The peaceful morning in the Roswall Manor was interrupted as the sound of a man screaming in terror echoed throughout the blue sky. The black haired man quickly sat up, clutching to his head as the sharp and immense pain that he received before dying was still fresh in his mind. He screams for help as terror filled his mind. Suddenly, he felt a pair of feminine hands grabbed onto him, trying to ease him from his distress. He tilts his head up, and even though his vision is quite blurry, he could quickly distinguish the young woman on his left. Her red eyes were filled in confusion as Shiro saw the weary and dreadful expression on his face. "W-Where … am I …" muttered Shiro as his cold sweat began to trickle down. "You're at Rosewall Manor, dear guest. Could you tell us what's wrong?" Ram asked as Shiro slowly turned his attention towards the younger maid beside him. The moment he saw Rem's face, he suddenly remembered the sound of chains before he died.

Something smashed my skull … an object with spikes …, and Rem was holding onto a morningstar at that very moment, Shiro said in his mind. Realizing who his killer was in the previous cycle, he instantly moved his eyes away from her. He clenches his teeth as he vividly remembered the feeling of his head being smashed into bits with one strike. He began wheezing, gasping for air as the twins began to panic. While the twins were trying to figure out what to do with their panicking guest, the sound of the door opening caught their attention. "Shiro? Are you up? Go- Wait. What's going on?!" Emilia said as the sight of Shiro in heavy distress alarmed her. The silver haired girl rushes to the man's side, inspecting his current condition.

"He woke up a few minutes earlier and began screaming and shouting in pain. We don't know what to do with him." Ram remarked as Emilia began to caress Shiro's hand while the man desperately held onto his temple. "There's no way that our healing magic could cause a side-effect in his system, right? Shh. It's fine, everything's going to be fine. I'm here now." Emilia said as she tries her best to soothe the distressed man. "Rem, you follow Emilia-sama's lead. Use your magic to … Rem?" Ram said as she notices her younger sister staring at Shiro with a lustreless look in her blue eyes. Her elder sister gave her a tap on her shoulder, which brings her back from her trance. "N-Nee-sama? What is it?" Rem asked. "Stop standing around and help Emilia-sama. Use your healing magic to soothe him as much as possible." Ram ordered as she lets out a sigh. Hesitant at first, Rem finally gives up and followed her elder sister's orders.

"Your hands are shaking, Shiro. What happened? Did you have a nightmare earlier?" Emilia asked as Rem began to lightly hold onto his hand. Shiro couldn't move an inch. His killer from the previous cycle is right beside him, but he's too shocked too move. He still can't accept that this innocent looking girl smashed his head, instead of helping him. I need … to get my card. I have to protect myself if she tries to do something, said Shiro within his , his stress is finally fading away, but he still can't breathe easy as Rem was still a few inches away from him. As the two girls noticed that he was breathing normally, they let go of his hands. "Are you okay now?" Emilia asked as Rem took some cautious steps away from Shiro. Her gaze was fixed on him and the black-haired man could feel it.

"I-I'm okay now, I guess. I just had … a very, very, bad nightmare." Shiro replied as he stares onto his shaking hands. "It's only a dream, silly. Whatever happened in your nightmare will never happen in reality, right, Rem?" Emilia asked as she turns her attention towards Rem. "A-Ah. Yes, Emilia-sama." Rem replied but with an abrupt tone in her voice. "C-Could you guys give me a second to fix my thoughts? That dream … really messed me up. Like it a Morningstar smashing my skull …" Shiro requested. His words caught Rem's attention as his eyes were focused on to her. She could see the fear and anxiety in his eyes. "Ah. Uh, sure. Go ahead. Do you want breakfast in bed?" Emilia asked. "N-Not needed. Just call me when it's time to eat. I'll … be fine by that time." The black-haired man replied as he looked away from the blue-haired maid.

After a good few minutes of solitude, the black-haired man stood up from his bed. He began walking around the room, thinking. Why did she kill before? I was … cursed, right? Was I … that far gone that she resorted into killing me? He asked himself. Perhaps he reached a point where no healing spell from Emilia could've saved him, perhaps the blue-haired maid decided to give him a swift death since his conditions was too much for her to handle, or perhaps she simply wanted to kill him. Those thoughts clouded his mind as stops in his track. I can't think properly like this. I need to eat first, and I'll watch Rem's actions, he said to himself once more. He prepared himself mentally and walked towards the door. As he exited out of that door, a fake smile was already etched on Shiro's face.

