As the cultist hanged in place and the crowd dissipated, the knights decided to take the body and bury it in a secret location so the cult wouldn't be able to revive Pride as they did with Theresia and Kurgan.
So they held a meeting to debate the location in name. The meeting consisted of Julius, Marcos, and a few other knights. Felix left to attend Crusch and could not attend the meeting.
"We can't just bury him anywhere, what if they find and revive him?" Marcos started the meeting, to which all the knights agreed on.
"We need to think of a location the cultist will never think of. Any suggestions?" Marcos looked around and saw everyone was in deep thought.
"What about Elior Forest? It's a frozen wasteland, I doubt they'll think of such a place. And even if they do, it would be impossible to find him under all the snow." one of the knights suggested.
"Yes, but it's also the most likely place they'll search. Think about it, it's a large frozen area where the snow can hide anything without a trace so it makes it the most likely place they WILL search." Julius countered.
"So what about Mount Kanai? Since it's a mountain it'll be hard to navigate." A knight suggested.
"How do we know that he's the Archbishop of Pride and not some grunt? I mean, he was so weak and the cult hasn't made a move to retrieve him." Another knight interrupted, asking a question that many had on their minds.
It was common knowledge that Archbishops were insane beings that possessed extraordinary abilities that made them massive threats. Yet the supposed Archbishop of Pride has not displayed any of those abilities, in fact, he seemed rather… complacent.
When the knights had so easily killed him, some suspected that it was all a trap of sorts, yet nothing close to a trap had occurred. The lack of fanfare regarding the defeat of a Sin Archbishop made some question whether the person apprehended was even an archbishop in the first place.
"You doubt the Great spirit, Beatrice?" Julius turned towards the knight, who raised both of his hands, "I-I don't doubt her, I'm just wondering on what basis she's accusing the cultist of being Pride, I mean he hasn't made an appearance in decades. And this guy was just… so weak," the knight defended, squeaking out his argument under the glare of Julius.
"She said the Witch's scent on him rivaled that of an Archbishop, and he also seems to remember those that gluttony has erased. even after being "eaten" by Gluttony himself." Julius explained as a royal messenger came in and walked towards Marcos and whispered something to him.
Marcos nodded with what the messenger told him and got up, "I've been summoned by the Sage Council. I'll leave you in charge here." he said as he got up and pointed to Julius, who responded by standing up and saluting Marcos as he left.
The Knights continued their discussion on possible burial places for the supposed Sin Archbishop. After a period of discussion, the group finally concluded. Julius stood up to officially decree the burial site, looking around the room he cleared his throat before speaking
"As we, the knights of Lugunica have decided, the Sin Archbishop of Pride, Natsuki Subaru, shall…"
He trailed off, noticing how all of the knights in the room held expressions of shock and horror at the bishop's name. A few froze, some shook their heads in disbelief, and others simply looked around the room trying to make sense of the situation.
Noticing that something was off, Julius's hand flew to his blade, his eyes scanning the room for any potential threats.
'What happened.' The greatest knight thought, still scanning the room. He had said the name of the archbishop when all hell broke loose. Was it the name that caused this? No, it couldn't be, after all, what was so special about… what was his name? Oh right Natsuki Subar…
Julius's breath hitched as a torrent of memories flooded his mind.
Memories of one of the most eccentric individuals he had ever met, someone whom he never thought he would befriend, yet appreciated all the same.
The idealistic, upbeat, weird person named Natsuki Subaru.
The same Subaru that now lay dead, hanged for a crime he did not commit.
No
No
No
No
It wasn't possible.
"IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" Julius screamed, rushing out of the room. Dropping all pretense of elegance as he hurried to attempt to correct what was possibly the biggest mistake of his life.
A part of Julius knew that the deed was done and that it was impossible for him to ever go back. That the sin of killing Subaru, his friend, could never be erased.
Yet the Knight pushed down those thoughts, along with others. Thoughts such as the lifeless eyes that bore into Julius when he took down Subaru from the noose, thoughts of the times when he tortured the boy while he pleaded for mercy, thoughts of the happiness he felt when the boy breathed his last.
