Once again, Shiro finds his essence being dragged backwards into the dark space. In his previous deaths, he would lose consciousness right after his death, but this time around he was unfortunate enough that he didn't. He could feel his very soul being forced back in time. A nauseating feeling filled him but he kept it in. He tried to look around, but there was nothing, just a vast darkness that was swallowing him. Losing his mental fortitude, his eyes slowly closed and his consciences slipped away once more.

He slowly opens his eyes. The light coming from a nearby window slowly illuminated his shaky vision. "I'm … back …" Shiro muttered to himself as he slowly sits up. He's back in the save point of his loop. The same guest bed that he always wakes up on whenever he died during his stay at the Roswaal mansion. Still shaky from his past death, he brings his hand towards his neck. He could still feel the blade lodged into his throat. He feels dreadful, but thanks to a certain dream that he remembered, a certain dream that he adopted, he feels better compared to his previous cycles. "Now then, let's do this." He muttered as he gave his face a light clap.

Again, the twins enter the guest room, and once more, Rem had a cautious look on him. This time around, he kept his wits and remained calm. After all, he needs to win her trust, so he can't show a slight trace of nervousness in his eyes. As the maid looked at him with her blue eyes, he simply gave her a faint smile as her elder sister approaches him with his breakfast. "Good morning, dear guest. We brought you breakfast." Ram said as she sets up his breakfast in front of him. "Good morning to you girls too. Thanks for the meal. By the way, I'd like to thank you for patching me up." Shiro said as he begins to eat. "Ah, that was not us. That was Emilia-sama and Beatrice-sama. I am Ram, and that's my sister Rem. We are the maids of this manor." Ram said as she lightly bowed for formalities. "No need to be so formal with me, Ram-san. I am a mere drifter after all. My name's Shiro." He said as he returned the formalities, but the younger twin simply nodded at him, which was already expected.

A few moments later, the silver haired girl enters the room. As always, her pointy ears would catch Shiro's attention. "Ah! You're already up! Good morning, Shiro!" Emilia said with a smile as the two maids cleared the way for her. "Hey. Good morning. I heard you patched me up. Thanks." Shiro said as he returned the smile. "There's no need to thank me. You returned my insignia after all, so it's my way of saying thanks to you." Emilia said with a light giggle. "Still, I wish to repay you for saving my life." The black-haired man said as he continued eating. As he took a bite, he notices that Emilia's cat-like familiar was already on top of his head. "A-Ah, Puck! Don't just rest on our guest's head!" Emilia exclaimed as Shiro chuckled. "Come on, Lia. It's okay! See? I think he likes me!" Puck said as the man began to lightly scratch his chin. "It's alright. I don't mind it at all." Shiro commented. "Anyway, I'm Puck! I'm Lia's contracted spirit. I heard you saved Lia while I was resting, so I'd like to say my thanks too!" Puck said as he wagged his tail, lightly hitting Shiro's head. "Heh. Likewise." The man simply said with a faint grin.

After eating his breakfast, the four of them headed towards the forbidden archive to pick up Beatrice. Once again, Shiro easily stumbles onto it and was greeted harshly by the blonde girl, though he was already used to it by this time. Again, he meets Roswaal and like in his first cycle, he asked to become a butler of the house, but this time he had an additional request. "Is that all you'll request, Shiro-kuun?" Roswaal said with a curious look on his face. "If I may, can I be Emilia's bodyguard? I mean, as you said, she's a royal candidate and she needs someone to watch over her, right? It just happens that I don't have any contract right now and I'm willing to be her's if she wants too. Is that alright, Emilia-sama?" Shiro said with a rather charismatic tone. "E-Eh? Her's? Was that a confession of love right there?" Puck commented as the twins curiously looked at their guest. "Hm? Since you requested it, I wouldn't mind it at all." Emilia said as she continues eating her breakfast, ignoring Puck's comment. Seeing Puck's surprised look made Shiro chuckle. "Hah. I'm saying that I'll be her bodyguard. Geez. I'm a professional, so don't worry." Shiro commented.