The morning played the same just like in the previous cycle. Roswall introducing himself to Shiro, Shiro asking to be a butler and such. The only thing that was different was the cautious atmosphere that was emitting out from the blue-haired maid. Her eyes were dead fixed on their newly applicant. She was watching every move that he would make, listening to every word he would say, and Shiro knows this. Even during his first working hours, he felt completely uneasy. Ram scolded Rem time to time from being to "curious" at the newly-hired butler. Once scolded, she be snapped out from her trance and will work diligently like before, but once Shiro would say something again, she'll divert her attention back towards him.

After a very exhausting day, Shiro decided to pay the Forbidden Archives a visit. Remembering Puck's instructions regarding how to reach the library, he went towards a random door and opened it. Lo and behold, he enters the archive with one try. I just have to focus in reaching this place, huh, he muttered to himself as he went around, looking for Beatrice. "You again? What do you want this time?" Beatrice asked as she took notice of his presence. "Evening, Beatrice-san. Uh, is there any books in here about spells regarding curses?" Shiro asked as he bowed his head towards the young girl. "S-Stop with the formalities. You're making me uncomfortable. Why do you ask?" She asked with a cautious tone. "I … knew a person who died under some sort of curse. I was completely powerless to save him and now his death is etched into my mind. I just want to know, is there anyway to counter it or save someone who is cursed?" He asked as the blonde girl slowly approached him.

He didn't looked for the archives for no reason. His first goal was to find out what kind of curse was inflicted towards him during his previous cycle and who's responsible for it. His second goal was to find out if Rem really harboured any ill-manner of feelings towards him from the get-go since he still can't come to terms that she easily killed him like that. "Hmmm. Is that so?" Beatrice asked, testing him if he would falter, but Shiro simply kept his façade. "Hmph. Listen. I'll only lecture you this once so you better listen, I suppose." Beatrice said as Shiro looked at her attentively. "Curses are often can be casted by shamans who specializes in that field. However, shamans are simply a subclass of magic and spirit-art users." Beatrice said as she picked a book from a nearby shelf and began reading it. "Magic and spirit-art? If I could recall, Emilia is a spirit-art user, right?" Shiro asked as he approached the blonde girl. "Yes. I, Roswall, and probably you, are magic-users." Beatrice commented. "W-Well, yeah. I'm sort-of a magic art user." Shiro said with a chuckle.

"Ehem. Back to the topic, these shamans originated from the northern nation of Gusteco, but they're quite useless, and should not to be taken seriously, I suppose." Beatrice remarked as Shiro diligently listened to her. "So those shamans could curse someone, and that curse can suck a person dry of his or her mana, correct?" Shiro asked. "Correct. There are cases that people could survive that ordeal if that person has an abundant source of mana which could buy that person more time to get healed. In this mansion, only Bubby and I can apply curses." Beatrice replied. So, she and Puck are the only capable ones in this manor? I didn't have any interaction with her during the last day in the previous cycle, so she's off in my list. Puck, well, I just don't see it happening, Shiro muttered to himself, to which caught Beatrice's attention. "Anyways, how are your organs holding up?" She asked. "Organs? Oh, right. That assassin gutted me. I guess, they're fine? Why you ask? Were you the one who healed me? I see that I need to thank you, I suppose." The black haired man replied with a chuckle as he crosses his arms.

Hearing his words, Beatrice can't help but to feel like this man is copying her. "Are you mocking me? Hmmm? Well, I don't have time to drain your mana dry right now, so I won't even bother I suppose, but yes. I was the one who healed you while Bubby and Emilia were the ones who stabilized your condition." Beatrice replied as she gave him an annoyed look. "Hmph. I see. I'll find a way to repay you then, Beatrice-sama. If you want snacks to be delivered to you, just give me a call." Shiro said as he bowed his head, which startled Beatrice. "S-Stop that already. Anyway, is that enough? Can you leave me alone? I want to read my books in peace, I suppose." The blonde girl asked as she looked away from the black-haired man, with slightly red cheeks. "Yeah, thanks for the help, Bea- no, Betty. Give me a call, right?" The black-haired butler said with a smile as he exits the library.

Again, two days passed like in the previous cycle. Two days worth of scouting and information-gathering, but Shiro still couldn't pinpoint the whereabouts of the shaman or the source of the curse. Aside from Rem who kept being cautious of his presence, there's no one in the manor treated him differently compared in the previous cycle. During the morning of the third day, Shiro decided to play hooky and went out of the mansion without telling his co-workers. He wanted to get a good-look around the forest near the manor and the village before heading back. Perhaps the shaman is out there and while I was walking with Rem, he cursed me, he mumbled to himself as he exits the manor's grounds.

