Chapter Text
With an atmosphere charged with determination and anticipation, Subaru and his group find themselves on the threshold of a momentous battle for the Vollachian empire.
Amidst the turmoil and frantic preparation, they are busy organizing carriages to transport all the participants to the battlefield. Every move is executed with precision, every detail crucial in this mission that will define the fate of the empire, where they will face a great disaster. With hearts full of purpose and minds ahead, they are ready to face the challenges that await them in this fight.
"Okay guys, we'll be ready to go soon, are you ready!?"
With impetus, Subaru raised his small fist toward the sky in a sign of conviction.
Due to a technique used by old man Olbart, a shinobi, Subaru's body had been rejuvenated to the age of a 10-year-old boy. This could be considered a disadvantage, but not for Subaru. One way or another, Subaru managed to prevail with this new appearance. Thanks to this, he managed to prevail in this war as the Pleiades Battalion.
"I really don't agree with this, but I can't stop you with this mess you made anymore."
The one who responded with a disappointed tone was none other than Otto. The merchant clearly showed his true disagreement with everything that had happened after the negotiations: The agreement that was made was that Emilia's camp would offer its assistance in this war, something that endangered everyone in the camp, both theirs and Anastasia's.
"And yet they ignored my objections, you are really a problem, Natsuki-san."
With a sigh, Otto resigned himself to the outcome. Even though Otto himself had been the one to carry out the entire agreement they had with the Empire, he was still dissatisfied with the outcome.
"Come on Otto, these people need help, we can't just leave them."
"Emilia-sama... haah. Why argue, I need a drink!"
Emilia, being the innocent and kind girl she is, had decided to support the empire with the problem facing its destruction. Only Emilia, along with Garfield and Subaru, were in favor of helping. The opposite was true for the rest of the faction.
"Don't worry so much, Otto, brother. My amazing self won't let anything happen! I'll take down anyone who gets in our way!"
With a smile that showed off his sharp teeth, Garfield bumped fists. With the confidence and experience he'd accumulated through his various battles to the death, Garfield managed to reach a level few could match.
Many events have happened since Subaru and the rest of his camp embarked on a journey with Anastasia to an inhospitable land that not even Reinhard himself was able to traverse: the Pleiades Tower. All with the goal of speaking with the wise Shaula, to find a solution to the problem left by the Archbishop of Lust and return all those affected to normal.
To say it was difficult is an understatement; it was horrible, a living hell. It's truly a miracle they made it through with all the odds stacked against them. In that place, Subaru had lost his memories of when he came to this world, which drove him to a state of paranoia that drove him to the brink of despair. But even with all the struggles they endured, Subaru endured it all.
Thanks to Emilia and everyone else, Subaru understood that no one was his enemy, but his friends. With that in mind, things turned out well in the end: Subaru regained his memories, Emilia managed to overcome the trials, Julius defeated Reid Astrea, and everyone came out unharmed... almost everyone.
Subaru couldn't save Shaula... being turned into a scorpion, but one day, he would be able to see her again.
In any case. Subaru, Rem, and Louis (now called Spica) were transported to Vollachia because of the Witch of Envy, the good; Rem woke up, the bad; she has no memories just like the former Archbishop of Gluttony Louis Arneb. The misunderstandings were resolved by Rem, who distrusted Subaru because of the smell of the witch's miasma and for treating Spica (Louis) badly, and now things were on good terms with those two.
All this mess led everyone to where they are now.
Vincent Vollachia needed help to stop the big disaster, and now we are where we are because of that.
"They had better play their part diligently."
"Come on Abel, will you still have that attitude after all our efforts?"
"Big statements coming out of a child's little mouth"
"Y-You... you're ungrateful!"
As usual, Subaru and Abel still aren't the best of friends. It hasn't been long since they met by chance, but they both already know each other's unique traits. It's not that they don't get along, they just can't stand each other.
"Subaru-chin! Abel-chin! Stop fighting and hurry up and get into the carriages!"
"Yes, yes. We'll be there as soon as this jerk admits our effort."
"That will depend on how well they perform on this mission. Consider yourself lucky to serve the empire."
"In fact, you should feel lucky to be offering our help. Betty's just here for her contractor, I suppose."
The great spirit, Beatrice, decided to join the fray her contractor started. After reuniting after several attacks, she refused to leave her contractor, Subaru, behind. So now she followed him no matter what.
"My Beako is so good it makes me want to go back to my normal size to carry you- Huh?- OUCH! "
"Schwartz-sama, we don't have time for these pointless discussions, Jorna-sama must be waiting."
"Gu"
The one who had struck with a strong fist for such a small child was Tanza, accompanied by Spica. Even with her face showing its typical expressionlessness, one could see a look of displeasure at seeing Subaru wasting time with her playmate.
Spica leaped toward Subaru, who was kneeling on the ground from a tremendous blow to the stomach, and began to move from side to side. Meanwhile, Beatrice began to argue with the deer girl on behalf of her contractor.
"Come on, don't argue here, Beako-chan, Tanza-chan. Subaru, be a good boy, we should go now."
"S-Sorry Emilia-tan, *UFF*. We'll be leaving in a moment. I just want to show this bastard the fruits of our efforts."
"Gosh, Subaru, you never stop causing trouble wherever we are."
With a sweet smile, Emilia separated Beatrice and Tanza, then walked over to Subaru while he was still on the ground.
"Did you say goodbye to Rem properly?"
"Yeah! Well... sort of, he didn't say any nice goodbyes like "Come back" or "I'll be waiting for you" or anything like that."
"That blue-haired girl doesn't treat you like you said, I guess. In fact, she treats you like a nuisance!"
"Beako, don't say it like that! She just doesn't remember any of it. Y-Yes, even if she says that, I know she cares about me!... Maybe "
"Don't worry so much, Subaru. She's just not honest about her feelings."
At Emilia's words, Subaru stood up with a smile and began walking to the carriages to depart, holding Beatrice's hand with Emilia at his side.
Yes. No matter what dangers await, everyone will definitely return. Subaru will, leaving no one behind...
So...
"?"
"Hey?"
"What's going on?"
Just one step away from reaching the carriage , something began to happen.
The wind blew hard while the atmosphere around them seemed to deteriorate. Something resembling a dark fog swirled across the sky while the rays of sunlight disappeared, being replaced by numerous dark clouds... Something was definitely wrong.
Subaru felt it, something bad was about to happen. Sixth sense, premonition, or whatever you'd call that feeling.
" Natsuki-san, what the hell is happening all of a sudden!? I feel like something is happening everywhere!"
"Otto bro, stay back! My amazing self feels something's not right."
Leaving the castle, Otto began to hurry along with Subaru and the group, while Garfield took up a fighting stance. The camp's shield gnashed its teeth at the unexpected atmosphere. For his part, Subaru began to shout.
"Subaru, what's wrong I guess? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"
"Hk!? Subaru! What's going on?"
Emilia and Beatrice quickly rushed to support Subaru, who was suddenly writhing in agony on the ground.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Calm down Spica! Schwartz-sama!"
Tanza rushed to grab Spica before she could leap onto a Subaru, which had been knocked down by the stabbing pain. They didn't know what was happening to the atmosphere, but one thing was clear. It wouldn't be good.
Vincent Vollachia exited the carriage with Medium and Jamal. Despite all this, Abel managed to maintain control and direct everyone inside.
Well, well. So I'm alive. From what I see and feel, someone messed with the dead. I'm sorry to say it, but I don't think I'm under anyone's control... eh ? What have I been missing all this time? Hmm. A candidate for sage has appeared, huh?
"W-What, whose the hell voice is that!?" Screaming at the sky that was losing more and more light, Garfield was ready to attack.
"Calm down Garf More importantly Natsuki-san is in bad shape!"
"CAPTAIN!?" Garfield fixed his gaze on Subaru and saw him writhing on the ground, surrounded by Emilia and Beatrice.
"Subaru! Beako, what's wrong with Subaru?"
"I-I don't know, he just started acting like that!"
"ARHGGGGGG!!"
"Subaru! STOP I GUESS!"
He couldn't. The pain was horrible. He felt like something was trying to force its way into his head. Pain, pain. All he felt was pain. His nerves were on edge. And that voice that sounded from the sky made it worse. He could feel Emilia and Beatrice begin to work their healing magic on him. But the pain didn't subside.
I understand, I understand. That happened. Yes, it had to happen. Someone really got "that" from her. Poor kid, you're really in a bad situation, but don't worry, I'm not called wise just because I have a pretty voice. And seeing the life of the one who will be my successor... I just can't leave him like that, you know?
The strange voice began to sound again, this time louder. As it continued to speak of a certain "wise man," Abel approached the group surrounding Subaru.
"Whatever it is, that voice seems to be the cause of this strange event, and I assume Subaru's behavior as well."
" Subaru -chin, are you okay? Abel-chin, what's wrong? Why did everything turn so gloomy?!" Medium rushed to their side. Seeing Subaru squirming like a fish out of water, Medium became worried. She stood next to Abel and waited for him to tell her what to do.
"Don't be so alarmed, it's probably something caused by the witch and the rise of the dead. We haven't even started looking into the cause and we're already dealing with this."
Without losing his composure, Abel seemed to find an answer to all this chaos, his expression that of someone prepared for whatever was coming. Beatrice, along with Emilia, tried to calm Subaru from whatever was tormenting him, but it seemed useless.
"You two won't achieve anything lying there," Abel said, provoking Beatrice's fury.
"SHUT UP! Don't just let Subaru's problem go like that."
"Abel... Vincent! Something's happening to my knight, we need to get him inside quickly!" Emilia felt helpless, unable to do anything to help Subaru, desperately trying to stop whatever was happening to him.
"Hmmp, you need to keep a cool head, this isn't the time to lose it just because that useless guy isn't well." Turning his back on them to observe the state they were in, Abel quickly put his priorities in order.
Those words only increased Beatrice's anger. How could her contractor's suffering be ignored just because he said so? Emilia, now holding the Subaru, quickly got between them.
