A Star Tainted Red

by MetallicCube

Due to interference from the Envy persona, Subaru Natsuki has been summoned four decades early. This is the story of how Natsuki Subaru found himself in the middle of the Demi-human Civil War and how he changed history forever.

2. Chapter 2

A Star Tainted Red

Chapter 2: Dreams and Nightmares

---

Totally exhausted, Subaru Natsuki sluggishly pushed himself up and out of his chair. That day had been, without a doubt, the worst he had ever experienced.

A certain green-haired knight, Razaac, stood from his chair as well and exited the room to draw up the necessary paperwork, glad that he was able to successfully extend a helping hand to this incredibly sheltered kid. He was also relieved that he had another pair of hands to do that work which not a single other soul wanted to do. As far as Razaax was concerned, finding that kid had been a blessing.

Now that he was all alone in the room, Subaru took the chance to look around. The interrogation chamber was smaller than what it looked like from the outside. Subaru supposed the walls were thick to prevent important information from reaching unnecessary ears. There weren't any decorations in the room, only two chairs and one table were present.

On top of the table laid his plastic bag, wallet, and flip phone. Through some kind of miracle, they had survived. Albeit, the bag was covered in red mud, so nobody would ever want to eat what was in those packages without thoroughly washing them first. They were hermetically sealed after all…

Gazing downwards, Subaru noticed another thing that probably needed cleaning: himself. He was filthy. The raven-haired boy's poor tracksuit was completely covered in mud and blood and his pants were even in a worse state from crawling on the battlefield. Subaru, disgusted with the sight, looked back up, noticing that, on the right wall, there was a little window blocked by bars that allowed just the right amount of light to enter the place.

Shifting his focus to other matters, Subaru took a deep breath, trying to relax his nerves; the black haired boy couldn't be more stressed about the whole situation. He'd taken Razaac's offer in the heat of the moment, but now that he thought more about it…

"Wait a second… have I been tricked into joining the army?!" he thought, only able to fully process his situation now that the rather intimidating knight had walked away.

The more he considered it, the more likely it seemed that he was deceived. Razaac had described four nations—all incredibly dangerous in their own ways—as if those were the only possible choices and had blatantly stated that his prospects anywhere other than within Lugunica's military were nonexistent or worse.

"What about the other countries? There has to be more than just four countries in this world, right? Maybe he was just talking about this continent but is it really possible that the whole world is dominated by just four powers?" Subaru pondered, trying to pin down the exact nature of this new fantasy world he's found himself in. On Earth there are dozens, hundreds of different countries. Being a person born in the modern ages, Subaru's head couldn't quite wrap around the idea that there were only four.

As he pondered that thought, his hand resting on his chin, the door to the interrogation room opened. Subaru looked over to see Razaac coming in, a handful of documents in hand.

Seeing that his thoughts were getting nowhere, Subaru decided to ask the knight directly, "Excuse me, Razaac-san. Earlier, you mentioned four countries. What about the rest? Aren't there more territories, what about other continents?"

At Subaru's words, the knight's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, "This isn't possible. What kind of life has this kid been living? Other continents? Does this kid… not know about the great calamity?"

Seeing the older man's reaction, Subaru grew anxious, a worried expression quickly developing on his face. Did he ask something he shouldn't?

Shaking off his own confusion and noting Subaru's obvious nervous look, Razaac decided to do a little test. Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. Everyone knew about the Witch, after all.

"Do you know the name…" he started, the final word getting stuck in his throat.

Subaru gazed back at the knight with apprehension, tensing up alongside him. What could possibly scare this veteran tough-guy type so much?

"...Satella?" the knight finished, ending his sentence in something akin to a whisper. It was a highly taboo name and everyone he'd ever met from the lowest peasants to the most powerful lords lacked the audacity to say it casually.

Razaac did not personally fear saying the Witch's name as much as his peers. It was still difficult and odd to say aloud, as he had always avoided doing so out of consideration for others, but he feared the social backlash of saying it more so than the Witch herself. With enough practice, he was sure that he could say it as if it were a normal name, not that he'd ever want to though.

Razaac was an experienced knight, one who could honestly say that he'd seen it all. Very few were the things that could shock or scare him anymore. But what happened next was one of those few things.

"Satella? That's a nice name, who is that? Should I know something about it?" the black haired boy answered the green-haired knight, a mildly confused expression on his face, not any more nervous than he'd been when he'd seen Razaac tense up. "Who is this 'Satella'? Is she someone important?"

Razaac's shock couldn't be measured. He was slack-jawed and totally flabbergasted. "Wha- H-How? How clueless can this kid be?!"

This was a first for the royal knight. He never, not even once in his whole life, found someone who didn't know about the Witch of Envy. This was a situation that needed to be solved as fast as possible. Even a small misunderstanding about such a sensitive topic could be catastrophic, but total ignorance? This was a disaster waiting to happen.

"W-well…" the knight began, gathering his bearings. Everyone knew the story from childhood and he'd never had to explain something like this before. It was an awkward situation.

After a short moment, his surprise having somewhat subsided, he started his explanation, "Frankly, it's hard for me to believe that you don't know of her. From birth, people are taught to know the name of their parents, then their other relatives, and finally the name of the Witch. It's just common sense."

Subaru nodded at the knight, listening intently. From Razaac's ominous tone he could deduce that whoever this 'Satella' was, it wasn't a good person. Subaru did not consider that this fantasy world would have its own version of Voldemort, but he was not incredibly surprised about it.

Razaac continued, "To answer your question, she's the Witch of Envy, 'Satella.' Four hundred years ago, she supposedly consumed the great sinners known as the Six Witches, swallowing up half the world in the process, and caused the worst amongst all calamities. Only this one land and the four kingdoms on it remain."

Subaru shivered at this fact. He really hoped this 'Witch of Envy' wasn't some kind of Demon Lord he'd inevitably have to fight as an isekai protagonist. That would be both terrifying and way too cliche.

"Many things are said about her. It is said that she yearns for love. It is said she does not comprehend human speech. It is said she envies everything and everyone in this world. That none have seen her face and lived. That her body is immortal, unable to grow old or decay. That the Divine Dragon, the first Sword Saint, and the Sage combined their power to seal her away, because even they could not hope to kill her. It is said that she was the one who created the mabeasts, monsters of evil who's whole purpose is to kill everyone around them. Legends narrate that her visage is that of a silver haired half-elf. Her influence on the world is still visible even now…" Razaac said, finishing his tale with an ominous tone and a grimm expression. It was clear that he was serious about it all.

"Well… That's an absurd story." Subaru couldn't help but chuckle internally at the absurdity of the tale. After all, he had the sensibilities and point of view of a child grown in modernity.

Crimes so terrible that people spoke of them centuries afterward were already bad enough, but the idea that the perpetrator continued to exist, sealed away somewhere out there, would be completely unthinkable in his world. To him, it all just seemed like a time bomb waiting to go off.

This made Subaru remember one of his homeland's sayings, "Even if people don't know the name of their own prime minister, they know the name of, say, the nation's most popular idol group. I suppose she's very famous, something like the devil but for this world…"

The black haired boy couldn't help but compare the Witch with some of his own world's mythos. "Still, considering that this is a fantasy world, I probably shouldn't just discount the story."

He was in a fantasy world now. Tales like that were no longer just myths and legends like on Earth but real facts and people that could exist. Damn it, she was the Demon Lord he'd been summoned to defeat, wasn't she?

A light cough shook Subaru out of his thoughts.

"Well, leaving that aside, you just need to fill out these documents here and we'll be done," the knight said while handing him a few sheets of paper. It seemed that he was getting tired of so many surprises. One can manage only so many shocking revelations in one day, after all.

"Hmm sure! Let me just… Wha-?" As Subaru took the papers in his hands he immediately noticed something. He couldn't understand anything written on the paper.

"You can't read? Well, that's not much of an issue. I will fill it out for you, you just need to tell me what to write." Razaac wasn't that surprised this time. The young boy did say that he wasn't nobility and being illiterate wasn't that uncommon.

"O-of course…" Subaru said. He handed back the documents with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"I can't read this world's language? This could be a problem…"

Being able to read and write was a basic and fundamental skill in Subaru's world. He wasn't sure how important it would be in a medieval sort of setting where illiteracy was commonplace, but he still wanted to solve that issue as fast as possible.

After taking several minutes to fill out the paperwork, Razaac guided Subaru to his new temporary lodging. It was a tiny cubicle within the barracks. In the cramped space there was only a bed and some sort of crystal that emitted light on the wall. It was incredibly dusty and the bed surely had seen better days in the past. Needless to say, Subaru wasn't enthusiastic about it. "Is that a spider? Who am I, Harry Potter?! If that's the case, then I hope I get my letter soon, I can't live here!"

Noticing the raven-haired boy's displeasure, Razaac quickly explained, "Now, don't make that face. This is only for today. Tomorrow, you'll be assigned to a unit and then you should be able to move to the main dormitories." They weren't ready for another recruit and so at least a day to accommodate the dormitories for another person was required.

Subaru nodded at the knight. That had been the worst day of his life. He felt as if his legs were about to give up and his mind was in a similar state. The stress had been piling up for the whole day, and it was finally getting to him.

Razaac quickly noticed the boy's tiredness. He would have wanted to do something about the boy's filthy appearance but the more time passed, the more Subaru looked like he could collapse at any moment. After a few words about how he would send someone to take him the next morning, words that Subaru ignored due to his fatigued condition, the knight left the room. Shortly afterwards, with an unstable pace the raven-haired boy approached the bed and with a quick motion he took out his jacket leaving it on the ground. Immediately after, Subaru, now in his black t-shirt, plopped himself down on the bed and, after a few minutes, the nasty eyed boy fell asleep.