Julius pushed down all of those horrible thoughts, his mind focused on the goal at hand. He had already failed once. Should he fail again, Julius would turn in his sword and cape, for he would not be worthy of being called a "knight" ever again.
"You lost that title the moment you fitted him into the noose," A voice whispered inside of Julius's mind, and the so-called finest knight could not find the strength to refute its words.
Julius finally exited the town hall, racing down to the nearby stables. As he crossed the distance to where his loaned ground dragon was, Julius felt only a singular emotion:
Anger.
The anger Julius felt was aimed solely at himself. He was the one who ignored reason and branded his fri-. No, Subaru as a witch cultist and had him face a fate worse than death. For as long as he lived, this failure would always weigh on his mind, and Julius was angry that he allowed himself to fail so spectacularly.
Julius got outside and quickly got on his ground dragon, Gyan, and rode off to the town square in the dead of night, sweat on his forehead and guilt heavy within his heart.
As the gallow came into view, so did the hooded boy that still hanged there and the sight brought forth the painful memory of the said boy.
The broken smile, his dead eyes, the scars that riddled his body, his screams, the signs of self-harm before any of this started, and the nightmares that constantly plagued him every night. Julius would never be able to live down the sins he had committed. They would haunt him forever.
He was partly responsible for what his friend had been reduced to. He would occasionally join Felix in torturing Subaru. At first, he would try to get Felix to be less brutal with his methods but after Subaru talked to him like they knew each other like they were friends, Julius got angry and allowed himself to become more violent.
It's okay because he is a witch cultist. Was the reasoning he and Felix used after every session. That the torture, the bruises, the pain that Julius could hardly say he wished on his worst enemies was ok because they had branded a title onto him.
Julius would never forget the broken smile Subaru wore in his final moments as he accepted his fate. He knew that would surely give him nightmares for a while, but no matter what he tried after the execution he couldn't forget it.
Julius gritted his teeth and with a heavy heart he got off his ground dragon and unsheathed his sword to cut the rope that had taken the boy's life, and he quickly took the hood off and carried the body and got back on Gyan.
Without wasting a single second he rode to the one person that might be able to save the boy, Blue, as unlikely as that may be he had to try.
'Felix can still save him, only a few hours have passed. As the greatest healer in Lugunica Felix should be able to save him. Yes, that's right, Felix can save him.' thought Julius rushing towards where the demi-human was.
'No way Natsuki Subaru, the man that seemed to always escape death would die just like that.'
The greatest of knights was in denial, trying so hard to force away the possibility that Subaru was gone.
If there was still even a small chance to save the boy he had betrayed, both physically and mentally, then he was willing to do whatever it took to save him.
The following ride felt like hours when in truth was only just a few minutes. Julius had reached the Karsten estate.
"State your business!" one of the guards ordered and Julius slowed down, if he forced his way in he would be forced into combat that would be more time wasted and could potentially damage the corpse.
As Julius slowed down and got closer to the estate, the lights from the candles illuminated his figure and the guards realized who they were talking to.
They quickly saluted The Finest Knight as they opened the gates to the Karsten estate and Julius went in.
Julius quickly dismounted Gyan as he carried the corpse bridal style, dashed towards the entrance, and saw Wilhelm patrolling.
"What brings you here Julius-sama," Wilhelm asked as he looked at the boy Julius was carrying. As if it was a key, the corpse unlocked flashes of memories within the old man.
Wilhelm found himself staring at the corpse in shock, his eyes a mixture of anger and sadness as he remembered everything about Natsuki Subaru.
"WILHELM-SAMA, BRING OUT FELIX NOW, THIS IS URGENT!" Julius cried out.
Wilhelm took a shuddering breath, resisting the urge to delve into the pit of despair when he realized that the witch cultist they captured and tortured was the same man that Wilhelm respected as much as his wife.
