Coming home with all of your allies by your side with life in their eyes should have been considered a blessing for all of the warriors and magicians who had decided to fight under the banner of the Karsten household.

But it would have been a lie to say that they were coming back to the capital in a state that could have been described as whole.

The chance to do battle with the White Whale, one of the Three Great Mabeasts had slipped through their fingers. However, depending on who was asked, some would say that the chance was stolen. The ride home on their ground dragons was one of the most silent and uncomfortable experiences that any of them had ever endured. Their hopes had been built up to such an extreme and when the time came to put their resolve into action, they could do nothing but look upon the scene and know that there was nothing there for them.

When arrived back at the Karsten mansion, everyone was dismissed to their own devices. The vigor and morale everyone had displayed just a few hours ago was nowhere to be seen.

Inside a gathering hall where many of the militia had gathered, there was talk among many small groups, but the topic was absolutely the same for them all.

What next?

Breaking the silence, someone decided to speak out to everyone and brought all attention to himself. "I'm just going to say what I think some of us are thinking. I'm glad that it turned out this way." He was a man in his mid-thirties who'd just lit himself a pipe and exhaled a breath of smoke, preparing himself for what was to come next. If it was the gazes of dozens of others that he wanted, it was this that he received.

"I'm just saying, life's more important than the reward. The White Whale is gone, now all of us can just—"

however, before he could finish what he intended to say, a violent noise rumbled across the room, distracting him and pulling the focus of everyone to another. A man in his late 50s had stood up and kicked a chair, causing it to crash into a wall.

"How can you say that?! Are you even thinking about Lady Crusch? What does this mean for her? The victory over the White Whale was supposed to be a feat that elevated her even further in the royal selection!" This was spoken by a man who had worked for the Karsten family since he was first given a job as a teenager. And his loyalty to the current head would not falter, even in the face of this major setback.

It was true. Among many of the upper class, it was Crusch who seemed to be the favorite to win in the royal selection. After all, given her pedigree and consistent record of Or rather, she had been, until she revealed that she intended to dissolve the pact with the Dragon, something that many of the traditionalist aristocrats saw as being one step away from a crime against the nation itself. However, that had been mere days ago. Still far too recent for her odds to have dropped by any noticeable measure.

The intended destruction of the White Whale was why the duchess had spoken so boldly in front of the knights, nobles, and politicians. If she could succeed in such a legendary venture, it would prove the validity of her cause's strength.

There were many here who also believed that Crusch could accomplish this with all of her preparations. But now that was a dream of the past.

"The better question is, who in the world was that boy covered in the White Whale's blood? He didn't look like any famous warrior that I have ever heard of! How could he have defeated the White Whale so quickly?"

News had been brought forth to the capital by travelers who'd spotted the oncoming mist in such a great and clearly unnatural volume. But to their fortune, they were a great enough distance away to flee to civilization and spread the report so that people could be aware. This was what made Crusch Karsten so quickly jump into action and direct them toward Flugel's Tree.

"I think...he is affiliated with the Emilia camp. The girl who was with him is a maid under the employ of Margrave Mathers."

Upon hearing this, half the room felt a jolt of shock race through their bodies!

"So...does that mean that the accolades of this victory are going to go to that half-elf?"

The half-elf with no family name was the absolute least likely of the five candidates to have a chance in hell of succeeding or garnering any support from the public. And everybody in the room knew exactly why. Her physical appearance matched that of what history told them was what the Witch of Envy supposedly looked like.

While they had come far from the...unpleasant customs of the past, Lugunica as a nation still had very few people in positions of prominence who were of non-human ancestry. Even Ferris Argyle, who had the court title of being the Blue Knight likely would have not attained such status if it were not for his truly incomparable skill in water magic. Truly, the Crusch camp was lucky to have someone like him.

Ferris may have been one thing, but no one could imagine a silver-haired half-elf being placed upon the throne.

"But the White Whale...that's a massive accomplishment. I do not believe that it is unreasonable to think that something such as this will absolutely be going down in history as a legendary event. If this makes people begin to see Emilia as a positive figure...someone with a subordinate capable of taking down a monster like that...?" With this possibility in mind, it didn't sound unreasonable to think the tide of the royal selection could completely turn around!

"Feh! Do not underestimate people's ability to be ruled by fear of the unknown. This is a mistake of whippersnappers who haven't see enough of life, yet!" These words were spoken by an elderly man. He fought in the bloody war in the past against the demihumans. Both the Sword Saint and Sword Devil were friends of his, and while this man had no prejudice against non-humans, he still thought it would be too naive to think that a nation as large as Lugunica could have its people change a mindset that had been in place for centuries.

This was a topic that very few people seemed to want to talk about at the moment. The only thing that could rule their thoughts was how would their duchess proceed from here.

"I can't imagine how torn up Wilhelm war. I've never seen him lash out like that. He's always so...professional. He must be feeling like it's the end of the world for him."

"Yeah? What I wonder is what the duchess talked about with that kid! Did anyone notice that he wore strange clothes and had black hair? He's probably a foreigner. Lady Crusch looked like she wanted an explanation. And from the look on her face when we were riding back home, it seemed like she didn't get what she was hoping for."

What did this mean for them? For the Karsten house? For the royal selection? And the future of their nation?

Elsewhere, the Karsten duchess sat down in her private office, folding her hands together and casting her gaze at the two men standing before her.

They were Wilhelm van Astrea and Ferris Argyle.

Not a single one of them had even removed their battle attire, despite having returned home and knowing that there was no battle to be fought.

"I do not think I need to tell you both that we are in quite an unexpected situation, here. The subjugation of the White Whale has now become a complete failure." months of preparations and purchases had now gone unused. Though Crusch knew she could simply keep those arms for a later point, they would not be unsheathed for their intended use. "Subaru Natsuki...he somehow knew of the location of the whereabouts of the White Whale and managed to secretly get there and actually kill it..."

This didn't make any sense to anyone standing in this room.

Especially to the Blue Knight, whose head was cast downward, apparently finding his boots to be a more interesting sight than the face of his mistress. Ferris had personally watched Subaru be beaten into submission by Julius only a few days ago. Even for someone like him who had no martial ability, it was clear as a fight in the night that Subaru was an amateur fighter. But then again, it would be strange to find many people who wouldn't be defeated by someone as skilled as the Finest Knight.

Ferris wanted to feel resentment toward the insubordinate wretch who had stolen the dreams of the people he loved. He wanted to lash out, to curse the stranger who had been invited into his mistress' home, only to then turn around and spit in her face by taking the glory that was rightfully hers and dashing a 14-year long dream held by Wilhelm.

But he couldn't. All he could feel right now was an overpowering sense of loathing toward himself.

"Does anyone have any theories as to how he may have accomplished this feat? Though he was assisted by Rem, who is a maid for Margrave Mathers, I still do not believe she would have been sufficient for such a task." It wasn't that she was looking down on the staff employed by the most powerful magician in the nation. But the few times in recorded history that anyone had succeeded in attacking the White Whale and coming back alive, it was never without the aid of at least a battalion of some sort.

So how did Subaru Natsuki do such a thing by himself?

Surprisingly, it was Wilhelm who spoke out. The Sword Devil had been willingly silent ever since they'd departed to return home, trapping himself within his mind with his thoughts and his regrets. But, in the presence of the woman to whom he'd pledged his loyalty, he could not allow himself to offer her no aid, even in his current sorry state. "The last time he spoke with us he was filled with such rage and bloodlust toward the Witch's Cult that he presented himself almost as a crazed person," He did not intend to use such demeaning speak to describe the boy who had done what he could not. But—

No. Calling him a boy would have been another demeaning thing in itself.

Someone who had facilitated the defeat of the White Whale was a man that the Sword Devil failed to become.

"I believe there is a great possibility that he was overcome with true desperation that had driven him to such wrathful feelings. I do not mean to speak out of turn, but, I am one who has lived many years on the battlefield and there have been times where I confess experiencing less than dignified thoughts." The memories of a younger Wilhelm who fought not for the valor of his nation or the survival of his species flashed into his mind. At the time, the blood of a new opponent and the opportunity to experience the beautiful sound of steel against steel was his only desire.

A memory of himself laying at the feet of an enemy with nothing but his own sword for company pushed itself into the aged warrior's mind. The only thing that existed was nothing more than his desire to live. A clawing, vicious desperation that held few equals.

Yes. He remembered that feeling. Wilhelm had lived and suffered far longer than his mistress and his comrade beside him. Thought of only one goal for over a decade. Continued to live for that goal. And to see it right before his eyes and to think he could not even crawl to the feet of his enemy because of one thing blocking his path? "In his situation, perhaps I would have done the same thing, no matter how disgraceful I looked."

