Chapter 4: The Fourth

He had to be hallucinating.

Was this "gospel" of his broken? Did someone want to pull a trick on him? No, wait, it's obvious! How could he have missed it? The boy sitting in front of him was probably some super strong, thousand-year-old spirit or something! That's the only explanation! Sure, he might look extremely dirty and it doesn't help that he's like 4 foot something, but the kid is probably here to take Subaru on a very important world-changing quest!

Already running through the various different scenarios that could play out, Subaru looked expectantly at the boy, as if urging him to speak. The boy, in turn, only scratched his head and pulled a little sand from his hair. After that, he pulled out an ornate, cross-guarded dagger, which he promptly spun on his finger a couple of times.

Subaru was looking more attentive than before. Maybe the boy would gift him the dagger as a relic of the past! Maybe it was used to kill dragons and he wants Subaru to be the next big dragonslayer! The possibilities are endless!

Once more, Subaru's expectations were shattered as the boy turned the blade towards himself, opened his mouth, and used the tip of said dagger as a toothpick.

Talk about self-hygiene.

He waited for the boy to finish digging whatever it was he had stuck in his teeth. Once the boy was done, he wiped the dagger on his strange, onesie-like costume, and placed it in some wraps the boy had on his forearms. It kind of made him look like a character from that one videogame, what was it called…

"You're awfully quiet, tsu…"

Startled by the boy's sudden words, Subaru scrambled to find a response. "Yeah, I've, uh, often been told that, heh."

"Keep it up," the boy replied with a totally-not-evil grin. "We just love people who waste our time."

"Ok! Okay, I got it! I was told to come here!"

"Told by…?"

He sighed. Great, was he just supposed to tell the kid some all-knowing magical book guided him here? "There was a guy out there, some crazy-looking trader of sorts. His name i- no, was Iseri. He told me how to get here."

"Liar."

"Huh?"

"You seek to deceive us. Is that not what being a liar is?"

"Fine," Subaru replied as he pulled out his gospel. "This was what brought me here. I know that you're not gonna believe me so let me just show you the pages an-"

"We believe you, tsu! The gospel informed us of a special person, but it wasn't hard to figure out it was you!"

"Do you have a drawing of me or something? Seriously, it feels like everyone knows who I am!"

"Haha! Oh, you should tell Regu that! His reaction would be priceless!"

Subaru waited as the boy laughed. He had to admit, this was most definitely not going the way he expected. And worse, this wasn't some ancient spirit sitting in front of him, it really was just some kid. Sure, the kid looked like he just fought a god out of boredom, but he was still just a kid. Was he going to reveal he was some shapeshifter and this was just his normal form?

The boy's laughter finally stopped and he said, "Anyway, we could tell who you were because of your smell. The Witch's mark is on you, tsu!"

"What, are you saying I smell like some witch!? I never even met her! If this is true, it might explain why everyone looks at me weird! Have I been smelling like a woman this whole time!?"

"Nope! You smell like trash! We believe such a smell is comparable to that of an Archbishop, which reminds us…"

The boy finally stood from his chair. Walking over to an unused table, he hopped on it, spread his arms, and performed an extremely crude bow. Then he spoke,

"We are the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, tasked with Gluttony, representing Gourmet, our name is Lye Batenkaitos, tsu!"

"If you know what is good for you, witch cultist, drop your weapon and surrender," Rem's voice resonated within Subaru's mind. How could he have forgotten that? She called him a cultist, and now he was one. Was this really the path he wanted to take?

Yes, it was. What other choice was there? He couldn't leave the country anymore since his only way out turned to ash, he couldn't return to the manor since he'd be arrested or worse, and he couldn't lay low in this nation since he'd be eventually found, even if Roswaal had to tear apart the entire country to do so.

He could die, however.

Yes, if he died, he would solve all his problems. He could go back to the mansion and fix his relationships with them all. There was still a chance to fix this.

So, why did he not want to take it? He was scared of dying, scared of failing again. It wasn't a simple task; if he died and awoke back in that bed, he'd be facing multiple loops, multiple deaths. How many of those would be by the maid's hand? It was a hell he wished to never go through again.

Once more, with a hand on his waist and another pointing at the sky (or rather, ceiling), Subaru spoke, "Nice to meet you! I'm Natsuki Subaru! Not only am I clueless but I'm also broke beyond compare!"

