, it could no longer truly be considered the same slums as before, because the entire area had been renovated in the best way possible—to provide a better living space for those who lived there.

At least, that’s what it had become. This was thanks to the new leaders of the country.

Such renovations were not only made to change the landscape of the Royal Capital itself, but also to help the people who lived there. That’s why several reforms were carried out.

Focusing on the matter at hand: the main point of these changes was the idea that there was no need to think that some of the old buildings or customs still remained there—but a few things did persist. Some buildings were only renovated, while others were newly built, some more recently, some faster than expected.

In a more distant part of what was once considered the dirty slums, there stood a very noticeable place. What used to be a simple Loot House. Now, it had been renovated—larger, not only taller but also sturdier to suit the changes made to the area. And the owner of this place? A figure now seated at a table, along with others somewhat similar to him: Rom, an old giant, shuffling cards in his hands.

A group of exactly six people sat at the table.

[Rom: I think this will be our last round of the night. Our luck has been terrible today. Why did you bring her again, huh, Ricardo? Halibel?!]

[Ricardo: Bwahahaha! Don’t complain about your luck… I’m one of the ones suffering from it too!]

[Halibel: Don’t even get me started! I feel like everything I was rightfully winning was just taken from me unfairly—in a way I can’t even complain about, you know?]

[???: It’s not my fault you’re lousy and unlucky.]

A voice spoke among them.

If there were six people at this table, five were older men: the old giant, two wolf-men, and two other familiar elder figures who usually drank and played with the other three. But the last one stood out, different from all the rest.

A little girl. A young one with a disheveled appearance, wearing a pair of clothes resembling a kimono altered for her comfort—not in a way that showed elegance or class, but so she could move however she pleased. Her short hair, brushed lightly back, only reached halfway down her neck, and she wore a star-shaped ornament above her left chest near the trapezius.

Her hair was mauve-colored, and her bright green eyes had a slightly unsettling look.

[Ricardo: That’s really cruel of you, you know… Lyra-chan?]

[Lyra: Cruel? Cruel? How would you even classify something like this as cruelty? To me, it’s an insult that you’re upset just because I’m beating you all!~]

[Halibel: What’s cruel is how you show no mercy in taking away all our hard-earned wages.]

[Lyra: Hard-earned wages…? Even if you’re extremely strong, Hal-san—and you too, Ricardo—don’t come telling me you earned this through daily hard work. Because most of the time, all I see is you two playing around, drinking, or eating, without even thinking of doing anything else, you know?]

The little girl pointed accusingly at the two wolf-men, who only laughed at the charge. None of them could refute her words.

This girl was someone they couldn’t fight back against: Lyra Natsuki Hoshin, daughter of the current King and Queen of Lugunica, and princess of the kingdom. A little girl of about eight or nine years old.

Since her early years, they had to deal with her.

To Ricardo, she was like a granddaughter, while to Halibel she was like a niece. A girl who had not the slightest respect for their personalities, but who did respect their strength. Yet there was something she respected even less: when they gambled.

[Rom: Argh. The problem is, when you start taking their money, you’re also stealing ours too, you annoying brat.]

[Unknown #1: Yeah! And why do you all keep bringing her?!]

[Ricardo: Because, like it or not… we have to watch over her when she sneaks out here to play. So, we do our best to look after her and enjoy a bit of fun while we’re at it, isn’t that right, Hal-kun?]

[Halibel: Yeah. Exactly. Since we couldn’t stop her, the only thing left was to go along with her little gambling trips. A hopeless situation.]

[Lyra: You’re just using me as an excuse, you idiots.]

The girl said in a mocking tone as she snatched the cards handed to her by Rom, drawing a small laugh from the two wolf-faced men.

It was true.

Many times, Lyra would sneak into the old Loot House—now functioning as both a bar and a gambling den, though only for those with a close relationship to the old giant, like the two men who often came here to drink with him. This was one of the few places where they could act freely without backlash, given how close they were to the royal family.

And so the little girl took advantage of this, coming as often as she could to gamble with them. A little game addict, she enjoyed robbing them of their money in these matches.

Which was happening once again.

If an outsider were to look closely at the table now, they would notice a clear imbalance.

On the little girl’s side lay several bags and small piles of coins—bronze, silver, and even a few gold. All stacked on her side. Meanwhile, what was left in front of the men was so little that the comparison could be made: they had but a drop of water, while she had a lake—if we used water as an example.

The girl was truly excited as she shifted her cards back and forth, thrilled, looking at them as if staring straight at the money left in front of the men.

[Lyra: What should I buy with all this money, huh? Or should I save it for something later?]

[Rom: Either you’ll blow it right away or hoard it forever without using it. You’re a little monster, you know that?]

[Lyra: Hey! You could’ve just not let me bet or anything like that, but here I am anyway, right? And if you don’t want to keep losing, you might as well give up while you still have the tiniest shred of dignity and pride left as gamblers, you know?]

[Halibel: Hahaha! I hate to agree with the old man here, but sometimes you really act like a little monster, Lyra-chan. You should show a bit more mercy to the people around you when you’re about to take all their money. Or at least have the decency to give back some of what you’ve taken.]

[Lyra: Give it back? Would you give me my money if I had bet and lost? I bet you wouldn’t. You’d use the excuse that since I’m a princess, whatever I lost wouldn’t be significant, and that it would be fine. So don’t give me that… Drunk Wolf Number 2.]

She teased with a playful expression, while the men were left speechless.

[Halibel: Why am I Number 2?]

[Ricardo: Sorry, my friend. But the Number 1 spot will always belong to the one she admires and loves the most, right, Lyra-chan?]

[Lyra: Between you two? —— Of course, of course.]

Commenting with a disinterested tone, she said it clearly just to provoke the two, who seemed oddly eager to compete for that strange title.

She kept holding her cards, staring at them as if they were made of pure gold.

Without her noticing, but hearing the sound of a door opening in the back, some figures stepped inside from behind her.

Rom, Ricardo, and Halibel’s eyes widened—the dark-furred wolf lowered his kiseru and set it on the table, while the other two put their cards aside, as the figures drew closer to the girl, who was still staring at her cards as though they were sacred gold.

The girl had a confident smile on her face. Her left elbow rested on the table, her chin on her palm, that smug grin still there.

[Lyra: What’s wrong? Giving up? I can’t really blame you for that. When you’re up against an amazing professional like me, it’s only natural you’d give up once you realized the superiority of my luck and my skills in the game.]

[???: ——]

[Lyra: Hm? What are you all looking at?]

[???: Maybe… at me?]

When she heard that voice, her smile faltered into nervousness.

Turning slowly, trembling stiffly like a statue, she came face to face with distinct figures. A dark-haired man, a long brown-haired woman, and another woman dressed in white, with white hair to match.

The trio stared down at the young girl—the man with crossed arms, the brown-haired woman with a slight smile, and the white-haired one with a hand on her hip.

Shaula—the one once mistaken in the past as the Great Sage of the Pleiades Watchtower.

Zarestia—the Great Spirit of Wind, bound by contract to the King of Lugunica.

And the central figure, more important though not as powerful as the other two—someone everyone there recognized very well.

[Lyra: Hi… dad.]

The girl spoke in an apparently nervous tone.

Subaru Natsuki stood in front of his daughter, arms crossed, gazing at her with mild disappointment and frustration.

His eyes drifted toward the others at the table.

[Ricardo: Hey there, little boss.]

[Halibel: Su-san, Ma’am, Shaula-chan.]

The two wolf-men waved to the figures.

[Subaru: —— Lyra. Do you know what time it is?]

[Lyra: T-Time to… forgive your children for silly mistakes?]

[Subaru: Sneaking out of your room at bedtime, following Halibel and Ricardo to a gambling den, getting involved in bets while everyone here is drunk or half-drunk, all without permission from me or your mother—on top of punishments already pending for doing similar things before. Is that what you want me to forgive? Should I add anything else?]

[Lyra: ——]

She placed her cards on the table, showing she had the winning hand, while the others wouldn’t have stood a chance if the game had continued.

[Lyra: That… I won…?]

[Subaru: ————]

[Shaula: Congratulations, Lyra!]

The bikini-topped woman cheered brightly.

—[X]—

[???: Looks like your little venture didn’t bring the profits you wanted, did it, dear sister?]

[Lyra: SHUT UP, MERCU!]

[Mercurius: From what I see, Father and Mother must’ve given you an even harsher punishment.]

Lying on his own bed was a young boy—another child with mauve-colored hair, longer and neatly kept compared to his sister’s. He had the same eyes as his father and sister, the same color as his father’s, his expression a mix of tiredness and amusement. Wearing comfortable pajamas, he held a book in his hands.

The boy closed it, set it aside, then sat up and crossed his arms.

[Mercurius: Just so you know, I didn’t tattle this time. Father was the one who noticed your absence when Grandpa Ricardo and Uncle Hal went out to gamble. Don’t be mad at me for you being caught.]

[Lyra: I can blame you all I want. If you hadn’t snitched before, he wouldn’t have that prior knowledge. Because of your report, he already knew how I’d act and could predict my behavior this time. Didn’t think about that, did you?]

[Mercurius: Didn’t you think about how your reckless behavior—before even finishing your previous punishment—could trigger an even angrier reaction from our father and mother?]

[Lyra: I considered it, but…]

[Mercurius: You just really wanted to make some extra money, right?]

[Lyra: —————— shut up.]

Muttering irritably, she crossed her arms and flopped onto her own bed, still in the clothes she wore while playing with the five men at Rom’s old Loot House.

She had no comeback against her brother in this type of discussion. Obviously, compared to her younger brother, she was smarter in many other areas, but there were certain points where she was terrible—or at least mediocre—compared to him. Her younger brother, after all, looked quite promising as the heir to the Hoshin Company.

Mercurius Hoshin Natsuki.

That was how he introduced himself, while Lyra put Natsuki before Hoshin. Each child of the current royal family had their own unique way of presenting themselves.

Both were clever and talented for their young ages.

The boy, Mercurius, being two years younger than his sister, already showed such talent for inventions that he could surpass many adults. The girl, Lyra, thanks to her natural gifts and being one of those blessed by the world with Divine Protections, was already far superior to many with even years of experience.

But the two shared one flaw.

[Mercurius: So… how was it?]

[Lyra: —— Hm? Ah, it was good. I even made a decent profit today: 100 bronze coins, 50 silver, 20 regular gold coins and—get this—4 Holy Gold coins, all staked by Grandpa Ricardo and Uncle Hal, two each. They didn’t beat me once.]

[Mercurius: That’s my sister.]

With a proud smile, he couldn’t help but admire the profit his sister had made.

Gambling. That was the problem they shared.

They had a great fondness for games, especially high-stakes ones that might or might not involve bets. They only liked games that made them sweat, bluff, and rely on their luck and/or wit. That’s why they enjoyed joining the matches at Rom’s old Loot House.

Or even the family’s own game nights. Lyra especially loved those nights of playing together.

Except when——

[Lyra: Do you think Father will cancel game night because of this…?]

[Mercurius: Mother would never allow it. She, Mimi, and Julius still want to crush you at Monopoly.]

[Lyra: They can’t blame me for my skills.]

[Mercurius: You mean your luck, or your cheating skills?]

[Lyra: It’s only cheating if you get caught. Until then, it’s called skill and luck, not unfair play, got it?]

She said while pointing with both hands, in that way her father had taught her—something she loved to do just to tease her brother.

Mercurius could only sigh in frustration and amusement, keeping his smile.

The younger brother couldn’t help but find his sister’s manner, in a way, charismatic and fun.

[Mercurius: So how much longer is your punishment now?]

[Lyra: Before, I was already in trouble—ten months’ punishment for trying to open my own gambling house. Now… I got three more months. Since I’d already served six, I had four left, and with the extra three I’m back up to seven. Which means it’ll last over a year, unless they cut it down for good behavior.]

[Mercurius: Taking into consideration what you did… it’s a rather small punishment when compared to your actions. Let’s consider it a fair punishment. And did he take the money you earned? I imagined not, I bet mother must have stopped him from taking your hard-earned money, just like when you impulsively bought those shops and profited a lot.]

Remembering that, it was part of the reality he had to deal with.

His sister was the type who could easily make a lot of money quickly, but also someone who spent it at an equally impressive speed—though still in a way that allowed her to take great advantage.

Like the time she bought a candy shop simply because she liked a special cake they made. Of course, the purchase was more of a major investment, which brought her at least triple the money she had spent on the day she bought it. It seemed like the world bent itself to her luck—or at least that’s what some thought.

The truth was that Lyra had a great deal of bargaining skills, even when making impulsive decisions, like this one he used as the main example.

[Lyra: I just hope he doesn’t get too angry.]

[Mercurius: Father isn’t the type to stay furious for too long, nor someone who holds grudges permanently unless there’s a very good reason—and especially not against us. All you have to do is give him a cute look and he’ll forgive you easily.]

[Lyra: I did that and still got punished.]

[Mercurius: You didn’t think he’d forgive everything with just a cute look, did you? I think you still came out ahead more than anyone else.]

Speaking with a tired expression, he gave his opinion.

Lyra shrugged and adjusted herself better in her bed, stretching.

[Lyra: Now, be quiet. It’s late and I want to sleep. —— By the way! Why were you still awake until now?]

[Mercurius: I made a bet with myself on when you’d be back.]

[Lyra: ———— At least you won?]

[Mercurius: ———————— I’d rather not get into details.]

He said with a tone of distaste, not wanting to reveal that he had lost because none of his guesses were right. That drew a mocking smile from the older sibling. Then both settled into their beds to finally fall asleep, following the schedule their father had set for them.

The siblings’ day came to an end with that small conversation.

—[X]—

Subaru sighed as he lay down on his bed—his upper clothes removed, leaving only the bottom part—more tired than before, while looking at the figure beside him.

[Anastasia: Did everything go well?]

[Subaru: If by “went well” you mean I’m more tired now than I was before I left… then, maybe.]

[Anastasia: I figured.]

Beside him was the figure of a woman he had known for a long time.

Anastasia Hoshin.

A woman with mauve hair like Lyra’s and Mercurius’, only much longer than the two children’s, wearing an extremely beautiful and elegant nightgown that still displayed part of her status, as it was a blend of the tailoring of Lugunica, Kararagi, and Lyra’s own father, Subaru. A bit older now and even looked different from how some in the past would have remembered her. A few centimeters taller, her body more developed.

A beauty that had bloomed even further over the years.

She moved closer to embrace him in bed, and he did the same to pull her nearer.

[Subaru: Out of all the traits she could have inherited from us… why impulsiveness and greed?]

[Anastasia: Is that all she inherited from us?]

[Subaru: She inherited my scary eyes… She got your eye color, your hair color, and she’s so cute that I’m sure in the future she’ll be as beautiful as you and attract many suitors—whether I like it or not.]

[Anastasia: Hmm~ You have a sweet way of speaking whenever you think you’ve said something stupid and want to fix it quickly~]

Teasing him for his words, she had a sweet smile on her face while resting her head on her husband’s chest, giving his nose a little poke. That made him let out a playful snort as he wrapped his arms around her and leaned in to kiss her lips.

[Subaru: A merchant has to know how to make their business profitable, right? So sometimes we need to flatter the people we’re dealing with to get what we want, don’t we?]

[Anastasia: Hmhm. That’s true. I won’t deny that, to some extent, that’s how it works. But you only use those kinds of tricks when you’re not in a serious negotiation.]

[Subaru: I like to use the right skills at the right time. And what better time than with my sweet and beautiful wife?]

Teasing her back, he gave her nose a playful poke in return, as they snuggled closer to one another.

And their tender moments continued, growing much more intimate.

[Anastasia: Idiot…]

[Subaru: Greedy…]

The two went on, as the kiss deepened, his hands holding her hip and part of her rear.

They only hoped Tivey wouldn’t barge into the room and interrupt them… again.

While the couple enjoyed themselves as husband and wife, their children slept peacefully.

Children who would grow to explore more of the world…

Children who would grow to bring their own innovations to the world…

Children who would grow to show the potential each of them held…

Children who would grow to follow different paths, but with their hearts in the right place…

The daughter who would become the leader of Iron Fang, and the son who would inherit the Hoshin Company...

 

 

—————

It had been a while since I last did anything related to the Anastasia IF… so I decided to make one!

In this IF:

-Lyra is the eldest and the one with the greatest potential between the two.

-Lyra’s birth was different: When Anastasia was pregnant with her, she ended up dying, and Subaru used his version of the Authority of Gluttony to bring her back to life—without either of them knowing at the time that she was pregnant.

-Subaru’s Authority of Gluttony in this IF is called “Star Devourer”, capable of creating a new body for someone using the Book of the Dead and Spirits; by reading someone’s Book of the Dead and absorbing their consciousness into his own mind, he can, with Mana and a Spirit (from Minor to Great Spirit), create a new vessel/body with a new Gate.

-Besides Anastasia’s Book of the Dead, he also used her already deceased body and his own Great Spirits: using the Mana they had absorbed and one of them, Vega, the Great Spirit of Earth, who served as the sacrifice, he was able to revive Anastasia in a new body from her book and her old body, also bringing Lyra back to life in her mother’s womb during the process.

-Echidna even considered sacrificing herself in Vega’s place, but Subaru’s spirits stopped her.

-Subaru never made a contract with another earth spirit again in honor of Vega, feeling he wouldn’t be able to after everything they went through.

-Because of her special birth, Lyra ended up being blessed by the world: with magical affinity for all types of magic, extremely high spiritual affinity, born with three Divine Protections, and immense potential.

-Mercurius wasn’t as blessed as his sister, but he’s almost as intelligent, with determination and willpower equal to his father’s, and very talented at using tactics, equipment, and dirty tricks to fight when necessary.

-Lyra and Mercurius love games, especially games of chance.

-Due to her body being altered by Subaru’s Authority: Anastasia’s Gate was repaired and even improved, while her body also developed further (both in height and other measurements), now able to live many more years.

-Subaru went through the Sanctuary in the past and ended up recruiting Garfiel for his Camp.

-Roswaal ended up forming an alliance with Subaru and Anastasia’s Camp, promising no further harm and offering resources, as long as Subaru helped him revive Echidna someday—something Roswaal is still trying to find a method for through Subaru’s Authority of Gluttony.

-Mercurius has a rivalry with Garfiel, since Mercurius had (and still has) a small crush on Mimi, while Lyra has a rivalry with Frederica (who serves at Annerose’s mansion), because Lyra has a crush on Otto, who is interested in her.

Adraerik had hit the nail on the head with the theory he had made in one of the chapters of my Mini-IF.

Chapter 145: Graffias IF

What if…? What if the Sage and the Apprentice had a daughter?

—————

 

 

Where would this story begin?

Where would you like a story to begin? Generally, people like stories to start at the most important moment! And the most important moment of this story would be in Gusteko.

There was a place where a mercenary group of assassins gathered.

They were a rather large group—or, at least, compared to smaller mercenary groups, they were considered large. Which is quite obvious when you make the comparison. A group of more than eighty mercenaries would obviously be bigger than a group of only ten to twenty—eight to four times larger, mathematically speaking.

Though it would also depend on the quality of their assassins, right?

Well. This particular group was indeed made up of many mercenaries, and of high quality too—or at least when compared to the smaller, less skilled mercenary bands with little combat or assassination ability. That’s why this group being mentioned could be considered one of the greatest: for their skills, their numbers, and the quality within those numbers.

Their leader? Marlik.

A mercenary known for his appearance and his skill with twin blades—sharp, about 30 cm long each, deadly given the cuts they left on his prey when Marlik hunted them. He led his mercenaries with skill and determination. A man of tremendous ability and a striking appearance: long purple hair, a deep scar across his left eye, usually clad in a dark armor—worn by time to anyone who laid eyes on it.

And whoever had seen him recently.

The last person to see him was someone who had invaded his base of operations near one of the great cities at the foot of the Mountain. A well-hidden place, unless you had sharp vision—or perhaps a keen sense of smell, enough to track the scent of someone who had already memorized it. Seeking this place, one would find a base with walls not particularly high or heavily fortified, but wide enough to contain houses and places where the mercenaries could live, and store the loot they plundered until they decided to sell it—or not.

The important thing was knowing this place existed. Just as its leader lived there.

Together with more than seventy thugs who served as his bodyguards or soldiers.

The leader’s house? Well, it was obviously the largest.

But not just larger to house himself—it also served his subordinates. It was also a kind of improvised tavern and gambling house where they would enjoy themselves.

With all this, you can already tell who Marlik is and who his mercenaries are—the Black Feathers (not the most original name)—mercenaries who wore dark clothing like their leader, so as not to stand out too much. And despite being a large group, they managed to stay low-key to a certain point.

At least, until they became notorious enough to be hunted by those seeking their bounties.

And that is why, at this exact moment——

BOOOM!!!

If you had seen the base before, you might have found it a barely tolerable place to be, even if not exactly pleasant to look at. But now the situation was different—clearly noticeable by the gaping holes in the wall beside the main gates. Most of the mercenaries who lived there were also knocked out—at least fifty already down, their armor and clothes torn apart.

But you would also notice bodies being hurled aside, along with parts of the leader’s house being torn down by figures crashing through the air.

They had fallen into the snow, of course, for the place was surrounded by it, like much of the cold mountain range. Among them was Marlik—now with his worn dark armor bearing new dents and scratches.

[Marlik: Damn… YOU FUCKING WHORE!]

Shouting in fury, the stern-faced man glared at the figure stepping out, while other mercenaries rushed to his side.

The figure wore a dark cloak with streaks of orange, covering herself entirely.

[???: Could you not use such foul language, please? As a first-class lady, I dislike being insulted in that manner.]

[Marlik: FIRST-CLASS LADY?! FUCK YOU, BITCH!]

He roared in rage. Rising to his feet, he drew his weapons to face the hooded woman. His mercenaries readied themselves as well.

[???: Pfft!]

That only excited her further as she prepared to fight.

[Marlik: GET HER!!]

With his command, the others charged.

Then, she moved.

The first mercenary raised an axe but didn’t have time to swing. The figure slid across the snow, spinning low, and the hidden blade in her hand sliced through his leg tendon. He collapsed before he even realized what had happened, his weapon slipping from his grasp.

The second came with a wide arcing sword strike. A swirl of her cloak deflected the blade, and in the next instant her fist sank into his stomach with crushing force. His body bent backward, a burst of hot vapor escaping his mouth in the freezing night air before he collapsed unconscious in the snow.

Then two came at once—one from behind, the other from the front. She didn’t retreat. Lowering her body, she slid like a living shadow, and in a single spinning motion disarmed the one in front, wrenching his sword from his hand and instantly driving it into the one attacking from behind. The metallic ring echoed as the stolen blade slashed the throat of the foe at her back. The one in front, still stunned, received a brutal kick to the chest that hurled him against the already-cracked wooden wall of the base.

The fifth roared with fury and lunged with a spear. She sidestepped, closing in on the shaft with cold precision, and with a sharp movement snapped the weapon in two—then hurled the shorter half as an improvised projectile. The shard flew and embedded itself in the sixth mercenary’s shoulder, sending him staggering with a cry of pain.

Without wasting a second, the intruder sprinted straight ahead, climbing the fifth mercenary’s body as though he were a mere stepping stone. Landing on his shoulders, she spun in midair and, upon descending, smashed his head into the hardened snow with the full weight of her body.

The dull crack silenced him instantly.

The sixth, still clutching his wounded shoulder, barely raised his sword before a kick shattered his wrist. The blade fell, and the follow-up—a precise uppercut to the chin—dropped him like a lifeless doll.

Only the seventh remained.

He hesitated, stepping back, but the woman gave him no chance.

With an agile leap, her cloak spread like dark wings, and her blade flashed before slashing horizontally. The strike was so violent it launched the man several meters back, his body sliding through the snow until it stopped, unconscious.

It was over in seconds.

The snow around was marked by footprints, slashes, and fallen bodies—each mercenary dispatched with ruthless efficiency. The hooded figure straightened once more, adjusting her cloak as if brushing off dust from her shoulders.

The seven lay motionless around her—a circle of defeat traced by the strength and precision of the assassin.

Then, a furious roar echoed among the ruins of the base. Heavy footsteps pounded the hardened snow, and soon twelve more silhouettes emerged from the wreckage—swords, axes, spears, even a pair of crossbows, all aimed at the intruder.

This time, they came coordinated, encircling her like a pack of wolves.

The woman lifted her chin slightly, the cold wind sweeping her cloak, making her appear larger—almost supernatural. Then, the instant the twelve charged as one, she moved.

The first attack came from a spear.

She did not retreat—she seized the shaft, spun her body, and, using the enemy’s own momentum, hurled him against two companions coming from behind.

All three crashed down in a tangled heap, swords and spears clashing on impact.

A blade came down from above.

She leaned aside, felt the edge graze her cloak, and answered with a side kick that crushed the opponent’s knee.

The crack echoed loudly, and the man fell screaming before a blow to the face silenced him for good.

Two archers fired their crossbows at the same time.

The intruder spun in the air, her cloak flaring open like an improvised wall.

The bolts snagged into the thick fabric, deflected into the snow. In the same spin, she lunged forward, reaching the two before they could reload. One received a sharp elbow to the chest, the other a brutal twist of the arm, snapping it like a dry branch and sending his crossbow to the ground.

Four more tried to surround her. She ducked low, sliding across the icy floor with incredible speed. A short blade glinted in her hand, carving three swift cuts that opened wounds across the chests and arms of her enemies in one continuous motion.

Before the fourth could react, her fist drove into his stomach, lifting him off the ground and hurling him into the others already wounded.

Three remained. One, larger and more robust, tried to grab her barehanded, relying on brute strength. She spun around him, climbed up his back, and with a precise movement drove both feet into his shoulder blades, forcing the giant to his knees. Without hesitation, she used his fall as momentum, flipping in the air and striking the last two mercenaries with a double kick—one leg each—hurling them violently into the snow.

Silence returned.

Twelve bodies now lay alongside the previous seven, scattered like broken dolls. Some groaned faintly, others remained unconscious, but none were in any condition to rise. At the center of the carnage, the hooded woman adjusted her dark-orange cloak, the fabric now speckled with snow and blood.

Her breathing was steady, measured, as though none of this had truly required effort.

She then turned toward the last one remaining—Marlik—who was grinding his teeth in a fury greater than ever before. He gripped the handles of his weapons so tightly he might have snapped them, had they not been forged to withstand such force.

[???: How about… surrender, hmm?]

[Marlik: You… YOU DAMNED BITCH!]

He charged with unbridled rage, weapons poised to strike.

Marlik roared like a wounded beast, lunging forward with the fury of a man who had just seen nearly twenty of his own fall in mere minutes. His twin blades gleamed in the darkness, tracing bright arcs through the frozen air. Each blow came heavy, fast, and filled with killing intent.

She, however, moved with implacable calm.

The first strike cut through empty space where she had stood an instant earlier. She slid aside, her cloak swaying as if mocking his attack. The second strike fell diagonally, swift as a beast’s strike, but met only her blade intercepting it with a metallic clang that rang across the snow.

Marlik pressed on, strike after strike, his blades weaving a whirlwind of fury—yet the woman seemed to dance around him.

A turn of her body deflected one blade; a precise step nullified a thrust; and when she didn’t evade, she parried with such strength it made his arms tremble.

With each exchange, Marlik felt his muscles burn, his lungs sear in the cold.

Meanwhile, she remained flawless, breathing in rhythm, her eyes gleaming beneath the hood with a calm that mocked him.

A decisive strike came from above, both blades descending at once. She raised only one arm, catching them at their crossing, and before he could react, her knee shot straight into his abdomen. The air burst from his lungs in a strangled gasp.

She shoved him back. He staggered, tried to recover, and lunged again—but was met with a sharp punch to the face that split his lip. Another attack. Another perfect defense. And another precise counter: a side kick that hurled him into the already-cracked wooden wall of the base. The impact sent shards of snow and dust flying.

Marlik staggered, blood dripping from his mouth, yet he still raised his blades. He screamed with rage and charged again, his strikes wild and sloppy from anger. She sidestepped the first, parried the second, and spinning, drove an elbow into his chin, forcing him to drop one of his weapons.

The remaining blade lashed out in a final desperate strike, but she caught his wrist mid-air, twisting it until a sharp crack signaled bones giving way. The weapon fell into the snow.

Without giving him time to recover, she swept his legs. Marlik crashed onto his back in the cold snow, his heavy body shaking the ground. Before he could rise, her weight was already upon him.

Her foot pressed firmly against his chest, pinning him to the ground. He gasped, struggling to break free, but her weight was immovable, as though the very world itself pressed him into the frozen earth.

Unmoving, she held him down effortlessly, as if all his rage and strength meant nothing before her.

[Marlik: Just… WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!]

[???: Ha! Who am I? Really, you want to ask that when it should already be obvious? —— I am the one who hunts down every criminal. The one who strikes fear into people’s hearts. The one who destroys all monsters like you… I am the one known as… the Huntress.]

[Marlik: —— Who?]

[???: The Huntress… —— Terror in the hearts of criminals… —— The one worth a thousand…]

[Marlik: ——? ——?]

[???: The Lady of the Stars…? Of course, that was a name my dad said might face copyright issues with Marvel, but come on, I’m using the feminine variation of a hero’s name! —— Doesn’t that ring a bell? Nothing?]

The conversation didn’t seem to be going the way she had hoped.

To the point where it was becoming an embarrassing back-and-forth between them.

[???: You know what… screw it.]

She raised her leg as high as she could, then brought it down onto the man’s face, knocking him out cold. Thus ending the battle between the girl and the now utterly defeated mercenary band. And it left a bitter taste in the mouth of the hooded figure, who loosened her hood further.

[???: Geez… When will my name finally get known, huh?]

She muttered, half-complaint, half-self-reflection.

She was strikingly beautiful, in her mid-teens, already past her fifteenth year. Her hair was long, falling to mid-back; brown at the top half and dark toward the ends, resembling the well-kept, gleaming mane of a lion. Her eyes—some said—were identical clones of her mother’s. Her clothing, apart from the signature hood, resembled that of her parents: dark shorts, a warm jacket, both in dark and orange colors, with an orange scarf around her neck, and a dark cloak with an orange-lined interior beneath the hood, warding off Gusteko’s cold.

Who was she?

None other than: Graffias Natsuki! The daughter of the so-called Great Sage and the Apprentice of the Great Sage of the current era!

[Graffias: Achoo! —— Damn it… I should’ve brought extra protection for my legs…]

She grumbled, cursing herself for not bringing better clothes to face the cold.

This is the daughter of the Sage and the Apprentice…

This is the greatest adventurer known…

This is the hunter of the most dangerous criminal groups still remaining…

This is the self-proclaimed greatest romantic in the world…

This is Graffias Natsuki, the Huntress—even if no one calls her by that or any other title…

 

 

—————

I had a good day, so I couldn't resist posting a chapter a day earlier than expected. But we'll still have chapters on Saturday and Sunday.

In this IF:

-Graffias is the eldest daughter of Subaru and Shaula, with a younger brother.

-Graffias is extremely talented in hand-to-hand combat, as well as highly intelligent.

-Graffias has a great ability to adapt: both in battle and in conversations, with a quick talent for learning, adapting, and evolving with circumstances.

-Graffias has several titles (all self-given): The Huntress, Lady of the Stars, Queen of the Majuuns, The Spectacular Scorpion Girl, etc., etc. But no one knows any of these titles, and few even recognize her name.

-Graffias is a hunter of criminals across the world when not at home. Whether in Gusteko, Vollachia, Kararagi, or Lugunica, she is capable of finding any target she wants.

-Graffias always tries to flirt with men during her free time… but is rejected due to her clumsy way of speaking, to the point she already counts over 200 rejections—and still growing.

-Graffias can transform into a Scorpion like Shaula. For now, she is smaller than her mother, but with time she would be able to transform into a Scorpion larger than Shaula herself.

-Graffias is capable of using Hell’s Sniper with great precision, range, and power, often relying on it when she cannot resolve a fight physically.

Chapter 146: Overlord IF

What if...? What if the Tomb of Nazarick had another Supreme?

—————

 

The Great Tomb of Nazarick.

A place that is home to the greatest guild to ever exist in the old world — YGGDRASIL —, Ainz Ooal Gown. A guild not only powerful, but legendary, especially in the words of the inhabitants of this place, and even more so for having been created by the Supreme Beings. Among all the so-called “Players,” the Supreme Beings, to the inhabitants of Nazarick, are considered the pinnacle of all existence for being the most powerful among all beings in the world — regardless of race, level, or abilities.

If they had to give an example of the Supreme Beings’ supremacy, they would mention: Touch Me, of the Heteromorphic Insect Race, someone who alone held one of the highest positions — if not the highest — in YGGDRASIL’s Global Ranking. Someone whose combat skills and powers made him capable of surviving even against the world’s worst enemies. And if all the Guardians of all the Floors faced him, they would still lose by a narrow margin — a testament to the magnificence of the abilities and powers of a Supreme Being loved and admired by all.

Who are the Floor Guardians?

The Great Tomb of Nazarick has multiple floors in its structure, from the Entrance down to the deepest — and secret — levels that no “player” was ever able to reach, as they couldn’t get past the Supreme Beings guarding the Tomb — especially the Guild Master — and therefore never had the honor of facing them. These Guardians are the security of each floor, those whom Nazarick’s enemies must face before even dreaming of reaching the Throne Room. And that said a lot once again about the power of the Supreme Beings who rule over Nazarick. None of them ever allowed even a single human to pass through the Guild Entrance and stain its halls with the impurity of their presence.

This made the inhabitants of Nazarick feel blessed.

Not allowing the enemies of the Guild — the enemies of Nazarick — to invade their home and disturb them, with such diligence and decency, showcasing their superiority, made the Supreme Beings even more admired and loved by those who had the honor of being governed by them — at least in the personal opinion of each inhabitant, from the least to the most devout.

One of the beings who considered herself the most blessed among all of Nazarick was the Guardian Overseer: Albedo, a Succubus. Her role was to oversee and manage the Guardians of each Floor — even those she didn’t like, such as Shalltear Bloodfallen — though she still respected her devotion and loyalty to the Supreme Beings, a fact that, in Albedo’s opinion, should be unchanging for every inhabitant of Nazarick from beginning to end — and the same held true for every other reasonable-minded resident.

But Albedo also had one of the greatest honors possible in the eyes of all: to stand beside the Throne, beside the Supreme Being who sits there, with the pleasure of looking down upon the inhabitants kneeling before the Supreme Being in their presence.

Whenever she thought about this, she allowed herself a small arrogant smile, thinking about the envy others felt toward the divine honor she held. And how happy she was to be able to remain beside her beloved every day. The Overlord — an Undead —, the Guild Master, once known as Momonga, but who had now changed his name to that of the Guild itself: Ainz Ooal Gown, the Supreme Being who ruled over all others, even among the Supreme Beings. The one she loved with all her heart, whom she would serve with utmost pleasure until the end of time.

He was the one Supreme who had not abandoned them like the others had over time. But he was not the only one who hadn’t abandoned them...

It was a day unlike any other, a day no one in Nazarick would ever forget.

When the Tomb was transported from their Old World, YGGDRASIL, to another world, an unknown and strange place full of different races and mysteries none of them could — or wanted to — understand. For in their opinion, what mattered was the Tomb, the honor of Nazarick, the Guild, and the Supreme Beings.

But their beloved quickly took control of the situation after they were transported — and also of the “Incident” that stained and frustrated all of Nazarick’s residents, due to the attack that had been carried out on [Him].

Who was [Him]?

Someone like Ainz. The second Supreme Being who never abandoned them until the very end.

[Schwarz]. One of the 41 Supreme Beings who built and shaped the entire history of Nazarick, and of the Guild as a whole, making it what it was — and still is in the minds of all its inhabitants. A being of the Vampire race, who once had silver hair, and was one of the members who remained until the end.

That was until they were transported to this new world, and he suffered a terrible curse, a curse they abhorred along with whoever dared bring them here and do such a thing to a Supreme Being.

And what had been done to him?

To explain that, Albedo needed to rely on the explanations given by her beloved, by Schwarz-sama, and by Demiurge regarding what had happened to the Supreme Being — his curse — and what took place when they were brought to this world.

[Avatars] — each of the Supreme Beings had an [Avatar], the physical form they used to interact with the inhabitants of Nazarick in YGGDRASIL, such as her beloved Ainz, whose Avatar was an Overlord, and Schwarz, a Vampire. This is what made them what are known as “Players”, those with exceptional abilities. And this was due to the fact that they lived in a higher plane of existence, a plane that made them so powerful that their mere entrance into this world could mean its end. That explained why they behaved and spoke in ways that Nazarick’s inhabitants could not understand — for they spoke words from beyond the world they could comprehend.

They were able to understand a bit more about the Supreme Beings — though not in the way they would’ve liked, for they had learned it in a manner that burned them with rage at the one who brought them to this world without consent and cursed one of the Supreme Beings with such a fate.

A fate that many called a Curse.

From that day on, Albedo had a mission assigned to her and nearly all the other inhabitants — especially the Battle Maids and the Floor Guardians — to ensure that Schwarz-sama was watched over, protected, and cared for in his fragile condition.

That’s why she was walking through one of the corridors of the Great Tomb, on the Floor of the Supreme Beings’ Quarters, approaching one of the doors where two figures were now gathered. One she recognized well — Sebas — and the other, she had a bit more difficulty recognizing at that moment — though he was still owed total respect and devotion.

A person with the appearance of a human male, dark hair, unsettling eyes, and wearing clothing that would be considered strange — a “tracksuit,” as he described it — talking to the butler with a friendly smile on his face.

This person? Natsuki Subaru, as he prefers to be called.

But whom everyone once knew as Schwarz, the former silver-haired Vampire who had suffered the terrible curse — the curse that stripped him of his [Avatar], his items, his powers, everything he had rightfully earned over the years in YGGDRASIL. Returning him to the form that she imagined — and which seemed confirmed by the Supreme Beings — to be his true form, even if he claimed to have been rejuvenated in this case.

A shape resembling that of a human, but which Demiurge wisely explained was not the case.

Humans are the ones modeled after the Supreme Beings.

And when they questioned why he was so weakened, the answer seemed so obvious that Albedo felt foolish for even doubting the abilities of the Supreme Beings — or the audacity of the Being that brought them to that world. For not only had he been stripped of his Avatar form, but all the powers of his true form had been taken away, leaving him in an extremely vulnerable state with no way to defend himself.

“Despicable!” — a thought shared by all who considered such boldness.

To strip him of his powers was an unforgivable crime!

Subaru-Sama — as they were now instructed to call him, at his own request, when he revealed his true name. The real name of a Supreme Being rather than his [Avatar] pseudonym. An honor they received as a token of his trust after losing the body of his [Avatar]. And she would never speak his name in vain, nor without the proper honorifics for a being of such importance — not when he needed that now more than ever, after enduring so much suffering and being reduced to the status of a common human, a race that, in his own words, should be grateful that their appearances were even remotely similar to those of the Supreme Beings.

As she approached him for her routine check-in, she saw him cheerfully talking with Sebas, until they noticed her presence.

[Sebas: Good morning, Albedo.]

[Subaru: Good morning, Albedo-chan~! You're looking more beautiful every day!]

[Albedo: Your words honor me, Subaru-Sama. A Supreme Being complimenting any of us is far more than any member of Nazarick deserves.]

[Subaru: Don’t say that! I’m just pointing out a fact — that shouldn't be anything impressive or praiseworthy, you know?]

Speaking with an amused smile to the succubus, he remained cheerful as he spoke, and his words made her genuinely happy and content.

Sebas, meanwhile, stood silently, observing.

[Albedo: If I may ask, what were you two talking about, Subaru-Sama?]

[Subaru: Hm? Oh, nothing special! Every morning, when Sebas comes here, I like to chat with him and tell him how excited I am for another day of work. Talking to him right after waking up gives me energy!]

[Sebas: Those words bring me great joy, Subaru-Sama. I believe they may even be wasted on a mere butler like me.]

[Subaru: Don’t say that! A man like you — with that stature, elegance, and doing your job so well while I couldn’t even dream of it. I feel like I haven’t complimented you nearly as much as you deserve.]

Subaru spoke as if stating yet another fact of the world.

While Albedo could only admire the words of a Supreme Being — not just toward her, but someone like Sebas.

Yet she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

[Albedo: I shouldn’t be surprised at how humble the Supreme Beings are with those around them. But I deeply regret my insolence, Subaru-Sama, Ainz-Sama… I just feel that you shouldn’t lower yourself to this point.]

A butler. A mere butler.

Normally, that wouldn't be considered an insult. But in this particular case, it was.

Because ever since he lost his powers — ever since he lost his abilities and the body of his [Avatar] — Subaru-Sama, as she would never stop calling him, had started working as a staff member in Nazarick… as a butler.

A butler just like Sebas, working side by side with the other Maids.

Albedo, like all the others, tried to stop him — tried to help him understand there was no need for such labor. Telling him that even without his powers, he was still a Supreme Being who deserved their total respect and devotion as his loyal creations. But even so, in his humility, he insisted on helping with whatever work was within his reach inside the Tomb, assisting the others with their tasks while also helping Ainz with management and planning for the members of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

[Subaru: I don’t want to be a lazy boss who takes advantage of the kindness of my companions.]

Sincere words from someone extremely humble.

The only thing she could be thankful for was something her beloved himself had emphasized: that by working in this way, he could remain under the protection of Sebas and the Pleiades Battle Maids. Placing him under their protection in case anyone attempted to attack him. In the opinion of many, they should form an even larger protection group, with soldiers of various types, but that could be harmful to the Supreme — or so her beloved had indicated when the idea was proposed.

[Subaru: I don't want to bother or waste any more of your time with us — especially mine, Albedo-chan~! I’ll go do my work with Sebas now.]

[Albedo: And I hope you take good care of the Supreme throughout the entire process.]

[Sebas: Something that shouldn't even need to be ordered — it's simply a given, Albedo.]

[Subaru: Wow~! No need to talk like that about me. I know I’m not on the same level as everyone else here, but I’m not clumsy enough to hurt myself working.]

[Sebas: We never doubt your capability, Subaru-Sama. We never would. We’re only discussing what matters most — your safety at all times.]

[Subaru: I’d love to disagree, but hearing that from you really puts my heart at ease...]

He said with a hand gesture and a small, teasing, yet cheerful smile.

[Subaru: That’s where we’ll leave off for now. —— Ah, take good care of Momo-san as much as you can. I’m cheering for you, okay~!]

Giving a wink as he and Sebas walked away, Albedo couldn’t help but smile softly.

What he referred to was how he had given his blessing — as one of the Supremes — for her to court and have a relationship with Ainz, something that filled her heart with euphoria upon receiving such permission. Especially since it gave her an advantage over Shalltear and any other rivals.

[Albedo: That brat will never receive such an honor.]

She thought with an arrogant smile forming on her lips.

Soon the smile faded as she returned to a serious and professional expression, focusing. She watched them walk away and turn down a corridor, heading off to fulfill their duties — one of whom, in her opinion, shouldn’t have had to.

Thinking the same thing everyone else did:

That they would protect the Supreme Being who had lost his powers — the Supreme Being who humbly accepted working to help them, doing service as a butler — and destroy the one who made the Supreme Being lose his powers.

But until then, she would diligently work at whatever her beloved asked of her.

 

 

—————

This AU would basically take place in one of the Void IF timelines, where Subaru wasn't taken to the world of Re:Zero. He wouldn't be an extra member, but rather just one of the original 41 Guild members, only here he still remained in the Guild.

In this IF:

-Subaru was already a settled adult. He was working as a successful and well-paid detective. With a nice house, a wife and a daughter, when he was transported.

-It was the day of his wedding anniversary when Subaru went to the Guild one last time with Ainz, to say goodbye. Wearing in real life the sweatshirt he was wearing when he first started playing YGGDRASIL, when he joined the Guild and when he was one of those who voted for Momonga to took over as Guild Master, which, ironically, were also the days he had his first date with his wife, the day he proposed to her and the day he asked her to marry him, in a spontaneous decision over dinner. To commemorate all the personal special occasions for him.

-When he was transported, at the same time, the Witch of Envy tried to intervene to take him with her and so it ended up separating him from his [Avatar] and leaving him with his human body, rejuvenated to the age of a teenager. It made him as physically weak as he was when he was 18 and his regression also affected his behavior back then, even though he still retains all the memories of his adult life.

-When Subaru is alone in his room, he thinks about his wife and daughter, praying for their safety and happiness, wondering what could be happening to them. But when he leaves his room, his focus is exclusively on helping Ainz and the Guild, guarding his personal feelings so as not to worry anyone around him.

-Subaru serves as a moral compass and anchor for Ainz in many difficult moments. In addition to being the only one to read him perfectly well (even when Ainz tries to hide his emotions, Subaru easily reads him like a memorized book) and makes him express what he really thinks and feels on several occasions, to prevent him from making decisions he doesn't want to because he's being pressured in some way.

-Subaru also constantly tries to help Ainz with his paperwork and plans.

-Subaru is afraid that the members of the Nazarick Guild will try to kill him because of his human appearance (but he tries to hide it).

-Subaru has the Death Return because of the Witch. Ironically, whenever he dies and goes back in time, it's almost always when he's in bed. The only person who can smell his Miasma (the Witch's Scent) is Shalltear.

-Among those he respects most in Nazarick (apart from Ainz himself) would be: Sebas and Cocytus.

-The one he's most afraid of is Demiurge.

-He gets on well with the Pleiades Maids. Especially when he revealed to them that the name “Subaru” is the Japanese name for “Pleiades”.

-The Envy Witch is still trying to reach Subaru.

Chapter 147: [Extra - Overlord IF]

Ainz let out a heavy sigh of exhaustion.

Today, he had finished another day of work inside the Great Tomb of Nazarick. A daily duty. Something that he, as the Guild Master, had the ultimate responsibility to carry out—a role entrusted to him by all his companions in the past, as they deemed him the best suited for the position. Even though, at times, he found it far too complicated.

[Ainz: I don’t feel physical fatigue in my body... but truly, the mental exhaustion from nonstop work is just as bad as putting unnecessary strain on my... bones, in this case. Ugh.]

Thinking that, his voice would sound different in his mind compared to when he actually spoke.

When he spoke aloud, his voice was deep, strong, and frightening—sounding like a true Overlord and Ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. A commanding voice that could inspire both fear and respect in others. But while his external voice was like that, his inner voice—his real voice—sounded like that of a more concerned man, showing his true emotions: his nervousness, along with the fatigue he felt from his work.

This was all thanks to one of his abilities: [Emotional Suppression], which allowed him to control his emotions when expressing himself to others. It prevented him from showing how he really felt to those around him, especially his servants and the Floor Guardians—those he needed to command like a true ruler, to not be seen as weak or incapable of leading.

That made him sigh again—

[Ainz: I don’t even want to imagine what they’d say if they knew what kind of person I really am.]

Walking down the corridor, he allowed his body to relax. Normally, he could just teleport to his room using a special item or his own magic, if he wished.

But this time, he chose not to.

This time, he decided to take a penitential walk due to his mental fatigue. Not only because he felt he had worked too much, but also because he felt he hadn’t done as great a job as others expected. Acting like a ruler was complicated in his opinion.

He arrived at his room and opened the doors to enter—a very luxurious space. Even though he didn’t actually need to sleep, Ainz sometimes liked to retreat to this space to relax and reflect on the day’s matters. A form of meditation similar to sleep. Something that he, now as a skeleton, an undead, no longer needed—just like food.

And as a skeleton, aside from his [Emotional Suppression], he couldn’t physically express his emotions.

Because his face was just a skull.

[Subaru: I wasn’t wrong when I passed by the Throne Room. Your expression clearly shows you’re tired, Momo-san. It’s actually a pitiful sight.]

[Ainz: Hm?]

Ainz was surprised to see his colleague and friend in his room, staring at him with crossed arms and a slightly amused expression—a smirk on his face and eyes gleaming with a distinct emotion. All he could do was try to answer accordingly.

[Ainz: What are you talking about? Can’t you see? I’m completely fine.]

[Subaru: ———— Don’t try to lie to me. You’re as easy to read as a well-annotated book, Momo-san.]

[Ainz: Is that how low I’ve fallen in your eyes?]

[Subaru: What? Were you expecting more, based on our interactions?]

Teasing him again, Subaru walked over to the bed and sat down.

Ainz couldn’t help but sigh deeply, drained.

[Ainz: Even with Emotional Suppression and my face being a skull... it doesn’t stop you from reading me.]

[Subaru: Didn’t I already do that back in YGGDRASIL? Your tone always tells me exactly how you feel. And it’s honestly a bit frustrating... Out of all the abilities I have—or could have—I don’t enjoy the thought that one of them is being able to read your expressions and feelings.]

[Ainz: I wouldn’t say it’s a useless skill. Honestly, it’s a trait I value highly in you, Subaru-san.]

[Subaru: No need to flatter me, Momo-san. And if you’re saying that... it means I was right, and you did have a tired and defeated expression back in the Throne Room. A truly pitiful one, right?]

Still wearing a challenging expression and an animated, almost smug smile, Subaru had clearly baited Ainz into admitting it. Ainz only realized too late that he’d walked into his friend’s trap—just to get him to admit he looked sad back in the Throne Room of Nazarick.

[Subaru: Let’s talk about it now.]

[Ainz: Urgh. I won’t have a choice, will I?]

With no other option, the Overlord walked to the bed and sat beside his companion.

A human and an undead, side by side.

The skeleton was larger than his friend, causing the mattress to tilt slightly toward his side and Subaru to lean in his direction.

[Subaru: A pretty funny sight if someone saw us from the outside.]

[Ainz: I definitely wouldn’t disagree with that. Even though I’m a skeleton, I still weigh more than you?]

[Subaru: Your body’s a giant skeleton and you’re wearing all your gear. Meanwhile, I’m just an average human now—even smaller than the humans of this world. That alone makes a big difference. Not to mention where we’re sitting also affects the tilt.]

[Ainz: Hmm. I guess you’re right.]

Ainz and Subaru nodded in agreement, both with a gesture that seemed to say, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

[Subaru: How were you feeling before? With that expression earlier, I thought you were constipated or had a stomachache. But then I remembered—you don’t have a stomach or anything like that anymore. Which just made me even more worried. Like... what if you were somehow feeling your body’s pain from outside your avatar?]

[Ainz: No, no. I don’t feel any sensations from my former body. That might actually be a good thing. Given how long I’ve gone without feeding it, at least I don’t have to worry about dying in such a stupid way. That would be pathetic.]

[Subaru: Ainz Ooal Gown, the Undead, Master of Nazarick—dies of hunger!]

[Ainz: Don’t mock me about that, Subaru-san! Nothing like that has happened yet, but it still worries me! It hurts my... heart...?]

Getting defensive over his friend’s jokes, Ainz crossed his arms in thought.

Both of them remained like that—arms crossed—Subaru with his left over his right, continuing their relaxed conversation, which contrasted with the luxurious and ominous energy of the room, as an undead spoke with a human.

[Subaru: Be more open with me, Momo-san. It’s just the two of us here... but don’t give me such an intense look, okay~?]

[Ainz: That’s hard when my only expressive feature are my eyes!]

[Subaru: Tragically.]

[Ainz: I don’t want to trouble you with this, Subaru-san. You’ve already got your own things going on right now. Things I still haven’t figured out how to fix, my friend. Not while we’re stuck in this unfair situation.]

Ainz thought with a hint of sadness.

To be brutally honest, the Guild Master felt a deep sense of pity for his friend. How could he not? They had both been transported to another world, but unlike Ainz, who kept his [Avatar] and retained his powers, Subaru had lost everything and become just a regular human—stranded in unknown territory.

Thinking more about it, Ainz thought daily about the condition of his powerless companion, currently unable to defend himself. A situation that worried him. The last of his companions was in a delicate, defenseless state, and he feared he might not be able to protect him with the allies he had by his side—whom he slightly feared could also hurt him.

[Ainz: I don’t want to think that the inhabitants of Nazarick would harm Subaru-san because of his status as a Guild member, even though he no longer has his former appearance... but his appearance and current status as a human... or something resembling a human of this world... —— Ugh! How difficult. It would be better if Subaru-san were in his most powerful state... then——]

[Subaru: “Then, I have no reason to complain about my current situation.”]

[Ainz: Eh?!]

[Subaru: Man... It’s exhausting and sad to be able to read your thoughts even without seeing your true expressions, because it means your aura hasn't changed from the game to real life. That's just sad.]

Surprised by his words, Ainz couldn't help but show a shocked expression, his mouth wide open.

Subaru, on the other hand, remained in the same position.

They stared at each other for a moment before Subaru sighed, slightly tired.

[Subaru: Even though I’m in a more precarious situation than you...! I don’t want you to downplay your problems just because you pity me. Don’t use me as an excuse to keep putting off your own issues. As your friend, I don’t want to be used that way, understood?]

[Ainz: ———— I’m sorry.]

[Subaru: I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed seeing your expression grow more pitiful.]

[Ainz: But that’s because of your harsh words...]

Keeping the argument in his head, he simply accepted his fate.

[Ainz: Everyone has expectations of me. Albedo, the Guardians, all the inhabitants of Nazarick...]

[Subaru: ...me.]

[Ainz: You. —— So many expectations. And here I am wondering if I’m truly a ruler capable of meeting them...]

[Subaru: You’re definitely... an idiot.]

Speaking casually with a wave of his hand, Ainz felt as if he had been punched in the place that used to be his heart.

[Subaru: As a ruler, of course people will have expectations of you. Just like we, your companions, had when we made you Guild Master. But that doesn’t mean you should be led by those expectations.]

[Ainz: What... do you mean?]

[Subaru: If you set a goal, the expectations will be that you reach that goal. That way, you show your capabilities. But only if they fully understand what your goal is—because if they define a goal greater than the one you intended, you end up becoming their slave, instead of a competent leader. —— For example: if your goal is to spread the name of our Guild throughout the world, they might interpret that as “conquer the world,” and in doing so, make the name Ainz Ooal Gown greater than all others.]

[Ainz: What?! Look... I do want to spread our Guild’s name, but I really don’t think ruling the world would be good. It would be way too hard... especially because I can barely manage ruling a Tomb.]

[Subaru: That’s not what I’ve heard around here...]

Murmuring that last part to himself, he didn’t let his friend hear.

Speaking with Demiurge about a conversation he had with Ainz on the first day—or night—in this world, he had mentioned how Ainz might want to conquer the world and asked for Subaru's opinion. Subaru obviously found it strange, knowing that his friend wouldn’t say something like that with clear intention—it was likely an offhand comment that was misinterpreted.

That last part of the conversation made it almost obvious to the dark-haired, butler-uniformed young man: his friend had done something foolish. He made a comment and it was taken the wrong way, and now everyone in Nazarick thought that Ainz—and Subaru—wanted to dominate the world to spread the Guild's name.

[Ainz: Hm?]

[Subaru: Nothing, for now. —— Momo-san, you should set expectations that match what you really want to achieve. But from what I see now... They set expectations on you, you couldn’t say anything against it, and now you’re forcing yourself to fulfill what they think you want to accomplish. Thinking about it... it’s like a child surrounded by adults telling him to do something he doesn’t really want to do—but he does it anyway just to make them happy and not disappoint them.]

[Ainz: Are you treating me like a child...?]

[Subaru: You’ll be treated like a child until you start acting like an adult!]

Ainz flinched to the side after having his thoughts read again.

Subaru sighed again at the amusing little scene beside him.

[Subaru: Even I’m surprised at how easy it’s been to read you. On the other hand, those around us don’t seem able to. And that just makes things sadder when we talk more seriously about your leadership abilities.]

[Ainz: Sorry about that, then.]

[Subaru: Sorry for being easy to read or sorry for acting like a kid intimidated by adults?]

[Ainz: Even without the body I used to have, are you planning to destroy me with your sharp words instead?]

[Subaru: It’s because I can’t punch you in the face for it.]

[Ainz: A punch to the face? What kind of person punches someone instead of talking things through to snap them back to reality?]

Asking himself that, he scratched the left side of his skull.

The black-haired boy stayed in the same position. He closed one eye while keeping the other focused on his companion beside him.

[Subaru: You have to decide how you’ll act. —— You can speak directly, at the risk of losing some of the respect they might have for you. Or you can keep acting the way they think you want to act, and sink deeper into the fear that one day they’ll realize it was all a silly mistake and a misunderstanding.]

[Ainz: —— ...and you?]

Worried, he couldn’t help but bring up again his biggest personal concern on the matter—protecting his only friend from the past world in this New World. Especially considering the difference in levels between them, due to the immeasurable loss of powers and abilities that once allowed him to defend himself.

[Subaru: Me? Hmmmm. This again, huh? —— Yeah, it’s worrying. I’m really weak. The weakest of the weak here and definitely the most useless when it comes to combat skills and raw power. I wouldn’t be able to defend my position in a power duel, but I’m not lacking in determination. —— So, you can count on me for that!]

[Ainz: What?]

[Subaru: You’re afraid that in the end, you’ll be abandoned. I understand that better than you think. And I won’t let you sink into that alone. —— If you have any doubts, if there’s something you want to say but can’t express properly, or if you just want to talk and let it out... leave that to me!]

Pointing to himself with a wide, confident smile, Ainz couldn’t help but open his mouth in surprise. A green glow enveloped his body to suppress his emotions, but his eyes clearly showed what he was feeling...

[Ainz: Thank you, my friend.]

[Subaru: No problem, Momo-san.]

[Ainz: —— Suzuki Satoru. My real name. I don’t think I ever shared it with you or any other member of our guild. Because sharing personal information between YGGDRASIL members wasn’t allowed. But now that we’re no longer there, and now that I know your name and even your real identity... It would be hypocritical of me not to give you at least similar information in return, wouldn’t it?]

[Subaru: ———— You pervert.]

[Ainz: What?!]

[Subaru: At such an abrupt moment, you make such a personal revelation. Giving me your real name, of all things~? I’m sorry! I can’t accept your feelings, Suzuki-san!]

Standing up and making a grand, comedic bow, he spoke, dismissing Ainz.

At that moment...

[Ainz: Argh! My social life points have been destroyed!]

[Subaru: But, Suzuki-san... you’d need to have a social life first to even have those life points.]

[Ainz: That’s so cruel!]

He fell back onto the mattress, then rolled off dramatically onto the floor, pretending to be in great pain as if large arrows had pierced through his body. Subaru smirked wickedly at the sight. Ainz lay on the ground, lightly squirming, lifting his arm in dramatic fashion.

[Ainz: No healing item could cure the amount of damage I’ve just taken... I’ll need a resurrection item.]

[Subaru: You think I’d allow that? I’ll keep crushing your pride until your soul won’t return even if your body does. Then I’ll feed your bones to Aura’s animals.]

[Ainz: Such immeasurable cruelty! Even without your Vampire race, you’re still a bloodthirsty being! But if that’s how it is, I’ll have to run away to safety as fast as I can... but this is my room, isn’t it?! I should be the one kicking you out!]

[Subaru: But you’re so pathetic and lacking in willpower, you couldn’t even do that if you wanted to.]

At that moment, new metaphorical arrows pierced Ainz’s body. Even though his actual health hadn’t dropped, Subaru’s words struck him deeply.

But...

[Ainz: How nice... Having a friend here to scold me... really makes everything more bearable. Even if I end up feeling overwhelmed, I’ll have him by my side, and that... that’s good. But I won’t grow complacent, nor will I let all the burden fall on him—especially not when he’s dealing with challenges far greater than mine. —— I’m sorry, Subaru-san. I’ll keep worrying about you and do my best to create an environment where you’re as safe as I am.]

Thinking that without showing his eyes or expression to his friend, he made a decision. Above all else, he wished to protect the last of his 41 companions—someone who had stayed with him to the end and had been brought to this new world without even a chance to defend himself. Ainz decided he would find a way to protect him from now on, even if that meant shielding him from the people of Nazarick.

In that moment, he even began planning to increase his friend’s security. Not that he had any complaints about Sebas’s or the Pleiades’ work.

But Ainz considered himself a selfish person—one who didn’t want to lose what was precious to him.

 

 

—————

I made a change in the last chapter. I changed Subaru’s [Avatar] race from Half-Elf to Vampire, because I forgot that in Overlord, the members of Ainz Ooal Gown can only belong to the Heteromorphic species (where Vampires are), not the Human species (where Half-Elves are).

Chapter 148: Sekhmet IF

What if...? What if Subaru had been summoned alongside the Witch of Sloth?

—————

 

 

Subaru’s body ached slightly from the effort he had exerted throughout the day. And it was pretty obvious why. He wasn’t exactly a hardworking person in the world he came from. As a hikikomori, a shut-in, he had lived without pushing himself as much as those around him—like workers such as his own parents. At least, that’s how he saw himself. He had always considered himself a lazy freeloader.

So, it felt like divine retribution when he was suddenly sent to a new world where he had to work as hard as possible just to survive—both for himself... and for her.

[???: Today was a pretty rough day, wasn’t it, Subaru-san?]

[Subaru: Yeah, Chew-san. It feels like my bones are about to snap... which would be horrible if it actually happened.]

Saying that, he massaged his sore shoulder.

Chew, the man walking alongside him on the road, had short, light green hair with a small scar on the right side of his forehead. He wore typical farmer’s clothing and carried one of the tools used for manual labor in the fields. Subaru also carried one—though with a bit more difficulty than the man next to him, who was slightly taller and stronger than the young man.

As they walked, they entered the small village where they now lived—or rather, where Subaru and that person had been living since their arrival. A place that not too long ago had faced troubles with mabeasts, though things had calmed down considerably since they arrived.

It wasn’t an especially small place. The number of houses—and people—was enough that the village could accommodate more if needed. This little village was located in a more isolated area of the Kingdom of Lugunica, almost bordering Vollachia, but still far enough to avoid being close to the neighboring country’s territories.

Subaru hadn’t been summoned here, though. He had appeared somewhere much farther away—near a river that led to a lake within Vollachia’s territory, close to Garkla. The distance was significant, but not quite enough to complain about walking for hours—though, of course, he had complained anyway... but for a different reason.

Because of the heavy, lazy weight he had to carry.

[Chew: Excited to see your girl~?]

[Subaru: She’s not my girl! We’re more like roommates than anything... Honestly? I don’t think she sees me that way, which is understandable for more than one reason.]

[Chew: Don’t sell yourself short, kid. You’re still growing—you’ll gain some muscle and get in better shape. Soon, you’ll have the perfect body to impress! Even better, you’ll be able to work more efficiently. Though with that creativity of yours, you’d probably make a better merchant or inventor when the opportunity comes.]

[Subaru: First, you basically said I’m physically weak—which I can’t argue against, since I’ve never worked as hard as you have, Chew-san. But thanks for the encouragement... —— Being a merchant doesn’t sound too bad. I won’t lie, making deals sounds fun when the chance comes, but I’d rather not be one if it means traveling around everywhere. And it’s not just because of her!]

Seeing Chew’s mischievous grin, Subaru couldn’t help but sigh as he tried to explain himself.

Subaru honestly wasn’t that interested in leaving this village anytime soon. After all, he was still learning more about the kingdom—and the world itself.

[Subaru: It’s not like I don’t want to go on an adventure... but I think that can wait until later in life. For now, settling down with a decent income sounds ideal.]

[Chew: That’s a pretty mature way of thinking for someone your age, don’t you think?]

[Subaru: Nnah! I think it’s the kind of thought everyone should have. If you ever plan to travel across the country—or anywhere far from home—you should at least have enough money so you don’t end up stranded. You need money to buy food, clothes, souvenirs, or even pay someone to bring you back home if something happens. Preparing to enjoy life, while also preparing for when things go wrong, should be basic knowledge for everyone.]

[Chew: Huh... you’ve got a point.]

Chew nodded several times, rubbing his chin, as if to say, “Yeah, that makes sense,” unable to come up with any counter-argument to the black-haired young man’s logic.

As they approached a simple, modest house, they saw a pair of women—one with pink hair walking toward them while the other walked away. The woman approaching, Killi, headed straight for Chew, and the two exchanged a quick kiss.

She was his wife.

[Subaru: Urgh! Please, Killi-chan! Watching such a sweet, tender display of affection like a wife kissing her husband after a long day of work... it hurts the heart of a lonely hikikomori like me in a deep, emotional way!]

[Chew: Sorry about that, Subaru-san. One of the perks of being married is getting to share these wonderful moments! And luckily, I’ve got my beloved for that. When your time comes, you’ll get the same thing with yours.]

[Subaru: I told you, we’re not married!]

[Killi: Fufufu~ I don’t know how you manage to make my husband regress into such a childish state, Subaru-san, but thank you. It’s been so long since I’ve seen this idiot act so cheerful.]

Laughing at the playful bickering between the two men, she couldn’t help but express her gratitude to the boy. And it was true—ever since Subaru and that person arrived here, the atmosphere had strangely improved, including how people interacted with each other. Chew was a perfect example of that.

[Chew: If you wanted to see my wild side, you just had to ask!]

[Killi: I prefer it when you do it naturally. When you try too hard, you come off like a weirdo who never stops acting like a kid.]

[Chew: Ouch! That hurt!]

[Subaru: And that cheered me up.]

Subaru gave a cheeky grin to the man sulking beside him.

They both shared a quick laugh afterward.

[Subaru: How is she doing?]

[Killi: She’s doing fine. We did the usual—helped her get up, take care of her... essential physical needs, bathe, get dressed, and then we kept her company with some books to keep her entertained.]

[Subaru: Perfect! Because I really wouldn’t want to handle most of those things... even though they’re important for her well-being. I’d feel super embarrassed doing those things with her, even though I know she can’t do them on her own.]

[Chew: Because of that curse you mentioned, right...? Narcio-lpesia.]

Butchering the name, Subaru struggled to hold back a laugh.

[Subaru: Once again, thanks for your help, Killi-chan. Now I won’t keep you two from heading home any longer—and I need to get back to mine.]

[Chew: And we won’t keep you from going back to your girl. And don’t worry about the age difference—no one around here’s gonna judge you, kid!]

[Killi: Stop that.]

[Subaru: Argh.]

Deciding to just let that one go, he watched them walk away.

Turning his attention back to his front door, he walked up to it, stepped inside, and closed it behind him—officially arriving home. Setting his equipment down beside the door, finally leaving the extra weight behind, he looked around at his surroundings.

They had a simple two-story house. The lower floor was for meals, daily life, entertaining guests, and all the other mundane but important things.

And right from the entrance, it was already possible to see the staircase leading to the upper floors.

Sighing with his hands on his hips, he walked toward the staircase, climbing step by step until he reached the floors with two separate rooms. One for him, and the other for someone else—someone he met when he first arrived in this world.

Heading there and stepping inside, he found himself in the room of the person who had been so carefully looked after by the women of the village while he was away working.

[Subaru: I see they really did a good job taking care of you. You don’t smell bad, you’re wearing clean clothes... Honestly, you even look a bit younger. Not that you looked old before, anyway...]

[???: What... Yawn... A lovely... Yawn... Compliment... Yawn... From you... Yawn...]

The figure lying down, eyes closed, mumbled as she hovered between being awake and asleep. A beautiful woman, likely in her early twenties, with absurdly long magenta hair—no longer as messy as before—so long that it reached her feet. Despite his words, her skin was pale, though not nearly as sickly as it had been.

Who is she?

She was once known as Sekhmet, the Witch of Sloth, one of the Witches considered a calamity in the past. And someone he had met when he was summoned to this new world.

It happened when he was near that river, where he encountered her curled up in such a way that she looked like a fluffy magenta ball—at least until she adjusted her posture, revealing that she was a being like him... or at least similar, since she belonged to one of the giant races.

And their first impression of each other? She found him extremely noisy, while he thought she was extremely strange and concerning.

Not exactly a terrible interaction...

At the very least, it was weird. As her title suggested, she was extremely lazy, unwilling to talk much, let alone explain all the things he desperately wanted to understand after being thrown into this world. She also seemed confused by the fact that she was even alive at that moment. Sekhmet explained that she should be dead—or at least something close to it—after falling from the Great Waterfall, which he later discovered was located at the edge of the flat world he now inhabited.

She, lethargic and indifferent.

He, energetic—at least on the surface and driven by curiosity about this new world.

A combination that absolutely should not work.

But Subaru had no choice but to accept it. If she had been dead before he showed up, then maybe it was his responsibility—or perhaps the responsibility of the force that summoned him—to deal with this situation.

So, he didn’t abandon her in that forest by the river.

In his view, that wasn’t something a man should do to a woman—or to any living being that looked as fragile as she had that day when they met.

That’s why he picked her up, slinging her over his back, and started carrying her.

Though, there were some... inconveniences.

For example? Her ridiculously long hair, which he constantly had to avoid stepping on. The slightly odd smell coming from her—which he would later learn was because she was too lazy even to bathe. And how utterly indifferent she seemed to doing anything besides lying down and sleeping—or at least remaining motionless. This forced Subaru to physically carry her most of the time.

But there was one thing that amazed him.

When they were attacked, she somehow protected them with an invisible power that tore apart the creature threatening them.

That moment made him realize something. She fit into a very familiar character trope: the lazy but good-natured, mature, unbelievably powerful type. Someone who could destroy everything if she wanted to, but simply lacked the desire—or the energy—to do so. The kind of character who acted during some climactic moments... and did absolutely nothing at others, depending entirely on her whims.

After that, they made their way to the small village and settled there up to the present day.

Subaru had to explain her behavior to the others—the constant sleeping and her unwillingness to move like most living beings. That’s when he remembered a condition he’d heard about back in his own world, something surprisingly well-known and that seemed to fit her perfectly:

Narcolepsy, a chronic neurological disorder affecting the regulation of sleep. People with it experience uncontrollable drowsiness during the day, having sudden sleep attacks even at inappropriate times. The causes vary: loss or destruction of neurons that produce hypocretin, a substance responsible for wakefulness and the sleep-wake cycle. It could also be genetic or triggered by infections, trauma, or autoimmune dysfunctions.

And he definitely saw some of the symptoms in her. Uncontrollable sleep, sudden and irresistible naps, and even episodes of muscle weakness. Though one symptom was different in her case: Sekhmet had no trouble sleeping at night—in fact, it seemed like she could fall asleep anytime, anywhere.

Even if he lacked the expertise to properly diagnose something as delicate as a neurological disorder, he at least found a reasonable excuse to explain Sekhmet’s behavior to the villagers. Instead of simply being viewed as lazy, she was seen as someone afflicted by an incurable curse that made her life difficult, leaving her in a state that required care from the village women.

Bathing her, dressing her, helping her eat, and assisting with... other necessities.

These were tasks the women took care of while Subaru was out working to provide for both of them—tasks Subaru himself preferred not to handle, partly because of the gender difference. After all, despite how little she cared for her own appearance, she was, in the eyes of many—including Subaru himself—an incredibly beautiful woman.

Subaru glanced at her briefly before sitting in a chair near the window by her bed.

[Subaru: ————]

[Sekhmet: What... Yawn... Was it... Yawn...?]

[Subaru: Nothing. Just relaxing. Today was rough again... but at least the job today means we’ll have a good meal tomorrow.]

[Sekhmet: I... Yawn... Told you... Yawn... You don’t... Yawn... Need to work so... Yawn... Hard for me.]

[Subaru: Nah. Don’t say that. I wouldn’t feel right with myself if I’d just abandoned you back in that forest... And honestly? I don’t think I’d have made it this far alive if you hadn’t helped me either.]

[Sekhmet: I... actually... Yawn... felt bothered... Yawn... being moved... Yawn... but... still appreciate... Yawn... the concern.]

[Subaru: Even so, you’ve helped out quite a bit, haven’t you?]

If Subaru was being honest, despite her lethargy, Sekhmet did help the villagers by using her powers to deal with the Mabeasts that attacked every now and then. Thanks to her, the villagers avoided significant losses during those attacks.

She did all of that with a power Subaru still couldn’t fully comprehend—but he was certain he saw shadowy hands or something similar whenever it activated.

He could tell that, despite being someone who preferred to stay calm, relaxed, and far away from trouble because of her slothfulness... she wasn’t a bad person.

At least, in his opinion.

What did he personally dislike about her laziness?

Her complete lack of concern for basic hygiene, food, and other mundane needs. She constantly needed to be forced or helped to handle any of it. And when she stayed motionless for too long, it gave her a creepy, unsettling aura—as if she was fading from existence.

Subaru even paid some of the women who helped with her care.

Why did he do that?

[Subaru: They look like hospital nurses.]

[Sekhmet: ——?]

[Subaru: Where I come from, when you go to the hospital as a patient, if your condition is very serious, there are nurses who help you with everything. Can’t eat? They help you. Can’t go to the bathroom? They help you. Can’t clean yourself? They help you. Basically, they do exactly what our neighbors already do here, except they get paid to go through this kind of situation since it's their job. Some of them even take care of patients in comas—cleaning them, making sure the ventilators and feeding tubes are working properly. —— Ventilators, if that's the right name, are machines specifically designed to help people breathe. In some situations, the person doesn’t even need to breathe on their own; the machine does all the work. As for the tubes, those are the ones that deliver nutrients to keep the person hydrated and fed without the need to chew or anything like that. You just... exist.]

[Sekhmet: ———— Would you be able to recreate those things...?]

[Subaru: Your expression looks so excited it actually makes me a bit worried... worried about how thrilled you’d be to do nothing but just sleep and exist.]

Commenting with a hint of amusement, he teased the slight sparkle that appeared in her eyes.

He would sometimes try to explain things like this to her, things that, at times, related to concepts from this world—like the idea of a coma or the Sleeping Beauty disease, where someone keeps existing but no longer moves or lives in the usual sense.

The two continued chatting for a little longer before they both returned to resting, Subaru allowing himself to collapse fully into the chair. Before that, she grabbed a pillow and a blanket using her Authority, placing them on him to make him more comfortable so he could rest and sleep for a while.

A Slothful Witch and a Hikikomori shared a home and lived their lives in a simple way.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Subaru arrived in this world one year before the main events of the story.

-The riverbank where he met Sekhmet is connected to the lake near the city of Garkla in Vollachia, which flows into the river that leads to the Great Waterfall.

-The two live together in a peaceful village. Subaru works in farming to support them at first, before starting to invest in his inventions to create a better income for both of them. He even starts a small business with merchants, maintaining enough profit so he doesn't have to work as hard, although he still does to avoid becoming careless.

-The village women generally help Sekhmet with things like getting her out of bed, making sure she takes care of her biological needs in appropriate places, cleaning her, taking care of her clothes and hair, and ensuring she stays healthy. Subaru, meanwhile, usually helps her eat and makes sure she remains in good health.

-Subaru has even developed a habit of waking up at least five times a night to check on her, making sure she’s breathing and still alive.

-Sekhmet ends up helping Subaru with his self-esteem issues by talking with him—being surprisingly effective at it (even more so than Kenichi and Naoko were in the Void Route with Subaru).

-Subaru hasn’t had to use Return by Death even once so far (about ten months after arriving in the world of Re:Zero), since Sekhmet eliminates any threats in the area and keeps him safe. Plus, he doesn’t take reckless risks with dangerous or lethal things.

-They live a peaceful, ordinary, and happy life. To the point that they genuinely look like a couple—a strange couple in the eyes of others, but one that clearly seems happy living together.

Chapter 149: [Extra - Sekhmet IF]

 

Near the small village, there was a hill.

A hill not that big. It overlooked a small green field, and at its top stood a pair of trees — one large and wide, and the other medium-sized, a bit thinner, which was noticeable next to its bigger twin. From there, you could also see other hills and some mountains not too far from where they lived. This place, like the village they lived in, wasn’t very far from the more well-known estates: Argyle and Barielle — whose owners probably didn’t even know this tiny village existed, simply because it was so "insignificant" to them and didn’t technically belong to their property lines.

But none of that mattered much to the two figures lying in the shade of those trees, with some sunlight gently warming their bodies.

Well... one of them probably needed it more than the other.

Not just the sunlight, but also the cool breeze that brushed over their skin, bringing a slight chill — not unpleasant, just enough to balance out the constant warmth of the shining sun — made everything feel just right.

[Sekhmet: Why yawn did you yawn insist on yawn bringing me yawn here...]

[Subaru: You needed to get out for a bit, don’t you think? Seriously. Even when I spent almost a month locked up in my room, I still made the effort to get a little exercise and catch some sunlight... maybe for the wrong reasons? But still, I went outside to get some sun...]

[Sekhmet: And yawn why exactly yawn do I yawn need this?]

[Subaru: I learned this in class. Did you know that getting some sunlight is essential for our health? When sunlight touches our skin, something incredible happens. Our body starts producing this thing called Vitamin D — a fundamental nutrient. Without it, our bones get weak, our immune system doesn’t work properly, and even our mood gets worse. Sunlight helps regulate our biological clock, the so-called circadian rhythm. It helps our body understand when it’s time to be awake and full of energy, and when it’s time to rest. Without that regulation, we end up tired during the day and restless at night... though in your case, that seems to be all the time, huh?]

Playfully, he couldn’t resist pointing out the obvious about the woman.

He then placed a hand over his chest.

[Subaru: And there’s more... From what I remember, sunlight also helps release serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improves our mood, gives us a sense of well-being, and even prevents depression. Like my teacher said when explaining this: “It’s not just about energy or heat, it’s about life.” —— In other words, our bodies were made to receive this light. It strengthens the heart, improves circulation, helps control blood pressure, and even reduces the risk of some diseases, like certain types of cancer, diabetes, and heart problems...]

[Sekhmet: I just hope yawn I don’t yawn get roasted yawn out here...]

[Subaru: Of course too much sun burns you, ages the skin, and can cause cancer. But in the right amount, it’s one of the best natural medicines life has to offer. Five, ten, even fifteen minutes a day make all the difference... as long as you don’t overdo it. So... I figured you could use some of this, since your skin’s looking kind of... sickly.]

[Sekhmet: For your yawn information yawn I’ve never been yawn too sick yawn just because I didn’t yawn get sunlight...]

Countering, even without really caring, she commented in her usual lethargic and indifferent tone about something that was, in fact, true.

Even without regularly getting sunlight — since she usually tried to avoid places where she might be disturbed so she could keep sleeping — she never actually ended up getting sick or anything like that. Maybe it was also because Minerva constantly took care of her and the others whenever they met — her powers certainly helped a lot, letting Sekhmet avoid pushing herself too hard despite receiving frequent complaints about it.

Their eyes remained fixed on the leaves of the trees.

[Subaru: You know... this could partly explain your laziness, besides the narcolepsy.]

[Sekhmet: Hmm?]

[Subaru: Lack of sunlight totally messes with your hormones. You start feeling constantly tired, even after sleeping for hours. Insomnia, anxiety, mood swings... although, you either manage to handle that somehow or you’ve just never had to deal with it before. Your skin’s affected too — it gets kind of dull, lifeless... sick-looking. —— Don’t take this as an insult, okay? It just seemed like you needed some of this, because locking yourself up in that room wasn’t doing you any good.]

He explained while folding his arms behind his head, lying there as they both kept watching the leaves swaying and rustling with the breeze.

The two of them kept resting, enjoying the peaceful silence.

[Subaru: Though... talking about going out isn’t really the best argument coming from someone who... wasn’t exactly going outside a few months ago... I was pretty lazy, a freeloader...]

[Sekhmet: ————]

Subaru kept staring upwards, now with a slightly sadder look.

[Subaru: I used to lock myself in my room, never going out. Just... wasting day after day. I stopped going to classes, stopped doing anything besides gaming, eating, and sleeping, not even trying to do anything else. All because... I didn’t want to get better... —— My dad is... was an incredible person. He didn’t need much to make friends with anyone, never had issues with others, and whenever people talked about him, it was always endless praise. To the point where he felt like someone... utterly impossible to live up to. I used to think no one was more amazing than him. Even now, I still believe that where I came from... there wasn’t anyone better than him and my mom. Maybe that’s a naive, arrogant thought? Maybe... maybe it really is. Because my view of the world was still pretty simple, limited to what I knew. And my laziness kept me from wanting to change that mindset. —— Honestly, I think I didn’t even want to change it.]

[Sekhmet: ————]

[Subaru: I drew a line in my mind, a fixed point in my thoughts — that my dad was the pinnacle of what I could ever become. And what did I do...? I tried to reach him, like someone trying to grab stars in the sky — only to realize they’re impossible to hold. I thought I could do it just because I was his son... and everyone always said that line. —— I was a cocky kid who, because I stood out at simple things, felt happy being praised. Because I believed it made me just like my dad. But then... others started outshining me in the things I thought made me like him, and because of that, I grew jealous. Over time... I started trying to stand out in other ways. —— I just wanted all the attention back, wanted to be like my dad again, wanted to deserve being called ‘that man’s son’ one more time... but that only made things worse. I pushed everyone away when I was a kid, I pushed everyone away as I grew up, and when I thought I could fix everything — not too long ago, before all of this — I did it again... and chose to drown in it. I realized it was easier to just accept that I was nothing more than a shadow and live like that than to keep trying to become like him. Because that was impossible... I’d never be Kenichi Natsuki, never be the person everyone wanted me to be. I’d never be anything more than Natsuki Subaru... and so... I wanted to lock that Subaru away in that room...]

[Sekhmet: ————]

[Subaru: If Natsuki Subaru couldn’t be like Natsuki Kenichi, then it was better to just leave him in that place... That was my excuse to stop trying to get better, to stop moving forward and just... stay locked away day and night, making no progress and losing nothing else... I wanted to stay the same — the same pathetic, weak, hopeless creature. To the point where they would eventually give up on me... and I think that’s what I wanted. —— How could I possibly be their son? I believed that, in time, they would realize that, abandon me, or yell at me. Or... anything. I was counting on it. I thought the more they saw how much of a disappointment I was, the easier it would be for them to abandon me, to reject me, and then move on to find something... someone better than me. —— A slacker who throws away every opportunity, clings to meaningless things, and doesn’t even try to go anywhere.]

[Sekhmet: ————]

Finishing his outburst, the black-haired boy took a deep breath before sighing. He looked to the side and was slightly surprised.

[Subaru: You... were awake the whole time...?]

[Sekhmet: I was...]

[Subaru: Sorry... I thought you had fallen asleep, and I was just talking to myself. Venting to the wind.]

[Sekhmet: I can’t even yawn feel offended yawn... But why yawn did you want me to yawn be asleep...?]

[Subaru: Because... I’m a coward. When I saw you here by my side, I felt like I wanted to speak my mind at first... and open up... because I thought you wouldn’t care and would just fall asleep. And I’d be talking to myself... then I could blame you—blame your sleep—as the reason I didn’t have an honest conversation... It would be just one more excuse to avoid talking about how I feel. —— A plan so I wouldn’t have to open up, so I could pin the blame on someone else... just another excuse to sink even deeper... I’m sorry for using you like that, Sekhmet-san. As an excuse for my cowardice and laziness.]

[Sekhmet: ———— You sound like a child...]

Subaru was caught off guard by the surprisingly compassionate tone in her words, though it also carried a hint of authority that reminded him of his mother, Naoko.

He stared at her for a while as the woman seemed to take a deep breath, turning her gaze toward the leaves above them, which had stopped swaying now that there was no wind. His eyes remained on her, waiting for the words that would continue their conversation.

Her next words came in a calm tone...

[Sekhmet: You sound like a child because you have such childish thoughts yawn... Thinking—still thinking—that your parents only had you because they wanted something from you yawn... Even though I never met them, from the way you talk about them, I don’t think yawn that’s the case... Unlike so many yawn people I’ve met... That’s why you sound like a child yawn, because you think so little about things from their perspective.]

[Subaru: I thought that, okay?! —— I know my parents are incredible enough to accept me even though I’m not perfect—even though I’m a useless, lazy good-for-nothing—even though I’m an idiot who throws away every opportunity at the first sign of difficulty and doesn’t even try to improve myself. I know! Better than anyone! I know how incredibly kind and amazing they are! —— Why do you think I said I don’t deserve to be their son? I’m a disgrace... I’m someone without hope who’s never done anything impressive... someone who never deserved parents like them...]

[Sekhmet: Whether or not you deserved them yawn, whether they should love you or not yawn, that was entirely yawn their decision. And if they chose to love you yawn even when you thought you didn’t deserve to be loved yawn, then that choice was entirely theirs. Just like yawn having you was their choice. —— The only thing yawn you were responsible for yawn was being a child yawn who couldn’t fully understand their emotions and desires regarding you. Honestly... the parents yawn you have are enviable. Even I yawn wish I had parents as devoted as that. —— And despite what you said yawn, I don’t think you were ever really yawn lazy. I have every right yawn to judge who is or isn’t yawn lazy, and you yawn seemed more like a sad person yawn than a lazy one.]

[Subaru: ————]

Saying Subaru was surprised by her words would be an understatement.

Not only because of the depth of what she said, not just because she defended him after he tried so hard to prove how pathetic he thought he was — because of this lazy existence he believed in — not just because she told him that he wasn’t some hopeless being incapable of becoming anything more... but someone blessed.

Subaru knew he was blessed to have the parents he had.

No one ever needed to tell him that at any point in his life.

And yet, because of that, he always felt indebted. He felt like he had to be a good son, a son worthy of the legends he believed his parents were in his small world. Because that was his way of thanking them for giving him everything he had. His life, his health, the food on his plate, the clothes on his back, the things in his room, his very room, and the roof over his head where he could rest ever since he was a little baby nursing at his mother’s breast. Subaru wanted to live up to the expectations he placed on himself, believing he could repay them that way.

And he never thought about whether they even wanted that...

No, that’s not true. That’s just another one of his lies to cover the terrible truth that he hates to see, hates to admit, hates to show — even to himself.

Subaru knew his parents would never demand that from him.

To his parents — his wonderful, amazing parents — their son owed them nothing. He didn’t have to prove himself worthy of being their child by doing impressive things or becoming a perfect image of his father.

And that... that frustrated him.

And made him hate himself even more.

That boy had understood this... a long, long time ago.

[Subaru: Am I an idiot? No... I am an idiot. —— I was blessed with incredible parents. I was blessed with so many chances to be better. I was blessed with so much... and I still threw it away out of selfishness...]

[Sekhmet: I can’t yawn completely absolve yawn you of blame. But I do think yawn they could’ve done yawn a little more to help you.]

[Subaru: I feel like... back then, I wouldn’t have deserved that help, even if they offered it. And no matter what you say, that’s what I personally believe. Because I wish I had spent more time with them... I wish I had become someone they could be proud of and say... “That’s my son” or something like that. —— It’s really a selfish, childish wish... I admit it. But even after everything... it still has to be my wish.]

[Sekhmet: Well... I can say yawn they did a good job. Because yawn, even after all this time yawn, and even after me telling you yawn that you could just leave me behind... You still yawn take care of me. When anyone else yawn would have walked away. And yawn you’re actually quite a polite gentleman. If I were them yawn, I’d be proud.]

That made Subaru blush a little, hearing such kind words from her.

He wanted to argue, to say anyone else would’ve done the same... but he knew she would just deny it.

So he simply stayed quiet for a few moments.

[Subaru: T-Thank you, Sekhmet-san... for not falling asleep and... for listening to me when you could’ve just ignored me... after all, you didn’t have to.]

[Sekhmet: Just like you yawn taking care of yawn me... —— So... what yawn do you want to do now?]

[Subaru: Hm... How about we just stay here... and sleep as much as we can before heading home?]

[Sekhmet: Don't say such yawn sweet things out of yawn like that.]

Saying this with a slightly amused smile, she closed her eyes again as Subaru followed suit. They began to rest while enjoying the pleasant atmosphere and each other's company at that moment. In the early evening of that day, the black-haired boy felt even better after talking to the Witch of Sloth and felt grateful to her.

The two simply began to sleep during that time of calm.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-When Subaru tried to open up to Sekhmet, he really thought she would fall asleep while he was talking. He ended up saying more than he intended about his life. Because he thought she wouldn't respond or care about him, he was able to say everything he said because he thought he wouldn't have a deep conversation.

-Subaru has been in the new world for over a year and has not died once.

-Subaru started a small business with some small inventions from his world, which brought him some extra income, but without drawing too much attention to himself and the small village where they live. This made him a successful small local merchant/salesman.

Chapter 150: [Extra 2 - Sekhmet IF]

Subaru was in a carriage with Chew, the two traveling together to the Royal Capital, carrying some goods—among them: things harvested from the fields, as well as some personal items Subaru occasionally sold to merchants coming and going, allowing him to earn a good profit. They continued their journey.

Lately, fewer merchants had been showing up, so they were left with the task of making these kinds of trips to sell and buy supplies in the Capital. Subaru had volunteered both out of a desire to help and a genuine wish to leave the village he had been in since the beginning of his journey. He also planned to use part of his money to buy goods from the stores they found along the way. He might even buy fabric to make dresses—or cloth to sew dolls for the village children.

Even so, he was worried about who he had left behind.

Even though he completely trusted the people in the small village where they lived, he couldn’t help but worry about her well-being. Was she eating properly? Were the people fulfilling their roles correctly? Was she bathing and taking care of herself? Lost in these thoughts and all the possible concerns, he let out a deep, tired sigh.

Was he overthinking things? Was all this worrying for nothing?

Was she upset about his choice to leave like this? After all, he had made the decision last-minute, without talking to her first—just because he had the opportunity to go out for a bit. Thinking about that, he sighed again—this time with a mix of sadness and exhaustion, feeling like he’d worried her too much over something so trivial. Just a sudden, unexpected choice.

[Chew: Worried about your girl?]

[Subaru: She’s not my girl, Chew-san.]

[Chew: Still no progress in your relationship? I see. Relationships can be pretty complicated. My Killi and I had some rough patches early on. Honestly, we didn’t seem to have anything in common at first. We weren’t the couple people see today.]

Chew began reminiscing with a dreamy, nostalgic smile.