---

There was a charred smell in the air. Something was burning. Subaru could feel it. Something was wrong, horribly so.

Turning around, all he could see was red. Crimson red, a fiery red. Screams resounded everywhere. Slowly, shadows started making themselves visible on the fiery landscape. The figures moved frantically in the background, holding their heads, rolling on the ground. The red became clearer, the many shades composing it becoming easier to distinguish.

Subaru recognised it instantly. After all, how couldn't he? It was everywhere. It was fire. Everything was fire. The world was burning. At that moment, the black-haired boy realized something. If everything was on fire then that means…

Raising his right arm and holding it at eye level, Subaru looked at it. In that moment all of his worst fears turned into reality. His mind stopped processing the situation for a second. It was his arm. It was on fire.

"I am burning…" He was on fire. But it was different this time. The young boy couldn't feel anything. Not the hot licking of the crimson tongues at his flesh nor the cold associated with burned nerves. Not even pain was present.

"..." Subaru attempted to scream. No sound escaped his throat.

*Knock* A sound could be heard, it was faint. It was at the very edge of his consciousness. Subaru didn't even notice it.

"Ahh…." He tried to scream again. This time something did come out. A stifled yelp. His voice was hoarse but not by the fire. The world slowly began shifting, his vision started to become blurry.

*Knock Knock* The same sound again. This time it was stronger. Subaru noticed it but he decided to ignore it, there were more important things to worry about at the moment.

"Aaaahhhh…." This time something more akin to a proper scream came out. His vision faded further, the images becoming distorted, undefined, blobs of colors.

*Knock Knock Knock* The sound became stronger once again, this time it was faster, as if it was becoming anxious. Once again, Subaru didn't pay attention. He was on fire. That was the important part.

Then, suddenly, the world became black.

"Aahhhhhh!" Subaru woke up with a loud scream. His body jolted up from the bed, his head crashing against something.

"Argh!" It was a person. It was Grimm. He was on the ground with a hand on his head, a pained expression forming on his face.

"Where am…" Subaru muttered, confused. He didn't recognize where he was. Then, like a tsunami, all the memories of the previous day came flooding back into his mind all at once.

"Grimm…" he murmured, his mind coming to a realization of what had happened. It was a dream. Thank God it was just a dream.

"Argh… What was that for!?" Grimm shouted in annoyance. "Seriously, what is this guy's problem, hitting people at random…"

"Ahh…." Subaru just stared at him with a blank stare before holding his head as if in pain.

"Subaru? A-are you alright?" the young soldier asked with a concerned tone. He started to slowly approach the bed with a worried expression. Then, all of a sudden, Subaru got up, head-butting Grimm once again, this time entirely on purpose. The young soldier once again fell on the floor.

"Argh!"

"Really, what was that for!?" Grimm could only hold his head while lamenting in annoyance. What did he do to deserve this?

"Don't worry, I'm O-K! Natsuki Subaru, ready to face another day!" Subaru shouted in an excited manner with a grin plastered on his face.

"What does 'o-k'… It doesn't matter, good to see that you're doing all right, Natsuki-san. But, could you not be so physical about it…." From his current position on the floor, Grimm could only say that with a tired voice while rubbing his forehead in an attempt to make the pain disappear.

"But are you sure you're alright? I heard you scream before…" Grimm was rightfully worried. Subaru woke up with a terrified face and was screaming, something must've happened.

"Don't worry, it was just a little nightmare, nothing much. I can't let myself be swindled out of a good day by something little like that!" Subaru declared, striking an odd pose. His reply was cheerful and excited but… almost too much so. This confirmed Grimm's suspicions but it also hinted at something more. He decided to focus on the nightmare part for now, though.

"You too, huh…?" Grimm murmured in a low voice. He didn't have to think much about the causes. It was as clear as day. He had experienced the same issue. Last night, he didn't manage to get even an hour of sleep. The screams of his comrades constantly echoed in his ears and everytime he closed his eyes all he could see was the inferno raging on the battlefield. In that instant, a question snapped out the young soldier from his thoughts.

"By the way, why are you here Grimm?" Subaru didn't want to be disrespectful. After all, Grimm's intervention took him out of that nightmare. Still, the fact that he was in Subaru's room that early in the morning was... odd to say the least.

"Oh, that… I'm here to wake you up. Sir Razaac asked me to bring you to the barracks. He didn't tell me why though," Grimm answered Subaru's question, a flat expression plastered onto his face. He didn't know why the royal knight would want to meet Subaru again but orders were orders and Grimm already had his plate full enough by itself without worry for his new acquaintance being added to it. Even so, a question emerged on the young soldier's mind, "His weird jacket is on the ground and he's still covered in mud, didn't he at least take a bath?" Grimm quickly dismissed the thought, it didn't matter at the moment. He would remind Subaru later.

"Oh yeah! Today he said he would assign me to a squadron!" Subaru remembered, rather excited but also very anxious. To him, this experience was almost like school all over again.

"Well, since I'm in another world, this time it will surely be different... I hope…"

The black haired boy honestly wished that it would be different this time. School had been… traumatizing to him and he probably wouldn't be able to stand living through something like that again. Of course, this was completely different. Going to a new school was hardly comparable to joining a fantasy army, but Subaru couldn't stop his mind from seeing parallels.

"Oh? Natsuki-San, you decided to join? After that? Why?" Grimm was surprised at the revelation to say the least. The idea that a normal civilian would join even after living through that was shocking. Grimm himself was heavily considering deserting the army. In fact, if it wasn't his only choice to survive, he would have probably abandoned it right after his first battle. Subaru's situation didn't look much different to his own but Subaru should be able to leave much more easily than himself, he didn't have anything tying him so why remain?

"Well, to tell the whole truth… I don't have much choice. I don't have anywhere else to go, I can't go back to my family nor I have any friends I can ask for help. I lack any documents, I'm totally clueless about pretty much everything, and I don't have a penny. Really, what a hopeless situation right?" Subaru admitted to Grimm, a sad smile on his face and self-deprecation in his tone.

It was a desperate situation, especially for someone like Subaru who lacked any particular talent nor ability. What could someone like him do in that kind of position? Sure, he possessed knowledge from his original land, but was it that useful in times of war? Unless he wanted to create weapons, it probably wasn't. Subaru hated the idea of bringing something like modern weaponry to another world. Not that he could even if he wanted to. Guns usually are very complicated and he surely didn't possess the necessary knowledge nor skill to build one. But still, in the unlikely case where he did manage to build one… the sheer destruction that something like that could bring… he despised the idea almost more than death. That wasn't an option.

Grimm could only show a contemplative smile at this. Maybe he and Subaru were much more similar than what the young soldier originally thought. The hellfire of his first night at war had consumed any dreams he may have had of doing great deeds. He wasn't a hero. He was never meant to be one. People like that little swordsman he met during the battle, those are the ones who become heroes. Not people like him and most certainly not people like Subaru.

To Grimm, the black haired boy had a strange personality and talked in a very peculiar way; what even was a penny? But maybe there was more to this boy than just an outgoing and weird personality. Maybe, just maybe, Subaru could understand Grimm, unlike those other soldiers who were drunk on the idea of attaining glory and fame and fortune; those who were like him before his dreams got crushed.

"Well, we should get going, right? I don't want to keep Razaac-san waiting!" the black-haired boy said with feigned confidence. In truth, Subaru's anxiety was killing him. The prospect of having to introduce himself once again to a group of people like in school… he wanted to be done with it as fast as possible.

"O-of course! Sir Razaac is a very strict person so it will be better to not make him wait any longer. But…" Trailing off with uncertainty in his voice, Grimm decided to finally tackle the elephant in the room. As understanding as Razaac Gildark could occasionally be, he was more known for his severity. People like him didn't tolerate wastes of time. But right now there was an even more important matter to solve, "Subaru, you seriously need a bath. We can't go meet Razaac with you in this state."

"Wha-? Oh… Ohh…" Looking down on himself the raven-haired boy realized he was still covered in a layer of dried mud and gore. "God, was I that tired yesterday!?" Subaru's cheeks started flushing. He was in such a sorry state.

"I know the way to the baths, follow me." Grimm said in a flat tone. He seriously couldn't believe it. "He went to sleep like that and he wasn't even aware of it!?"

The duo started directing themselves towards the main building of the garrison, an awkward silence lingering in the air.

---

It was rather early in the morning—the sun had only just peaked up above the horizon—when the soldiers of the garrison, as with every day, somewhat drowsily prepared themselves in the changing rooms for another day of harsh drilling. It was a simple, rather open location with only a small handful of long, aged, wooden benches obstructing its central walkway. Either side of the room was lined with metallic box-like lockers closed with a chain, all covered in scratches and dents. The room was filled with a subdued flurry of activity.

Every member of the thirty man unit—with only one exception—was present in the changing rooms, going about their early morning routines. They dressed quickly and efficiently; their actions so habitual that the soft murmuring of conversation had become commonplace despite the focus required to equip their annoyingly complex garments. There was no official standard uniform for the rank and file soldiers of the Lugunican army, so the amount of effort it took to put on their clothing varied greatly. None, however, had clothing easy enough to slip on in a few seconds. There was one kind of standard uniform, but it was often reserved for ceremonies and parades. It could be quite cumbersome to wear and it certainly wasn't something that the soldiers would use in their everyday lives. Luckily, the laws were pretty lax about the choice of clothing and the soldiers were allowed to wear pretty much whatever they preferred.