"What has made Bubby look so sad, I suppose?"

Within the Mathers manor resided an archive of countless books that encompassed an endless number of topics, from minor ones like cooking recipes to major ones like curses and poisons. Created by the forgotten Witch of Greed, this archive, known as the "Forbidden Library," was guarded by said witch's self-proclaimed daughter, Beatrice.

Despite appearing to be an ordinary, if fancily-dressed, young girl, Beatrice was a nearly 400-year-old great spirit and a master in the magic arts of the Yin element.

"It's just…I've been thinking about what that girl told us…"

Visiting the library, much to its keeper's delight, was Puck, the renowned great spirit of fire.

"What 'the girl' told you? What could she have told you to make Bubby sad, in fact?"

Puck sighed, clearly unsure of what he wanted to say. "Betty, you know how I can read intentions?"

"Of course."

"Well, when that girl, Rem, told us what happened yesterday, the whole deal with Subaru, you remember him, right?"

"The annoying brat who kept interrupting Betty's peace? How could Betty forget him, I suppose?"

"I guess he did bother you a lot, but anyway. Word is that he and Rem got into a big fight. Now he's nowhere to be found and Rem was pretty badly hurt. She spent quite some time calling that boy a 'witch cultist' and all sorts of stuff."

"That cannot be, I suppose. Betty drained his mana to check for malicious intentions and found none. Even if the brat was annoying and smelled like that witch, it is extremely unlikely that he was part of the cult, in fact."

"Exactly. What's more, when Rem told us all what happened, there was something…worrying…on her mind."

"Enough to worry Bubby, I suppose?"

"She…she isn't telling us the whole truth. She hasn't outright lied to us, that's for sure, but…there's something she's keeping from us."

"And this worries Bubby? That the girl is telling half-truths, in fact?"

Puck shook his head and answered, "No, it's not that. It's…I've decided to keep this from Lia."

"And why would Bubby keep secrets from his contractor, I suppose?"

"Think about it, Beatrice. If I tell her that Rem's lying, what good will it do? Poor Lia's never going to trust her or her sister again, and she's already a bit iffy on Roswaal. It would isolate her from like half the manor."

"And if you don't tell her, you think it'll be better?"

"If I don't tell her, maybe Lia will eventually figure it out on her own, or maybe she'll blame Subaru as well. Whichever she decides, it will at least buy time for the facts to come to light."

"Bubby knows that only two people know what happened, I suppose. One of them lies and the other disappeared. How will the facts come to light?"

Flying closer to Beatrice and in a low whisper, he answered, "There are some people in the capital who can detect lies, apparently. I might be able to convince Roswaal to let one of them come here and help us figure this all out."

"That still leaves the matter of the brat's location, in fact."

"Yeah, I guess so. I wonder what he's doing right now…"

Natsuki Subaru was definitely not having a good day anymore.

To be fair, he had a pretty bad day. He's on the run from the law, his only way to escape decides to become a firework, and he joins some cult by complete accident. It was a terrible series of unfortunate events, one after another.

This, however, easily stood out as the worst.

It started a couple of minutes ago, when Lye pulled out a small black box, resembling what one would use to carry an engagement ring. He started talking about something called an "authority" or something and told Subaru that this box would help him gain his.

When he opened the box, it contained a dark blob. Said blob wasted no time jumping at Subaru and, quite literally, worming its way into him. It felt cold and empty, and it made Subaru feel like there was something missing within him. There was a strange emotion he had never felt before:

Hunger.

It wasn't just normal hunger, as in wanting-to-eat-some-chips hunger. No, it was completely overwhelming. He felt famished, as if he had never eaten in his 17 years of life. This new feeling made him even keel over and fall on the floor, all while Lye looked on with mild interest.

Subaru felt the world around him disappear. He was in a dark void, with only his consciousness.

The void changed, and he could feel again. He was cold, mostly, but there was something warm on his hands. As he looked around, Subaru noticed he was in a frozen forest, with snow falling all around him. His hands were clutched around something warm.

As he looked to see what brought about this great warmth, he saw the blood on his hands.

He saw the pieces of torn skin.

He saw the corpse he carried.

Natsuki Subaru was Beli Hainelga.