"Beako, now is not the time to argue, we must take Subaru to a healer for treatment, we must-"
Ready, ready. The preparations are finally complete, although doing so was a real pain. But we can't waste any more time, if I want everyone to see what happened. Anyway, I can't be the only one who knows, you know? You owe it to this kid.
The voice sounded again. In a cheerful yet calm tone, it announced that something was about to happen. Abel ordered them to head quickly to the castle. Whatever was coming, they would face it with all available reinforcements.
"We can't waste any more time, we must march towards the castle and resist this catastrophe!" With no more time to waste, Abel gave the order to everyone there.
"Beako, we must-!" Before she could say anything else, Beatrice recovered.
"I know, I know, I guess! We have to take Subaru before 'that' thing that voice mentions happens."
"Come on Otto, get behind my amazing self!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming! Damn it, we should have left when we found Natsuki-san and Rem!" Otto and Garfield were already on their way. They both started running towards the shelter.
"This is no time for you to be complaining, merchant. Right now we must-"
Suddenly, a loud roar sounded in the sky, causing everyone to turn to see what was happening in the sky. The voice echoed in their minds again.
Okay, let's get this started. Witness the misfortune of a young man, the butler of Rosswall Manor, the self-proclaimed knight, the hero no one knows...and the would-be sage who will one day fulfill my dream.
BEAR WITNESSES TO THE ONLY ONE WHO SAW, LIVED AND SAVED EVERYTHING FROM THE MISFORTUNES THAT THREATENED THE WORLD!
WATCH THE ADVENTURES OF THE HERO...Natsuki Subaru. Enjoy it.
And then, everything faded, leaving only darkness.
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"Huh? What happened?"
Disoriented, someone started to question, it was Emilia.
Regaining consciousness, Emilia began to process everything that had happened just now. First: What happened? Why did that strange voice that kept ringing in her head mention Subaru? Why did it seem to know who he was? Why did it call him a "sage candidate?" But most importantly:
"Where's Subaru? Wait... Where am I?"
After becoming aware of her surroundings, Emilia observed what appeared to be a dimly lit room. The floor where she was lying felt soft but cold, and the walls were pretty and simply decorated. Although she couldn't clearly distinguish her surroundings due to the dim lighting in the room, she managed to discern a silhouette at her side; it was the great loli spirit, Beatrice.
"Beako? Beako-chan, wake up!"
"Hmm, what's up, I guess?" Sleepily, the great spirit rubbed her eyes lazily, as if she had slept for a whole week.
"Beako, I'm glad you're okay. After that strange voice said those strange things, I got scared, especially because-"
"Subaru... Where's Subaru?"
Regaining consciousness, Beatrice realized something, Subaru was not by her side.
"Brother Otto, wake up!"
Emilia and Beatrice turned their eyes to where the loud voice was making a scandal, it was Garfield, who was shaking the merchant and minister of Emilia's camp, Otto.
"Come on bro! Wake up! Wake up !"
"GAH?!"
With a hard slap across the face, Otto opened his eyes with tears in them.
"Couldn't you have woken me up a little more gently?!"
"You weren't waking up, I should have done it louder! Do you want another one just to be sure?"
"Stop, you might as well have left me like this! Now I'll have this burning sensation all day." Caressing his swollen cheek, Otto began to complain about the treatment he received from his half-brother. He looked around the environment they were in; it was unfamiliar to him.
"If you can complain like that, then you're fine, so get up and start looking for a way out of here, merchant."
The person standing there was none other than Vincet Vollachia. He looked around with sharp eyes, observing their surroundings. Of all those present, he seemed to be the first to wake up. Beside him was Medium, along with Tanza and Spica, who were unconscious, just like the rest.
"Abel! Where is Subaru, where-"
"If you're looking for your knight, he's over there. Now you'd better start looking for a way out."
Pointing to the center of the room, Subaru lay unconscious. His small body lying on the floor, he looked like a child who hadn't slept in years. Emilia and Beatrice quickly approached Subaru.
"Subaru... Subaru! Wake up, I guess."
"What's wrong, why isn't he waking up?"
"I tried to wake him up first, but he showed no signs of getting up."
Panicked, Emilia hurriedly shook and called out for Subaru, to no avail. Beatrice regained some composure after checking that Subaru was okay, but was alarmed when her contractor hadn't woken up.
"I couldn't wake him up either, princess. My amazing self tried several times."
"Natsuki-san... Abel, where are we?"
"Hmm, at least one of you realizes the situation. Right now, I suspect we were transported after the announcement that voice made. How she did it and where is the real question."
With that statement, Abel gave rise to a hypothesis of what was most likely. But there's still something.
"Of all your questions... None of them were "Why", That means you have a rough idea, doesn't it?"
Glancing at Otto, Abel just snorted and continued searching for an exit in that dark room, but not before approving of Otto's observation.
"You are more perceptive than you seem"
"I have to be. If I weren't, our whole camp would be in unpleasant situations. Just like now, it seems!"
"Sorry Otto-kun, we're not the ones responsible this time, right?"
"I don't have time for your complaints right now, kid. In fact, Betty's Subaru is still asleep, and I guess I'll have to find a way to wake it up."
"Otto bro, you're really useless right now."
"Can't you give me any credit?! Haaah , even without Natsuki-san you're still giving me trouble"
Otto put his hands to his head at the audacity everyone had towards him, thinking he needed a drink.
"Mmm, huh? It's time to eat."
With all this commotion, everyone except Subaru woke up. Among the loudest, Medium yawned and stood up, still sleepy and seemingly unconcerned. Beside her, Tanza opened her eyes and looked around. Seeing the unconscious Subaru surrounded by Emilia and Beatrice, she jumped up in alarm. But passing even faster than her, Spica leaped toward the sleeping boy.
"Gu!"
"Schwartz-sama!"
"Huh? Is Subaru-chin still sleeping?"
Approaching cautiously due to the limited vision in the room, Tanza reached Subaru, relieved to see that he was only unconscious. Meanwhile, Spica was on top of him.
"Gu! Gu!"
"Stop it, I guess! You're crushing Betty's contractor, and Betty herself!"
"It seems you can't even deal with this situation, Beatrice-sama."
"You, deer girl, what are you trying to say? Do you think I'm not capable?"
"I'm just stating the facts"
"Grr, you're so annoying, I don't know how Subaru tolerates you."
"Okay, okay, both of you stop fighting. We must stay together now that we don't know what's going on."
Emilia stopped Beatrice and Tanza from arguing. While she was at it, she turned her gaze to Subaru, who was still unconscious.
"Subaru... we can't stay here, we must go out and get help for Subaru."
"What do you think I've been doing? From what I saw, it doesn't appear to be a dungeon or a cell. The fact that we can move around freely and that we're awake is proof that they're not looking to kill us, yet."
"But a room with no windows and only dim lighting makes it seem like they don't want us to leave freely either."
"That's for sure"
"So... Can't we just leave?"
Emilia joined in on the conversation Otto and Abel were having about the situation. Even if there was no danger at the moment, they still needed to get to safety and help Subaru.
"Beako-chan, how is Subaru?" With concern in her eyes, Emilia hurried to ask about her knight's condition.
"It's okay, I guess. Subaru's power isn't damaged and there's no abnormality, just the fact that I can't wake him up."
With a relieved but worried expression, Beatrice affectionately stroked Subaru's hair. With a sad look in her signature butterfly-patterned eyes, she glanced at Emilia.
"Let's find a way out, I guess."
"Of course, Beako-chan!" Emilia nodded enthusiastically.
"I already took care of that while you were wasting time sleeping. In the corner of this room, there's a door. It doesn't look reinforced, but it was almost impossible to open."
"That's right, I tried to force that damn door open, but it seems to be tougher than it looks, damn it."
"Wow?"
"Mmm, Spica, where are you going?"
"Woof! Wow!"
"Oh, hey, Spica opened the door."
"What the fuck? 10 minutes ago it didn't even move an inch!"
Without anyone noticing, Spica approached the aforementioned door and, without any particular intention, turned the handle, only to realize that the door was now open. Tanza, noticing this, informed the rest of those present.
"Hmm, the door must have unlocked after we all woke up, the only exception would be Subaru."
"Well done Spica-chan!"
"Hmm, at least you're useful sometimes I guess."
"At least one problem was solved... although I still feel uneasy about it, even more so with her here."
"It's okay Otto-kun, Spica is good now and won't try to hurt us, have faith in Subaru"
"That's right, Otto-chin, don't worry so much!"
"This is precisely the moment when you should be more than worried."
Otto still felt uncomfortable around Spica. Since the Priestella incident, he had n't stopped being uneasy about Subaru's forgiveness. Sure, she plays a crucial role according to Ubik, the Stargazer's prophecy, but that doesn't negate the fact that she tried to kill him and was flayed for it.
"Okay Otto bro, I'm here, any sign of him attacking us, my amazing self will immediately rip his head off!"
"Now that you're done chattering, let's get going. We don't have time to hang around here."
They didn't know what they would find when they left this room, but they had no choice but to go through the door and be prepared for what was coming. Emilia and Beatrice were still worried about Subaru's condition; they couldn't wait any longer while their knight and contractor remained in that condition. For their part, Garf and Medium stood guard to prepare for any surprises.
"Stay behind me, if there's anything out there, any shit, then I'll hit it hard enough to scare it away."
"Who gave you the right to stand in front of me? Should I remind you who I am?"
"The king, emperor or whatever, my amazing self is the shield of the princess's camp and whether you like it or not, I will protect those here in the name of my captain, so shut your mouth!" said Garfield standing in front of everyone while bumping his knuckles hard.
"Be careful how you speak to me, commoner."
"Abel-chin! Stop acting like a child, besides, I'll be protecting them too!" With the same enthusiasm as Garfield, Medium snorted angrily at Abel's complaints.
"Tch, then they better act accordingly, don't tolerate any failures." With disgust clear in his voice, Abel approved of the course they had taken, likewise, Jamal seems not to have been transported along with them, which leaves only Garf, Emilia and Medium as combat personnel.
"Then there's nothing more to talk about, we'd better head out of here."
"Okay, Beako, it's time." Emilia took Subaru's small body in her arms, and called Beatrice to follow the rest.