As the men were wrapping up their routines, the door to the changing room flew open, and a rough voice bellowed, "Men, attention!"

Many months had passed since these soldiers were enlisted. Their bodies had fully absorbed the habits of military life. Every man in the unit straightened up, clicked their heels, and turned to face the door, all practically in the blink of an eye.

A knight with a well-trimmed beard entered and nodded approvingly at this display of discipline. This man was Razaac Gildark, a full knight of the royal army. He was known for his severity even among the ranks of the instructors. All of the men recognized him instantly. They all had their first weeks of training with him, after all.

At his side were two figures. The first was a person that every soldier quickly recognized: Grimm Fauzen. The young soldier was wearing a simple purple shirt, barely visible behind a well made white coat with red trimmings. He was also wearing white trousers coupled with black shoes. The design was a favourite between the soldiers, especially the new ones, since it was basically a toned down version of the garment that the knights and royal knights wore. It could almost be called the standard-issue uniform, it was that common. A sheath with its respective blade was dangling onto his side. After searching a free spot with his eyes in which to go, Grimm quickly separated himself from the duo to join the ranks.

Most of the soldiers didn't notice the other figure behind their instructor. It would be disrespectful to not focus their attention on the knight, but for those who did notice, the second figure was a total mystery. It was a young boy with black hair combed back and a nasty glare in his eyes who was wearing a very strange outfit. It was a black and orange garb made of some fine material, covered in dried mud. The wearer of that outfit was currently cursing his luck. Seriously, what were the chances that they did not have a single outfit that fits him?

Suddenly, the royal knight started speaking once again, looking upon his men with pride, happy that his teachings did not fall on deaf ears, "Ready to react at all times. Good work, men. Never forget it."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" the soldiers chorused along with the platoon leader.

For them, this was like a promise. Everyone's opinion of the instructor had changed completely after their first battle. During their training, most of them worked to the point of vomiting and every recruit felt nothing but hatred for the older knights. But now that they had survived a battle, there was only gratitude in the hearts of these men. Everyone present knew what all that punishment had been for. They likely wouldn't be alive if not for those hellish weeks. In fact, many didn't make it.

"Very good. I don't suppose you want to see a knight's face while you're trying to get your chores done. Something unexpected came up that needed taking care of."

"What is it, sir? Our unit was just recently reorganized, and we're anxious to do anything we can," the platoon leader responded almost instantly, with a tone and behaviour worthy of someone of his title.

"No worries, soldier. I know you've only just been thrown together after that battle, and this might not be the best time, but I want to add one more person to the unit since this one has the fewest number of members by far. He won't exactly be part of it but he will be working closer with you guys than the other squadrons. A sort of… What did you call it, kid?" Razaac asked a figure behind him. It was only at this point that every other soldier took notice of the raven haired boy.

"A-A part time job, Sir…" Subaru stammered out, his unnaturally straight posture screaming discomfort.

Subaru's anxiety couldn't be measured with normal words. He was having a really hard time composing himself. In most cases, he was ready to join any kind of social affair without any issues. He had trained for years, imitating his father's outgoing nature in order to be more like him. Dealing with people should be his fortè. But this was not. Just a moment before, almost no one was paying attention to him, but now all gazes were focused on the boy. They were also soldiers with hardened and serious faces, which didn't help at all. The closest thing he ever experienced was introducing himself at school. But this… this was on a whole other level entirely. Well, at least he wasn't in a dress this time.

"Exactly, that, a part time job," the knight said, turning back to the men of the unit.

"He will also be residing here so I thought to do the necessary introductions. All the paperwork has already been done; I'm just dropping him off," Razaac explained, a tired tone making itself present in his voice. It was morning and the knight had many other chores to get to. If possible, he wanted to be done as fast as he could.

"Yes, sir. If I may ask, sir, is he a decent fighter? I respectfully request we not be burdened with anyone who can't pull their own weight," the platoon leader said, expressing his honest opinion. His reasoning was sound. If someone couldn't protect themselves then why should they be burdened with someone like that?

"No, not all. He's a rookie who probably never picked up a sword in his life. However, he will be doing the supply and logistics job, that one job that none of you want to do. Finding him was really a stroke of luck, especially after no one offered to volunteer to do it. All of you should be grateful. If he hadn't agreed to do this, one of you would have been chosen to volunteer. So, I better not be hearing any complaints. Understood?" The knight's tone made his message crystal clear. He will be taking up your slack so don't you dare start whining.

Everyone present knew perfectly what the knight was talking about. He was referring to a certain volunteer position that had remained on the assignment board for months: loading and supervising supplies. Provisions such as food, water, clothes, and weapons were essential in any war, especially during a protracted one such as this. The task was easy in essence and required little to no skill, as one just had to take the necessary supplies from the camp and help to transport them to the battle front. It was a simple and extremely boring job but it could become high risk if the enemy decided to attack the supply chain. In some cases, it could even be riskier than being a normal foot soldier and, while dying on the battlefield brings at least some degree of glory and honor, people with those kinds of jobs always died in the least honorable ways. Usually, it would be an ambush or maybe a trap sprung by a hidden demi-human mage. No soldier would ever desire such an unbecoming death.

These supply troops were incredibly important for the war effort. In many cases, it was the normal soldier's job to act as guards and protect them so that they could arrive safely to the front. A soldier could possess all of the courage and fighting spirit a commander would want, but without food nor weapons he will still die. Amongst the ranks, many if not all soldiers enlisted themselves in search of either glory, honor, or fortune. Since the transportation of supplies was a job for volunteers, there were very few people who actually took up the task. It became such a massive issue that soldiers began running lotteries to choose the unlucky winner who had to volunteer for the job. After realising this fact, many of those who were about to vociferate their disagreement on having a new recruit without any skill immediately shut themselves up. They were offered the possibility of dumping the job they didn't want to do onto another person, who would throw away a sacrificial lamb such as this?

As the unit collectively came to accept Subaru's addition to their ranks, said new recruit looked at the situation unfold before him with an embarrassed expression. He knew that they were expecting someone with better skills than him so he was surprised when they immediately followed Razaac's order and didn't complain.

"Wow, their discipline is awesome, they really are soldiers…" Subaru thought, his misunderstanding of their intentions only further fueling his awe.

In the face of such an impressive display, Subaru resolved to stop cowering. And so, steeling himself, he decided to strike his signature pose. The black haired boy put one hand on his hips, the other pointing at the sky and with a wide grin he said, "My name is Natsuki Subaru! I am completely clueless and have zero work experience! Pleased to meet you all and I hope we can get along well!"

Complete silence fell into the changing rooms. Suddenly, the atmosphere became so thick that it may have been possible to cut it with a knife. Many seconds passed by and just as Subaru started to consider the idea of running away or burying himself deep onto the earth in embarrassment a voice cut through the silence.

"Oh great, a weirdo!"

Everyone turned to the source of the voice. The speaker was a soldier, an archer with dull, short-cropped golden hair. The young soldier seemed very amused by the whole situation.

"Hey! You're hurting my feelings! I'm not a weirdo, I'm just very inspired. Demonically inspired!" Subaru retorted, somehow managing to make an expression midway between fake pain and a proud smug face.

"Yeah sure, that's exactly what a weirdo would say, besides you look like one," the golden haired soldier shot back, looking like he was having the time of his life.

"As I said I'm not a weirdo! Does it look like I have a mask, a knife, or maybe a tendency to walk towards victims very slowly to you?!" Subaru growled, once again, making a reference that no one could understand aside from him, which only worsened his image.

"That… was very precise, now I'm sure. You're definitely a weirdo. We will have to observe you at night just in case," the same soldier remarked, nodding proudly at his own reasoning.

The back and forth between the two continued for some time, most of the rest of the unit watching on in subdued amusement.

"Maybe I was wrong. I don't think we're that similar…" Grimm thought as he stood on the sidelines, a cold expression on his face as Subaru and the person he had grown closer to in the last few days, Tholter Weasily, discussed back and forth with their weird mannerisms. He truly thought that he had found a soul akin to his. Once again, Grimm's hopes were crushed by reality, he had been such a fool…

Cough! Cough!

Bringing the attention of the whole room once again back to him, Razaac continued his briefing, "As you already know, he's Natsuki Subaru. He appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the battlefield during the last encounter at the basin. He doesn't know how he got there, doesn't have any family nor friends and has no money. Now, I am aware it sounds ridiculous but we already confirmed that he is telling the truth with a metia so he isn't a spy. I hope I will not have any problems with this assignment."

At this many eyebrows rose and all the eyes that weren't already fixated on Subaru locked onto him. The story was too absurd to be believable. Still, it was an order from a royal knight so they had to comply.

"Yes, sir!" everyone shouted in unison, accepting the new addition to their ranks. With that Natsuki Subaru's new life was just starting.

---

A few days had passed since Subaru had been officially enlisted in the army. In that time, he'd been taught everything he would need to know from basic manners to all the facets of his new job. He had also finally gotten his tracksuit cleaned and repaired, having gotten tired of spreading flakes of dried mud everywhere he went.

Subaru's responsibilities were simple. It was very boring yet essential work. He was tasked with helping to load carriages with a variety of supplies, including but not limited to food, water, clothes, and weapons. Furthermore, he was in charge of supervising them to avoid any attempt at theft.