The same events during his first hours of a newly-hired butler occurred once more. After the twins gave him his work-clothes and a tour of the manor, they began doing their tasks. As expected, Rem would gaze at him from time to time, but he doesn't let it bother him anymore and thanks to his experience in his previous cycles, their tasks were finished earlier than usual. "You may look like a mercenary, but you do know how to do house chores." Ram remarked as she accompanies Shiro towards the storage shed. "I … get that a lot. Quite handy if I want to impress someone, don't you think?" Shiro said as he places down the sack of fertilizer that he was carrying. "Even so, you're starting to smell. Do you have a body odour problem, or do you reek like that, Shitro?" Ram commented as she and her sister dust off the storehouse door. For a second, Shiro and Rem froze. The younger maid simply looked at her sister with a surprised look on her face while the butler simply swallowed his spit and ignored it.

After all, since Beatrice told him who could detect his scent in the previous cycle, he was confident enough that Ram was pertaining to his body odour. "Hey, I carried a sack of fertilizer just now, so don't you think that's harsh? Also, I'm not barbaric enough that I'd let you girls do the heavy tasks." Shiro commented as he gives the two a light scowl. "Ah, a mercenary that acts like a gentleman. Is it me, or is the world ending, right, Rem?" Ram commented as she looks towards her sister. "Perhaps, Nee-sama. Should we cook dinner now while this dirty butler tidies the shed? If we let him enter the kitchen, he might ruin the food with his smell." Rem answers while her sister went out first. "That's a good idea. Hear that, Shitro? Take a bath and see us in the kitchen." The elder maid said as she began walking away, leaving her younger sister with the scowling butler. "You girls … really have sharp tongues, you know." Shiro commented as he dusts off his coat. For a moment, Rem simply looked at him, like if she's confirming something. "You smell … different." Rem commented. "Geez. I know. I know I smell like shit. I'll be sure to scrub properly, ma'am." He said with another sigh. "Go take a shower and be presentable at least." The younger maid said as she begins to follow her sister.

Now alone in the shed, Shiro began to evaluate his current scenario. He was sure earlier that Rem would comment about the witch's scent, but she didn't. "Was she avoiding the topic, or the stench isn't that strong compared when I woke up earlier?" Shiro asked himself. Thinking back, he remembered that during his 2nd cycle, he kept on thinking about his curse, which probably led it to stick out from his aura and got Rem's attention. He also noticed that whenever he loops back, that's the time that Rem's most cautious of him. "So, the scent is at its strongest whenever I loop back, or whenever I talk about it? Hm. I should note that. Heh. Gotta keep myself busy, then." He said with a sigh as he scratches his head.

After doing their evening chores, Shiro was left with ample time to lounge around since they finished earlier. While the twins were taking their bath, the black-haired butler lounged with Emilia and Puck by the garden. Again, he demonstrated his magic to the two, and as he was playing around with his arts, he senses someone looking at them afar. He quickly includes the archer card and a bow materialized in his hand. He quickly turns around, but sees a silhouette that quickly vanish at the 3rd floor. "Say, Emilia, Puck, is there anyone in the mansion besides Beatrice, the twins and Roswaal-san?" Shiro asks the two as the bow slowly dematerialized from his hands. "Huh? Why? Did you see someone?" Emilia asked with a curious look. "Not … really. I just felt someone watching us." He replied. "Well, yeah. We had another maid before, but she left a few months before I met you in the capital. Wait. Are you scaring me?" The silver haired girl asked once more, but this time with a pout. "Lia is not good with scares, Shiro. So, don't bully her that much." Puck said as he floated around Shiro, before he went back to Emilia's shoulder. "I'll note that. It's just probably my imagination …" The butler remarked as he notices Puck's drooping eyes.

If he could remembered correctly, when he first met Emilia, his silver-haired saviour told him that Puck rests inside her pendant at this hour. "Well then, I'll see you tomorrow, Shiro. Goodnight, Lia …" Puck said as he slowly dematerialized into the green pendant. "Goodnight too, Puck," Emilia said as she lets out a gentle yawn. "Tired, my queen?" Shiro said as he helps Emilia stand up. "M-My queen? Geez. You really like to tease. I should bully you more often starting this day." Emilia said with a light giggle. "Hey, if you want it, I'll be your knight … though having someone like me as your knight would ruin your reputation. I mean, look at me. I look like a dirty mercenary trying to fit in society, and really is struggling at it." Shiro remarked with a chuckle, which made Emilia laugh a bit. "I'll think about that. Anyway, we should get some rest too, Shiro. How was your first day?" She asked as the two slowly made their way towards the manor's entrance. "It was fine. I think I'll fit in." He replied with a slight grin. "That's good to hear. So … see you tomorrow?" Emilia said with a warm smile on her face. "Yeah. Of course, my lady." Shiro said with a slight bow. "Heh, you really look like a knight at times. Goodnight!" Emilia said with a giggle as she runs off back to her room.