"You don't have to tell me, load Betty's Subaru very carefully. Don't drop it! Did you hear me?" Pointing at Emilia, Beatrice stood in front of her, ready to protect her contractor, no matter what that storm was that kidnapped Betty and the rest, it won't hurt her Subaru again.
With Garfield in front and Medium to the side, and behind them were Abel, Otto, Tanza, Spica along with Emilia holding Subaru, and Beatrice in front of those two. They ventured out of that room.
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Cautiously, they passed through the door and noticed that the place they were in was anything but ordinary. Rather than a dungeon or a den of ill-health, it seemed very well-maintained and prepared, although it was still dimly lit by a kind of light emanating from the floor. Walking through the hallway, they remained on guard in case something unexpected happened.
"Finally that damn door opened," a voice sounded from across the hall.
"I suggest you don't let your guard down, and hold it very carefully."
"That's not even up for discussion, because we're suddenly transported at the worst possible moment!" Two voices seemed to be coming from the direction Emilia's group was located. Putting himself on guard, Garfield was ready to attack whoever was on the other side. But before they could do anything, they heard something behind them.
"That was unpleasant, being taken by force right after the rest left." Someone else was there, with a tone that showed displeasure, a woman's voice was heard.
"This is certainly worrying. Appearing out of nowhere in that room was disconcerting, especially given the commotion outside the castle... and also the arrival of someone who shouldn't be here."
"Don't worry, stay behind me." Now it was a man's voice, his tone denoting refined language.
"Beako, did you hear that?" With a whisper, Emilia rushed to ask Beatrice.
"Actually, I heard it too. Keep Betty's Subaru protected. I'll take care of those guys myself."
Garfield got into a fighting stance. The situation seemed dire. Not only were they in front, but they were also behind. But what worried him most were the female voices he heard in the background. One of them seemed all too familiar. Glancing at Emilia, it seemed she noticed it too. And then.
"!"
"Who's there!"
"So we're not alone. Ladies, stay together."
Everyone present noticed the others' presence; a battle was about to begin. But before that could happen, Emilia spoke loudly.
"Stop! Wait, I need you to listen! That voice... Ram , ?!" Emilia interjected with such an authoritative voice that even Abel was surprised to see her take that stance. He'd already had his suspicions, but he wasn't going to trust her so easily.
Hearing the voice of Emilia, the servant of the Roswaal Mansion, he hurried to answer.
"Emilia-sama... it seems she's fine. She was worried about the incident outside the castle. I guess I was right. Barusu had something to do with it. Typical of him."
Discovering the origin of the voices coming from behind the group, they realized it wasn't just Ram, but also Rem, who was at her side and Julius, who was leading the front. In the middle were Anastasia with Echidna and behind them were Petra and Frederica. But the one they least expected to see together was Meili with the scorpion formerly known as Shaula on her head.
"Huh? Meili, what are you doing here?" In surprise, Emilia turned her eyes to the blue-haired girl.
"Heeeeah onee-san, I'm wondering the same thing too. I was with the red-haired onii-san and the other candidate Felt's group, when out of nowhere, a voice sounded inside my head, and BAM! I appeared with everyone, just when I thought I'd get some rest after being in that horrible desert." While playing with the scorpion on her head, Meili explained what the rest of them experienced as well, the voice that sounded before they were all transported there.
"Lady Emilia, I'm glad you're well." Bowing his head in respect, Julius reiterated the code of chivalry. Even though everyone had forgotten it due to gluttony, Julius, the greatest of all knights, was still the same.
"Well, I didn't expect to meet under these circumstances after they left to stop all this mess, I guess there was a change of plans" The one who appeared behind Julius was none other than Anastasia Hoshin,
"I see the same thing happened to you as to us, but now is not the time to talk, we still have company ahead." Abel reminded them that they were not the only ones they were worried about, there were still more people ahead of them.
As they watched the two silhouettes approaching, Emilia managed to discern that there weren't just two of them, but a third, someone who looked injured.
"Crush? And also whilem-san and Felix, are you guys!?"
"E-Emilia-sama? I see, you're here, it's a relief." Speaking with difficulty, Crush addressed Emilia expressing respect and showing a sweet smile.
"Crush-sama! You shouldn't overexert yourself in your current condition, you need to rest!" Concerned, Felix held Crush to prevent him from collapsing.
"Lady Emilia, I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but as you can see, we're in a precarious situation." Wilhem bowed his head in respect, explaining the cause of his concerns, it was Crush.
She was still reeling from the Archbishop of Lust. Blackened veins gleamed on her neck, the backs of her hands and feet, and all over her visible skin. It wasn't hard to imagine the same thing happening to the skin hidden beneath the thin blanket and clothing that covered her. Those black blood vessels throbbed instead of circulating blood, as if a writhing snake were strangling Crusch's thin body.
That once white skin was now horribly desecrated.
Naturally, the damage wasn't limited to the neck down.
The elegant Crusch's intelligent face, reminiscent of a drawn longsword—her left side bore disfiguring blemishes. In contrast, her right side remained beautiful. This emphasized the contrast between the two sides and made the injustice of a noble person being desecrated all the more evident. An eyepatch covered her left eye, as if to hide something of a difficult-to-imagine appearance.
"Oh, Crush-sama" Covering her mouth at the Duchess's condition, Emilia prevented herself from shedding tears for her friend's condition.
"It's okay, Emilia-sama. I may not be in the best condition, but thanks to Natsuki Subaru-sama, the pain is more bearable."
"No! It's not! Emilia-sama, did you find the cure in the Pleiades Tower!?" Felix immediately asked for the answer, which is why they went to that place.
However, Emilia, with sad eyes, looks at the ground, unable to find an appropriate response.
"I'm so sorry, Cruch-sama, Felix, but... We didn't find any answers from the sage-"
"You're nonsense! Instead of excuses, tell the truth, according to the reports, you managed to conquer the tower but you're saying you didn't find anything! Where is he? Where is Subaru-kyun!? " Felix angrily demanded an explanation for such statements, he had to talk to the person responsible for what happened, it was he who said he would bring the cure for his lady!
"Felix -haa-, that's...enough" With difficulty, Crush tried to calm his angry knight.
"Hey, cat boy, don't blame Subaru for that, you don't know the trouble he went through." Beatrice wasn't about to let her contractor be insulted, especially for something that wasn't in her power.
"My apologies to both of you. Felix, I suggest you apologize for raising your voice to a candidate for the throne." Bowing his head, Wilhem gave his companion a stern warning.
Felix was still angry at how they ignored the pain his mistress was under, but reluctantly, he bowed and apologized to Emilia, but he couldn't leave it like that, he needed to know where Subaru was.
"Huh? Emilia-sama, who is the child in your arms?" Crush pointed at the sleeping child Emilia was holding tenderly. Both Wilhem and Felix turned their gaze towards him. He was strange, and even though they had never seen him before, he seemed familiar to them, especially because of that black hair.
"You may not recognize him by his appearance, but... He's my knight, he's my Subaru." Emilia lovingly stroked his hair as she reported on Subaru's condition.
"What!? *Cought* Is that Natsuki Subaru-sama?" Crush couldn't help but be surprised to see Subaru like that, just like Felix and Wilhem, they took a good look at the boy, he was too similar to him to be a lie, noticing his characteristic evil-looking eyes
"A lot happened after Betty's group conquered the tower. For some reason, he's the only one who hasn't managed to wake up, so if you want to ask anything, then you'll have to wait for Subaru to wake up, I guess."
"Wow, now that you mention it, it's true, I was wondering who that kid was but I didn't think it was onii-san, he really can't stop getting into trouble." Approaching the black-haired boy, Meili leaned in to get a better look.
"Lady Crush, it's a pleasure to see you again, maybe you don't remember me, but I am the knight at the service of Anastasia-sama" Showing respect, Julius reported his status, the only one who could remember was Subaru, but he wasn't available to say it, so he introduced himself respectfully and declared his position.
"Nice to see you again, Miss Crush. I'm sorry the circumstances aren't the best, and I'm also sorry I couldn't find a cure for your condition." Anastasia introduced herself as she approached Julius.
"Are the introductions over? If so, then we'd better move somewhere else to continue your conversation; this isn't the best place to have it." Abel appeared and, with authority, informed them that it would be best if they left.
"Yes, that's right, Subaru still hasn't been able to wake up, Felix, can you check it?"
"Yes, Emilia-sama, but this isn't a suitable place, I also need Crush-sama to rest and lie down."
"Then there's nothing more to say, let's go."
With that said, they set off to leave this place.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
As soon as they entered, they discussed what kind of place this would be. The facilities were good, and it seemed like a comfortable place to be. Emilia mentioned that even though the atmosphere was strange, she didn't feel like there was any danger present.
Beatrice, on the other hand, realized that this place seemed far removed from wherever they were, more like her *gate crossing* magic, resembling a dimension apart from the outside world.
This place was large, but small in Álava, at most it would be the size of the lodging where Anastasia invited the candidates to stay during her time in Priestella, the difference was that there were no windows, nor any trace of an exit, the only thing that illuminated the corridor were the lights that this place provided.
The Crush camp was surprised to see Rem awake, remembering how much Subaru cared for her, and reminding everyone that she was an important part of the white whale subjugation.
For his part, Felix became more irritated when he saw that his mistress still hadn't recovered her memories, but Crush was happy to see Rem again, only remembering that they were both attacked by gluttony...
In response to these comments, the rest of Emilia and Anastasia's camp decided not to comment on Spica's situation, as she was now in the arms of a relieved Rem, who was worried about the situation. She couldn't see Cautia-san anywhere, but she also couldn't see Jamal, so she prayed those two were together.
Like the rest, she along with her pink-haired twin sister, woke up in a dimly lit room, an unknown place where they were not the only ones there, Petra along with Frederica were also there, and in the same situation as Anastasia and Julius, what surprised her the most was seeing a girl she had never seen before, the girl named Meili, although it seemed that the rest knew well who she was.
Having reunited with the rest, she worried about Subaru. The smell on him seemed to have diminished more than the previous time; he still emanated that putrid aroma, but he no longer seemed to stink as intensely.