Subaru sighed as he watched him in that state.

[Subaru: We're extremely different from you and Killi-san. Besides, I don’t think she sees me that way—and I can’t blame her for it.]

Saying that, he stayed focused on the road ahead.

The gap between them felt astronomically bigger than what Chew and Killi had to overcome. Not that he could blame her for her choices—they were just very, very different people. As he said before, it came down to internal differences that weren’t so easily resolved.

 

[Chew: Ah, nonsense. Sometimes, problems like that can be overcome. It was the same for us, at first. —— Killi was way more energetic, playful, but also more serious than I was. And me? I was a dreamer. Lazy. Slacked off on everything I was supposed to do. Honestly? If you'd known me back then, I was a good-for-nothing slacker.]

[Subaru: Don’t try to compare us, Chew-san. We’re on a different level than you two. I was a NEET hikikomori who had a ton of potential but did nothing with it. I just wanted to be so important that everyone would pay attention to me. So... when I ended up here... believe it or not, I thought I had a GREAT DESTINY.]

Chew gave him a strange look as he sat beside him.

[Chew: I don’t quite understand half the things you just said... But you thought you had a great destiny just because you left your hometown?]

[Subaru: Yeah, yeah. It's complicated to explain right now—maybe even more so in the future. But I wasn’t from Lugunica. I came from a nation much farther away, what some might call “Beyond the Waterfall,” believe it or not. And when I suddenly appeared here, I thought it was like the stories I read and heard back home. Like I’d been summoned to receive some kind of special mission. That I’d be a legendary hero, excel at everything I did, and become someone whose name the world would know. —— Man, now I can only think of how embarrassing that is.]

[Chew: Everyone has delusions when we’re young, kid. I had the same ones in my teenage years! I thought I might... I dunno, earn a Divine Protection like the Sword Saint or something...]

He said this awkwardly, running a finger along his cheek as he recalled the childish fantasies he had back then. But... could anyone blame him?

The man looked at Subaru with a knowing smile.

[Chew: Everyone dreams big at some point. All we can do is... accept that there are limits.]

[Subaru: Argh. Isn’t that such a sad way to look at life, though?]

[Chew: For people with more opportunities, yeah. But for those without that kind of luck? Caution is essential to the kind of life we want to maintain. So we can’t afford to spend more than we have, risk our lives without knowing if someone will save us, or demand more when we don’t have the ability or right to convince others to give it. That’s the life of ordinary people—without great talent or noble blood.]

[Subaru: When you put it like that... you’re right. The world is unfair. Even when people say effort is what matters, it often doesn’t mean anything when you don’t have the safety to try and fail. Like you said, in times like that, we only have one life—and risking it for dreams with no guarantee... tragically, that’s something only people with nothing left to lose can do.]

Chew nodded a few times as he gently turned the carriage toward the road to the Capital. They continued forward again, the two Earth Dragons letting out small, tired noises from boredom—strong enough to pull the carriage with ease, but clearly uninterested in the long, slow journey.

The two nodded to each other, in the kind of mutual understanding only some people could have.

[Chew: When you have no more options or worries—when your dream means more than anything else—it’s easy to risk your life. But sometimes people confuse goals and dreams. Or more accurately, they confuse the reason they live with the reason they’re willing to die. —— I realized that when I married my Killi.]

[Subaru: ——?]

[Chew: I kept holding onto that dumb teenage mindset. That I’d still risk my life, go on some grand adventure, and die happy having lived to the fullest... But when I got together with her, I realized... I could live without that. Even with no adventure. Even with no great accomplishments beyond the quiet life I built with her and the people who’d been in my life since I was young... it was still enough. Because I realized that some things are better than dreams.]

Subaru didn’t interrupt him as he spoke from the heart—expressing his real thoughts on risking his life for the dreams of his youth, and how his perspective had changed.

And thinking about it from that angle, it really did make sense.

People who live only to chase their dreams have very different reasons to live than those who’ve accepted that the world is unfair in many ways.

Chew was definitely stronger than Subaru—he admitted that to himself, especially since their physical differences were obvious. Though he was getting stronger day by day from working in the fields and exercising on his own. But if Chew, someone stronger and more experienced, considered it foolish to compare himself to the truly powerful in this world—then Subaru couldn’t argue against that. He had no real counterpoint to offer.

[Subaru: Even though we have intelligence, wisdom, and learning, such things can become useless when faced with the impossible if we don’t have the security of second chances. After all, we only have one life, right? Some might call it laziness to choose a peaceful life and not sacrifice ourselves for things we might never achieve, but sometimes we have to accept that each of us has our limits and live with the opportunities we have at that moment.]

[Chew: You’re starting to understand the way many of us think. Maybe we can work hard and reach impossible dreams, or live a simple life if we’re satisfied with what we’ve accomplished so far. And for me? I may not become the Sword Saint, but I’m happy enough with my Killi instead of a sword and glory fighting monsters. I’m content and satisfied with what I have now.]

[Subaru: —— Hm. That makes sense. With a woman like Killi-san, I can’t disagree with your way of thinking.]

Both of them shared mutual smiles of understanding.

Were they lazy for not wanting to fight? Were they lazy for choosing to be happy as they are instead of chasing impossible dreams and glorious achievements?

Only they could define something like that, because those who judge them might not understand enough to give opinions about their choices.

[Chew: And even though I didn’t fully understand the words you said, I think you were trying to say that you’re lazy, right? Look, kid. You seem like anything but lazy.]

[Subaru: No, no. Believe me, I am.]

[Chew: Would a lazy person take care of a woman he claims he doesn’t even know and has no obligation to help? She said that herself.]

[Subaru: She said that to you?]

[Chew: No. My wife heard it and told me. I listen to everything she wants to share with me and thinks is important each day. That includes the time you’ve spent caring for her. You were just two strangers who met by chance in the forest, and you carried her to our village on your back—I even remember that day—and you've been looking after her even though she says you don’t have to. That made us think either you’re in love with her or, the simplest reason of all... you’re a good person.]

Chew said those words with a warm, confident smile to his travel companion.

That made Subaru blush with embarrassment.

[Subaru: I don’t consider myself a good person.]

[Chew: No? You’re the first to volunteer to help, you work harder than many young people and folks I’ve known in my life, you don’t do unnecessary things, and you help with almost every task that comes up, even when it doesn’t have to be you. In fact, many people think you need to rest a bit, you know? —— You may have a different idea of what a “good person” is. Maybe you think it’s a hero? Someone who kills monsters? But for me and the people in our village: if you don’t start fights, if you help others and do your part, and if you take care of those who need it even when you don’t have to—then you are a good person. So, accept it.]

[Subaru: ———— You already have your wife, you old pervert.]

[Chew: And you have your girl.]

Subaru grumbled, “She’s not my girl,” to the man beside him, who just gave him a mischievous grin at seeing his travel companion fall into his teasing once again—something he would never get tired of as long as Subaru kept reacting. Who wouldn’t want to keep doing that? They were even thinking of jokes to make about the boy and his time spent with the village kids.

[Chew: Ah, that reminds me. Be careful when we arrive, alright?]

[Subaru: Why?]

[Chew: Less than a month ago, a great disaster struck the Capital. A blizzard. It hit the slums hard and caused chaos in the Capital. Fortunately, it seems the Sword Saint was there that day and prevented even greater destruction and loss of life. So now, it seems some people are in such desperate situations that they might make... the wrong decisions.]

[Subaru: Meaning, try to rob us. Wonderful.]

He commented on that with a dry tone in his voice, unable to help but feel sorry for the people who had endured such a tremendous disaster and the losses they suffered.

Thinking about the state of that place, he looked at the money pouch he carried and wondered if he could help someone in some way.

Was it such a wrong thought—to want to give a bit of his own money to help those who had none to survive in such conditions?

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Through his business dealings, Subaru now has a money pouch filled with coins he earned.

-Reinhard was able to respond earlier to Puck’s wrath and saved the people of the Capital. However, Emilia, Felt, and Rom still died.

-Upon arriving in the Capital, Subaru wandered through the ruined slums to do some trading. There, his money pouch was stolen.

-Later, he discovered that the ones who robbed him were a group of children from the slums—orphans abandoned after Puck’s attack, left behind in the frozen ruins. He decided to help them.

-He ended up bringing the children back to the village and, with the villagers' help, founded an orphanage.

-He hasn’t died even once yet, so he still doesn’t know about Return by Death.

Chapter 151: [Epilogue - Sekmeth IF]

1) Sekhmet.

Even before she was born, Sekhmet already had to deal with the weight of her entire people’s expectations on her shoulders. They expected her to be what they had imagined since before her birth — the reincarnation of the Giant God, a kind of special being that would meet all the hopes they had built up for her arrival.

And when she was born?

Her entire clan was disappointed by her existence.

Why? Because she didn’t meet their expectations.

And was it her fault? No, it wasn’t. She had realized that long ago, because from the start they had believed she would be something, and when she wasn’t, they blamed her as if it was her responsibility to be born in line with their wishes.

It was incredibly shameful and idiotic for an adult to think that a child, who didn’t even understand the world or the reason for her own existence according to the expectations of others, deserved the anger, disdain, and cruelty thrown at her.

How could a baby possibly understand that it was supposed to live up to other people’s expectations? How could a baby know it was supposed to be born in a way that made others happy? How could a baby comprehend that everyone was expecting something from her, and she should meet those expectations simply because they were “kind” enough to bring her into the world?

It’s simple — she couldn’t.

Sekhmet felt sadness knowing that she seemed to be the only one with any real common sense among her people — at least, the clan that birthed her, not necessarily her entire race, as others might have been smarter than those she knew.

A baby like her wasn’t born with control over herself from the moment she existed in her mother’s womb. She couldn’t simply change herself in utero to become what they expected. The mere idea that she had chosen to be born outside of their expectations wasn’t just arrogant — imagining their unified will would shape her as they desired — it was stupid. And when she didn’t become what they wanted, they believed it was her fault.

Once again, it made her wonder: why was it her fault to be born the way she was? She had no control over her birth or how she would develop.

They, the adults, the ones who forced her to be born, also didn’t have control over how she would turn out. But they could control how they reacted.

Were they frustrated? She could understand that — it’s normal. Sometimes you build expectations, and they aren’t met. That’s part of life.

Their failure, in her opinion, was how they reacted to the irreversible truth that Sekhmet could only be Sekhmet — nothing more. An immutable fact that wasn’t truly her fault, nor theirs.

 

But the way they reacted, particularly in her eyes, was so stupid that even she — who didn’t like to dwell deeply on the subject anymore, whether due to lack of interest or plain laziness — thought it was idiotic.

They exiled her.

They had created her to fulfill something they wanted, but discarded her the moment she didn’t become what they hoped.

[???: Live and die wherever you go. For that is your sin.]

Words she still remembered, because they cast her aside to live alone. Rejected by her family, her clan, her race.

Thrown away by people too lazy and incapable to face their own mistakes — instead of realizing they shouldn’t have placed unrealistic expectations on her, they made her carry the burden of their frustrations.

Later in life, she was found by a group of men who took her to a city. While living with them, she gained knowledge, a lifestyle, and emotions — even if she didn’t fully understand them at the time.

She broke the necks of the men she lived with, then returned to her homeland and killed her entire clan, driven by a feeling she only now realized she understood: hatred and a desire for revenge.

Afterwards, she returned to the home she once shared with those men, gave them a proper burial, and once alone, felt a sense of peace that finally made her happy.

Perhaps some would see that as strange or cruel, but it brought her peace.

Erasing those irresponsible adults who had committed the very sin they accused her of — to her, they were lazy.

To exist, to live, to understand —

For some, those things come naturally from birth, like breathing, requiring no effort.

But most are born without purpose. Expectations are not purpose.

The people of her clan, her race, those who forced her to exist and live against her own will, had lived longer than she had and still blamed her for everything, discarding her like a defect.

Wasn’t that a form of Sloth?

Being irresponsible with your own problems and pushing them onto others, refusing to deal with your actions and blaming others for making you act that way — to her, that was a kind of sloth.

Whether others agreed with her or not didn’t matter.

Sekhmet knew she herself was lazy.

Inactive, she didn’t get involved in anything she didn’t consider her responsibility. And when she did get involved, she often made lazy decisions that created more work in the end.

Like with Typhon.

She truly loved that little girl like her own daughter. The little Witch of Pride helped her do things she wouldn’t do on her own — like eat, bathe, or take care of herself in general.

And when Typhon started judging people randomly with her childish sense of justice, Sekhmet was the one sent to stop her from causing chaos in the world. But she usually made things worse.

At least she was mature enough to take responsibility for that.

Typhon was just a girl raised by her biological father, an executioner, who taught her a rigid sense of right and wrong that stayed with her throughout her short life.

Sure, Sekhmet could’ve tried to change that — but she didn’t.

Out of her own laziness, she didn’t try hard enough to change Typhon’s mindset. And whenever she was sent to stop her, she didn’t put in as much effort as she should’ve. She did just enough.

The point is: she didn’t try to take on more responsibility than what she felt capable of or willing to accept.

Could she be blamed for that?

Some might say that if you have the power to prevent something bad, it’s your responsibility to do so.

But what if, by doing so, you’re just stopping people from growing and learning to face their own responsibilities?

They’d become more dependent on you, push more and more expectations onto you, until your life revolved only around doing what others expected of you.

Some might want that burden. Others might be forced into it.

She had the choice — and she chose not to be responsible.

Sekhmet would rather let people deal with the consequences of their own choices — whether they accepted them or not.

And so, her life went on, and on... until she died.

Sekhmet didn’t feel particularly sad about dying and reaching the end of her life.

For the simple reason that death meant she wouldn’t have to deal with the endless problems of such a collapsed world.

And when she thought she would finally meet her end…

She woke up again — next to that boy, by the river.

Natsuki Subaru. A strange boy.

If she had to give an opinion about him, she considered him a very energetic, strange, and… childish person. Childish in a different way than one might think. She didn’t mean it negatively or pejoratively. Rather, it was a way of summarizing the kind of mindset he had—one she couldn’t identify with, but could understand.

When they met and during the time they spent together, she understood that he believed he was born with a purpose. Natsuki Subaru thought he was born to fulfill a mission passed on by Natsuki Naoko and Natsuki Kenichi—to be the perfect son, to stand out among others, to become a perfect or superior copy of the father he so fervently admired and loved.

Sekhmet may not have been someone who talked or interacted much, but she was far from inattentive, and even farther from being lacking in common sense or intelligence. Quite the opposite—when it came to the Witch of Sloth, she possessed a sharp analytical process and deep understanding.

Kenichi and Naoko Natsuki, from what Sekhmet gathered and perceived from Subaru’s words, were exemplary parents. Incredible people admired by those around them, and even more so by their son, who wanted to be just like them. Admirable figures, kindhearted, who clearly loved their son without placing expectations that he had to be anything more than just their child. But Natsuki Subaru didn’t understand that. He believed that because he was born of such special, admired people, he had to strive to become like them. He sought to become the perfect version of the ideal son he believed his parents wanted when they had him.

Do you understand now why she said it was a childish thought?

Clearly, they didn’t want that. In fact, it was admirable in a way. Natsuki Subaru’s parents loved him not for what he could become, but for who he was, and they would accept him as he was. They didn’t hold some arbitrary definition of “perfection.” If their son wasn’t the fastest, or the smartest, or the best? They would still accept him. Because they were the kind of people who didn’t place unnecessary expectations on a child who couldn’t yet understand the real difference between “expectations” and “purpose.”

But she also had to hold them accountable. Because even though they never said they wanted him to be a perfect figure, they also never really stopped him from thinking that way—he only discovered the truth on his own, though it ended up buried under more sadness. That was something they should have done. It wasn’t their fault that such an idea formed in the boy’s mind, but it was still their responsibility as parents to either dispel or confirm such beliefs. That was a duty they should have fulfilled.

Sekhmet didn’t feel or consider herself in a position to judge others for their choices or tell them how to fulfill their responsibilities, but she did believe she had the right to give her opinion when it came to people and their slothfulness. After all, she was the Witch of Sloth—so at the very least, she could speak on that.

She would still praise them for the gentle upbringing they gave their son.

When she met him, when she thought about it, she wondered who was responsible for her resurrection. Sekhmet didn’t understand it, and while she didn’t particularly hate or resent her friend for it, she did judge the choice to bring her back so suddenly and especially in such a desolate place. And even then, the boy took responsibility for her being brought back to life.

That was the catalyst for their small journey together.

He carried her, while she protected him, until they arrived at the small village where they now lived.

Subaru began to take care of both of them. He supported them, continued providing the food they had on their plates, the water they drank and bathed with—in her case, she was bathed by the women of the village—the clothes, the furniture. Everything. He worked in the fields, and later started creating inventions and selling them to passing merchants, and eventually to merchants who became loyal clients. He also helped others in the village with their tasks.

Sekhmet thought he did all this mainly for a few reasons—among them, to get attention and maintain a sense that he was a kind of “Chosen One.”

Of course, that idea, as he explained, came from the stories he read back in his home—“From Beyond the Great Waterfall, like that man from the past…” she clearly noticed and confirmed some things when she discovered his origins—and his childish thinking made him believe he had a purpose in being summoned. Not that she could entirely blame him. Sometimes, people need a certain mindset to cope with the weight of overwhelming situations.

Being pulled from your homeland and thrown into a completely different place with no knowledge of where you are or why it happened?

It made sense that his mind would drift toward a belief that offered some comfort in such stressful circumstances. It was a kind of escape. A normal escape, one that would be harmless if he held onto it just long enough to regain his footing. And he did. Over time, she realized, especially as they talked, that he had come to understand he might not have been summoned to this world for some grand predestined purpose and that her resurrection wasn’t his fault. He understood and accepted it.

However, that didn’t stop him from continuing to work hard.

In fact, she saw him working so hard that she sometimes wondered if he wasn’t overexerting himself unnecessarily. Some in the village even agreed with her that he overdid it.

But she understood that his reasons came from feeling that if he didn’t work that hard, he would be ignored and cast aside by those around him.

Yet Subaru thought of himself as a lazy person.

If you remembered who she was and who she considered lazy, you’d get a better idea of the opinion she formed about the boy and his way of thinking. Subaru was a diligent young man. Despite his childish thoughts and behavior, that was something easily overcome with a good conversation. He was an intelligent person who could understand things well when spoken to kindly. But not just because of how much he worked, rather because of how much he took responsibility. When he made mistakes? He tried to fix them. And when he wasn’t the one at fault? He would still blame himself, thinking he should have been better—something that needed to change, a process still ongoing.

Responsible. That’s what she wanted to focus on.

Even when she told him he could leave her and didn’t need to take care of her, Subaru chose to stay and care for her. At first, maybe it was because he thought it was his fault she had been brought back to life. But when he realized it wasn’t his fault, he still continued, taking on that responsibility. A responsibility that no one forced on him, that no one asked him to fulfill—he chose it himself.

The responsibility of helping and caring for the Witch of Sloth. A task she never forced or demanded from him. Because that meant feeding her, bathing her, dressing her—doing all the basic things everyone else did so easily, which she didn’t do out of her own laziness. And Sekhmet told him he could abandon her and leave her on her own. She was her own responsibility, and choosing not to take care of herself should be her own problem—not something to throw on the shoulders of someone who already had to care for himself. As she said, she would take responsibility for her own mistakes and choices, which meant accepting going hungry, being unkempt, and smelling odd for not taking care of herself like anyone else would.

But as she had already said, he still chose to take care of her.

Instead of turning his back on her, like so many others would have done, he kept taking care of her.

Providing food, water, clothes. Helping care for her hair, helping keep her room clean, helping her get enough sunlight to stay healthy, and carrying her from one place to another because she was too lazy to move.

And he even did things she considered unnecessary, like the times he would wake up at night and go to her room to check her breathing and make sure she was comfortable and alive — always looking relieved and happy when he saw her breathing, something she noticed from his expressions during the times she woke up without him realizing when Subaru made those visits.

He never demanded that she put in effort or repay him in any way, although he did ask as a favor that she at least help the people fight off Mabeast attacks when they occurred. A fairly small price, since she could easily do that even from her window, without any effort at all to eliminate those creatures — as they were weak compared to the types of monsters Daphne could create and that Sekhmet could deal with.

Thus, they lived their lives peacefully like that for over a full year since the first time they met.

And now?

She was at the window of her room, one eye lazily half-open, watching a construction project in progress. What kind of construction? A house? No — an orphanage. Two stories high. Big enough to stand out in that small village which, despite having a large number of residents, had few children — a noticeable imbalance that now seemed to be fading into the past. Because now, you could see a whole new group of children running around, playing alongside the village's older kids.

Where had they come from?

They had come from the Capital, arriving in the carriage that had departed to the Capital, returning alongside Subaru and Chew.

Why?

Many would ask why they had brought the children along. Some would answer it was out of pity, out of compassion. And those answers were correct.

[Subaru: They were alone. Living off theft. The oldest of them is only seven years old, and they struggle to feed the younger ones, who are barely a few months old. How could I turn my face away from something like that?]

She remembered Subaru’s words when someone questioned him about it.

But Sekhmet’s own questioning later, though colder and more blunt, had been necessary to truly understand Subaru’s mindset.

They were talking in her room the night he came back.

Subaru had put the children — fifteen of them — to sleep in various rooms throughout the house, the older ones, and some in his own room, with the youngest being watched over by one of the older kids. He himself went to sleep in the chair where he usually sat to keep her company and rest together. That’s when she questioned him, wanting to be sure of what he was thinking.

[Sekhmet: Yawn… Why did… yawn… you rescue… yawn… them? That’s a lot of… yawn… mouths to feed… yawn… and extra responsibilities. Couldn’t you have… yawn… left that to someone else?]

[Subaru: Maybe I could have. Yeah, I could’ve thought that way. Why bother doing this when someone else could handle it? —— And then I thought: “What if no one else comes?” What if… no one cares enough about those kids to help them...? —— I might sound arrogant, I might sound like an idiot, but at that moment I thought: “What’s going to stop the next person from thinking the same way I did... and leaving it for someone else to deal with?” And I realized I was just trying to look away. To say it’s not my problem, that it’s not my fault, not my responsibility... Even though all of that is true, it felt like those thoughts were just excuses so I wouldn’t feel guilty if I turned my back on them... So I came to a conclusion.]

[Sekhmet: ——?]

[Subaru: I’m an idiot. Even if what happened to them wasn’t my fault, I knew it would be if I did nothing when I could’ve done something. And even if it’s not my responsibility to help them, I realized I also couldn’t not want to help. I made my decision right then. —— I know taking care of these kids isn’t something I have to do, or something I’m even fully capable of doing. But I decided I wouldn’t give up before at least trying. Even if they’re not my responsibility because they’re not my children, I’ll take on that responsibility because they’re children I want to help. Because… I’m an idiot.]

He said those words with a smile — a wide smile. A smile some might consider silly and foolish as he spoke of taking on responsibilities for children who weren’t even his. And that… made her smile a little.

Even now, resting her face on one hand, gently pressing her cheek against it, she still wore a small, satisfied smile. Because Subaru had once again shown himself to be a responsible person. In that moment, she realized it wasn’t just about him wanting to feel special or be special — Subaru was a good person.

She even understood that, if they had met back in the time when she was exiled, he would’ve accepted and cared for her just as he had since they first met. Without expecting anything from her. Not because he had no expectations or didn’t think she had potential, but because he wouldn’t put that kind of burden on someone’s shoulders — not when he already carried so much on his own. Not because he was obligated to, not because he wanted rewards, and not because he wanted to feel superior. But because that’s part of who he is. Someone who doesn’t turn away, even when he could. Someone who, when he sees responsibility, doesn’t ignore it. Someone willing to take risks to help others in any way he can.

Unlike her clan in the past, he wasn’t someone who abandoned others for failing to meet expectations. The only expectation he had for you… was that you lived and were happy. Though, ironically, he still held too many expectations for himself when it came to helping others.

At that moment, she watched him together with the other villagers. They had been working together, little by little over the last few days, building that orphanage. A place so the children wouldn’t have to be cramped inside their house. It would be a place made especially for them.

Subaru carried some building materials on his shoulders, working alongside the others. He was putting in just as much effort as anyone else.

When he saw her watching him, he waved with a smile on his face, and she returned the gesture with her own. And without him knowing — or at least she thought he didn’t know — she was using a bit of her Authority to help them lift some of the heavier loads. It was costing her a few minutes of sleep she could’ve been enjoying, but strangely, she didn’t think that was a bad thing.

It wasn’t bad at all to give up a few minutes of sleep to help him and the others.

—[CHIBI MOMENT]—

2) [——]

He didn’t know how exactly he had ended up in this situation...

[Subaru: Huh?]

[Sekhmet: We’re going to do this...]

After a diligent day of work, Subaru had come back home. He had helped with the construction, played with and taken care of the children — which included feeding the youngest ones — and helped others around the village with their chores and jobs, not to mention managing his inventions and business with the merchants. These businesses were one of the sources of funding for the orphanage’s construction materials.

Someone who had worked hard all day, from the moment he woke up — doing his morning radiocalisthenics — until the moment he was about to sleep in the chair again, leaving his room for the kids.

And when he got to the room, things quickly escalated to this point.

Now the black-haired young man was lying on the mattress, underneath the woman who had each of her arms on either side of his face, gazing down at him. The two of them stared at each other for a few moments, and he was clearly nervous, his cheeks flushed red.

[Subaru: I-I... Um... Ah, w-wait... A-A-Are you sure...?]

[Sekhmet: I'm still awake, not yawning, and suggesting we do something that involves physical activity. It's not polite to ask a woman that, but even more so when it comes to me, don’t you think?]

[Subaru: Good point, I can’t argue with that. —— Um. Hm. I... um... I’ve never done this before... and I wasn’t... expecting this...]

[Sekhmet: No problem... I’ll help you with that.]

With those words, he felt even more nervous about what was about to happen.

And if you asked why she was doing this: It was mostly out of personal desire — and to reward him.

He wasn’t just a kind person who helped everyone around him — he also acted like an older brother to the older children, like a father to the younger ones — especially the babies — and he was a hardworking man who put effort into everything he set out to try and actually do.

So... could you blame her?

It was simply a combination that was deeply attractive to her. That’s why, on that night, she decided to reward him for everything he had done for her — and for making her feel willing to stay awake just for this. They would go through with it! Even if she felt, somehow, the furious glare of a certain friend aimed right at her head — but hey, that was her fault for having brought that friend back to life alongside the boy.

 

 

—————

I'd like to thank @Linkacode. He gave me the inspiration for Extra 2 and this Epilogue with his comments. And if you're reading this, thank you so much! I hope to see another one of your comments on this Chapter again, if you can.

In this IF:

-Subaru and Sekhmet gradually fell in love over the time they spent together, to the point that their relationship only became “official” when people started openly calling them a couple.

-Subaru founded and became the head of the orphanage created in the village, with help from the villagers, caring for the children rescued from the Capital. Over time, some of those children were adopted by people from other villages — even merchants. Likewise, with time, villagers like Chew and Subaru himself began bringing new children to the orphanage.

-Subaru died only once: of old age. He never learned about Return by Death, never fought any of the Archbishops or Great Beasts. He lived a happy, peaceful, and fulfilling life.

Non-canon information for this IF (but anyone is free to treat it as canon if they want):

-Over the next 40 years, Subaru and Sekhmet ended up having around 33 children. This was due to several factors: even though they had sex only a few times (due to her low energy and the long rest period after each childbirth, around 5 months), every single time she got pregnant. And in most cases, she ended up having twins — sometimes even triplets. Her giant physiology made it easy for her body to handle pregnancy, and neither of them knew that this surprising fertility was actually due to Satella’s revival process having unintentionally affected the fertility of the Witch of Sloth — as if it were some cosmic joke. They only stopped when Subaru turned 60 years old.

Chapter 152: Daphne IF

What if...? What if Subaru had been summoned alongside Daphne?

—————

 

 

Daphne knew very little in her life. To be precise, everything she knew revolved around hunger and eating. It matched her title as the Witch of Gluttony and as the creator of the greatest beasts of the current world — the Three Great Mabeasts and the countless lesser Mabeasts that roamed the land, spreading chaos as they tried to satisfy the endless hunger that mimicked the very hunger she herself constantly felt.

A hunger that shaped her way of thinking, for it never ceased.

Hunger. Pure, relentless hunger.

As if a bottomless void resided within her body, every second was raw agony — a brutal sting that started in her stomach, crawled through her insides, and spread like fire through every nerve, every bone, every piece of flesh. Not just a conceptual hunger, but a primitive, insatiable, corrosive need.

Even now, she felt it. Again. And again. And again.

In the stillness of the night, while hearing the sound of branches cracking from the dying flames,

her mouth salivated without pause, her stomach twisted in painful spasms, screaming for something — anything — that could fill her mouth and, even for just a moment, fill that gaping hole that never seemed to be satisfied no matter how much she tried, no matter how many ways she attempted.

The scent of everything around her resembled food — wood, stone, dirt... sometimes even the very food she had previously expelled from her own stomach.

Daphne couldn’t even remove the blindfold wrapped around her eyes.

The worst part was that she no longer had her Coffin to transport her. She was lying directly against the ground now, her body writhing in desperate agony from the endless hunger her stomach had inflicted upon her ever since the day she gained her Authority — a hunger so immense that it led her to do things no normal person ever would.

A normal person wouldn’t eat their own vomit or anything that came out of their body just to fill their belly, right? A normal person wouldn’t eat anything in front of them, even if it were other living beings, right? A normal person wouldn’t devour their own parents when starving, right...?

Not that she truly understood what it meant to be "normal" like the so-called ordinary people. Just like her fellow Witches of Sin — they were far from normal by anyone’s standards, weren’t they?

“Looking” toward a direction she couldn’t actually comprehend — since her eyes were blindfolded, for the sake of others, due to the power of her Authority of Gluttony, which would cause anyone nearby to feel the same overwhelming hunger that gnawed at her day after day.

What she could “see” came instead through her other heightened senses — mostly her hyper-acute sense of smell, as well as her sharpened sense of taste, both developed to help her consume anything.

The figure near her in that place... was someone she had met back in the desert, when she awakened once again.

It was strange... truly strange to find herself back in the very place where she remembered starving to death, wasting away because of the endless hunger that even the desert sand couldn’t satisfy — the sand provided no protein, no sustenance to keep her body functioning.

Yet this figure had helped her. Carried her out of the desert, cared for her, even tried to feed her however he could.

Natsuki Subaru.

A strange being. A very strange being.

A strange prey.

For someone with her appearance — that of a young girl — some might not think of her as someone driven by the primal instinct of a predator hunting lesser, weaker creatures... yet that’s exactly what she was, just like the very creatures she herself had created.

Her mindset was simple: Every creature exists to eat. And therefore, they fight. The strong survive, and the weak perish.

"Those who are willing to eat must be prepared to be eaten."

That’s how she had always lived.

For Daphne, such a way of life was perfectly simple.

She neither hated nor loved people, animals, nature, or even her own “children” — the Mabeasts. After all, she was perfectly willing to devour them without hesitation. It would be selfish and hypocritical, even with her simplistic view of life, to not allow them the same right — to want to kill her or devour her in return.

Hunger is a terrible thing to feel.

That’s why she created the Three Great Mabeasts, to help the world with hunger. The Whale, the Rabbit, and the Snake. Her intention was to end world hunger! Of course... she made them powerful enough to fight back.

The Whale was massive — its meat could feed countless people. The Rabbit could multiply infinitely, producing endless food for anyone able to hunt it... before being hunted themselves.

But, as with everything tied to her, her creations were dangerous. They attacked and devoured humans, following the very nature she herself lived by. Whether people were devoured or managed to slay and eat the beasts, it didn’t matter to her. In a way, it was still helping with world hunger — even if that meant reducing the population and leaving more resources for those who remained.

A dark thought. A dark mindset born from her insatiable hunger — a hunger so great it led her to lock herself inside a coffin just to avoid burning calories and feeling even more ravenous.

She even preferred sleeping, motionless, to avoid that pain.

But once again — she had no malicious intent toward others. Truly. As said before, she didn’t care whether people loved her or hated her. She allowed them to hold any opinion they wanted about her. Was that a good thing? A bad thing? Well... she didn’t care. She had her own desires, her own selfish goals, just like everyone else. So why would she judge anyone?

Daphne understood hunger on a level deeper than anyone else — far deeper than anyone could ever comprehend. Not even the people from her past could truly understand what she felt, no matter how hard they might have tried.

Well... most didn’t seem to understand.

She did remember one strange little figure who tried...

Back to Subaru — she was “looking” in his direction, sensing his scent. A very curious scent — the scent of a Sage Candidate, much like that strange figure from the past.

A scent that made her want to devour him, just as she felt toward everything and everyone she had ever known during her endless hunts to stave off the gnawing hunger — even if only for a few moments before it inevitably returned.

Subaru had picked her up from the desert. Carried her. Even accepted it when she bit him.

And a bite from her... was not something trivial.

The Witch of Gluttony remembered how she quickly satiated herself by biting a small chunk from his shoulder — swallowing it without hesitation. Something that would make any prey flee. Flee in terror. Abandon her. Run from the predator she was.

But what did he do...?

[Subaru: I’m sorry...]

He placed a hand on her head as she bit him.

Not to grab her. Not to push her away.

He... gently patted her head. Kindly. Softly.

It was so strange to her. Why...?

Even she didn’t understand why he did it — why he had picked her up in the desert, carried her all the way here, treated her kindly even after she tore a chunk out of his shoulder and trapezius (though not in a lethal way), and treated her so warmly — so gently — in a way that... almost reminded her of the affectionate way her friends... and even her parents... had once treated her.

After that, he kept doing it. He kept taking care of her, kept carrying her, kept helping her eat, and kept treating her in such a kind way that it felt strange. Even now, he had given her most of the food they had managed to get, had given her the spot closest to the campfire to keep warm on the cold night, and had even given her his jacket so she could cover herself and stay warm on the ground. Something truly strange coming from that person near her.

Why?

Daphne couldn’t understand, couldn’t quite grasp it — not even when her hunger wasn’t clouding her mind.

The Witch of Gluttony began crawling toward the boy who was sleeping not far from her, dragging herself as best as she could until she was right over him, taking in his scent. The smell that made her want to devour him.

As cruel as it seemed, once again, her hunger was louder than anything else. She wanted to fill the void inside her, and her mouth hung open, saliva lightly dripping...

His eyes opened slightly, looking right at her. He gave a small smile and pulled her close into a gentle hug.

[Subaru: You can sleep. —— Zzzz. Zzzz.]

[Daphne: Hm? —— Subarun is weird, Tsu~]

She mumbled as he hugged her without a care, drifting back to sleep.

Being this close to him, Daphne could fully smell him at an even more intense level. She could even distinguish it in a disturbingly precise way — the scent of his sweat, the scent of his hair, the scent of his skin, the scent of his flesh, the scent of his bones, the scent of his organs. The very scent that defined Natsuki Subaru as Natsuki Subaru — a being that could be devoured by her or by any living creature close enough.

The Witch could feel herself drooling, her stomach twisting, aching to eat him. She was ready.

And Subaru... was completely defenseless. He had pulled her close, fully trusting that she wouldn’t attack him while being this close.

But... why wasn’t she doing it?

Her mouth was open, ready to bite down and devour him as he slept peacefully — but she didn’t. Her mouth was poised to shut and consume him... but it never did.

For a few moments... just seconds.

And when she finally closed her mouth, there was nothing inside it to chew. Instead, she chose to sleep.

Because when she was asleep, she didn’t feel as hungry. When she slept, she could push those thoughts away. Because sleeping meant she could preserve her energy... and spare her prey for another day.

Daphne drifted off, snuggled up while being held lovingly by that strange person — someone trying to care for her the same way her parents once did.

That night... hunger made space for her to be satisfied with just a peaceful, dream-filled sleep.

 

 

—————

Three chapters, one day. Am I on fire or what?

In this IF:

-Subaru was summoned along with Daphne into the Nameless Desert near the Sixth City of Kararagi, Azamiki. It’s at least a full day’s walk to leave the desert — assuming they didn’t stop to rest, sleep, or take breaks.

-Subaru was killed and eaten by Daphne several times before realizing it was her who was killing him. During this process, he also died discovering she would devour him alive no matter how much he fought back or begged not to be eaten — dying roughly 40 times. Even when trying to run away or abandon her, Daphne would end up attacking him, or a mabeast would attack him while trying to leave the area.

-On his second-to-last loop, he was directly observed by Daphne’s right eye — described as worse than her left, which already makes someone so hungry they start eating themselves to try to satisfy it. After experiencing that, Subaru went through deep self-reflection during his penultimate loop. In that one, he fully understood the hunger she felt — the pain she was constantly in. So when he woke up, he simply hugged her for the entire day... until she devoured him again, with Subaru not resisting.

-Currently, Subaru doesn’t hate or hold any grudge against Daphne. Instead, he feels deep pity and sadness for her — to the point where he genuinely cares for her suffering, caused by her endless hunger. That’s why he chose not to abandon her in the desert to starve, even though she had hunted and eaten him before — or sicced her creations on him.

-Ironically, the deaths he suffered at her hands — and the hunger he felt because of her eye — dulled his own sense of pain. That’s why he could even withstand Daphne biting him without any problem when she attacked him on the way. Thanks to that, he managed to walk literally an entire day non-stop, getting them both out of the desert and feeding her something else... other than himself.

-Daphne felt... strange. The affection she received when attacking him confused her. Without understanding why, she ended her attack by only tearing off a small piece — just enough to satisfy herself temporarily — and allowed herself to be carried out of the desert.

Chapter 153: Adelheid IF

What if...? What if the Sword Saint was a Sword Saintess?

—————

 

 

Subaru was calmly finishing preparing a good meal for himself and his beloved.

It wasn’t anything too complicated, but in the past, he wouldn’t have had such skills. Living with his parents and relying on pre-packaged food to satisfy his hunger — or at least lessen it enough to get by — was his reality. His mother was the best at making delicious meals, so much so that he still missed her cooking even in this new world filled with different kinds of food.

That’s why a hikikomori like him considered himself incapable of basic survival skills, especially when it came to simple tasks like cooking. People like him often became complacent when life handed them everything on a silver platter.

So, when he came to this world — a little over a year ago — he didn’t have the cooking skills he had now. How did he learn? Through practice, study, and with the help of a wonderful teacher: his beloved, who had enough patience to give him the chance to grow and learn. It was a simple task, but one he had come to enjoy. Compared to the work his beloved did, this was something small, a simple effort that let him repay her for everything she did for others.

He found himself smiling foolishly as he finished arranging her lunch plate.

[Subaru: What does a girl like her see in a guy like me...?]

Many men probably asked themselves the same thing when they found a girl so special that it made them wonder if they were truly worthy of her love and affection.

But Subaru simply saw himself as a lucky idiot.

The beloved he referred to was the girl he had met on his very first day in this new world. His arrival... was a little strange. When he first showed up, Subaru thought he was the protagonist of an isekai story — powerful, capable, invincible, summoned to save the people and defeat any evil that threatened this world.

That illusion lasted until he got thoroughly beaten up in an alley by three thugs.

And that’s when he met her.

And damn... the sight of that woman was so breathtaking that it still left him speechless to this day.

Speaking of which, he heard a gentle knock at his door.

[Subaru: She’s early.]

He commented with a soft smile as he headed toward the entrance of the house — a home he had thanks to her, who had been kind enough to take him in when he had nowhere else to go... or did he ever?

Opening the door, he was greeted by an incredibly beautiful woman.

Her fiery red hair, vibrant like a blazing inferno, was tied in a high ponytail that swayed gracefully with every step she took. A few loose strands framed her delicate face, highlighting her sharp yet graceful features. Her sapphire-blue eyes sparkled like pure gemstones, radiating a calm confidence and determination that almost felt like a challenge.

She wore her elegant uniform — a short skirt predominantly white, accented with black and red lines that hugged her figure perfectly. Golden chains and gleaming buttons adorned the outfit, blending the dignified aura of a noble warrior with striking beauty. A short cape fluttered behind her, a subtle display of her commanding presence. Her legs were wrapped in sheer black tights, and her feet were clad in flawless white knee-high boots.

At her waist rested her famous sword.

There was an air about her — a perfect mix of beauty, strength, and discipline.

A figure of immeasurable beauty that no one would doubt belonged to a being entirely different from an ordinary human. And as surprising as that sounded to some... well, it was true.

[Subaru: Adelheid.]

[Adelheid: Subaru.]

Greeting each other, she smiled — a smile that made her even more beautiful — before they shared a quick kiss.

Adelheid van Astrea, the Sword Saintess, was the woman he met on that very first day. A woman of divine appearance, standing tall and radiant next to an ordinary-looking man with black hair. And remembering that day always made his heart flutter with both happiness... and a bit of embarrassment.

Back in that alley, Subaru — his pride and delusions shattered by the beating from those thugs — cried out for help in a slightly shrill voice. And then she appeared at the mouth of the alley, a figure so imposing it could take anyone’s breath away — man or woman alike. With her mere presence, she frightened the thugs into running with their tails between their legs.

Even now, the memory still made his heart race.

Being saved by someone so beautiful on his first day... to a young man who read countless fantasy stories, it felt like destiny.

[Subaru: Normally... it’d be the other way around. But considering where I am now, I really don’t have the right to complain, do I?]

[Adelheid: You look like you’re thinking something amusing... you gonna say it out loud?]

[Subaru: Huh? Did I say that out loud? Eh, not that it matters, since I was thinking about you.]

[Adelheid: R-Really...? Such sweet words...]

Her cheeks flushed slightly at his words.

Adelheid scratched her left cheek with a hint of nervousness but kept a small smile as she walked inside the house with him.

They made their way to the dining table in this modest little home — but still, a place Subaru was happy to call his own. For someone like him — a hikikomori who once considered himself useless and beyond saving — it wasn’t a bad place to live, even if his situation wasn’t exactly stable.

The fiery-haired girl took the first bite of the meal prepared by the black-haired young man.

[Adelheid: It’s really good, Subaru.]

[Subaru: You always say that and it warms my heart... but I wish you'd give me a bit more detailed feedback than that. Not that I want to be utterly destroyed by some harsh comment from a cute and beautiful girl like you.]

[Adelheid: So... you like when I praise you, but you also want a more constructive and honest comment to know if I truly enjoyed your cooking?]

[Subaru: Let me guess... “Divine Protection of Perfect Word Choice” or maybe “Divine Protection of Logical Thinking”?]

Raising an eyebrow playfully, he seemed ready to hear her answer before she realized — it was a joke. He always teased her about the countless Divine Protections she had, some of which sounded strange or downright ridiculous to others... though he found it fun to poke at that fact.

He chuckled when he saw her get a little flustered.

The two continued eating quietly, like a calm couple enjoying a peaceful moment.

[Subaru: I know the food’s good because you taught me with your Divine Protection of the Teacher, which helped me become good at cooking. And I’ve worked hard to improve... but still, I worry you might just be being too nice, eating something you don’t actually like and putting up with it out of some altruistic kindness for a hopeless guy like me. And while I’d be grateful for you lying to spare my feelings... it’d hurt even more if I found out the truth later on.]

[Adelheid: I really like your cooking, Subaru. You don’t have to worry about that. Your training and effort were absolutely worth it.]

[Subaru: Once again, thank you for your kind words, Adelheid-tan~~! I’ll keep improving until you say, “Your food is amazing!” Or until my cooking is so good no one could ever match it... though, that does sound ridiculously silly when said out loud, doesn’t it?]

[Adelheid: Isn't it natural for everyone to aim to stand out?]

Responding to him with a question and a warm smile, Subaru can only sigh as he finds himself at a loss for words.

He wanted to humiliate himself again for being someone who considers himself useless.

A girl like that? A powerful Knight with an incredible title, from a noble family, with powers beyond comprehension that made her seem like an anomaly to the world, wasting her time with him?

This made his inner self strive to get her attention as much as he could, even through things as useless as anyone else could. At least to feel slightly important in the life of someone he knew had a life with things far more important than a black-haired boy he met randomly in an alley while screaming for help in an embarrassing manner. And it was a way he had to get attention even before he came to this world, when he was his father's shadow.

But it seemed that was enough.

The figure with flaming hair continued to eat calmly, with a loving smile on her face.

Staring at her with satisfaction and happiness that took him back to the day they met.

The day he went to help Felt tell Elsa, the Gut Hunter, who was after the Insignia he had and was going to sell after stealing it from [//////] to get some Holy Gold coins, when Adelheid saved him, Felt, Rom, and [//////] from being killed by that woman again... again...?

When had he met her...? When had Subaru died...?

No, it didn't make sense. He hadn't died, he had never died, because if he had died at some point, he would never have come back, as it was simply impossible for someone to return after dying. Or at least someone ordinary like him. Because Adelheid had Divine Protection from the Phoenix, which could return after being killed in some way, and it was one of her best powers that he had seen at first glance when they went to rescue [//////].

[//////]? Who is [//////]? Why, when he thought of [//////], couldn't he think of who she was? And how did he know that [//////] was a “she”? Where would this [//////] be now?

As he seemed to sink into this, he felt a hand on his that was still free while eating.

Adelheid offered him a gentle smile that calmed his heart.

His thoughts stopped wandering to that unknown person his head had forgotten. What mattered now was the girl in front of him. The moment he was sharing now was worth more than the strange memories that gave him a headache at times like this.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Reinhard is a girl named Adelheid.

-Adelheid had a worse and more isolated childhood than Reinhard.

-She is possibly one of the coldest and darkest versions of Reinhard. For comparison: She would be equivalent to Envy, Pandora (from Vainglory IF), Emilia (Promise IF), and Beatrice (Black Butterfly IF).

-The Subaru of this IF is possibly one of the saddest.

-Adelheid is extremely happy with Subaru as her boyfriend and future husband.

Chapter 154: [Extra - Adelheid IF]

Subaru had a bathtub outside his house to bathe in.

It wasn’t anything fancy or luxurious, but it was enough to make him feel comfortable when he got in and lay back in it.

Using a bit of soap, he calmly washed himself, enjoying the warm water just enough to let his fatigue melt away.

It wasn’t bad at all.

He did this whenever he took some time for himself after spending the whole day taking care of the house—cleaning, cooking, doing the laundry, washing or organizing it. Domestic work he’d learned to do thanks to his girlfriend and by his own will, since he had to be alone most of the time and there was no one else in the house until she came back.

Not exactly your typical Isekai routine, right? Not that he minded after being in this world for so long.

Learning he didn’t have the power to deal with major threats, he had to support Adelheid in some way ever since they met. Which wasn’t all that bad. Together, they had been able to solve huge problems—like defeating the Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas, in Priestella when everyone gathered, back when he was still the Knight of [/////].

A slight headache started to settle in as he thought about it.

[???: What’s wrong~?]

[Subaru: Aaah! —— Aww, Adelheid-tan. I told you not to sneak up on me like that at times like this, didn’t I?]

The woman with flame-colored hair let out a small amused laugh at his cute reaction, hugging him from behind and resting her head on top of his, placing her chin on it.

[Adelheid: Sorry. I saw you massaging your head again… Want me to help you again?]

[Subaru: I don’t want to trouble you with this again. It comes and goes.]

[Adelheid: You know it’s never a bother, Subaru. Just leave it to me, alright?]

[Subaru: ——]

 

As she spoke, the girl took off her gloves, tucked them into her pockets, and placed her hands gently on top of Subaru’s head.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

They stayed like that for a few seconds while he let her do what she had to do.

He knew it wasn’t healing magic, since it didn’t act like magic usually did. Still, the strange flashes and the headache gradually faded.

A comforting sensation washed over him.

[Subaru: Thank you, Adelheid-tan. I feel a lot better.]

[Adelheid: Anytime, Subaru. It’s no trouble at all to help you with your headaches when you need it.]

[Subaru: But leaving everything in my girlfriend’s hands feels kinda embarrassing, you know~?]

[Adelheid: Cute.]

She said it with such a sincere and honest tone that it made him blush.

He knew she wasn’t teasing him—which only made it more embarrassing because of how genuinely she meant it.

Adelheid moved away from the tub to sit on a small bench not far from it. Subaru quickly finished up his bath, since she had arrived earlier than he expected. Sometimes, the two of them would end up doing this sort of thing when their timing matched.

The dark-haired boy stepped out of the tub, wrapped a towel around his waist, and walked over to the clothes he had left on the fence next to it.

The first thing he did to get dressed was put on his underwear and let the towel drop. He was about to grab his pants when—

[Adelheid: Wait a minute...]

[Subaru: ——]

[Adelheid: Just... wait a bit, okay?]

She spoke in a casual tone, but he stopped as if it were an order.

It wasn’t strange for him to do that when she asked him something.

[Adelheid: Please come a little closer. I... wanted you to come here...]

[Subaru: ——]

[Adelheid: It’s just something quick... please, Subaru.]

[Subaru: Sure.]

He always followed her requests when she asked something like that.

As Subaru was about to turn around—

[Adelheid: NO! Don’t turn around. Please. Just... stay facing away. Come to me, facing away, please.]

[Subaru: ——]

Obeying her request, he started walking backward without hesitation.

He knew the distance between the fence and the special bench she used to sit and wait for him after his bath.

He reached her, standing just close enough for her to reach out with her arms.

Stretching her arms toward him...

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in, resting her forehead against his back.

Hugging him.

His eyes widened slightly as she stopped moving—so did he.

A strange scene. He was standing there in just his underwear, and she was fully clothed, sitting.

But at the same time, it felt... a bit melancholic.

Subaru began scratching his cheek.

[Subaru: Adelheid-tan, this is a little... sudden.]

[Adelheid: Sorry, I just... I just wanted to do this...]

[Subaru: If you wanted to hug me, that’s fine. I wouldn’t mind hugging you back if you wanted. I just wish I was wearing more than just underwear. It’s embarrassing for a guy to be hugged by the most beautiful girl in the world while practically naked.]

[Adelheid: Sorry for causing you trouble with my selfishness. —— I think I should apologize for more than just that… for my laziness and for my greed...]

Subaru found that odd.

There was a strange, unfamiliar feeling creeping in. A bit of discomfort.

She continued hugging him gently, her face still pressed to his back.

[Subaru: You asked me not to turn around because you didn’t want me to see you blushing, right? That’s cute. I wouldn’t want you to see me blushing either if I asked for something like this. But honestly, I don’t think I could ask you to do something like this... especially not if it meant seeing you without clothes after a bath.]

[Adelheid: I know it’s just a thought, but I’d be really embarrassed if you saw me like that too. Even though we’ve seen each other in our underwear before...]

After that exchange, his face was as red as it could get.

And her face was also completely flushed after what they said to each other.

[Subaru: Anyway, I’m going to get dressed now. I’m getting really cold here.]

[Adelheid: S-Sorry, you can get dressed now, Subaru.]

Flustered as she realized what she’d done, Adelheid panicked a little in a cute way and let him go get dressed.

Placing her hands on her thighs and turning her face away with burning cheeks, she watched him with a small smile.

Subaru laughed a little at her reaction, then went to finish getting dressed.

While he did, Adelheid cast a small glance at his back—at what was on it.

A large scar that covered nearly his entire back; deep and grotesque.

She clenched her fists tightly, grabbing the hem of her skirt.

Shame overwhelmed her face as she thought about how badly she had failed him.

Not just him, but everyone who had counted on her.

She had failed in a way that only a monster like her could have.

Now, all she could do was deal with the consequences of her choices, of her mistakes and victories, of every subsequent problem.

All she could do now was care for the man she loved with everything she had and try to make up for that mistake.

Even if the happiness she felt in her heart felt unfair... for a cruel, cold-hearted monster like her.

[Subaru: Adelheid-tan... I’m gonna make that favorite dish of yours, what do you think?]

[Adelheid: I... would love that.]

She gave a small smile at the sight of the smile he showed her, her heart fluttering as it warmed with the gentle expression of the man she loved.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Adelheid keeps Subaru in an isolated house far from the Capital.

-Adelheid is the one who brings all the supplies Subaru needs and those he asks for from her, even using her own money to buy these things.

-Felt is the Queen, and she doesn't know that Subaru is in this place.

-Adelheid is as cruel to people as Regulus is to others.

-Adelheid killed all the people in the area near Subaru's house to keep him away from everything, without anyone, to be just hers. Which includes children.

-[Alpha: WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! Who is writing these notes?! It's not Eric!]

Chapter 155: [Extra 2 - Adelheid IF]

Subaru was walking, walking, and walking. Trying to get to where he wanted to go...

But... where?

Where did he want to go? Where was Subaru trying to reach? Where did he want to return to? And how did he plan to get there?

He didn’t even know why he was walking. He didn’t know how long he’d been walking. He didn’t know how he’d get to wherever he felt he needed to be.

But Subaru felt he had to keep walking. He had to reach it — desperate to do so.

In an instant, everything beneath his feet ceased to exist, and he fell — not with speed, but with a cruel slowness, as if gravity itself hesitated to help him. Darkness swallowed him like a dense, cold, living liquid, wrapping his body in absolute silence.

There was no color.

There was no ground.

Only the weight of nothing pulling him down.

He thrashed about, arms reaching into the void, legs kicking at the dark as if the air around him had some kind of thickness.

But there was no resistance — only an eternal void.

Then came the hands. From the abyss, they emerged — translucent, spectral, twisted. They did not manifest like flesh, but like smoke with a will of its own. Fragile in appearance, but immensely strong.

They grabbed his ankles first, gripping tighter and tighter, scraping his skin with fingers that burned like dry ice. More rose from the nothing — many. Ten, twenty, fifty... countless.

Each one seeking a part of him. Wrists, shoulders, throat, back, face.

They pulled with a silent fury, with a ravenous urgency, as if he were a shipwreck survivor covered in light in a sea starved for shadows.

He writhed, kicked, screamed soundlessly — but it was like fighting fate itself — unreachable, inevitable.

The phantom hands dragged him downward, deeper, to where even hope dared not exist. Every movement was consumed by the dark, as if the world around him was made of sticky pitch, clinging to his skin, pouring into his eyes, filling his lungs.

His fingers stretched out for something — anything — to hold onto in the invisible surface that no longer existed.

But there was only cold, only hands, and the eternal darkness closing in like a tomb without walls.

And he sank.

[???: Subaru…]

A sweet voice tried to call out to him.

He kept sinking.

There was no sense of up or down anymore, only the relentless, unending pull of the spectral hands, which now seemed to become part of his very body.

Some fused with his skin, slipping through it like wet paper — entering through his pores, beneath his fingernails, pressing from within.

The cold turned to pain, the pain into numbness, and the numbness... into pure, primal, despairing fear.

And still, he kept struggling.

The hands didn’t just pull anymore — they explored. They slid over his face, covered his eyes, stealing flashes of vision with icy touches that left trails of permanent darkness. They invaded his mouth, choking out the last breath of hope.

When he tried to scream, he felt fingers dance down his throat, mocking him, smothering every sound before it could be born.

Deeper.

The shadows around him became alive. They pulsed, breathed, watched. There were eyes — millions of them — not seen, but felt. They followed him, judged him, savored his descent like patient predators. And now there were whispers. Not in words, but in intent. As if the darkness itself was telling him he would never leave.

That he was becoming part of it. That no one would remember he existed.

He kicked. His movements weren’t born of hope anymore — they were the desperate reflexes of a body refusing to die.

But the struggle weakened.

His arms felt like stone. His legs moved like they were submerged in tar. His heartbeat weakened.

Each beat was a distant echo, a memory of something that no longer mattered.

The hands grew. Not just in number, but in form. Some now had claws. Others had mouths where fingers should be. They whispered. They screamed. They begged. And he kept sinking. Then came the pressure. As if the abyss had finally decided to crush him. His chest was squeezed.

The light in his mind began to flicker.

There was no air.

No cold. No pain. Only the absolute weight of dark eternity pressing into his bones until every thought became a final, mental gasp.

He was fading.

And in that final moment — when there was no strength, no memories, no identity — only a silent scream in the void — he realized: there was no bottom.

The fall was endless.

[???: Subaru...!]

A cry from that sweet voice.

In the infinite, dark vacuum.

He began to see silhouettes — many silhouettes. Small, tall, male and female.

But it was no use.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t see them. Couldn’t make them out as they truly were.

To him, they were just empty, dark figures.

[/////: You...]

[/////: ...are not...]

[/////: ...Subaru.]

Three figures spoke among them all, and all the others trembled at their words.

As those hands began to squeeze tighter, crushing him, tearing his skin, his flesh, pulling his body apart.

As if they rejected him.

As if [Subaru] wasn’t Subaru.

[???: SUBARU, PLEASE, WAKE UP!!!]

That sweet voice now screamed, begged, trying to make him wake up.

And the first thing he felt was… pain.

A burning sensation on his wrists, across his body, inside himself.

[???: Subaru, breathe, please, calm down and breathe...]

The sweet voice pleaded with him, and instinctively, he did just that.

Instinctively, he started breathing again after having stopped, having emptied all the air from his lungs.

He did it again, and again, and again, until it became natural.

As little by little, the pain in his head began to fade, began to disappear, though he still felt the burning across his body.

[???: It's okay, it’s okay... Shhh… Please… You’re safe…]

[Subaru: ————]

Subaru opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t.

He felt his heart ache, his heart burn, his heart nearly explode.

He allowed himself to be pulled into the arms of the figure beside him, to feel their warmth, their comfort.

His eyelids slowly began to close, allowing him to fall back asleep, to rest once more as all the pain and anguish inside him, every bit of suffering he carried, slowly faded until it allowed him to rest.

He was lying in bed inside his room.

It wasn’t a luxurious room, nor was it large, but the bed itself was quite respectable — big, with clean and slightly silky sheets, and many soft pillows.

A comfortable space, as if made specifically to keep him safe, protected, and far from danger.

Beside him was the figure of another person — Adelheid — and like him, she wore sleepwear.

Now hugging him to her chest, she looked at him with deep sorrow, with a heavy heart, as she took in what had happened.

She felt a great sadness seeing that scene again.

Subaru had scratched himself, clawed at himself, to the point of tearing the skin on his wrists, his chest, and his lips, which he had bitten until they bled, soaking the pillow he slept on, staining the sheets and his sleepwear.

It was something she knew happened.

Some nights he would hurt himself like that.

He even had older scars — deeper, long-standing ones.

But to her, the wounds and scars he now gained at her side were the most shameful — not because he was hurting himself, but because she couldn’t help her beloved stop.

And she felt ashamed knowing it was her failure that allowed it.

If she hadn’t been lazy, she could’ve helped them.

If she hadn’t been greedy in her desires, maybe fate could’ve been different.

[Adelheid: I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Subaru... I'm sorry for everything...]

Apologizing again for the crimes she believed she had committed against Subaru and against the world, the girl cried as she hugged him tightly, yet carefully so as not to hurt him by using more force than necessary for such an affectionate act.

Thinking about the events that had led up to that moment, she couldn't help but torment herself with everything that had happened.

If she weren't a useless Sword Saint... Subaru wouldn't have lost everything.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Adelheid is a heartless monster. Just a——

[BAAAM!!!

Alpha invades one of the work booths for the IF Final Notes, clearly angry. While holding a notepad with the Extra information for Adelheid IF written on it.

Alpha: Eric! What the hell is this?! There's only wrong information here! What the hell did you——

She stopped talking when she saw that the person writing the extra information was not Eric, one of her extra employees, but another familiar figure: a man with red hair, blue eyes, unkempt, looking like a drunk who couldn't concentrate properly and a cruel father.

Alpha: ———— WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, HEINKEL?!

Heinkel: I'M SHOWING THE TRUTH ABOUT HER!

Alpha: YOU DON'T WORK HERE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! WHERE'S ERIC?!

Heinkel: He's in a better place...

Alpha: —— What the hell did you do to him!?]

Chapter 156: [Epilogue - Adelheid IF]

[Alpha: Hello, dear viewers—how are you? Before you begin reading, I want to apologize in advance to all of you. It seems that due to the slight… incompetence of one of my new employees, there were serious errors in the supplementary information about the universe you’ve been following. You received false information, passed along by an idiot from another universe who is now being duly punished…

(She opens a door; you can hear baby oil being poured onto a metal hand of someone a bit lonely, before she closes the door.)

Alpha: That’s why I apologize! This time, the accurate and correct information will be shared.]

—————

 

 

1) Adelheid.

Adelheid van Astrea, the Sword Saint

From the day she was born, her existence—and her title—seemed cursed to crush her, destroying every aspect of happiness she might have had. Leaving her with a cold fate for all the years that followed, starting from age six.

In early childhood, she would admit she was happy—happy with her grandfather and grandmother, with her father and mother. Then her mother fell into a state reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty’s slumber: trapped in a condition where she no longer aged, no longer ate, no longer moved, no longer lived—just existing in a room of the Astrea Mansion, lying in bed, tended to by everyone around her, with visits from her father over the years.

At six years old, her grandmother died—because of her.

And all the happiness she once had, all the brightness in her life, seemed to drain away until only a gray existence remained. Because she was cursed to receive the title Sword Saint at the exact same time—on the same night—her grandmother was killed by the Whale.

It was her fault. She caused her grandmother to lose the Divine Protection that could have saved her in the battle against that monstrous beast. Everyone—especially her grandfather—made it clear how she had caused Theresia van Astrea’s death. Theresia, a courageous, beautiful, incredible warrior, was killed because of her.

[Wilhelm: Stop using her face, you abomination.]

[Heinkel: Don’t look at me with her eyes.]

Those were their words whenever she appeared before them without something covering her face.

Since her grandmother’s death, Adelheid saw how they looked at her—not just a monster that killed her grandmother, but a disgusting being with her grandmother’s face. An imitation that murdered the original. They thought it so repulsive that she believed they never wanted her to show her face again. So she started hiding it. She stopped resembling her grandmother, even as a child—wearing masks, covering her face, cutting her hair herself to avoid looking like the beloved grandmother everyone loved—desperately trying to hide her identity from them.

Adelheid even recalls the time her grandfather struck her. It was her grandmother’s birthday; she was caught unmasked, with her hair longer than usual. She didn’t duck or call upon her Divine Protection—she just let him hit her, letting out all the anger she knew he felt toward her. In a way, she felt some twisted affection from him—and he was even more furious when she dared to ask if he felt any better after hitting her.

Years passed this way—years of isolation, even within her own family mansion.

She had few friends or people who seemed to care—because of her appearance and the power she possessed. She was viewed as an unnatural abomination. Something that should never have been born, existed, or lived in this world—especially since her grandmother, the beloved Theresia, was meant to be the one honored as the most powerful Sword Saint, not Adelheid.

She lived like that for years—alone, surrounded by people, weak despite having the greatest power in the world, with only one goal: to atone for her monstrous existence that destroyed her happy family—the Astreas. She believed that was her life’s purpose, the fate she was born to live—that it was her price to pay for having been so blessed with both beauty and great power.

When she became a Knight, she stopped wearing so many masks and stopped cutting her hair so much. Yet she never let herself look like her grandmother or wear the same kind of dresses her grandmother once wore—feeling unworthy to resemble the most beloved woman in her family.

Adelheid believed that would be how she lived the rest of her life: without love—as a living weapon to protect the Kingdom and ensure happiness and safety for others. She felt useful bringing peace with what she believed was the only thing she had to offer.

One day—what she thought would be an ordinary day—she met a strange figure after shouting for help in an alley. As the Sword Saint, she saved him from three bandits who were attacking him. It was the first time she met him in person:

[???: Wow! To be rescued by a second pretty girl in the same day—I must be blessed somehow…?]

[Adelheid: ———?]

His words surprised her; his emotions were unusual too. Normally, people approached her with fear, nervousness, or worry. She understood—it was because she was a monster, a creature people feared like they would fear the Whale or members of the Witch Cult. She did not expect what came next.

She felt overwhelming gratitude and relief, along with a strange feeling she didn’t understand. As if he didn’t see her as the Sword Saint, but simply as the person who saved him in that random alley that day.

[Subaru: My name is Natsuki Subaru—pleased to meet you!]

[Adelheid: I’m Adelheid van Astrea, the Sword Saint.]

[Subaru: Adelheid-chan, it’s a pleasure! And thank you so much for coming to help this useless guy who couldn’t handle even those three jerks on his own. I just find it weird they ran away from someone as cute as you.]

Cute? She?

She’d been praised before for her beauty, but she knew those compliments came from respect—or fear—for her name and her title. But not this time. He praised her simply because he wanted to—and she sensed that immediately thanks to her Divine Protection. And she felt a hint of sorrow from him—not directed at her, nor at the bandits, but something tied to an event she didn’t yet know about.

[Adelheid: Thank you for your words, Subaru. And if there’s anything else I can help you with…]

[Subaru: Hmm. Actually, I… —Nhan! Don’t worry about that, okay? I don’t want to involve anyone else in something like this; it could be dangerous. So for now, thanks for your help. Leave the rest to me!]

She remembered how he said that with caution before leaving, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

If he was troubled enough to be hesitant… why didn’t he ask her for help?

As if it didn’t matter to him—who Adelheid was, the power she possessed, or the title she carried. She was someone he didn’t want to put in danger or involve in any kind of trouble for reasons she didn’t understand at the time in that alley. That even made her feel strange—a sensation that began in her chest from the moment she met him there.

Later, she discovered the reason he didn’t want her involved...

When she decided to follow him into the Slums, she was found by Felt, who asked for her help in facing Elsa, the Bowel Hunter, at a small Loot House. And she felt a slight happiness in being useful to other people. It was in that place that she was able to meet him again—the strange boy from the alley. The two of them even got to talk after the confrontation.

[Subaru: Urfs. I really appreciate the help, Adelheid-chan. But… are you okay? Then again, you sure made quite the mess here, huh?]

[Adelheid: I appreciate the concern. And I don’t think you need to worry so much about me. After all, like I said—I’m a monster that hunts monsters, and… that’s the best I can be.]

[Subaru: Don’t say something like that! Of course I’m going to worry. Even if you’re really strong, there’s no way someone wouldn’t be concerned about your safety, you know? I was actually worried about letting you fight alone. —— And even if you really have the power of a bomb, there’s no way anyone could look at a cute girl like you and think you’re a monster… or maybe just a super cute monster.]

Adelheid remembered clearly the words he said, with a cheerful smile on his face, lit by the moonlight shining through a hole in the Loot House ceiling.

It was instantaneous.

Her heart, once steady and calm, stumbled over itself. A beat out of rhythm, as if it had been shoved from inside her chest. And then, the serene chaos began. Each heartbeat felt stronger, more alive, as if her entire body pulsed just for that moment. Her heartbeats echoed in her ears, vibrated in her throat, made the air around her feel both heavier and lighter at once. A warm wave rose from her chest to her face. There was no pain, but there was something almost suffocating—a sweet heat that tightened her chest, as if every inch of her soul was trying to reach out and connect with his. Her heart pulsed with strength and desperation. And in that moment, for the first time, the young woman felt the rush of love and passion.

But she also felt a twinge of despair when she saw Elsa return, attempting to attack Emilia—and Subaru rushing to protect her. It showed her incompetence at even fulfilling the one role that was supposed to justify her existence—the reason she now replaced her grandmother, even though she didn’t want to. Even when she thought she had finally done something good, she tasted the bitterness of failure—made worse by the feelings she had experienced just moments earlier. At least she managed to complete part of her mission by finding Felt—the final Royal Candidate.

She felt relief knowing Subaru was safe after she had sent a letter to the Mathers Mansion regarding their safety. That simple confirmation warmed her heart when she realized he was okay. But even so, Adelheid found herself wanting to see him again—for reasons she didn’t fully understand. That feeling only grew stronger when they met again during the Royal Selection.

Maybe she should’ve stepped in during his duel with Julius, especially after hearing his words defending Emilia and confronting the Knights. But what made her feel even worse was when she found out how he had led the efforts to defeat the White Whale and the Archbishop of Sloth—without her even being there. She even heard that he dealt with the Great Rabbit too. It proved that the boy she met in that alley, running from three thugs, had done more for the entire Kingdom than she had with all her Divine Protections and knightly training—both formal and informal, refined over the years.

Even her liege noticed something was off about her after those events.

[Felt: What’s wrong?]

[Adelheid: Hm?]

[Felt: You’ve had this weird look on your face for a while—ever since we got news about big bro. What happened?]

[Adelheid: It’s nothing you need to worry about, Felt-sama. Let’s focus on your studies.]

She said that while they were in a private study room, trying to change the subject.

But the younger girl clearly didn’t want to let it go—not when it meant she could avoid her studies.

[Felt: Don’t try to lie or dodge the question. You always get like this whenever we hear something about big bro—especially since we left the Capital that day. So, spill it. Say what you’ve been wanting to say.]

[Adelheid: ——? Do I really seem that distracted when that happens...?]

[Felt: Yeah, you get this weird, goofy smile and totally zone out. Like some broken weirdo. Even that time I tried to run away, you looked just as spaced out...]

[Adelheid: I looked like that...? I’m sorry for not paying attention while bringing you back, then.]

Felt couldn’t help letting out a small, amused puff of laughter.

[Felt: ———— Do you want to see big bro?]

[Adelheid: Huh?]

[Felt: I mean, I’ve been wanting to visit him and big sis for a while now. Wouldn’t it be nice to go see them? And before you say anything about me focusing on my candidacy! Isn’t it part of that stupid etiquette for a Royal Candidate to congratulate and build good relations with another Candidate? What better way than to congratulate big bro for everything he’s achieved? —— So, what do you say? Wouldn’t this be a great opportunity?]

Adelheid was surprised by the proposal—and by Felt’s cheerful smile.

But she was even more surprised by her own desire to go. She wanted to see Subaru again, to reunite after so much time apart.

Was it selfish to want something like that?

[Felt: What’s wrong with being a little selfish? Come on—be a little more greedy!]

Those were her words when Adelheid tried to suppress her own desires, believing that a monster, a weapon like her—a mere copy of her grandmother—didn’t deserve to have wishes of her own. She had resigned herself to simply following orders, obeying the wishes of those around her. But… couldn’t she allow herself to be just a little selfish?

And so, following her lady’s wishes—and her own heart—she went to visit him for the first time.

Their reunion was better than she imagined. She learned he no longer held grudges toward Julius or over the events in the Capital, which lifted a weight from her shoulders. She also confirmed the rumors were true—he had contracted a Great Spirit and defeated the Great Rabbit.

But something else she discovered was a new feeling: pain. A deep ache in her chest. Seeing how he felt about Emilia—feelings that made her chest tighten. A small, bitter seed of jealousy toward the Royal Candidate. It caused her great pain, and even through that pain, even suffering like that, she couldn’t let go of her selfish desires.

Subaru praised her. He complimented her appearance, her hair, her skills. He always treated her like a regular girl—not as the Sword Saint. Just as Adelheid. No “van Astrea,” no titles. And even though it hurt to know he would never look at her the way he looked at Emilia, she let herself indulge in staying close to him. Just to be praised, to feel—even if just a little—appreciated and, in some small way, loved. In a way she hadn’t felt in a very long time by anyone who truly mattered to her.

Despite feeling a personal desire—a selfish desire, a powerful desire to want more.

A person filled with Envy, Sloth, and then Greed, who selfishly wished things upon the world.

And later, she felt it was her fault...

When they met again in Priestella, Adelheid believed it was her fault—her desire’s fault—that everything that happened in that city unfolded the way it did...

2) [——]

Adelheid stood atop a small hill—not far from the house where Subaru now lived. A home not too distant from the Capital, yet isolated in an uninhabited area, far from people. A perfect place for someone who had been through so much, things she blamed herself for.

On that hill, she looked down at gravestones.

Tombstones of people and figures others hadn’t bothered to bury properly. Some because they had no emotional ties to them, and others because they respectfully honored Adelheid’s wishes.

The Priestella attack...

On that cruel and frigid day, she tried to handle everything, as the Sword Saint, and to keep everyone safe from the monsters seeking to destroy the city and its peace. That’s when she heard of the first strikes: the attack by the Archbishop of Wrath at the Tower and the attack by the Archbishop of Greed in a city square. The same square where Emilia and Subaru were.

They were attacked the moment the coordinated assault began—victims of Greed.

Regulus Corneas.

They tried to fight him… but failed. And Adelheid found out the worst had happened: Beatrice, Subaru’s Great Spirit, had been killed in the battle against the Archbishop. She had been destroyed by that villain’s attack.

She remembered the moment she saw Subaru again—when he learned of Beatrice’s death.

An empty look, as he kept repeating: "It can’t be fixed anymore..." She heard him mutter with hopelessness, with tremendous pain. And she felt like she understood.

No one could turn back time.

No one could change those events.

No one could bring her back.

But what hurt even more was that everyone had to rely on Subaru even more to continue the fight after what happened. Adelheid regretted having let him go with the group to the City Hall, because there, like Crusch, he suffered at the hands of the Archbishop of Lust. Both were severely wounded—poisoned with Dragon Blood.

And could things get worse?

Adelheid had been Slothful, Greedy, and far too selfish.

Because when she found out about her grandmother, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to help her father and grandfather.

That left Subaru with just Julius and Ricardo to deal with the Archbishop of Greed.

While she went to face her grandmother.

When her battle finally ended, when she had released her grandmother’s tormented soul into eternal rest—even though she earned the hatred of her father and grandfather in return—she rushed back to try to help them.

But she found Julius, Ricardo, and Subaru injured—Subaru unconscious. And worst of all: Emilia was dead.

But there was still one thing left to do.

So she fought. She beat him down. And as needed—she killed him.

Only learning afterward that their victory had only been possible because Emilia had frozen Regulus’s wives and sacrificed herself in the process to stop him.

His Authority only truly stopped working the way it was meant to when those requirements were met—when the wives’ hearts had stopped.

[Subaru: No... No, no, no, no... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no... No...!]

She remembered how Subaru seemed to break when he woke up again.

A lifeless gaze, hurting himself. And what hurt most… was when he tried to take his own life.

Forcing her to act—to knock him out to stop him.

It hurt.

It hurt so much to see him suffer like that.

But that wasn’t the end of her beloved’s pain—no, it was as if the world wanted to utterly destroy him, to never let him recover.

Rem.

She heard about her from Otto, Garfiel, and the members of Emilia’s camp. And when she learned that rescuing Rem might ease Subaru’s heart—even just a little—she agreed to their request to take care of Subaru until they returned. She waited anxiously, hoping their journey would succeed, and that just a little of the light in his eyes would come back.

The group was formed from Anastasia’s camp in alliance with the remnants of Emilia’s, minus the sponsor of that camp.

Roswaal L. Mathers had acted strangely when he heard everything. He seemed indifferent to everything. Broken—deep in depression after hearing of Emilia and Beatrice’s deaths, and Subaru’s condition. Some described it as if he had come to a grim resolution—something he had been forced to accept.

The group sent to rescue Rem and help the victims of Lust in Priestella included: Anastasia, Julius, Ricardo, Garfiel, Otto, Patrasche — Subaru’s Earth Dragon —, Meili — a Mabeast tamer they decided to bring along —, Ram, and Rem. A small group, but one they believed would be effective enough. At least, that’s what they thought.

Adelheid regretted not going. She regretted not protecting them.

Because only Anastasia and Julius came back—on Julius’s dragon. The only survivors of the group.

They hadn’t even reached the Sage’s Tower.

The others?

They died. Cut down by flashes of light. Everyone else Subaru cared about… had died. Everyone else had met their end. And now, Emilia’s camp was gone.

Adelheid now stood in front of the graves.

More symbolic than real—since many of the bodies had never been found. Only Emilia’s body had been recovered. Graves she had begged to be made—so they could be honored properly. The graves of: Emilia, Beatrice, Garfiel, Otto, Ram, and Rem—those she was sure were important to Subaru.

She wasn’t certain if he would want graves for Patrasche or Meili, but she made them anyway, out of respect for what she knew Subaru would have wanted for those dear to him.

Right now, Adelheid was tending the flowers.

Flowers she had personally planted at their graves.

She also cleaned the tombstones whenever needed—diligently ensuring no one dared disrespect the resting place she had secured to preserve—if only a little—the memory of those who filled so much of her beloved’s heart.

[Adelheid: I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, Emilia-sama, Beatrice-sama, Garfiel, Otto, Ram, Rem. All of you—I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for everything I wasn’t able to do for you. And I apologize for being nothing more than a selfish monster. But I have a selfish wish—one more time—I want to ask of you. Please, give me the strength to keep taking care of Subaru. Let me no longer fail him. Let me allow him to live happily for as long as I can manage, even if it means being tied to a monster like me. Please—I beg you.]

Kneeling in front of the graves, amidst the flowers, she pleaded as tears trickled down her face.

Wishing everything had been different.

For her, if needed, she would give up all her Divine Protections just to bring them back and return the life she believed she had stolen from Subaru.

But she knew none of that could happen—no matter how much she cried or begged.

And so, she prayed for strength—from those very people—despite feeling sickened by herself for daring to ask such a thing.

But she had made a promise—to herself, to her lady, and to the dead.

That she would take care of Subaru in every way necessary.

And she would do so both out of love and to atone for the sin she believed she had committed by failing to protect them.

Her tears continued to fall even as she stood up, before wiping them away.

Through that sweet little pain that pushed her heart forward, she found her motivation.

For them, for herself, for Subaru—Adelheid van Astrea would uphold her vow to continue protecting him and giving him the chance to live on.

 

 

—————

So, what did you think?

And I apologize, everyone. I wanted to play a little joke on you—kind of like a “IT WAS ME, BARRY...!” moment—using Heinkel from an alternate universe to twist the extra info at the end.

Some of you fell for it and genuinely thought I was writing a Yandere Adelheid IF, but this is possibly one of the furthest things from that.

Now, here’s the correct information for this IF:

-Adelheid is one of the kindest versions of Reinhard across the multiverse. She would likely be the complete opposite of Promise IF Emilia or Black Butterfly Beatrice—being extremely gentle and pure-hearted.

-Adelheid and Subaru spent more time together because she and Felt visited him and Emilia multiple times. She gradually fell in love with him due to the way he treated her so kindly—without fear, judgment, or concern for status or titles.

-Subaru and Emilia never left the plaza during the Cult’s initial attack, and Regulus ambushed them there—killing Beatrice. Subaru even tried to kill himself to return and save her, but his save point had already shifted, mentally shattering him.

-The Archbishops of Gluttony were not in Priestella during the attack, which allowed Julius to take Adelheid’s place in handling Regulus. Adelheid, meanwhile, went to face Theresia and assist Al in dealing with Capella, before confronting Regulus and discovering everything—including Emilia’s death. Subaru tried again to end his life to return and save Emilia, but Adelheid stopped him (as she doesn’t know about Return by Death).

-Subaru was mentally broken after losing everyone he loved, one after another, following a year of peaceful life: Beatrice, Emilia, Otto, Garfiel, Patrasche, Meili, Ram, and Rem—to the point of becoming unstable and suicidal.

-Due to his unstable mental state, Felt and the Council of Elders decided to place Adelheid in charge of him. Felt wanted to care for Subaru, and the Council didn’t want to risk someone so important dying when he could be useful in the future—and they also respected him for his deeds.

-Subaru was given a house built specifically for him—not far from the capital, but isolated enough to live in peace without being disturbed.

-Heinkel (not the one currently imprisoned) was the one who told Adelheid to use her Divine Protection of Mental Control. As her vice-commander and father, he even ordered her to gradually erase the memories of the dead from Subaru’s mind. He did this partly out of pity for the boy, and partly from the pain he saw in his daughter’s eyes.

-Because of those altered memories—thanks to a more powerful version of the Divine Protection of Mental Control—Subaru also forgot about Return by Death, and the love he felt for Emilia and Rem was redirected toward Adelheid.

-Adelheid blames herself deeply for all the terrible things that happened to Subaru. She believes that her desire to be closer to him caused the world itself to twist events to fulfill her wish, breaking part of his heart.

-Adelheid has immense respect for Subaru’s personal space, to the point that she only sleeps beside him to stop him from self-harming and to help him with his nightmares. Yet she still sees herself as a monster for thinking she might be taking advantage of him—even though all she does is sleep next to him.

-Over time, Subaru was able to heal from his trauma due to the memory loss, and he started anew—beginning a relationship with Adelheid. But she felt horrible for being even a little happy that he wanted to be with her, guilty for feeling like she stole that from Emilia or Rem.

-Adelheid is extremely respectful in their relationship:

1) It took her one year before she kissed him on the lips.

2) It took two more years before they dared to be intimate.

3) It took another two years before they had sex.

In total, it was five years before they became physically involved. And throughout that time, she never did anything he didn’t want—to the point of constantly apologizing, terrified she might be abusing his fragile mental state. She was even willing to rip off her own hands if Subaru ever told her he felt she had taken advantage of him—and she literally would.

-She constantly tends the graves she personally had built as a tribute to the Emilia Camp, asking for forgiveness for her failure, and begging them for strength to continue protecting Subaru. She believes she doesn’t deserve the happiness she has with him, or the place she holds in his heart after everyone else died. She thinks she is unworthy of even being compared to them, but she vows to give everything she has to take care of Subaru—with her life, if necessary.

Chapter 157: Petra Leveling IF

What if…? What if a little maid had the soul of a Monarch?

—————

 

 

Petra felt like she had failed Subaru.

Of course, not just her, but the small girl with a passionate heart felt the guilt pulsing inside her grow worse every time she thought about how much Subaru had suffered because of her inability to help him. To the point where the thought of, “You’re just a child who didn’t know anything”, still didn’t stop her from blaming herself for the suffering her beloved had to endure alone.

Her cheeks turned red whenever she thought about calling him her beloved, both from the embarrassment of such romantic thoughts and from the shame of believing she had failed him in those crucial moments.

But it wasn’t just shame from her improper thoughts for someone her age—she also felt great anger.

The villagers couldn’t notice it as she walked toward the forest. Some might try to read her emotions but would fail. Not because they were incompetent, but because—even at such a young age, at least physically—she had learned to control her emotional expressions to a certain extent. Though she often failed when emotional outbursts surged from her chest—something Subaru himself could deeply relate to whenever important moments pushed his emotions to the surface.

And he wouldn’t blame her.

That thought made her puff her cheeks in mild irritation.

[Petra: Stupid Subaru.]

She grumbled, frustrated by how Subaru was such a kind person that he would forgive anything done to him.

Admirable?

To some extent, yes. Petra thought someone as kind as Subaru was one of the best things in the world—someone who tried to help others out of pure kindness, who wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself to save anyone in danger. And she truly admired him and openly admitted that she loved him.

But there was a weight that made her feel that this was also terrible.

[Return by Death]—Natsuki Subaru’s power that allowed him to return to specific points in time to protect himself. A terrible trade-off, in her opinion, where he always ended up suffering because of a cruel power. And the worst part was that he couldn’t share anything about it with anyone.

Now, someone might ask, “How do you know about [Return by Death]?” A valid question, especially for those who understood the consequences of knowing about this power.

The Witch of Envy.

Every child in Petra’s world knew about this being—a powerful entity capable of fighting even the current Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea—and who once faced the Divine Dragon, the Sage, and the Sword Saint from four centuries ago, all at once, as an equal. A gigantic battle that could have lasted days or even years—as fighting for a thousand days would amount to three years of nonstop combat.

So knowing that Subaru had such a power—the power granted by the Witch of Envy—a cursed power that forced him to suffer and endure pain while everyone else could live with the illusion that everything was fine… while he died behind the curtains of this play that was the lives of those around him…

When she discovered this, it filled her with rage. Because she, too, had witnessed the horrible things people around them had done to him.

A shiver ran through her body. The girl clenched her fists, her teeth grinding slightly as her mind now dug deeper into the information she had about those around her, based on what she learned from Subaru’s Books of Death. And Petra felt that now, very few people she knew were truly worth connecting with.

She gave a small kick to a pebble on the ground, sending it flying into a tree.

[???: You seem quite furious, little one.]

[Petra: Forgive me for being seen like this, Ashborn-sama.]

[Ashborn: There’s no need for that, little one.]

[Petra: Still… it feels shameful to act this way in front of someone like you.]

She spoke while keeping a polite posture, showcasing the etiquette she had been taught by Frederica to become an exemplary maid.

The figure standing before her was imposing.

A warrior made of shadows—tall, muscular, with blazing purple hair like fire, glowing eyes, two curved black horns, and sharp claws. He wore armor as black as obsidian, a long smoky black cape, and carried a massive pitch-black sword sheathed at his side.

Ashborn, the Monarch of Shadows.

What was a Monarch? According to his own explanation, Monarchs were ancient entities forgotten by time—even more so than the Witches—whom Petra had only learned about through Subaru’s memories. They were beings so thoroughly erased that not even their existence was recorded in the world’s memory. Entities wiped from time itself.

And the being standing before her was one of these overwhelmingly powerful, yet forgotten, entities—the one who had granted her the abilities she now possessed.

It was this very entity that allowed her to reach this moment.

Over a year in the past—before Al’s betrayal, before Priscilla’s death in Vollachia, before the Pleiades Tower, before Priestella, before the Sanctuary, before the White Whale—before every major and dangerous event in the world. Events Subaru had always faced alone in the past, but now… he was given a new chance to change things.

A small maid… who wasn’t even a maid yet. A month and a half before everything started.

How? By sending her back in time using his abilities.

A pact made—he would help her, and in doing so, help the young man who bore the heavy burden of saving everyone around him with his cursed power. A benevolent and kind entity, despite his imposing appearance. You could tell by the warmth in his voice as he spoke.

[Ashborn: What are you thinking about now, little one?]

[Petra: Nothing much, Ashborn-sama. I was just thinking how you’re kind of like Subaru-sama… someone really kind.]

[Ashborn: ——? I am grateful for such kind words, little one. I shall not let the trust placed in me go to waste.]

[Petra: Though… Subaru-sama is more fun.]

Speaking honestly, her words made the entity let out a small chuckle.

The two were now in a more secluded part of the forest.

[Ashborn: I believe it’s time to explain the powers you now possess, little one. —— You possess a basic ability of the Shadow Monarch: the power to control the shadows of the dead. Abilities that will allow you to use them in combat. For example, [Shadow Extraction], the most basic skill of the Shadow Monarch.]

As he spoke, he walked toward a small insect on a tree.

Pressing it with his index finger—crushing it—the cracking sound made her flinch slightly in disgust.

As he pulled back, Petra saw a small shadow emanating from where the insect had been crushed.

[Petra: What…?]

[Ashborn: When these small shadows appear, it means you can use this power. Extraction allows you to pull the shadows from the corpses of your enemies and transform them into soldiers under your command. Go ahead and try.]

Gesturing for her to approach, Petra obeyed.

She stood in front of the small shadow on the tree.

[Ashborn: Focus. Concentrate, like you would when casting a spell. And then say… Arise to activate the skill.]

[Petra: —— Arise…]

As she spoke the words, the shadows of the tiny insect began to shift—transforming. The insect turned into a shadowy creature, colored black and blue, which flew and landed on the tip of her nose. When she raised her index finger, it obediently flew to perch on it, following the little girl’s command.

[Ashborn: This is the basic form of my power, little one. You can use it to turn your fallen enemies into allies under your control. Of course… there are limits to this ability.]

[Petra: ——? And what would those be?]

[Ashborn: The first would be your strength. If the Shadow belongs to an enemy stronger than you, naturally, you won’t be able to use your ability. Let’s put it into numbers to make it clearer: If your strength is a 2, you wouldn’t be able to extract the shadow of someone whose strength is above 4, and you'd have only a minimal chance against someone at 3. You would need to increase your power to achieve that.]

[Petra: So… even if I saw the shadow of an Archbishop, I wouldn’t be able to use it…?]

She realized what that could imply.

Some might even be surprised at how quickly her mind jumped to the idea of defeating Archbishops and taking their shadows right after learning about this power, but her reasoning had sharpened thanks to the experience she had gained from reading Subaru’s books.

Naturally, upon learning she could use shadows to create an army of shadows, her mind immediately went to targeting the strongest ones, aiming to form a powerful group.

[Petra: And how could I become stronger? I’m not as powerful as Emilia, Rem, or Beatrice.]

[Ashborn: Not yet. Not at all. But for that, you need to grow stronger. Which brings me to one of the advantages of [Shadow Extraction]. The ability to share your strength with your shadows. —— To make it easier to understand: Imagine you can lift 20kg, and one of your shadows can lift 50kg. You can use [Shadow Absorption] to combine that shadow’s strength with your own. Using the example I gave, if you can lift 20kg and the shadow can lift 50kg, after absorption, you would be able to lift 32kg, gaining roughly a quarter of your shadow’s strength.]

[Petra: Uoooh! Really?!]

[Ashborn: This is a rough and straightforward example of a complex subject… I tried to simplify it, but… yes. You can absorb those shadows and gain their abilities, which will allow you to grow stronger over time. Both physically and in terms of magical abilities. If you absorb someone with a different magic affinity from your own, you’ll be able to use their abilities. For example, if someone had Fire Affinity, you’d gain their fire magic skills.]

The new explanation made the little girl even more excited about the possibilities opening before her.

Could she gain the chance to become physically stronger? Could she gain the ability to use other types of magic? Could she continue growing stronger by absorbing these shadows into herself?

These possibilities spun endlessly in her head.

[Ashborn: Just as you can strengthen your Shadows in the same way by using [Shadow Fusion], allowing them to increase their individual power. They also grow gradually based on the experience they gain in battles.]

[Petra: And... is there a limit to how many times I can do this?]

[Ashborn: No. The limit is based on the number of living beings that exist in the world, but there’s no limit to how much you can absorb or how much you can fuse one shadow with another. Just one warning... The more shadows you absorb, the more you yourself may start to become like a shadow over time. But of course, you can control how you appear to others. So even if you were to transform into something like me, you’d still be able to return to your normal form.]

[Petra: I appreciate that... I wouldn’t be able to face Subaru-sama if I couldn’t show him my cute face...]