He wasn't alone in this endeavour, of course. Subaru had been told that there would also be a couple of guards assigned to oversee the cargo at any given time. From his point of view, it wasn't the most dangerous job and he was pleasantly surprised at the simplicity of his new task.

"Why did no one want to do this? Are they really that obsessed with all those ideals of honor and victory?"

Naturally, Subaru didn't lament this. Given the fact that he was Japanese, he could also somewhat relate to that kind of mentality. Honor and pride were very important values in Japanese tradition. What he did not understand, however, was how someone could keep that mindset after being in a battlefield like that. The mere memories of the confrontation still sent shivers down his spine. But if he was lucky, he'd keep far away from the hell known as the battlefield, only coming close enough to fulfill his supply-related duties.

Regardless, apart from the knowledge essential for his job, Subaru had also been taught more or less how to hold a sword. Every soldier was given a standard weapon when enlisted and Subaru was no different. He had tried to practice with his own given blade, but he wasn't anything even close to decent. Whereas the soldiers in his unit had months of hellish training to hone their skills on their backs, he only had mere days. His kendo lessons on Earth were of some use, but he was still clearly a rookie.

That wouldn't be a problem, though. Given his primary task, learning the art of the blade was more a precaution than a necessity. He wouldn't be in the front lines, after all, so the danger wasn't nearly as present. Still, Subaru wanted to learn at least how to defend himself. When he tried to recall his first experiences in a real battlefield, the first things that came to his mind were the fear, the screams, and his body being unable to move no matter how much he wanted it to. He remembered seeing people die in front of his eyes while he only could think about escaping. As much as Subaru hated to admit it, that emo kid saved his life that day. Had that swordsman never come, Subaru probably would have certainly looped once more, died once more. The mere thought of it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

At the present moment, Subaru was resting at the barracks, silently sitting beside a still crackling fireplace. Staring deep into the scarlet tongues of flame and focusing his hearing on the sounds of the fire, Subaru's mind started drifting towards rather grim memories...

"I have a power that lets me rewind time after I die…" the young man pondered in silence. He was extremely conflicted about it all. Should he be happy or concerned about it? That power, was it a good thing or a bad one?

"Doesn't that mean that I'm immortal? Or maybe, this power has limited uses. Wait...

I have died two times until now so maybe it's like the three life system in video games?" Subaru could believe that. After all, his ability resembles—to a worrying degree—an autosave feature.

"No, this isn't a video game, that's for sure. Stop thinking that way, I shouldn't do anything reckless…" Subaru mentally reprimanded himself on that thought. After his first day in hell, he silently promised to himself to not think that way. He wasn't some kind of main character or an avatar in a video game. And if he was, then surely it was a hellish one, one of those with great difficulty. He couldn't let that way of thinking persist. It could lead to his death and he still wasn't sure how many attempts at life he had. The fact that whatever that power did in order to rewind time didn't delete pain only served to discourage that mentality more. Subaru hated pain.

"But still, in the case that it doesn't have a limit that means… I can return back in time every time I die. I return… by dying. Return by death. Hey, that's a good name..."

[Return By Death] A simple name that defined his ability perfectly. Now that he thought about it, the black haired boy still hadn't named his power, right? It was so simple. How couldn't he have thought of it before?

"I was wondering what name to give this weird ability. Was I that distracted? Return by Death…" Repeating the name once again in his head, as if to savour it's ringing. Subaru decided that it was indeed a good name.

"And as an abbreviation, RBD. Even the acronym has a nice ring to it!" Subaru thought, feeling an odd sense of joy. He didn't do anything worthy of those feelings but the mere fact that he named the ability made it seem more… more as if it was his rather than a gift by some mysterious and unknown figure.

"Really… I have been so engrossed in everything else that I didn't really have any time to think about it..." he muttered, a soft chuckle resonating in the room. Subaru had been alone, thinking to himself the whole time, or had he been talking? In any case, he was grateful that no one else was there to see him mumbling to himself like a madman, surely he would have looked like some kind of super villain.

"My own power… Why me?"

Subaru's mind once again drifted towards his newfound power. He was full of questions. Who summoned him? For what purpose? And, most importantly, Why would anyone give him an ability like that?

Subaru knew himself perfectly. He didn't have any particular talent nor anything really interesting or noteworthy about himself. He had lived his life as a useless NEET, passing his days doing nothing and leeching off his parent's goodwill. So, why? Did he have something special he wasn't aware of? If he really did have something special then… "Could I have done something back then?"

He started thinking back to that dreaded day and those screams for help that rang in his ears. A doubt started forming into his mind…

"No, you couldn't do anything about it. Don't think about it. Someone like me couldn't have helped anyways… right?"

His mind quickly snapped back from those thoughts. Images from that hellish battlefield still haunted him in his sleep. In the few days since he had been summoned, Subaru had already started having nightmares. Seriously, how useless could he become? With that in mind, he decided to ignore the issue. He put it in the distant corner of his mind, where all of his other dilemmas resided, hopefully never to be seen again. Luckily for him, ever since he was enlisted, Subaru had little time to think. After being taught the essentials, he was quickly assigned to the same squadron as Grimm. Subaru wasn't entirely sure why he was assigned precisely there.

"This was probably his decision, right? Razaac-san… He must've wanted to make me feel less nervous about being alone by putting me in the same squadron as Grimm, I guess…"

Subaru tried to rationalize his current situation. The first time Razaac met Natsuki Subaru, he was alongside Grimm, talking with him as if they already knew each other. Natsuki Subaru's personality was just like that, outgoing and sociable, or at least he tried to give that impression. Grimm had only only met Subaru in the battlefield, but due to Subaru's personality they apparently already came off as friends to the knight. After the boy's interrogation, Razaac perhaps judged that the best idea would be to at least put him with someone he already knew and maybe had a good chemistry with. As a knight with years of experience, he knew how important friends can be, especially during hard times such as these. And so, he must have decided to lend his hand, and Subaru couldn't be more grateful for that.

---

A few more days passed and a celebration ceremony, in which honors were being conferred for that deadly battle that had left both Grimm and Subaru so scarred, was drawing to a close. A name resonated in the grand hall Subaru and Grimm now found themselves at the back of: Wilhelm Trias. Wilhelm—whose name the both of them had only just learned—had been awarded for the slaughter of two enemy captains, a feat that could only be shared by a select few. There were also rumours that he was awfully young, unbelievably so. Unfortunately, they were rumours that neither Subaru nor Grimm could confirm nor deny. They both could not see the man receiving the award, having been crammed into the far end of the hall where the ceremony was being held.

After his introduction to the squadron, Subaru and Grimm had found many opportunities to engage in conversation. Maybe it had been because of the shock and bitter memories they both shared, but they both felt a sense of ease when talking to one another. From Subaru's perspective, Grimm was someone easy to tease and many times he would enjoy doing so to the misfortune of the poor soldier. For Grimm, Subaru was something akin to a close friend, someone who understood the trauma he had, for he had experienced the same if not worse. Despite the fact that they both avoided talking about that battle, the mere fact that there was someone else with his same mindset helped to put Grimm's mind at ease, with Subaru somewhat sharing that feeling.

During the past few peaceful days, Subaru thought many times about that fateful encounter with the little swordsman. He would have liked to meet him once more. Despite the brutal demeanor in which the kid murdered his enemies, he did save Subaru's and Grimm's lives. The black haired boy wanted to at least say thanks instead of leaving him with just an insult.

All in all, the ceremony was quick. The whole battle had been a general disaster and—aside from Wilhelm, who almost single handedly saved the situation—there were very few important honours to be given.

Only after it had finished had Grimm encountered a familiar soldier who said, "That guy they said killed two of the enemy captains? Awful young, wasn't he?"

The speaker was one of Grimm's best friends, Tholter Weasily. He and Grimm had become close since joining the ranks after the battle at the basin, and now they were brothers in arms who had survived the battlefield together.

Subaru had also created a good friendship with him. Their matching personalities ended up making them bond almost instantaneously, much like the immediate banter back when Subaru was first introduced to the unit.

Tholter was a man blessed with an excellent physique, but he saw himself as having more aptitude for archery, and he sure didn't hesitate to regale Grimm with the story of how he had helped support the rearguard. In fact, he had actually carried himself admirably for his first battle and he was proud of himself for it. The young archer was one of the few who could truthfully say with pride that he had helped in the war effort in some significant manner.

"Was he?" someone across the room asked. "They stuck us foot soldiers way off in the wings for the ceremony. I couldn't see anything."

All of the soldiers in Grimm's unit were still rookies. Despite having already participated and survived their first battle, they were still at the bottom of the military hierarchy. Only after many years and surviving many battles one would have the possibility and honour of becoming something more important, like a knight.

"Trust me," Tholter replied. "I'm an archer. If I didn't have good eyes, I wouldn't be able to hit anything. I saw him, and he was young—practically a kid."

"A kid, Tholter, a kid?" a voice asked from the crowd. Subaru was having a hard time believing that story, and most of the soldiers present thought the same.

In response to the jeers of his audience, Tholter tapped his own eyebrows proudly. But this only caused the people watching him to look at one another and laugh at the absurdity. It was a natural reaction. Tholter was nineteen, and Grimm eighteen; they were among the youngest of the soldiers. If Tholter considered someone a kid, that meant they might be fifteen or sixteen—old enough to fight for their exhausted nation in a civil war but hardly of an age to achieve great military deeds. A kid killing two enemy captains? That was ridiculous.

"What? None of you are gonna believe me? Subaru? Grimm?" Tholter asked, troubled by his peers' collective lack of faith. Was there really no one ready to believe him?