For those outside of the royal castle, it might have seemed like an absolutely ordinary day. It was now afternoon, the sun was close to setting, and everyone was busy with their free time walking from their jobs to their homes or vice-versa.

For those inside the castle, today was going to be a long day.

What had begun as a normal visit from the Court Mage turned into a conversation with the Council, which eventually became a demand for increased security in the castle on the day of the royal selection's announcement.

The Margrave kept insisting that it would be wise to increase security both within and near the castle because of recent Witch Cult movements. The Council responded that, if they diverted their forces to the castle, there would be less guards on the streets, which could spell disaster if the Cult appeared there.

Margrave Mathers replied that the Cult, although smart, had only one objective: their Witch, and one of the presumed candidates for the selection had something to do with this notorious figure of myth. Thus, the Cult would come to get her.

Once more, the Council denied his request and argued against raising security, citing the presence of the royal guard and the very Sword Saint as "good enough."

"Do those shriveled-up fools ever stop talking?"

Such was the question uttered by one of the two guards outside the throne room. Her name was Linneke, and she was most definitely not enjoying her job.

"You know, Lin, if they ever shut up, I'm pretty sure they'd die."

The response came from Linneke's co-worker, Olsed, who loathed his job as much as her.

Both had found each other through this very job, castle security. Apart from their assignments, however, the two had almost nothing else in common. Olsed was a veteran of the front lines and had served under duke Meckart Karsten. Traumatized after facing the Great Hare, Olsed sought a re-assignment to a more secure location. Just thinking that the castle would be attacked made him uneasy enough, hearing it was the Cult was too much.

Olsed would die fighting to protect his monarch, but he would most definitely not give his life to protect some crabby old men who just squabbled for days on end! He was a soldier, he deserved some prestigious job, not door duty!

Linneke, on the other hand, was from an entirely different background.

Having grown up as the only female sibling out of 7 children, she sought to distinguish herself enough to bring at least some recognition to her town, which sat only an hour or two away from the Vollachian border. There was a never-ending dispute over that parch of land, a dispute which two of her brothers had joined as diplomats and one more had joined as a soldier. Her other three brothers had all chosen unique careers: one was a trader, another was a farmer in their village, and the last had become a mercenary.

A distinguished soldier and a farmer, sounds like the start of a joke.

Olsed continued from his previous statement. "Do you ever wonder if we – Lugnica, I mean – is in this mess because of something? I mean, did we commit some unforgivable sin that got us to where we are today?"

"Ols, you're a good guard. Stick to fighting and forget about philosophy."

"But I'm right! A year or so ago we still had the royals and things were great! Now we've got these 'wisemen.'"

"The 'wise' in their name comes from 'wiseass.'"

"Damn right! The only one of those idiots who can actually lead is Zellgef! He's a dammed war hero, not a politician. He can lead us to a better future!"

"Really? Well, I think Zellgef has too much 'mad' and not enough 'dog,' you get? If you need a tree cut, sure, he's reliable, but the only good leader out of those insufferable birdbrains is McMahon!"

"Ah, you call Zellgef old but you like McMahon!? That man probably went to school with the Witch, that's how old he is! Hell, he was probably her class crush!"

"I don't mind an ancient tree as king as long as he doesn't get us into another civil war!"

"Remind me, how did McMahon defeat the Vollachian Wolf? Oh, right, he didn't! That was Zellgef!"

Their conversation was cut short once the doors opened from inside the throne room. When they were fully open, a clownish-looking man in his thirties stepped out, muttered "Tha~t went well," and walked down the hallway humming to himself.

Both guards looked at each other, nodded, and in unison spoke, "Clownish, old, good-for-nothing."

Once more, Subaru felt the world change. Now, he was a dark-skinned, lean old man. Every step he took was massive, and he could traverse swaths of land in seconds. Whenever he desired so, he could move at a speed faster than the eye could see.

He was "The Leaper" Dorkell.

Subaru relived Dorkell's life. His time as a merchant, his joining the Witch Cult, his creation of the leaper technique, and his exile. With the man's age, watching his life would take ages, but to Subaru it went by in a flash.

Once more, the memories ended when he faced the same boy from the winery: Lye Batenkaitos.

As soon as it all ended, he was back in the void. It was an endless space of black that clouded all his senses.

Then came the voice.

