《Re: Saving Rem (A Re:Zero SI)》


 Chapter 1

    The company gave me a chance to make things right.


    In front of the appa (ringa) merchant¡¯s stall, I returned by death.


    ¡°Oi! If you¡¯re just gonna stand there, get out of the way for my payin¡¯ customers, yeah?¡±


    I rubbed the back of my head, ¡°My bad!¡±


    I turned to my left and held out a hand. ¡°Rem, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She replied warmly with a smile.


    My biggest frustration with Canon, was when Rem lost her memories. This time, I would save her.


    <hr><hr>


    On the ceiling of a roof in the capital of Luginica, I faced the blue-haired beauty before me.


    ¡°Rem,¡± I started to say, checking her face for a reaction.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to give you an opportunity. The truth is, I like you. I want to be with you.¡±


    Rem¡¯s face looked at me with shock¡ª she must not have expected that. Though, she made no motion to interrupt. She always did listen to Natsuki Subaru intently.


    ¡°Run away with me. If you do, I can promise that I¡¯ll give you my entire heart. I¡¯m giving you a chance right now. If you accept, I promise that I¡¯ll love you and only you.¡±


    For a tense moment, she stared at me as she gathered her thoughts.


    ¡°I cannot do so.¡± She replied.


    Even though I expected her reply, I couldn¡¯t help but be a little bit disappointed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it too, you know. We could live together in a small apartment, maybe in someplace like Kararagi. As long as we could find work, I¡¯m sure we could make due. Fortunately, I received an education, so I know I could find work. You might have to do manual labor or work hard to educate yourself.


    ¡°We¡¯d have two¡ª no, three children.¡± Rem blushed, even the tips of her ears turning red. ¡°They might all be girls, and you may be upset that there were no boys. But, we would love each other anyway. In the village, we¡¯d be known as the doting old couple, who never get separated. I¡¯ve thought about this, fantasized about all of this, and more. And that¡¯s why, I have to reject your offer.¡±


    I let out a depressed chuckle, ¡°If all of that is true, why would you say no?¡±


    ¡°Because I know that if we ran away together now, I¡¯d be leaving behind the Subaru-kun that I love the most. You¡¯re my hero, and I know that¡¯s why you¡¯ve given me this offer. I¡¯m truly happy, so truly happy from the bottom of my heart. But, I know that you aren¡¯t just my hero, are you?¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I love everyone at the manor. I love Emilia, Beatrice, and even Ram. I¡¯m a greedy, disgusting man, don¡¯t you know? I want to save them. They are in danger.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But let me correct one thing, I love that Subaru-kun, the one who jumps into danger to save those he cares about. The Subaru-kun who will overturn the darkest of futures so that we can laugh like an Oni. Don¡¯t say you are disgusting, because I think you are wonderful.


    ¡°If something happened, please tell me. I want to be your strength.¡± The wind blew and parted Rem¡¯s hair, allowing me to see the resolve in her eyes.


    I walked forward, not content to let things just end here. ¡°It might be selfish of me, but Rem, will you accept my love even if you aren¡¯t the only one whom I give my affection?¡±


    ¡°I would be happy if you could save even just a sliver of affection for me.¡± Rem smiled.


    ¡°Would you be happy, even knowing I¡¯m a greedy man who wants four lovers?¡±


    ¡°I would be happy as long as you let me stay by your side.¡±


    ¡°Would you be happy, even if I constantly ask you to fight for me? I¡¯m weak, and I constantly rely on others.¡±


    ¡°I would be happy to fight for you.¡±


    I let out a breath and stared up at the sky, gathering my resolve. Then, I looked back down into Rem¡¯s face with hard eyes, trying to show my determination.


    Rem glanced down and mumbled, ¡°If you look at me so intensely, I¡¯ll blush you know...¡±


    I walked forward. With one arm, I wrapped around Rem¡¯s waist and pulled her close to me. She stumbled for a second and opened her mouth in surprise. With my other hand, I gently caressed her cheek. Finally, I pulled her in for a kiss.


    For a brief moment, I recognized that Rem must be inexperienced. Her lips didn¡¯t move to reciprocate, and I worried slightly that I had gone too far. But then, she melted against me and I had to support her entire body weight so she wouldn¡¯t collapse. I felt her soft feminine curves push up against me even as I held her tightly from behind. Her lips pushed back against mine desperately, and I returned her fervor with my own.


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    After a few wonderful moments, in which we kissed, I pulled my head back¡ª still holding her body tightly against mine.


    ¡°Three kids, huh? I guess I¡¯ll have to work hard to support everyone.¡±


    Rem looked down and blushed, ¡°Yes.¡± She said quietly. ¡°You¡¯ll have to work hard to restore the Oni race.¡±


    I chuckled at the thought¡ª me, singlehandedly bringing the Oni race away from extinction.


    ¡°Even if we have twins or even triplets, I¡¯ll love them with my entire heart,¡± I declared, looking at my new lover warmly.


    ¡°I know.¡± She said simply, with complete trust.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I said into the heavens, ¡°We have a lot of work cut out for us if we want to save everyone! If I¡¯m to be your hero, we need to get started on saving them right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You better get ready for tonight, Rem!


    ¡°Ah! But, I¡¯m not ready, but if Subaru-kun is insisting,¡± For some reason, Rem whispered to herself quietly and blushed even harder than before.


    ¡°After all, there¡¯s a lot I need to explain to you, to talk to you about.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Oh, of course, that¡¯s what Subaru-kun meant.¡± She smiled, almost self-deprecatingly. ¡°You are a lady killer, you know?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡± Rem pulled the hug tighter as she rested the side of her face into my chest. She was warm.


    <hr><hr>


    I pushed the double wooden doors open into Crusch¡¯s office. The high-class room was furnished with expensive upholstery and elegant paintings. I moved to sit down at a small loveseat. Across from me, Crusch sat in a similar chair, a coffee table the only thing separating us.


    Rem moved behind me, standing just to the side of my chair. Felis and Wilhelm mirrored Rem, standing slightly behind and to either side of their mistress Crusch. The cat-eared boy with brown hair wore a feminine frilly blue and white dress, which I couldn¡¯t help but be slightly weirded out by. Wilhelm, in contrast, stood with perfect poise and posture¡ª the air of a warrior surrounding him. No one would realize the man was old if not for his white hair and beard¡ª his hard jawline and strong muscles showed even through the butler¡¯s uniform he wore.


    Crusch, garbed in her Western-style military garb, stared at me intently. Her dark green hair almost looked black in the somewhat dark lighting of her office.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to make a deal of equals.¡± I started, well aware of how this conversation went in canon. My plan was to follow the path the original Natsuki Subaru already carved for me¡ª with a couple of modifications.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Crusch said, planting her chin in her hand as she leaned her elbows against her knees.


    ¡°I know without a doubt where and when the White Whale will be. In exchange for that information, I¡¯d like to ask that you take me and Rem on the hunt.¡±


    At the mentioning of her name, I turned slightly in my seat to face Rem. She looked so adorable in that maid uniform of hers. I couldn¡¯t help myself, I reached an arm over the arm-rest and grabbed onto her wrist. The woman''s body was so tiny, it was easy to maneuver her around. Body Talent made it even easier to pull her in front of the seat.


    ¡°W-what, what are you?¡± Rem asked, flustered.


    After I had her positioned in front of my chair, her back facing me, I wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her into my lap. She was much shorter than me, so it was easy to look over her shoulder and stare at Crusch.


    It may be inappropriate to do such a thing in the middle of negotiations, but I figured the display would actually throw Crusch off by making her flustered.


    ¡°Su-Subaru-k-kun,¡± Rem stammered. I could see the backs of her ears turn bright scarlet.


    In front of me, Crusch readjusted her position and faked a cough. I pulled my attention back to my negotiation opponent.


    ¡°And, what makes you think I would be interested in such a deal? You also still haven¡¯t yet stated a proper wish for what you want in return.¡±


    At her question, I turned my attention to Wilhelm. He looked at me right back, equally as intense.


    Finally, I pulled my gaze back to Crusch. ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me. We both know you cannot afford to pass up this information.¡±


    ¡°What are you implying?¡± Crusch asked, trying to throw me off. Too bad for her, I knew the future.


    I ignored her question, instead, I continued with my proposal. Besides, she knew exactly what I was implying. ¡°In exchange for my information, I would ask that you provide me with military strength as I return to the Roswaal manor.¡± I leaned back in my seat, pulling Rem¡¯s back in closer to my front. I could feel her tiny butt perfectly positioned in my lap.


    ¡°As I am sure you are aware, the White Whale is often sighted at the same time as the Witch¡¯s cult. I know for a fact that the White Whale is accompanied by no less than the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, Petelgeuse Roman¨¦e Conti. After we subjugate the Whale, any military force you can spare will accompany me to Roswaal manor where we shall eliminate the Sin Archbishop.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, before we get that far, how can I trust your information? You aren¡¯t a part of the Witch¡¯s cult are you?¡±


    ¡°Subaru would never!¡± Rem began to angrily shout in my defense, but I interrupted her before she could get too flustered.


    With a quick motion, I pulled Subaru¡¯s flip phone out of my pocket. Though, I guess I was Subaru, now. ¡°This,¡± I said as I showed it off to those in the room, ¡°Is a metia. It will tell me exactly when the White Whale is going to appear. As long as we have this, we can accurately track the Whale¡¯s movements.¡±


    At that moment, the double doors to Crusch¡¯s office slammed open. ¡°I sure hope ya¡¯ll dun¡¯t mind if we intrude?¡± Anastasia Hoshin said with her thick Kararagi accent.


    ¡°You planned this, I take it?¡± Crusch said.


    ¡°That lil¡¯ blue-haired maid of his contacted us,¡± Anastasia said. Her pale purple hair accented her upper-class scarf and white dress perfectly. However, her fuzzy Ushanka-looking hat was pretty silly in my opinion.


    ¡°Russell Fellow,¡± Crusch said, ¡°I suppose Subaru is the reason you are here, also?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. As a representative of the merchant¡¯s guild, I couldn¡¯t let an opportunity to buy such a unique metia go to waste.


    ¡°In exchange for that metia, Subaru has asked if we¡¯ll join in the White Whale subjugation. Additionally, he¡¯s offerin¡¯ us half of the minin¡¯ rights to them magic stones on Roswaal¡¯s land. Well, we sure as heck wouldn¡¯t be mercenaries or merchants if we ignored tha opportunity for gold, would we?¡±


    ¡°I see, I¡¯ve been completely outmaneuvered, is it?¡± Crusch said somewhat self-deprecatingly. Though, I noticed she was smiling.


    ¡°Very well, Natsuki Subaru. I accept your proposal. In exchange for the information on the White Whale, I will lend you my strength.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to just make one correction,¡± I stated into the room, causing everyone to go silent. ¡°You must agree that we will go into battle as allies.¡±


    The tension in Crusch¡¯s shoulders immediately relaxed, and she let out a brief few chuckles. ¡°Very well, Natuski Subaru!¡± She stood up and offered me her hand.


    In response, I picked Rem up from underneath her armpits, causing her to squeak slightly. I put her down on her feet gently, then I stood up. With a smooth motion, I reached forward to clasp Crusch¡¯s hand into my own.


    ¡°By this time tomorrow, the world will be celebrating the death and defeat of a menace.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Watching Crusch gather a truly extraordinarily large number of allies had been quite the sight. I still remembered the frantic rush of the rest of the day quite clearly. But now, I was exhausted. Right now would be my last opportunity to sleep before the big battle.


    Honestly, I was worried about it. In canon, Subaru only managed to avoid the fog through sheer luck. There had been multiple times he had to be saved, by Rem, by Anastasia¡¯s mercenaries, and even by Wilhelm and Crusch.


    Before any of that, there was something I had to do. I palmed the Company¡¯s stamp in my hand as I approached Rem¡¯s room. We were still staying in Crusch¡¯s mansion, and I stared at the elegantly carved dark wooden door in front of me. Even though I knew Rem would never hurt me, I still felt so nervous standing in front of this door. Thoughts of rejection flittered through my mind, though I tried to push them away as nonsense.


    ¡°Come in!¡± Rem said loudly through the door.


    I smiled, she must have heard me standing here through the door. I let out a breath to gather myself, and then I pushed down on the door handle. The door swung wide as I walked inside.


    Rem sat on the edge of her bed facing away from the wall. She wore a simple white nightdress, the fabric almost thin enough to see through.


    I walked confidently, or at least with fake confidence, into the room, shutting the door behind me. I took a few more steps until I reached the small chair and desk combo across from the bed. I pulled the chair out and turned it around to face Rem. Then, I unceremoniously sat down, my eyes intent on Rem¡¯s.


    ¡°What did Subaru-kun want to discuss?¡± Her soft voice sounded surprisingly firm¡ª as if she wanted to reassure me and also make it clear she found my words important at the same time.


    I palmed the stamp in my hand, turning it this way and that, but she didn¡¯t notice the motion. She couldn¡¯t notice the motion.


    ¡°Rem, there are a number of things I need to tell you. You might not believe all of it.¡±


    ¡°Even if Subaru-kun said the moon would fall from the sky and kill everyone tonight, I would believe you. I¡¯ll always believe in you.¡±


    I huffed out in chagrin. Why was I even holding this stamp for, anyway? I threw it into the trash bin. Despite the loud cluttering sound, Rem didn¡¯t notice. I wouldn¡¯t force the stamp on her without her express approval, I decided.


    Once again, I fixed my gaze intently on my lover. ¡°Rem, I¡¯m not sure exactly how much I can tell you, since telling you could be dangerous for both of us. If I stop talking in the middle of trying to explain things to you, it means I hit a metaphorical landmine, and I had to stop.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what a landmine is,¡± Rem said, ¡°But I think I understand. What is it?¡±


    ¡°A lot of things, actually.¡± I sighed, trying to figure out how to explain all of this to her. ¡°Let¡¯s start with my erratic behavior. I have some limited ability to divine the future.¡± I paused, waiting to see if the witch of Envy¡¯s claws would come for me.


    After a moment of heart-racing silence, I determined that saying this much must be safe at the very least.


    ¡°I know you were lying about the metia.¡± Rem smiled, ¡°I always know when Subaru-kun is lying.¡±


    I chuckled slightly and held my hand against the back of my neck, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why¡ª¡±


    Rem interrupted me, ¡°I told you just now, didn¡¯t I? Even if you are lying, I¡¯ll follow you, no,¡± She shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ll trust you no matter what,¡± she said with determination.


    ¡°Well, what I¡¯m saying now is the truth. I have some limited precognition. That¡¯s how I know where the White Whale is going to be.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°I also, need your advice.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more information I didn¡¯t share with Crusch. Honestly, I¡¯m worried that if I told her the rest, that she wouldn¡¯t agree to lend us her troops.¡± I could see that Rem was listening intently. Despite that, I still didn¡¯t know if I should tell her about the other Sin Archbishops.


    First, I decided to take a detour. Rem looked at me with slight confusion as I changed the subject. ¡°What if I told you that I could make you immortal?¡± I let the question hang in the air for a moment, but Rem didn¡¯t speak up¡ª either because she knew I wasn¡¯t finished or because she had trouble digesting my words. ¡°What if I said that I could make you immune to any and all mind-affecting magic? Soul-affecting magic? What if I said that I could make your body healthier than it¡¯s ever been? What if I said that I could take you to an alternate dimension, where no one could ever harm us and we¡¯d be safe, for eternity?¡±


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    Rem spoke up with a serious face, ¡°I¡¯d say that I believe you.¡±


    ¡°What if I said that the only cost for all of those things, would be that you pledge your eternal love and loyalty to me.¡± My heart started racing. This was the question.


    I swallowed as Rem began to move her lips, ¡°Then I¡¯d say that I will do so happily.¡±


    I let out a breath of relief and smiled. ¡°Rem, take off your clothes,¡± I said with utter seriousness.


    Sensing my seriousness, Rem stood up and took off her nightgown in one smooth motion. She wore only a pair of blue panties. She held the nightgown with one arm and crossed her other arm around her chest to hide her modesty. I drank in the sight.


    ¡°Subaru,¡± Rem said. She spoke seriously, but I could see the blush rising up her cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to put a mark on your skin.¡± I summoned the stamp into my right hand as I approached Rem.


    With my other arm, I pulled her in tightly by the waist. She gasped as her naked body met my chest, dropping her nightgown on the floor in surprise.


    I let go of the stamp for a moment so that I could push Rem¡¯s arm away from her chest. I watched as her chest slowly moved up and down in rhythm with her breathing.


    I resummoned the Company stamp, and I pressed it firmly right in between and slightly above her breasts¡ª marking her mine.


    Only now able to finally notice the stamp, Rem stared down at the black cylinder in my hands as it met her skin. ¡°It¡¯s cold,¡± she said.


    I dropped the stamp, banishing it to the aether until I summoned it once more. Together, we stared down at her naked body in fascination as the stamp formed on her skin. The head of a purple, eastern-style dragon¡¯s head drew itself upon her skin. Then, a triangle formed around the head which sat in its center. In the three corners formed three new purple tattoos. One was a familiar mace and chain. The next corner showed an Oni¡¯s horn. The final corner formed the symbol of Pride¡ª a symbol known only to and representing me. Apparently, Rem¡¯s third pillar of existence was he who called himself Natsuki Subaru.


    Her muscles rippled as I held her in my arms, and her eyes glowed. The next moment, she gasped in surprise as all of the hair not situated on her head or face fell out. Yep, body talent would do that to you.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked me as I held her against myself.


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯ve made you stronger. I¡¯ve made you immortal. Mind-affecting magics will bounce off of you as if they didn¡¯t exist, and the same can be said of soul-affecting magics. This was the best way I knew how to keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°I feel stronger.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement. You¡¯re probably at least three or four times stronger than you were before. At least, Body Talent did that to me.¡±


    ¡°Body, Talent?¡± Rem tested out the English words, moving the concepts around in her head as she said them.


    I crouched down to pick up her nightgown from the floor. ¡°Body Talent, Soul Defense, Mind Defense, and Everlasting are now yours.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Rem sounded slightly panicked, probably worried that I had given up something vital for her.


    I waved her concerns away with my off hand, as I tried to pass her nightgown back to her with the other. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    She pushed against my chest, pushing me back a step. ¡°I¡¯m obviously going to be worried about it!¡± She said with some heat. ¡°What about Subaru-kun!? You need these defenses way more than I do!¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Remember, I already told you what it cost. Do you remember?¡±


    ¡°Love, and, loyalty? But... that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± She looked up at me with wide eyes, looking for an explanation.


    I was about to provide it to her when she spoke up again with determination, ¡°No. No matter what, if Subaru-kun said that¡¯s what it cost, then that¡¯s what it cost. I believe you.¡±


    Normally, I would be entirely against mind control. But in this case, I suspected the stamp didn¡¯t actually change Rem¡¯s psyche in the slightest. The Stamp only enforced loyalty. I did say it cost love, but in reality, my stamp didn¡¯t force someone to love me. It only forced someone to be loyal to me. From the beginning, Rem was loyal to me. In this case, I rested easy knowing that the stamp didn¡¯t change her in the slightest. It was a sweet deal, me being able to give her all of those defenses and talents practically for free. Now, I knew, I wouldn¡¯t ever have to worry about her mind being erased by Gluttony.


    She finally seemed to realize I was holding her nightgown out for her to take, and she shyly took it back from me with both hands. She turned around so her back was facing me, and then she spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to stare at a lady while she dresses?¡± Her neck and ears turned red.


    I smiled and turned around. ¡°My bad.¡±


    ¡°Geez, you aren¡¯t sorry at all, are you.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t toy with a lady¡¯s heart.¡±


    ¡°Even if I think you¡¯re cute when I¡¯m teasing you?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a little bit is alright,¡± Rem whispered. I heard clothes rustling behind me, and then Rem said, ¡°You can turn around now.¡±


    The moment I looked at her face, Rem beamed at me with the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. She was once again clothed in the simple, thin nightgown. Her chin-length blue hair framed her face perfectly, slightly messy from holding her to my chest. She brushed some bangs away from her eye and tucked them behind an ear.


    ¡°Before this, didn¡¯t you say you wanted my advice?¡± Rem prompted.


    I sat back down in the desk chair facing Rem, Rem mirroring me as she sat down on the edge of the bed.


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not just the Sin Archbishop of Sloth. The White Whale is being controlled by two more Sin Archbishops, Ley Batenkeitos¡ª the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony is one of them. The other, I don¡¯t quite remember. I think it¡¯s the Sin Archbishop of Greed, but I¡¯m honestly not sure.¡±


    ¡°And, you think that if we tell Crusch she won¡¯t try to fight the Whale? Subaru, after everything she¡¯s done to get ready for this fight, I don¡¯t think Crusch is the type of person to back down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about. I¡¯m worried that after we subjugate the Whale, Crusch won¡¯t allow half of her forces to come defend Emilia and everyone else at the manor. If she knows there are two more Sin Archbishops, she¡¯ll want to keep all of her fighting strength together.¡±

 Chapter 3

    ¡°I see,¡± Rem said simply, perhaps waiting to see if I had more to say. ¡°So, that¡¯s why you want my advice,¡± she finally said after I didn¡¯t say anything more.


    She sat on the bed, deeply in thought. Then, after about a minute, she spoke up, ¡°Subaru, do you think Crusch is the type of person to go back on her word? Surely, you¡¯ve realized by now. Crusch values honesty. She won¡¯t break a promise so easily.¡±


    ¡°So you think I should tell her about the other two Archbishops?¡±


    Rem nodded her head once. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what Rem thinks, then I¡¯d be a fool to not follow her advice.¡± Even if I had my own reservations, I decided to trust Rem¡¯s judgement. I had asked for it, after all.


    Rem smiled.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Subaru, do you care to tell us why you¡¯ve called for this emergency meeting?¡± Crusch asked sternly.


    Beside her chair, Felis said, ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s an ill omen to call a meeting at this late hour, nya?¡±


    ¡°After discussing with Rem,¡± I nodded to my blue-haired maid standing just to the side of my chair, ¡°We¡¯ve decided to give you more information¡ª vital information,¡± I corrected.


    ¡°This is not something that could have waited until the morning?¡±


    ¡°You need all the time you can get to strategize.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°The White Whale is being controlled by Sin Archbishops,¡± I began, but Crusch spoke up.


    ¡°If this is about the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, I¡¯ve already promised you my strength.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± I shook my head, ¡°There are two more.¡±


    The atmosphere suddenly grew darker.


    ¡°And you did not think to tell me this information sooner?¡±


    ¡°As I was saying, I myself just finished discussing this new information with Rem. It¡¯s an added complication to the situation, but I still think it¡¯s something that can be overcome. I have a hidden trump card in my back pocket, so to speak.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what is the trump card you speak of?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, there¡¯s actually two.¡± I readjusted my position to sit up straighter in my chair. ¡°The first is that I know the abilities of all three Sin Archbishops. I will tell you their strengths, and my opinions on suspected weaknesses. Second, I will bring reinforcements to the battle from the mansion¡ª there¡¯s a great spirit there who will listen to me.¡±


    Rem walked up and cupped her hand against my ear, ¡°Puck won¡¯t leave Emilia¡¯s side, you know?¡± Then she stepped back.


    ¡°I know Rem,¡± I said aloud, not caring if Crusch or her allies could hear me, ¡°I¡¯m not talking about Puck.¡±


    Rem stared at me in confusion for a second, but then she seemed to come to a realization.


    I turned my focus back to Crusch. ¡°The first Sin Archbishop is Ley Batenkeitos. He is the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony; just like the White Whale, he can erase the memories of those he touches. If you let him touch you, it¡¯s possible no one will even remember you existed. His power is three-fold. First, if he knows your name, he can erase everyone else¡¯s memory of you after he touches you. Second, even without knowing your name, he can erase your memories just by touching you. Third, he gains all of the memories of those he touches¡ª this includes magic ability and martial ability. In other words, he¡¯s an absolute monster who is extremely skilled at combat just from devouring others. My recommendation is to utterly annihilate him with superior firepower before he can fight back. I worry that even Wilhelm will lose a martial contest, and the moment he touches you the battle is over. If you can destroy him with magic from afar, that¡¯s best.¡±


    I paused to let everyone digest that. ¡°The second Sin Archbishop is the one attacking the Roswaal manor tomorrow. Petelgeuse commands invisible magic hands that contain extraordinary strength. In addition, he is a spirit and not a person. If you destroy his body, he will just possess the body of any other member in the Witch¡¯s cult, as long as they aren¡¯t too far away. My recommendation is to kill every single member of the Witch¡¯s cult nearby, and only then kill Petelgeuse. If even a single host remains, he will continue to revive like a cockroach.¡±


    I paused one more time, taking a sip of the water on the coffee table in front of me.


    ¡°Lastly is the third Sin Archbishop. To be honest, I don¡¯t know which one it is. I just know there¡¯s a third one.¡± It had been close to five years since I had last watched Re: Zero, and I honestly couldn¡¯t remember. ¡°If it¡¯s a man with white hair, there¡¯s is no chance for victory and you might as well run. If it¡¯s a woman covered in bandages, any attack you land on her will also land on you. Those are the other two I can remember. If it¡¯s not one of those two, then I don¡¯t know anything about them.¡±


    ¡°That sure is a lot of information you were withholding from us, is it nyat, Subaru-kun?¡± Felis said with a strained smile.


    Crusch waved a knife hand at Felis as if to cut off his words. ¡°Don¡¯t mind Felis. Thank you for the added information. This certainly changes things.¡± Crusch looked to her other side, right at Wilhelm. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°In this case, I believe we should not split up after we kill the White Whale.¡±


    ¡°But!¡± I tried to cut in, but Wilhelm talked over me.


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    ¡°I did not say we should back out on our deal, Natsuki-dono. Instead, I believe we should have our entire forces evacuate Roswaal¡¯s manor together. Then, if the other two Archbishops come for us, we can make a united stand.¡±


    I practically sagged in my seat as I let out a shaky breath. Crusch spared a moment to look at me from the corner of her eye.


    ¡°Very well, we have much to discuss and plan. In the morning, we shall finish our preparations for the White Whale subjugation, and then we will deal with these Sin Archbishops. If you aren¡¯t careful, Subaru-dono, then you may just accelerate my ascension to the throne. Subjugating the White Whale and killing off half of the Witch¡¯s cult in a single day? Do you really think Emilia will be able to take the crown after we accomplish such a feat?¡±


    I smiled, a clever retort on my lips, ¡°Ah, but if Emilia¡¯s knight was the person who led the charge, then would that not also benefit Emilia?¡±


    Crusch smiled back at me, almost predatory. ¡°Very well. Tomorrow, then, Natsuki Subaru.¡±


    At that, Crusch stood up and left the room. Felis and Wilhelm followed her out.


    ¡°That went well.¡± I sagged into my seat.


    <hr><hr>


    In the early hours of the morning, with the sun still below the horizon, Rem and I stood before Fl¨¹gel¡¯s tree. At its base, the tree was so wide it looked more like a flat wall than a round trunk.


    Just next to us, Crusch and Wilhelm also stood nearby. The rest of the forces were setting up various magic and military equipment.


    ¡°For some reason, mabeasts love my scent. I¡¯m no commander, and I would hardly try to tell you how to manage your troops.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sensing a, ¡®but¡¯, coming,¡± Crusch interrupted wryly.


    ¡°But, hear me out. Rem and I will lead the White Whale right here, by the nose. It will definitely follow me. Then, when the timing is right, blast the tree so that it topples down. We will pin the Whale to the ground with Fl¨¹gel¡¯s tree, and then Wilhelm can cut off its head. We¡¯re going to speedrun this shit.¡±


    ¡°If the beast does respond to you as bait, then we shall attempt your plan,¡± Crusch agreed, but still looked skeptical that I¡¯d actually be able to draw the whale¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Make sure you time it correctly,¡± I warned. ¡°If you break the tree too late or too early and miss the Whale, we won¡¯t get another chance.


    ¡°I know,¡± Crusch said simply.


    I reached out and grasped Rem¡¯s hand, squeezing it. ¡°It¡¯ll be soon, now.¡±


    ¡°Aye. We should get ready,¡± Crusch said.


    I helped Rem up onto Patrasche¡ª the black ground dragon I picked out earlier in the day. After she was mounted, she reached out a hand and pulled me up with her. I sat directly behind her as she steered Patrasche into the formation. Crusch and Wilhelm followed close behind.


    From my position behind Rem, I wrapped my arms around her¡ª hugging her from behind. She was so tiny that the back of her head barely came up to my chest, since Body Talent made me taller than the original Natsuki Subaru. Patrasche ran forward, her body undulating under us as she moved.


    ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m never letting go of you. You better not do anything reckless, Rem,¡± I warned.


    Rem turned her head slightly to glance at me before she moved her eyes back to the path ahead of us. ¡°If you are in danger, I won¡¯t be able to hold myself back.¡±


    After all of these coming battles were over, I was going to get stronger. Strong enough that Rem wouldn¡¯t have to fight for me anymore¡ª strong enough that Rem and I could fight as equals. No, I¡¯d become strong enough that I could fight to protect Rem. That¡¯s what Martial and Psychic talent were for, afterall.


    Now in proper formation, everyone waited in the dark silence of night. My flip phone sat silently in my pocket. My company-issued Smartphone was separate, so I could keep my promise to Anastasia and give her the flip phone after this was all over. Funnily, it would be out of charge sometime tomorrow, anyway. I felt a little bit bad, tricking her like that. But then again, she was a manipulative asshole anyway, so I didn¡¯t bother feeling too guilty about my deception.


    A cheery ringtone ran out across the fields. Chatter came up from a few of the men around me before the squad leader hushed them into silence. Crusch and Wilhelm looked into my eyes, and I nodded toward them once.


    ¡°The White Whale is coming! Be ready!¡± Crusch shouted to the men, her voice projecting across the fields.


    I stared up at the moon, knowing where to see the White Whale from my memories of the anime. Once I spotted it, I pointed up to it. ¡°There!¡± I shouted.


    Crusch and Wilhelm saw it the moment I pointed, and the rest of the military force followed my point soon after.


    ¡°Now, Rem,¡± I commanded quietly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Rem whipped the reins on Patrasche, sending her forward at a run.


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t too sure if this gambit would work. In Canon, the Witch of Envy, Satella only made Subaru smell like her because she touched him with her magic. Would she bother coming to me? Even worse, would she recognize that I body-snatched Subaru and kill me the second she realized what happened? If I died, would I really be able to count on return by death? I honestly wanted to avoid finding out that last one, if at all possible.


    I took in a deep breath. ¡°Rem, I can return by d¡ª¡±


    Time around me froze. A hand grasped around my heart, its pointed claws poised to tear my vitals apart. A single finger caressed my heart, lovingly, enviously.


    Then, it was over and time resumed. Patrasche continued to gallop beneath me, and Rem still steered from the front.


    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± I shouted in triumph. ¡°Did it work?¡± I asked Rem.


    ¡°Yes. You stink horribly,¡± she said without a hint of remorse.


    Above us, I could see the White Whale¡¯s silhouette turn toward us.


    ¡°The nightbreaker is about to launch,¡± Rem warned me. ¡°Cover your eyes as they adjust.¡±


    Right after she said it, the night sky lit up¡ª an artificial sun turning night to day. I blinked to get the tears out of my eyes, but they adjusted soon enough.


    Now able to properly see, I looked up as the White Whale¡¯s massive pupils focused in on me. It dove, heading straight down. Rem turned Patrasche, moving us toward Fl¨¹gel¡¯s tree.


    ¡°This plan better work,¡± I said. It was one thing to see a character on a screen do it. For me, this was real life. I could feel my heart beat with adrenaline, my fingers tingle in anxiety, and my mind desperately try to warn me of the coming danger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx us,¡± Rem warned with a bit of humor in her tone.


    I needn¡¯t have worried. In moments, the tree was right ahead of us on the left. Explosions went off, the magic artillery firing. The tree, bigger than any skyscraper, began to fall. The White Whale didn¡¯t even notice it, so intent was it on chasing us from behind. I felt the ground tremble and shatter as the White Whale¡¯s gaping mouth opened and destroyed the earth behind me.


    Patrasche ran as fast as a car from my old world, and in seconds we were practically past the tree.


    It began to hit the ground with an earthshaking boom, but it somehow managed to be quieter than I would have expected. Rem just urged Patrasche forward faster, trying to outrun the chaos going on behind us.


    ¡°The tree isn¡¯t going to land in time,¡± Rem said, dead serious.


    She moved to get up, letting go of the reins and trying to hand them over to me.


    No longer able to hold onto her body, I was forced to grab the reins lest I fall off the speeding ground dragon.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I shouted, moving the reins to a single hand. I reached out for Rem just as she forcefully jumped high into the air. ¡°Rem!¡±


    Looking behind myself, I watched as Rem¡¯s horn grew out from her skull, glowing a prismatic white. She landed on the Whale and promptly hit it in the face with her flail¡ª temporarily making it rear up as it flinched.


    I watched as a burst of fog shot out from a vent on its skin, washing over and enveloping Rem.


    ¡°Rem!¡± I screamed again, trying to turn the reins, trying to force Patrasche back to Rem. The intelligent ground dragon ignored my desperate attempts to turn her around as Fl¨¹gel¡¯s tree fell down smack on the Whale¡¯s back.


    Things were supposed to go better this time. I stared on as the dust settled before me, horror and apathy competing for a prized place within my heart.

 Chapter 4

    I stared at the scene before me, trying to process what had happened.


    ¡°Now is not the time for hesitation, Subaru-dono!¡± Wilhelm came flying in from behind me on his red ground dragon. He rushed past me and jumped up to the Whale. ¡°The time for your end has come! Graciously fall to my blade. For my wife!¡± He shouted, his voice so full of emotion it even managed to break me out of torpor.


    This time, Patrasche listened to my command of the reins. She turned back to the Whale and rode toward it.


    Once we arrived, I looked over at the Whale, desperate to see blue hair. I could still see Wilhelm atop its head, carving away. I could see the Whale¡¯s desperate eyes tracking Wilhelm as he decapitated it.


    I searched the area, moving my head back and forth almost as fast as it could go, damn the consequences. A little bit to the side of the Whale, on the ground, pinned beneath stray wooden shrapnel, I found that head of blue hair.


    I jumped off of Patrasche and ran to my lover. ¡°Rem!¡± I shouted, but she did not stir.


    As I approached, I scanned her body for any signs of life. I checked her closed eyes and her unmoving chest. With a heave, I threw all of the stray pieces of wood off of her body. Then, I gently cradled her head and lifted her body up to me. I gently held her upper body to my chest, and her lower body naturally draped into my lap.


    ¡°Rem?¡± I asked gently, softly.


    I held my hand in front of her mouth, but I didn¡¯t feel any breathing. Then I moved down to her wrist, but I could not find a pulse. Finally, I moved my fingers to her neck, dreading what they might find. I moved slowly, as if my hesitation might change the outcome.


    My finger met her soft supple neck... and found a pulse.


    I breathed out once, and my eyes began to water. She was alive, though her pulse was weak. As long as she was alive, Felis could heal her no problem. A tear of relief dribbled down my cheek and fell onto her chest, absorbed by the maid uniform. I held her tightly for a moment more.


    Patrasche walked up to me so she could nudge me with her head. Looking toward her, I could see the White Whale¡¯s now headless corpse in the background. In the distance, I could see Felis and Crusch approaching me.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Who is that girl in your arms?¡± Crusch asked me.


    I laughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°She¡¯s proof that not everything went perfectly. I failed her.¡±


    ¡°Another victim of the White Whale, then.¡±


    ¡°Crusch-sama!¡± Felis cried, ¡°This girl is still alive!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Crusch asked disbelievingly.


    ¡°Subaru-kyun, move out of the way,¡± Felis practically stole Rem from my arms, but I let him. He draped her across his lap, his hands already beginning to glow with the light of healing magic.


    ¡°Well, if you were cradling her so gently she must be important to you, nya.¡± His hands glowed with healing light.


    ¡°Her name is Rem. My Rem.¡± I said simply, those words explanation enough.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you can remember her. It¡¯s no easy feat to survive the White Whale¡¯s fog, let alone for anyone to remember your memory,¡± Crusch said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Rem¡¯s tough.¡± I shrugged. ¡°And I¡¯m somewhat immune to the effects of the Witch¡¯s cult.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I may ask you to identify our fallen later, help us respect their memory.¡± Wilhelm approached, flicking the blood off of his sword as he did so.


    ¡°Wilhelm, so it¡¯s over then?¡± Crusch asked him.


    ¡°Indeed. My wife has been avenged. Finally, my reason for living these fourteen years has been accomplished.¡±


    Then, Wilhelm knelt down on one knee right in front of me. ¡°I express my gratitude to you, Subaru-dono. I express gratitude. Thank you. Truly, truly, thank you. Words alone cannot begin to express the debt I now owe you.¡±


    ¡°Su...baru?¡± A weak voice sounded out to my side.


    I was next to her in an instant. In the background, I barely registered Wilhelm saying something about ¡®not being able to compete with the attentions of a woman¡¯, but I ignored him in favor of Rem¡¯s wide eyes looking up at me.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Did, we¡ª¡± she coughed, ¡°win?¡± Her voice came out small, weak.


    I reached out and held her hand in mine and leaned over her body to gently kiss her forehead. ¡°Yeah, we won.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She smiled.


    I flicked her nose. ¡°Subaru-kun!¡± She said, scandalized.


    ¡°What did I tell you about trying to sacrifice your life for me!¡± I shouted in her face.


    Despite the anger in my tone, she just smiled up at me gently. ¡°How could I not save the one most precious to me?¡±


    ¡°Subaru-kyun, sorry to interrupt, but I¡¯m gonna have to ask you not to shout at or flick my patient, nya.¡± Felis gave a strained smile. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m going to have to insist that she follow along with the wounded back to the capital.¡±


    ¡°I refuse,¡± I said, allowing absolutely no argument from my tone. ¡°Rem is my other half. I will not be separated from her under any circumstances.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but...¡± Felis trailed off. He sighed, ¡°Fine then. I see you won¡¯t back down from this anyway.¡±


    ¡°Subaru-dono is that kind of man, after all.¡± Wilhelm chimed in.