"Tholter, you really want me to believe that a shota with a sword was able to kill two captains and, how many enemies was it again? When most of the older people here did nothing even close?" Subaru explained, apologetic in his tone. He wanted to believe him, really. During the last few days he and Tholter had grown considerably closer, but what he just said was ridiculous. A kid with a sword doing a better job than most soldiers? On that hellish battle nonetheless? Nah, it was impossible… "Wait a second."

"Hey, Tholter, are you really sure you got a good look at that guy?" Grimm asked with his brows raised.

"I'm telling you, I did! Don't tell me even you don't believe me, Grimm. That hurts. I saw him with my own eyes! I hate to say it, but a great fighter is a great fighter, no matter how young he is." Tholter seemed annoyed at the reaction of the crowd and he was growing more frustrated with every doubting remark.

"Wait, wait, wait… Tholter! Can you describe to me how that kid looked?" Subaru asked, his tone shifting from doubting to incredibly interested. He had a theory but he wanted to be absolutely sure about it. "Is it, perhaps, him?"

"Hmm… Well, he was very short, had chestnut coloured hair and brown eyes. Now that I think about it he looked tired, no, he was bored," Tholter started to explain, his face scrunched up in concentration as he recalled the details of his memories. Why did he look like that? At first glance he didn't take notice, but now that he thought deeper about it, that kid looked like he didn't even want to be there in the first place, as if he just wanted to be done with whatever celebrations were happening. "Isn't he at least happy?"

"So it is him…" Subaru said, his eyes narrowing. He didn't expect to meet that kid again, especially not so soon. His mind started to ponder. What should he do? Should he go and thank him? Berate him for his actions? Ask him how he felt about doing that massacre? He might be a killer, but he was a kid. Subaru didn't get it. In his world, people of that age only had to worry about school and friends. This was something totally out of his comfort zone.

"Well, this is a fantasy world, after all. I guess normal logic won't apply here…"

Even so, he was a kid. He had to have felt something at least, right? Regret, anger maybe. No one can stay that unemotional while killing people. Those kinds of things could only happen in fiction, right?

Upon hearing this, Grimm cast his head down, his hair covering his eyes and said quietly, "So, it's him. I believe you, Tholter."

In his mind, Grimm was picturing the last thing he had seen on the battlefield several days before—the mountain of dead demi-humans, their faces frozen in terror and anger... and the small swordsman who had killed them. Grimm knew. He had learnt war was no place for normal expectations, age included. But still… The mere memory of that day was enough to send shivers down his spine even now.

The fire and terror of his first night at war had consumed any dreams he may have had of doing great deeds. All of his stupid ideals were forgotten that day. Now all he remembered was that boy.

"If it's true that heroes are forged in the flames of combat," Grimm thought, "then he must be one of them."

---

Over the past few days, Subaru had taken some time to silently reflect. He found himself thinking more and more about his fateful first experience living in another world. The feeling of the tongues of fire gnawing at his flesh and the awful, empty sensation of his soul being ripped out of his body kept returning to the forefront of his mind every time that he spent more than a minute doing nothing, being silent, or staying alone. The more days passed, the more Subaru realized that he desperately needed a distraction from all this grim, disturbing thinking.

And so, just after the ceremony had concluded, Subaru elected to follow Grimm and the rest of the squadron to the changing rooms. He'd rather join them in their brutal afternoon training session than spend another minute alone with his thoughts.

Just as many of the soldiers were wrapping up their usual routines, the door of the changing room flew open, and a rough voice bellowed, "Men, attention!"

Once again, every soldier reacted instantly, the knowledge of what was expected of them already engraved in their bodies. They all straightened up, clicked their heels, and turned to face the door.

Subaru, on the other hand, didn't know what to do exactly so he tried his best to imitate the movements of his peers, only to end up performing a sloppy recreation of their rather disciplined salute.

A certain royal knight entered through the door, his distinct green hair and trimmed beard catching everyone's eyes as it always did. Every soldier in the squadron felt as if they had seen their commanding officer far more often than usual, with even Subaru feeling an uncomfortably familiar sense of déjà vu.

"Hmm, once again, ready to react at all times. Good work, men. Keep up the good habit. Natsuki… you need to practice more," Razaac voiced with a smile on his face, once again delighted by the discipline of his subordinates. Natsuki Subaru clearly still had long ways to go, but there was time. He had only gotten started, after all. The royal knight was happy to see the rather sheltered and clueless boy trying his hardest.

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" every soldier present chorused along with the platoon leader, Subaru once again imitating their behaviour, again to little success.

"Very good. Now, I know that this is the second time this has happened, but once again something unexpected came up," Razaac said, once again drawing the interest and subdued annoyance of his men. The knight knew fully well that it was already the second surprise that had happened in just a few days and, to be honest, the soldiers were not the only ones getting tired of it. How many times would this happen?

"Sir, I'm sorry, but if I may ask. Is this for the same reason as last time, Sir?" the platoon leader asked warily. He knew that the unit had less men overall than others but he couldn't allow for more unprepared men to enter. It would only be a useless hindrance for them in the long run and they already had one effective non-combatant to take care of.

"Yes, it is for the same reason. However, I think that this time you will all be happy about this new addition," Razaac explained, the dignified knight almost seeming smug for a moment.

"He's a bit young, but he's capable. That last engagement was his first battle, but he killed a couple of the enemy captains; he was even singled out for honors."

Every soldier present gulped at this. Subaru and Grimm felt a cold shiver. It was him. It had to be the person they had just been talking about.

Razaac, detecting the change in the mood, nodded and said, "I can see you've already heard the details."

The royal knight quickly turned to the door and called, "Come in. This is your new unit."

The door opened once again, revealing a rather short boy with chestnut hair and a hard countenance. The common, almost standard-issue soldier's uniform somehow didn't look quite right on his smaller kid-like frame, but his posture and deportment showed none of the softness of a new recruit. His face serious and his gaze sharp, he looked like and had the presence of an experienced soldier, that demeanor contrasting with his clearly adolescent face.

There was no mistake. He was the one.

"Wait, he's moving here?" Subaru thought, incredibly surprised at this turn of events. Of course, he had planned to meet him again. He felt somewhat obligated to thank the young swordsman for saving his life. He was Japanese, after all. It would have been disrespectful to not do it. But what he didn't expect was for the kid to move into the same unit that he was in. The first impressions that the young swordsman left on Subaru were not the best and Subaru wasn't enthusiastic about having to share a roof with someone such as him.

"This is Wilhelm Trias," Razaac said. "He's fifteen, and learned to fight on his own. But I think he's got a bright future. Everybody, play nice."

Wilhelm stood at attention, silently bearing the gazes of the other soldiers. Once his introduction finished, Razaac surveyed the room. He found that every one of his men were as focused as could be, with even Natsuki seeming disciplined. Initially, he was somewhat disappointed with the slackening of his troops' attention and focus that came with the joyous, celebratory atmosphere the ceremony had brought. But now, thanks to Wilhelm's entrance, they were now rapt and Razaac could honestly nod in approval at them.

Perhaps that had been his goal. For Razaac, a new soldier was still a rookie even after his first battle. And in the eyes of a full knight such as him, they were all still just chicks. A little competition—maybe even an ideal to aspire to—could only do great things for their growth.

No one could have suspected it, but that meeting would have a more far-reaching influence on the nation than anything Razaac might have planned. But, for the moment, it was a largely normal, albeit somewhat odd, day.

---

For four long centuries, a fragile peace between humans and demihumans had persisted in Lugunica. It was a status quo that none dared violate for fear of the catastrophic consequences should a civil war occur. But now, just over the past two years, this conflict four hundred years in the making had become Lugunica's bloodiest conflict since the Great Calamity.

No one knew every detail of what sparked the flames of war, but many agreed that it began with a clash between a demihuman merchant caravan and a group of human border guards. It is said that the caravan was travelling southwards, bound for the neighboring Sacred Empire of Vollachia. Many suspect the crossing to have been secretly done for the purpose of espionage, but the validity of this claim had yet to be determined.

What was certain was that, when the two groups entered open conflict, all civilians caught in the battle were mercilessly slaughtered. The deaths of such popular and well regarded demihuman traders at the hands of humans undoubtedly became the rallying cry of the rebellion. And thus, the civil war that civilians and soldiers alike had already grown tired of two years later began.

"Then again, it's thanks to that war that we get to be soldiers. I'm not gonna say I love fighting or anything, but at least we get to eat full meals every day," Tholter reasoned before bringing his glass to his lips and draining it in a single gulp. He slammed it back onto the counter as he laughed, clearly intoxicated, a little foam still stuck around his mouth.

Grimm sat next to the slightly drunk Tholter, taking little sips of his ale and nodding as he replied, "I guess we've got that in common, Tholter. If not for the civil war, I would never have thought I could be a soldier. Even if I'd wanted to, I bet they would've turned me away at the gate."

Grimm could only murmur the last part with a small smile on his face. After what happened during that battle, it was evident that he wasn't cut out for war.

"Man, it's really a bummer that Subaru couldn't come here with us… Why did he refuse again? He's old enough to drink, right?" Tholter asked, his alcohol-induced sluggishness becoming more evident by the second.

"He said that he doesn't drink, don't you remember? Something about him being below the legal age in his home country…" Grimm muttered as he recalled the strange boy's words. Now that he thought about it, Grimm realized that he knew almost nothing about Subaru. Sure, they weren't that close but he just appeared out of nowhere in the middle of a battlefield without any explanation and Subaru always avoided any question about his past. He was clearly hiding something.