"The smell of that person getting weaker is scary."
It took them less than a minute to reach what appeared to be a reception room, where they found people they weren't expecting.
"Wow, what a surprise to find you here" with a characteristic tone, an eccentric man with clown makeup appeared, that person who was in the reception room
"Roswaal-sama!" Ram was the first to recognize him, and she rushed over to check on him.
"Don't worry Ram, I'm fine, unlike our knight, right, Emilia-sama?"
"Yeah, he just won't wake up, but he's fine! Right , Beatrice!?"
"In fact, the cat boy also checked his condition and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary," Beatrice stated as she looked around the unfamiliar surroundings, visualizing who were the ones with Roswaal.
"Big sister! I heard all about that strange guy, they're really impressive."
"Lady Emilia, it's a pleasure to see you after such a long time. I'm also impressed by your skill. When I tried, I couldn't even reach the tower."
Those who greeted them enthusiastically were Felt and Reinhard, who were standing next to another person, a man missing an arm, Al, with a child in a kimono. Beside them, they found a woman and a little girl. One had a prosthetic leg where a leg used to be, holding the little girl's hand. They were Mizelda and Uuu.
"Wow, there are a lot of handsome men here, this place isn't so bad, and I see you're here too Abel" Mizelda looked at those who were arriving, noticing interest in Julius and Wilhelm
"Oh, that's little Suu"
The three of them seemed relaxed, well, Taritta was worried about the situation.
"Gosh, just when I thought I had so many problems on my one hand, now I'm here."
"Al-chan! It's good to see you again."
The one who greeted the one-armed warrior with joy was Medium, approaching with energy.
"Hey Medium, looks like you're back to your normal size, but why is your brother still the same?"
"Schwarzt-sama is in a position that requires looking like this," commented Tanza, who was the only one in the Pleiades battalion who knew Subaru's position.
"Deer girl, is that you? What a twist of fate that we met here!"
"Cecilus-sama, of all people, you were the one I least expected to see."
Far away from the whole group, a boy in a blue kimono appeared, it was none other than Cecilus Segmund.
"Yeah, I'm saying the same thing, I was defeating the villain of this whole problem, while boss was fighting with his army, when suddenly, a voice that wasn't from those above said something and FUSH! I appeared here as the main character"
"I don't know what you mean by the final enemy, or those voices you mention, but for now, be silent." Tanza didn't expect to meet another member of the Pleiades battalion, but of all of them, she didn't expect him here.
"Gu!"
"Calm down Spica, now is not the time," Rem commented, while holding Spica who was trying to jump on Subaru.
Al had tried to find a way to escape from that place, but he couldn't find a single exit during their time there. Noticing Rem and Subaru, he remembered their argument.
"Mmm, I told him to be a hero to the blue-haired girl, but I think he's going too far."
Al said in a tired tone as he scratched under his helmet. Rem reacted with surprise at those words.
"Blue-haired girl... me? So that's why she was acting like that, right? Stop giving that person weird ideas."
With an annoyed tone, Rem retorted to Al. It was already too much for the person named Subaru to push himself when he wasn't a hero, and now this guy without an arm claims to have told him to act like one.
"Wow! Miss, I didn't tell Brother to be one, he was the one who took that burden on his shoulders when the cult attacked, if you're going to complain to someone, then start with him... Besides, you were also one of the reasons, you know."
"What are you saying?" Rem said in surprise.
"I suggest you leave my sister alone, Mr. Al. It's not her fault Barusu is acting so arrogant."
Ram warned Al, who simply shrugged and walked on, he can't stay here right now while his princess is who knows where.
"I see you were brought here too."
"Oh, Abel, I'm glad to see you. I'm sorry for the untimely reunion, but I have to find your sister."
Everyone was present; it seemed like they would be the only ones. Emilia's camp was represented, along with Crush and Felt's camp. The only one from Priscilla's camp was Al, who stood next to Vincent.
"Well, it seems we're all gathered. Right now there's a situation we're dealing with outside these walls. I, Vincent Vollachia, have requested the help of the throne claimant, Emilia and Anastasia Hoshin, from the camp. So, we'd better find a way out before we waste any more time."
"Before that, I'd like to ask if everyone heard the same thing, that voice mentioning Subaru, and from what we've been told, he's the only one still sleeping."
"It's certainly something we can't ignore, but right now we have priorities."
Reinhard recognized him upon seeing him: Vincent Vollachia, the Emperor. His situation was similar: he and Felt went to explore the Pleiades Tower, which had been conquered by Emilia and Anastasia's camp. A voice in his head dragged them here, awakening alongside his lady, Roswaal, and Al.
Turning to look at his lady, Felt was turning his back on the rest, looking down the hall where the others came from.
"Is something wrong, my lady?"
"Don't you hear? Guys, someone else is coming!"
Now everyone fixed their gaze on where Felt had pointed, they also heard different murmurs and footsteps approaching.
"Now who could it be?" Otto already had a clear idea of what was happening, all the people that voice was there were people he knew. Could it be related to what the voice said about Subaru?
"Mmm? Oh, I know who it is." Garfield said, recognizing the scent that remained on him after that cat climbed on his back who knows how many times.
As they got closer, Anastasia noticed it too, they were from her camp.
"Mimi, is that you?"
"Boss? Boss! Tivey! She's the boss!.... Huh? There's Garf too!" The small figure hopping towards her was the little cat, Mimi, next to her was her brother Tivey, who was running to catch up with her.
"Hey, boss. Looks like we came back to you not long after you left." Giving a cheerful smile, Ricardo greeted his comrades. Medium, for his part, managed to recognize the figure behind the dog man. And beside him, stood someone of similar appearance.
"Hey Ana. It seems I can't catch any breaks with you, you really make me feel like a slave." Also present was none other than Hanibel, the strongest werewolf. With his unusual smile, he greeted Anastasia.
"An-chan, you're here too!"
"Sister, what a surprise! I thought you were heading towards Balleroyd! But you're here with the village chief-kun, and also this wife-kun and husband-kun along with their niece," Flop said with a cheerful smile. Being the target of the glances of several of the others for such a common comment.
"That?"
"Wife?"
"Little sister?"
"H-Hey, don't cause a misunderstanding, Flop-san."
Receiving all the looks from her companions, Rem tried to explain that it was a misunderstanding that occurred when they entered the walled city, she felt herself being observed more intensely by Emilia and Beatrice.
"I-I see, hahaha, so that's what happened, Rem" Emilia laughed nervously at that, for some reason, her heart skipped a beat when she heard that they were married.
"Did you hear that, Otto, brother? The captain married someone other than Emilia." Garfield began to laugh out loud upon hearing Rem's shy explanation, for which he received a kick from Ram and Frederica.
"That's not funny Garf!" Petra shouted at the poor tiger boy who was now on the ground.
"Damn Natsuki-san, out of everything that happened, that really surprised me." Otto wanted to roll on the floor and laugh, but that would also earn him a beating from the maids.
"Hmmp, my beautiful sister is not married to trash, let that be clear Garfield" Ram took an embarrassed Rem by the shoulders after she protested her displeasure.
Meanwhile, Julius was reunited with his companion and friends, who didn't remember him at the moment, giving him a slight ache in his heart.
"Come on buddy, I may not remember our times together, but I can safely say that you're one of us, and after hearing what you accomplished at the tower, then I'm more than glad to have you with us." Patting him on the shoulder, Ricardo let him know that he didn't have to act reserved around them.
Stroking his scar that Reid left him, Julius smiled gratefully, even if he wasn't remembered by the world, he could still be with them.
"Yes, Mimi agrees! Even if I don't know who you are, if the boss says so, then it must be true!" Mimi said as she clung to Julius's clothes, as if they had known each other forever.
"Yes, if the boss says so, then it must have been the same case as Crush," Tivey stated while holding his monocle.
"You see, Julius-kun, you don't have to worry about feeling like a stranger, after all you are my knight." Stroking the fox fur around his neck, Anastasia affirmed that to them, he was no longer a stranger.
"You were certainly trusted in the tower, Julius-kun." The furred fox that was wrapped around Anastasia's neck began talking about everything she contributed and accomplished there.
Feeling all the kindness that his companions and friends showed him, Julius Juukulius was now recognized by those with whom he shared the battlefield.
"Anastasia-sama, Ricardo, Mimi, Tivey... and Echidna too, thank you very much." Bowing to everyone, Julius expressed his joy and gratitude towards those who had recognized him.
Emilia watched this with a wide smile, because she too had experienced being forgotten by everyone except Subaru. Tenderly pinching his cheek, Emilia smiled to herself.
"Fool, you better wake up so I can make fun of you," she whispered.
Rem looked at Emilia, feeling a pang in her chest at how close Subaru was to her. She might not have been with the person named Subaru for very long, but Rem couldn't help but wonder what kind of relationship she had with him. Or rather, what kind of relationship did that girl, Emilia, have with Subaru?
"So we're all here. Isn't anyone missing by any chance? If not, then we need to find a way out of this place-"
"Actually," Ricardo raised his hand, interrupting Otto to report something.
"That's right, there are still two more people left," Flop said, clasping his hands together.
"To be exact, a man and a woman with a strange appearance," Tivey said, pointing to the room where they woke up.
"Yes! Mimi saw them, they have very strange clothes, but their smell seemed very familiar to me with the little boss... Huh? Is that kid the little boss!?"
Mimi barely noticed Subaru in Emilia's arms, now a small child. This was also noticed by Tivey, who was fascinated by how Subaru became a child, and Ricardo, who just laughed amused by the boy's condition.
"It's not funny, I guess! Aside from the fact that she's still asleep, Betty can't be carried by her Subaru," Beatrice complained to the dog man as he apologized.
"Hahaha, aside from the fact that husband-kun shrank and is still sleeping, it's true that we found two strange-looking people in the room with us."
"Really? Why isn't he with you?" Otto asked, wondering if they knew these people.