She declared this while rubbing her chin and nodding to herself. Both figures crossed their arms.

[Petra: And... how many shadows can I use...?]

[Ashborn: Just focus. Imagine a Storage, think about the shadows, and focus on them.]

Petra closed her eyes, concentrating as he instructed, focusing on the number of Shadows she should be able to store.

A blue screen appeared, displaying [2/20], showing how many Shadows she had stored with her power.

This made her think back to the insect she had used her power on the first time, but she was puzzled when she noticed there was another shadow stored.

She raised an eyebrow.

[Petra: Where did this other shadow come from...?]

[Ashborn: If you want to find out, you just need to summon it. Focus on pulling out all the shadows you have stored within you.]

[Petra: Got it...]

Focusing again, she felt a warm sensation as shadows began moving from within her own shadow, and something emerged from it.

A shadow.

A shadow that was familiar to her because of its shape. A shadow shaped like Natsuki Subaru, dark blue in color, with the shadows around it flickering like flames.

[Petra: Subaru... sama?]

[Ashborn: Perhaps his shadow was stored when you returned and received my powers. A Shadow of him. —— What do you plan to do with it? Will you absorb it, or will you keep it?]

[Petra: ———— I’ll keep him. If he came with me, I’ll be selfish and keep him with me until we can prevent that ending. Even if it takes time and it’s difficult. I want to have him with me for as long as we can go together.]

[Ashborn: Your choice. Whatever it may be, just be prepared to live with the consequences, and I’ll help you with that. —— The next point I must warn you about is that, to accomplish your goal of helping this person who is special to you, we must begin evolving you—or, if you prefer, evolving the Shadow of your beloved. For that, we need to start small.]

[Petra: And how can we do that?]

[Ashborn: To start, we’ll need to increase your strength with small hunts. In these forests, there are insects, small animals... I also know that on the outskirts of this place, there’s the area where the Mabeasts that attacked your village in your previous life reside. So we need to start small until we reach those creatures. With them, you can become strong enough to face the greater evils of this world.]

[Petra: Understood, Ashborn-sama!]

[Ashborn: That’s why... we’ll need to find a way to strengthen you beyond just using the shadows of insects. —— Normally, you could even send your Shadow to hunt on its own. It can operate within a ten-thousand-meter radius around you. Small, but... the evolution that way will be slow and risky, in case it ends up dying for some reason while far from you. So, we need to think carefully about this.]

The Shadow Monarch spoke while contemplating the possibilities they had at that moment.

Petra also started thinking deeply about it.

[Petra: Ashborn, can I ask something about the power you gave me?]

[Ashborn: You may ask anything you deem necessary, little one.]

[Petra: Is it necessary for me or Ashborn-sama to be the ones to kill the targets in order for me to use Shadow Extraction?]

[Ashborn: It is not necessary for you to have killed your target, little one. The only requirement is that the target is dead and that its shadow is well preserved. Even after years or centuries, a shadow can persist and be extracted. However, the longer it takes, the lower the chances that the shadow will remain usable. But in the simplest terms: as long as the target is dead, it’s enough. —— Why do you ask, little one?]

[Petra: Well... The only strong shadow I have for now is Subaru-sama’s. Even he couldn’t defeat the Mabeasts alone... Even with the Village Sword, he can’t evolve quickly enough to grow strong enough in time. So I thought... there’s someone who can cause a lot of deaths in a very short time. But... the way we’d have to go about it is a bit... unorthodox.]

[Ashborn: Your thoughtful face concerns me, little one.]

With that comment, Petra couldn’t disagree, since her mind was racing with the possibilities of how she and Subaru’s Shadow could evolve as quickly as possible within the month before the real Subaru reappeared.

The idea of sending Subaru's Shadow as a sword to fight crossed her mind, but that might draw too much attention. After all, it would have to keep disappearing several times a day, and she couldn't risk being discovered too early. Her goal was to act as a silent guardian before fully revealing herself to him — wanting to be the heroine this time.

And for that, she had a plan... a stupid plan, an entirely unorthodox and morally questionable plan — one that involved a blue-haired oni maid and a forest full of Mabeasts.

Petra sighed, her head aching.

She now partially understood what it was like for Subaru to deal with dumb plans just to save the idiots around him without causing harm. She even promised herself to punch Otto if he ever complained about headaches from paperwork again, in case they ever had him back at the Camp.

 

 

—————

This IF was inspired by this image:

by @EternalWhisper .

I had to modify a few things to balance this power within the Re:Zero universe while keeping the core concept intact. It's still broken, but not so broken that it ruins the story.

In this IF:

-Petra from Arc 9 failed to save Subaru from Al, and the world began to fall apart. At the end of the world, she went to the Library of the Dead and read all of Subaru's books as far as she could (up until the deaths in Chaosflame), trying to connect with him a little more before everything ended.

-Ashborn saved Petra right before the end and gave her the chance to go back in time with the powers of a Shadow Monarch.

-The Subaru from Petra's mind was extracted to become Petra’s First Shadow. Petra also retains part of Subaru’s knowledge.

-Petra can use the Extract ability on Subaru: every time he dies and returns, she can extract the shadows corresponding to his total number of deaths. For example: 3 deaths = 3 shadows. These shadows automatically fuse with Subaru’s First Shadow, passively boosting its power.

For example:

If Subaru can lift 40kg, when he receives one shadow, he can lift 80kg. With another, 120kg. Another, 160kg. The Shadow keeps strengthening in a fixed way — helpful early on, but problematic as time goes on.

-By fusing with Shadows, Petra can gain the ability to use other types of magic.

For example: If she absorbs the shadow of someone with Earth magic affinity, she can now use Earth magic. Fire? She can use Fire magic. And so on.

This is how she — and her shadows — level up.

-As Petra grows stronger by absorbing shadows, her storage capacity increases by 10 slots for each new "level" gained.

-Petra was sent back one month before Subaru’s arrival.

-Petra plans to get Rem to kill the Mabeasts in the forest so she can collect their shadows and strengthen herself and Subaru’s Shadow.

-Petra’s love for Subaru has only grown, but she’s started to dislike most people from her own Camp — especially Roswaal. This time, she wants to be the main heroine instead of Rem and Emilia, so she’ll try to get hired as a maid at the Mansion.

What do you think? Did I manage to balance her powers in the story, or is she still too overpowered?

Chapter 158: Liliana IF

What if…? What if the Sage ventured with a Bard?

—————

 

 

Hakuchuri. A small town, with the Huclara Plateau between it and Flandres. A place whose industries include agriculture, livestock, and land dragons. A simple place for the simple people who live there — most of the population in this region has brown hair.

People lived there without major problems or important events in their lives, even though they were close to the territories of the Astrea Mansion.

In this place, people came and went, doing their work and living their lives. At the center of the small town, there was a fountain, surrounded by big and small shops for vendors and buyers who spent their days there — often gathering many people throughout the day.

Just like now, the population was in motion, with people walking by and even children playing due to a lack of chores.

But at this moment, some of them were looking at something different.

A sort of carriage had stopped, covered with a cloth that seemed to be hiding something underneath. Someone leaned against the slightly small carriage — the Earth Dragon pulling it was lying down and relaxing.

This figure stepped forward holding a strange object.

[???: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!]

His voice projected through the strange device — a small makeshift speaker — and caught the attention of everyone passing by to look at the young man. A boy with dark hair, intense eyes, and clothes unlike anything the people had ever seen, making them wonder if he was from nobility.

[Subaru: MY NAME IS... NATSUKI SUBARU!!! —— TODAY WE’VE COME TO YOUR BEAUTIFUL TOWN TO GIVE YOU AN AMAZING, LAST-MINUTE PERFORMANCE! IF YOU ENJOY IT, WE’D EVEN ACCEPT A GENEROUS DONATION TO OUR CAUSE, BUT OUR MAIN GOAL HERE IS SIMPLY... TO ENTERTAIN YOU! —— I’M JUST A SIMPLE TRADER, COMPOSER, AND SINGER WHO HAS BEEN WANDERING THIS KINGDOM IN RECENT DAYS WITH AN INCREDIBLY TALENTED INDIVIDUAL...! WITH A VOICE THAT ENCHANTS, A PRESENCE THAT FASCINATES, AND AN AURA THAT CAPTIVATES!!!]

He pointed toward the dark cloth, grabbing the corner hanging from the carriage.

His smile widened.

[Subaru: THE AMAZING, UNFORGETTABLE, FANTASTIC... LILIANA!!!]

[Liliana: HI~~~!]

Shouting as she pulled off the cloth, a figure jumped out to make her grand entrance.

Liliana Masquerade. A petite, dark-skinned girl with vibrant yellow hair tied in two braids and large, round eyes of the same color. With lively expressions and wearing revealing clothes, an orange cape, and hair and body ornaments made of nuts and animal bones. She was beautiful, energetic, and young, carrying her Iyulyre.

This caught the attention of those around, who looked up at the girl standing atop the carriage.

[Liliana: It’s a pleasure to meet you, people of Abia——]

[Subaru: Hakuchuri!]

[Liliana: HAKUCHURI!!!]

Shouting with excitement after being corrected, she readied her instrument in her hands, and the strange scene only made people more curious about what they were preparing.

[Liliana: TODAY, I, LILIANA, HAVE COME TO PERFORM IN YOUR LOVELY TOWN! AND WITH THE HELP OF MY GREAT PRODUCER, I WILL PRESENT SONGS FROM BEYOND THE GREAT WATERFALL!!!]

Her words rang with great energy.

She then spun her instrument in her hands and prepared to play.

[Liliana: Please, prepare your ears, open your hearts, and listen with your souls! —— Hey, Subaru! That line was really good! You nailed it! I really felt the “energy.”]

[Subaru: You could’ve told me that afterward...]

He complained as he wiped his eyes and even the tip of his nose, annoyed that the girl broke the mood for the second time in mere moments.

The people couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement or mild boredom.

Some had already started yawning, wondering if Liliana would really perform. Meanwhile, the girl returned to her earlier position, her instrument fully ready for the show.

[Liliana: Get ready to hear... SILHOUETTE!!!]

She began to play...

Issē nōse de fumikomu gōrain

Bokura wa nanimo nanimo mada shiranu

Issen koete furikaeru to mō nai

Bokura wa nanimo nanimo mada shiranu

As she sang, people began to leave their homes.

Udatte udatte udatte ku

Kirameku ase ga koboreru no sa

Oboete nai koto mo takusan atta darou

Dare mo kare mo shiruetto

Daiji ni shiteta mono wasureta furi wo shitan da yo

Nanimo nai yo waraeru sa

Issē nō de omoidasu shōnen

Bokura wa nanimo kamo wo hoshigatta

More and more people arrived as the girl continued singing and dancing atop the small carriage, her personal stage.

Wakatte ru tte ā kizuite ru tte

Tokei no hari wa hibi wa tomaranai

Ubatte ubatte ubatte ku

Nagareru toki to kioku

Tōku tōku tōku ni natte

Oboete nai koto mo takusan atta darou

Dare mo kare mo shiruetto

Osorete yamanu koto shiranai furi wo shitan da yo

Nanimo nai yo waraeru sa

Hirari to hirari to matteru

Kono ha no yō ni ureu koto naku shōsō mo naku sugoshite itai yo

Oboete nai koto mo takusan atta kedo

No one could look away from the girl, who looked even more beautiful, cuter, and more amazing as she kept playing, dancing, and singing.

Kitto zutto kawaranai mono ga aru koto wo

Oshiete kureta anata wa kienu kienu shiruetto

Daiji ni shitai mono motte otona ni narun da

Donna toki mo hanasazu ni mamori tsuzukeyou

Soshitara itsu no hi ni ka

Nanimo kamo wo waraeru sa

Hirari to hirari to matteru

Kono ha ga tonde yuku

She performed without interruption, and the people watched in awe as she ended her song — followed by a wave of applause, cheers, and praise. Liliana looked surprised, then broke into a wide smile, while Subaru watched with a bright smile of his own, which she returned with a playful wink.

—[X]—

Subaru finished collecting donations from the townspeople, who had lined up to give bronze and silver coins — one even gave three gold coins! A good profit for another day’s work for the boy and the bard girl.

He returned to the covered carriage, entering through the back.

[Subaru: Liliana, we made a good profit today. I think for the next few days we—— Huh?]

[Liliana: Subaru...!]

Liliana was kneeling in front of the black-haired boy, who looked at her confused from above.

She was holding a small bouquet of flowers, offering them to him with intense energy and a determined sparkle in her eyes.

[Liliana: Ever since that day we met in the forest and you saved me, I knew! I KNEW YOU WERE THE ONE! Just like my father was to my mother, like my grandfather was to my grandmother, like my mom’s grandpa to my mom’s grandma, and the same for my dad’s grandparents...! You saved me, started looking after me, taught me about music and amazing things from your hometown’s songs, and let this bard expand her horizons — like learning to eat properly...! So... NATSUKI SUBARU, MAKE ME A WOMAN! MARRY ME!]

[Subaru: No, thank you.]

Responding coldly and directly, he rejected her without the slightest hint of shame as he returned to managing the carriage.

The girl fell backward in a comic fashion.

[Liliana: Rejected again... BUT I WON’T GIVE UP! —— If it’s because of my appearance, don’t worry! I’M SLIGHTLY OLDER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK! My breasts, thighs, and butt have started to grow thanks to the new meals I’ve been able to eat because of you, so...! MARRY ME!]

[Subaru: No, I don’t want to. Thanks, but no.]

[Liliana: Rejected again, and even colder this time...!]

She faceplanted onto the carriage in exaggerated sadness.

Subaru let out a small amused puff as he watched her.

[Subaru: As I was saying — we made a good profit today. Not only will we have enough for a couple of rooms, but also for good meals, and we can even buy some supplies. Wanna grab dinner? Today we might even get a good cut of meat~~]

[Liliana: MEAT?! YES!]

Cheering, all her energy returned, throwing away the previous sadness after being rejected by the same boy who had just made her upset.

The boy let out another amused chuckle at the little bard’s ever-shifting personality.

[Liliana: But I'm going to make you marry me!]

[Subaru: No, you’re not.]

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Subaru arrived in this world about a year and a half earlier than in the original story.

-He was summoned near where Liliana was and ended up saving her from a Mabeast by accident, in a way that made him look like a hero — causing her to fall in love with him (even though he completely fumbled his way through the rescue).

-They began living together, traveling from town to town. Subaru quickly sold his ramen to earn some money, enough to buy a carriage and an earth dragon, and they started touring as a musical duo while he also boosted their income by selling inventions, acting as a merchant.

-Subaru introduced music and instruments from his world to Liliana, making her fall even harder for him, believing it was fate for them to meet and bring forth a "Musical Era" to this world. She especially loves when the two of them sing together, in public or in private.

-Liliana, without realizing it, can sing in Japanese and English fluently, but is unable to speak either language normally — only being able to express herself through song and failing whenever she tries to talk normally.

-Nearly every day, Liliana proposes to Subaru three times a day and always receives a dessert when she does — out of Subaru’s pity (which she interprets as encouragement to keep trying).

-In the future, they accidentally arrive at the Sanctuary: there, they meet Garfiel and Ryuzu. Over time, they even manage to convince Garfiel to leave the Sanctuary, and surprisingly, Liliana completes the Sanctuary trials.

-Subaru, without remembering it, had made a bet with Echidna that if he could get Garfiel to pass the first trial, she would allow a non-demi-human to take the trials. She agreed — and chose Liliana as her pick.

-Ironically: Liliana was able to pass all three Sanctuary trials thanks to the support she found in Subaru’s music, which made her believe they shared a soul-deep connection. The trials even caused her Divine Protection to evolve from Telepathy.

-Roswaal only discovered this two months later and didn’t find out who was responsible until he heard about the musical group Pleiades.

-Over time, they formed a band called “Pleiades”, with members: Liliana, Subaru, Garfiel, Ryuzu (along with her clones as support), Flop and Medium (whom they met in Vollachia), and Zarestia (whom they encountered in Kararagi). Despite being a strange mix, the group functioned well. Thanks to Subaru’s business ventures, they were able to purchase more carriages to transport the group and sustain themselves even when music gigs didn’t bring in much income.

-As time went on, Liliana slowly but surely started to make Subaru fall in love with her.

-He hasn’t died even once during this entire year-plus. But he got into big comical trouble in the adventures they had, to the point of almost dying. It seems more like a romantic comedy story with Liliana.

-And surprisingly: Liliana was the one who caused Regulus's defeat. With her evolved Divine Protection and her music, she calmed the “hearts” of Regulus’s wives enough for them to stop — effectively “dying” and disabling his power just enough for Zarestia, Garfiel, and Medium to kill him together. The wives have since become fangirls and followers of the band.

Chapter 159: [Extra - Liliana IF]

[Felix: What... a most unusual thing, don’t you think, Lady Crusch-sama, Nya~?]

[Crusch: Perhaps, Felix, but it could be quite interesting, don’t you think? What’s your opinion, Wilhelm-san?]

[Wilhelm: I share Felix’s sentiment that this is unusual. But I also understand your excitement—this could indeed be very interesting to witness. And in my honest opinion… I’m quite curious about it.]

The three exchanged words as they sat in their seats—special places among the growing crowd gathering at the location. In front of them stood a large “stage” set up for a performance near the Royal Capital’s domain, close to the road that led to the Karsten Domain. This stage had been built recently, specifically for the musical group who owned it—also the ones who had financed the materials, equipment, and carriages that transported them.

The musical group: Pleiades.

A band that had grown quite popular in recent months not just in Lugunica, but also abroad, such as their recent show in Kararagi where they had even gained a new member. Now, they had resumed performing in Lugunica, having requested permission to put on a major concert in the Royal Capital—which led to this very moment, with the stage set and ready.

Some of the more well-known features included the folding seats, specially sold to those who had purchased “premium” tickets—closer to the stage. A clever marketing tactic, she had overheard—possibly from a merchant—who said they sold these special seats to offer a better and closer view of the performance from start to finish.

When she first heard of it, Crusch thought no one would actually buy into it. She herself had been interested in seeing the show and assumed buying these so-called special tickets would be easy. But from what she learned, Felix and Wilhelm had to wait nearly a full hour in line—and deal with so-called “campers,” people who lined up days in advance to buy tickets.

Now, she sat in one of the 200 special seats near the stage, meant for those who wanted a closer and more comfortable experience.

At the same time: The area surrounding the special seats was packed with people—all eyes fixed on the stage. Crusch glanced around and spotted some interesting characters. For example, there was a group of women dressed in colors that resembled Liliana’s—at least from what she had heard of the singer, since Crusch only knew of her through others. These women seemed extremely excited, holding what appeared to be “glow sticks made of magical stones,” sold by vendors in the area—run by someone named Ryuzu, who had multiple versions of herself.

Crusch, Felix, and Wilhelm sat in the front row, centered among all the seats.

It was now nighttime.

The stage was lit with magical stones, giving everyone a beautiful view of the performance that would begin shortly. Other versions of Ryuzu—who had startled Wilhelm due to her resemblance to an old enemy from the Demi-Human War named Sphinx—were also present. He dismissed the resemblance as a scary coincidence, like how Candidate Emilia looked like the Witch of Envy. But seeing so many of them only raised more concern, though he couldn't act on it—Royal Knights had forbidden any action against them, even when Bordeaux, a member of the Wise Council, had tried to convince the knights to strike the group.

Why? Why attack a musical group that had been so successful? Especially after supposedly defeating a Sin Archbishop—though many still doubted that. Ultimately, the group was simply under surveillance, unless something significant happened.

Back to the present, they were still waiting for the show to begin.

[Felix: I wonder how long they’re going to take?]

[Crusch: We shouldn’t be impatient, Felix. I believe the performance will begin soon.]

Trying to ease her companion’s slight anxiety and impatience, they kept waiting.

Until suddenly, the stage lights dimmed, and then other lights lit up as two figures stepped forward, taking their place center stage: Subaru and Liliana. The pair stepping out prompted immediate cheers from the women seated around the trio and parts of the crowd, increasing everyone’s curiosity.

[Subaru: HEY EVERYONE, ARE YOU EXCITED FOR THE SHOW?!]

His voice was projected for all to hear.

[Subaru: TO START OFF TONIGHT’S FIRST SHOW: ME, NATSUKI SUBARU, AND MY DUET PARTNER, LILIANA!!!]

[Liliana: HIII~~~!!! IS EVERYONE PUMPED?]

Liliana’s voice also projected, and she struck a cute pose for the crowd.

That only fueled their excitement more.

[Liliana: NOW THEN, PLEASE—PREPARE YOUR EARS, OPEN YOUR HEARTS, AND LISTEN WITH YOUR SOULS!!!]

[Subaru: AND SO, LET’S WASTE NO MORE TIME! TO KICK OFF TONIGHT’S PERFORMANCE, WE START WITH: REN’AI CIRCULATION!!!]

With that final shout, the performance began...

Se~no

Demo sonna ja dame

Mou sonna ja hora

Kokoro wa shinka suru yo motto motto

Kotoba ni sureba kiechau kankei

[Subaru extended his hand, and Liliana touched it with the tips of her fingers, creating an instant connection between them.]

Nara kotoba wo keseba ii yatte

Omotteta? Osoreteta

Dakedo are?! Nanka chigau kamo

Senri no michi mo ippo kara

Ishi no you ni katai sonna ishi de

Chiri mo tsumoreba Yamato nadeshiko

[He gently twirled her, lifting her for a moment, as if gravity no longer applied to the stage.]

Shinki de, iya shinki de

Fuwa fuwari fuwa fuwaru

Anata ga namae wo yobu sore dake de chuuheikabu

Fuwa fuwaru fuwa fuwari

[With subtle movements, they danced—side steps, short synchronized steps with the beat, raised arms tracing shapes in the air. Liliana occasionally twirled with closed eyes while Subaru watched her with a discreet sparkle, every step fitting perfectly.]

Anata ga waratte iru sore dake de egao ni naru

Kamisama arigatou unmei no itazura demo

Meguriaeta koto ga shiawase na no

Demo sonna ja dame

Mou sonna ja hora

Kokoro wa shinka suru yo motto motto

Sou sonna ja yada

Nee sonna ja mada

[The two jumped lightly, feet barely brushing the ground, spinning, moving forward and back, parting and reuniting. Their hands met again.]

Watashi no koto mite te zutto zutto

Watashi no naka no anata hodo anata no naka no watashi no sonzai wa

Mada mada ookikunai koto mo kaitteru keredo

Ima kono onaji shunkan

Kyouyuu shiteru jikan

Chiri mo tsumoreba Yamato nadeshiko

Ryakushite chiri tsumo Yamato nadeko (nadeko)

Kurakura ri kurakuraru

[Liliana drew close from behind, sliding against Subaru’s chest as the two moved together.]

Anata wo miagetara sore dake de mabushisugite

Kurakuraru kurakura ri

Anata wo omotte iru

Sore dake de tokete shimau

Kamisama arigatou unmei no itazura demo

Meguriaeta koto ga shiawase na no

[As they danced, the audience watched them as if witnessing two souls discovering something entirely new.]

Koi suru kisetsu wa yoku bari SAAKYUREESHON

Koi suru kimochi wa yoku bari SAAKYUREESHON

Koi suru hitomi wa yoku bari SAAKYUREESHON

Koi suru otome wa yoku bari SAAKYUREESHON

Fuwa fuwari fuwa fuwaru

Anata ga namae wo yobu sore dake de chuuheikabu

Fuwa fuwaru fuwa fuwari

Anata ga waratte iru sore dake de egao ni naru

Kamisama arigatou unmei no itazura demo

Meguriaeta koto ga shiawase na no

Demo sonna ja dame

Mou sonna ja hora

Kokoro wa shinka suru yo motto motto

Sou sonnan ja yada

Nee sonnan ja mada

Watashi no koto mite te zutto zutto!

At the end, Liliana took a step back, spun around, and gently fell into Subaru’s arms, who caught her firmly. Both of them smiled. Then they both stood back up and bowed politely in front of the audience, which erupted into applause after their performance. Liliana and Subaru beamed with excitement as they were showered with cheers.

[Subaru: THANK YOU FOR THE APPLAUSE, MY BELOVED AUDIENCE! NOW, PLEASE GIVE IT UP FOR OUR DEAR AND SPECTACULAR... OMEGA!]

As he said those words, Subaru and Liliana quickly exited the stage to make way for the next member.

[Subaru: Good luck, Omega.]

[Omega: Ha! Thanks, Su-Bo, I’ll show you how we— I— can handle this show.]

[Liliana: TAKE CARE, OMEGA! Be careful!]

As they walked toward the side of the stage, where a separate space was set up for the group, they found Zarestia, Flop, Medium, Garfiel, Ryuzu Alpha, and her clones working. Flop approached them with water.

[Flop: You two did great out there~! Congrats, Subaru-San and Liliana-Chan.]

[Subaru: Thanks, Flop-Kun, I was really pumped about it!]

[Liliana: Yes, yes! I felt like our souls were connected even before we met! —— Ah, will you marry me?]

[Subaru: No, but thank you.]

[Ryuzu A.: That’s the fourteenth rejection this week. It’s getting pretty sad.]

The main clone commented with a playful smile, while Flop and Medium let out small chuckles at the situation.

Garfiel then came closer to chat with them, along with Zarestia.

[Garfiel: CAPTAIN! When’s my turn?!]

[Zarestia: Su, I’m getting impatient. I want to show them my beautiful voice. I think they might just die from hearing it.]

[Subaru: I’m worried about that last part. —— Anyway, right now, Omega is performing “Fly Me to The Moon.” Then it’s you, Garf, with “The Beginning,” and finally you, Tia-San, with “Kataware Doki.” We’ll close the show with Flop-San and Medium-Chan performing together: “Romanticide,” just like we practiced. So... BE READY!!!]

Shouting the last part to hype them up, he reminded them of the performance order for the evening. The others grew more excited for their turns. Liliana’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at her group, each ready to shine.

[Liliana: My heart is racing, warming up, and ready to burst...! NATSUKI SUBARU, MAKE ME AN HONORABLE WOMAN AND MARRY ME, PLEASE!!!]

[Subaru: No.]

Rejecting the marriage proposal once again, he gave a small affectionate smile to the girl, who then comically faceplanted on the floor from the rejection.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Omega: In the case of Echidna and the Witches, they decided to follow the group, disguising themselves as Ryuzu clones.

-Subaru, to earn money, introduced the concept of VIP tickets for the music concerts, maintaining profits alongside his business as a merchant.

-Zarestia once had to fight against Petelgeuse and his Fingers in the Elior Forest, ironically while the group was performing the song “Bye Bye Bye” in Ganaks.

-Later, Shion and Lilac joined the musical group, forming the full band: Subaru, Liliana, Garfiel, Ryuzu (and her clones), Omega (the Witches), Flop, Medium, Zarestia, Shion, and Lilac.

-Mimi is Garfiel’s #1 fangirl.

-Subaru introduced band-member-shaped dolls for sale. The most purchased ones are: Rem (Subaru), Regulus's Ex-Wives (Liliana), and Mimi (Garfiel). Ironically, the least sold is Omega’s.

-Subaru hasn't died once yet.

Chapter 160: [Extra 2 - Liliana IF]

Subaru was particularly nervous about today’s performance. It was a show in Ganaks, a rather important show. Looking at the newly assembled stage, it was one of the largest they had performed on in a long time, and today it was especially full, with the stage better prepared for a big performance.

That was one reason he was nervous... but there was another.

[Subaru: Have you seen Tia‑Chan, Ômega‑Chan?]

[Ômega: Sorry, Su‑Bo. I haven’t seen her. It seems she said she needed to take care of some things...]

[Subaru: But it had to be right now...?! — Urgh. I’m so nervous!]

[Ômega: —— Would you like a special tea?]

[Subaru: Nah. If I put liquids in my body right now, I might end up vomiting. But thanks for the offer.]

He said while patting the white‑clad clone’s head.

He stepped away from the stage entrance and walked toward the others, accompanied by the clone, drawing their attention.

[Subaru: Maybe today we’ll have to do it without Tia‑Chan.]

[Garfiel: Huh?! But, Captain! We practiced this with all of us together—are you sure it’ll work?!]

[Subaru: Of course I think it will! Even though I’m sad Tia‑Chan isn’t here, I believe it’s going to be fine if it’s just us. We’ll charm them so much they won’t even notice she’s missing!]

[Medium: That’s right!]

With her shout, the others also got excited. After all, they couldn’t mess up now — they were performing in one of the best‑known cities in Lugunica! Especially in front of a large crowd. Garfiel, Flop, Medium, Liliana, Subaru, and Ômega were ready.

[Subaru: I just want to know where Tia‑Chan went...]

He asked with mild concern, hoping she was okay.

—[X]—

[Zarestia: 204... 205... 206... Hmm. It’s 206 not 207, Ômega was right.]

Using her perception, she finished counting the bones of the skeleton she had found in the forest. She had been sure there were 207 — but even she could make mistakes.

Where was Zarestia now? She was in the Elior Forest territory, not far from the city of Ganaks.

And why was she there? For something called instinct and skill. She had sensed a threatening presence coming from the forest as they were approaching for the show.

So she entered the place, searching for whatever it was.

And what she found…?

[Petelguese: Oh, hoho~ What a strange, strange, strange thing, isn’t it?! I never imagined finding a Spirit as renowned and well‑known as someone like you in a place like this! But not thinking about it was my Laziness! Yes, laziness! Laziness. Laziness. Laziness. Laziness. Laziness. Laziness. Laziness. Laziness. Laziness. Laziness. Laziness. ... LAZINESS!]

A group of cultists were wandering the forest, and when Zarestia began attacking them, their leader—the Archbishop of Sloth—counterattacked and knocked her on her butt behind the trunk where she had found the unknown skeleton (which turned out to be Archi, someone important from Emilia’s past). That was the skeleton she was counting the bones of.

She couldn’t let them continue toward the city, no matter what she had to do to stop them from reaching her companions.

[Zarestia: Very well my friend... you’re going to help me a lot for now...]

Grabbing the skeleton at torso height, she was ready to finish them all off.

Meanwhile, in the background: Subaru’s Metia device was amplifying the voices of whoever was singing.

Subaru wondered if it was loud enough to be heard at a distance... and now she would confirm that by listening from afar.

And she began hearing the music while preparing for what was coming…

(Hey, hey)

Bye, bye, bye

(Zarestia jumped out from behind the wooden trunk with Archi’s skeleton in front of the cultists. She ripped off a chunk of rib bone.)

Bye, bye

Bye, bye

(Oh, oh)

(Oh, oh)

(She threw the chunk of skeleton at a cultist, killing him by penetrating his skull.)

I’m doing this tonight

You’re probably gonna start a fight

I know this can’t be right

(With two other pieces of rib, she sidestepped a cultist and plunged them into his back, tearing and killing him, then spun and thrust another into the head of a second cultist and kicked him through.)

Hey, baby, come on

I loved you endlessly

When you weren’t there for me

(Using the skull held by its spine, she swung it like a mace, smashing multiple cultists at once, until she smashed one last one, cracking part of the skull in the process.)

So now it’s time to leave

And make it alone

[Subaru with clones in the background are dancing, making a “come here” gesture with both hands, then hugging their arms and raising them. The Ryuzu clones behind mimic him.]

I know that I can’t take no more

It ain’t no lie

I wanna see you out that door

(Using an elf-arm, Zarestia struck a cultist’s face, then kneed the arm, impaling the cultist’s neck with the bone.)

Baby, bye, bye, bye

(Bye, bye)

(Zarestia pierced another cultist’s forehead with another Archi bone, causing a massive spray of blood.)

Don’t wanna be a fool for you

Just another player in your game for two

’Cause you may hate me, but it ain’t no lie

Baby, bye, bye, bye

[Subaru and Liliana swing fists to one side, then to the opposite. They jump and punch in front of their bodies several times.]

(Bye, bye)

Don’t really wanna make it tough

I just wanna tell you that I had enough

(Zarestia did a few somersaults in the air before smashing a cultist’s head, grabbing a bone to throw into another’s body, impaling him.)

It might sound crazy, but it ain’t no lie

Baby, bye, bye, bye

(Oh, oh)

(Oh, oh)

(Using the skull with the spine again, she used it like a mace to hit another cultist’s head and slam him on the ground legs-first, then crushed his genitals with the cracked skull of Archi.)

Just hit me with the truth

Now, girl, you’re more than welcome to

(Now using only the skull without the spine, she smashed it against a cultist’s face, crushing and killing him with a final blow that cracked his neck. Then threw the skull to kill another cultist on impact.)

So give me one good reason

Baby, come on

[Still on stage, the group continues performing. Omega and other clones make a rehearsed hip-swing step.]

That life would be much better

Once you’re gone

I know that I can’t take no more

It ain’t no lie

(With other parts of the skeleton, Zarestia broke a cultist’s arm, slit his throat before stabbing a broken sharp bone into his groin, directly hitting his testicles.)

I wanna see you out that door

Baby, bye, bye, bye

(Bye, bye)

Don’t wanna be a fool for you

[Subaru, with Liliana, Medium, Flop, and Garfiel behind mimicking him, raise their arms up, then place them behind themselves and start stepping left then right, the others following the same movement.]

Just another player in your game for two

You may hate me, but it ain’t no lie

(Using the fingers he tore from Archi with wind magic and his strength, Zarestia launched the bones with enough force to impale other cultists like projectiles.)

Baby, bye, bye, bye

(Bye, bye)

Don’t really wanna make it tough

I just wanna tell you that I had enough (ooh, ooh)

[Medium was moving her arm along with her head, then spun kicking her leg and did the same in the opposite direction.]

It might sound crazy, but it ain’t no lie

Baby, bye, bye, bye

[With a spin move, Subaru gives a slight shake of his rear.]

I'm giving up, I know for sure

(Using one of the remaining arms, Zarestia wrapped it around another cultist's head and pulled hard until the head went flying.)

I don't wanna be your fool

In this game for two

(Stabbing multiple bones into the body of an enemy, the wind spirit dropped into a split, then rose again, spinning and hitting the enemy in the head, knocking him down.)

So I'm leavin' you behind

Bye, bye, bye

I don't wanna make it tough (make it tough)

But I had enough

And it ain't no lie (bye, bye, baby)

Bye, bye

Don't wanna be a fool for you

Just another player in your game for two (I don't wanna be your fool)

(Now with Archi's leg against the last cultist assault, she spun it like a macabre nunchaku. Smashing heads, torsos, killing each cultist who tried to get close. She even broke one’s leg before slamming him to the ground using the skeleton leg. And when she stood up, she crushed the head of another who tried to attack her from behind with a quick move of the “Weapon.”)

But it ain't no lie

Baby, bye, bye, bye

[On stage, Subaru did a move along with Omega and Medium, sliding their hands over their hips, then finishing with a pelvis motion and blowing a finger gun toward the audience.]

Don't really wanna make it tough (don't really wanna make it tough)

I just wanna tell you that I had enough (that I had enough)

Might sound crazy, but it ain't no lie

Baby, bye, bye, bye

Zarestia was now surrounded by a bunch of Witch Cult cultists dead around her, with only Petelgeuse and another cultist left alive. She looked and also saw parts of that skeleton now disassembled and partially destroyed after being used as a weapon. The Great Spirit looked in the direction of the Archbishop of Sloth.

[Petelgeuse: But... But... WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!]

He shouted in crazed fury upon witnessing what had happened.

 

 

—————

Someone had asked me to do it and I had already planned to do it, so... It turned out like this. I used as many GIFs as possible for this moment, but there weren't many in the places I found to complement the image of this fight. But hey! It's just a Crack chapter in this IF.

In this IF:

-Roswaal is almost the only person who buys Omega's dolls.

-Usually, the Witches in the Omega Crystal replace each other for each part, but the most prominent are: Minerva for dancing, Sekhmeth for singing.

-Subaru, strangely, has not died once.

-During the battle of Priestella: Subaru and his band played "I Will Survive X Survive" and "I'm still standing". Ironically: The first was played while Al was fighting Capella and the second while Garfiel was fighting Kurgan.

-Among those who have the most commercialized dolls are:

1. Subaru and Liliana.
2. Garfiel.
3. Medium.
4. Flop.
5. Ryuzu.
6. Shion.
7. Lilac.
8. Omega.

-Later, the Witch of Envy would try to escape to go watch one of the shows that took place near the Pleiades Watchtower desert, that day they sang: "Judas" while Reinhard fought the Witch of Envy along with Volcanica and Shaula, and Reid's spirit.

Chapter 161: Ram IF

What if…? What if the Pink-Haired Oni had a new Master?

—————

 

 

Roswaal L. Mathers looked at his Tome of Wisdom with deep melancholy, saddened. He reflected on how things had failed recently in an incredibly inconvenient and frustrating way — a definitive failure that gnawed at him. Since that failure, he hadn’t received any new messages from his Tome.

He gazed at it and opened it to the last page of its final passage.

That last passage referred to an event not too far in the past. To understand what he was thinking, one must first understand who Roswaal is — specifically, understand this: Roswaal L. Mathers is Roswaal A. Mathers, not his descendant.

This was possible through a macabre ritual he performed on each of his descendants to keep himself alive for the sake of his goals.

Roswaal A. Mathers had once dedicated his life to Echidna.

Echidna, the Witch of Greed — his mentor — to whom he had devoted every reason for his existence since the moment she won his heart and his respect. It all began with a kiss. And so, when she was sealed, when she “died,” entombed in the place he knew as the Sanctuary, he dedicated his life to finding a way to bring her back.

The only path he saw was through two primary goals:

1) Eliminate Volcanica, the Divine Dragon, who was the source of the greatest tragedy in his life — along with Hector, the Warlock of Melancholy.

2) Follow the Tome of Wisdom, a copy of the Book of Wisdom/Book of the World from his mentor.

All of this to bring her back.

Make no mistake — he wasn’t doing this to have his feelings reciprocated or to be admired or loved by that woman. No. He knew he probably never would be, and perhaps never deserved to be. But he believed he had to bring her back. The loss of that woman was, to him, a loss beyond measure for the world — for all the knowledge and potential she carried, for her devotion to shaping the world as she envisioned.

To Roswaal A. Mathers, he would never let the world forget her. He would bring her back in the name of restoring one of the greatest minds to ever exist. That is why he dedicated his entire life to this goal.

For more than four centuries, he poured every part of himself into achieving it — willing to do whatever it took. If the Tome of Wisdom commanded something, he would do it, no matter how “good” or “evil” the act may seem. Every action, in his mind, was justified if it served his cause.

The Tome he possessed could show him the path to his desired future, guiding him to fulfill his goal of reviving his mentor.

But he had to follow it precisely.

So, if the Tome showed him a future, a path he had to walk, he would do everything in his power to make it real. If someone needed to die, he would ensure their death. If something terrible had to happen, he would ensure it came to pass. If he had to discard his morals and ethics to achieve it, he would throw them away as if he never had them.

To Roswaal A. Mathers, if anything could bring Echidna back, he would do it. Without hesitation, without fear, without shame — placing his goal above anything that could stop him. That’s why he committed one of the most unspeakable acts imaginable, one that brought him to this moment.

He discarded the lives of his own descendants. His son? Grandson? Great-grandson? Great-great-grandson? No matter who they were, he would abandon their lives, take their places, and possess their bodies — man or woman. He cared not about the gender of the body if it meant living for more decades in pursuit of his purpose.

A monstrous act — taking the lives of others to prolong his own — a cruel deed he committed, was committing, and would commit again. In a few years, he would choose or create a new vessel. Just like when he took the body of Roswaal J. Mathers, and later the body of his own son, and now his current body — his "grandson." In doing so, he killed a mother, a son, and a grandson who never had the chance to live full lives, using them solely to extend his own life by another century.

Roswaal A. Mathers had no morals. Not that he didn’t understand the justice the world should exact for such acts in the end.

Killing people? Using people? Influencing events that led to deaths he could have prevented? Discarding his own descendants to keep living? Targeting the kingdom’s greatest protector — the Divine Dragon — just to fulfill his personal desire to see the woman he admired return?

But don’t think he believed he was doing the right thing.

No. He knew every act, every cruel decision, every life taken in his pursuit could never be forgiven — no matter what anyone told him. Why? Because he wasn’t doing it for an altruistic dream to help others or to make the world better. His motivation was selfish and cruel: to bring Echidna back.

It didn’t matter if everything he did was ultimately worth it. If he could bring her back, even for a moment — if she returned to the world of the living — everything he did would have been worth it. Every moment, every drop of blood spilled by his hands or by others because of him. That is who Roswaal A. Mathers truly is — someone who would do anything the Tome commanded if it meant resurrecting the woman he admired.

There was nothing he wouldn’t do.

[Roswaal: And so…? —— Sensei, are my sins coming back to haunt me…?]

He asked himself with a hint of dread and anger, gripping the book’s cover tightly.

The last entry in the Tome foretold an event: the massacre of the Oni Village by the Witch Cult — and that he was to take the Incarnation of the Oni God at the right moment.

It was something he had been prepared to allow.

If the village was to be massacred? Even if the deaths saddened him, they were necessary sacrifices for his Sensei. He would atone for them later in life. If the Incarnation of the Oni Goddess was harmed? As long as she was a useful tool — a weapon he could wield against the Divine Dragon — he would save her and use her accordingly.

But everything had gone wrong. The village had been attacked. Many died.

But…

[Roswaal: Why wasn’t she there? Why wasn’t the promised tool there, Sensei?]

Asking without his usual flamboyant tone, his frustration bled through. Months ago, following his Tome once again, ready to let the massacre occur to secure the perfect tool — she wasn’t there.

It hadn’t gone as the Tome foretold. It had failed. The Incarnation wasn’t there. She wasn’t there for him to capture and keep for himself. The Tome that guided him for years had failed him irreversibly — nearly four months ago.

[Roswaal: Where did I go wrong…? No, not that. I've already made many mistakes and sins. The question is: What changed? What prevented my promised tool from being there?]

He asked himself as he leaned back in his office chair, deep in thought, trying to understand where everything had failed.

—[X]—

On a road not too far from Flandre, it wasn’t uncommon for people—especially merchants—to camp near the main roads to rest. It was a common practice. Sometimes, this would even lead to small group camps forming, where caravans, traveling parties, or people meeting on the road would gather together for mutual safety.

It was easy to tell who was a merchant and who wasn’t. It was also possible to distinguish between a novice merchant and a more experienced one—not only by the quality of their carriages or clothing but also by the kind of goods they carried.

Why does that matter?

Because if you saw one specific carriage, you’d notice it wasn’t glamorous, but modest—fitting for a novice. It was pulled by a Dark-Scaled Earth Dragon—obtained in a trade on the Karsten estate—with a strong personality for those who knew it, standing near one of the fires lit to warm those nearby. A figure was sitting on a log placed nearby.

A young man with dark hair and unusual clothes.

[???: Keee!]

[Subaru: Shhhh, Patrasche. They finally fell asleep. Let’s try to keep quiet for a bit, alright?]

[Patrasche: ——]

The Earth Dragon nodded as it glanced at the two small figures resting with their heads on his lap. Two small, similar-looking girls wearing cute clothes—one with blue hair and the other with pink—twins, sleeping peacefully while he gently petted their heads to help them rest after a long day of travel and negotiations.

Seeing them like that, he smiled softly.

Letting them rest, he hoped they would have a good night’s sleep.

 

 

—————

In this IF :

-Subaru arrived about three months before the Witch Cult’s attack. Since he had never died before, his scent wasn't strong enough to provoke an attack.

-Subaru gradually developed a good relationship with Rem and Ram since his arrival—especially because he liked to play with Rem when she was being left out by their parents.

-When the Witch Cult attacked, Subaru went through three loops trying to save the villagers after discovering his power.

-He only managed to save Rem and Ram, receiving a massive scar across his back after stopping Ram’s horn from being torn off in the attack.

-Due to the stench of miasma: Rem began to doubt Subaru, despite their friendship, and even considered eliminating him. But over time, Subaru dispelled those doubts, proving he had no ties to the Witch Cult and truly cared about her.

-After the attack, they had to live as traveling merchants, with Subaru taking on the role of providing for the two sisters.

-Gradually, Ram began to develop feelings for Subaru—starting back in the village due to how kindly and devotedly he treated Rem, how he didn’t care that she was the Incarnation of the Oni God, and continuing after he saved both her and Rem’s lives, cared for them, and ensured their safety. Even more so when, in a key moment, he punched her in the head to make her realize that if she didn’t want to be the God of her race, she didn’t have to—Ram only needed to be Ram, not what others wanted her to be. He did the same for Rem. Eventually, she even stopped calling him “Barusu” and started calling him “Subaru.”

-Ram kept her horn, but thanks to Subaru’s help, she learned to control her Bloodlust. She now acts as the protector of both him and Rem during their travels.

Chapter 162: [Extra - Ram IF]

When Rem woke up in the morning in her new home, she immediately began her duties with diligence—even though her admirable sister and her hero told her she didn’t need to push herself so hard. But she didn’t want to feel useless when it came to helping them.

Rising from her own bed, she started going around the small house.

Well, not quite a house, really. It was more like a cottage—bigger than a shack, but not large enough to be considered a full home. Just big enough for two bedrooms.

Upon waking, she began tidying the beds and folding the clothes, both hers and her beloved sister’s. She made sure everything was properly in order. Even though there weren’t many clothes, she ensured they were folded neatly and the sheets were straightened and clean.

Once finished, she stepped out into the rest of the place. It wasn’t very big. From the bedroom door, she could see the front door, the eating area, and the kitchen—which were all in the same shared space—and she could also see the door to her hero’s room from there.

It was time to clean their home!

Her sister and her hero, Ram-nee-sama and Subaru-kun, always told her she didn’t need to do all this so early and that she could rest a little more if she wanted.

[Subaru: Rem needs plenty of rest so she can grow up to be an incredibly beautiful woman.]

He always said that when patting her on the head.

Thinking about that, she blushed a little and placed her hands on her cheeks, feeling her face heat up at the memory of that kind voice saying kind things to someone like her.

Remembering that, she refocused on taking care of the housework, while the other two had gone out early to take care of other matters.

She did it of her own will—wanting to help those important to her as much as she could, especially after all they had done for her.

Like her sister... who never once denied her as her younger sibling.

Rem had known, from the moment she gained self-awareness, that she was a copy of her older sister.

An inferior copy, who could never hope to compare to that unreachable figure that was Ram—the reincarnation of the Oni God, the most beloved among the people of their village, the one everyone expected to lead their clan and the demi-humans to the glory they had long believed they deserved.

Truthfully, Rem grew up seeing how talented her sister was at everything that was important to those around them.

The best example was magic. Ram could easily use wind magic to slice through several logs at once, while Rem struggled to cut them one by one, taking much longer.

And what was Rem good at?

The only things she was ever praised for, as her sister insisted, were household chores like cleaning, cooking, and maintaining the home.

Things that, in Rem’s mind, her sister could do much better if she actually tried—she simply didn’t, out of pity, allowing Rem a chance to feel useful.

And Rem was deeply grateful to her older sister’s kindness and humility for that.

Not that Rem even saw herself as outstanding in those areas either.

Their parents made it clear—without words—that she could never compare to Ram. They always focused on the bright future her sister would have as the pride of their clan and race.

Rem was just the shadow... a stepping stone to make her perfect older sister shine even brighter by contrast.

Because of that, sometimes, she felt a little... envy.

Envy toward her sister, who seemed better at everything and could do whatever she wanted.

There was nothing that made Rem feel special.

As she continued with her chores, these thoughts lingered in her mind.

After cleaning, she began preparing to cook, deciding to make a special dish so that when they returned, they could enjoy it together.

The little blue-haired girl—greedy, in her own opinion—wanted her sister and her hero to praise her for her cooking. The thought made her smile again.

Natsuki Subaru. Subaru-kun. Her hero.

Or at least, that’s how she liked to call him. They had met him before the Witch Cult’s attack. He was a merchant who had temporarily settled near the Oni village during his travels. When they met, it was more by accident.

She and her sister had been wandering through the forest when they found him and his small cart, pulled by a single ground dragon and carrying a few items for sale—including food.

Their first interaction came from the boy himself.

He greeted them warmly and invited them to come closer—a behavior Rem had found surprising at the time.

Her sister even considered the possibility that he had bad intentions and almost tried to strike him down.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen. In fact, the opposite occurred.

He quickly closed the distance and introduced himself in a way that might have seemed strange to some—even to them: “I’m Natsuki Subaru! I’m super new to this merchant life and totally clueless about this world!” It made her chuckle when she thought about it now. Subaru had acted in a friendly manner with both of them, even explaining why he had come that far.

He had been forced to leave his hometown and ended up in a city not far from the Oni village.

That alone was quite intriguing.

Their first meeting was awkward... but in hindsight, it was funny.

He introduced himself in his usual way, acted with genuine friendliness, and even offered them a chance to browse his goods. He let them sample something he’d made with the help of a cook: Mayonnaise.

Rem hadn’t liked the taste as much as her sister did, but she was still grateful for his manners and for letting them keep a jar without paying.

It hadn’t been a bad day when they met him.

And the following days were equally interesting—especially when he started doing business with the villagers.

That was no easy feat.

Rem knew how wary the Oni race was of outsiders—especially humans without any demi-human traits. Her people were very traditional and had been for a long time.

She remembered how aggressive her fellow villagers were toward outsiders, and Subaru was no exception.

Though they hadn’t physically harmed him, they treated him coldly and showed little interest in what he was selling. She even felt sorry for him.

But even then, he never seemed discouraged.

He kept trying to make sales.

He even greeted them warmly whenever he saw them around the village, treating them like longtime friends.

That went on for several days.

No matter how strange and unknown he was, Subaru somehow managed to draw attention and even make some sales. After the first day, he’d at least leave with some profit by nightfall.

And not just through business—his way of interacting with people made them gradually open up to him, even if they remained wary of his overly friendly and intimate demeanor.

It felt almost surreal.

When they finally started talking more often, it was because he made the first move.

Rem and Ram didn’t have much interest in speaking with him, nor did they feel the need to.

But it didn’t take long for their opinions to change—because he was always kind.

He didn’t even care about treating them equally.

Her sister being the reincarnation of the Oni God? The strongest in the village? Ram having a power that made her superior to everyone else around?

Subaru didn’t seem to care about any of that when he spoke with them. He even had the nerve to trade sarcastic comments and playful banter with no hesitation whatsoever. Once, he even had the audacity to bonk her on the head and scold her when she was about to have a rage fit—and, to her surprise, it actually calmed her down.

Because he showed no reverence toward titles or status. He treated her like she was just... some ordinary girl he liked to tease.

That treatment extended to Rem as well—but in a different way.

He wouldn’t let her insult herself or say she was worse than her sister. He made a point to praise her skills—even if Rem herself thought they were mediocre.

It was as if he wanted to humble Ram and build up Rem’s self-worth and confidence. A true duality in how he treated each of them, as though trying to create balance and a new dynamic between the two.

Rem didn’t want him to treat her sister with anything less than the utmost respect and dignity she deserved—as the reincarnation of the most powerful Oni—but Ram genuinely didn’t seem to mind…

In fact, she seemed happier.

She was more cheerful, had fewer rage fits, and even praised Subaru for recognizing how amazing Rem was—even if Rem herself couldn’t believe she was worthy of such praise.

Rem had just finished preparing the meal and was setting it on the table, just as she used to for her parents and sister in their old village.

And as if on cue…

[Subaru: Rem-rin, we’re back!]

[Ram: Rem, we’ve returned!]

The pair arrived. The merchant and his bodyguard appeared suddenly through the door. As soon as they entered, they approached the table.

[Rem: Welcome back, Nee-sama, Subaru-kun. Thank you for all your hard work.]

She bowed politely before them in greeting.

The two of them stood still for a moment. Then suddenly, both Subaru and Ram bowed their heads low toward Rem.

[Subaru and Ram: THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK, REM!!!]

[Rem: Urgh——!]

They shouted loudly with humility, thanking her for her efforts.

Subaru raised his head with a big smile, wiping away fake tears.

[Subaru: To be welcomed home with a freshly made meal by someone as cute as Rem-rin… how truly blessed are we, huh, Ram-rin?!]

[Ram: I don’t know, Subaru. I feel like it’s unfair that I get to have such a hardworking little sister… Isn’t it just a little too much to be this blessed?!]

[Rem: Huh? H-Huh?!]

Seeing how the two of them were acting, the little blue-haired oni began to blush furiously as they showered her with compliments like she was some divine being too holy for their mortal, fragile eyes.

[Rem: R-Rem didn’t d-do anything s-s-special compared to Subaru-kun and Nee-sama…]

She stammered shyly, flailing her hands in front of her face to try and stop them.

The two exchanged glances before turning back to her. They both adjusted their posture, placed one hand on their hip, and the other under their chin—mirroring each other.

Then they tilted their bodies to the left, along with their heads.

[Subaru: Ram, Ram. Our beloved Rem still doesn’t seem to understand how important she is.]

[Ram: Subaru, Subaru. My dear little sister still doesn’t seem to understand how irreplaceable she is.]

Each spoke in turn—something Rem had come to recognize.

And before she could react, Subaru picked her up and lifted her into the air.

[Subaru: If Rem still doesn’t understand, then we’ll just have to drill it into her head!]

[Rem: Huh——?!]

[Subaru: REM IS THE BEST! REM IS THE BEST! REM IS THE BEST! REM IS THE CUTEST! THE BEST COOK! THE BEST AT CLEANING! THE KINDEST! —— Ram, don’t you agree?!]

[Ram: Ram doesn’t need to agree when Subaru is simply stating the truth. But yes, Ram agrees her sister is the best!]

They declared loudly as Subaru twirled her in the air, smiling broadly, making her blush even harder.

Rem shrank in his arms, nearly imploding from embarrassment.

[Rem: A-A-A—A-A-A-A-AA—— NEE-SAMA IS THE CUTEST!]

[Subaru: Ram’s your twin, so if Ram’s the cutest, then that automatically makes Rem the cutest too!]

[Rem: HUH?!]

[Ram: Exactly. If Ram is the cutest, then so is Rem. But Subaru is wrong, because Ram’s little sister is even cuter than Ram herself.]

Just as she was about to belittle herself again, Subaru and Ram cut her off, making her even more flustered.

Subaru gently set her in her seat while Ram sat beside him. Subaru sat between the two of them, at the head of the table.

The three sat before their plates. Rem was still blushing deeply.

[Subaru: Ram, Ram. Just the smell of Rem’s cooking has filled this worthless merchant’s heart with warmth.]

[Ram: Subaru, Subaru. Just the aroma of my sweet little sister’s food makes this talentless big sister feel unworthy of eating it.]

[Rem: N-N-N-N-No, don’t say things like that…]

[Subaru: No, no! I’ve only complimented Rem-rin like, seventeen times today! And she didn’t even hear most of them, so I’ve gotta make up for it! I’ve got a goal to compliment Rem-rin at least 50 times a day, every day!]

He proclaimed with excitement and a bright smile, making her even more embarrassed.

It was always like this whenever they arrived at whatever temporary home they were staying in.

They’d lift her into the air and bombard her with praise until she couldn’t take it. And they did it so often that she should have been used to it by now... But it still felt overwhelmingly new every time—and that just seemed to make them want to do it more.

It made her feel embarrassed—but also happy.

And she couldn’t help but wonder... What had she done to deserve being this blessed?

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Rem and Ram are treated equally by Subaru, like any normal child would be treated—which both enjoy. Though Rem still believes Ram deserves more respect than he gives her.

-Ram’s rage fits and violent impulses caused by her horn ironically started to fade thanks to Subaru, who treated her like a normal person. He didn’t care if she was special or not, or if she had a horn—he cared for both sisters equally and valued Ram for her actions, not her lineage.

-Both sisters are in love with Subaru, but since they’re still young, Subaru views it as childish affection—similar to how he treats Petra in the main timeline.

-Ram serves as the protector of both, especially when Subaru has to travel for business.

-For now, they don’t have a permanent home. Subaru uses his money to rent modest cottages where they can stay for a while.

-When Rem started sensing Subaru’s miasma, he had already earned enough of her trust that she didn’t doubt or feel the need to attack him.

Chapter 163: Al IF

What if...? What if your bro opened a bar?

—————

 

 

[Al: Hey, bro, how's it going?]

[Subaru: Hi, Al. All good, and with you and your lady?]

[Al: Ugh. We're living the usual way. One hit to the head per day.]

[Subaru: Rough. Shame there's no HR in this world, right?]

Joking, he cleaned a glass with a cloth and then placed it in front of the one-armed man. Subaru then pulled out a drink and poured the liquid into it. Aldebaran took the drink and, somehow still unexplained, managed to drink through his helmet, while Subaru remained indifferent.

[Subaru: You could quit your job. I could hire you.]

[Al: And become a bartender?]

[Subaru: I was going to ask you to play some instruments, but I don’t know if people would think it’s in bad taste if I told you to play a guitar or something. But it would be funny, wouldn’t it?]

[Al: Joking about disabilities? Have you no heart, bro?]

Joking about it, he finished his drink and pushed the glass back to Subaru.

The dark-haired guy had a small smile.

[Subaru: But you didn’t deny it.]

[Al: You can joke about it, but don’t underestimate my skills. I could do it if I really wanted to. But I’m not leaving the princess like that. I don’t think she’d feel good losing me.]

[Subaru: You talk like you have some worth beyond being a punching bag...]

Muttering that with a hint of mockery, he looked at Aldebaran like he was crazy, given the stories of abuse he’d told about his lady. Still, he did his job and refilled the glass, serving Al again. The one-armed man smiled slightly as he received it.

Looking around, Al got a better view of the place he was in.

His bro’s bar—Natsuki Subaru, his otherworldly companion who had ended up here.

A charming anomaly amid the traditional architecture of the capital. Hidden down a cobbled alley between stone markets, the facade already stood out: polished dark wood with frosted glass panels in sliding frames, reminiscent of shōji doors. A small wooden awning with curved black tiles in an old Japanese style stretched over the entrance. Above it, a discreet silver Kanji sign gleamed: 「星の帰り道」 — The Road Back to the Stars.

The interior was warm, cozy, and far too clean for the city’s standards. The walls alternated between light and dark wood, with vertical columns marking each section. Some light fixtures hung from the ceiling by delicate wires, but instead of electricity, they were magical crystal globes glowing with a soft amber light, like Kyoto street lanterns.

Behind the varnished wooden counter—made from wood of the Elven forest near Flanders—were meticulously arranged shelves with bottles from all over the kingdom, along with some made by Subaru himself. In the center, a chalkboard listed the drinks of the day.

The floor was reinforced tatami, and the stools had subtle traditional Japanese padding. In one corner was a small stage where people could perform — complete with a new invention of his, a metia that mimicked the one in Priestella, acting as a microphone. In the back, a curtain separated the main hall from a private little room with floor cushions and a low table — the “Japanese VIP,” as Subaru called it.

In another part, there was a second small stage for plays. Subaru created little puppets to reenact famous films from their world. Al was happy to see some he hadn’t seen before. He remembered how emotional he got watching “The Avengers (2012),” and shouted at the “I’m always angry” scene. He missed “Avengers Assemble,” and also felt a bit annoyed hearing about “Dragon Ball Super,” thinking the lack of blood lessened the impact of the action. Still, he was happy to see those movies in some form, even if through puppets — and people seemed to love it when scenes had a soundtrack.

Despite the different atmosphere, one thing was clear: anyone who walked in felt welcome. Al was no different from those people.

It had been a surprise for Al when he found that bar, especially when he discovered someone from his world—his bro, Natsuki Subaru—was running it, serving people, and that it had become quite popular in the capital.

That was what made him visit the bar for the first time. It wasn’t so bad. And when they met, it was instant friendship. He still remembers the moment clearly...

Al had walked in, and their eyes “met,” even though Al wore a helmet. Almost like bromance at first sight. Subaru walked out from behind the counter and approached Al, and when they stood face to face...

[Al and Subaru: You son of a bitch!]

They gave each other a super manly handshake, their arms growing massive and veiny. The handshake released every ounce of masculinity they had in a single moment. The bar nearly exploded—metaphorically—from the testosterone released.

It was a great moment between them, right from their first meeting.

[Al: Looks like the bar's gotten pretty famous.]

[Subaru: A lot, sometimes even some weirdos show up at night. You’d be surprised at the kinds of people I serve here.]

[Al: Really? Lunatics starting fights?]

[Subaru: Sort of. Some start fights, but others are just dramatic. Like, the other day, I served a sick guy rambling about love and sloth. After a few drinks, he started talking about some Fortune or something... And there was this silver-haired, blue-eyed woman who wanted to offer me a job.]

Talking about those strange people that showed up a few days ago, he shuddered a little.

The green-haired, sickly-looking man was weird. But the silver-haired, blue-eyed woman also made him uneasy with the way she looked at him.

He returned to the current conversation.

[Subaru: How’s your lady’s royal candidacy going?]

[Al: Pretty well. She’s a bit aggressive, but the Princess is really charismatic with people. She might have some trouble becoming queen though.]

[Subaru: So, she’d lose?]

[Al: Nah, she’ll win.]

He said it confidently, as if declaring the sky is blue — obvious to anyone who looked up.

Al placed his empty glass back on the bar.

[Subaru: You gonna pay your tab this time?]

[Al: —— I love you. I love the way you walk, the way you—]

[Subaru: DON’T YOU DARE GIVE ME THAT “ZERO” SPEECH AGAIN! THAT DOESN’T PAY THE BILL!]

[Al: But if it were a blue-haired maid confessing, you’d accept it, wouldn’t you?!]

Complaining with fake outrage, he put the money on the counter to pay for his drinks. His “love confession” had failed miserably again. But maybe one day he’d be able to deliver that speech and not have to pay.

Until then, he’d keep paying for his drinks, even if he didn’t like doing so.

And as for Subaru: He had started his life as a bartender from zero, from “Re:Zero.”

 

 

—————

This is a Crack IF.

In this IF:

-Subaru arrived five months before the main story and sold his phone to buy a bar that was up for sale.

-Soon, he became successful in the Royal Capital as a bartender. Lots of people visited.

-Subaru became quite popular with the Royal Candidates who visited. Especially Crusch and Anastasia, who tried to uncover his origins thinking he might be able to translate Hoshin’s texts.

-Crusch developed a rivalry with a strange being: a giant yellow-feathered chicken. Every time they met, they fought and caused massive destruction — all because the chicken gave her an expired coupon from Subaru’s bar.

-He attracted people from all over the world. Even Elsa, Halibel, and Cecilus came to try his drinks.

-Once, Rom and Subaru created a very strong drink together.

-The first time Rom and Subaru served the drink was for a specific group: Rom, Subaru, Otto, Liliana (who came to perform), Al, Elsa, Halibel, and Cecilus. The drink was so strong that they stayed drunk for almost two whole months. During that time:

1) They conquered the Pleiades Tower and got Volcanica drunk.

2) With Volcanica drunk: they hunted the Whale, the Rabbit, and the Serpent.

3) They accidentally killed the Sphinx and her zombies in her hideout, preventing the future Great Calamity.

4) They drew a penis on the Royal Palace.

-After their drunken adventure, everyone woke up in random parts of the world:

1) Rom woke up in the swamps where Libre died — he had unconsciously buried the Sphinx and peed on her grave.

2) Otto woke up at Echidna’s tomb in the Sanctuary — having vomited on her body.

3) Cecilus woke up in the middle of Ginunhive Arena.

4) Halibel woke up in Felix’s bed at the Karsten Mansion.

5) Elsa woke up in Gusteko with Meili and a bag of money.

6) Subaru woke up in his bed above the bar — next to Shaula and Liliana.

-After that drunken time, Shaula became a waitress at the bar, and Liliana became the official singer, helping with the soundtrack of Subaru’s puppet movies. She even recreated the soundtracks of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, and The Avengers.

-Subaru has already used Return by Death, but ironically it happened while he was drunk — so he doesn’t even remember having this power.

Chapter 164: [Extra - Al IF]

Subaru worked late into the night almost every day—diligently taking care of everything he needed to keep his establishment running, from finances to the food and drink demands of the place. Most of the time, he managed to stay on top of things.

But on certain nights, he kept his bar open much later than usual.

On those nights, a few people stayed until late. Not many.

Just a handful who either couldn’t stop drinking or had drunk so much they couldn’t leave on their own, needing someone to come pick them up. Usually, that wasn’t a problem since these people weren’t the rowdy type—too drunk to walk out or pick a fight.

Contrary to what most might expect—Subaru himself had fallen for that assumption once.

[???: S-Subaru-sama, please, listen to me…]

Why was he talking about that type of person?

Because the person in front of him right now was exactly one of those types.

A rather handsome young man with purple hair and striking eyes.

One of his less frequent, but well-paying customers: Joshua Juukulius.

[Joshua: I’m sure, I’m sure... I’m 50% sure... that I’m right.]

[Subaru: Hmm.]

Joshua was drinking one of Subaru’s original creations. It was a sweet drink, but fairly alcoholic.

Not many liked it—only a couple regulars: Joshua himself and another individual named Lye Batenkaitos, a guy with a deep appreciation for fine wines and spirits. That’s how Lye had described the drink.

Would they get along? They seemed to enjoy the same type of drink.

But the point here is something else: Drunk Joshua Juukulius.

At those times, he started talking about what Subaru liked to call bar conspiracy theories. And the black-haired man just had to wait until Joshua’s brother, Julius, arrived to pick him up and take him home.

[Joshua: People, people don’t seem to remember some others, like those victims of the... Hic Sleeping Beauties… What if it’s because they were forgotten...? Maybe, maybe, maybe even people who fought the Whale... maybe the Whale has a power... Hic to erase them from memory.]

[Subaru: Hmm. And what does that have to do with Theresia-sama?]

[Joshua: That’s where it all comes together! People think Theresia—Theresia-sama—was killed by the Whale… But then why do we remember her?! What if it wasn’t the Whale? What if it was... THE WITCH CULT!]

He slammed the counter lightly.

Subaru raised an eyebrow.

[Subaru: How? And why?]

[Joshua: Maybe, maybe they have a way to guide the Whale! Maybe the... the... the Archbishops of Gluttony...? Maybe they own the Whale or control it somehow...?]

[Subaru: Did you say “they”?]

[Joshua: DON’T START WITH THAT! I’ve told you, I’m sure there are THREE Archbishops of Gluttony! THREE!]

Holding up three fingers, he proclaimed it with absolute certainty.

Subaru didn’t argue or revisit the subject—he didn’t want to hear the “three Gluttony Archbishops” theory again.

He’d seen Joshua arguing it with other customers several times, usually while eating—nearly swallowing without chewing—one of Subaru’s greatest creations: nachos. Nachos which he ate in excess, with drinks and several sauces, some of them extremely spicy.

Joshua would sometimes go on about these kinds of things. For some reason, he really enjoyed theorizing about them.

[Joshua: They control the Whale, and their leader—I KNOW THE CULT HAS A LEADER—used it to attack Theresia-sama! And why? Because they wanted to fake her death! They probably even kidnapped her to brainwash her and use her as... as... as...]

[Subaru: As a “zombie soldier”?]

[Joshua: Like the zombie soldiers in your plays! THAT’S IT! She was kidnapped—kidnapped to become a zombie soldier and serve them! They wanted her! That’s why they faked her death, abducted her, and now they’re hiding her somewhere, just waiting to unleash her on the people of Lugunica! So why do we still remember her? Because she didn’t die—she was kidnapped!]

Subaru listened with a polite smile that said, “Sure, of course.”

He didn’t want to continue the conversation but didn’t want to be rude to a customer either.

He kept polishing glasses while the other guests left, dropping money on the counter as they exited—leaving glasses and plates for Subaru to clean once the bar closed.

[Joshua: I’m just as sure of that... as I am that... that... the Sage Shaula isn’t actually the real Sage.]

[Subaru: Here we go again.]

[Joshua: I’m sure that: in the past there was a real Sage who accomplished all those legendary feats and passed them on to his—or rather, her—disciple named Shaula. And the real Sage isn’t even in the Pleiades Tower—it’s Shaula! Just like I’m sure that the one who planted that tree... that huge tree... that bears his name... What was it...? What was his name again?]

[Subaru: You’re telling me that the real Sage from the past was someone named Flugel, who passed all his accomplishments to this Shaula woman, and that she’s the one actually guarding the Pleiades Tower?]

Joshua nodded enthusiastically, his face brimming with confidence.

A bell chimed—drawing their attention to the figure who entered.

[Julius: Subaru-san.]

[Subaru: Julius-sama.]

[Julius: ——Joshua.]

[Joshua: Admirable brother.]

The three exchanged greetings in sequence.

Julius approached to help him up and offered his support as they prepared to leave.

[Julius: How many drinks did he have?]

[Subaru: Just three glasses—can you believe it? I think it’s too strong for him. Don’t worry—you can pay me tomorrow when you, Felix-san, and Reinhard-san come by. Just make sure Felix-san doesn’t try dancing on the table again. I run a bar, not a nightclub.]

[Julius: I’m sorry, but in his defense... it was only six times.]

[Subaru: And you’ve only come here to drink six times total, right?]

He smirked sarcastically. He remembered clearly when he had to stop the half-cat knight from stripping while dancing in the middle of the bar.

Although... other customers nearly paid to see it.

He watched the brothers leave, knowing Julius would return the next day in the afternoon.

Subaru used the time after his last customer left to clean up.

Joshua Juukulius was an interesting client—bringing bizarre yet entertaining theories when drunk. Subaru would often chuckle at the wild things Joshua came up with while drunk.

As he cleaned the tables, glasses, and dishes, preparing to close up, he thought about some of them:

How Joshua theorized that Priscilla Barielle was actually a Vollachian princess who faked her death.

How he claimed that Al was much older and knew more than he let on.

How he believed that Anastasia Hoshin had secretly made a contract with a spirit raised by someone important from the past.

How he insisted that there were seven Witches of Sin in the past and the Witch Cult was slowly erasing their existence.

How he theorized that the things blamed on the Witch of Envy were actually created by the other forgotten Witches—and Satella took the fall simply because she’s the only one people remember.

How he claimed Roswaal L. Mathers was actually Roswaal A. Mathers, transferring his soul through his descendants for over a century.

How he believed Roswaal was the disciple of a Witch, had an item identical to those used by the Witch Cult, and wished to kill the Divine Dragon to revive her somehow.

How he said the Archbishops of Sin had names based on stars, which related to their powers.

How he claimed that a thief from the slums named Felt was the fifth Royal Candidate.

As he kept cleaning, Subaru thought about how crazy all those theories were. Theories from a very drunk man at a bar. There’s no way half of that could be true... right?

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Joshua never remembers the theories he creates. And Subaru never remembers enough to remember completely.

-Later, when Subaru recruited Shaula, neither he nor Joshua realized that she was from the Tower of the Pleiades, since she never mentioned it, as she started working as a waitress at the bar.

-Subaru once held a drinking contest, and the top three finishers were:

1. Heinkel.
2. Otto.
3. Halibel.

-At Subaru's bar, there is a drink that makes Heinkel treat Reinhard well.

-On the day Elsa was supposed to do her job for Roswaal, she lost her job by going out drinking, thinking it would just be a quick drink at the bar: She woke up the next morning, naked, in bed with Otto. Neither of them ever talked about it, even when they met again to drink.

Chapter 165: [Extra 2 - Al IF]

[Crusch: Subaru-sama’s drinks really are the best I’ve had in a long time~]

[Felix: As much as I do enjoy these drinks... I think you might be drinking a bit too much, don’t you think?]

[Crusch: That’s... that’s... that’s nonsense, Felix...]

Saying that with a slightly tipsy tone, she enjoyed another drink being served at the festival that had just begun. Well, not exactly a festival—more of an event that started thanks to Subaru’s bar, which he called Oktoberfest, a drink festival from his homeland. Many would’ve thought people wouldn’t accept something like that, but surprisingly, the streets of the Capital were filled with people enjoying the open drink stalls.

Back to the event’s name: Oktoberfest.

A festival of drinks where people come together to try different kinds of beverages, food, and dancing.

Crusch was enjoying the event with other people. Felix was at her side as they went from stall to stall, tasting drinks made by Subaru himself and some new ones created by others—just like many others wandering around that part of the city.

The event was being held to celebrate some strange recent events over the past two months:

The death and defeat of the Whale, the Rabbit, and supposedly, the Serpent—some sources claimed they were taken down by a mysterious group along with the Divine Dragon Volcanica.

No one had confirmed it, and those people disappeared before they could be identified...

Except for one very specific detail shared in their descriptions: a strong smell of alcohol.

So, what better way to celebrate those victories?

If the heroes smelled of booze, then many came to celebrate at the most popular bar in the city. The event grew from there. People were genuinely excited to join in.

[Crusch: People... people are really excited, aren’t they~?]

[Felix: Well... except for old Wil, but... I get it. And why aren’t you, Lady Crusch-sama, sad? Weren’t you planning to hunt the Whale for your candidacy, nya~?]

[Crusch: No, no... I, I did feel, feel a little sad... But then I, I took a big gulp of this drink and... and I felt better, much better. I think drowning your sorrows in alcohol is a, is a solid option... The Vice-Commander... seems to have found... found the secret to happiness...]

[Felix: Please don’t use Vice-Commander Heinkel as an example, Crusch-sama, nya~]

Trying to snap her out of it a bit, he remembered what he’d seen earlier.

Heinkel was wasted—drinking other drinks Subaru had created.

It was... weird.

He was hugging Reinhard, apologizing, stroking his head, and telling him he loved him.

Felix found the image of father and son like that a bit awkward—but didn’t say anything.

He didn’t want to embarrass Reinhard, who seemed almost happy that his father was acting like that… which, honestly, felt kind of sad.

Refocusing on the present, the cat-boy looked at his lady holding a drink in her hand.

[Felix: I hope you don’t go overboard and do something stupid, nya~]

[Crusch: Don’t tell me that... Because last time you were the one dancing naked on a table or waking up next to... Halibel-dono.]

[Felix: Crusch-sama! That only happened six times! And Halibel-sama only showed up in my room once, nya~!]

Yelling with red cheeks, even he couldn’t justify how he behaved when he drank too much.

Waking up to learn he’d danced half-naked on a bar table—or woken up next to Halibel the Admirer, with sore legs—really hurt his drinking reputation with his friends.

[Crusch: There’s nothing wrong with it, Felix. Sometimes we just——]

She accidentally bumped into someone who wasn’t looking.

[Crusch: Oh, excuse me. I didn’t see——]

[???: ——?!]

Their eyes met.

Crusch Karsten found herself staring at one of the beings she’d grown to hate the most:

The Giant Chicken. A literal chicken with golden feathers, orange beak, and giant wing-arms with almost human-like feathered hands. Huge. Fat.

The very creature who started their rivalry long ago by giving her an expired coupon. And now—it was their third encounter.

They glared at each other, eyes narrowed, teeth (or beak) grinding in mutual rage.

[Felix: Crusch-sama, please don’t do anything——]

And before Felix could stop her—it happened.

Crusch lunged at the Chicken, landing a solid left punch to its face, and they both went crashing to the ground, immediately exchanging blows.

Right punch from Crusch, left punch from the Chicken, left punch from Crusch, right punch from the Chicken—over and over again. They got up and kept brawling—punch after punch—stumbling through the streets of the Capital. Crusch grabbed the Chicken’s head under her left arm and began pummeling its face over and over again, bruising it.

The Chicken then grabbed her, lifted her, and slammed her into the ground, making her let go.

When it jumped at her, she lifted her legs, grabbed it, and tossed it into a nearby stall where someone was cooking over open flames.

As it stood back up, Crusch leapt onto its back, sitting on its shoulders, raining down punch after punch on its feathered face.

The Chicken stumbled, unable to defend itself in the tight space. She grabbed its head and shoved it into the fire, singing some of its face feathers. The Chicken retaliated with a headbutt, sending both of them crashing through another part of the stall.

It leapt high, landing flat on its back, slamming Crusch’s back down.

Then it rained down elbow after elbow with its left wing-arm on her stomach—until she bit it hard, making it choke in pain—and then it headbutted her again.

Both stood up and stared each other down, before charging to land a final punch to the face.

They resumed fighting—Crusch pushing it back, hitting hard—before jumping on it and crashing through Subaru’s bar window...

[Subaru: Oh no! NOT AGAIN!]

[Al: FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!]

Two figures stood out in the middle of the establishment as they watched the two continue to punch each other without pause.

Crusch grabbed the Chicken by the neck feathers, dragging it to the counter and slamming it into it.

Once, twice, three, four, five times—until its beak started bending.

But then the Chicken grabbed her face and returned the favor—slamming her face into the counter repeatedly, then kneeing her in the face several times, breaking a few teeth, before lifting her up, kneeling, and slamming her down onto his knee.

Crusch spun and collapsed, gasping for air, while the Chicken tended to its injured beak.

It thought the fight was over.

Wiping the blood from its mouth with one wing, it turned to walk away.

But then, it felt a chill and looked back.

Crusch was standing—fists raised.

[Crusch: Hey, you idiot... I didn’t hear no bell...]

Saying it with confidence, she prepared to continue the fight. Both clenched their teeth in rage.

The crowd looked excited—all except Subaru.

On stage, Liliana picked up the mic device and called out:

[Liliana: FINAL ROUND... FIGHT!]

With that, they jumped at each other again and punched each other in the cheek. Before returning to punch each other nonstop. But it was clear who had the advantage between them: Crusch punched her opponent more and more, with more and more force, covering him with injuries, without stopping to give him a chance to catch his breath. She didn't stop until she pinned him against the wall.

The duchess continued the exchange of punches between them without stopping.

Before she grabbed his face from the sides and then hit him with a powerful headbutt, then another, then another, and then one more. When he fell, she continued, without stopping, while blood splattered against her body. And then, when she finally stopped her succession of headbutts against her opponent.

Crusch had a black eye, some missing teeth, was covered in blood, and was extremely bruised. While Chicken lay on the floor with his eyes closed, his face slightly destroyed and his beak broken in an extremely brutal way.

She got up, went to the counter, placed a bag full of coins on it, and pushed it toward Subaru.

[Crusch: For the damage...]

[Subaru: It still won't be enough...]

[Crusch: Come to my property later... and I'll pay you however you want.]

Saying this with a small mischievous smile, she winked before limping toward the door.

Subaru blushed a little and Al laughed.

[Al: Will our friend finally lose what he hasn't lost yet...?]

[???: If he doesn't lose to that Bag of Meat, I'll do it.]

[Al: That's what I call a customer!]

Pointing a finger from his only arm at the woman next to him as they clinked their drinking glasses. Despite her provocative clothes, he thought she might be a good person. They both went back to drinking together.

Meanwhile, without anyone noticing... Chicken opened his eyes in anger.

 

 

—————

Final last minute notes:

- At this festival, Otto slept/had sex with three of Regulus' wives who were there. And he lost a finger in a bet with Heinkel.

Chapter 166: Hope IF

What if...? What if the Star never stopped shining?

—————

 

 

Klaus Treus had no hope left. Looking down, he saw a chance to end all his pain.

It was nighttime in the city of Priestella when Klaus Treus went to the top of the white tower, prominently located in a part of the city where people often strolled. Due to the darkness and the lateness of the hour, people wandered without paying much attention to anything that didn’t take them directly home. And even if someone looked up to the top of that tower, they still wouldn’t see him—not just because of the darkness. He was standing on the edge of the tower, just far enough back not to be seen from below, in a spot perfect for feeling the wind and taking one last look with his tired eyes.

It was the perfect place to witness a tragic end, should he choose to jump. And that was exactly his goal.

Klaus Treus was a man with slightly shiny brown-blond hair, light green eyes, and slightly thick eyebrows. He wore simple clothes, yet still noble-looking to anyone from outside the grand city. He stared at the small golden object in his hand with deep sorrow.

A ring.

A small ring with beautiful jewels. The ring that held the greatest value for this man.

And now, it would only take a few steps for——

[???: WOW! WHAT A VIEW, RIGHT?!]

A voice startled him, stopping him from continuing and making him turn his head.

There stood a young man admiring the city’s beautiful view, which could be seen from the edge of that high place. Despite the night’s darkness, the city below was still partially illuminated by magical stones placed around.

The dark-haired youth turned his intense eyes toward Klaus.

[Subaru: Natsuki Subaru, or Subaru Natsuki. Call me Subaru, Natsuki, or give me a nickname—whatever you prefer, really. Just, please, don’t call me “my love,” we’re not quite there yet. First, we’d need a dinner, then a nice walk holding hands, then decide how many kids we want, and then we get married. But, wait. Aren’t we moving a bit too fast? I don’t even know your name yet.]

[Klaus: ———— I’m just someone who doesn’t matter.]

[Subaru: WHOOOA! AMAZING! I’ve never met someone who doesn’t matter!]

He said with a wide grin, eyes sparkling like he’d just seen something brand new.

[Subaru: So, what do you think? Isn’t it amazing? A view like this. I’ve seen many worlds, many realities... BUT, WOW!!! ISN’T IT BEAUTIFUL TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS?! And you? Did you come up here to admire the view or... don’t tell me you came to pee on people down there? That would be gross and super unethical. Pretty evil too. Don’t do that, tower friend. Hold it until you find a proper bathroom. Or, I don’t know... a bush no one’s watching or using?]

[Klaus: ————]

[Subaru: Ah, don’t worry. Okay? I won’t judge you for wanting to make a wrong decision in a moment of emotional collapse... but you don’t look drunk, you know? I just really hope you didn’t come here to pee on someone for some kind of revenge or something like that.]

[Klaus: ————]

Who was that guy?

A young man—not even that old—whose eyes somehow shone like ancient stars time itself couldn’t dim.

He spoke casually and with rude words for someone he didn’t even know. But it wasn’t meant to provoke. He seemed like he was genuinely trying to help in his own way.

The two stared at each other in silence. Subaru, with a kind, silly smile, while the man looked at him with a hardened gaze, indifferent to whether he was there or not.

[Subaru: ———— You didn’t come up here to kill yourself, did you?]

[Klaus: ———— And if I did?]

The man’s voice was deep—deeper than the young man's—but strangely less commanding in that moment. They continued to stare at each other as Klaus remained in position, ready to jump. And Subaru? He kept watching him with a strange kind of kindness, affection, and love that should not be directed at a stranger just met on top of a tower. At best, it should’ve been a neutral tone.

[Subaru: Ah, that would be sad. Really sad. I just made a great friend and he wants to die? That would be super sad. Awful. Honestly, I’d rather you didn’t do it. Can I try to convince you not to jump?]

[Klaus: You can try, kid. But I’m still going to jump...]

[Subaru: ———— Then can you help me with a test?]

Klaus looked at him in surprise as he saw the young man suddenly perk up.

He really seemed like a very strange person.

[Subaru: Look, you just said you’re going to die. I heard it in your voice—the determination of someone who wants to die. So, sadly, I probably won’t be able to stop you from doing what you want. That’s why I’m asking for your help: Can you help me with a test? It’s simple. So simple, in fact, that you can do it and then... WHOOSH! jump and die headfirst down there.]

[Klaus: ———— What kind of test?]

Subaru lit up like a kid who just got the best gift in the world. He rummaged through the pockets of his strange dark coat and pulled out two objects, one in each hand, and held them out.

[Subaru: Which of these is worth more?]

[Klaus: ————]

In his right hand: a worn bronze coin.

In his left: a polished sacred gold coin.

[Subaru: Whichever one is more valuable to you... I’ll give it to you.]

[Klaus: ———— The one in your left hand.]

[Subaru: Hm? Really? Why?]

[Klaus: It’s a sacred gold coin. Bronze coins have the lowest value. Sacred gold coins are the highest. Everyone knows that—it’s common sense. Between the two... the one in your left hand is worth more than the one in your right. ———— Always has been, always will be.]

[Subaru: Hm? What a boring thought. Such a bland thought. So... Urgh! Yeah, an “Urgh” thought. Let’s just go ahead and label that kind of thinking as “Urgh” from now on.]

He said with animation and enthusiasm, as if announcing some great truth.

He put the bronze coin away and tossed the gold one to Klaus, who caught it in the hand that wasn’t holding his ring.

[Subaru: Well... now that we did the test. Go ahead. I won’t stop you.]

[Klaus: ————]

For some reason, he knew it was true. Subaru wouldn’t stop him.

——Putting thoughts of that strange young man aside, he turned his face back toward the edge and took a few steps toward it, ready to look down. Just a few more steps and he could finish what he came here to do. Jump, fall, crack his skull, die, and go wherever the dead go after the end.

When he placed his left foot over the edge, ready to fall——

[Subaru: WAIT! Wait, wait, wait, wait! Just a moment!]

[Klaus: ——!!!]

Klaus was now being held back by his clothes, grabbed tightly by the young man’s hand, stopping him from falling and meeting his end. He was surprised by Subaru’s strength as he held tightly onto the objects in his hand.

[Subaru: Why the sacred gold coin? I mean, I get it—it has more purchasing value, so it makes more logical sense... But why choose the sacred gold coin at this moment? I don’t get it. Can you explain your thinking to me before, you know... the whole WHOOSH! Aaaaugh! Splat! thing?]

[Klaus: ———— Because you said you’d give me the one with the most value.]

[Subaru: Yes, yes, yes. Of course. Sure, sure. I said that… But when I said "value," what kind of value did I mean? For example: bargaining value, mental, emotional, dimensional? No, I said I’d give you the one that holds the most value to you. Based on your personal perception of the world and the reasons that guide you to do or not do the things you do. Now, please, be as specific as possible and explain to me: Why did you choose the Sacred Gold Coin?]

[Klaus: —— Like I said, the Sacred Gold Coin has the highest value among all the kingdom’s coins. You could have a bronze coin in your pocket and get nothing when walking through a marketplace. But a Sacred Gold Coin? Just having one can raise your status, just one can make you look special, just one... makes people think a little about you if you died with one in your pocket. In a world where gold is worth more than bronze... that would be the only way to be noticed in the end.]

Speaking in a direct, sad, and melancholic tone, he opened up, revealing what he truly thought and part of the reason for his choice in the final moments of his life — and it seemed to make Subaru’s eyes light up.

[Subaru: Who was she? Or… he?]

[Klaus: ——!!!]

[Subaru: Ah, I saw the ring. You're holding a ring in the same hand you’re wearing one. Which makes me think: who could it have been? Wife, fiancée, husband, fiancé? Were you rejected by a girlfriend or boyfriend? Or... what?]

As he asked about the real reasons, Klaus furrowed his brow.

The man grabbed the boy’s wrist and tried to squeeze it in anger. But it was useless — it only felt like he was trying to crush the hardest stone in history.

Subaru kept looking at him while the man tried.

[Klaus: Why do you want to know…?!]

[Subaru: Oh, just curiosity.]

[Klaus: Curiosity…?!]

[Subaru: Yes, curiosity. If someone was that important to you, the “Person Who Doesn’t Matter,” and you’re throwing your life away over them… wouldn’t people be curious to know what kind of person could make someone as important as you do that?]

Their eyes met again at that moment. Klaus’s exhaustion clashed with Subaru’s vibrant, star-like eyes. The boy didn’t seem willing to let him go without getting an answer to his rare curiosity.

[Klaus: Her name was Marie… My wife. We’d been married for just two years, and last month was the anniversary of the day we met. We spent the day together just like we did back then. When… she died.]

[Subaru: Died? Just like that?]

[Klaus: She had an illness. One only a healer could cure, and for that we needed money… Money neither of us had. Money that none of our friends or acquaintances could give or lend us. Money, that’s it. —— If I had one, just one… A single Sacred Gold Coin would have been enough to save her… and all I had...? Copper coins, not even enough for two silver ones. And I needed at least one gold coin, even just a regular one — it didn’t even have to be sacred. But we didn’t have it… Not even if we sold everything we owned would it be enough for a gold coin. —— All I could do was enjoy that last day with her. That final moment. And now I just… I just want my last thoughts to be of her as I fall and… die.]

Telling the full contents of his heart, he allowed himself to open up and express his real intention behind wanting to fall from that tower to his death.

They kept staring at each other.

[Subaru: Then why didn’t you choose the bronze one...?]

[Klaus: ——?]

[Subaru: If you’re going to be smashed on the ground, the bronze coin has the same value as gold, you know? Even if you fall, your head bursts on impact, and you die. Coins won’t stop that if you go through with it. So gold, bronze — the difference is only in what people will think after you’re gone, right? —— Likewise, why are you still wearing those rings?]

[Klaus: Don’t you dare…!]

Klaus became furious, pulling the boy closer by his arm, dragging himself back in from the edge, staring him dead in the eyes with intense rage.

[Subaru: They’re just gold and diamond rings... Gold is just a transition metal and an element from group 11 on the periodic table, with an atomic mass of 197u. And diamonds...? They're mostly made of carbon — a pure crystalline form of this element. More precisely, they’re formed by carbon atoms arranged in a tetrahedral lattice, each bonded covalently to four other carbon atoms. Just like the gold coins and the bronze coin — these rings are just things like that too, right? These rings have no value.]

[Klaus: NO VALUE?! —— MY WIFE AND I… WE BOTH WORKED FOR DAYS, WEEKS, TO SAVE MONEY AND BUY THOSE RINGS! WE WORKED HARDER THAN ANYONE ELSE, WE FOUGHT, WE PERSEVERED, UNTIL WE COULD AFFORD TO BUY THEM! DON’T YOU DARE SAY THEY HAVE NO VALUE!!!]

[Subaru: Oh, sentimental value. So the rings are the most important things you have from your wife?]

[Klaus: Yes… they’re the… only things I have of hers.]

Lowering his gaze, still slightly angry, he seemed more sorrowful as he said those words to the boy.

The boy with black hair raised an eyebrow when he heard that.

[Subaru: Are you telling me that, without them, you’d forget Marie?]

[Klaus: NEVER! Whether I had them or not, I’D NEVER FORGET HER!]

