Chapter 8: Lambda

The tunnel seemed to go on and on, almost endless. If it wasn't for his eyes adapting to the dark and the faint light that illuminated the tunnel, Subaru would have lost his way and given up by now. But he had to do it. Volk sacrificed himself to help him, and he could not surrender.

By the time he reached a fork in the tunnel, he had lost track of time, and was unable to judge whether he had walked for minutes or hours. It did not help that now he faced the ancient question that plagued the minds of many throughout history.

Left or right?

Given, they both looked equally grim and uninviting, so the decision ultimately fell to him and him alone. Now, which would he pick?

From the left tunnel came a screech. A completely inhuman sound that resembled the distorted cry of a baby more than it did a scream. It was horrifying enough to make him freeze up for a second and reconsider the decision to come to this tower in the first place.

He decided to step into the right tunnel and leave the infernal baby monster alone.

Flanders.

Known as the "Ground Dragon Capital" and the place where the three great heroes of ages past united to defeat the fearsome Witch of Envy, it is only a short distance away from the renowned Astrea estate, where the mythical Sword Saints hailed from. Taking all this into account, it only made sense that one would be awed by the city. Every corner filled with history, monuments all around to commemorate the legendary trio who saved the world four centuries ago, and – most of all – the staggering amount of ground dragons all around, each belonging to different species and each with their own personality.

What was there not to love?

That depended on who one asked.

For Reinhard van Astrea, the city never ceased to amaze him, no matter how many times he visited it. He admired every single centimeter of it and constantly found new things to be amazed by, whether it be some tidbit of history or the citizens themselves.

Today, it was the latter, as he encountered a familiar person on his walk around the market street.

In front of one of the many ground dragon stores all around Flanders, where one could purchase one of the city's famous animals, stood a group of figures dressed in military-like uniforms. They appeared to be negotiating with the shopkeeper.

Leading the group was a green-haired woman in a similar uniform.

Reinhard allowed himself a smile. He recognized Crusch Karsten from his various visits to her family's estate and also thanks to his friend, Felix Argyle, who currently served as the duchess's knight.

What confused him, however, was why she would even be in Flanders. Surely, she was not here just for a little shopping. His thinking was cut short as the duchess spotted him and waved him over.

"Mister Reinhard," she said as he approached her. "It is a pleasant surprise to find you here. In the mood for shopping?"

With a warm smile, he responded, "It is good to see you as well, miss Crusch. I was simply taking some time to appreciate the city. May I inquire as to what brings you here?"

The shopkeeper and one of Crusch's men shook hands.

"It is a simple matter. My house is in need of some ground dragons, and I decided to come here and purchase them myself."

Strange. Reinhard saw the wind of untruth flow from her. He could let it go, however, as he doubted the duchess would be secretive with him out of malice. "I see," was all he could utter as a realization struck him.

One of Crusch's most capable guards was his grandfather.

"Is something troubling you, Reinhard?"

"Please disregard that, miss Crusch. I was simply lost in thought."

Turning once more to the shop, Reinhard could see one of Crusch's men grab the reins to a jet-black ground dragon, specifically one from the notorious Diana species. That only added to his confusion: Diana ground dragons were often feisty and prideful, so why would Crusch even want one?

Seeing one of her men nod his head at her, Crusch turned back to him and spoke, "Unfortunately, it would appear that we are out of time. If you ever want to converse, Reinhard, I'm sure you know where to find me."

"Yes, miss Crusch. Have a safe trip back."

Watching her depart, Reinhard turned to his left, where a man stood against the wall. Said man had a hat covering most of his face and a plain brown uniform with the identification of the Merchant's Guild on it. Noticing Reinhard looking at him, the man only nodded at him and began to walk away.

He did not get far before Reinhard stopped him.

Holding the enigmatic man by the shoulder, the Sword Saint asked, "May I know your name?"

"I'm afraid you may not," was the man's response.

"If you do not want to give me your name, I'm sure the guards at the station can get it out of you."

"Funny. What crime did I commit?"

"None, but you were tailing duchess Karsten, weren't you? I do not like to assume the worst in anyone, but I would like to know why you were doing it."

"Why do you think, pretty boy? I was hired."

"By?"

"If you want to know, go talk to Russell Fellow. I'm sure he'll explain the whole thing to you. Now, if I may, I have a report to submit."

Knowing that the man would not cooperate any further, Reinhard let him go. He made a mental note to ask Russell when they met. The man was free to go, but Reinhard also made sure to memorize his appearance, just in case.

As he decided to leave this whole affair behind and keep enjoying the city, he strolled down the market street.

Natsuki Subaru had never considered himself an overly emotional person. Sure, there were moments that could really bring out certain feelings in him, but they were scarce. For example, he would never forget the excitement he felt upon first coming to this new world.

As soon as he entered the seemingly infinite tunnel to his right, he felt his emotions slowly rise. It was as if all the feelings he had repressed since coming to this world were threatening to boil over.

And they did.

From deep within the tunnel, and to no one in particular, he screamed. He yelled. He wailed in rage, frustration, sorrow, and much more.