    Then, Crusch spoke up, ¡°We defeated the White Whale with minimal losses, thanks to Subaru¡¯s plan and info. But, it¡¯s not time to relax. We need to get ready for the next fight. I¡¯ve assigned a small contingent of my forces to take the wounded back to the capital, no more than a single squadron. Because of Subaru¡¯s plan, and drawing the White Whale¡¯s attention, no more than a handful of warriors became wounded, most of them simply because they were standing too close to the tree when it fell,¡± Crusch reported. ¡°The rest of us will continue onto Roswaal¡¯s domain.¡± Crusch¡¯s words carried an air of authority. ¡°We will bring the White Whale¡¯s head with us. That is what the other two Sin Archbishops are after, is it not, Natsuki Subaru?¡± Crusch turned to ask me directly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. As long as we take that giant head with us, the Sin Archbishops will probably follow it. They want to meet the people responsible for killing their pet,¡± I spat out the last word.


    Rem squeezed my hand, and Wilhelm looked fondly at us, briefly interrupting the current topic.


    ¡°I can tell this woman has precious feelings for you Subaru-dono¡ª Cherish them. And, you must introduce us properly after this is all over.¡± Then, he sat up straighter, as if to continue the previous, more serious topic, ¡°If the White Whale is considered a mere pet to these Archbishops, then they must be mighty foes indeed,¡± Wilhelm observed.


    ¡°I shall gather the squadron leaders. I assume you have another plan for us, Natsuki Subaru?¡± Crusch looked at me.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got at least the beginning of a plan. Anything after that we¡¯ll have to see as it comes.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Crusch had gathered all of the leaders into a big circle to talk strategy. Most of us were sitting on the grass. It was a weird feeling, seeing all those military types staring at me¡ª waiting for my advice. On one hand, it made sense; I had just successfully handed them the key and strategy to defeat the White Whale with barely any losses. Heck, the fight itself had barely lasted more than ten minutes. On another hand, I knew practically nothing about military strategy. I was completely relying on my knowledge of the future to guide them to victory. I felt nervous, telling all of these warriors what to do, but I also knew that if I didn¡¯t help, we would surely loose.


    I almost started talking, but then Crusch pointed to the road behind us. I turned my head from my sitting position, to see the second half of Anastasia¡¯s forces coming up the road¡ª led by a certain pale purple haired knight. The last time Subaru had interacted with Julius, he had humiliated Subaru for daring to bad-mouth the kingdom of Luginica¡¯s knight order. The current me stood up to meet their approach. The phantasm of Canon Subaru that still existed inside of me protested his presence, <u>hard</u>. But that phantom was just a memory at this point. It was easy to ignore.


    Julius must have noticed my staring at him with targeted, intent eyes, because he guided his ground dragon right to me, stopping the rest of the caravan behind him.


    ¡°There is something you and I must discuss,¡± I said.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He questioned.


    Bowing at the waist at a slight angle, showing respect but not deference, I said, ¡°I sincerely apologize for my actions in the past. I talked poorly of a respectable order I knew very little about, all for my own pride and wish to help Emilia-sama.¡±


    He looked at me, perhaps trying to find his words. I suspected he did not expect me to apologize so seriously. This behavior would have been severely out of character for Canon Subaru, so I hoped he didn¡¯t think I had snatched his body. But, he had no way to know I was a body snatcher. If Rem hadn¡¯t noticed I was a new person, Julius probably wouldn¡¯t either.


    ¡°I see. In that case, let me also apologize for my past actions. It is no simple thing to humiliate another in that way,¡± Julius replied back, equally serious.


    ¡°I accept your apology,¡± I took a breath, ¡°But!¡± I said loudly, not quite shouting as I pointed at Julius¡¯ face. ¡°I still do not like you.¡± Now that, was in line with something Subaru would do, and frankly I agreed with him. Julius was kind of a dick at first.


    Julius barked out a quick short laugh. ¡°Fine then! I expected as much in either case.¡±


    ¡°Good, now come join the command circle so I can tell you how to kick the Sin Archbishops¡¯ butts.¡±


    Julius smiled.


    After the rest of Anastasia¡¯s forces were gathered for strategy talks, I turned my attention back to the circle sitting around me. I took a deep steadying breath to gather my thoughts. ¡°The first thing you need to know is that from here on out, anyone carrying the head of the White Whale is going to be a target for two Sin Archbishops of the Witch¡¯s cult. Quite frankly, I think it would be best if you all could just run away¡ª¡±


    I was about to say ¡®but¡¯ when Mimi ¨C Anastasia¡¯s tiny, cat eared second in command ¨C interrupted, ¡°If you think that¡¯s gonna discourage us, you¡¯re dead wrong!¡± She raised one fist in the air to show off her tiny fighting spirit. The twitching cat ears on top of her head made it look more cute than fierce, though.


    I smiled¡ª I knew they weren¡¯t just going to back down from a fight. ¡°Even though my initial suggestion would be to simply run, you¡¯ve all made it clear to me that that¡¯s not an option.¡±


    I watched the crowd for a reaction, seeing nods go all around the circle.


    ¡°Honestly, there are a few ways I can think of that might work to defeat our enemies. I would like to hear all of your thoughts on the matter though, since I¡¯m not a military expert. At best, I know the weaknesses of our enemies, and I¡¯m somewhat counting on you all to find the smartest path forward.¡±

 Chapter 5

    After I explained the Sin Archbishops abilities, I mostly just listened to command talks for various strategies from those who actually knew a thing or two about battle. I wasn¡¯t afraid to pitch in, however, if I thought a strategy wouldn¡¯t work for whatever reason. Honestly, the biggest hurdle always came right back to the third Sin Archbishop. Frankly, if it was Greed, as I suspected, we were kind of screwed. My main three ideas of: throw him into space, bury him underground, or kill all of his wives, were not so easy to pull off. The first two were impractical with our current line up, and the last one was abhorrently immoral. Someone tossed around the idea of trying to trap or seal him, but I vetoed that, as I had already thought about it and realized it wouldn¡¯t work.


    So we spun in circles for a little while, but I couldn¡¯t afford to let things drag on too much. If we didn¡¯t come up with something soon, everyone in Roswaal¡¯s domain would die.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Nya, well, I wouldn¡¯t exactly say she¡¯s fighting fit, but it¡¯ll have to do for nyow,¡± Felis looked up at me from the healing carriage with a slightly strained expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re feeling better.¡±


    Rem was lying down on the carriage bed with Felis standing over her. She smiled up at me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overwork yourself nyow,¡± He said, his serious, almost chastising tone contrasting against his cat affectation.


    Ironically, since I had given Rem Mind Defense, she might actually be the best person to fight Ley¡ª from a purely logical standpoint. I wouldn¡¯t let her either way, though. In Canon, she lost her fight against him in a martial contest, and I suspected she would lose again here. No, from this point forward, Rem was sticking by my side.


    I got up into the carriage as Rem began to stand up. She took my hand and then we exited together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t use your gate!¡± Felis reminded me, drawing my attention back to where he was behind us. ¡°And the girl nyeeds to be careful not to overtax her body!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Felis.¡±


    He sighed, ¡°How am I supposed to be strict when you make a face like that!¡± He teased.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us, focus on your role for the upcoming battle. And don¡¯t forget the giant bomb!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, nya. How could someone forget something like that, anyway!¡±


    I had to suppress a snort. He had completely forgotten about the bomb in the original timeline.


    Rem and I waved at him as we got back on Patrasche. From here on out, the battle would begin.


    <hr><hr>


    Julius approached Rem and I¡¯s ground dragon. We were still on the path to the village. The simple dirt path made a few bumps in the road, but Patrasche handled the terrain well. We hadn¡¯t reached the forest, yet.


    ¡°I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting, my lady,¡± he introduced himself with that irritatingly knightly cadence. Too bad, Julius! You¡¯ll never seduce my Rem.


    She gave him a flat look, reminding me of the same look she gave Subaru when he first joined the mansion staff. She never was one to trust another so quickly.


    ¡°We have met before,¡± She stated.


    ¡°Ah, in that case, my apologies.¡±


    ¡°See, Julius, you¡¯ll never match my manly charms,¡± I said jokingly.


    ¡°Indeed, it appears that you have flowers on each arm, as it were.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Julius, if you pay close attention, you might just learn a thing or two from me.¡±


    ¡°That would be a dark day, indeed,¡± He retorted back with a smile.


    I stared into his eyes, challengingly, but he quickly broke off the standoff with a few chuckles¡ª which I joined in for.


    ¡°Seriously, though. Rem is mine.¡± I looked back at him, daring him to say anything, but to my surprise Rem spoke up.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m Subaru¡¯s Rem.¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s saying that, I don¡¯t think you have to worry about me?¡± Julius said, almost questioningly.


    ¡°It¡¯s never a good idea to turn your back on the enemy.¡±


    Julius chuckled. ¡°We can certainly agree on that, at least.¡±


    ¡°So, did you want to discuss something?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to know if you would agree to some protection from one of my minor spirits. In fact, I already sent her over to watch over you, but surprisingly she came right back to me. She¡¯s not one to be disobedient.¡± Julius turned his righthand palm up, where six lights danced, one each for the colors of different magics: red, blue, green, brown, white, and black.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I had noticed something bounce off of my mind defense earlier¡ª that must have been the spirit. I vaguely recalled Julius doing something similar in Canon, come to think of it.


    ¡°Ah, yeah. I¡¯ve got a few protections of my own. In this case, no need to worry about me.¡±


    ¡°Surely, you were not holding back in our duel?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I admitted with a sigh, ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t hold back anything at all. I single-mindedly wanted to beat you, and rushed at you like a wild dog.¡±


    Julius raised a brow.


    Instead of answering his unspoken question, I deflected, ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who can get stronger, you know?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, maybe one day you and I could have a proper duel¡ª to make well our differences.¡±


    Now, it was my turn to raise a brow.


    ¡°Ah, it appears what I said was in bad taste.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Rem would like to see Subaru beat Julius,¡± My lover chimed in from her spot in front of me as we rode, surprising me. I thought she¡¯d want to protect me against such a fight at all costs...


    With Martial Talent, maybe one day I could measure up to Julius. But I knew that day was not today.


    ¡°If it¡¯s the lady¡¯s request, then perhaps I can find a way to meet both of your suggestions.¡± I stared intensely at Julius. ¡°Julius, after the fighting is over, would you graciously consider training me in sword-fighting?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± He smirked. ¡°Ana will surely want to survey the magic stone mines, perhaps at that time I could show you a thing or two.¡±


    From behind us, I heard Mimi and her two brothers shout¡ª the sonic attack still hurt my ears even though it was aimed away from us.


    Julius looked behind him. ¡°It appears the enemy has reached us, then.¡± He waved at the troops around us, ¡°We will hurry to the mansion, as planned!¡±


    If Julius was saying that, then it must have been Greed after all. But, I had no time to worry about that. I had to hope Crusch and Anastasia¡¯s forces could defeat Ley and Greed¡ª whatever his name was. In this situation, my priority was Petelgeuse.


    The men assigned to battle Petelgeuse¡¯s fingers rushed ahead of us. Just like in Canon, they would wait in ambush to take out all of Betelgeuse¡¯s forces, while Rem and I warned the village and manor to evacuate. We had already found the merchant mole and stolen his communication metia.


    As we rushed forward, I couldn¡¯t help but worry about the force left behind us. Crusch, Mimi and her brothers, Ricardo, Wilhelm, and Felis would try to fight Ley and Greed. They didn¡¯t need to win, though¡ª just delay. I hoped it would be enough.


    We found Ram shortly after.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Barusu. What is the meaning of this?¡± Ram jumped out from the trees, stopping Patrasche and the rest of our forces.


    For now, she was at least willing to listen without a fight. She must have seen our letter. I handwrote the letter in advance¡ª There was no sense in repeating the mistakes of Canon.


    ¡°Did you see our letter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though I was worried at first, you bringing in such a large military force. Barusu, have you decided to wag your tail at a new master?¡±


    ¡°Subaru-kun would never do such a thing,¡± Rem said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°And, you¡¯ve replaced me with a clone. Explain.¡±


    I sighed. Honestly, the look on Ram¡¯s face still seemed incredibly hostile. She must be confused, seeing a twin she couldn¡¯t recognize, feeling the synesthesia of a person she shouldn¡¯t know. Before we tried to talk with her, I felt that we needed to restore her memories.


    I didn¡¯t know for sure if it would work, but I still believed it was worth a shot. ¡°Rem, stamp your sister.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Subaru-kun.¡±


    Rem suddenly leaped off of Patrasche and lunged for Ram.


    ¡°So, hostilities were inevitable, then?¡± Ram grimaced. ¡°You traitor!¡± She screamed, vitriol spewing from her mouth. ¡°Fura!¡±


    Wind blades shot forward, aiming to take my head from my shoulders. In an instant, Julius¡¯ blade intercepted the magic, negating it.


    In that time, Rem had already reached her twin. She tackled the pink haired maid to the ground, kicking up dirt into the air. They grappled for a moment, but Rem quickly overpowered her hornless sister and pinned her stomach side down to the ground with her knees. Then, she used one hand to hold Ram¡¯s hands behind her back as she struggled.


    ¡°Traitor!¡± Ram shouted as she wiggled. ¡°You fucking traitor! Were you always a spy?! I trusted you!¡± Her voice broke.


    I tried to steel my nerves, but seeing her this upset and pissed off bothered me greatly.


    ¡°Everything will be better in a moment,¡± I promised her.


    Ram¡¯s struggles only redoubled, desperately trying to kick Rem off of her. Honestly, I was kind of surprised Rem was willing to go this far. Maybe she was just desperate to be remembered by her dear sister? It was hard to watch, but this would honestly help Ram, more than she knew.


    Rem managed to get one of Ram¡¯s wrists mostly still, so she summoned the stamp in her other hand. In a quick motion, the inside of Ram¡¯s wrist was stamped, quickly forming a familiar looking symbol.


    I summoned my company phone and immediately bought Ram body and mind defense, and I activated her full heal. Then, just for good measure, I bought the Rem/Ram specific perk that allowed them to grow a second horn.


    In an instant, Ram went from being powerless, magicless, and hornless, to being a full-fledged double horned prodigy of wind and water magic.


    Ram stopped struggling.


    ¡°Onee-sama?¡± Rem asked.


    ¡°You can get off me now, Rem.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    They slowly stood up, then Ram stomped over to me. Her face looked pissed. Julius moved to intercept, but I waved him off.


    I got off of Patrasche to properly face Ram. Then, with a loud crack, she slapped my cheek. I could hear Julius chuckling right next to me.


    Equally furious, Ram marched right back to her sister, and promptly pulled her into a fierce, halfway wrathful hug.


    Rem and I practically sighed in relief at the same time.


    The two sisters melted into each other¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Onee-sama, onee-sama,¡± Rem said.


    Instead of continuing the gag, Ram just said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I forgot you.¡± Then she paused to glare at me. ¡°Treating a woman so roughly, what will Emilia-sama think when I tell her?¡± Ram threatened.


    I just laughed. ¡°Surely, it doesn¡¯t count if it¡¯s your own sister who was rough?¡±


    ¡°No, certainly the fault lies with Barusu in this case.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then, Ram? Can you do me a favor? Summon your horns.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so first you inelegantly force a woman down on the ground, and then you ruthlessly make fun of her deformity?


    ¡°Onee-sama,¡± Rem pouted.


    ¡°Fine. Whatever you are planning, I¡¯ll go along with it.¡±


    Then, Ram concentrated for a moment. Two short Oni¡¯s horns cropped up on either side of her forehead, both glowing prismatic white. ¡°Huh. Well, that¡¯s different.¡±


    Rem gaped at her sister.

 Chapter 6

    Ram let go of the hug with her sister. She waved a knife-hand out toward the trees, ¡°Al Fura!¡± Destruction ensued, an entire swath of forest destroyed in a moment, not even stumps remaining. Birds flew away, chirping madly from the chaos. Trees splintered and exploded, a shockwave churning the dirt into the air.


    After the destruction ended, the forest fell into utter silence.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t still think I¡¯m a traitor,¡± I quipped.


    Ram didn¡¯t even have the presence to respond. She just stared out at the destruction she had unleashed.


    ¡°Ah~a.¡± Rem sighed whimsically, ¡°I guess Onee-sama¡¯s horn is back.¡± Though she said it teasingly, Rem was completely beaming with joy. A mistake corrected, perhaps.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Julius asked, shocked. ¡°If you could display that much power, why didn¡¯t you do it before?¡± He took turns staring at me, then at Ram. ¡°You were holding back?¡±


    ¡°Onee-sama¡¯s horn was cut off before,¡± Rem started explaining.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s back.¡± I finished.


    That level of power and skill should be enough for Ley. Hell, she¡¯d been able to defeat Ley in the original timeline without even having a horn in the first place.


    ¡°Ram, I hate to ask you to go fight in this situation, but is it possible you can go backup Crusch¡¯s forces? They are fighting two Sin Archbishops. Felis should be able to loop you in.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means,¡± Ram started, ¡°Barusu throwing out nonsense again, it seems. I would rather defend the mansion.¡±


    ¡°Rem and I have it handled. Can you trust us?¡±


    ¡°Barusu, no. Rem, always.¡± Ram nodded her head smugly. ¡°Since it¡¯s my dear little sister, I can listen just this once.¡±


    ¡°Perfect! Wait! Something about that sounded off!¡± I quipped back.


    ¡°I will go help the other forces, then,¡± Ram said. She looked at Rem in the eyes, and then me after. ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°If you get into an emergency, summon the company phone like this,¡± I waved the phone in front of my face. ¡°I¡¯ll notice it¡¯s gone and come get you.¡±


    ¡°More nonsense, I see. Alright.¡± Then, the Oni smiled, a vicious thing. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for an opportunity like this.¡± Then she leapt into the air, looking almost as if she were flying.


    Rem watched after her sister in wonder. ¡°Onee-sama really is amazing.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    We reached the manor shortly after. Based on the fake info we gave Petelgeuse¡¯s forces with our hijacked metia, we still had a couple of hours until Julius and I needed to face him.


    It was a simple thing to convince the villagers to evacuate, and it went pretty much the same way as I remembered it did in Canon.


    Convincing Emilia to join the evacuation went much the same¡ªI hid my face behind the enchanted cloak so she wouldn¡¯t recognize me, and then I convinced her to get on the wagon with the village children. The one major difference here was that we didn¡¯t accidentally leave a bomb in the carriage with her. Honestly, how Felis missed that the first time was beyond me. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d almost suspect foul play from a mistake that egregious.


    After everyone was evacuating, Rem and I headed back to the manor together.


    I roamed through the manor hallways, listening to my inner Subaru-sense. It didn¡¯t take long to find the right door.


    I slammed it open, Rem walking in behind me with her hands held in front of her.


    After we breached the threshold of the Forbidden Library, I pointed at the tiny blond girl who was sitting on a stool and reading a book.


    ¡°Drill loli!¡± I shouted at the top of my lungs.


    ¡°How annoying! Don¡¯t call Betty that, I suppose!¡±


    I ignored her indignant protest completely, and instead walked up to the girl and lifted her into the air by her armpits. I began to swing her around in a circle with me as the pivot point, ¡°Beako! I¡¯m sorry I was away for so long! You must have missed me!¡± I practically yelled into the library.


    ¡°Put me down I suppose!!!¡± Her face turned red and she puffed up her cheeks, her eyebrow twitching slightly. ¡°Put me down or I suppose I¡¯ll force you to!¡±


    Without a fuss, I gently placed Beako back down on the floor, her shoes clicking slightly as she landed.


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    ¡°What would you be here for, I wonder? And Rem is safe, too, I suppose.¡± She added that last bit almost as an afterthought. ¡°Betty will not leave the library, as she told you earlier. Betty is contracted to protect it.¡±


    I processed her words for a moment, briefly surprised that she remembered Rem, but then I remembered that she had been able to remember Rem in Canon, too¡ª something to do with the isolated nature of the Forbidden Library.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come to destroy your contract with the library.¡± I let those words dramatically hang in the air for a moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool, I suppose! Just that alone would never be enough to get Betty to leave I suppose!¡± Beako huffed and turned her face away cutely.


    ¡°If you have nothing to add, then I¡¯ll be asking you to leave, I suppose.¡± Even though she tried to say those words with heat, instead I found an undercurrent of sadness to them.


    ¡°Beatrice,¡± I said seriously, looking into her unique butterfly-shaped pupils and purple eyes.


    Sensing the mood, Beatrice met my gaze equally serious.


    ¡°Did I ever tell you I¡¯m a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so serious if you are just going to joke around, I suppose!¡± Beatrice yelled, her hair flaring as she stomped her feet. I could already feel her magic activating to push me out of the Forbidden Library.


    I grit my teeth and forced myself forward. I grabbed onto Beatrice¡¯s arm and opened my company phone. The next moment, a portal appeared in the air behind Beatrice. She couldn¡¯t see it, but I did hear Rem gasp from behind me as she saw the portal to my Sweet Home open for the first time.


    Beatrice briefly glanced at Rem with confusion, but then she doubled down on trying to eject me from her domain. My feet began to grow scales, though no one could see it under my shoes. My claws dug through the soles and into the ground, anchoring me in place. I sprinted forward and lifted Beatrice into the air, throwing her like a sack of potatoes onto my shoulder.


    ¡°Let go!¡± She shouted and petulantly pounded against my back with her tiny fists. I barely felt it. My back was already starting to grow scales.


    I jumped through the portal, the scenery around Beatrice and I changing in an instant. After Rem followed us through, I closed the portal, temporarily trapping us inside the pocket dimension.


    ¡°What?¡± Beatrice asked, trying to figure out what had happened.


    I gently shrugged her off my shoulder, and her tiny feet landed in the lawn outside my Sweet Home.


    I began to grow a few inches taller as wings sprouted from my back. Beatrice didn¡¯t even notice, she was too busy examining the foreign surroundings.


    Rem certainly noticed though. I caught her eye as she stared at me in shock, her mouth gaping open. Her surprise only seemed to grow as I continued to transform.


    ¡°Beako,¡± I tried to pull her attention back toward me with a raspy voice, but she just replied without looking at me.


    ¡°Where did you take Betty?¡± She didn¡¯t even bother trying to add on her ¡®I suppose¡¯.


    ¡°Beako, look at me.¡±


    She turned her head, and I allowed my transformation to finish. Within no more than a second, my body changed: I became quadrupedal, my flesh giving way to jet black scales. Horns grew from my head, elegant purple horns crowning my forehead. The world seemed to shrink around me as I grew to equal the size of my Sweet Home. I pawed at the ground, my dangerous claws black with the tips dipped in purple.


    ¡°Beako. I¡¯m a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Betty must be dreaming I suppose.¡±


    Rem seemed to finally gather her wits, ¡°Beatrice-sama, spirits don¡¯t dream.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Also, Beako, I¡¯m that person.¡± I smiled a dragon¡¯s smile¡ª all teeth.


    Beatrice opened her mouth once, then twice. She closed it again, and finally let out, ¡°Don¡¯t just add that on as an afterthought I suppose!¡±


    The remnant Subaru inside me chaffed at the idea of calling myself ¡®that person¡¯, but remnant Subaru was a retard so I ignored him.


    I laid my head down on the grass, my enormous skull still taller than Beako. Like this, our eyes met. ¡°Make a contract with me great spirit Beatrice. For my side of the deal, I promise to always keep you by my side. I promise to cherish you. I promise to stay with you past death itself. I promise to empower you, develop and research new magic with you. I promise to act in what I believe are your best interests, and otherwise ask if I am unsure.¡± I smiled a toothy smile, ¡°Join my hoard. I promise to love you.¡±


    Beako hiccupped, her face morphing into one of wonder, but also something slightly tragic. ¡°And what of Betty? What shall she promise, I suppose?¡± Tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°Promise that you will stay by my side as I will stay by yours. Promise that you will defeat my foes with me. Promise that you will be loyal to me.¡±


    ¡°Betty can promise that. In fact, Betty would love to promise that.¡± Tears streamed down her face, as her voice choked up.


    ¡°But, Betty waited so long, don¡¯t you know? For four hundred years Betty has been waiting to hear those words, I suppose.¡± Her voice broke, ¡°Why did it take you so long to come for me, I suppose?


    ¡°Betty has been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting!¡± She stomped her foot, ¡°Every day, I¡¯ve sat in that forsaken, horrible library. Every single day Betty has been waiting for you, Subaru! Why did it take you so long, I suppose!?¡± Her eyes turned red and puffy as she cried. She stared at me, demanding something of me.


    ¡°Betty gave up hope, I suppose! Believed I would fall into sadness and die I suppose!¡± Then, in a quieter voice, ¡°Betty never thought you would come, I suppose.¡±


    I slowly transformed back into my human form. Beatrice sobbed as I approached her¡ª her shoulders shaking as she gripped the skirt of her dress in tightly balled fists. Her face looked torn between angry and sad.


    So, I walked to her. I held my hand out to her. When she didn¡¯t respond, I just reached behind her and placed a firm hand underneath her waist. I slowly lifted her up, causing her to stumble when she tried to catch her footing. She needn¡¯t have bothered¡ª I picked her up and pulled her into my chest, resting her against my waist. Her tiny body fell into my chest. I stood there, holding the small spirit against me.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never be alone again,¡± I promised.


    She hiccupped. Finally, she wrapped her arms around me and returned the hug. Beatrice broke down crying as I gently patted her back, Rem watching us patiently just off to the side.


    ¡°Betty will enter a contract with you, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°And I, you,¡± I promised right back.


    ¡°You have to add one more thing to the contract, I suppose.¡± Beako sniffled and then pushed away slightly so she could look up at my face.


    I stared back into her eyes, waiting.


    ¡°You will hold Betty¡¯s hand whenever she wants, I suppose. Betty also loves Subaru, I suppose.¡±


    My company phone vibrated.

 Chapter 7:

    ¡°Shamak,¡± Beako opened the fight with her signature move, instantly blinding Petelgeuse.


    A moment later, Julius cut through his blinded form, killing the archbishop before he even realized he had been ambushed.


    ¡°Good work everyone!¡± I shouted as I walked up behind Julius. I clapped him on the back once, much harder than necessary, forcing him to take a step forward.


    ¡°Now, we just need to wait for Petelgeuse to come back to life as an abomination!¡± I declared cheerfully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that with such a happy face, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Aw! Beako! You are so cute when you scrunch your face up like that!¡± I kneeled down and rubbed her cheeks with both hands, causing her face to distort.


    She slapped my hands away, ¡°Stop that!¡± She sighed. ¡°If you are that desperate for attention, you can hold my hand I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Subaru-kun Subaru-kun,¡± Rem chirped from my other side. ¡°Hold my hand too.¡±


    ¡°A flower on each arm!¡± I shouted into the heavens. ¡°What did I do to deserve such happiness, I suppose!¡± I slightly made fun of Beako.


    ¡°Did anyone else hear Subaru talk about an abomination a second ago, or was that just me,¡± Julius looked at us in bafflement, keeping Petelgeuse¡¯s dead body in sight in the background.


    I grabbed onto both girls¡¯ hands. Then, I turned my attention to Julius and replied seriously this time. ¡°You heard me. Petegeuse is about to resurrect as a creepy spirit monster. I suggest burning it to death.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Ia!¡± Julius cried, sending out the immature fire spirit. ¡°Get ready.¡±


    Sure enough, within moments Betelgeuse¡¯s body began to get up and twitch. I could already see the unseen hands beginning to form.


    ¡°Now, Julius.¡±


    ¡°No need to tell me twice. Al Goa!¡± A massive stream of flame erupted from Ia, drowning Petelgeuse in its downpour.


    The archbishop screamed and flailed. ¡°This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen, desu! What about my love love love love, erotic love, platonic love, eternal love. I am supposed to be loved!¡± He continued to shout and scream his insane cries even as his body dissolved around him. We collectively ignored him.


    ¡°That was easy, I suppose,¡± Beako said once it was all over.


    ¡°Beako!¡± I glanced at her, scandalized. ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it!¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about, I suppose.¡±


    I stared at Petelgeuse¡¯s dead body just long enough to confirm that I felt Sloth¡¯s authority enter my body¡ª signaling Petelgeuse¡¯s true death. ¡°Welp, it¡¯s time to go help the others!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Things were not going as smoothly near Crusch¡¯s side of the battlefield. Both Ley and Greed were still rampaging around, though it looked like all of the cultist fodder was dead.


    I could see Felis running an impromptu triage station, a steady stream of wounded making their way to his carriage.


    Ram was doing a good job keeping Greed occupied, along with Wilhelm, but at a glance I could tell they were just buying time¡ª unable to make a decisive blow. Crusch, and all of Anastasia¡¯s remaining mercenaries were fighting Ley, but I couldn¡¯t see the wolf headed Ricardo anywhere. Hopefully he was still alive. Honestly, if it were me, I would have directed Ram to fight Ley instead, but I suppose this was the way Crusch decided to spread out her forces.


    The battlefield looked more like a world war one battlefield than a grassy field¡ª great scores of earth were turned up, with equally large craters pocking the battlefield. The entire road looked destroyed, the gravel from the path nowhere to be found. I couldn¡¯t see grass anywhere near the fighting, instead trampled dirt and mud became the new normal.


    Wilhelm had a cut on his forehead, but it didn¡¯t look urgent, and he was still moving just fine. Ram appeared unharmed, but with both of her horns active, it was possible she¡¯d already healed from any possible damage she could have taken. Those two were fine, at least for now.


    Crusch had a broken, or maybe dislocated arm. Her right hand swung limply at her side, and she awkwardly held her sword in her left hand. Mimi was the only of the three tiny siblings still on the battlefield, and one of her ears were scored¡ª as if someone had taken a bite out of it.


    I took in the battlefield from above, Beatrice flying the two of us over. On the ground below us, Rem and Julius rode back to the battlefield on their ground dragons.


    Luckily, the villagers and Emilia were nowhere close to the fighting. Since we knew our flank would be attacked, we had sent everyone to sanctuary for evacuation. In this situation, it didn¡¯t make sense to try and send anyone through the fighting back to the capital.


    ¡°Betty can kill or trap the archbishops, I suppose.¡± She looked at me for guidance.


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    ¡°Focus on the tall one with the white hair,¡± I commanded without mercy. Greed had to go. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to kill him, and we¡¯ll need to save your pocket dimension for the insatiable Hare later, so we shouldn¡¯t trap him either.¡±


    ¡°Betty¡¯s contractor sure does say outrageous stuff, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Can you fling him into space?¡±


    ¡°Space?¡± Beako scrunched up her face. ¡°I do not know what you mean, I suppose. Space is all around us, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°I mean, fling him up really high into the sky. Keep flinging him up until there¡¯s no air left.¡±


    ¡°Betty can do that, I suppose.¡±


    With an almost negligent wave of her hand, Beatrice lifted Greed up into the air and brought him level with us in the sky.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it way too rude to just suddenly lift someone in the air!¡± He shouted, ¡°We haven¡¯t even been intro¡ª¡±


    ¡°Beako get rid of him.¡± I had no interest in listening to his nonsense.


    With another negligent wave of her hand, Greed disappeared up into the sky. Huh, I never even learned that dude¡¯s name. I waited a bit, to make sure I felt his authority attach itself to me, signaling his true death. It almost pinged off of my soul defenses, but I let it through since I had been expecting it.


    Immediately, left devoid of an enemy, Ram and Wilhelm descended upon Ley, jumping through the air and looking so much like they dropped from the sky on top of him. Beako and I watched from above as Ram and Wilhelm quickly cornered Ley, Ram lopping off his head with some well-placed wind magic. His body collapsed to the floor, and I could see Crusch nearly fall to her knees in relief.


    Beatrice landed us back on the ground, near Crusch.


    ¡°Can you go help with the wounded?¡± I knew Beako was a master tier healer.


    ¡°Will Subaru come with me, I wonder?¡±


    ¡°Not this time. I want to go check in with Crusch.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I suppose.¡± Beako walked off, to the healing cart that Felis was stationed at.


    ¡°So much for epic, fate defying battles, I guess.¡± I whispered under my breath. In Canon, Greed had been practically invulnerable. But I guess once you knew someone¡¯s weakness, and had the means to exploit that weakness, things became a lot simpler.


    It was almost boring, in retrospect.


    Then, I glanced back behind me at the remains of the battlefield. No, this battle certainly hadn¡¯t been simple. I could see bodies laid out on the ground, tarps covering their forms. A crowd still surrounded the carriage for the wounded, Felis frantically moving from person to person trying to perform triage. I watched as Beako joined the fray, and I could see Felis practically sigh in relief as Beako lifted some of his burden.


    After all of this, I would need to have a good chat with Emilia, but I wasn¡¯t really looking forward to it. Even if she had been in the right, the way Emilia treated Subaru after his duel with Julius stood out in my mind. Comparing Emilia to Rem, there really was no contest. Rem remained loyal and loving no matter what, whereas Emilia rejected the man who constantly saved her life. Those two were not alike at all, and in my opinion, Subaru was a fool for going after the wrong woman.


    Crusch slowly walked over to me, exhaustion causing her face to metaphorically droop. ¡°If you had that much military force in reserve, what did you need us for?¡± Crusch asked without heat. She genuinely wanted to know, she wasn¡¯t trying to lay any blame on me. The old Subaru might not have been able to tell the difference, but I wasn¡¯t the old Subaru.


    ¡°Beako is somewhat... Special. She never would have joined the fight until today, I suppose.¡± I smirked at the hidden joke.


    ¡°I see. Beako is the great spirit who cast off the Sin Archbishop of Greed, then?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I agreed fondly. ¡°She¡¯s the best.¡±


    ¡°Be careful you don¡¯t make your other girl jealous.¡± Crusch warned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Rem will always have first place in my heart. The number one place, in all honesty, but don¡¯t tell Beako that or she¡¯ll pout.¡±


    Crusch¡¯s lips upturned in a smile. ¡°Very well, Natsuki Subaru.¡± She sighed. ¡°Pardon me, but I need to get my arm treated. Is there anything else you wished to discuss?¡±


    ¡°Do you have everything handled from here? It looks like things are wrapping up.¡±


    She waved me off, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. At most, the remaining cultists are chaffe. We¡¯ll handle them. I wouldn¡¯t want to delay the hero of the day.¡± She smiled at me.


    ¡°This is no time for modesty, I take it?¡±


    ¡°It would be in poor taste, yes. Honestly, I wish I could bring you into my camp. No, my pride demands that I must insist you join my camp. With you by my side, it would be impossible to lose the Royal Selection.¡±


    Her offer never would have tempted Canon Subaru, and yet Crusch¡¯s offer did somewhat tempt me. On one hand, she was a highly skilled and highly trained aristocrat, easily able to take over politicking as queen of Luginica. In addition to that, she had the divine blessing of wind, easily able to tell if someone was lying. On another hand, she had the might and skill of both a warrior and a military commander. In all honesty, without Canon Subaru¡¯s interreference, Crusch was logically the best candidate for the throne.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to decline you offer,¡± I said. I looked forward to Ram, and then glanced behind me at Beako already near the healer¡¯s carriage. ¡°It would be in poor taste to abandon the loyalty I¡¯ve fostered.¡±


    ¡°That it would be, Natsuki Subaru.¡± Crusch smiled. I could tell from her face that it wasn¡¯t a purely happy smile, since it had an undercurrent of disappointment but also understanding. ¡°You would not be the man I made the offer to if you actually took it.¡± Her mind made up, Crusch nodded once, and then walked off to Felis¡¯ carriage.


    Without looking behind herself, Crusch lifted up her hand and waved the back of it at me as she walked forward.


    I shook my head. Maybe in another timeline.


    By that time, Wilhelm and Ram had already made it most of the way toward me. I walked the remainder to meet them.


    ¡°And Rem?¡± Ram immediately asked me.


    ¡°Safe. She¡¯s at the healer¡¯s station helping out I think.¡± I waved in Felis¡¯ direction. Rem had followed Beako and I out of the mansion, with an agreement to meet us there after the fighting.


    ¡°Then we can catch up later, Barusu.¡± Ram sped off, running much faster than a human possibly could. Well, any human other than a Van Astrea, I suppose.


    ¡°Wilhelm,¡± I nodded my head toward him.


    ¡°Your hunt went well, I take it?¡±


    ¡°Three Sin Archbishops, dead. I can guarantee it.¡± I said with conviction. Though, poking around in my soul I didn¡¯t see the authority of Gluttony. I glanced over to Ley¡¯s headless body. Yep, still dead.


    ¡°I see.¡± Wilhelm sighed, tiredly, but with an undercurrent of satisfaction. ¡°Then a great evil has been lifted from our world this day. You be careful, the evils of the world will surely find you in retaliation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be ready,¡± I promised. ¡°That¡¯s actually partly what I wanted to talk to you about.¡±


    Wilhelm raised a brow.


    ¡°Sometime, would you help teach me the sword?¡±


    Wilhelm stared at me for a long while, seeking something in my eyes. ¡°The air of your request does not seem that same as it did last time,¡± he observed with a tilted head. Then, he re-straightened, ¡°But I must decline. Though you have the right mindset for it this time, I believe your true strengths lie elsewhere,¡± He looked off toward Beatrice. ¡°If you should ever find yourself bored of learning magic, then come find me.¡± Without any further words for one another, Wilhelm walked off.


    It was kinda awkward though because we were going the same direction.

 Chapter 8

    ¡°To be frank, Roswaal¡¯s a traitor.¡±


    ¡°Even from you, I have a hard time believing that, Barusu.¡± The stamp made Ram loyal, not trusting.


    Besides, she had been practically head over heels with Roswaal for about a decade at this point. There was no way she would just accept my words blindly, stamp or not.


    ¡°Beatrice can confirm Subaru¡¯s words, in fact. I see everything in this manor, in fact. He hired the bowel hunter to go after Emilia and later hired the purple-haired child to curse Subaru, in fact.¡±


    We were all sitting in the Forbidden Library, chairs summoned from the aether for all four of us to sit independently. Rem was on my right, and Beako on my left. Ram sat next to her sister, completing the circle and sitting across from me.


    ¡°Before we continue, there is something seriously wrong with this situation,¡± I declared.


    Beako nodded her head, as if agreeing with my profound statement. Then, I unceremoniously stood up, picked Beako up from under the arms, and squished her into my lap as I sat back down. For a moment, she squirmed, and I thought for sure she would protest. But she didn¡¯t.


    I looked down at the top of her head, staring in shock. ¡°What, you aren¡¯t going to get adorably mad (tsun)?