"Julius-sama, take Subaru-dono to the left room at the end of the hallway, it's an empty guest room. I'll go get Felix-sama." he said as he led Julius inside and watched the youth ran to find the room that was pointed out.
He then turns the opposite direction he sent Julius and ran to where the demi-human in question most likely would be, with Crusch-sama.
He only hoped now that it wasn't too late for Felix to use The Sacrament of the Immortal King.
He saw Felix come out of Crusch's room in the right and look at him with surprise.
"Where are you going off in such a hurry old man Will?" He didn't expect to see a wild Wilhelm running around with the same expression he had during the subjugation of The White Whale.
Hatred
"Felix-sama, this is urgent, it's Subaru-dono." Wilhelm frantically explained the situation to the demi-human whose eyes widened in horror and disbelief.
The memories of all the tortures and suffering he had caused his friend played within his head.
All the cuts and incisions he made, the screams, the mutilations, the infections, Subaru pleading his innocence, how after a few days he seemed to have given up, the broken state he was in, all of them came back to him.
"LEAD THE WAY! WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE OF SAVING HIM!" Felix deep down knew it was too late for Subaru but he didn't want to believe so, he was in denial.
He had sworn to save people yet he took the life of his friend out of spite and he did it without hesitation. He then realized that… he enjoyed torturing him.
The whole time, he enjoyed inflicting pain on Subaru. Felix was now afraid of himself.
Felix was snapped back to reality when he saw 2 balls of light, red and black, outside of one of the guest rooms and he realized that was where Julius and Subaru were.
The demi-human burst through the door and examined the room. Julius was sitting in a chair next to Subaru, he had his hands covering his face, sweat visible.
Julius had seen many dead warriors during his time as a knight and even killed some himself but this one was different. This was the first time he had kill-, no betrayed his ally, his friend. He slowly looked up to face Felix who was assessing the situation.
"Julius, I need some space. Go wait outside!" Felix left no room for argument as he started applying healing magic trying to heal Subaru's body before using The Sacrament of the Immortal King. So that way Subaru wouldn't be in pain when he came back.
Julius along with Wilhelm reluctantly left the room and left the demi-human to his craft. Julius noticed that Wilhelm was glaring daggers at him and Felix.
He couldn't blame him, he saw how close he had gotten with Subaru during the whole Priestella escapade. So much so that Wilhelm practically saw Subaru as his grandson in place of Reinhard.
Felix had healed Subaru's body in an instant and his eyes widened in horror as he used The Sacrament of The Immortal King because... Nothing happened. His eyes widened... this can't be…
He was the greatest healer in Lugunica, possibly even the whole world. He could heal anything, even life-threatening injuries easily, so why wasn't it working?
Why after the sacrament, was Subaru not moving? Not breathing? Not living?
And so Felix furrowed his brow and tried the sacrament again and again and again and again, pushing himself past the brink of exhaustion, past the pain his gate felt at its overuse.
"MOVE!" The healer shouted in desperation, his eyes forming tears as it wandered the body of the patient below him, desperate for anything, a finger movement, a flutter of eyelids, faint breathing, anything to show he hasn't failed as a healer.
Yet as if to make a mockery of the demi-human, Subaru's body continued to lie still, unmoving, never to return, and the cruel reality finally hit Felix.
"Not Possible
NotPossibleNotPossibleNotPossibleNotPossibleNotPossibleNotPossibleNotPossibleNotPossibleNotPossible"
Felix denied it with all his might, hands clawing his head, eyes searching the room, his mind sent into overdrive as he tried to find some way, any way to help his friend.
Yet it was too late for that now, the deed was done, Subaru was dead.
"Failure, failure, failure, failure."
Felix's mad mutterings reverberated across the room as he berated himself and his uselessness. He was a healer, right? Healers help people right?
If that's what healers were then Felix was no longer one of them.
Instead of healing, he had hurt, instead of easing the suffering of his friend, he had damn him to nigh unimaginable pain all for a mistake — a mistake that Subaru held no fault in
The dried blood that caked Subaru's skin, was the blood that Felix had cruelly forced out of him.