To be able to reach that place and speak those words to the only woman he'd ever loved, Wilhelm didn't need to take something like dignity with him. He only needed...her.

"Perhaps Subaru Natsuki has personal experience with the Witch's Cult and did not feel confident in tackling them alone. There are some enemies who one can face with a clear mind. And then there are those who fill your gut with nothing but a repugnant sense of anger at their very existence. Forgive me for assuming, my lady, but I believe that was the root cause of his...behavior."

"But then why didn't he say so? He should have explained himself better if that was the case!" For the first time in hours, Ferris spoke. But there was no trace of his typical peppy tone or cat-like mannerisms. He didn't even raise his head from the ground, his eyes still glued to the floor. "If he knew the location of the White Whale, it would have been different!" With words of bitter resentment, the disgraced Blue Knight blamed Subaru for not having a better hold of his emotions and calmly explaining things in a way that would have worked out better for everyone. For Lady Crusch.

Silence took hold over the room in an uncomfortable strangle.

The amber eyes of the young duchess closed. She had already thought of this and had a counterpoint prepared.

"That is incorrect, Ferris. Very much so."

Finally tearing his eyes away from the ground, the flaxen-haired healer looked up to his mistress but didn't meet her eyes. He made a sound of genuine confusion, not understanding why something pertaining to the White Whale wouldn't have changed the direction of the failed negotiation. "Nyah?"

"Subaru Natsuki claimed to know the Witch Cult was going to attack a village within the Mather's domain, and I refuted his claim on the grounds that the activities of the Witch Cult cannot be so accurately traced. Based on that same reasoning, how are we to verify that Subaru Natsuki can know the location of the White Whale, an entity just as mysterious and unpredictable?"

Even in her state of great loss, the expert negotiator was still there inside of her. She was the one who made the decision to deny Subaru Natsuki any aid, both on the grounds that getting involved with the Witch Cult was both too dangerous, and that the goings-on of another noble's territory were not her business to get involved in when there was no reasonable profit.

She thought her logic was sound. But in the end, her choices led to the very same person she had dismissed to take away the prize she had worked so hard for.

In the end, Crusch could do nothing but admit that she had made the wrong choice. There was absolutely no one to blame for this loss but herself. She made a decision and she had to stand by it, for better and worse. And in this situation, it was for worse.

Ferris' mouth hung open, his rational mind understanding the words of the duchess, but his emotional side refusing to acknowledge this. It wasn't that Ferris was unaware that Crusch could make mistakes. It was simply that he didn't want to acknowledge that she had made an error in judgment regarding Subaru Natsuki.

"Subaru Natsuki is not mad. As a matter of fact, he is far more astute than I ever gave him credit for. When we spoke alone he made it very clear that he not only heard the words I spoke to him but that he was listening very carefully." One of the few positives she took away from that last interaction was knowing for certain that Subaru Natsuki was without doubt, of sound mind.

Sitting back in her chair, Crusch couldn't get comfortable, regardless of the seat's quality make. Her mind simply was not at ease.

"When we spoke alone, do you know what he told me?" Saying this, she commanded an even more sensitive ear from her subordinates than usual, both of them waiting on her next words. Ferris might have been able to eavesdrop on the secret conversation if he hadn't been taken away due to his...behavior at the time. "He told me he wasn't angry at the way I treated him because he understood why I said what I said."

Neither Wilhelm nor Ferris could immediately believe this! Though they both of course took the side of their duchess in that past situation, from the perspective of Subaru, that sort of rejection would have surely been worthy of carrying a long-term grudge!

But they weren't the only ones who felt this way. In fact, it had been Crusch herself who had been most blown away by this revelation of information.

"In addition, I also offered our support, since he claimed he was going to pursue to Witch Cult immediately afterward, but, Subaru Natsuki refused my offer."

Hearing this, Wilhelm remained silent, merely closing his eyes in resignation. He had a small handful of ideas as to why the man who accomplished the thing he had not would make such a choice. And the truth was, Wilhelm could not fault him for them. But Ferris on the other hand once again felt his emotions flare up. "He did what?! After begging like that just a few days ago, Subawu suddenly decides he's too good for Lady Crusch's help when she offers? Who does he think he is?" Was this entire thing some kind of sick game in order to kick his mistress when she had suffered a loss?

"He seemed to believe that the assistance he already had was sufficient. And in addition," Crusch felt herself mentally admitting defeat when recalling this memory from only a few hours ago. Because it had dashed what little hope she had left in believing she could recover from the massive loss that would have been her victory over the White Whale. "He told me that he would stand to gain nothing by letting us join him."

These words hit Ferris and Wilhelm like a thunderbolt. Not only because their mistress and her aid had been denied, but because the reasoning that the black-haired youth had given was in using the exact same reasoning that Crusch herself did in the last interaction she had with Subaru. To the cat-eared boy, it could only feel like a bucket of freezing water was being thrown directly into his face and sending the most unpleasant shock throughout his body.

He just could not accept this. In his mind, Ferris saw Subaru as the most selfish person he had ever met in his entire life! "After we took such good care of him?! After Ferri healed his wounds that he only suffered because of his own reckless actions?! We have him comfort when plenty of other people would have thrown him out on the street, which is what he deserved! How can he act like he doesn't owe Lady Crusch more? She's entitled to something in return!"

"In the end, I cannot blame Subaru. Because as he said, I was the one who created the transactional relationship with him from the very beginning," If someone was a guest in her home, she would, of course, treat them with the utmost of respect and hospitality. However, Crusch had only done so with Subaru in the first place because Emilia and herself had struck a deal.

It was a business arrangement, which was different from a handout.

Turning to his comrade, the aged swordsman finally had decided to speak one again. He believed that Ferris had spoken far too much. "Though it pains me to say this, Subaru was correct. Lady Crusch was the one who established this ground between the two of them that her assistance came with strings attached. If she saw no gain for herself, she was within her rights to not become involved. So Ferris, why does the exact same logic not apply to Subaru Natsuki?"

The pained expression of the Blue Knight deepened, his mouth unable to form words. Just like everyone else, Ferris had been in the same room when the woman he served denied an unworthy boy any assistance in what Ferris thought was a crazy delusion. And as much as he didn't want to say so out loud, he had absolutely nothing to offer as a response. His feline-like ears hung down, displaying his hurt feelings on his very body.

Crusch remembered the black-haired young man saying almost the same words. Which was likely why he had come to agree with her.

If her logic was sound when she used it, then it had to be the same when another person applied it to their own situation. Dejected as she was, Crusch knew that she could not make a mockery of herself by attempting to demand that she should have it both ways. She could not spit on her own morals when it became convenient.

There was nothing to do but accept the fact that this night was a complete loss for the Crusch camp.

It was at this point that the green-haired duchess felt it was time to bring this particular point of the topic to a close Nothing good would come of sitting here and sulking. "The time for playing this blame game has ended. We cannot change what has happened. All we can do now is endeavor to be better in the future. If Subaru Natsuki truly does know as much about the Witch Cult as he says, then we very well may be getting news of his success in the near future."

The way in which she spoke these words made it clear without saying more that she was confident that he would be the victor of whatever confrontation he entered in with those villains.

"That elderly man who was with Subaru, he was dressed as a butler, but he did not look familiar in the slightest," Crusch's eyes shifted over toward Wilhelm as if to silently ask if he was familiar with the unknown stranger. It was not uncommon for servants of different houses to spend time together, assuming their employers were on good terms.

This new topic sent a deathly cold shiver up Ferris' spine. He still remembered the sensation of what he could only describe as an executioner's blade at his throat when that old man stopped from doing something he could not reverse.

Closing his eyes, the Sword Devil shook his head in a regretful sort of way, ashamed that he was of no use to the woman he served. "A thousand apologies. But I also do not believe this person was familiar." And not only that, Wilhelm could not bring himself to admit that his mind and soul had been occupied by other things at the time. Seeing the corpse of the White Whale so brutalized without himself being even able to challenge the creature sent the Sword Devil into a fury where no logic existed.

The last thing on his mind was the presence of another butler.

Crusch sighed in resignation. If he knew nothing else, then she could ask nothing more. "I see. Well then, at the very least I do have a name. Subaru referred to him as Sebas." That was all. No family name, no affiliation with any lord. "Even still, we can likely assume that this Sebas is someone who is incredibly powerful to have even thought of aiding Subaru in his situation." She already knew from personal experience that most people would refuse to even entertain the idea of combating the White Whale and Witch Cult back-to-back.