    ¡°If it¡¯s Subaru, it¡¯s fine, I suppose.¡± The tips of her ears turned red as she mumbled.


    Huh, that was different.


    To my right, something soft grabbed my hand.


    ¡°Rem-rin?¡± I questioned.


    She looked at me with a pout. ¡°Remember to pay attention to your Rem, too.¡± She looked into her lap.


    ¡°Barusu. You womanizer,¡± Ram accused, deadpan.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be joining soon, too, Ram-chi.¡± I tilted my head, closed my eyes, and moved my bangs in classic ikemen fashion. ¡°And maybe Emilia too, I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡±


    ¡°Ram¡¯s heart belongs to Roswaal-sama.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Not that Rem and I had done anything more than kissing, either. Yet.


    Well, we had finally gotten past Canon. From here on out, I was going to be making a lot of changes. Since we had already defeated Greed and Ley, I had already thoroughly derailed Canon anyway. At this point, I was starting to wonder what we should even do from here on out.


    The obvious first thing was to pull Ram fully into the fray. Unlike a certain Lee-minded devil, I had no interest in hiding my dragon heritage from my allies and certainly not from my lovers.


    ¡°Ram, I¡¯m a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Rem, Rem, I think Barusu has finally gone insane.¡±


    ¡°Onee-sama, onee-sama, Subaru-kun deluded himself into believing he¡¯s a dragon.¡± Rem nodded her head.


    Rem already knew for a fact that I was a dragon, so I realized she was just playing along with her sister.


    After their byplay was over, I summoned the Smartphone to my hand.


    ¡°What is that, I wonder?¡± Beako asked from my lap.


    ¡°It¡¯s a magic device that allows me to access my pocket dimension.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the place from before.¡± Beako nodded.


    Ram just looked between the two of us, measuring our words.


    Using the Smartphone, I summoned the portal to my Sweet Home. Rem got up and walked through easily enough, but Ram needed a bit of encouragement.


    ¡°Alright, Onee-sama,¡± I said, ¡°Bad Oni go into the naughty portal.¡±


    ¡°Barusu, never utter those words again for as long as you live.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± I pushed her forward by the small of her back. Despite being so frail and tiny-looking, I knew she could have easily resisted me if she¡¯d wanted to.


    She stepped through the portal in front of me, Beako and I following in behind her, holding hands.


    ¡°A location connected to the Forbidden Library?¡± Ram asked aloud.


    ¡°It is not, in fact. This place has nothing to do with Betty, I suppose.¡±


    I closed the portal behind us and, without further ado, transformed into a dragon.


    Much like Beako had done just yesterday, Ram gaped at me. She almost stepped backward as if to run away.


    Before she would get too intimidated, I leaned my head down on the ground, passive, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m still just Barusu.¡±


    My words eased Ram¡¯s shoulders, and she took a moment to straighten out her maid¡¯s skirt. Then, she grabbed onto Rem¡¯s hands and pushed her cheek against her sister¡¯s. Each of them even put one foot up in the air behind them.


    ¡°Rem, Rem, I¡¯m afraid a giant beast is going to kill us for food.¡±


    ¡°Onee-sama, onee-sama, Subaru-kun¡¯s a giant dragon with a giant appetite.¡±


    ¡°Betty wants to explore the dragon, in fact. He probably has impressive yin magic, in fact.¡±


    Ignoring their commentary, I transformed back into plain ole¡¯ Subaru, tracksuit and all.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m a dragon,¡± I repeated to Ram.


    The two sisters stopped their pose but continued to hold hands. ¡°This will certainly improve Emilia¡¯s chance for the Royal Selection,¡± Ram said, staring at me intently.


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    ¡°It¡¯s hard to compete with a hero who¡¯s also a dragon,¡± Rem nodded her head. ¡°As expected of my hero.¡± I could practically see the hearts in her eyes.


    Ram side-eyed her sister, ¡°Can I ask you not to flirt with Barusu while still holding my hand?¡±


    Rem just smiled. ¡°Subaru declared that he was pursuing you as a woman, too, you know. Rem cannot ignore that. I¡¯d like for my sister to find all the happiness.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around, Rem,¡± Ram said deadpan. Then she put her face in her hand. ¡°Now there¡¯s two of you spouting nonsense.¡± She looked up at me, ¡°How dare you corrupt my cute, innocent little sister.¡±


    ¡°This pocket space is even more isolated than the Forbidden Library,¡± I began, ignoring Ram''s quip, ¡°Everything we do in here is absolutely private, no being can enter this space without express permission.¡±


    The one thing I didn¡¯t mention was Satella¡¯s presence. I had a tag-along directly attached to my soul, so she was, for all intents and purposes, along for the ride, as it were.


    ¡°As such, this space is absolutely safe. Summon my company-issued smartphone and open the portal as an emergency evacuation measure. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°Everything you just said gave me more questions than you answered, Barusu.¡±


    ¡°Betty still wonders what this ¡®Smartphone¡¯ is, I suppose.¡±


    I gently tossed the Smartphone in Beako¡¯s direction, causing her to fumble as she tried to catch it.


    ¡°Geez!¡± She pouted after finally getting ahold of it.


    ¡°So basically, this is an infinitely safe, infinitely private pocket dimension. I¡¯m a dragon, and you three are my waifus.¡± I crossed my arms in an x across my chest, ¡°Subaru-kun is no longer taking questions at this time.¡± I said ¡®waifus¡¯ with a heavy American accent, so Rem and Ram didn¡¯t get what I was saying.


    Beako, on the other hand, mumbled the word to herself a few times, trying different pronunciations. Eventually, her face lit up scarlet, and I realized she realized what I¡¯d said. She looked up at me, almost like a deer staring at headlights. I just patted her head.


    Caught in the act, Beako said demurely, ¡°I will figure out all the strange terms you employ, I suppose.¡±


    I just continued patting Beako¡¯s head. But Rem soon separated from her sister and walked over to the two of us.


    She looked up at me with large eyes.


    ¡°Ah, I see. Rem-rin needs headpats, too, huh?¡±


    Her eyes sparkled.


    Headpats ensued.


    Ram raised her hand.


    ¡°Yes, onee-sama?¡± I asked.


    ¡°So, I understand that Barusu is no longer taking questions, but I¡¯m asking one anyway.¡±


    I nodded my head, ¡°As expected of onee-sama.¡±


    ¡°Why is Barusu a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, alright. I¡¯m not taking questions.¡± I repeated. I sold my soul to an inter-dimensional evil organization¡ª yeah, I didn¡¯t think that explanation would go over well.


    ¡°Alright, everyone who¡¯s ready to go save Emilia-sama, raise your hands!¡±


    No one raised their hands.


    <hr><hr>


    I sat on the edge of the massive California-king mattress in the master bedroom, deep in thought. I knew that Roswaal had plans on making Emilia queen but that those plans would also turn Emilia insane in the process. I knew that Elsa and her younger sister, Meili, were on their way over to try and murder us. Additionally, I knew the Insatiable Hare was about to come down on our heads.


    Luckily, I had a Beako-sized solution to that very last problem, but the other three weren¡¯t so simple.


    First of all, how much did I even care about Emilia? Alright, that line of thinking was a bit harsh, I decided. She mattered, even if she lacked main heroine vibes. I reserved those for Rem.


    But did I really want her to be ruler? More importantly, now that Rem was safe from Gluttony, what was my goal here? Where did I go from here?


    In my teenage years, I could have answered that my goal was to find love and end my loneliness. But I wasn¡¯t that person anymore. And, I felt so graciously lucky that I had the women in my life that I did. So where did Emilia fit into that? What was stopping me from opening a portal to another dimension right this instant or even just secluding myself in my Sweet Home for eternity with those I cared about?


    Well, first of all, I decided Rem and Ram would not agree to abandoning Emilia. However, I could probably convince Beako to abscond with me right this second if I were so inclined (which I wasn¡¯t).


    I guess my goal, put in those terms, was pretty simple. Find happiness, and make sure those along for the ride are happy, too. I would save Emilia, I decided¡ª if for no other reason than to remain a hero in Rem¡¯s eyes and a loyal ally in Ram¡¯s. And, since the Sin Archbishops weren¡¯t going to stop coming for Emilia, I just had to get ready. First step was overcoming Roswaal¡¯s scheme.


    If this eventually meant I had to deal with Satella, or god forbid Pandora, then so be it.


    With my heart decided on the future, I was able to sleep easy. Until the knock at my door.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I called out.


    The door handle turned, and a pale hand reached around the door to pull it open.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep,¡± Rem admitted.


    I swallowed. ¡°Ohh,¡± I cleared my throat, ¡°In that case...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°Can I sleep with you?¡± Rem asked.


    ¡°Ooh!-kay.¡±


    I scooted over on the bed a bit and patted the area next to me.


    Rem sat down next to me on the bed, slightly depressing the mattress away from me, almost drawing me to her.


    Rem stared at the floor and reached out for my hand. Our hands met somewhere between the two of us, resting on the mattress.


    ¡°Geez, don¡¯t act so shy,¡± Rem said, ¡°It was Subaru-kun who saw me naked for the first time, you know?¡±


    I swept my eyes across her. She wore the same thin, light blue nightgown from the night I stamped her. It had a tiny ribbon on the chest area and covered her modestly up to the neckline. Her blue hair was loose, her normal hair ties and maid¡¯s head covering absent.


    ¡°Subaru-kun saved this Rem, you know? Back in the forest against the mabeasts and again with the battles against the archbishops. Rem didn¡¯t even have to do anything. You were just there. Subaru-kun is truly amazing.¡±


    I felt heat move up my cheeks, and a sudden instinctual urge to claim what was mine came over me. That feeling wasn¡¯t something I used to have, and since the urge included the desire to mount and bite, I¡¯m pretty sure that was my dragon-side talking. I pushed down the foreign feelings for a moment, trying to properly listen to and appreciate Rem.


    I spoke up, ¡°You saved me, too, you know. Before I knew it, I¡¯d fallen for the unassuming blue-haired maid. I really never thought a girl like you could exist. You are the type of person to love someone with your whole heart, not willing to give anything up. Not many people would be willing to sacrifice themselves as selflessly as you are.¡±


    Rem shook her head, ¡°No, it¡¯s Subaru-kun who¡¯s amazing. If I could live up to even ten percent of the greatness you have, I¡¯d be happy.¡±


    I sucked in a breath. What did I do to deserve this girl?


    ¡°But Rem can¡¯t help but worry, you know.¡±


    I looked at her, my heart dropping a bit after hearing her concerned tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s frustrating to admit, but when you declared your intent to pursue nee-sama, I was jealous. It makes sense, because she¡¯s much more amazing than me, but I can¡¯t help be frustrated...¡±


    I wanted to reassure her. ¡°I don¡¯t think your sister is more amazing than you. I cherish you at the highest spot in my heart. Half of the things I say to your sister are just teasing her; honestly, I don¡¯t really know if she could fall in love with me.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s Subaru-kun, she¡¯ll definitely fall for you.¡±


    She was still looking into her lap, but I felt her hand squeeze mine just a little bit tighter. ¡°If you keep adding all of these women, will there still be room left in your heart for Rem?¡± She looked at me then, her eyes glistening.


    From our connected hands, I pulled her into my chest and held her there. We stayed like that for a moment, just enjoying each other¡¯s warmth on the bed. She smelled nice, a mellow, sweet smell reaching my nose.


    ¡°I could never let my heart become so full that there wouldn¡¯t be room for you. My heart is already yours to reserve, after all,¡± I reassured her.


    ¡°I know I said that I couldn¡¯t accept your offer to elope with you, and I don¡¯t regret my choice. I just want to know that you¡¯ll always let Rem stay by your side.¡± I could hear her yearning.


    ¡°You... It¡¯s not that I¡¯m going to simply let you stay by my side. I¡¯m going to always be checking to make sure you¡¯re still there.¡± I rubbed gentle circles on her back.


    She looked up into my face. ¡°You¡¯d really do that for someone like me?¡± She asked sincerely, her lips trembling.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful that I get to do it for you.¡±


    She pulled away from me slightly to rub at her eyes. Then, she beamed at me.


    ¡°Is it really okay,¡± she sniffled, ¡°For me to have such happiness?¡±


    ¡°My greatest joy is getting to see your happiness.¡±


    ¡°Can Rem keep spending nights with Subaru like this?¡±


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll go looking for her until I find and invite her.¡±


    ¡°Subaru-kun!¡±


    All of a sudden, my heart started beating faster. I felt something bubbling up inside me, excitement, nervousness, and anticipation all smashing together.


    ¡°Rem-san?¡±


    Then, a knock at the door.

 Chapter 9

    After we heard the knock at the door, Rem scrambled away from me¡ª her face doing its best tomato impersonation as she looked at her lap.


    ¡°Subaru, it¡¯s Betty, I suppose,¡± I could hear through the shut door.


    In the corner of my eye, I saw Rem straightening out her nightgown.


    I marched up to the door, taking one last longing glance back at Rem.


    I opened it, to see Beako standing out in the hallway.


    ¡°You drill loli!¡± I shouted. ¡°What are you doing, do you want me to take my frustrations out on you?!¡±


    ¡°... Betty might not mind that, I suppose.¡± Her cheeks flushed. Then, she saw Rem sitting on the bed. She sputtered, ¡°What are you making Betty say in front of others, I suppose!¡± Her skirt flared as she stomped petulantly.


    Then, she reevaluated the situation. ¡°If Subaru is busy, then I can come back a different time.¡± She said, surprising me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could be so mature, Beako!¡± I faked a sniffle and tilted my head.


    She stomped again, ¡°Beako can be mature, too, I suppose!¡± Her little fists shook by her sides.


    I smiled. It took a moment, but eventually Beako smiled back at me, too¡ª the teasing mood from earlier disappearing. ¡°Normally I¡¯d happily invite you in, but as you can see,¡± I gestured toward Rem, still sitting on my bed.


    Rem waved her arms around, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about me! I can head out.¡± Her voice slowly grew quieter throughout the sentence as she fidgeted in place.


    Beako looked at Rem with a hope filled gaze.


    ¡°Sorry, Beako, but can you come back a little later? Rem and I were having a very adult conversation.¡±


    Beako¡¯s lips curled into a frown. ¡°Beako is over 400 years old, I suppose.¡± She bit her lip, ¡°But if Subaru is asking me to come back later, then I can do so, in fact.¡±


    Despite saying that, she didn¡¯t actually move from the doorway. She just looked up at me with really wide eyes. If anything, she looked like she wanted to come inside even more now.


    I stared at her for a moment, then scratched the back of my head. ¡°Ah! Fine. Come here!¡±


    I picked her up under the armpits and then brought her to a carry against my hip, her legs dangling.


    ¡°Sorry Rem¡ª¡±


    Rem cut me off, ¡°That¡¯s okay, Rem will see you another time then.¡± She stood from the bed and started to make her way to the door.


    I quickly held up a hand, stopping her. Then, I forced the bedroom door shut before she could leave.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s in bad taste to get upset that I have the attention of two women!¡± I dramatically said into the room.


    First, I threw Beako through the air, causing her to squeak before she landed on the bed. Then I dragged Rem back over to the other side of the bed and pushed her into the mattress.


    I climbed over Rem, and positioned myself in the middle of the giant mattress. With a flick of will, the lights in the room turned off, and everyone shuffled under the covers.


    Beako¡¯s questing hand soon found mine, and I made sure to grab onto Rem¡¯s with the other.


    I sighed. I was really happy, really truly extra happy. But I couldn¡¯t help and be just a little bit frustrated.


    Just before I fell asleep, I heard Rem murmur, ¡°It kind of feels like we¡¯re a married couple with our kid in the bed with us.¡± She giggled.


    "Betty is over 400 years old, and I''m a spirit, in fact."


    I just rolled my eyes.


    <hr><hr>


    I walked down the stairs with Beako riding my shoulders like a kid. I stabilized her with one hand on her knee and used the other hand to hold Rem¡¯s.


    When we reached the kitchen, Ram was already waiting for us. I noticed she had dark circles under her eyes.


    ¡°Barusu, surely you know it¡¯s rude to keep people up at night? So why is it that I heard so much loud shouting?¡± She accused me with a glare.


    Looks like she had already made breakfast. I sat down and sipped some tea. ¡°Yep, it tastes bad.¡± I nodded my head. ¡°As expected of onee-sama.¡±


    ¡°Nee-sama¡¯s tea isn¡¯t bad, it¡¯s just unique.¡± Rem valiantly tried to defend her sister but to no avail.


    ¡°Betty agrees with Subaru, in fact.¡± Beako nodded.


    ¡°If no one is going to appreciate it, then next time I won¡¯t make breakfast,¡± Ram said, deadpan.


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    ¡°Onee-sama, onee-sama.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Rem?¡±


    ¡°I never said your food was bad.¡± Rem smiled.


    ¡°If no one is going to appreciate it, then next time I won¡¯t make breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Ram-chi, I¡¯m pretty sure you just said that,¡± I said.


    ¡°I am curious, though, Barusu. Have you been stealing ingredients from the manor? Where did all of this high quality tea come from?¡± She pointed to the box, an exact replica of the brand of high end tea the mansion used for guests.


    ¡°My Sweet Home automatically makes ingredients. Don¡¯t ask me how. You don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    ¡°That only makes me want to know more.¡± Ram narrowed her eyes at me.


    I ignored her unspoken question and took a bite of bacon. It was... not burnt. The eggs weren¡¯t so lucky.


    ¡°If this is truly such a source of infinite food, then I suppose I¡¯ll never need to go shopping again?¡± Ram questioned, trying to get a response out of me.


    ¡°Go for it,¡± I told her.


    She continued to narrow her eyes at me and hmmed. ¡°I see.¡±


    Perhaps out of habit, instead of sitting down, Rem moved to stand behind me at my chair. Once I noticed her standing there, I waved at her. ¡°Sit down.¡± I said.


    She bowed slightly and then pulled out the chair next to me. The rest of breakfast was spent mostly in silence, though once all the joking and teasing was over, I did make sure to properly thank Ram.


    After everyone ate, Ram spoke up again, ¡°Roswaal sent a letter to the manor this morning when I was checking in. He¡¯s trapped in Sanctuary with Emilia and everyone we evacuated from the village.¡±


    And so it begins, I thought to myself.


    ¡°I planned on heading there soon anyway. Honestly, with everyone else already in Sanctuary, I think we should all just go down there, too,¡± I said.


    ¡°And leave the manor unmanned?¡± Ram asked skeptical.


    ¡°Look, I have it on good authority that two assassins are going to attack the manor, anyway. We might as well all just abandon it. If no one is here, the assassins will have no one to kill, and they¡¯ll probably just leave.¡±


    ¡°If Subaru-kun says so, then it must be true.¡± Rem nodded.


    ¡°Betty doesn¡¯t intend to abandon the Forbidden Library, in fact. Actually, Betty wanted to know if she could relocate it to Subaru¡¯s Sweet Home, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Beako, doesn¡¯t the library have a lot of bad memories for you? I thought you¡¯d want to get rid of it.¡± I glanced up at her from where she sat on my shoulders.


    ¡°Betty does, in fact, hate the Forbidden Library. Betty would be glad to never see its walls again, in fact. But the knowledge contained within is worth saving, I suppose. There¡¯s a reason Betty asked to move everything to your Sweet Home, in fact.¡±


    ¡°How long do you intend to sit up on Subaru¡¯s shoulders like that?¡± Ram asked.


    ¡°Betty never thought about getting off, I suppose.¡±


    She was so light as a spirit, that I hardly noticed her weight at all. I did have to somewhat awkwardly maneuver around her legs while eating, though.


    ¡°Beako, there should be a library already in the house somewhere. Why don¡¯t you take it over and move the Forbidden Library¡¯s books there as well?¡±


    ¡°Betty would like that, in fact!¡±


    She hopped off my shoulders and gently glided down onto the ground before scurrying off.


    ¡°Well, that answers what Beako will be doing for the foreseeable future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not so sure about leaving the manor without anyone to take care of it...¡± Ram shared her concerns. ¡°I could ask Frederica to return.¡±


    I scratched the side of my head while I thought about it a bit more.


    ¡°Would it make you feel better if we checked in every day or so? If we invite Frederica she¡¯ll just get killed by Elsa.¡±


    ¡°Once we enter Sanctuary, we won¡¯t be able to leave the barrier,¡± Ram pointed out, though she wasn¡¯t disagreeing with me either.


    ¡°Yeah, we will be able to leave. I¡¯ll just shove you in here again and then walk out of there. Honestly, we could get every single person in Sanctuary out using that method if we wanted to.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s a reason we don¡¯t?¡± Ram asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go around sharing secrets pointlessly. If it means saving someone¡¯s life, then yeah that¡¯s fine. But, using Sweet Home to bypass the barrier when there¡¯s better ways of solving that particular problem? Might as well do it the intended way first.¡±


    Now that I was thinking about it, in Canon, Otto helped Subaru make it into Sanctuary the first time. Huh, I wondered what happened to that guy. I wasn¡¯t too concerned, to be honest. It might be a bit heartless, but as far as I was concerned, I¡¯d never met Otto. He wasn¡¯t any more special than any other random character on a screen. I wished him all the best though, wherever he was.


    ¡°Do you want to go now?¡± I asked the table.


    ¡°I need to change out of my nightgown first,¡± Rem said as she pushed her chair out to stand up.


    After everyone took some time to get dressed and ready, we met up at the front door to my Sweet Home. From there, I opened the portal and we stepped back into Roswaal¡¯s manor. The Company Smartphone immediately vanished from my hand, summoned by Beatrice if I had to guess. She was probably using the portal to move her books around.


    The manor was hauntingly empty like this. Idly, I wondered if Puck had already broken his contract with Emilia. That absolute floofer really needed to learn to not disappear on people who relied on him.


    ¡°Alright, who knows the way to Sanctuary?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°By the way, Ram. Garfiel wants to pursue you romantically. You¡¯ll have to let him know you¡¯re already spoken for.¡± I randomly spoke up on the travel to Sanctuary.


    Patrasche carried us on her back, though she kept giving Ram next to us the side eye.


    ¡°You mean because of Roswaal-sama, right?¡± Ram asked, deadpan.


    ¡°Nope.¡± I popped the ¡®p¡¯.


    ¡°Then Garfiel must be just as deluded as Barusu.¡±


    I chuckled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Subaru-kun, I know nee-sama will fall for you shortly.¡± Rem smiled at me.


    ¡°Rem-rin, don¡¯t encourage me to pursue your sister with that smile on your face. It¡¯s making me sad for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Maybe I¡¯ll keep doing it, then,¡± Rem responded.


    She just wanted to rub in my guilt, I was sure.


    ¡°We¡¯re coming up on the barrier, now.¡± Ram¡¯s tone turned serious.


    Now that she¡¯d pointed it out, I could see a slightly glimmering surface a few meters in front of us. When we got to it, Patrasche sniffed it suspiciously, but ultimately we got through the barrier without a fuss.


    ¡°So, this is it, huh? I wonder what sort of face Emilia will have; It¡¯s been a long time since we talked.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Barusu¡¯s own fault for not speaking to her sooner,¡± Ram pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah. Honestly, I¡¯ve not been looking forward to this too much. Did Rem tell you that I proposed to her and asked if we could run away together instead?¡±


    "She did mention something along those lines.¡± Ram side-eyed me. ¡°You aren¡¯t thinking of anything stupid now, are you, Barusu?¡±


    ¡°Nothing more stupid than fighting an infinitely multiplying rabbit, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Worry about me a little bit more, would you! The Insatiable Hare is a serious threat you know! It¡¯s devoured entire villages, easily!¡±


    ¡°You and Beatrice-sama will deal with that issue with a wave of your hands.¡± Ram rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡±


    For some reason, Ram¡¯s words made me want to squeeze Rem a little tighter.


    ¡°Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun? Not that I mind too much, but why did you put your hand there? Can¡¯t you save that kind of thing for the bedroom?¡± Rem¡¯s ears began turning red.


    ¡°Ah, my bad. My hand just naturally gravitated toward your chest.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again.¡± Then she whispered, ¡°In private is okay, though.¡±


    Ram ignored us. Honestly, I thought I saw her face turn a bit red, too.

 Chapter 10

    ¡°My amazin¡¯ self¡¯s gotta ask, what are you three doin¡¯ here, and who¡¯s the gal with the strikingly accurate Ram impression? It¡¯s remindin¡¯ amazin¡¯ me of the twin stars of Esserus. And, that ain¡¯t a good thing.¡±


    As expected, Garfiel noticed our approach and cut us off before we reached the village.


    ¡°Garfiel,¡± Ram spoke up, ¡°This is my little sister, Rem.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute¡ª surely my amazin¡¯ self¡¯d remember if ya had a sister?¡±


    ¡°My sister¡¯s name got eaten by Gluttony.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯d do it, I suppose.¡±


    That easy!?


    ¡°Well then, I assume that clown idiot called you folks down here, then? Let my amazin¡¯ self just say somethin¡¯¡ª I don¡¯t plan on lettin¡¯ anyone leave sanctuary. I¡¯mma just get that out now so there¡¯s no miscommunications.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. If you want to stay in sanctuary with anyone else who wants to stay, be my guest. But I¡¯m breaking the barrier.¡± I stated with authority.


    ¡°Oi, Ram, this idiot¡¯s awful close to your sister, you realize?¡±


    Ram rolled her eyes and palmed her face. ¡°I am... aware.¡±


    ¡°And whoever said anythin¡¯ bout lettin¡¯ you strike down the barrier, huh?¡±


    ¡°How about this? You and I will fight. Whoever wins gets to lay down the law. Surely you¡¯ve heard of, ¡®might makes right¡¯, no?¡± I proposed.


    ¡°Just a fair warnin¡¯, if you¡¯re gonna take that route. My amazin¡¯ self¡¯s the strongest, ya know? I ain¡¯t fixin¡¯ to lose.¡±


    ¡°You want to throw down right here?¡± I asked challengingly.


    ¡°You really think your scrawny self can beat amazin¡¯ ol¡¯ me?¡± He challenged right back. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    I hopped off of Patrasche, almost expecting Rem, or even Ram, to worryingly call a halt to the duel. But to my surprise, neither of them did.


    I could summon Beako for this, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d absolutely demolish Garfiel. But, I suspected if I beat him with a spirit proxy, he wouldn¡¯t accept the loss. This was going to require a little bit of Dragon.


    ¡°Fair warning. I¡¯m a dragon.¡± I said into the clearing. Ram and Rem were already moving out of the way.


    ¡°Sure ya are, and I¡¯m a lion. Now let¡¯s do this.¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother with pretenses. I partially transformed, scales covering my hands and feet, and draconic muscles bulging underneath my skin. I didn¡¯t let it move up to my face though, so from Garfiel¡¯s perspective I barely changed at all.


    Seeing my threat for what it was, and not one to underestimate an opponent, Garfiel quickly began to change himself. Not into his full lion form, but a more moderate bulging of muscles and baring of claws.


    I allowed him to rush at me first. Any spare moment of observation would give me an advantage here. I had absolutely no doubt Garfiel was the better technical fighter, but Martial Talent would start closing the gap pretty quickly against a tier-six martial artist like Garfiel. After all, the better the combatant, the faster Martial Talent improved my skills in turn.


    He hit me in the shoulder, only managing to raise my arm up enough to block barely in time. The hit almost knocked me off my feet, and the aftershocks from the hit traveled all the way through my torso and rattled my lungs. For a moment, it felt like my heart would jump out of my throat. Then, I skidded to a halt, barely managing to keep my footing.


    ¡°An amateur fighter like you ain¡¯t gonna be able to beat my amazin¡¯ self, just warnin¡¯ ya.¡± Garfiel quipped.


    I put my guard back up, waiting for him to rush me again. My best option for this fight was to rely on my superhuman durability and strength.


    He quirked an eyebrow up at me, but he soon rushed back into the fight. I took a few glancing blows on my arms, but he managed to get another good punch in on the right side of my ribs.


    It stung, but nothing was broken that I could tell. He paused again for a moment.


    ¡°Are ya sure ya wantin¡¯ to be doin¡¯ this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t question a man¡¯s pride.¡±


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    Garfiel smiled, ¡°Well alright then! You asked for it.¡±


    He rushed in a third time, but I was starting to get a handle on his style, Martial Talent downloading his moves directly into my brain. I managed to keep up slightly better this time, tanking a few hits on my ribs but also managing to block every single punch or kick aimed for my face.


    ¡°Hey, you ain¡¯t holdin¡¯ back on me, are ya?¡±


    I could see why he might think that. The rapid growth from Martial Talent might look that way. In all honesty, I¡¯d never get as good as Garfiel from leeching off of him with Martial Talent in this way¡ª not if he kept improving himself. That didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t help close the gap a bit.


    I¡¯d identified a small weakness; whenever Garfiel moved in for a jab on my left side, he always left his right side slightly open in turn.


    I lifted my elbow slightly, purposefully messing up my guard just a hair, trying to bait him. He threw out a few more blows, each one aimed to incapacitate me, but I managed to hold on and block all of it.


    Then came the left jab I¡¯d been waiting for. He threw his punch, his arm halfway to the contact point.


    I twisted my hips and roared, tiny bits of purple-void mist escaping from my jaws unintentionally. I threw my entire body into the swing.


    Garfiel hit me first, but I¡¯d expected that. I tanked his blow, knowing it¡¯d be enough to knock the wind out of my lungs but not enough to stop my determination.


    The wind parted before my left fist, and I crashed it into his left side, right on the floating rib. The force of the blow likely carried through to his kidneys. I watched as his cheeks comically puffed up with the forced outrushing of air while he doubled over. The blow took him off his feet, and he want crashing through a number of trees. I couldn¡¯t even see where he¡¯d come to a stop.


    ¡°As expected of my Subaru-kun,¡± Rem cheered from the sidelines.


    Ram looked at her sister, slightly panicked. ¡°Barusu, it¡¯s not over!¡± She practically screamed at me.


    I turned my attention back to the trees and saw a giant lion-sized problem with bloodthirsty red eyes glaring at me.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    I hesitated for a moment, worried that going full dragon here would out me to the villagers.


    But, I could already see Rem running toward me. If I didn¡¯t act in the next second, Rem would act for me. I couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    With a flicker of will, I went full dragon, the transformation happening at the speed of thought. I couldn¡¯t see any fear in Garfiel¡¯s giant lion eyes, only rage. That was a huge mistake since I easily outweighed him ten to one like this.


    He rushed me, his lion¡¯s paws gouging out huge paw prints into the earth.


    ¡°Mine are bigger.¡±


    The second he reached me, I swung my paw at his face. He tried to bite me, but his teeth did absolutely nothing to my scales. I flipped him over onto his back, exposing his belly.


    Then I stomped on him, pinning him back first into the earth. He roared in pain and anger, wildly lashing out at me with all four sets of claws.


    It reminded me of a little kitty cat kicking at you with its paws while lying back first.


    I loomed over him, his claws failing to hurt my scales. ¡°Submit.¡±


    Another roar, so I pressed down on his body with a little bit more weight. I couldn¡¯t feel any of his bones breaking under me, yet. ¡°Submit.¡±


    He continued to struggle, though I was starting to see just the tiniest bit of recognition in his eyes. He¡¯d never been prey before, I¡¯d bet.


    I brought my face closer to his and weighed down on him just enough to cause his bones to creak without breaking. ¡°Submit!¡± I shouted into his face, void mist escaping from my mouth.


    Finally, his eyes lost their blood-red hue, and I saw proper recognition in his eyes.


    He stopped moving, and slowly began to transform back into his human-likeness. I made sure he was fully committed and then began to un-dragon at the same time.


    I stood in the dirt with both feet, just a pace away from him. He¡¯d lost his clothing somewhere along the way, awkwardly exposing him to the elements. He just lay there in the dirt, gasping and staring up at the sky. I could already see his chest starting to bruise.


    ¡°Alright, Barusu, that¡¯s enough bullying the kitty.¡± Ram walked over and draped a blanket over Garfiel.


    I raised my brow at her for a moment, confused both by where she suddenly got a blanket from and because of her words.


    ¡°You know he started it, right?¡± I pointed toward Garfiel with my thumb.


    ¡°No,¡± Rem interjected, ¡°Subaru-kun challenged Garfiel to a duel if I remember.¡±


    I exaggeratedly clutched at my chest, ¡°Betrayed by my own lover!?¡± After receiving no response, I dropped the act, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll quit bullying the kitty.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t,¡± Garfiel gasped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to talk, Garf. I¡¯ll heal you in a second,¡± Ram said.


    Garfiel shook his head, ¡°You weren¡¯t lyin¡¯ bout bein¡¯ a dragon,¡± He said with an undertone of shock¡ª though at first it almost sounded like an observation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk,¡± Ram reprimanded him again and knelt over the boy. Her hands began to glow.


    ¡°Oi, Ram, when¡¯d you... get your, horn back? Or, horns?¡± Garfiel got out between gasps.


    Ram lightly flicked his forehead. ¡°I told you not to talk.¡±


    ¡°So, feel free to just shake your head, but no more talk about fighting me over the barrier, yeah?¡± I asked


    ¡°I still won¡¯t let ya.¡± Garfiel managed to turn his head toward me as he stubbornly replied.


    Ram flicked him again, forcing him to relax back down, ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn and listen to Subaru. Or do you want him to kick you into the dirt again?¡±


    ¡°This an¡¯ that.. Are two, different things.¡± He gasped.


    ¡°In a way, I respect your determination, but I¡¯m also gonna have to ask you to keep your promise from our duel.¡±


    ¡°Ya didn¡¯t beat me, not properly anyhow.¡± His words started to come easier, Ram¡¯s healing must have been helping.


    ¡°You got in a cheap shot, even though my amazin¡¯ self¡¯s obviously a better fighter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but then you went full lion rampage instead of coming back at me properly.¡±


    ¡°Tha¡¯s true, I messed up an¡¯ lost my cool. But, still, if ya want to be getting the barrier taken down, yer gonna havta beat me fair n square.¡±


    ¡°Stubborn cat.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t a cat, ya dragon.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°Fine, but can you promise you won¡¯t bother me so long as I¡¯m not trying to break the barrier? I promise I¡¯ll give you a proper rematch and face you like a man before I try anything.¡±


    ¡°I cannae promise that neither. I¡¯m also a man after all, and you¡¯re gonna havta show me a few pointers.¡± He smirked, fangs showing. ¡°Ya expectin¡¯ me to just leave ya alone after you showed me that?¡± Garfiel groaned as he forced himself to sit up. ¡°Naw, they gonna be callin¡¯ me a dragonslayer by the end of the week.¡±

 Chapter 11

    ¡°Hoooooow~ Nice of you to join me!¡± The clown said, completely wrapped in bandages like a mummy. The only part of him I could see was his eyes. He lay in bed in the only fancy looking house in the entirety of Sanctuary.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t get how more people hadn¡¯t recognized he was sus.


    ¡°You stupid clown really banged yourself up this time.¡±


    For now, it was just Ram and I in the room with him. I hadn¡¯t met up with Emilia, yet.


    ¡°Indeeeed,¡± He unnecessarily elongated the vowel.


    ¡°Roswaal-sama,¡± Ram began, ¡°Would you like me to begin healing you, now?¡±


    ¡°Noooo~ need for that! In faaaact, I would like it if you continue ~assisting Subaru.¡±


    Ram bowed at the waist in acknowledgment.


    ¡°As you can see~, I tried, unsuccessfully, to get the villagers out of Sanctuary. I suppo~se, I¡¯ll be relying on you and Emilia-sama for the rest.¡± Roswaal eyed, me.


    If he wasn¡¯t revealing his true plans to me yet, that meant he believed I would die sometime in the next few days, triggering a loop.


    Ever since I¡¯d body-jacked Subaru, I hadn¡¯t triggered return by death once. I didn¡¯t want to trigger it. I honestly didn¡¯t know if Satella would even recognize me as the ¡®proper¡¯ Subaru. If that happened, if she didn¡¯t recognize me as Subaru, then I¡¯d probably be dead for good. Too bad for Roswaal, I didn¡¯t intend to find out.


    ¡°You don¡¯t plan on explaining your evil scheme to Ram?¡± I poked the bear.


    Roswaal turned to me, glaring at me. He quit doing the weird thing with the vowels as his clown makeup magically disappeared. ¡°If you are asking me that, this must not be the first time.¡± He looked at me, perhaps trying to read if he was correct or not.


    I didn¡¯t respond in the slightest.


    ¡°In that case, no~, I don¡¯t think I will.¡±


    After that, he refused to respond altogether. Ram couldn¡¯t even get him to respond when she asked if he wanted tea.


    Once we left the building, Ram asked me with just a bit of heat, ¡°What did you do to Roswaal-sama?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. He¡¯s choosing to act that way all on his own. Too bad for him, things aren¡¯t gonna go the way he thinks they are.¡±


    Ram glared at me for a bit but relented. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure if that was the stamp-enforced loyalty acting on her or not. I wanted to say it wasn¡¯t¡ª that she would have listened to Subaru either way. But I couldn¡¯t know that for sure. It stung¡ª I didn¡¯t regret stamping her, not exactly, but I also felt a particularly kind of slimy for possibly subverting what might have otherwise been her natural reaction.


    Logic tried to say that giving her a full heal and another horn more than made up for the difference, that doing that for someone would have made them loyal in either case. The question was: would it have made her more loyal to me than to Roswaal? I didn¡¯t know, and that¡¯s what bothered my conscience.


    I¡¯d let the stamp tempt me in a way I shouldn¡¯t have been tempted, I decided. I hadn¡¯t done right by Ram, not completely, even if I had healed her body. I promised myself right then and there that I¡¯d never use the stamp on someone again without their express permission.


    Unless they were evil, then all bets were off. Elsa was totally just getting sold.


    <hr><hr>


    I took a deep breath in, and then out. I felt oddly nervous, but I didn¡¯t know why I was so nervous. It was just Emilia.


    The phantom Subaru in the back of my brain wanted to shout at me, about ¡®just Emilia¡¯. His engram wanted me to shout EMT to the skies. I turned it off.


    ¡°Subaru-kun, I¡¯ll be there with you, you know?¡± Rem gently reminded me.


    Ram was off somewhere doing who knows what, she¡¯d gone off with barely a word after our talk earlier. Rem had exited our Sweet Home and found me shortly after.