[Subaru: Wow, then she must’ve been really important. Who was she? A queen? A famous merchant? The legendary strongest swordswoman in the world?]

[Klaus: She… she… She wasn’t anyone to the world. Just a… normal woman… She had no living family besides me. We never had kids. Though we had friends, none were deeply close to us. Other than me… no one else in the world… would cry or die for her.]

Saying that, a few tears began to fall. Remembering how no one seemed to care that she had died — no one except him. Everyone else kept on living, going about their lives as if the world hadn’t ended… while he could do nothing but cry over the only thing in his life that had been torn away from him.

They stared at each other again, and the stars in Subaru’s eyes seemed to glow brighter.

[Subaru: She wasn’t someone important? What a stupid thing to say, Klaus!]

[Klaus: Nobody important——]

[Subaru: No king cried for her, no knight knelt at her grave, no legendary hero shouted her name to the winds — and because of that, she’s not important? What a foolish thought. She was important! Because look — you, the “Person Who Doesn’t Matter,” about to jump from a tower just because she died. How is she not important? If her life was important enough that you’d throw yours away, doesn’t that make her important in some way? Don’t you see how stupid it is to think she didn’t matter? —— My friend, are you trying to throw away one of the most important things she left behind?]

[Klaus: That she left behind...?]

[Subaru: Imagine a world... with screens. A world full of screens, of frames, like windows, each one showing a moment from your life... The day you were born, the day you took your first step, the day you said your first word, the day you smiled for the first time, and the day you cried for the first time. The day you fell in love. And then on those screens, you see the memory of the first time you two met, the memory of the first time you held hands, the first time you kissed, the first time you said you loved her. You can contemplate those memories — not all of them, but the ones that matter. And what matters? Why is it those memories of her that make you hold onto that ring and keep it in your hand? Memories are like coins. Everything has the value you believe it has. Just as gold can be worth a life, and bronze can buy a piece of fruit... and how they both are worth the same once we die. So what makes those rings special if they’re just materials like bronze, gold, or diamond? You already said it yourself. It’s the memories, the value of each moment you want to preserve. It’s the weight we carry while we’re alive and when we face death.]

Subaru’s smile grew brighter and brighter with each word, before he pulled the man back from the ledge and pushed him to the ground. Klaus felt a strange sensation… something like relief that calmed the pounding in his chest.

[Subaru: And that’s why… I won’t let you kill yourself.]

[Klaus: And what if I want to die?! If I want to just jump, why can’t I do that?! I don’t have anything left that matters in this life!]

[Subaru: Don’t you? That coin and those rings wouldn’t mean anything to anyone if you died. No one would see anything but... gold and diamonds. But you? When you look at those rings, you see those screens, don’t you? Every... single... moment. Every precious thing, every important memory, every instant that brought you here today. Made you think you should end your life. But... wouldn’t it be sad? For the world to forget Marie because the last person who loved her is gone? Nah. I can’t let that happen.]

[Klaus: ——]

[Subaru: If you’re looking for something, a reason to live — how about this one? Live to remember Marie. Live so that every moment, every instant you two shared, is never forgotten by the world. So that these rings keep having real meaning. Because memories are what truly give value to the things we carry into death. And when you die, that value disappears. They just become... some cash value or some meaningless worth given by people who don’t think about what it truly meant to others, beyond some shallow knowledge.]

Speaking with such conviction, leaning against the wall beside Klaus, who was still lying on the ground, Subaru spoke with a warm, gentle smile, his eyes glowing the same way, then extended his hand to help him up if he wanted. Klaus accepted and stood.

[Subaru: Preserve her memories. Don’t forget her. And don’t throw away something as valuable as the memories you shared — or those rings that were so precious you couldn’t toss them even when you came here to die. Okay?]

[Klaus: —— Okay.]

[Subaru: That’s it! I appreciate it. I don’t want you to throw away something as special as your life — or the memories of that woman, Marie.]

Patting the man’s shoulder to comfort him, Subaru spoke with enthusiasm.

They stood face to face, and Klaus got a better look at him.

A dark button-up shirt with a V-neck collar, pants nearly the same color with orange stripes on the side, a dark coat with pockets draped over his body down to his ankles, and a youthful appearance that also carried a sense of age and a wise aura.

[Klaus: Who… are you?]

[Subaru: Oh, me? I already introduced myself, but I’ll say it again: I’m Natsuki Subaru — or Subaru Natsuki. You can call me Subaru or just Natsuki. I’m not just a weirdo, I’m way more broken than I look!]

Reintroducing himself, he spoke with a friendly smile. They kept looking at each other while Klaus let out a small smile. It was a special moment for him, meeting that boy at that time — especially when he’d hear of him again years later, saving Priestella from the Cult… though very different from the young man who stopped him from jumping off that tower.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-This is the kindest Subaru in the entire Multiverse. Not only because he’s one of the oldest, but also because he knows about the other Subarus from other realities.

-Like in the Youkai IF, this Subaru constantly feels the ongoing pain of all his other versions. Even in this chapter, he was feeling the deaths of all his other selves at the same time: being burned, eaten alive, drowned, mutilated, crushed, thrown from the high staircase of the Pleiades Tower, etc. Yet his thoughts were still focused on helping Klaus, because he believed that was more important.

-This Subaru is the kindest not because he is the most benevolent, but because he feels all the suffering of his other selves and still chooses to have hope and to be a person — instead of destroying everything. Someone who, even when given the option to choose the path of cruelty, chose the opposite.

I based this version of Subaru on my favorite characters — the ones I consider my GOATs: The Doctor (Doctor Who, from the Tenth to Fourteenth), Superman (especially the "All-Star" version), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Optimus Prime (Transformers), Midoriya (MHA), Subaru (Re:Zero, duh). If I had to say, he’d be on the same level as them in kindness, gentleness, and hope.

Who else loves those characters too? I just think they’re the best, in my personal opinion.

Chapter 167: [Extra - Hope IF]

|Personal Diary — Day XX — Klyann|

When I met him, I was very young. It had been a very strange experience in my life. I was just a child, only 3 years old.

Because of the Demi-Human War, my family, the people I knew at the time, and I had to leave our home village. One of the biggest experiences I had in that tender part of my life.

If I had to describe it in depth now, at my current age, I could say it really affected me in a way I never thought it would.

That we had to leave the place where I had lived since the very beginning of my life.

To leave the place where I had been with my parents since the moment I spoke my first words and took my first steps.

The place where I made my first friends, where I played with them for the first time, and also the place where I discovered many things that weren’t so nice either.

Like when I cut my hand because I played with a knife my father had carelessly left nearby, or when I ate something way too hot and too fast, and ended up spitting and throwing up a little from the heat and because it was too big for my throat. Among other bad experiences, and also good ones that taught me the difference between what I should or shouldn’t do.

Especially since some of those things earned me a good few spankings on my backside. They hurt. They really hurt. But I learned I really shouldn’t pick up a sharp knife to play with.

And that was a good life. Even if it only lasted three years.

Until the Demi-Human War began.

A war that, today, I understand the reason behind—their fight for their rights. I’d even support them having more rights, if only the cause didn’t come with so much death and destruction.

But I can’t take full credit for understanding that.

Because I learned that lesson from someone very special I met back then.

It was during our journey.

My family and I were traveling to a more distant village, home to other members of our family—on my mother’s side. My aunt was going to receive us there so we could all live together until that situation came to either a good or bad end.

We were on that journey when, one day, we came across a caravan of merchants, and other people also fleeing their own towns and villages due to the spreading war.

At the time, I was a hot-blooded little brat. A boy who, like any other, didn’t understand what was going on around him.

And that was when I said something terrible, something I deeply regret today.

“Why did those monsters ruin our lives?” I asked myself as I walked among the wagons that night, angrily kicking anything near my feet that I could send flying. “The monsters should just disappear.”

Such harsh words for a child to say about people he didn’t even know—didn’t understand their struggles, didn’t understand the kinds of things they faced.

Words from a child who had been traveling for days without playing with his friends or parents, words from a boy who couldn’t stand sitting anymore in a rattling wagon that made his butt hurt.

“Monsters? Monsters ruined your life? That’s a shame... what kind of monsters did that?”

That’s when I saw him. Sitting on a wagon, legs swinging childishly. Wearing dark clothes with orange accents—odd, but still noble-looking in a way I can’t quite describe even now.

A radiant smile.

And those eyes...

How could I ever describe those eyes in words?

Frightening—at first glance. But bright. Bright like ancient stars, powerful stars that saw the world’s birth and would see its end at the end of time itself.

They looked at me with such kindness, with such warmth, with such tenderness—it felt like I was his child, and he was there just to help me.

A gaze so sweet it made me feel something warm in my chest—and I still feel it now as I write these words in this diary.

Back then, I didn’t fully understand it. I just felt like I needed to talk to him.

“Those monsters, you know? The ones everyone keeps talking about.” I said. But under his gaze—those kind eyes, even if they looked strange—I felt sad for saying those words.

“Ah, the Demi-Humans?” he asked in a tone that sounded accusatory to me. As if telling me I was wrong to call them monsters—to use that word. Even if I didn’t fully understand it at the time, I already knew—before he even asked—that I had been wrong to say it like that, and he would show me why before that night ended.

“Why are they monsters?” he asked gently, as if ready to teach me something. And I think I’m grateful he was there that night.

“Because… they… took everyone’s homes… didn’t they?”

That wasn’t even a real answer—it might have been more like a question. And I think that’s exactly how I felt back then.

He seemed thoughtful, sitting in the wagon.

“Hmm. I guess I can’t blame you for thinking that,” he said, resting a hand on his chin as he looked up at the night sky.

“Hmm. You know, I once talked to a kid just like you who told me their home had been attacked by monsters.”

That caught my interest—it surprised me.

He patted the empty spot next to him in the wagon and gestured for me to sit down.

I remember getting closer, and he gently lifted me up and sat me beside him, still looking at the sky as he spoke the next words:

“He told me they had broken into his house. Had attacked his father and mother, and even tried to go after his sister. If it hadn’t been for his parents, who fought back with everything they had, they wouldn’t have escaped. His mom lost one of her ears in the process.”

He spoke with a sad tone, clearly affected by what he had to describe.

I can’t say I wasn’t intrigued—or curious—about what happened, so I asked the way any child would:

“Were they the same monsters that attacked us?”

“No. They weren’t the same ones. These monsters were just like the others—but they saw themselves as different, just like the others do. Their motivations were different, even though some of their actions looked the same. But that’s something you won’t fully understand just yet.”

And I really couldn’t understand it fully.

Until he told me exactly what I needed to hear:

“The ones who were attacked were Demi-Humans. And they were attacked by non-Demi-Humans.”

That shocked me at the time—but now I see it made sense, based on his tone and what he wanted to show me.

And he continued before I could say anything:

“They were attacked out of hatred. Hatred for people who had hurt them—even if those weren’t the same people. Why? Because they believed it was some kind of justice.

But... how is hurting people who’ve done nothing to you or to others some kind of justice?

How is attacking people who only want to live their lives considered good?

How, where, and why is hurting the innocent even remotely close to being just?”

And nothing—the me from back then, nor the me from now—could argue with those words.

Not with that person. Not with the tone of voice he used.

That gentle sadness in his voice made me, even now, want to reach out and comfort him.

And I think he would’ve accepted it—whether from my younger self or my current self—and I wouldn’t be ashamed to do it if he needed it.

“The people who made you and your parents leave your home, like your village, are going through terrible things. Maybe for years now. Even if some of their actions aren't justified, they still do them because they haven’t found another way. Which is unfortunate for everyone. But just as they did what they did for a reason, so did the others for their own reasons. —— Maybe they were miserable enough to believe that lashing out in anger or sadness at others, even if those people weren’t responsible for their pain or loss, would be some kind of justice. Or maybe the people who did it already hated them for other reasons and only wanted to hurt them.”

“Why hurt them for no reason?”

“There are many reasons. But it’s not about whether there is or isn’t a reason. Whether it's justified or not, people are still hurting each other in cruel ways right now. All for reasons that may have already been lost long ago in time. Because these could be conflicts that have lasted so long that people hate each other without even understanding what they dislike anymore, continuing only because they can’t find another reason for their own actions.”

Those words were so deep, I never imagined I’d hear something like that so early in my life.

Honestly, even back then, I could understand them—despite not fully grasping them. It’s strange even to me how deeply those words were etched into my heart. And I’m thankful for them, just as I’m thankful for the next ones he spoke to me.

He looked straight at me with those ancient eyes.

“Do you believe those people should disappear because they’re monsters? Because they’re monsters?”

“——”

“You don’t know, do you? See? Many don’t know why they dislike others. —— Kid. What you're feeling is normal for what you’re going through. Others feel the same. That boy I met—the one whose family was attacked—he started thinking about hating others, people like you, just because they reminded him of those who hurt him. But that doesn’t mean he hated them for WHO they were, but for WHAT they were. And that makes it all the more painful. —— Hatred is a bad thing. But to hate someone you don’t even know, just because they remind you of someone who hurt you badly? While it may be expected for what you’ve been through, it doesn’t make it any less sad.”

“——”

“You two are the same. You both lost something to people for different reasons. But both of you would hate each other without even understanding one another. And why? Because people did bad things. Because people made mistakes. Because they’re people who no longer understand themselves or the feelings inside them. —— Tell me, would you consider him a monster?”

When he asked me that, I didn’t know what to feel.

For a moment, I remembered that it was the demi-humans, the war they caused, that made me leave my village and never again see the people I saw every day smiling. But then I also thought of that family. They were attacked by people like me. Their family was hurt by people like me. Their lives were destroyed—just like mine, up to that point.

And why did I hate them? Even being so young, when I heard his words, I asked myself that.

Why did I hate them? Did I truly hate them, or was it just anger and frustration I didn’t understand because I was too young? It was likely the latter. It was likely my youth and irrational thoughts in that moment that—without the help of that man with eyes as old as the stars—might’ve turned into nothing but hate to hurt others.

Would I consider someone who had suffered just as much, or more than me, a monster just because he hated people like me for what he had gone through?

“No. I don’t think he’s a monster.”

“Good. I’m glad you understand. And you’re not one either, boy. You’re not a monster for feeling anger or frustration over what you’ve lost. That’s natural. But do you know what makes you—and anyone else—more than a monster? What stops a person from becoming one?”

“—— What?”

“Understanding. —— Not giving in to anger. Not giving in to irrational hatred. Understanding that what you went through was bad, but not using that to justify doing wrong things. Finding a way to forgive those who didn’t hurt you, even when it’d be easier to hate them. Hating everyone is easy. Understanding is complicated. Forgiving those you could wish were dead is hard. —— You may fall. You may fail. But as long as you never give up on becoming better, you will never, ever, EVER be a monster.”

[—————]

Klyann, an older man, over fifty years old, leaned back in his chair as he finished writing in his journal. He looked up at the night sky that had inspired him to write. A sky full of stars—stars that reminded him of the boy he met back then, whose eyes shone like the stars of that time.

He didn’t know exactly why he was thinking of him now.

But he was grateful. Grateful for that night he met him. Grateful to have heard those words. Because now he served Duchess Karsten, whose knight was a demi-human—and he felt no anger or hatred toward him for being one. On the contrary. He was happy to serve alongside the man considered the world’s greatest healer, helping others. And perhaps, had he never heard those words, he wouldn’t be here today. He wouldn’t be one of the soldiers serving that great woman.

The next day, almost at the same time of night, he would face the White Whale alongside his comrades.

And even in the middle of such chaos and uncertainty, facing that monster, he still felt something unshakable that had guided him to the final moment of his life in that battle...

All thanks to that boy—the boy he met on that battlefield.

Natsuki Subaru. In his final moments, in that battle. With no regrets about the life he had lived. Without fear of falling alongside his comrades. Without the shame of having once spent years hating innocent people simply for existing. He would only say one thing.

[Klyann: Thank you.]

Those were the words he would speak with a smile on his face. Honored and happy. That even before such a monster, he never lost what he gained on that important night: Hope. Hope for a better world—even if it sounded childish, he wanted to believe that boy would make the world a better place.

That’s why he had Hope.

 

 

—————

My channel: ThinkMind.

I recently saw Superman and Fantastic Four at the cinema. It was really good.

My new chapter for Family IF: The Steps Toward the Royal Capital (3/3).

Special thanks to Pledias112, since the third chapter of his story inspired me to write this chapter.

In this IF:

-Hope Subaru is tied with Conquest Subaru for second place in the ranking of the most powerful Subarus in my Multiverse, only below Youkai Subaru.

-Hope Subaru is capable of defeating Youkai Subaru if they ever fought. Even though Youkai is physically stronger and has more abilities, he can’t kill or harm Hope Subaru, as he would easily endure any number of deaths as needed.

-He can purify Authorities, turning them into Virtues—powers that heal their users and are meant to help others. For example: if he purified the Authority of Wrath while it belonged to Minerva, she would become calmer and her power would heal people without draining mana from the world or causing disasters. Or purify Petelgeuse and return him to his former self. Or purify the Authority of Gluttony and end Daphne’s hunger.

-Hope Subaru can cure any curse and even the Witch’s Miasma.

-Hope Subaru often helps people not commit suicide and helps them overcome hatred or negative feelings toward others, bringing hope to everyone. In his free time? He usually prevents disasters and solves other problems.

-If someone offered a hug to Hope Subaru, he would accept it without hesitation.

-Hope Subaru occasionally travels across the Multiverse to invade Satella’s Seal, hug her, kiss her on the cheek, and comfort her to make her feel better.

Chapter 168: [Extra 2 - Hope IF]

I saw many people were sad with my last chapter, so… I decided to break my own rule and post this IF today, especially because I was watching X-Men: Days of Future Past, and it gave me an idea for the Epilogues of: Hope IF, Conquest IF and Youkai IF.

—————

 

 

The little green-haired girl was crying while crouched in a corner of the forest. Among the bushes, under the shadows of the trees, while the daylight had long since vanished and only the pitch-black night remained—dimly lit by the half-moon, now covered by clouds so thick it was almost impossible to notice its presence unless one had seen it shining minutes before it disappeared.

Until then, she could only wait, sitting in that same corner, head lowered, letting tears fall in sadness. Just waiting, waiting, and waiting.

For quite some time, she had been waiting for someone to help her.

Because she was lost in that vast forest. Because she had disobeyed her parents, imagining she was strong and brave enough to face the darkness and the creatures of that place. Because she was a stubborn and arrogant girl who thought that with determination alone—but without truly knowing what she was doing—she would be able to confront the worst fears that could appear at that moment.

But she had failed. Sitting in the darkness of that place, she could only wait for someone to help her. Wishing she could make it happen, because she so deeply desired someone to be there for her.

[???: Hello, hello!]

A sudden voice spoke, startling her enough to make her jump back slightly, as she saw a new figure appear. She looked at him strangely, but at the same time, she felt something… like comfort and joy.

A young man with dark hair, wearing a massive scarf, strange yet expensive-looking clothes, and an oddly large hat that never fell off—even though he was upside down. His eyes could have been frightening, yet they seemed filled with stars, ancient shining stars that were constantly being born and dying—now and always—illuminating his face in a way that seemed to shift between youth and old age, a perfect blend, showing just how young and how old he seemed at the same time. And there he was, looking at her, upside down.

A strange way to introduce himself, as he waved at the little girl in that odd position, balancing on one arm while his scarf floated as if it were made to do so. It looked uncomfortable, but he did it cheerfully.

The young man flipped into a standing position with a leap, spun around, and sat cross-legged right in front of the girl. He stared directly into her eyes without looking away.

[Subaru: I am Natsuki Subaru, Subaru Natsuki, at your service, my dear young lady. I apologize for disturbing you at such an inopportune time. I can clearly see you are frightened by something—something truly terrifying to leave you in such a state, you, who are clearly a warrior of personality and overwhelming strength.]

He spoke in a polite tone, removing his hat in a courteous and almost knightly manner. “Polite” was the perfect word to describe this young man who had suddenly appeared before the frightened girl.

That only made her more worried—and also curious.

Who was this person?

Despite being strange—very strange in fact—and appearing so suddenly that she hadn’t noticed his presence before… there was an aura about him that clearly showed he meant no harm. He acted in a friendly way, radiating an aura of compassion and kindness that could only be described as paternal, maternal, sibling-like—any sort of family you could imagine at that moment, the kind who would protect you with tooth and nail and give their life for you without hesitation.

The young man leaned closer in a friendly, childlike manner, crawling a bit toward her but without frightening her. Soon, he was right in front of her.

[Subaru: You… did you see it?]

[???: ——see what?]

[Subaru: The… Mooooonnnster!!!]

Speaking in a playful and “scary” tone, he asked.

The little girl tilted her head, confused.

She thought he might mean some dangerous creature, like a Mabeast, that could indeed be considered monstrous. But not in the way he seemed to mean with just that one word.

Now he stared at her with deep interest.

[???: A monster…?]

[Subaru: Yes, yes, yes. A monster. A big monster, very tall and bulky, frightening, with sharp teeth, claws like blades, and a posture straight out of a mad horror story. A monster that feeds on the same thing day after day and seems to enjoy it… A truly terrible monster that, I’m sorry to say, might be watching you right this very moment.]

[???: ——?! What monster is that…?]

A little more startled, her small eyes widened in surprise, though she didn’t seem completely terrified or desperate.

[Subaru: The… FEAR!]

But as he spoke, her eyes shifted behind him.

A figure began to emerge slowly from the trees and bushes behind the young man. A towering figure, nearly twelve feet tall, covered in dark fur, with glowing red eyes, razor-sharp claws and fangs. It looked like a massive, terrifying wolf. A creature far removed from humanity, or even demi-humans or non-humans.

Its appearance was truly that of a… MONSTER!

[Subaru: Fear really is a terrifying thing. It makes us tremble, makes us cry, makes us desperate, makes us want to run as far as we can, makes us wish never to fight or lose anything again. Fear is one of the worst things anyone could face and, unfortunately, we must face it, whether we like it or not.]

[???: ——]

[Subaru: But you know… Fear can also be a good thing. Do you know why Fear is good?]

The looming figure drew closer and closer, making her increasingly anxious and scared as it approached.

[Subaru: When we feel fear, it’s our body’s way of saying something is dangerous. It’s also a way of saying: “Hey, you have important things in life worth fighting for, so FIGHT, because you don’t want to lose WHAT IS SPECIAL TO YOU!” Fear… when you have control over it… reminds you how important things and people are, and why you don’t want to lose them.]

[???: ——]

[Subaru: But Fear can also spiral out of control, and when that happens…? It’s bad. Because your survival instincts max out, paralyzing you, stopping you from moving forward, from fighting against all kinds of monsters and evil, against everything that threatens our lives. A good thing that can also become incredibly terrible if we lose control.]

[???: ——]

[Subaru: You feel it now, don’t you? That paralyzing Fear, and yet also the desire to escape, isn’t that right?]

As he spoke, the monster drew even closer, towering over them, revealing itself to be powerful enough to destroy anyone in its path—and she knew it could take down even the bravest warrior without hesitation.

[Subaru: But… there’s a way to fight it, you know?]

[???: How…?]

[Subaru: Why, HOW?! How do you fight Fear?! The answer is so obvious! When a mother wants to protect her child, when a father wants to protect his family, when we have someone special we want to protect, we all gain the strength to do it! —— COURAGE! Courage is the strength to face Fear! Not to forget it, but to overcome it! AND THAT IS WHAT WE FIGHT WITH!]

The Monster drew closer to them.

The little girl looked worried, but no longer afraid.

The boy, however, flashed a confident smile and slipped a hand inside his clothes.

[Subaru: We’ll fight this Monster with Courage and… MY SUPER SPECIAL WEAPON!]

With a sudden turn, he struck the monster’s face with… a stick shaped like a sword? The blow made the creature recoil in a beastly manner, slamming its front paws into the ground in fury, while Subaru stood tall, pointing his weapon at the great Monster.

The massive beast lunged forward at high speed toward Subaru.

The stick rang out as if forged from celestial iron when it struck the beast. The impact drew no blood, but forced the giant wolf-like creature to stagger two steps back, as though it had been hit by a true hero’s blade.

[Subaru: See that?! My Sword of Courage! Forged in the fire of determination, tempered in the ice of stubbornness, and sharpened by the power of imagination! Nothing can stand against it!]

The monster let out a guttural roar, deep as thunder rolling through the trees, and charged. Its black body seemed to devour the faint moonlight, its claws tearing grooves into the earth. Instead of retreating, Subaru leapt forward with an awkward—but confident—jump. He spun the stick like an ancient spear and struck the beast’s paw. The sound echoed like steel against stone, forcing the monster back once again.

[Subaru: Hah! You may have fangs, claws, and even a spine-chilling glare… but I have something you don’t! Style, beauty, impeccable taste in mayonnaise, and… an incredibly cute and powerful ally to fill me with determination!]

He winked at the little girl, who now watched him wide-eyed—not with fear, but with fascination.

The beast lunged again, even more furious. Subaru rolled across the ground, his scarf fluttering like an improvised hero’s cape, and rose with another precise strike, hitting the creature’s chest.

The stars in Subaru’s eyes shone brighter.

[Subaru: You know what Fear hates the most? When we laugh at it! When we look it in the eye and say: “You’re not stopping me, you overgrown furball!”]

The monster tried to bite, but Subaru raised the stick as if it were a shield and—miraculously—the creature’s teeth didn’t break it. Instead, the impact caused the stick to emit a faint glow, as though it had absorbed the little girl’s courage as she watched.

[Subaru: H-hey… you’re helping me, aren’t you? Your courage is flowing into me!]

The glow grew stronger.

The wolf roared in frustration, stepping back.

[Subaru: That’s it! Shared courage is like fire on dry wood: the more we add, the brighter and farther it spreads! Now, let’s finish this together! Time to conquer Fear with the most powerful weapon in the world—hope!]

He raised the stick as though it were the noblest sword in existence, pointing it directly at the beast’s heart. Then he charged, the stick shining like a real blade, ready to deliver the final blow. For a moment, the stick glowed—but then the light faded, revealing its simple truth: just a piece of wood.

And yet Subaru wielded it as if it were the most sacred of swords.

The monster roared again, claws raised to strike. Subaru, however, sidestepped and tapped its snout lightly with the stick.

“Tap.”

[Subaru: Hey, hey, hey! Is that all you’ve got? I thought Fear was supposed to be scarier than this!]

The beast shook its head angrily and lunged again, but Subaru spun dramatically, almost like he was dancing, and gave it another playful “tap” on the shoulder.

[Subaru: Badum! — one more point for me!]

He raised his hand high as if celebrating a grand victory, even though it was only a poke.

The little girl, though her heart raced, let out a nervous giggle. Watching Subaru play like that—instead of fighting with hatred or despair—made the monster seem… smaller, almost ridiculous.

The wolf let out a furious roar, stomping its paws with such force the ground trembled. Even so, Subaru tilted his head, stepped forward, and poked its paw.

[Subaru: “Beep!” I hit your secret button! Now you’re paralyzed, right?!]

Of course, the monster wasn’t paralyzed. But Subaru pretended it was, stepping back thoughtfully and stroking his chin in mock seriousness.

[Subaru: Hm, hm… no reaction? So, does that mean I’ve lost my charm?]

The monster roared again and charged with even more fury, but Subaru leapt back, spinning clumsily through the air—and when he landed, he smacked the creature’s tail with the stick.

[Subaru: Tsk! Got your tail! Now you can only move in circles, like a dog chasing its own tail!]

And, amazingly, the beast actually spun in fury trying to reach him, as if to prove his taunt true. Subaru burst out laughing, pointing at it like a child playing tag with a much bigger friend.

[Subaru: See?! Fear shrinks when you decide to laugh at it!]

The monster turned again, its red eyes burning with hatred. But Subaru was unfazed.

Each violent strike from the beast grew heavier, slower, while Subaru’s movements became light, almost playful, as if he were dancing around it.

He poked a paw, then another, then its snout—tap tap tap—until the giant seemed to be losing its composure.

[Subaru: That’s courage, my dear! It’s not about destroying Fear… it’s about showing it you won’t obey its rules anymore! And I, Subaru Natsuki, hereby declare… that you, Mister Fear, have been officially DEMOTED to a grumpy stuffed animal!]

He grinned from ear to ear, poking the beast’s chest with the stick as if it were nothing.

The beast roared one last time, but it no longer seemed truly threatening—more irritated than terrifying.

The monstrous wolf panted, covered in invisible marks of Subaru’s teasing, as though each poke from the stick had really drained its strength.

Subaru took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and twirled the stick between his fingers as though it were a legendary katana.

His scarf fluttered in the night wind, as if awaiting this moment.

[Subaru: The time has come for the GRAND FINALE!]

He crouched slightly, striking an exaggerated swordsman’s pose, the stick held at his side, glowing only with the nonexistent light of imagination.

The monster roared and charged, each step shaking the ground. Its red eyes burned like embers, claws raised to tear him apart.

But Subaru did not retreat.

He charged as well.

In a single instant, when the two forces met, Subaru raised the stick and slashed horizontally through the air. A flash erupted, as if the stars in his eyes had leapt to the tip of the weapon.

The impact tore through the monster like lightning.

Time seemed to freeze: the stick cutting through the darkness, the beast suspended mid-attack, and the little girl holding her breath, witnessing the impossible.

Subaru then spun the stick between his hands and “sheathed” it theatrically at his waist, even though no sheath existed.

The movement ended with a sharp stomp of his feet, his head held high, a confident smile on his face.

Behind him, the monster trembled. A crack of light split across its shadowy body until, with one final roar, it collapsed into an explosion of dark smoke that spread like mist, dissolving into the night.

Silence.

Only the soft sound of the little girl’s breathing remained. Subaru slowly turned, raised the stick, and winked at her, as if it had all just been another circus act.

The little girl, still stunned, let a smile slip through her tears.

And Subaru, satisfied, stepped closer, twirling his stick before kneeling in front of her.

[Subaru: See? The most powerful weapon in the world isn’t a sword, or a spear, or even magic... It’s your own Courage. And with it, even a stick can defeat monsters.]

He said with a warm smile on his face, looking gently at the small girl.

[Subaru: Are you... still afraid?]

[???: N-No... I... don’t feel... that scared... anymore...]

[Subaru: That’s good. Even if you’re still Afraid, even if you still feel it. Never let that stop you, got it? Never let it hold you back, and never let it stop those who are important to you. —— What’s your name?]

[???: Helena. My name is Helena.]

[Subaru: Uuuhh. Helena. Hmm. Would that be Helena Karsten...?]

[???: ——?]

[Subaru: Sorry, spoilers.]

As he gently patted Helena’s head, the little green-haired girl found the words of that strange man called Natsuki Subaru curious. When he escorted her out of that frightening forest that night, he let her return home with a courage freshly forged in one of the most unbelievable battles she could ever witness.

And in the future?

That young man would come to this world—someone just like the one who helped her. A young man who would help her daughter overcome one of the Great Evils of the world, the Whale.

She felt happy to have met him.

And she would have been happy to know how a version of him would save her daughter from a terrible fate in the future.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-The Stick-Sword is called Hoffnung, which means "Hope" in German.

-It possesses other special powers similar to those of cartoon characters, where he could even use the Whale as a jump rope if he wanted, or even pull down the Moon and use it as a frisbee to play.

-The Stick-Sword is as powerful, or even more powerful, than Reinhard’s sword, and it is absolutely indestructible.

I based it on the episode of the Twelfth Doctor against Robin Hood to create HopeSubaru’s weapon, when the Doctor used a spoon to fight Robin Hood.

Chapter 169: Lone Star IF

What if…? What if a Star was Lonely?

—————

 

 

Subaru was lazily writing a letter to Al.

Normally, not long ago, he wouldn’t have done something like this—since they were from rival camps and didn’t exactly get along.

Even though they were from the same world, from Beyond the Waterfall, they hadn’t spent enough time together to really bond. Which is why they rarely communicated. But since his return, Subaru had grown fond of writing to his “bro” whenever he needed a reason to vent.

And after everything they’d been through, they could both say they’d reached a point where they got along well enough to exchange letters.

Although he always ended his letters with something like:

“But bro, I’m not gonna be your girl unless you put a diamond ring on my finger.”

That line always made Al laugh, every time.

And he always replied something like: he’d need to split the dinner bill with Subaru before thinking about a diamond ring. They had this ongoing debate over who should take the first step to “advance their relationship.” Truth be told, Subaru’s relationship with most of Priscilla’s camp had improved over time. Even if his loyalty remained entirely with Emilia, he had faced hardships alongside most of them and overcome them—enough to build good rapport.

The only one he didn’t really get along with was Heinkel, Reinhard’s father.

At the very least, they could say they tolerated each other well enough not to kill each other.

Not that Subaru had any desire to spend more time with the man than necessary.

Still, their relationship had improved.

Since Vollachia. Since the Great Catastrophe. Since Sphinx—one of Echidna’s past creations—invaded the Kingdom of Vollachia with an army of zombies to crush the country.

Subaru had gotten caught in the middle of it all.

Unfortunately for him, so had Rem, Spica, Beatrice, Patrasche, and Otto.

A very… particular group.

He wished the others had been there to help.

But that was a different problem.

[Beatrice: Subaru, you look sad, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Ah, my adorable Beako~ Sorry, sorry. But how could I possibly be sad when my cute and lovely Beako is right here with me~!]

[Beatrice: While it’s true that Betty’s cuteness makes sadness impossible, her contractor was already sad before Betty showed up, I suppose.]

Beatrice entered the room with a slightly more serious look, though she still allowed herself a playful remark as she approached the boy sitting and writing.

Subaru gave a small smile as she came closer.

[Beatrice: ——You’re thinking about the half-elf girl and Bubby again, I suppose?]

[Subaru: It’s nothing important.]

Quickly changing the subject, he avoided diving into the heavy, important topic of the moment—something he actively tried not to discuss with Beatrice.

Out of a personal desire not to drag her into such a delicate matter—especially since it affected both of them deeply.

“Bubby”—that was the nickname she gave someone very special to her: Puck.

The Great Spirit of Fire. The Beast of the End. Emilia’s current contracted spirit.

He had been her father figure ever since rescuing her from the ice years ago—and had only returned relatively recently.

It was during the Pristella event—or more specifically, after the crystal negotiation with Kiritaka—that Puck came back.

Subaru had thought it would be a good thing. That it’d be positive.

But that was only the beginning of their reunion.

Then came the Witch Cult’s attack.

Nearly endless loops of Subaru, Beatrice, and Reinhard dealing with the threat of Sirius. And Regulus.

Because not only was there an attack on the Tower, but the Archbishop of Greed had also tried to kidnap Emilia while Subaru was dealing with the Archbishop of Wrath.

[Puck: Luckily, I managed to stop it. But it would’ve been nice to have help—or for you to let us know about it. After all, you’re her knight, aren’t you~ Subaru?]

Subaru could still hear his voice from that moment in the room. It made him feel terrible.

Of course, he had tried asking for help in other loops—from Emilia and from Puck.

But Puck had made it clear: he would protect Emilia and keep her away from danger. That was his job as her knight.

But because of Subaru’s lack of foresight and planning, he hadn’t anticipated Regulus’s attack.

It led to a fight where Emilia, Puck, and Priscilla caused major destruction in the plaza while Subaru and Beatrice were nearly drained. And the battle wasn’t over yet. Afterward, they went to the city hall to deal with the Archbishop of Lust—and Subaru and Crusch suffered greatly at his hands.

Then came the Archbishops’ demands: An artificial spirit, the remains of a Witch—Typhon, the Witch of Pride—and Regulus demanded Emilia as his wife.

Three absurd conditions they couldn’t possibly accept.

So Subaru had to resolve it alone.

Because as Puck had already made clear, it was his responsibility.

Thankfully, Subaru had one person capable of facing that monster:

Reinhard van Astrea.

Without him, Subaru would’ve died—many, many times.

Reinhard fought Regulus in the city while Subaru had to figure out how to defeat the Archbishop. And the answer was discovering his secret. It wasn’t too hard to figure it out: the secret to Regulus’s power lay in the hearts of his many wives, which he arrogantly gathered in the chapel to marry Emilia. That same desire became his downfall.

The real challenge was destroying those hearts.

Regulus had placed a heart inside each of his brides' chests—Subaru had to eliminate them. It would've been easier with Emilia’s help, but as Puck had said: He was her knight. It was his duty to face danger—not hers.

So Subaru found a way to overcome the challenge.

Invisible Providence—the power he had inherited from Petelgeuse in the past. A power that caused him immense, immense pain every time he used it. That night, he used it over and over again—so much that Subaru bled from his eyes, ears, and mouth—until he finally destroyed every single heart inside Regulus’s wives.

Thankfully, Reinhard kept Regulus occupied all that time and was able to finish him off once Subaru had done his part.

It had been a hard battle for his friend—Subaru knew that.

He felt ashamed that it took him so long to figure out Regulus’s secret. He’d placed far too much burden on his friend’s shoulders.

Maybe it would’ve been easier with Beatrice’s help—but she was nearly out of power and later helped Otto and the others. Maybe even with Emilia’s help. But Puck had been right: it was Subaru’s responsibility. He was her knight.

And it wasn’t just Pristella.

There was also the Pleiades Watchtower and then when he was thrown into Vollachia. He had to deal with so many things—all at once.

Even the words Puck threw at him in those moments—sarcastic, mildly cruel, but true.

Subaru had taken on the burden of acting in Emilia’s name. Because he had made that choice back in the Sanctuary—when he promised to protect her.

To Puck—the one to whom he made that vow.

To keep Emilia safe.

The one who had killed him three times in the past.

But Subaru was willing to move beyond that.

For Emilia.

[Beatrice: If you ever need to talk—even if it’s about Bubby—I’ll listen, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Thank you. Really, thank you. You don’t need to worry so much about—— Ouch!]

She pinched him before he could finish.

He rubbed the sore spot.

[Beatrice: Betty is Subaru’s spirit, and Subaru is Betty’s contractor. So even if it’s about Bubby, you don’t need to hide your worries, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Hmmm. I don’t deserve such a kind spirit like you, Beako.]

[Beatrice: No way, because a real contractor would understand just how much Betty is—— Kyaaa!]

[Subaru: Beako is the best! Beako is the cutest!]

Standing up from his seat, he picked her up in his arms and lifted her into the air. The spirit kept saying “No, no, stop!”, but didn’t even try to escape their interaction—especially with that smile on her face and her cheeks slightly flushed.

While spinning around, he fell onto the bed with her still in his arms.

[Subaru: What would I even be without you, huh?]

[Beatrice: Hmpf! Of course, Betty’s contractor would be good, but not spectacular without me around, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Yep. Definitely! I don’t even want to imagine such a thing. I wouldn’t have survived half of what I’ve been through without you.]

[Beatrice: Yeah, remember that next time you’re giving out gifts and sweets, because Betty is the best you’ll ever find, I suppose.]

It was true, after all. Without her, Otto, and Patrasche in Vollachia to help him through everything, things could’ve gone a lot worse. Not only were they in a foreign country, but they were also dealing with several issues at once—trying to save as many people as possible amid the chaos.

Not to mention Return by Death had been malfunctioning—until she summoned Satella again on Gladiator Island to fix it. Especially since there were two very important people he had to worry about.

Rem and Spica.

The ones who’d been sent to Vollachia with him after the chaos in the Pleiades Watchtower, and who he’d been dealing with since the beginning. Rem, who had lost her memories. And Spica, who used to be Louis Arneb, the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony.

And it had been really hard to deal with all of it.

In his own opinion, he had been the one responsible for making their relationship complicated from the start. Even now, their relationship wasn’t as deep as it once was—but just the fact that she was awake, alive, and could reunite with Ram made anything she threw at him worth it.

He had gotten past it before, and he would again now.

After all, he had to keep trying.

He had to keep pushing forward.

Puck was back, Rem had no memories, an ex-Sin Archbishop was wandering around Vollachia, and now... Emilia and Julius were apparently in a relationship.

Yes, Julius. The man who had once been the Knight of Knights, but whose name had been eaten and forgotten by everyone.

Yet, he was still a knight in manner, skill, and every sense of the word.

Someone Subaru knew was better than him. Puck had made that clear over time—even subtly implying that despite Subaru’s efforts, he’d never accept him for his daughter.

[Subaru: Can I really blame him...?]

Subaru didn’t have a knight’s manners.

He didn’t have strength, combat skills, or intelligence like Julius. Julius was the perfect knight, just like Reinhard. He even had spirit-related abilities, like a Divine Protection related to them, and deep respect for all types of spirits.

Julius was everything Subaru wasn’t. A true knight.

And Subaru?

He had to die multiple times just to get a single win. Failing again, and again, and again. While Julius could always handle things with success—doing what Subaru couldn’t.Doing what he never could.

Maybe that’s why Emilia didn’t come after him in Vollachia...

[Subaru: No, Otto explained it... She couldn’t sacrifice her chances in the Royal Selection... And Puck made it pretty clear, didn’t he? That she needed it more—and that she wasn’t supposed to clean up the mess from my mistakes...]

From what he’d heard, it had been Puck who stopped Emilia and the others from going after Subaru in Vollachia.

Only Beatrice, who escaped with Patrasche, and Otto, who had used the excuse of chasing them to join in the search, had come to help.

If not for them... things would’ve been so much harder.

He made new friends there, sure. Some he didn’t even know if they considered him a friend in return—but he’d come to care for them deeply. Among them were even Divine Generals. He’d even become a bit friendlier with the Emperor of Vollachia, Vincent.

[Subaru: But I still don’t like him that much... He’s gonna have to admit I was right most of the time...]

Thinking about that, he focused on resting beside Beatrice for now.

He’d finish the letter to Al later.

 

 

—————

This was an IF that some people asked me to adapt, so… I did.

In this IF:

-Puck returned in Priestella. He was very upset with Subaru over how Emilia had been acting—doubting and hesitating more whenever Subaru made a request. Especially when he couldn’t handle things and ended up putting her in danger.

-With his new contract with Emilia, Puck began subtly manipulating her emotions to be more submissive to his commands. There was still resistance from her, but he influenced her thoughts more and more.

-Puck pushed Emilia away from Subaru, making her believe that her feelings for him were only gratitude. He encouraged her to be jealous of how people (even those from her own camp) seemed to appreciate Subaru more than her. That jealousy led her to pull further away from him and listen to Puck again.

-When Julius lost his name, Puck saw the opportunity to start influencing him from the beginning of the journey to the Pleiades Watchtower—manipulating Julius into getting closer to Emilia, believing he would be a better protector.

-Puck prevented Emilia from going to Vollachia and had her stop others from going as well, under the logic that Subaru’s name was still unknown in the country, and their arrival might jeopardize her campaign in the Royal Selection.

-Beatrice chose to ignore Puck and went with Patrasche to find Subaru. Otto used the excuse of chasing after them to join in, leaving Garfiel and Ram behind to take care of things.

-Subaru had a harder time dealing with the Great Calamity without the support of Emilia’s and Anastasia’s camps, as Julius didn’t join him. Subaru had to improve his skills and strategies even more—reluctantly accepting that sacrifices would have to be made in the conflict. Even Vincent took notice of how Subaru was being refined by the harsh experiences—learning to focus on saving those he could, instead of trying to save everyone and losing everything.

-Thanks to Puck’s influence, Julius and Emilia began forming a relationship. Emilia wanted to feel noticed by someone other than Subaru. Julius, on the other hand, was dealing with feelings of inadequacy from being forgotten—and gravitated toward Emilia emotionally.

-Because of the massive number of additional deaths, Puck’s words, and even Rem’s and Emilia’s distance (caused by Puck), Subaru began to believe that Julius should be with Emilia—and that he should be the one clearing obstacles for her happiness. Even if he didn’t become the “broken doll” Roswaal wanted, he still felt that way inside.

-If Beatrice had to choose sides: she would 100% choose Subaru. But Subaru was afraid to ask—just in case there was even the slightest chance she’d choose Puck over him.

Chapter 170: [Extra - Lone Star IF]

[Otto: Natsuki-san, we need to talk.]

[Subaru: Ugh. I should’ve expected something like this when you all called me here. When the three of you asked me to come along, I figured it might be something like this. But honestly? I had a tiny bit of hope that it’d be something completely different.]

[Garfiel: Sorry 'bout that, Captain. But even the amazing me knows you need to vent somehow—whether you like it or not, just like you did for me.]

[Ram: Barusu should’ve realized this on his own. But considering how oblivious he usually is, I guess it’s understandable. Like failing to notice how clearly worried we are about you being even more pitiful than usual.]

The pink-haired oni commented while they sat inside the carriage.

Subaru had been summoned by Otto, Garfiel, and Ram for a last-minute trip to the Royal Capital—something he definitely hadn’t expected.

He’d rather have continued with what he had been doing since returning from Vollachia: training, taking care of Beatrice, helping around the mansion with the new maids, assisting Rem in rediscovering and learning things, and supporting Emilia in whatever she needed—handling his usual duties as her knight.

But if they needed his help, he couldn’t turn them down.

Not when his Nee-sama had insisted he go. She even tugged his ear and called him less useless than the other two. That moment had actually made him feel a little special.

[Subaru: Nee-sama using sweet words to trick me is a dirty move.]

[Ram: It’s not Ram’s fault Barusu is so easily swayed by a few kind words. After all, Ram always speaks sweetly and kindly, in a way that charms everyone.]

[Otto: Where exactly is that tone...?]

The merchant didn’t speak louder, but he received a cold stare from the oni sister that made him flinch a little. He quickly fell silent and focused on their surroundings.

They were now inside the carriage headed for the Capital. Patrasche and Frufoo had stopped a while ago, which initially confused Subaru. After the stop, the other two joined him in the carriage—Otto and Ram sitting across from him, while Garfiel sat blocking the only entrance and exit. The pair effectively blocked any escape route.

Like it or not, Subaru was trapped in that carriage.

Even though they were allies, either consciously or subconsciously, Subaru began scanning for ways to escape the situation. But they had planned well, cutting off all routes—and leaving Beatrice back at the mansion. Although——

[Subaru: Beako was in on this too, huh?]

[Otto: Beatrice-sama helped us with this plan. Don’t blame her—we’re the ones who begged her to help. She didn’t want to let you come alone. That’s why we had to make a few concessions, offer a decent deal, and promise her some things.]

[Garfiel: You should thank the Bro for that, Captain. He was amazing, grovelin’ and beggin’.]

[Otto: WHY DID YOU DESCRIBE ME IN SUCH A PATHETIC WAY?!]

——So yes, Subaru now concluded, Beatrice knew about their plan.

That realization made him place a hand on his chin and nod several times, muttering “Makes sense,” as if he was totally buying it. It definitely sounded like Beatrice would take pity on Otto’s pitiful state if he was begging for something.

But with a sigh, he turned to the main issue at hand.

[Subaru: So… what do you guys want to talk about?]

[Otto: Natsuki-san, you already know exactly what we want to talk about.]

The serious look on the former merchant’s face made it clear—it really was about what he thought it was.

Was it about Vollachia? Or Rem? Or Emilia and Julius? Or maybe how he kept overworking himself, like always? Probably a combination of all those things.

[Subaru: I told you already, I’m fine.]

[Otto: —— I guess I’ll have to go into “emergency” mode then—]

[Subaru: Don’t even think about punching me... and that goes for you too, Garfiel!]

[Garfiel: The Bro said you might need it if you tried to dodge anything!]

As Garfiel stepped forward and Otto leaned in, Subaru immediately knew what they were planning. Not because he used Return by Death or anything like that. He wasn’t some monster like he’d been in Vollachia, using that power recklessly for trivial matters. He’d only use it if he really died, or if he needed to speed up the poison to avoid getting used to it.

Now, he crossed his arms and eyed them warily. He glanced toward Ram too, hoping she wasn’t planning to punch him either. Their exchanged looks made it clear she had considered it, like the others, but held back after Subaru’s warning. The four of them were at a standoff, the trio wanting to knock some sense into Subaru to make him open up.

He sighed.

Not the first time, but why did everyone think punching him was the way to start a conversation?

[Subaru: Hmph. I really am an idiot who needs a punch to get talking. I guess it’s only natural you’d want to hit me.]

[Otto: I’m glad you understand exactly why we want to punch you in the face. But looks like we won’t be getting that chance right now, huh?]

[Subaru: If you try it, I swear—I’ll use everything I have to make you regret it. And you all know exactly what I’m like when I’m motivated.]

His half-lidded, challenging glare made Otto and Garfiel falter.

Ram, however, remained the same—arms crossed and expression neutral.

[Ram: Barusu. Are you really going to force us to drag it out of you?]

[Subaru: If even Nee-sama is concerned enough to skip all her usual insults just to talk seriously... —— Where do you want to start?]

[Ram: I think you already know what the main issue is, even with that horribly defective brain of yours.]

[Subaru: Emilia and Julius...?]

That brought darker, more concerned expressions to their faces.

It was no secret Subaru loved Emilia. No secret he’d do everything in his power for her. Everyone knew that—because they’d seen how much he’d sacrificed, time and again.

Elsa? The Whale? The Sin Archbishops? The Tower? Coming back from Vollachia without ruining the camp’s reputation?

Saying he worked hard to ensure Emilia’s happiness, safety, and well-being would be an understatement. He did it all, even before becoming her knight—and even more so after all the hardship he endured. Anyone could see that someone going through that much must be deeply committed. His passion was clear.

So imagine everyone’s surprise when, ever since the events of Priestella, she started getting close to another knight—Julius, someone who had been forgotten by the world and, by Subaru’s own words, was once the knight of a different Royal Candidate. And not only that—Emilia had become so influenced by her contracted Great Spirit that she even tried to stop them from going to Vollachia for the sake of her candidacy. That ticked off almost everyone—if not everyone.

Garfiel was the first to insist on going to Vollachia, and Otto and Ram were both desperate to help Subaru and Rem. But Emilia, under Puck’s influence, adamantly denied their participation in what had become a full-blown civil war.

Puck was causing problems for the group—focusing only on Emilia in every decision, in every moment.

 [Ram: She didn’t give you an answer, did she?]

[Subaru: If choosing someone isn’t an answer... then what else could it be...?]

[Otto: Saying “No,” or “I’m sorry,” or “I’m not interested.” A direct answer is an honest one in most people’s eyes. Just moving on to someone else without letting go of the person you were involved with is one of the worst ways to break someone. It’s not enough to move forward—you have to make it clear that both sides should.]

In response to Otto’s argument, Subaru could only sigh, realizing how eloquent and piercing his words were—too much so to hide from or dismiss with ease.

[Garfiel: Even if my awesome self doesn’t fully get all this relationship stuff, Captain, I still know it ain’t right—and that you should’ve gotten what you wanted.]

[Subaru: Gotten what I wanted...? Garfiel... we don’t always get what we want, no matter how hard we——]

[Ram: And so Barusu decided to just give up that easily?]

[Subaru: Give up easily?!]

He exploded with frustration at the pair who were cornering him.

He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and tried to calm down.

[Subaru: If you knew... how hard I tried... what I’ve endured. It’s frustrating.]

[Ram: And it truly is. Ram believes that if Barusu worked as hard as he did, like a chained animal, she’d demand that everyone worship her for how amazing she truly is. So if even a simple mind like yours can see how frustrating this is, you should be more assertive—more aggressive in asking for what you want.]

[Subaru: A... response?]

[Ram: If that’s what it takes to make you move on and return to your usual pathetic self instead of this depressing one? Yes.]

Answering with a sarcastic tone, she voiced what everyone else there was thinking. If Subaru had truly worked so hard—accomplishing so many incredible things in someone’s name—then that person owed him something in return. Whether it was “I love you” or “I don’t love you,” Emilia acknowledging or rejecting the feelings Subaru had so openly expressed was, in their eyes, the least she could do.

Subaru clasped his hands together, leaning forward and looking down.

[Subaru: Maybe getting a response would be good... But, I don’t think I need one anymore. Or at least... not now.]

[Otto: What do you mean...? You don’t——?]

[Subaru: I learned this a long time ago. Like I said: Just because you fight hard for something or feel like you deserve it doesn’t mean you’ll get everything you want. I’ve learned that well enough. —— I want to be strong? Even if I try my hardest, I’ll never be like someone like Rein. Want to be smarter? No matter how hard I try, there’ll always be people smarter than me. Want all my dreams to come true? Thinking I can have everything I want is just arrogance.]

Wake up Rem? But she has no memories.

Get an answer from Emilia? That already seemed clear enough.

[Ram: That way of thinking is pathetic and sad. We’re not telling you to take everything—just to ask for what you’re owed.]

[Otto: Exactly! As a merchant—or former merchant—I believe in fair trade above all. Natsuki-san deserves, at the very least, an answer for everything he’s done for Emilia-sama and everyone in our camp!]

[Subaru: But like I said... maybe I just don’t need it anymore.]

[Garfiel: ——? What do you mean, Captain?]

Garfiel grew more and more confused—like the others. Not only because the topic wasn’t hitting Subaru as hard as they expected, but also because of how calm Subaru was being. He seemed truly at peace, even if visibly frustrated by the way they were pressuring him to speak.

But he knew what this felt like!

His Captain had done the same for him before—pushed him until he faced his own problems head-on. And now he wanted to do the same.

[Subaru: As you all know... Emilia chose Julius, not me.]

[Otto: But that’s mostly due to the influence of her Great Spirit——]

[Subaru: Emilia has a will of her own. —— Back at the Sanctuary, I wanted to do everything myself so she wouldn’t have to suffer. I wanted to bear all the pain so no one else had to. And what did you do, Otto? You punched me, listened to me even when I sounded like a lunatic, and helped me.]

Otto remembered it well—how everything had happened.

He owed Subaru, and had grown to call him a true friend in a short time.

But why was he bringing this up now...?

[Subaru: After that... I understood. Not right away, but... with time, and with everything I faced. We all have our own problems to deal with. We all have our own responsibilities to grow and learn from the consequences of our choices. Emilia went through that. She faced the trials in the Sanctuary and overcame them.]

[Garfiel: With the Captain’s help!]

[Subaru: Maybe I pushed her to try... but it was her own will that decided whether she could face her past, her present, and her future. Only she could go through that. I just lit the flame.]

Giving his honest opinion—one some might disagree with—Subaru stated what he believed to be true. Emilia may have leaned on him, but in the end, she did it for herself, in her own way.

[Subaru: I told her how I felt, and promised to wait until she understood her own feelings and gave me an answer... I wasn’t going to demand it, or force it, or rush her. I would wait. And I did. Just like I told myself I’d be ready for whatever answer she gave me—whether she loved me back... or I was just someone who loved her alone.]

[Ram: And it doesn’t frustrate you that she chose someone else before answering you?]

[Subaru: Does it frustrate me? It makes me furious. It hurts! It hurts more than almost anything else I’ve been through. —— But like I said, I was waiting for her answer. Whether it was yes or no. I hoped it’d be something else, but Emilia made her choice: Julius. Even if it was influenced by Puck, it was still her decision to listen to him, wasn’t it? I guess what I’m trying to say is... Emilia still has the choice to answer me or not, just like she had the choice to choose me or Julius—or to listen to Puck. She’s her own person. Emilia is Emilia, for better or worse. Her decisions should be hers alone, and I don’t want to force her to do what I want.]

The look in his eyes was something none of them expected.

Subaru really had a mature, determined glow in his expression. Despite everything he’d endured—he had grown. He might want something, but he understood that desire alone didn’t guarantee the outcome. So, he learned to live with that—and didn’t seek to blame others.

They had expected him to place all the blame on Puck or Julius for not being with Emilia. But instead, he did something no one saw coming.

He placed responsibility on Emilia.

If Emilia wanted to be a queen, a leader, a friend to Subaru, then her choices had to reflect what she felt inside. If she chose to listen to Puck, Subaru wouldn’t hold it against her. He would wait—just like he had promised. Because Subaru truly respected Emilia’s right to choose her own path—not because he had given up.

[Otto: It’s so strange seeing Natsuki-san act this mature... it’s almost embarrassing.]

[Subaru: I’ve always been more mature than I look! The truth is, if I talked like this all the time, I’d be boring. That’s why I lighten the mood with jokes—to make everyone happy.]

[Ram: Ha! That’s a terrible lie, Barusu. The truth is you just have moments of clarity and use them to pretend you’re an adult, when in reality you’re just a fool.]

[Subaru: That hurt, Nee-sama!]

Pretending to be struck by an invisible knife or arrow, he collapsed dramatically against the carriage seat, drawing a small laugh from the others around him.

There was no malice in her words—and he knew that well.

[Otto: But Natsuki-san, I hope you know—we’re here for you.]

[Subaru: Huh?]

[Garfiel: I’m the shield of the Princess’s Camp, and I don’t plan on giving that up while the Captain I respect is still here. But I’m loyal to you, Captain. So I’ll always help you with whatever you need.]

[Ram: Though my heart and soul belong to Master Roswaal-sama, Ram would still give all the support she can to Barusu.]

Their words left him confused.

[Subaru: What do you mean...?]

[Otto: What we mean is—if you want to chase happiness the same way Emilia-sama did by following her Great Spirit’s advice, none of us would oppose your decision, Natsuki-san.]

[Garfiel: Yeah, Captain!]

[Ram: The merchant summed up what most of us feel perfectly.]

That made things clearer for Subaru.

The dark-haired boy gave a small, nervous smile.

[Subaru: You’re saying... you’d support me even if I left the camp.]

[Ram: And we would. —— Ram, the ex-merchant, Garf, Beatrice-sama, Petra, Frederica-san, all of us. If Barusu chose to leave the camp, no one would oppose it. Not because we don’t care about him—about you—but because the truth is, you deserve to be happy. If you decided to walk away from it all in search of your own happiness after everything you’ve done... only a monster wouldn’t wish that for you.]

[Subaru: ———— I still want to help Emilia reach the throne. I want to make her Queen. Maybe it’s stubbornness, but I don’t want all the effort I’ve put in to be for nothing. I want to fulfill the promise I made to her—and to myself—in the past.]

He answered honestly, his tone showing just how unwavering his resolve was on that matter.

The three of them sighed and then smiled gently.

[Otto: Well, come on, Garf. We’d better get back soon or I’ll owe Beatrice more than I promised her.]

[Garfiel: The Captain’s little one really knows how to scare everyone.]

[Otto: Yeah...]

With sad yet comical expressions, Otto and Garfiel left the carriage, leaving Subaru and Ram alone.

The journey returned to normal.

Subaru looked out one of the windows before he spoke again.

[Subaru: I still love Emilia-tan. —— Even though she never gave me an answer, even though she chose Julius over me, and even though she let Puck make decisions for her. I still love her. Despite everything, I want her to become Queen and be happy, even if it’s not with me. Because I love her—and that’s what will make me happy, even if it crushes my heart.]

[Ram: —— I’d like to say that’s pathetic, but it’s actually quite mature of you, Barusu.]

[Subaru: But... thank you, Nee-sama.]

[Ram: For what?]

Subaru gave the pink-haired maid a warm, friendly smile.

[Subaru: For reminding me that it’s okay to be selfish sometimes—and think about my own happiness. Knowing that you all would do so much for me... it makes me feel like it’s okay to love myself a little more.]

[Ram: —— Barusu has every right to choose happiness and to love himself. That shouldn’t be something we have to say. But if we helped you realize that, then Ram is relieved.]

As she replied, she smiled in the same soft, sincere way Subaru had just moments earlier.

No sarcasm, no teasing. For the rest of the ride, they chatted normally—about trivial things or about the dramatic scene Otto had made to convince Beatrice to accept their plan to separate her from Subaru temporarily.

That day, Subaru felt happy.

Because he’d been an idiot.

He had forgotten—even if only for a moment—that there were people who loved and cared about him. And he was thankful they reminded him of that.

It was okay for Subaru to value himself more and move on, wasn’t it?

 

 

—————

I don’t know if the dialogue was good, but what I wanted to show was this:

After everything, Subaru is trying to respect Emilia’s choice and is learning how to move forward.

I’m actually thinking of turning this into a story about Subaru learning to love and value himself more—and also to appreciate those around him.

And of course: Subaru x Sylphy is being considered in this IF.

One comment even correctly guessed one of the things I’m planning for the Epilogue of this IF.

In this IF:

-Almost everyone in the camp wanted to go save Subaru and Rem in Vollachia, but Emilia—under Puck’s influence—stopped them (Puck even secretly threatened some of them).

-Ram is more grateful to Subaru for bringing Rem back and has lost respect for Emilia, developing strong resentment toward Puck. She treats Subaru better now and even defends him from insults—though she tries to keep things the same between them, it's hard, seeing him sad and wanting to help.

-Roswaal is extremely worried that Subaru will leave the camp and is constantly looking for ways to make him stay.

-Subaru has gradually begun to lose that burning passion for Emilia. He still cares for her and wants her to be happy, but those around him supporting him are helping him realize that it’s okay to move on and find a new love.

-Sylphy and the other wives, as in the original, started working at the Mathers Mansion—and Sylphy gets along especially well with Subaru.

-If Subaru chose to leave the camp, nearly everyone would support him in his pursuit of happiness.

Chapter 171: [Extra 2 and Semi-Epilogue - Lone Star IF]

3) Roswaal.

In that office where two figures were present, Roswaal sighed heavily as he felt the world could collapse.

How could things deteriorate so quickly after so many years of effort? He had already asked himself that question even when facing Natsuki Subaru at the Sanctuary, but now those same events had somehow mirrored the situation they were currently in.

The figure in front of him was the cause of both things. The figure of a spirit he had already met centuries ago.

[Roswaal: Puck... do you realize the kind of situation you're putting us in right now?]

[Puck: Roswaal... and do you realize the kind of situation you're asking my Lia to face?]

They stared at each other while a third figure silently watched them.

The important one was the Great Spirit with the Court Mage; the figure sitting at the desk was being observed by the larger figure.

[Roswaal: Natsuki Subaru is not someone who can or should be neglected the way you're asking Emilia-sama to do right now. He is not merely a strong piece, but the strongest piece you could have on the board.]

[Puck: Hmmm~ Subaru may be an important figure to you, Roswaal, but remember, I’m thinking long-term about the safety of my dear Lia. And I can't allow her to keep being put in danger because of your plans and Subaru’s decisions to do things his way.]

[Roswaal: —— Is that how it looked from your point of view?]

[Puck: Ever since we got involved in your plans, my dear Lia has constantly been placed in danger just to follow your games involving Natsuki Subaru and your personal goals. The Bowel Hunter, the attack on the Village, the Whale and Sloth, the Rabbit and the Sanctuary. Even you manipulating our contract. So many things that became... obvious. And I played along because I hoped everything would go wrong for you and... we could settle it once and for all.]

Neither of them spoke in a friendly tone, nor did they even consider doing so while arguing. They did not wish to have a friendly relationship.

[Roswaal: And to “settle it once and for all” means... going back to the Elior Forest without caring about your daughter’s wishes?]

[Puck: Lia’s desire is truly moving when it comes to freeing the other Elves from the Elior Forest after everything that happened. Even if, in a way, it was her fault for causing it... the responsibility shouldn’t fall entirely on her to feel guilty. And that’s why I wanted to take her back to the Forest so she could live safely, with me taking care of her for the rest of her life and mine. Maybe we could even find a way to free the Elves without depending on people who would attack my dear daughter just because of the inconvenience of her appearance. —— But those plans had to change after I had to release her to leave her in Natsuki Subaru’s care. And I thought it might be good to leave her in his hands until I returned. When I came back, I could take care of everything and we’d go back to normal without the inconvenience of you trying to manipulate her into becoming a doll without will.]

[Roswaal: Rather hypocritical words for someone talking about dolls, don’t you think...?]

The Mage did not hesitate to point out the obvious at that moment.

That made the Great Spirit let out a small tooth-grind before clicking his tongue.

[Puck: As I was saying... My plans changed with Subaru’s interference, and I left her in the trust that when I returned, everything would be as it always was. But imagine my surprise when... she’s so strongly attached to him that she wouldn’t listen to me the same way I asked and even wanted to put herself in danger instead of doing what I said and avoiding it. All of this because of... Subaru.]

[Roswaal: Subaru-kun only did what was necessary for Emilia-sama to——]

[Puck: Subaru only did what he thought was necessary in his opinion of how Lia should be protected. I thought it would be temporary so she could uncover some important truths that would allow her to grow more and we wouldn’t have to worry about some things from the past anymore. —— But like I explained. She started caring more about his opinion and less about mine, and I needed all my persuasion to make her understand that I only want her well-being and safety above all else, no matter what I have to do to ensure that. Which includes building the best walls to protect her.]

[Roswaal: Which would be Subaru-kun... and that forgotten Knight...?]

[Puck: Correct. If Subaru wanted to be Lia’s Knight so badly, he should deal with the burden of things without constantly dragging her into danger. At least in that, he’s better than you. And I must say he did a good job in Priestella handling everything and making sure at least one of those Archbishops was properly eliminated for daring to take my Lia as a wife against her will and against mine. The truth is, I can praise his persistence and his ability to overcome dangers in the way only he can. —— But honestly: I can’t stop myself from expanding the ways to protect my daughter. Besides, Subaru didn’t seem to like him as much as he likes other people...]

Roswaal’s eyes widened slightly at Puck’s last sentence.

Puck’s expression held a small smile, bordering on malice.

[Roswaal: From what we know from Subaru-kun, Julius was one of the best knights in the Kingdom, but not only that, someone with great skill capable of facing a Sin Archbishop in the past and helping defend against the Witch Cult in Priestella. And from what you said, you can see how he has the ability to attract Spirits to himself, can’t you? Based on that alone... you’re deciding that he, someone whose information we can’t truly verify except by trusting our Knight’s words, might be better to stay close to Emilia-sama than our dear Subaru-kun?]

[Puck: I’m not saying he’s the best, or that he’s completely superior to Subaru. My point lies elsewhere...]

[Roswaal: ———— That’s abominable.]

[Puck: Hearing that... from you...? Don’t mistake me for the same kind. Because unlike you, my goals are simpler. Something you can’t understand.]

[Roswaal: Don’t tell me what I can or cannot understand, Puck. Even with my lack of skills in certain areas... I’m not as lost as you think.]

His words came out in an even colder tone with the understanding of Puck’s plans on a simple scale, but still clearly revealing what he was thinking at that moment and what he was scheming.

The Fire Spirit began to float above the Court Mage’s desk. And they stared at each other one last time.

[Puck: If you believe so much that Subaru can overcome anything, he’ll return. And he’ll understand that I did what was necessary for Lia and for her wish.]

[Roswaal: ———— Subaru-kun is an Ace. Among all the cards or pieces you could observe, he is the strongest. Even the Sword Saint has limits that our Knight can surpass someday if he has the right support. I don’t believe you truly understand that, Puck, because otherwise you would understand the weight of the decision to truly abandon him in Vollachia and to try to distance him from Emilia-sama.]

[Puck: If he chooses to walk away... or when he walks away... we’ll see the true nature of that so-called... strongest piece.]

Not caring anymore, he left, vanishing into the air to return to Emilia, who at that moment was resting in her own room.

Roswaal resigned himself to leaning back in his chair in the office.

Sighing, he focused on trying to keep his mind clear and focused on the problem ahead of everyone, though almost no one was seeing it if they didn’t understand the necessity of Natsuki Subaru’s presence within the Camp.

Then it happened — a small explosion as he struck his own desk in barely contained rage and fury, causing it to crack.

Soon after, a knock was heard at the door and he had to take a deep breath.

[Roswaal: ———— Please, come in.]

Trying to maintain his composure, he allowed the person to enter his room.

The figure of a woman with blonde hair wearing a kind of maid uniform, designed based on Subaru’s own concept.

Sylphy, former wife of Regulus Corneas, the Archbishop of Greed killed in Priestella.

[Sylphy: Roswaal-sama, would you like some tea? Ram-san was going to serve it, but she’s helping with dinner at the moment.]

[Roswaal: I’d muuuch appreciate it, Sylphy-san]

Returning to his old characteristic accent, he answered the small question asked by one of the newest maids in service at the Mathers Mansion.

The woman calmly brought the teapot and the teacup. Gently placing it on the desk in front of its owner, she began pouring the liquid into the small porcelain piece, letting a bit of steam rise in the process. Roswaal's expression was a bit softer as he tried to keep his composure at that moment.

He stared at her for a few moments. Before he had a question to ask...

[Roswaal: Do you think someone’s loyalty remains unshaken even when they have nothing to gain?]

[Sylphy: What are you referring to, Roswaal-sama?]

[Roswaal: Subaru-kun obviously loves Emilia-sama, not caring to show it for the world to see. Facing everything to prove it to her. But so far, she hasn’t been able to return it in the proper way he deserves after all the hardships he’s faced... and the hardships she may not even know he went through. —— Do you think he would remain loyal to Emilia-sama when there’s a chance she may never return his feelings in the way he might want her to?]

[Sylphy: —— Roswaal-sama may be confused about an important matter that’s easy to get wrong, but sometimes love and loyalty are different, even if they walk side by side.]

That seemed to interest him.

[Sylphy: Do you know someone you could wish the best for and fight for, and you’d be willing to do that even if you received no romantic or non-romantic return for it?]

[Roswaal: Yes. I do have someone I care about enough to do everything for and still accept that she might never do anything for me after all I’ve done for her.]

[Sylphy: When I met Subaru-sama, it was in Priestella, when he faced my ex-husband, the Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas, alongside the Sword Saint. And while Reinhard-sama fought my ex-husband the entire time, Subaru-sama used his ability, an Authority similar to his, and used it to destroy each of the hearts Regulus placed in us. We even offered to kill ourselves so they could kill him. Simply because if it meant living life far from that man, and that he suffered, we wouldn’t have minded dying just so he would die too. But... he refused. —— Do you know what he did?]

[Roswaal: I can imagine...]

[Sylphy: One by one, he saved each of us. Using his power. And even when he was hurting. When he started bleeding from his eyes, we asked him to leave us, when he started bleeding from his ears, we asked him to stop, when he started vomiting blood, we begged him to let us take our lives and free him from his pain. But he refused. Every time, he refused to let us do that. He even stopped me when I tried to cut my own neck. Choosing instead to keep sacrificing himself to save each of us in that cathedral. Even when it looked like he would die.]

[Roswaal: —— That is something Subaru-kun would do.]

[Sylphy: And I could understand in that moment what kind of person he is. —— Subaru-sama is a kind person, who would sacrifice himself to help others, even when he had the chance to walk away. And if he runs, it wouldn’t be because he’s a coward or doesn’t want to help others, but because he didn’t have the capacity to do so. Because if he had a way to help those around him... he would do it without hesitation. —— I’m grateful to him for everything he did for each of us. He could have chosen to walk away, could have let us die, and he could also have worked hard and saved us. And he chose that last option. That was the moment when I and my fellow women chose to help him by serving in the Mathers Mansion. Because we are loyal to the one who saved us when we could have just died right there, whether he loves us or not, we only wish to repay his kindness and help him even if we get nothing in return.]

Speaking those words with a small smile, she explained her point of view with a tone of resolution.

Roswaal was surprised by that.

[Roswaal: Then Subaru-kun would keep helping Emilia?]

[Sylphy: Subaru-sama did what he did for us. If it were just to kill our ex-husband, he could have killed us or let us take our own lives and done it more easily. But he chose to bleed nearly to death for people he didn’t even know, and the only thing he knew was that they were suffering. Just based on what I heard, and what I lived, I believe that: Yes. He will help Emilia-sama even if she never returns his feelings or rewards him the way he wishes.]

[Roswaal: Hmmm. —— I am a horrible person, Sylphy, that’s the first thing you have to learn about me. But I have a flaw worse than all the rest.]

[Sylphy: And what would that be?]

[Roswaal: If I fought for something, if I fought to obtain something or fought for someone, sacrificing dozens of things and people in the process. Bleeding, suffering. Destroying every part of myself... I want every sacrifice to mean something and not be in vain. Even if I don’t deserve to achieve what I want, I still strongly desire it. That is my Greed. That’s why I don’t give up so easily when I have the opportunity for victory, because I want everything even when I really don’t deserve it and do it just for being someone without a shred of human decency or less than that.]

Revealing the truth about himself, Roswaal was honest.

After 400 years of trying to revive his teacher and doing everything for it?

It was his choice to keep trying, it was his choice to truly sacrifice the life he could have had to live the one he did, it was his choice to sacrifice his entire life for something that everyone would tell him he didn’t need to do. But he still wanted it after everything he had been through!

He wouldn’t accept dying unless in two conditions: After bringing her back, or after losing everything to the point that he couldn’t go on.

[Roswaal: If Subaru-kun can truly be happy without fulfilling his own desire... I’ll consider him a bigger fool than I thought, but a fool I can recognize as better and more respectable than me. I want you to know that while you're staying here: We are not the same and I only make the choices I do for this selfish goal, like he does, but his selfish desire is more altruistic than mine.]

[Sylphy: I appreciate the kindness of your words, Roswaal-sama. It truly is a kind gesture on your part. But I’ll also warn you that I’m here out of loyalty to Subaru-sama for the kindness he showed to all of us, not for you or your plans. If we end up helping you, it will be a coincidence of goals.]

[Roswaal: How meeeaaaan. But don’t get toooooooo used to talking like that, okaaay?]

Returning to his “normal” tone, he spoke with a small smile on his face, seeming genuinely amused by the exchange he had with the blonde-haired woman.

The maid gave a small bow before leaving.

While Roswaal once again returned to his own thoughts. Making a small decision that some might describe as kind, but was also quite selfish on his part for the future.

4) Puck.

Puck absolutely hates Natsuki Subaru.

When he left his daughter in his hands at the Sanctuary, he did so with the intention of believing that he could ensure she would be safe in Roswaal’s hands. Thinking he would devote himself solely to her. A simple request! Entrusting his daughter to the black-haired boy with the intention of ensuring that she would make it out alive from Roswaal’s schemes.

It was one of the only options he had at that moment.

Knowing that breaking his Contract could return Emilia’s memories and thus allow her to overcome everything ahead of her, he did it with the belief that the only thing that would change would be his beloved daughter overcoming the past and maturing slightly, but that she would still feel the same for him when he returned. Something he strongly desired. Because to fulfill his mission of protecting her with his life, keeping her alive and safe was his top priority above all else and everyone — that was special to him as a Spirit, especially one of his rank as one of the Four Great Spirits, since a Contract wasn’t something that could simply be set aside or broken without a gigantic reason or something beyond his control, like in the case of the Sanctuary.

But when he returned...

His daughter had certain complicated feelings directed at Subaru. Feelings that made her want to put herself in danger to help him. Something Puck didn’t want at all.

Especially because of the people who were now surrounding her.

Those people, from within or outside her Camp, had eyes almost exclusively for Subaru and his achievements, without seeming to truly care about Emilia more than him. Something that didn’t make sense. His Lia, his Emilia, was the Royal Candidate whom everyone should be paying attention to and not her Knight who was there doing those things for her, right?

She wasn’t like the little girl with the Sword Saint.

To Puck, it was an offense not to see the abilities of others.

And that again came down to the black-haired boy, Subaru, who stole her spotlight and kept her from putting her own goals in the spotlight. It also irritated him how focused Lia was on Subaru and didn’t even notice how he was putting her in danger.

It was strange how he knew about the attacks and only left warnings with no clear content explaining how he could protect his beloved daughter or what exactly he was protecting her from. Obviously, Puck would — and did — take on the job of protecting her.

To him, the problem was Subaru running into danger, taking Beatrice, his little sister, against the Archbishops with the confidence that he could handle everything as he had done before with Sloth and the Whale. Again, he wouldn’t mind if his daughter weren’t in danger, but one Archbishop showed up trying to kidnap his daughter and take her as his own daughter, and they had to deal with everything alone! While Subaru focused on protecting others, Puck did the job of protecting his daughter, when it should’ve been the job of both, especially since Subaru had become her Knight.

But he was repeating himself.

The issue that had formed for him was that Natsuki Subaru was someone who should’ve chosen to focus entirely on his daughter, prioritizing her life above everyone else’s. But it was clear he wasn’t doing that.

So it was lucky he found that Knight whose name had been eaten — Julius.

When he first encountered him, he felt Subaru’s emotions toward him. Despite some friendly affection, there was still some mixed anger. Showing that it was complicated. And for Puck, it was the perfect stage! A seemingly powerful Knight, with a decent Divine Protection, who treated his daughter with the respect of a Candidate and irritated Subaru.

That’s why he did what he did.

If Subaru wasn’t going to be the ideal Knight who dedicates himself entirely to his Lady, he would find someone who would, at the right time. Not only to secure a new way to protect her, but also a way to finally get her to listen to her beloved father again.

Julius proved to be very good as a piece in this game. A “model boyfriend” to protect her in the right way. And even served as a slightly superior model to the “supreme piece” that Roswaal so greatly protected and praised. But he also proved flawed for not being able to rid his daughter of thoughts related to Subaru and always seemed close to faltering. And he also failed to fulfill his second personal objective.

He even tried doing him the favor of helping him charm his little sister.

They can call him a monster, but he also cared about Beatrice having a good partner.

And that would’ve been a double victory. Because if Julius continued staying close to Emilia, he’d also be near Beatrice.

But she refused. Still preferred Subaru.

Puck even remembers how she looked at him with anger before fleeing to Vollachia when Subaru ended up there — by his own fault. He understood that. Maybe in that one point, Puck could allow himself to say he was acting like a little monster. But could anyone blame him for trying to find someone suitable both for his daughter and his little sister? No! The Knight had good Divine Protection, decent combat abilities, was respectful toward beings like him, and could provide enough Mana to sustain her properly.

But Subaru had already ingrained himself inside her, like he had with everyone.

Why was everyone so concerned? As a Knight, he was the one who should be criticized for putting himself in so much danger, with the risk of tarnishing Emilia’s name as a Candidate.

That’s why he even stopped her from getting involved in the Vollachian war.

If anything went wrong, they could justify it as Subaru’s responsibility. Preserving Emilia’s Candidacy and protecting the dream of saving the Elves from the Elior Forest. But everyone acted like his daughter was making a wrong decision when she wasn’t.

The Knight and the other maid came back, so everything was fine. He had made her make the right choice, and everything worked out in the end.

[Puck: Why am I thinking about this now...?]

He found himself asking that question to no one in particular from his part of the bed.

Looking to the side, he saw Emilia sleeping in a position that allowed her to look up at the ceiling of the royal bedroom. A sight that made him satisfied; because she was the Queen, she had fulfilled her wish, and was now served by people the way she should be! And that made him happy.

But something was wrong.

And maybe it had to do with what he had been thinking before.

Like how more and more people were starting to distance themselves from his daughter because of her decisions. And who were they to judge?! She chose Julius over Subaru, so what? She chose to listen to her father and preserve her Candidacy instead of entering a conflict that wasn’t even her responsibility, so what?

That’s even why he tried in the past to put them under his control. With some small... threats.

Like hinting to the maid about accidents that could happen with the blue-haired one, like slightly scaring the younger maid in front of the blonde one, like freezing the ex-merchant’s drink in his hand, and even tossing some ice shards at the tiger boy to “help” him in training.

But that seemed to enrage them.

Something Puck didn’t care about.

He was happy to know that with time away from Subaru, he was able to recover his connection with his daughter, and she believed him instead of the others. Because Puck did everything for the sake of his daughter above everyone else, so no one could blame him for doing what was necessary.

The blame, in his view, was on them. The people who no longer stayed close to his daughter. The people who still seemed to prefer Subaru over her when the entire story was written to fulfill her dreams and save her from the cruelty of the world.

Even though they still worked together respectfully, he saw how they no longer shared the same bonds they once did. And that saddened his daughter, and enraged him for the pain they were causing in his beloved child’s heart. That only strengthened his resolve to care for her. If none of them would devote themselves to her the right way, he, as her father, would have to do it and never abandon her again, just as she would never abandon him for anyone else. That was what gave him warmth in his chest when he thought about how they would remain connected.

Besides, the others were always temporary...

[Puck: In a few years, they’ll all die and disappear. And she’d be left only with a wounded heart because of them. It’s better to walk away now and hurt now to deal with everything than later and be left with a permanent scar. Lia will understand in time.]

These were always the words he repeated to himself whenever he wondered if he had done the right thing by pushing the others away.

His daughter might be sad, but in a few years, she’d be better off without them.

She would live years with Puck, creating wonderful memories, living a fantastic life, and becoming a legendary ruler whose story might even change the world’s view on Elves — especially silver-haired ones — thus creating a better and peaceful future for everyone, as she was doing now by working so hard for those around her as a dedicated leader.

At least, that’s how he saw it.

...but why did she ignore him so much?

After some time had passed since she became Queen, there were periods when his daughter didn’t even exchange words with him unless Puck started the conversation. And she even seemed to fake it when he did.

Thinking it was a form of teasing, he once decided to play along.

One month. He spent one month without initiating any conversation between them, though still leaving his crystal, still standing in front of her. But she didn’t say a single word to him during that time. Nothing, absolutely nothing, not even when speaking with other people right in front of him. For that entire month, Puck was ignored by his daughter as if he didn’t exist.

And that hurt him. Because he didn’t want his feelings to be ignored by his beloved daughter.

What had he done to deserve such treatment?

Thinking about it, he also reflected on how his daughter seemed sad whenever she thought or spoke about Subaru. And that brought him back again to the beginning: Puck absolutely hates Natsuki Subaru.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Puck had already tried to convince Beatrice, when Subaru disappeared in the Tower, to break her contract and stay with Julius. This made her deeply hate him for suggesting such a thing, since it was seen as betrayal in the perception of a Spirit.

-Over the years, Emilia slowly began to lose — without even realizing it — her affection for Puck and started to ignore him, although she still tried to be polite.

-If Puck didn’t start the conversation, Emilia wouldn’t say anything to him. To the point that, at one point in her story, Emilia spent an entire year without speaking to Puck because he didn’t speak to her during that time. And this could go on for a whole decade.

-Roswaal wrote a will leaving his wealth and properties (mansion, territory, etc.) from his current incarnation to Subaru. To thank Subaru for all his efforts, regardless of whether they succeeded in reviving Echidna. He believed Subaru deserved a reward worthy of all the effort he put into protecting, caring for, and saving Emilia and her Camp, and in making her Queen.

-Over time, Subaru and Sylphy grew closer and closer.

-Subaru truly lives a happy life with the people around him in the Mansion. And he still tries to be kind to Emilia on the rare occasions he visits her.

-Subaru has moved on so much that, at some point, if he were to die permanently, he’d be satisfied whether or not he ever got an answer from Emilia.

-Despite being Queen, Emilia is often more of a symbolic figure than an actual ruler. Usually, Crusch and Otto handle the truly important matters.

-Emilia often has anxiety attacks that cause her to vomit in secret or tear out clumps of her hair.

-Based solely on the decisions Emilia made, if it weren’t for the others fixing her mistakes, she would have been removed from her position about three years after taking the throne. But Subaru’s reputation and the hard work of Crusch, Otto, the Council of Elders, and others in cleaning up her messes prevented that from happening.

Chapter 172: [Epilogue - Lone Star IF]

1) Julius.

Julius felt like human trash.

If there were a word to describe how he’d felt all that time since Priestella, that was it: human trash. But maybe worse than that—he was a dishonored knight, a terrible friend, or perhaps not even worthy of being considered a friend at that point. Because a true friend wouldn't do the things he had done, not that it was entirely out of his control as he liked to think.

Now sitting on the backyard bench of the Mathers Mansion, he looked up at the sky, clouds hiding the stars. He had a black eye from a punch he’d taken not long ago—for a reason he knew he deserved.

Priestella.

Where everything truly began. He made the mistake of having his name eaten, the failure of speaking his name and title to the Archbishop of Gluttony, Roy, and the error of letting himself go and losing everything in that moment. His name was devoured. Everything he had achieved in his name, everything he had done, everything he had fought for over the years was simply ripped away in an instant during that battle, at that moment. Everyone forgot him. No one even remembered who he was... except for one person.

Natsuki Subaru. A stranger he had seen for the first time during the Royal Selection meeting. The figure of a clumsy butler trying to stand out among others. Julius remembered how he disrespected the Knights. That had violated his code, wounded his honor, and so he gave him a lesson—partly to protect him from being attacked by other Knights, but also driven by a selfish desire against that unknown figure who had insulted the Knights and his personal pride.

He was the only one who remembered him afterward. Someone who remembered everyone—even after Gluttony.

Subaru was a figure who became incomprehensible from his perspective from the very moment they met. Because despite being a nobody, he had done such incredible things. Like helping plan the hunts for the Whale and Sloth, leading the Great Rabbit hunt, and making a contract with a Great Spirit. Achievements that surpassed what many failed to do in years. Someone who, up to that point, wasn’t even a Knight—just an ordinary person with no ties to the kingdom or anyone outside the Emilia Camp.

That made him feel a little... envious.

When his name was forgotten, that’s when those feelings began to arise.

Why did someone like him seem so blessed to achieve such things? Why did someone like him seem to have so much luck in making those things happen when other Knights hadn’t? Why did it seem like he could do anything he wanted, when Julius hadn’t even been able to defeat him during their duel in the Capital?

Even if he didn’t want to think arrogantly or cruelly, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel a bit superior to someone who had achieved so much. And knowing he was the only one who remembered him after he lost everything seemed like some cruel irony of fate.

Someone forgotten and worthless.

Because what value did he have without being the Knight of Knights? Without his title, without his achievements, without even being remembered by the people from his Camp or his own Spirits—to the point he broke his contract with them just to feel a bit better than before.

What value did Julius Juukulius have without his armor?

That now reminded him of something after the events of Priestella.

[Puck: You seem a bit down.]

When he saw him that night, Julius was beside Joshua—his supposed brother, someone he couldn’t remember but felt a faint connection to through some strange sensation. The purple-haired Knight straightened up before the Great Spirit. Before a figure like that, even more so the Great Spirit of a Royal Candidate, it was important.

[Puck: I felt a small pull toward this place and ended up finding you here.]

[Julius: I’m sorry, it must have been my Divine Protection, Great Spirit-sama. The same thing happened with Beatrice-sama.]

[Puck: Don’t apologize for that. If you’ve received a Divine Protection like that, it must be a blessing from Od Laguna himself so you could deal with spirits. I think I’d be offended if you were purposely trying to win the heart of my beloved daughter. That’s something I couldn’t forgive, you understand?]

[Julius: I completely understand how that would be, Puck-sama.]

For a Spirit Arts user, that would be a sin.

Breaking the promise and contract between a spirit and its contractor? It would be monstrous to even think of such betrayal between either party.

Although... he remembered how Subaru seemed to unconsciously attract his spirits, much like he had unintentionally done with his Divine Protection.

Wasn’t that just another way he was blessed? To have such strong spiritual affinity that he could attract other people’s spirits—even slightly?

Thinking about this, Julius felt a sting in his pride.

That was another area where Subaru had surpassed him, wasn’t it? The courage—or stupidity—and the luck to accomplish such ridiculous things since the moment he appeared at the Royal Selection. Not to mention a natural talent for something that even Julius needed support to master. Surpassing him even by forming a contract with a Great Spirit as his first.

[Puck: I can feel a bit of anguish coming from you, Julius-kun.]

[Julius: F-Forgive me for that, Puck-sama. It’s just... I got lost in thought.]

[Puck: ———— I figured. It was Gluttony, wasn’t it?]

That question, though not spoken with malice, made Julius clench his fists in instinctive anger.

Puck stepped closer and touched the knight’s forehead.

[Puck: From what I heard from Subaru, you had your name devoured like others, didn’t you? Just like your brother. I’m sorry. But I know you must have fought, since I heard from him that you were a “By-the-Book Knight.” A Knight in Shining Armor who never takes it off.]

[Julius: That sounds like something he would say, I guess...]

Subaru’s words always carried a tone of mockery—yet also truth. Because Julius truly had been someone whose only highlight was his shining armor.

[Puck: With your Divine Protection and spiritual skills, I imagined you’d have contracts with some spirits or something like that.]

[Julius: I had contracts with six Quasi-Spirits, but after my name was devoured... I felt I had to release them. Our contract felt strange. I didn’t want to bind them to me against their will while they had forgotten me.]

[Puck: That’s very kind of you, Julius-kun. And respectful. Someone who truly knows the limits of how to properly treat a contract and a promise with spirits. A bit different from Subaru...]

[Julius: Subaru...?]

The Knight of Knights was surprised by that, not expecting criticism from the Great Spirit.

Puck floated back a bit, keeping a short distance.

[Puck: Subaru is someone very lively and loyal to my Lia—I like that a lot. When he promised to take care of my daughter, I trusted that when I returned, she would be safe and well. But the very next day I came back... it looked like he was throwing himself into danger and trying to pull her in with him.]

[Julius: We can’t blame Subaru for that incident. The Witch Cult’s attack was a surprise to all of us, including Subaru himself.]

[Puck: That’s not how it seemed at the time. He acted suddenly, as if he already knew about the attack before anyone else. As if he was expecting it. He even went to face the Archbishop of Wrath before everyone else with my little sister and the Sword Saint, leaving me to take care of Lia—just before we were attacked by the Archbishop of Greed. It was a complicated task dealing with all of that. —— But strange, isn’t it?]

[Julius: Strange...? Yeah, Subaru is like that, isn’t he...?]

Despite wanting to think positively about his fellow Knight, once again the thoughts about him resurfaced.

Who is Natsuki Subaru?

A figure who, as he had said, appeared suddenly, doing massive things and standing out more than anyone else—even though he seemed to come from a humble background. But no one knew his origin; even now, no one does. Was he from Gusteko? Vollachia? Kararagi? Not even his lady, with all her connections, could find anything about him.

So many mysteries surrounded that black-haired boy with terrifying eyes, making everything more uncertain, harder to believe—and more astonishing. He seemed like someone who appeared out of absolute nowhere to solve all the problems that arose. And even if it seemed like a good thing, it made people wonder if he didn’t have some ulterior motive. People questioned where he got all his knowledge from and how he managed to overcome every single hardship that came his way.