"I love you," it said to him. Over and over and over and over and over and over again. Just like all the times he uttered those forbidden words or whenever his life came to an end, the shadows coalesced into a human-like form.

"I love you," the shadow spoke as it reached an arm out to him. The arm touched his non-existent body, and his fragmented mind could feel the conflicting emotions that came from being touched by this terrifying being.

Warmth, as the entity gently caressed what would have been his heart.

Cold, as the very same creature firmly grasped his core and gave a gentle squeeze.

It was as if this thing, this witch, wanted to remind him of his place in life. Subaru had been granted a power beyond compare, yet the price of using it was nightmarish.

He could still hear the voice speaking, declaring its "love" for him. Whatever it was, it seemed intent on conveying its message to the poor boy.

In the blink of an eye, the void vanished, and the real world came to view once more. So did his senses, his feelings, his recently-gained hunger.

The first thing he did upon returning was to vomit.

Beneath the Mathers mansion lay a secret cell. Used to house enemies of the Margrave and known only by his closest confidants, the cell now holds a young, purple-haired girl who clutches a small doll in her arms.

The doll was made by her amazing sister, a woman the girl admires very much. The girl's sister saved her life and taught her many things, like how to be a normal human. Sure, her sister often stood by as Mother administered punishments, but the girl suspected she would do the same in her place.

Mother was not a kind individual. She wanted everyone's love, but the girl suspected Mother would never get it because she was mean. Mother was also strict, and she never liked it when the girl or her sister came back from a failed mission.

Sitting here, in her small cell, the girl laid down on what could be considered a bed but lacked the proper comfort of one. She thought of her "brother," a raggedy boy around her age. The girl didn't like him too much; he was always hungry, and he could control mabeasts better than her. She feared Mother would use him as her replacement.

Like before, the door opened and a maid walked in. The girl didn't look at her, she knew this was the pink maid. The pink maid was also mean. She often threatened the girl and came by to ask her if she knew some black-haired man with mean eyes. Maybe the maid was confused. The only black-haired person the girl knew was her great sister, and she could affirm that her sister did not have mean eyes.

The maid's steps faltered for a bit, almost as if uncertainty had taken hold within her heart. This intrigued the prisoner: the pink maid never let emotions show. Finally turning to face her visitor, the captive girl saw the blue-haired woman that stood there. She was a splitting image of the pink maid, but she was blue.

This change in color greatly interested the girl. Maybe this new woman, who appeared hurt due to the numerous bandages she had on, would be nicer than her doppelganger. On the other hand, she may simply be as mean as the other. The girl chuckled a bit at the outside similarity. If her sister were here, she would've remarked about it as well, and maybe said something about the color of their insides.

One day, the girl's sister would come free her.

The two dirty-looking, long-haired young boys exchanged glances, after which they looked at the man in front of them. The man had vomited a lot, and now he was on his side trembling. The longer-haired boy faced his brother and opinioned, "We believe this is not supposed to happen."

"Yes, brother. We are sure something went wrong with his absorption of the Authority."

"What could have caused this, tsu? Does Natsuki hold an Authority already? Despite being a genius, we cannot solve this riddle."

"If Natsuki is going to take much longer to recover, we'll be going. Mama let us roam for a while, and we are hungry, tsu!"

Subaru finally stopped trembling. With whatever strength he could muster, he forced himself to stand up. Finally returning to his senses, he faced the two boys and said, "Lye? Who's he?"

The shorter-haired boy performed a crude bow and answered, "We are the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, tasked with Gluttony, representing Bizarre Eating, our name is Roy Alphard."

"There's two of you guys!?"

Lye grinned as he stated, "Sister Louis is also a Sin Archbishop, though she is not here currently, tsu!"

"Where is she then?"

It was Roy who answered, "Sister Louis lacks a physical body, tsu! She resides in the Hall of Memories!"

"A spirit? You guys get freakier by the minute!"

The two brothers responded in unison. "Thank you, tsu!"

Lye faced his brother and asked him, "Brother, you said something about a feast? We would like to join in!"

"A feast to celebrate our new brother, tsu!"

AN: This one took a while longer than usual. Anyway, in case it the fic didn't say it clearly enough, I'll repeat it: Puck is trash. Also, since I had a stroke of genius when creating Iseri, I decided to create Linneke and Olsed. Hope you like them, and don't worry, they won't blow up (I hope).