    ¡°Is Beako settling in alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Subaru-kun. But, don¡¯t change the subject right now. Emilia-sama will be happy to see you.¡±


    I huffed. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡±


    ¡°Just apologize, and it¡¯ll work out. She¡¯s not the kind of girl to hold a grudge.¡±


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    I took one more breath, and then I finally opened the door to the cabin. A pink-haired little girl stood next to the doorway, the collar of her gray sweater coming up past her chin. One of the clones, then.


    ¡°Welcome¡¯jya,¡± She added a weird, archaic Japanese phoneme to the end of her welcome.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Suddenly, I felt really awkward. I stood at the precipice to the cabin, just one step away from entering. Sitting at a small dinner table was a silver-haired half elf with beautifully purple eyes.


    ¡°Subaru?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°And, Ram?¡± She tilted her head a bit.


    ¡°This one¡¯s name is Rem, Emilia-sama.¡± Rem bowed. ¡°You may not remember me, but I¡¯m Ram¡¯s little sister.¡±


    ¡°I... see.¡± Emilia turned back to me, ¡°But Subaru, what are you doing back here? I thought I asked you to stay with Crusch and finish healing...¡±


    She had no way to know this, but body talent had fully healed me the moment I possessed the original Subaru.


    Emilia twirled her fingers and looked at the floor. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I wanted to say. I heard you were the one who saved the villagers and even defeated a Sin Archbishop.¡± She looked up at me, practically grimacing. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve saved me again, huh?¡±


    From behind, Rem firmly pushed me past the threshold, into the cabin. I stumbled a bit, but managed to keep my footing.


    ¡°Emilia,¡± I started.


    ¡°Not, ¡®Emilia-tan¡¯?¡± She showed me a sad smile.


    ¡°Emilia-tan.¡± I gathered my courage, ¡°About back then, I was wrong. BUT! Those old dudes were insulting you, and it really made me angry. I apologizing for embarrassing you at that time, but I still think those old men were in the wrong. What gives them the right to be so cruel to you, Emilia?¡±


    Emilia opened her mouth to say something, but I barreled on ahead.


    ¡°And, I know that it bothered you at the time, and it bothered Julius for making light of the knights. I get that now. I wanted to treat you specially, since I thought of you as a special person in my heart.¡± I raised up a hand to stop her from talking, ¡°I know you didn¡¯t want to be treated specially, but tell me something, Emilia. Could you ever treat those you care about in any way other than specially? Would you treat Puck the same way you treat some random person on the street? And don¡¯t say you would because that¡¯d be a lie. I know you cherish Puck. What¡¯s wrong with me if I want to do the same?¡±


    Finally, I stopped speaking, waiting to see what Emilia might say.


    ¡°You know Subaru, when I was evacuating with the villagers, the children let me know that it was you who came to save me again. They said they weren¡¯t supposed to tell me, but they let it slip. I was so~ surprised, because I couldn¡¯t understand why you always come to save me. You said it was because I saved you, but I don¡¯t remember such a thing.¡±


    She paused, maybe expecting me to say something. After I didn¡¯t, she continued.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had someone want to treat me specially before and make it sound like a good thing.¡±


    I quickly interjected, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Puck treat you specially?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different,¡± she tried to say.


    ¡°Who are you to say the way in which I want to treat you? Are you saying I can¡¯t treat you the same way as Puck, for similar reasons? Because that¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡±


    ¡°But! Puck loves me!¡± She almost shouted.


    I just raised a brow up at her.


    She covered her mouth and let out a quiet, ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°I did love you,¡± I admitted. Phantom Subaru in my head tried to shout that he still loved her, but I quieted that part of me down. ¡°I still care for you and I want you to win the royal selection. But, frankly, you aren¡¯t ready for romantic love.¡± I stared her in the eyes, daring her to correct me, but she just nodded slowly with wide eyes.


    ¡°So, you aren¡¯t ready.¡± I held out a hand to her, ¡°Emilia, would you formally accept my request to treat you specially, for you to be my friend?¡± I smiled.


    I didn¡¯t expect it, but tears started gathering in her eyes as she reached forward to grab my hand in a shake. She smiled brightly at me, tears pooling, as she nodded her head once and hummed in agreement.


    ¡°Emilia-tan.¡±


    ¡°What is it Subaru?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for being my friend.¡±


    She seemed to smile even brighter. ¡°Is it ok for me to have so much happiness?¡± She let go of my hand so she could rub at her eyes.


    I stepped forward and pulled her into a gentle, platonic hug. ¡°Yes, you do. Your heart is full of kindness, Emilia. Everyone deserves friends, and you more than most.¡±


    ¡°That makes me happy.¡± She rubbed her face into my chest.


    In the corner of my eye, I could see Rem beaming at me. Though she¡¯d never say it, I had a strong suspicion that she was happy with the way things turned out¡ª Secretly happy that she¡¯d won a woman¡¯s contest of love.


    <hr><hr>


    Honestly, if I wanted to, I could take down Sanctuary¡¯s barrier right this second. Echidna wouldn¡¯t be able to break through my Mind Defense at immunity level, so I could just walk right through the trial chamber, grab her soul crystal, and she¡¯d be completely at my mercy.


    But, I couldn¡¯t do that. I¡¯d made a promise between men that I wouldn¡¯t deal with the barrier until after I beat Garfiel in a martial contest. I took my promises seriously, unlike Canon Subaru.


    As far as I could tell, that meant I really only had three problems to overcome for the time being. Deal with Elsa, deal with Meili, and annihilate the Insatiable Hare. I had no idea when those three things were supposed to happen, and I honestly had no idea if the sister assassins would even be a problem now that there wasn¡¯t anyone in the mansion. I¡¯d still keep an eye out for them, since it would make sense to me if Roswaal had changed their orders given the changed timeline.


    But, before all of that, I¡¯d encountered a new issue.


    ¡°I have to break the barrier around Sanctuary,¡± Emilia declared with a serious expression.


    Emilia and I sat at the dinner table in the clone¡¯s cabin. We both had steaming cups of tea in front of us, smelling to my inexperienced nose like grass water. Rem stood at attention behind and just to the left of my chair. She had just finished pouring the tea for us.


    Perhaps just to delay, I picked up my teacup and took a small sip. Despite not knowing much about tea, this tasted pretty good to me. Definitely better than Ram¡¯s. ¡°As expected of Rem-rin.¡±


    ¡°Geez, Subaru! I¡¯m being serious right now,¡± Emilia scolded me.


    ¡°I got it. So basically, there¡¯s not enough food, and if we don¡¯t get the refugees out of here soon, they¡¯re going to starve.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t remember anything about the villagers starving in canon, maybe this was because the entirety of Arlam village came to Sanctuary this time, rather than just a subset?


    ¡°But, there¡¯s more,¡± Emilia said, ¡°Puck isn¡¯t responding to me.¡±


    I nodded my head, I¡¯d expected that.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try the trial tonight,¡± Emilia said with conviction.


    So the problem was thus, what did I do about Emilia wanting to break the barrier?

 Chapter 12

    I forced the mood to turn heavy in an instant, looking deep into Emilia¡¯s eyes. ¡°How serious are you about breaking the barrier?¡±


    ¡°Subaru?¡±


    ¡°To be blunt, Emilia, do you have what it takes to pass the trials?¡±


    Whereas before Emilia looked thrown off and unsteady from my sudden changing of mood, now she looked resolute, almost fierce. ¡°I will pass the trials,¡± She said it as a fact, not a supposition.


    ¡°And, if you fail, will you be able to stand back up again?¡±


    Her face broke slightly, ¡°I¡¯m... not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Emilia, determination doesn¡¯t mean you just keep throwing yourself at something without ever expecting to succeed. It means you keep standing back up again, over and over, each time with the expectation of success. If you say you are going to do your best, but you only try it halfway with the excuse ¡®I can just do it again if I fail¡¯, then your determination was no more than an empty platitude used to make yourself feel better.¡±


    Then, Rem almost said something, perhaps to defend Emilia, but Emilia¡¯s face finished breaking first. I thought she would start crying, making me feel slightly bad for a bit. It was never a good thing when you made a girl cry. I didn¡¯t regret my words, though¡ª they were necessary.


    ¡°Subaru.¡± Emila choked up, her voice full of emotion. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do this without Puck.¡±


    For the first time today, I didn¡¯t know what to say. Her response should have been expected, but it still left me floundering for words.


    ¡°Emilia?¡±


    She hummed to indicate she was listening, tears gathering in her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember the promise we just made together?¡±


    She looked at me, not quite understanding.


    ¡°There are more people than just Puck who care about you, you know? Didn¡¯t you just promise to be my friend? Don¡¯t you know that friends lean on one another when things get hard?¡±


    She smiled and hummed again, slightly nodding her head. Suddenly, the tears in her eyes stopped looking like tears of sadness.


    ¡°Okay, Subaru. Can you save me again?¡±


    I stood up from out of my chair and walked around the table. Emilia watched me as I put my hand on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m your knight, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Subaru-kun?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Rem-rin?¡±


    ¡°I want to say as expected of Rem¡¯s hero, but can I ask you not to flirt with Emilia while I¡¯m still in the room?¡±


    I scratched the back of my head, embarrassed. ¡°My bad.¡±


    Emilia laughed.


    <hr><hr>


    Tonight, Emilia would attempt the trials. But, that wouldn¡¯t be for a few hours. Right now, I had other things I wanted to accomplish¡ª namely: training.


    ¡°Betty has no interest in this slugfest, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Beako! But, we need you! Don¡¯t you want to watch your man get all sweaty?¡±


    ¡°Betty has no interest in that either, I suppose!¡± She shouted cutely, turning her face away lest I see her blush.


    ¡°Subaru-kun, if you are done playing around, shall we get started?¡± Rem said across from me.


    I¡¯d asked her for a spar, hoping to get better with Martial Talent. Rem seemed like a good place to start, since I knew she had good martial prowess even without her signature flail. Betty was here as a healer, but she didn¡¯t like watching spars¡ª she¡¯d rather be holed up in her new library.


    ¡°Why does it look like you are about to enjoy this so much?¡± I asked with a cracked smile.


    ¡°That must be Subaru-kun¡¯s imagination,¡± Rem gave me a feral grin. ¡°Prepare yourself.¡±


    And then, Rem launched at me, a blur that I could only see because I knew she was going easy on me.


    I hastily pulled my guard up, taekwondo lessons from my time before the Company kicking in. I had actually been quite a good sparrer in my past life, winning many competitions. None of that training properly prepared me for a supernatural fight, though.


    Rem easily stepped into my guard, her head popping up in front of me without warning. I¡¯m ashamed to admit it, but her cute face distracted me for a critical moment, I even had the urge to lean in and try to kiss her, as inappropriate as the timing was. In that split moment, she flashed me a smile, and I got the impression she distracted me like that on purpose. The next moment, I felt a flash of pain through my torso, and then I got sent flying backward into the first tree in my flight path. My back cracked against the trunk, the ridges and grooves of the wood painfully digging in for the split moment my momentum hadn¡¯t yet ended.


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    Then I fell down into the dirt, crumpling as I desperately reached out for air. My lungs wouldn¡¯t cooperate, I tried to suck in a breath but my diaphragm just spasmed instead. With panic, I tried to force in a gulp of air, but I only wheezed. With my eyes tearing up unconsciously from the damage to my respiratory tract, I felt a few more moments of lying there wouldn¡¯t hurt any.


    A moment later, Beako appeared in front of me, and I dazedly heard her say, ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, I suppose.¡±


    No! Beako! My lifeline abandoned me! She didn¡¯t even bother to heal me.


    I finally wheezed in a desperate gulp of air, coughing in between breaths. A mop of blue hair appeared directly overhead, and then Rem was offering me her small pale hand. I grabbed it, so she could lift me up. She turned me around and patted the dirt off of my back.


    ¡°Perhaps I went too fast for Subaru-kun? But that¡¯s strange, I thought you easily defeated Garfiel. This level of strength should be acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Your cute face distracted me,¡± I gasped out, ¡°I¡¯ll be ready this time.¡±


    ¡°Compliments won¡¯t make me go any easier on you, Subaru-kun.¡±


    ¡°I know. Okay, let¡¯s try again.¡±


    By the end of my spar, I was absolutely drenched in sweat. My head pulsed with each heartbeat, and I felt uncontrollably thirsty. My body was sore, but in that good sort of way that would last until tomorrow morning¡ª at which point I knew I¡¯d be covered in bruises and have a real tough time of moving normally.


    Beako took one look at me, shrugged, and said I¡¯d be ¡®fine I suppose,¡¯ so even though Rem had pushed me hard, I knew she hadn¡¯t gone overboard. Beako didn¡¯t even use magic to heal me, making her complain about her time being wasted, but I just patted her head and thanked her sincerely for being there for me. My words made her blush and cutely say something dere~dere.


    By the end of it all, I felt that I¡¯d noticeably improved. Rem even praised my level of improvement as prodigious, but I still couldn¡¯t touch her without going Dragon. That being said, Rem had appropriately gauged the level of strength to use against me, and that was proven after I didn¡¯t let her cuteness distract me again. After that initial blow, I didn¡¯t take any hits nearly as bad as that first one.


    After all of that, we met up with Ram again and tried to check in on Roswaal. As I¡¯d suspected, he refused to talk to us, much to Ram¡¯s dismay. She¡¯d even begged him to say something¡ª which had felt really out of character for the normally unflappable Ram. He¡¯d just moved his eyes to look at her face for a moment before once again turning to face the wall. To be fair to Ram, that had been the most amount of reaction he¡¯d shown since our brief talk that morning.


    Emilia would be taking the trials tonight, so after dinner, I had tried to prepare her as best I could. I¡¯d said something like, ¡®Indomitable spirit is about getting up and fighting for success after each failure¡¯¡ª but explained over a larger set of words and examples.


    She¡¯d left with a determined smile on her face, though I was still fairly certain she¡¯d fail. I honestly couldn¡¯t remember how Canon Subaru got her to pass the trials, and the version of Subaru within myself seemed to think I¡¯d done a good job so far. He¡¯d be useless on the first loop regardless, so I tried not to pay too much attention to his phantasm.


    Regardless, all of that led me to where I was today¡ª sitting down in a chair with a certain iconic drill loli sitting in my lap, receiving head pats.


    ¡°Not that Betty minds this, but did you not want to practice magic, I wonder?¡± Despite her pretending to move things along with her words, she wiggled into my lap to get even more comfortable. She¡¯d melted into my head patting technique like a kitten desperate for scritches.


    ¡°Yes, we can practice together. But didn¡¯t you know, skinship is important for this sort of thing? By having you sit on my lap, our souls can be even more closely aligned. That way, our magic will certainly find harmony!¡± I declared without a shred of remorse.


    ¡°Betty is quite certain magic doesn¡¯t work that way, in fact. But, if her Subaru says so, then I suppose we can stay like this.¡± She angled her head up so she could look at my face. ¡°What would you like to practice first, I wonder?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the absolute basics. First of all, now that we are contracted, how much of the magic in my gate do you need to subsist passively?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Betty supposes she is using all of Subaru¡¯s current output, in fact. Indeed, since Betty is Subaru¡¯s contracted spirit, I suppose Betty can only use your mana. Betty cannot take mana from the atmosphere or other people anymore, in fact. Though Betty does have a large amount of mana stored up from 400 years, if I run out, then your passive mana will only be enough for one or two big spells per month, I suppose.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t surprising. I still had default Subaru¡¯s gate, even if it was undamaged. ¡°In that case, things certainly are simple. You are vastly superior to me in magic, so it doesn¡¯t make sense for me to shape things, at least in the short term. That being said, I have an idea for three spells I¡¯d like to challenge you to develop with me. After I explain the premise, you tell me how I can help.¡±


    ¡°Betty is listening, I suppose. Betty is excited to hear Subaru¡¯s ideas, and how to use your innate void magic, I suppose.¡± I could see her practically salivating at the thought of new magic.


    An idea lit up in my brain, ¡°Actually, prior to that, I just had a thought. My dragon blood should be absolutely packed with magic. Also, I know that it can empower those who ingest it, though I suspect it won¡¯t do too much for you since you are already so magically powerful.¡± According to the catalog, she was already tier 7, so my dragon blood wouldn¡¯t empower her, though it might give her more mana.


    Beako made a horrified face, ¡°I will not bleed Subaru like a pig for mana, I suppose!¡±


    ¡°I wish you¡¯d had that mindset when we¡¯d first met.¡±


    Beatrice crossed her arms, ¡°That was different, I suppose.¡±


    When Canon Subaru had first met Beatrice, she had sucked out all of his mana, forcing him to pass out.


    ¡°In either case, if you need a mana battery in an emergency, it¡¯s worth it,¡± I said decisively.


    ¡°Betty does not know what a battery is, but if it is an emergency then a little bit of blood might be ok, I suppose,¡± she conceded.


    ¡°Alright!¡± I clapped my hands once, ¡°That means we¡¯ll have to try it a few times in a non-emergency setting just to make sure it works!¡±


    ¡°Betty did not agree to that, I suppose!¡± Her earlier panic returned ten-fold, and she turned in my lap, tugging on my sleeve as she looked up at my face. It felt nice, feeling her warm light body on me, practically healing my soul.


    I pat her head, ¡°Just to prepare for an emergency, Beako,¡± I reassured her. ¡°Regardless, we don¡¯t need to try it right now,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to our earlier, and much more fun topic!¡±


    Beako¡¯s panic evaporated in an instant, the idea of magic and magic theory causing her eyes to sparkle in anticipation. ¡°Betty is excited to hear Subaru¡¯s ideas, I suppose!¡±

 Chapter 13

    Beako¡¯s small legs easily fit in my lap¡ª her four foot three frame easily resting on my much taller six-foot body. It felt natural having her there. I gave her a quick full-body squeeze, wrapping my arms around her torso chastely and resting my chin on her head for a moment.


    ¡°It makes me happy to see you so excited about magic!¡± I said. In this position, I couldn¡¯t see her head if she wanted to turn and face me, so I released her and leaned back in the chair. ¡°Both of my ideas have to do with the concept of ¡®stop¡¯: stopping time and stopping magic.¡±


    Beako shook her head side to side as if to clear her head. ¡°Ah, we are back to talking about magic now, I suppose.¡±


    I twisted my head slightly confused, ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just, Betty¡¯s Subaru held her... for a moment...¡± She trailed off, mumbling.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Never mind, in fact!¡± Her ears flushed as she hastily replied, nearly tripping over her words.


    I let out a small huff of laughter in realization. ¡°You got flustered because I hugged you tight a second ago, huh?¡±


    ¡°Su-Subaru is changing the subject, in fact!¡±


    I chuckled, and pat her head again, careful to avoid the small crown on the side of her head.


    ¡°Okay, well if you¡¯re ready?¡± I prompted.


    Beako huffed, ¡°Betty is always ready for magic, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Great! Then, let¡¯s start with my idea for a spell that stops other magic. My idea is that we create a ¡®field¡¯ or a certain area, with the two of us at its origin, wherein no one can use magic. What do you think, is it possible for Yin magic to do such a thing?¡±


    Beako furrowed her brow, deep in thought. ¡°Betty supposes such a thing is possible, yes. It will take time to develop. The spell will also need a name, I suppose. Would Betty¡¯s Subaru like to name it, I wonder?¡±


    I smiled, ¡°Yeah. BMT! Beako, major tenshi (angel)!¡± Phantasm Subaru cringed at the name, how could I steal Emilia¡¯s nickname!? I also slightly cringed due to the chuunibyou, but if I couldn¡¯t live out my anime fantasies here, then what was the point?


    ¡°Betty has no idea what nonsense you are saying, in fact.¡± She held a finger to her chin in thought, ¡°But, the name is as good as any other, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided! Our first magic spell together... You¡¯ll have to let me know if you need help developing it. You¡¯re the magic expert, so I¡¯m not sure how much I can help, but I¡¯d love to be a part of the process with you, if you¡¯ll have me.¡±


    ¡°Of course we will work on it together, that is a given, I suppose!¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°Betty will first read some books, and then after my research we will practice together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love that, but I¡¯m not sure you fully understood what I meant to say earlier.¡±


    Beako gazed up at me with a frown.


    ¡°I mean to say that I¡¯d also like to be a part of the research phase, too, if possible. Though, I might hold you back since I know so little about magic¡ª since it¡¯s our first spell together¡ª¡±


    I shook my head and then corrected myself. ¡°No, even if it were our thousandth new spell together, I¡¯d always like to be a part of the process from the very start.¡±


    Beako smiled up at me, perhaps one of the most genuine smiles I¡¯d ever seen on her pale face. Her purple butterfly eyes shined with joy. Then, she turned her head back around into a relaxed position. She scooted further into my lap, resting her back against my torso¡ª her blonde drills draping the sides of the chair.


    Naturally, I chastely wrapped my arms around her front, crossing them. We sat there for a time, me enjoying her small body on my lap, her warmth seeping through to my skin. She enjoyed the contact too, since she practically melted into my embrace. Eventually, a book floated over into her lap, and she opened it to read.


    In this new version of the Forbidden Library, tucked away in my Sweet Home and intermingled with Beatrice¡¯s mastery of spatial magic, no one would be able to interrupt our moment together¡ª even if it lasted for eternity.


    Beako wanted to get started on research right away, our earlier conversation igniting the fires of development within her. I, on the other hand, barely knew anything about magic, so she started me on a primer for the basics of Yin magic. I wouldn¡¯t actually be able to cast any of the spells, but the ideas and theories behind them would serve as a future foundation for the day that Beatrice and I could make new magic together as equals. Such a day would be far in the future, however, even with Soul Talent.


    <hr><hr>


    Reading magic theory was both surprising and paradoxically unsurprising at the same time. The Yin magic primer I was reading had way more detailed information than the light novel or anime versions of Canon ever explored. In those, we got a basic, ¡®yin is shadow magic¡¯, and ¡®some people are better at it than others¡¯. Other than that, and the basics behind a gate, the magic system was surprisingly under-explored.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    According to the primer, very few Yin magic users existed, and as such, hardly any spells existed for the element. Beako was quick to correct that this book was actually wrong about that. There were a lot of spells, it was just that most of them had been forgotten. A classic, ¡®lost archaic magic is powerful¡¯, trope. Yin magic also was far more complex than just ¡®shadow magic¡¯.


    ¡°Shamac is not about spreading shadows around the enemy, but it is in fact about creating the absence of light around the enemy, I suppose.¡± As Beako explained.


    In reality, Yin magic embodied the concept of ¡®absence¡¯ or ¡®lack of¡¯. That gave me tons of ideas, and also neatly fit in with my dragon void element. I figured, with time, research, practice, and a butt-load of mana, one day Beako and I could probably erase someone out of existence entirely¡ª Thanos style. That day was so far away though it might as well have been a pipe dream. We had all of eternity to get there, though.


    ¡°Subaru.¡±


    Yin magic really fascinated me, and it seemed to resonate somewhere inside me¡ª my gate naturally being drawn to the concepts, most likely.


    ¡°Subaru?¡±


    For now, I focused mostly on Shamac¡ª the most basic of all Yin magic. If I could master the concepts behind it, that would bring me one step closer to true, deeper understanding of ¡®absence¡¯.


    Beako lightly kicked my leg, drawing my attention. ¡°Subaru???¡± She looked at me, frustration marring her gaze.


    I shook my head. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Someone is here to see you, I suppose.¡±


    I moved my eye up to the new Forbidden Library¡¯s exit, where a certain blue-haired girl in a maid uniform stood at the precipice.


    Smiling, I waved to Rem. Then, I lifted Beako up under the arms to deposit her back on the floor from off of my lap.


    ¡°Be sure to return later, I suppose. Betty will get lonely if you are gone for too long, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to come with us?¡± I offered, holding my hand out.


    Beako¡¯s face lit up with joy, but she quickly squashed it as she glanced at Rem. ¡°Betty knows how to read the room, I suppose. Besides, there is more research to be done.¡± She waved me off.


    ¡°Thanks, Beako.¡±


    Then, I began walking over to Rem. Our relationship had been a bit weird¡ª I wanted to spend more time with her, but things had been so busy we¡¯d hardly had any time to ourselves.


    ¡°Subaru-kun is thinking about dirty things,¡± Rem said matter-of-factly.


    I opened my mouth to deny it, but she cut me off, ¡°Rem knows all of Subaru-kun¡¯s faces, so don¡¯t try to lie.¡± She said that, but her face had a smile on it, so I knew she was just teasing me.


    I smiled back and held out my hand for her. She looked down at it and blushed just a bit, only barely noticeable. She easily put her hand in mine as we walked a few steps away from the Forbidden Library¡¯s exit. I summoned my phone, and we walked out through the portal together.


    The dark village outskirts met us. The sun had already set, and I could hear insects chirping in the night. We walked a few steps through the rough dirt path, a few simple, medieval-style single-story houses lining the sides. Trees, shrubbery, and grass grew interwoven throughout the village, and the night air smelled like fresh yet slightly mildew-y air.


    ¡°Did you have any place in mind or were you just looking for a midnight stroll?¡± I asked, breaking the companionable silence over us as we held hands. Rem¡¯s fingers interwove with mine; her hands were warmer than mine, and I wondered if it was due to her Oni-heritage.


    ¡°Emilia is still taking the trial. Have you eaten anything?¡± Rem asked.


    I shook my head, ¡°No, I hadn¡¯t even realized it¡¯d gotten so late.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just like Subaru-kun to work so hard he forgets to eat,¡± Rem said, chagrined.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t really working. Beako and I were coming up with new magic together.¡± I half-heartedly defended.


    Rem turned around to face me, her simple black flats twisting in the dirt. She got right into my personal space and poked my nose. ¡°Subaru-kun should take better care of himself. It sounds to me like you spent all day working¡ª we just sparred earlier this afternoon. When¡¯s the last time you ate?¡± She re-grabbed my hand and continued leading me forward.


    ¡°I...¡± Surely I¡¯d eaten something today, right? If I hadn¡¯t, wouldn¡¯t I be feeling low-blood sugar by now? Sure, my stomach seemed to be eating itself alive with how starved I was, but it couldn¡¯t have been too bad... Probably. ¡°I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°Geez!¡± Rem pouted, then we turned off the street directly onto the path toward a familiar cabin. This was Ryuzu Shima¡¯s (the pink-haired clone loli-baba) house. Rem led the way, opening the creaky old wooden door and holding it open for me as I followed her in.


    Seated at the table was the aforementioned Ryuzu, as well as a well-muscled and blonde-headed young man.


    ¡°Well, if it ain¡¯t tha damn dragon-boy again,¡± Garfiel proclaimed with a smile full of fighting spirit.


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the little kitty again.¡± I quipped right back.


    We stared at each other with fierce eyes, neither backing down. After a moment, we both forced a laugh¡ª breaking the tension without hurting either side¡¯s pride.


    ¡°Good to see you, Garfiel. I trust you¡¯ve been working hard?¡±


    ¡°Aye, I¡¯ve been tootin¡¯ about like Rascal in the full moon.¡± He grabbed a cup from the rickety wooden table and took a sip.


    ¡°Your references are as inscrutable as always, I see.¡± I moved to sit down across from him, scooting the wooden bench out a bit so I could fit.


    Rem moved to stand behind me, in the customary place of a servant, but this wasn¡¯t an appropriate time for that. I was all for the maid-play in the bedroom, but I wanted to try to get her used to acting like my equal instead of my servant.


    I turned slightly on the bench and wrapped my hand around to reach the small of her back. I ushered her around the edge of the bench and then pushed her down into the spot next to mine by placing a hand on her thigh. I had to scoot a bit to the right so she could fit on my left without sitting halfway off the edge.


    Primly, Rem tucked her skirt under her legs, straightening out the black and white fabric.


    She was still sitting somewhat stiffly, uncomfortable with sitting here most likely, with her hands crossed politely in her lap. I wrapped my arm back around her, forcing her to lean into my side.


    ¡°Not that Rem isn¡¯t happy, but isn¡¯t this a bit too much?¡± She protested verbally, but made no action to actually try to separate us. In this position, her head was resting against my shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll only let go of you if you loosen up a bit. Relax. Eat with me?¡±


    ¡°Rem is Subaru-kun¡¯s, after all, so if he insists...¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    I slowly released her, bringing my arm back to my side.


    Rem still appeared a bit hesitant at the situation, but I could tell my actions had loosened her up a bit, getting her slightly more comfortable with the situation as she straightened back up, so I called it a success.


    ¡°Ya sure are a lady¡¯s man, huh? So long as ya ain¡¯t also goin¡¯ for Ram, I guess you ¡®n I won¡¯t have a problem.¡±


    ¡°Too bad, I¡¯m going for the full set.¡± I smiled across the table at him, challengingly.


    His pupils flared, and Garfiel abruptly stood up from the table¡ª the bench behind him scooting backward suddenly and forcefully tipping over. It hit the ground with a slam, followed by a second slam when Garfiel smashed his palms into the table, rattling it. Some of the liquid in his cup spilled out onto the table.


    ¡°Whatcha mean yer goin¡¯ for a full set?! Huh?!¡±

 Chapter 14

    Rem moved to stand up beside me, ready to defend her lover. I admired her protective spirit, but now wasn¡¯t the time.


    I forcefully clamped my hand on her thigh. Not enough to leave a mark, but enough to push her back down into her seat.


    ¡°You heard me. I¡¯m gonna keep both twins and repopulate the Oni-race.¡± I didn¡¯t take my eyes off of Garfiel for an instant.


    His nostrils flared. He opened his mouth, probably to shout at me, but he closed it again a moment later¡ª reconsidering. Then, he turned around and deftly kicked the foot of the bench behind him, flipping it back around right side up with a clatter. He slammed himself back down onto the bench and scooted it forward closer to the table.


    He stared off to the side. ¡°I suppose if yer gonna declare that without an ounce of shame, while lookin¡¯ so manly to boot, my amazin¡¯ self ain¡¯t gonna fight ya over it.¡± Then, his gaze once again met mine, his eyes hard as steel. ¡°But that don¡¯t mean I¡¯mma just let ya get yer way.¡± He jabbed at himself with his thumb. ¡°I¡¯m tellin¡¯ ya right now, but my amazin¡¯ self¡¯s gonna be the one to marry Ram.¡± Garfiel leaned forward, practically daring me to contradict him.


    I stared back, my gaze equally as hard. I leaned over the table, extending one arm out in the universal symbol for a handshake. ¡°May the best man win. But, I don¡¯t plan on losing either.¡±


    ¡°Tha¡¯s fine wi¡¯ me, then.¡± Garfiel reached out and gripped my hand like iron.


    ¡°If ya boys are done measuring yer dicks then let me through,¡± Ryuzu spoke with the same accent as Garfiel. She forced our hands apart as she placed a giant bowl of steaming something on the table.


    It looked like brown goop. I side-eyed her, ¡°What is this, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Well, the village ain¡¯t exactly rich with food, or we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess to begin with! It¡¯s watered-down gruel, and yer gonna eat it.¡± She nodded her head once.


    ¡°Not that I¡¯m opposed to it, and actually I¡¯m grateful you¡¯re even willing to share, but we brought food with us, you know?¡±


    ¡°And where are ya fittin¡¯ it, then?¡± She looked me up and down, drawing attention to the fact that I didn¡¯t have anything except the clothes on my back.


    ¡°I¡¯m contracted with a greater Yin spirit. We¡¯ve got a pocket dimension.¡± Technically, those two sentences were both true, though I¡¯d placed them together on purpose to intentionally mislead Ryuzu and Garfiel¡¯s conclusions.


    ¡°Here, let me bring out some more food; I¡¯m sure everyone would appreciate some meat and fruit.¡±


    ¡°Yea, if ya really got that much¡¯n I¡¯d love to have some, too.¡± Garfiel chimed in.


    With his feline disposition, he¡¯d probably benefit a lot more from meat than some gruel.


    I summoned my phone to open the portal, no one able to see it but Rem and I. I reached my hand through the portal, willing food into my hand. When I pulled my hand out of the portal a giant leg of what seemed like lamb came out with it¡ª already pre-roasted per the magic of a Sweet Home. I put it on the table with a small clatter.


    ¡°What¡¯n the hell?!/Where¡¯d ya get that?¡± Garfiel and Ryuzu said, respectively.


    I smiled with amusement, ¡°The wonders of magic.¡±


    ¡°That sure is a fancy Yin spirit ya got there, I ain¡¯t never heard o¡¯ one that could do that.¡±


    ¡°Subaru-kun is being silly. Beatrice is his contracted spirit,¡± Rem added.


    The room fell into silence for a second as everyone digested that.


    ¡°Well, that would explain that, then,¡± Ryuzu said with a wistful look.


    ¡°Anyway, please, have as much meat as you guys want. I¡¯ve honestly got enough to feed the village for a day or two if the need arises.¡± Another technically true statement. What was left unsaid was that my Sweet Home could continue to provide food for much longer than just a day or two. I didn¡¯t want to share that info right now, though, since I felt it would only make Garfiel double down on not letting anyone break through Sanctuary¡¯s barrier.


    Honestly, I was surprised he had even let Emilia try tonight. He must have figured she¡¯d fail. To be fair, I thought she would fail tonight, too. In Canon, she never got it so easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m kinda pissed ya aren¡¯t already givin¡¯ out the food to the village right now, but since ya said ya¡¯d hand it out if necessary I guess I¡¯ll let it pass.¡± Then, Garfiel took the entire leg all for himself and slammed it down on the wooden plate in front of him.


    Good thing it wasn¡¯t glass or ceramic.


    I chuckled slightly, seeing him dig into that massive hunk of meat all by himself. I shook my head, and then I pulled out another leg for the rest of the table.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    We ate in silence for a little while, Rem taking tiny, dainty little bites of her food. She kept cutting the meat into the smallest cubes possible before spearing one cube at a time with her fork. The bites only fit on a single prong. I found it adorable.


    All four of us had bowls of porridge to share as well. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t half bad at all despite how it looked. Just tasted like plain oatmeal¡ª since that¡¯s basically what it was. The grains were shaped differently than on Earth, though. About halfway through my bowl, I realized I was a bit dumb since I could just pull out a big jar of brown sugar. I put some in my bowl, but for some reason, no one else touched it. Maybe sweet porridge was only an American thing? Or maybe it just wasn¡¯t a Luginica thing...


    The door to the cabin slammed open. The bang shocked me halfway out of my seat, my body instantly preparing to react. My eyes darted to the door, where a cold breeze was blowing in from the night air.


    A disheveled Ram stood in the doorway, both of her horns out and glowing prismatic white¡ª framing her face in their light and matching the full moon in the sky behind her. Her eyes were red, but not crazed. It took a moment for my brain to register, but she looked distraught, not fearful or anticipating a fight. Tear streaks marred her cheeks, and her normally impeccable hair had stray strands drifting in the wind.


    ¡°Roswaal-sama...¡± Ram began, but she took in a wracking breath¡ª interrupting herself involuntarily. She let out a sob. ¡°It¡¯s Roswaal-sama.¡±


    ¡°Ram?¡± Rem said from behind me, concern in her voice.


    Ram moved her eyes over to Rem, but her eyes quickly moved back to me again. My heart dropped slightly at the sight. How much was the stamp affecting her? I couldn¡¯t help but worry about it. In what world did Ram¡¯s upset face focus on me over her dear little sister? I tried to comfort myself by saying it only made her loyal, not affectionate. But, what if Ram¡¯s definition of loyalty included affection?


    Ram let out a shuddering breath, ¡°Roswaal-sama,¡± she moved her face to the floor with a bitter look, biting at the edge of her lip. ¡°Roswaal-sama killed himself.¡±


    The wind howled, and the door creaked as it moved, before slamming back against the wall.


    I hurriedly stood up, the bench scooting out as I did so. Rem stood at the same time as I did, so the bench moving didn¡¯t destabilize her. I half-ran half-jogged over to Ram¡¯s side. Without waiting to see her reaction, I pulled her into a firm hug. At the touch, her horns slowly but surely began retracting back into her skull.


    Her body shuddered under my embrace, the side of her face leaning into my upper chest. A moment passed, and then she moved her arms around to my back. She balled the back of my shirt up into both of her fists as if clutching onto me for dear life. Her whole body shook as her lungs took in stuttering breaths. She let out a long wail, hauntingly crying out into the night. I stood there, helping to stabilize her body.


    She seemed so weak like this. It forced me to remember how small the twin Oni-sisters were¡ª barely tall enough to reach my chest and incredibly thin. It wasn¡¯t natural to see them as frail girls, both sisters easily outclassed me in martial might as well as pure brute force. Ram especially so now that she had both of her horns back. Rem had two now, too, but I hadn¡¯t seen her use them yet.


    ¡°Roswaal... how dare he?¡± Ram said from underneath me, her voice stabilizing just enough to shift from despondent to furious.


    I quickly glanced behind myself at Rem, who stood there shell-shocked. I prompted her with my eyes, trying to grab her attention. I also moved my head as if to prompt her forward into action, and then pointedly looked down at her sister in my arms.


    Rem seemed to get it, since she quickly marched over as well. She stood there awkwardly for a moment, but I prompted her again with my eyes, telling her to go on. Gently, Rem joined the embrace. I held Ram from the front, eclipsing her body with my own and wrapping her up. On the other side, Rem sandwiched her sister, acting as a gentle blanket from behind.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I whispered below me.


    ¡°That stupid asshole.¡± Ram snarled. ¡°How dare he say he needs me, relies on me? How dare he make me care for him? How dare he save me? How dare he give me such a warm home? How dare he hold me so gently. How dare he leave me.¡± Then, she sobbed and moved her head back a little to look into my eyes. ¡°Why did he do that?¡± Her face broke as she hiccupped a gasping breath, tears again pooling in her eyes.


    I moved my left hand away from the embrace, Rem letting fully go from behind and moving to our side instead. With my now freed left hand, I put my thumb pad to Ram¡¯s cheek and wiped away her streaming tears. Her face was soft and damp on my thumb¡ª her cheek easily giving way under my firm touch.


    ¡°What happened, Ram?¡± I said again, just a tad louder than a whisper this time.


    Ram clicked her tongue and looked away, her face fighting between an angry frown and a choked up sob. ¡°He killed himself in the bedroom and left a note.¡± Ram reached into her bosom and pulled out a half-torn piece of paper.


    To me, it looked like Ram had started to tear the paper to shreds, but had held herself back halfway through as she realized others might need to see it, too. That was just my guess, though, looking at the half-torn letter.