It made people ask: Who is Natsuki Subaru?

And also: How is he able to do all this?

[Julius: I can’t deny it’s strange that he gets such information so suddenly. Even more so when he doesn’t warn us.]

[Puck: Exactly. If he knew about the Witch Cult’s attack—when and how it would happen—why didn’t he say anything? I’m even more disappointed that he didn’t warn me and left Lia to deal with an Archbishop instead of prioritizing her safety. Isn’t that what a Knight should do? Risk their life to ensure their lady’s safety?]

[Julius: A model Knight should indeed put their lady first, but should also protect those around them.]

In defense of Subaru, he voiced his thoughts on that decision.

But the Spirit had more to say...

[Puck: You were Anastasia’s Knight, from what I heard, right?]

[Julius: Yes, and—]

[Puck: And you were able to keep her safe! Without knowing about the Witch Cult’s attack, without knowing their abilities, relying only on yourself and those around you—you protected her while also protecting everyone else. If she’s still alive and unharmed, and if so many people are still alive, it’s thanks to your exceptional skills as a Knight, don’t you agree?]

[Julius: ——]

Normally, he’d hear those compliments from people around him. It was typical. Some praised him more for his status than from a place of genuine admiration.

But now? No one remembered him or his deeds—only what they’d been told...

Julius sighed, recalling the feeling he had back then.

Happiness. Arrogant, overwhelming happiness, embedded in his heart. All because he wanted to feel important. So being praised by one of the Four Great Spirits? That made his heart race, his ego and pride swell, making him feel indispensable—and better than others.

Better than... Subaru.

Why?

Why did he feel like it was good back then to feel superior to Subaru?

Thinking about it now, he knew the reason—but he hadn’t understood it at the time. Being forgotten by the world. He lost all his achievements. He lost everything that made Julius... Julius. Back then, at least, he thought that way, because he couldn’t find any worth in himself beyond his title.

And Subaru? He had all of that now. He had a Knight title. He was known as the Knight of a Royal Candidate. The undefeated victor of so many battles. An exceptionally talented person. Someone who could do anything—even though he was far weaker, less skilled, and far less experienced than Julius in all the qualities a true Knight should have. So being praised by someone—especially by a Spirit—was enough to make him feel superior.

But he should have seen it was a trap.

An alluring, sweet trap. Something that seemed made just for him.

And little by little, he was falling into it...

[Julius: Are you okay, Emilia-sama?]

[Emilia: A-Ah, it’s nothing, Julius-san.]

It was one of the nights during their return trip to the Mathers Mansion—one of the few times they stopped to catch their breath and rest from the time spent in the carriage. The two of them sat slightly apart from the others. They could hear Beatrice and Subaru laughing, enjoying time together as spirit and contractor—something Julius envied at that moment. After all, even his spirits no longer remembered him, and he’d had to break the contract between them.

[Emilia: Subaru is always so surrounded by people, isn’t he?]

[Julius: Yes. Subaru always seems to attract everyone to him. One way or another, he draws people in. I’m impressed by his ability to make so many friends with so many different people.]

Not that he was someone who typically felt envy, but at that moment, he thought about it.

Subaru seemed to attract people so easily.

How did he manage to draw so many to him?

Thinking about it, he really did seem like someone who could win people over without relying on anything else.

No title. No Divine Protection. Not even great accomplishments.

To those who saw him, in a way, he truly seemed like a kind of...

[Emilia: Subaru... kind of seems like a leader, doesn’t he?]

[Julius: ——?]

[Emilia: N-Never mind, it’s just... Subaru seems to lead and guide people... while I can only stand and watch.]

Seeing her like that, Julius couldn’t help but feel the same—feeling that he shared those emotions with the silver-haired half-elf.

Inadequacy. A feeling of mutual inadequacy.

A Knight who couldn’t protect his title, and a Candidate who didn’t feel like a leader. All caused by the same person: Natsuki Subaru. Someone who seemed able to protect his title, his lady, and stand out more than both of them. A person who, even if slightly arrogant, could still draw everyone to his side.

How could someone make it all look so easy?

[Emilia: D-Do you think I’m a good... leader...?]

[Julius: I understand the feeling of inadequacy when comparing yourself to someone else, Emilia-sama, but I don’t think you should doubt your abilities. Because... I believe a Knight reflects the abilities of his leader. If Subaru has shown himself to be that way, it must mean you are fit to lead him, Emilia-sama. You don’t need to doubt yourself when you’ve already achieved so much.]

Remembering that night again—why did he say that?

Was it because he wanted to say it to her... or because he wished someone would say it to him?

Julius now understood that he first approached her out of altruism, curiosity, and kindness. But he stayed by her side for a more selfish reason: pity—not only for her, but for himself.

And he thought things couldn’t get worse.

But the truth was, ever since that night, everything only seemed to get worse and worse.

Besides Puck’s encouragement, it almost felt like the Spirit had been pushing them together the whole journey—from Priestella to the Mathers Mansion, and from the Mathers Mansion to the Pleiades Tower. The two of them managed to talk and get along.

As a Knight, he tried to make their interactions as honorable as possible—not to dishonor her, or himself, more than he already had by failing to keep his name.

They spoke more and more. And Julius felt closer to her, day after day since that night.

Morning, afternoon, and night—it even seemed like she was ignoring Subaru just to speak with him more often. And Puck even seemed to help steer Subaru away in some cases—only further feeding that ego and pride that had been breaking since Priestella.

But… how did he truly feel about it at the time?

Did he feel happy? Did he feel what one is supposed to feel for someone they love?

Did he truly feel like he was in love with her?

Or… did he feel like he was trying to find a way to feel better about himself?

Did he feel like he needed to do something to be special again, as if to recover a little of his self-worth?

What made him feel the most disgusted with himself…

Was how Subaru helped him.

When he was nameless, when Subaru was already dealing with so many things, he still tried to help him however he could. And thanks to him, Julius was able to reconnect with his Quasi-Spirits, and they became full Spirits again.

It was then that he realized just how monstrous he was being.

Why was he acting that way and trying to get closer to Emilia? Maybe it started out of pity, or maybe he began to feel it was a way to hurt Subaru for some petty reason—

Because he felt he had lost everything that made him special.

Julius was supposed to be the Knight of Knights to be noticed, wasn’t he?

So why was the one taking his place accepting him simply as “Juli”?

It was in those moments that he realized he was being a monster, a terrible fellow knight, and a terrible person to someone who wanted to be his friend.

But how could he even think of still wanting to be his friend after all that?

Even if he hadn’t actually done anything malicious, it still felt like he did, didn’t it?

It felt like he was going after the girl Subaru clearly loved—all for a petty form of revenge.

Just when he thought he’d stop, that he could give up on all of that...

Subaru was thrown out of the Tower, tossed into Vollachia with the supposed sister of the pink-haired maid, Ram, and was now all alone.

And Julius wanted to help in some way.

[Puck: I need you to take care of her for me.]

[Julius: Puck-sama?]

[Puck: With Subaru gone, the others are restless and Lia’s growing more isolated. Please. You’ve been a great help to her recently. Please, I need you to take care of her. —— You won’t disappoint me and abandon her now when she needs someone, right?]

[Julius: I... —— I’ll do what I can.]

Again, why was he doing it?

Maybe this time it wasn’t out of pity or a feeling of inadequacy, but out of genuine sympathy. He even thought Subaru might need someone to take care of her while he was away. And this time, even while disgusted with himself, he wanted to say he was doing it for him.

With no hidden intentions, not wanting anything more.

But...

[Julius: Why...? Why didn’t I stop it...?]

He had kissed Emilia.

She was in that garden, sitting down. She looked sad, looked lost, and he only wanted to comfort her. Then... she kissed him.

A simple, quick kiss—

But Julius knew it was something still unforgivable.

Because he had done something that betrayed the trust of one of the people who fought hardest for everyone. The person who was on the other side of the world, in the middle of a war, and he was there… being kissed by the girl he clearly loved?

That made him feel like a monster.

Like human trash.

Something wretched that didn’t deserve the title he once held. Julius Juukulius shouldn’t be the Knight of Knights. Because what kind of Knight would dishonor his friend like that?

What kind of Knight would betray someone who—even while hating him—still reached out a hand to help?

What kind of Knight would do such a thing to another?!

Julius had sworn he’d do nothing more, that he would cut things off, that it was over.

[Puck: Are you going to abandon my Lia...?]

[Julius: Puck-sama, I didn’t—]

[Puck: Julius, Julius, Julius. Was it because of that kiss? Well, I would’ve preferred my dear daughter hadn’t done it so suddenly either. But I understand. Her feelings may have gotten a little intense, to the point of losing control. —— I understand that. I lose control of my emotions sometimes too. I have to hold myself back from exploding at those around me and at those I’ve entrusted my daughter to, you know? You don’t want to find that out firsthand, right~~?]

That malicious smile, that cruel mocking tone.

Like a cold chill running down his spine.

And he felt his Spirits begging him to do nothing, to not fight back.

And he found himself trapped.

Looking back now, his relationship with Emilia wasn’t normal. They just sat on that bench. They never held hands. She never kissed him again beyond the one she gave him. But he saw the way everyone looked at him.

That look of disrespect, of anger—

As if he were an abomination for chasing someone his friend and comrade clearly loved.

And there didn’t seem to be a way to undo it.

Throughout their time in Vollachia, it seemed that being together for so long led everyone to believe they were in a relationship—even if they weren’t.

Because he had to keep her safe and happy.

And to avoid being attacked by Puck.

Something he realized many others were also trying to avoid during their time at the Mansion.

He felt like a prisoner.

He felt like he couldn’t do anything. He felt like garbage for stealing someone special from someone he so desperately wanted to be friends with. He felt incapable of doing anything right.

So he thought about doing the only thing he could do...

Even if it made him look even more pathetic.

Not long ago, in that very same garden — on that very same bench — they were sitting together, and Julius had explained everything. He confessed everything from Priestella onward. How Puck had comforted him. How Puck had encouraged him. How Puck had later threatened him to keep him from leaving the relationship.

He held nothing back: He didn’t lie about what he felt in each moment. He didn’t lie about the kiss he shared with Emilia.

Subaru’s reaction?

[Subaru: You really felt jealous of me, Juli~?]

[Julius: Subaru...]

A provocation?

A teasing smirk.

[Subaru: Sorry, sorry. But to think the Knight of Knights would feel jealous of me? I never imagined something like that. Even if I were as strong as you, I couldn't picture you—someone with such... distinction—ever wanting to be like me. I guess that stroked my ego a bit, thanks~~!]

[Julius: Subaru... please.]

[Subaru: Don’t give me that look, okay? I’m dealing with this info in my own way. It’s not how I’d recommend anyone else handle things—it’s not healthy. I don’t suggest it to anyone who can’t handle dark humor. —— So, what do you want? Want me to fight Puck? Or... what?]

[Julius: Subaru... I violated my own code by approaching a rival Candidate to the lady I serve... I destroyed my honor by projecting false feelings onto a woman in such a fragile state... and I ruined whatever friendship I might’ve hoped to have with you by doing something as horrible as kissing the girl you clearly love. I’m not asking you to fight for me. I’m not asking you to forgive me. I just wanted to confess all the horrible things I’ve done and try... in a selfish way... to feel a bit better about what I did.]

Ashamed, he didn’t hold back his words.

And he didn’t lie.

He expected Subaru to hate him completely in that moment.

[Subaru: You’re... really pathetic.]

Rubbing his temples, Julius didn’t sense in Subaru’s tone the anger or hatred he expected.

But when he looked at his face—

Subaru was looking at him with pity.

With compassion.

Like someone seeing a person who needed help—

Not someone who had ruined his life.

[Subaru: So just a few words were enough to make you feel better about yourself? Just a few kind words from a girl made you think you were in love? And just one threat was enough to make you believe you couldn’t do anything and should give up? Dude... that’s exactly how my relationship with Emilia-tan started... and honestly, with pretty much everyone around me.]

[Julius: ——!]

[Subaru: For me—for my pathetic past self—just one compliment felt like too much, and simply getting one from someone important was enough to push me to fight whatever came my way. For me, just having someone treat me with the bare minimum of kindness made me feel like I could love that person without thinking about anything else, not even the bad things they did to me. Because I was weak, because I couldn’t fight like you or Reinhard, because I only had a cursed special ability… I felt like it was okay to give up when things went bad and I wasn’t good enough.]

Julius watched Subaru speak with growing surprise.

Even though he wanted to question that last part, he felt like he didn’t need to.

Because at that moment, he felt he could trust him.

Subaru sighed and looked up at the starry sky.

[Subaru: Back during the White Whale incident, I wanted to give up. I’d gone through… things. A lot of things you can’t even imagine, believe me. And that beating you gave me back then just made me feel even more unworthy of being any kind of hero. Like I wasn’t enough. I wanted to give up, to walk away, to run from everything and leave it all behind, because it was easier to just accept my weakness than to try and change anything.]

[Julius: —— So, what happened?]

[Subaru: Rem. She stopped me from giving up. She showed me that even if I’m not strong, even if I’m not as capable as others, even if I’m weak—I can still find a way to overcome the things in front of me. —— Well, you don’t have a Rem. And don’t even think I’ll let you talk to her or Ram!]

Saying this while crossing his arms, he still seemed a bit curious about what kind of speech Ram would give to motivate Julius. It looked like he even wanted her to punch him in the face so they could laugh about it later.

[Subaru: Nee-sama would punch Juli in the face for me, wouldn’t she? I wonder if she’d do that for me…?]

[Julius: You seem quite interested in that idea.]

[Subaru: We’re getting off topic here. —— You need to understand a few things first. It’ll sound hypocritical coming from me, and I know people will judge me when I say this, but I think they’d agree. —— Stop putting all the blame on yourself.]

[Julius: But——]

Subaru cut him off... with a punch to the face.

A surprising punch that knocked him off the bench, even though it was somewhat expected.

[Subaru: The punch to your face? Yeah, that part was your fault. And also a little personal payback for all this nonsense. —— Puck was the one who chose to say and do those things. Emilia was the one who chose to kiss you and make her own decisions. You’re only responsible for choosing to accept what was happening around you without trying to change it, and trust me—I understand that much better than you think. Everyone has free will. We can all make decisions. We can all believe what we want to believe and follow through on it.~]

[Julius: But——]

Subaru punched Julius again, a bit harder this time.

He shook out his hand afterward.

[Subaru: Man, now I really understand Otto. Punching people is actually kind of satisfying… Should I do this more often? I wonder if Rem, Emilia-tan, and Beatrice would’ve killed me if I did this more…? No, probably not a good idea to do this to everyone.]

Drifting off in a small daydream, he sat back down on the bench while Julius got up again—now with a black eye.

[Subaru: The point is… I learned that we all have limits to what we can do alone, and we need to ask others for help or find a way to work around problems. There’s no shame in asking for help to overcome something. Believe me, I had to learn that the hard way. And another thing you need to learn is this: Not everything will go the way you want it to, and when that happens, you need to understand that sometimes… it’s not your fault. Unexpected things can and will happen. —— You can dress up and take over a city without shedding a drop of blood, and then a half-naked Divine General—who you might even find cute later once you get to know her and realize she’s just a lost soul who needs help—can show up, destroy everything in sight, kill a bunch of people, and then get freed by a deranged, orange-haired psycho with an axe who starts hunting you down because you’re a “Child of War.”]

[Julius: That’s a… really specific example.]

[Subaru: Yeah. A sentence I never thought I’d say before Vollachia… but hey, that’s life, right?]

Saying that in a lighter tone, Subaru smiled.

Julius sat down, and the two stayed silent for a few moments as they looked at the stars.

[Julius: What should I do?]

[Subaru: Hmm. First of all; Promise me that if you ever meet a guy named Todd Fang, you’ll kick him so hard in the balls they come out of his mouth.]

[Julius: —— Alright.]

Even though he was a bit confused, he agreed—because Subaru looked oddly serious when making that request.

[Subaru: Second... You need to find the courage to decide what you want to do. —— Stay where you are and give up on any other choice, or find another way and deal with the consequences. Because even if it feels like you’re stuck with only one option, you actually have a choice to follow other paths. I know it sounds impossible, but it’s true. You just need to decide. One way or another. —— Whatever you choose to do, just know that not everything that happens is really your fault. Keep in mind: the world doesn’t succeed or fail just because of you. There are multiple decisions made by people before you, at the same time as you, and after you—past, present, and future. Maybe it sounds like I’m trying to throw away responsibility, but it’s the truth. Puck chose, Emilia chose, and you chose. And now... you have to choose again.]

Julius stayed quiet as he listened, understanding what Subaru was trying to say.

Subaru stood up, ready to leave.

[Subaru: Ah, one more thing.]

[Julius: Hm?]

Julius took another punch to the same spot.

Only now did he realize how strong Subaru actually was when punching someone in the face.

Was he always like this?

Maybe it was because Julius was faster and more agile and had never had the “honor” of taking a hit from him, so it made sense to say Subaru was physically stronger than most would think. The reason he was seen as weak was simply because he was surrounded by so many strong people.

The Knight of Knights even thought about asking the merchant how exactly he taught Subaru to knock sense into people like that. Subaru wouldn’t do that to a lady or a child… right? He hoped not... but also felt a bit strange wanting to witness such a scene just to see what it’d be like.

Was he a bad person for imagining something like that? Had anyone ever imagined what it’d be like to see someone punch a kid?

[Emilia: Julius! What happened?!]

Emilia appeared for their meeting in the garden, shocked at the state of Julius’s face.

 

[Julius: I think... Education? Yeah, education. I need to talk to Otto about his teaching methods.]

[Emilia: Otto did this...?]

[Julius: No. Maybe whoever taught the person who did this to me… but it was really helpful in making me understand some things. And I need to talk to you about a few things...]

That night, he did what needed to be done—

Finally finding the courage to make a decision he’d put off for far too long.

2) Emilia.

It was just another ordinary night.

Lying between the sheets of her mattress, Emilia couldn’t sleep while in her new room of not even a year yet. She felt deeply uncomfortable. Holding back her emotions from leaking toward her spirit in the Crystal, she tried to keep her thoughts at bay as she got up.

The nightgown she wore now was also different—more elegant, more beautiful. And as she approached the balcony with the doors wide open and the cold night winds blowing the curtains, she didn’t feel the chill of that wind. She reached the balcony and looked down. From that point, she could see a large portion of the Royal Capital, with a few shining lights. It was a beautiful, serene view—one she could enjoy from her room in the Royal Palace, now that she was the crowned Queen.

A Queen—that’s what she was now—and she was surrounded by many people.

Thinking about it, she remembered the day of her coronation.

The euphoria she felt. The happiness pulsing within her. The realization that she had finally achieved what she had long desired, and that she could now save her people from the Elior Forest with the Divine Dragon’s Blood.

She remembered the grand coronation celebration. She even remembered how Subaru, her Knight, guided her to her throne and crown.

Her party had been enormous. After all, they had waited years for the coronation of a new Queen, ever since before the start of the Royal Selection. And she had to give a speech to the people. It was terrifying for her—made her knees weak and made her feel like vomiting when she stood in front of all those people she now had to lead. Luckily, she had Subaru and Puck to support her.

It had been a fantastic day, and that was the first night she slept in this room. It was a strange and slightly unsettling feeling. Just like the first time she moved into the Mathers Mansion and had to be away from the Elior Forest.

But she had to deal with it.

If she were to be a Queen the people could trust and follow, she needed to be able to handle something as simple as sleeping in a new bed.

His words still echoed in her mind...

[Subaru: Emilia-tan can handle so many things... I think a bed shouldn’t be a big deal...]

And she was able to lie down and sleep that night.

Happy.

Happy to have achieved her dream of becoming Queen and being just steps away from saving the elves in her Forest. Happy to be surrounded by the people she trusted—and who had trusted her from the beginning...

[Puck: Lia, don’t forget who’s truly been here for you.]

Her father’s words came back to her.

How the people around her weren’t there for her, but for Subaru. That had started back in Priestella.

They had been alone in that room that night.

[Puck: It’s good to see you doing well, despite everything. But I’m happy to be back to take care of you~]

[Emilia: I’m happy you’re back too, Father. And you don’t need to worry as much as you did in the past, you know? Subaru took veeeery good care of me, and the others are really helping a lot too.]

Her spirit sat on her shoulder as she untied the braids in her hair.

Subaru had braided it during dinner.

[Puck: Lia... I truly thank Subaru for taking care of you. I really do. But... I’m thinking about the others around you.]

[Emilia: What do you mean?]

[Puck: Hmm. I just wish you were surrounded by people who were here for you, not because of Subaru.]

[Emilia: But... aren’t they already doing that?]

The half-elf tilted her head in confusion as Puck floated up to meet her eyes with a worried expression.

[Puck: Lia, I’ll be honest with you. Those two new ones—Otto and Garfiel—seem nice... But I wouldn’t say you should trust them too much. That ex-merchant handles your Camp’s internal affairs, but I don’t think he’s here because of you. He seems to be friends with Subaru. And that Garfiel guy was always aggressive until Subaru calmed him down somehow. Now he follows him around calling him “Captain” like he’s some legendary hero or something. He seems more like Subaru’s little brother.]

[Emilia: And that... would be a bad thing?]

[Puck: Yes. From a father’s point of view, thinking about your well-being. The people following you should be doing so because of you, Lia—not because they follow Subaru. Otherwise, it feels like... they don’t care about you the way they care about him.]

His words sounded strange to the silver-haired girl.

Even though they seemed cold and harsh, they were spoken with a soft, concerned tone that struck her deeply. Making her start to think about what Puck was saying.

Thinking about the people who had been with her throughout her Royal Selection candidacy, for over a year now.

That made her start to reflect more openly. Thinking about everything related to Subaru and her Camp.

When she thought about her achievements at that point—

The defeat of the Whale, the defeat of Sloth, the defeat of the Great Rabbit. The alliances with Anastasia and Crusch’s Camps, the addition of Otto and Garfiel to her Camp...

The truth was that everything seemed to revolve around Subaru, and him doing everything for her. And that should be a good thing... right?

So why did she feel strange now, after hearing Puck’s words?

Had it really bothered her, and she just never thought about it before?

[Emilia: But Subaru——]

[Puck: Subaru is... complicated, Lia. I know you trust him and care for him—I really do. But right now, I’m thinking about you. About how you should be safe, well, and surrounded by trustworthy people who won’t abandon you if Subaru decided to leave for some reason.]

[Emilia: Why would Subaru leave me? He promised he’d wait for my answer, didn’t he?]

[Puck: And that’s what worries me, Lia. What if he tries to break that promise again, like he did before? —— I don’t want to be the villain here, but I’m thinking of you. All my thoughts are about you. If I need to say harsh words, even a little cruel, so that you’ll listen to me, I won’t hesitate to do it—for your sake.]

Her father had always been that way, hadn’t he?

Despite every decision he made, he always tried to help her grow in a healthy and safe way, right? Every decision he made was with the intent to take care of her and never leave her behind.

Whereas many of Subaru’s and the others’ decisions… even if they were good for her, weren’t always made for her, like Puck’s always were, right?

So it wouldn’t be wrong to think about herself like others did, would it?

Since Priestella, Puck had been teaching her this—that she should always keep in mind why she was fighting in the Royal Selection.

The Elves in the Elior Forest.

Because they depended on her, and that’s why Emilia should do everything she could for them, in the name of Guese and Mother Fortuna too.

[Emilia: Subaru...]

Murmuring his name, she recalled the things that had happened around him.

Like in Priestella, when he left her with Priscilla, Liliana, and Puck to go after an Archbishop, but... how did he know?

How did he know about the attack?

And if he did know, why didn’t he warn them? Why only give vague warnings to be careful?

If not for their own abilities, many might’ve died facing the Archbishop of Greed.

Normally, she would’ve trusted him without hesitation after everything they had been through.

But maybe Puck was right.

Subaru said he trusted her—and yet, when the time came, he didn’t.

Breaking his promise at the first opportunity.

She later joined the battle in the city, but Puck pointed out that it wasn’t a good idea for her to be involved. Saying that they might be lying about their intentions to give her a false sense of security and then—like Sloth in the past—attack her, perhaps trying to summon the Witch of Envy because of her physical resemblance.

The focus had to be on her protection. That’s why Subaru took the lead in handling the battle with the others, facing the challenges as a Knight should.

Puck said it was okay. That he should do those kinds of things for her.

Puck told her that she should remember how important it was to stay focused on her goal.

And in the end, everything turned out fine, didn’t it? They were able to deal with the Witch Cult’s attack even without her being directly involved in the battle. Subaru managed to overcome the difficulties of several Archbishops in a single day of fighting. He showed he could do everything without her, and even with no real difficulty... and that made a strange feeling rise in her chest.

A feeling that had begun the night she spoke with Puck upon his return.

Why did it seem like Subaru was able to do everything she tried so hard to accomplish? She studied, trained, gave it her all. So why was Subaru still able to surpass her in everything, even without her support? She knew that was supposed to be his role as a Knight—but wasn’t it also her role as a leader to do those things and lead them in battle?

Everything was so complicated back then.

One thing that also proved complicated was her emotions toward Subaru.

She had these strange feelings she didn’t fully understand. But beyond those incomprehensible feelings that had started in the Sanctuary, another new feeling began to emerge after Puck’s return and his words.

When she thought about all that Subaru had achieved, she felt something like... a desire that she had been the one to accomplish it all.

And also envy toward the bonds he had with others.

Her father told her that it was normal to feel that way, that it came from the desire to improve oneself, to become important and rise to the level of what one wished to reach.

And Puck wouldn’t lie to her.

He also explained that what she felt for Julius when they began talking were feelings of passion—or that she was starting to feel that way as they got to know each other better. And Puck understood those feelings better than she did.

She thinks that became clearer during the incident at the Pleiades Tower, when Subaru and Rem were thrown far away to Vollachia.

She wanted to go save him...

[Puck: That’s not a good idea, Lia.]

[Emilia: Why not?]

[Puck: You’re a Royal Candidate. If you choose to enter the territory of the rival nation you hope to rule—especially in the middle of an internal Civil War—it could trigger an unnecessary conflict. And that might be exactly the excuse some people are waiting for to disqualify you from the Royal Selection. —— As the ex-merchant said, Subaru is using your friend’s fake name. He’s doing it because he knows that a Knight of a Royal Candidate participating in another country’s war could cause political problems. For the sake of your Candidacy, I think you should trust that he can handle this situation without your interference. After all, he got himself into it by his own actions. Even if he’s still dear to you... you should think more about yourself, before thinking about someone who doesn’t truly understand the weight of what you carry.]

Those were his words to convince her when Emilia wanted to go after Subaru.

And... he was right.

As others explained, getting involved in something like that could doom her Candidacy. And that would make everything they had gone through up until then meaningless.

Even if they rescued Subaru from the enemy country, they would still lose everything—and that wouldn’t help at all, because there’d be no other way to save her people.

That’s why she made the decision not to let anyone else get involved in that war to go after him.

A decision that made her feel... strange.

But thinking about it now, it was from that decision that the way everyone truly saw her began to show, wasn’t it?

After she refused to let them go rescue him, Beatrice disobeyed and took Patrasche to escape together to Vollachia, and Otto went after them to stop them—but ended up joining them.

And those who stayed? Roswaal argued constantly with Puck about things she couldn’t understand. Ram no longer treated her the same as she had over the past year. Garfiel seemed constantly irritated and trained nonstop.

Sometimes, they even ignored her when she tried to talk about matters and the Royal Selection.

Why?

Because she had made a decision to preserve her Candidacy?

Because she listened to her father and put her own dreams ahead of someone who didn’t fully understand her burden?

It was painful to feel that isolated.

That’s why she appreciated Puck’s company—he always reminded her that she was a leader who needed to make difficult decisions in pursuit of the purpose that started her journey. And she grew fond of Julius’s presence during that time, who made her feel comfortable and helped her deal with everything.

And she even made an effort to improve her relationship with Julius.

She kissed him.

That kiss was different from the one she gave Subaru. The feelings were different. The sensations too.

But Puck told her it was because she felt different things for each of them: gratitude for Subaru and passion for Julius. Or at least, that’s how he described what she felt at the time. And it made sense to her—after all, she didn’t really understand emotions like those.

So she had to trust the words of the one she trusted most, since the day they met.

But... even her relationship with Julius didn’t last.

They broke up a few months after Subaru returned from Vollachia, and only a few months before the end of the Royal Selection.

Their relationship had always been more private than public.

The people who knew about it were only from her Camp and a few from Anastasia’s Camp. So fortunately, their breakup didn’t affect her Candidacy, since it was never made public. And... She didn’t feel as awful as she thought she would when they broke up.

Was it strange to feel that way?

Was she a monster for not being sad about something like that?

Still, she moved on with her life.

Even though Puck seemed displeased about it, he didn’t insist after Emilia told him she was okay with how things turned out.

And she only felt a bit strange because... Subaru didn’t seem sad or did anything about it.

It seemed like he didn’t care about her breakup with Julius the way she thought—or even hoped—he would.

Had Subaru given up on that promise...?

Emilia thought about that again, just like she had on so many days after the breakup with Julius—throughout that whole year as Queen.

He never brought up that promise again, the one where he said he’d wait for her answer until she understood her feelings.

And even now... she still couldn’t understand them, even with Puck’s help to unravel the mystery.

[Emilia: Subaru...]

Even now, technically, he was still her Knight—

Even if he no longer served her at the Palace since she ascended the throne.

Subaru had gone on a journey.

To do what?

He didn’t explain clearly, didn’t tell her everything.

He only said it was related to ending the Witch Cult for good and ensuring the complete defeat of the Archbishops.

He told her it was to fulfill a promise he made to someone a long time ago—to help them.

And she had no reason to stop him.

It was because of his accomplishments—along with the support of everyone—that she had reached the throne.

Emilia could only offer him her support.

After everything he had done for everyone in the Kingdom, like recovering the names of Crusch, Julius, and Rem from the Archbishop of Gluttony, Roy—who remained imprisoned to this day while they tried to make him regurgitate other people's names.

Subaru had left with Patrasche and Beatrice.

From what she heard, he sometimes visited and stayed in Roswaal’s territories, and Roswaal seemed more than pleased to welcome him—much more than how he treated her or Puck.

But Subaru still visited her, though only twice in that year since they parted ways after her coronation—

And the conversations they had felt more mechanical, even if still friendly.

She missed him—just like she missed the others...

Otto still supported her as he used to, offering advice. But Crusch had also been doing the same ever since she regained her memories and had been helped by Subaru—much to her own displeasure—by absorbing all the Poisoned Dragon Blood. Yet their conversations focused mostly on state matters. They didn’t speak deeply the way she once did with others.

Garfiel remained her Shield—even a Knight. But he didn’t live in the Palace or even within the Royal Capital. He continued living in the Mathers territories, and the times he left seemed to always be in Subaru’s company. Sometimes, he even helped the Iron Fangs, acting more like an unaffiliated Shield than one directly tied to the Kingdom, despite his unwavering loyalty to her as Queen.

Rem and Ram both remained at the Mathers Mansion, along with Frederica and Petra. The four of them continued their work as maids, along with others. It even seemed Petra had renewed her pursuit of her dream to become a seamstress.

Roswaal still acted as one of her allies, but he and Puck didn’t get along. He also seemed displeased when he failed to obtain the Divine Dragon’s Blood after she decided to use it to fulfill her primary goal. While he remained polite, friendly, and kind, his demeanor felt so false that even she could now recognize it. His intentions appeared to be focused on some hidden agenda that still required a somewhat amicable relationship between them.

Everyone still spoke to her. They still treated her well.

But not with the same warmth as before.

It was as if they had left her behind—just like Puck had said they would, for Subaru’s sake.

And... maybe it was her fault?

Even though Puck told her it wasn’t, the thought still made her feel strange every time she thought deeply about it. Could it really not be her fault that her relationships hadn’t progressed?

Now as Queen, she was surrounded by people: citizens, nobles, servants, Knights, and members of her Camp—and even others from different Camps.

She had Puck at her side. She had the throne.

She had freed the elves from the Elior Forest using the Divine Dragon’s Blood.

She had achieved everything she had long wished for... hadn’t she?

[Emilia: Why is it so cold...?]

Thinking about it, she didn’t feel so well.

Even though the cold air shouldn’t affect her, she still felt it across her body. And she remembered Subaru’s promise to wait for her answer. Imagining that if they met again, she might finally be able to bring him back and regain what they once had...

And she felt disgusted by something she couldn’t understand.

Looking up at the sky that night, she could see a single star between the clouds.

That star was surrounded by others—or at least it seemed that way.

There were many stars around it, yet there was clearly a void, a space that isolated it from the rest.

A star that—even surrounded by thousands—stood alone.

Just like Emilia felt in that moment.

Surrounded by many, yet still alone. She felt comfortable in the clothes she wore but still shivered with a cold that wouldn’t go away.

Like that star, surrounded by so many others… and still somehow alone in the empty darkness of the sky.

Emilia felt... like a Lone Star.

 

 

—————

Now, regarding the note you added:

I’ve been working on an Extra that will show Puck’s point of view. But it’s more of a Semi-Extra and Semi-Epilogue than a proper Extra—but I wanted to post this one first. I spent yesterday and today working on it, from morning till night.

Adapting Lone Star was a challenge because, as many say, the characters in that story are way too OOC. So I had to find a way to adapt that somehow. And I used Puck for that. To those who believe Emilia wouldn’t listen to Puck and would be able to resist his influence and make her own choices…

I’ll be honest: you don’t fully understand.

Even in the real world, this sort of thing happens. People can be emotionally dependent on someone, go through separation, grow, and evolve—and then that person returns, and everything falls apart again.

Believe me when I say: It’s not that simple to overcome a dependency like this, especially because Emilia spent 7 years with Puck in the forest (if I remember correctly), and he was a father figure to her that whole time—even with support from others around her. It’s like a trigger.

All it takes is a small push in the wrong direction, and all the progress you made to escape that toxic relationship crumbles. Even more so when it’s a family-like figure, whether by blood or not, because their opinion holds dozens or even hundreds of times more weight than those of friends or lovers. And that’s what I tried to adapt here.

People going through difficult moments and being manipulated by someone they still see as important. Julius at his lowest, and Emilia with her confidence shaken by someone who says they want what’s “best” for her.

So I hope I was able to portray that well, and I hope you enjoyed it.

In this IF:

-Puck altered Emilia’s memories. He didn’t erase Subaru or reshape them entirely, but he changed the emotions tied to them—swapping affection for anger, joy for sadness, and even planting feelings of envy toward Subaru, which only began to sprout through his words. But he didn’t create these feelings—they already existed. He simply amplified them, and envy was the only one he truly introduced with his words after returning to Priestella.

-Emilia could have resisted the influence of those emotions if she truly wanted to, but subconsciously chose not to—to avoid confronting and separating from Puck again. That’s why she didn’t confront him about altering her memories—because deep down, she didn’t want him to leave her again.

-Emilia became Queen, and Subaru is still her Knight, even if he no longer serves her directly due to his journey. Crusch, with her memories restored, serves as an advisor.

-Anastasia no longer has a friendly relationship with Emilia. She maintains a professional bond with Julius but doesn’t consider him a friend as she once did.

-Subaru embarked on a mission to fulfill his promise to Satella: to save her somehow. Beatrice followed him, along with Patrasche. He occasionally visits the Mathers Mansion and meets with Ram, Rem, Garfiel, and Otto—while Sylphy is often the one waiting eagerly for him, like Rem once did, to take care of him during his rest days throughout his Witch Cult hunt—specifically after Capella.

-He has ties with all the Camps and many people inside and outside Lugunica, building connections to aid him in his pursuit. Vincent even left a Divine General seat open for him.

-Roswaal supports Subaru’s mission—both as a “Plan B” in case he can’t acquire the Dragon Blood to revive Echidna and defeat Volcanica, and because he genuinely wants to make up for everything Subaru went through. He doesn’t want to accept that Subaru might never get what he desired or deserved.

-Subaru never demanded an answer from Emilia, still keeping his promise to let her choose. But he’s learned to live his life without needing her response and has found his own happiness. He feels free to pursue his own selfish desires—where her answer is no longer what matters most to him.

Chapter 173: Children Friend IF

What if...? What if almost all had the same Childhood Friend?

—————

 

 

Felix had his head down as he remained in the same place he always had—at that isolated spot beside the bars of his “room.” The basement. The basement of his parents' mansion—the Argyles—who had locked him down there since the day he was born simply because of his demi-human side, with cat-like features. It had been over six years now, just a few months shy of his seventh birthday. And ever since he started living that way, he had hated his parents for all the suffering he was forced to endure because of their prejudice.

The little demi-human was small. Smaller than the average for his age, due to the lack of space to grow, as well as a lack of proper nutrition. The food he was given was just enough to keep him alive—to prevent death by starvation—but not enough to allow for actual growth.

In that place, he had a simple room inside his cell, which was anything but comfortable.

A mattress and some lights outside the iron bars that prevented him from leaving. The jailers of his dear “room” were his “beloved” parents.

No one came to help him. No one came to support him. He merely survived each day without any assistance.

[???: I brought you some food~]

Through the bars of the cell, a small object suddenly appeared—held by a figure unlike the ones he usually saw every day since birth.

Somewhat hesitant, he looked toward the side and at the thing being held right in front of him.

It was a long, slightly colorful object with a strange name. Looking at the figure holding it, he saw a small boy in weird clothes, with black hair and eyes different from anyone else he’d ever seen. Not that he had much to compare to. The only people he usually saw were his parents—whose faces he knew very well.

[Felix: What... what is this...?]

[???: This is a chocolate bar!]

[Felix: A chocolate... bar? No, no. Chocolate isn’t shaped like this, my... Those people gave me some once...]

[???: Nah. Believe me when I say this is a super special, ultra-sensational, authentic chocolate bar!]

Speaking with a cheerful and excited tone, he kept extending the object toward Felix.

The little demi-human reached out his hand to grab the strange thing being offered to him. Holding it, he felt something different upon touching it—a texture unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It felt like something was inside. He looked at the figure on the other side of the bars.

He started to open his mouth to bite it.

[???: No! You have to remove the wrapper first!]

[Felix: Wra...pper?]

[???: Yeah! They put this stuff around the chocolate to protect it from the world and preserve the flavor—or so I’ve heard. But if you tear or open it from that little spot... you can open it easily. Here, give it to me...]

Following the request of the other child-like figure, he handed the wrapped bar back to that strange boy. He took the chocolate’s wrapping and began to open it. As if separating something, he started tearing it, producing a strange crinkly sound, like something slightly crunchy. From inside the colorful wrapper came the chocolate bar itself. It really did look like chocolate in appearance, with small bumps across it.

[???: This... is a chocolate bar with nuts! Go ahead, eat it, try it out, and enjoy this perfect little treat!]

Offering it again, he handed him the chocolate, still partially wrapped.

Felix grabbed the odd-textured thing again.

Aiming the chocolate bar with bumps toward his mouth, he brought it close and placed one end in his mouth, biting off a small piece with his teeth. And in that moment, the piece was torn away. The chocolate touched his tongue—along with the bump—delivering a sweetness he had never tasted before. Moving the piece around his mouth, guiding it to his teeth, he began chewing the chocolate and the bump. He crushed it until it was broken down between his teeth.

Besides the sweet taste of chocolate, there was also the flavor of the so-called “nut” he had just bitten into.

A taste unlike anything he had ever known.

A delicious flavor!

It made him chew faster, savoring it until he swallowed. The taste lingering in his throat. He held the chocolate and began licking it, taking small bites of it, enjoying it while his tiny teeth tore off bits of the delightful treat.

[???: See?! I told you! Once again, I brought you another amazing sweet that helped you rediscover the wonders of life, didn’t I?!]

[Felix: D-Don’t brag.]

Saying that with some embarrassment, he continued enjoying his dessert.

Unlike the slop he usually received from his parents, whenever that figure visited, he brought something new for Felix to enjoy. They were incredible! Every time they met—though it wasn’t often. Sometimes during the day, sometimes at night, but luckily always when his parents weren’t around—and sometimes hiding from them in ways Felix couldn’t even understand.

This time it was a chocolate bar.

As he kept eating, he suddenly stopped with a small expression of sadness.

He stared at the chocolate, which was now nearly half gone.

[Felix: Why do you keep doing this...?]

[???: Hm?]

[Felix: I stay in this cell... every day, every night... I only get that awful food... and you show up with stuff like this... —— Don’t you realize it just makes everything worse?!]

Throwing the chocolate away in anger, he couldn’t hold back anymore. He clenched his teeth in frustration and turned away, not wanting to look at the figure on the other side of the bars—his personal cell/room.

He expected him to disappear again like he sometimes did.

And just when he thought that would happen—he felt——

[Felix: GYAAAH!!!]

[???: I’ve wanted to do this for a while.]

Turning to face the other boy in that place, he saw his tail being firmly grabbed and pulled by the black-haired boy.

Trying to tug it back to get it away from the boy’s hands, but failing—and feeling a bit of pain—as if it were about to break in some kind of tug-of-war.

[Felix: Let go! Let go! Let go! Let go! Let go! Let go! Let go! Let go! Let go! Let go!]

[???: Not letting go! Not letting go! Not letting go! Not letting go! Not letting go!]

In a back-and-forth shouting match, they kept yelling the same words—“Let go” and “Not letting go”—in a childish tugging contest.

His tail wasn’t even hurting anymore. It had become just a desperate attempt from the little demi-human to win the fight against the black-haired boy.

[???: Alright, I’m letting go!]

[Felix: Ghaaa!]

Felix rolled backward when his tail was released by the other boy, now disheveled and nearly bent from the grip of those rival little hands.

He grabbed and began stroking and blowing on it repeatedly. Then he looked at the other boy with irritation and gritted teeth.

[Felix: What was that idea supposed to be?!]

[???: I wanted to do it, so I did~!]

[Felix: You idiot! Jerk! Idiot! Jerk! Idiot! Jerk!]

[???: Make up your mind. Am I an idiot or a jerk? I’d really like to know. Back where I come from, some people call me “That guy’s kid,” or nosy, or just plain weird!]

Saying that with a bit of pride and puffing his chest, he didn’t stop smiling as he stared at the little demi-human, who kept glaring at him with clenched teeth.

[???: Alright, alright. I’m sorry. —— The truth is, I wanted to pet your head, your ears, and your tail. But I figured you wouldn’t let me if I asked nicely, so... I did what I had to do!]

[Felix: You pulled my tail?!]

[???: To make you stop thinking about stupid things like throwing away the good things you have! You’re stuck in this dumb cell, because of your dumb parents, and I can’t do anything about it. I’m really sorry for that! I wish I could do more for you! But in this situation, this is all I can do. —— So don’t throw away the good things you get. I brought that chocolate just for you. Please enjoy it. It’s just for you!]

As he said that, Felix couldn’t help but feel a bit confused.

That boy didn’t understand anything about what Felix was going through to say something like that! With so many horrible things happening to him, how was he supposed to enjoy those kinds of things?

Even though... he really did like the gifts he received...

Each new one made it harder to bear the torture of living in that place...

[Felix: IT’S TERRIBLE! I HATE LIVING HERE! I HATE GETTING THIS KIND OF STUFF AND THEN... HAVING TO GO BACK TO THOSE HORRIBLE THINGS WITH THOSE... THOSE... THOSE IDIOTS! I HATE IT!]

[???: If you hate one thing, then you should enjoy the things you love and protect them with all the strength you have! So... enjoy that chocolate I brought you!]

With a cheerful smile, he pointed to the chocolate bar on the floor not far from the bars.

Felix looked at the still partially wrapped bar with bite and lick marks. Then he looked back toward the bars... and he was gone.

Just like always: he would appear and then suddenly vanish, as if he never existed. The only proof that he had ever been there were Felix’s memories—memories he didn’t even trust himself to have—and the leftover pieces from the things he brought.

Getting up, he walked over to the discarded bar. Picking it up with his small hands.

He lifted it, rewrapped it with that strange texture, and returned to his mattress, hugging the bar to his chest. A small keepsake.

If he handled it like the other things the boy had brought before, it could last him several days—offering a bit of sweet freedom during those moments. Something that hadn’t been given by his parents and could soothe the horrible things they did to him.

The small boy couldn’t help but smile a little at that thought.

Enjoying every moment it could bring him until the next visit.

[Felix: You’re an idiot...]

Thinking about his friend, he didn’t know much about him. One of the few things he did know was his name.

A name given by his parents in honor of a cluster of stars.

N——————

—[X]—

[Felix: Why am I even thinking about him at a time like this...?]

Wondering about that, he allowed himself to relax as he sat inside a carriage, the strange memories of him making Felix feel a bit warm inside.

After all, until Fourier and Crusch came to rescue him from his parents, he was his only companion for a long time.

Or at least that’s what he believed.

Some had thought, back then, that Felix had created an imaginary friend to comfort himself. But he knew that wasn’t true.

Even after moving to the Karsten estate, living with Crusch, he never truly let go of the things from that cell—things that reminded him his friend was real.

That chocolate wrapper—whose taste he could still remember even now—was stored in a special spot in his mattress, never to be thrown away. All just to hold on to the smallest memory of him.

At that moment, he was on his way to the Mathers Mansion after being summoned by Reinhard.

[Felix: Hmm. What could they possibly want, Nya~?]

Mumbling to himself, he noted they were approaching the Mathers domain.

Thinking about it... Roswaal L. Mathers was considered strange by many, even among nobles, because of his lack of participation in major affairs—especially during the time when the Royal Family nearly perished. Fortunately, he managed to develop a cure from teachings he’d learned long ago.

His “imaginary” friend had taught him about diseases in the past when Felix had shown interest in the topic. Ironically, Felix had become a healer—not just because of his Healing Magic, but also thanks to the limited medical knowledge he had gained from his friend back then. It wasn’t much, but he remembered every bit of it, just like he remembered those sugary treats that gave him so much comfort.

Then, the carriage stopped.

Instinctively, he stood up and headed toward the door, which opened from the outside.

Stepping out of the carriage, he found himself on the grounds of the Mansion.

He saw Wilhelm—the one who brought him there—waiting alongside Roswaal, whose clown-like makeup stood out. Two people he knew through connections.

[Felix: Roswaal-sama, I’d like to know the reason for this sudden request for my presence, Nya~]

[Roswaal: Féliix-kun, it’s a great pleaasure to see you again. And I apologize for summoning you sooo abruptly~~.]

[Felix: Nyo~ problem, Roswaal-sama. I came simply to fulfill whatever task may require my healing skills—though perhaps they won’t be necessary, Nya~]

[Roswaal: The truth is that the request doesn’t come from meee~~ but from one of my recently hired staff~ His name is... Natsuki Subaru~]

————

———

——

—

Felix blinked several times in shock.

Because he had just heard a name that felt like a small explosion went off inside him—

A name he hadn’t heard in years!

 

 

—————

As requested by a reader on Ao3.

In this IF:

-Subaru had been summoned between the ages of four to twelve.

-The Witch of Envy tried to summon him but never fully succeeded.

-He was summoned at night while sleeping: 1 hour in his world could vary from 1 hour to 1 day in the Re:Zero world. He remembered everything like a dream.

-As a child, he sometimes went to sleep holding objects, thinking he might take them to the other world—and it worked.

-He was summoned to different places, at different times, with different items, every night until his twelfth birthday.

-When about to be summoned, he noticed a unique light appeared depending on who would summon him. For example:

Sky Blue – Felix

Pinkish Purple – Beatrice

Mauve – Anastasia

Green-Gold – Fourier

???

???

???

He learned to identify these colors and would bring different things to each meeting.

-He even learned new things to talk about with them. For example, he learned more about medicine because Felix showed slight interest, which helped him improve in his own studies and school life, even if he still didn’t have friends.

-During the time he spent in the Re:Zero world, his Gate developed, even though he never used magic fully—Beatrice taught him.

-The places he was summoned to the most were: the Forbidden Library, the Royal Palace, the Argyle Mansion basement, and Kararagi—where he met Anastasia as a child.

-Some people, like Crusch, began investigating why several people claimed to know Natsuki Subaru from childhood, starting with Fourier and Felix.

-His parents thought these stories were just childhood fantasies due to his vivid imagination and laughed at his tales.

-But when he tried to share them with other children, they found it weird, which made him more isolated and contributed to his low self-esteem—something that got worse when the visits stopped at age twelve.

-By age eighteen, he had completely forgotten everything—believing they were just childhood dreams. So he currently has no memory of what he experienced in that world.

Chapter 174: [Extra - Children Friend IF]

Beatrice wasn’t used to leaving her Forbidden Library.

Whenever she did leave it, it was either because she had been summoned or to spend time with Bubby—Puck, as she affectionately called him. And that was it. Never for anything irregular or similar.

That’s why it would be strange for some to see her outside the Library—especially in the Mansion’s kitchen, picking up some expertly peeled Appas—a job done by Rem, while ignoring the ones peeled by Ram.

She took one, then two. Enough, she thought, to feed a small person. Along with a small knife.

Even though she could use magic to cut them when necessary, she chose that rudimentary tool out of personal preference—to avoid causing too much commotion inside her Library.

When she was ready to leave the kitchen—

[Ram: Beatrice-sama...?]

[Beatrice: Hm?]

The sudden entrance of a young pink-haired maid who called out to the spirit before she could leave.

They exchanged a brief glance at that moment.

[Ram: What are you doing? Those Appas, peeled by me and my dear sister, were meant for a specially prepared meal for everyone—even if there were only two. May I ask why you took them?]

[Beatrice: Hmpf! The reason I took these two Appas is none of your concern, maid. I took them for a personal reason, I suppose. And if two of them make such a huge difference, it only means your skills are lacking enough to not make up for such a minor reduction in quantity, I suppose.]

Replying in a slightly rude tone, she earned a small huff from the maid.

[Ram: Beatrice-sama, such rude words directed at the humble Ram are truly unnecessary. I merely questioned why you were making our job more difficult. I would appreciate an explanation, if you would.]

[Beatrice: —— I will explain nothing. Just peel two more Appas, maid. Or perhaps ask your sister to redo the whole task, I suppose.]

She added an extra touch of sharpness with mockery before heading to the door.

Leaving the young pink-haired maid behind, she focused on returning to her Library through one of the Mansion’s doors—blocking passage to Ram or anyone else.

Still carrying the two Appas along with the small knife.

Upon arriving there, she heard the faint sound of babbling inside.

A small sound that would be recognizable to anyone who had younger siblings or children—especially at such a young age that they couldn’t communicate properly.

She walked closer to the source of the sound.

[Beatrice: Apologies for the delay, but I was rudely interrupted by a maid, I suppose.]

She spoke without expecting a reply from the other figure, with a slightly irritated tone.

When she reached the figure, she took a good look.

A baby.

A baby with dark hair and slightly unsettling eyes, wrapped in the cloths of a common crib. Wearing a cloth diaper specially to keep him comfortable.

He seemed excited when Beatrice’s figure appeared before him.

Waving his little arms as if trying to grab onto her, a big smile on his face.

The tiny movements caught her attention.

[Beatrice: So... So cute~~!]

Something she would never admit out loud was how this baby was adorable in a way she never expected.

Truly, an adorable little being in a way distinct even for the Great Spirit.

Not only because of his appearance, but also because of the strong spiritual affinity that was already visible.

[Beatrice: Hm, Hmpf! V-Very well. You were c-crying just a moment ago and now you’re all excited, I suppose. So Betty brought you some Appas, I suppose. —— B-But can you even eat them, I wonder?]

Thinking about that, she stepped a little closer to the squirming baby.

From his smile and open mouth, she noticed a few teeth—indicating he already had a forming set of baby teeth.

Judging by his size, from her perspective, he was probably close to a year old or something like that.

Of course, she could be wrong, but due to her personal pride as the holder of all possible knowledge from the Forbidden Library, she refused to ask for help about something as trivial as whether or not it was safe to feed a baby Appas.

She would handle it herself!

Carefully, she placed the Appas on a bench. Picking one up, she used the knife to cut a small piece—just enough to avoid choking the baby.

Then she took the little piece and brought it to the tiny being’s mouth.

Placing it gently into his mouth, the baby quickly took a little bite.

He bit off the tip pointed toward his teeth and chewed on the rest as she continued feeding him.

The baby let out a soft, happy sound after finishing that small piece.

[Beatrice: So... So cuuute~~!!!]

Beatrice let out a small squeal with a hand over her face, slightly flustered.

She was delighted by the reaction of that cute little creature with those scary eyes, who kept making excited movements.

That encouraged her to keep feeding him with more Appa pieces.

It became her little process—feeding him and satisfying him with the Appas.

But... some might wonder: Where did this baby come from?

Beatrice wouldn’t know how to answer that.

It wasn’t the first time that tiny creature had appeared in her Library. It had happened a few times over the past weeks.

This little baby would appear at different times of the day, and so far, no one else had seen him.

He would mysteriously vanish again at different times as well.

She didn’t understand how it was happening!

The first time she saw him, she noticed the Miasma around him—yet she couldn’t feel any magic or similar energies coming from him.

Maybe it was something related to the Witch Authorities—as a creation of a Witch, she knew how likely that was.

That first night he appeared... she had tried to get rid of him.

It was in the middle of the night.

She found him, didn’t understand what was going on, picked him up, and left him in the Mansion’s hallway.

Her idea was to leave him there while he was still asleep and let the rest of the Mansion staff deal with him.

She didn’t want to get involved in something that had nothing to do with her life’s purpose.

But when she left him there... when she was about to walk away... He grabbed her finger.

That little baby reached out and grabbed her thumb while sleeping, turning slightly in the cloths and then giving a small smile. As if her presence in that moment made him feel happy and safe. Clinging to her like she was the most important thing in the world, as if he didn’t have to fear anything while Beatrice was around.

Something about it made her feel strange toward that adorable baby.

So she decided to take care of him that time—just for a little while—and hoped she wouldn’t have to do it again when he suddenly vanished after a few hours.

But not just that time—she did it every other time he appeared.

Every time, she cared for the little baby who kept coming and going from wherever he came, all because he liked being near her and seemed happy when she was around.

So she thought she might as well enjoy the time spent with him.

[Beatrice: It was good, I suppose?]

Beatrice asked with curiosity after finishing feeding him.

[Beatrice: I hope you liked it. Betty did you the great favor of going after those Appas specifically for you, so… I hope you're satisfied, I suppose.]

[“Baby”: Be... Be...]

[Beatrice: Hm?]

[“Baby”: Be... Bet... Betty...]

The little one managed to speak with great effort, but had an adorable smile on his face when he said the name of the Great Spirit of Yin.

She froze with a serious expression—then collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by the sheer cuteness.

—[X]—

[Beatrice: Why is Betty remembering things like this, I suppose...?]

She asked herself in confusion while sitting on her bench in the Forbidden Library.

It had been years since that baby—who eventually grew into a small, adorable child—appeared in her Library.

And then... he stopped showing up after so long.

Leaving her, like others had done in the past—whether due to age or by choice, for the sake of sacrifice—like Ryuzu once did.

But that was the past. It didn’t matter anymore.

That baby, that little one she tried to teach, that small being who would appear and keep her company for hours, years ago... would never appear again.

She had to come to terms with it.

[???: Oh, the first NPC found!]

[Beatrice: Hmpf! Wha——]

Her expression froze when the unfamiliar guest they had brought to the Mansion suddenly appeared in front of her.

A teenage boy with dark hair and unsettling eyes.

He looked different from the years past—older—but she could still recognize that figure.

That was the adorable baby she had cared for inside her Library.

A Library that had been home to the two of them for some time—where she had fed him, taught him, and tried to care for him during his mysterious appearances.

Little Subaru was back!

 

 

—————

My YouTube channel:  ThinkMind.

In this IF:

-Subaru was summoned at different ages to different people. Beatrice saw him as a baby up until nearly three years old during the times he appeared.

-Beatrice began teaching Subaru about magic even back then, and that knowledge still lingers in his subconscious.

-She almost formed a contract with him in the past, but didn’t, as she wasn’t yet sure whether he was That Person.

-Since he appeared as a baby and was so young, she sees him almost like her son. That’s why she’s even more protective when it comes to who he might grow close to.

Chapter 175: RyuzuBaru IF

What if...? What if Subaru ended up in the body of a "Granny"?

—————

 

 

[???: GRANDMA!]

A shout caught Subaru’s attention as he blinked a few times. In front of him was one of the strangest sights possible:

A blond-haired, green-eyed teenage boy with sharp teeth—and beside him, a very cute, petite girl with long, fluffy pink hair wearing a large black cloak and elf-like ears.

[“???”: An... isekai...?]

[???: Huh? “Ise...kai”? What... what happened to her, Grandma?]

[“Grandma”: I don’t know, Gar-Bo. But I can’t communicate properly with this one…]

[“Gar-Bo”: Eh?! Really?! Why...?! Could it be because of that damned tomb?!]

[“Grandma”: I’m not sure.]

The two continued their conversation without directly acknowledging the collapsed figure on the ground—who was increasingly baffled by what they were saying.

How could they just talk like that without even considering him?

If this really was an isekai and they had summoned him, shouldn’t they be treating him, like… I don’t know… more politely?

Especially since he couldn’t even move his body properly for reasons he didn’t understand.

It all felt extremely strange——

WAIT!

Had he died and reincarnated as a baby?!

He didn’t remember getting hit by any Isekai Truck... or had it happened?

Usually, Truck-kun ran over: Distracted people, People saving a kitten, People saving a child about to be hit, People saving someone from being hit... Always Truck-kun! And every time he ran someone over, they were sent to another world as a child or directly in front of a deity.

... Could these two be those deities?

[“???”: Nah.]

Just as quickly as the thought came, it vanished.

The elf-looking one? Cute, elegant, with an ethereal design. Yes. She could definitely pass for a small goddess or something similar. It wasn’t uncommon for deities to look adorably divine like that.He could’ve easily been tricked by her appearance alone.

But what ruined it was the figure next to her—the blond one with sharp teeth, glowing eyes, and a necklace. A strong build! But still clearly a teenager, and not a divine one. How did Subaru know? He wasn’t sure. But something inside him said if that kid was anything, it was a: fighter, warrior, younger brother, idiot.

But a god? Nah, even Subaru and his delusions couldn’t believe that.

So yes, he was definitely in another world.

But those two weren’t its gods.

And if they were... Subaru felt it was 50/50. One was a cute goddess. The other a buffed-up maniac.

[“Gar-Bo”: What should we do now, Grandma?]

[“Grandma”: Maybe we should... try speaking to her directly… She seems awake and has been listening the whole time.]

[“Gar-Bo”: Huh? You... you think? Isn’t she one of the regular clones?]

Regular clone?! HEY!

Subaru Natsuki was not just some regular person! You could call him many things: Useless, Failure, Lazy, Greedy, Jealous, Hopeless, Perverted, Stupid, Loser, Jerk, Coward, Human garbage.

But a regular clone?! Sure, he might’ve been a clone of his perfect father. But not a common one!

Subaru Natsuki was the worst clone of his father!

Someone undeserving of admiration or even a shred of respect. If you were going to call him anything, don’t call him normal! He’d rather be insulted than treated like he was nothing. Because Subaru Natsuki had already accepted that this was how it would be—

Since the day he was born as the son of Natsuki Kenichi!

He wanted to say all that, but...

[“???”: Is... kA...i]

Why was he saying fragments of the word “isekai”?

Could his reincarnated body be malfunctioning, preventing him from speaking properly?

That would make sense—

If his body was too new to properly handle his consciousness and memory.

Not that Subaru thought he had that much knowledge to begin with.

[“???”: Maybe it’s consciousness...? The mind in this body can hold my own and some of my knowledge, but can’t interact efficiently with it. I still remember everything about myself—I haven’t forgotten anything. Meaning... the body can handle a new mind, but it's way too new and completely unprepared for such a sudden mental transplant.]

Basically, it was like being in a body that existed but wasn’t yet ready to be used like a normal one.

That conclusion was confirmed when the blond teen began helping him up.

His body trembled and nearly fell if it hadn’t been for Garfiel keeping him from hitting the ground...

But something still felt wrong for a reincarnation.

If this were a standard one, shouldn’t he have ended up in a child’s body? A baby?

Yet now that he was standing, he realized—

He was at eye level with “Grandma.”

[“Gar-Bo”: This version of Grandma looks kinda... strange, don’t you think?]

[“Grandma”: Yes, Gar-Bo. I can’t communicate with her... and her appearance seems to have... changed mentally, I believe. I’m not sure if it’s related to the Witch of Greed’s tomb, but only one of the clones has ever done this before.]

[“Gar-Bo”: Hmm. What do you think we should do?]

[“Grandma”: Maybe... take her to the Lab...?]

They pondered as they looked at Subaru with confusion and concern.

Subaru was growing more and more confused himself.

Why were they referring to him as “her”?

It made no sense and only deepened the mystery. Before he could form another thought, he was being picked up and dragged away by the strong blond kid.

He couldn’t even move!

Being carried into the forest, he watched the trees pass by and noticed more figures resembling this “Grandma” that Gar-Bo kept referring to. The forest wasn’t as vast as it looked, or maybe the distance just wasn’t that long. They soon arrived at what seemed to be their destination: A strange structure—white, made from an unknown material, and giving off a bizarre scent. Once inside, he kept glancing around in confusion.

Gar-Bo and Grandma brought him into a room and placed him in a corner.

It was an odd place...

But then his eyes locked onto something: a mirror. Or at least, a reflective surface clear enough to show his face.

[“???”: HUH?!]

If he had suspected reincarnation… if he imagined he was in a new body...

That moment confirmed everything.

The shock was enough to make him stand up and stare at the reflection.

It was no longer Natsuki Subaru’s body he saw.

It was a small body, with long, fluffy pink hair, curved outward at the tips. Wearing a large black cloak dragging on the floor, too big for the figure’s arms to fully show through the sleeves, with pink accents throughout. The same body that “Grandma” had.

Could they be twins? Sisters? Had he been reincarnated into the dead sister’s body of the one called Grandma?

What had caused him to suddenly end up in this body? How had someone chosen him for this—and placed him there without telling him? How was it even possible to force his soul in like that?

But then—another thought crossed his mind——

His eyes widened slightly.

[“???”: Could it be…?]

It might seem strange to some to make a gesture like that, but others—like him, as a man—would understand.

After all, he was in an apparently female body, right?

So for now, he might just be feeling some phantom pain from his former body. Which is normal.

The very fact that something so sudden had happened meant his body wasn’t used to the change, and he still hadn’t gotten used to the new one he was in.

Now standing, he looked down. At the clothes he was wearing.

Opening the robe, he saw he was wearing something else underneath and focused specifically on his lower half.

Pulling the fabric down a bit, he saw the sacred area that should never be violated by anyone.

Looking up with a slight, resigned smile and closed eyes, he realized—

[“???”: My dick is gone…]

That realization nearly destroyed him completely.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Satella accidentally threw Subaru’s consciousness into one of Ryuzu’s clones. LITERALLY! Like someone dropping an egg by accident. Subaru’s original body was split in half in the process: the bottom half landed in front of a store in his original world, and the top half was accidentally dropped by Satella into a fountain in Lugunica, one month before Emilia arrived.

-As a Ryuzu clone, he has a Gate (magic channel) similar but upgraded—a blend between his original and Ryuzu’s.

-Although he still has an Authority, for some reason he doesn’t emit the scent of miasma, and Echidna can’t access his mind to bring him into the Sanctuary’s Dream Castle.

-Garfiel and Ryuzu are suspicious of Subaru due to his weird behavior and how poorly he communicates.

-The body Subaru is in isn’t suited for communication yet, as his consciousness was suddenly implanted into it—so it takes a lot of time before he can speak, interact, and function normally in this new body.

-Over time, Subaru will help Garfiel overcome the Sanctuary’s Trials and achieve freedom.

-In the future, he’ll meet Beatrice—and eventually, the two will form a contract.

-Subaru sometimes feels sad: For not having said goodbye to his parents... For not being able to communicate properly... And for having lost his penis.

Chapter 176: Envy Witch IF

What if…? What if the Witch of Envy joined forces with the Sage?

—————

 

 

Hiruzen was a simple bar owner near the Royal Capital. He had been that way for quite a long time.

It wasn’t an easy life—but not an unpleasant one either. Mostly monotonous, as one might expect.

That was due to many factors involved in running a business.

Business was always complicated, big or small, no matter what people might initially think.

When he first opened the bar, it was a rundown place few people visited.

Simply because it was far from the Capital, located on a route that, while frequently used, didn’t make it inviting—unless you were really thirsty or in desperate need of rest.

Negotiating with the previous owner to buy it wasn’t as hard as he had expected at the time.

It still cost him a good amount of silver coins in the end, but when you’re buying a place with a second floor—your own home above your workplace—it felt like a fair deal.

He actually had some respect for the stingy old man who sold it to him.

The guy was a skilled negotiator who managed to get more out of Hiruzen than he thought the bar was worth.

Rebuilding the structure wasn’t as hard as expected either.

All it took was a decent upfront investment in materials and labor to renovate the facade.

Now, at least, the place looked way better than it did back then.

If he were to be arrogant—which he allowed himself to be when it came to his bar—he loved boasting about how open and inviting the place had become, attracting more customers than ever.

And looking around at the tables already filled with people, not long after opening, he couldn’t help but smile a little.

He was proud.

Cleaning water rings off the counter from customers’ cups had become second nature—an automatic part of his workflow.

Then, a new customer entered, dressed in strange clothes, face hidden under a hood.

They walked to a table in the back.

Hiruzen gave a nod, and a couple of the waitresses quickly went over to serve the newcomer.

Yes, he had waitresses!

Unlike the previous owner who could barely support himself, Hiruzen had managed to sustain his business thanks to steady profits since the bar reopened. Something else he was proud of. He watched the waitresses approach the oddly dressed customer and left them to their work. They were pretty persuasive when they needed to be.

[Waitress 1: Dear customer, what would you like to drink~?]

[Waitress 2: And would you like a good meal to go with that~?]

Yes, he had added food to the bar’s offerings.

He wanted to expand his profits somehow, and it worked!

Something the previous owner never tried.

Many customers—especially men—were more willing to spend when served by attractive women.

That’s why the waitresses wore custom-tailored outfits designed to catch the eye.

Extra profit through beauty.

Watching the new customer, Hiruzen focused.

Some might find it strange, but he was born with a gift: a unique Divine Protection called [Amplification of Greater Senses] — {This Divine Blessing allowed him to enhance his senses—vision, touch, smell, hearing, and taste—by about three times. And he could amplify one even more by temporarily turning off the others. For example, if he disabled taste, touch, and smell, he could increase his hearing by twelvefold.}

This made him a bit of a cheat.

It was how he’d discovered this place in the first place and built a profitable business.

Getting to know his customers better through their voices was the best way to use the blessing, in his opinion.

Using it now, he disabled his sense of taste to improve his hearing.

He had learned to read people through their tone of voice—to gauge their situation.

[Random Customer: I’ll just have some cold milk… and whatever’s hot.]

[Waitress 2: Got it~ Our best recommendation is the dish of the day: a freshly baked hot Appa pie~]

[Waitress 1: And if I may suggest a drink other than cold milk, I think you’d enjoy a lovely——]

[Random Customer: Just the milk and the slice of pie, please.]

[Waitress 1: ———— As you wish, dear customer~]

She composed herself immediately, though slightly irritated.

Hiruzen knew his waitresses enjoyed using charm to earn better tips.

He couldn’t blame them for trying. They turned away to fulfill the order.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen began analyzing the customer.

Looked like a normal traveler, not anyone important at first glance—but that could be misleading. Criminals or secretive nobles often hid their faces while traveling. His voice didn’t seem disguised—sounded like a teenager, maybe around twenty. Lean, not too muscular, but trained enough to not be underestimated. The type who wandered, looked tired, probably just wanted a meal before getting back on the road.

Didn’t care what the food was, as long as it filled his stomach.

Which was fine—as long as he paid.

[Hiruzen: If you pay well, I don’t care who you are.]

That was his motto when it came to serving anyone.

[???: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~]

[Hiruzen: Hm?]

His hearing continued to function unusually well.

He focused more.

[???: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~]

[Hiruzen: What...?]

[???: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~]

[Hiruzen: ————?!]

[???: loveyouIlove~~~youloveI~love~~~~lovelovelove]

[Hiruzen: What the hell…?!]

He had suppressed other senses to focus entirely on hearing—

And that’s when he heard it.

The voice was strange, delicate, like a twisted whisper.

Something that sent chills down his spine—

That made him want to stop hearing it altogether.

[Random Customer: Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up.]

Hiruzen could also hear the customer’s desperate muttering.

A kind of irrational fear and panic in every word.

He hadn’t even noticed when the waitresses returned and set down the meal and drink. The customer quickly devoured the meal. He drank the milk fast, and ate the pie even faster.

Yet Hiruzen stayed focused—

Too disturbed by what he was hearing.

[???: I love you.]

Something disgusting.

[???: I love you.]

Something deeply disturbing.

[???: I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.]

It made him want to vomit. It made him want to die. It made him want to stop existing.

Moments later, he disabled his heightened hearing and returned all of his senses to normal, hoping it was all just a nightmare——until he looked around and saw the state of his bar.

His bar, his pride and joy.

The patrons at the tables were slumped over, not eating. Some of them no longer breathing.

His waitresses?

They were sprawled across the floor in front of the customer—bodies twisted awkwardly, drooling uncontrollably, blood mixed with urine and stomach contents leaking from them.

As for Hiruzen himself—he hadn’t even realized he had collapsed over the bar counter.

He could no longer feel his arms or legs.

Everything inside him had been expelled from every orifice, leaving only blood and water.

He cried, he drooled, and he stared toward the table where the customer sat.

That customer had lowered their hood, revealing black hair and terrifying eyes—

Surrounded by a strange aura, forming a humanoid figure with its arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

It looked like something straight out of a cruel nightmare.

[Random Customer: I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.]

He was sure that was what the boy kept whispering in a desperate, broken voice, crying as he bolted out through the same door he had entered—

Followed by that overwhelming, oppressive aura. Hiruzen could only feel... pity for that child, and a desire for him to be saved. Ironic, isn’t it? But it was true.

He wanted that boy to be saved from that monstrosity.

Hiruzen was just a simple bar owner near the Royal Capital...

Until the day the Sage and the Witch crossed his path...

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-After Subaru died for the first time, the Witch was able to abandon Satella inside the Seal and reach Subaru as an aura that now follows and protects him.

-She kills the threats from previous loops in the current one: Elsa? She was killed by the Witch—but the aura’s presence caused several people around Subaru to die as well, and the lingering scent alone killed others even hours later.

-At random moments during the day, the Witch of Envy’s miasma scent explodes in intensity, becoming lethal to those nearby—leaving them unconscious, half-dead, or outright killing them in tragic ways.

-Subaru constantly hears the Witch of Envy’s voice for about 18 hours per day. When he sleeps, he hears Satella’s voice instead.

-Satella can’t bring the Witch of Envy’s side back into herself unless she gives up her body and becomes a pure consciousness. That means: to remove the Witch of Envy from Subaru’s soul and seal her away again, Satella would have to give the Witch her body: Which would leave the Witch in full control of the body, their Authority, and their magic.

Chapter 177: High School IF

What if...? What if Subaru had a happy school life with his friends?

—————

 

 

As Subaru walked toward school, he yawned from morning fatigue.

[Beatrice: You're still acting like a lazybones even now, I suppose?]

[Subaru: Eh? There's no set time for being lazy. You can be lazy in the morning, lazy in the afternoon, and lazy at night. And I’m someone who can be lazy during all three times of the day!]

[Beatrice: Subaru is truly a hopeless person, I suppose. —— N-Not that I'd dislike him because of that or anything, I-I suppose.]

[Subaru: I heard that!]

With a playful smile, he beamed at the words of the girl with blonde hair styled like drills on either side of her face. Two figures walking side by side down the street toward school — a routine path for this pair of students. Both wore nearly identical uniforms, differing only in gender-specific design and fit, though the colors matched.

The two walked together like they did every day.

Despite the apparent age gap, it might surprise some that Beatrice attended the same school as him. While he was in his final school year, she had just entered her first. A lovable kouhai he'd been looking after for quite some time!

Ever since she was a little girl going to school — thanks to Subaru knowing her mother, Echidna, who used to be a private tutor when Subaru was a child — he’d taken on a bit of responsibility for her. Especially since Echidna played a role in his own early education.

Something he... didn’t particularly like, due to particularly embarrassing memories.

But the important thing is that meeting Echidna and the people around her allowed Subaru to meet others like Beatrice. A little girl who had been hard to befriend at first because of her complex and tsundere personality. He also knew other children who were like Beatrice’s “cousins,” such as Typhon and Daphne.

They all got along well now! Beatrice was like the little sister he always wanted but never had!

Even though he once thought of asking his parents for one, he never wanted to pressure them into such a thing. Especially not if that sibling ended up suffering the same way he had — with the burden of being expected to live up to their father. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Instead, he would’ve wanted to spoil her so she never had to feel that pressure... and since he didn’t have a blood-related little sister, he chose to do exactly that with Beatrice! A girl who was incredibly cute and mature despite her young age when compared to others.

Even being so young, Beatrice was truly a genius — an adorably brilliant genius!

She stood out even among many others, skipping several school years and catching up to Subaru and the rest in record time. So much so that Subaru even felt jealous of her skills. But he couldn’t expect anything less — she learned so fast it made him suspect she might have a photographic memory, remembering everything she saw with ease.

He was shocked the day he saw her at his school when she joined in 8th grade. From that day forward, he began escorting her to school every day. As a favor to her, to her mother, and to himself. He didn’t mind it one bit. After all, she didn’t know many people besides him and their mutual group of friends — or acquaintances, as Beatrice preferred to call them. That made Subaru sad, seeing her so isolated like he once was. That’s why he loved keeping her company!

[Subaru: Even if she pretended not to want me around…]

[Beatrice: Hm?]

[Subaru: Nothing, I was just remembering the worst time of my life — when my adorable little sister Beako didn’t want me nearby. And someday soon, she won’t even want me to walk her to school anymore… I’m so heartbroken.]

[Beatrice: Eh? Eeehhh?! D-Don’t s-say something like that, I suppose! B-B-Betty... w-w-wants t-to w-walk w-with S-Subaru f-forever, I suppose…]

With red cheeks, she pouted in a soft, adorable way.

Subaru gave a mischievous, playful smile at the sight of the little blonde girl’s reaction.

He gently squeezed her hand to get her attention.

[Subaru: And I want that too, Beako! I couldn’t survive each day without my adorable Beako to tease!]

[Beatrice: Subaru is cruel!]

She kicked his leg, and he just laughed — amused by her angry outburst.

He loved teasing the little girl.

As they continued walking, they approached their school: Lugunica High School — a prestigious and beautiful institution located in a wealthier district of the city. To get in, one needed either a lot of money, the right connections, special talents spotted by scouts, or grades above 80%.

In other words: you had to be talented, special, and above average — which was hard for Subaru, since he still saw himself as trash.

To get into this school, Subaru studied intensely — even returning to those dreaded private lessons with that one person he disliked — and had to ask for recommendations. All of it was to stay with his friends and a certain special person who also attended this school. That’s why he pushed himself so hard to get into a place like this, even if it seemed impossible — the grade threshold was so ridiculous you’d have to be a genius or truly blessed to make it.

Speaking of the people he followed there, upon entering the school gate, Subaru spotted some familiar figures not far off.

[Subaru: Good morning! Emilia-tan, Rem-rin, Nee-sama~~!]

[Emilia/Rem: Subaru/Subaru-kun!]

[Ram: Barusu.]

Three of them greeted him cheerfully, while the last figure greeted him coldly.

Even though they had known each other for years, that was always Ram’s attitude toward Subaru — something he’d grown used to for fun.

Beatrice narrowed her eyes slightly in frustration at that.

[Ram: As usual, showing up after everyone. You’re truly a hopeless loser. Ram thinks her dear little sister and the others shouldn’t get involved with someone so lazy.]

[Subaru: A cheerful greeting from Emilia-tan and Rem-rin is always enough to balance out Nee-sama’s icy words. So if you want to humiliate or crush my mood, Nee-sama, you’ll need even colder words. Otherwise, there’s no way to extinguish the flames in my heart ignited by their cheerful smiles every morning!]

[Emilia: Hm? Why do you want Ram to say worse things?]

[Ram: Because Barusu is a hopeless masochist, descending deeper each day into the endless depravity of his lustful mind.]

[Subaru: HEY! DON’T SAY STUFF LIKE THAT TO EMILIA-TAN, NEE-SAMA!]

Letting out a desperate cry, his face flushed with embarrassment from the words of the pink-haired girl, who wore a smug expression as she enjoyed his distress.

That got a soft laugh from Rem and even Emilia at Subaru’s reaction to Ram’s teasing.

[Rem: I’m always happy to see Subaru-kun getting along with Nee-sama and playing together in the morning.]

[Subaru: Rem-rin is too pure to notice that Nee-sama only likes to brutally humiliate me to crush my weak self-esteem. And I have no defense at all against her monstrous words.]

[Ram: Monstrous words? Ram is simply behaving like the cute and lovely Ram always does, putting the creature back in the gutter where it belongs. Preventing it from defiling my innocent little sister or others with kind hearts.]

[Subaru: First I was a masochist, and now I’m a creature? Nee-Sama, you’re an extremely cruel and merciless person to this poor wretch who wants nothing more than your friendship. Damn it! Fortunately, the beauty of Emilia-tan, the adorableness of Rem-rin, and the immeasurable cuteness of Beako always cancel that out.]

Striking a victorious pose, he said this with an animated smile that made Ram click her tongue and look away, while the other two girls laughed again—this time at Ram’s reaction to the black-haired boy’s words, not out of anger.

It was part of their daily routine to start the day with high spirits.

Not that they were actually fighting or arguing seriously; it was more like teasing and trading jabs between two long-time friends.

Once that ended, they began heading inside. Beatrice followed them down the clean hallways as they went to drop off their shoes in the entrance lockers, switching them for indoor shoes and leaving any unnecessary items inside, keeping only the essential school materials. Subaru’s locker was conveniently placed between Beatrice’s and Rem’s, something he considered a blessing.

Looking across to the other side, toward the other lockers, he could spot a few familiar faces. As they walked toward their first classes, the older group split off from Beatrice.

[Subaru: Don’t forget to come eat lunch with us when the time comes. Don’t go wasting time in the library again.]

[Beatrice: Betty doesn’t waste time in the library like Subaru, she actually studies—unlike her lazy friend, I suppose!]

[Subaru: Erk! Such short legs, but the seriousness of a soul that’s lived a long life... How sad! Don’t worry... I’ll save you from the fate of being chained to books...]

[Beatrice: Why are you looking at me like I’m the sad one here...?]

She muttered with dissatisfaction at Subaru’s gaze.

After they parted ways, the group continued to their classroom. As they walked through the school, Subaru clearly recognized some familiar faces—people he’d known even before enrolling here. Just like the three girls and Beatrice, he had formed friendships with some of these individuals, or at least shared a surprisingly friendly rapport.

He saw Reinhard and Julius, stars of the school’s sports scene, and two of the most popular students in the school—the former being a close friend of Subaru’s, while the latter was someone he couldn’t stand. They even looked like knights in shining armor to some people. Especially Julius, who often walked beside one of the most popular girls, Anastasia, like her personal bodyguard. They were both part of the fencing club.

He also spotted Felix and Crusch—Crusch being an important member of the Student Council. Subaru got along well with Crusch, though his relationship with Felix was a bit more tense. Still, it wasn’t like they were about to start a war over it.

Looking out a window toward a more isolated area, he saw another prominent figure in the school: Prisca Benedict—or Priscilla, as she preferred—with her loyal follower Al, receiving yet another love confession from some unfortunate soul. Subaru had lost count of how many times he’d seen people confess to that girl, both in the mornings and afternoons! The rejections were so intense that Al always carried a box of tissues for the poor guys whose hearts got crushed—something he did out of kindness.

Al was one of Subaru’s close friends. They got along really well and often played games together. The black-haired teen just found it strange how Al always wore something over his head: a paper bag, a mask, a metal helmet... Once, when someone stole his helmet, he used the towel that was supposed to cover his lower half in the bathroom and chased people around the school completely naked—that moment was legendary!

He also enjoyed the times when he, Reinhard, and Al played card games together. Yu-Gi-Oh, to be exact. And if you kept score: Reinhard had 100 wins and 0 losses against Subaru, and 99 wins and 0 losses against Al. Can you believe that?!

The guy just seemed destined to be good at everything.

There was even a time when Subaru managed to summon a monster with literally infinite attack power, and Reinhard still played the right cards to make his monster have infinite + 1 attack...

HOW?! HOW DO YOU EVEN GET INFINITE + 1?!

It was such a devastating blow that Subaru and Al had added a new rule: if Reinhard was playing, cheating was allowed... and even then, they still couldn’t beat him. And the guy was so humble about it that they couldn’t even stay mad or hold a grudge. So they kept being good friends, even though Subaru sometimes wished Reinhard would just give him one excuse to punch that perfect smiling face of his.

Putting that aside, he also spotted... one of those people everyone else tried to avoid.

[???: Good morning.]

[Subaru: Morning.]

A silver-haired girl with blue eyes and an ethereal sweet expression—Pandora. Someone Subaru knew from school, as did those around him. She passed by, exchanging only a quick look and a few words with Subaru, ignoring the rest as she went on her way.

[Emilia: Subaru, why do you keep talking to her?]

She was one of the few people in the world that Emilia truly disliked, for reasons Subaru didn’t know.

Subaru sighed and gave Emilia a small smile.

[Subaru: Emilia-tan, are you jealous~?]

[Emilia: Subaru, you airhead, hmpf!]

[Subaru: Who even says “airhead” these days, huh? And don’t make that pouty face—how am I supposed to handle this much cuteness all at once?]

Speaking with a goofy expression, he couldn’t help but find her irritated look adorable.

[Subaru: I’m just helping her with her studies and doing her a few favors. I can’t really back out. Especially since I’m in crushing debt to her.]

[Emilia: I’m just worried she might do something bad to you.]

[Rem: Me too! I don’t want that woman doing anything wrong to Subaru-kun!]

[Ram: Even though Ram believes Barusu is already a depraved, hopeless creature, she still doesn’t want him getting involved with someone like that. So Barusu should be more responsible when dealing with that woman.]

[Subaru: Urgh! Sorry for worrying you all, but I promise I’m being as careful as possible!]

Bowing with his hands pressed together, he made a comical little gesture of submission to the three girls, wearing a mischievous smile.

It brought a smile to Rem’s face, softened Emilia’s expression a bit, and made Ram sigh—though she appreciated seeing her words taken seriously.

Not wasting any more time, they started walking again toward the classroom.

But Subaru glanced back, in the direction the platinum-haired girl had gone. He saw her one last time before she turned the corner. She gave him a gentle, enigmatic smile, and he simply frowned in frustration.

The boy turned his attention back to his own path.

—[X]—

Subaru was smoking a cigarette.

He’d picked up the habit some time ago, when he began dealing with too many headaches at once. Even though his parents had scolded him in the past never to do something like this, he ended up developing the habit anyway—and now, here he was.

His cigarette was burning down when he pulled it from his mouth and exhaled the smoke.

A faint, grayish plume drifted up into the sky.

After that, he put it out against the windowsill, making sure it wasn’t lit, before tossing it away. As he stared out at part of the landscape through that window, he turned back into the room to finish getting dressed. Buckling his pants as he picked up his shirt from the floor.

His sharp, slightly irritated eyes shifted toward a figure.

[Subaru: Did you do your part?]

[Pandora: Of course~ Don’t worry. I upheld our deal and passed on the information to you—and erased it from my end.]

The girl was lying on a bed. Some sheets covered her from the waist down, but her bare back was still visible as she laid on her stomach, facing Subaru with a small smile.

In her hands was her phone, where she showed him the screen clearly displaying that she had fulfilled the terms of their agreement.

That brought him some relief, though he still held onto a bit of apprehension. Putting that aside, he continued getting dressed, no longer giving much importance to anything else now that he’d gotten what he wanted. Still, looking around at the mess, he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty that the girl would have to clean that room—especially getting rid of the condom wrappers and the used, filled condoms strewn around.

This wasn’t Subaru’s room.

Not even his house.

Subaru wouldn’t bring a girl to his own home to do what they had done, especially not with the risk of his parents being there and hearing anything.

That’s why he always went to the blue-eyed girl’s house.

Her parents were never home, constantly traveling due to their jobs, leaving her to take care of herself. And her family had money. So it was no surprise that her room was full of luxuries—which also hinted at how high-profile their work must’ve been to maintain that wealth and status.

Not that she cared much about that, but she made use of the money and power she had just by virtue of being born into such a family.

As Subaru was lost in thought, the girl sat up on the bed, not even bothering to cover herself from his eyes. He had already seen—and done—far more intimate things, to the point where he was almost immune to her beauty.

[Pandora: You really don’t need to be so worried. Our mutual “friends” no longer have access to that valuable info. I made sure of that. It was a high price, but worth it. —— You should tell your little friend to be more careful. If it weren’t for you being such a good friend, I think her future would be screwed.]

[Subaru: —— Don’t go giving me advice or veiled threats like that…]

[Pandora: I’m not threatening you, nor trying to make you mad. I’m just being honest. If she slips up again, neither of us might be able to clean up the mess, and that’d be a problem, wouldn’t it? Not for me personally, but it would bother you—and if it bothers you, then it bothers me.]

[Subaru: I appreciate the empathy… but don’t worry, I’ve dealt with this kind of thing even before you. —— And thanks again for your help.]

[Pandora: My help was for you, not for her. It also allowed me to get closer to you. Let’s just say my “selfless act” was made up of many selfish reasons. So really, no need to thank me.]

Replying with her usual enigmatic smile, Subaru didn’t even bother trying to interpret her words further.

Following the routine, he left the room, went downstairs, opened the front door, and stepped out. Looking up, he saw her at the window, waving goodbye. He returned the gesture politely, then kept walking down the street. Subaru still needed to get to a train station to head back to his house in the cold night.

While walking, he pulled out his phone. It was a slightly older model, but it served his needs.

There was a notification in his email.

Opening it, he found the file he had been promised—and had waited a whole month to receive. A video. Tapping it, the video filled his screen.

There he saw Rem with someone. A boy. This boy was from a rival school to Lugunica’s, and if Subaru recalled, he had been trying to confess his feelings to her nearly every other week. This time, they were alone in a forest. The boy seemed happy, excited, maybe thinking she’d finally accept his feelings.

And when he turned his back—he didn’t see what was coming.

A direct blow to the back of the head.

A strike that sent him face-first into the ground, motionless and stunned.

And the one who did it? Rem—with a metal pipe. But she didn’t stop there. She hit, hit, hit, and kept hitting—until the pipe turned red and the tip was coated with fragments of skull and brain matter, smashed by the metal she used to bludgeon his head.

Now, that boy no longer had a head. It had been completely pulverized by the blue-haired girl—dyed that way—who now wore a crazed expression as she dropped the pipe, panting, looking nothing like the usual sweet and innocent image she portrayed. —— The screen froze before cutting to a new scene. Subaru was in the forest, and he remembered: he had tracked Rem’s phone to retrieve it when he stumbled upon the body. —— Another cut, showing Subaru, calm and prepared, dismembering the corpse and stuffing it into trash bags.

The video kept playing, but he paused it, no longer caring what came next.

[Subaru: Damn you, Roy…]

He muttered, cursing his classmate.

Roy was known as one of the most nosy people at their school, always digging into everyone’s business. And he worked for Pandora—motivated by the money she could pay him. Basically her personal informant.

Setting that aside, Subaru’s mind returned to Rem.

Rem was a good girl. A kind friend. An amazing person. But she had one small flaw—an incurable mental illness officially diagnosed as: Intermittent Aggressive Dissociative Syndrome (IADS). It was a sort of hybrid of other disorders, causing her to suffer memory blackouts (like DID) while also acting with extreme aggression (like IED).

She had to take medication on a strict schedule to stay in control and avoid attacks like that one. Something she usually managed.

But… sometimes, she couldn’t.

During those times, she would brutally assault others. People Subaru had to convince not to press charges—using his personal influence. And on rare occasions, she would do something like this: kill someone. Not that she was a serial killer—she had “only” killed three people—and she didn’t even remember doing it.

Since she never remembered, she always unknowingly dropped her phone, which he used to locate the bodies. Then he would take care of them. A task he had sadly gotten used to over time. After all, this wasn’t the first time he had to do such things to protect the future of those he loved.

Rem wanted to be a singer, like her sister—and they were incredible! So she couldn’t have her future destroyed because of this.

That’s why Subaru would take care of any corpses that might get her accused. He’d make sure her sister never learned what her little sister had done. He’d be the silent support to ensure their safety—everything for their future.

Sighing, Subaru realized…

It was going to be another year of intense school life.

 

 

—————

I'm still on hiatus, but I couldn’t resist posting this chapter. I’m sorry, but yes, I’m still on break! I’m working on some IF stories, and after writing this chapter I just couldn’t hold back. What did you think? The mental disorder I created to explain Rem’s “Oni Mode” is an original concept for this story.

I wanted to create a cute high school life story—what do you think?

In this IF:

-Subaru's parents don't like Subaru's friends, but they don't say anything because they don't know what's happening to their son, even though they keep an eye on them and investigate.

-Subaru has known all his friends since he was a child, and has experienced some incidents with them, for example:

1. Ram tried to focus him because he thought he had attacked Rem.
2. Otto once pushed him to be attacked by a dog while they were running away together.
3. Garfiel once beat him up.

But he forgave them, since, because of Rem's blow, he forgot.