"Strange. If I'm not wrong, the legal age in all countries was fifteen… Did he ever tell you where he's from?" Tholter asked, his confusion sobering him ever-so-slightly. He knew that something wasn't quite right. Subaru was an… odd person to put it kindly. He seemed oblivious about the most obvious things and would use strange words and expressions that not a single other person recognized.

"I… don't know… He always evades that question by saying things like 'you wouldn't get it, I can't return anyways...'" Grimm explained before suddenly remembering something he'd almost forgotten and continuing, "And the first time I asked, he said something ridiculous… 'I come from an island nation in the East.'"

"Isn't Lugunica the easternmost nation?" Tholter instantly replied, even more confused than before.

"Exactly. I really don't know where he could be from… I've heard that black hair is common in Gusteko so maybe he comes from there? Or maybe he escaped from somewhere like Vollachia, he isn't very strong after all. A country like that would be the doom for someone like him…" Grimm theorized, weighing the various options. But nothing felt quite right, maybe in the end he really was from Gusteko? And then there are the clothes with which he appeared. They were of high quality, too much for a commoner. He didn't look adept at manual work either…

"Maybe a noble from another country?" Still, Subaru's illiteracy made this unlikely. For both soldiers, Natsuki Subaru was a total mystery.

"Ahh yes, talking about that, now that I think about it, there used to be some little skirmishes with Vollachia, but things were mostly peaceful. I guess a mabeast might cause trouble every once in a while. But consider for a second, guys like you and me? If we ever want to be more than just peasants, war's the name of the game. A man proves himself by doing great deeds in battle," Tholter began ranting, inadvertently changing the course of the conversation. For him, it was more interesting to change the subject rather than talk about a person who wasn't even there to begin with.

As his companion eagerly ordered another mug of ale, Grimm murmured, "Great deeds in battle, huh?"

Tholter noticed the downcast expression of the young man beside him and gave a friendly shake of his head, saying, "You just survived your first battle, and you still aren't happy? Isn't it about time you started enjoying yourself? What, you feel bad for our fallen comrades or something?" Tholter asked. Frankly, he couldn't understand it. Sure, Grimm didn't do anything noteworthy in his first battle but neither did Tholter himself. He was useful but he didn't tilt the balance of the battle by himself like Wilhelm. Grimm survived, wasn't that the most important part?

"That's not it. Call me heartless, but as far as I'm concerned, that battle never happened. I'm just… sorry that I can't dream like I used to," Grimm said, his expression sour as he remembered those memories he would rather forget, lessons he would like to unlearn.

"Dream?" Tholter tilted his head. "What does Grimm mean?"

"Like you were just talking about, Tholter. Doing great deeds, showing my bravery… becoming a hero. I used to think I could do that. Nice and easy. But now…"

Grimm let go of his glass and looked down at his hand. It trembled ever so slightly. White burn scars remained on his palm and wrist.

That first battle had marked him. Not only his flesh, but his heart and mind too, and he would never escape it.

"You can't survive on a dream," Grimm said, his tone melancholic. "Everything I thought was in my future is…gone."

All of his ideas and dreams were burned away that day. He had been a fool for thinking that he could just become a hero without talent nor suffering. Now he saw things more clearly, he knew he would be lucky if he ever managed to even survive.

"So…what?" Tholter asked, putting his drink down and turning his body towards Grimm, giving his friend his undivided attention.

"You're gonna quit the army? You're going to try and desert? You're going to give up just because you'll never be a hero?" Tholter asked with a brow raised, his concern now rising to match his confusion.

"Is that what he's worried about?" the archer thought, almost disappointed. Of course he knows that it isn't that easy, but it was just one battle! He couldn't give up so quickly just because of one failure. Tholter, at the very least, knew himself to surely not be the type of guy to give up.

"Maybe it's just a supposition of mine… but I wouldn't want to shame my family like that. If you leave now that you're in, it will follow you for the rest of your life. Nobody would ever employ you if they found out, so you would probably end up begging. This would also affect your family as well. If you ask me, it isn't worth it. You'll better stick with your choice," Tholter explained to his friend, being as honest as he could possibly be. Joining the army was, in most cases, an irreversible decision. Unless you're a noble or have some friends in the higher ranks, once you join you can't desert without shaming your family. People who want to leave often try to change their identity or escape to other countries, but it rarely works. Rumours travelled faster than a man could walk. It wasn't worth the risk.

"Unfortunately, facing reality doesn't fill your stomach," Grimm responded, sighing at the unwinnable situation he's found himself in. "If anything, when you can't dream anymore, all you have left to think about is how hungry you are. Not to say that even if I didn't have that issue I still wouldn't be able to escape. I don't have the necessary contacts to get an honorable discharge, after all. So no, I'm not quitting. I value my life. I'm going to keep at it," Grimm smiled at Tholter, trying to hide the trembling of his hand holding the glass. Studying Grimm with wide eyes, Tholter started scratching vigorously at his head.

"…Hrmph. Somehow, all that sounds just like you. Okay, you do that. Leave the hero stuff to me. You just follow along—you can be the hero's assistant," the archer joked, deciding to drop the issue. He wasn't that good at all this deep and profound stuff. Tholter Weasily was a simple man and he decided that he would be a war hero. He would obtain his fame, his glory, and his fortune and only death could ever stop him now.

"But, Tholter, you're an archer. I'm the one who's up front with a sword," Grimm said, sending a doubting look his friend's way. No matter the setting, it was usually those with swords or melee weapons at the front lines of a battle who became important. There weren't that many stories about archers becoming heroes, after all.

"I know you're embarrassed that you will be outshone by an archer, but just go with it," Tholter replied, effortlessly brushing off Grimm's remark, unconcerned with his words of doubt. He took the new mug that had been brought to him off the table and held it up to Grimm. Taking his cue, Grimm raised his mug as well, and there was a clink of pottery as they tapped their vessels together.

Grimm came from a little village called Fleur, somewhere outside the capital. It was a small outpost just along one of the major byways of Lugunica and had gained some renown as a stopover on the way to the capital.

But a small town with its small ways didn't suit Grimm. He'd always wanted to visit bigger places and, after becoming a legal adult at fifteen, he left his home and travelled to the big city.

He spent the following several years doing menial work at shops and taverns with little to no income, just barely surviving until six months ago, when he happened to hear that the army wanted more soldiers for the ever-expanding civil war.

Grimm eagerly enlisted, but not out of patriotism. He wanted to be a hero. He had fled his village out of boredom, to escape the small houses that could only hold small dreams and small men. He had joined the military to seek his fortune and glory. But, after all of Razaac's stern tutelage and the even harsher lessons from his first battle, Grimm had ended up at this point: drinking with his comrade and lamenting his crushed dreams.

Tholter had a similar history, or so Grimm had heard. Born as the second son of a shopkeeper, he had joined the army seeking freedom and a brighter future than what his current situation could offer to him, and that was where the two had met.

"So you go through combat and decide you've found reality," Tholter said in a flat tone. "And I go through it and still have my head in the clouds. What about that new guy? I wonder what he thought…" Tholter began pondering the idea. Grimm was a depressing guy. He didn't understand war as Tholter did. He didn't seem to get it at all. But what about that swordsman? He did great deeds and it was just his first battle! His future was sure to be brilliant.

"You mean Wilhelm?" Grimm asked, a shiver running through his whole body at the memory of that swordsman. Tholter didn't seem to notice the jolt of anxiety that went through Grimm when he brought up the young soldier. It was Wilhelm, above all else, who had caused Grimm to give up his dream of heroism.

"I believe he's good, even if he's just a kid," Tholter remarked, respectful in his tone. "I mean, they don't hand out military honors for nothing. I bet we'll see him on the parade ground as a full knight before long." To Tholter, it was people like Wilhelm who became real heroes. Wilhelm had the talent and he certainly knew how to use it. It was clear that he would become someone important.

"I heard he didn't even have to do the drills they make all the new guys go through," Grimm said, gazing at his glass. "Instructor Razaac himself said it wasn't necessary. A lot of people won't believe he's fifteen."

What the pair of soldiers said was the unadulterated truth. So much lay ahead of a boy his age, and the thought of what he might yet become was enough to unsettle anyone.

Hero. That was what they would call him as he cut down enemy after enemy and led his nation to victory. But no matter what they called Wilhelm, Grimm couldn't forget what he had seen in the boy's eyes. Were those the eyes of someone who should be hailed as a hero? The suspicion dogged Grimm that he might become something far more terrible.

"I definitely understand the worry," Tholter said, placing a comforting hand on Grimm's shoulder. "He's, like, the least friendly fifteen-year-old you'll ever meet," Tholter continued, his tone bitter. That kid...

"Wait, what?" Grimm, meanwhile, was shocked. Tholter talked to him?

"No, it's true. I invite him along every time we go for a meal and every time we go for a drink, but he never comes. If he has one minute of spare time, he's doing sword practice. He is always out there morning, noon, and night. I swear, it's gonna make him sick. Or maybe he already is!" Tholter ranted, turning his body back to face the table and his drink, frustration clear in his tone. He simply could not understand why someone would want to train that much. Skills like his don't appear out of thin air that's for sure, but still. That kid never celebrated anything. He didn't even attend the after-party for the victory in the battle, a battle that he himself had won practically single-handedly. Surely, Wilhelm had something wrong with him...