Before his mind crumbled over his uselessness, before the reality of his failure came to light, Felix muttered one thing to the boy that he had oh so unfairly wronged, a sin he knew would never be forgiven.
"I'm sorry, Subaru-kyun." he meekly apologized as everything faded to black.
Outside the room, Julius couldn't sit still and was fidgeting, while Wilhelm was tapping both his feet and fingers, glaring at Julius with more venom the longer Felix took.
It had been so long since Felix had locked himself in the room with Subaru that the sun had begun to rise. Wilhelm and Julius were getting anxious at the possibility that Felix had failed.
'C-could it be? Has Felix failed? N-no way, he must have already succeeded and is letting Subaru rest. I should apologize for everything I've done and accept any punishment Subaru gives me.' Julius tried his hardest to get rid of the dark thoughts that roamed his mind.
'Please succeed Felix-sama, that way I won't have to stop myself from killing you myself. If anything happens to that young man, my grandson, I might not be able to hold myself back!' Wilhelm was doing his best to not kick the door down and check on them.
"Where's... Subaru... I wonder?" the familiar voice of a little girl asked between panting, ripping the men out of their thoughts.
They turned to see the Great Spirit of Yin, Beatrice, her face and pink frilly ornate dress drenched in sweat, her eyes held worry as she repeated her question.
"Where's Subaru, I wonder?" her voice was desperate.
"He's with Feli-" Julius was cut off, "Beatrice, don't run off on your own next time." the worried voice Emilia called out as she made her way to the trio with Rem, Ram, and Reinhard following closely behind.
With the Watchtower conquered and Gluttony slain, the Emilia camp rejoiced at the good fortune that was Reinhard. Without his help, it would've been impossible to even reach the Watchtower without getting hit by those strange beams of light that welcomed them.
"Re-Rem" Ram shouted as she dashed back to the green room where the sleeping beauty was with Emilia and Beatrice following in pursuit.
As much as Reinhard wanted to see the reunion of the oni sisters he stayed back to thank the sage for her hospitality.
"Even if you haven't spoken a single word to us, thank you for your hospitality." he said as he bowed to show respect.
"I didn't do anything" the sage sighed, "I should be the one thanking you for getting rid of that pervert."
Ever since they had reached the watchtower, the sage had given them the silent treatment so Reinhard was relieved to find out it wasn't a language barrier. But he flinched at the mention of Reid, that was another family kill he wasn't proud of. He truly was a monster.
"Oh, so you do understand me, I was afraid there was a language barrier that prevented us from freely communicating. If you don't mind me questioning, were you the one that attacked us out in the dunes?" Reinhard focused on her, his signature friendly smile never leaving his face.
"Ding ding ding sure was. I was specifically instructed to not let anyone reach the tower." the sage replied as she gazed at the stars above.
Reinhard, who didn't fail to hear the words of the sage cautiously moved his hand to the hilt of his sword and asked, "You were instructed? By who?"
The "sage" didn't even bother turning towards the sword saint, captivated by the beautiful shine of the moon, " By Master, but you would know him as the Sage Flugel."
'The man that planted the tree?' Reinhard's eyes widened, she wasn't lying. This changes everything. "Who are you?" If she wasn't the sage then who was she? Could he trust her?
"Me? I'm Shaula, Master's apprentice and the Stars-Keeper of the watchtower."
'The Sage... had an apprentice?' Reinhard was shaken by this revelation, 'How? How was information as great as the sage's true identity and apprentice kept hidden all this time?'
"And where is the Sage currently?" Reinhard was now curious, 'where was the sage? Why did he leave his apprentice here alone? Why was he mistaken for his apprentice by everyone?' The sword saint had so many questions but no answers.
"Dunno. He just told me to not let anyone enter the Tower before leaving," she answered with a hint of loneliness and sadness in her voice.