-Rem hit him with a piece of metal in the back of the head and left him half-dead in the middle of a rainstorm in a forest in the midst of one of her worst fits of rage. She and the others left him thinking he was dead, believing the water would carry him away. And if it weren't for Guese, Subaru would have died then.

-It was during this incident that he met Emilia, as well as Satella and Pandora, who were both visiting her. The three of them later developed a dislike for each other (the latter two out of jealousy over the attention he gave Emilia).

-Subaru lost his memories of that specific incident. The others noticed and left it that way, to the point that now, over time, they've forgotten about it.

-Rem ended up falling in love with Subaru as they spent time together. And he began to pay attention to what happened during her attacks, so much so that she ended up losing her memories of those events. He even kept some of the things from Ram, for fear of how she would react upon learning that her sister had killed some people.

-Subaru knows about the Witches in this world thanks to having had Echidna as his private tutor in the past. They have a... strange... relationship because of some of the things Echidna did to Subaru in the past.

-Subaru has had to cover up some crimes for his friends. Like the murders Rem caused, and also when Otto, while drinking, ended up throwing a bottle at the window of a moving car that ended up in an accident.

-In town: A rumor is circulating about a serial killer who preys on students and children. In reality, the victims are people injured or killed by Subaru's acquaintances, who end up disposing of the bodies or murder weapons when they can't cover them up.

-Subaru has a countermeasure in case the bodies he buried are found: He put his fingerprints and DNA on them so that he would be the one accused and arrested, leaving the others free if something like that happened.

Chapter 178: [Extra - High School IF]

Pulling away toward the outskirts of the city, a family car calmly drove off, its headlights illuminating the road. It wasn't going too far, just to a spot on a rarely used path nearby. Usually, a small family used this car to go out together. But this time, there were only two people inside, both quietly watching the road — one driving and the other gazing out the window.

Subaru, a young man wearing his classic black and orange tracksuit, was one of them. The other was a very beautiful woman: Echidna, dressed in a light black top and long gray pants that reached her feet. Normally, she'd wear an elegant pair of dark shoes, but now she wore slippers of the same color — simple, everyday clothes. After all, they didn’t need to be well-dressed for what they had to do.

The boy seemed indifferent to the atmosphere of the car and to where they were headed.

[Echidna: Once again, thank you for coming to help me, Subaru-kun.]

[Subaru: No need. I came more for Sekhmet-san, Typhon-chan, and Daphne-chan, not for you. So don’t thank me. And also… don’t call me “Subaru-kun,” only Rem-rin can call me that — with her sweet, cute voice that makes my soul scream in embarrassment.]

[Echidna: Oww~ How cruel~ A young man like you shouldn't attack a woman’s heart like mine, you know?]

Pouting, she inflated her left cheek in response to his persistent indifference.

He kept his eyes on the road, also evaluating the woman’s driving skills. Usually, Echidna or Sekhmet were the ones to drive that car — or Camilla, as they were the only three who had a driver’s license. Minerva didn’t drive anymore, even though she had one in the past — no longer now, due to extenuating circumstances.

Thinking about it, he imagined that in the future, either Typhon, Daphne, or even Beatrice might end up driving that car if they inherited it.

That is, if nothing happened to him or they didn’t have enough money to buy their own with whatever they could earn from work. He had no problem with the car itself, but thought that inheriting it wouldn’t be much of a benefit to them if they wanted to follow trends or had different tastes. For example: Subaru would rather work to buy his own.

[Subaru: Even if it’s more expensive... we don’t really use the car anyway.]

As he spoke, he recalled that his family never really needed a car to get around the city. They usually used the bus or subway to get places.

[Echidna: You seem really focused on something. Is it interesting?]

[Subaru: Hm? Not really. I was just thinking about how Beako might want to learn to drive in the future, and I won’t have any experience to share with her. Though I believe she wouldn’t need any tips if she really wanted to learn on her own.]

[Echidna: Hoo~ Yes. Beatrice really is smart enough to learn things — especially on her own. But I think she’d rather hear you talk and joke with her than actually learn only through books or videos. My little girl’s not honest about it, but it’s clear when you two are together.]

[Subaru: Really? Then maybe I’ll learn just so we’ll have more reasons to spend time together. I could even tease her if I get a license before she does.]

[Echidna: Bragging about something she can’t do yet only because of age, not intelligence? Need I remind you she surpasses you in a lot of academic subjects?]

Seeing the boy’s mildly irritated expression, the white-haired woman gave him a slightly cynical smile. He had no counterargument when it came to the intelligence gap between him and the little girl they were now talking about.

Resigned, he glanced at a small photo attached to part of the car ceiling. A picture showing a group of women: one older and beautifully mature, Echidna in dark clothes, another a bit younger with blonde hair, and two others around the same age — and three young girls: Beatrice, Typhon, and Daphne. A recent photo of that family, one he had come to know well. Sekhmet, Echidna, Minerva, Satella, Camilla, Beatrice, Typhon, and Daphne.

He had met them when he became Echidna’s student, after their families connected through Satella. She was a tutor and still worked as a private teacher. With strong references, even teachers from their area — since he was a child — had nothing but praise for her.

She was simply seen as a mysterious, sharp, and intelligent figure.

And also, beautiful — according to many.

But if you asked Subaru’s opinion of her, he’d say: “If she were in an Isekai, I’m sure she’d be a Witch.” That’s because he had a lot of misgivings about her back then — misgivings justified by his experiences with her and the others.

If he had to pick favorites from that family, the choice was easy in his mind, and he even had a ranking: 1. Beatrice, 2. Sekhmet, and 3. Camilla, because in the end, they were the easiest to deal with amid the irrational chaos of the rest.

They were a group of sisters — well, except for Beatrice.

Sekhmet was the oldest, an adult — 37 years old — who, unfortunately for her, had to be responsible for the others. Echidna was the second oldest, with a gap of at least 9 years between her and the family’s adult. Minerva was 4 to 5 years younger than Echidna. Satella and Camilla were: the former one month younger than Minerva, and the latter two months younger. Daphne was older than Typhon, and both were three years older than Beatrice.

Yep, sisters. He didn’t really know how they were sisters — they just were.

Subaru had come up with the idea that they were adopted sisters who grew up together so closely that blood no longer mattered, and that extended to each new family member that joined. Not that he judged.

Family is family, regardless of blood. At least, that’s what he believed.

You could call him sentimental or even insult him for it, but he also held a belief:

As long as there’s love, respect, and care between people, blood is optional when it comes to family. After all, you could share the same blood and still lack the truly important things that make a family.

So isn’t it better to have the first three than only the last one?

As Echidna made a turn, he realized they were nearing the place. They were about to do something very important for their little family.

They were going to bury Typhon’s dog.

The little girl had received him the year before, around her birthday — a gift from Minerva to keep her company. But the poor animal had died. Now it was time to bury him, since there was no way to save him. That’s why they were heading to a special place for it.

Some might ask: “Why not bury him in the backyard?” And the answer was simple.

The sisters’ house was rented, and you couldn’t just bury dead animals there.

Ironically, it was part of the rental contract, according to what Sekhmet had said. Among many clauses, it specifically prohibited any sort of burial on the property. It almost seemed like the contract had been written to ensure they couldn’t dig in the yard. And since they had a good rental agreement and a good spot in that neighborhood, it was easy for them to accept that clause.

And there was another important reason: it was better not to see the remains of this animal — like with the others.

[Subaru: It makes me a little sad... Little Typhon always gets so upset when they disappear...]

[Echidna: It’s an expected outcome. She loves them, she cares about them. So when they’re gone, it’s normal for her to be sad and for it to be hard to say goodbye.]

[Subaru: Even though we outlive most of our pets, we still choose to have them and cling to the idea of keeping them close to our hearts for as long as we can.]

[Echidna: Becoming attached to something destined to vanish… isn’t that the kind of relationship we have in every aspect of our lives?]

[Subaru: That kind of thinking could lead people down a dark path, don’t you think?]

Challenging the idea of detachment, he pointed out how such thinking could easily slide into nihilism.

If nothing mattered: bonds between people would be meaningless, and life would hold no purpose beyond just existing.

A cold existence.

Well, at least for some. Because if life really was just about existing without purpose, for some people that would be ideal — living without having to care about anything else. There’d be no fear of Heaven or Hell after death.

And which side would Subaru fall on…?

[Subaru: I’m definitely going to hell, if it exists.]

[Echidna: Then no need to worry if it doesn’t. So enjoy life.]

[Subaru: If the idea that there’s no real punishment for your sins after death helps you sleep at night…]

[Echidna: Then maybe the idea that everyone gets what they deserve in the end helps you wake up for a new day.]

Their words complemented one another.

But while she gave a faint smile, Subaru’s expression remained blank, just like his eyes as they approached their destination.

When she stopped the car, both got out — each from their own side.

Subaru looked around. It was a familiar place, since he was the one who had shown it to them. Not far from the city, if you took the subway to a nearby station, people could find an abandoned lot near a deserted factory. It had been left that way after an accident years ago — a fire that killed almost all the employees. They say some bodies were never fully recovered, and no one had the courage to get close to that place.

That’s why it was the perfect spot.

They parked near some trees, where the ground was soft enough to dig. There were even signs of previous digs — traces of past burials.

After looking around, Subaru walked to the trunk, which Echidna had opened. Inside, with a slight foul smell, he saw the animal wrapped in cloth. A small puppy that should still have been growing.

But how had it died?

If you could see it, you’d understand: half its face was missing, exposing the skull, one eye gone, and part of its body looked like only half of it remained — with what appeared to be bite marks along its skeleton.

A small pup, half devoured by a ravenous, insatiable predator.

Daphne’s doing.

The little girl had episodes where she became overwhelmingly hungry and devoured anything in front of her — including animals. That’s why they needed this burial spot, for example.

A hamster — she ate the upper half and left only the legs and tail.

A turtle — she crushed its head.

A rabbit — she devoured all the meat and left only the skin.

A cat Subaru had gifted Typhon — Daphne ate her while she was pregnant, devouring the forming kittens too.

One of the reasons Subaru advised Minerva to stop giving Typhon pets: Daphne would eat them the moment the cheerful little girl got distracted. But his warnings were always ignored.

Because Minerva was stubborn and believed things could be solved in time, with the right encouragement.

This was something for a psychologist — or anyone, really — to evaluate.

But that would bring investigations, which could lead to other problems none of the sisters wanted to deal with.

Grabbing the shovel from the trunk, Subaru walked to a good spot.

He began to dig. Doing his part to help these people.

Each one had skeletons in their closet.

Minerva? She had an episode of rage much like Rem's — attacking a schoolmate, beating her into a coma that turned into brain death, leading doctors to disconnect the machines keeping her alive.

Camilla? She caused a girl and her boyfriend to commit suicide by meddling in their relationship. The girl took her life, and the boy followed, consumed by guilt.

Daphne? Not just her own pets — Subaru was certain many of their classmates’ dead animals were also her doing. He even remembered seeing her eat birds at the park and climb trees to raid nests, devouring eggs or chicks — whatever she could get her hands on.

Satella? Subaru knew her crimes perfectly. Like when she tried to kidnap him, drug him, lock him in her basement, tie him up and trap him in a warehouse. Almost all her crimes involved keeping him confined — but were thwarted by him or Echidna.

Typhon? Even the cheerful little girl had a skeleton in her closet. She had killed a classmate.

A small girl she judged as “bad.” So she punished her with the hammer of justice.

Literally. She grabbed a hammer from the tool shelf and struck the girl in the head, leaving her in a half-dead state, agonizing like she was still clinging to life.

Subaru still remembered the scene.

A seven-year-old girl with a hammer and a proud expression, standing next to her classmate, writhing in a pool of blood.

Fortunately, only he and Echidna were there to handle it.

It wasn’t his first body.

If we’re counting, he had already disposed of a classmate that Rem killed in a rage. That was his first body!

Luckily, he handled it well. Avoided cameras and people, found plastic bags, a sharp blade, and a hammer. Took the body, cut it up to the bone, shattered bones with the hammer, bagged each part, and dumped them in trash cans across the city.

For a first body disposal job, he’d say he did better than expected for someone his age!

In Typhon’s case, he had to help with something simpler.

He had to finish the job — it hadn’t been completed.

Subaru still remembered walking calmly toward her, grabbing the hammer, flipping it to the sharp end, and driving it into the other girl’s head.

Finishing the job so Typhon wouldn’t have to.

It was then that he received that look from Echidna — a strange look that only grew darker as he carried out the task.

He needed to know why Typhon’s classmate had come over.

According to the girl:

“Her mom never picks her up from school and she always walks home alone, so I brought her here without anyone knowing!”

That’s what she told him back then.

Which worked in their favor.

To help Rem and Ram, Subaru had begun memorizing locations of cameras around the city. And of course, he had learned how to cut up bodies, hide them, clean, and dispose.

Not just from stories and murder shows, but from hunting research.

It was interesting how techniques used to kill and dispose of animals… also worked on people.

With the intention of not being caught by them when disposing of the bodies.

From Typhon and Daphne’s school to their house, there were no cameras—at least not on the route he knew the little girl usually took with her sister. It was a poorly monitored path. And that was good for this occasion, since there would be no connection between the two if no adult had seen them together.

With that advantage, it was easy for him to figure out what needed to be done.

Doing his job again, he remembered how he took her to the basement of the house, to do the usual: cutting and breaking, wrapping and packing into bags. After that, he just had to take it all to an unknown place. This unknown place. It no longer felt indifferent to him due to the number of animals he had buried here—not to mention the bodies, for Rem and for his other friends—after all, it wasn’t just for her that he did those kinds of favors.

But he wasn’t an idiot. He buried the animals in this open area, while he had a more elaborate scheme for the human bodies. He would take them to the forest nearby, bury them deep under the trees, and plant one right on top. After all, who would look beneath a tree?

And the excuse of burying dead animals here was enough to justify it in case someone questioned why they’d go to such a place for something as “childish” as burying a pet.

It was a way to protect himself and others from more dangerous and risky consequences. The death of animals wasn’t nearly as bad as the death of people—and thanks to that, any accusations against Sekhmet or Echidna would be lighter. At most, they would just have to answer for being negligent in not giving Daphne the psychological help she needed for her compulsive eating disorder that made her act that way.

And the little girl’s relatives? She only had her mother, as her father had already died—and her mother fell into a deep depression after her daughter disappeared. She ended up taking her own life.

Maybe fortunately, with the help of an old friend of Echidna’s, they were able to cover everything up and save Typhon from being accused of murder and torn away from her family.

Sekhmet? If one had to point out her crime, it would be: Sloth. Subaru wasn’t dumb or as innocent as he ought to be. He knew she could have noticed her sisters' erratic behavior and just chose not to intervene—preferring the comfort of believing she had no obligation to get involved.

So it was left to others to handle it. And those others were him and Echidna.

Looking toward the car, he saw her bringing the animal after he finished digging the hole and climbed out of it. Without ceremony, she tossed the animal inside. Neither of them said a word. With a dead stare, he picked the shovel back up, this time to bury the hole—a slightly easier task compared to digging it, if not for the exhaustion from the first part.

As he began to bury it, he watched the woman walk back to the car. He noticed her gaze and the way she walked.

As if she were trying to provoke him.

—[X]—

[Subaru: The stars always look nice from here.]

Saying that while taking a light drag from his cigarette, he looked up at the bright stars in the night sky. It was a truly beautiful sight that few could experience unless they went somewhere far from the city like this. Seeing the stars lighting up the sky, their glow—so beautiful it would always catch the eye of anyone who made it to that spot.

And it always caught Subaru’s attention whenever he stopped there.

So whenever he got the chance, he’d gaze at the stars. Relaxing for as long as he could before going back home. He did this sitting on the edge of the car seat, with the door open, watching and resting after everything.

He looked at them with bright eyes—until they turned dead and cold when he looked down. A vision far removed from the stars.

The pale-skinned, white-haired woman with dark eyes stared at the ceiling, now lying on her side against his bare chest, her own body stripped of her clothing—both top and pants, along with her underwear, leaving her entirely naked. She too had a cigarette, smoking it calmly—despite knowing Sekhmet asked that they smoke outside the car, which, technically, they were doing, with the door open and lying right by it.

Echidna? If her sisters were already abnormal, she had never even been close to normal, he was sure of that.

From what she herself had told him: she liked seeing how far people would go depending on the environment they lived in. She didn’t care whether someone was good or bad. She only liked seeing their progress, enjoyed watching how far they would go.

She had been like that since childhood. Acting mysterious, pragmatic, enigmatic. As if she were some being apart from the rest of the world.

And from what she told him: it was funny how her elementary school teacher’s suicide note had her name written in bold and underlined. She said she found that interesting—but not sad.

After all, to Echidna, it was the teacher’s choice on how to deal with the things she had said and done since she was a child.

It made Subaru wonder how there were men who liked this woman. Like the vice-principal of Lugunica School, Roswaal A. Mathers—“A.” for Altair—who also happened to be the landlord of Echidna’s house. Subaru even remembered how he always seemed to try visiting her as much as possible, showering her with gifts and trying to earn her attention. He practically ignored her sisters—unless it helped make him look good in front of her.

But in Subaru’s eyes, Roswaal hadn’t really accomplished anything.

Not compared to the level of intimacy Subaru had reached—one that he imagined Roswaal hadn’t come close to, even in all those years.

That relationship had begun years ago.

His mother had heard about her when he was between ten and eleven years old and was starting to have difficulties at school, so she hired her to help him. It was around that time that he met Beatrice, Typhon, and Daphne, the little girls. And by then he already had a deeper friendship with Rem, Ram, Otto, Garfiel, and a few others. He had also covered up the first body of a classmate that Rem had killed.

It was shortly after, when he had just turned eleven, that he helped with the little girl's corpse that they both became closer. Since she seemed more interested in teaching him and keeping him around.

She even helped him with new experiences, such as female contact.

For better or worse, she was his first kiss at the age of 11. And that wasn't his only experience with her. Since that age, she had made other intimate moves towards him, but his most profound experience with her happened on a rainy day.

He was at the woman's house, it was raining absurdly hard, to the point that his parents couldn't come to him.

He was 13 at the time. Her sisters were out and couldn't come back, and since her little five-year-old Beatrice was asleep, they were basically alone in that house. And when he needed to take a shower, she joined him. A strange experience for the boy. Not that he hadn't bathed with other people before, but that was when he was just a small child, or rather, younger and less aware than he was at 13. Nor was it the way she started helping him bathe.

And when he felt a nudge, he realized he had been staring at her for too long.

[Echidna: What are you thinking about?]

[Subaru: Thinking about how my tutor stole almost all of my first sexual experiences before I even turned sixteen.

[Echidna: Isn't that the dream of many boys? They say they are sex machines who would beg for such experiences in their youth. And as I recall: You didn't refuse when I started.]

[Subaru: I was young, confused, impressionable. I also didn't allow that relationship to begin and only continued because there was no way out of that situation. I had started to develop in that area, and I was super stimulated because of you. So don't try to absolve yourself of guilt because a small child didn't say something like, “Please stop. I'm not consenting to this relationship between us.” And I made it clear from the beginning how strange and uncomfortable I felt about it.]

[Echidna: Confused or not, admit that it was a good first experience. Of course, since you were a child, I didn't expect much, but you were a good boy. —— And I must say that you have progressed a lot in this regard over time in every aspect related to this act. I even get jealous thinking that our relationship is not exclusive, but I'm not going to judge you for seeking experiences outside your comfort zone.]

Her words sounded clinically indifferent, as if she were really analyzing an experiment in the last part of her speech, caring little about the emotions within this conflict.

Not that he really cared. Getting used to the ways of this strange and enigmatic woman, this was a show of affection on her part. And as he looked up, he remained thoughtful.

What would his life have been like if he had talked about these experiences with his father?

They would probably have supported him, helped him, made him see that such a thing was wrong, right?

Subaru wasn't stupid on that level. He knew when things were wrong and when they were right. But he also knew that sometimes the right things brought sad results for everyone, so... wasn't it better to keep things as they were?

Beatrice is happy with her slightly egocentric family. The sisters are happy.

His parents were happy with his improving grades and him making more friends and getting along better with some teachers since kindergarten—when he confessed to one who kindly rejected him and made him feel humiliated by his classmates, who had started to distance themselves from him at that time.

There was no harm in putting up with that kind of thing, was there?

By putting up with bad things, he managed to make his parents happy. By putting up with bad things, he made friends. By putting up with bad things, he got into a good school and was building a good future for himself and for others who needed him around, who needed NATSUKI SUBARU.

So for him, there was nothing wrong with putting up with these kinds of things.

For the sake of a happy ending, there's nothing wrong with putting up with the bad things that life throws at you.

 

 

—————

I couldn’t resist writing another chapter of this IF—I found it really fun.

In this IF:

-Each of the "Witches" are sisters, but Sekhmet ends up acting as the mother of the family, and Echidna as the second in command.

-Daphne suffers from a severe Eating Compulsion that makes her act impulsively, trying to eat everything in her path. If she had been there when Typhon almost killed that child, she would have tried to devour them.

-Typhon also suffers from an untreated neurological disorder, where she struggles to properly discern right from wrong when judging someone: someone who does something mildly wrong, like stealing a piece of candy, could be punished the same way as someone who committed a brutal murder.

-After the rage outburst that led to her classmate falling into a coma and dying, Minerva developed an obsession with safety and people’s health, feeling extreme guilt for what she had done.

-Camilla began to isolate herself more after she caused the death of a couple through suicide—especially after she began being attacked and called a slut by others.

-Satella continues trying to kidnap Subaru by any means she can find, even attempting to break into his home. At one point, she even tried living in the walls of his bedroom to always be close to him, but was eventually discovered and sent back.

-Echidna is someone who struggles with a lack of empathy for other people’s lives—she doesn't understand people’s feelings and barely feels anything for those close to her, not even Beatrice. Since childhood, she manipulated people, often turning them into much worse individuals—or, in some cases, driving them to suicide, like her elementary school teacher. Echidna does this for fun, to see the outcome of her words on others. She even mentally broke down Roswaal.

-Roswaal has a strong obsession with Echidna, who was his classmate and teacher ever since they were kids. He is currently the landlord of the house where she and her sisters live—property that once belonged to his parents, whom he killed and buried in the garden, which is why he prevents anyone from digging and possibly discovering the truth.

-Subaru had started developing a relationship with Echidna from a young age, but things only really escalated after he helped dispose of a body for Typhon. From that moment, Echidna truly fell in love with him—even though he was only 11 and she was 22—because of the potential she saw in him as a student and as a person, acting so shockingly cold while disposing of a child’s corpse without hesitation.

-Subaru liked spending time with little Beatrice back then. He even helped take care of her like a younger sister, despite not liking being around Echidna and Satella in that house.

-Echidna, Satella, and Pandora, despite hating each other, have their own joint contingency plan to protect Subaru in case his friends’ crimes are exposed and he gets accused of the things they did.

-Subaru has sexual relationships with several female figures, but romantically, he only has feelings for: Emilia and Rem. He no longer feels much sexual attraction toward them, but he loves them unconditionally.

What did you think? Was it good?

Chapter 179: Sylphy IF

What if…? What if a Star wasn’t Lonely?

—————

 

 

When the little girl woke up, she did so impeccably. She got up carefully, went to her personal wardrobe, and looked at herself in the mirror inside to check her clothing and appearance: neatly combed blonde hair, slightly intimidating eyes, a long-sleeved white blouse with buttons adorned with blue bows that shaded into purple at both elbows and one around her neck, with a skirt matching the color of the bows.

Denebola. A name given to her by her father.

After finishing getting dressed, she was preparing to leave her room and join her mother to help with her duties.

As a future maid within her Master's domain—who was also her mother's Master and technically her father's—she had to maintain an exemplary image, just like her colleagues. She had to do this not only for herself but for them, and for her father as well. It was even surprising that she possessed a Divine Protection seemingly tailored to such a task: the Divine Protection of Perfect Service, an incredibly remarkable blessing for someone as humble as she was.

She went to the door and heard a gentle knock—perfectly on time. She opened it and found herself face to face with a beautiful woman.

A blonde-haired woman with a calm expression, dressed as a maid. In the little girl’s opinion, a very beautiful woman. A mother to her, both biologically and emotionally.

Sylphy, one of the maids of the Mathers Mansion, just like Denebola would one day be.

[Denebola:] Mother.

[Sylphy:] Denebola.

Both exchanged a small smile.

Leaving the room, she found herself in the hallway of a house—their house—as well as the house of her mother’s other “sisters,” even if not by blood. The Mathers Mansion.

It had been partially rebuilt with new rooms and entire wings to accommodate the increased number of residents who had come there in the past. From what Denebola had heard, they moved in after being saved from a monster known as the Archbishop of Greed.

She followed her admirable mother down the hallway, walking with elegant simplicity, imitating her every step. After all, she didn’t want to embarrass her mother in her line of work.

[Sylphy:] Did you sleep well?

[Denebola:] Yes, mother. I had a very pleasant night and a good sleep.

[Sylphy:] I’m glad to hear that, my daughter. Today will be a busy day. And your father is coming to visit again after another one of his travels. I hope you’re full of energy.

[Denebola:] I know, mother. That’s why I’m so excited. Father visits us rarely, but he always brings something new or a gift, and it’s so satisfying to see him. I just hope he doesn’t come back so injured this time.

[Sylphy:] Although your memories are dear, my daughter, I assure you that the number of times he arrived injured is less than the times he appeared fully recovered. Even so, I share your concern and dislike how he often appears so hurt. But it is his duty as a knight and protector of the Kingdom, just like the Sword Saint. That’s why Subaru-sama is such an admirable person.

Speaking with a warm smile, she spoke gently to ease her daughter’s worries as they talked about the black-haired man. The little girl nodded in response, accepting her mother’s words as truth.

Natsuki Subaru, Knight of the Queen, Hero of Priestella and Lugunica, now as well-known—if not more so—than the Sword Saint, whose fame took over four centuries to establish. His family name now held as much prestige as “Astreas” thanks to his accomplishments—along with the support of others—for the good of the Kingdom.

This same man held a place in the little girl’s heart—not just out of admiration for his heroism, but because of a deeper reason.

He was her biological father.

Denebola Natsuki, though she and others believed she might not deserve such a surname, especially one with so much history tied to the black-haired man.

This was because she was not born from marriage.

Her mother had no marital ties when she conceived her, nor did she after her birth, by choice—one that Denebola couldn’t understand, especially since her father would have readily agreed if asked.

Still, her father insisted she carry the family name, “Natsuki,” a name given to her as his daughter. Some viewed it as a gesture of courtesy at her birth.

Among the highest-ranking noble families, she was seen as a bastard child, undeserving of the esteemed Natsuki name, nor of being considered an heir to his legacy.

Even at her young age, she understood this and the political games surrounding her father and others in his position. A person of his renown and lineage would be a valuable match for those of equal noble standing. So for his first child—his first true blood heir—not to be born noble was a significant issue, especially when her mother was just a simple maid in a well-known mansion.

But her father never saw it that way. He treated both her and her mother with affection and didn’t care about such things. She even remembered how angry he became when a noble dared mention the “impurity” of her birth.

It happened at the Mathers Mansion, during a ball held by the property’s owner, Roswaal L. Mathers.

Roswaal had been the biggest supporter of the current Queen—Emilia—and had personally backed Denebola’s father, even publicly declaring Subaru his heir after years of service to the crown and to the Marquess himself.

A noble had noticed Denebola’s resemblance to Subaru’s eyes and made a single insulting remark—toward her and her mother.

That alone was enough for her father to lose control, confront the noble, and declare her a Natsuki, disregarding noble bloodlines or anything else. To him, all that mattered was that she was his daughter, whom he loved, and that she carried his blood.

It was for reasons like this that she admired her father.

A true hero in her eyes!

Even though she also shared the opinion that perhaps she shouldn’t be considered an heir—and hoped he might one day have an official heir more suited to such a role—she wouldn’t feel insulted or hurt by it. She understood how the world worked and was smart enough to accept it.

But still, she felt grateful for his kindness—for being allowed to remain in his heart for now.

And she felt even more blessed to possess a Divine Protection that gifted her in ways she never believed she deserved.

[Divine Protection of Perfect Service: She would be capable of performing any task with extreme precision, being literally perfect in her services. For example, cleaning: she would be able to clean with such perfection that even something rusted could end up looking brand new. Or she could cook meals that even experienced chefs with years of training would take years to perfect, while she could naturally perform them in a way that surpasses anyone else, if she so wished.]

In other words: excluding battles or anything involving violence, she would be able to perform it flawlessly. That’s why her ability was perfect for the services she provided and for her daily life and personal care.

Another thing she admired about him was how much he helped the current Queen of the Kingdom of Lugunica, Emilia.

Despite being very young, Denebola understood a great deal about the kingdom through her studies.

She had been the ruler since the day she was born, being the most powerful figure in the country, but had proven to be a somewhat... complicated ruler.

The decisions she had made up until now caused problems in important parts of the kingdom, which then had to be fixed by her advisors — Otto Suwen, Crusch Karsten, and other figures Denebola had met during events and visits to the Mathers Mansion.

Denebola didn’t want to criticize the ruler for not understanding the weight of her position and the decisions she needed to make, but she herself could assess that Emilia's abilities were deficient enough that others had to clean up the mess her decisions caused. Something that should not be seen in a queen.

If you're someone meant to represent the entire Kingdom of Lugunica, shouldn't you embody that image accurately so others view you as a force to be respected and/or feared — rather than a figure whose greatest merit seems to be having others prevent the kingdom from collapsing under her leadership?

Even though she was still too young and unpretentious, Denebola didn’t want to be arrogant in speaking about her ruler.

But as a young girl growing up among those who were and are members of Emilia’s personal court and her original camp, she ended up forming a personal opinion of the figures who currently govern the nation.

At that moment, she was waiting outside with a few others.

She saw the figures of two other maids — twins — Rem and Ram, members of the Oni race.

She liked the blue-haired twin a bit, both for her kind personality and her work as a maid, as well as for the respect she had for her father.

She didn’t like the pink-haired twin as much, both for how she treated her father and because she didn’t respect her as a maid. But... she also slightly disliked her due to a past comment she made about the situation between her mother and father that led to Denebola’s birth.

Feeling personally offended, she didn’t wish her harm, but she had no respect for her and didn’t want to get too close either.

But all four of them waited together for who was coming.

[Denebola: There he is!]

[Sylphy: Yes, that’s him.]

With an excited smile, she continued to watch as that distant figure approached.

A very handsome adult man with slightly longer hair than his last visit, wearing a uniform that seemed like a mix of his Knight's attire and the outfit said to be used in Vollachia — along with a red cape.

He was riding Patrasche, the Earth Dragon loyal to him. At his “side,” also mounted, was another figure: a small girl-like being with blond hair and a pink dress — Beatrice, Subaru’s contracted Great Spirit.

Natsuki Subaru, a very well-known man.

He approached with a friendly smile, waving kindly at the figures while holding what appeared to be a gift bag — something he usually brought for everyone at the mansion.

She loved getting gifts, especially the dresses he sewed himself with his own hands.

Denebola loved seeing him come closer at that moment.

She was excited to be with him and his Spirit so they could spend time together!

Because her father always ended up leaving on long missions, she treasured the few days of his visits — which only came on rare occasions.

 

 

—————

This IF, along with the idea of Denebola, came from the art of EternalWhisper on AO3, who created this piece based on my story "Lone Star":

I was inspired to create this IF because of it. What do you think?

I’d also like to share the YouTube channel I created:

ThinkMind.

If you could check it out and show some support, I’d really appreciate it. I'm trying to see if it can work out.

In this IF:

-Sylphy had a one-night stand with Subaru in the past, after both got drunk at Otto’s birthday party.

-Denebola was born from that one-night event.

-Subaru, Sylphy, and Denebola have an extremely good relationship as a family. Even though Sylphy still hasn’t accepted marrying Subaru, he managed to convince her to let their daughter carry his last name.

-The Natsuki surname gained great prestige over the years due to Subaru’s battles against the Witch Cult, the Great Beasts, and the Calamities, as well as the peace treaties he helped establish between Lugunica and other nations, especially Vollachia.

-Denebola’s Divine Protection only works on simple tasks — not on training or battles. It simply works on tasks ranging from basic to complex, as long as they don’t involve combat.

-However, her cooking skills are superior to others due to her personal interest in cooking — to the point she could tie with or even beat Reinhard in a cooking competition.

-Emilia has faced great difficulties over the last decade in ruling the kingdom. Without Otto, Crusch, and the others supporting her, she would have bankrupted the kingdom and caused irreversible chaos.

-Emilia still doesn’t know about Denebola.

-If Subaru ever decided to move to another country — whether as a Divine General in Vollachia, a political leader elsewhere, or just a regular resident — it would trigger a war against Lugunica. It's as if weapons are secretly aimed at the country, since Emilia is proving incapable as a leader.

-Puck is still with Emilia, but hasn’t spoken to her for the past five years and continues to blame Subaru for everything.

Chapter 180: [Extra - Sylphy IF]

When Emilia rose from her bed, she almost always wore a tired expression to start her day—something few people noticed, since she had learned to disguise what she truly felt, waking before everyone else came to her.

In the early morning, a group of personal maids would appear in her room, three or four of them, to assist her when she got up.

They would help her out of her elegant, expensive nightwear, and then clean her soft, porcelain-like skin, making sure there was no dirt, sweat, or anything of the sort. They would cleanse her until she was spotless. After that, they would begin combing her hair, after washing it with the same care they used for her body, leaving it just as flawless and styled in an elegant fashion.

Right after that, they would help her dress, ensuring her attire was appropriate for her role as Queen and representative of the people of Lugunica—something she had to do in her new life at the palace.

Then, she would leave her room, allowing some of them to stay behind to tidy it up—folding the bedsheets and taking care of anything they deemed disorganized, making sure everything was well kept and clean, ensuring even her resting place remained in perfect condition, as it always should.

[Maid 1#: “You look so beautiful today, Emilia-sama.”]

[Maid 2#: “Emilia-sama has awakened with a refreshed beauty today.”]

[Maid 3#: “Your clothes particularly highlight your beauty, Emilia-sama.”]

[Maid 4#: “Truly, your skin looks even better today, and it matches your dress perfectly, Emilia-sama.”]

As she walked down the corridor, she kept her passive expression and her smile, receiving compliments from the maids and from others along the way.

Were those compliments given out of sincerity, politeness, or duty?

Did they truly wish to praise her beauty, or was it just to remain in her good graces?

Even if that were the case, it didn’t matter to her. Such compliments were nothing compared to those she once received in the past, and none of them made her heart race the way Subaru’s words of praise once did. That was why she wore that mask of courtesy—receiving and returning words of politeness to the maids and staff who said such things. A mask she had learned to put on so as not to worry those around her.

For it would not be good to show others what she was truly feeling.

Normally, she focused on maintaining her mask in order to fulfill her daily duties as Queen. And those who seemed capable of seeing through it? That would be Crusch and Otto. To them, she would put on a second mask—one that displayed her “true” emotions, to please them while keeping her real intentions and thoughts hidden beneath yet another layer, ensuring they wouldn’t worry—everything done so she could continue her work, and let them continue theirs without additional concerns.

When she reached the Throne Room, she usually found Crusch, Otto, and others, and began her daily duties to ensure the kingdom’s safety and prosperity.

But… what was she really doing?

Even for someone like Emilia, who wanted to lie to herself—or even wished someone would lie to her, though she hated liars—it was obvious her role served more as a representative figure than as a true Queen at that point.

When she approved measures or tried to make decisions on her own, her thinking was usually innocent, trusting others. Yet the results ended up negative. This had been happening ever since her ascension to the throne, a decade ago.

Like when she approved a measure regarding a noble’s lands, believing it would support the demi-humans living nearby. But what happened? She had expanded that noble’s territory, giving him the power to drive out demi-humans and other people from areas adjacent to his domain that didn’t originally belong to him. Emilia had expanded his territory, granting him the freedom to take away the land and homes of those people. She had gained that noble’s support, but at the cost of earning the hatred of the people of that region.

And when she tried to fix it on her own, she only caused more problems—not only for those already affected, but also for others in the process.

It seemed like a cycle.

She would start with a decision she thought would bring positive results for everyone, but it only benefited the noble. Then, when she tried to fix that problem, it only made things worse for the very people she had already harmed, as well as others in the process. And the more she involved herself, the deeper she sank. By clinging to this cycle, she also caused massive financial losses for the crown.

At least, until she received the support of Crusch and Otto.

They managed to calm the situation and fix the problem to some extent.

Not that she regained the lost lands of those people, nor their love and admiration, nor the money wasted and lost by the crown—but they were able to stop further losses and create space to begin restoring what had been lost. That was still far better than how things were going before, when she would have continued to sink deeper.

Emilia needed to be rescued by their combined efforts.

Had it happened only once, she might have endured. But such events kept repeating, time and time again.

It seemed that without being rescued each time, she would have sunk—along with the Kingdom itself.

And it wasn’t only Crusch and Otto she needed to be saved by. There was also her Knight—the one who had brought her to the throne: Subaru. Not only had he helped her reach the throne, he continued to support her with foreign negotiations with other nations like Vollachia, Gusteko, and Kararagi, as well as in the fight against the Witch Cult during that time, bringing peace to the Kingdom.

His diplomatic skills and charisma gave him an advantage in building connections with others, convincing them to enter negotiations with her—which, in other words, meant negotiating with Crusch and Otto, as well as with the Council of Wise Men. He even acted as her representative to ensure the security of her title as Queen—a title that might have been condemned had it not been for the rescues and services of this crucial trio.

This wounded her pride as Queen and as a person—having to rely on everyone to remain in her position. Otherwise, she would have already been removed, due to the damage she had caused, if not for their salvation.

Thinking about it hurt her—not only the fact she wasn’t capable of being the Queen everyone could trust, but also how her relationships had deteriorated over time. First, with the rival camps from the Royal Selection.

The camps of Felt and Crusch had been the ones she had managed to maintain better relations with, to some extent.

Crusch, after regaining her memories, had joined her in governing the kingdom more effectively, especially in military matters, while Otto assisted with economic issues and the approval or rejection of laws and other matters—like the case with the aforementioned noble. And Reinhard, the Sword Saint, served as the Kingdom’s blade and as her own sword as well.

But with Felt specifically? Their relationship had remained positive—to a certain extent.

Emilia ended up making mistakes that negatively affected the slums, which remained almost unchanged even after she actively tried to improve them—or so it could be said, since it was actually a collective effort to repair the damage she had caused. Once again, she had approved laws that worsened the living conditions of the people in the slums. And Felt, together with Rom and her other followers, disliked it enough to incite revolts that were only quelled by appointing Felt as a representative for matters concerning the slums and the people who lived there.

Felt, with Rom as her advisor, served as a representative to ensure that all laws or measures passed were genuinely intended to improve the lives of the people there, and not merely to make the already wealthy nobles even richer while the poor sank deeper into misery.

Other Camps had not maintained such positive relations—like Anastasia’s and Priscilla’s. Not that Emilia could blame them, as she had never been close to most of them, except for one—Julius—when they had a past relationship. But even that had ended a long time ago, and was now nothing more than a bittersweet reminder of her unpleasant mistakes.

And her relationship with the Candidates of those Camps?

Anastasia kept things professional, even offering support thanks to Otto and Subaru—the latter, through his personal inventions, providing a platform to maintain a minimally stable relationship strong enough for Emilia to receive support from Anastasia and her Hoshin Company, whether in commercial matters or through her personal mercenary group.

Priscilla, however, had always been more aggressive toward Emilia, especially after the events of her return from Vollachia, to the point of treating her not as an equal but as a mindless doll devoid of free will. She even openly criticized her. And when they met again after Emilia became Queen, Priscilla still treated her as though she did not hold that title, treating her even worse, refusing her requests unless such matters were negotiated through Subaru.

Subaru. Even after so much time, when he should have matured—as Emilia herself wished—he still depended on her support and her name.

Her own Camp seemed to tolerate her mostly because of him.

Otto, like many others, remained because they thought of Subaru and his efforts, as well as the good of the Kingdom, while helping her in the process.

Not that she maintained a deeper relationship with the others.

Ram, Rem, Petra, and Frederica—while keeping a somewhat positive relationship with her as Queen—interacted more professionally than as friends, unlike the days back at the Mansion. Roswaal behaved the same way when they met, though Emilia didn’t truly care anymore after what they had been through. Even Garfiel, to some extent, tried to act professionally, though he also made clear how distant he had become, no longer interacting as warmly as in the past—a sign of his own maturity.

Patrasche and Beatrice were definitely more aggressive when it came to showing how much their relationship had been strained by Emilia’s past decisions regarding Subaru—especially her involvement with Julius and leaving him in Vollachia.

Not that she could blame anyone but herself.

No… fortunately, she could blame someone. A figure she hadn’t spoken to deeply in a long time.

Puck. Her spirit.

He still remained in his crystal, occasionally emerging to show he was still there, still alive, and that she could talk to him if she wished. A figure who still seemed to care for her in the way he believed was right, even if she no longer cared for it.

But she didn’t, and they hadn’t spoken in a long time.

Why did her thoughts keep returning to these figures, anyway?

[Sage #3: Emilia-sama. Today, we must once again discuss that pending matter.]

[Emilia: Hm?]

[Sage #3: Emilia-sama, as Queen, beyond protecting the Kingdom, you must also think of your lineage. That is why we must once again bring up the matter of Your Highness finding a husband—or at least a necessary partner—to continue your bloodline. This matter must be addressed, whether you like it or not.]

[Emilia: —— hm!]

Pressing her lips tightly, she held back the hot liquid bubbling in her throat.

Just the thought made her feel nauseous.

This subject had already been raised before by the Sages when they met in private, as they were now in the Throne Room. It concerned the continuation of the current royal family through her rightful reign. As shameful as it sounded, she had come to understand the importance of their concern when Otto explained why the matter was so crucial.

The previous royal bloodline had been completely wiped out, leaving no heirs. Now, as ruler, she would need to have her own in order to carry on the legacy sooner or later.

Yet the very thought of having a child with someone brought her back to a time when she thought she might be pregnant with Subaru after their first kiss, imagining a child growing inside her—one who would be a fusion of the two of them. A memory that filled her chest with warmth. It wasn’t a bad warmth—not at all—it was a warmth that made her long for a simpler, happier time before so many responsibilities and mistakes.

But the thought of bearing a child with someone else made her stomach ache violently, as though hot liquid pooled in her throat.

—[X]—

[Emilia: BLEEERGH!!!]

At the sink in her private bathroom, she vomited intensely, unable to hold back, expelling foul-colored bile and watching it slide down.

She expelled what she had eaten earlier that day.

Wiping away her saliva harshly with her arm, she cleaned herself, though she stained her dress slightly in a still-disgusting way—even if not easily noticeable unless one looked closely and deliberately at the stain in question. She then left her private bathroom to return to her room, exhausted after the long day’s work, weighed down even more by the pressure of dealing with maids, soldiers, knights, nobles, and the Sages—who had once again touched on a subject still painfully delicate for the silver-haired half-elf.

It had been another particularly tiring day, and she wished only to lie down and rest, especially since today only Crusch had been there to help her with her duties.

[Crusch: Emilia-sama.]

Speaking of her, it was Crusch who now knocked on her door.

Emilia took a deep breath, then sighed, putting her personal mask back on.

[Emilia: Come in, Crusch-san.]

At her permission, the door opened and Crusch stepped in, a small smile on her face.

Each took a seat—Emilia on her bed, Crusch pulling a chair close enough to sit near the silver-haired half-elf.

[Emilia: What would you like to talk about, Crusch-san? And please, we are among friends… right?… there’s no need for honorifics like “sama” in our private matters.]

[Crusch: Yes, Emilia. My apologies. But I prefer to keep some level of formality, at least in part, in case someone overhears. —— Emilia. Are you well? I couldn’t help but notice you seemed particularly distant, even displeased, when the subject of finding a partner to start a family was raised again. I know it’s a delicate matter—for anyone—but I’d like to talk about it, if you’re open to it.]

[Emilia: ———— I really don’t like talking about such a subject. Even though I understand that it may be of interest for people to know about it. Given what happened in the past. It’s expected that I should at least have an heir to maintain the continuity of everything, right?]

[Crusch: Yes. A delicate subject. Not one that should be avoided, though. ———— Emilia, about Subaru.]

Emilia tightened her hands a little, and her expression almost faltered at that moment.

[Emilia: What is it about? What does this subject have to do with Subaru?]

[Crusch: I am not really well-versed in matters of romance. But even being inexperienced, I can still notice how much any mention of his name remains deeply important to you. So I would like to know how your relationship has been after all this time.]

[Emilia: Subaru and I…]

Truly, how were they?

Subaru still visited her, still treated her kindly and politely, still treated her the same way he always did in front of others. But without the same enthusiasm and devotion he had at the beginning of everything. To the point that, to others, they no longer seemed like they once were, though still friendly enough so no one would realize how truly broken their relationship had become.

To anyone who hadn’t witnessed the deterioration, they were still good friends who never spoke of the feelings they held for each other.

[Emilia: We… are fine.]

[Crusch: ———— Even if I did not have my Divine Protection, I would still be able to see through your attempt to deceive me. So, there is no need to hide the things you may want to say.]

[Emilia: We really are fine, as far as I can say. Subaru is still as kind as he’s always been to everyone. But I think that… I was the one who couldn’t truly contribute to our relationship evolving for reasons that… I regret.]

As she spoke those words, she tried her hardest to suppress the negative emotions aimed at the figure within her crystal — who knew well what she was referring to — while Crusch looked at her with compassion, not fully understanding what had actually happened in their relationship.

[Crusch: Emilia, please, allow me to say only one thing. Do not waste the time you still have to mend whatever happened between you two. Listen to the words of someone who went through the same. For even today, I regret never having understood, nor spoken, the right words regarding Fourier’s feelings and my own feelings toward him.]

The green-haired Valkyrie spoke in an extremely gentle tone to the current queen of the kingdom.

Emilia seemed surprised at Crusch’s words in that moment.

She had not expected to hear such words from one of her only friends in the past year. But her smile became more sincere after hearing those kind words from someone who still seemed to care for her.

[Crusch: From what I’ve heard from Otto-dono, Subaru-dono will soon be heading to the Mathers Mansion to spend some time there, for reasons that were not revealed to me. We don’t have any major meetings scheduled next week, so you could take that time to meet him again in a more casual way, as you used to in the past. I think it could be good for both of you.]

As Crusch continued, Emilia grew curious about the matter.

She hadn’t known about Subaru's visit to the Mathers Mansion for such a reason, and it left her even more curious.

She didn’t even notice when Crusch had left the room after their talk, leaving her to lie down and think about the matter. Looking up at the ceiling of her room, dressed in her pajamas, she fell into deep thought after hearing Crusch’s words, thinking about Subaru, and seriously considering such a visit.

Would he still… remember the promise between them?

Until——

[Puck: Are you sure about this, Lia?]

[Emilia: ——]

[Puck: Subaru… He has never been the same with you, even though you did nothing wrong in the past between you two, aside from acting for the sake of your candidacy and the good of everyone.]

[Emilia: ——]

[Puck: What I mean is this. You cannot hold on to the idea of something like a promise when it comes to Subaru. He himself may have forgotten it or perhaps even broken it already.]

[Emilia: ——]

[Puck: Even if you ignore me, I still care for your well-being, Lia. I just don’t want you to be disillusioned because of him.]

——Puck had come out to speak to his “daughter,” who turned away to ignore him.

Because Emilia knew Subaru was still waiting for her answer… right?

 

 

—————

To celebrate the change of days when I’ll be posting chapters of my story, I wrote this one and decided to share it. What did you think of the chapter?

In this IF:

-Emilia has been ruling the Kingdom of Lugunica for a little over ten years.

-Crusch’s and Rem’s memories were only restored two years after Emilia became Queen, following Roy’s death. Roy had escaped with Capella’s help, along with Sirius, and was eliminated by Subaru, Garfiel, and the others, forcing him to release those names at the end of his life; by that time, Denebola was already a few months old. This strained part of Rem and Subaru’s relationship when her memories returned.

-The event Otto is heading to is Denebola’s ninth birthday.

-Crusch does not know that Emilia is still unaware of Denebola’s existence, nor about Subaru’s one-night affair with Sylphy.

-Subaru was no longer a virgin on the night of his affair with Sylphy.

Chapter 181: [Extra 2 - Sylphy IF]

Subaru was resting on his bed alongside Beatrice, lying down with one arm over his face while his Great Spirit clung to the other.

The pair had been enjoying themselves ever since they returned to the Mansion.

His duties as a Knight—especially as one of the Kingdom’s greatest protectors—were so enormous that, without the support he had, he would end up sleeping like this every day just to recover every drop of energy he had spent facing the nation’s endless struggles. And it made him truly understand what it must have been like for Reinhard and the previous Sword Saints before him to defend the Kingdom of Lugunica against so many threats.

Not that he ever did it all alone, not even close. Beatrice was a clear example of how much he relied on others to overcome such hardships. Not only when it came to physical threats, which he couldn’t handle completely by himself, but also the internal struggles within his own heart—when he had to deal with the consequences of his powers and the people around him. It was in those moments that he needed support the most, to endure the weight of everything.

That was why, so often, he carried regrets.

Regrets for feeling like he had taken advantage of others’ kindness, regrets for making wrong or arrogant decisions when he wasn’t sure he could accomplish what he set out to do, regrets from the past that still lingered to this day.

The door to Subaru’s room opened slightly.

The two figures on the bed each showed small smiles.

Light steps. Small footsteps.

A younger girl with short blonde hair, a playful little smile on her face, calmly approached the two, ready to leap on them the moment——

[Subaru/Beatrice: GOT YOU/, I SUPPOSE!]

[Denebola: Kyaaah!]

Denebola was caught by the two and thrown onto the mattress.

Completely defenseless, she was attacked from both sides with relentless tickles, making her burst into unstoppable laughter.

[Denebola: Hahaha, stop, haha, stop, Dad, hahaha, Beatrice-chan, haha!]

[Subaru: No. You chose this fate when you trespassed upon this domain.]

[Beatrice: This is the proper punishment for foolish little girls who try to usurp and interrupt Betty’s time with her contractor, I suppose. Even if you’re his daughter, you still need to respect the sacred space. Now face your punishment, I suppose.]

 

The two continued without pause, giving no mercy to the little girl who kept laughing and squirming in their hands.

Not that she was truly trying to escape.

Denebola was savoring the time she had with her father and Beatrice who, in a way, was like an older sister figure to the little girl—though ironically, she was much taller than Beatrice.

The door opened wider, knocking lightly.

Subaru and Beatrice stopped, and the trio turned to see who had entered the room: Ram, the pink-haired Oni, staring at them with her arms crossed.

[Subaru: Ah, Nee-sama, good morning.]

[Ram: —— And what exactly am I looking at?]

[Subaru: Well, you see. My beloved little girl snuck into my room in silence and tried to scare me and my dear Beako, so we’re punishing her to make sure she won’t do it again. Or at least not without getting caught.]

[Ram: Truly, regardless of age, Barusu continues to act like an irresponsible child. And Denebola, your task was only to wake up the idiot Barusu, not join in his games. If you keep indulging in these childish antics, your work will fall behind.]

[Denebola: First of all, Ram, I’m a child who’s having fun with my father. Second, these games have never once stopped me from perfectly completing my tasks when necessary... something you, in your usual manner, often fail at—especially when you waste your time criticizing everyone else’s work. Or when you complain about people resting, even those who deserve to rest. You should spend less time criticizing me for doing something appropriate for my age with my family—like you sometimes do with your own sister—and more time focusing on doing your job properly enough so the rest of us don’t have to struggle fixing your mistakes. At least that’s my humble opinion as a maid still in training.]

Responding sharply, her little arms crossed, the blonde girl wore a stern expression on her face.

Beatrice, with a small smile, and Subaru, looking half-nervous, half-tired, shifted their gazes between the two figures. The pink-haired maid raised an eyebrow as she looked at Denebola, not seeming particularly angry.

The Oni maid let out a small sigh.

[Ram: How sad. The efforts of the great and kind Ram-sama not only go unrecognized, but are openly insulted by the words of a little girl who should understand the true importance of the work we dedicate ourselves to in this Mansion. —— Once you’re done with that, return to your duties.]

[Denebola: Of course I will. I don’t need your reminders for that.]

Ram left the room after that final exchange with the blonde-haired girl, who kept her arms crossed as she watched her leave. It wasn’t really a hostile quarrel, but the air had grown heavy from the words between them. Only the trio remained in the room.

[Subaru: Dene-chan, why did you do that?]

[Denebola: Hm?]

[Subaru: You know how Nee-sama is. Even if she talks that way, you shouldn’t have taken it so seriously.]

[Denebola: Dad, even though I admire you and respect you deeply as the great figure you are so well known to be, I cannot allow myself to ignore her offensive words. I truly cannot hold back when I hear things like that from her.]

[Beatrice: Betty has to agree with the contractor’s daughter, I suppose. The words of the pink-haired maid should not go unpunished. Even if Betty’s contractor is patient, I don’t think it’s fair to ask his daughter to be the same and accept her irritating words without striking back, I suppose.]

[Subaru: My little girl and my sweet, cute spirit both turned against me, what a tragedy...]

Crossing his arms, he shut his right eye and looked at them with the other, wearing an air of resignation that could be mistaken for slight disappointment in his child’s behavior.

[Subaru: As for another matter.]

His gaze swept over Denebola more carefully, from head to toe, noticing that she was still wearing nearly the same clothes as the day before, with only small changes to a few ribbons she wore.

[Subaru: As incredibly cute as you always are, just like my lovely and wonderful Beako, shouldn’t you be wearing something more comfortable for your big special day tomorrow?]

[Denebola: As much as I’d like to set aside my usual attire, I can’t just yet. The truth is I still have work to do as one of the maids—just like my mother, my aunts-in-spirit, as well as Frederica Nee-sama, Petra Nee-sama, Ram, and Rem. I don’t want to stop working and leave them with more duties than necessary because of my absence when there’s so much to be done.]

[Subaru: ———— HOW CAN SUCH A CUTE AND DILIGENT GIRL BE MY DAUGHTER?! THIS MAKES ME LOOK LIKE A USELESS LAZYBUM WHO DOES NOTHING BUT WATCH EVERYONE ELSE WORK!]

Complaining in a theatrical and dramatic manner, he twisted around.

The man struck a slightly awkward pose that earned a snort from the two girls, like a small laugh from both of them.

Subaru then returned to his original position with a small smile on his face.

[Subaru: Alright. Alright, alright. But tomorrow I don’t want you even thinking about working as hard as you usually do. On your special day, you deserve to rest as much as you want.]

[Denebola: Hahaha! I’ll allow myself such indulgence when tomorrow arrives. Until then, I’ll keep working. —— Which I should actually continue right now.]

Bouncing lightly off the bed, the girl walked toward the door.

[Denebola: If you want, you can keep resting a little longer. Even if it was Ram’s request, and one of the main duties we have to do, you don’t have to get up immediately. You can rest a bit more. I know you must be very tired, and I’ll call you for lunch, which will also be when Otto-sama and the others arrive.]

[Subaru: Hearing my little girl tell me I can sleep in while she works hard? Even if you didn’t mean it that way, such words wound my pride deeply.]

[Denebola: Hehehe! Beatrice-chan, please make sure Dad doesn’t do anything unnecessary when he should be resting. I’ll see you in a few minutes if you decide to get up and leave the room.]

[Beatrice: There’s no need to even ask, I suppose.]

Exchanging a knowing smile with Beatrice, Denebola left the room.

Subaru let out a small laugh, arms crossed and eyes closed.

[Subaru: I really do have a very dedicated daughter. How was I blessed with such a hardworking little girl like my Denebola, huh?]

[Beatrice: The contractor’s daughter truly is an exceptional child with great talent, I suppose. She hardly seems like she could really be the daughter of the contractor and the maid, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Hey! Don’t go criticizing Sylphy-chan! Even if you’re saying it to praise our girl for being so amazing it doesn’t seem like she could be our daughter.]

Speaking in fake irritation, he protested.

Subaru walked to the edge of the bed and got up to start preparing himself properly for the beginning of the day, with Beatrice helping him through the whole process—something they had been doing for a long time, ever since they became a pair and the spirit began supporting him. They didn’t only do this at the Mansion. Ever since Subaru started his journey across the world on his self-imposed mission, born from a promise he once made, Beatrice—and even Patrasche in some cases—helped whenever possible to make sure he was cared for while they were together.

Such a journey always made the days they returned to the Mansion feel more relaxing than in the past. Like a person who had walked for hours finally finding a place to rest their feet and prevent them from aching from needless effort.

Denebola made returning home even better than it already was.

Not that he disliked coming back, but part of his lingering regrets haunted him.

One of those regrets was tied to Rem and Ram. Not that their relationship was ruined or anything of the sort—but the scars of the not-so-distant past still remained. Even if things between them were much better now than they had been at the start of their problems, beginning with Rem’s lost memories that lasted through the years when Subaru had his child with Sylphy and began traveling across the Kingdom, as well as Kararagi, Vollachia, and Gusteko.

But that was tied also to Sylphy and Denebola.

His relationship with Rem now was truly better than it had been years before. Everything was better.

Well, everything except with Emilia.

Not that he hated Emilia. He could never hate her, not for choosing to live her own life. It was simply that their relationship could never return to how it was before Puck’s return in Priestella, nor the way life had gone afterward. He had no reason to personally consider hating her, even when others told him they would understand if he did.

And it wasn’t as though he could change the past at that point. Not even with the power of Return by Death.

[Beatrice: What’s with that expression...?]

[Subaru: One you should be used to. It’s when I’m thinking deeply about the course of my life, as well as ours, up until now.]

[Beatrice: Subaru... are you really feeling so old that you’ve started getting nostalgic over moments that weren’t even that long ago, I suppose?]

[Subaru: Nhan! I’m not at that stage yet. At least not physically. I’m young, handsome, my hair is well cared for, and I won’t go bald, because baldness is hereditary and the men in my family have always kept their hair—so I feel safe saying I’ll have it until my glorious elder days in my sixties or seventies.]

[Beatrice: Betty wouldn’t care if her contractor had hair or not. That’s really what she wanted to say, but she has to admit it would be strange to see you without it, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Totally understandable when you think about it. I wouldn’t judge you for it, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to see myself without all my hair either.]

[Beatrice: E-e-e-even if B-B-Betty found it strange, Betty would never want to stop seeing her contractor, I suppose.]

Speaking in an alarmed tone, she flailed her arms in a cute way at Subaru.

The man with dark hair was combing it, fixing himself up for the day. In the past, he really had styled his hair just like his father’s. Over time, though, he wanted to change it, adapting as he grew into adulthood and became a new person—or at least more mature than before.

Still, he sometimes felt a little nostalgic for the way he used to comb his hair to match his father’s.

But he was becoming more accepting of changes as time went on.

After all, not everything can stay the same after so long. He had worked on this over the years—learning which things remain and which things must change as people grow and learn more throughout life. Now, his appearance was a good example of that.

 

 

—————

What did you think of Denebola’s interactions?

In this IF:

-The division of maid duties currently is (share of total workload): Rem - 35%; Frederica, Petra, Sylphy - 25%; the other wives - 25%; Denebola - 10%; Ram - 5%.

-Beatrice and Denebola usually eat sweets and read stories together.

-Denebola has few magical and spiritual abilities, but her affinity type is with Yin Magic.

-Part of her hobbies include reading to learn more.

-In the past, she developed a small crush on Reinhard.

-Denebola receives a salary even though she feels she doesn’t deserve it, since she already lives in the Mansion and has her father’s title.

-Denebola inherited a bit of her father’s low self-esteem, but also his ability to stand up for herself when someone attacks the people she cares about.

Chapter 182: Infectead IF

What if...? What if something more remained in the bodies?

—————

 

 

For Calouh Kullin, it was another difficult day of work as a Knight.

With heavy steps, he lifted his legs from the snow-covered ground, moving slowly through the area while looking at the destroyed houses. Slum houses that had been destroyed the day before, now covered in snow and ice.

As he approached one of the houses, he looked inside through a window.

There was a man and a child, both frozen with expressions of pain — both dead.

The Knight could only gulp as he witnessed the scene.

Even though he should be used to things like this, he couldn’t help but feel a slight fear and disgust at witnessing such a horrible death.

Looking around, he saw what once were the slums.

A place he would never go!

As a noble, as a knight, he would never approach such a filthy place. He would leave the people who lived there exactly where they belonged, without invading their "territory" and without wanting them to invade his.

[Calouh: I don’t really wish harm upon them, but I wouldn’t want them near me. And I believe the feeling is mutual, I hope. —— But I still wouldn’t wish this kind of fate upon them.]

He muttered to himself. Despite his prejudice, there was still a faint tone of compassion in his voice.

Because, as he said, he couldn’t imagine dying like that.

He looked around again. He saw more snow-covered houses, more homes layered in ice or completely frozen — and more bodies lying on the “streets” and paths of the slums. From what he had heard, everyone in the slums had died, all taken by the Great Blizzard. The Great Blizzard, as that day would be known.

The day the Sword Saint fought the Great Spirit of Fire — the Beast of the End — causing hundreds of deaths in the Royal Capital just the day before.

From what the Knight had heard, it had been a fast, instant battle between the two.

But the casualties were still massive, both in the noble areas and the poor parts of the Capital.

From a higher vantage point, it was possible to see that the Capital’s slums had become a gigantic white expanse — a landscape now completely covered in snow and ice.

It was almost surprising if you could find any part that wasn’t buried in the white frost.

One of the knights who accompanied him approached, wearing the standard knight uniform.

[Knight #1: Find anything?]

[Calouh: Hm? No. I haven’t found anything so far.]

[Knight #1: Tsk. I told you it was a waste of time. But Captain Marcus won’t let us stop until we’ve searched the entire slum. —— Honestly, I don’t see the point. Clearly no one survived here. And even if some did, what’s the big deal? They’d just go back to being rats scavenging through trash, right?]

[Calouh: Yes. I agree with you.]

As they talked, they kept walking through the snow,

trying to fulfill the mission of finding survivors amidst the chaos —

a task that a group of knights had been assigned to at that moment.

[Knight #1: I never really liked the slums, you know? They always stained the image of the Capital when someone looked at it. It’s like… seeing a nasty stain on a beautiful, polished silver spoon.]

[Calouh: Or on a gem or a coin.]

[Knight #1: Exactly! And a stain needs… to be… wiped clean, so to speak, eventually.]

[Calouh: ——?]

[Knight #1: Don’t look at me like that. Almost all of us think that way. This place was neglected, becoming dirtier and filthier, even starting to creep toward the nobility. Because no one was actually going to fix the situation until it had to be fixed. —— Again, it’s not the way I wanted it to happen. But something had to be done.]

Speaking with clear prejudice and a crueler tone, he didn’t seem particularly concerned about the people who had suffered that frozen fate.

To Calouh, he knew his companion lacked real compassion for those who were born, lived, and died in that place.

They were merely an inconvenience to him.

Calouh wouldn’t defend them. He didn’t care, even if he didn’t wish them such a terrible end.

As they continued walking and turned the corner of what was once a street, they saw something different.

Someone. A person.

The figure was kneeling on the ground, back turned to the two of them, performing some unknown movements.

He wore strange clothing stained with blood and had dark hair.

But what stood out the most was what lay in front of him: a body.

The body of one of their fellow knights — dressed in what used to be a pristine white uniform, now soaked in blood. His eyes were lifeless, mouth open in terror. A chunk of his neck was missing, and his left arm had been torn off, with blood still dripping from the mangled stumps.

It was horrifying — enough to make Calouh take a step back.

In doing so, he unintentionally broke something underfoot, making a noise that caught the attention of that figure.

The unknown person stopped moving — and with that, the noise they hadn’t even noticed also stopped.

It made both knights freeze.

In the next moment, slowly, he turned his face toward them — revealing terrifying, dead eyes with no trace of life.

His mouth was stained with blood, chewing something.

What was he eating?

What he held in his hands — as he stood up — was the severed arm he had been eating.

It already had several bite marks, exposing the bone.

His outfit was torn, revealing some of his intestines spilling from his abdomen, as if someone had sliced him open.

[???: uuuuuUUUOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!!!!!!!]

With a guttural scream, the creature dropped the arm into the snow and spread his arms like a terrifying predator.

Then he ran — charging at the two knights.

In a panic, Calouh’s companion tried to draw his sword.

He managed to land a blow to the creature’s face, slashing across its mouth and tearing part of its cheeks.

But that didn’t stop it from advancing.

The thing grabbed him by the shoulders, lunged forward, and bit deep into his neck.

Its teeth pierced the skin and muscle, ripping away a chunk in one violent pull.

Blood sprayed out like an explosion, splattering Calouh’s face.

It made him tremble, stumble backward, and fall to the ground, watching in horror as the thing kept biting — swallowing — and biting again at his partner’s neck, killing him.

Calouh quickly got up and ran.

Ran as fast as he could through the snow.

Desperate.

Trying to escape.

But the snow and cold kept him from moving properly — even though it was easier for him than for others, for ordinary people — as he fled from that terrifying and cruel scene.

While this was happening, he spotted another figure not far ahead.

[Calouh: Help! I need help! Please, I——!!!]

As he got closer, he saw something he didn’t want to see.

That fellow Knight of his was missing chunks of his body, part of his uniform was torn and soaked in blood, and some of his internal organs were spilling out.

But he was still standing. Even though he shouldn’t be.

He was still looking at him — even though his eyes were dead — he was still there, even though he should have been dead.

Calouh’s mouth went dry, and he tried to back away.

Until he bumped into something.

He turned his head, only to see the mouth of that first creature coming in close — at the level of his face — and biting into him with force.

For Calouh Kullin, it was another difficult day of work as a Knight.

 

 

—————

My Channel (I posted a new video there): ThinkMind.

This is one of the continuations I'm planning for the Yokai IF — Where I try to explore the negative aspects left behind by each version of Subaru as a Yokai.

In this IF:

-Infected Subaru is one of the offspring/spawn of Yokai Subaru

-The bodies of Subaru from previous loops — in certain routes — return as zombies that begin infecting others

-Infected individuals retain the same powers as their living versions, at the same level

-The transformation time can range from 1 to 5 minutes, depending on where the person is bitten

-They’re a different type of zombie from the undead seen in the world of Re:Zero — they’re more fragile, but in return, they can only die if their brains are completely crushed or destroyed until nothing remains

-If Infected Subaru had a representation of a Cardinal Sin, it would be Gluttony

Chapter 183: Hater IF

What if...? What if a hater ended up in Subaru’s body?

—————

 

 

Enzo blinked several times as his mind tried to process his surroundings.

It was a fast realization. Something he hadn’t expected at all.

He had suddenly arrived in another world—just like that, he was in a completely different place when he opened his eyes. Right next to a city fountain, staring at his reflection in the water and seeing his new appearance.

Dark hair, tracksuit, and a pair of unsettling eyes. The face of a character he knew all too well: Natsuki Subaru, the protagonist of Re:Zero.

[“Subaru”: What... the... fuck?!]

He was in Natsuki Subaru’s body!

It caught him so off guard that he blurted out a loud curse, drawing a few looks from people nearby. Even so, no one dared to approach him. They just watched as he stared into the fountain, sitting down with his hands on his head.

Enzo was just an average otaku — or at least that’s how he saw himself. Someone who lived a quiet life, didn’t bother anyone — and didn’t want to do anything, really.

So it was a complete shock when he went to bed in his room the night before and now… this.

Now he was in the body of Natsuki Subaru.

THE FREAKING NATSUKI SUBARU!

[Enzo: Why him...? Out of all the characters, why HIM?! Why the whiniest, most useless character of them all?!]

He ranted mentally as he yanked at his hair in pure rage, nearly ripping it out from his scalp.

Because to him — to Enzo — being in Subaru’s body was the worst curse imaginable.

To Enzo Lucca, Natsuki Subaru was the worst character in Re:Zero.

Not only was he incredibly weak, but he was also an idiot, completely pathetic and useless, a crybaby who didn’t know how to take advantage of the opportunities life gave him.

Just an annoying guy who wasted every chance at success by doing the most idiotic things possible.

Any other character in that world would’ve been more interesting to live as than the protagonist.

Why did he think that?

[Enzo: The guy has one of the best powers in the whole world and still cries about using it!]

Subaru had the power of Return by Death — the ability to rewind time whenever he died. Not only did it prevent him from dying, but it let him go back and fix any mistakes he’d made.

It meant he could take on the world without fear — he would never truly die, and he could always retry and fix whatever problem he ran into.

An incredible power!

And in Enzo’s opinion, it was an amazing ability. But why didn’t Subaru use it properly?

Because he was scared of it.

Sure, obviously, Enzo could admit that dying isn’t pleasant.

But if there were no lasting consequences — then what’s the big deal?!

In Enzo’s eyes, all you had to do was get used to it.

Die enough times, and you’d eventually become numb to the pain. Then you could use the ability with no problem.

Simple as that!

Painful? Yes.

But bearable.

Anyone could endure that and use it to their advantage — to get anything they wanted.

But what did Subaru do?

He wasted time using his power to help the people around him — never focusing on personal gain.

And on top of that, he’d always get emotional and cry nonstop whenever something happened that he couldn’t handle.

Seriously — even acting like a complete idiot, and people still tried to justify him.

Like during the Royal Selection. He acted like a fool, interrupted everyone, did dumb stuff, and then treated Emilia horribly afterward. He got exactly what he deserved when she left him.

It was just annoying.

He kept wasting time crying and complaining.

In other words, Enzo’s reasons for disliking Subaru were pretty simple:

He was a coward who wasted time crying over dumb stuff, when he could be using his power and knowledge to grow, to become independent enough not to rely on anyone else to survive in that world.

He didn’t need to depend on anyone. He could’ve done whatever he wanted.

[Enzo: Of all the people… why HIM?! I couldn’t have been reincarnated into ANYONE ELSE? Why did I have to end up in THIS guy’s body?!]

Still grumbling, he scratched his head in growing frustration.

Because besides being a crybaby and useless in Enzo’s opinion, Subaru was also a total loser for being so physically weak.

He wasn’t strong. He wasn’t fast. He wasn’t powerful.

Not even the smartest!

Because — once again — his so-called “intelligence” came entirely from trial and error using Return by Death to gather info from failed attempts.

Take that away, and what did he have? He wasn’t a genius — his knowledge came from brute-forcing through failure. Even a lot of what he knew was thanks to other characters helping him improve. Beyond that, Subaru had no real intellectual or physical talents.

At least that’s how Enzo saw him.

To him, Natsuki Subaru was the most pathetic character in the entire story.

And he often wondered why people even liked someone like Subaru to begin with. It made no sense to him, especially when it came to how a protagonist should act.

That’s why he preferred other isekai protagonists. The real badasses, like: Sung Jin-Woo, Kirito, Touya Mochizuki, Takuma Sakamoto, etc. etc.

Good characters — ones who didn’t waste time crying or moping around.

But no.

Now he was stuck in the body of the weakest, whiniest, most useless character imaginable.

A curse like no other.

[Enzo: Maybe it’s not so bad after all...]

Recovering a bit from the initial shock, he put a hand on his chin, deep in thought about the situation he now had to face.

To Enzo, Subaru’s problem was simple: being Subaru.

But now everything would be different.

Because now: Enzo was in that body!

Subaru’s weakness wasn’t in his body — it was in his personality.

He was a hopeless loser who didn’t know how to make use of his chances, a pathetic guy with no useful traits.

But Enzo wasn’t like that.

He wouldn’t be some crying idiot wasting time.

He wouldn’t miss every opportunity thrown at him. He was smarter.

Better.

Jumping to his feet by the fountain, his outlook had completely shifted. His smile was now huge.

[Enzo: Even if I’m in the body of a loser, it’s not a total loss. I can still make something out of this... Not that this guy’s body is THAT bad... —— Huff. I’ve got a lot of work to do to make this guy at least somewhat useful. But hey, it’s not a complete waste. So first, I need to finish the first mission. Which is...]

The face twisted as his smile became a bit stranger and more disgusting.

[Enzo: Emilia... If I’m at the beginning of the story, she’ll show up in that alley if I go and run into those three thugs. She’ll act all nice, help me out, pretend to be cold and mysterious, that kind of thing... then go look for Felt and fail...]

He remembered how the first few episodes adapted the first arc.

That made him put a hand to his forehead, still with that disgusting smile now twisted into arrogance.

[Enzo: Cute, naive, pliable... Emilia really is the dream kind of girl to get your hands on. Not to mention a ticket to a mansion if I play my cards right. And especially 'cause she’s freaking hot.]

Thinking hard about that last part, he recalled the other girls that had shown up in Re:Zero so far. That alone got him excited. He started walking through the street, now being avoided by people due to his odd appearance. Why? Because Subaru naturally had a kind of intimidating face, especially his eyes—but it was worse thanks to the creepy expression Enzo was making using Subaru’s face.

And the reason for that expression?

He was fantasizing about building a harem with the girls from the series.

Just the thought alone got him excited and motivated.

[Enzo: The Lust Route is definitely happening... If a guy like Subaru can get these girls, then of course it's super easy. Oh, this is gonna be good. I can’t wait to grope those hotties’ tits... —— Though, maybe I won’t want all of them. Felt and Anastasia don’t have the curves, not even worth it.]

Thinking like that, his thoughts wandered to the bigger-busted girls he planned to pursue.

In his head, he couldn’t wait to use Emilia’s boobs as pillows.

 

 

—————

This, as some of you may guess, is a crack IF. Nothing here should be taken seriously. I made this purely as a joke.

A reader once asked me: "How would Alpha react to someone inside Subaru’s body?"

Like, someone reincarnating into Subaru’s body. And that gave me the idea for this parody IF. To imagine what it’d be like if a Subaru hater was the one who took over his body. Enzo (apologies to anyone named Enzo reading this) is the stereotypical Subaru hater: the type that says Subaru is annoying, weak, a loser, boring, etc. Except taken to the absolute extreme.

He's also a mix of many types of Incel guys I’ve met. Believe it or not, I’ve seen people like this in real life—Enzo is a blend of them all.

He’s a walking stereotype, just a joke, so don’t take anything about him seriously. I made him to be the worst of the worst.

In this IF:

-Enzo is an unemployed 45+ year-old man who still lives with his parents. Because of his lifestyle, they can’t even retire since they have to keep working to support him.

-He has a younger sister who completely cut ties with him after he sold nude photos of her online just to make money for his games. She's the one who helps the parents stay afloat while pretending Enzo doesn’t exist.

-He’s had many jobs over the years but always got fired for: skipping work without notice, harassing female coworkers, or making racist and xenophobic attacks toward male coworkers.

-He has Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Delusions of Grandeur. He believes he’s perfect and better than everyone else, thinking bad things only happen to him because people are jealous of his greatness. He’s also extremely childish.

-Being unemployed turned him lazy: staying home all day doing nothing to help out, not exercising, gaining weight, and wasting his parents’ money on gacha games.

-He’s been arrested multiple times for harassing women and even attempting to go after underage girls, always excusing it as “just complimenting” them and blaming them for “not taking a nice compliment.” Eventually, he was banned from being near any public places with minors under 16.

-His favorite characters are the ultra-powerful ones with perfect bodies, huge harems, and who win everything effortlessly, especially those who are "tough and don’t cry like little girls."

-He’s a total coward when it comes to fighting. Once, he literally peed himself on purpose just to avoid a fight.

-His personality is so awful it could be compared to—or even worse than—Regulus or even Capella.

-The Witch of Envy and Satella had nothing to do with his summoning. They’re actually completely confused about why Enzo is even in Subaru’s body. He was summoned by someone else entirely.

So, to answer the question: How would Alpha react to a typical "person inside Subaru’s body" situation?

There are three possibilities:

-The person is humble, or learns to be. They realize how difficult Subaru’s life and that world really are, or learn that lesson the hard way, and become a better person by understanding Subaru isn’t some weak crybaby, but someone who’s been through hell. Alpha would be extremely kind and supportive to these people. Surprisingly warm and even willing to help them return to their original world if they wanted.

-The person is a generic Isekai MC. The type who gets a “level system,” OP cheat skill, anime character powers, etc. Alpha would just shrug. “Meh.” She wouldn’t be impressed or bothered—just completely indifferent, like it’s just another action figure on the shelf.

-But people like Enzo? She’d be foaming at the mouth with rage. Basically this:

 

And she’d watch with a smile as Enzo suffered in every horrific way possible.

Chapter 184: [Extra - Hater IF]

Enzo wore a sullen expression as he stared at the scenery from inside the carriage, sharing the space with two other figures seated across from him.

One of them was a silver-haired girl with amethyst eyes, who seemed slightly concerned about the young man sitting in front of her, gazing out the window with a faintly stern look. Resting on her shoulder was the other figure—the Great Spirit of Fire, Puck—who stared at the boy with a faint, thoughtful frown.

That only made Enzo more frustrated with his current situation. He had expected anything but this.

[Enzo: Damn cat, cursed cat…]

He didn’t say it aloud, but he ground his teeth softly while glaring at the feline spirit.

His reason for being this way was simple—at least to him.

The cat was simply a damned creature that had caused his death, leaving him bitter. It had hurt far too much, the way he had been killed! So to him, it was perfectly reasonable to hold a grudge for the way Puck had acted.

His first death? He had wandered through the city without meeting anyone from the main cast, only to be attacked by the classic trio of thugs. What had he done? Easy—he tried to summon Reinhard to help him, just like Subaru had done originally, so he could secure the strongest ally right at the start… but Reinhard never came. Enzo couldn’t understand why he hadn’t shown up—until Felt passed by the alley, revealing that he had called for help too early. That left him alone with the three thugs, who quickly attacked him to steal his belongings. Emilia then appeared, just like in the original story, to save him.

For a moment, he thought he had hit the jackpot—

That she would help him like she had helped Subaru.

So when he was about to lose consciousness, he felt satisfied, safe even, staring at her figure as the world faded. Especially that pair of breasts framed by her white dress, which seemed even larger from his new perspective inside that world.

But then… when he woke up, expecting the scene where he’d be lying in Puck’s lap—a situation he would have hated anyway, since he wasn’t fond of male figures—he instead found himself near a guard station.

…

…

WHY?!

Why had Emilia and Puck left him behind? He had been beaten to a pulp just like the pathetic Subaru in the original, and she had stepped in to save him, so she should have done the expected thing—take care of him until he was fully recovered and begin the interaction that would turn them into the perfect couple. Especially since Enzo had taken over the body of the loser who couldn’t do anything right to win over a gorgeous woman like her.

When he woke up, he was stunned.

Justifiably, Enzo was both angry and worried by this divergence in events. It annoyed him greatly. He tried to warn the guards about what was about to happen—the attack by Elsa at the loot house in the slums—but no one seemed to believe him.

According to what he was told, Puck had asked the guards to “keep an eye on him” when he woke up because of a bad feeling about Enzo…

What do you mean, a bad feeling?!

How could he possibly be a threat?! And why would Puck have such a bad premonition about him?!

He had acted just as pathetically as Subaru had, and yet he was being judged! It made no sense! At the time, Enzo hoped everything would somehow work out in his favor.

But no. They were both utterly useless!

They went to the slums while he was stuck in custody—and were killed the moment they arrived! Then, just like in Arc 3, Puck entered his “absolute destruction” form and attacked the Capital like a raging beast, freezing everything and everyone—including Enzo, still in the guardhouse.

It hurt… it hurt so much!

His body was frozen from head to toe, every inch of flesh, bone, and organ encased in ice, until it shattered like glass. All because of the idiotic mistakes of others, when he had been trying to do something good!

The sensation was unbearable—horrible!

The pain of freezing, centimeter by centimeter—skin, muscle, bone, even his internal organs—before breaking apart. It killed him, and when he came back, he still felt that phantom pain crawling over his body, enough to make him collapse into the city fountain, screaming in agony.

Could anyone blame him for this? The pain was unimaginable.

He had only been trying to help someone for a good reason—and what happened? He was mugged by thugs, beaten, abandoned by the heroine he had wanted to help and from whom he had expected at least some gratitude, and left in the hands of useless guards who ignored him, only to end up dead because of those idiots! Why?! He had done nothing wrong, nothing evil, nothing but a good deed—expecting a fair reward in return! Disgusting! Just a good person doing good things, only to be cruelly attacked and abandoned because of some baseless suspicion from a hypocritical spirit?!

Even now, Enzo still felt frustrated that such a thing had happened in that loop.

So when he finally recovered—when his mind cleared enough to think straight—he did what needed to be done.

He quickly asked for help to reach the guard station, and once there, he demanded they search the city for Reinhard until they found him, claiming he had extremely important information for the Sword Saint. The guards couldn’t refuse. When Reinhard appeared, Enzo wasted no time explaining everything—telling him all he knew about the stolen insignia from candidate Emilia: about the thief Felt, the attack planned for the loot house, everything.

After that, he stayed at the guard station, waiting for the results.

Only later did he learn what had happened: Reinhard had arrived before Elsa’s attack with the guards, captured Felt and Rom, recovered Emilia’s insignia, and returned it to her, telling her it had been Enzo who had given the warning. Later, he also faced Elsa at the loot house, driving her away—though he hadn’t managed to kill her.

And how was Enzo rewarded?

He spent the night in custody—sharing a cell with Felt and Rom.

That annoyed him all over again!

The only “reward” he got was an interrogation the next morning—today, in fact—that led to a conversation with a group of people involved in the matter.

Since he couldn’t tell the whole truth—knowing what could happen if he revealed the secret of “Return by Death,” and not being stupid enough to risk dying again after experiencing it for real—he stayed in custody to be questioned by Reinhard, as well as evaluated by Puck, Emilia, and Ram, the maid from the Mathers Mansion who was accompanying Emilia.

How did each of them assess him?

Reinhard? He assessed him in an indecisive way, despite his Divine Protections.

Emilia? She saw him as a kind stranger who had helped her.

Puck and Ram? They saw him as a pervert with terrible intentions toward the silver-haired girl who had once received his help.

An outrage! As Enzo pointed out, he had been able to warn them about a crime that had occurred, about an assassin so that the Sword Saint could stop her and save a Royal Candidate. He had also helped recover one of the most valuable possessions of said Royal Candidate. He had done everything right! On top of that, he had pointed out to Reinhard that Felt was a Royal Candidate, finally leaving the door open to begin the Royal Selection!

He had done everything right! So of course he demanded a fair reward!

Whether they liked it or not — which Puck and Ram seemed strongly against, though they were forced to agree out of politeness and at the request of their own lord and the Sword Saint — he demanded one thing: a place to settle down, since he had nowhere to stay. That led to the current moment, where he was in the carriage with Emilia and Puck, arriving at the estates of Roswaal L. Mathers.

The trip had been rather silent, since Puck seemed to block any attempt at conversation between Enzo and Emilia, preventing them from interacting in a more intimate way. This made Enzo increasingly irritated with the cat-shaped spirit, who was a monster.

[Ram: Lady Emilia, Great Spirit, Parasite. We’ve arrived.]

[Enzo: Parasite? You flat-chested, overconfident bitch.]

He gritted his teeth in anger, thinking about how annoying Ram’s character had always been — of course, he didn’t care when it was directed at the pathetic Subaru, but he didn’t like being treated that way when he deserved praise for his good work!

The thought of not adding her to his harem crossed his mind if she didn’t improve her behavior toward him.

As they approached, he could see the mansion in the distance, with the day nearing its end. Soon Puck would have to return to his crystal. That, plus being in a safe environment, would leave Enzo relieved and free to talk to Emilia and begin developing their relationship — so she could be the first in his custom Lust Route harem. Entering the territory, when the carriage stopped, everyone disembarked.

Upon doing so, he encountered a new figure!

[Rem: Lady Emilia, Nee-Sama and… guest…?]

A maid with blue hair and blue eyes, stunningly beautiful. When Enzo’s gaze fell on her, it lingered for quite a while on her chest and then on her legs — without even realizing his own perverted smile — exciting him.

His excitement was rising again!

[Enzo: A new conquest! From what I remember, Subaru helps her and she becomes his personal lapdog. YES! PERFECT! And her boobs look just as good in person as they did on screen. How did that idiot reject a hottie like this without even enjoying those breasts, huh?]

Thinking with a lecherous expression, he didn’t notice Puck’s disgusted look — the spirit had been reading his emotions from the start — nor Ram and Rem’s reactions to his lustful stare. Emilia, meanwhile, felt a strange sensation watching him act in a way she didn’t understand — but for some reason, it filled her with anger on behalf of the blue-haired maid.

To Enzo, it felt like he was ready for his true protagonist’s journey!

He would have a mansion to himself, a personal lapdog maid, and — as he well knew — he could secure the great spirit of the forbidden library simply by saying he was [That Person].

That excited him! For soon the world would know what a real hero was — one who wouldn’t cry like a baby.

 

 

—————

For those who didn’t understand before:

The character Enzo is a STEREOTYPE, a STEREOTYPE! Like I said when I wrote the first chapter of this IF — I talked to a friend on Discord and he helped me create a STEREOTYPE of a “Subaru hater.”

I don’t believe that people who dislike Subaru or Re:Zero are like this. I’m not an idiot. But in this IF, I created this character as a joke about the type of person who always says: “If I were in his place, I’d do better.” The type who likes to act brave, pointing out others’ mistakes, but not knowing if they’d actually do better themselves.

But about the character — and the backstory I presented in the notes of the previous chapter — he’s based on a real person. I only changed this person’s name to Enzo because he’s someone who committed various crimes: harassment against women, racist and xenophobic attacks against people, as well as physical assault (yes, the kind you’re imagining) against underage girls (and by underage, I mean around 15 or younger). He even committed these wrongdoings against his own family members.

So why didn’t I use the real name? For two reasons:

• I won’t share a real person’s name in a story for fear of being banned or having my work removed by an admin from the sites where I publish my stories.
• I’m afraid that if I talk about him, somehow this could reach him through the internet.

It might seem silly, but I genuinely worry about both things. I don’t want my story banned or deleted just because I mentioned a real person’s name. So for anyone who thought I exaggerated in creating and characterizing this character — I wanted you to know that I based him on a real person who committed even worse crimes than those I described in the first chapter’s notes of this IF (yes, even WORSE than what I originally put in the final notes).

So yeah, I wanted to explain myself in case anyone thought I was just making a hateful character for the sake of it. No. I simply took a guy from real life and based a similar character on him, so I could feel more comfortable writing about him going through hardships.

Oh, and to answer a question: Alpha's point in the endnotes of the other chapter of this IF was just to answer a question. It wasn't to say she was the one who put Enzo in Subaru's body. She wasn't. And I found it strange that it sparked a discussion in the comments.

Anyway, in this IF:

-Enzo only died once in the Capital. But he thought it was horrible, utterly horrible, to the point that when he looped, he completely wet himself when he fell into the fountain.

-Puck and Ram strongly dislike Enzo because he shows so much of his lecherous side, especially in the way he looks at Emilia and later at Rem.

-Even though he’s in Subaru’s body, he couldn’t find the Forbidden Library until Beatrice purposely helped him.

-Puck and Roswaal began looking after Beatrice more after he met her, because of the… very wrong look he gave her.

-Beatrice didn’t accept him as [That Person] because of the disgusting aura he emanates.

-Because of the looks he gives, Rem feels ten times more furious toward him, due to her own feelings combined with Ram’s shared emotions.

-Arc 2 would be where he dies the most.

Chapter 185: Otto IF

What if…? What if a merchant ended up in another world?

—————

 

 

Otto Suwen had not had an easy life from the moment he was born.

Since birth, he had been blessed with the Divine Protection that allowed him to communicate with almost all living beings — from tiny insects to earth dragons and other creatures — though he couldn’t handle Majuuns, powerful and aggressive creatures he tried to stay away from as much as possible.

For him, it was an enormous difficulty.

Why? Because the problem with this Divine Protection in his childhood was that he couldn’t control it when he was younger. This even made it harder for him to communicate with the people around him — his parents, his siblings, people in general — especially because he even struggled to learn how to speak and communicate properly. When he finally managed to learn, it was thanks to his brother’s help. The situation was enough for him to feel grateful toward his parents, who had been patient with his slow progress in communication — they were even moved by it.

As time passed and he grew slowly, he learned to control his power. It became a very interesting and powerful ability for communicating with others. With his skill, he could even command an entire front of insects, for example.

That was actually the reason he had to leave home when he was older.

Because of some rumors that he had been involved with the daughter of someone very important in his hometown — rumors that were false.

He proved this by using his power to discover who she had actually been involved with.

And it was… terrible. He found out many important things about her — about the people she had been romantically involved with all over the city. A long list of people. It ruined her reputation and earned him an awful one in return, as well as hired assassins sent to get rid of him for exposing that list to the world. In the end, he had to leave the city with the last remnants of his hometown — including his own earth dragon, Frufoo, his loyal companion — to move forward on the journeys ahead.

To say it was difficult would be an understatement when it came to his life as a merchant. Otto had faced great hardships as a traveling trader.

Bad business deals. Majuun attacks. And the terrible luck he’d had since childhood.

Did he dislike this life? Not necessarily — he wouldn’t say he liked it, but he didn’t completely hate the life he had lived up until then. If he could change one thing in his life — just one — it would be his unbalanced luck.

He was deeply thankful to Frufoo for being his faithful companion through his entire journey, ever since leaving his hometown and family behind.

She comforted his heart through the many hardships he had endured.

Such hardships also stemmed from his nature as an honest merchant. Even in a business full of people with questionable morals, ready to take advantage of others, he kept to his principles and helped others as much as possible, regardless of whether they would take advantage of him — because he would not do unto others the wrongs he didn’t want done to himself. Otto could be called one of the fairest and possibly kindest merchants in the Kingdom of Lugunica, for prioritizing moral integrity above any possible profit. Even when he was tricked, he never abandoned that ideal.