But the question is, where did such a person even come from? There was much that Crusch did not understand. And none of it was going to be revealed from the mouth of Subaru Natsuki. At least, not this day.

"Tonight has been one of...great loss and disappointment. For all of us. I believe it is necessary for us all to recover before we formulate a new plan of what we will do, next." And to be perfectly honest, the Karsten duchess was not up to strategizing at the moment. The only thing she wanted was to be alone with her thoughts.

She had put so much energy into the subjugation of the White Whale and come home with absolutely nothing to show for it. She could only count her lucky stars that she never made this mission public, else her reputation would have undoubtedly declined to a level she feared to even imagine.

"Wilhelm, you are, as of now, being given a period of personal leave." As she spoke these words, Wilhelm looked up in surprise, having expected to hear nothing like this. Torn between his own personal feelings and his duties to his mistress, he couldn't easily find the words to express the way he felt. "You should take some time to be with your family, Wilhelm. I will not claim to know what you are experiencing, but I know this cannot be easy for you, given the way you lashed out when you saw the White Whale. Right now, this isn't the place for you to be."

Mouth hanging open, Wilhelm could do nothing but place his hand at his heat and accept this order. "My lady, I can do nothing but thank you for your consideration. For the way in which I have behaved tonight, I...have shown you a side of myself that I cannot bring myself to excuse. And being treated so leniently is far more than I deserve." Though he could not say so, Wilhelm still felt a gripping sense of emptiness within the very depths of his soul. The one moment he'd wished for had been taken by another.

Where could he possibly go from this point?

His loyalty to his mistress hadn't changed. But even still, something inside the Sword Devil felt incomplete.

He wasn't there for his wife when she died. He had been unsuccessful in avenging her death at the hands of that monster. And he'd conducted himself in a way in which no butler ever should.

Failure upon failure upon failure.

Wilhelm van Astrea did not know how he could possibly clear his heart of this dragging weight. But he did take solace in knowing that the young woman in front of him had taken his situation and his loss into account, first."Truly, I have chosen a woman who cares for her people greatly."

Seeing that Wilhelm had accepted her decision, Crusch's eyes suddenly took on a slightly more intense look. And she was looking directly at the cat-eared knight in front of her. A sense of unfamiliar unease came over her as she mentally prepared herself for something she never thought she would have to do. But, tonight had been a night of many firsts for her.

"Ferris Argyle, step forth."

Hearing the authoritarian tone to her voice, the Blue Knight did as he was told, a look of unexpected confusion ruling his feminine face.

"Tonight, you conducted yourself in a manner that is both unbecoming of a knight and anyone who has pledged themselves to my service. This, I am certain you already know?"

Ferris gulped, his attention shifting down. No one was beating him up more about his than he was to himself. And at this moment, all Ferris wanted to do was shrink into some small, secluded place and drown so that he didn't have to feel what he was feeling right now. "Y-Yes. I understand."

He had completely allowed his emotions to drive his decisions. To the point where he had to be chastised by a stranger in the ways of how a proper servant was meant to conduct themselves. That old man had cowed him not submission with both force of strength as well as strength of words likely having come from a lifetime's worth of experience and maturity that he lacked.

"Your master has told you twice, now. And it has been twice that you have disobeyed. Since you will not listen to her, you will listen to me. While I understand that you are clearly consumed with many feelings, professionally, I cannot allow any harm to come to Subaru Natsuki. And on a more personal level, I cannot tolerate subordinates who so brazenly ignore the words of their master. It is a disgrace to their authority and diminishes the quality of their status. You will not interrupt again unless specifically pointed to. Have I made myself plain?"

He was right. Completely right. Every action that Ferris has taken was nothing but his own self-righteous feelings taking hold and pushing him to a point of both self-destruction and ruin for the woman who meant more to him than the worth of the entire world.

The look of deep regret on her knight's face old Crusch that he was deeply ashamed of the way in which he had behaved. However, she could not allow that to be the end of it. "I do not think you do understand. The actual weight of your actions, I mean. Not only did you disobey me, multiple times, but you threatened Subaru Natsuki, the man who has just done the entire world a legendary service. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you if you hadn't been stopped by his associate? What could have happened to the entire Karsten house?"

Though Ferris had not actually brandished a weapon toward Subaru, the intent to do malicious harm had been there. Ferris was no warrior. And he was no great shakes at any kind of destructive magic. However, as one who had hands that could heal, those very same hands could be used as lethal weapons against even the strongest of beings in the right situation.

"His actions may be secret as of now, but I assure you, this news will not remain under wraps. Once the Sage Council learns of his deed, and they will, Subaru Natsuki is going to be hailed as a hero who freed the entire country, no, the continent from a monster that has been the source of nightmares and despair. Now tell me, how exactly do you think people will respond if it comes out that one of the royal knights took it upon himself to act on a petty grudge against such a person?"

His ears curled down. His yellow eyes shrank back to half their normal size. His mouth hung open in dumb confusion.

Ferris had not given a single one of those things a thought. At the moment, all he could think was that Subaru had stolen his lady's thunder in a way that was inexcusable as well as having taken Wilhelm's chance for revenge away from him. In Ferris' mind, Subaru was the ultimate deceiver, taking what he wanted and not caring who suffered.

Having been so wrapped up in his own emotions, nothing else seemed to matter at the time. All he could think of was delivering punishment to the person who had hurt the people closest to him. And it never once occurred that his actions may have had greater repercussions than anything that Julius did when he beat Subaru senseless.

But, that was before the situation changed. That was before Subaru Natsuki did what none of the royal knights ever could.

Hoping that Subaru's actions would remain a secret kept on the Liphas Highway was a delusion Crusch was not willing to even allow into her mind. His shameful actions in the royal selection would be all but forgotten when this information became public and spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom.

"Within the year, the entire continent will likely know of his deed. That is how great an accomplishment this was, Ferris. It is not only the people of Lugunica who have suffered from that monster. So tell me, what exactly do you think would happen to you when the Sage Council, or worse, an aggressive enemy nation realizes that a royal knight did harm to, or worse, killed the person who has slain the White Whale? It would be a veritable catastrophe, and it would not be unusual for the entire Karsten house to be served up as the pound of flesh as recompense for such thoughtless actions!"

For the first time in her life, Crusch raised her voice at Ferris, her knight, her confidant, and her friend.

But right now she was not speaking as his friend. And every word from her mouth broke her heart with even greater pain than when she realized that she had lost a chance for personal success.

For the first time since his own fate had been decided, Wilhelm decided to speak. And though he understood the gravity of the situation, he managed to keep his tone even and only voice what he felt was logical. "In the absolute worst-case scenario, this could start a war. Ferris' actions could be considered tantamount to an unsanctioned assault on an untouchable."

There were certain people in society who had very special privileges that went far beyond the norm. And offending these people came at a great cost. Sometimes financial, oftentimes in the relinquishing of land ownership as payment.

Had Ferris truly been so consumed in his own wants that he placed short-term pleasure over the consequences of a long-term disaster? Had he truly been one potential step away from ruining everyone he loved and cared about simply to hurt Subaru? "I...never thought..."

Shaking her head, Crusch's entire expression gave off a sense of immense disappointment. "Clearly, you didn't think." Not even Ferris' status as the greatest healer in the nation would have protected him from this sort of punishment. And Crusch would not be able to protect him if the weight of an entire country came down on his head.

To be perfectly honest, Crusch didn't know for certain that another nation or even the temporary leaders of Lugunica would act in such a way. But, she did see it as being a possibility. And she would not gamble on such things. The Karsten house had already suffered a great loss, tonight. She would not let one of their own be responsible for a potential disaster.

She had to protect them all. Subaru had told her that he didn't know if he was still affiliated with the Emilia camp. And while she thought it was an inconsiderate thing to even attempt to bring him onto her side, at bare minimum the Crusch camp could not afford to make an enemy out of Subaru Natsuki when they'd walked away on what could best be described as fragile neutral terms.

"Ferris Argyle! You are hereby ordered to a term of penitence. You are hereby suspended from all your duties as a knight. I will inform Marcos of this, tomorrow. Furthermore, you are forbidden from using magic for any reason, unless you find yourself in a situation that is immediately life-threatening. Do you understand me, Ferris? You do not use magic. Not for anything. Cross me on this, and I assure you that the next punishment will be truly severe."

Every word from his mistress crushed Ferris' entire being.

This was his fault. He did this.