Shiro went around the forest, looking through the local fauna closely. He would occasionally stop whenever something would catch his attention, thus eating more of his time. He also took notice of the number of wolf-looking like beasts near the village and plans to report it to his co-workers. By the time when he was done, it was already near evening, the same time when he went back to the manor with Rem in the previous cycle. It's almost evening already? Tch. Those two will get mad at me, he said to himself out loud.

Just as he was about to move, he felt someone's presence close to him. He could hear the rustle of the shrubs near him. Is that the shaman?!, he asks himself as he quickly pulled out his card. The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and Shiro began to feel nervous. Soon, someone from the forest came out in-front of him. Her maid outfit was lightly dirtied as her blue-haired eyes were fixated at him while she held onto her morningstar. "Rem-san? What are you doing here?" Shiro asked as he held his gold card closely. "I should be asking that question to you. Well? What are you doing here?" Rem coldly replied. "Believe it or not, I will be cursed soon by some shaman. I will die being drained of my mana to my very core. I'm simply looking for that shaman to stop my death." The black-haired butler replied.

Hearing his reply, the blue-haired maid glared at him, like she chose not to believe in his words. "Lies. Tell me, why did you suddenly popped out and save Emilia-sama? Is it a ploy to get closer to a candidate to the throne, to get close to her so that you could simply kill her off without any of us noticing?" Rem sternly asked Shiro once more. "It was pure coincidence, and why the hell would I do something like that to my saviour? I take promises seriously and since I'm in debt to her, there's no way I would hurt her, Rem-san," He replied. No matter how hard he tried, he can't seem to diffuse the situation. The more the conversation gets longer, the more agitated and hostile the blue-haired maid becomes. "Now, answer me this, Rem-san. Why are you hostile to me? Did I do something wrong? Did I broke a rule that I wasn't aware of? I swear, I'll mak-"

Shut up! Stop spouting your lies!

Her hate-filled voice caught him by surprise. She clenched her teeth as Shiro took a step back. They were in an opening and behind him was only a narrow path surrounded by trees. "I can smell you, you know? The scent of the Witch! You can't fool me, you cultist!" Rem angrily shouted at him. The scenario began to agitate the black-haired butler too, making him more and more frustrated. "C-Cultist? What the fuck are you talking about?! I told you before, I'm a drifter! I don't know shit about this place nor this world!" Shiro shouted back to Rem. She ignored his response, and simply brought her chains closer to her. "If I can't make you confess without force, then excuse for my actions." She simply said as she suddenly dashed towards him.

Card Art: Include!

The chains were blocked by the two foreign-looking blades. The black-haired man was completely in the defensive as the blue-haired maid hammered him with a continuous flow of attack. Whenever there was an opening in her defence, her weapon would always close it and force Shiro into the defensive. "W-Why are you doing this?! I'm telling you the truth!" Shiro shouted out as he kept blocking Rem's chains with his blades. "You can't deceive me!" Rem angrily shouted back at him as she kept on the pressure. The black-haired butler is completely baffled by her accusations, but he set aside his thoughts and focused on defending himself. If I can't stop her with my words, I might as well incapacitate her and talk some sense to her, he said to himself.

The butler's magic circuits began to flare up as he cast a physical reinforcement spell underneath his breath. As the blue-ish glow of his circuits began to emit out of his left arm, a focused look appeared in his eyes. Rem began to reel back as the man in front of her began to let out a flurry of slashes. Her chains could barely keep up with the man's foreign blades. She tried to create some distance by swinging her morningstar towards him, but Shiro deflects it and sends crashing to a nearby tree. As the maid was left stunned by his sudden counter, he charged in, ready to knock her out with his blades. At that very moment, when he saw the scared look on Rem's face, a hazy memory fragment reappeared in his mind.

I'm sorry … senpai. Her power is too much … I can't … hold o- Huh?
"I believe in you Mas-. I believe in your power as a person and as a servant. Heh. We can't stop here yet."
Senpai … no, Master … I'm sorry. You're right. Please, stand by me. Deploying Noble Phantasm!