Morning came, and the blue-haired maid slowly sat up. It was still dark, but she has to get up early to eat her breakfast and to wake her elder sister up. She stretches her arm for a bit then stands up. She changes out from her blue evening dress into her usual maid uniform. As she walked towards the kitchen while rubbing her eyes, she remembers their new co-worker. "Should I wake him up? Probably …" Rem muttered to herself. While thinking of the black-haired butler, she remembered that there was a distinct smell that she noticed when she first met him. A stench that reminds her of her past so much. "Did I … am I overthinking things? Hmm. I'll go ask Nee-sama if she smells something off about him." She muttered as she opens the kitchen door. As she steps inside, she quickly notices the pristine look of the entire kitchen. The floor looked like it was scrubbed thoroughly, the walls were dusted off and looked brand new, and the kitchenwares were already set neatly. Not to mention, the potatoes are already peeled and there's a basket of bread waiting by the table. "Huh? Did … No, by this time, Nee-sama is still sleeping. Odd. There's something off." Rem muttered as she begins to look around.

After her inspection and seeing that there was nothing off about the pristine look of the kitchen, she notices the fresh smell of the bread. The smell enticed the blue-haired maid, and she takes one from the basket. "Wait. Nee-sama doesn't know how to bake. Back then, it was Frederica-san who usually gets up early to bake something for us, but I don't remember Nee-sama calling her back …" Rem muttered as she takes a bite. Though it was not that great compared to her former senior, the bread had a crusty exterior yet its inside is completely fluffy. Overall, it was pretty good for her. After eating her breakfast and drinking a glass of water, she went back to the hallway with a tray of Ram's breakfast. While walking towards her elder sister's room, Rem remembers that they planned to clean the hallways for today, since they thought it would be too much for the new butler to handle. She suddenly notices that the hallway was thoroughly clean and immaculate, like it was cleaned while they were asleep last night.

Rem reaches her elder sister's room. Brushing off her confusion, she knocks and opens the door. "Nee-sama, I'm coming in." Rem said as she takes a step inside. Ram was still sound asleep as her younger sister slowly went up to her. "Nee-sama, Nee-sama. It's morning." She said as she gently shook her sister's shoulder. After a few shakes, Ram slowly opens her eyes. She lets out a muffled yawn as she sits up. "R-Rem? Good morning." Ram said as she stretches her arms and looks at her sister with her droopy eyes. "Good morning to you too, Nee-sama. How was your sleep?" Rem asked as she sets down the tray and hands her sister a bread. "It was okay. Yours? As usual, you're up early." Ram answers as she takes the bread from her sister's hands and began to eat it. "It was fine too." The younger twin said with a faint smile.

"By chance, did you stay up late and cleaned the hallways, Nee-sama?" Rem asked as she watches her sister eat. "Hm? No. Why would I do that when we already planned it for today's agenda? Also, did you bake this, Rem? It's pretty good, pretty near to Frederica's quality." Ram replied as she finishes eating and begins to drink her water. "N-No …" Rem muttered as she helps her sister change into her uniform. "Hm? Also, did you wake Shitro? That guy might be still sleeping." Ram said as her sister tidies up her bed. "I haven't … but Nee-sama, there's something off. When I went to the kitchen earlier, the whole place was pristine and there's a fresh basket of bread waiting there." Rem mentioned. "Somebody else baked this? Frederica isn't here anymore, and Roswaal-sama didn't mention anything about her being called back." Ram stated as they went out of her room.