He had held his head up so high and thought himself to be a truly loyal servant, something that Subaru Natsuki could never match. But now, it was at this point that Ferris understood, or rather that he remembered that he and Subaru were two of a kind. And he hated himself for attempting to pretend that he was so much better. All it took was one situation and he acted in the exact same way Subaru did during the royal selection.

He had disobeyed direct orders and made his mistress ashamed to have him in her service. Ever since he had been lifted out of that place by her, she had given him reason to live and a place to build his sense of confidence that made him the person he was. And in a period of one night, Ferris had proven himself unworthy of her effort and love.

All he could do was quietly admit defeat. There was no one to blame for his actions other than himself. "Ferri—I understand, Lady Crusch." There was not trace of his usual coquettish way of speaking. Only a low, sorrowful voice squeaked out.

Unable to see his young friend in such a state, Wilhelm could only wonder how great his punishment would be for him. "Lady Crusch, how long will Ferris be suspended?"

Her eyes closed, Crusch responded almost immediately, as if she already had an answer prepared. "Until I decide he is worthy of my trust. The sort of trust that should be afforded to a knight."

The unknown time frame only sent a paralyzing wave of unease through Ferris. But he knew it was far less than what he deserved. Yes, Crusch was being merciful. It wouldn't have been surprising if he was given a far more harsh sentence than this. Slowly, something inside of Ferris Argyle fractured. And he felt himself being dragged into that basement he thought he would never see again.

But he could no longer feel anger or resentment. He only felt a soul-crushing melancholy that forced him to accept his fate.

He deserved to be punished.

"This will conclude our discussion for tonight. Both of you reserve a break for now. We all do. When things get back on track, and they will, I believe we will come out stronger for it. We may be down, but we are not out. The royal selection has only just begun and we will not give up until the bitter end. Rest and recuperate. Times ahead will not be easy for any of us."

And with that, Crusch Karsten was left in her office, alone.

She waited for at least three minutes before she felt her two closest allies were far enough away.

And then, hot tears fell from her eyes, staining her cheeks. A hand moved to cover her mouth to smother her cries. And she choked down sobs to where it hurt to breathe. The militaristic visage had vanished and hat replaced it was a young woman who felt so utterly alone in a mansion filled with many.

"I didn't want to! I know he is a knight, but...Ferris is my friend. How could I do this to him when he has always been there. Always him. And this...is how I treat him?" She knew that his actions were worthy of discipline, but even still, every harsh word she spoke felt as if she was the one being hit by the ferocious beating of her own words.

"How could I do this to you, Ferris? I am so, so sorry!"

At this moment, Crusch resented her position as a leader for the first time in her life. Why was it her who had to have the burden of doing such a thing to one of the people she loved most? The weight was overpowering. Was this what it felt like to be the one in charge of such responsibility?

She recalled the bold words that she had spoken during the royal selection wherein she made her intentions known to one and all.

"Hard times await us. Perhaps they will be disasters we averted in the past due to the Dragon's power, or perhaps even greater calamities. But I do not wish to live in a manner that shames my very soul."

And yet here she sat, only a few days later feeling not an ounce of pride her herself. An unbearable sense of shame consumed her. Defeat was something she could handle. It was an inevitable part of life. But, she wasn't prepared for this. Crusch Karsten desired above all else to become the new Lion King and lead this nation to a greater future. And so, why did she feel like the villain?

Her head fell to her desk as a life-altering question hit her. "Do kings have to do things like this every day of their lives?"

It felt like forever ago since Subaru had been in this mansion. And yet, it didn't have the sense of familiarity that he was hoping to find.

Sitting on a couch in one of the living rooms, he felt all eyes on him in a way that was not uncomfortable, but also one he didn't like. It was probably fatigue setting in. Subaru had been awake with no long-term sleep for what seemed like forever!

Roswaal had finally returned home. And to Subaru, he felt partial relief that the actual landlord had returned, but also slight annoyance that he had only done so once the action was already over. "Now that I think about it, this isn't the first time this has happened with him." Indeed, the eccentric margrave had arrived in order to finish off entire hordes of mabeasts when Subaru and Rem were surrounded by them in the forest.

Emilia, Rem, Ram, and Roswaal all sat in different places in order to be informed on the situation in detail. Even Beatrice had come from her library at the call of the master of the mansion due to this being urgent news.

The only absent face was that of a certain grey-furred at. And Subaru could live with that. He really could.

Leaning back, he threw his head to the side, a look of immense exhaustion on his face. "Do we really hafta do this right now, everyone? I'm mega wiped out in a way you can't even imagine." The only one whose gaze wasn't fixed on Subaru was that of Rem. And that was because she had been present for 80% of the ride, meaning she was not nearly as in the dark.

"Barusu, you have engaged in many acts that were unsanctioned by your employer and will no doubt lead to great changes within the nation itself. The least you can do is provide us all with the complete story." It was Ram who said this. But, unlike her usual tone where every word toward him would have been laced with a pointed barb, her speech was considerably more even at the moment.

The next person to speak was Roswaal, never failing to steal the spotlight with his unusual method of articulation. He looked quite a bit more eager than Subaru usually saw him. But, it was to be expected. After all, the last time Subaru even saw him was during the royal selection where he'd escorted Emilia. "Indeeeeed, Subaru. There is so much that we do not understaaaand. It would appear that you have had quite an epic time in the period in which I have been away."

If he was being perfectly honest, this was a conversation that Subaru really did not want to have period mostly because he was not certain how much he could answer. This was the very first time he had experienced this situation. And as such, he had nothing planned period from here on, everything would have to be played naturally. It was a whole new world for him.

But, that wasn't the only issue at hand. Subaru knew that he couldn't tell the whole story without mentioning the part Sebas and Demiurge played. And though their interactions were not some kind of secret, underground pact, the fact that both sides had intentionally kept certain knowledge to themselves was silent proof that some things should remain unsaid. And besides, Subaru Natsuki felt that his life of running his mouth without thinking was over.

He didn't like this. Everyone here was expecting him o be 100% candid. But Subaru knew he was going to have to hide details.

However, before he could even open his mouth, he was distracted by an all too familiar huff from a certain blonde loli sitting opposite of him. "Hmpf! Why does Betty have to waste time with something like this? There are books to be read that are a more useful expenditure of time than this!"

Though he rolled his eyes at her words, Subaru could not help but feel her usual dismissive comment had a somewhat nostalgic feel to it. "And here I thought I was being set up to tell a tale that you wouldn't hear in any books. But...if you wanna hear about this legendary conquest second-hand, feel free to head up to the library, Beatrice. I'm sure it'll have the same juicy flavor coming from someone else's mouth." Though he said this, there was no malice of hard feelings to his words. He just couldn't resist teasing the drill-haired girl, no matter what.

And just as expected, the vein popping on her forehead told him that his jab worked.

"Well, it's a pretty long story and it's not easy to explain." And once more, the only thing that Subaru truly wanted to do at this point was to jump into bed and lose himself in the embrace of a pillow and a blanket. He felt as if he had not slept in a month. And coming from a former shut-in like himself, losing sleep was just not natural.

"Beatrice, please calm down. I am certain that Subaru has a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything. There is no way he would not have done all these things if it wasn't explainable." These words of faith from Emilia greatly lifted Subaru's spirits. Though the two of them had not yet had a one-on-one conversation, he felt a sense of ease that she was no longer looking at him with those eyes of disapproval and shame.

But, the person in the room who wanted to know most of what had transpired in the time Subaru had been away, was Roswaal. But not for the reasons anyone might have suspected of him. His interest was not simply to further understand what one of his employees had been doing in his absence. Rather, he greatly wanted to know why Subaru had not done things in the way he hoped.

He may not have been showing it on his face at the moment, but the court magician was feeling an intense surge of frustration right at the moment. And he had been quite some time, actually. "It was not supposed to happen this way."

When these...unexpected developments occurred, Roswaal knew he needed to return to the mansion as soon as possible and attempt to understand why things had gone so terribly awry.

His mismatched colored eyes locked onto the black-haired boy sitting on the other couch, intently watching his every move.

Roswaal couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something he immediately noticed to be different about Subaru. And it annoyed him that he could not put a word to what this difference was. From this, he figured that the only thing he could do at this point was to watch, wait, and then form an appropriate plan to respond to the information that he would gather here. "No matter what, things must get back onto the proper path."

And to his delight, Subaru seemed ready to explain.