    I gently took the note from her hands and tried to read it over. It only took me half a second to realize I barely understood a little more than half of the words... Subaru hadn¡¯t quite finished learning how to read the language, after all. It was enough to get the gist of it, though. Roswaal claimed that we were all ¡®doomed¡¯ anyway, and so he was taking things into his own hands just a little bit early. The last line had a cryptic message that I only understood a few words of, but based on context it seemed to be a poorly coded message telling specifically me that he wanted to force this loop into failure and this was the only way how. He was practically telling me to kill myself and try again for Roswaal¡¯s selfish intentions.


    I handed the letter off to Rem, who broke the hug so she could also read over it. I moved my left hand back to Ram¡¯s back and pulled her into a tight hug again for just a few seconds. Then, in a single fluid motion, I bent down and scooped Ram up into a princess carry.


    ¡°Rem, can you open the portal?¡± She summoned the Company phone a second later, the portal appearing behind her five seconds after she gave the phone its command.


    I paused in reaction to hearing Garfiel¡¯s voice, ¡°Ya better take proper care of¡¯n Ram, yea?¡±


    I turned halfway backward with my upper body. Garfiel held both fists tight at his sides, one of his canines digging painfully into his lower lip and drawing blood. I hadn¡¯t paid any attention to him from the moment Ram came in, but it looked like he cared about her in his own way, too.


    I nodded my head to him before turning and stepping through the portal, Rem following close behind.

 Chapter 15

    Ram clenched her tiny fists, wrapping them around my shirt the entire walk up to the room I had designated for her. I made sure it was right next to the room Beako, Rem, and I had slept in last night, though Ram hadn¡¯t used it¡ª instead preferring to sleep in the village.


    Her face kept switching between agonized and wrathful: for a few moments I¡¯d think she would shout at me, or even just shout at the world. But in the next moment, it looked like she¡¯d break down sobbing and wailing. In either case, she continued to desperately clutch against my chest, shaking with tears streaming down her cheeks, occasionally rubbing her face into me.


    I moved with single purpose. First, I would deposit Ram in bed so she could try to get some rest. After I took care of her, then I could start making sense of the situation.


    Rem followed along close behind me. She seemed upset too, but not for Roswaal. She kept sending concerned glances toward her sister in my arms.


    Finally I reached the doorway, the door opening with a mental command. I marched over to the bed and gently deposited the frail girl in my arms down into the soft mattress. She didn¡¯t resist me in the slightest, instead shuffling under the covers and balling up into an Oni-sized egg¡ª clutching the blankets into her chest.


    I moved to turn around and leave, but her arm shot out from under the blankets and clamped down onto my wrist. With wide eyes she took one long glance at me before speaking, ¡°If you find anything out, I¡¯ll be the first to know.¡± Her voice didn¡¯t break or hitch once despite her puffy crying face.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be the first to know,¡± I easily promised.


    Ram let go of my wrist, and I left her room. Rem was standing just out in the hall, staring longingly at the doorway to her sister¡¯s room.


    ¡°Do you want to go be with her?¡±


    Rem nodded her head once but hesitated.


    ¡°Go, I¡¯ll still be here after.¡±


    She nodded her head again, more relaxed this time. Rem closed the door behind her as she entered her sister¡¯s room.


    Using my Beako-sense, I quickly found the door in the long simple white hallways of my Sweet Home that led to the Forbidden Library.


    Beatrice looked up as I walked in, moving her eyes away from the book sitting on her pink and black striped leggings. ¡°What is it, I wonder?¡±


    ¡°Can you watch over the twins for me? There¡¯s business I should attend to in Sanctuary.¡±


    Beatrice flipped the front half of the book over, shutting it with a bit more force than needed. Seemingly on its own, the book floated away and back onto a shelf. Then, Beatrice stood up out of her customary wooden stool; her flats clacked against the hardwood floor. ¡°Betty will come with you, I suppose.¡±


    I nodded my head in agreement. ¡°Alright.¡± Rem could watch over her sister, and I¡¯d make sure to check on them later, just in case.


    I held my hand out for Beako, which she happily grasped onto. She was so short that her arm bent at the elbow almost up to her head like a child holding her father¡¯s hand as we walked out of the Forbidden Library together. She was practically an expert at using the Company phone by this point, and she seemed to read my mind since she used it to summon the portal to outside our pocket dimension.


    I just stood there on the main dirt path of the village. This was so far and away from Canon, that at this point, I didn¡¯t really know what to do except stay in Sanctuary to monitor the situation. If things started derailing even harder, I wanted to be here to curb it. For example, if Elsa started terrorizing the villagers or something.


    The moon had moved to be high overhead by now, the night wind howling against my skin and sending Beako¡¯s drills drifting about. The tops of the massive forest trees swayed against the wind, and most of the villager¡¯s houses were dark by now. A few houses here and there still had light coming through the windows, but not a lot. I knew the rest of the refugees from Arlam Village would be in the center hall, not in any of the normal villagers¡¯ homes.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t just stand here, I suppose.¡± Beako prompted me to stop staring at the village.


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure what to do right now.¡±


    ¡°Start by telling Betty what happened, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Ram came screaming into the cabin where Rem and I were eating. She told us that she found Roswaal¡¯s dead body.¡±


    Beatrice clicked her tongue. ¡°And he didn¡¯t leave an heir this time, I suppose. The capital will be in chaos. Not that that¡¯s any of Betty¡¯s concern, I suppose.


    ¡°Well, let Betty confirm it, I suppose. Maybe we can learn something from his body, in fact.¡±


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    That would be as decent a starting place as any. We walked through the dirt paths, up to the somewhat more fancy wooden house that we had last seen Roswaal inside of. Beako led me up the path by the hand until we entered the front door. From there, we walked up the steep creaking old wooden steps to the second floor. We turned the corner and walked into Roswaal¡¯s bedroom.


    Indeed, splayed out on the bed was a corpse. The white bedsheets had been stained with a torrentious amount of blood, some of it still dripping down onto the floor where it pooled and seeped into the already dark hardwood below.


    The candle chandelier framed Roswaal¡¯s long headless body in a macabre light. His neck looked pulped, his head completely missing. The wall behind his head had been painted in so much chunky meat, pieces of pink brain sticking to the wall behind his empty neck.


    ¡°That is disgusting, in fact.¡±


    I huffed out a small breath at Beatrice¡¯s unexpected words. ¡°That¡¯s one way to describe it, though I think most people would call this morbid or tragic before disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Betty will let other people bother with those things instead, I suppose.¡± Though she said that, I noticed her hand tightening against mine.


    The fireplace was still burning hotly, causing the room to be uncomfortably warm. The room smelled like an unholy mixture of light smoke and blood.


    ¡°Subaru?¡± A light, feminine voice reached my ears from behind me.


    I quickly turned around, Emilia just walking into the room, a pure lightheartedness in her step.


    ¡°Subaru?¡± She questioned again, staring straight into my face. ¡°I passed the first trial!¡± She smiled brightly. ¡°I was looking for you.¡± Then, her eyes moved past me and into the room beyond.


    She gasped and fell to her knees. A second later, she turned to the side and retched.


    I walked over to Emilia, pulling Beatrice along behind me. Once I reached her, I temporarily let go of Beatrice¡¯s hand to help Emilia stand up. I ushered her out of the room and closed the door behind me.


    ¡°B-Beatrice is a master at water magic, surely you can do s-something? That¡¯s why you and Subaru were in the room, right? Surely you didn¡¯t... k-kill Roswaal?¡±


    ¡°Betty had nothing to do with that, I suppose. And, in fact, nothing can be done for Roswaal. He is dead.¡±


    Emilia shook her head, side to side in denial, ¡°No, he-he can¡¯t be dead!¡±


    I put my hand against the small of her back and forced her to keep walking forward. I let out a long breath. ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here for now, yeah? None of us want to be in the same house as Roswaal right now, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Emilia stuttered, ¡°I-I, it... I, everything had been going so well. I even passed the trial! So... why???¡± She trailed off. ¡°Is it my fault?¡±


    Ironically, I suspected her actions had actually been the direct cause for Roswaal deciding to end his own life. He¡¯d seen a future in which Emilia began to pass the trials without becoming dependent on me, which interfered with Roswaal¡¯s plans for defeating the dragon. Despite all of that, none of the true blame could be placed on Emilia¡¯s innocent head.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± I declared with certainty. ¡°Roswaal made his own choices, and he was adult enough to choose his path for himself.¡±


    Emilia stared at me and swallowed uneasily. ¡°That¡¯s.. true. But then, why?¡±


    ¡°Roswaal lost the will to live, I suppose. It¡¯s a feeling Betty is quite familiar with, in fact.¡±


    ¡°No amount of reflection on his actions will ever force it to make sense, I think. We just need to try and move on,¡± I added.


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Emilia said, shaken. ¡°But, everyone... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Honestly, from a practical ¡®don¡¯t die¡¯ sense, Roswaal being dead here only made things easier on me. From another angle, Emilia losing her sponsor in the royal selection would hit her already awful chances incredibly hard. Doubly so if they started to suspect any kind of foul play. Those were only the practical concerns, though. I¡¯d already seen the emotional impact his suicide caused for Ram¡ª how would Emilia handle it?


    We finished getting down the stairs and made it outside of the house. Waiting on the steps were Garfiel and Ryuzu.


    ¡°I suppose¡¯n Emilia¡¯s now tha lord of Sanctuary,¡± Garfiel said bitterly.


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Emilia began to say.


    I cut her off, ¡°We can worry about the consequences of Roswaal¡¯s death in the morning. We are all tired, and this news is only going to make things even more chaotic. For now, do you think we can keep this from the villagers? I¡¯d like to give them a proper debriefing tomorrow, but if we tell them in the middle of the night like this it will only make them worry unnecessarily.


    ¡°Yer don¡¯t get ta decide what in what not the villagers ought¡¯n to know.¡± Garfiel crossed his arms.


    Ryuzu lightly smacked him in the side, causing him to shoot a scandalized look her way.


    ¡°Of course, Subaru-sama. We will tell the villagers about this in the mornin¡¯. Come on then, Gar-boy. We need some shut-eye too, ah reckon.¡±


    Garfiel huffed. ¡°Fine.¡± Together, they walked back down the path.


    ¡°Is it really ok to hold back such important news?¡± Emilia looked toward me for guidance.


    ¡°Honestly, if we tell them now, I¡¯m worried they¡¯re gonna break out into violence.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, surely?¡± Emilia asked more than said.


    ¡°Betty¡¯s Subaru is right, I suppose. In Betty¡¯s opinion, we shouldn¡¯t tell them at all. It makes little difference, either way, I suppose. Subaru and Emilia are their lords now, nothing will change that, in fact.¡±


    I raised my brow at Beatrice¡¯s words, surprised that she lumped me in with Emilia. To be fair, in a situation like this, Emilia had no experience whatsoever. Maybe Beatrice had a point when including me as a potential lord¡ª Or maybe that was just my draconic pride talking.


    I had agreed to help Emilia win the Royal Selection, but in all honesty, as she was now, she¡¯d make a poor leader.


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s true...¡± Emilia¡¯s words wandered off again as she looked to me for guidance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Emilia-tan. We¡¯ll tell the villagers in the morning. Can you try and get some sleep for tonight?¡±


    She nodded her head resolutely.


    ¡°Alright, follow me. Beako, could you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I already am, I suppose.¡±


    The portal opened in front of us and Beatrice walked through it.


    Emilia looked confused, ¡°Where did...¡±


    I just grabbed onto her hand and led her through the portal into my Sweet Home.


    ¡°Beatrice and I have been working on some new magic. Here, let me find you a room.¡±


    Honestly, I think at this point, Emilia was just completely overloaded with new information. She quietly walked with me to a room across the hall from mine. I opened the door for her and she walked right in.


    Just before I could close the door, she said, ¡°Subaru, do you think everything¡¯s going to be okay?¡± She looked at me, worried.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll take care of things. I always save you, remember?¡±


    Emilia smiled, ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll be relying on you again, okay Subaru?¡±


    ¡°Always.¡±

 Chapter 16

    I closed the door to Emilia¡¯s room. I stood there, staring at the white door, just trying to get my bearings straight. I let out a long sigh. What an insane day today was.


    ¡°Betty is still here for Subaru, in fact.¡±


    I turned around and smiled at her, patting her head. Her little crown wobbled with the motion, but stayed firmly attached.


    ¡°What is this crown made of, anyway? How come it never falls off?¡±


    ¡°That is part of Betty¡¯s body, I suppose. All of Betty¡¯s clothes are just constructs made out of my very being, I suppose.¡±


    I stared at her, investigating her neckline. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me, there¡¯s no skin under any of that?¡± I leaned down and touched the fabric of her tights, trying to find and pitch the fabric between my fingers. Though the surface felt like cotton, I couldn¡¯t distinguish where the gap was between her clothes and her skin. ¡°Beako, am I looking at your naked body right now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t put it in that vulgar way, I suppose!!!¡± Her face blushed as she scolded me, scandalized. She crossed her arms and huffed, ¡°Betty could make skin if she wanted, I suppose! This is just convenient, and takes less magic to maintain, in fact.¡± Then, she stared down at the tile below her feet, holding both hands together and fidgeting her fingers, ¡°Betty could make all the necessary parts, I suppose.¡± She almost-whispered, the blush returning.


    ¡°Well, can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever been so boldly propositioned by a drill-loli before.¡±


    ¡°Betty doesn¡¯t know what a loli is, but it sounds weird, in fact!¡±


    ¡°So you do know what drills are, then?¡± I tilted my head at her.


    ¡°It is, in fact, Betty¡¯s manner of hairstyle. Betty figured that one out from context alone, I suppose.¡± She shook her head, ¡°Don¡¯t try to change the subject, in fact! Betty loves Subaru, you know?¡±


    I crouched down so we could be at eye level. ¡°I love you too, Beatrice. But, let¡¯s take things slow, yeah? We¡¯ve got all of eternity waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Betty would be happy for that, in fact. Very well! In that case, Betty will do some more research tonight, in fact!¡± Then, she marched off into the corridors, entering a random-seeming door and disappearing.


    I was still standing right outside of Emilia¡¯s room, in the bedroom wing of the Sweet Home. Since my room was just right across the hall, I made the few steps forward required to reach it and opened the door.


    I had half expected to see Rem in the bedroom, waiting to sleep with me again tonight, but it was empty. I tried not to be disappointed, I knew how important it would be for Rem to stay with her sister tonight. Though I tried to convince myself that was for the best, and I was glad that Ram had company, I couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly lonely. My other head also protested the situation.


    Regardless, I stripped to get ready for bed and lay down in the giant California king-sized bed at the back of the room. It was surrounded by very basic-looking modern furniture. All in whites: two bed-side nightstands on either side, a dresser along the wall, a body-length mirror, and a tall wardrobe. Honestly, I felt like I was standing in some kind of luxury hotel, one that had gone all in on modern design to the point everything felt uncomfortably sterile. At least the sheets on the bed were soft, and the mattress gave way just the right amount underneath me when I slept on it.


    I pulled the covers up to my chin, ready to go to sleep and let the stresses of the day wash away. The lights went out in accordance with my will. My mind couldn¡¯t help but race with thoughts, unfortunately. In this state, I knew I¡¯d be lucky to fall asleep within the hour. My mind wandered to the events of the day¡ª how Roswaal¡¯s actions derailed us from Canon. Even if he¡¯d killed himself, and regardless of the protestations of Subaru¡¯s phantasm inside of me, I really didn¡¯t particularly care if Roswaal was dead. Honestly, I felt it was a good riddance. He was an evil bastard, more than willing to kill everyone in the village and manor just for his own gain.


    I most certainly did not intend to return by death to reset the situation. I still didn¡¯t know if Satella would consider me to actually ¡®be¡¯ Subaru. If she didn¡¯t, well, death would probably be the least painful among the litany things I was sure she could do to me. It was a good omen that she hadn¡¯t done anything to me, yet, though. Maybe she couldn¡¯t tell the difference? It was hard to say, and I didn¡¯t intend to intentionally find out.


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    A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts. I opened my eyes, but the lights were still off, and I didn¡¯t really want to turn them on since it would hurt my eyes. My room had perfect darkness, just the way I liked it when sleeping. It was so dark, that I couldn¡¯t tell the difference between my eyes being open or closed.


    ¡°Come in!¡± I called out without bothering to sit up.


    It was likely Rem or Beako, and in either case, they could just slip into bed with me. No need to move out of my comfy position.


    Sure enough, I felt someone climbing into the bed on my left and disturbing the sheets. I had to hold onto a bit next to me so they didn¡¯t get moved away from me. Soon, a warm body pressed up against my bare back. I turned around so I would face the mystery person, so I could wrap my arms around her and pull her tight into my chest. I moved one hand up to her head¡ª she had short hair, so it must have been Rem.


    My heart filled with warmth at the thought of it. I really did love Rem, even if I¡¯d only been here for less than a week. I¡¯d had an entire lifetime to love her character from afar, even if that sounded creepy. The way she threw her entire self into love, supported those she loved, the way she maintained absolute loyalty, and she was the sweet kind of girl to always be gentle. Those were the things I loved about Rem. I held her just a little bit tighter into my chest.


    ¡°Goodnight, love.¡±


    She nodded her head into my chest, and we relaxed into the night, peacefully.


    <hr><hr>


    Morning light streamed into the room, my foggy brain beginning to wake up naturally. The windows on the far side were covered by thick white black-out curtains, but they couldn¡¯t stop the full force of the sun. Sunbeams snaked past the gaps between curtains, as well as the top and bottom, putting just enough gentle light into the room to stir me into wakefulness.


    I felt great, comfortable, even. Moving around a bit more, I felt the wonderful softness of a girl in her pajamas in my arms, so I gave her a gentle squeeze. I could feel her slightly tickly hair brushing against my chest in gentle rhythm with her warm breaths. This would be the perfect romantic moment to kiss Rem. We had gotten things a bit out of order, having spent the night together, but I just wanted to kiss that cute face of hers.


    I moved my eyes down to see a mop of pink hair. Pink hair. I put my finger on her chin, moving it up so I could see her face.


    ¡°A wild Ram appears,¡± I said.


    She opened her eyes, staring at me deadpan. ¡°Barusu.¡±


    ¡°So, last night?¡±


    ¡°That was me.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Barusu going to act on his instincts?¡± Ram said, still with a deadpan face and tone.


    I moved my head down and gave her a light peck on the forehead. ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Just like Barusu, to get a lady¡¯s hopes up before crushing her dreams. Pervert.¡±


    ¡°How am I the pervert!?¡± I said with mock outrage, ¡°You climbed into my bed, by the way,¡± I quipped back.


    ¡°Just like Barusu, to seduce a lady and make her join him in the bed. Pervert.¡±


    I dramatically clutched at my heart, ¡°So evil!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Barusu is evil.¡± She nodded her head but then reached out to my arm. I had moved it away from our embrace so I could gesture, but she pulled it back over and around her body, placing my hand on her upper back.


    I pulled her back into a warm embrace, her small chest gently pushing into me. In all honesty, it was sublime.


    ¡°Ram, in all seriousness, let¡¯s keep it to just this, for now.¡±


    Ram nodded her head, ¡°Just like a Scumbaru to toy with a maiden¡¯s heart.¡±


    I pecked her on the forehead again, ¡°Can we be serious for now? Not that I don¡¯t enjoy our playful banter.¡±


    She nodded her head again, but this time I could tell she was properly listening.


    ¡°I like you a lot, and I have a lot of fun with you, too. But I know right now you are hurting. This isn¡¯t the right time to advance our relationship.¡±


    I could see her face drop, in shame or disappointment I couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°You need some time to heal, to come to terms with everything that happened with Roswaal.¡±


    She flinched at the name.


    ¡°See?¡± I pointed out, ¡°If even his name is enough to give you such a powerful reaction, you still need more time. I feel like I¡¯d be taking advantage of your emotional state if we became any more physically involved right now. You¡¯re here, right now, because you are hurting, and want comfort, right? That¡¯s not what I want our relationship¡¯s foundation to be built on. Relationships need love, trust, and respect. Not just comfort, though that should come too, of course. The point is, comfort and easing of pain can¡¯t be the way we start our relationship. Let¡¯s take it slower, get to know each other romantically first before we engage in ¡®bedroom activities¡¯, how does that sound?¡±


    Ram looked into my eyes and nodded her head. ¡°That is surprisingly mature for a Barusu.¡±


    I frowned at her quip, not sure if she was really getting what I¡¯d been saying or if she just never left the ¡®insulting jokes¡¯ mood from earlier.


    ¡°But you are right.¡± She admitted with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for using you in this way.¡± Then she looked down, no doubt in my mind she felt ashamed.


    I tickled her back with sweet gentle motions of my fingertips. She shivered and then melted wholly into me. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I like you, and I¡¯m insanely happy you joined me in bed. We can talk about furthering our relationship later, yeah?¡±


    She pushed away from me, not aggressively or upset, but just letting me know she was ready to be done. I let go of her easily. She wrapped one arm over the blankets, pulling them against her chest and preserving her modesty.


    ¡°Thank you, Subaru.¡±


    I smiled at her using my name. It showed me that she was being serious.


    ¡°Can you get out of bed first? A lady shouldn¡¯t be seen unduly in the morning,¡± Ram asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    On one hand, I felt insanely happy-- Ram clearly enjoyed spending time with me. On the other hand, I had rejected her for now, telling her we should take things slow. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit annoyed at myself...

 Chapter 16

    ¡°Rem?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Subaru-kun?¡±


    ¡°Rem.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Subaru-kun¡¯s Rem.¡±


    ¡°My, Rem?¡±


    ¡°Yes."


    ¡°I see. I must thank the heavens for today¡¯s blessings as well. Thank you, goddess Rem-sama.¡±


    "Rem covered her mouth and giggled. Then she asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on, Subaru-kun?¡±


    We sat in a well-furnished living room within my Sweet Home. I had found Rem reading a book and sitting on the couch out here, still in her light blue nightgown this morning. She sat on a pristine white leather couch, and I couldn¡¯t help but think it accentuated her purity. Like the rest of the sweet home, everything was in that infuriatingly sterile pure white that modernists loved. Though, in this case, the couch she sat on actually suited her perfectly.


    Since I had seen a great opportunity, I had laid down on the couch, splaying my head across her lap with my feet dangling over the far armrest. She gently stroked my scalp, playing with my hair. I liked the feeling of her fingernails rubbing across my head, the book placed on the nightstand off to the side as she focused entirely on me.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s really going on. I¡¯m just recharging on my daily dose of Remonium.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she said with a puzzled expression that meant she didn¡¯t see at all.


    ¡°Did you know your sister propositioned me this morning?¡±


    ¡°I thought you two already slept together last night?¡± She asked with forced innocence, refusing to look into my gaze.


    ¡°Rem-sama, why do I get the feeling you are angry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry,¡± she said with an air of jealousy.


    ¡°You definitely sound angry.¡±


    She rolled her eyes at my antics, ¡°So, what happened? You two didn¡¯t... make babies?¡± She asked the last part in a whisper.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t, we just slept normally. But, Rem! Don¡¯t say it in that way! It makes you sound like an innocent maiden that I have to defile!¡±


    She paused for a moment, then, ¡°It¡¯s okay if it¡¯s Subaru.¡±


    I quickly leaned forward, popping my head out of her lap and forcing her to suddenly lean back lest our heads collide.


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    I gulped.


    ¡°W-why is Subaru-kun looking at me with such fierce eyes?¡± She backed away, leaning deeper into the couch.


    Reaching out, I gently stroked Rem¡¯s cheek with one hand. I brought our faces close together, Rem naturally parting her lips slightly as if in anticipation. Suddenly, I felt my heart thudding in my chest, but the sound quickly got lost in the moment as I stared at her pale pink lips. I pushed forward, turning my head slightly to avoid her nose, until our lips met. I kissed her gently, only slightly more than a peck. My lips touched against hers, both of my lips brushing her upper lip.


    At first, she almost pulled away in surprise, but her head had nowhere to go. I almost stopped in response to her reaction, but then she actually pushed forward herself¡ª ever so gently, but just enough to willfully return the kiss. I could tell she was an amateur, she wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do with her lips, and she opened her mouth too wide a few times, but I easily corrected her. My lips pursued hers with frantic hunger, constantly pushing to sandwich her top lip between mine.


    All of a sudden, Rem gently bit my lower lip with purpose. After that, I separated from her, making her frown in worry, as if she¡¯d done something wrong. She opened her mouth to speak, but I was already moving.


    I jumped off the couch. Then, in a fluid motion, I put one hand behind Rem¡¯s upper back, and another underneath her legs.


    ¡°Su-Subaru-k-kun?¡± She stared at me with wide eyes.


    Then, as quickly as possible, I lifted her up into a princess carry. She clutched her arms around my neck to hold on while letting out a small, ¡®Eep!¡¯


    With a single-minded determinedness, I launched the two of us up the stairs and then down the white hallway. The second we reached the first bedroom ¨C one of the standard empty ones so as not to disturb Ram ¨C I forcefully kicked the door open, the wood near the handle splintering and flying off.


    As I walked into the room, I slammed the door behind me with my foot, the wood already restored to proper form per the magic of a Sweet Home. The door jostled, but properly latched shut with a click.


    Making sure I wouldn¡¯t accidentally bonk her head, I threw Rem through the air. She landed with a small bounce on the regular queen-sized mattress¡ª the pure white blankets wrinkling underneath where her butt and hands landed on the mattress.


    I almost jumped on her right away, but there was something I had to do first. With deliberate intention, I turned the lock shut on the door. No more Beako-children to interrupt us this time. I had been blue balled enough by this point.


    ¡°S-Subaru-kun?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Rem¡¯s Subaru-kun.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s morning already, you know? Not the time for sleeping?¡± She smiled awkwardly.


    ¡°Rem.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t sleeping.¡±


    ¡°O-okay. I haven¡¯t had time to prepare my heart...¡± She shook her head, determination filling her expression. ¡°But, no. I said it earlier, didn¡¯t I? If it¡¯s Subaru-kun, I¡¯m okay with it.¡±


    I walked closer to the bed, before climbing on. Both of my knees depressed into the mattress right below Rem¡¯s small form. She was already breathing heavily, I watched her night gown moving up and down, her chest pushing up against the fabric.


    ¡°Is it just that you¡¯re okay with it, or that you want to do it with me?¡±


    ¡°Men aren¡¯t supposed to ask a lady if they ¡®want to do it¡¯, you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important, don¡¯t deflect. I won¡¯t do anything to you if you don¡¯t want it.¡±


    She took a few moments to sit up and move into a seiza position on the bed. Then, she met my eyes, ¡°Well, if have to answer, since Subaru is being so earnest,¡± Her face blushed scarlet and she turned away for her next words, ¡°I want to do it, too.¡±


    ¡°Rem!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Subaru-kun¡¯s Rem.¡± She smiled at me.


    <hr>


    REDACTED


    <hr>


    She hugged me tightly as I relaxed into her embrace¡ª her soft body pillowing me. With gentle strokes, she tickled my back in varying patterns, drawing out the pleasure of our cuddling.


    We just lay there in bed for a while, neither of us daring to get up.

 Chapter 18

    Still snuggled up in the bed, Rem whispered next to me, ¡°Subaru-kun. We have to talk.¡±


    My heart dropped, and panic started to spread throughout me.


    ¡°It¡¯s about earlier.¡±


    My panic increased even more. I hung onto her next words as if my life depended on it. The only thing giving me comfort the fact that she was still entwined in my arms.


    ¡°When... when it was really strong,¡±


    ¡°You mean, in bed?¡± Our faces were so close together I had to speak softly.


    She used both hands to cover her face, which blushed furiously. She nodded her head frantically a few times.


    Her adorable reaction and topic of conversation eased my worries. I was able to relax more and prompt her, ¡°What about it?¡¯


    Slightly muffled, still covered by her hands, ¡°Well, how to say... When it felt really good, I lost control.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it just washes over you, whether you¡¯re ready for it or not. It can be really surprising, but it also felt super good, right?¡± I asked.


    She nodded her head again, and I could see the corner of her lips curl up in a smile from around her small hands.


    ¡°But this time it was no good.¡± Her smile vanished.


    My worry from earlier returned, but not quite as strongly now that I knew what the issue was. I¡¯d have to tell her later that the words, ¡®we need to talk¡¯, can be traumatizing.


    ¡°Why was it no good? I really enjoyed it.¡± I punctuated my statement by giving her a peck on the forehead.


    She shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s not that. Rem really enjoyed it, too, you know?¡±


    ¡°So then?¡± I prompted.


    ¡°In that moment, I lost control...¡± She trailed off, but I patiently waited for her to continue. ¡°I lost control of my synesthesia with nee-sama.¡±


    ¡°Huh. What does that mean, exactly? Did she feel...¡±


    ¡°She felt... it¡ª¡± Rem shook her head then corrected herself, ¡°She also would have felt¡ª Subaru¡¯s... She would have felt Subaru.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah...Alright.¡± I considered her words for a moment, just trying to wrap my head around it.


    ¡°Subaru-kun?¡± Rem finally uncovered her face, staring from underneath me.


    I rolled off of her and got off the bed. Rem sat up, watching me with a conflicted expression. She needn¡¯t have worried, though.


    After I was fully off the bed, and standing over it still in the nude, I offered Rem my hand. She gingerly took it, allowing me to pull her out of the bed. Once she was off of it, I noticed a small red spot on the sheets.


    Her beautiful visage stood before me. I admired her fair, smooth skin and cute tummy. That made me want to pull her into a hug, pushing her small body up against mine. I looked into her eyes, some of her bangs messily intruding on her face; Her adorably messy hair was proof of our efforts.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it earlier, but I love you, too.¡± I smiled, reassuringly. Things with Ram would have to be dealt with later, I decided. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Ram for now, I¡¯ll handle it.¡±


    ¡°As expected of Subaru-kun.¡± She smiled back.


    Then, I let go of the hug and instead grabbed ahold of her hand. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for the two of us to shower together. Bathing together is a sacred ritual for man and wife, after all.¡±


    ¡°w¡ªWife?¡± She looked down and mumbled, ¡°I am Subaru-kun¡¯s Rem, after all.¡±


    ¡°And, we just made a baby together, too,¡± I added.


    ¡°It¡¯s not Rem¡¯s time of month yet,¡± she said placidly.


    Honestly, I¡¯d been so wrapped up in the act, I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to Fertility Calibration. The perk from the company made it so unwanted pregnancies wouldn¡¯t happen, but it also ensured that if I intended to get someone pregnant, they definitely would be, and the child would be the gender of my choice.


    It was hard for me to say with certainty what my subconscious would have decided at that moment, but if I had to put money on it¡ª Rem was almost certainly pregnant with a baby girl.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait and see, but call it husband¡¯s intuition.¡±


    ¡°If Subaru-kun says so, it must be true.¡±


    We reached the bathroom attached to our bedroom, our bare feet walking along the soft white carpet. Each room, including this one, had the equivalent of a master bathroom, all still in that modernist style. Though, likely at least somewhat in response to my desires, the bathtub was an unholy combination of modern and Japanese style¡ª a massive square tub with white marble sitting in the corner of the room. It was more in-line with a swimming pool than a true bathtub. A small waterfall of hot-steaming water poured into the tub where it met the wall, with another drainage channel coming out on the other wall of the corner. The outer walls had ledges to sit on, but further into the tub one could easily submerge themselves in the deep-end.


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    Two showerheads lined the back wall, just out in the open. The entire white marble floor had various drainage holes throughout the floor of the bathroom, so no shower walls or curtains were needed. The toilets were in the previous room, not attached to the bathing area.


    I led Rem over to the first showerhead, gently sitting her down on the shower stool.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to bathe with my wife.¡±


    ¡°Rem, too, is excited to spend time with Subaru-kun.¡± She smiled brightly.


    I took down the showerhead ¨C the kind that you could detach and move around as you wished ¨C and turned the facet on. I held the showerhead down at the floor, waiting for it to get warm. Once it was, I moved behind Rem and started spraying her back with the perfectly warm water. Some of the water reflected off her back and sprayed me with a slightly cool mist.


    ¡°Oh!¡± She shivered slightly in reaction to the water first hitting her back, but then she relaxed into it, clearly enjoying the warmth. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±


    Once she was fully wet, I handed her the showerhead to hold from the front so she wouldn¡¯t get cold. I moved over to grab the bar soap so I could properly explo¡ª clean her body.


    I pushed the bar of soap against her wet back, moving it up and down in smooth motions¡ª just enjoying the way it glided against her soft skin. She practically leaned back into the touch, my Sticky Fingers perk activating and training me exactly in which ways to massage the soap into her back. I glided across a few knots near her shoulder, and I put the bar-soap on the ground for a moment so I could rub those out with my fingers.


    Rem moaned in response, a surprisingly dirty sounding noise. She really began to lean into me then, to the point where I almost had to hold her upper body up so she didn¡¯t fall off the stool.


    I chuckled a bit in response¡ª happy she was enjoying it so much.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± she moaned again, her back arching slightly, ¡°laugh at me.¡± She finished.


    Her words only made me chuckle more. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just admiring your cuteness.¡±


    The tips of her ears turned red.


    ¡°You sure have been blushing a lot lately...¡± I observed slightly teasingly.


    ¡°Rem can¡¯t help it. Somehow, I got really lucky, and my hero turned into my lover.¡±


    I got up to walk around toward the shelf on the wall, grabbing a washcloth and then moving over to Rem¡¯s back again.


    After I finished washing Rem¡¯s back, she took the soap from me to clean her front side. I pouted slightly at that, since I had been looking forward to cleaning her frontside, too. But, when I tried to insist, she just pouted right back, much cuter than me, and said that ¡®it¡¯d be far too embarrassing for her.¡¯ So, I let it go. This time.


    Likewise, I spent the time cleaning my front, too. Luckily, the Sweet Home could produce a practically infinite supply of consumables, so there was plenty of soap to go around.


    I¡¯d been hoping for it, but not expecting it, when Rem moved behind me. She seemed determined to pay me back for earlier¡ª her ministrations felt more like a massage than a back cleaning. Having been to professional masseuses in my past life, I knew that her questing fingers were amateurish, but for some reason that only made me enjoy it more. She was doing this for me because she wanted to please me¡ª not because she was a professional masseuse. That made it personal, and it excited me all the more.


    She used the bar-soap to lather both hands, then pressed her fingers against my back. With the pads of her fingers, she smoothly slid across my lower back, easing the tension. Following along either side of the spine, she traced both of her thumbs up my back until reaching my shoulder blades. There, she mimicked my actions from earlier, squeezing her hands with gentle force into the place my neck met my shoulders. That location was particularly sensitive, full of nerves that sent pleasurable tingles down my back. Afterward, she moved back down to my shoulder blade, finding a knot along the edge of the blade and pressing into it. It was a good pain, akin to a pleasant stretch, made even more enjoyable by the fact that it was Rem, my lover, working the tension out.


    Her Oni strength worked well for this, I thought. Yet, despite having the strength to fell a tree with a single punch, she made sure to moderate her strength just perfectly to massage the knots in my shoulders without bruising me. I melted into her touch, not leaning back so much as turning into a puddle in my seat. She moved up again, her hands squeezing into the muscles atop my shoulders. She gently pulled at the muscle there, stretching it in a way that sent pleasure all the way through my body and causing me to almost completely lose grip of the showerhead.


    ¡°It feels so good,¡± I encouraged her.


    ¡°Subaru-kun is cute like this,¡± she replied.


    All too soon, the back rub came to an end. She finished it off by rinsing the soap away, and then using the washcloth to properly rub clean my back¡ª even that felt good, like a gentle back scratch to finish the massage from earlier.


    After we were all clean, I reached my hand out to her, which she held onto with a smile. Even though I¡¯d already seen everything, she spread one arm across her chest to preserve her modesty as I led her to the gigantic bathtub. Stepping over the ledge, I eased one foot down into the water to test the temperature. As expected of a Sweet Home, the water was perfectly warm¡ª just enough to feel hot against the skin but still something I knew I¡¯d get used to after a little bit.


    ¡°The water¡¯s good.¡± I smiled at Rem encouragingly.


    Then, I stepped back out of the tub and brought Rem¡¯s hand up and over, guiding her over the step. She used my proffered hand as leverage, pushing herself up over the big step. She put one foot over the edge and into the water, taking a moment to get used to the change in temperature. Then, she hoisted herself fully up with that leg, entering the tub and letting go of my hand.


    I entered the tub after her, the sting of hot water hitting my feet. I got used to it after a bit, but moving around still stung slightly compared to when I was at rest.


    We both eased ourselves into the water, Rem slightly slower than me. I loved hot water, and especially hot springs, so I found the initial hot sting pleasant more than uncomfortable. Though, Rem fully eased into it eventually, too. We sat side by side on the outer ledge for a moment. This was no good though, in my opinion.


    So, to fix the problem, I reached an arm behind Rem and held her arm on the other side. Rem was already very light, despite her strength, and being in the water only made it easier to lift her slightly and drag her backward. She ¡®eeped¡¯ at the sudden motion, but she also trusted me enough to not resist.


    While walking, I dragged her through the water and toward the edge against the corner wall. There was a small seat depression in the stone there, with a place to rest your legs up along the ledge in front. I sat down in the corner spot, my back leaning against the other wall of the corner and my legs in front of me on the ledge. I finished dragging Rem close, her small butt briefly brushing past my legs as I moved her up and into my lap. I spread my legs around her and eased her back against me. Like this, Rem sat in front of me, my arms wrapped around her and holding her back close to my chest¡ª my legs on either side of her. The water reached past her chest, but not quite up her neck. Due to our height difference, she was easily able to rest her head against my chest¡ª her short, wet blue hair pleasantly cool against my skin.


    I let out a long, relaxed breath, Rem mimicking me a moment later.

 Chapter 19

    With Rem¡¯s smooth skin and small body pressed against me, I couldn¡¯t help but smile in contentment.


    ¡°Rem is enjoying this a lot, too much, probably. But that¡¯s why I have to insist we leave soon. There is too much in Sanctuary that needs your attention.¡±


    ¡°Not ¡®our¡¯ attention?¡±


    ¡°Rem is just following along in the steps of her hero, after all.¡±


    Her words filled me with warmth, a completely different type than from the warm water. ¡°Alright, we can get out soon, but let me ask you something that¡¯s been on my mind first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Do I still smell bad to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you stink for sure,¡± she said without remorse.