The twin maids arrived at their co-worker's room. "Shitro, wake up. We're coming in." Ram said as she gave the door a few knocks and opened it. As they went inside, they found no one. The bed was already neatly fixed and there was some clutter in the nearby table that they noticed. "He's already up, huh …" Ram mentioned as her younger twin approaches the table to inspect the notes. The papers were filled with lines and scribble, like someone was practicing their handwriting. Beside the notes was an open book about the basics of their language. "Nee-sama, is he practicing his handwriting?" Rem asked as Ram approaches her. "Hm. Perhaps. After all, he's a vagabond turned into a butler / bodyguard." Ram answered as she went out of the room while her sister followed her out after a few seconds later. "Though, I'm not sure if this is his doing. Did he wake up earlier than us"? The elder twin asked as she inspected the clean halls. The two maids went around to do their morning duties, but surprisingly, most of them were already done. There was still time before they needed to wake Emilia, so they decided to look for their missing co-worker.

By the time they reached the gate leading towards the Irlam Village, half of the entire grounds was already swept. They don't see any leaves on the pavement or anything. Near the shed stood a man who was busy sweeping that he didn't even notice the approaching twins. "Aren't you up early, Shitro?" Ram remarked as the man, who froze for a second, turned his attention towards them. Rem quickly notices the slight redness in his eyes and the black circles under it. The butler, who wasn't wearing his coat at the moment, was dirty and sweaty. His white polo was stained with dirt and his black vest had some dirt on it. His haggard and dirty look surprised the two as he diligently kept on sweeping. "A-Ah, you guys are up. Good morning, Nee-sama. Good morning, Rem-san." Shiro said with a slight chuckle. "E-Eh? Stop with the added formalities. Also, don't call me Nee-sama. You look way older than we do, after all." Ram commented. "Eh? Well, you guys are my senior, and I'm probably at my early to mid-twenties, so yeah." The butler said as he stops to take a breather.

"You don't even know your age?" Ram asked as Shiro wiped away the sweat from his face. "Not … really. I suffer from memory loss, so I'm not even sure about age or my real name. I probably hit my head before or something, but that's that." Shiro replied as the younger twin simply watched him behind her sister. "I see. Even so, I thought I told you that sweeping the courtyard is our afternoon task and cleaning the halls is our morning agenda. Did you forget?" Ram asked once more. "Eh? But I cleaned the halls earlier, so I might as well start doing our afternoon tasks, right? Though, I haven't cooked Emilia's, Beatrice's and Roswaal-san's breakfast since it would get cold if I cook them too early." He replied as he continued sweeping once more. For a moment, Ram turned around and whispered to her sister. "Rem, Rem, do you think he's trying too much? Like he's trying to impress us so badly?" The elder twin whispered. "It does look like it, Nee-sama. What are we going to do now? He did finish our morning tasks. Should we move to our afternoon tasks this early?" The younger twin asked, while keeping an eye on the black-haired butler. "Looks like it. At least we'll have the entire afternoon for ourselves. Let's just do some rounds and check if he missed anything." Ram replied as her sister nodded.

By the afternoon, the twins had the entire day for themselves. While they made some rounds double-checking Shiro's work, they found no fault at any of them. After that, they went to do whatever they want during their free time. While Ram assists Roswaal with his paperworks, Rem kept doing some rounds, checking if there's anything up. She wanted to help her sister, but her sister told her to look for the black-haired butler and check up on him, since it's been a few hours since they last saw him. While patrolling the 3rd floor, she finally sees him by the stairwell. He has a rather distressed look and his sweat trickled down from his dirty face. "Is he … looking for Emilia-sama?" Rem muttered to herself as she watches him from afar, waiting him to notice her presence, though he was too lost in his thoughts that he never once looked into her direction. He gritted his teeth and went up to the roof deck. Alarmed by his haggard look, Rem decided to shadow him. She slowly climbs up the stairs, careful enough not to make any sound. As she slowly swings the roof deck door open, she sees Shiro leaning torwards on a nearby balustrade. He had his head down while a lit cigarette was in between his fingers. The smell of tobacco is still new to Rem, and she really dislikes it. "What are you up to?" She asked as she slowly approaches him with one of her hands covering her nose. Shiro slowly turns his head and puffs out some smoke. "As you see, smoking. I need to … distress." He replied.