Why did he have to come here?

This world was horrible!

He would never forget what he felt today. This was, he believed, his truest self. No more putting on an act around people, no more playing the role of the nice and amicable teenager who wanted to help all. If people were going to call him insane, then let them.

Let them go through what he did.

Dying at the hands of a sadistic killer who, quite literally, rearranged people's guts for fun. Being left to rot in an alley after dying to some thugs. Waking up after passing away to a curse. Feeling the sickness of said curse overtake him as one he thought a friend tore him in half.

Rem. Why did he ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, want to go back and save her? There was no point! She tried to kill him with no evidence at all! What scum does that? As soon as he got out of this insufferable tunnel, he was going to find her and make her regret ever accepting Roswaal's job offer.

Oh, and Roswaal was complicit in this as well. So was that damned Ram. How could they not have known what Rem was planning? And he was stupid enough to think they were innocent. Shame. He'd have to make examples of them too.

And who could forget Beatrice? Little Beatrice, who always treated him with such scorn and derision. If she was such a smart girl, why'd she not help him out that time? Why did she, a protector of the manor, let one of its staff members murder an innocent? He added her name to his list. When he found that library of hers, he was going to set fire to it. She could decide whether to stay or leave.

That just left…Emilia. Poor Emilia. Pitiful girl. Through no fault of her own, she made him experience hell. Oh, what a shame. She was the one he most admired and, yet, the one who put him through such pain. Maybe he should let her go.

Subaru could not believe it. Here he was, handing out death sentences to everyone he knew as if he could actually go through with it. Sure, he was going to walk up to the maid who killed him TWICE and get revenge. He would make it one step into the manor before his head got blown off again.

But there was a way around that.

Elsa. He stood no chance against Rem, but maybe Elsa did. Subaru had seen her in action at the loot house and she was a perfect instrument for his plans. Yes, a plan. One that was becoming clearer with every second. When he got Elsa's sister out of Roswaal's territory, she'd be indebted to him, and he could use that debt to eliminate those he hated.

Splendid.

His brothers might help. Lye was awfully friendly with him, but he might find some of his targets, like Ram, to be "distasteful" and not "gourmet." Whatever, he still had his daggers.

Oh! Maybe he could get another Archbishop to help him out. Regulus might listen to reason if he was polite, Petelgeuse was at least approachable, and Sirius would follow her "husband" to the ends of the universe.

Capella could go die in a dumpster.

Great! He had his dream team assembled! Now all that was left was to get back to the mansion and fulfill his mission. Oh, how he would savor the moment.

Savor the moment? Imagining their corpses was already enough to make him retch, actually seeing them would push him over the edge of sanity.

Why is this happening?

He just wanted to buy some noodles and chips. He never asked for any of this. He never wanted to become involved with a cult. He never wanted to die again and again and again for the amusement of some being he could not even understand.

If he pled, if he bowed and asked with tears in his eyes, would this monster let him die his final death? Would it leave him alone and find someone else? Please, all he wanted was to see his parents again, to know this was all a nightmare.

He was curled up on the floor and crying his eyes out when the keeper found him.

For the fifth day in a row, Elsa Granhiert observed the Mathers estate.

It would be so easy to just waltz in, gut them all, and disappear before they could even say a word. Of course, if it was as easy as she believed, she would already be with Meili, knitting a new doll for her.

Elsa went over her obstacles again.

First and most dangerous was the Margrave himself. Possibly the best mage in Lugnica. He was a threatening opponent, and one she would love to eliminate personally, if she got the chance.

Then there were the twins. From what she had seen, the twins were formidable guards in their own right, though to what extent she did not know. If they happened to be on par with their master, then the only way she was getting into that manor was with the help of that Archbishop of Gluttony she met some time ago.

Apart from the twins, there was a yellow-haired maid. She was the one Elsa knew the least about. All she could learn about her was that she was apparently a demi-human, as evidenced by her sharp teeth.

Finally, there was the girl from her previous contract and her spirit. She'd faced them before, and they were no big deal. If anything, those two might provide a warmup before she took down the rest.

For days she had stalked the mansion on the outside, gaining whatever information she could. Everything, from the Margrave's sleep schedule to the maids' favorite foods, was revealed to her.

And yet, she felt uneasy.

Why? She felt the whole thing was…too easy. The Margrave was by no means a fool, and if his powers were half of what she'd been told, then he already knew of her presence. So why go through all this trouble to put on a show? To tempt her to go in and try to rescue Meili only to end up disintegrated? No, Elsa knew her weaknesses, and she knew this fight was an unwinnable one.

Meili just needed to wait a little bit longer.

Her sister was going to come rescue her soon enough.

When he came back to his senses, Subaru immediately realized he was no longer in the tunnel. Wherever he was, it was spacious. Looking around, he took in the sight of the unknown room. "Room" was an understatement; the whole place looked like a massive hall that someone forgot to decorate.