Again, the pink-haired girl appeared in his memory. The very same girl that Rem resembles off. His emotions and sentimentality made him hesitate. A nostalgic feeling filled him. I … can't, I can't hit her when she resembles that girl so much, he said as he jumped back. Seeing an opportunity, Rem pulled back her chains and threw it towards Shiro. The morningstar passed by him, but the chain locked onto his left arm. His body was sent back crashing onto a nearby tree as the chains locked onto its trunk. Shiro could only grit his teeth as Rem slowly approached him. "Why did you hesitate?" She asks as she brings out an open palm. The air around her began to become colder as an icicle began to form on top of her hand. "I can't hurt someone who reminds of a girl who is dear to me. Pathetic, isn't it?" Shiro replied as he bowed his head in defeat.

"Now, are you willing to cooperate with me?" Rem said as she stands in front of the chained man. "I'm telling you, I know nothing. Completely nothing. I've told you everything that I know. If I know anything else, I woul-" Before Shiro could continue, Rem stabs his right shoulder with her icicle. Blood began to wet his black coat as he clenched his teeth in pain. "The more you lies you say, the more pain you're going to take. Now, tell me. Are you in the same cult who attacked my village along ago?" She asked once more as she began to twist and turn the icicle that was lodged on his shoulder. "Cult? What … fuck! What the fuck are you talking about?!" Shiro shouts with a confused and pained tone in his voice.

"The cult who burned my village to the ground, who killed everyone including my parents, who took Nee-sama's horn … are you one of them?! Answer me! That stench of yours is the same stench that they had! The stench of the witch!" Rem angrily shouts back at him. Fury and anger filled her blue eyes. The quiet and stoic maid the he once knew is nowhere to be seen in her eyes. The girl that's in front of him is someone filled with hatred and her thirst for revenge is emitting out from her very core. "I'm telling you … I know nothing. I don't know a single thing you've said just now. I don't know anything about those cultist. I just … I'm just … cursed by that witch. So pl-"

The blue-haired maid ignored his words and kept torturing him. Even with his grievous wounds, the black-haired man keeps on insisting what he knows, but Rem is unsatisfied. "If you're really that hard headed, then how about we make things more, painful?" Rem muttered as she pulls back her chains, freeing her captive briefly. She cocks back her arm and readies her morningstar. Seeing the maid's posture, Shiro quickly traced a weapon. A longsword materialized in his hands but the moment it made contact with Rem's weapon, it shatters, sending Shiro towards a nearby tree. While the man's midair, Rem used her chains to grab him by his leg. Sensing that if he gets captured once more that it will be his death, Shiro grits his teeth and another sword materialized in his hand.

Blood spewed out as a human thigh fell from above. Shiro crashed onto a tree, with his arms around its trunk. Pain began to fill his entire mind as he tried to crawl away from harm. His blood continuously spewed out from the stump where his left leg originally was, leaving a trail of blood behind him. He regretted his action and since his mind isn't in the right place at that moment, he made a bad decision that placed him even in a more disadvantageous position. "F-Fuck you … I'm telling you … I don't know shit! I'm a fucking drifter! A fucking magus from another world!" The incapacitated man shouted in anger as he kept on crawling on the ground. The nearing footsteps made him stop. It was completely futile. He knows that he dies here, and once again, he dies by her hands.

As the clutches of death began to surround him, he was reminded of his curse. Though it is completely uncertain that the curse will work once more, it was his only assurance. He resigns in defeat and rests his back to a nearby tree. "Tell me … how does it feel … to kill someone … innocent …," Shiro asked her as blood began to drip down from his mouth. The leaves behind him began to rustle as his body slowly began to grow cold. "I … treated you as a fellow co-worker. I … respected the both of you yet … here we are. Stupid … just plain stupid …" He said with frustration. A ray of light suddenly passed by his neck. For a few seconds, it was quiet. Only the howling of the wind and the rustling of the leaves made a sound. The man let out his final breath as his body toppled down. The area where light passed by earlier left his neck with a huge slash.

As the blue-haired maid approached his corpse, someone came out behind the tree that the man was leaning his back on. Her pink-hair gently swayed as her face displayed a slight look of remorse. "He really didn't know a thing … Rem." Ram remarked as her sister began to inspect the body. "Did we … made the right decision … Nee-sama? He began to act suspiciously, so was it right to corner him like this?" Rem asked. "I don't know. I can't smell the stench that you were speaking off, but I chose to trust in your decision. I'll … explain things to Roswall-sama. Just give him a proper burial." Ram replied as she turned her back and began walking back to the manor.

At the very least, I won't turn you into a murderer, Rem.
The one who killed him, is me.