As Rem was a few metres away from him, she notices a distinct stench, a stench that she noticed when she first met him. "Tell me. Why did you wake up so early?" Rem asked. "Wake up? Who said I even got to sleep earlier," Shiro replied as he turns back his head away from Rem. "I tried sleeping for an hour and it failed badly. I chose to be productive while everyone's resting. I went to the library and made Beatrice pick some basic books for me. You know, the books for kids and so," He said as he takes a hit from his cigarette. That answers why he had some books about language and writing in his desk …, Rem commented inside her mind. "After studying and making some progress, I noticed that it was already near sunrise, so I might as well start doing our tasks." He continued, puffing out the smoke mid-sentence. "If you're planning to impress Nee-sama, you should just give it up." The maid remarked as she continued to observe her co-worker. He simply ignored her remark and continued smoking. The awkward atmosphere between them is making things harder for her, since she wanted to ask him about this stench that she's noticing whenever he's around.

"You're wondering, am I right?" Shiro asked as Rem notices that he turned around to face her. His deep blue eyes were staring at her, just like she was with him earlier. "Wondering of what?" Rem asked as his weary look began to alarm her. "About this horrible stench," He said as he kept his eyes on her while dropping the cigarette on the floor and stepping on it. "I'll pick that up later, don't worry. Right now, we have something to talk about, and it's not the smell of tobacco." He stated as he gave her faint grin. Hearing his words, Rem slowly backed away from him cautiously. That desperate look that he once had earlier resurfaced. Even though she can't sense no hostility from him, she didn't had her morningstar with her, and if this man tries to attack her, she has to use her magic to take him down. Suddenly, the black-haired butler pulls out his gold card.

Card Art: Include. Archer.

With those words, a flash temporarily blinded Rem. As her vision slowly clears out, the black foreign blade already materialized in Shiro's hand. Readying for combat, Rem quickly jumped back, but was stopped when Shiro grabbed onto her wrist. Surprisingly, she didn't feel any force from this, and she felt like he was only stopping her from moving away. "W-What are you doing?!" Rem asked out loud as the man flipped the black blade and brings it towards her. He makes her hold onto the blade and steps back. "If you're so cautious about me, then how about this? I'll tell you everything I know, and if you're still doubting me at the end, I'd let you kill me. Though, it'll definitely anger Emilia." He said with another grin on his face. Rem was completely confused. He could've attacked me earlier, yet he … gave me his weapon?, Rem said to herself. She couldn't understand his actions at all. This scarred, vagabond-looking man, is completely baffling her and she doesn't know how to respond. Hesitant at first, but sensing no hostility or whatever from him, Rem agrees to his preposition.

"As I said when I introduced myself, I am a drifter. Someone who doesn't belong here. No, I am not talking about being a mercenary or what." Shiro said as he lights another cigarette with his lighter. "Then, what are you?" Rem asked as she inspects the foreign blade. "A magus, a mage from another world, or perhaps, another time, another era. I simply … woke up in the capital with no recent memories in my head. I tried to look into my head for answers, and found fragments of locked memories. I don't know my name yet, I could remember somehow remember my origin, though it's completely static." He stated as he takes a hit from his cigarette. After puffing out some smoke, he takes out his black device and hands it to Rem, who takes it from his hand. "That's a cellular phone, a piece of technology from my time. When I had it appraised back in the loot house, the old man there said that it's considered as a metia … or whatever you call it, that it's one-of-a-kind, yet where I came from, everyone … had something like that." He said as he leans his back on the balustrade. "It looks … weird." Rem commented as she inspects the black device.

"Other than waking up in this world with no memories at all, I was cursed …" Shiro muttered, but as soon he says the word "cursed", he felt his heart tightening up, like something suddenly touched it. It was the same feeling he had when he tried to say his curse to some patrons at a bar he went to. Realizing that the witch is always watching him, he concluded that he has to be careful with his words, if not, another innocent will die thanks to him. " … With this stench. I heard this was calle-" "The witch's scent, a scent that normally a cultist would have." Rem remarked as she notices that the scent got a bit heavier. She turns her blue eyes towards him, but he kept his composure. "Before you assume that I'm a bad person, let me tell you this. I know nothing about those cults." He stated as he takes another hit from his cigarette, while keeping his eye contact with the blue-haired maid.