    ¡°I see. You know, it doesn¡¯t make me happy to be told that, even if it¡¯s from my lovely number one.¡± I stared dramatically up at the ceiling, though Rem probably couldn¡¯t really see the motion.


    Ignoring my first statement, Rem replied, ¡°It makes Rem happy to hear she is your number one.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± I began to say, but Rem interrupted me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say it. I still stand by my words from before. Subaru-kun wouldn¡¯t be Rem¡¯s hero if we had eloped together¡ª just the two of us. I don¡¯t regret my decision, and I¡¯m plenty happy myself, too, you know?¡± She shook her head, ¡°I already have so much happiness that I¡¯m afraid it will overflow and disappear. I don¡¯t know why I deserve to have so much happiness.¡±


    I squeezed her tighter into my chest. ¡°I know why you deserve it: It¡¯s your selflessness, your loyalty. The way you fight for those you love, even without regard to your own safety ¨C that¡¯s something you and I need to talk about, by the way, I can¡¯t have my lovely wife endangering herself for other¡¯s sake anymore ¨C regardless, I love the way that you love with your whole heart¡ª without holding anything back. That¡¯s what makes my Rem so special. Also, your cute sexiness is hard to dismiss.¡± I moved a single hand up to grope her, causing her ears to blush again.


    ¡°Oh dear, it sure is warm in here!¡± Rem said with fake cheer, ¡°I have to get out, now.¡±


    I just chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re just worried that I¡¯ll attack you again if we don¡¯t get out soon.¡±


    ¡°Rem isn¡¯t worried about that,¡± she shook her head, ¡°But she does know for a fact that Subaru-kun is a beast and that right now, you need to go back to Sanctuary.¡± Rem moved to sit up away from the tub.


    ¡°Alright, but just one second, I was going somewhere with this,¡±


    At my words, she paused to turn halfway sideways and look at my face.


    ¡°When you say, ¡®stink,¡¯ you mean that I smell like the witch cult, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rem said earnestly.


    ¡°Alright. Someday, I¡¯ll tell you the reason why.¡± I paused for a moment, making sure Satella wouldn¡¯t try to kill me. Luckily, those words didn¡¯t seem to trigger any response from her.


    Rem nodded her head, ¡°I know,¡± she said with a gentle smile, her utmost trust in me on display.


    I continued, ¡°But, not just the Witch¡¯s smell, can you smell anything else?¡±


    She shook her head to indicate, ¡®No.¡¯ I guess she couldn¡¯t smell my dragon-ness, then. I was slightly worried about that¡ª if Rem had been able to detect that I was a dragon, it would have made me worried that others could, too. While her negative response didn¡¯t mean I was completely undetectable, it did mean it probably wasn¡¯t easily detected, I hoped. Also, if I still smelled like Satella, that information was valuable, too. Her authority was still bound to me, that much I knew. But, it also likely meant her presence was still attracted to me, as well. Whether that would remain true if I died was yet to be seen; however, I hoped I¡¯d never find out.


    Rem sat forward, making me let go of her body in response. She stepped out of the water, and I watched as it flowed down in thin, rivulating streams across her body, glistening and accentuating her beautiful curves.


    She hurried out of the tub after that, quickly walking over to the towel rack. ¡°If Rem didn¡¯t get out fast, then I think Subaru-kun would waste a lot of time staring at simple me.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing even remotely simple about staring at your body.¡±


    ¡°Geez, save words like that for later!¡± Rem pouted, already wrapping a towel around her torso.


    I dramatically covered my face with my hand, ¡°Ah!¡± I lamented, ¡°It is such a shame, that I can no longer see, your naked body!¡±


    ¡°Rem really will die of embarrassment if you turn perverted words into haikus!¡± She said from across the bathroom.


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    ¡°Alright,¡± I pushed myself out of the huge tub. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to come up with more later.¡±


    Drying off and getting changed was a simple affair, if taking slightly longer than needed due to me staring as Rem put on her maid uniform. She caught me staring multiple times, but she just sent me such a sweet and gentle look each time that I felt bad about going against my word. It made me wonder, did she weaponize her own sweet looks against me?!


    ¡°I didn¡¯t weaponize anything.¡± Rem said, ¡°It¡¯s obviously your own conscience telling you it would be wrong to break your promise.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I said my thoughts out loud, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Rem smiled wryly, but I didn¡¯t miss the moment her gaze wandered down my muscles. I also didn¡¯t miss the moment Rem turned away from me and whispered, ¡°Tonight.¡± To herself.


    ¡°Somehow, I feel like I¡¯ve won something,¡± I said aloud.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Subaru-kun. Get dressed!¡± She threw a clean set of Subaru-TrackSuit<sup>TM</sup> at me, courtesy of the Sweet Home.


    ¡°Ah! To think my lover could be so cold to me!¡± I faked a sad tone.


    Rem rolled her eyes at me but decided to play along slightly, ¡°Rem would never be cold to Subaru-kun, but maybe I¡¯ll tell on you to Ram.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t have that!¡± I hurriedly put my pants on.


    Rem opened the bedroom door ahead of me, only to come face to face with a surprised Emilia¡ª who already had her fist poised to knock on the door. Ram stood behind her, already ready for the day, dressed in her maid uniform. I didn¡¯t see Beako, though.


    ¡°Ah! Subaru. Why did you and Rem come out from the same room, and how come both of your hair is wet?¡± Emilia shook her head, ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t matter. We need to get back to Sanctuary fast and talk to the villagers like you promised! It¡¯s already so late...¡± Emilia pouted. ¡°No one woke me up this morning.¡±


    Ah, of course, the pampered princess must have always relied on someone else to act as her alarm clock. That actually made sense. Her silver hair was slightly messy, too, as if she¡¯d done a rough, rushed job to comb it.


    ¡°Yes, Scumbaru, we need to hurry to the villagers. And, though Emilia might have dismissed it, I¡¯d like an explanation for the wet hair, too.¡± Ram glared me down and practically cursed under her breath, ¡°among other things.¡±


    I likely only caught it because of my superior dragon hearing.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling Ram-chi is angry at me?¡± I winced.


    ¡°Ram is not angry. Actually, it would be impossible for Ram to become furious.¡± She nodded her head, ¡°Yes, Ram is far too much of a maiden to become pissed off. It would be strange for me to be wrathful. Certainly, I¡¯m not angry.¡±


    ¡°Rem-rin?¡± I looked toward my salvation.


    ¡°Subaru-kun will have to be on his own for this one since he promised, after all.¡± Rem smiled pleasantly, but she also walked over to stand next to her sister¡ª metaphorically declaring whose side she was on.


    Ram and Rem took up their classic pose: the one where they held their hands together while kicking up one leg each into the air behind them, leaning into one another with their cheeks touching.


    ¡°To make a maiden wait all alone in your bedroom, only to elope off with her treasured twin sister. Truly, the limits of Scumbaru know no bounds.¡±


    ¡°Onee-sama, onee-sama, Subaru-kun is certainly a beast,¡± Rem added.


    ¡°Subaru? Beast?¡± Emilia questioned, ¡°What¡¯re they talking about? No,¡± she shook her head again and turned to face Ram. Emilia pushed both of her palms together and bowed slightly. ¡°Whatever Subaru did, can you let it wait until after today? I¡¯m really~ worried about Sanctuary.¡±


    ¡°Ah. EMT.¡± The words slipped out of my mouth, my hand grasping for the air in front of my face. The words were influenced by Subaru-phantasm but still surely under my control.


    ¡°Subaru, be a good boy and properly make up with Ram later, okay? But now, let¡¯s quickly hurry to Sanctuary!¡± Emilia requested earnestly.


    ¡°Alright, let me pick up a certain drill-loli before we go.¡±


    ¡°You mean Beatrice, right? Okay, let¡¯s go!¡± Emilia declared brightly.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Betty will go with Subaru, I suppose.¡± She slammed the book in her lap shut.


    ¡°Great! Then,¡± Emilia turned to me, ¡°How do we get out of here?¡±


    ¡°For that, it is required that you hold my hand. We must passionately hold hands, or else you¡¯ll be trapped here.¡±


    Ram basically jumped in between us, ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Pervbaru.¡± She glared at me. Then, in a much more polite tone, ¡°Emilia-sama, if you will take my hand, please.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Emilia agreed.


    Great Spirit Beatrice glanced next to Ram, the portal summoning itself seemingly in accordance with her will.


    ¡°Great, Scott!¡± I shouted in English, no one even slightly understanding me, but instead staring at me in baffled bewilderment, ¡°Beako, how¡¯d you do that?¡±


    ¡°Figuring out how that ¡®SmartPhone¡¯ functioned was a simple affair, in fact. Summoning a portal like that will require no more than a small effort of will on Betty¡¯s part, I suppose. No Company device needed.¡±


    I wondered for a moment how she¡¯d already learned so many of those terms but brushed it off quickly. She¡¯d had multiple days to examine the phone, after all.


    Instead of questioning her, I walked forward, trying to stand tall and stomp toward her intimidatingly.


    Beako shied away from me, taking one hesitant step back, ¡°Should Betty not have done that?¡± Her forced smile cracked, ¡°I wonder?¡± She finished her question in a puny whisper.


    With intent, I put both hands underneath Beako¡¯s arms, picking her up into the air. I let her hang in the air like that for one long moment, still staring purposefully at her.


    Then, I put on a giant bright smile and started spinning her around in a circle as fast as I could. ¡°Beako is the best!¡± I shouted into the new and improved Forbidden Library.


    ¡°Wawawa!!! STOP THAT, I SUPPOSE!¡± She ineffectually whacked at my arms with her tiny fists.


    I stopped spinning abruptly, causing her twin drills to fly out for a moment from the loss of momentum. I gently placed her back on the floor and patted her head. ¡°Beako, that¡¯s amazing, in fact,¡± I lightly teased her way of speaking. Then, more seriously, ¡°But does doing that drain your mana? I¡¯m worried about that.¡±


    Beako looked like she wanted to pout or shout for a second, but she relented after hearing my earnest question. ¡°Subaru need not worry, in fact. This ¡®Sweet Home¡¯ as you call it,¡± she repeated back in English, ¡°takes care of the cost, in fact.


    ¡°In fact, I wanted to tell you about that. This Sweet Home acts as some kind of super-conduit in place of Subaru¡¯s gate, I suppose. As long as I¡¯m in the Sweet Home, I appear to have infinite mana. But, I must say that when we leave this pocket dimension, I have no such infinite mana, in fact. At that time, I will surely rely on your abysmal gate¡¯s normal output, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to add ¡®abysmal¡¯ to that, is there?¡± I smiled hesitatingly.


    ¡°Geez! Don¡¯t mess around, Subaru! It¡¯s time to help the villagers. I wish you¡¯d be more serious about this.¡± Emilia scolded me with puffed-up cheeks.


    ¡°Alright! Since Emilia is so fired up, it¡¯s time to get serious. Don¡¯t worry, Emilia-tan, I have a plan!¡±

 Chapter 20

    We had asked all the villagers to gather in the largest building in town¡ª the same one most of the refugees were staying in. I¡¯d even invited Garfiel along, which I hoped would ease everyone¡¯s nerves. They all knew Garfiel as a respected member of their community, and by placing him near my inner circle, I hoped the villagers would see that their community had a voice in all of our decisions. Naturally, I¡¯d briefed Garfiel on our plan for talking to them, and he¡¯d readily agreed.


    I¡¯d given access of my Company-issued Smartphone to Rem, who was using it to set up tables full of food offered from my Sweet home. The villagers looked antsy, seeing so much meat and vegetables piled on the tables. Since we didn¡¯t have the time this morning to properly cook anything, they were all pretty simple ingredients. Simple, roasted cuts of meat with platters of raw vegetables and fruits. Despite the simplicity of it, the villagers were practically drooling, looking like kicked puppies that weren¡¯t allowed near the dinner table.


    Seeing them look pathetic like that, I¡¯d realized the plan needed slight alteration. I instructed the villagers to begin lining up single-file near the furthest table. Ram stood at the front of the line, passing out forks and plates to each person. Rem kept glancing over at her sister to make sure she wouldn¡¯t mess up, which I found adorable. Rem herself had the much more complex job, so Ram could surely handle passing out the plates and forks, right?


    Once Rem had finished setting all the food down, the villagers took turns moving down the line and filling their plates up with food. The first person in line looked like some kind of dangerous bandit, pushing past others to reach the front. He shifted constantly on his feet with a slight hunch as if guarding himself from something. The middle-aged and uncomfortably thin, cloaked man tried to take the entire first platter of meat, four legs of what looked like lamb, all to himself. It¡¯d be impossible for him to eat that much in one sitting, and I could see the other villagers (especially the natives) stare at him with hate.


    I walked over to the scene and stopped the man, forcing the huge amount of food away from his dirty fingers and putting it back on the table.


    ¡°So, what?¡± He spat, ¡°You¡¯re gonna dangle all this food in front of us and not even let us eat it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be daft. You weren¡¯t going to eat all of that food. You were going to hoard it for later.¡± I stepped into his personal space, forcing him backward and establishing dominance.


    ¡°Everyone, listen up!¡± I called out to the crowd and over the man. ¡°I¡¯ve got enough food to feed everyone a feast for three days, every meal!¡±


    Hopeful eyes looked up at me from out of the crowd, ¡°But you all are going to have to be kind to each other. When we pass out the food, I expect you all to take a reasonable portion, enough to fill your stomachs without earning angry stares from your neighbors.¡± I pointedly looked at the retched, unshaven man in front of me. ¡°I know you are all hungry and scared. Thus far, there hasn¡¯t been enough food for all of you. Luckily, with new magic, my contracted Spirit and I figured out,¡± I held Beako¡¯s hand up in the air for a moment, ¡°we have been able to procure some food for you all.¡±


    ¡°Betty hardly did anything, I suppose,¡± she half mumbled at my side.


    I turned back around to the table and grabbed a single one of the lamb legs from the platter. I gently set it down on the plate of the man in front of me, causing him to look up at me with surprise and a slight easing of his shoulders.


    In all honesty, even that huge amount of meat was likely way more than he could eat, but it didn¡¯t matter. There was infinite food, and I wanted to send the message to the villagers that they could all eat until they were stuffed past full without it being a drain on our resources. That being said, if he took four entire legs for himself, that set the wrong precedent, too.


    I waved Emilia over to Beako and me. She saw us and walked to stand directly by my side. ¡°For the next three days, Emilia and I will continue to distribute food for everyone, and each time, it will be just as much as today. So, there¡¯s plenty for every single person to eat as much as they can, so long as you,¡± I stressed the next word, ¡°properly, distribute the food amongst yourselves. Even if you are in the very back of the line,¡±


    An old woman at the back pointed to herself.


    ¡°Yes, even you at the back of the line can eat as much as will fill you up. So, please, I urge you: be kind to one another and don¡¯t hoard the food that someone else needs.¡±


    This plan had multiple purposes: by stressing that it was Emilia and not just Beako and I distributing the food, I hoped to gain Emilia some points with the villagers. Additionally, now that the impending threat of death from starvation was gone, I hoped to ease the panic of the villagers while also dispersing the resentment that the refugees caused by eating the core villagers¡¯ limited resources. Lastly, by making everyone only take what they needed to get full while providing a slight excess, I hoped that I could foster some graciousness in the villagers¡ª by forcing them to stop and think, ¡®Can I really eat all of this?¡¯ I also naturally led them to the next thought, ¡®Maybe someone else needs this food more than I do.¡¯ Sharing is caring, after all. And, to top it off by addressing their immediate, hungry concerns, I could start the day off by putting everyone in a good mood this morning¡ª that would be necessary for the heavy topic I had to bring up after this, which I hoped wouldn¡¯t cause widespread panic.


    ¡°As Subaru said, please kindly only take what is needed, so your neighbors have enough to eat too, okay?¡± Emilia gently asked with a smile.


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    I nodded toward her in affirmation.


    She clapped her hands together, drawing attention, ¡°After everyone eats, we have a ~really important topic to share, okay?¡±


    That drew a round of nods from the villagers, but they clearly were more intent on the food. Now that Emilia was taking the lead, I stepped back slightly, giving me the chance to hold Beako¡¯s hand again, feeling her slim fingers wrap around mine. Emilia talked for a little while about how she hoped to get along with the villagers and so on. She did a good job keeping the speech short, no more than half a minute or so.


    After that, there were no more obvious issues with the distribution of food. Each time a platter of food emptied, Rem would fill it again with more from our pocket dimension, which really helped to ease the villagers further. The message we were sending was, ¡®There¡¯s no need to steal an unnecessarily large portion of food since there¡¯s plenty for everyone to eat their fill.¡¯


    Though there were a few young men who overestimated just how much food they could force into their stomachs, there were no other true ¡®incidents.¡¯ Even with those young men, they seemed to get scolded by the women in their respective families, the women saying something along the lines of, ¡®Don¡¯t take more than you can eat!¡¯ or, ¡®You took it, so finish it! No wasting food¡¯. Their chagrin was my amusement, however.


    Per my instruction, after everyone was served, Garfiel mingled with the crowd. He walked around, asking if anyone needed anything, to a collective response of shaking heads. At this point, I was pretty sure Garfiel would be okay with letting the refugees go back to Arlam. That would solve the food problem, too. But, with Meili and Elsa still at large, I thought it¡¯d be safer to keep everyone here in Sanctuary for the time being.


    Rem and Ram stood at attention behind the tables, just refilling food as people got seconds and generally acting as maids do.


    I made sure Emilia and I stood in front of the food tables, watching over the villagers in what I hoped looked like a position of magnanimous lords. Beako by my side drew her fair share of stares from the villagers, too¡ª it wasn¡¯t every day you saw a greater spirit. Emilia and I took our food very last, even after Rem and Ram, in a message that I hoped said, ¡®Look, we made sure to feed you all before us,¡¯¡ª to foster more goodwill. All of this goodwill among the common-folk would be important if Emilia still intended to ascend the throne.


    I noticed Garfiel sending us more than a few approving looks, too. He¡¯d been really glad to hear about my plan to feed the villagers, even going so far as to compare me to some obscure reference.


    Many families sat on the floor as they ate, the village hall developing a jovial mood. It was nice to see kids running around happily playing, with their parents watching them fondly. The atmosphere had drastically reversed course from where it had started¡ª with folks¡¯ hope restored: as shown by their smiles, conversation, and gratitude. More than a few families thanked Emilia and me as they had passed the food tables, after all.


    ¡°They¡¯re really happy,¡± Emilia observed next to me.


    We stood side by side, holding bowls of food in one hand and forks in the other as we ate.


    I finished the bite I had in my mouth, some kind of salty meat, and then replied, ¡°Food brings people together. That¡¯s something they¡¯ve lacked, until now.¡±


    ¡°The food or coming together?¡± Emilia questioned.


    ¡°Both.¡±


    Emilia nodded in understanding. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. I feel that I¡¯ve learned a lot about leadership, today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, because your role as lord is only going to continue from here. With Roswaal gone, it¡¯s up to you and me. But don¡¯t worry. As I said before, I¡¯ll be your knight. We can share the burden. Knights are nobles too, in their own way, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but Subaru, make sure not to upset the knights with that kind of talk.¡±


    ¡°No need to remind me. Julius and I have already set aside our differences, after all.¡±


    ¡°With a greater spirit by his side, Subaru has nothing to worry about from the knights, in fact,¡± Beako chimed in.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Subaru really is amazing.¡± Emilia¡¯s eyes shined with happiness.


    I scratched the back of my neck, ¡°Thanks, you two.¡±


    The three of us stopped our conversation as Garfiel began to approach. He smiled, caught up in the pleasant mood, ¡°Well¡¯n if ain¡¯t the damn Dragon. Ah have to thank ya. For all the folks out here, food is equivalent to their lives, after all. Gluttony is death and all that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to help, but you know this is only a temporary solution, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s true. I¡¯ve done some thinkin¡¯ on my own terms as well. Seein¡¯ all my folks like this, everyone eatin¡¯ their fill. It¡¯s like all the darkness and thoughts of starvin¡¯ have been banished off like Aegis and the Shield.¡± Garfiel made some strange reference. ¡°But, I¡¯ll be damned if I got in yer way any longer. I kno¡¯n what I said before, and I certain¡¯ ain¡¯t happy ¡®bout it, but if ya determined to get through them trials, I won¡¯t stand in yer way no more,¡± he said, slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°I see, but I¡¯m a man of my word, you know? I won¡¯t attempt the trials unless I beat you in a contest of pure martial skill. No promises from Emilia, though.¡±


    Emilia interjected, ¡°Garfiel is really~ strong, you know! I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for you to fight¡ª I hate to keep bringing it up, but don¡¯t you remember what happened with Julius?¡±


    ¡°There ain¡¯t no need to defend yer man there, missy.¡±


    ¡°My... man??¡± Emilia sputtered.


    ¡°Aye, Dragon-man over here already trounced me once, after all.¡±


    Emilia looked at me like I¡¯d grown a second head. ¡°What?!¡±


    Garfiel continued to talk to me unabashed, ¡°And, besides, gettin¡¯ my approval is a victory in its own right, even if it¡¯s just for the missus.¡±


    ¡°That may be true, but it wouldn¡¯t satisfy my integrity as a man; I¡¯m keeping my initial promise to you in the spirit of the agreement and not just the letter.¡± I doubled down, staring into Garfiel¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Well, if yer gonna say it that passionately, I ain¡¯t gonna contradict ya.¡± Garfiel grinned.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Emilia waved her hands all around, trying to get our attention, ¡°You and Garfiel fought??! And, Subaru won?¡±


    ¡°Why did you have to say that second sentence with more shock than the first?¡± I complained.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯ say he ¡®beat me¡¯, since he never displayed better fightin¡¯ skill than me. He just overpowered me with pure brute strength.¡±


    Garfiel¡¯s clarification only made Emilia look even more shocked. ¡°You.. Your... You... what?¡±


    I turned to Garfiel, ¡°I think we broke her.¡±


    He just looked at her, weirded out. ¡°Aye.¡± Then, without further ado, Garfiel wandered off, once again mingling with the villagers.


    Emilia shook out her head, trying to clear her mind. Then, she slapped both of her cheeks with each hand twice. ¡°Alright! Anyway, we should probably talk to the villagers now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just gonna forget about the earlier topic? Fine by me, I guess. Yeah, looks like the villagers are mostly done eating, now. Let¡¯s do this.¡±

 Chapter 21

    Emilia clapped her hands together loud enough that the sound echoed across the acoustics of the room. "Everyone, Subaru and I have some really important news to share with you all, now that you''re done eating."


    Most adults brought their attention to the front of the room right away, but a few folks continued staring down at their plates and eating. Any remaining children still playing or talking were quickly gathered and shushed by their parents. Soon, even little Petra was staring at Emilia and me, waiting for our words.


    I nodded my head to Emilia and whispered, "Just like we planned."


    She grimaced slightly, she had been opposed to my plan at first but after some convincing, she had agreed to it.


    "As you all know, Roswaal-sama attempted to bring down Sanctuary''s barrier without first attempting the trials a couple of days ago. As Lord of this domain, he wanted to help everyone who had to flee here after the Witch''s cult attack."


    Emilia paused, and we watched a few nods go around the room.


    One guy in the back shouted, interrupting, "Aye! We heard about that. Does this have somethin'' to do with the food? Thank you for that, by the way! Though, I''m a bit worried, shouldn''t we be rationing out the food we''ve got instead of stuffin'' ourselves for the next three days?"


    More nods went around the room, a lot more villagers agreeing with the man who spoke up in the back compared to Emilia''s words a moment ago.


    Emilia and I hadn''t prepared for someone to ask that question, I hadn''t thought of that logic at all, to be honest. He had some good points though, if you assumed that I only had enough food to properly feed everyone for three days, that is.


    I decided to step forward a bit, indicating to Emilia that I could answer this question, "That''s related to what we wanted to discuss, actually. By the end of the next three days, Emilia and I plan to bring down Sanctuary''s barrier, taking over where Roswaal failed."


    A few hushed murmurs went around the room, various people striking up conversation. As each family started talking, soon the volume in the room continued to grow at an exponential rate. To hear one another, each person had to keep talking louder, making the people next to them talk louder, and so on.


    The crowd was starting to get a bit out of our control, but that''s when Beatrice spoke, her voice resonating with magic and carrying across the entire room. "There is more for us to say, I suppose." Despite only ''speaking'', the magic in her voice amplified her volume in some impossible way, making her words impossible to miss without sounding unpleasantly loud.


    The room quieted down again, and this time I took a small step back and gestured toward Emilia. She nodded back to me with a determined expression.


    "Roswaal tried to bring the barrier down, but he failed. I will bring the barrier down myself, that''s a promise I want to make to everyone here." Emilia put her hand to her chest and took a deep breath for her next words. "Unfortunately, Roswaal did not survive after yesterday."


    The room erupted into talking this time, nothing like the gradual increased volume from before. The noise felt almost physical¡ª like a dense wave pushing against us.


    What Emilia said was a logical deception. It was anathema for a Spirit Arts user to lie, in the same way spirits themselves could not lie. Technically, Emilia had stated two truths: Roswaal got injured trying to break the barrier, and Roswaal died yesterday. It''s just, that the order of those two statements would lead the villagers to believe the two events were related, when in fact they were not.


    Emilia had opposed this plan at first, but quite frankly, telling the villagers the truth about Roswaal killing himself would be counterproductive at best or lead to skepticism or rioting at worst.


    These villagers still thought of Emilia as the Half-Devil who attracted the Witch''s Cult, though perception did seem to be improving. If they found out that Roswaal believed the situation in Sanctuary was so devoid of hope, to the point he killed himself, well, better to not find out what the villagers would do.


    This time, rather than rely on Beatrice, I raised one hand into the air. The villagers took the gesture for what it was and slowly began to quiet down.


    "Subaru?" Petra asked from her mom''s lap in the back, "Is everything going to be okay?" Despite being such a small child, she accurately put everyone''s worries to voice.


    "Everything is going to be okay," I stated into the uneasy atmosphere. "Emilia-tan and I have a plan."Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Emilia nodded her head, taking her cue, "Yes! For the next three days, we will keep preparing food for everyone like this, so please feel free to keep your emergency rations in storage for now. Tonight, I will attempt the second trial!"


    A few murmurs went across the room, and one older man near the front asked aloud, "Second trial?"


    I spoke up, "Yes, Emilia here has already proven herself in the first trial, and overcome her past."


    More murmurs went around the room, this time more hopeful.


    "Even Garfiel hasn''t passed the first trial!" Someone near the middle of the crowd spoke up, her voice easily picked out of the crowd.


    Garfiel must have heard her, too, since he rubbed at the back of his neck in response.


    Emilia spoke up to the villagers again, "By the end of these three days, we will take down the barrier to Sanctuary, and then everyone from Arlam can return home."


    The talk with the villagers went smoothly after that. Emilia and I had given them a double dose of hope, both with the food and the news that Emilia had already passed the first trial. The mood remained jovial throughout the morning, even turning into a celebration of sorts. There were a number of questions still, which Emilia answered for the most part¡ª I only answered them if Emilia wasn''t sure what to say. Overall, I gave her full marks as lord, for today at least.


    <hr><hr>


    Someone flicked my nose, "If you aren''t going to pay attention, then go away, in fact!"


    "Ah! Beako has banished me! I suppose I''ll have to leave now, in fact! Will she ever forgive me, I wonder!" I said with dramatic sarcasm.


    I faked standing up, Beako almost sliding out of my lap.


    "Eep! Subaru doesn''t have to leave, in fact! Betty takes her words back!"


    I chuckled, sitting back down. "Beako, your tsun is on point as always, but you still have room to work on the dere, in my opinion."


    Beako huffed, crossing her arms in my lap. "Don''t be ridiculous, I suppose. Now, pay attention. For the imagery here, what do you suggest?"


    Beatrice pointed at the spell diagram in her lap, pointing to an empty slot of Yin runes.


    This was the moment where my otherworldly knowledge shined the most¡ª the imagery this world''s magic depended on. Honestly, most Japanese fantasy worlds followed that trope. It certainly made things easier on me, as I could pull on concepts from Mushoku Tensei and they''d apply fairly accurately here, too.


    Other than that, there were also runes or the language in which magic depended on. This is where the words like ''goa'', or ''fula'', came from. All of that was a lot of magic theory, but Soul Talent was helping me to understand that stuff at an amazingly fast rate. Psychic Talent even pitched in here and there, too. It made sense, with the literal foremost expert on Yin magic teaching me, I was picking up the basics at an astounding rate. The Company''s talents worked better when pulling off of experts, after all.


    "For the imagery here..." I furrowed my brow in thought. Yin magic at its core was absence. "What if we imagine that all the magic within the radius as defined here," I pointed to one of the runes, "is forced out of the circle from the force of a vacuum?"


    Beatrice and I both stared at it in thought for a moment. "No," I started, "That won''t work. Thinking of it as a ''force'' won''t properly embody the concept of ''absence''."


    "That is true, I suppose, but Betty thinks you are on the right track. What if we define the area within the circle as being equivalent to the vacuum of space, and the outside of the radius as being equivalent to the planet?" Beatrice supplied.


    Excited, I opened my eyes a bit wider, "Yeah! That should work. The area within the radius should forcefully expel mana outside in that case, our vacuum zone sucking the mana up and depositing it outside of the radius."


    Beatrice nodded her head, "Betty was thinking along those lines as well, in fact."


    With a ''hup'', she jumped out of my lap. "Let''s see if it works, I suppose."


    Beatrice and I made our way outside of the Sweet Home, onto my Sweet Lawn. A few carved runic plates sat in the field in front of us. The first plate expelled a constant stream of mana into the air, while the second plate just stored and circulated mana on the inside¡ª acting how mana would inside of a person before being expelled as an effect.


    "BMT!" Beako and I both shouted.


    Immediately, the world around us became duller, the vibrancy of life sucking away from us. I gasped, the air suddenly only barely putting pressure on me, as my body began to feel lighter than it should. My head swam a bit, but eventually, I stabilized myself.


    A voice came from my side, attached to the drill-haired loli currently holding my hand. She sounded somewhat muted, almost quieter even though I logically knew she wasn''t whispering. "It stops the first plate, I suppose, but not the second."


    At her words, I moved my eyes to the plates in the field. The first plate, the one expelling mana, was indeed inactive. I couldn''t see mana flows or anything fancy like that, but the ''on light'' was clearly off. Switching my gaze to the second plate, I saw that it was still lit up, indicating the magic on the inside was unaffected.


    Our wills united, Beatrice and I released the spell. The world became vibrant again at once, everything reasserting itself against my body and mind with near-violent force. I had to take a step back, once again breathing hard as I got used to the transition.


    After catching my breath a bit, I said, "Even just that transition itself should be enough to throw people off."


    "Indeed, but the spell is incomplete, in fact."


    "Yeah, but maybe this is good enough? As is, it won''t stop an internal arts user like Wilhelm, but maybe it doesn''t need to?"


    "What do you mean, I wonder?"


    "Well, think about it. If our spell also negated the magic physically inside someone, wouldn''t our spell actually straight up become a targeted soul attack? I mean, I was thinking we''d use the spell to disable someone from throwing spells around, not annihilate their gates.


    "Besides," I gestured with my hand through the air, "If we want to make a ''soul negating'' spell, we can make that, too. But, in that case, rather than a radius of effect, it probably would make sense to turn it into a bolt or something that we can target specific people with. I wouldn''t want to be within the origin point of a soul-killing spell..."


    "Good point, in fact. Then, this will require more thought and effort from Betty and Subaru, I suppose." She smiled, clearly excited to keep developing more magic with me.

 Chapter 22

    Emilia had things handled in Sanctuary for now, allowing Beako and me this break to work on magic. Eventually, though, Rem came out from the Sweet Home, letting me know that lunch was ready.


    Rem, Ram, Beako, and I ate lunch together. Afterward, I met up with Emilia, and we shared more food with the villagers and refugees. Similar to this morning, the mood was bright, with people eating and conversing with their families without a care in the world. A few villagers came up to me to ask various questions, but I tried to direct them over to Emilia whenever possible. This was a good experience for her, and she was already doing so much better interacting with the villagers than she had been before.


    Petra and the other kids also made sure to come and bother me, so I did another round of ''radio calisthenics'' with them¡ª something Canon Subaru had already done multiple times to entertain the children. Though, I amped it up this time, making them do the dreaded pushups. Petra could only do a single one before her shaky arms failed her, much to the amusement of the boys.


    After playing around with the village children, I asked Rem for another spar. She followed me out into a random field in Sanctuary, but I made sure to warn the villagers not to get too close to our sparring ring lest they stand in our area of effect.


    Ram accompanied us, but Emilia decided to stay with the villagers and continue fostering goodwill with them.


    When we reached the field, to my surprise, Rem bowed to me slightly but then walked off to the side of the field.


    "Uh, Rem-rin? Are we practicing today?"


    "Yes, Subaru-kun, but not with me." She shook her head slightly and smiled.


    "I''ll be Barusu''s opponent today," Ram declared, standing across the field from me.


    "Uh, Ram-chi? You aren''t still angry from earlier, are you?"


    "Prepare yourself," Ram said ruthlessly.


    Then, a bundle of pink-haired fury launched herself at me, wind magic propelling her forward so quickly I almost had to close my eyes from the force of the after-draft.


    She came at me with a spinning kick aimed right for my head. Despite having used wind magic to propel herself forward at the start of the spar, I could tell she was properly holding herself back.


    Martial Talent activated, the little supporting hand in the back of my mind teaching me how to minimize unneeded movement¡ª Ram''s tier 7 mastery of martial arts kicking Martial Talent into overdrive.


    I ducked under her spinning heel kick, then jumped into her guard while she was still off-balance on a single foot.


    The point of this spar was to increase my martial ability, not to overpower Ram with brute force. As such, I didn''t use any dragon transformation abilities.


    Fully in her guard, I threw a straight punch, hoping to knock Ram off her single balanced foot.


    Ram bent her upper torso sideways, bending almost like doing limbo¡ª Her body contorting like a ballerina.


    My fist missed her by inches, my fingers slightly brushing against the top of her maid uniform, her modest chest bouncing distractingly from the force.


    She finished her spin, jumping onto the foot that she had used to try to kick me and gaining some distance.


    It was amazing watching her move like that. It had felt like an artful dance rather than a spar, the way she used her flexibility to dodge my strike despite me being right in her personal bubble.


    We stared at each other for a moment without words.


    This time, I leaped after her, throwing a few punches and hoping to open a weakness in her guard.


    Once again, she turned it into a dance, twisting and weaving through each punch. On the final punch, she twirled in place, my fist ever so slightly brushing past her flowing hair and over her shoulder. She leaned into me, her nose brushing into my face¡ª barely avoiding contact.


    Then she pulled a few steps away with a smirk. She gently unfolded her arm, putting her hand palm up toward me with her fingers outstretched as if to say, ''Come on.'' Or maybe, to ask for a dance.


    I smiled and jumped after her again, coming in with a wild swing of my arm from the right side.


    She lifted her leg up impossibly high, her flexibility on display as her foot reached higher than her head, her ankle coming into contact with my hammer fist in a block. The motion displaced her skirt, giving me an eyeful of her panties. At that moment, Martial Talent stopped gaining even the slightest bit of information from Ram. In its stead, I felt Sticky Fingers pushing up against my brain, demanding to be used.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I stared at her.


    "If Scumbaru won''t take initiative, then it seems that I must do so in your stead. How deplorable."


    I wasn''t sure if she was talking about the spar or something else.


    Still on one foot, she spun, kicking my arm away from her and putting me off balance. I was still slightly confused. Martial Talent had thoroughly abandoned me, and without its aid, my entire being was off balance. I kept trying to activate it, to use its help to guide my movements. Instead, I moved sluggishly and inelegantly. It felt like I''d suddenly forgotten how to ride a bike¡ª now trying to relearn all over again and constantly falling onto the asphalt.


    Ram took advantage of my staggering, kicking out at me and wrapping her foot behind my leg. I expected her to trip me, but she just gently pulled my leg toward her. The motion unbalanced me, but she did it slowly enough that it mostly just forced me to take an awkwardly long step toward her.


    She reached a hand out at me. I tried to raise my arm in a block, but her hand snaked around my arm and locked it out.


    I stared at her blushed face, her modest chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. Sticky Fingers informed me it wasn''t because she was tired.


    Sticky Fingers tried to tell me how to unhook my arm and twist it in just the right way to reverse who was in control and subsequently use that opportunity to go in for a kiss. I ignored it, and I instead tried to throw a punch at the pink-haired beauty in front of me.


    She twisted, still in full control of my arm. The backs of our hips met, and she heaved me over herself, flipping me hard down into the dirt.


    The landing knocked the wind out of me, a giant gasp escaping my lips.


    I had no time to breathe as Ram practically jumped onto me, her lips crashing into mine and stealing away what little opportunity for breath I might have otherwise had.


    I tried to push her away, trying to get some air into my lungs. My body was reacting on instinct, every cell in my body desperate to get oxygen through any means possible. My diaphragm spasmed, and I tried to suck in a breath, but Ram was unyielding. I met her body with mine, bucking up against her hips with mine, trying to throw her off.


    She clashed against me, not painfully, but firmly, forcing me back into the dirt and keeping me under her. She greedily and aggressively kissed me, using both of her hands to force my shoulders into the ground.


    Finally, in her own time, she released her lips from mine. I immediately took in a giant breath, gasping for air. With wide eyes, I stared at Ram''s face as she hovered right over me, still pushing me into the ground.


    Her legs wrapped around mine, and she firmly sat down on top of me. She snaked her hands up from my shoulders, never fully letting me go, and running her hands up my arms.


    Our hands met, Ram desperately entwining our fingers together and raising my arms above my head.


    My heart raced.


    She stared down at me with a frown, her eyebrows creased. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"


    I gulped.


    "Do you have any idea what it is like to be denied, after so fervently throwing away my pride and pursuing you? How horrible to force yourself upon me and then not return my own advances."


    I glanced at where she held our hands above my head, our palms beginning to go white. "I''m pretty sure you''re the one forcing yourself on me," I retorted without heat.


    "Wrong," Ram deadpanned. "Last night, I felt everything you did to my cute little sister. This was after you had just denied me something more proper. What am I? Your leftovers? Something to be teased without ever going all the way? Something to taunt-- only to deny me a more proper romance? You disgust me."