Attempting to stand up, he noticed he was laying on a crudely-made bed, little more than a blanket and a pillow thrown on the floor. Whoever made this for him was clearly living on a budget. That would explain the lack of decorations and safety railings on the spiral stairs around the room. Subaru hoped he would not be clumsy enough to trip on them.

On his right lay the few items he had carried on him: the daggers and gospel. If someone was planning to keep him as a prisoner, they were doing a terrible job. Quickly patting himself to check for injuries, he found that the only wound he sustained was a splinter on his left hand, which someone apparently removed.

Everything pointed to the fact that he had not died and been sent back but, rather, someone had moved him to this place for an unexplained reason. Could this be the tower? Maybe the keeper was some sadist who enjoyed torturing their prey for fun! Great, what if it was like that one movie, the one with the creepy doll on a tricycle!?

"Snore…"

Turning his attention behind him, Subaru noticed something, or rather someone, he had not spotted previously.

On a chair, seemingly asleep, was a woman with long black hair, who's fashion sense could give Roswaal and Iseri, may he rest, a run for their money. A bikini top, some short pants, and a cape? Who in their right mind thinks of this as a normal attire?

The fact that the entire outfit was, like his, black and orange did not elude him.

He suddenly remembered that this was most likely the tower, which meant that this woman was either acquainted with the keeper or…

"Snore…"

Her attempt to appear asleep was as terrible as her outfit.

"Hey, I know you're awake you bum! Tell me where I am!"

"I'm asleep, snore…"

While the woman giggled to herself, Subaru walked over to his items and picked them up, storing the daggers within his sleeves and the gospel inside his overcoat. When he was finished, he walked over to the sleeping woman and promptly flicked her on the forehead.

"Ow! What was that for, master!?"

"I knew you were awake! Don't you know how rude it is to ignore someone!? And what's with 'master!?' The only thing I'm a master of is making mayo!"

"But you saw through my flalewel-, flawwels-, fl-, my excellent ruse! Only master can do that! Besides, you stink like him too!"

"Hey! I've been in the desert for more than a week, how do you expect me to bathe!?"

She shook her head. "Nope! Master smells like Satella!"

There it was again. "Satella? You mean the Witch of Envy? I never even met her!"

"Did master hit his head again? He was best friends with Satella! He gushed over her a~ll the time!"

"Are you saying that because of Emilia!? Did you see that!? My reputation is ruined!"

"I don't know who this 'Emilia' is, but if master knows her then she must be important!"

"Anyway! We're getting way too off-topic. Where are we?"

"The Pleiades Watchtower! Master and Shaula's home! Isn't it romantic?"

"I guess that makes you Shaula, huh…"

"Yep! Master's one and only Shaula! I am master's slave if he wishes it!"

He decided to pretend he never heard the last part. "Wait a second. 'Batenkaitos.' 'Regulus.' 'Shaula.' 'Sirius.' Do you guys have an obsession with stars or something? And what's with the tower's name? Was your master also called 'Subaru?'"

"Shaula's master is Flugel! Shaula can't remember his real name!"

Well, that might make things more difficult. "Shaula, do you know the keeper of this tower?"

"Of course I know her! She's me!"

This was the keeper? An overly excited woman with no sense of basic modesty?

"If master forgot, then Shaula will show him around the tower!"

And show him around the tower she did. From Asterope, the floor from which she dragged him into the tower, to Celaeno, the great hall they were in, and lastly Alcyone, which Shaula dubbed her "dwelling area."

"Say, Shaula, do you happen to know a Louis Arneb? I'm kinda looking for her right now."

"If Louis is in the tower, then master need not worry! His faithful Shaula will find this Louis!"

"I told you already, I'm not your master."

"Sure thing master!"

Subaru groaned. This was only going to get worse the longer he spent here, wasn't it?

"If master wants, then Shaula can give him a lap pillow! Shaula is sure master must be tired from the trip here!"

"I think I'll pass…"

After ascending one more stair, the duo found themselves in a completely white room. The only decoration in the room was a nondescript black monolith at the center.

"Master left this behind as a trial! Unless a person completes all three trials, then they can't leave the tower!"

"They can't WHAT!?"

Oh no.

"Yep! Master made sure to make the trials challenging so people would get stuck here! Master was a tad mean to be honest."

He could only stare at her.

"Oh, but don't worry master! You can leave if you want! All you have to do is order me to let you go!"

Huh, maybe it was going to be a bit easier than expected.

"There are other rules though! If master breaks the rules of the trials, disrespects the library, or damages the tower, then I'll have to teach him a lesson!"

Alright, there are many…levels…of easy.

"This is master's first trial! Master has to find the brightest hero Shaula killed!"

Subaru touched the monolith and watched as it split into many others. Within the great white room, the monoliths formed something akin to a drawing. A loose figure with a vaguely-defined shape.

Thus begins the first trial of the Pleaides Watchtower, in the third floor, Taygeta.

No time limit restriction. No attempt restriction. No challenger restriction.

Let the trial start.

AN: Shaula :)

AN 2: Fixed a floor name that I had repeated

AN 3: Regulus is the star's name