"Well, there's some stuff that I really don't wanna talk about here in front of everyone, mostly 'cause it's really embarrassing." He was of course referring to his behavior in the royal selection. However, among the people who were sitting here in this room, the only ones who were not present at the time were Ram and Beatrice. He already knew that the pink-haired made was aware of his less than graceful behavior. And as far as the spirit of the library went, he had a strong feeling that she was not particularly interested in the goings-on of the royal selection.

It was not that he wanted to run away from his own actions. It was simply that Subaru felt that was a conversation that needed to be spoken with a certain girl. One on one.

He never thought that he would actually end up in a situation where he needed to explain things like this. Because the simple fact of the matter was, they were going to be some blanks. He already knew this.

"Well, after all the...stuff happened after the royal selection meeting, I was left with Crusch Karsten for a bit with Rem as my caretaker. The exact situation was never specifically explained to me, so I can't say I understand what Emilia intended when she struck up that deal with Crusch." He had been unconscious when that conversation took place. But needless to say, since the whole thing was arranged without his consent, Subaru didn't feel bad about breaking the agreement, even if it was Emilia who'd set the thing up. There were bigger issues at hand, after all.

"Sorry to say that I can't exactly say how, but I had a feeling about the White Whale and its whereabouts. The Liphas Highway. I could sort of...sense it coming and I think it was going to be flying toward the mansion."

Subaru knew that this was vague beyond belief. And it really didn't answer any questions. But he had his reasons for explaining things the way he did.

Now that he went back and thought about it, Ram did not specifically question him when he made the claim of knowing that the village was in danger from those creatures in the forest. And as it turned out, there had indeed been a mass child kidnapping! Ram had let him do as he pleased and even sent her little sister along as assistance. That was back when Subaru was still attempting to earn the trust of the blue-haired maid and not end up on the wrong side of her weapon. And not only that, he'd specifically asked Beatrice about things like curses and shamans, only to then have a very immediate use for that information soon after. If he remembered correctly, she seemed mildly curious, but she didn't press the issue.

"Based on both of those successful situations, it should be a little bit easier for both of them to believe I have a way of...let's say...predicting danger? Should I go with that line? There's no way I can say anything about the Witch." And if he was being perfectly candid, the Subaru was absolutely frightened of mentioning the With of Envy anywhere near the presence of Emilia. He absolutely refused to do so because he did not know what might set off some kind of unexpected trigger to make the worst-case scenario happen. Which was why he would avoid that altogether.

"I know Emilia was beyond pissed at me. But...nobody knew about that monster. If it really did come in this direction, think of all the people in this territory who could have been killed! That was why I had to do something, no matter the cost!"

This was truth mixed with lies. And if he were being perfectly honest, it made him feel a little bit guilty. He had finally been welcomed back into the place where he thought he may never be able to return, and one of the first things that he did when pressed for information was start telling half-truths. But even still, Subaru convinced himself that it was for the greater good. He literally could not tell the full story, or it would cost lives. His, or someone else's.

"I tried my damndest to get help. From anybody! I may have been able to halfway tackle some mabeasts in the forest, but the White Whale was a whole other story, y'know?"

Everybody in the room could instantly understand why this would have been quite the undertaking. First of all, when mentioning something like a White Whale, very few people would have been brave, or crazy enough to even attempt to face it. As a matter of fact, it was something that should have been avoided altogether.

"That makes perfect seeeense, Subaru. The White Whale was responsible for the death of a Sword Saint in the past. It is not an enemy to be trifled with under any circumstances." It was Roswaal who spoke, who seemed to be taking in Subaru's explanation rather pleasantly. "However, it seems you had quite a different experience with it, wouldn't you saaaay?"

"Well I'm not gonna say it was easy, that's for sure. I tried to even get the help of the other royal selection candidates, but in the end, none of them wanted to help me." For a brief moment, Subaru felt that sense of rejection returned to his mind. But, after reminding himself of everything he had accomplished in what was a single day, he knew that he had nothing left to prove to people like that.

He had already left the door open with the duchess of the Karsten house for possible talks in the future. Maybe. But Subaru really, really didn't want to see Priscilla or Anastasia anytime soon. The red-clad baroness may have gotten physically violent and even threatened him after goading him into a humiliating act, but Subaru felt a special irritation in how Anastasia specifically sought him out in order to steal such petty information from him when he was already at a low point.

"I swear I'm gonna get her back one day!"

Upon hearing that Subaru had made contact with the other girls of the royal selection, Emilia felt herself gasp in surprise. She left him with Crusch under the assumption that she would keep him safe and away from any sort of reckless behavior. But, the knowledge that he had been so desperate that he had attempted to appeal to all of her political rivals stunned her into silence. "Was he truly that in need of aid that he would go so far...?" Once again, a familiar feeling of self-hate pushed its way into her mind. Her leaving Subaru in the capital had surely pushed him to that point.

"When it looked like nobody was gonna help me, I figured that the only option would be for me and Rem to race back here as fast as we could to try and evacuate the mansion and maybe the village, too." Yet again, another partial truth. Subaru did try that in the past, and he already knew from experience that it would have failed.

Inside his mind, Roswaal frowned. "So he gave up? This is not correct. He was meant to attempt to bring together participants from the royal selection, not go about this by himself."

Now came the part where Subaru would have to start revealing things where he didn't know if it was best to talk about them. "I was still in the city, prepared to go find Rem and tell her we needed to ship out and try to warn as many people as we could. And that's when I ran into him,"

Ram, having remained silent for so long could only assume that Subaru was referring to the mysterious man in the red suit who Subaru had been with when she came down from the mansion. But she was mistaken on that.

"He came up to me and said something to me that I never would have expected someone to say. It was really amazing!" A surprising look of hopeful joy spread across Subaru's face, and his eyes shifted off as if recalling a memory. Moments later when he came back to reality, Subaru finished by saying, "To this day, I only know a small handful of people who'd reach out like that to a total stranger and not expect anything in return."

And, if Subaru was to be so bold, he would have put a little bit of money on it to bet that even if he did not bring up his life-threatening situation, Sebas would have been fine in giving him the same sort of helpful advice and then being on his way. "He told me what I needed to hear the I was in a real bad way. I guess that's just the sort of thing you can say to guys my age when you get a couple more decades of life experience."

"You aren't being clear at all, I suppose! Just who did you encounter and what sort of advice did you receive that could have possibly led to you challenging the White Whale of all things?" It was Beatrice who asked this question, having grown tired and irritated of Subaru talking around the subject and not getting to the point.

"He is referring to Master Sebas." To the surprise of a few, Rem had decided to speak up on his behalf. Subaru felt that she decided to enter check at this point because this was actually around the time where Rem came into the picture. It felt a little bit easier telling the story when he had the backup of someone else.

"Yeah, him. And I was as surprised as anyone when he actually believed what I had to say!" There was no need to beg He was put in no situation where he was asked to pony up some impossible or unreasonable payment in response. Subaru could only define his meeting with Sebas as a miracle. He had already asked himself this question in the past, but what would have happened if Subaru decided to simply walk in the other direction and not end up in that alleyway? Things would have turned out quite differently than they had.

A rare stroke of good luck in a series of craptastic events of his life.

"Sebas?" Roswaal searched his memory, but as best as he tried, the name simply did not seem familiar on any level. And he was absolutely certain that there was no mention of such a person within his secret store of knowledge.

Just who in the world had Subaru been consorting with during his time away?

"Anyway, to make a super long story short, Sebas gave me some important words of wisdom that really helped me to make some decisions that I needed to think about. Stuff that could...really chan my future."

And they did.

Subaru had finally escaped that hellish loop where he experienced nothing but failure after failure.

"But Barusu, that does not explain who that other person was who you were with at the village. You did not refer to him by the name of 'Sebas.' And it does not clear up why these people were so willing to assist you in doing battle against the White Whale."

He found himself appreciating that her words simply were framed as a genuine question rather than an attempt to cut him down in her usual ruthless sort of way.

"Oh, him? That was Demiurge. He and Sebas are partners. Demiurge is actually the one I had negotiations with and he was eager to see the White Whale. And he made me a deal I really couldn't refuse. He would provide the combat assistance, and in return, I would lead him to the White Whale, and in the end, he and Sebas would take its corpse for themselves." He said this as if it was the most natural thing in the world, in spite of how grim it may have sounded.

Emilia's pupils shrank upon hearing this. "The...body of the White Whale? What could these people want with its body of all things?" It all sounded very macabre and unsettling to her. It confused the silver-haired girl how Subaru could have even agreed to such a thing. But then, when weighed against the lives of so many innocent people, some part of her felt he had made the correct choice in the end.