Though she's still confused about the scenario she's currently in, Rem had one thing in her mind. She needs to know why this man is telling her this, why is he trying so hard to look not suspicious? "Why are you telling me this?" She asks as she hands back the device. "I want to earn your trust. I know, it's not simple, but I want you to trust me, that I will never do anything that would bring harm to Emilia, or to anyone in this mansion." Shiro replied with a serious tone in his voice. For a moment, there was silence between them. The butler swallowed his spit while the maid evaluated his words. "You're confusing me. I mean, if you try to understand where I stand right now, you'd find yourself completely baffled." She said as Shiro attentively listened to her response. "I know, I know. So, do you find my answer lacking?" He said as he flicks his cigarette onto the floor. Rem's stare was the only response he got. Feeling defeat, he lets out a deep sigh and slowly approaches her. He kneels down and gently led Rem's hand towards his neck. The blade that materialized was a few inches away from his neck when Rem stopped him. "Y-You didn't even wait for my answer." She blurted out. "Well, I told you earlier right? I stick to my deals. If you want, I die here." He said with no hesitation in his voice. He was completely calm, and felt like he already resigned himself to death. If Rem could describe this man kneeling in front of her with one word, it would definitely be "bizarre".

"I didn't … find your explanation lacking. It's just that … I need to process it thoroughly. To be honest, you're trying so hard right now that I might think that you're a spy," Rem muttered. "But there's something off. I don't get how you just simply resign yourself to death when you had a desperate look earlier. I don't get why you chose to tell me this, out of all people. I don't … understand you." She stated as she gritted her teeth. "Well, how about this," Shiro said as he gently pushed her hand back and stands up. "If you want, I'd let you watch over me, always, to make sure I wouldn't do any mistake. If you sense that I'd do something wrong that would harm anyone in this manor, I'd let you kill me without any complains." He stated. "That sounds disgusting." Rem muttered out loud. Hearing her words made the black-haired butler chuckle. "S-Sorry. I know it's a serious conversation, but … that really sounds weird, huh." Shiro said as he covers his mouth to hide his laughing fit. Odd, in Rem's eyes, this man in front of her is completely odd. He looks like a vagabond, a drifting mercenary without any home, but the way he interacts with her, the way he acted when he resigned himself in defeat, is completely out of this world. Slowly, Rem came to terms that this man's words were genuine and he was not faking it.

"Well, I'll be sure to tell Nee-sama that you given me this disgusting task, pervert." Rem said as she hands back the black blade towards its owner. "H-Huh? You'll tell Nee-sama … wait. Did you just call me a pervert?" Shiro said as he takes the blade, which dematerialized back into his gold card. Leaving the butler confused for her revenge, Rem turns around and began to walk back towards the door. Watching her act like that triggered something in Shiro's memory.

Geez. You really are not looking out for yourself, Senpai.

"H-Huh? Sorry. I just …"

Come on, let's go to the good doctor! I'm pretty sure that he's watching his idol vids again.

"Hm. Should we bully him?"

Pft. Maybe, Senpai! Let's go!

Shiro felt a warm sensation in his hand. He was sure of it. It was someone's warmth, a warmth that his body is missing. As he turns his attention back to Rem, the roof deck door swung open, and a silver-haired girl with her familiar enters the scene. "You guys took a while." Emilia said with a chuckle as Puck floated towards Rem. "E-Emilia-sama." Rem said with a bow, as she tries her best not to look too startled. "Are you doubting him, Rem? Don't worry! His words were pretty genuine, though that proposal was really … weird." Puck said as he lands on Rem's head. "W-Wait. You guys were eavesdropping?!" Shiro blurted out, which surprised the two. Though it only has been two days, they never saw him lose his serious and composed look, and this was a first of them. "U-Uh. Sorry, I couldn't help it. I saw the two of you went up earlier and decided to catch up with the two of you. Once we arrived by the door, I heard things were quite serious, so I and Puck decided to wait for you guys to finish." Emilia replied as she tries to look away from her butler. "E-Eh … well, isn't this embarrassing." Shiro muttered as he rubs his face. Seeing the cigarette butts that he threw earlier, Shiro quickly picks them up, not letting see Emilia that he littered a while ago. As he watches the three chat and talk about him, he notices that the blue-haired maid looking back at him. He sees a faint a smile that quickly disappeared from her face. Seeing her act like that, he can't help but to feel at ease as the weight in his heart subsided.

"I just have to see this through … huh."