Reinhard released his hold on his sword. "I see. It seems this is where we part ways. Farewell Stars-Keeper of the watchtower, I sincerely hope you get reunited with the Sage." He sincerely said as he bowed one last time before leaving.
Shaula continued to observe the night sky as a shooting star flew by. " Master" she whispered as turned around and went back to the 4'th floor.
When Reinhard returned to the group he was expecting to see a heartfelt reunion between 2 separated sisters, but instead, he came back to chaos.
Beatrice was shaking with tears running down her horrified face, her eyes unfocused, darting around the room with regret and melancholy present as she maniacally laughed with no joy present.
Emilia was in a similar state, she too had tears streaming down her face, with fear and regret painted all over her face as she tried to comfort Beatrice but to no avail, because she too had the same fears that plagued the little girl.
Rem on the other hand looked furious. Despite just waking up, she was neither confused nor was she happy to be awakened. But instead, she had tears running down her face as she glared at the little spirit and sword saint, not hiding the venom in her stare.
"What's going on? Where is Ram?" the confused sword saint asked trying to figure out what had happened.
"HOW COULD YOU GUYS FORGET SUBARU-KUN?" The angry blue oni yelled.
"Who's this Subar-" it took a moment but Reinhard's eyes widened as a flood of locked memories overcame him.
His ever persevering smile faded. He realized that another sin had been added to his list of many.
"Ram went to get the carriage ready," Emilia responded to the sword saint's other question, her voice shaking.
As if on cue Ram entered the room, "The carriage is ready Emilia-sama." She sounded emotionless as ever but her eyes couldn't hide what her voice could.
Her regret.
The ride back to the capital was quiet, no one dared to say anything because… there was nothing left to be said. Not after what they had done to the one they loved and respected.
The 5 days long trip was cut down to a few hours thanks to Reinhard's Divine Protection of Swiftness. During the ride, Beatrice managed to stop shaking, instead opting for her hands wrapped around herself, her lips quivering.
They stopped at the Knights headquarters where they were informed by the knights that Subaru had been taken by Julius to go see Felix for healing, hiding the fact that Subaru was dead. They believed that information wouldn't be necessary because they had faith that Felix would successfully revive him.
Upon hearing that Subaru was with the demi-human, they set out to the Karsten estate nearby, happy that they would get to see Subaru again, trying to get rid of the creeping anxiety they all had on how they were going to approach him.
When they reached the Karsten estate Beatrice and Rem got an uneasy feeling, the Witch's scent that usually surrounds Subaru was strong, stronger than it had ever been. It far surpassed that of an Archbishop and it was fading at a rapid speed by the second.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Beatrice ran to the source of the smell, to her Subaru. "Beatrice? Where are you going?" Asked the confused half-elf as she gave chase to the little girl, Rem, Ram, and Reinhard following behind.
'Imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry, please don't leave me alone again.' she desperately tried to get happy memories she had with her contractor. 'Don't take another step, Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult!' but every attempt was denied by her sins.
Beatrice cursed her low stamina as she pushed past exhaustion and ran down the long hall until she saw Wilhelm and Julius.
"Where's...Subaru...I wonder?" She asked between her pants, getting the attention of both men.
Wilhelm immediately glared daggers at her while Julius started sweating when he realized she along with the Emilia camp and Reinhard were there. Strange.
"Where's Subaru, I wonder." She asked once again, desperate to see her contractor again.
"He's with Feli-" Julius was cut off, "Beatrice, don't run off on your own next time." The worried voice Emilia called out as she made her way to the trio with Rem, Ram, and Reinhard following closely behind.
When Emilia noticed Julius and Wilhelm she asked the same question as Beatrice.
"Whe-" But she was cut off, "WHAT HAPPENED TO SUBARU-KUN?" The blue oni asked with unusual anger in her voice. She too could smell the Witch's scent on her hero fading rapidly, it was a sure sign that something bad had occurred.
Julius didn't know how to respond to the duo, he wasn't sure if Felix had succeeded or not, and the way the trio spoke made it clear that they didn't know Subaru had died. 'And by the hands of his allies no less.' a voice inside Julius's head whispered.