"They're dangerous, if so then my amazing self will go after them" Garfield pointed to himself, volunteering for the task
"Quite the opposite my friend, they seemed like ordinary people, but when they saw me and my partner here, they got scared and backed away, while the man next to the woman asked me "what was it?" "It hurt my feelings." The dog man said giving an explanation of those people while pretending to wipe away his tears. Beside him, Hanibel nodded.
"Yes, although my race is not very well regarded, their reaction was also a surprise to me. I don't have any candy in my pockets to give them, so I couldn't calm them down." Hanibel rummaged through his pockets to see if he had any with him. He at least wanted his pipe.
"Mimi also tried to talk to them, but they looked at me as if I looked strange and the man asked me if my ears were "cosplay" or something like that, I'd never heard that word."
They explained how strange they were, implying they'd never seen them before, and that apparently no one knew them. But Beatrice... she understood that word "cosplay," something her contractor always said when he saw people in costumes and armor.
"So what do we do with these people you're talking about? Do we go and scare them away?" Garfield asked, still wary of these guys no one knew.
"I don't think they're bad, just strange. Even though the guy was muscular, he didn't seem hostile. Rather, he was cautious around the place to take care of the lady at his side... Actually, they looked like a married couple," Ricardo said thoughtfully.
The fact that no one knew them alarmed everyone present, but they calmed down once they heard the explanation from those who were present. Although that explanation came to mind for a certain black-haired boy, who was now asleep, they didn't know what to do. So...
"We can't leave them alone, they are civilians who don't understand the situation just like us, we must help them" Emilia said, once she heard everything mentioned, she understood that they were just trapped in this mess, and she would help them get out of it.
"Actually, I agree with Emilia" Supporting Emilia, Beatrice gave her opinion, being more curious about them more than anything else.
"If so, then I'll go for them."
"I'll go with you." Medium hurried to accompany Flop, but he quickly stopped her while shaking his hands.
"Oh no, no, I'm sorry little sister, but they don't seem to be comfortable with the situation, especially the woman, she seemed to have her mind somewhere else, I'd better go and calm them down, since they saw me before" Flop said with a smile, explaining why he should go instead of anyone else.
"It's certainly a good option, but just in case, Mimi, go with him." Anastasia didn't doubt his words, but they still needed insurance in case something went wrong.
"Yes, boss! Mimi will take care of it."
Flop walked away from the rest along with Mimi in search of those two strangers, despite the circumstances, there didn't seem to be any danger, which left many puzzled.
Why were they here? Who was that voice? And, above all, what connection does Subaru Natsuki have with everything?
Otto was thinking of any answer that would explain everything, but he just couldn't understand. Emilia was in the same boat, not understanding how they had gotten here, only limiting themselves to putting them to sleep and placing them in comfortable accommodations. They weren't being treated as prisoners, but as guests.
The only consolation anyone had was that Reinhardt was with them. If so, then it didn't matter what threats existed in this place.
It wasn't long after Flop and Mimi went to look for the people they talked about, it was a few minutes before they saw them return.
Seeing Flop return with Mimi by his side, everyone became alert for the new guests they had brought with them. Flop greeted everyone with a raised hand and said, "It's okay, don't worry," as they arrived.
Upon arriving, they observed the people Mimi was pulling; they were strange, their clothing and hair a very different shade from those present.
"H-hey kid, don't pull so hard or I might fall." A voice they didn't recognize sounded down the hall.
"Hehe, don't worry, sir. With those muscles, it's impossible for you to do it, so I'll make it harder!" Mimi pulled the person behind her hard, making him stagger with every step they took.
"That's not what I meant! Gosh, I'm really getting old. Honey, are you okay?" The burly man asked the woman beside him. She appeared to be his wife. However, she didn't answer, just staring at the ground with a sad expression.
Seeing this, Emilia couldn't quite express how she felt about the woman's condition... but there was something about them that felt so familiar, something Beatrice noticed as well. Although only to those who had recently met Subaru's group of friends, he didn't seem familiar, although he did bear a certain resemblance to someone. Mizelda only thought that the man in the strange clothes, who was being pulled by the cat girl, was handsome and had a very well-trained body, but she saw that a woman was coming with him. With a sigh, she gave up before starting, what a shame.
For his part, Ram observed them both, they didn't seem to be a danger, and the man seemed like someone pleasant to look at... and Roswaal, he just remained silent, noticing something that left him frozen.
"I'm sorry about all the fuss, Muscle Man-kun, but we couldn't just leave you in that room all the time," Flop said, clasping his hands together in an apology, with a pleasant smile, making those two people feel comfortable. Anastasia thought it was a good decision for Flop to go and get them.
The strong-looking man watched Flop cautiously, but after a few seconds he sighed, seeming to trust the blond man.
"Yes... and I'm sorry for the scandal I caused. Honestly, I was scared to see that we appeared in a room we didn't recognize. By the way... where are we? A costume convention that my son used to go to? Although it seems to be a movie theater."
These words were unfamiliar to those present. They looked more closely at the appearance of the two; they didn't seem to be carrying anything, but the clothing they were wearing was certainly peculiar, not to say strange.
The man was wearing a pair of glasses with a shape they had never seen before, making them more practical than what they were used to. Anastasia was fascinated by their design and thought about observing them with more emotion. It wasn't just the glasses, but also the footwear they were wearing, they were a kind of shoes, but much more comfortable.
Although they both looked tired, their faces reflected an exhausted look, especially the woman at their side, who looked like someone who had lost all excitement for life, although the man seemed to remain cheerful.
After a few seconds of observing the strange outfit and appearance they were wearing, Emilia realized what the man said, which caught her attention. Emilia tilted her head.
"Excuse me, but what is a costume convention?" Emilia asked, clearly interested in those words; they were things she had already heard from her gentleman.
"Huh? Mmm, well, you could say it's an event where a lot of young people, and not so young, attend to show off their costumes or as my son calls it, Cosplay... He loved it."
The man said, his tone of sadness evident at the end of his sentence. Recovering his spirits , he lifted his face and smiled at the silver-haired girl.
"It seems you put effort into that costume, it looks so real, what did he call them? That's right, elves! Right, honey? " She didn't respond, but now she looked at Emilia fixedly, that look, especially those eyes, caused Emilia a feeling of nostalgia, there was something in them that reminded her of something.
"Even though I knew him, he would have dressed up as a woman. He has some real tastes. I was quite surprised to see your two robust friends in dog costumes and the girl and her brother with cat ears. I'm still surprised by how real they look."
"What? But Mimi's ears and tail are real! Look!" Mimi wiggled her ears and tail cutely, wanting to show off her feminine features, especially to the tiger boy, who stood with his mouth agape. Mimi giggled with joy at Garfield's reaction.
Without knowing why Garfield stood like that, looking at the two people with a face that seemed to have lost its color.
The man blinked as Mimi's ears and tail moved freely. It was too elaborate to be a costume, too real to be fake. With a "Hey," the man looked at Emilia, waiting to hear an explanation.
"Yes sir, me too, my ears are real, but I'm not an elf, I'm a half-elf" Emilia said while touching one of her ears with a finger.
"Huh? Wait, wait, what?!" Now clearly confused, the man's eyes widened as he saw those ears moving so naturally, clearly showing they weren't fake. He turned to look at the burly dog-man with a look of disbelief. Ricardo smiled and flexed his muscles, winking at the man.
"Yes, these kids are real too."
"Whaaaattt!? Did you see that, Naoko, that was really real, what is this, where exactly are we?" Surprised, the man held the woman named Naoko by the shoulders while shaking her, although she didn't react... He continued to stare at Emilia fixedly.
Abel watched the situation in silence, not out of consideration, but because he noticed something that others also noticed, especially when he looked at Al, he was silent and trembling.
"Oh, oh no, bro, this... this is really wrong." He lowered his head and placed his one hand on his helmet, feeling a pressure in his chest as he realized the truth. It wasn't just him and Subaru anymore; two more people had the misfortune of ending up here, and if his suspicions weren't wrong, then something much worse had happened to his brother from the same world.
He didn't seem to be the only one, Garfield was also shaking as he stood.
"Garf, Garf, what's wrong?" Otto asked with concern. Beside him, Petra was doing the same, but with Frederica, who also noticed.
"S-Sister, y-you smell it too?"
"Y-yes, this, it can't be possible"
"Frederica-sama, what's wrong?" Petra approached the maid while she and Garf seemed frozen.
"What's wrong Petra-chan, why are the blonde onee-san and the blond guy like that?" Meili asked while playing with the scorpion on her head, but noticing interest in its attitude.
Beatrice felt strange, all that knowledge they were talking about, all that information they were letting loose... It was exactly the same as what her contractor told her every night like a bedtime story.
"Wait, wait, are you saying, they actually exist? You know, elves, beastmen, and stuff like that? I thought they only existed in the novels my son used to read!"
With his hands on his head in surprise, the man just stared in amazement at the rest of those present there. Although there were some who didn't have anything else like ears and tails, they also denoted something different, especially because they were incredibly handsome! Like: the young man who came for them with blond hair, a man with red hair with an impeccable smile, another with purple hair wearing a kimono, an old man in a butler's suit and a man in elegant clothes who gave off an aura of belonging to royalty.
In addition to the young ladies who were there, as they were; the girl standing next to the silver-haired girl, whose eyes seemed to be shaped like butterflies. But they also noticed a cat in a dress, thinking it was a girl, who was taking care of a sick-looking woman. He refrained from asking her condition out of respect.
"Naoko, I think I'm dreaming, pinch me." With a serious face he told his wife what he thought, even though she still didn't respond.
Those who saw this felt sadness for the woman's condition. Unlike her companion, who gave off a charismatic aura, she seemed subdued. The man tried to cheer her up with every attempt, but failed. This left those present who observed the scene sad. Emilia was saddened by her condition; they must have lost something very important.
With a sigh, the man just scratched the back of his head and looked back at Emilia.
"Sorry, I got so excited. It's just that, it's unbelievable that they actually exist... he would have loved to see them." With a smile, the man expressed his feelings. For her part, the woman named Naoko continued to observe Emilia, but she realized later that it wasn't her she was looking at, but what was in her arms, Subaru.