Which led to his troubles when he was deceived.

And how did he deal with such troubles? Alcohol. He drank heavily to distract himself and cope with his problems.

It wouldn’t be considered a good method by some, but it was the one he chose.

So, it wasn’t unusual for him to drink in order to help him deal with all the challenges of his life as a merchant. This sometimes led to situations where he would travel with Frufoo while slightly drunk. But such occasions were rare.

And when they did happen, he almost always woke up inside his own carriage.

So why…?

[Otto: I… don’t recognize this ceiling.]

He stared at a ceiling from a strange angle he wasn’t used to.

It wasn’t the ceiling of his carriage or even of a common inn room he might stay at on the road. Nor was it the comfort of the place where he currently lay. Even amid the darkness — which he imagined was early morning — he could make out the things around him.

Otto Suwen placed a hand on his head, feeling a sharp pain there, a throbbing ache that finally made him blink several times to fully focus on the situation he was in. He groaned, gritted his teeth slightly, and slowly sat up as his head continued to pound, his thoughts clouded by the massive headache he was feeling.

He looked around at the unfamiliar place. A room.

There were various strange things scattered throughout. Furniture cluttered with odd objects. He saw a shelf filled with what looked like books — the writing was in letters he didn’t understand, though it reminded him of something — and… small figurines? They seemed to be figurines that faintly resembled girls, specifically with silver hair, their appearance somewhat reminiscent of elves.

What kind of strange place was this? Could it be someone’s home?

Why was he in a place like this?

Such questions lingered in his mind. No — they exploded in it.

More and more questions about his situation sprang forth, making him slowly get up, leaning on the nearest surface for support.

A small table held another strange object — a dark, square device — along with a chair… with wheels? Wheels on a chair? What a strange thing to have on a chair. Why would someone put wheels on a chair? Could it be to move around the room without needing to use one’s legs so much?

That idea… actually wasn’t so bad, was it? It could be convenient for moving around the room, or for pushing the chair back to stand up, couldn’t it?

[Otto: Set your merchant brain aside for now… No, don’t set it aside! Remember the ideas you can check later. —— Focus on the current situation. Focus, FOCUS! Where the hell am I?!]

Questioning himself with a mental outburst, he calmly made his way to the bedroom door, opening it slowly and stepping out into a strange hallway. It reminded him, to some degree, of a noble’s house. He stepped out, examining the place, walking slowly, making sure not to make any noise as he moved.

He moved stealthily to avoid any potential trouble.

What if he had been kidnapped? What if he had accidentally wandered into a stranger’s home?! Every possibility was terrible from his point of view, as he could be dealing with dangerous people. As he walked down the corridor, his eyes caught sight of what seemed to be an extremely realistic painting of a family, with a smiling child holding something seemingly shiny.

Forgetting about that for now, he went on, continuing until he reached the landing that led to a staircase. He descended calmly and quietly to the lower floor. Sunlight illuminated the outside of the house — along with other things he assumed were lights from magic stones or something of the sort. And with each passing moment, that place seemed extremely strange and unrealistic to the gray-haired merchant! Other extremely realistic artworks, as well as other strange things — devices, metias (?), and more — only fueled his curiosity. But that didn’t matter much to him for now.

Otto had a mission. Focus, concentrate! Stay hidden long enough to find the people in this place before—

[???: Ah, look at that, he’s awake.]

[???: Hey there!]

[???: Looks like he’s feeling well enough to sneak around the house. I think he’s a bit suspicious of everything, isn’t he?]

[???: Give him some time. He just woke up! I bet he’s suspicious about what’s going on. If I suddenly woke up in a strange place without anyone telling me anything, I’d probably be pretty worried too.]

[???: Maybe he’s finding us strange?]

Otto saw three distinct figures — a family: a woman, a man, and a teenager, all seated at the table, looking at the merchant standing in the living room.

He kept standing there.

A few moments passed without him moving, staring back at them as if nothing was wrong — when in reality, he was freaking out inside. The four of them stared at each other as the situation seemed to grow stranger by the second. Then, the two male figures stood up.

Until they took on a stance that seemed odd to the merchant.

[Kenichi/Subaru: MY NAME IS KENICHI/SUBARU NATSUKI!!!]

[Naoko: And I’m Naoko Natsuki, nice to meet you.]

The two introduced themselves with cheerful, friendly expressions as they said their names to Otto Suwen, while the woman waved at him.

Kenichi took a more amicable stance in front of the man.

[Kenichi: What’s your name? Please, don’t be shy. We just want to know who my son brought home last night — someone he claims came from another world.]

[Otto: —— Hmm. I… My name is Otto Suwen, nice to meet you.]

Still not understanding, nervous, he introduced himself to the family of three, who smiled even more when they heard his name.

The Natsukis seemed excited about his presence in the room.

[Naoko: So, how are you feeling? I tried to treat your head injury as best I could. I’m not a doctor or a nurse, nor do I have much training, but I’ve had my fair share of helping my husband and son with that sort of thing. I really hope you’re feeling well.]

[Otto: Ah, well… I… I guess I feel… comfortable… And I think I’m only feeling a slight twinge in my head…]

[Naoko: Ah, I thought about that. So if you want, we have some painkillers in case it keeps hurting.]

[Otto: Pa… What?]

The merchant was confused by the word: What was a painkiller?

[Otto: Hm. If I may ask… Where am I? I… I’m confused.]

[Kenichi: You’re in our house, obviously. The Natsuki residence.]

[Otto: But… where, exactly… am I?]

Still confused, he kept glancing between the three family members, who seemed to be showing expressions unlike anything from his world.

Subaru approached the gray-haired merchant.

When he finally reached him, he placed a hand on his shoulder, wearing a slightly strange expression — somewhere between excitement, compassion, and doubt.

[Subaru: Otto… What do you know about… isekai?]

That question marked the beginning of the strangest experience Otto had ever faced.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-Otto had been drinking a little when he traveled down an unstable road. There, a landslide of massive boulders almost crushed him to death — almost… but he survived. While celebrating with Frufoo, a smaller rock fell, struck his head, and killed him.

-When Satella tried to summon Subaru, she accidentally pushed Otto into Subaru’s world instead of pulling Subaru into hers — preventing her from fulfilling her wish.

-Otto appeared falling in front of Subaru through a Yin Magic vortex that reminded him of a wormhole.

-Subaru rescued Otto, believing it would be wrong for someone to be thrown into another world without anyone to help them adjust.

-The jealous side of the Witch of Envy holds a grudge against Otto for preventing her from bringing Subaru to her world, and thus she tries to attack him — but these attacks are never lethal. Instead, they cause strange accidents: him falling onto women’s chests, tripping and pulling their skirts, landing face-first in a way that exposes their underwear, etc. — making him look like a pervert to others.

-The only woman immune to these incidents is Naoko, but Otto still ends up in awkward “ecchi” accidents with Kenichi — once even falling onto his chest.

-With Otto’s help — and to help him adapt to the world — Subaru returned to school, took Otto with him, and also began teaching him at home.

-Frufoo also reincarnated in the new world, retaining her memories, in the body of a cat.

-Otto lost his Divine Protection, his ability to use magic, and his gate became inactive since there’s no mana in the world.

-Ironically, he gained Return by Death.

Chapter 186: Triple Star IF

What if…? What if two more Stars arrived in the world?

—————

 

 

In a slightly secluded room, a merchant with mauve-colored hair, accompanied by a small orange-furred cat-girl, sat in a comfortable chair, waiting.

The room appeared quite elegant, full of luxuries. Yet, these luxuries didn’t seem to hold much importance to the owner of the place, as confirmed by the way their staff treated them, which only left Anastasia slightly more intrigued by the figure she was about to meet in a few minutes.

[Mimi: Is Lady worried? Mimi can help somehow?]

[Anastasia: No, no, my little Mimi, you don’t need to worry about anything.]

Caressing Mimi’s head, Anastasia lied.

In truth, for the first time in quite a while, she was genuinely worried.

Why? Because the figure she was about to meet was completely unknown.

And when she said unknown, she meant it: she knew nothing.

No deep knowledge. Nothing, because there was no one who could provide her with information.

No one knew much at all about the existence of Lady Pleione.

Anastasia Hoshin, someone proud of her skill at gathering information, had not a single shred of meaningful data about her.

Can you believe it?

Her information network—her network that had taken years of effort to build and refine into what it was today—had absolutely no significant information about this woman. Something she usually ensured before ever meeting with an important figure.

And why? Because, apparently, it was impossible.

Among those who served under Pleione’s name, all that was known was how incredibly talented and powerful she had always been since her sudden appearance in the frozen lands of Gusteko.

And how could they not know? Her arrival had even drawn the attention of one of the most renowned figures in Gusteko—something that served as a warning to anyone who had heard of it—Odglass, the Great Spirit of Gusteko.

Such a thing was impressive—beyond impressive.

Odglass was one of the Four Great Spirits known across the world. Puck, the Great Spirit of Fire, who had taken the place of the former spirit in Lugnica; Zarestia, the Great Spirit of Wind, in Kararagi; and Muspel, the Great Spirit of Earth, in Vollachia. Such beings were among the most important in existence, figures that anyone, especially someone like Anastasia Hoshin, should have knowledge of in order to understand the balance of power across every nation.

If someone like Odglass had his attention drawn to a figure such as Lady Pleione, then everyone’s attention—at least in Anastasia’s opinion—should also be on her.

That was why she began investigating her.

So imagine her surprise when she discovered that Pleione had become one of the new rising trade leaders in Gusteko. The latter part of her reputation, of course, referring to her relationship with the Great Spirit.

When the door to the room opened, Anastasia restrained her instinct—something Mimi did not. She did not turn her head to look back.

Refusing to break her composure or her focus.

Remaining impassive, she waited. The figures passed close to Anastasia, beside her. Three figures.

A tall man with long dark hair, broad and muscular, wearing dark, seemingly worn clothes, with a sheathed sword at his waist barely concealed by his fur cloak. Kamerat. She had met him before—he was the one who had led her into this room. Contrary to what his appearance suggested, he was surprisingly gentle in personality—having even offered sweets and drinks before returning to his leader’s side.

But the other two figures were far more important—more important than the large, imposing man.

Even if most people would be distracted by physical intimidation, these two were infinitely more lethal.

Odglass, the figure so heavily mentioned, was one of them.

Smaller than the grand descriptions told by those who had witnessed him either from afar or in person, yet no less majestic. His form was that of a bear, with pristine white fur streaked with bluish-gray tips, especially around his chin. His eyes shone with a mesmerizing mix of bright light blue and deep dark blue, blending in a stunningly beautiful way. This was the spirit who had contracted with the woman at his side.

Seated at the table, in a chair far more extravagant and commanding than Anastasia’s own—not that hers was uncomfortable, but the sheer design displayed the hierarchy between a mere guest and the one who held all authority in this domain.

It was something Anastasia understood. In negotiations between figures of great power, the one with greater dominance had to make it visible, leaving no doubt as to who truly controlled the stage.

Looking at her, Anastasia—though her face revealed nothing, honed over years of training to hide intimidation in such moments—felt slightly shaken by her gaze.

A gaze oddly familiar.

A beautiful woman. Remarkably beautiful. She appeared to be in her middle age. Brown hair. Dressed in a dark, elegant outfit, resembling a gown yet not quite one. Even in the dimly lit room, the fabric shimmered faintly, its expense undeniable.

Lady Pleione.

To some, by her expression, she might have seemed sweet, slow, and easy to deal with—someone who could be easily swayed or convinced.

But her defining trait was——

[Pleione: What is it you desire, Lady Hoshin-San?]

[Anastasia: Lady Pleione. Allow me to begin by saying——]

[Pleione: “It is an honor to meet you. Your figure has become well known in Gusteko, as it has in Kararagi. Not only because of your power, of course. Your contract with Odglass-Sama is widely known, making you a feared figure. But what draws our attention most are your great inventions, created in such a short time.”]

In a monotonous tone, she interrupted the merchant.

Her voice was indifferent. Her eyes fixed on the girl in white.

Anastasia should not have been so easily intimidated.

And yet——

[Pleione: Your words are standardized, like the script of a game.]

[Anastasia: “Scr-piti”?]

[Kamerat: Such words are typical of Lady Pleione, Anastasia-Sama. Terms unfamiliar to some. Yet we can deduce their meaning, as with “Scr-piti.” —— Imagine someone performing a stage play, needing to write down the characters’ lines so that they may memorize and deliver them within the performance. Thus, “Scr-piti” refers to that. The lines of a character within a theatrical script, bound to follow a set storyline.]

[Anastasia: I-I see…]

Where had she heard such a way of speaking before?

[Pleione: I have heard the same words from merchants like you, Lady Hoshin-San. Far more times than I ever wished to until now. Minor merchants, mid-tier merchants, even some who thought they could rival you—they all speak in such extravagant patterns before asking me to market their goods. Something I understand well enough from your kind.]

[Anastasia: I see. I should have expected as much. Lady Pleione-Sama, I beg your pardon. Since you view it this way, I will go directly to the matters I came to discuss with you. —— I have heard through some of my sources that you were seeking additional commercial partners within Kararagi. Forgive me if it seems evasive to approach you this way, but, as you must surely understand, I am someone who actively seeks to maximize my profits. And my intentions here today, indeed, are to pursue a mutual agreement for the benefit of both sides.]

[Pleione: At least you can be honest about it—when I force you to. That’s something good, isn’t it?]

Still in her cold, intimidating tone, Anastasia instinctively swallowed hard.

It was something common in negotiations to have moments like these for an affirmation of power.

[Pleione: I cannot say that I am not also interested in our negotiation. That is precisely why I allowed you to come here. In any other way, you would not be here at all—you would be far away, or perhaps not even as well-off as you are now.]

Her tone became more threatening.

Mimi instinctively placed her hand on her weapon, as did Kamerat.

Odglass, however, remained calm despite the tone of her employer.

[Anastasia: May I presume that our negotiation will not proceed as expected?]

[Pleione: Not everything will go as each of us expects. For some may expect to have a family, to build a family, a husband and a child, to love them and wish to protect them from all harm… and yet still fail. To lose the most important figure in the world, without understanding why, without even realizing it, and then everything is destroyed. That which you loved most slipping through your fingers because you did… nothing.]

[Mimi: —— she looks so sad.]

Mimi let out a small murmur beside the merchant, who shared a similar thought with her small, orange-furred mercenary. Lady Pleione’s expression seemed more downcast, desperate—in a human way that made her appear like an ordinary person rather than the leader of a large criminal group, the owner of one of the fastest-growing commercial enterprises, and the employer of one of the greatest spirits of all nations—one whom her Knight, Julius, would show absolute respect to.

Speaking of whom——

Odglass calmly approached Pleione, allowing her to place a hand upon her head, stroking her, seemingly regaining her composure.

[Pleione: Forgive me. I let my feelings take over needlessly in our affairs.]

Recovering, her figure once again returned to that of an imposing presence before the more experienced merchant.

The two stared at each other.

[Pleione: I will need time to think if I truly wish to add you to my circle of commercial negotiation. The allies I have formed so far came with time for discussion and greater intimacy. However, do not think I will be complacent. My interest in you is high. Therefore, before you leave, I will make some of my products available free of charge, so that you may have a more reasonable impression of them and decide for yourself whether you are truly interested in doing business with me.]

Speaking with cold professionalism, she gestured to her man, signaling in her own personal terms the end of the brief meeting of personal recognition between the two.

Anastasia could only sigh in mild resignation when she heard such words. She knew well that, somehow, before Lady Pleione and the figures present, this was still one of the greatest profits she would have.

[Anastasia: It’s not much, but it’s not nothing.]

[Pleione: Having a single bill in your purse is better than leaving it empty.]

[Anastasia: I don’t know if I understood correctly, but I think both our words must mean the same thing, so I am relieved to know we might be thinking alike. What remains for me now is to accept the gains I obtained from our conversation and be grateful for what was so generously given by you, Lady Pleione-San. I thank you for this, and the opportunity for us to do business remains open.]

[Pleione: —— If you have nothing else to discuss, feel free to leave.]

Pleione gestured to signify that she was dismissed and free to go.

Anastasia took this opportunity to rise when she received the signal, Mimi instinctively drawing closer to her in the process. The two were ready to leave in the next moment after hearing those words, turning to walk toward the entrance through which they had come.

But before leaving, a small premonition—the same one the merchant had from the beginning—seemed to persist even stronger in her mind.

This made her take a risk, as she had always done in other negotiations. And so, in that moment, she quickly turned to meet the woman’s eyes. Frighteningly familiar eyes, of a figure she had seen before and whom she had been investigating for some time.

[Anastasia: Lady Pleione-San, please, I know I will sound invasive in asking this question. But based on what you told me… did you have a child?]

[Kamerat: Anastasia-Sama…]

[Pleione: It’s alright, Kamerat-San. Yes, Anastasia-San, I had a husband and a child, in a past not as distant as you might think. But… I lost them.]

[Anastasia: And I will be invasive in one more question… did your child inherit your eyes?]

[Pleione: ———— Yes.]

That was enough to give her a new piece of her puzzle.

With that, Anastasia—who before had little, at least from the perspective of a negotiation—now had enough to feel truly satisfied, from the standpoint of a good merchant who deals in information. And information is the most necessary thing to survive in this world, especially when one lacks the power or talent to become strong like figures such as Julius or even the Sword Saint himself.

As she watched her leave, Pleione sighed, seemingly tired, massaging her temples. Kamerat placed a hand on her shoulder, and Odglass drew even closer.

[Odglass: It must be harder and harder to play such a role, isn’t it?]

[Pleione: It is not a role I am playing, Od-San.]

[Kamerat: When we begin something, we may become that which we only claimed to be. But sometimes, we already are—and we only needed to expose it to the world at some point.]

[Pleione: —— Wise words, Kamerat-San.]

Directing a knowing smile at him, the woman was grateful.

From her desk, opening one of the drawers, she pulled something both of them recognized, for they had been shown it many times before. Something they now knew the name of: a photograph—the photograph of what was once that woman’s family.

A tall, handsome man with dark hair stood beside her, and between them was a child. Their son. A smiling boy with frightening eyes like his mother’s and dark hair like his father’s.

Looking at that photograph, Pleione’s heart was filled with pain.

It was the picture of her family before she ended up in this new world—the picture of the family she still loved with all her strength even now. Natsuki Naoko, the woman who had arrived in this world in Gusteko, missed her beloved husband and child. And now? When she was thrown into this world, she had changed her name to face her new life.

Pleione—the name of the mother of the Pleiades, the name which, translated into their native tongue, was Subaru, the name of her beloved son.

The son who had vanished one night when he had gone out.

Could she have stopped him? If, before that, she had spoken to him? If before everything, she and her husband had sat down to talk with Subaru about the problems that had weighed on him all that time before he disappeared?

Would everything have been resolved?

Perhaps, perhaps her family would not have been destroyed. She might have had more time with her son. But they did not do that—they did nothing. Because they wanted to believe he would open up at the right time, that he would speak to them when he felt comfortable, that they should not force the choice of when to have a serious conversation about the troubles afflicting his mind, heart, and soul. But they never did it. They left the problem for later, always believing they could resolve it someday—when they could have made more effort.

This is her greatest regret.

If there was a hell, she imagined it was this world she had been thrown into.

No longer with her husband, no longer with her son.

When she arrived in this world, in this snow-covered country, she had to face the worst this world had to offer. But she managed to rise above it. For despite appearances, Naoko is not a dumb or stupid person, but someone who, when motivated, could change the world. And so she did. She formed the “Pleione Company” for her business, created her own group of mercenaries with the strongest and most dangerous people in Gusteko, and her apparent high magical affinity caught the attention of the country's greatest spirit, Odglass, who became her guardian and contracted spirit.

What Naoko did was not to sink into this world as she did in the other when her son disappeared. She would not allow herself to do such a thing.

And unbeknownst to her, someone had a slight suspicion that she might find those she most wanted to find in the near future... and did not know what would be triggered by such a decision.

 

 

—————

It was an IF that was suggested by the same guy who suggested the Children Friend IF.

In this IF:

-Kenichi and Naoko were summoned to the other world by Satella, but Envy ended up throwing them into different parts of the world at the same time.

-This happened in the year between Arcs 4 and 5, more specifically, almost a week after the end of Arc 4 and Subaru becoming a Knight.

-Kenichi arrived in Vollachia and Naoko arrived in Gusteko.

-Naoko has an affinity for Water Magic and a high spiritual affinity, second only to Subaru's.

-When Odglass met Naoko, she sensed the woman's sadness over the loss of her husband and son, as well as her affinity, both of which formed a contract and made Naoko one of the most important figures within Gusteko.

-Naoko created a trading company that allowed her to become wealthy. With money and power equal to Subaru's on the Path of Wrath, she would have enough resources to even buy or absorb the Hoshin company.

-She, Kenichi, and Subaru will meet in Priestella.

-Naoko and Kenichi can return from Subaru's death if they are within 25 meters of Subaru, but they feel nothing even if they die, only remembering things like Subaru.

Chapter 187: [Extra - Triple Star IF]

[???: I can’t believe we’re going to have to go through something like this.]

[???: Hoy! Don’t even get me started! Tsk. What was the General thinking, huh?! So annoying.]

Two figures walking together complained. They were approaching a more secluded open area of the camp.

Jamal Aurélie and Todd Fang walked side by side—both literally and figuratively—since the day they had met. Much of that was because they were soldiers of Vollachia, a military considered the most powerful in the world! At least, that’s what all Vollachia soldiers believed.

They had served together for quite some time, and Todd Fang was the fiancé of Jamal’s sister. Something Jamal particularly disliked. Not only because it was a responsibility older brothers were supposed to take on for their younger siblings, but also because he didn’t really trust him.

Todd Fang had always been a figure who irritated Jamal with his behavior.

Now, the two walked together, approaching the open area side by side. They had been woken earlier than they would have liked and were now nearing the other soldiers.

When they arrived, they looked down, seeing a sort of makeshift “arena.”

It looked more like a colossal pit dug into the earth, circular and deep, about 20 meters in diameter—wide enough for whole groups to fight in—and 5 meters deep, making anyone at the bottom appear small, trapped in the womb of the earth. The walls, made of packed dirt and twisted roots, sloped irregularly, almost vertical in some sections, making escape by climbing difficult. The excavated soil had been piled along the edges, forming a raised ring with a single open area where spectators could lean over to watch what happened below.

Near the entrance stood a figure—a strong man alongside a beast.

In front of them was a man dressed as someone of considerable importance: a Second-Class Divine General, Atlas. Someone strong both in appearance and aura, with a visible scar on his face—from a blow received from the creature at his side.

Next to him was a Guiltylowe, a Mabeast, a Witch-Creature, a powerful being; a lion’s head, a horse-like torso, a serpent-like tail, and a large body capable of blocking a wide passage. A formidable beast. Its two horns had been torn off, visibly so to all who looked, removed by the man, Atlas. A fierce, powerful creature, typically found in the Vollachia Gladiator Arena, not in a place like this.

[Jamal: It always gives me chills to see something like this up close.]

[Todd: And this crazy guy still wants us to face things like that?]

With the slightly irritated comments from both, they prepared for what was coming.

The man stepped forward, energetically, ahead of the soldiers.

[Atlas: I see everyone woke up exactly when I ordered. Very well! I hope you’ve done your daily exercises, because this time you’ll face one of the most hellish tests a soldier could undergo. And I hope all—or at least most—of you come out alive!]

Shouting, despite his usual enthusiasm, a slight harshness and seriousness could be noticed—a hardened leader. Someone who wouldn’t be kind if hostility were shown toward him, a respectable figure by Vollachia’s standards, especially due to his own abilities. This, among other factors, had earned him the rank of Second-Class General and placed him in consideration for First-Class with a little more time.

[Atlas: “The People of the Empire are strong.” These words define—and should still define—the Vollachia army. Nothing less than strong is expected, even among the dregs of the Empire’s military forces. To show superiority over all other nations. And how do we do that? Hmm? —— Jamal, how would you demonstrate your strength?]

[Jamal: That’s easy. I’d break the face of anyone who doubted it!]

[Atlas: A simplistic way, but practical. And it’s still true.]

The General commented, giving a positive nod to Jamal’s words.

The soldier now wore a fierce, slightly arrogant smile, mildly irritating Todd beside him.

[Atlas: Now... Todd. As your friend and your fiancée’s brother said, if you had to demonstrate your strength in this way, how would you do it against someone stronger than you?]

[Todd: I... couldn’t do it that way against someone stronger.]

[Atlas: Exactly! Even being strong, there’s still a limit, a ceiling, to what we can do in a simplistic way, like punching someone in the face. So if it weren’t that way, how would you take down an opponent based on your own plans to complete the mission?]

[Todd: I’d probably try to find some sort of weakness to exploit.]

Answering this seemed to satisfy the General, who turned his back to them and approached the edge of the pit to observe what was inside, making Todd exhale in slight relief.

Not liking to be the center of attention, Todd gave a rational yet misleading answer.

If Todd Fang were in a conflict needing him to face someone more powerful—even slightly—or someone who posed a threat to his life, he would find the best way to retreat from the battle. Unless he had a 100% guarantee of victory, he wouldn’t risk his life needlessly. He would use any dirty trick for survival and wouldn’t regret it.

Exploiting a weakness? Yes, he would. But he preferred evasive attacks. For example, using poison or something similar, incapacitating his most dangerous opponents—or even weaker ones—eliminating them without even a 1% chance of being injured or killed in battle. It was part of his nature.

[Atlas: The Mabeasts, creatures said to have been created by the Witch of Envy, as many have heard. Powerful beings, usually prominent in the neighboring realm of Lugunica, with many variations within. —— Also prominent in the Buddheim Jungle. But this place houses a single type, the serpents, snakes known as Elgina, powerful enough to threaten even the strongest inhabitants. As I hope you all know. Can you confirm that for me?]

Nodding, all the soldiers, including them, confirmed.

The lessons given by General Atlas since they became his soldiers had been quite interesting. Forms of training to strengthen themselves further, morning exercises, and other lessons related to what he was about to teach—things they still didn’t know. And it seemed they needed a review.

The Mabeasts mentioned are truly dangerous, even for the people of Shudrak, the local inhabitants, who are strong—or even stronger—than many soldiers in the Vollachia army.

[Atlas: Even being strong, there is still a limit to what we can do alone, without support. Especially against opponents who will show no mercy. That’s why sometimes we need strategic—or even numerical—support. This is why I think it’s necessary for you to understand the difference between real strength and false strength.]

[Soldier 1#: False strength…?]

[Atlas: If you assume that strength is only about physically defeating someone, then you will be weak when you encounter someone you cannot overpower. That creates false strength. Real strength, at least from my point of view, is the ability to overcome the trials in front of you—whether alone, together with others, or with support, directly or indirectly. —— Of course, there are cases of winning a fight but still being truly weak. It all depends on the circumstances, your mindset, and how others perceive you.]

Explaining like a teacher or leader would, he made his way of thinking clear.

[Atlas: Now that I’ve said this. —— Do you know one of the weaknesses of many of these beasts?]

[Soldiers: ——]

[Atlas: Their horns. —— It’s visible in the Gladiator Arena, like the Guiltylowe I’ve seen there. And even on my friend here. The horns. —— Once you cut a horn or horns off, they become obedient to you, recognizing your strength, making you the “boss” of that creature. But only of the one whose horn you broke, not of other creatures that might be following it. —— Jamal, today is your day. Do you think you’re truly ready to do something like this?]

[Jamal: Even if it seems stupid, I won’t back down.]

Speaking with a slightly angry and frustrated tone, Jamal moved to the edge of the pit-arena and then descended, crawling through the dirt until he reached the bottom.

At the bottom, he looked up and noticed how much smaller the others seemed from his point of view, imagining it was probably the same for them seeing him from where they were standing.

The soldier drew his weapons from his back and prepared himself as he eyed a structure in the area: a cage—or rather, the gate of a cage. A dark cell from which something could be faintly heard and seen moving inside. Something that made Jamal’s expression turn wild, a mix of excitement and eagerness—something Todd Fang would normally hate seeing in him, because it showed his desire to fight regardless of the difficulty.

This was the ultimate test for those who wished to serve in Atlas’ elite force.

Even as a new Second-Class General, his fame had grown significantly, especially due to his way of shaping his soldiers, crafting particularly unconventional weaponry, and doing things like this.

He would throw those wanting to join his group into this pit-arena. Behind that cage was something.

When the cell was opened, a giant figure emerged: a huge serpent, about nine to ten meters long, red-scaled, with a large, thick torso like a log and a long, powerful tail—many knew the force it could unleash with a single strike. Its mouth held a pair of venomous fangs, and a prominent horn protruded from its head—a common horn for this type of Mabeast.

The test?

In the past, as they had learned, Atlas had participated in the Gladiator Arena at some point. There, he had removed the horns from his Guiltylowe, which remained with him to this day with his support. He had domesticated it, showing his strength and making it a subservient beast.

To strengthen his own elite group, the soldiers in formation could undergo a similar test: face and attempt to tame a beast by breaking its horn, demonstrating their power.

And at that moment, this was exactly what Jamal was about to do against such a monster.

The creature’s first attack came with a tail strike, fast and destructive like a falling giant log. Jamal leapt with agile precision, spinning in the air. Blades crossed, and one scraped a portion of its scales as he passed—a shallow strike, but enough to prove he could pierce the monster’s armor.

Elgina hissed, revealing long fangs dripping green venom. With a sudden lunge, it lunged forward, mouth wide open. Jamal twisted his ankles in the grass, sliding sideways, letting only the wind of the strike pass. The tail followed, but he crossed his swords, blocking the impact with a metallic clang that vibrated through his bones. The ground sank beneath his feet, but he resisted, pushing the colossal weight away with a silent grunt of effort. The serpent arched its body, preparing for another strike.

Jamal didn’t wait: he advanced, taking short, swift steps like a dancer. One sword sank between the scales of its torso, the other slid along its spine, sparks of scarlet blood flying. Elgina roared, rising vertically, a gigantic shadow that swallowed the warrior.

The tail descended like an axe. Jamal rolled forward, escaping by a fraction of a second, the right blade slicing the air and shaving a chip off the horn. The snap echoed like thunder through the forest.

Elgina recoiled, furious, launching frenzied attacks to crush and bite—the rage of a cornered predator.

Jamal moved back and forth relentlessly, each sword strike deflecting fangs and warding off the tail, each leap keeping him alive by a thread. Still, his aim remained fixed on the horn—every attack, every spin, every blade strike, aimed to break it.

Elgina collapsed onto the ground, the serpent trying to crush him with its entire weight. Jamal ran along its side, using the scales as steps, climbing to the top of its head. The tail whipped toward him, but he jumped at the precise moment, spinning in the air with both swords raised.

The blades came down together, striking the horn.

The impact rang like iron against stone, cracking the tip of the black bone.

The roar of the witch-beast made the surrounding branches tremble. Jamal landed on his feet, panting, yet still ready for the next strike, swords crossed in front of him.

Elgina was still alive, still dangerous, but the horn bore its first crack.

The colossal body of Elgina thrashed in fury, the serpent’s weight breaking trees around them. Scarlet blood ran from the wounds inflicted by Jamal’s swords, yet the beast resisted, each move carrying enough force to crush bones.

Jamal breathed rapidly, muscles tense, eyes fixed on the cracked horn. He knew he had only one chance.

The serpent swung its tail in a brutal arc. The warrior crouched, and the blow passed inches from his head, cracking the ground like glass. Elgina lunged next, gleaming fangs dripping venom, mouth wide open to swallow the swordsman whole. Jamal charged into danger. At the last moment, he sidestepped, sliding under the creature’s chin. His swords rose in a crossed strike, hitting the base of the horn. The metallic sound echoed through the forest, and a deep crack opened.

The great Mabeast roared in murderous fury, its entire body arching in agony. It rose, attempting to crush him with its massive weight. Jamal did not back down. He climbed the scales like a hunter scaling a cliff, dodging tail strikes and body thrashes until he reached the top of its head. With a powerful spin, he raised both blades above his head. All his strength, all his precision, concentrated in a single movement.

The swords descended in unison.

The horn split into two halves, flying apart in black shards.

When he landed, the creature collapsed behind him.

Elgina let out a guttural sound of barely-contained rage, but its form was diminished, submissive, as it stepped back slightly from Jamal, who rested the twin blades on each of his shoulders.

The soldier then heard faint sounds of applause.

Looking up, even though slightly tired, he could not hide his classic arrogant smile upon seeing his comrades congratulating him for what he had just accomplished. And he couldn’t have been prouder! What fueled his pride and arrogance even further was the apparently satisfied and proud gaze of Atlas, visible even from that distance.

Todd Fang, for his part, wore a slightly concerned and displeased look, knowing exactly how such an event would go to his colleague’s head.

At the same time, he cast a doubtful glance at the General, who was not far away—a strange figure. Though he ordered his soldiers to risk their lives, he would try to intervene to assist, as made clear by the way he held his weapon—a short but sharp sword—and kept his Guiltylowe ready to leap into the pit. Someone who let others take risks, but still provided a sense of security, giving them the illusion of free will to sacrifice their life or not.

Someone Todd Fang could never quite like, even if he tried to pretend they had a good relationship.

This figure, Atlas, had appeared suddenly in the Vollachia Empire, rising from a simple soldier to a Second-Class General, soon to become First-Class after overcoming multiple challenges, forming the “Atlas United Front.”

Without Todd knowing, this man had come from another world.

Without Todd knowing, the General known to all as Atlas was Kenichi Natsuki.

A man seeking to survive the chaos of Vollachia to find a way back to his wife. He had already lost his son and didn’t want to lose her too. Searching for any and all information about her, the most promising lead he had found was in Gusteko, regarding a Lady Pleione—Atlas’ wife—and he hoped that, as his name gained fame, it would alert her if she were also searching for him.

His latest information indicated she would be conducting business in Priestella, a city between Kararagi and Lugunica, in two and a half months, with the well-known merchant Anastasia Hoshin. He needed to quickly find a way to climb the hierarchy so that the Emperor, who had been watching him since the Arena, would give him permission to act on his personal mission to find her.

Kenichi felt he needed to reach her that very day. Something inside him urged him to go to that city and find his wife.

 

 

—————

I got so excited about this IF scenario that I decided to post its extra content. What do you think?

In this IF:

-Kenichi ended up in Glarasia, a city near Ginunhive. There, he began establishing himself and doing business to survive.

-He became involved in an incident that led him to the Gladiator Arena in Ginunhive.

-With the support of his comrades and his own strength, Kenichi, the last survivor of his Sparka, killed the Witch-Beast he faced that time.

-During his time in the arena, he began to gain fame. Thanks to his strategies and strength, he started participating in and winning every Sparka event, earning the respect of those around him, forming his United Front (similar to the Pleiades Brotherhood that Subaru could have formed).

-This caught the attention of Chisha Gold after he had assumed the identity of Vincent and recruited him.

-Kenichi refused special treatment, starting as a soldier and demonstrating his skills until he eventually became a Second-Class General. Within half a month, he would reach First-Class.

-His relationships with nearly all Divine Generals are positive, except with Olbart. He mainly interacts with Cecilus, Arakiya (who bonded with him after witnessing his grief over the apparent loss of his wife and child, becoming very loyal), Yorna, and, to a lesser extent, Madelyn.

-His closest friends in the Vollachia army are Zikr Osman and Kafma Irulux.

-His leadership skills, especially after forming an alliance with the people of Shundrak by enduring their test with difficulty, allowed him to gain the same level of influence as a Divine General, even though he isn’t one. He now commands his own elite group.

-Kenichi has an affinity for Earth Magic and strong spiritual awareness, though far less than Subaru and Naoko. With Arakiya’s help, he contracted with a minor earth spirit, which, after nearly nine months of training, has reached near semi-spirit level.

-Kenichi taught Radio-Calisthenics to his private group of soldiers and encourages them to attempt to tame Mabeasts to strengthen themselves, whether as mounts or battle beasts.

-The Guiltylowe he tamed came from a battle in which he nearly died. Without his combat skills and the support of his soldiers, he wouldn’t have been able to break its horns and domesticate it as a mount.

-Despite his strength, Kenichi nearly died multiple times during fights, accumulating dozens of scars across his body, losing the pinky on his right hand, and gaining a major scar running from his palm to his elbow.

I wanted to differentiate the Natsuki family’s mounts: Subaru (Patrasche, an Earth Dragon), Naoko (Odglass, capable of resizing to serve as a mount), and Kenichi (his Guiltylowe, named Nemeu, after the Nemean Lion—a Mabeast, a Witch-Beast). What do you think?

Chapter 188: [Extra 2 - Triple Star IF]

Subaru, with an expression caught between irritation and frustration, was accompanied by his contracted spirit, Beatrice, who held his hand as they walked side by side. The dark-haired boy threw a few angry—though somewhat forced—glances at the person beside him. A figure with purple hair, dressed in a white uniform, looked at Subaru and Beatrice with shining eyes and a calm expression.

The half-elf’s knight snorted.

[Subaru: What, huh?!]

[Julius: Hm? No. Nothing. I’m simply satisfied that you agreed to accompany us.]

[Subaru: I only came because Emilia-tan allowed me to be selfish in pursuit of one of my own desires. And I won’t waste her kindness. —— So stop staring at me and my Beako like that with those disgusting eyes of yours, damn it!]

[Beatrice: Hmph. Even if you have that way of trying to look charming that slightly stirs Betty’s heart, don’t think you’d catch more attention than B-B-B-Betty’s partner, I suppose.]

[Subaru: Oy! No need to bring up the heart part, but I appreciate it, Betty.]

Subaru gave thanks with a hint of frustration, still connected to the Knight of Knights.

And why would this pair be at the side of the knight Subaru so clearly seemed to despise? The answer lay in the figure who walked calmly ahead of them, listening to the exchanges between the two knights and the spirit trailing behind.

Anastasia Hoshin continued walking with satisfaction.

When Subaru and Emilia’s Camp had arrived in Priestella, Anastasia’s first move to draw them in was by offering Emilia the chance to obtain a Crystal for her Great Fire Spirit, the Beast of the End, Puck. How did she know this? It wasn’t surprising, given her ability to acquire all sorts of information through her personal network built over the years.

Knowing people’s desires—or even what they sought, whether deep wishes or fleeting needs—was the key to a successful merchant. And Anastasia? She was the head of the Hoshin Company, wasn’t she? So to say she was a professional at obtaining what people wanted, needed, or craved came naturally for this ambitious woman, who used her skills to meet others’ demands. Everything was based on what she had learned through her life in Kararagi, ever since she was a child struggling to survive.

What mattered at this moment?

Because that was exactly how she had begun drawing other Camps to Priestella.

Like Crusch’s, with information about the Archbishop of Gluttony to recover the memories of the green-haired Valkyrie. Some might call her insensitive or manipulative, but whether people liked it or not, many acted for personal motives. Even saving a life could be driven by selfish reasons rather than altruistic ones, couldn’t it? Like saving someone you love not because of their greatness in the world, but because you couldn’t bear to lose them.

That was precisely the logic she used to keep moving forward in her negotiations.

As now, when she had offered Subaru similar information regarding the Witch Cult, connected to the Archbishop of Gluttony, if he accompanied her. Subaru would’ve done so without issue if not for his desire to stay by Emilia’s side during her negotiations for the Crystal. But Emilia, after some time discussing the matter, allowed him to go with Anastasia—with Beatrice at his side to protect him, and Julius accompanying his lady.

It was at this moment that Anastasia slowed her pace to walk alongside Julius, Subaru, and Beatrice, just a few steps ahead.

[Anastasia: Natsuki-kun. I’d like to ask you an evasive question.]

[Subaru: Hm? I don’t know. But I hope you’re not trying to steal my heart! It belongs only to Emilia-tan, Rem-rin, and my adorable Beako! Don’t even try it.]

[Anastasia: A shame. Even copper coins are worth keeping for a merchant.]

[Subaru: How dare you value my heart so little, huh?!]

[Beatrice: The merchant truly does have rather sharp words, I suppose.]

[Julius: Lady Anastasia truly shouldn’t indulge in such childish banter at a time like this.]

At the exchange of words, Subaru sighed in weariness.

The dark-haired knight stared at the merchant straight in the eyes, unashamed.

[Subaru: What do you want to know about me?]

[Anastasia: I’d like to know… Does the name Lady Pleione mean anything familiar to you?]

[Subaru: Hm? Pleione? Of course I’ve heard that name before. It’s part of a story even connected to my own name.]

[Beatrice: To Subaru’s name, I suppose?]

[Subaru: Yeah, yeah. I must’ve told you, Emilia-tan, Rem-rin, and the others over a year ago about part of the origin of my name. And Pleione is the name of a figure in that story.]

[Anastasia: Could you tell me?]

Anastasia’s eyes gleamed with even more interest as she leaned a little closer to him, leaving him unsure—yet curious—just like the other two accompanying them.

[Subaru: Pleione was the wife of Atlas, mother of the Pleiades.]

[Julius: Mother of the “Pleiades”? Do you mean the Great Sage Shaula’s Tower?]

[Subaru: I don’t know who that great sage is, but what tower are you talking about?]

[Anastasia: He refers to the Great Tower in the Augria Sand Dunes. A desert. Hidden there lies what’s known as the Pleiades Tower, where it’s said the Great Sage of the past, who sealed the Witch of Envy and the Divine Dragon, resides. But… I’ve never heard the name Pleione connected to that story.]

Anastasia explained calmly as Subaru grew increasingly curious.

He placed a hand on his chin as they continued walking.

[Subaru: Well… Like I said, Pleione is the mother of the Pleiades, as the wife of Atlas who, as you might guess, is their father.]

[Beatrice: Who would this Atlas be, I suppose?]

[Subaru: Explaining fully would take longer, so I’ll have to briefly summarize the legends of my world. —— It was said in the past that there were Titans, who were later overthrown by the Gods after a rebellion led by Zeus. Atlas was one of the Titans, known for his immense strength and for his role in a battle called the Titanomachy, where he fought alongside the other Titans to challenge Zeus and the other Olympian Gods, but they were defeated. As punishment, he was condemned to bear the heavens on his shoulders so they would never separate from the Earth.]

[Anastasia: ——]

[Subaru: Pleione, on the other hand, was the daughter of two water deities, Oceanus and Tethys, tied to nature and fertility. She joined with Atlas and together they had seven daughters, the Pleiades: Maia, the eldest, who became the mother of Hermes, messenger of the Gods; Electra, mother of Dardanus and Iasion, both involved in the founding of a place called Troy; Taygete, protector of the hunt; Alcyone, tied to the calm of the waters; Celaeno, connected to storms; Sterope, sometimes linked to the passage of time. And the last, the youngest, Merope, who has a somewhat deeper story.]

[Anastasia: What kind…?]

[Subaru: Merope married a mortal, Sisyphus, and because of that she was considered the “least bright” among her sisters. —— But all of them are tied to a rather famous story when it comes to their myth. Orion, the Giant Hunter, was enchanted by the Pleiades and began to pursue them. To protect them, Zeus placed the seven sisters among the stars, transforming them into the constellation known as the Pleiades.]

Telling this story proudly, Subaru had a small smile on his face as he spoke of the tale.

He noticed the shining eyes of Anastasia and Beatrice as they listened to the tale of Subaru’s hometown. And he also noticed something else.

A curious, yet confused, look from Julius.

[Subaru: What is it now?]

[Julius: N-Nothing, I was just really surprised. When you started telling that legend from your homeland, you seemed like a cultured person—something I wouldn’t normally expect from you.]

[Subaru: I bet it’s because of things like that you don’t have many friends outside of your work circle, you jerk!]

Grinding his teeth at Julius’s remark, Subaru couldn’t really argue—because he truly wasn’t that cultured, and he didn’t have many friends outside the Royal Selection and his Camp.

[Subaru: Besides, I couldn’t really call myself “Subaru” if I didn’t know this story.]

[Beatrice: Hm?]

[Subaru: My name, “Subaru,” is a translation in my homeland for “Pleiades.” In this case, my name is a tribute to that cluster of stars!]

[Anastasia: Oh…! —— I see, it was quite interesting to hear such a story from your homeland, Natsuki-kun. Truly very interesting.]

That made Anastasia even more and more intrigued.

So much so that she had to compose herself again, returning to her usual neutral expression that had slipped for a moment.

[Subaru: Now, if you’ll allow me to ask, Anastasia-san, where did you hear the name Pleione? I don’t think it’s a common name around here, is it? I’m really curious and would love to know.]

[Anastasia: Hmm~? Should I tell~? Well, I do need to explain it partly. But I’d like to ask again… Doesn’t the name Pleione remind you of anything else besides that interesting story? Please, it’s a little unfair, but I’d really like to know more about that. Because I’d like to know if you might have any relative with that name.]

[Subaru: The name of a relative of mine? No, no. I don’t have any relative with that name—and besides, I don’t have any relatives in Lugunica.]

[Anastasia: Well, how curious. Really curious. —— My question is related to why I asked you to accompany me, Natsuki-kun. Because we’re about to meet someone who I think you might recognize, and who might be related to you.]

[Subaru: Seriously? It’s not like I really know anyone with that name… or at least not that I can remember.]

The situation was becoming even more intriguing for the lilac-haired merchant, who grew more thoughtful—wondering if it might be tied to memory loss—while also keeping an eye on the curious expressions of the other two.

As they continued walking, they found themselves in front of the location of the merchant’s personal meeting.

The city’s Municipal Park, filled with flowerbeds, a beautiful, incredibly beautiful place at that moment. They could hear music in the distance, gathering several people not far from where they were heading—the singer Liliana, who caught the attention of the other three. Anastasia, though curious as well, stayed focused on her personal search.

Searching for someone familiar to her.

Subaru and Beatrice, with Julius a little further behind, approached the crowd, blending in with them.

There, Subaru’s eyes widened in shock.

Not only did he see a girl playing a strange instrument to him—Liliana, whom he had met in the past when she passed through the Arlam Village and the Mathers Mansion—singing. But that wasn’t it. What caught his attention were two other people—a pair dancing openly before everyone, dancing for the crowd.

A woman with brown hair, unsettling eyes, and dressed in black; and a man with dark hair, calm eyes, and wearing fine clothing that highlighted his older appearance. A couple dancing. A pair of lovers gazing into each other’s eyes, caring for nothing else in the world, as they followed the song played by the girl.

Meanwhile, Subaru’s eyes remained wide with shock.

Why would his eyes be so wide at that moment? Such a question would be foolish to ask right then.

[Beatrice: S-S-Subaru?]

[Julius: Subaru…?]

Without even realizing it, Subaru let go of Beatrice’s hand, while Julius looked astonished. The dark-haired young man began walking through the crowd, approaching the couple who kept dancing as if the world around them didn’t exist.

The dark-haired boy knew them.

He knew them so well that it would be impossible not to recognize them, even after years apart.

Years wouldn’t be enough to erase them from his heart.

When Liliana stopped playing, unnoticed by the three—even as the couple instinctively stopped dancing—they faced each other with smiles, joyful, with teary eyes. And then, seeing the figure of the young man standing right before them, they looked to the side and saw him too.

[???/???: Su… baru?]

[Subaru: Mom…? Dad…?]

In that moment, the three exchanged looks.

Kenichi, Naoko, and Subaru Natsuki had been reunited.

 

 

—————

In this IF:

-When she arrived in this world: Naoko was transported near Odglass, where they quickly found each other, and the Great Spirit helped Naoko from the very beginning.

-Back in Vollachia’s Arena: Kenichi barely survived his battles, fighting in a depressive manner, believing it didn’t matter whether he lived or died in that place. The only thing keeping him standing was the desire to live on in hopes of reuniting with his wife and son somehow.

-Kenichi and Naoko arrived about three days before Subaru. Each with their own group.

-Kenichi and Naoko reunited the day before Subaru and Emilia’s Camp arrived.

-The two began reconnecting and thinking about their son, wondering if he might also be in this world, though without much hope—while still trying to hold on to their love.

Chapter 189: Special - Children's of My Multiverse (IF)

These are the official children from my IF's.

—————

 

 

——[Alpha]——

IF of Origin: Echidna IF.

Appearance:

A girl around 1.50m tall, though she’s older than she looks. She has white hair with dark and purple parts (caused by an accident). She typically wears green and white clothes, almost like a military uniform, often with a purple skirt over it—this is her favorite type of outfit.

Personality:

Describing her personality is difficult to a certain extent due to how volatile she is. She is a (witch) with bipolar tendencies—one moment she can be happy, the next irritated, then sad or extremely scared. However, she has a good degree of self-control to avoid causing unnecessary extreme damage.

Unlike her mother, since childhood she has fully understood emotions—both her own and those of people around her—but she doesn't care much about the feelings of others unless they're people she cares about. For example, she would watch someone drown in sadness and depression and do nothing, unless it affected someone she liked. She cares about her version of Echidna, her mother, and Beatrice, her “half-sister,” respecting them, but not loving them on the same level as her father. She barely tolerates the other versions of them or other people from alternate universes.

For instance: When she saw Rem sinking into sorrow over the pain she caused Subaru in Arc 2, she didn’t offer a single word of support. She simply watched while eating popcorn. If she were to say anything, it would only be to push her further into despair.

Being a daddy’s girl: She loves her father, Subaru—not just her universe’s version, but all versions across every universe—after learning about Return by Death through the Books of the Dead. She doesn't care what path her father chooses: hero or villain, helping or abandoning people. If he chose to be a hero? She wouldn’t care. If he chose to be a villain? She wouldn’t care. If he chose to have one or dozens of women? She wouldn’t care. Her main happiness comes from him being happy with the life he chooses. She hates seeing him sad, no matter the version.

She becomes a little girl who loves being spoiled by her father—receiving head pats, sitting in his lap, hugs, kisses on the head and cheek. She drops her tough, cold persona that she uses when talking to others and becomes a little girl who enjoys receiving affection from her dad, trying to monopolize his attention like a clingy puppy. Alpha would even drop anything she was doing to keep getting head pats.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Yin Magic, All Types.]

{She has an affinity with all types of magic but is especially strong with Yin Magic, which is also her father's affinity and the result of training with her version of Beatrice. Her magical abilities allow her to manipulate time itself. She has an extremely powerful and developed Gate, even in her youth, capable of producing a massive amount of mana.}

Spiritual Affinity — [Exceptionally High.]

{Her spiritual affinity could be two to three times higher than her own father’s.}

Authority of Greed — [//////]

{She has a special ability that enhances her magic in terms of Space-Time and Dimensional Manipulation. Through this Authority, she was able to create her Theater/Cinema.}

Equipment:

Book of Life and Death — [Version: Subaru Natsuki]

{Using her magic and Authority, she created a version of her mother’s Book of Wisdom. However, this version allows her to see the life and alternate versions of the life of a person she chooses. She can see from the past to the present of that person’s life, but not more than three years into the future. She first used it on her father, and the resulting stress turned her dark hair white.}

Folding Metal Chair (Theater/Cinema)

{She has a folding metal chair like the ones seen in wrestling, used to hit people in the theater/cinema. She usually uses it on girls who break Subaru’s hands.}

Trivia:

—Clichés: She hates most romantic and harem anime/manga clichés. For example, the trope of a girl who doesn’t understand her feelings for a guy or is a tsundere who hits him when he interacts with another girl, on purpose or accidentally. She has a deep hatred for people who act like that.

Example: When Emilia hit Subaru on the head out of jealousy after Shaula interacted with him in Arc 6, Alpha hit the half-elf so hard she left a crater in the shape of Emilia in the theater floor.

—Look of Disappointment: If she received a look of disappointment from her father—or any version of him—she would go into shock, lose her color, and become paralyzed. That is a worse punishment than any beating or insult.

—Physically Weak: She is extremely weak and sedentary, despite her well-maintained appearance. She can barely perform her father's radiocalisthenics without almost vomiting from exhaustion. She even fainted once trying to run alongside him as a child and couldn’t move her legs properly for a while.

—Name of Her Theater/Cinema: She named her theater/cinema “Absolute Cinema.”

——[Electra Natsuki]——

IF of Origin: Promise IF.

Appearance:

A girl who, at her peak age, closely resembles her father when he crossdresses as Natsumi. Her amethyst eyes are darker than her mother’s, and her ears are slightly pointed. She has a scar on her back from when her mother poured boiling water on her to make her stop crying—running from her left shoulder down to her lower waist.

Personality:

She became quite extroverted as she got older, having spent her childhood bottling up her pain while watching her father remain silent to give her stability in a terrible environment. She became someone unafraid to speak her mind whenever she feels the urge, and unafraid to defend what she believes in.

For example: She’s so blunt that she could announce needing to use the bathroom in the middle of a life-or-death fight, being very explicit in her speech.

Electra deeply loves her father and Rem (as her mother, though not by blood), defending and respecting them with her life. After understanding how much her father endured for her over the years, her main goal became giving him a simple and happy life, even if it meant fighting the entire world. She also harbors a strong hatred for Emilia and Felix, who abused Subaru physically, mentally, and emotionally—even sexually, as she later understood.

She can also be somewhat impulsive.

For example: She might jump into a hole to retrieve something she dropped, not realizing she's falling into a trap.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Fire and Water.]

{With a strong affinity for both, she can use the same fire spells as Emilia and Roswaal. Her water magic is specialized in healing, developed to nearly half the level of Felix’s. Her Gate is about half as strong as Emilia’s.}

Spiritual Affinity — [Great.]

{Since she was little, she had a strong spiritual affinity that allowed her to make contact with minor spirits from a young age. She was better than her mother, but not as good as her father.}

Equipment:

[None.]

Trivia:

—Mayonnaise: She absolutely loves mayonnaise.

—Protector: She doesn’t tolerate any kind of offense against her father. She’ll fight anyone who insults him.

——[Elpis]——

Origin IF: Vainglory IF.

Appearance:

A little girl around twelve years old, with long black hair and bright blue eyes like her mother's—only more radiant and just as intimidating as her father’s. She usually wears a half-dark, half-white dress that goes below the knees, adorned with blue and orange bows sewn into it.

Personality:

Her personality is as enigmatic as her mother’s, but she is also obsessive. She has an unhealthy obsession with her father, bordering on romantic fanaticism. She believes everything around exists for him, including herself, and even feels jealous of her mother’s relationship with him, desiring to replace her. She doesn’t fully understand emotions like anger or hatred and doesn't know how to express them properly.

Abilities:

Authority of Pride — Absolute Love (絶対愛・Zettai Ai).

The Authority of Elpis manifests itself as a distortion of the concept of “pride”. It functions as a Judgment skill almost like Typhon's. Divided into different forms for its use:

1) Heart of the One (唯一の心・Yuiitsu no Kokoro): By touching someone, Elpis can feel not the person's guilt or evil, but the intensity and purity of the love or devotion that person feels for another specific person.

2) Fragmentation of Devotion (献身の分解・Kenshin no Bunkai): Elpis can emotionally and physically tear apart anyone she judges to be "emotionally impure" or who loves someone other than their father.

1 — The victim's body begins to disintegrate from the heart, as if love itself were being ripped out.

2 — The stronger the victim's love or bond with another person, the more painful the disintegration.

3 — However, if the person sincerely loves or idolizes Subaru, they can be spared, blessed or even healed.

Magical Affinity — [Yang]

{She is incredibly skilled in Yang magic, using it to enhance her physical strength. She has mastered the Flow method efficiently since early childhood.}

Spiritual Devourer —

{She can devour spirits, strengthening herself and becoming increasingly powerful. This seems to enhance both her body and magic in ways even she doesn’t understand, and it allows her to extinguish spirits.}

Equipment:

[None.]

Trivia:

—Drawing: She carries a drawing her father made of her when she was little, from when they decided to draw each other.

——[Helena Natsuki]——

Origin IF: Priscilla IF.

Appearance:

A little girl with an arrogant gaze and smirk, even at just ten years old. She has long dark hair and striking red eyes. She typically wears noble clothes, maintaining a royal appearance worthy of her title as a princess.

Personality:

Like her mother, she has a sharp tongue and no hesitation in saying exactly what she feels or thinks, even if it’s cutting, acidic, or cruel. It’s part of her personality to express herself openly and not care what others think of her. She remains proud, confident, and self-assured about who she is and what she’s achieved.

Still, she is also focused, careful, and hardworking. She trains to sharpen her skills, not relying solely on her natural talent but striving to improve through effort. She believes: “An arrogant person is someone who can’t back up their words. So, I’ll be a proud person who can stand behind everything I say.”

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Fire and Yang]

{She’s a prodigy in fire and Yang magic, easily considered the best in the kingdom in these types, supported by her powerful Gate.}

Spiritual Affinity — [Subaru Level]

{She has the same level of spiritual affinity as her father. At age two, she formed a contract with a fire spirit that later evolved into a Great Fire Spirit, with the potential to grow stronger as she reaches adulthood.}

Divine Blessings — [Sun and Confidence]

{She inherited her mother’s Divine Blessings, which make her stronger while the sun is in the sky and empower her through sunlight, and another similar to a Medium’s, boosting her power the more confident she feels in herself and her abilities.}

Equipment:

[Yang Sword] — She was able to wield this weapon since she was five, even without passing the test, summoning it naturally as if it had always been meant for her.

Trivia:

—Luck: She has luck comparable to her mother’s.

—Intelligence: She showed great intelligence early on, with knowledge suited for an empress. She was given a territory to govern at age eleven and made it prosper through her administrative talents.

—Fear of Her Father: She’s not afraid of her mother, even though she’s stronger than Helena. But she fears her father’s disappointed gaze—something she’s rarely seen, as he has never raised his hand or voice to her, nor punished her.

—Three Sword Style: After hearing her father talk about the character Zoro and seeing Cecilus’s two-sword style, she trained hard to use the three-sword style, nearly perfecting her skills to 100%.

——[Mercurius Natsuki Hoshin]——

Origin IF: Anastasia IF.

Appearance:

A tall boy for his age, taller than his older sister despite being the youngest of the two. He has long, shoulder-length mauve hair, neatly groomed, and the same intimidating eyes as his father—same color and often paired with a tired expression. He usually wears clothes reminiscent of a young merchant.

Personality:

A sharp, intelligent, and focused boy, especially in negotiations, taking after his mother in that regard. However, he never learned to hide his emotions as well as his mother or other merchants—at least not completely. He can suppress most of them, but not all. He gets easily stressed when dealing with his older sister.

Still, he is calm during leisure moments, preferring to read or count the money he’s saved.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Wind]

{He’s not highly skilled in magic but is capable enough to defend himself if needed.}

Spiritual Affinity — [Almost None]

{He has incredibly low spiritual affinity.}

Equipment:

[Equipment Pouch] — A pouch with basic self-defense and negotiation gear, containing coins ranging from bronze to sacred gold.

Trivia:

—Gambling: He enjoys gambling and is incredibly good at it, but he can never beat his sister in any game—not even those he invents.

—Business Management: His business intelligence and administrative skills surpass even his older sister’s, to the point that he’d be considered the main heir to the family business if he wanted.

—High Combat Skill: Lacking raw power or strength, he focused on developing combat skills using tools and his surroundings.

—Equipment Creation: He can create various types of equipment for short, medium, or long-range combat.

——[Lyra Natsuki Hoshin]——

Origin IF: Anastasia IF.

Appearance:

A girl with a messier look than her younger brother, despite being older. She’s always about 15 cm shorter than him—even shorter than their mother. She has short, usually well-kept hair and eyes similar to her mother’s. Her outfit looks like a blend of Iron Fang gear, with pants that feature a drawn tail as a tribute to her “sister” Mimi, and a star-shaped decoration over her left chest, near the trapezius.

Personality:

She is someone who neither wants nor is able to hide her emotions, always expressing herself in a direct way—sometimes so exaggeratedly that it leads to conflicts with her younger brother, who is always very serious. Her main issue is often how impulsive she is when doing what she wants, never holding back. One time, she even tried to buy an entire candy shop just because she liked an ordinary dessert.

Despite that personality, she can also be very focused when necessary, not letting her emotions cause problems for others—especially her parents—when the situation calls for it. Still, she enjoys making jokes during these times. She often teases and jokes with Otto or hangs out with the Iron Fang triplets for fun.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [All.]

She has high magical affinity with all types of magic, though she is not a professional in every type. For context: she has only 75% of the efficiency a specialist with specific affinity would have. Still, this ability makes her a solid combatant, possessing an average gate.

Spiritual Affinity — [Medium to High.]

She has spiritual affinity with spirits, but not as much as Julius or Subaru, and she doesn’t care much for spiritual training or similar things.

Equipment:

[Money Bag] — Carries a bag of coins, usually gold ones she earned herself.

Trivia:

—Gambling: She’s extremely addicted to gambling—an addiction that likely needs treatment. But she’s incredibly skilled at it. If she were to gamble against Priscilla in a game neither of them knew, she’d still have a 60% chance of winning.

—Business Luck: She’s extremely lucky in business. She once bought a regular candy shop just because she liked a random dessert, and the shop became so successful that she profited 250% of what she had spent, much to her parents' frustration.

—Ricardo: Thanks to Ricardo, she believes her mother’s name is “Ana-Bo” instead of Anastasia. He’s also the person she shares her earnings with, since she likes her “grandfather.”

—Otto: She’s played many gambling games and made deals with him, to the point where Otto ended up in debt to her for around 2,000 sacred gold coins—making him her debt slave. She often uses this to have him place bets on her behalf.

——[Graffias]——

IF Origin: Shaula IF.

Appearance:

A girl with long brown hair that transitions to black halfway down, her hair resembling a well-groomed, shiny lion’s mane. She has eyes like her mother's. She wears: from the waist down, clothes like her mother’s; from the waist up, like her father’s. She also wears an orange scarf and a dark cloak with an orange inner lining.

Personality:

An energetic, cheerful, kind, and well-mannered girl who often enjoys playing with others. She always tries to help those in need within her reach. Almost always, she tries to compensate for her mother Shaula’s mischief and antics, acting as the adult between the two—but loves her regardless for helping her relax and train.

But she’s not just playful—she can also be a serious and fierce warrior capable of crushing her opponents when the situation calls for it, regardless of how many enemies she must face. Retreating while others need support would be difficult or even unthinkable to her. Yet she’s also learned over time that she cannot—and perhaps should not—save everyone in front of her.

She’s also extremely intelligent and adaptive in both social and combat situations, even adopting her parents’ mannerisms and speaking styles to make a good first impression when introducing herself.

Abilities:

Hell’s Sniper —

She can use the same magical ability as her mother, with the same level of power and range. She even trains to increase its reach and strength to make her mother proud.

Equipment:

[None.]

Trivia:

—Raw Strength: Her brute strength surpasses even Shaula’s by the time she reaches adulthood.

—Transformation: She can even transform like Shaula into a scorpion form.

—Adaptability: She learns quickly. Whether by reading or observation, she can grow stronger based on what she sees. She can learn an opponent’s combat skills just by watching once—making her a formidable warrior in terms of raw power, physical ability, and intelligence, both in and out of battle.

——[Taygete]——

IF Origin: Demi-Human IF.

Appearance:

A one-quarter elf girl with medium-length green hair and intense eyes. She typically wears a dress that mixes with a military uniform in blue and green tones.

Personality:

Serious, mature, yet fun and cheerful. She was always raised to be a capable and kind leader in honor of her parents, Subaru and Shion—but without the pressure of having to be just like them. She only wishes to ensure that their image is never tarnished by any personal decisions she makes. She is someone capable of becoming a future ruler if necessary.

She doesn’t care much about clothing, often preferring to go barefoot or wear nothing heavy, so she can move freely.

Not only does she have a personality fit to face challenges as a leader, she also easily gets along with others like her father—even mimicking his poses, though keeping a serious face while doing so.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Creation.]

With her father’s support, she developed a kind of ancient-meets-modern magic, capable of shaping atoms in the space around her to create new things—living or non-living, organic or inorganic. A reality-warping ability that costs a lot of Mana. But her gate allows her to use it safely.

Spiritual Affinity — [High.]

She has high spiritual affinity, which she has slowly developed.

Accuracy  —

She has excellent aim and can hit targets even from long distances.

Equipment:

[Bow and Arrow] — A bow she crafted herself. The arrows are also made using her magic, making them dozens of times stronger than normal ones.

Trivia:

—Color Blindness: She’s colorblind, seeing colors differently from what they actually are.

—Physical Strength: She has extremely high physical strength, comparable even to Emilia.

——[Leo Natsuki Karsten]——

IF Origin: Crusch IF.

Appearance:

A tall, handsome young man with green hair and dark streaks in his bangs, and bright, intense eyes with a blend of both his parents’ eye colors. He wears clothes reminiscent of his mother’s military uniform, but in his father’s jacket color. He also wears a hat with the Karsten house symbol and a dragon.

Personality:

Mature and serious from a young age, he’s always been seen as someone who takes his role as a Karsten heir and royal family member very seriously. Even as a child, he was like this. His mother often has to remind him to take breaks so he stays grounded and can enjoy life without being crushed by the responsibilities around him.

When he's enjoying his free time and relaxing, he usually has fun with his parents playing games or spends his time reading and studying, enjoying learning more and more about stories—even those told and written by his father to entertain him when he was a child. He also enjoys training with Wilhelm and his mother to improve his combat skills, having fun because he likes to keep his abilities sharp for any possible or future confrontations he might have to face. For him, having fun is about personal improvement for serious moments.

His relationship with his parents is one of extreme respect, to the point that they feel like they're being treated more as Queen and King than as mother and father, which leads them to tease their son. He also finds it strange that his mother is into crossdressing and that his father crossdresses to please her.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Wind.]

{He possesses a high mastery of wind magic, to the point where he surpasses many others in raw power in this area.}

Divine Protection — [Divine Protection of the Wind.]

{Not only does he become extremely faster, but like his mother, he's also able to use this to sense when someone is lying or telling the truth. It even boosts the attack power of his wind magic, making him extremely powerful in combat.}

Swordsmanship —

{He has a high level of sword-fighting skill. He is expected to surpass Wilhelm's peak skill by twice as much once he reaches full adulthood. He's also capable of using techniques taught by the Sword Demon as well as those from his mother.}

Equipment:

[Sword] — He currently owns an ordinary sword. However, in the future, he will inherit his mother's sword.

Trivia:

—Crossdressing: He doesn’t understand why his father and Felix crossdress, but accepts it in good faith. He doesn’t really care much about it.

—Books: He really enjoys books and libraries, using them to read and pass time when he has nothing else important to do during the day.

—Competitor: He wants to defeat the greatest swordsmen in the world to test his swordsmanship skills.

Chapter 190: Special - Children's of My Multiverse (IF) 2

After writing the previous Special, I decided to write this one to show other children from different IFs.

—————

 

 

——|Bellatrix|——

Origin IF: Elsa IF.

Appearance:

A teenage girl around sixteen years old with slightly long dark hair, almost shoulder-length, and eyes so dark it's impossible to tell whether she even has irises, paired with a creepy smile. She usually wears a dark purple dress with a short skirt that reaches her knees, featuring side openings running from under her armpits down near her thighs. She's a very pretty girl, closely resembling her mother.

Personality:

Despite her outward appearance that gives off a cold, scary, and alluring vibe, she’s actually a very energetic, cheerful, and good-humored girl. She has a peculiar tic in her smile—no matter how hard she tries to give a normal, friendly smile, it always ends up looking frightening to others. There’s a constant dissonance between her internal intentions and external expression.

Even though she dresses quite freely, she's actually very shy about her appearance. This isn’t by choice, but by necessity—she has an extreme sensitivity to heat and feels far more comfortable in extremely cold environments than in regular temperatures. This leads her to sweat excessively, whether from embarrassment or from the warmth of her surroundings.

Although she doesn’t dislike her parents, she gets very nervous about her mother's behavior, especially her habit of ripping out people’s intestines. Having been part of a mercenary group from a young age, she’s somewhat used to the lifestyle of fighting to survive. However, she has developed a strange fixation with ripping out the hearts of those she fights—just like her mother does with intestines.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Water]

Not as skilled as other magic users, but highly effective with water magic, especially in the area of healing.

Resistance —

She has naturally high resistance against curses and recovers quickly from injuries. However, she doesn't possess the same regeneration as her mother.

Curses —

As a child, she was accidentally bitten by one of Meili's Mabeasts but survived. Thanks to her physiology inherited from her mother, she managed to absorb the curse. Now, like a Mabeast herself, she can use curses against her opponents, transmitting them through her saliva when it comes into contact with blood or sensitive areas like the mouth, eyes, or nose.

Equipment:

Daggers —

She carries several daggers in her pockets or pouches, sharp enough to cut or pierce opponents when thrown with full force. She typically aims away from the heart if she plans to extract it afterward as a trophy.

Trivia:

-Normalization: Despite being highly skilled in assassination, she can act completely like a normal girl outside of combat—so much so that she doesn’t even seem like a mercenary.

——|Maia|——

Origin IF: Emerada Lugunica IF.

Appearance:

A young girl with short blonde hair barely covering her ears and sharp pinkish-red eyes like her father’s. Her sharp front teeth give her a vampire-like look when she smiles. She typically wears pink and green clothing, usually accessorized with dark and orange ribbons.

Personality:

She’s gentle, cheerful, and highly affectionate toward those around her. Truly generous, she’s always willing to help anyone in need. At times, she displays a childish personality, especially when upset—stomping her feet, puffing out her cheeks until they turn red, and pacing back and forth in frustration.

She has a strong, loving relationship with both her parents. Not only do they never pressure her excessively, but she also knows she receives unconditional love from them. Maia is highly observant and intelligent, even when behaving childishly, and can understand her environment when needed.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Water]

She possesses an enormous affinity for water magic, particularly excelling in defense and healing. She’s even trying to develop her own spells.

Regeneration —

Thanks to the dragon blood flowing in her veins, Maia has impressive regenerative abilities—even capable of restoring lost limbs. Unlike her mother’s blood, hers possesses healing properties, not equivalent to the Divine Dragon’s Blood but with at least one-fifth of its effectiveness. She can even resist and absorb curses as if they were snacks.

For example, she once had her left arm ripped off and regenerated it within minutes.

Equipment:

[None.]

Trivia:

-Mother’s Love: Though she doesn’t fully understand it yet, Maia receives an overwhelming amount of maternal love. Capella tries to give her all the love and attention she never received as a child, saying “I love you” to Maia at least once a day without fail.

-Seamstress: Having learned from her father, Maia is highly skilled in sewing and can create various types of clothing.

-Crossdresser: Like her father, she is talented at disguising herself as a handsome boy when wearing male clothing.

——|Chochorina|——

Origin IF: Reinhard IF.

Appearance:

A little girl with silver hair and pointy elf-like ears, similar to Emilia’s, combined with scary dark eyes like her father’s. She usually wears white dresses paired with a dark cloak lined with orange on the inside. She enjoys walking barefoot or in slippers to feel more free.

Personality:

An energetic and hyperactive child, Chochorina constantly struggles with focusing or paying attention. She can’t concentrate on anything unless it’s something colorful and visually engaging. Her attention deficit often causes her to miss large parts of explanations or conversations.

For example, if told, “Please don’t move until I give the signal,” she might understand it as, “Please move.”

She is extremely naive and kind, sometimes not realizing when she’s being tricked—just like her mother. In fact, she can come off even more naive when feeling safe, to the point where others might mistake it for stupidity. In truth, she’s highly intelligent—she learned both Japanese and English (reading, writing, and speaking) in just two hours, one hour per language. She’s also a fast learner in combat, quickly adapting despite disliking fighting.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Fire]

Like Emilia, Chochorina has a strong affinity with fire magic, which she uses to create ice. Her magic is as powerful or even stronger than her mother’s. She enjoys working with her parents to invent new fighting styles.

Spiritual Affinity — [Absurdly High]

She has such a high affinity with spirits that dozens are naturally drawn to her. Ironically, she’s unable to form contracts with any of them—not even Great Spirits—because, deep down, she subconsciously wants to form a contract with Beatrice after learning about her 400 years of loneliness.

Physical Abilities —

Chochorina possesses enormous physical strength, equal to or slightly greater than her mother’s. She once fell over ten meters onto a stone slab and walked away with only minor injuries, based on her own real-life experience of tripping on stairs.

Equipment:

Brass Knuckles —

With the help of Reinhard, Felt, and Shaula, she crafted brass knuckles made of steel and gold for self-defense, complete with spikes on the ends.

Trivia:

-Balance Issues: She has terrible balance, often falling down stairs—though she never gets hurt in the process.

-Forgetfulness: Chochorina has a pretty bad memory. She can forget part of a conversation just seconds after it happened unless the dialogue is deep and engaging.

——|Cassia (Cassiopeia)|——

Origin IF: Felt IF.

Appearance:

A beautiful girl with long, shiny blonde hair and bright red eyes, whose wild smile gives her the appearance and impression of a powerful lion in the perception of others—like the image of a Lion King. She usually wears clothes that cover her entire body. She's quite tall, even taller than her father, thanks to the training she has undergone since childhood.

Personality:

A strong and aggressive personality that makes her prone to getting into fights and conflicts that could even be avoided. It also prevents her from kneeling or giving up on her ideals once she sets her mind on something. She's also willing to face difficulties and the consequences of her actions without bowing her head or looking away. She strongly believes in the concept that “Once you make a decision, you must bear the consequences—no matter what they are!” which means she never backs down.

Despite being aggressive, she has her moments of calm when eating or doing similar things. She uses these moments of relaxation to sort things out in her mind. And even though she's stubborn, when she faces a situation where she's wrong or finds a more effective method—even if different from her own—she will accept it if it helps others.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Wind]

She possesses great skill in wind magic.

Spiritual Affinity — [Medium]

Ironically, she has the ability to attract spirits, exclusively wind spirits.

Combat Skills —

Thanks to the Flow Method and continuous training with Wilhelm and Reinhard since childhood, she has become a formidable fighter, to the point where she rivals the Big Four—the most powerful members of each country. In a serious fight, she would be capable of landing two deep cuts on Reinhard’s cheek before being defeated or killed if it were a death match.

Divine Protections —

Divine Protection of Wind Evasion: Grants the user immunity to the effects of wind and eliminates wind resistance while running.

Divine Protection of the God of Death: Just like Theresia van Astrea, her strikes imbued with this protection cause cursed wounds that cannot be healed. Its effect intensifies the closer she is to the target. She can even reopen wounds she originally inflicted if close enough. If the wound spreads, the curse effect also increases.

Equipment:

Sword —

She carries a sharp sword that, in the future, would be named Raionkingu (ライオンキング – Lion King) due to her exceptional combat skills.

Trivia:

-Body: She has a bit of a complex about her muscles. While proud of being more physically developed than her mother even as an adult, she feels somewhat embarrassed about her muscles, especially in her arms and abs.

-Win-Loss Streaks: Without realizing it, she always maintains the same number of wins and losses, never having a winning streak. If she wins one fight, she automatically loses the next, and vice versa. The only time she drew was when she lost to Wilhelm and then fought Reinhard, which ended in a draw simply because the fight was interrupted before a conclusion.

-Incarnation: Many believe that the reason she is so powerful, despite her parents not being on the same level as her, is because she is the incarnation of the combined strength of all the former "Lion Kings" of the past. Something that makes her seem to be a more powerful version than all the other previous members of the Royal family. That's why her body seems blessed to be so strong, compared to her mother's.

——|Aconita|——

Origin IF: Re:Forgotten - Vigilant IF.

Appearance:

A one-quarter elf girl with deep dark lilac hair and matching eyes. Her skin is flawless except for a single scar above her left eye. She wears the same outfit as her mother: a short, sleeveless black dress, along with shoes that blend lilac and orange colors.

Personality:

A girl whose personality slightly mirrors her mother’s—aggressive and stubborn—but who can also be very kind and cheerful when she's relaxed or having fun. Deep down, she’s a delicate person who despises getting into fights, especially due to what happened to her father years before her training. She enjoys spending her time having fun and going out with her adoptive sister whenever possible.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [XXX]

[////////////] (Not revealed yet.)

Equipment:

[None.]

Trivia:

-Mayonnaise: She tries to pretend she doesn’t like mayonnaise, but she loves it just as much as her father. She even memorized how to recreate every type of mayonnaise her father ever showed her. She tries to only use it in her food when her father isn’t looking, so he doesn’t realize how much she actually loves it.

-Dyslexia: She struggles with learning how to read due to dyslexia.

-Vision Problems: Besides dyslexia, she needs glasses, which her father personally designed so she could see properly.

Chapter 191: Special - A Little About the Creation of Alpha!

Hey everyone, how’s it going?

Sorry this isn’t a real chapter for the story, but... I wanted to write this chapter for two personal reasons.

The first is because, a while ago, in another one of my stories, I wrote an analysis of the character Puck and his morality—sharing my personal thoughts and opinions about him. That got me thinking: what if I did the same with my character Alpha?

The second reason was to explain how and why I created and wrote Alpha’s character—from the beginning up to where she is now.

So, I’ll start with the easiest part…

|—[CONCEPTION]—|

(by EternalWhisper)

My initial idea for Alpha was completely different... because, honestly, there was no idea. She wasn’t even supposed to be a Witch of Time.

In fact, she wasn’t even supposed to be a girl.

My original concept for the Director character was going to be just like the other Directors—an OC from another dimension or from our world, who ends up in the Re:Zero universe and brings the characters to the Theater. The goal would be to show Subaru’s journey. Like in the original story “Watching Him Die Again, Again and Again...” or its spin-offs, the Director would’ve been a completely different kind of character.

My first concept was actually based on someone from my childhood: El Chapulín Colorado.

He’s from a TV show I watched since I was very little. The character was going to be playful, clumsy, comically weak to the point of not seeming like a threat—just a completely good-hearted being who wanted to help Subaru and everyone around him, without judgment. His goal would be for everyone in the story to grow. He was even going to be male—not female.

But then I thought again and... found it boring.

Not to criticize those who write Director-style characters like that—far from it! It’s just that, for me, the concept felt a bit... bland. It would’ve been just another Director character with no real depth.

So I kept her in the background as an undefined character for a while, since I had no full concept for her yet.

When I decided on the “Witch of Time” idea, my first thought was that she’d just be another girl who fell in love with Subaru, like many of the female characters in the series—on the level of Satella (the Witch of Envy) or Rem. Just another OC love interest. The only “twist” being that she’d be a loli. Just another one who likes him.

And then I realized... that was boring too. She’d just be one more among so many others—the only difference being power level.

So, when did I decide she would be Subaru’s daughter?

That was thanks to @CondorKalum109. How?

I had written my “Priscilla IF,” and he posted one of those Theater Reaction-style comments on Ao3 for the chapter. And for the first time in one of his comments, he wrote a scene where Alpha was speaking (well, it was actually her internal thoughts) with the others—and I told him her name was “Alpha.”

That’s when I decided: She would be Subaru’s daughter.

That way, she wouldn’t just be an OC that exists inside the Re:Zero universe—she’d be connected to it in a real way (father and daughter), and it would even make sense for her to be powerful enough to do the things she does.

After that, I started working on more concepts:

That she’d be a Great Spirit, that she’d have an Authority, and that she’d be the daughter of Echidna. I started thinking about her personality, backstory, and deeper motivations behind the way she interacts with the other characters.

In short: I literally had no concept for her at first—not even a name or the idea to develop her story.

She was just going to be a throwaway OC to make the plot happen.

The only thing I knew was that I didn’t want her to be “just another character.”

I didn’t want her to be just another Director/Directress or something like that.

I wanted her to be part of the world in a deeper, more unique way.

But that was my personal choice. I’m not someone who criticizes others for writing those kinds of characters in their stories—but when it was my turn, I wanted to try something different.

So when you wonder how I came up with her character, just remember: it was a total accident.

I’ve never been good at long-term writing in any story I’ve ever tried or written up to this point.

|—[MORALITY]—|

Once I had a complete idea of her and her personality, I knew she would fit the Witch archetype when it came to her personality.

In fact, I based her on three characters I like the least when it comes to morals and personality: Puck, Roswaal, and Echidna.

Alpha, as a Witch, has the same flaws—and also the personal issues of a Spirit and a person.

Because of her Authority, her fusion with Spirits, and the fact that she was born 100% human until she conducted personal experiments that turned her into something else—a Spirit-Witch with the power of an Authority that changed her ever since she was young.

So, there’s something I want to make very clear about her:

“SHE IS NOT A HEROINE OR A GOOD PERSON.”

Once I had the character fully formed in my mind, that’s exactly what she became.

She’s someone who is not a heroine.

She is mentally unstable, lacks self-control most of the time, and is extremely cruel.

She would be willing to destroy the world for Subaru—just like Puck would for Emilia.

She has a deep curiosity and hunger for knowledge like Echidna—but only for the sake of her father’s happiness, with no regard for the consequences to others.

And like Roswaal, she acts knowing full well that many of her actions are wrong—or would be seen as cruel from Subaru’s perspective—but she still goes through with them, willing to bear his anger and disappointment.

I built her with these traits to make her the kind of person you shouldn’t admire.

You might enjoy the way she’s written—but she’s not someone you’d want to hang around or talk to in real life.

As for why she acts like this, here’s an explanation:

—Her Authority has influenced her from a young age:  She always wanted to learn more about her father, which eventually led to the creation of the book that allowed her to see every life her father could have lived, has lived, and will live.

—She caught glimpses of every death and suffering Subaru ever went through: The canon routes, the non-canon ones, the games, my IFs—she literally saw and experienced every single death and all the pain he went through in each one, as if she had lived it herself. It drove her insane.

—Even now, she continues receiving information from all universes: She constantly gets updates in her mind about new worlds, often through doors that appear inside her Theater/Cinema.

Where I created a character you can understand the reasons behind her actions and she has justifications for her behavior, but that, FOR ME, has no excuse for the wrong things she commits.

Regardless of the reasons she has, for me, as the author, I still condemn and treat her bad actions as genuinely bad.

But now you might be wondering: What is the concept of a “Witch” in the world of Re:Zero?

Let me give you an example of one of the Witches:

Minerva — With her Authority of Wrath, she can heal anyone, no matter how injured they are, even restoring lost limbs. She does this because she doesn’t want anyone to suffer. She gets angry when someone gets hurt.

But the problem? Whenever she heals someone, a catastrophe occurs.

For example: She heals a child’s broken arm? An earthquake might happen somewhere else in the world, injuring or even killing other people. She knows these things happen, but she keeps healing anyway. In this case: She’s a person trying to do something good, but ends up causing great harm, and even knowing that, she continues because of her personality and the influence of her Authority.

Alpha is exactly like that as a Witch, but even worse. She’s not a heroine, she doesn’t see herself as one, and she’ll never be one. Because she chooses to act the way she does out of her own free will and without any regrets, succumbing to her own [Greed].

If I had to give an example:

If she saw Petra in a near-death state, she might heal her — but only if she knew Petra’s death would make her father sad. Otherwise, she wouldn’t care at all.

Likewise, she wouldn’t do anything to a Petra who is living a normal life — except when Alpha is having one of her psychotic episodes and needs to be calmed down. In those cases, she’d let Petra live her life without interfering, either negatively or positively.

Because to Alpha, she only intervenes in someone’s life if it aligns with her goal: Bringing happiness to her father.

Not to mention, she also can’t fully interfere with time in the IFs.

For example:

If she entered the “Promise IF” to stop Puck, there would be both the original “Promise IF” and a new “Promise IF 01.” Her interference wouldn’t erase what happened in the original IF universe, it would only create a variant of that IF without altering the original reality. Her interference just creates more versions, more branches — but the original will remain untouched due to temporal splitting.

|—[CONCLUSION]—|

I wanted to share this to talk a bit more about the character, explain the original idea I had for her, and how I started shaping her into who she is now. Along with her powers and morality, up to a certain point.

It was also a response to some people who asked about her.

And it was also a reply to a reader I’ve been talking to. He asked me why I created Alpha instead of a standard Director like the others. And I said... it would’ve been boring.

I’m not criticizing the characters of other Directors, but... who are they really? Are they observers? Are they people from our world who magically ended up there?

Especially because I was a bit offended when someone said she’s a: “Boring, overpowered character who only exists to make the story go the way I want.”

Yeah, I know — it sounds petty to be upset about something like that. But even I have a bit of pride that can be hurt... and that’s why I want to say this:

Almost — if not ALL — are like that!

All the Directors are super-powerful beings who suddenly appear, grab the characters, make them watch Subaru’s story, and then throw them back to live with the consequences of having witnessed it.

At least mine has enough consistency and a somewhat decent backstory to justify her presence and reasons for doing what she does.

And I know: I’M NOT A GOOD WRITER!

I really am not a good writer, I’m not the best, and I have no illusion that I am. A big part of the recognition I’ve gained on Ao3 as an author came just from posting frequently (as someone pointed out in a different comment on another chapter of this story). But at least I tried to bring some variety when creating my OC. I may not be as good as other authors on Ao3 like Reactionist, KnockTok, Zero_Haven, or others, but I really am trying.

I fully understand that people might not like my character Alpha as a Director. But the truth is, I just couldn’t create a typical Director-type character for this kind of story without finding it extremely... BORING!

Well, that was my little vent. I said this with a bit of anger, I admit, and I apologize for that — but it really is a bit frustrating for me as a writer.

Just a reminder again: Alpha is a Witch, not a heroine.

You may like her, but don’t admire her. I openly say she’s not a good person — unless it involves Subaru or a select few individuals. She’s far too mentally unstable. Even though she’d be on the protagonists’ side, she’d only be there because Subaru is. If he weren’t there, she wouldn’t support any side: Not the Camps, not the Cult, not the Witches — nothing. She’d just let people destroy themselves however they chose.

Funny to think I created her by accident and had no plans for her to become this important. Originally, she was just going to be a minor character in the Consequences IF — the one who took the characters to the Theater/Cinema.

Oh, and for those who might wonder: No, she is not a self-insert character.

Actually, I already put my self-insert into my story — in the Adelheid IF, as Eric, the guy who writes the Opening and Ending Notes of the IFs. He was mentioned in the final notes of [Extra - Adelheid IF], [Extra 2 - Adelheid IF], and the opening notes of [Epilogue - Adelheid IF]. I plan to bring him in more directly, since he’s my self-insert into the Re:Zero world. I also brought in Enzo in the Hater IF.

Just a little trivia, in case anyone was curious.

If I had to rank the OC kids I’ve created, the Top 3 would be:

1. Electra.
2. Alpha.
3. Helena.

They’re my three favorite kids out of all the IFs I’ve written. The gap between Electra and Alpha would be something like a 100 to 1000 level of favoritism. Electra is honestly the one I enjoyed writing, developing, and shaping the most. Even in the Promise IF, I already had the idea for her long before any other OC character I would later go on to create.

Chapter 192: Special - Children's of My Multiverse (IF) 3

I'm still on hiatus, but I had already been preparing this chapter for a while, so I decided to post it. I'm currently working on the next chapter of "Family IF."

—————

 

 

——|Menkar|——

Origin IF: Daphne IF

Appearance:

He looks much younger than his actual age, short—shorter even than his mother when she's out of her coffin. His skin is slightly grayish, and his eyes are frighteningly bright, shifting between gold and purple. He has dark grayish hair and usually wears clothes that quickly become rags as he uses them, not caring much about cleanliness or taking care of them, although he doesn’t completely dislike the clothes he receives and wears.

Personality:

How would someone describe his personality? —— He's not evil, but you couldn’t really call him good either. He sits at a neutral point regarding his decisions toward others around him. However, he is definitely kind when he’s not hungry — something rare for him to feel. He’s hard to communicate with because he can’t speak properly, managing to communicate but often getting words or their order wrong.

For example: saying “Behind me you must go” instead of “You have to go behind me” by accident. Or sometimes omitting words entirely, like “You behind me.” dropping many or few words to get his point across.

He holds great respect and love for his family, especially his father and mother, loving them even when overtaken by the hunger that can drive him insane. He also cares deeply for the other mabeasts, whom he considers his “brothers” and “sisters,” especially the more sentient ones, in this order: Shaula, Whale, Snake, and Rabbit. He truly values his familial bonds with them.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Earth]

He doesn’t use magic much, but he has an excellent gate and strong affinity for Earth-type magic.

Physical Ability —

In terms of physical prowess, he could take on and defeat even the other beasts in hand-to-hand combat. In a four-versus-one battle — Menkar vs. Shaula, Whale, Rabbit, and Snake — he still has over a 90% chance of victory if he intends to kill or devour them mercilessly. Possibly the strongest being ever created by Daphne.

Divine Protection —

Divine Protection of Witchbeasts: Menkar has a Divine Protection similar to Meili’s, but extremely more powerful. Strong enough to allow him to communicate with other living beings, like Otto's ability, but without needing to mimic their speech styles. He can also control more powerful witchbeasts, including the Whale, Rabbit, Snake, and even the Centaurs. Combined with his sense of smell, he can locate people and witchbeasts.

Miasma —

Somehow, for reasons unknown, he can literally devour Miasma with no problem. Just being in an area with Miasma allows him to feed on it, effectively erasing it and satisfying his own hunger in the process. He could even consume all of the Witch of Envy’s Miasma without issue, and it would only make him stronger.

Equipment:

[None]

——|Nunki|——

Origin IF: Sekhmet IF

Appearance:

A very handsome and tall young man, about 10 cm taller than his mother. His hair is a wild blend of both parents’ colors, and the same goes for his eyes, giving him an unusual appearance. He has a strong, muscular build. He often ends up only wearing pants, forgetting to put on a shirt.

Personality:

Unlike his mother, he is extremely energetic — to the point of being overly hyperactive. As the oldest among all his siblings, he's cheerful, playful, and lively. He refuses to sit still for too long when there’s fun to be had.

He’s incredibly affectionate and kind-hearted, always eager to help anyone in need. He enjoys helping others and feels genuinely happy when he can. Though he dislikes violence toward others and is a committed pacifist, he also knows when it's time to get serious in a fight.