"Felix-sama is using the Immortal King's Sacrament on Subaru-dono as we speak," Wilhelm said, his voice unsure. Emilia and Rem just look at him confused while Ram, Beatrice's and Reinhard's eyes widened.
For the second time in a single day, Reinhard's smile faded.
"No way...In fact." Beatrice said weakly, falling to her knees, covering her face with her hands as tears began to stream down her face. Emilia and Rem, seeing Beatrice's reaction immediately got worried.
"What's the Immortal King's Sacrament?" Emilia asked, her voice shaking.
"Immortal King's sacrament is magic that can resurrect people from the dead. It's Felix's specialty and the effect of the magic depends on the skill of the user. It shouldn't take this long" Reinhard explained, regret in his voice and sadness in his eyes.
'I had the methods and the power to SAVE him yet… I just watched as he was branded a Sin Archbishop and did nothing. What kind of "Hero" am I? I COULD have prevented this! Yet, he became another victim of my sloth.' Reinhard continued to berate himself, he truly was a slothful monster.
Emilia's and Rem's eyes widened at what sword saint implied. Subaru had died, and Felix had failed to save him. Emilia couldn't believe her ears, no she choose not to. Not without definite proof and the proof she needed was… she turned from the sword saint to the door that separated her from her knight.
Emilia slowly approached the door with shaking hands but Rem, in the thralls of anger and confusion, kicked down the door that separated her from her hero, tears forming in her eyes.
Inside the room, everyone's worst fears laid bare.
Everyone's eyes landed on the demi-human that laid on the floor unconscious. Emilia's eyes widened as she slowly turned her head to the bed next to Felix, memories playing in her head.
He snaps his fingers, 'Tell me…' He smiles, 'Your name!'
'Emilia-tan.' He said in a warm voice, a smile plastered on his face
'Let's go on a date!' He suggests with great joy
She inspects the boy's body, still slowly turning to face him as the memories keep playing, the rate of her heartbeat increasing.
'Here Emilia-tan.' He said as he places a crown made of flowers on her head
'I love you.' He confesses as he rides off with a bag full of bombs
'I'll wait for your answer, as long it takes!' He flashes a smile with his thumbs up
'If you don't want this then dodge.' He states, giving her time before slowly delving in and stealing her lips
She can now make out his chin, still turning her head to see his whole face as the final memory plays.
'Who… Are you?' she asks, horrifying the boy in the process
She can now view his whole body and face, littered with faint scars, her heart sinking as she faces her sin.
"S-Subaru?" She whispered, her voice shaking as approaches him but Beatrice bolted past her, tears forming in her eyes.
"Betty's sorry," Beatrice cries, her voice shaking, "Please don't leave me alone again!" She begs, holding his hand up to cup her face, "Betty will accept any punishment so please come back!" Her voice getting weaker and desperate with each passing second he doesn't respond, "Please!"
As Emilia got closer to the unanimated boy, the further she felt from him until she was now looming over his corpse.
"T-this is just a dre-no a nightmare right? He's not dead right?" She asks, her voice weak, desperately trying to deny the fate of her beloved knight.
She put her hands on his shoulders and started shaking him, "Come on!" Her voice strained, "Wake up!" She begged, "Please."
Wilhelm and Ram could do nothing but watch as the half-elf desperately tried to deny reality while Julius and Reinhard turned their faces, they couldn't continue watching, it was proof of their failures as knights.
Rem was shocked into silence and that shock evaporated into anger. Anger directed towards those around her and herself.
'This wouldn't have happened if you weren't so weak! You don't deserve him, you never did. You tried to kill him yourself!... You should have taken his hand when he wanted to run away when he offered, that way he would've still been breathing.' Rem's anger continued to accumulate.
Emilia smiles a broken smile, "You said you'll wait for my answer right? Well, I finally decided." she waits for his response only to be met with silence, she frowns, "I love you!" She confessed, holding his hand, "And because of my sloth... you'll never be able to hear those words." She broke down crying as everything slowly faded to black.