"Huh. You might actually be right," Grimm remarked, surprised to find himself agreeing. Tholter had probably overstated the issue, but Grimm shared his beliefs even if it was for completely different reasons. Someone who can cut down a life that casually… He wasn't sane.

"Ain't I always?" Tholter said, completely oblivious to the dark undertones in Grimm's remark.

"But do you think he might be onto something?" Grimm went on. "Using his free time to train instead of drink?"

While Grimm didn't agree with Wilhelm, he couldn't negate that it was probably thanks to his hellish training regimen that he was so skilled. He surely was a genius of course, but no amount of talent could be actualized without rigorous training.

"Aw, don't start with that, Grimm," Tholter replied, dismayed by their sudden difference in opinion.

"Anyway, whoever has the most fun is the winner at life! Even the first Sword Saint, Reid, didn't spend all his time waving his sword around. He liked his wine and his women, too! Heroes have more fun than anyone. Enjoying ourselves like this just shows that we have what it takes to be legends!" Tholter reasoned, growing louder and louder to the point where he collected a few shouts of "Yeahh! That's right!" from the surrounding drinkers.

As the mood spread throughout the room, the archer stood nimbly on a chair and raised his mug, shouting, "My friends! My brothers in arms! Here's to all the future heroes sitting in this tavern right now! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" the shouted back, all raising their mugs together with a chorus of raucous laughter. Splashing alcohol and the sound of clinking mugs filled the air. Tholter gestured insistently at Grimm with his mug. The young man finally raised his own cup, and they pressed the drinking vessels together once again, smiling and basking in the atmosphere.

All the while, Grimm was thinking that the drinks didn't seem to be going down so well today, but he didn't know why.

---

Grimm had left Tholter in the tavern and headed out into the cold, breezy night. Careful with his steps as he traversed the cobbled road, he reflected on the day's events thus far.

He turned toward the barracks, a somewhat guilty look on his face. He felt bad leaving Tholter behind, who had wanted to drink the night away in honor of their day off tomorrow, but Grimm couldn't bring himself to enjoy the alcohol as much as usual. He wandered through the moonlit night, his ale-warmed body rapidly cooling.

"What a gorgeous crescent moon… It looks like a sword," Grimm remarked, his subdued and depressed tone contrasting with the reverence in his words. The military really had gotten to him. One had to have a certain lack of refinement to notice not the beauty but the sharpness of the moon. But then again, in times of war, he guessed that it was inevitable for indulgence and luxury to be stripped away from human hearts.

This inability to enjoy drinking—that, too, had been a new problem for Grimm ever since his first battle.

"Tholter's certainly brave. Maybe he really can be a hero," Grimm mused, thinking back the fond memories he'd made with his rambunctious friend. Almost every night he had free, Tholter would make for the tavern, sharing drinks with a crowd of strangers. Grimm tried to tell him to stop this behavior, but in truth, he was envious. At least Tholter didn't freeze up every time he thought of that initial engagement.

And what about Grimm himself? Would the next experience of combat make him any happier than the last one? This question tormented him. When he closed his eyes, he saw the flames; when he fell asleep, he saw his comrades who had been reduced to ash; when it was quiet, he could hear their final, agonized screams.

"And yet I can't bring myself to quit the army. If I did, I wouldn't have anything left. Maybe that's what scares me," he said to himself, his breath warm in the cold night. He had left his family and his home behind to come to the capital. Sick of the daily routine, he had joined the army. But now that he knew the fear of death, he wanted to run away from this too.

He hadn't changed. He was still weak. He had clung to his childish dream in the hope that he would find a place where he might be acknowledged, only to be hardly willing to work for it. That, he was sure, defined who he was now.

"—?"

But then, on his way back to the barracks, absorbed in self-hatred, Grimm stopped. The reason was a noise. He thought he'd heard a faint sound from around the back of the soldiers' quarters. He could hardly imagine anyone being stupid enough to try to break into the barracks of the national army, but this was a time of war. "A demi-human on a secret infiltration mission, perhaps?"

No, that was overthinking it. But he had to be sure. Grimm touched the scabbard of the sword he carried and, as silently as he could, made his way to the back of the building. He peeked out from the shadows, attempting to find the source of the ongoing sound. As he came closer to the source of the noise it became clearer. There were voices. Fearing the worst, Grimm slowly made his way towards the barracks. And then, behind the building, he saw it. Two men swinging their swords in the middle of the night.

"... Wilhelm? Wait a second, you too Subaru?" Grimm questioned the two figures, his voice weary. What were they doing there, late at night?

"Could you stop bothering me?" Wilhelm replied, but not to Grimm. He had a somewhat annoyed tone in his voice, the reason making itself evident mere seconds later.

"Not a chance, sensei…" Subaru replied to Wilhelm's request with a teasing tone perfectly matching his current expression: a smug one.

"Tsk…" Wilhelm, clearly irked by Subaru's pestering, decided that to continue arguing with that fool was a waste of time. After voicing his dissatisfaction, the young swordsman once again dedicated himself to his swings.

"What is happening here?" Grimm thought to himself. He hadn't the slightest idea as to what to think about the odd situation developing before his eyes. To Grimm, Wilhelm Trias was something akin to a monster. A demon of the blade which was best left alone and unbothered. Yet here was Subaru treating him like he does with Grimm himself. This surely wouldn't end well.

"What is happening here?" Grimm asked at an audible volume, giving a voice to his doubts.

"Huh? Grimm? What are you doing here? Weren't you partying with Tholter or something? Did you drink the whole tavern dry?" Subaru asked, immediately stopping his half-baked practice swings as soon as he noticed Grimm. The differences between the two practitioners were as clear as day. Wilhelm did not even give the newcomer a passing glance while Subaru's reaction was the exact opposite.

"Umm, no I just went out to get some fresh air…" Grimm replied, training off. The surrealism of the situation was striking, an effect only further enhanced by Subaru's apparent indifference to it. Was he that big of a fool or was that courage? Maybe somehow the raven-haired volunteer managed to unlock the secret to get the sympathy of the little demon? Whatever it was, one thing Grimm noticed immediately was the difference in skill.

Wilhelm was a genius with the blade. That much was clear to anyone who possessed eyes. Frighteningly, Wilhelm's blade made no sound as it sliced through the night. It was as if the sword was so sharp the air itself didn't realize it had been cut. Only his short breaths and the sound of his shoes sliding across the earth indicated the movements of his sword. The blade flashed silver as it danced through the night air in a perfect arc. By the moonlight, Grimm could see how astonishingly clean Wilhelm's technique was. It was art. However, it's only when compared to a normal person that the difference in skill becomes blatantly obvious.

In Subaru's defence, he had no training, so his form was horrible. His skill with the blade was that of a complete novice and should have not been compared to that of a master such as Wilhelm, but Grimm didn't focus on that. Grimm's own abilities with the sword were not that much better than Subaru's, after all. No, upon seeing Wilhelm's mastery of the blade, Grimm knew that he was witnessing the skill of a genius required to become a hero. At that moment, a single thought surfaced into Grimm's mind, "I never had a chance to begin with and maybe… maybe Tholter has no chance either…"

"Grimm…?" Subaru warily asked again. Grimm was supposed to be drinking in the tavern with Tholter so what was he doing here? And why did he display such a desperate expression?

"I-It's nothing, I'm alright. I just… I dozed off," Grimm answered, stumbling with his words as he spoke.

"In the middle of a conversation? Grimm, did you drink too much ale?" Subaru shot back, taking the opportunity to tease the young man. But, if he had to be honest, Subaru felt fairly jealous of Grimm. Having feasts, going to parties, and drinking ale in a tavern was one of the quintessential medieval experiences! Many times Subaru dreamed of what he would accomplish should he find himself in another world. He often fantasized about doing great deeds in a fantasy world only to celebrate every victory by throwing a big party in a tavern, where everyone sang his praises with mugs raised.

Of course, his first experience on a battlefield crushed those dreams in a matter of seconds, or rather, minutes. Ten to be precise. He also had his own moral code to follow. Since he was in a fantasy world, there were surely many rules from Earth that he could break—and maybe he would end up breaking a few—but drinking was not one of those. In Japan, the legal age required to drink was twenty. So, when Subaru was approached by an enthusiastic Tholter with the offer of a night of partying and drinking, he had to regretfully refuse. It was a shame, truly a shame.

"Wha-? N-No I just… Look, can you just explain what's happening?" This was the second time that Grimm asked that question. It was night, he was tired and his curiosity was growing.

"A-Ahh yeah about that… You see, right after you two left…"

---

"What? You can't come? Why?" Tholter asked, surprised and crestfallen. He'd gotten himself all enthused for a night out with Subaru and Grimm, drinking until the sun came up, only for Subaru to… refuse?

"Look, Tholter, it's not that I don't want to come with you guys… I just don't drink, I would only be a hindrance," Subaru explained, apologetic in his tone. It was just a simple fact that Natsuki Subaru would not drink until he reached the age of twenty, as the law dictated. For him, even in this fantasy world, it was a special sort of unwritten rule; perhaps one he only heeded to maintain some sort of fleeting connection to his homeland.

Regardless, Subaru understood perfectly that him coming along would just kill the mood for everyone else. He would only end up being a third wheel, having to ask for water or juice like a little kid. And Subaru wasn't happy with that. He was already useless baggage for his unit in any sort of combat situation. He couldn't allow himself to be an obstacle even when they tried to relax and have some fun.

"I really wouldn't care, but if you say so…" Tholter said, a little dejected, "Still… at least try to relax and take some time off. Lately you have been trying way too hard, you'll get sick." Tholter was being uncharacteristically serious but the situation deserved it. So much so that everyone in the unit had noticed it.