    Despite her words, her tone was straight and to the point, without any true venom. They washed over me without any hurt themselves. I did feel bad about one thing, though.


    "I never intended to treat you as something like leftovers. It''s true, Rem is number one in my heart, but I want to make you happy, too."


    "Then, prove it. You have a ready and willing maiden right here. It wouldn''t be like you to keep me waiting."


    I turned my head to the side to search for Rem, who should still be on the sidelines. I only got the briefest flash of her blue hair before Ram''s stern hand forced my head to turn back and look up at her again.


    "I''m asking for your full attention; my sister has nothing to do with that, does she?"


    Fade to black

 Chapter 23

    I stared up at the white ceiling above me, simply enjoying the feel of both sisters snuggling into either side of me. The silence was peaceful, our breathing also turning peaceful with the change of atmosphere.


    We lay there for perhaps fifteen minutes, basking in each other¡¯s presence. My mind continued to think about the sisters, wondering what their synesthesia might be like. I briefly asked myself if Psychic talent could pick up on it one day. Probably, I decided. If it did, that¡¯d make the three of us even closer in both body and mind.


    But for Ram and Rem, what was it currently like for them? Did each of them snuggling into my side fill them up with double the amount of satisfaction? Did the release of endorphins from our post-coitus cuddling multiply, or did they simply feel each other¡¯s sensations like a change in perspective? Rather than wonder about it, I decided to just ask.


    I broke the silence with a quiet murmur, trying not to disturb the girls more than necessary. ¡°Your synesthesia, does it multiply the sensations you two feel from one another?¡±


    Rem answered my question, Ram perhaps still too tired to respond, ¡°No.¡± Rem slowly shook her head from side to side, her hair tickling my chest again. ¡°I can feel what nee-sama feels, the same exact way she feels it. It¡¯s the same for her, too. After some time, our thoughts and feelings begin to blend together, jumbling up until neither of us can tell who is who.¡±


    Ram huffed, ¡°Please, it¡¯s cute Rem that¡¯s amazing.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Rem giggled, but then said, ¡°I could never compare to nee-sama.¡±


    I booped Rem on the nose, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You¡¯re number one in my heart.¡±


    On my other side, Ram slapped my chest, but she didn¡¯t put any force into it. ¡°What are you saying to Rem? I¡¯m still right here, you know. Scum.¡± She exhaled, but then to my surprise, corrected herself. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. You know, even if Rem is number one in my heart, I still love you too, Ram. I love you so much my heart is bursting apart with joy. I¡¯m happy to have you both in my life.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± was all that Ram said.


    ¡°Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun. I love you,¡± Rem spoke up in her sister¡¯s stead.


    I smiled, ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    Ram tensed up against my side after hearing those words. A moment after, she said, ¡°I feel it too, this overflowing and over-bursting love. But, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s truly mine or if it¡¯s my sister¡¯s. And at the same time, there¡¯s still a deep hole inside of me, the place that Roswaal once filled from his presence alone. I guess he will always remain just out of reach, for something like me.¡±


    Turning my head to face Ram, I asked with utter seriousness, ¡°Were you really ready to make this step? Have we rushed into things, Ram? I¡¯ve claimed you, now, and I intend to keep you for eternity. Is that something you can really truly say you¡¯re ready for?¡±


    ¡°My sister¡ª¡± Ram began, but I interrupted her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking about Rem right now. I¡¯m asking about you. Do you have the will to stay with me, to pledge your love to me in the way I¡¯ll pledge mine to you?¡±


    She remained quietly in thought for a while, but I noticed that her body seemed to cling to me even more fiercely than before.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave. I¡¯m loyal to you. Anything else after that, can you let me build up to it?¡±


    I smiled, an easy agreement on my lips, ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Idiot. No need to be so passionate about proposing to me,¡± Ram whispered.

 Chapter 24

    After some time in a group snuggle session with the twins, I left the bed to let them rest. Both of them were completely flopped out, neither in any state to do much but take a nap. Of course, Sanctuary waited for no one, and I really needed to start preparing for the confrontations to come. Honestly, the thought of all the battles to come both paradoxically worried and excited me.


    I¡¯d always loved a good fight, my past in martial arts made sure I loved sparring competitions. On the other hand, I had so much more to lose now than I¡¯d ever had before, and that scared me. When the Company had found me, I¡¯d been at my lowest. My loneliest. I had to shake those thoughts away; I had Rem and Ram now.


    I reached out to the door in front of me and turned the handle. There was another, most precious girl here, too.


    ¡°Beako!¡± I slammed the door open, making it rebound against the wall with a loud crash.


    Beako jumped in her seat, flinching from the ruckus. ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± She let her book clatter against the floor, one hand clutching her chest. ¡°You¡¯ll give Betty a heart attack, in fact!¡±


    ¡°Awe, Beako, don¡¯t be shy!¡± I walked up to her and began squishing her cheeks.


    She started making mumbling noises, her cheeks squishing pleasantly against my hands. ¡°Besides! Spirits can¡¯t have heart attacks.¡±


    Finally, Beako threw my hands away from her face. ¡°Geez! Subaru is annoying Betty!¡± Then she mumbled, more of a whisper, really, ¡°I guess it¡¯s fine, though.¡±


    ¡°Beako, your dere is showing again. You better watch that; it could become a serious illness, you know?¡±


    ¡°Betty has no idea what you are saying, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re gonna figure it out, right?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Beako ¡®hmphed,¡¯ crossing her arms. ¡°I suppose you are done playing with the maids, then? Good. Subaru ought to treasure Betty more, in fact.¡±


    I tilted my head at her, forcing a fake accusatory tone, ¡°Beako, you silly little spirit. Were you spying on me and the twins with your magic?¡±


    She sputtered, waving her hands in front of her reddening face, ¡°O-obviously not! In fact! I... I wasn¡¯t!¡± She tripped over her words, her mouth opening and closing in panic.


    ¡°You are a naughty spirit, Beako.¡±


    ¡°B- Betty is not!¡± Beako lied. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you doing perverted things with the maids, in fact!¡±


    I just stared into her eyes, letting her last sentence hang in the air.


    Beako let out a high-pitched keening sound, burying her face in her hands. ¡°W-what are you making Betty say out loud!¡±


    I leaned toward her, my body shadowing over hers. I gently but firmly pried her hands away from her face, then used one hand to lift up her chin and make her look at me. ¡°It¡¯s okay to be curious.¡±


    ¡°Betty is not curious!¡± Her tsun showed itself again, but my words had the desired effect¡ª bringing her out of the depths of embarrassment she¡¯d crawled her way into.


    I patted her head, a big smile across my face.


    Beako let out a sigh, ¡°If you¡¯re done teasing Betty, then you must have something more for us to do, yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Great Spirit Beatrice, for you. Always the master deduction-ess.¡±


    ¡°Bah! That wasn¡¯t all that impressive, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Though, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m hoping to discuss battle plans with you. In summary, we¡¯ve got two main problems now that Roswaal is gone. I think that, before Roswaal killed himself so foolishly, he hired two assassins to kill everyone back at the mansion. Luckily, I already shat all over that plan by not letting anyone stay over at the mansion, and by keeping Arlam village safe here in Sanctuary. But now, I have no idea what the assassins will do when they realize their targets aren¡¯t at the mansion.¡±


    ¡°Well, just put whoever the targets are in your Sweet Home, I suppose. Problem solved.¡±


    ¡°Actually, the target is you, and possibly Ram, so, yeah.¡±


    ¡°In that case, the problem is already solved in fact.¡± Beako nodded in false confidence.


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯ve recently realized that we need to do something about the assassins, thus my request earlier for battle plans. I don¡¯t want to leave this problem lurking in the background.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Hmm? Subaru is actively looking for a fight, then?¡±


    ¡°More like hoping to stop all future deaths from Elsa and Meili¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case, leave it to Betty. Together, we¡¯ll crush them.¡±


    ¡°One last thing,¡± I reached my hand out to Beako, who used it to pop up from her chair, ¡°I think the insatiable hare is on its way toward Sanctuary.¡±


    ¡°That stupid beast doesn¡¯t go anywhere unless there¡¯s a large amount of mana in the air, in fact. There¡¯s nothing at Sanctuary to draw its attention, I suppose.¡±


    I furrowed my brow, that didn¡¯t line up with my memories from the show. But then again, the giant snowstorm that happened in the anime hadn¡¯t happened yet. The memory clicked in my mind, and I snapped my finger, ¡°That¡¯s right! The hare is drawn in after someone kicks up a large snowstorm.¡±


    ¡°Such magic would be enough, I suppose. But who¡¯s going to do something that foolish?¡± Beako asked me with a tilt to her head.


    ¡°Roswaal, I guess. But, he¡¯s dead now. Hmm. Well, let¡¯s keep the possibility in mind for either case. Do you have enough magic stored up to take out the hare and the assassins?¡±


    ¡°Betty is strong, I suppose, but it depends on how quickly and easily we can defeat the assassins, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got a plan for that.¡±


    I picked Beako back up into the air, cradling her against my chest¡ª making her ¡®wawawa¡¯ in surprise, but quickly relaxing into her new position.


    ¡°To the Sanctuary!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    What I didn¡¯t have a plan for was the purple miasma that appeared the moment I stepped outside of our Sweet Home.


    ¡°The witch!¡± Beako shouted directly into my ear.


    ¡°What the fuck? Why¡ª¡±


    ¡°No time for questions, I suppose! Jump!¡± Beako commanded.


    I quickly obliged, Beako waving her hand at the ground which somehow launched us flying into the air.


    Beako grimaced, clenching her teeth as we stared down at the undulating purple miasma below us. Luckily, the miasma was still isolated directly underneath us, so the village was probably still safe. Unluckily, the miasma seemed fixated directly on us.


    ¡°If I have to take care of this witch I won¡¯t have any mana left for anything else, in fact!¡± Beatrice¡¯s teeth creaked as she clenched them even harder, before she replied, ¡°Even then, we¡¯ll still probably die, I suppose.¡±


    Off in the distance, a bestial roar sounded out, echoing through the treetops and sending the birds flying away.


    Different thoughts and strategies raced through my mind: perhaps we could evacuate everyone to sweet home, or perhaps we could team up with Ram and try to fight this thing.


    But, the miasma wasn¡¯t inclined to give us time to strategize. The center of the purple mist began climbing up into the air, looking not unlike a black cloth being pinched at the center to raise it up.


    ¡°Flee or fight?!¡± Beatrice shouted in my ear, still cradled against my chest.


    ¡°Both!¡± I decided at that moment. ¡°Draw her away from Sanctuary! She¡¯s after me.¡±


    Why on earth was she after me? This happened once in the anime, but it had only been after Subaru had gone to the witch¡¯s tea party, that had never happened in this timeline!


    ¡°Subaru is wasting time thinking about pointless things, in fact!¡± Beatrice punctuated the statement by sending purple crystals flying into the mass chasing us.


    The top of the miasma was getting close to us, an unholy tentacle of envious mist trying to drag us from the air. Quiet murmuring could be heard from within, ¡°Love you, love you, love you.¡±


    I half expected to feel my company phone vibrate in my pocket, but it decidedly did not.


    ¡°Fucking crazy bitch,¡± I muttered.


    We were soaring amazingly fast through the air now, the miasma chasing after us with dedicated glee. The wind rushed past us with physical force, making me shiver. Fortunately, Beako¡¯s warm body against mine mitigated the worst of the cold.


    I noticed a blond head of hair peek out from on top of one of the treetops below us, then in the next moment, Garfiel sailed through the air on a direct intercept with Beatrice and me.


    Beatrice turned her gaze toward him, reaching out her hand and beginning to cast magic.


    ¡°Stop! Let him come!¡± I shouted back.


    My words must have reached Garfiel because his face turned surprised right before he collided with us in midair. He slammed into Beako and me with insane force, knocking the wind out of me as I turned slightly to guard Beako from the impact. To Beatrice¡¯s credit, we never stopped flying through the air, still dragging the witch¡¯s attention further away from Sanctuary.


    ¡°My amazin¡¯ self¡¯d like to know what¡¯n the hell is goin¡¯ on!¡± Garfiel raged at us, gripping onto my shoulder while being dragged along for the ride.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to know!¡± I screamed right back, Beako clicking her tongue in annoyance.


    ¡°Just turn inta a dragon ¡®n smite ¡®em then!¡± Garfiel shouted.


    Oh, right. I could do that now.


    That was the moment a glimmer of silver reflected off the sunlight, before Garfiel shot his hand out and caught a wickedly curved dagger by the blade inches away from my neck.


    Oh shit. ¡°That¡¯s the Bowel Hunter¡¯s dagger!¡± I hurriedly informed my two passengers.


    ¡°Ah damnit! It¡¯s all goin¡¯ ta hell!¡± Garfiel complained with a bitter frown.


    ¡°Subaru, look off in the distance, I suppose.¡±


    We were coming up on Arlam now. I hadn¡¯t noticed, but we were already pretty far out from Sanctuary at this point, the miasma not letting up in its chase in the slightest. I followed Beako¡¯s pointed finger, to see a horde of mabeasts, led by a hippo with a certain lavender haired little girl riding its back.


    While I was lost in shock, Garfiel took the initiative, ¡°Oi, where¡¯s Ram?¡±


    ¡°Safe!¡± I hurriedly said back.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t what I asked! We need her! An¡¯ turn into a damn dragon already!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    ¡°Beatrice, take care of Meili and the mabeasts. Keep Meili alive if you can. She¡¯s a weak little girl but can command the beasts. Garfiel, you take care of the Bowel Hunter.¡± We could see her chasing after us now, jumping through the treetops in pursuit.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the naughty witch. If you get the chance, summon Ram from our Sweet Home.¡±


    ¡°Finally, yer gettin¡¯ yer act together!¡± / ¡°Betty can do that, I suppose.¡±


    My muscles began to bulge, my clothes disappearing to wherever they went when I transformed. I wasted no time, black scales forming around me as horns grew from my head. Garfiel launched himself away from me, colliding head-on with Elsa. Beako flew away much more elegantly, her red and white queenly dress fluttering in the wind. But, I couldn¡¯t waste any time focusing on them.


    I angled my nose down into a dive, my massive wings magnificently jetting through the air and toward the Witch of Envy.

 Chapter 25

    My wings cut through the air with a sharp whistle beside me, the miasma below practically jumping up to enthusiastically greet me. I unfurled my wings moments before impact, the sudden motion braking me hard against the air.


    I collided with the Witch¡¯s miasma with all four of my draconic legs braced for impact. I reached the miasma and hit... nothing but air?


    All of a sudden, my insane downward momentum ripped through the miasma, scattering it in all directions from my majestic scales. I hit the dirt with explosive force, a crater forming around me, and a plume of dust kicked up into the air. The sun became blotted out, but I couldn¡¯t tell if it was entirely due to the dust or because of the rapidly encroaching miasma.


    I cringed as my joints ached¡ª I had been hoping to slam into Satella, not the unmoving earth.


    Her creepy whispers filled the air, promises of love surrounding me and forcing away all other noise. My senses were cut off from the outside world around me. I¡¯d have to hope Beatrice and Garfiel could handle their tasks without issue. Satella was a tier-eight threat. Even with my perfect draconic form, I was no more than a tier-seven threat. It¡¯d be quite difficult to win this.


    But, I had a suspicion I didn¡¯t need to.


    I searched with my limited vision for the densest spot of purple mist and pounced. I clawed and tore at the patch of miasma, but it was useless¡ª like trying to wrestle air into submission. I roared in frustration; my draconic claws were exquisite! They should be able to tear anything apart, regardless of tier eight or whatever nonsense!


    With rage boiling up through my wonderful self, I roared into the air, scattering the dirt surrounding me but accomplishing little else. Once again, I aimed for the biggest patch of miasma and leaped, scattering the purple ick but once again failing to do any proper damage.


    This continued for a few rounds, my unbeatable self somehow continuing to fail against this simple mist. It eluded me, only making the rage in my heart boil ever more fiercely. I snapped and bit, clawed and struck, but nothing happened. Meanwhile, constant taunts from the Witch of Envy invaded my ear-holes. Whispers of love and promises of delight laughing in my face as I failed again and again.


    I was ashamed to admit, but I didn¡¯t realize how long I spent in that bestial state. The stalemate ended when a recognizable spiked ball on chain flew in from the edges of the mist. It wrapped around my snout, forcing my mouth shut and drawing my ire. Something dark, deep, and black boiled in my lungs, ready to smite this new interloper. I shook my head fiercely, dragging the intruder toward me.


    The chain rattled, and then the other side whipped through the air¡ª a blue-haired beauty dragged along for the ride. She landed on my regal head, gripping unceremoniously ¨C and quite rudely ¨C upon my crowning horns.


    This blue-haired monkey rattled away with her noises, but something about her drew my attention. Her hands pressed into me gently yet firmly. Unwilling to release the chains, forcing my mouth shut even as I bucked and tried to throw her off. She clung to me valiantly, almost desperately.


    I didn¡¯t have time to deal with this monkey! She was getting in the way of the enemy. The foul Witch Mist¡ª so anathema to my existence that the only solution was complete annihilation. I flapped my wings through the air, clouds of dust flying out and jumbling with the encroaching miasma. The powerful air currents should have dislodged her, but she just flattened her body against my imperial snout, hugging me so fiercely that her tiny limbs trembled.


    The idea of some monkey clinging onto me should have filled me with unease, and yet something about this situation didn¡¯t bother me. Sure, the idea of some random monkey clinging to me would be disgusting, but this... Girl? Yes, this girl, I decided, did not seem disgusting in the slightest. In fact, I found her immensely appealing¡ª strange since she had no wings nor claws. More than that, though, her spirit called out to me as a blanket of safety¡ª like I somehow knew she wouldn¡¯t ever hurt me. Like I could even trust her with my hoard if absolutely necessary. No, I realized she was my hoard.


    She draped herself across my head scales as I began to relax, her soft body pressing into my roughness without care. Both of her hands cradled the sides of my snout; her monkey sounds no longer sounded so entirely foreign.


    ¡°Subaru-kun? It¡¯s your Rem. Please, it¡¯s your Rem,¡± she repeated herself over and over


    I shook my snou¡ª no. I shook my head, gently so as not to disturb my most lovable treasure. What the hell had I been doing? Regal crown, majestic scales? Since when had my ego been so overinflated? And why the hell was I just flailing around like a mad beast: without any care or logic, planning or tactics?Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Subaru-kun, please come back to me.¡±


    I exhaled greatly, puffs of purple steam escaping from my incredible... incredibly normal nostrils.


    My eyes angled up toward my lover, my body lying down on the ground as I let her cradle herself against me. But I couldn¡¯t relax, not fully. The purple miasma still surrounded us, and now I had to make sure Rem was protected from the mist, too.


    Rem finally seemed to notice that I had stopped moving, just gazing up at her in wait¡ª though I kept tabs on the slowly encroaching mist out of the corner of my eye.


    ¡°Subaru-kun?¡±


    I slowly blinked my nictating membranes in acknowledgment. I couldn¡¯t talk; she still had her flail wrapped around my mouth, and I didn¡¯t want to nod my head only to make her think I was still wildly flailing.


    Besides, any proper dragon would realize that nictating membranes could be used for a vast array of emotes! I re-examined that thought¡ª What?


    ¡°Subaru-kun, can you listen to me?¡±


    Oh, right, I had a tiny maid on my head.


    I nodded my head ever-so slightly, not even totally sure if she¡¯d notice it. Next, I pointed my eyes down tellingly at the chains wrapped around my muzzle. She must have picked up on it because her body immediately sagged into me, her soft chest pushing into my scales.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re safe!¡± Then she pecked the top of my crown.


    I noticed immediately that the miasma seemed to almost flinch in recoil at that moment, drawing further away from us. I could hear slight whispering in the wind, ¡°Bitch, bitch, that bitch,¡± but I found it somewhat hard to make out exactly what it might be saying.


    I used one clawed finger to tap at the chains, causing Rem to stammer, ¡°Oh right! Sorry, Subaru-kun! I¡¯ll get rid of that right away!¡±


    The chains unwrapped from my mouth, seemingly of their own accord, flying up through the air and toward my head. I didn¡¯t worry, though; I trusted Rem more than I trusted myself. Rem sat up properly, reaching her hands up to the heavens but still wrapping her legs around my neck and sitting her tiny butt on me. The rest of the flail landed perfectly in her outstretched arms, my lover ready for battle.


    She had released me just in time, too, since I only had moments to prepare for the next wave of miasma to rush toward me¡ª the disgusting substance already flying directly at my head faster than it ever had previously. This time, I didn¡¯t let my draconic arrogance control me or send me into a rage. Instead, I built up that deep energy within me, that absence that resonated so strongly with my draconic heritage.


    I called out to the void, and it answered me with torrential glee. I opened my jaws, something bubbling inside my throat. No, I realized it was a lack of something that built in my throat. The feeling at odds with my human side but infallibly familiar to my deepest instincts. First, all feeling in my throat vanished, then the feeling in my mouth, tongue, and teeth. Some part of me distantly noted how it was like getting numbed up by the dentist. Despite the discomforting thought of my upper body vanishing, some deep part of me knew that my flames would never hurt me. I controlled them utterly.


    The flames spewed out from my outstretched jaws, dark purple ¨C nearly black ¨C flames bursting forth with near physical force. The flames hit the miasma, but I couldn¡¯t make out much of what happened when it hit. The flames obscured my vision, blotting out sound and somehow darkening the area everywhere they engulfed. I angled my head to the left side, sweeping that entire area.


    ¡°Over there!¡± Rem shouted atop my head, pointing off into the distance, ¡°And over there!¡± She pointed again. ¡°Avoid those two spots! Beatrice, Garfiel, and Ram are still fighting!"


    I had no idea anyone had been fighting except for me, so lost in my futile instinctual battle from earlier, the reminder hit me like a cold bucket of water.


    I kept spewing out the flames but stopped them before I reached the first spot Rem had indicated. During that tiny moment of reprieve, I could see nothing but scoured land anywhere my flames hit. Grass, trees, and even a sudden influx of air made me wonder if I had scoured the atmosphere itself anywhere my flames had touched.


    I had no time to take a break and gawk, though. I sent more fire spewing out from me an instant later, this time sweeping toward the right side, again stopping just before the area Rem had indicated from atop my crown.


    Twin puffs of miasma remained, both in the spots I had purposefully avoided, still obscuring a decent portion of my field of view. Worse, I realized that my void flames didn¡¯t reach far enough to annihilate the furthest reaches of the miasma. Once again, that absurd purple mist began multiplying, swallowing the surroundings until I could see nothing but the deranged Witch¡¯s love. Even my void breath wouldn¡¯t defeat the miasma, I realized. Likely, not much that I could do would, Satella was a tier eight threat to my tier seven.


    ¡°Beako,¡± I whispered, my voice coming out as a rumble, surprising me. ¡°Rem!¡± My voice shook the surroundings, air vibrating through what treetops remained. ¡°Switch with Beako! Kill the mabeasts, leave Meili alive! Get me Beatrice!¡± I called out one after another, only shouting out the most vital commands.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Rem quickly replied from atop my crown, her dainty feet digging into my scales for a moment before she launched herself through the air.


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice she wasn¡¯t using her horns and filed that information away for later. I had to keep distracting Satella for the moment¡ª though it appeared her main body wasn¡¯t here, just miasma.


    Something strange happened, then. The miasma coalesced for a moment, bunching up grotesquely¡ª like the world¡¯s grossest facsimile of a magnetized ferrofluid. Then, a pointed speartip of miasma shot out, the rest of the miasma seemingly being drawn along for the ride. I tracked its movements in slow motion, moving my eyes ahead to see what it aimed itself at. I widened my eyes in surprise, seeing my blue-haired treasure at the end of the miasma¡¯s flight path.

 Chapter 26

    ¡°I believe it¡¯s arrogant to pray for a favor. Prayer should be reserved for seeking forgiveness.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    I leaped off the ground, my draconic claws digging through the dirt, and my wings beating hard enough to nearly tear out of their sockets. I saw Rem turn her head around mid-air, perhaps hearing my roar of protective outrage. Her eyes grew wide in their sockets¡ª something I¡¯d never forget.


    The tip of the miasma nearly reached Rem, who still hadn¡¯t bothered to bring out her horns. For one briefly agonizing moment, I realized I couldn¡¯t reach her in time. I saw what would play out, how the trajectory of the witch¡¯s miasma would reach Rem before I could. My heart dropped; my resolve nearly crumbled.


    But, Rem was smiling at me, smiling at her hero. Her face showed the most sacred of truths¡ª she never doubted that I could save her. She knew I¡¯d never give up until she was safe.


    At that moment, I knew that I didn¡¯t have to reach the miasma. Despite being nearly out of breath, roaring as I had been, I still managed to pull from somewhere deep inside of me¡ª Rem¡¯s near presence giving me the strength to protect her.


    My resolve redoubled. I felt a surge of power build deep within my chest. My throat hummed as the flames coiled and rose, licking against my teeth as they got close to being unleashed. As I opened my maw, the purple inferno burst free with the last of my final exhale. The feral roar so immense it made the air against my wings vibrate from the pressure. For a fleeting moment, something about my draconic instincts reveled in the chaos of destruction, the very air before me destroyed anywhere my flames touched.


    And yet, these were a gentle inferno, too¡ª a tightly controlled beam bound to my will, unable to harm that most precious treasure. Rem watched the flames pass by her face with an open mouth, the deep purple void reflecting through her eyes, but never once licking against her skin.


    My flames impacted against the miasma just before they reached my Rem¡ª the mists pushing and bunching up against a wall of utter annihilation.


    Then Rem was off, her previous flight path accelerating her out of the battle, my flames only needing to protect her for that single eternal instant.


    My body barreled into the miasma a moment later, dispersing the last of the column that had been reaching for Rem.


    ¡°I hate her. I hate her. I hate her.¡± The mists whispered all around me, the hate raw and jealous, Satella¡¯s tone completely unhinged.


    I only had to hold her off for a few moments until my favorite spirit could arrive. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Satella.¡± The mist seemed to point itself in my direction at those words. ¡°Sometime after this, I¡¯ll find you underneath the tower and save you. Be patient until then, okay?¡± Then I flapped my wings, once again soaring into the witch¡¯s mists.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Hm! Subaru should not have left Betty alone, I suppose!¡± She stomped her foot petulantly.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, quit yer yappin¡¯! Cain¡¯t ya see we got bigger fish ta fry!?¡±


    Betty looked toward the violet-haired girl riding on a giant hippo, the mabeast itself easily just as tall as the village homes around it.


    ¡°Surely, you haven¡¯t forgotten about me?¡± Elsa Granhert spoke from off to the right.


    Betty kept her eyes on her opponent, the violet-haired mabeast controller. ¡°You¡¯ll have to deal with the vampire, I suppose. Subaru said you could take care of her, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Ya don¡¯ hafta tell me that. But, I ain¡¯t gonna be able ta protect ya either, got it? This woman is fixin¡¯ ta take all my attention. I ain¡¯t got time ta take care of a brat like you.¡±


    ¡°Betty is not a child, in fact!¡± She felt indignation crawling up her chest just from the idea of this ruffian talking down to her like that. Where did he get permission to speak to Betty like that? To speak to a greater spirit like that?


    ¡°If you two are done talking, then I guess we can get started~?¡± The bowel hunter brandished her wickedly curved purple knives, sunlight reflecting in a shine off the polished blade. ¡°Ah,¡± Elsa moaned, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to find out if spirits have guts, too!¡±


    ¡°Too bad, yer opponent is me.¡±


    ¡°Betty will leave it to you, I suppose. Just don¡¯t get in my way.¡±


    ¡°I could say the same thing ta you! Oi, Elsa. Ain¡¯t no one that can run from Reinhard.¡± Then, Garfiel leaped forward, Betty hearing him clash against Elsa somewhere to her right, but Betty would not be so foolish as to take her eyes off of her own opponent. The half-breed would have to take care of himself.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Hm! How arrogant to compare yourself to the sword saint, in fact!"


    ¡°Not that I¡¯m disagreeing with you, but isn¡¯t he your ally?¡± The girl Subaru called, ¡®Meili,¡¯ spoke up from atop her hippo mabeast.


    Betty had not been idle all this time. And luckily for her, this Meili girl was happy to sit and watch while Betty prepared the battlefield. The Sweet Home¡¯s portal opened above the girl, invisible to everyone on the battlefield except Betty.


    ¡°Taking care of you will take no longer than thirty seconds, I suppose. Maid, grab the girl, I suppose.¡±


    Meili cocked her head in confusion but prepared to shout something at her mabeasts regardless. Betty smiled since it was already far too late for that.


    A slender arm wrapped in a black and white sleeve reached out from the portal, Meili finally noticing something happening above her head as she glanced upward to look. The hand grasped around the back of Meili¡¯s shirt lightning fast and yanked the girl up and through the portal in the sky.


    ¡°Meili!¡± Elsa shouted somewhere to Betty¡¯s right.


    Then, a clash of blade against claw rang out, followed by more shouts, ¡°Don¡¯ take yer eyes off me!¡±


    Betty raised her cute arm high into the sky and called upon her Yin, ¡°El Minya!¡± Purple shards formed in the sky, raining down a moment later. Every mabeast the shards touched instantly turned into that same purple crystal, crumbling or shattering moments later.


    ¡°Hm! Too easy, in fact.¡±


    The Sweet Home¡¯s portal opened once again, this time both of Subaru¡¯s Oni maids walking out. The red-haired one had both of her shiny new horns out and on display, a wooden wand in one hand. The blue-haired one had that strange flail, the chain so long it had to be looped around a few times so as not to drag on the ground.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Subaru?¡± The blue-haired one asked immediately.


    ¡°Hm! Off that way, I suppose.¡± Betty pointed to her left, where distant roars could be heard from.


    The blue-haired maid immediately dashed off in a run, not bothering to wait and learn anything more about the situation.


    ¡°And you? Will you also go running off immediately, I wonder?¡±


    ¡°Barusu can handle himself.¡± The pink-haired maid looked up into the sky.


    Betty followed her gaze, only to see fresh storm clouds forming in the distance, almost directly above Sanctuary.


    ¡°Something is happening in Sanctuary. Can you feel the magic?¡± The pink-haired one asked.


    ¡°Yes, I suppose. How odd. Is there anyone capable of this level of magic back in Sanctuary, I wonder?¡±


    The pink-haired maid grit her teeth, the sound grating against Betty¡¯s precious ears. ¡°Roswaal,¡± she whispered, almost too quiet to hear. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± Then, the pink-haired maid was off, too, a plume of dust in her wake¡ª Running with the wind itself bolstering her movement.


    ¡°Hm!¡± Betty pouted. Her Subaru had once said something or another about the insatiable hare, that memory suddenly surfacing in her mind. ¡°The storm in the distance... Surely not?¡± Betty was tempted to follow after the pink-haired maid¡ª to take care of the insatiable hare as her contractor had hoped she would. But, her magic was incredibly limited without her contractor holding her hand.


    ¡°Stupid Subaru,¡± Betty grumbled under her breath, ¡°Next time, Betty won¡¯t let him go off by himself, I suppose!¡± Betty resolved. It was just like her idiot Subaru to go running off by himself. She¡¯d have to correct that behavior going forward.


    Betty looked back at the fight going on between Garfiel and Elsa. She could help Garfiel, but it looked like he still had it handled¡ª despite all the scratches on his body. If anything, he just looked even more pissed off than he had been before.


    It was a good thing Betty had not gone running off to Sanctuary, since the blue-haired maid came running back through the forest moments later, a panicked expression on her face. ¡°Beatrice-sama! Subaru-kun needs you!¡±


    ¡°Hah! Finally, that dull-headed man has figured that much out, at least!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Ram sprinted through the trees, her feet only pausing for the briefest moment between strides necessary to push off the ground as fast as she possibly could; the wind bolstered each of her running leaps. Her Oni-prowess allowed her to practically jump through the forest, halfway flying more than running, really. She did the bare minimum to make sure no tree branches or bushes crashed into her as she soared through the forest floor. The few unlucky pieces of shrubbery that got in her way evaporated as she ran right through them, hardly paying the tiny stings any attention at all.


    Her horns ached atop her skull, the density of magic in the area increasing by double for every stride forward she made. I¡¯m sorry, Emilia-sama, Barusu, Ram thought to herself, But if there¡¯s even a slight chance that Roswaal is causing this...


    She tried not to hold onto that hope too fiercely, the pain of seeing Roswaal¡¯s headless corpse still fresh in her mind. She knew it was impossible; he couldn¡¯t still be alive. She¡¯d seen his body with her own eyes. But if that were the case, who was channeling this massive amount of magic? It had to be him. It couldn¡¯t possibly be him. These two thoughts tore through Ram¡¯s already fragile psyche, clashing against each other until nothing remained in her head but the single-minded drive to sprint through the forest.


    Distantly, far out past the trees surrounding Sanctuary, Ram saw an old ruin in her mind¡¯s eye¡ª


    Ram¡¯s clairvoyance allowing her to see through the forest animal¡¯s eyes. That ruin was the source of the magic, and thus, it was Ram¡¯s destination.


    Ram just hoped Barusu wouldn¡¯t be too angry when he found out she didn¡¯t go try to help Emilia. Ram prayed that Emilia would be able to keep herself and the villagers safe in her stead.


    An eternity later¡ª Only a minute or two later, Ram skidded to a halt in front of that cliffside ruin. The heavy amount of mana in the air tingled against her skin and ran hot through her horns. If the Insatiable Hare wasn¡¯t already here, it would be soon. Barusu always did have a knack for knowing about those kinds of things.


    Ram brandished her wand in her right hand, pointing it straight into the dark entrance. It took all of the willpower inside of her tense body not to call out¡ª to plead, beg, and cry for a healthy Roswaal to come walking out of the ruins.


    After a moment of tense silence, Ram stepped forward past the threshold into the ruins. The dark, cold, and damp stone hallway led to a much brighter room, a giant blue crystal lighting up the entire area. She saw etches all across the stone, runic symbols for a massive ritual. She watched as the carvings flared with power, Ram easily able to make out the handwriting of her old master.


    Ram fell to her knees and sobbed.

 Chapter 27

    A giant pillar of prismatic violet light crashed down from the heavens and scattered all of the miasma I had been wrestling with. Bright, magical light burst out from the impact zone, blinding my draconic eyes and forcing me to close my eyes against the onslaught. When the light finally fell away, I opened my eyes to see Beako and Rem standing together, hand in hand, before me.


    ¡°You two are so cute together!¡± I shouted from my heart, the earth itself rumbling from the volume of my voice.


    ¡°Not that it doesn¡¯t make me happy, but pay attention, I suppose!¡± Beako looked straight at me with a mild frown, letting go of Rem¡¯s hand.


    Then, Beako lifted off from the ground, her dress ripping as she hovered through the air to land on my head. Her legs folded underneath her, Beako¡¯s knees and calves pushing into my head for grip, with both of her palms resting down on me for balance.


    At her contact, something within me immediately clicked, our magics swirling and shifting into one another. ¡°Hm! You¡¯ll know better than to separate from Betty next time, in fact!¡± Beako shouted above me.


    I laughed slightly as I walked over to Rem, using my body to shelter her underneath me. The miasma was already forming back together for another strike.


    ¡°Beako, are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Then,¡±


    Together, we called upon our magic, throwing everything we had out into the world.


    ¡°BMT!¡± We shouted, pouring our hearts into our newly developed spell¡ª our souls connected.


    The world around us took on a gray hue, all of the color around us draining from our combined effort. All sources of mana vanished from around us, the full force of pure <i>reality</i> weighing down on us. The lack of magic itched at my scales, and I could feel the world itself pressing down on me as if to say that <i>I did not belong</i>. Above me, Beako also strained against the feeling, tiny wisps of energy leaking off from her purely magic-made body.


    ¡°We can¡¯t hold this for long, I suppose!¡± Beako shouted unnecessarily into my ear-holes. ¡°And it¡¯s not working!¡± She cried out.


    Indeed, the miasma moved sluggishly but did not vanish as I¡¯d hoped it might. ¡°It¡¯s her witch¡¯s authority!¡± I called out. ¡°She isn¡¯t just using pure magic!¡±


    Then, before either of my girls could try to worry over or talk me out of it, I moved my head down and bit hard into my scaled left arm.


    ¡°W-w-what are you doing, I suppose?!¡± Beatrice shouted above me.


    ¡°Subaru-kun!¡± Rem shrieked from below me.


    I ignored both of their protests, ¡°Beako! Use my blood! Don¡¯t just call upon your Yin magic, reach for the void!¡±


    I could feel Beako¡¯s tiny body trembling above me, but due to anger or worry, I couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Fine then, I suppose. If Subaru is willing to go to this length for it, I won¡¯t contest you, I suppose!¡± Beatrice¡¯s resolve hardened, and great rivers of blood poured out from the punctures in my arm.


    The blood flowed high into the air, forming into a ball, and then Beako stopped pulling more blood out. I could already feel Rem running over to my injured arm, trying unsuccessfully to cast healing magic.


    ¡°This much will be enough, in fact!¡± Beako shouted triumphantly, ¡°Now, Subaru! Again!¡±


    The blood shimmered in the air, a purple sheen to the otherwise red substance. The void within it called out to me. More than that, the source of tiny, wonderful magic on my head called out to me, something connecting our very souls.


    ¡°B-M-T!¡± We shouted together again, the blood snapping out of existence with a crack of displaced air.


    A shockwave crashed through me, forcing me to dig my claws into the ground for support¡ª the trees around us bending down and snapping like twigs in a wave. Beako¡¯s fingers dug into my scales, and Rem hugged onto my giant arm for dear life. I closed my eyes against the force of the wind.


    And then, it was over. Mana returned to the world in force¡ª vibrancy and life suddenly filling me in a way I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d missed. Atop my crown, Beatrice let out a relieved breath.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°It¡¯s over, I suppose.¡±


    Around us, not a hint of the miasma remained.


    ¡°Subaru!¡± Rem snapped underneath me, causing me to angle my neck and head down to look at her with one eye. She slapped me on the arm, surprisingly, with enough force to sting. ¡°Don¡¯t injure yourself like that!¡±


    ¡°Scolded by my Rem! And she didn¡¯t even call me Subaru-kun!¡± I flinched in feigned agony.