"That is a very good question, Lady Emilia. Just what exactly is it that these people could have waaaaanted with the corpse of one of the Three Great Mabeasts, Subaru? Surely you questioned your new associates on this?" Whatever it was that he had become involved with, he had to find out as much as possible.

But, to the flamboyant magician's dismay, Subaru's response yielded no positive results.

"Nope. Not at all. As far as I was concerned, that was absolutely none of my business. I didn't think that I had any reason to go poking around in something like that. Besides, I think getting a little bit too nosey in matters that don't involve me has already got me into more than enough trouble, don't you think? Subaru looked from the silver-haired half-elf to the master of this mansion, both of whom were present during the oil selection meeting where he had made an unbelievable fool of himself. He didn't think he needed to explain anything more than that.

From the outside looking in, this may have made it seem as if Subaru had been going about things a little bit too recklessly. But, he already had a point in mind to counter this way of thought. "You guys have to understand the situation and how desperate I was. There was no time to waste. And I couldn't run the risk of isolating the only help that I had. The situation was way too delicate for any kind of slip-up. They said they'd help and they didn't ask me too many questions, either. And look what happened: We were able to take down the White Whale with nothing but a few scratches to show for it!"

Looking over to Rem for confirmation, the blue-haired maid nodded to Subaru in a way that filled him with confidence.

Subaru absolutely was not going to go into the details of how they had been assisted in the battle by a huge, winged demon that literally knocked the White Whale out of the sky and stuck it into the earth by its horn, leaving it wide open for a period of time for the three of them to absolutely unload on the creature with all their might.

And he hoped Rem would keep that under her hat as well.

"Hmpf! And you claim you just so happened to run into two people who not only were mighty enough to face down that monster, but willing to assist you of all people? Betty finds that difficult to believe." Though she was not calling him a liar, Beatrice found this situation to be highly improbable.

Which was completely fair. After all, Subaru had repeated the same situation a number of times before he happened upon that good fortune.

If Subaru was being perfectly honest, he found the words spoken by the spirit of the library to be rational. But at the end of the day, the situation was what it was. "Truth can be stranger than fiction, sometimes. I can't deny that I got lucky in running into Sebas. Even though our deal was made on fair trade, I can't help but feel like I owe those guys a whole lot more."

After all, the two of them had stuck their necks out for him. They didn't need to go that far, but they did. And even though they did not assist him out of charity or something as rare as a moral obligation, Subaru still felt glad that they didn't present their own self-interest in a way that put him off. "Maybe there is a way to wanna get what you want and not come off wrong to the other person..."

Though he maintained a perfect poker face, Roswaal's questions only seemed to pile up again and again. "This does not make any sense. If he were going off the written path so drastically, why was it that I was not informed of this, earlier? How is it possible that these people eluded my eyes until this very moment?"

Subaru was thankful that Sebas and Demiurge hadn't made life any more difficult for him than it already was while also providing an opportunity for him to both seek revenge as well as protect the people he cared about.

For the first time since he came to this world, he felt as if he had truly stood on his own feet and accomplished something that was completely his own.

"But, Subaru, how exactly does this involve the Witch's Cult? How did you end up fighting against them?" Emilia had only participated for the very last stretch of that confrontation. And though she was glad to have arrived on time in order to be of assistance, it still confused her how Subaru could have become involved with villains such as that.

Fortunately, he had an answer that was a little bit more convenient in this situation.

"Oh, that? You can thank Demiurge for that. I know I...shouldn't have been coming back to this area so soon. Because of, well, you and me," Subaru immediately looked at the ground. Though she had not displayed any hostility toward his presence as of yet, Subaru and Emilia still had much they needed to discuss. But that time was not now. "But I wanted to make sure everything was absolutely okay around here. That's when we searched around the village. And Demiurge was the one who came back with that Witch Cultist."

Rem was the only person who knew that he was not telling the truth. He had actually explained to her first that the Witch's Cult was coming, and she had remained the sole constant throughout all of those failed attempts that stood by his side and never once questioned why he was doing what he was doing. He didn't think he could ever repay that sort of faith. No matter how dangerous the situation, she never lost trust in him.

Subaru remembered the scene perfectly. It wasn't every day that one could capture one of those people and have Them completely at one's mercy.

To his surprise, it was Ram who spoke out to back Subaru's claim. "This is true, Lord Roswaal," She had been the first one to find her sister with their only half-competent apprentice butler. And they did indeed seem to be scouting the village when she arrived. "The man known as Demiurge returned and he was essentially dragging someone who he then forced to reveal himself as a member of the Witch Cult and then he explained their plans in full detail, including that the bulk of their forces were waiting in the forest."

Mentally, Subaru was fist-pumping up a storm! "Three cheers for Ram actually getting up early in the morning for once!" If she hadn't been checking things out with her Clairvoyance, she wouldn't have come down to the village and been able to corroborate his story.

"If you happened to be home at the time, I'd have immediately run to the mansion and hoped you could firebomb those guys from the sky," Subaru turned toward the indigo-haired magician, unable to resist throwing a little bit of shade in his direction. However, this was another lie. Subaru wasn't letting anyone take on that Archbishop. It was only due to bad luck that Emilia became involved in the end.

But then again, perhaps that was incorrect. She had been involved right from the very beginning. She just didn't know it. After all, she was the target of the Witch Cult from the very beginning. It was simply Subaru who was the only one who knew the reason. But because of that, he supposed that she had every right to get her own punches in, given that those maniacs were after her life.

Roswaal could only respond with a guilty shrug. "You have my truest apologies, Suuuubaru. I never believed such a thing would have occurred on my own lands while I was away on business. However, I think it is fair to say that you were able to handle things veeeeery well in my absence. Though it was a surprise to have so many visitors here in the mansion, I think it was long past time for our neighbors to have a tour. What you did was in the defense of hundreds of lives and for that, you have my sincerest gratitude."

Though Subaru was glad Roswaal had returned, he still felt a bit miffed that it happened at the exact right time for everything to end. Again.

Subaru was one who was often in the right place at the right time to alter a bad situation because of a very unique circumstance. But what was Roswaal's excuse?

But that was unimportant right now. Subaru needed to keep riding this wave that Ram had started for him.

"After we made the Witch Cultist talk, we had everything we needed. I wanted to plan a little surprise attack of my own, and that's when Demiurge and me headed into the forest. We were able to lure out a bunch of the Witch Cultists in small numbers and jump them when their guards were down!" This was the gist of everything that had happened before the final showdown. He certainly wasn't going to mention that Demiurge let loose a horde of grotesque and otherworldly demons to eviscerate and strip the flesh from the bones of the Witch Cultists.

"They probably let their guards down because he smells like the Witch, I suppose." But, to Subaru's luck, Beatrice did not say this out loud. And there was another question she wanted to ask. But she wouldn't do it right here.

"We found the Archbishop deep in the forest and he was mostly alone," Rather interestingly, Subaru refrained from using the name of the deceased. But this was not out of something resembling respect for the dead. As far as he was concerned, Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti was now a non-person. "And he was real surprised that we found him first, before they'd even had the chance to initiate their dirty plans." He chose to omit the things Sloth had told him about the Ordeal of the Witch Cult. That was something that needed to be discussed later in private with the person it most concerned.

This was something he couldn't hide from Emilia. She needed to know because it wasn't going away. Sloth may have been dead, but there were other Sin Archbishops out there who may have had similar, or even worse plans. "Sloth is down. And even he didn't think there was a Pride right now. So, if there is no Envy, that means there are only four Archbishops left!" This may have sounded like a great victory. But there was a reason that Subaru was not jumping for joy inside his heart. Things that Sloth had told him made it very clear that new Sin Archbishops could be selected under the right circumstances. That was the entire reason that he believed that Subaru was going to be the new age Pride.

Which only meant that the entirety of the Witch Cult needed to be stamped out until there was absolutely nothing left.

"I managed to crush the Archbishop under a rockslide. And from there on, I thought he was dead." This was exactly what he'd told Emilia when the two of them met in the forest, and from the corner of his eye, Subaru saw her nod in confirmation. "I was about to come back to the house and tell everyone that it was safe to come back out. But, that's when I ran into Emilia and Puck.

The Great Spirit of Fire was nowhere to be seen during this discussion period and that was just fine with Subaru. His time limit for the day had not yet expired, and that told the Japanese teenager that he was staying away from this conversation for his own reasons.

There were some wrongs that Subaru could forgive. He above all people knew that if others did not have the capacity to forgive, that he would not be sitting here in this living room right now. At the bare minimum, he owed something to those people who had given him a second chance, despite his failures.