He’s especially affectionate with his family, always helping his parents take care of his siblings and even the orphanage kids, village children, and villagers. It’s normal to hear him say “I love you” to every family member daily, without fail.

Abilities:

Physical Abilities —

He is the embodiment of what the Giant Race expected: The God of Giants. He is incredibly strong, physically unmatched—even more so than Reinhard, Satella, Volcanica, and even Sekhmet at her peak using her Authority. If thrown to the Moon, he’d jump back with no scratches. He once threw a rock that left Earth’s atmosphere and dispersed clouds in the sky. He is the physically strongest among all his siblings.

Magical Affinity — [Yang]

He has good affinity with Yang magic, though he rarely uses it.

Gate —

He has an extremely powerful Gate, bordering on the absurd, both in strength and Mana output. Possibly the most powerful Gate in his world at present.

Equipment:

[None]

——|Alcyone|——

Origin IF: Sekhmet IF

Appearance:

A very small little girl — barely reaching 1.30 meters tall even as she grows older. She’s the opposite of Nunki, which is ironic since Nunki is the oldest and she is the youngest of all her siblings. She has her father's eyes, though usually half-closed due to her constant fatigue. Her hair resembles her mother’s in length and is a lighter version of her color — only about a quarter as vibrant as Sekhmet's. She usually wears cute clothes that she treats like a pillow, often folding her arms to rest her head.

Personality:

She is generally calm and lethargic, trying to avoid the chaos her siblings often cause. She’s very easy to get along with. Despite that, she’s kind, friendly, playful, and much more mature than her siblings — her maturity can even be compared to her mother’s despite her young age.

She loves every member of her family and prioritizes them above all else, willing to help whenever needed, even at the cost of her own sleep.

She gets along especially well with her mother since they share the same level of exhaustion and laziness. Once, they even had a sleeping contest: Sekhmet slept for 61 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds, while her daughter managed 62 hours and 1 second, beating her.

Abilities:

Magical Affinity — [Yin]

She has high affinity with Yin magic, usually using it to support allies if she has to fight.

Physical Abilities —

She is the opposite of her older brother — extremely weak physically, and constantly tired due to a personal condition.

Mana Absorption —

Due to an unknown condition, Alcyone’s Gate is broken. She must absorb Mana from her surroundings or from people to stay awake and alive. She consumes Mana extremely fast when awake and moving. That’s why she often stays near her older brother — his Mana reserves allow her to stay awake for up to 6 hours a day if needed, without causing major harm to him.

Equipment:

Pillow —

She almost always carries a pillow with her to rest or sleep wherever she is, in order to avoid depleting her accumulated energy.

——|Caph|——

Origin IF: Capella IF

Appearance:

Their physical appearance closely resembles their mother: hair and eye color similar to hers, with eyes as unsettling as their father's. A slender, flexible body with a height similar to their mother’s. With slightly revealing clothing, their figure is difficult to classify as male or female — appearing either as a beautiful feminine figure or a cross-dressing man — their outfits usually highlight their legs, thighs, and rear more than their chest, giving them a level of sexual ambiguity that makes people question their gender.

Personality:

Caph has a terrible attitude toward anyone who isn’t their parents. To Caph, everyone else is trash in different forms, nothing special unless they prove their worth. They often strike people they see as worthless, treating them like insignificant chunks of meat.

However, if anyone dares to mock their appearance or tries to cause permanent damage to their body, Caph becomes overwhelmingly enraged, bordering on insanity if they cannot eliminate the offender immediately. If they capture them, Caph becomes excited at the thought of breaking them and turning them into one of their "Pets" — disposable shields or toys to play with until boredom sets in.

Caph has deep love for their parents — more for their father than mother, though they get along well. They are ecstatic when spending time with their father, often sitting on his lap and hugging him for long periods while recounting their day. Their love, molded by Capella, prevents them from realizing that their father is mentally broken, acting almost like a shattered puppet — but Caph loves him unconditionally. They even get very jealous when their mother competes for Subaru’s attention, leading to comical little arguments between the two.

Abilities:

Blood —

Caph has poisonous blood like their mother, and like their father, they can regenerate lost limbs from nothing. Their blood is as powerful and lethal as Capella’s.

Magic Affinity — [Water]

They have a perfect affinity for Water magic, further enhanced by their Divine Protection. They are a specialist in healing magic, capable of outperforming Felix even on his best days — by double.

Divine Protections —

Divine Protection of Water: Grants Caph extremely high power and affinity with Water magic. Everything a typical Water magic user can do, Caph does with ease and at double the power — surpassing even Felix in healing.

Divine Protection of Metamorphosis: A unique and previously unseen Divine Protection. Caph can alter their physical form just like their mother, making it even harder to determine their true gender.

Equipment:

Dagger —

Caph carries a sharp, lethal dagger coated with their own blood, causing additional harm to enemies when used.

——|Cygnus|——

Origin IF: Liliana IF

Appearance:

A very handsome and charming young man with an attractive face. He has his mother’s eyes and his father’s long, dark hair. His clothes are a mix of Garfiel’s and Medium’s in color and style — light and easy to move in. He wears various jewelry on his fingers and in his hair.

Personality:

Lively and energetic, he's almost as airheaded as his mother — or so people think. In truth, he is quite intelligent, hard-working, and proactive, making sure he earns everything he achieves.

He strives to stand out from others, aiming for style, charm, and flair. This motivates him to train and show off his skills. He trains with Zarestia, Medium, Garfiel, and at one point even with Halibel.

He loves playing around with his parents and little sister, always excited to have fun with them. He also enjoys singing and listening to music, sometimes singing in his head or humming during training or battle, using the rhythm to guide his movements.

Abilities:

Physical Skills —

Through intense training and effort, he has developed great agility and physical prowess.

Shinobi Skills —

Thanks to training with Zarestia since he was young and later with Halibel while in Kararagi, Cygnus became very skilled — not quite at Halibel's level but still competent. He learned various combat techniques from them.

Equipment:

Twin Blades —

He wields twin swords connected by a chain that can lengthen or shorten, allowing them to be used like nunchaku or to strike distant enemies. He's highly skilled with them in both close and mid-range combat.

——|Vega|——

Origin IF: Ram IF

Appearance:

An incredibly beautiful young girl who resembles her mother and aunt, but without bangs. Her hair is a blend of her mother’s pink and her aunt’s blue, with a dark core like her father's, resembling a pink-and-blue tornado with a black center. She has striking eyes: one pink (left) and one blue (right), symbolizing the three key figures in her life.

She usually wears cute dresses reminiscent of the kimono-style outfits her mother wore in youth, but in darker gray shades. She wears two ribbons — a blue one on the left and a pink one on the right, opposite to her eye colors for contrast. She also wears an orange scarf around her neck.

Personality:

Vega shows different moods depending on the situation.

With family, she is playful, teasing her father when he teases her and dragging her mother and aunt into the fun. She especially loves making her aunt blush by teasing her about Subaru.

Outside her family, especially when working, she becomes more focused and shy. She’s not very good at talking to people outside her family and often worries about messing up tasks assigned to her.

However, in battle, that shyness disappears. She becomes cold and efficient, acting as if her sole purpose is to eliminate her enemies.

Abilities:

Magic Affinity — [Wind]

She has extreme affinity with Wind magic, possibly even greater than her mother’s. She creates new spells for combat and self-support. Her Wind attacks are among the most powerful in the world.

Spiritual Affinity — [Extremely High]

Like her father, she has a high spiritual affinity, allowing her to easily form contracts with spirits.

Gate and Horn —

She possesses a Gate just like her mother's, just as powerful, but her Horn is only slightly larger than her aunt's, lacking the same level or second horn as her mother's, though it is still powerful.

Equipment:

Spear —

She learned to train with a red-handled spear with a sharp, cloudy blade, using it professionally.

 

 

—————

Extra Trivia:

-Nunki was the first born of all Subaru and Sekhmet's children, while Alcyone was the last. Ironically, Nunki was born five seconds later than the second-to-last child, while Alcyone was born five seconds after the second-to-last child.

-Caph has a distorted view of how a child should love their parents. She may be almost like Elpis, only more sadistic.

-Menkar was the only human-born child among all the children Daphne and Subaru had together, and while the others were created through the Authority of Gluttony, like Witchbeasts, he was created through physical relations between them.

What do you think of these new additions?

Oh, I based Cygnus on Uzui from Kimetsu no Yaiba and Nunki no Saitama from One-Punch Man.

Chapter 193: Special - Children's Multiverse (IF) - Tea Party

Such a place would be known only to the few who had ever been there.

The number could be reduced to a select few individuals.

A lush green field with some hills, a blue sky with clouds “floating” above. Except for one hill, which was different—it had a table.

With three seats occupied—

[???: I was hoping you'd accept my invitation, but I didn’t expect only you two to show up among those I had in mind. Not that I’m complaining in this case. I just wish I didn’t already know the outcome of a conversation between all of us here.]

[???: ————]

[???: Your father… can I have him for myself?]

—The three childlike figures sitting there exchanged quick glances with each other. A look back and forth, then returning to their teacups. The one in the middle focused on taking a sip of her drink; the one on the right sat with arms crossed, staring intensely at the other two; and the third watched them with an adorable smile—a smile so unbearably cute that anyone other than them or their father would find it nauseating if stared at for too long.

(Art by @EternalWhisper)

Who are they?

If you knew their stories, you'd recognize them: Alpha, the girl with white hair; Electra, with her bright amethyst eyes; and Elpis, a little girl with dark hair and piercingly bright blue eyes capable of staring into your soul in the most unhealthy way possible if caught in her gaze.

The three were seated at that table, holding a tea party.

With cups full of tea and some snacks laid out on the table.

Cookies. Some slices of cake. And, of course, tubes of mayonnaise for the savory snacks on the table.

[Alpha: Honestly, does your tea also taste… different?]

[Electra: ————]

[Elpis: The tea is good, but I wish it tasted like daddy’s hair.]

[Alpha: I changed mine to taste like chocolate. You just have to change yours with your mind. But seriously, choosing daddy’s hair as a flavor is… pretty weird, don’t you think? Even knowing how strange you are, you need to have some self-control over your peculiar tastes, Elpis-chan.]

Commenting with indifference, she continued sipping her tea, which tasted like chocolate despite not actually being chocolate.

In fact, it couldn’t even be considered tea.

It was a different kind of liquid, with a multifaceted color, yet it somehow seemed colorless at the same time. How was that possible? Only the person who brought the two to that place—Alpha—could answer that, but whether she would or not was another matter. (The answer would be no, of course—she wouldn’t explain it to anyone but her father.)

Why? Because she’s a mischievous witch who enjoys messing with others for fun.

[Elpis: But why would I want it to taste like anything other than dad? Doesn’t that make sense? Because if something tastes like dad, then it must be really good. Because dad is good! So, tea that tastes like dad would be the best! I’m sure of it, sis.]

[Alpha: Your logic is… bizarrely simple. Because honestly, when you think deeper about the motivation behind wanting tea that tastes like our dad, it’s gross. Don’t you think so, Electra-chan? Isn’t it kinda weird~? Our little sister from another mom but the same dad, from a different reality, sure has some super-weird tastes for things like this, huh?]

[Electra: ————]

[Alpha: You do realize no one’s charging you to speak, right? Your lines are within this chapter’s budget, Electra-chan. You don’t have to waste time glaring at our dear little sister and me. Come on… I bet the fans would go crazy seeing the three of us actually talking.]

Alpha flashed a sly grin, raising and lowering her eyebrows suggestively.

Electra remained stoic, keeping her gaze locked onto the two.

Elpis, meanwhile, began sipping her tea, using Alpha’s words to change the flavor into whatever she desired.

[Electra: ———— I don’t know what you want from me, Alpha. Not after what you showed me, and not after making it clear you won’t grant my wish.]

What was she referring to…?

Obviously, to when Alpha showed her the life of Natsuki Subaru—their father—and of their other brothers and sisters. She revealed his past so they could all learn more about the father they loved so dearly.

But that had been days ago.

Now Alpha had the brilliant idea of making things more fun for them, inviting them every now and then to her little parties.

Whether grand events or simple tea parties like this one.

This was actually the first time any of them had accepted her invitation since they arrived in that place—a place all of them considered cursed.

[Alpha: My interference won’t help, Electra-chan. I’ve explained this to you so many times.]

[Electra: Explain it again.]

[Alpha: Ugh! When I enter a timeline and change something there, it creates a new one. It doesn’t alter the original. It’s like copying certain aspects and tweaking them due to external interference—me, in this case. This happens because of the alteration effect. —— But. The main timeline, the original, doesn’t change because I create a copy upon entry. Got it? I could enter your universe, kill your mom, and save dad a billion times, but it won’t change the original. And even now… all the knowledge you’ve received doesn’t change it either. It only creates a new timeline. Believe me, it hurts me as much as it hurts you.]

[Electra: ————]

[Elpis: I wish I had a version of our daddy so I could spoil him the way I want…]

Puffing her cheeks, she kicked her legs back and forth from her seat, leaning against the backrest while gazing up at the blue “sky” with a few scattered clouds.

[Alpha: As much as I also want to take care of one of the versions of dad from Alpha-chan’s universe, I am genuinely concerned about your definition of “spoiling” him. Considering the way your mind works. It’d be... complicated. At the very least, disgusting and publicly embarrassing.]

[Elpis: Don’t care. —— Do you?]

[Alpha: ————]

[Electra: Disgusting.]

She said it with as much disdain as she could muster.

Shooting a cold, cruel glare at her two half-sisters sitting across from her.

Alpha stayed indifferent, sipping her tea. Elpis, on the other hand, kept smiling, now with a slightly different smile as she licked her lips teasingly—provoking Electra, whose clenched teeth made an audible grinding noise out of disgust, annoyance, and irritation.

The three wore entirely different expressions regarding the same subject.

In motion, the Witch of Time picked up a piece of cake, along with a small spoon. A chocolate cake, decorated with sweet treats from their father’s home world.

She took her first bite, scooping a small piece, balancing it perfectly, then placing it into her mouth and starting to chew, savoring the sweetness on her tongue before swallowing. A little shiver ran through her body. Her smile grew with every second until she devoured the entire cake from her plate.

[Alpha: I really LOVE, LOVE sweets! Damn. Cakes, cookies, all kinds of chocolate, frosting. Sugar is just so good! —— Ah. But dad wants me to control how much sugar I put into my body. He doesn’t want me feeding my addiction all the time. Practice self-control, keep everything balanced.]

[Elpis: If daddy said it, you should listen. Not listening could cause unnecessary trouble… like... disposable people.]

The girl with black hair and bluish eyes turned her gaze toward the girl with a quarter elf blood.

In response, that girl clenched her fists tightly.

[Electra: I don't care if you talk about that silver-haired failure, obviously. Regardless of whatever excuse they gave me for it, there’s no desire in my heart to forgive her—not in my universe nor in any other reality where she exists, no matter the reason. I’m not as strong as my father when it comes to forgiving her crimes, but… for the one who raised me, someone different from who she was before, I won’t allow her to be disparaged like this.]

[Alpha: That’s so unfair to your mother, don’t you see? You should at least give forgiveness a chance... Though honestly, I don’t really care, as long as it serves my goal of making Daddy happy. And honestly… no one in this world ever seems naturally enough for that when they don’t get the chance to realize their mistakes.]

[Elpis: Why not just exterminate everyone at once and make sure every version of Daddy is safe?]

[Alpha: A complete extermination of the global population across multiple universes? Do you really believe there’s a version of Daddy who wants that...? Ah, forget it. If you wanted to get the Daddy from my universe, like I said before, first you’d have to——]

A punch. A powerful strike right to her face.

Elpis swiftly stood up, landing a devastating blow to Alpha’s face. The head of the Witch of Time exploded from the sheer power of the Archbishop of Sin’s punch. Bits of her shattered head flew across the lush green field behind her chair. Her body remained motionless.

The third girl wasted no time...

[Electra: Huma!]

She launched a chunk of ice at Elpis while leaping back from her seat.

The piece of ice was caught by the girl with blue eyes and crushed effortlessly under the pressure of her fingers.

Elpis lunged forward, her smile still locked onto her lips.

Electra dodged the first punch with a spin, landing gracefully, then propelling herself back to create more distance.

[Electra: Goa!]

This time, she fired a fireball. It struck Elpis and exploded—but it did nothing to faze the Archbishop of Pride, who kept advancing toward her half-sister from a different mother. Her fist was drawn back, ready to hit with everything she had, ready to kill.

[Alpha: Alright, that’s enough.]

Elpis froze mid-air, unable to move, while Electra used the chance to put even more distance between herself and the girl with those intense blue eyes.

The girl with amethyst eyes stared back at them, her fury barely contained.

Alpha stepped toward them, her head already fully restored without a single drop of blood on her clothing. She clapped her hands a few times as she approached—not really applauding, more like brushing her hands together.

All three sisters locked eyes. Elpis was released.

[Alpha: I was hoping you wouldn’t do that, Elpis. Not when I’ve shown you so many times that it’s pointless. Didn’t Helena and Leo prove to be better fighters than you? Out of all our siblings, I think they’ve taught you that you’ll never win against any of us with just your fists or your Authority alone.]

[Elpis: Doesn’t hurt to keep trying.]

[Alpha:] “Oh, it hurts. Wastes a lot of time and effort. It’s a huge headache. Sometimes my head actually aches when you try to blow it up... just like you do with Maia. Sure, she has a particular regenerative quirk, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel pain every time you hit her. Can’t you have the slightest bit of consideration?”

[Elpis: She can’t complain too much. She got that ability from her mom...]

Elpis pouted like a child as she lowered her arms from her attack stance.

The three stood in silence for a while.

Alpha glanced around with curiosity—specifically at the blood splattered from her exploded head, the wrecked table and chairs, all the stuff thrown onto the ground. She also glanced toward the aftermath of Electra’s fireball—the ‘Goa’ left a bigger explosion than usual, scorching the grass into a smoldering crater.

The Witch of Time sighed, accepting that… none of it really mattered. After all, she could easily recreate all of it, just like she easily recreated her head seconds ago. Simple.

She looked back at her sisters, analyzing them, waiting to see if they would make a move or let her do as she pleased.

Letting out a sigh.

[Alpha: I think it’s time for you two to return to where you belong. Hope you enjoyed the tea and snacks.]

[Electra: ——— Hmpf!]

[Elpis: I want more Daddy-flavored tea.]

[Alpha: You already have a body pillow, posters, photos, and even a hoodie with Daddy on it. Calm down, you little Oedipus-complex maniac. ‘I don’t care as long as Daddy’s happy’ is how I make my decisions, but I really wish you’d follow that mindset more deeply without those disturbing thoughts. I even had to slap censorship bars over the images I get from your mind.]

Saying that, she got nothing but an indifferent smile from the Witch Cult girl, who somehow looked even more excited.

Meanwhile, Electra stood with her back to the two, arms crossed.

SNAP!

The Witch of Time snapped her fingers, and the two vanished instantly, as if they were never there. Leaving her alone. Alpha let out a fake sigh of exhaustion, a small smile on her lips.

[Alpha: Electra and Elpis this time... Leo, Helena, Lyra, Mercurius, Graffias, Taygete, Maia, Rigel, Spica, and the others... when are you guys coming? Wouldn’t it be more fun if we gathered somewhere other than my movie theater, you know? —— Maybe I’ll bring Daddy and the others back someday...]

Thinking about it, she started organizing things.

Meanwhile, she grabbed a mayonnaise tube and started squeezing it directly into her mouth.

[Alpha: Mayonnaise... is the best! THANK YOU DADDY, GRANDMA, AND GRANDPA!]

She yelled to the skies with arms wide open, grateful for the sweet nectar of life.

 

 

—————

Wouldn’t it be interesting… a story about the OC kids watching Subaru’s story someday?

Chapter 194: Special - Children's Multiverse (IF) - Look of Disappointment

Every child has experienced the look of disappointment from their parents at least once in their life. For most, this is a rare event. And among those who have gone through it, many had different reactions when faced with such a look from their parental figures.

This also includes the children of Natsuki Subaru from the Multiverse.

Many of these children had already faced such looks from their mothers. So, they got used to enduring those stares. Not that they actually liked being on the receiving end of them, but because they happened more often than looks from other people, they became used to it.

But... what about their father's look of disappointment? That was something they saw so rarely that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the odds of seeing that expression were about 0.001%.

How did each of these children react to such a look?

Electra...

Receiving a disappointed look from Emilia and Felix? She hardly cared. In fact, she felt happy when she was able to disappoint them by doing something. It showed just how little their opinions actually mattered to her. That’s why she was glad when she managed to get on their nerves.

Getting a look of disappointment from Rem? That really made her sad—disappointing someone who had cared for her so well meant she might be acting similarly to Emilia and Felix.

Receiving a look of disappointment from Subaru? If that ever happened—when it happened—she felt as if she had been stabbed straight through the heart. Because that meant she had done something similar to Emilia and Felix. Which meant hurting her father, something she deeply hated, because it meant being like the two people she despised most in the world.

On the day that happened, she lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling without blinking, thinking about what she had done wrong.

Elpis...

Elpis loved her father above all else, to the point where she believed everything in the world belonged to and should serve him. So when she got a look like that? It felt like her heart was being gripped tightly, squeezed to the point of nearly bursting, breaking her body apart.

After getting such a look, she would walk around not caring about anything anymore.

Like the time that happened after a Witch Cult meeting. She wandered the hallways with her head down, eyes fixed on the floor. While she walked, a Witch Cultist accidentally got in her way, stopping in shock as he noticed the daughter of the cult’s two leaders standing before him.

[Cultist: Elpis-Sa——]

Without caring, she punched the cultist.

A punch so strong it sent the cultist flying into the wall with such force he exploded on impact, leaving a red smear along with his bones on the wall. Meanwhile, the poor little girl kept walking with her head down, sad because of the look she had received from her beloved father.

Helena...

The little girl was always a proud figure, naturally, given who her mother was and the upbringing she had as a princess destined to be Queen one day. She even had her own domain to show off her leadership skills to those who dared to underestimate her.

She had received a disappointed look from her mother once when she failed on a mission. But she endured it. Because she wanted to face her mother head-on and never let herself be diminished by anyone not worth her attention. But even she had a weakness.

A disappointed look from her father—just once—threw her into panic.

Her body trembled, the hairs on her neck stood on end, her expression frozen with wide eyes. She hoped it had all been a misunderstanding. Later that day, she was in her office, hands clasped while she massaged her palms with her fingers to calm herself.

[Helena: It was nothing... It was nothing... It wasn’t a big deal...]

She repeated it to herself while seated in her personal chair. Later, she would land a powerful blow on Al, sending him crashing through a wall—not because she was sad, as he suggested, but because his comment annoyed her.

Mercurius and Lyra...

The two kids could be seen fighting with each other.

Trading weak blows—not enough to cause permanent injury, but strong enough to hurt each other as the fight escalated. And who had the upper hand? Lyra was on top of her younger brother, holding his arm while playing the oldest sibling trick in the book:

[Lyra: Stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself.]

[Mercurius: I—Will—Destroy—You—]

Her brother tried to speak while being forced to hit himself. Why? Because she blamed him for the disappointed look they got from their father, even though it was entirely her fault. She was just shifting the blame, as an older sister should.

Later, their mother would ground her for it. But Mercurius took a big beating.

Graffias...

[Graffias: Urgh.]

When she got a look of disappointment directed at her, she would avert her eyes in deep shame, her expression dark and sorrowful. As if swallowing a lump in her throat. The teen couldn’t even look her mother in the eye—because that kind of look shattered all her pride.

Receiving a disappointed look from her parents? The cheerful, gentle, playful ones?

You could say the temperature around her dropped as the light of hope and goodwill faded from their eyes, turning into a dull glow. That alone made her feel worse and worse, realizing she had done something so wrong that even they were disappointed in her. Especially her wonderful father, who usually only sent her to her mother when she did something shameless.

So for her to get the same look from him as from her mother, when she thought herself more mature than her—

[Graffias: N-No, I-I c-can... h-hold on...]

She told herself, but she could never maintain eye contact in those moments.

Taygete...

The Princess of the Demi-Humans would stay at the training field, practicing.

Shooting arrow after arrow, training, whether under the sun or in the rain. Standing in the same spot, firing over and over until all her Mana was gone, and then using regular arrows to continue.

Every moment focused on not letting herself cry from the sadness and frustration of thinking she had failed her beloved parents. Because it meant she had done something to make them lose the pride they had in her. Something, in her view, unforgivable—crushing her heart in her own hands, hurting more than the training itself.

[Subaru: Taygete...]

[Shion: Taygete...]

And that feeling of sadness and unworthiness only worsened when her parents came to get her, trying to comfort her heart. Which only made her feel more devastated by her mistake.

Leo...

Leo rarely received a disappointed look from his parents. He always performed his duties diligently, had a focused mindset, and his parents had no complaints about his hobbies or anything else. That was something he took pride in—something he would even share with someone who understood how important their prideful gaze was.

So when he did receive a disappointed look from his mother or father, he went completely serious.

Why?

Because it meant he had truly done something wrong that placed him in a terrible light in his parents’ eyes. And with great pride, he would accept whatever punishment they decided to give him. But if no punishment came, he would feel extremely sad, as that meant he’d have to figure out what he did wrong on his own.

It meant he had messed up so badly that even he didn’t know what he had done—and his parents were leaving it to him to figure it out.

Bellatrix...

She would stand still for a few moments, then begin thinking deeply, trying to understand. Her smile frozen in a strange way, sweat forming at the top of her forehead and the back of her head. She tried to reason, to understand, to comprehend what she had done wrong at that moment to make him disappointed.

Had she cut the person the wrong way?

Had she sliced the intestines her mother wanted to tear out?

Had she cut the people who were supposed to be burned or buried?

Had she removed the hearts too soon for her mother to enjoy the screams?

She thought deeply about the types of things she might have done wrong—usually when she was covered in blood, squeezing a victim’s heart to relieve stress.

Trying to understand her mistakes during mercenary jobs, while watching the bodies burn before heading out to drink.

But everything always turned out fine in the end. Still, she hated getting looks like that.

Maia...

The little girl would run to Beatrice in those moments, hugging her tightly.

[Maia: Waaah! B-B-B-Bea-a-ako-o-o-o! What did I do?! UAAAAAAHHH!!!]

[Beatrice: I don’t know, I suppose.]

The Great Spirit would try to comfort her with a sideways hug, wearing a slightly tired expression—since every time, the cheerful little girl would run into her arms looking for comfort.

It would lead to a scene like that, forcing her to stay in Beatrice’s room for a while to calm her heart.

The little girl, usually bursting with energy to the point of being a bit childish, would just sit there adorably, seeking comfort from the one she considered her “sister,” due to the Spirit-Contractor bond Subaru had with Beatrice from the moment Maia became conscious enough to understand such things.

And the two would stay like that for a while.

Beatrice wouldn’t complain too much... if she didn’t usually end up drenched in tears—and a little snot.

Chochorina...

You’d see the little girl frozen, eyes dull, unmoving, with a small smile on her face, completely unbothered by the world around her.

You might not believe it, but in that moment: her mind couldn’t function. She literally existed physically, but mentally and emotionally, she was gone.

The little girl stood in the void of existence while her spirit and mind floated in the existential emptiness of sadness, trying to understand what had happened to deserve such a look of disappointment.

She would stay like that for a few moments. Her body existed, but her consciousness drifted into the infinite.

Then, after a few minutes... her mind would delete that moment from her memory.

Literally.

Her memories would reshape themselves to erase that specific moment as if it had never happened—leaving behind only the horrible feeling of never wanting to repeat that event again. That would automatically push her to fix what she had done.

Returning to her usual cheerful and excited self...

[Chochorina: That’s weird, why was I just standing here? Wasn’t I just talking to Daddy a second ago?]

She would ask herself while casually walking away.

Cassiopeia...

Usually, you’d see her kneeling, hands resting on her thighs beside her mother, both in the same position, while her father stood in front of them, arms crossed, with a look of frustration and mild irritation.

The two waited for the scolding that would come.

With courage, with strength. Without hesitation. Cassiopeia would face it head-on!

Because, in her opinion, only cowards can’t face the consequences of their actions.

And she wasn’t a coward!

That’s why she stared back with glowing, slightly wild and defiant eyes at the man before her, awaiting his worst...

[Subaru: You’ve disappointed me, Cassiopeia.]

[Cassiopeia: —————————————————]

Being called “Cassiopeia” instead of “Cassia,” the nickname given by her father, showed how truly upset he was.

A level of anger even her mother wouldn’t dare challenge when he decided to express it in words.

It made her shudder—even her hair standing on end—as she felt she’d rather face the Sword Saint in a real fight than face her father in that dreadful moment.

[Cassiopeia: There’s no way I——]

[Subaru: No.]

[Felt: Even if I——]

[Subaru: Don’t even try.]

Under his gaze, they knew that running would be the worst possible choice.

Because the punishment would be far worse if they tried to escape at that moment.

Aconita...

A little girl who was now helping her father chop firewood, along with Spica—each holding an axe.

Swinging with all the strength her little arms could muster.

In those moments, she poured all her sadness and frustration from receiving a disappointed look from her parents due to a mistake she made.

Not that her father had told her to do it or anything like that—but she did it as a way to cope with her anger.

It was her method of dealing with it.

[Aconita: What do you think? Was it because of some bad magic? Was it because I broke something again by accident?]

[Spica: ——]

[Aconita: I don’t know. What could I have done wrong? I don’t think I did anything that should make Daddy upset, do you? —— What do you think?]

Aconita looked at her adoptive sister for a moment, seeking an answer.

[Spica: —— Uau.]

[Aconita: —— You’re right.]

Agreeing with her sister’s wise words, she got back to work.

Even though Spica could speak real words now, nothing hit harder than a well-timed “Uau,” just like when she was really little.

Alpha...

The Witch of Time would be lying in a strange position on her bed.

A blank, neutral expression on her face, staring at the ceiling.

She wore black cat-shaped headphones, listening to a song that perfectly expressed her feelings in that moment of pain.

[Bring Me to Life — Evanescence]

“Wake me up inside”

(I can’t wake up) “Wake me up inside”

(Save me) “Call my name and save me from the dark”

(Wake me up) “Bid my blood to run”

(I can’t wake up) “Before I come undone”

(Save me) “Save me from the nothing I’ve become”

As she listened, Alpha murmured the lyrics with deep sorrow.

Her thoughts at those moments?

Making Todd Fang or Roswaal suffer to vent her anger—or at least destroy some reality where her father wasn’t happy—while continuing to feel the pain in her soul after receiving a direct look of disappointment from her father for something she did wrong or something he might judge to be wrong.

No head pat from her Mecha-Subaru could fix or ease that pain.

At times like these, she could only sink into her sad teenage music.

 

 

—————

A reader asked for it, and I couldn’t resist.

Showing how each of the children would react to receiving a disappointed look from Subaru. What did you think? Which reaction did you like the most?

Chapter 195: Special - Emilia in My IF's

Hey everyone, how’s it going?

Someone sent me a link to a post of one of the Eternal artworks that was on Reddit.

Promise If Subaru(based on thinkminds fanfic)

It was pretty interesting to see my art there and read the comments, but one group of comments caught my attention—people believing that in all my IFs, Emilia has a horrible fate, and that this happens because I hate her.

I found that curious.

It’s not that I like Emilia’s character, but I don’t hate her. I just don’t like the way Tappei writes her, wasting her potential. That’s also why most of the time she ends up with a sad ending in my IFs—it’s all because of her likely fate in each of the first four arcs if Subaru isn’t there to intervene positively.

Arc 1? If he weren’t there, Emilia would die in the Loot House alongside Felt and Rom, with Puck being summoned because of their contract.

Arc 2? Rem and the children in Arlam Village would die due to Meili’s assassination contract, causing Roswaal to fall into a state of apathy (or even depression) simply because he lost one of his key pieces and didn’t have Subaru as predicted in his Tome of Wisdom.

She would either stay at the mansion, unable to do anything, or leave after seeing that no one cared about her and Puck anymore. Or, in the worst case, after being introduced, Petelgeuse would attack her and the mansion’s residents.

Arc 3?

Royal Candidate Meeting at the very start:

There’d be less chance of Puck attacking during the Royal Candidate meeting. For those wondering about Roswaal and Puck’s arrangement, it was in the Arc 3 extra: The Great Spirit Puck’s Nyan Nyan Tricks. There, they agreed to play a “trick” involving Emilia if Subaru was present, using him as a scapegoat.

But what if he wasn’t there? Remember that Emilia was being harshly criticized for her appearance by several people—nervous, scared, and worried about everything. That alone would make Puck uneasy. So here’s the question: even without Roswaal’s manipulation for that “trick,” would he have attacked members of the nobility over the insults thrown at Emilia?

We should remember that Puck values Emilia’s happiness and safety above all else, but as a Great Spirit, he also doesn’t have the best judgment in such matters. So I’ll leave it as a possibility, even if I’m not certain—he might have done it due to Emilia’s growing anxiety as she prepared to present herself to the nobles and the Sage Council that day, just like the attack on the Candidates, Nobles, and a Council member.

Sloth Attack:

Even if she was fine after the meeting, there’s still a high chance she’d die during Petelgeuse’s attack. Even with Roswaal there—since Tappei himself said Roswaal wouldn’t be able to defeat him, as he couldn’t see the Unseen Hands.

What about Puck? Remember that when he killed Petelgeuse, it was after he was no longer nerfed by his contract with Emilia. His skill level in that weakened state would have made him lose even to Elsa, while Petelgeuse had superior numbers, the advantage of invisible hands, and a broader range of abilities. They would all end up dead, and Puck would go into “Beast of the End” mode.

Arc 4?

Emilia wouldn’t be able to overcome the Sanctuary trial—or even take it—without Subaru there to convince Puck to break their contract and release her memories. Puck wouldn’t trust anyone else with her safety at that time, leading to two possible outcomes:

1. A) She would break mentally.
2. B) She would die to the Great Rabbit at that point.

Conclusion:

Pre–Arc 5 Emilia would end up breaking in some way or remain stagnant as she was in Arcs 2, 3, and 4, before entering Echidna’s Tomb—without any real space to grow, as she was being cared for and manipulated by Puck and Roswaal.

So, most of the time when I write a pre–Arc 5 IF, one of these things happens due to the problems Emilia faces in her pre-development arcs. These challenges were almost always overcome by Subaru, allowing her to grow and become more independent.

Now, besides that, I wanted to do something interesting—talk about what happened to each Emilia in each of my IFs, like when I made my IF Ranking, which I plan to update later. Why? Because I wanted to have fun with it and see exactly how many IFs I ended up killing or driving the character insane.

Let’s have some fun…

—[EMILIA’S FATE IN THE IFs]—

Promise IF / Electra IF — Here, Subaru kept his promise not to go, and Puck attacked the nobles and a Sage Council member, making Emilia seen as a monster. This broke her heart due to Puck’s betrayal, and she forcefully broke the contract on her own, shattering her mind from the altered memories. She went insane, obsessing over Subaru—the only one who treated her well and kept his promise since they met.

What happened: She went insane and became an even worse version of her Greed IF self—more manipulative and abusive. Later, she was killed by Electra, her daughter in this IF.

Void IF — Here, Subaru never appeared because Satella missed her mark and didn’t summon him in Arc 1.

What happened: She died in the Loot House after being stabbed from behind by Elsa upon her arrival.

Priscilla IF / Helena IF — Subaru was expelled from Emilia’s camp by Puck after getting Priscilla’s help to defeat Petelgeuse.

What happened: She went to the Sanctuary, took Echidna’s Tomb trial over and over, her mind breaking, becoming obsessed with Subaru since everyone began treating her with indifference or coldness after Puck expelled him for breaking his promise during the Royal Candidate meeting. Later, she was captured and imprisoned, and even in her insane state, Subaru continued caring for her due to the time they had spent together in the past.

Reinhard IF — Here, Subaru was summoned when Reinhard was a small child, becoming his tutor, teacher, and older brother. They became a knightly duo, eliminating the world’s greatest threats together.

What happened: Subaru and Emilia eventually met and fell in love. Over time, he helped her grow, especially after the Sanctuary. Later, they married, and she became Queen while he was, technically, King as her knight. They had a daughter named Chochorina (a name chosen by Emilia). They lived in a world where the Witch Cult was destroyed, the Great Beasts were eliminated, and the Four Great Disasters were prevented.

Black Butterfly IF — Beatrice ends up being heavily possessed by the Witch of Envy and becomes a monster that is a fusion between a Great Spirit and the Witch.

What happened: Every night, like everyone else, she experiences Subaru’s deaths as a kind of nightmare. Although she feels exhausted in the morning, she doesn’t remember the pain she endured during those moments.

Elsa IF — Subaru was summoned to Gusteko and saved Elsa from being assaulted. Due to life in this environment, he adapted alongside her, and they became mercenaries for whoever paid the most.

What happened: Roswaal hired them because of Subaru’s abilities mentioned in his Tome, making them Emilia’s main protectors. Later, she lost the Royal Selection, but they continued working for Roswaal, who persisted in trying to find a way to revive Echidna through their skills. Emilia eventually became their friend and joined the mansion staff as their assistant—although she did not participate in battles like they did.

Vainglory IF / Elpis IF — Subaru was recruited as Pandora’s Archbishop in this world during Arc 3, also becoming the leader of the Witch Cult after crushing the other Archbishops and making them his subordinates.

What happened: Emilia was turned into Regulus Corneas’ 79th wife, living like a doll who served his will in whatever way he desired—becoming just one more in the line of many wives.

Typhon IF — He was summoned to Pristella alongside a revived Typhon, becoming a brotherly and fatherly figure to her. They lived as merchants and shopkeepers.

What happened: Emilia became a close friend to both of them, although Typhon didn’t get along with Puck. The two girls seemed almost like childhood friends, while Subaru and Puck acted like their parents.

Demi-Human IF / Taygete IF — Subaru was summoned about 50 years earlier, during the Demi-Human War, helping in the rebellion. He became a legendary figure worldwide after becoming the leader of a newly founded nation.

What happened: Emilia was supported by Subaru, Shion, Libre, and Rom in her campaign to become queen, growing enough to be competent and forming strong ties with the leaders of the Demi-Human Nation. She even managed to free the Elves of the Elior Forest thanks to Subaru’s help.

Yokai IF — A monster created from the corpses of all of Subaru’s loops across every IF.

What happened: Every time a Subaru dies with Return by Death active, the Yokai may appear to kill everyone—but it doesn’t show up in every case, nor in permanent death scenarios.

Shaula IF — Subaru was summoned inside the Pleiades Tower, beginning a journey with Shaula from there.

What happened: Emilia became known thanks to Subaru and Shaula’s feats but did not actually become queen in this IF. Crusch, who retained her memories, became queen instead, and she, along with Subaru and Shaula, was later called to become Crusch’s protector and ally after the Royal Selection.

Kazuma IF — If Kazuma had been summoned instead of Subaru into the Re:Zero world.

What happened: At first, Kazuma abandoned her to die, not knowing she would actually be killed, out of fear of dying to Elsa. Later in life, after maturing, he went back in time and saved her and the others to help her. She didn’t become queen but lived a good life, still accompanied by Puck.

Destroyed IF — Subaru survived Rem’s torture, having his leg and an arm torn off, along with severe injuries. He became a shell of his former self, gravely wounded by Rem, Ram, and the forest beasts before being saved by a merchant.

What happened: Emilia later resigned as a candidate, isolating herself in the Elior Forest, but was later visited and helped by Subaru and Felt to save the Elves, ensuring their safety.

Vollachia IF — Subaru was summoned to Vollachia with the Authorities of Melancholy and Pride.

What happened: Subaru and Emilia met in almost the same way as in Lugunica but had far fewer interactions. She ended up simply returning to the Elior Forest in the end.

Envy and Pride IF — If Subaru had the Authority of Pride in the Sanctuary and awakened it, granting him power to face his adversaries more effectively.

What happened: The story followed the same canonical path, except they got along better because Subaru didn’t have such a big complex about being protected, as he had an ability that allowed him to fight his opponents more effectively.

Oni IF — If Subaru were reincarnated as an Oni.

What happened: Emilia went through almost the same events as in canon, but Subaru and she were only friends. Subaru was her knight, crushing all her enemies with his immense power.

Sociopath IF — In this IF, Subaru developed a megalomania-like sense and became nearly a complete sociopath, acting solely for his own happiness, even if it meant using others.

What happened: In the Sanctuary, Subaru broke her to make her his “perfect piece,” turning her into a toy in his hands.

Anastasia IF — Subaru was summoned about nine months before the original story, in Kararagi, joining Anastasia’s camp during that time.

What happened: Due to trauma caused by Puck, they did not have a deep relationship, but their camps were allies. She returned to the Elior Forest with Puck after all the Royal Selection events and losing to Anastasia, who became queen.

Mage IF — Here, Subaru appeared in the Re:Zero world with a gate matching his age, powerful enough to withstand magic use, making him quite skilled.

What happened: He followed a path similar to the canonical one, but here he was more confident due to his power, able to face all problems with his magic. Later, she became queen, and he became her knight with the title of “Dark” alongside Beatrice.

Echidna IF / Alpha IF — Subaru was summoned into Echidna’s Tomb with the revived Witch of Greed.

What happened: Later, due to the conflicts caused by Rem, Ram, Roswaal, and even Puck against Subaru, Echidna, and Beatrice, they parted ways. Emilia returned saddened to the Elior Forest with Puck, who blamed Subaru for everything, wondering why he and the others disappeared, feeling heartbroken for having failed the Elves.

Volcanica IF — Subaru was summoned to the Tower with Volcanica forming a contract with him.

What happened: With Subaru’s support, even while still under contract with Puck, Emilia began to grow mentally and make important decisions despite his influence, becoming a fairly competent leader—though not as remarkable as others. In the future, she even married him like the other Royal Candidates.

Crusch IF / Leo IF — Subaru arrived some time before the Royal Selection, joining Crusch’s camp because he invented gunpowder in the Re:Zero world.

What happened: Emilia died in the Loot House inside the Royal Capital during the event known as the Great Winter of the Great Fire Spirit, all because Felix had traveled with Subaru to deal with matters related to creating weapons to fight the White Whale on Crusch’s behalf.

Share IF — Where there is one Subaru in the world of Re:Zero and another in his original world, sharing the same pains and sensations.

What happened: Emilia ends up facing difficulties in trying to help Subaru for the simple fact that he feels pain even from surgeries that happen in his original world, possibly believing it to be part of some curse or madness.

Shrine IF — Subaru reincarnates as a Spirit in the world of Re:Zero.

What happened: They formed a contract after Subaru revived her from the death caused by Roswaal. Subaru and Emilia began to grow together, maturing, while helping others with the abilities they possess. Her image as a half-elf changes thanks to how much she helps people alongside this small Subaru.

Cultist IF — Subaru became the Archbishop of Pride and began changing the Witch Cult from the inside out.

What happened: Emilia became friendlier with the Witch Cult, who began to become positive figures in the world. She would later reunite with Geuse and Fortuna, and because of this, face her past in the Sanctuary and end her contract with Puck with extreme ease. Even without becoming Queen, she saved the Elves of the Forest, recovered Geuse and Fortuna, and even became friends with Subaru—after he became the leader of the nation.

Avenger IF — If Subaru had been Captain America before coming to the world of Re:Zero.

What happened: Thanks to his leadership skills, he managed to change the world, including Emilia and Puck, who began to grow together, becoming heroes in this world as well.

Lucky IF — Subaru is so lucky, but thinks he’s unlucky, since he doesn’t like or want to stand out.

What happened: Because of Subaru’s luck, Puck entrusted Emilia’s education to him and the others. So even with the contract between them, Subaru and the others helped Emilia mature into a functional adult—all thanks to a stroke of luck.

Capella IF — Where Subaru and Crusch were kidnapped by Capella.

What happened: Emilia died at the hands of Regulus during the Priestella attack while Subaru was kidnapped.

Emerada Lugunica IF — Where Capella joins Emilia’s Camp.

What happened: Emilia became queen thanks to the achievements of Subaru and Capella, with Capella teaching and helping her grow into an exceptional leader—even marrying Subaru.

Felt IF — If Reinhard had taken him to Felt’s Camp instead of Emilia taking him with her.

What happened: Emilia almost died during the Great Rabbit attack on the Sanctuary in Arc 4, since Roswaal lost control after losing Rem, Ram fell into depression, and his Tome of Wisdom failed. She was rescued by Subaru and Felt after overcoming the Sanctuary’s trials. She went on to live in the Miload Mansion under the care of Annerose Clind and Frederica.

Candidate IF — Subaru became the Sixth Royal Candidate.

What happened: Emilia became one of Subaru’s wedding godmothers as his friend and ally, almost like a knight, when he became King of Lugunica. She even became one of the protectors of the Natsuki family for all the help he gave her and for saving the Elves of the Forest of Elior.

Overlord IF — If Subaru were a Supreme Being in Nazarick.

What happened: She suffered the same fate as in the Void and Crusch IF.

Sekhmet IF — If Subaru were summoned with the Witch of Sloth.

What happened: She suffered the same fate as in the Void and Crusch IF.

Daphne IF — If Subaru were summoned with the Witch of Gluttony.

What happened: Emilia ended up with an as-yet undefined fate in this world.

Adelheid IF — If Reinhard were a girl in the world of Re:Zero and in love with Subaru.

What happened: Emilia died at the hands of Regulus in a way that traumatized Subaru, and had her memories erased by Adelheid—who, not knowing about Return by Death, thought he was trying to commit suicide. She was given a grave at Adelheid’s special request, who prays at it every day and promises to take care of Subaru with all her strength.

Petra Leveling IF — Petra with the Solo Leveling system.

What happened: Emilia became a secondary character when Petra decided to become the main heroine.

Liliana IF — If Subaru were summoned and saved Liliana.

What happened: Emilia became one of the fangirls of the musical group, attending all their shows.

Ram IF — If Subaru were summoned near the Oni Village.

What happened: Emilia was not captured in the Forest of Elior by Roswaal, since the orders never reached him due to his Tome of Wisdom. She remained with Puck until later when she met Subaru, Rem, and Ram in a small interaction.

Al IF — Subaru opened a bar.

What happened: Emilia visits Subaru’s establishment to watch puppet plays that recreate movies from his and Al’s world. Because of another round of drinking by Subaru and his group, the elves were freed, so she no longer even needs to win the Royal Selection if she doesn’t want to.

Hope IF — Subaru who represents Hope.

What happened: Hope Subaru always shows up to help Emilias from across the multiverse whenever he can—no matter what, rescuing them or simply keeping them company and helping them grow and understand they are not alone and do deserve to be loved.

Lone Star / Sylphy IF — If Subaru had started being ignored by Emilia.

What happened: Emilia is queen but has not matured, and is strongly ignored by everyone around her due to following Puck’s wishes. She becomes a Lone Star. Later, she would be rejected by Subaru when she expressed her feelings, breaking completely and abdicating as queen, but promising to become a guardian of the Natsuki family even if she was not loved by Subaru.

RyzuBaru IF — Subaru in the body of one of Ryuzu’s clones.

What happened: She became Subaru’s “granddaughter” and he began taking care of her, educating her along with the others.

High School IF — A “happy” school life.

What happened: Emilia lives in a bubble where she believes all her friends are good people, while being overprotected to the point she never fully develops, becoming heavily dependent on others. She marries Subaru, who protects her from everything.

—————

That’s it—that’s her fate in all the IFs so far.

What do you think? I made this just for fun. If someone could count how many IFs she: died, broke mentally, returned to the Forest of Elior, broke the contract with Puck, and those where she had a happy ending, I’d appreciate it. I’d really like someone to do that for me.

Oh, and I wanted to share which IFs I’m currently writing and planning:

—??? IF

—Otto IF

—Extra 2 - Hope IF

—Extra - Daphne IF

—Extra 2 - Felt IF

—Extra 2 - Conquest IF

—Extra 2 - Helena IF

—Sonic IF

—Epilogue - Sociopath IF

Chapter 196: Happy Birth Day - April Fool's

This chapter is a Crack Chapter that I wanted to post three days ago, on April 1st, Subaru's birthday, but… I didn’t.

—————

 

 

Alpha, the Witch of Time.

A small little girl with long white hair, with some dark and purple strands extending halfway down her back. She had dark eyes with a green-purple hue—an odd combination—sharp, intimidating, yet set on a cute face that was also so severe it somewhat resembled an adult’s. A small, shallow scar rested above her right eye.

She was the one in charge of the Re:Zero cast in this Infinite Interdimensional Cinema, conveniently built by a lazy Author.

At that moment, she was putting the characters to sleep and preparing them for when… who knows? Leaving? Staying for new screenings? "Who gives a fuck," she would say about it.

If she entered their rooms, what would she find? Well, for example...

In Emilia’s? She would see her having bad dreams where the Author made her fight difficult battles and Subaru saying, “I love Rem.”

In Rem’s? The Oni girl would be clinging to a body pillow featuring a half-naked Subaru.

In Roswaal’s? The clown would be staring at a picture of Echidna while holding one of her old panties.

In Reinhard’s? He would be thinking about how all his Divine Protections still didn’t grant him the love of his father or grandfather.

In Al’s? He would be watching hardcore pornography so extreme that he’d be arrested in over eighty universes, with the only wholesome content being pictures of Subaru dressed in women’s clothing.

In Shaula’s? A scene almost identical to Rem’s, except Subaru’s image looked not only half-naked but completely defenseless, ready to be overwhelmed by all the love the scorpion girl wanted to give him.

In Subaru’s? He would be fast asleep, still unaware of the events around him due to all the sedatives—potent enough to knock out ten whales—that had been injected into him. Beside him, his ever-loyal Beatrice, occasionally moving his hand to pat her head with as much force as she could muster, trembling slightly like a cigarette or meth addict going through withdrawal.

In Petra’s? The most powerful being in the Re:Zero world, sleeping in glory, power, and good writing. Calm and at rest because she knew she was the best girl, alongside Patrasche and Beatrice. She also knew that if she were the main heroine, there would only be three arcs before she answered Subaru’s “I love you” and defeated every villain that appeared. For this being, Petra, stood above all races and characters in the world and had yet to conquer Subaru only out of pity for poor Emilia, who relied on the script and the author to keep his heart.

In short: Everything was normal. Nothing out of the ordinary, even on the Witch Cult’s side, where she might see things like: Regulus crying in a corner, Louis sprawled on the floor in agony from the intense Subaru-Style Character Development she received, Sirius wondering, “Who is Fortune?” because she had gone out to eat a hot dog during Emilia’s flashback scenes in Arc 4.

After checking everything and confirming that EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL, within STANDARD, with NOTHING STRANGE, she followed the standard procedure in such moments.

Opening her arms and taking a T-pose, she floated upward toward the ceiling, naturally phasing through it and beginning to fly through an infinite black space. Still in T-pose. Like every living being that flies in a T-pose, she suddenly stopped in front of a wall with a door and then… casually phased through it without opening the door.

Why open a door when you can just walk through it? Wasting time opening doors when you can phase through them—along with the wall—was just stupid, don’t you think?

After phasing through the door and the wall, she found herself inside the room. The bedroom. The Director’s room—the self-inserted form of the Author, the one narrating everything that was happening to you. And what did he look like? There was no exact description because the Author didn’t want to self-insert with a false or real image of himself. But Alpha could see him, and she would simply describe him the same way Arnold Schwarzenegger did in the original Predator movie.

[Alpha: "You're one ugly motherfucker."] She always said that whenever she looked at the Director/Author, who served as her boss in that place.

[Director: "Ok."] He replied casually, thinking about how he was degrading himself in his own narration at this point. But well, he was the author and a self-insert. So, fuck it. ["It’s time for the announcement, isn’t it? This chapter was supposed to be posted three days ago with the message you wanted to give."]

[Alpha: "Oh, right. Well..."] she looked at the readers. ["I came to make an announcement: Shadow the Hedgehog is a bitch-ass motherfucker."]

[Director: "Not that announcement!"]

[Alpha: "The movie version?"]

[Director: "No! It was supposed to be the announcement about the stories you’re involved in, damn it. The stories I assigned to you."] He spoke with irritation, though there was no reason for it—she was just messing around in a crack chapter poorly written by this lazy, sweet-loving author.

[Alpha: "Oh, yeah. Those announcements. Well..."] she adjusted herself to make an announcement that didn’t involve Shadow the Hedgehog, that bitch-ass motherfucker who probably pissed on someone’s wife. ["We’re announcing new chapters for this story, as well as new versions of our most famous one: Re:Consequences IF. We’ll be introducing new things... Go on, Author!"]

The first announcements were about IFs that would appear in the future:

Sun IF — What if...? What if Subaru had the Blessing of the Sun?

Yang IF — What if...? What if Subaru had the Yang Sword?

Lucky IF — What if...? What if Subaru was extremely unlucky?

Avenger IF — What if...? What if a Subaru from a universe connected to Marvel had been summoned?

[Director: "I think that last one might get a lot of attention, don’t you?"]

[Alpha: "Crossovers always draw attention. Who doesn’t like them? Well, except when your favorite character loses due to some stupid inconsistency or bad writing, right?"]

[Director: "Yeah, I totally get it."] He said, not really getting it but nodding vigorously to skip more unnecessary dialogue and get to what the readers actually wanted to see. ["But those aren’t all the IFs that will appear. There will also be Extras and Epilogues for other IFs, but we just wanted to stir the pot a little with these four."]

Now that we’ve skipped that part, let’s see what our dear Author—with clear signs of ADHD—has to say about versions of the story he hasn’t updated in ages because he’s a lazy bastard who can’t focus enough to write chapters for it: Re:Consequences IF.

[Towards the Good Ending...] — What if everyone went back to the first day?

[A Turning Point...] — What if everyone went back to the day of the Royal Selection?

["Everyone Knows..."] — What if everyone in the world saw Subaru’s story?

[Director: "Copied— I mean, based on three different stories. The first: The WHDAAA Cast, Good Ending by Hadest1430, from Fanfiction.net; the second: Natsuki Subaru’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Or Week) (Or Month) by SakuraMilkToast, from Ao3; and the third: The 4 Nations Witness the Strongest Existence by Feopyr. These would feature reaction versions from different casts."]

[Alpha: In our original; the people from the Camps, the Witches, Shaula, the Witch Cult, the people from Kararagi and Vollachia watched: The first two seasons, the Web Novel, the original IFs along with the Revenge Route, the Destroyed IFs, the Forgotten IF, and the Void IF. But these versions... They must have seen different things in the screenings, right?]

[Director: That’s the plan! And the plan is that we, meaning me, my non-self-insert self, will write the story with a different foundation from what we are copyi—basing it on. In this case: Not following the same path as the other stories, but using them as a foundation for what I want to do. Some points being more positive, others negative.]

[Alpha: Yeah, yeah. Alright.] She stood up. When did she sit down? What did she sit on? Does it matter? She already stood up, she’s on her feet, what she did while sitting was just talking, so who cares, right? What matters is what she’s about to say. [I'm leaving, but before that...] she pressed a strangely convenient red button in the air beside her.

From behind the Planet, a gigantic globe with Alpha's appearance emerged and shot at the Moon. The beam hit the Moon. Alpha was able to achieve her goal: She made a piss beam that pissed on the Moon.

And after this unnecessary scene, she struck a T-pose and started flying, crashing through the wall she entered from, breaking it in the shape of her body. How did she get through the entrance without an issue but destroyed the exit? No one cares, because what really matters is that the piss splashes would hit Earth in a few hours, and nobody gives a damn.

Looking at the readers in the conveniently possible way he could, the director/author—ugly to the point of only being describable as "You're one ugly motherfucker."—adjusted himself in his chair.

[Director: Despite the nonsense in this chapter, I’m actually serious about the chapter and story ideas I want to write. And some stories will have seen different IFs, some from this story of mine. For example; [Towards the Good Ending...], they saw IFs about how Subaru would be in each of the Camps of the other candidates. For example: They saw the Anastasia IF.] he explained casually while grabbing an umbrella to shield himself from the pieces of the Moon and the splashes from Alpha's beam. [Well, until next time. The chapter I'm currently writing is the next one for “Re:Consequences IF,” which is already halfway through.]

 

 

—————

For those wondering who Alpha is: She’s my original character from "Re:Consequences IF." I hope you liked the chapter, even though it’s just a joke, it was only meant to give a heads-up about the future ideas I have for my stories.

Chapter 197: Birthday!

Guys, I woke up happy today.

Why?

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!

Wow, like, WOW! Time has passed so quickly, but at the same time it seems like my birthday was just yesterday. It doesn't make sense, does it? But sometimes so much happens in life that it makes time seem like it's going too fast, and sometimes it makes it seem like there's not enough. Again, it's confusing. The important thing is that today I'm really happy. Another year of life, another time I'm getting older, and another year that I want to finish college soon... because there are so many things to do there that it gives me a headache...

The important thing is that I'm happy! And I wanted to thank you, readers. It's been over four months since I started this story. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! It's only been four months, but to me it feels like I've been writing for years.

I wanted to thank you for following me all this time. It was a short time, but for me it was enough to really appreciate and love the time with each of you. If I could make one request, it would be that... I would like people to comment more on my chapters. I know I may seem a little demanding or petty with this request, but I really like it when you comment on the chapters of my stories. Sometimes, when I'm writing, I even read your comments to get myself excited. I really love reading your comments! Like... I really missed people's comments on My Helena and Taygete IF Extras...

Well... I'm sorry that this isn't an IF chapter and that I didn't post one yesterday. Yesterday I was sick, and I could only write on my phone and post yesterday's [Extra 4 - Interrogation IF]. I apologize for that. I'll see if I can post something today, but if not, I apologize for that. I hope you're not upset about it.

I appreciate your patience and thank you for your company since the beginning. Even though we've only been together for a short time, I really appreciate your presence commenting on my story. I hope we can continue for a long time.

Chapter 198: An explanation and retraction about some things in my story (not an if chapter, sorry

Hey everyone, how's it going? This isn't an IF chapter, but rather another important explanation about something I've noticed in some discussions: the abilities of Subaru that I've been showing in the IFs I've written.  

Especially when we consider these abilities in relation to his knowledge and intelligence. So, I'm going to try to explain some important points:  

1. Hikikomori  

Contrary to what some people think, Subaru hasn't been a Hikikomori for a long time in the *Re:Zero* timeline. From what I remember from Arc 4, he only became a Hikikomori for THREE MONTHS—three months after entering his final school year, isolating himself from the world. Not for years. He basically reached his last year of school and then started isolating himself.  

And considering the incredible memory he has, it wouldn’t make sense to think that he would easily forget the things taught during his school years, from the basics to the more complex subjects.  

2. Official IFs  

Some argue that official IFs shouldn’t be used to compare with the Subaru from the original route because they are different.  

And my point is: they both are and aren’t.  

The Subarus from the original routes are the same Subaru, with the same knowledge from Earth, but they used their potential in different ways. For example, the Subaru from the Wrath Route was said to have created his own personal empire using money from inventions from his home world (our Earth), to the point of securing investments to build his own castle (*Pandemonium*) and forming his own private group/army (*Pleiades*). 

The IFs only show Subaru’s potential if he were to follow different paths, but the point they emphasize is that he would be capable of doing those things if he were motivated to. He has the same potential as his other versions, but he doesn’t use it. This applies both to his power and his mindset. Like, if the Wrath Route Subaru—whom some consider mentally unstable—managed to accomplish all of that with his personal investments from his inventions, the only things preventing the original Subaru from doing the same are the story itself and the author, who repeatedly portrays and states outright that Subaru is a genius with great potential, but he just doesn’t use it (or is prevented from using it by the author and the characters around him).  

3. Japanese Education  

For this part, I used ChatGPT to conduct more solid research, since I'm not an exchange student and don't know much about Japanese culture. So, forgive me for relying on AI to explain this, but I think it should be enough to understand how deep Subaru’s knowledge is based on the education he received during his school years:  

ChatGPT Explanation:

Japanese education is one of the most rigorous and well-structured in the world, reflecting Japan’s culture of discipline, effort, and academic excellence. Here is a detailed analysis of its depth and importance:  

---

1. The Japanese Educational System:
The Japanese educational system follows the **6-3-3-4 model**:  

- **Shōgakkō (Elementary School)** – 6 years (ages 7 to 12)  
- **Chūgakkō (Junior High School)** – 3 years (ages 12 to 15)  
- **Kōkō (Senior High School)** – 3 years (ages 15 to 18, which is when Subaru dropped out)  
- **Daigaku/Senmon Gakkō (University or Technical School)** – 4 years (for universities)  

Education is compulsory until the end of junior high school (a total of 9 years). High school and higher education are not mandatory, but most students continue their studies. 

2. Characteristics of the Japanese Education System:

A. Emphasis on Discipline and Morality:

From an early age, children learn not just academic content but also moral and social values. There are specific subjects focused on ethics and citizenship, teaching respect, responsibility, and cooperation.  

B. High Workload and Academic Rigor:

- Classes are held **Monday through Friday** and, in many schools, on Saturdays as well.  
- The school day starts at **around 8 AM and ends at around 3 or 4 PM**, but many students continue extracurricular activities until late.  
- There is **daily homework**, and students spend many hours studying at home or in **juku** (cram schools).  

C. Exam Pressure and Culture of Hard Work:

 
- The **entrance exams for high school and university** are extremely competitive and determine a student’s future.  
- Many children start attending preparatory schools from a young age to ensure a good performance.  
- The culture of effort and meritocracy is very strong: it is believed that **success depends on hard work, not just talent**.  

D. Standardization and Equality:

  
- Almost all schools have uniforms, reinforcing discipline and minimizing social differences.  
- Students are responsible for **cleaning their classrooms and hallways**, teaching them responsibility and teamwork.  

3. Importance of Education in Japan:

A. Impact on Economy and Technology:

  
Japan became an economic powerhouse largely due to its educational system. The emphasis on science, technology, and innovation has led to remarkable advancements in fields like robotics, engineering, and medicine.  

B. Influence on Society and Culture:

- Education helps reinforce values like respect for hierarchy, punctuality, and dedication to work.  
- The high literacy rate (almost 100%) contributes to a well-informed and efficient society.  
- There is a strong sense of collective duty and discipline, which can be seen in behaviors like keeping streets clean and organizing effectively during emergencies.  

C. Challenges and Criticisms:

Despite its success, the Japanese educational system also faces criticism:  
- **High stress levels**: academic pressure leads to cases of depression and, in some instances, suicide.  
- **Lack of creativity and critical thinking**: the teaching method is often based on rote memorization, reducing innovation.  
- **Bullying (*Ijime*)**: there is a serious issue with school harassment, sometimes without proper intervention.

Conclusion:

Education in Japan is a fundamental pillar of society, promoting discipline, knowledge, and academic excellence. However, the excessive pressure on students raises concerns about mental health and creativity. Despite these challenges, the Japanese educational system remains one of the most efficient and influential in the world.  

---

Because we consider Subaru to be an average Japanese student, I asked ChatGPT how intelligent a student in Japanese Medium is.

ChatGPT Explanation:

The average Japanese student is considered one of the best educated in the world, especially in terms of academic performance and mathematical, scientific and reading skills. This is reflected in international rankings, such as the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), where Japan is consistently among the 10 best countries in the world.

1. Academic Performance:

Japan excels in the three main areas assessed by PISA:

- **Mathematics:** Japanese students are generally among the top 3 in the world. They have strong complex problem-solving skills and logical reasoning.

- Science:** Japan is also in the **top 5**, showing rigorous teaching of physics, chemistry and biology.

- Reading:** Although slightly below countries like Finland and Canada, Japanese students still do very well in text interpretation and critical reading.

2. Factors that Contribute to Academic Intelligence:

- **Extensive course load**: Japanese students study around 60 hours a week, including school, homework and preparatory courses (juku).

- Focus on discipline and memorization: The Japanese system emphasizes memorization and repetitive practice, resulting in a high level of technical knowledge and precision.

- Advanced curriculum: The content taught in Japanese schools is often **years ahead** of that in other countries. A 15-year-old Japanese student may be studying math topics that are only taught at the age of 17 or 18 elsewhere.

3. Comparison with other countries:

If we compare with other countries:

- The average Japanese student has an **QI estimated to be around 105 to 107**, higher than the global average of 100.

- In countries like the USA, a typical Japanese student would be among the **10-20% best students** in their class in math and science.

4. Intelligence Beyond Academics:

Despite high academic performance, there are some limitations:

- **Less creativity and critical thinking**: The system focuses more on correct answers than on exploring new ideas.

- **Low development of social skills**: The intense academic routine can hinder students' ability to develop interpersonal skills.

Conclusion:

The average Japanese student is much more academically advanced than their counterparts in many countries, especially in math and science. However, this high level comes with challenges, such as excessive pressure and less incentive for creativity.

---

Here, I asked whether their knowledge would be enough for things like gunpowder production or medicine creation, or if they would at least have the knowledge to guide themselves in these areas.  

ChatGPT Explanation:

Japanese students receive a very solid education, but not to the extent that they graduate from school with advanced technical knowledge, such as a complete understanding of human anatomy, the ability to manufacture medicine, or the ability to produce gunpowder. I’ll detail what they actually learn and to what extent they cover these topics:

1. Human Anatomy in the Japanese Educational System:

Japanese students learn biology progressively, gaining a solid foundation in anatomy, though not at the level of a doctor or scientist.  

- **Elementary School**: They learn about the human body in a basic way—major organs, the circulatory system, digestion, bones, and muscles.  
- **High School**: Anatomy studies become more detailed, covering complex systems such as the nervous, endocrine, and reproductive systems. They learn about cells, DNA, and biotechnology.  
- **University**: Only those who pursue fields like medicine or biomedical sciences study human anatomy in its entirety.  

Conclusion: A typical Japanese high school student will have a good understanding of anatomy but will not have complete knowledge of the human body. They understand how basic systems work but are not trained to perform surgeries or accurately diagnose diseases.  

2. Medicine Production:

Chemistry and biology taught in Japanese schools are advanced but not sufficient for a student to manufacture medicine.  

- **Elementary School**: They learn basic chemistry, such as simple chemical reactions, atomic structure, and states of matter.  
- **High School**: Organic and inorganic chemistry are taught in detail. Students learn about proteins, enzymes, DNA, basic pharmacology, and the synthesis of chemical substances, but without an in-depth focus on drug manufacturing.  
- **University**: Only those studying pharmacy, biochemistry, or medicine receive extensive education on drug production.  

Conclusion: An average Japanese student may understand how a drug works in the body and its active ingredients, but manufacturing medicine would require years of university study.  

3. Gunpowder Production:

  
Japanese chemistry education covers complex chemical reactions but rarely includes the production of dangerous substances like gunpowder.  

- **High School**: Students study stoichiometry, exothermic reactions, and combustion. They may even learn about gunpowder components (sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal), but they are unlikely to study the complete formula in class due to safety concerns.  
- **University**: Only specific courses, such as chemical engineering or explosives materials (in military or industrial contexts), provide detailed instruction on manufacturing.  

Conclusion: A highly dedicated and curious student, with knowledge of chemistry from Japanese high school, might figure out how to make gunpowder on their own. However, this type of knowledge is generally not taught directly to avoid risks.  

Final Summary:

The Japanese educational system is extremely efficient, and students graduate with a strong foundation in sciences. However:  
- They do not fully understand human anatomy but have advanced knowledge for their age.  
- They do not learn to make medicine but understand the principles of pharmaceutical chemistry.  
- They are not taught how to make gunpowder, but a curious student with chemistry knowledge could figure it out independently.  

If a Japanese student wants to specialize in these areas, they must continue their studies at the university level.  

---

4. Trial and Error

This complements the previous point. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough, but with the basic knowledge he has, Subaru, in my IFs, goes through trial and error before achieving the results he wants when developing the things he creates.  

---

5. Conclusion

This was just an explanation for those who have so many doubts about why Subaru is so intelligent in my IFs. Subaru does, in fact, have extensive knowledge of his world, which is extremely useful thanks to his incredible memory. And despite being a Hikikomori, he was not necessarily lazy, even if that’s how he saw himself.  

It’s also worth noting: Being an Otaku is not an argument against his intelligence. He only became an Otaku to fit in with people at his school, but he was also a studious and intelligent student.  

The problem is that Subaru didn’t see his own potential. It’s not that he’s a genius on the level of Einstein or anything like that, but he is quite intelligent. His depressed state simply stagnated him and prevented him from realizing it.  

If you want to know more about what a Japanese student is capable of doing or not, you can research it—or, like me (a hopelessly lazy person), just ask ChatGPT for a detailed explanation about Japanese education, as I did.

Chapter 199: My Tier List (not a chapter, just a way to pass the time)

I decided to make a Tier List of my IFs. Like, the ones I liked and like to write the most (and which ones I consider to be my best and worst). To give my personal opinion on the types of stories I like to write, and also to pass the time and open up a bit more to you about my preferences.

Well, here goes. From what I consider the best to the worst.

1) Typhon IF.

2) Volcanica IF.

3) Anastasia IF.

4) Cultist IF.

5) Shaula IF.

6) Demi-Human IF.

7) Destroyed IF.

8) Priscilla IF.

9) Mage IF.

10) Mabeasts IF.

11) Shrine IF.

12) Black Butterfly IF.

13) Vainglory IF.

14) Conquest IF.

15) Vollachia IF.

16) Echidna IF.

17) Crusch IF.

18) Forgotten IF - Path of Revenge.

19) Reverse Isekai IF.

20) Sociopath IF.

21) Yokai IF.

22) Reinhard IF.

23) Avenger IF.

24) Lucky IF.

25) Interrogation IF.

26) Oni IF.

27) Elsa IF.

28) Kazuma IF.

29) Void IF.

30) Sharing IF.

31) Envy and Pride IF.

This would be my list of all the IF's I've done so far, from what I consider my best to my worst (in my personal opinion among all of them.) When I say “Best” and “Worst”, I mean the ones I hold most dear and have the most ideas for writing, and making into a separate story.

In this case: This list is more like “From the story I most want to turn into a complete story, the story I least want to turn into a complete story.” But that doesn't mean that the ones in last place I wouldn't write, they're just the ones I least... want to write. Because in my opinion, I feel that the ones in the Top 10, especially among my Top 5, are my favorites to write complete stories in the future.

Well... That's it. Sorry it's not an IF chapter, but I'm already producing the next IF. I just wanted to share my opinion. Whenever I write new IFs, I'll try to update this list. Because I like it.

And what do you think? If you had to make a list, what would yours be?

This post doesn't count as a chapter in my story, for my chapter count to post my special 100 Chapters of my story. Since I only count IF chapters, not chapters that aren't official IFs.

Chapter 200: Opinion and Voting

I plan to delete this chapter later (or maybe not).

I mentioned this in another chapter, but I’m thinking of making a story where Subaru’s children from my IFs meet him. I’ve already thought about which children would appear:

Electra, Helena, Leo, Lyra and Mercurius, Cassiopeia, Alpha (who will be nerfed), and Elpis (as a villain to her brothers and sisters).

I’d like your opinion on which Arc they should appear in:

Arc 1 – Where they would go on adventures with their father from the very beginning.

Arc 3 – Where, a week before the meeting of the Royal Selection Candidates, each of the children would be summoned in front of their respective mothers.

Arc 4 – Which would take place during the time skip between Arc 4 and 5. In this version, they (except for Elpis, who would be summoned at the ruined Flugel Tree, and Alpha, who would be summoned in front of Subaru) would appear before their respective mothers. It would be a more comedic adventure, where the characters deal with their children. It would even include Beatrice making a deep analysis of her contractor’s potential descendants, giving her opinion on the matter.

I really want your opinion, so: please vote for the one you’d most like to see. I’m torn between the three and can’t decide. You can also share your thoughts on which other children you’d like to see appear in the story — or at least be mentioned.

To avoid leaving the chapter with just that, I’ll announce some chapters I’m planning for my IFs…

Extra – Aldebaran IF:

Joshua gets extremely drunk and spouts wild theories.

[Joshua: Theresia-sama didn’t die to the Whale, she was kidnapped by the Witch Cult!]

Omnitrix IF:

What if...? What if the hero had the universe on his wrist?

A Subaru who faced multiple threats across the universe, from a man with strange animals to a bomb that could erase every version of himself from the Multiverse.

[Subaru: I's hero time]

Sonic IF:

What if...? What if the Blue Demon of Green Hill and the Mad Scientist ended up in another world?

In yet another battle between Sonic and Eggman, they find themselves transported to another world.

[Sonic: The fastest thing alive…]

Extra – Leveling Petra IF:

Where the little girl continues to train her strongest Shadow.

[Petra: Time to farm some EXP.]

Otto IF:

What if...? What if Otto went to another world?

Thanks to Otto’s spectacular bad luck, he and his companion end up dying... Luckily, they’re transported to another world — right in front of a boy with scary eyes.

[Otto: What is... Pornhub?]

Chapter 201: Result...

This chapter will remain until the next IF is posted.

The voting was very good. For the record, the result is as follows:

1. The Sixth Candidate (Hard Mode).

2. Changed (Normal Mode).

3. Replaced (Easy Mode).

And I'm going to do the IF of the Sixth Candidate. I'm not discarding the others! I'm just saying that I'm going to do this one before all the others, but the other two I'm only going to do later.

I wanted to take this moment to correct one thing: Volcanica won't be part of Subaru's team; he'll only give him permission to be the Sixth Candidate, apart from that, he won't give any other support. Like: "I'll let you in, but from there you'll manage."

To make it clearer to you, Subaru will get a bit of help, gaining a place to stay and a territory, but:

-He'll start without any other kind of support (like, Emilia even has Roswaal to help with administration and dealing with the nobles).

-Only has Shaula as an ally at the start.

-He only has a bankrupt, poorly-kept, small territory (extremely small compared to each of the other Candidates' territories), with people disliking him (because they don't know him and think he's just another snobbish noble).

-He can barely read and write, depending on Shaula's help to learn and deal with the necessary documents.

-They don't even have enough money to survive or to properly invest their land. He has to create an income to compensate for this lack of investment.

-The conquest of the Tower of the Pleiades will not count as an achievement for him, nor will the recruitment of his apprentice Shaula or his having made contact with Volcanica, since this took place before he became an Official Candidate accepted onto the Dragon Board.

-It's going to start with a bad image for almost everyone: for the Nobles, because he's a foreign commoner, and for most of the Candidates, because he's a Candidate who suddenly entered without warning that this would happen.

In that case...

He's going to start out without any in-depth knowledge of the Kingdom, without knowing how to read and write properly, a small, poorly-kept territory almost overrun with Mabeasts (with almost no defenses outside of Shaula, unlike the barrier in Arlam Village), with almost no money or investment, with no conquests, with no title of nobility (which would allow him to make Shaula his official knight and not a self-proclaimed one), with no trust from most of the people around him.

So... Do you think that's hard enough? Because some believed that I wouldn't make it so hard for Subaru.

Chapter 202: Result....

Based on the vote, I've decided what I'm going to do:

I'm going to write the Family IF versions as Alternate Routes, one at a time. I plan to write the Family IF variant stories. To make it clearer, the order will be:

1. From Arc 4: Where the children appear in the time between Arc 4 and 5.

2. From Arc 3: Where the children appear at the beginning of Arc 3.

3. From Arc 1: Where the children appear in Arc 1 with Subaru.

And the children that will appear will be:

1. From Arc 4: Electra, Chochorina, Helena, Leo, Lyra and Mercurius, Cassiopeia, Alpha (nerfed), and Elpis.

2. From Arc 3: Electra, Helena, Leo, Lyra and Mercurius, Cassiopeia, Graffias, Taygete, and Alpha (nerfed).

3. From Arc 1: Electra, Chochorina, Helena, Leo, Lyra and Mercurius, Cassiopeia, Graffias, Maia, Bellatrix, ###, Rigel, Spica, Taygete, Aconite (baby), Alpha and Elpis.

Chapter 203: Back from hiatus... but with some changes.

Hey guys, how's it going?

I couldn't stand waiting any longer, so I think I'm coming out of hiatus. But with a few changes: I've decided to stop doing what I was doing before.

In other words:

I used to write a chapter, post it, and then write another one to maybe post on the same day or the next day.

From now on, I've decided that I'll post on specific days: Wednesday and Saturday.

By setting aside these two specific days for posting, I can focus on posting the chapters of my story, like the others. At the same time, it also allows me to focus on other things here at home. I'm facing some money problems, which has also affected the rest of my family, and I'm trying to earn some extra income to help both here at home and to help my mother, so it ends up being better for me to set specific days when I can or cannot post than to keep posting every day and getting tired.

Sorry to bother you with a chapter like this and vent like this, but I wanted to let you know right away. See you next time. Tomorrow I'll be posting a new official chapter just to make up for it.

Chapter 204: Sharing some Stories

Hey guys, I've come here to do something special.

Thank you. I'd really like to thank the readers who have been following my stories, as well as other Authors who have honored me in a way I didn't expect. Using my stories as inspiration. I honestly never expected that the day would come when someone would use one of my stories as inspiration or something similar to write their own, something that still surprises me.

That's why I decided to dedicate this chapter to sharing the stories of each of them:

-What if...? Re: Zero - One Shot's - The Theaters by @CondorKalum109

-Re:Preguntas by @Juanplayer3000

-Re:Promise by @RegulusCorneas

-Destrozando sus mentes y corazones en el Teatro del sufrimiento by @Pecado6866

-Re:Consequences IF cast watch multi fandoms by @Hrx_pro1

-Alpha'sShenanigans by @RegulusCorneas

-Re:zero fanfic one-shots by Canvus

-Re:Zero What ifs by SK_Kirito_BS

-A Mirror of possibilities and what it Reflects by Sir_Kurokodairu

-watching the sinner's life in the theater by shitj

-Re:Vainglory by Zero_Haven

-Alpha goes to therapy by luismmusic

-Misfits of the Trio Subaru’s daughter 🤦‍♂️ by Ezeolegend27

They are translating my stories for Wattpad:

Kai-Tenshi

Jubellian

Channels that use my stories:

Miton.

I really appreciate those people who wrote these stories inspired by mine or took the concept from me. Because... Holy shit! I never really thought I'd write something worth someone else quoting me or being inspired by me. So that's why I wrote this chapter, to spread these stories.

And I thank you all! Anyone who is also going to write based on my stories, please let me know, and I'll post it here too if you wish. I hope you won't be angry with me for this not being an IF chapter, but I really couldn't not mention these people and these stories, which have honored me in a way I never expected to be honored.

Chapter 205: Result...

So we've concluded the voting, and the results are:

Petra IF - 62
Satella IF - 79
Patrasche IF - 15

So, it's as follows:

1. Satella, winning by 17 votes over Petra IF and 64 votes over Patrasche IF.
2. Petra, losing by 17 votes and winning by 47 votes over Patrasche IF.
3. Patrasche only got 15 votes in total, both on Spirit and Ao3.

Satella IF was selected to be IF 200, a special.

And the other two? Well... They'll be posted any day now. I'm already writing Patrasche IF and Petra IF to post soon, while Satella IF will only be in chapter 200 and onward. In other words... This was a partial victory for everyone.

I hope you enjoyed the voting! And my vote went to... Petra IF, so she got 63 votes.

Oh, I decided to change the days I'll be posting my chapters because of some things going on in my daily life:

Instead of posting on Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting today I'll start posting on Saturdays and Sundays. What do you think?

Chapter 206: YouTube Channel...

Well, folks, I did this: I created a YouTube channel and posted my first video of my IFs.

Channel: ThinkMind.

Video: What if...? Priscilla IF - Complete - Re:Zero Fanfic.

I created it just to test it out and see how it would turn out. Besides finding it fun, it's also for anyone who wants to listen to it when they can't read or something like that. It's not perfect, because I used AI to read my text. Why did I use AI? It's because English isn't my native language, and I'm not very good at speaking it. I have a language problem that leaves me with serious diction issues even in my native language, to the point that I have difficulty even talking to other people without using texts or something similar.

I don't know if I'll post much about it, or even if I'll include all the IFs. But I'm considering including at least the complete ones.

Anyway: I came here just to share and post the link for anyone who wants to go there, watch, and offer support. Sorry to bother you with this.

Chapter 207: Voting Results...

-Superman IF: 67 Votes.

-Justice League IF: 39 Votes.

With 28 votes across both accounts I use on different websites, Superman IF won the vote as the IF I'll feature in the future DC crossover with Re:Zero in my One Shots.

But... Don't worry, the other one will still happen, just with a different plot. Since a reader gave me a really good idea.

To make you even more curious, I'll give you a little information about both IFs:

-Superman IF: The Subaru version of Superman will be more disadvantaged against Magic, Curses, and Authorities because of the Return by Death Authority, which constantly drains his strength. This doesn't kill him. But if he spends too much time without sunlight, he begins to enter a state similar to what he would experience if exposed to Kryptonite or under the influence of the Parasite's touch. Where he needs to constantly recharge his batteries, this leaves him at a disadvantage against Sin Archbishops, especially if he fights at night or when the sun isn't shining.

To summarize: If he previously took 200% damage against Magic, in this IF, he takes 800 to 1000% damage against Magic and Authorities.

-Justice League IF:

Synopsis: A young man disappeared, a young man whom no one seemed to remember after a year of his sudden disappearance. But there was someone who still thought about this strange event. A faceless man who asked the right questions, a man who would raise the Question...

"Where is Natsuki Subaru?"

And with that question, with doubts and a desire to find an answer, the League acts. And in a touch of magic... they find themselves in a place completely different from what they thought.

Chapter 208: List of Chapters of My Story in Order of Posting

Hey guys:

When I post a chapter, along with the Extras and Epilogues, I use the [EDIT] of the story to put it side by side, even if it's not in the order of release, I leave it in chronological order:

1. Promise IF
2. Extra - Promise IF
3. Extra 2 - Promise IF
4. Epilogue - Promise IF

Even though I didn't actually write them one after the other, I organize them like this. So this chapter here will be for me to put the chapters in order of release, not chronologically, so you know which one I posted first and which one I posted last on this site for anyone who is confused.

And whenever I post and make an EDIT to my story, I'll come here and write which one I posted next:

---

Posting order:

1. Promise IF
2. Void IF
3. Priscilla IF
4. Reinhard IF
5. Extra - Priscilla IF
6. Black Butterfly IF
7. Elsa IF
8. Vainglory IF
9. Typhon IF
10. Demi-Human IF
11. Extra - Vainglory IF
12. Yokai IF
13. Shaula IF
14. Extra - Promise IF
15. Kazuma IF
16. Extra - Reinhard IF
17. Extra - Demi-Human IF
18. Destroyed IF
19. Extra - Destroyed IF
20. Vollachia IF
21. Extra - Yokai IF
22. Extra 2 - Promise IF
23. Envy and Pride IF
24. Extra - Kazuma IF
25. Extra 2 - Vainglory IF
26. Extra - Typhon IF
27. Oni IF
28. Sociopath IF
29. Extra 2 - Typhon IF
30. Extra - Shaula IF
31. Extra 2 - Yokai IF
32. Anastasia IF
33. Extra 2 - Shaula IF
34. Extra - Void IF
35. Extra 2 - Destroyed IF
36. Extra - Vollachia IF
37. Extra - Black Butterfly
38. Extra 2 - Void IF
39. Extra - Anastasia IF
40. Conquest IF
41. Extra - Sociopath IF
42. Mage IF
43. Extra - Elsa IF
44. Extra - Mage IF
45. Mabeastas IF
46. Echidna IF
47. Epilogue - Promise IF
48. Extra 2 - Anastasia IF
49. Extra - Mabeasts IF
50. Extra 2 - Priscilla IF
51. Epilogue - Anastasia IF
52. Extra 2 - Mabeasts IF
53. Volcanica IF
54. Crusch IF
55. Epilogue - Mabeasts IF
56. Extra 2 - Kazuma IF
57. Extra 2 - Black Butterfly IF
58. Sharing IF
59. Epilogue Black Butterfly
60. Epilogue - Typhon IF
61. Extra 2 - Demi-Human IF

62. Extra - Oni IF

63. Shrine IF

64. Reverse Isekai IF

65. Epilogue - Demi-Human IF

66. Epilogue - Vainglory IF

67. Happy Birthday - April Fool's

68. Extra - Volcanica IF

69. Extra - Shrine IF

70. Cultist IF

71. Extra 2 - Volcanica IF

72. Extra - Echidna IF

73. Extra - Cultist IF

74. Avenger IF

75. Extra 2 - Echidna IF

76. Epilogue - Echidna IF

77. Extra 2 - Cultist IF

78. Extra 3 - Volcanica

79. Extra 3 - Typhon IF

80. Lucky IF

81. Interrogation IF

82. Extra 2 - Shrine IF

83. Extra - Interrogation IF

84. Extra - Conquest IF

85. Extra 3 - Cultist IF

86. Extra 3 - Priscilla IF

87. Extra 2 - Vollachia IF

88. Forgotten IF - Path of Revenge

89. Capella IF

90. Extra 2 - Interrogation IF

91. Extra 4 - Volcanica IF

92. Felt IF

93. Candidate IF

94. Extra - Crusch IF

95. Extra - Candidate IF

96. Epilogue - Kazuma IF

97. Extra - Capella IF

98. Emerada Lugunica IF

99. Epilogue - Capella and Emerada Lugunica IF

100. Electra IF

101. Extra - Forgotten IF - Path of Revenge

102. Extra - Emerada Lugunica IF

103. Forgotten IF - Path of Pain

104. Extra 2 - Crusch IF

105. Extra - Felt IF

106. Extra 3 - Anastasia IF

107. Overlord IF

108. Extra - Overlord IF

109. Alpha IF

110. Extra 3 - Interrogation IF

111. Extra - Forgotten IF - Path of Pain

112. Elpis IF

113. Extra 2 - Mage IF

114. Extra 2 - Forgotten IF - Path of Pain

115. Special - Children's Multiverse (IF) - Tea Party

116. Epilogue - Shaula IF

117. Sekhmet IF

118. Forgotten IF - Path of Vigilant

119. Extra - Alpha IF

120. Extra 2 - Sociopath IF

121. Epilogue - Priscilla IF

122. Extra 2 - Alpha IF

123. Epilogue - Alpha IF

124. Extra - Electra IF

125. Adelheid IF

126. Daphne IF

127. Extra - Sekhmet IF

128. Petra Leveling IF

129. Taygete IF

130. Extra 3 - Alpha IF

131. Special - Children's Multiverse (IF) - Look of Disappointment

132. Extra 4 - Typhon IF

133. Epilogue - Forgotten IF - Path of Pain

134. Helena IF

135. Extra - Adelheid IF

136. Liliana IF

137. Extra 2 - Adelheid IF

138. Extra - Helena IF

139. Extra - Forgotten IF - Path of Vigilant

140. Epilogue - Adelheid IF

141. Epilogue - Crusch IF

142. Extra - Lucky IF

143. Extra - Taygete IF (Posted 14/06)

144. Extra - Liliana IF (Posted 14/06)

145. Extra 2 - Electra IF (Posted - 15/06)

146. Hope IF (Posted - 15/06)

147. Extra 2 - Sekhmet IF (Posted - 16/06)

148. Extra 2 - Reinhard IF (Posted - 18/06)

149. Epilogue - Sekhmet IF (Posted - 19/06)

150. Epilogue - Electra IF (Posted - 20/06)

151. Extra 2 - Capella IF (Posted - 21/06)

152. Ram IF (Posted - 22/06)

153. Extra 4 - Interrogation IF - Answers (Posted - 23/06)

154. Al IF (Posted - 24/06)

155. Extra - Al IF (Posted - 25/06)

156. Extra 2 - Al IF (Posted - 26/06)

157. Lone Star IF (Posted - 26/06)

158. Extra - Lone Star IF (Posted - 27/06)

159. Epilogue - Lone Star IF (Posted - 28/06)

160. Children Friend IF (Posted - 29/06)

161. Extra - Ram IF (Posted - 30/06)

162. RyuzuBaru IF (Posted - 01/07)

163. Envy Witch IF (Posted - 01/07)

164. Extra 2 - Liliana IF (Posted - 02/07)

165. Extra 2 and Semi-Epilogue - Lone Star IF (Posted - 04/07)

166. High School IF (Posted - 17/07)

167. Extra - High School IF (Posted - 19/07)

168. Sylphy IF (Posted - 23/07)

169. Leo IF (Posted - 24/07)

170. Extra - Children Friend IF (Posted - 26/07)

171. Infectead IF (Posted - 28/07)

172. Extra - Hope IF (Posted - 02/08)

173. Hater IF (Posted - 06/08)

174. Epilogue - Destroyed IF (Posted - 08/08)

175. Extra - Hater IF (Posted - 09/08)

176. Forgotten IF - Path of Witch(s) (Posted - 13/08)

177. Otto IF (Posted - 13/08)

178. Triple Star IF (Posted - 16/08)

179. Extra - Triple Star IF (Posted - 16/08)

180. Extra - Elpis IF (Posted 17/08)

181. Extra 2 - Triple Star IF (Posted 20/08)

182. Extra 2 - Forgotten IF - Path of Revenge (Posted 20/08)

183. Extra 2 - Hope IF (Posted 21/08)

184. Lyra and Mercurius IF (Posted 23/08)

185. Extra - Sylphy IF (Posted 24/08)

186. Graffias IF (Posted 29/08)

187. Extra 2 - Sylphy IF (Posted 30/08)

188. Epilogue - Sociopath IF (Posted 31/08)

189. Extra 2 - Conquest IF (Posted - 06/09)

190. Epilogue - Shrine IF (Posted Today - 07/09)

Special's:

Special - A Little About the Creation of Alpha!

Special - Children's Multiverse (IF)

Special - Children's Multiverse (IF) 2

Special - Children's Multiverse (IF) 3

Special - Children's of My Multiverse (IF) - Comparison between Children!

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of What if...? - Multiverse