Emilia looked away from the woman named Naoko, and focused her sight on the Man in front of her.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying, but you remind me sooo much of someone I love." Smiling at them, Emilia told them that they resembled someone very close to her, someone she wanted to love.
"My name is Emilia, just Emilia, nice to meet you," she extended her hand to greet these two people who, unbeknownst to her, seemed quite kind.
"Oh, that's right, I didn't introduce myself." Pointing to himself, and smiling, he announced his name.
"My name is Kenichi, Kenichi Natsuki."
Suddenly, he blurted out those words, leaving Emilia and Beatrice in shock at the name revealed to them. They looked at each other and then looked at Subaru, unbelieving what they had just heard.
These words were like a bucket of ice water to everyone present, not only did they look alike, but they also shared the same last name, this left Wilhem and the rest of his camp, along with Felt's, very surprised. Julius and Anastasia listened with their mouths open. But the ones who were most surprised to the point that some of them fell to the ground, were Emilia's camp, especially Emilia herself and Beatrice, who was now repeating the aforementioned last name. For her part, Rem was with her mouth open, not only because of the surprising revelation, but because these people do not give off the same putrid smell, also, is this really possible? Were the people in front of her really...?
"Nee-sama! Have you ever met them-?"
"Never," Ram replied with a serious face, watching in surprise everything that had happened.
"Barusu never mentioned them, nor his home, he only said that he was from a place he could never return to... Roswaal-sama, you-"
"No, Ram, I've never seen them, never heard of them, never seen their faces." Roswaal was shocked, his expression serious, something rarely seen, a whirlwind of guilt approached him.
But he quickly deflected that blame.
"But how interesting this has become, don't you think, Otto-kun?" Returning to his characteristic tone, Roswaal called Otto, who was still on the ground next to Garfield because of the incredible revelation. If he had to compare them, they looked like two rabbits scared by a predator.
"W-wait, W-wait, I guess what you said?" Beatrice said, trembling like a leaf in the wind, she couldn't believe it. Is this really real!? The ones in front of Betty, are they really the...?
"Umm, what's wrong, did I say something strange? By the way, this pretty lady next to me is called Naoko, Naoko Natuski, as you may have guessed, she's my wife, so don't look at her." He said playfully giving her a smile, but it wasn't returned.
Emilia recovered enough to process those words, if what they really said was true... Then they... She couldn't believe it, she couldn't, Subaru never mentioned them.
"W-wait, y-you aren't..."
"Subaru?"
"..."
"..."
A voice sounded, but it wasn't Emilia's, nor Beatrice's, it was someone who had never said a word, until now, that voice... named someone they knew well.
"What? Wait, Naoko, what did you say? Wait! Wait!" With a start and surprise. The person called Kenichi, rushed to his wife, who without warning, ran at full speed towards Emilia, trying to take Subaru from her hands.
"Subaru... Subaru!, Subaru! SUBARU!!, SUBARU!!!" With tears in her eyes, Naoko struggled with Emilia, while she was startled by her reaction, being helped by Beatrice
"Wait, I guess stop! What are you trying to do with Betty's Subaru!"
"Naoko, stop it! What's going on!?"
"KENICHI! IT'S SUBARU! IT'S SUBARU!!"
"WHAT! What are you saying!? That child isn't..." Kenichi looked again at the small figure that Emilia was holding in her arms... it was... It couldn't be possible, it was absolutely impossible for him to look like that, Subaru disappeared when he was 17 years old, currently he should be 18, so it couldn't be possible that he was... But... A father never forgets his son. He would never forget that energetic child, he would never forget his only son.
"Subaru?"
"What? Y-you guys, do you know Subaru...?" Fearfully, Emilia trembled as she asked, if it was true, really true, then... Would they take Subaru away? No, she couldn't leave him now.
"Stop it I guess! Stop trying to take my Subaru!" With the same fear as Emilia, Beatrice tried to push them away with her small arms, she couldn't, even if they really are her parents, she couldn't let it go, she didn't want them to abandon her!
"It's Subaru, it's Subaru!! My son *hk* My son is fine, he's alive, he's alive...." With tears running down where there were once energetic eyes, now there is only relief and sadness, Emilia was almost about to let go of Subaru when she saw the man cry, now she was also trying to snatch Subaru away.
Emilia was scared. She didn't know what to do. Beatrice was helping her keep Subaru from being taken away, but the doubt remained. Should she let him go? Just thinking about that made her feel deeply sad.
Beatrice was scared; she didn't want him to leave, she couldn't just let him go. On the verge of tears , Beatrice began to think about what Subaru wanted.
"Emilia-sama, Beatrice-sama, let them go." Placing a hand on her shoulder, the one who said those words that frightened Emilia and Beatrice, was Ram, with understanding but determined eyes, he told Emilia what she already knew was right.
"Hk... S-subaru"
Finally, she released Subaru, feeling her heart break as she lost the feeling of him in her arms. With tears in her eyes, Beatrice witnessed a reunion she never expected to see, but one her contractor would be happy to see, knowing how much she misses her parents...
"Subaru *hk* Subaru"
"My boy, my sweet boy"
Naoko began to shed tears on Subaru's face, before she had a look that seemed to have given up, but now it was one full of indescribable happiness, something that many saw with sympathy
An image that moved everyone present, from the expressionless Tanza, who shed tears upon seeing the scene, reminding her how much she misses Jorna, to even Meili, who felt like the only person she could hug was no longer there. Medium, who cried while hugging Flop.
The ones shedding the most tears were Garfield, remembering the warm hug his mother gave him while he was crying, Mimi, moved by the scene along with Tivey, who hugged Ricardo,
Petra, who was hugging Frederica, and Felt, who looked away so that no one would see her cry, the only one who noticed was her knight, who smiled at her.
Wilhem simply smiled, remembering his wife Theresa as he watched with warmth, feeling that one day he would be able to reunite with her.
Al moaned, but smiled beneath his helmet. At least there was someone who could see besides his brother.
Rem hugged Spica, remembering all her interactions with the black-haired young man, how he treated her while he only wanted to take her to his sister and the rest of his acquaintances. Ram looked at Rem, and returned her a warm smile.
Uuu didn't say anything, he simply hugged the leg still pressed against Mizelda's body, watching everything with a seemingly stoic expression. Mizelda just stroked his hair.
For the rest of the people who watched the scene, they just smiled for their friend, and their parents.
Ending this with a beautiful reunion.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
"It seems we're finally all reunited, no one missing. Now that the show is over, we need to review what happened." With an authoritative voice, Abel established a strategic meeting. First, they talked about what they were doing before arriving here.
"We were going to the Pleiades watchtower, we were in the Taigeta library Meili, Reinhardt and the others from my camp, we chased some strange birds, and then we heard that voice talking about something about the older brother, that would be all" Felt said with her eyes still swollen from crying.
"That's true, we contributed too, you know." Pointing to the scorpion on her head, Meili agreed with Meili's statement; the other camps were aware of this. Reinhardt said nothing and remained silent beside his lady. Although it might not seem so, he was ignoring Wilhem, who was present at the conversation on behalf of his lady. After the incident in Priestella, they didn't speak again, not even a word to each other.
"I was searching for a princess, in the middle of all that chaos, I met that arrogant boy who never stops talking, but despite his appearance, he was very strong." She pointed at the boy in a blue kimono, who was now lying on one of the many pieces of furniture.
Everyone was sitting around a table that was there, along with furniture that adorned the place. Upon closer inspection of the place where they were, they realized that it was very well equipped, from furniture to food and water. There was everything a group of people could need to live without worries, which said a lot about their situation.
"The situation is this: We can't escape. We've tried almost everything, from trying to knock down the wall to casting the best spells against the ceiling. No matter what we do, we're trapped. Our last card is the sword saint." Otto clarified the situation for everyone; wherever they were, they couldn't get out.
"This puts us at a real disadvantage. The situation outside isn't the best for us. The dead could break into the shelter now that almost everyone is here. I was relieved to think Halibel was there, but I was disappointed to see you here, despite everything I spent."
"Gosh Ana, give me a break" Halibel stood next to Anastasia's camp, still fulfilling his part after the payment he received.
Anastasia commented on what most people were thinking: this wasn't the time to rest here; they had to find a way to escape.
"Certainly Ana, but the other question would be why are we here? I don't think they just left us in a nice place to chat about our lives." The one who appeared in the conversation was Echidna, now on the table, she began to give clues as to where she wanted to go.
"Subaru Natsuki" Abel said
"Something must have brought us to this place, most likely that voice. How it relates to him is the question," Julius shared the thought, stroking his scar, he began to speculate how all of this relates to his friend.
"Certainly Julius, but looking at the bigger picture, the fact that we're all here even though we were in different places, lets us know that it's all related to something in common." Roswaal, with Ram by his side, speculated about the circumstances that brought everyone to this place, even though they weren't even involved in the war.
"The Margrave is right. Of all of us here, the only thing we have in common, besides being rivals and companions, is that we know Subaru-dono, and the fact that his parents are here confirms it." Wilhelm spoke about why they would be here. Limiting himself to just looking at the representatives of each faction, without looking at Reinhardt.
Emilia noticed this, but decided not to ask about it, so she asked something else.
"Whilhelm-san... How is Crush-sama feeling?" Emilia finally spoke, still distressed by what happened with Subaru and those people seemed to be her parents.
"He's not in the best of conditions, right now, Felix is giving him treatments to relieve his pain, although thanks to Subaru-dono's sacrifice, he's at least able to sleep, I thank you again." Bowing his head, Wilhelm expressed his gratitude towards the boy again, another debt he had to pay.
"Don't worry Wilhelm-san, Subaru is reeeeeally good at relieving people" Emilia seemed to recover her mood, expressing herself with a smile, but she was still worried about what might happen.
She didn't know how to feel about it, but at least she could say she was happy to see her parents reunited with their son. Beatrice was currently with them during this Reunion, talking to them and protecting them in case anything happened. Although nothing should happen, she was currently with Mimi, Medium, Frederica, and Petra. Rem was sitting in a chair with Spica at her feet, making sure not to let go of her to prevent her from running towards Subaru and his parents.