But Puck was a different story. Nothing about him had changed. The very moment Subaru met with him down in the village, the first thing the miniature spirit did was attempt to threaten his life. No discussion, no hearing his side of the situation. And it was that point where he knew his friendship with Puck was over. Or, maybe it had never truly existed in the first place when he was so mindlessly extreme when it came to Emilia.

The same way he was only a mere week or so ago.

Deciding to jump into the conversation in order to contribute something, the silver-haired royal candidate came to support Subaru's claim. "Yes, Subaru and I encountered each other and that is when the Archbishop appeared. His entire body was mangled and he was essentially falling apart. But even still, he presented a clear danger and we could not allow him to do as he pleased."

Subaru felt greatly honored that Emilia even thought of fighting alongside him after he'd disappointed her so greatly. "It's more than I deserve."

In truth, Subaru wanted to accomplish all of this without having to actually interact with anybody from the Emilia camp. But as it turned out, both Ram and Emilia herself had ended up being integral in confirming his story. He supposed that this was further proof that he did need the assistance of other people for things that he was not able to do.

"After all, I did learn a hard lesson about making claims that can't be easily proved. I'm glad I did run into these two."

"We managed to subdue the Archbishop when he was on his last legs. It was fortunate for us that he was in a state of weakness at the time, or else we may not have been able to escape unharmed."

"Don't say that, Emilia. You're being way too modest! Everyone, you should have seen her? She kicked ass. It was like she does this every day and this was just some kind of minor distraction. All I did was provide support, really."

The back and forth between the two of them almost made it feel like their old way of interacting had returned.

Deciding that he had finally heard enough, Roswaal wanted to bring this conversation to a close. "Very well, Subaru. It seems you have been a busy young man in the past few days. The things you have accomplished will no doubt not go unnoticed. In fact, they cannot. Achievements such as thiiiis are bound to be written in the history books of Luguuuuunica. In fact, it would not be strange for you to receive a knighthood peerage for such victories."

But even though he may have said this, the court magician was only partially pleased. There were still far too many unknowns for him to make any large decisions. However, one thing had become certain. Subaru was absolutely someone he could count on in order to make the decisions that would lead to his final destiny. "He simply needs to be guided along the proper path."

Knight. A knight? Him? Become a knight?

If he was asked this same thing a while ago, Subaru would have jumped at this opportunity and held onto it with dear life. And yet right now, the idea didn't sound nearly as appealing to him.

The truth was, Subaru didn't even know what knights really were. He was someone from modern-day Japan, and knighthood was an occupation that didn't really exist in the same way it did here in this country. And what's more, Subaru didn't know if he wanted to do the things knights did.

If he was being perfectly honest, Subaru had not been thinking about anything resembling rewards or accolades. He was simply trying to preserve his own life as well as prevent a disaster that nobody deserved to be caught up in. But Roswaal was right. The Witch Cult were criminals that could not be reasoned with and the White Whale was a 400-year-old catastrophe. It was impossible for these events to go unnoticed.

Which meant that if these became tied to him, would Subaru be looked on as a hero? Would the people who scorned and looked their noses down on him finally be forced to change their opinion?

These things...needed more thought. Because at this moment, Subaru still had no clue where things would proceed from here. He was no longer trapped. He could do anything he wanted. "I...think the title of light isn't really something that I'd want to hold. Maybe I did jump the gun at thinking that was the life for me."

But that wasn't where his career options ended.

"Maybe I don't think being a butler is the life for me, either."

There were so many things that needed to be considered.

Understanding that it was fine for him to want to change his mind, Roswaal continued on, "Though I would like to meeeet these mysterious friends of yours, Subaru. They have given my employee such a great wealth of assistance. It would not be appropriate for me to not thank them properly." And now it was Roswaal's time for half-truths. What he truly wanted was to learn if these mysterious individuals could become a wrench in his plans. Why did he not know these names? Where did they come from?

And there it was.

Subaru had expected this to happen.

"Those two? Well, I think Sebas left to take care of the White Whale. I guess you can't just leave a humongous body sitting out like that. So I can only guess that he made preparations to have it transported. And once we finished off the Archbishop, I think Demiurge went to see if things had gone well with Sebas. He could probably use an extra hand."

In truth, Subaru could probably get in contact with Demiurge right at this very moment. However, it was probably best to do that when he was in private.

Crossing his arms and closing his eyes in thought, Subaru pointed them in another direction. "I met them in the capital, but I can't think that's where they'd transport such a huge body. Still, I know I'll see'em again. And as soon as I do, I'll point them right in your direction. You know, assuming you're not on another business trip."

With a pleasant smile, Roswaal responded, "Then I truly doooo look forward to that day. Now then, I believe there has been quite enough excitement for the moment. Everyone should go about their own business and attempt to digest everything that has happened."

"Good! Because I need a bath and to do some laundry! I dunno if this blood will ever come out of my clothes!"

The throne room that was often used by the Sage Council as a gathering place was alight with energy and commotion. Even the ten wise men found it difficult to contain themselves amidst this current situation.

Very early in the morning, the Dragon Tablet had given all those who inhabited the throne room at the time the knowledge of something truly historic!

The White Whale, one of the Three Great Mabeasts, had supposedly been destroyed.

This news was something that would undoubtedly spread throughout the kingdom and be the cause for cheer and merriment for days to come. After all, the White Whale was known to be a creation of the Witch of Envy that flew throughout the sky as if it were an open ocean, attacking and destroying all those who stood within its path. It was a figure that was the source of nightmares.

But now, the nightmare was over.

The Dragon Tablet had been handed down to the royal family by the Divine Dragon, Volcanica. And all those who knew of this object were aware that it told the fate of the country itself. The prophecy on the tablet guides the people of the country in times of crisis to help the people minimize the damage by sending advance warnings.

But the death of the creature had not been the biggest surprise. What stunned the entire room at the time had been nothing less than the identity of the beast's killer.

Subaru Natsuki.

The very same young boy who had spoken up so passionately in defense of Emilia, one of the royal candidates for the selection. And, suffice it to say, arguably the least popular of the five.

Out of the ten members of these exalted men, the opinion of Subaru Natsuki had been varied. Some thought him to be a foolish child, speaking completely out of turn in regards to a subject he was woefully unqualified to be part of. And others thought him to be but an emotional boy who had gone much too far in an attempt to appear valorous in front of a woman.

"How will we proceed with this? It is a situation that must be handled with the utmost delicacy."

This, of course, went without saying. Almost immediately, all ten men had agreed that the information that they had been provided must be kept secret. But even still, they knew that things could not be kept under wraps forever.

"Someone capable of defeating the White Whale is in the employ of a silver-haired half-elf. Is it possible that boy was putting on some kind of act, before? Because if so..."

Nobody knew the odds of such a thing. However, the person who brought the subject up did not want to dismiss it completely. After all, Emilia's contracted ally was a spirit that was known as the Beast of the End, and had threatened anyone who mistreated the young girl...only to reveal soon after that the entire thing was nothing but a ruse.

It might not have been strange to think Subaru Natsuki's entire persona was a calculated act to throw off Emilia's rivals at a pivotal time.

"I heavily doubt it. We have all been young. Such emotional outbursts are not things all ten of us have experienced in our youth."

The one who spoke these words had been very silent during the royal selection, but keenly watched and observed everyone who'd had something to say. And his impression of Subaru Natsuki was clear. He was an emotional adolescent. Plain and simple.

"Whatever the case, this accomplishment cannot be ignored. What are the odds that he has defeated the White Whale in order to garner support for the Emilia faction? If so, it would be an incredible display of strength."

Multiple heads in the room nodded at this theory.

The reason Emilia was not looked upon favorably was simply because of her physical appearance. She was a silver-haired half-elf. And according to legend, that was the same description as the Witch of Envy who once rampaged throughout the world. And from then on, such people were considered to be heralds of misfortune.

But, if one such half-elf sent an agent to perform a deed so spectacular that no one could ignore its significance, was it possible public opinion would be swayed? Would people begin to believe Emilia could offer them protection from that which people feared most?

Was this all part of some well-orchestrated scheme? Or was this a personal matter that simply wound up out of control?

None of the sages knew this. But the mysteries must be unraveled.

However, before any of them could propose another idea as to what the meaning behind this most strange occurrence might be, the throne room was, once again, blasted with a flash of light that temporarily blinded all those who may have attempted to look directly at its source.

It was the Dragon Tablet.

This was unbelievable! The Dragon Tablet had never given a second update so soon after having delivered the first, to the knowledge of any of these men!