    Then, Rem wrapped her entire body around my leg in an embrace. ¡°I¡¯m just glad Subaru-kun is alright.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to worry you in the future.¡±


    ¡°Hm! None of this would have happened if Subaru had stayed with Betty, in fact!¡±


    ¡°I get it, don¡¯t go running off from my favorite girls. You two have drilled that into my brain.¡±


    ¡°Wawawa... Your girl?¡± Beako mumbled atop my head.


    ¡°Yes, Rem is Subaru¡¯s.¡± Rem easily agreed, in stark contrast to Beako¡¯s flustered self.


    ¡°Subaru-kun?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Rem-rin?¡±


    ¡°Can you turn back into yourself now?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. My bad.¡±


    In a flash, I transformed back into a human, all thoughts of biting and mounting Rem disappearing at the same time. Well, the mounting part remained, but the biting part diminished. Probably.


    The suddenness of the transformation caused Beako to suddenly start falling out of the sky with a shriek, but I easily caught her in my arms a moment later.


    ¡°Hm!¡± She barely had time to pout before a dainty snowflake fell right on her nose, causing Beako to adorably scrunch her face from the cold.


    I looked up at the sky, only just now noticing the storm clouds overhead. In the opposite direction, behind us, a massive roar shook through the treetops.


    ¡°Garfiel is still fighting Elsa?¡± I asked aloud.


    ¡°That vampire will not be defeated so easily, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Rem¡ª¡± I began, but she immediately cut me off. She tackled into me with a tight squeeze, squishing Beako in between us, much to her protests, and nearly throwing us all to the ground.


    ¡°No! You aren¡¯t sending Rem away again!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay! Got it.¡± I laughed under my breath. ¡°You know, he probably wouldn¡¯t want us to come swooping in to handle things for him, either. We¡¯ll just have to trust that he¡¯ll win. Besides, if that snowstorm is what I think it is, we need to protect the village.¡±


    ¡°Betty can confirm Subaru¡¯s fears, I suppose. The mana in the village will certainly be enough to attract one of the great three mabeasts.¡±


    ¡°Oh, goodie. Alrighty then, everyone! Bundle together!¡± I wrapped my arms around both girls, pulling them in tightly.


    ¡°Beako?¡±


    ¡°No need to ask me, I suppose.¡±


    And then we were flying through the sky, a streak of violet magic surrounding us and trailing behind like a comet.


    ¡°I see the source of the mana, I suppose!¡± Beako called out, her form blurring at the edges as we were wrapped in her magic¡ª almost ethereal in this comet-like flight spell.


    ¡°Land us!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The next moment, the three of us were all standing outside the entrance to the ruin inlaid into a cliff wall.


    ¡°Nee-sama...¡± Rem spoke softly.


    ¡°Ram¡¯s in there?¡± I asked.


    Rem nodded her head and hmed in confirmation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± A feminine voice echoed from the entrance. A moment later, Ram¡¯s pink head appeared from the darkness. Her face was puffy, and tears streaked down her cheeks. But, she was standing and walking¡ª all under her own strength.


    Rem ran forward to embrace her sister, the two of them colliding with a woomf.


    ¡°Nothing of importance is in there. More importantly, Barusu: Emilia and the villagers are in danger,¡± Ram explained, her head over Rem¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°The source of the blizzard?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Destroyed,¡± Ram said simply.


    I nodded my head. ¡°Alright, everyone aboard the Beako train!¡±


    ¡°Betty¡¯s Subaru is talking nonsense again, I suppose.¡±


    I patted her head, ruffling her hair. ¡°I¡¯ll explain what a train is to you later; don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Beako smiled with joy before catching herself and fake-complaining about the headpats.


    Once Rem and Ram were holding onto Beako and me, Beako launched us through the air again. Ram quickly found the villagers and Emilia with her clairvoyance.


    We landed in front of the trial chamber with a streak of violet light. By now, the sun had long set, our magical landing drawing everyone¡¯s attention¡ª except for Emilia, who even now was focused on protecting the villagers behind her back.


    A horde of horned rabbits stood outside the trial chamber, wave after wave, attempting to make their way into the trial chamber and the juicy meat inside.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, haven¡¯t you, Emilia?¡± I said from behind her back. ¡°If the villagers are in the trial chamber, then you must have finished the trials, huh?¡± I shook my head ruefully; I had never truly expected Emilia to overcome the trials on the first attempt. Honestly, I was shocked but also glad.


    The moment Emilia heard my voice, she sagged in relief, nearly collapsing where she stood. I rushed forward, catching her before she hit the ground. ¡°Oops!¡± I said as I delicately held her to me.


    ¡°Minya!¡± I heard Beako already casting magic, but I trusted her to protect us for a few moments.


    ¡°Subaru?¡± Emilia¡¯s lips were purple, the tips of her hair frozen together. Her legs had ice crawling up them, and her finger felt ice cold as she reached up to touch my cheek.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Subaru. I¡¯ll take it from here.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Emilia agreed, a big smile stretching across her lips despite how exhausted she must be. ¡°You came to save me again.¡± Her teeth chattered, and her body shivered in my arms. ¡°I knew you would. I was waiting.¡± Something glinted in her eyes, but I had trouble making out what it was exactly.


    Ram walked up beside me and gently took Emilia from my arms. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Emilia-sama. I leave the Insatiable Hare to you and Beatrice.¡± A portal appeared beside Ram before she jumped through with Emilia in her arms.


    Beako walked up to stand next to me, her tiny hand reaching up to grasp mine. Rem followed close behind, standing just behind me and to the left.


    ¡°So, Beako, can we beat this bad Holy Grail reference?¡±


    ¡°Betty has no idea what a ¡®holy grail¡¯ is, I suppose. And, I¡¯ve almost used all of the magic I had stored up for over 400 years. In addition, I have an inexperienced contractor with a pitiful gate, a horde of people to protect, and I¡¯m up against one of the three famous great mabeasts.¡± Beako grinned. ¡°Those conditions will be a good handicap, in fact.¡±

 Chapter 28

    Beatrice clutched tightly at my hand, our palms slightly sweaty as we stared at the horde before us. ¡°What should I do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just hold Betty¡¯s hand, I suppose. And, if you can spare it, your void breath. Just breathe it right at me, in fact. I¡¯ll absorb it without issue, in fact.¡±


    I looked at her skeptically, ¡°It destroys everything it touches.¡± I pointed out with a raised brow.


    ¡°Hm! Praise me! I¡¯m so amazing I already analyzed it entirely, in fact! Now, don¡¯t hesitate!¡±


    ¡°Ah yeah! Beako is the best!¡±


    ¡°Praise me more, in fact!¡± She smiled and raised her chin haughtily.


    The rattling of chains sounded right next to my ear, followed by something flying past my face. A second later, a loud splat rang out as Rem¡¯s flail impacted a rabbit that had gotten just a bit too close. ¡°No time for flirting!¡± Rem shouted, ¡°Subaru-kun, Beatrice!¡± She flung out the flail again, killing more rabbits that were getting too close.


    ¡°No need to tell me twice! Beako, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied simply, not even using her normal affectations. She nodded her head and looked into my eyes with a serious expression.


    ¡°Alright.¡± I inhaled, sucking in as much air as could fit in my lungs. Only after they were full to bursting did I let out an exhale¡ª and along with it, a plume of deep purple fire.


    It felt different, using the flames in my human form¡ª lesser somehow. They impacted against Beatrice, only for her to easily backhand the flames and redirect them; they swirled in a mesmerizing display, separating and spinning around her in a helix spiral. Then, she grinned.


    ¡°Il Shamak!¡± Her grin became manic, the flames swirling around her going dead still, framing around her like a painting.


    Then, all of the flames vanished at once, gone without a trace. In their stead, a purple ball formed in Beatrice¡¯s hand, no larger than a small pebble.


    ¡°Beako, what is that?¡±


    She ignored me, still intent on the tiny piece of magic in her hand. She laughed like a lunatic, the tiny purple stone in her hand glowing with increasing ferocity. With a wave of that hand, the pebble began floating slowly forward. It drifted through the air like a boat through a stream, slowly meandering but never stopping. It made contact with the first rabbit¡ª the horned mabeast instantly vanishing as if it never existed.


    This prompted more laughter from Beatrice, making me look at her in slight worry. ¡°Beako?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Just watch, I suppose. And you!¡± She pointed at Rem. ¡°Grab onto me and Subaru, and don¡¯t let go.¡± Beatrice abruptly turned around and cast her hand out at the villagers, ¡°Minya!¡± She shouted, purple crystals flying out from her hands and hitting the top and bottom of the entryway¡ª completely encasing the villagers within the trial chamber but not directly injuring any of them. Then she turned back out to watch the Insatiable Hare.


    The next second, Rem did as instructed and wrapped an arm around me and Beatrice, bracing for... something.


    ¡°Oi, Beako? Why do I get the feeling that something really crazy is about to happen?¡±


    ¡°Because it will, in fact! Just watch.¡± She smiled again.


    Then, that purple pebble stopped moving, just floating out there in the middle of the field of rabbits. Without warning, the pebble expanded instantly, easily becoming twenty feet in diameter. With it came a great lurch in my stomach, as if I was somehow falling, even though my feet were anchored to the ground. I lost my footing and slipped, but Rem¡¯s grip on me held strong as she dug her feet into the stone below us. Beatrice was being held underneath Rem¡¯s other arm, laughing like crazy.


    I looked back out to the uncountable hordes of the Insatiable Hare, watching with wide eyes as rabbit after rabbit got sucked into the giant purple vortex. All of the snow falling through the air changed trajectory¡ª now swirling like an icy storm into the manifested black hole. The snow on the ground started defying gravity, flying up into the air and toward the black hole. Then it was the dirt¡¯s turn, all of the dirt near the black hole getting sucked straight toward the vortex, mixing with the flying icy slush and bodies of rabbits. Everything near the black hole became so much muddy, icy, chunky salsa¡ª blood and guts swirling around and freezing as they, too, vanished into the black hole.


    A giant crater quickly began forming underneath the black hole, but that was the very least of the devastation. Chunks of rock from the trial chamber began breaking free and flying at super-speeds toward the black hole. The trees around the clearing began to creak and bend ominously, a few of the smaller ones becoming uprooted entirely as they, too, flew through the air and succumbed to Beatrice¡¯s magic. An intense roar of wind flew past my ears¡ª as if I was sticking my head out of a car window. An uncountable number of rabbits lost their footing and got sucked up by the black hole for an uncountable number of minutes.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The entire time, Rem just braced us against the ground with her inhuman strength. It felt like down was sideways¡ª as if the direction of the black hole ought to be where the ground was. It made me sick, making me feel halfway upside down.


    Meanwhile, Beatrice just kept laughing maniacally, her drills sucking in toward the black hole but not actually moving anywhere since they were attached to her head.


    Finally, it ended. The few trees and slabs of rock that had still been flying through the air dropped and impacted against the ground with their forward momentum, causing great gouts of dirt to spray up into the air like mines going off.


    Beako wiggled out from Rem¡¯s grip, her tiny flats clicking against the torn-up stone floor. ¡°Subaru, Subaru! Did you see that? Betty always wanted to try that spell, but there was never enough mana to do so, in fact!¡± She hopped up and down in excitement, her drills and dress slightly flying in the air.


    ¡°Oh... Yeah, that was amazing all right. Horrifying too. I think I peed Rem¡¯s pants.¡±


    Rem frantically looked down at her skirt-covered legs with mild panic before seemingly coming to a realization. ¡°Rem doesn¡¯t wear pants!¡± She pointed out.


    I burst out laughing, the adrenaline from the moment prior mixing with Rem¡¯s panicked outburst until I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. I wiped at the corners of my eyes where tears of laughter had formed before letting out a big sigh. ¡°Beako, kindly never do that again.¡±


    She scowled at me but didn¡¯t complain.


    Looking back out into the field, there was nothing but utter devastation. A massive crater had formed in the earth, and many of the trees from the surroundings had vanished. Most importantly, not a single trace of the Insatiable Hare remained.


    ¡°Did we get all of them?¡± I asked aloud, praying to Murphy.


    ¡°We did, I suppose. Betty would know if I had missed any.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t smell any of the Mabeasts, either,¡± Rem said.


    ¡°Well, if Rem¡¯s cute nose says so, it must be true.¡±


    Beako walked over and pulled on my sleeve. ¡°Betty is cute too, in fact.¡± She looked up into my eyes pleadingly.


    I smiled, ¡°That¡¯s true! Beako¡ª¡± I lifted her underneath her arms and brandished her toward the sky, ¡°Is the cutest!¡±


    I could hear a commotion in the trial chambers behind me, making me turn my head around. ¡°Beako, it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to get rid of those crystals, would it?¡±


    Beatrice¡¯s smile faltered, still up in the air where I held her.


    ¡°Right?¡± I questioned again.


    Beako slowly creaked her head toward the trial chambers and gulped.


    It ended up just being simpler to blow a new hole in one of the walls rather than try to dismantle the dangerous Minya crystals blockading the main doorway. After a few warnings to clear the area, Rem blasted apart chunks of stone until a new, ragged entranceway was created. The villagers quickly began filing out after that.


    ¡°Subaru!¡± Petra, an orange-haired village girl, came running out from the dark trial chamber with her arms high in the air.


    She crashed into my lower legs and wrapped herself around me in a fierce hug, forcing me to drop Beako¡¯s hand as I returned Petra¡¯s embrace. ¡°Subaru! It was so scary!¡± Petra looked up at my face with big eyes.


    ¡°Yosh, yosh! It¡¯ll all be okay now.¡± I reassured her, gently patting her head. ¡°It¡¯s all taken care of now.¡±


    ¡°Who is this limpet clinging to my Subaru, I wonder?¡± Beako grumpily asked from beside me.


    ¡°Beako, this is Petra. I¡¯d like you to try and be friends with her if you can.¡±


    ¡°Hm! Betty only needs Subaru, in fact.¡±


    Petra looked at Beako with glassy eyes, making Beako falter. ¡°But, I suppose I can make an exception... this time.¡±


    ¡°Careful, Beako, your dere~dere is showing again.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    I looked past Petra and the rest of the villagers and refugees, filing out deeper from the chamber. A herd of pink-haired girls were meandering at the back of the trial chamber, one of them wearing black clothes compared to the white clothing of the rest of them.


    I gently pried Petra away from my legs and passed her to Beako. ¡°Be good and watch over each other for a minute, okay? Beako, keep an eye on my back, but otherwise, don¡¯t interfere.¡±


    From my left side, Rem gently put her hand into mine. ¡°Rem is coming with you.¡±


    Glancing at her determined expression, I replied, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡±


    Then, my right hand was suddenly grabbed onto as well.


    ¡°Betty must teach her contractor not to separate from his mightiest asset, in fact. Don¡¯t try and stop me.¡±


    I chuckled ruefully. ¡°Got it, I won¡¯t be convincing either of you to stand behind and watch anyway, will I?¡±


    ¡°Of course not / I won¡¯t.¡± Beako and Rem said, respectively.


    ¡°Beatrice,¡± I began seriously. ¡°I really think it would be best if you stay out of this one,¡± I warned for the final time.


    ¡°Betty will not leave your side, in fact.¡± Her grip on my hand tightened.


    ¡°Alright. Time to go talk with a Witch.¡±


    I stepped forward, both girls in lockstep with me and holding either of my hands, Rem on the left and Beako on the right. I heard scurrying behind me and looked back only to see Petra following close behind and peeking her head around and over Beako.


    ¡°Subaru?¡± Petra spoke up from behind me. ¡°Did the Ryuzu-s do something bad?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯re innocent. But, Petra, shouldn¡¯t you be with your parents?¡±


    ¡°Nowhere is safer than behind Subaru¡¯s back!¡± Petra cheerfully exclaimed.


    I let out a sigh, I really would have preferred to not be responsible for this child while confronting a Witch.


    ¡°Beatrice, can you send her through the portal for now?¡±


    The portal spawned right behind Petra as she asked, ¡°What portal?¡±


    ¡°Petra, when you get inside, ask Ram to check on Garfiel for me, will you?¡±


    Then, Beako waved her free hand, sending Petra gently floating backward into the safety of my Sweet Home, much to her squeaky protests.


    ¡°Two less things to worry about now.¡±


    We continued walking, the placeholder pink clones parting before me like the sea; my steps unerringly brought me closer to Ryuzu Shima. Or, perhaps, if my guess was right, Omega. I stopped directly in front of her and let go of Rem¡¯s hand. She took one hesitant step back, and then I thrust my hand forward as fast as I could, tearing the crystal out of the collar of her jacket and into my hand. It felt warm to the touch.

 Chapter 29

    ¡°O-oh! Suu-boy, you know it¡¯s not kind to be so forceful with an old woman, right?¡± Despite her nonchalant words and the way she attempted to brush off my actions as nothing, her wide eyes and trembling lips gave away her fear completely. I wondered for a moment if Echidna had ever known true fear¡ª normally, she was the perfect manipulator and actress, never letting her emotions get the best of her. It almost made me feel sorry for her.


    I ignored Omega for now, instead focusing intently on the crystal in my palm. Something bounced hard against Soul Defense, and a similar force bounced off of Mind Defense a moment later. Yep, this was the soul crystal housing the Castle of Dreams¡ª I was quite certain of that now.


    Beako tugged on my hand, and I spared a moment to look back down at her horror-torn face. My mind made up, I squeezed Beako¡¯s hand once with affection¡ª I had no idea how she would react to the coming revelations, but in either case, I wanted her to know that I was here for her. Perhaps she already knew, if her falling face was anything to go by.


    ¡°Quit the act, Echidna. Ryuzu wouldn¡¯t have such a terrified look on her face, you know? She¡¯s already come to trust me. Just look at your fellow clones.¡±


    Indeed, the other three sentient Ryuzus looked at the proceedings with surprise, but none had so much as a hint of fear.


    Omega waved through the air with the back of her palm, ¡°Suu-boy, what are you talking about?¡± She¡¯d done a much better job of hiding her fear this time, probably in direct reaction to my words. But, there was one thing she couldn¡¯t hide from¡ª the absolute smell of terror radiating off of her, known only to my draconic senses.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play with me, Echidna.¡± I grabbed onto the front of her jacket, pulling her in close and towering over her.


    Her face cracked, and then her voice came out much deeper. Beatrice gasped, recognizing her mother¡¯s voice. ¡°You¡¯ve ruined it, ruined it, ruined it, ruined it! You¡¯ve ruined everything!¡± She shouted into the cave, still trembling under my grip on her jacket¡ª but from anger too, not just fear.


    ¡°Everything I¡¯ve worked for! To escape the dragon, to live and see the world again! You¡¯ve ruined everything!¡± Her hoarse shouts echoed through the former trial chamber.


    ¡°At first, I was so happy! I thought I¡¯d found the ultimate answer to my endless curiosity¡ª your authority granted by the Witch of Envy herself! But you changed. Something happened, didn¡¯t it? All of a sudden, all of my dreams began crumbling around me as so much dust. The future!¡± She screamed hysterically, ¡°The future that should have been set in stone, through my follower¡¯s actions, reduced to nothing!!!¡± She let out one brief huff of exasperated laughter, ¡°It¡¯s so unfair! Completely, utterly, absolutely, ridiculously unfair! What even are you?!¡± She practically demanded but continued her tirade before I could possibly answer, ¡°Some kind of being related to him, no doubt! I hate you.¡± Omega brought one hand up to furiously grasp onto my wrist, trembling under my grip, which held her jacket. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just leave me alone? Every route, every careful stipulation, every meticulous plan... Each path led to dust! To ruin! Nothing I did allowed me to escape from this fate.¡± She sobbed, glancing wildly around the room as if searching for escape, before she re-met my gaze, ¡°Many mortals vomit upon so much as seeing me, you know? I finally understand what those people felt¡ª since it¡¯s the way I feel about you!¡±


    ¡°You are an evil sociopath, exploiting those who love you for your own gain.¡± I pointed out calmly. I wasn¡¯t sure how Beako would react to those words, so I looked at her briefly.


    Beako hadn¡¯t let go of my hand, but she seemed torn in some way, looking between the two of us with constantly moving eyes. I let go of her hand and pulled her in, squishing her face and chest into my side. I rubbed soothing circles on her back.


    Omega continued, ¡°You, it¡¯s all your fault! Everything... My curiosity will never be satisfied! Because of you!¡± She laughed again, a pathetic sound. ¡°Because¡ª what you are going to do to me...¡± She let out a longer sob this time, tears even beginning to form at the corner of her eyes, ¡°Everything is just darkness, isn¡¯t it? Cold, metal, darkness. For eternity. Until you take everything I have and I exist as no more than a tool for your own curiosity. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been reduced to, isn¡¯t it? A toy of knowledge.¡± She completely broke down crying then, even going so far as to hit and whack my arm in terror and anger fueled ferocity. After she realized that was pointless, she just limply flopped, her body held on by nothing more than my unyielding grip, her sobs coming quickly and hopelessly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a curious thing, what your authority showed you, is it not? Perhaps, a perfect ending for one such as you. Left to languish without ever being able to satisfy your own greed while at the same time endlessly supplying mine,¡± I said.


    I noticed Beako lift her head up and look at me, an unwritten plea in her eyes. I smiled down at her in response.


    ¡°But, seeing as how you¡¯ve become somewhat more human through this experience, I¡¯d like to give you a chance.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Omega stared at me with hate, but something impossibly bright flickered in her eyes¡ª an ember of hope.


    ¡°Explain to Beatrice exactly what you did to her and why you did it to her.¡± I wanted to let the words hang in the air for a moment, but Omega jumped onto this opportunity so fast that I barely finished the last syllable of my previous sentence before she began rapidly spitting out words to Beako.


    ¡°Yes! I gave you the book and told you to wait for a fake person! Your, ¡®that person,¡¯ never truly existed!¡± Her explanation tumbled out, ravingly mad. Each word she spoke seemed to break Beatrice inside with splintering fractures, ¡°It was all to satisfy my own curiosity! I wanted to see what you would do, would you die of loneliness? Choose your own person to leave the library with? Would you leave and become independent all on your own? I had no idea what you would choose! And that excited me; I just wanted to know what would happen.¡±


    At the end of it, Beako was trembling against my side, no longer willing to look Omega in the eyes. She just pushed her head into my side, tears spilling out and wetting my shirt.


    ¡°Betty doesn¡¯t want to hear anymore, in fact!¡± She shouted.


    Omega looked up at me with a supremely hopeful gaze, not unlike a child who had been promised something sweet if they behaved. ¡°There, I told her the truth; you¡¯ll let me go now, right? Truly?¡±


    I shook my head, causing Omega¡¯s brightly hopeful eyes to become clouded in an instant. ¡°Now, apologize to my Beako,¡± I heavily emphasized my next words while pulling her closer to my face, lifting her tiny body off the ground by my grip on her jacket. Our faces nearly touched as I stared into her eyes. ¡°And you have to mean it.¡±


    Omega hiccupped once, then looked away from my stern gaze to her daughter below, ¡°I-¡± her voice cracked, ¡°Beatrice, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She spoke, her tone not giving anything away. ¡°You, Beatrice, you believe me, right?¡± Omega spoke softly, desperately, ¡°Beatrice, dear daughter, you believe me, right?¡±


    ¡°Betty...¡± Beako rubbed her face into my side. ¡°Betty...I suppose.¡± The middle of her sentence cut off under a mumble too quiet to hear.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Omega hopefully asked, ¡°You believe me, right? You said you believe me, right?¡±


    ¡°Dear mother is the one who made me suffer for 400 years?¡± Beako asked the world, heartbroken.


    ¡°But, you forgive me, right?¡± Omega replied quickly, desperately grabbing onto strings.


    ¡°Betty... does not forgive, I suppose. Betty could never forgive or forget, I suppose.¡±


    The executioner¡¯s sword swung, leaving the witch of greed¡¯s neck empty of a head.


    ¡°You heard your daughter, Echidna,¡± I said, ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s cold and metal for the foreseeable future.¡±


    ¡°No! No!!!¡± She screeched into the trial chamber, her voice resonating with the stones so loudly that Rem, on my other side, brought her hands up to cover her ears.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± She shouted, then brandished a hand at me, ¡°AL GO¡ª¡± Her voice and everything else were cut off by the most simple of spells from her dearest daughter.


    ¡°Shamak,¡± Great Spirit Beatrice said quietly into my shirt before the world went black.


    When the world returned, Omega was lying on the floor, tied up like a burrito in an absurd amount of purple coiling ropes, her mouth gagged and hands tied behind her back. She screamed into her bindings and wriggled desperately, to no avail.


    I leaned over to whisper into my lover¡¯s ear, ¡°Rem, can you put her in the dungeon with Meili?¡±


    There was no need to worry Beako about any more of this unpleasantness, and I already suspected a large amount of cuddles would be needed to restore Beako¡¯s normal upbeat attitude.


    ¡°And, maybe you could let Beako stay with me for tonight?¡± I added on.


    ¡°Yes, Subaru-kun,¡± Rem lightly bowed her head to me, just a fraction of an inch.


    ¡°Betty would enjoy... that very much, I suppose.¡± Her crying still came out in quiet tears as she held both tiny hands tightly onto me¡ª as if I might disappear at any moment.


    I picked her up gently and held her bodily against me, supporting her with my hip. The portal to our Sweet Home opened a second later, probably in tune with Beako¡¯s will¡ª I certainly didn¡¯t have the hands free to open the portal, and Rem was preoccupied with picking up a wriggling purple-roped burrito.


    The rest of the Ryuzus just watched with wide eyes as Rem brought her through the portal, Beatrice and I stepping through after her a moment later. After we crossed the threshold to the front lawn, I gently let Beako back down on the ground, much to her protests.


    ¡°You should keep holding Betty, in fact!¡± She said quite loudly.


    ¡°Beatrice, there¡¯s more things I need to do back in Sanctuary, and someone needs to explain things to the Villagers and Refugees.¡±


    Someone came bursting out the front door, the white, overly modernist door swinging with a clang as it hit against the side of the house.


    ¡°Tch! Ya don¡¯ need ta worry ¡®bout the villagers, leave ¡®em to me.¡± Garfiel came tumbling out of the front door, holding one of his arms that hung limply, his entire body covered in bleeding cuts¡ª even his left eye puffy and forced shut.


    ¡°Garf, you idiot.¡± Ram quickly hurried after him, ¡°You are in no position to help anyone. Sit down and let me treat your wounds. Stop running around pointlessly.¡±


    ¡°Bah! Let me see my people, woman! Where even are we?¡± He shook his head, ¡°Sides, you haven¡¯t gotten the right ta boss my amazin¡¯ self around since ya chose someone else to stay by your side, ain¡¯t that right?¡± He glared at Ram with his one functional eye. ¡°Wounds like these¡¯ll clear right up with my earth spirit blessin¡¯. It¡¯s like Regulus and the storm, ya know?¡±


    His words held a certain amount of weight, some of the scratches visibly receding as he stood on the front lawn. He barreled over to me and next to the portal, looking out of it.


    ¡°So thas how ya always disappear so sudden like, huh? Neat trick.¡± Then, he stepped through the portal to talk with the villagers.


    Ram loudly let out a huff of frustration. ¡°Idiot.¡±


    ¡°Betty is going to her room, don¡¯t disturb her, I suppose.¡± Then, she turned to look at me with hopeful but tear-streaked eyes. ¡°But, I guess it¡¯s okay if it¡¯s Subaru.¡± Then she marched off.


    I would join her later, make sure that she had someone to hold tonight, though just for comfort since anything else would be inappropriate while she¡¯s grieving, but there was something else that needed to be done first¡ª something that really couldn¡¯t wait.

 Chapter 30

    I once more walked through Sanctuary¡¯s trial chamber, though this time it was dead silent. Garfiel must have properly gotten the villagers back to their homes. I¡¯d take care of the refugees in the morning, but as long as he¡¯d found a safe place for them to spend the night, that¡¯d be good enough. The Ryuzus weren¡¯t here either, so it was just me and the cold dead stone of the trial chamber.


    Fairly soon, I reached the final doorway¡ª the one Emilia must have gotten through after she¡¯d finished the last trial. Sitting within a glass case was Echidna¡¯s true body. Her white hair was the same color as snow, and stray pieces drifted over her face as if in the breeze. Though I knew the case was fully enclosed, so any movement could be attributed to lingering magic in the air. I knew that if this corpse could open its eyes, Echidna would have pitch-black eyes.


    I punched straight through the glass, causing it to shatter into tiny pieces and rain upon the witch within. After the glass finished settling, I brushed the pieces off of Echidna¡¯s body and onto either side of her¡ª off onto the padding. From there, it was a simple thing to pick her body up and out of the magical coffin. I scooped underneath her legs and back, picking her up into a princess carry. I took a moment to just observe her body¡ª curiously, she still felt warm, though without breathe or a pulse, I knew she wasn¡¯t just asleep. Her head lolled to the side, her body completely limp within my arms.


    ¡°Beako,¡± I spoke into the silence, ¡°If you can hear me, can I get a portal?¡±


    The dark room remained undisturbed, the latent magic in the air tingling slightly against my skin. I waited another moment, but it seemed Beako either couldn¡¯t hear me from within the Sweet Home or she wasn¡¯t paying attention. Something to test out later, but otherwise, I set the idea aside for now.


    With a heave, I threw Echidna over my right shoulder like a sack of potatoes. One quick summon of my company phone into my other hand later, and I brought Echidna¡¯s body into my Sweet Home.


    I wanted to hurry up since I knew Beako was still waiting for me. With that thought in mind, I hurried into the sweet home and then down the basement stairs. Each step down the hard concrete stairs, I just had one thought in mind; I couldn¡¯t wait to spend some quality time with Beako! I wouldn¡¯t let these chores get in the way of my Beako time for long.


    After I made my way into the basement, I took a quick look around. This was actually my first time down here, so the view was still novel for me. I knew there had to be some kind of dungeon around here somewhere, but beyond that, I hadn¡¯t known what to expect.


    It was boring all things considered. A lot of empty space¡ª presumably here for me to fill it out with stuff as I needed it? Either way, it was empty for now, just a lot of concrete: floors, walls, and ceiling. The room felt cold, too. Perfect for a cellar. Or dungeon.


    The back wall was lined with cells, not unlike a stereotypical jail you might see in something like Shawshank Redemption. Except, these cells didn¡¯t have any furniture either. It was just a lot of cold concrete and metal bars.


    The cold emptiness stretched across the back wall, except for the middle cell¡ª that one had a pink-haired girl. She stared out from between the bars, her eyes wide and locked directly onto me.


    ¡°Let me out.¡± She said, tone neutral with a hint of something deeper. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kinda creeping me out there, Echidna.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one carrying a dead body into a jail cell with a little girl.¡± She retorted, equally as neutral.


    ¡°Well anyway, I don¡¯t have time to deal with you,¡± I said dismissively, ¡°Beako is waiting for me.¡± I walked up to her cell. ¡°Step away from the door,¡± I commanded.


    She didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± I shrugged.


    I grabbed the bars of the door, swinging it inward toward me. Immediately, Omega tried to scamper away, but I just nudged her harshly back into the cell with my foot.


    She fell on her butt fairly hard, but, unlike a real little girl, she didn¡¯t cry or anything else. She just kept staring at me with those wide neutral eyes.


    I shrugged off Echidna¡¯s old corpse and let it drop to the ground, sharing the cell with the new Echidna/Omega.


    After her body finished limply collapsing on the ground, Omega spoke up, ¡°Let me out,¡± she requested once again.


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything you want if you let me out.¡±


    I crouched down to be at eye level with her where she sat on the cold concrete. ¡°In that case, vacate Ryuzu Shima¡¯s body immediately and retreat into the soul crystal.¡± I took the Castle of Dreams soul crystal out from my sweatpants pocket, brandishing it into the air. ¡°Get out of Garfiel¡¯s grandma and I¡¯ll consider giving you more privileges than just this cold dark cell.¡±Stolen story; please report.


    She kept staring at me, utterly impassive. Just as I began to assume she had nothing more to say, her head tilted up to the ceiling and she began laughing madly. Her dark, hysteric laughter chilled my blood and creeped me out.


    ¡°Fine then!¡± She said, somewhat loud for this cramped echoing space.


    Immediately after, Ryuzu Shima¡¯s body collapsed suddenly, utterly limp. But, I could see her still breathing, so I hoped her soul and mind were still intact. Garfiel was gonna be ecstatic¡ª assuming Echidna didn¡¯t scour Shima¡¯s mind to make room for her own.


    I sighed. ¡°You really are making me do more chores before I can go spend some quality time with Beako, aren¡¯t you?¡± I complained aloud. I knew Echidna could hear me, even if she was in the Castle of Dreams.


    I palmed the soul crystal in my hand. ¡°Well, for everyone involved, you better hope this works, Echidna.¡±


    Kneeling over Echidna¡¯s original corpse, I used one hand to roughly pull up the top of her sleeve¡ª enough that her wrist was exposed. The stamp appeared in my hand immediately, I could feel how eagerly it wanted to be used. So, I did so. I stamped Echidna¡¯s old corpse, wondering what would happen.


    Would the stamp do nothing, since this was just a dead body? Would it ¡®capture¡¯ Echidna¡ª and if so, would I be able to give her Company perks or not? Would I have to wait until I could use a resurrection on her?


    I pulled the stamp away from her skin, immediately looking under the stamp and onto her bare, pale skin. Upon her arm, lay a now familiar symbol of a purple dragon, the rest of the stamp quickly filling in on the borders with more esoteric symbols. I vaguely recognized two of the three outlying symbols, all of them reflecting Echidna¡¯s past in some way. Some kind of tree-looking image, a white dragon, and a black book. Those last two were obvious, at least.


    Its purpose complete, at least for now, the stamp vanished from my hand¡ª banished back to the ?ther from which it came. I palmed my Company phone instead, scrolling through the options. Body talent was pretty easy to find at this point, it was my most purchased perk, after all. I bought it for Echidna and used the settings to make her shorter, 5¡¯2¡±. What? I thought it¡¯d be funny. She was evil, I tried to justify to myself. I could do what I wanted to her. Except abuse or mind control¡ª no unjust or unusual punishments and all that. More importantly, I used one of the two full-body heals, pressing the button and then staring down at her unmoving (but shorter) corpse.


    I waited patiently, hoping that this would work. If I had to wait for a resurrection, I¡¯m pretty sure her body would start rotting before I could afford it.


    Echidna sat up with a gasp, her eyes opening and scanning the room desperately. I didn¡¯t care too much either way, honestly. I didn¡¯t trust her, even with the loyalty-enforcing stamp. I already knew from cannon that her idea of ¡®loyalty¡¯ could involve decades of subjective time¡¯s worth of torture and death.


    I looked back down at my Company phone, checking to make sure she didn¡¯t have any access to Company assets, such as being able to summon my stamp or phone herself. I found the settings and toggled them off for her. She wouldn¡¯t be escaping because I was stupid enough to let her use my phone to portal out of here.


    Still gathering her wits, Echidna continued to stare around the room, before her eyes settled on me, her breaths coming heavy. She smiled at me and rose her hand into the air, ¡°Al Go¡ª¡± she tried to shout out, before choking on her own spell. She sputtered on the ground, clutching at her chest as it heaved.


    I chuckled at the sight, amused by her efforts to smite me now that she had returned to her original, powerful body. ¡°Loyalty stamp will do that to ya!¡± I pointed out with a smile. ¡°Get used to it. I¡¯ll also make sure no one else comes down here to see you.¡±


    Her hand clamped around the front of her sleeve, where she stared down at the symbol marking her. I could hear her teeth clenching. Under her breath, with no small amount of malice tinging her words, she spoke, ¡°You promised to let me out of here if I vacated the clone¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°Naw, I promised to give you more privileges. Honestly, you aren¡¯t doing a great job of selling the idea to me, trying to blast me away with fire magic the second I bring you back to life.¡±


    ¡°We both know the fate I have here with you is infinitely more terrible than what I had as a soul in a crystal,¡± she spat out at me, hate in her eyes.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± I tentatively agreed with her. ¡°In either case, I think I¡¯ll let you stew here for another night or two. I¡¯ve got places to be!¡± The thought of going upstairs to comfort Beako took over again, excitement coursing and dancing through my chest.


    I practically hopped over to Ryuzu Shima, still in quite a good mood.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Echidna spoke up, now kneeling in a seiza position on the concrete floor. ¡°Leave her here. Her Od has been damaged from my intrusion.¡±


    ¡°What, and you¡¯re gonna heal her back together? I think Beako is better suited for it, and less likely to do something terrible.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± Echidna spat, ¡°She doesn¡¯t have the skill required to put a soul back together. Leave her with me until tomorrow and I promise I¡¯ll give Garfiel¡¯s grandmother back to him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re plotting something.¡± I raised a brow.


    ¡°Perhaps. Or perhaps this will give me a way to alleviate the boredom, at least temporarily.¡± She stared back at me.


    ¡°Naw, I¡¯m not leaving her here with you. That sounds like a fucking terrible idea.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a promise, to not hurt or harm Ryuzu Shima in any conceivable way, should you leave her here with me.¡± After her words, I saw and felt magic settle around the Witch of Greed, her torso glowing for a moment.


    ¡°A soul contract, huh?¡± It was just like the one Roswaal used in canon.


    I tapped my foot on the ground for a few moments, considering.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave her here with you for tonight.¡± I paused for a moment, then continued, ¡°Beako and I will come check on things in the morning.¡±


    Echidna just smiled, up at me. On the surface, her smile looked innocently sweet, but behind that mask I knew lay the most frightening of monsters.


    ¡°And, tomorrow, I¡¯ll figure out what you¡¯re scheming with this, too.¡±


    ¡°If you know I¡¯m scheming something, why let me heal Ryuzu at all?¡±


    I smiled a feral grin, draconic fangs showing, ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± I stared at her. After she didn¡¯t respond, I finished, ¡°Because it sounds like fun.¡±

 Wheres chapter 31?

    Hi everyone! I''ve decided to discontinue this story here on RoyalRoad. It''s just not the right audience for this kind of story, I guess, and it definitely flopped. I''ll be taking it down shortly.


    That being said, I know at least a few of you did enjoy this story! You can continue to read it on Fanfiction.net, it''s new home. Tap here for the link</a>.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Additionally, chapter 31 is also up on FF.net, so you can immediately go read the next chapter if you want! Lastly, here on RR I censored the story due to various factors. The version uploaded to FF.net will not be censored, so if you want to go back and read some of those other cut off chapters, be my guest!