As for Cecilus, he was sleeping like a log, he didn't care about the conversation that was taking place.
Whatever the reason, Emilia will make sure that her Subaru wakes up, and she will protect her parents from any threat, she will.
"It's true that this seems to involve Natsuki-san, but we haven't found the reason why she's still sleeping."
"That's true, Otto, brother. The fact that the captain isn't awake to talk to his parents really pisses me off."
Garfield was furious at the unfair situation his other brother's parents were put in. He also knew that Subaru missed his parents, and seeing him like that only made him angrier. But one thing was clear: no matter the danger, the camp's shield would protect them no matter what.
"The brother must be asleep for some reason, it's no coincidence that he's the only one in that state," Felt said.
This wasn't getting them anywhere. The more questions they asked, the fewer answers they got. They couldn't go on like this. Just as everyone fell silent, a voice spoke up.
"Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt this meeting, which seems important, but I'd like to be updated on the situation we're in."
The one who spoke with a tired but lively tone was none other than Kenichi Natsuki. This made those present jump in surprise. Emilia quickly looked at him, seeing how similar he was to Subaru.
"Sure! Please take a seat." Emilia quickly stood up, offering a chair to the person who raised her knight.
"Thank you very much... Emilia-chan, right?"
"Yes, I'm Emilia, just Emilia!" Emilia lost all trace of distress and politely and enthusiastically greeted Su Subaru's father. She had many questions to ask him. What was Subaru like as a child? Has he always been like this? Did he... love someone before her?
"Well, I just introduced myself a little while ago, but I'll say it again, my name is Kenichi Natsuki and I'm Subaru Natsuki's father. Nice to meet you and thank you for taking care of my son!" Bowing his head, Kenichi didn't hesitate to thank everyone present.
"The pleasure is ours, Mr. Kenichi. I'm glad to see such a wonderful boy is the son of someone like you." Wilhelm bowed his head as well. Grateful for the way they raised his son, he unwittingly wished he would be a grandson for himself.
"Yeah, the captain really has great parents!" Garfield marveled at being able to meet the person Subaru was proudly speaking of.
"He he, thank you, you seem to have a good opinion of my son, I'm glad he was able to make friends, that girl named Beatrice explained to me why he is... in the form of a boy... I really still can't believe it."
"If you'll allow me," Anastasia called Kenichi's attention, she wanted to know about the blank slate that was Subaru.
"Knowing their relationship and their kinship, I have no doubt they are her parents, but where have they been all this time?" Anastasia wanted to know, her thirst for greed called her, despite everything, she was still a merchant.
"That... I don't know how to answer that. He just disappeared and we didn't see him again until now." Sadly, he explained what they knew, which was nothing.
"You have nothing to worry about! Subaru has been with us and saved us sooo many times, he is my knight" Emilia spoke with enthusiasm in her voice.
"Your gentleman... can't it be, my son has a girlfriend?" Kenichi responded enthusiastically to Emilia's statements, while she blushed like a tomato upon hearing all that.
"N-it's not that! Well... We've kissed but we're not what you think."
"WHAT!? You and my son kissed and that's all you're doing? I'll never understand these young people these days."
Kenichi was amazed that his misfit son had gotten a girl who was clearly out of his league, this made him feel proud, although he was worried that they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, but he thought that's how young people are nowadays.
"But it's the truth, sir. The Captain is the toughest, most amazing guy my amazing self has ever met. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."
"I think the same, he may not have the label of a gentleman, but he is someone honorable and someone I like to call a friend" Julius said, remembering all the bad and good times they have lived, Subaru being the only friend who still remembered him.
"Of course! If it weren't for big brother, I wouldn't be here," Felt assured enthusiastically.
"If you allow me, I think of Subaru as a great friend and hero, he has achieved many things in just a month since we met him" Reinhardt spoke with his lady.
"Wow, Subaru really is popular, isn't he?" Kenichi still couldn't believe the kind of friends his son had made, feeling relieved that he wasn't alone.
"More than that, sir, he is a hero who made history." Wilhelm rushed to tell of his achievements, but not before showing pride in the black-haired boy.
Kenichi remained silent, he noticed how everyone began to tell stories that were too fanciful, but if that was true... then why didn't he hear anything on the news, where exactly were they, this wasn't Japan, but doesn't it sound too dangerous?
Ignoring that feeling, Kenichi didn't think about it, of course, now his teenage son became a child, something inexplicable on his own, but he chose to believe that there is something scientific behind it, no matter how hard it is for him.
"Wow... sorry, but this is too much to take in."
"I know, Subaru is amazing!" Emilia felt elated sharing her knight's accomplishments. She had to let her father know that Subaru was someone incredible and great, that he was her knight.
This whole conversation, to Abel's annoyance, turned to Subaru. Although Kenichi didn't believe everything they said because it sounded so fanciful, he was proud of his son for being able to make friends. At least he wasn't alone. While they were mourning the loss of their son, he was off on fantastic adventures with girls somewhere in the world. It made him feel relieved.
Then all the lights went out.
"!"
"What's going on?"
"Oi , oi, why did they cut off our electricity?"
"Sir, get behind me." Emilia quickly grabbed Kenichi by the shoulders and placed him behind her with her elven strength, surprising him in the process.
"What's going on, I guess!" Taking Naoko by the hand and leading her to the rest of the group, Beatrice approached Emilia, looking into each other's eyes, both nodding at what they should do.
Protect Subaru's parents.
"Kenichi?" Naoko continued to hold Subaru as if he were about to disappear. Calling out to Kenichi, he quickly joined her and Subaru.
"It's all right, Naoko... Just... Hold Subaru tight, don't worry." Kenichi still didn't understand the situation he was in. Was this some kind of meeting? Or maybe a kidnapping? With those questions running through his head, Kenichi stood next to Naoko.
"Keep calm, if they wanted to kill us, they would have done it already."
That comment made Kenichi jump. Kill? Was this true or just a dream?
Abel remained calm. Standing up from his seat, he ordered Al to stand by his side, which Al reluctantly obeyed. Mizel and Taritta also joined in, with Uuu at her side.
Wilhelm rushed to Felix and his lady, who were in a separate room. Meanwhile, Cecilus was still asleep.
Emilia and everyone else stood guard and hoped that whatever was going to happen wouldn't be bad.
and suddenly a voice spoke.
Phew, I finally finished arranging everything. Sorry for the delay, but I had several unforeseen events to prepare everything.
The voice that everyone present heard resonated.
"Huh? Speakers ?" Kenichi was startled by the scare he got, he held Naoko, who was still holding Subaru close to him.
"So you've shown up, answer me, who are you and what do you want?"
Oh, Vincent Vollachia, it's a pleasure to speak with the Emperor, and don't worry, you'll soon find out what I want. As for that other question, Mmmm, who am I? Who am I... you may call me Warden, after all, you will be my guests.
Now they have confirmed one thing, they will not be able to leave.
"Hey, you better let us go right now!" Felix spoke angrily, holding Crush, still shaken. She wasn't in the mood to follow the instructions of whoever that voice was.
Roswaal deemed it appropriate to stay out of it, whatever it was, they weren't in danger, that was for sure, but with Subaru in that state, he wouldn't know what to expect.
"Why is Betty's Subaru still sleeping!? Explain yourself !" Beatrice demanded the one who called himself warden, wanting answers as to why he is the only one who hasn't woken up.
That's a simple question. I need him to be like this so nothing goes wrong. Don't worry, he'll be fine, but I kindly ask you to go to the place in front of you.
As the warden said, something began to glow in a room across the way.
"Why would we listen to you? Crush-sama can't be here right now. He needs rest!"
"Do you think I'll obey someone just because they tell me to? You're really an idiot. You'd better let us go. I have a war to win."
"I'm sorry, "Warden," but I can't stay here. I need to find the princess."
Okay, I see you all have your complaints about being here, so I propose a deal.
"Crush-sama!? "
"Lady Crush?"
Suddenly, the erosion on Crush's skin disappeared from her entire body, leaving her as if nothing had ever happened.
"Huh? What happened, it doesn't... hurt anymore" Crush stood up by herself, and checked that there was no more erosion, her skin was back to the same as always,
Those present were stunned, the curse with which Crush was subjected had disappeared without a trace, seeing this, Felix rushed to check the condition of his mistress.
"Th-this... This isn't possible, how?" With a whisper, Felix couldn't say any more words as he observed something unheard of.
You wanted to talk to the wise man at the Pleiades Watchtower, right? Well, I have that answer. Here's the deal: I'll give you the cure so Crush and the rest of those affected by that cursed blood can return to normal. What do you think?
It was too unbelievable to be true; they couldn't believe it. But if it was true, then it was a fair trade. After all, they hadn't found anything the last time they went to that tower. But there was someone who didn't care about that.
"And I don't get anything in return for being here, but the fact that you're offering us this must mean that you can't hold us back when we try to leave, right?" Abel's eyes turned to the sword saint, who nodded at his suspicion.
"Certainly, even though I don't have my holy sword with me, it doesn't prevent me from forcing my way through this place... However"
Reinhardt hesitated. It was true, he could have escaped at any moment, but after hearing the deal and seeing with his own eyes what it could do by healing Crush, Reinhardt could no longer take that option lightly, being held back by his duty.
You noticed, as expected of the Emperor of Vollachia, but, the Sword Saint is in no position to free you right now, and I know, it doesn't sound pleasant to be here while there's a war going on outside, so, this is my second deal; If you do as I say, I will not only give you the cure, but also the information necessary to stop the great disaster, and as a bonus to all of that, I will also give you time. In this place, time passes differently, you could spend years in here and outside it would only be half a second, that would give you plenty of time to think of a better plan than the one you had, ask the great spirit who is with you if I'm lying, or Crush with his wind blessing. In addition, I will also give you the location of where that princess you're looking for is, Al. What do you think?
Abel was now analyzing those words, he turned his gaze to the great spirit of Subaru Natsuki, who was standing with Emilia and Subaru's parents.
"She's telling the truth, I suppose. In fact, I could do that too, but on a smaller scale," Beatrice stated, giving her knowledge of this type of magic.