And what was written on the bottom of the stone slab sent waves of unrest throughout the entire room. They were all reading it, but not a single one of them could believe what their eyes were telling them. And yet there it was, plain as day:

SUBARU NATSUKI HAS SLAIN A SIN ARCHBISHOP OF THE WITCH'S CULT.

Silence ruled the entire throne room. For not a soul knew what to say. Not a one of these educated nobles had the words to describe what they were reading.

This was an event that was truly extraordinary. Unprecedented!

While those who were lifelong servants of this nation may have experienced multiple prophecies and updates to the Dragon Tablet, not a single person in this room would have ever expected to see a second report that would so greatly affect the change of their country. The news that the White Whale had been killed had only come to them just earlier in the wee hours of the morning. And now, if their eyes were not deceiving them, they were to believe that a great criminal had been killed? By the hand of the same person who had defeated the White Whale?

"A...Sin Archbishop? The leaders of the infernal Witch Cult?"

"One of them is dead?"

"How?!"

For the first time in over an hour, the head of the sages spoke, having heard the thoughts and opinions of his fellows for long enough.

Miklotov McMahon opened his wisened eyes and stroked his tremendously long, white beard. "We must call an emergency meeting. All of the royal knights must gather here later today. This news will shake the foundation of the future of the nation, itself. We must speak with Subaru Natsuki, personally. He is the key to understanding these history-changing events that have transpired."

Absolutely nothing looked more attractive at this very moment to Subaru than the sight of his very own bed. No matter where you went, jumping onto the bed that you had become accustomed to simply had a feeling of nostalgia. This was something that he thought he may never experience again. And yet here he was in the room he had been assigned, free as a bird and with nothing but time on his hands!

After getting all the dirt, grime, and blood off himself in a bath retreat that Subaru enjoyed for well over an hour, he now seemed as if he had nothing but privacy. Though it was only the early afternoon, Subaru was already dressed for bed. As far as he was concerned, it was nighttime. But, as he sat down on the bed, he couldn't bring himself to want to go to sleep. There were still so many things on his mind.

"I'm glad everybody ended up buying my story. It didn't feel good having to hide all that stuff from them, but it's for their own benefit. They just don't know it." If he was being perfectly honest, Subaru was a little bit alarmed that he found himself able to lie so easily. And what's more, he didn't seem to feel much guilt over it, either. "S'not like I could explain more than I did. They'll just have to be satisfied with that. I'm not putting anybody else in danger just to try and play superhero."

He already knew that talking about Return By Death was a no-no. And because he didn't know specifically what the unclear rules of this damn curse were, Subaru had to make do with what he had.

Laying down on the bed, Subaru's head hit the pillow and he reveled in that soft, heavenly sensation.

Allowing himself a wide smile, Subaru felt on top of the world right now. "Maybe I should start singing We Are The Champions...?"

Subaru was so distracted with a rare influx of positive thoughts that he didn't even notice that an intruder was in the room.

The deadpan delivery of the words immediately told him who had come to see him. "If you are going to start singing, Betty can come back another time, I suppose."

Leaning up slowly, Subaru turned and saw a creme-blonde girl had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and was standing at the foot of his bed. However, given her special skill, it probably was accurate to say that she did indeed appear from out of nowhere.

"Well, well. Look who it is. Don't you know how to knock before you come into someone's room? I'm a teenage boy and I could have been doing something unspeakable. But, since I do the same thing to you all the time, I guess it's only fair that you get me back."

For a few moments, the great spirit of the library was silent. But this was not unusual for her. She was easily the least talkative member of this household.

Her odd-looking eyes started at Subaru, giving him no indication of what she was looking for or wanted to say. But he didn't speak either. And she actually found this to be surprising. "He is usually the type of person who cannot keep his mouth closed, in fact."

She could not ignore the feeling that there was indeed something...different about him.

She decided to dispense with the casual chit-chat. She had no use for it, in fact.

"Which one was it?"

Her question was directed into the point, which was exactly like her period but even still, Subaru had no idea what it was she was trying to ask. Which was why he responded with a confused, "Eh?" He found this to be a pretty interesting example of the coin-flipping to the other side. Usually, it was he, Subaru, who was going to the spirit of the library for information. Now she had something to ask him?

Fortunately, Beatrice was more clear with her next question.

"Which of the Sin Archbishops did you kill? And how? When you were explaining yourself earlier, you never referred to anyone by name, in fact. You just kept saying the Archbishop."

This was what she wanted to know? Subaru almost thought that it was going to be something much more serious!

"But even still...I bother her all the time when she is just trying to sit in her room and mind her own business. I really don't feel like thinking about all that other stuff right now, but I guess it couldn't hurt me if I told her a little bit more since she came to ask."

However, before he opened his mouth, Subaru couldn't help but wonder why Beatrice cared about this information so much. She was usually more of a recluse than he had been, doing nothing but striking her nose in a book every time he saw her.

With all his might, Subaru attempted to, and succeeded in forcing down any negative feelings. "He was Sloth. His name was Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti."

Upon revealing this information, for probably the first time ever, Subaru saw a great change in Beatrice's usually peevish expression. He saw that was an unmistakable flash of pain in her eyes, though she seemed to be able to suppress it just as quickly as it came.

"I see. Then, for what purpose did you kill him? And more importantly, what happened to his Witch Factor?"

Subaru could only answer one of those questions. The answer as to why he killed Sloth was simple. For freedom.

Subaru had been forced to repeat the same soul-crushing situations back to back with no end in sight. And when he spoke to Sloth, he'd learned that the Witch Cult had been the ones to pull the strings behind the White Whale. They were the ones to send it to the Liphas Highway and intended to have its mist block off the entrance to Roswaal's domain, effectively blocking anyone from coming in or out.

And from prior experience, he already knew what would happen if he got his way. Subaru could not let that happen again.

However, the answer he gave Beatrice was quite different. "The reason I killed him is because he tried to take someone away from me, once. Him and his Witch Cult goons. I couldn't forgive them. And this was the perfect opportunity to crush them."

He did not explain all these things the first time around, mostly because no one had asked and also because he did not want to overcomplicate anything.

A sort of contemplative look took over Beatrice's face, and she looked like she was slightly at war with something within her mind. however, to her joy, Subaru did not leave her alone with her thoughts for very long.

"My turn. What's a Witch Factor." This was something that he already knew, but there were plenty of things about this world that he still didn't understand. His own ignorance had already been the death of him a couple of times.

"A Witch factor is an Authority, I suppose. They are a special type of ability that rarely reside within people. They are similar, but not the same as Divine Protections, I suppose. Anyone can, in theory, possess an Authority. The Witch Factors are unique Authorities that were once owned by the Witches of Sin in the distant past. However, they're no longer of this world, so their Witch Factors have found their way onto other people throughout the ages, in fact."

This influx of information, suffice it to say, had completely ruined Subaru's otherwise pleasant mood.

"Wait, Witches of Sin? As in, there's more than one?!" Now that he thought about it, it actually made sense. In a disturbing, creeping up your spine kind of way. If there was a Witch of Envy, then why could there not be which is who occupy the other sins within the pack? It sounded as if the Witch of Envy was easily the most infamous. After all, she did supposedly destroy part of the world 400 years ago. And since all of them were now dead, was that to mean that their powers floated around and were received by people like the leaders of the Witch Cult? "That would make sense why they're so feared. They're working with powers that nobody even knows about!"

This was all so much to take in right now!

"Hey, Beatrice. Do you mind if we keep this talk to ourselves? There might be more information I might want to share with you. Later." With how antisocial and non-talkative she was, Subaru didn't feel he had anything to fear from confiding in her. Especially since she had once kept her word to save his life, even at the expense of going against others in the mansion.

Yes, he felt he could trust her.

Locking eyes with the blonde loli, Subaru waited for a response. She was so hard to read, given that her expression almost never changed.

But, to his fortune, the librarian loli responded positively to his offer a few seconds later. "That is fine, I suppose. Just do not become a nuisance to Betty. Jut do not expect Betty to hold your hand throughout what is undoubtedly going to be a long-winded questioning."

Happy to hear that she wasn't going to fill the room with a sense of gloom, Subaru felt that kind of response suited her best. Giving the blonde bibliophile a smile, Subaru waved the girl off before saying, "Hey, Beatrice. Stay well. I'll come to visit you soon. And don't worry, next time, I'll knock."

Wordlessly, the Great Spirit turned away to depart. But, instead of opening one of her special gateways that could connect anywhere in the mansion, Beatrice did something most unexpected.

She walked right out the door, closing it on her way out.