'I… Truly am a Witch, reducing the man I love to this.' Was the last thought she had before the exhaustion, both physical and emotional, caught up to her.
Darkness.
That was all Emilia could see.
She did not how she got there but she somehow knew where she was;
The Garden of Shadows
She couldn't tell up from down, left from right, living from dying but she could feel the presence of two others, a man and a woman.
She tried to look for them but she had no eyes.
She tried to breathe but she had no nose.
She tried to listen to their voice but she had no ears.
She tried to feel her surrounding but she had no hands.
She tried to move to where they were but she had no feet.
She was just a ball of consciousness. She could feel herself being approached by the two.
As they approached, she could feel a familiar warmth from the man before he disappeared and she could feel jealousy oozing out of the woman.
"You do not belong here, you imposter!" The woman calmly states her words drenched in venom before Emilia was ejected from the garden of shadows.
With a gasp and the feeling that she ran a marathon, Emilia woke up in her room back at the Miload mansion with Ram looking at her emotionlessly with the look of worry hidden in her eyes.
"Emilia-sama how ar-" Ram was cut off, "Ram, could you gather everyone in the dining room in 10 minutes, I have made an important decision." Emilia said with a determined tone but sadness in her eyes.
Ram looked at her for a moment before nods before leaving the room. She stops at the doorway, not even bothering to turn and face her master, "I hope you're certain about this, Emilia-sama." Before leaving.
After Ram left, Emilia wrapped her hands around herself and broke down one more time before getting ready and heading towards the dining hall.
"Yer late, princess. Why'd ya call fer a meeting?" Garfiel asked, confused by the grim look Ram, Rem, Beatrice, and Emilia had.
"I'm curious as well, Emilia-sama." Otto voiced, he could tell something bad was about to happen, Emilia came back unconscious, Rem and Ram were silent, while Beatrice couldn't stop shaking. Otto was cursing his luck.
Roswaal just watched with a smirk, 'This should be interesting.' He thought while Petra and Frederica braced themselves for the worst of it. Rem and Ram just stood beside Roswaal with emotionless faces.
'So they don't know.' Thought Emilia, "Subaru… is dead, I suppose." Beatrice said with melancholy, her eyes devoid of light.
"Who the fuck 's Suba-" Garfiel stopped himself when a torrent of memories overcame him, his eyes widened as he started shaking.
Roswaal's eyes widened and his smirk faded, "That can't be," He whispered, "HE CAN'T BE DEAD, I STILL NEED HIM." He yelled out, without a trace of his usual jovial speech pattern.
When he saw that she wasn't messing around, he began to laugh maniacally, tears running down his face, "400 years of planning just for it to end like this." He whispered, his tone broken as he continued laughing.
"Yer joking right?" Garfiel asked, his voice shaking and his heart sinking, "CUZ 'S NOT FUNNY!" He yelled, scanning the room to see any signs of deception but he found none.
Frederica and Petra started to cry, but unlike Frederica, Petra looked pissed. She was angry and confused, how could she have forgotten her hero? Petra was one to hold grudges, she swore to herself to do whatever it takes to get revenge.
Otto's smile disappeared as the memories of his brother flooded his mind, "No… way." Was all he could croak out, his voice shaking.
Garfiel's turned his gaze from the room to his hand which was still shaking. He then stopped himself from shaking and curled his hand to form a fist. "AHHH!" He screamed as he punched himself in the face, knocking a tooth out.
"Back to topic, Emilia-sama, I assume this isn't the only reason you call us out here?" Ram said, steering the conversion back to Emilia, who had stayed silent this entire time deep in thought was snapped back to reality.
Everyone besides Roswaal, who managed to stop laughing with the help of Ram but was shaking violently, turned to face Emilia.
"Right, back to topic," She starts as she scans the room to make sure everyone was there, "I decided to drop out of the Royal Selection."