I looked at Crush, who was now in better condition.
"Y-yes, he's not lying," he gave a thumbs up.
With her blessing of the wind that blows when someone lies, Crush assured the truth of her words. Although she herself didn't know what to think, the curse that tortured her flesh had completely disappeared, for her it was good, but, if this deal is legitimate, then it is no longer just for her, but for all those affected by lust, who still suffered the consequences, even if she didn't remember her former self, Crush couldn't leave them like this.
Mizelda didn't protest; she would follow Abel's orders and hope for the best. She just took Uuu by the shoulder and nodded.
Finally , Abel observed Al, who, although he did not care about his opinion, was still looking for his sister.
"If you're really going to follow through, then it's fine by me." He sighed wearily. Even if he didn't want to, knowing the location would make things much easier for him.
Although someone seemed dissatisfied, giving his opinion.
"Sounds like a good deal, but I was only hired for war." Hanibel thought about the deal for a moment, earning Anastasia's accusing glare.
Another who joined this deal was one of the divine generals, Cecilus.
"You know, maybe it's good for others, but I won't obey anyone who isn't Boss, Mr. Voice of Heaven. After all, I have to go for the spotlight."
Cecilus, I'll show you a story that will leave even you amazed. You'll see incredible new characters in this scenario. Plus, your boss is here.
"Mmm, you're right, I'd like to see something that fascinates me."
"Cecilus-sama, I advise you to take this seriously, while Schwartz-sama is unwell, I am the one who will give orders" Tanza tried to put Cecilus in order and control.
"Deer girl, why do you claim to be second in command after Subaru? Betty is the one who takes charge when he can't." Beatrice felt indignant at Tanza's statement, feeling that she was taking away her right to be Subaru's right-hand woman.
By controlling Cecilus and provoking an argument with the great spirit, Tanza managed to keep Cecilus at bay.
However, Hanibel had his doubts. Even though he was someone very strong according to others, maybe if he tried, Hanibel could escape.
I will give you tobacco and sweets
"Done" he easily nodded at the new terms as Anastasia chided him.
So do we have a deal?
The warden said excitedly.
Emilia looked at Anastasia, who nodded, knowing what she was thinking. She looked at the Crush camp, who undeniably nodded in agreement with the deal the Warden proposed. She looked at Felt and Reinhardt, who had no objections if the deal was fulfilled.
Finally, he looked at his camp, all of them looked determined, Garfield nodded strongly knowing that this would help return the husband and father of his family he found in Priestella to normal, Otto placed his hand on Garf's shoulder, giving his support.
Rem nodded as well. If this warden could tell them how to stop the great disaster, then there would be no need to put Spica in danger. With a "Wow!" Spica nodded. Roswaal just shrugged, readily agreeing. For his part, Ram had his suspicions about what would happen, but her lord agreed, so would she.
I look at Subaru's parents, who looked very confused by the situation, but if the warden brought them, then I couldn't say anything, except protect them.
Beatrice looked at Emilia with determined eyes. This would take a burden off her contractor, and most importantly, it would allow her to see her parents again. She nodded firmly to Emilia.
Abel doubted it, but considering they had more to gain than to lose, then there was no discussion.
"You better do your part. Did you hear me?" Finally, Abel nodded.
Great! Then it's a deal! Don't worry about safety or food, everything's taken care of. I saw in this child's memories what's most popular in his home these days, and from there I took the basis for building this place. Nice, huh? So you can be sure you'll have a good time. Anyway, go to the brightly lit room across the hall and sit wherever you like best.
Listening to the warden, they all set off towards the light emanating in front of them.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
"What's this?" Emilia didn't know what to say. In front of her was a large window illuminating the room. Looking around, she noticed some seats arranged as if it were a play.
"This is a movie theater?" Kenichi was stunned. After hearing too much science fiction, they were now in a place he recognized. A movie theater. He didn't know what would happen next, but at least this was something he was familiar with.
"So this is a "Movie Theater" I guess, I knew Betty's contractor wasn't lying when he told me about this" Beatrice said, nodding at the knowledge her contractor had told her.
"Beako, did Subaru tell you about this?" Emilia asked curiously, feeling hurt for not hearing the same thing Subaru told Beatrice, at this, the little loli smiled and declared her dominance.
"Of course I guess, Betty's Subaru told her everything about her life. In fact, she already knew the terms and words Mr. Dad used!"
"Mr. Dad? Wait, don't they know what movie theaters are?" Kenichi couldn't keep up. He had to worry about Naoko, who was holding Subaru obsessively. So everything that's happened has been an emotional roller coaster. But before anyone could say anything, Naoko let out a scream.
"Subaru! Subaru!" Naoko screamed in panic.
"What's going on... Huh?" Kenichi couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Oi, Oi, why is the captain floating? Get him down, you bastard!"
"Subaru!" Emilia and Beatrice shouted at the same time.
In the middle of the room, Subaru was lifted by an invisible force, snatched from Naoko's grasp. He hovered in the air for a few seconds, then landed in one of the seats in the middle of the room.
"Subaru!" Kenichi ran next to Naoko, after seeing that, he worried that the fall would hurt her, behind them were Emilia, Beatrice and everyone else
"Hey, what's this? Why can't I get him out of the seat?" Kenichi tried with all his might to lift Subaru from the seat he fell into, but it was useless.
"Let me try, Grr come on!" Garfield got the same results.
I'm sorry for the scare, but he must stay there, at least for this time, you can take a seat near him if you want.
"Why did you do that? Subaru could have hurt himself!" Emilia shouted angrily. It was already too much that he was the only one unconscious, but now they were also treating him like a rag doll.
As I said, I'm sorry, but it's necessary. Now I'll explain the rules for what happens next: First, you must stay here until all the visualizations are over. You won't leave until then. No matter how long it takes,
If you need to rest, there are the rooms you woke up in. Don't worry, there's one for everyone, just like the food; you can order whatever you want without worrying about running out. You can also order your tobacco, Hanibel. There are also bathrooms, among other treats.
Hearing this, they determined they would be here too long, but were relieved not to worry about food and water, especially the time spent outside.
On the other hand, Hanibel was glad to hear that.
Second: It is forbidden to try to escape, I will be attentive to the sword saint, if I notice any sign of it, I will automatically cancel the deal, in addition to not giving them the cure, I will not give the information on how to stop the great disaster, and Crush will return to how he was before, do you understand, Reinhardt?
Felix tensed upon hearing that, looking at Reinhardt with threatening eyes. He wouldn't forgive him if he did. Only his lady's hand placed in his calmed him down, and he nodded confidently.
Reinhardt looked at his lady, Felt punched him, which he easily blocked.
"Don't do anything stupid, Reind," he said with authoritative eyes.
"Of course not, my lady. You don't have to worry about that, warden," I replied, accepting the terms.
Well, I'm glad to hear that. Third: You can't attack each other, no matter what you see and hear, I'll stop any conflict, and I hope you can help me with this, Reinhardt.
"What? Why would we fight each other? We're friends!" Emilia protested.
"Yeah, that seems a bit out of place to me," Julius replied. After sharing so many experiences together , it seemed impossible for such a situation to happen.
This rule seemed strange to everyone; after everything they'd been through, they were more than just allies. But that voice calling himself the warden warned them as if it were something that would inevitably happen.
Believe me, you won't say that after seeing where this is going. There are things you wouldn't believe even if I shouted in your ear, which is why you're here, to witness the hidden and the unknown. Prepare for what's coming.
Many felt chills at the sound of those words. They don't know what they're about to see, but whatever it is, it might not be good.
Everyone got ready and sat down. Emilia wanted to sit next to Subaru, but she thought it was rude to take her parents' spot, so she sat behind him, where she could touch his shoulders and hair. Kenichi still wasn't sure what was going on, but he decided to listen to everything the mysterious voice was saying. Naoko sat next to Subaru and placed a hand on his. Kenichi took the seat on the right, next to his wife, which surprised Emilia.
"You can sit on that side, miss." Smiling at Emilia and giving her a thumbs up, Kenichi gave his approval.
"T-thank you very much, I'll gladly take it." Leaning towards them, Emilia sat down next to Subaru, holding his hand and feeling his warmth, filling her with relief.
At that, I hear some words that I didn't think I would hear from that person.
"Thank you," Naoko spoke for the first time, smiling at the surprised Emilia. Kenichi, for his part, smiled.
After that surprise, I notice Beatrice approaching the four of them.
"Huh? Beako!"
"What, I guess?" Beatrice took the only seat worthy of her, sitting right next to Subaru. Their small bodies fit perfectly, earning jealous glances from Petra and Spica, and an annoyed look from Tanza... Meili just laughed.
"Hahaha, they don't call him the Lolimancer for nothing," Ricardo laughed happily as he and Anastasia and the rest of their camp took the seats opposite. Hanibel noticed that the seat he was about to take was accompanied by a pipe.
"Hehe, I like this place." I laughed happily.
In the end, the occupied places were like this: Emilia's camp was in the middle next to Subaru and his parents, Anastasia's in front of them, Crush's camp was behind Emilia's camp, at the same level as them and sharing a row, were the residents of the Vollachia empire, with Abel in the middle and Al at his side and finally, Felt and Reinhardt with them... For his part, Cecilius sat in a corner away from the rest.
I see everyone has chosen their place, well. Now, I'll present the story of that boy who fought against hell itself, only to have a happy ending. A story filled with tragedy. Now, I'll announce the fourth and final rule...
Everyone was on the edge of their seats, preparing for what was coming.
Enjoy !
The screen in front of them began to display the title
Arc 1 chapter 1
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Hey, this is your server, I'm here to inform you that this is my first fanfic, Re : indeleble would be the second.
I wrote this fic more for myself, with no intention of continuing it. Back then, I wrote it out of boredom, so it's pretty bad in my opinion.
Bad writing, a slow pace, a mess of characters, among many flaws that I still struggle to correct, (Same as Re: indelible haha.)
I will post it here for reference.
Anyway, I don't plan on continuing it.
Although if I see that you like it, I could upload a few chapters.