It was always good having a hard worker as a new recruit, but Subaru was pushing himself too far. For some reason, he always tried to keep himself busy in some way, always training or cleaning once his official duties were complete. It was very much appreciated amongst the soldiers, and was a good surprise to those who thought that the new recruit would be completely useless. But… he never seemed to give himself any real time to rest. Normally, Tholter wouldn't usually meddle in someone else's affairs, but Subaru was his friend. Unlike a certain short and rude swordsman who also kept himself constantly busy, Subaru would hopefully listen to him.

"What? No. Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine! Natsuki Subaru is always at a hundred percent!" Subaru exclaimed, striking his signature pose. While it was true that lately he was doing more than normal, Subaru considered it necessary given the circumstances. He was in the army and he didn't exactly have a great debut either. As the new recruit, he still had to prove himself in any way possible. If he could do something useful, he would. He wouldn't let his new chance at life go to waste. After a whole life as a NEET leeching off the goodwill of others, the newly reformed hikikomori was aching to make himself useful.

And, even if Subaru would never admit it to anyone, for him, it was becoming harder and harder to sleep through the nights following that battle, so being able to do something to distract his mind from dark, fiery thoughts was a good plus. Yep, it was just a plus. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Also, it's not like it would kill me…" he added, almost as an afterthought. A few days in, Subaru quickly found out that joking about the things that weighed on his mind was a great way to relieve or at least distract from his stress. It immediately became one of his many habits. Sure, it did gather some weird glances here and there, but nothing more.

"Alright, you do you. Grimm, let's go, follow me!" Tholter said, excitement in his tone, quickly changing both the mood and topic of the conversation as he often did. Having called to Grimm, who immediately began to follow behind him, the archer began walking away with a confident pace, his concern for his new friend now completely pushed out of his mind. He had a fun night ahead of him, after all, and he wanted to enjoy it as best as he could.

"I guess I'll return to the dormitories then..."

"—?"

Subaru had almost arrived at the barracks when a sound grabbed his attention. The faint noise was seemingly coming from around the back of the soldiers' quarters, peaking Subaru's interest.

"What is that?" he thought to himself as he grew closer to investigate. Supposedly all soldiers and other personnel in this part of the encampment were out that night. It was a day of leave for everyone in the unit which meant going to party and getting drunk. For Subaru, it was very hard to believe that someone else would be outside, especially that late at night.

Giving in to his curiosity, the black haired boy started heading towards the quarters. There, in the middle of the night and only illuminated by the moon, a young man was single-mindedly swinging his sword.

"…Wilhelm?" Subaru questioned the young man, surprised.

"Oh, Subaru, it's you," Wilhelm said with disinterest. "Don't bother me." Immediately after that quick request, Wilhelm started swinging his sword again. The blade reflected the moonlight as it cut the air of the night, giving it a silver gleam.

"Hey, what did you say you little- Wait, you know my name?" Subaru's initially annoyed tone changed quickly into one of pure surprise at the revelation. Wilhelm knew his name? The same kid who didn't seem to care about anything else other than swords and massacres?

"Why shouldn't I? We're in the same squadron. You know my name, don't you? Or maybe you thought I'm one of those idiots who can't remember a name?" Wilhelm replied in a rude tone, not even giving Subaru a glance as he kept at his swings.

"To be honest, I thought you were one of those edgy kids who only thought about the 'beauty of the blade' or the 'feeling of a real fight to the death' while ignoring everyone else around them," Subaru confessed. Since his first encounter with the reality of this new world, he'd always tried to avoid making any kind of parallel between fiction and reality. But this… this was a cliché as old as time. There was no way he would ignore it. Surely, Wilhelm was one of those guys who are completely obsessed with swords. He was clearly the archetypal rude and cold kid obsessed with something who always turned out to be a killing machine. "The only thing that is lacking is a tragic backstory or some comment like 'I had no purpose in life but then I noticed the beauty of the blade'. Looking at Wilhelm, it's probably the second one isn't it?"

Wilhelm wasn't quite sure about what 'edgy' meant, but he was surprised about the accuracy of Subaru's statement. "I don't remember people's names because I care. I do it because it's necessary. If I don't remember the names of my squadron, it'll cause me problems later. Have I explained myself thoroughly enough for you?"

Wilhelm rarely held any kind of conversation with anyone, not even with his squadmates, which is what he preferred. Any time spent talking or joining in meaningless chit chat was time that wasn't spent training, so Wilhelm tried to close the conversation as quickly as possible.

"I see, I see… Wait, that only means I was right! You're not even trying to deny what I said!"

"Yes, exactly."

"This kid…"

Subaru was irked by the young swordsman's behaviour but was also somewhat relieved. Wilhelm Trias rarely talked or interacted with anyone, and when he did he kept his conversation to a minimum. Somehow, he felt inhuman to Subaru, so the black-haired boy was pleasantly surprised that the swordsman could hold a conversation like a normal person.

"Well, at least you can act like a person I guess, sometimes I thought that you weren't human," Subaru unintentionally voiced his thoughts, lightly chuckling to himself. "Even that expressionless demon is a person inside, huh?"

"What was that?" Wilhelm asked, a brow raised.

Clearly, Subaru said something stupid. He wasn't even surprised anymore. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Wilhelm replied drily.

Subaru sighed.

"Awesome…" Subaru murmured to himself. "Well done Subaru, keep provoking the mass-murderer…"

Even though he witnessed first-hand the kind of massacre that Wilhelm could enact, Subaru wasn't afraid for some reason. The kid could be really rude but he certainly didn't come off as the type of guy to hurt people on a whim. If Subaru had to summarize Wilhelm, it would be 'focused' and 'efficient'.

He really didn't know what to think about the young boy before him. Subaru certainly despised his actions. But, on the other hand, he was a kid, they were in the middle of a war, and Wilhelm saved his life. In the end, Subaru failed to reach any conclusions. His sense of gratitude heavily conflicted with his hate for Wilhelm's apparent disdain towards life.

Wilhelm shot Subaru a dubious look, but he quickly lost interest. He raised his sword and began swinging it again.

In any normal circumstance, the conversation would have ended there, but Subaru wasn't done talking.

"Thank you, Wilhem. I really despise what you did but… thank you for saving my life," Subaru said with a serious face. Despite his contrasting feelings towards the young swordsman, Subaru felt like he had to at least thank him.

"I only did my job. I had to kill the enemy and so I did. You don't need to thank me. Now don't talk to me. It disrupts my concentration," Wilhelm quickly shot back, giving a rather short reply to Subaru's thanks. To him, it was only protocol. He had to get rid of the demi-humans and there was one about to kill Subaru and Grimm, so Wilhelm slew him. Nothing more, nothing less. Wilhelm did not feel like he deserved any special kind of thanks. Especially not for something so trivial and easy.

"You are really rude, you know?" Subaru said. "He's a tsun but without the dere, really the worst kind of tsundere."

A few moments later, Subaru broke the short-lived silence, asking, "Tholter and Grimm went to the tavern to drink and I think they invited you too. Why didn't you go?"

Subaru did not drink, it was his rule as a former resident of Earth… but Wilhelm wasn't. As far as Subaru was concerned, Wilhelm should have been old enough to drink. So why refuse?

"They did? I don't fancy alcohol, it's a waste of time. Don't talk to me."

As he gave his curt answer, Wilhelm began swinging the sword faster and faster, losing himself in the act. Subaru could hardly follow the blade as it cut through the air. So, instead, he slumped against the side of the barracks and stared at the swordsman.

"Why are you even so into sword fighting? Isn't there anything you do for fun? You're a kid, you should enjoy life! You know, seeing friends, chasing girls… that kind of stuff." Subaru would also have mentioned school, but that only brought bitter memories. Also, he was fairly certain that education was something fancy that only nobles had access to in this kind of fantasy world, else there wouldn't be kids waging a war.

"Maybe there would be something fun to do, if we weren't at war. But we are. Practicing with the sword is a lot more likely to keep you alive than getting drunk or cavorting with whores," Wilhelm replied, disdain clear in his tone.

"Seriously, who even says 'cavorting' anymore these days and... W-Wait a second, the people in the unit were going to brothels?!" Subaru's face quickly began to flush. Now he was thankful that he did not accept Tholter's invitation. Despite his irreverent attitude, Subaru was a believer in true love and was a moral person who did the best to keep his body pure. He sometimes struggled with this, especially with the coming of puberty, but he persevered. One of Subaru's few good points was his determination, after all.

Seeing Subaru's reaction, Wilhelm raised a brow, "You weren't aware? They never made any sense to me. Why would anyone want to waste their time on booze and women instead of working on their swordsmanship? It is foolishness."

Wilhelm failed to understand it. What was so great about alcohol and women. Was it worth putting their own lives at risk? Frowning, he remarked, "Even you, a complete amateur that came from who-knows-where, is trying harder than most of them. They surely won't survive for long…"

The swordsman's tone was cold but it held a hint of annoyance. As he turned to face Subaru, his sword came to a halt. That was one thing he did not like about war, everyone was deluded with the hope that they could be a hero. This made people act more reckless in order to attain more glory, which in most cases ended with said person's demise. The situation would only worsen if the one holding this greed for fame was a leading figure, since it could end in many meaningless deaths. People should be interested in their survival first rather than some title and a few minutes of glory. "Still, they can do whatever they prefer as long as it doesn't affect me."

"Hey, they're still trying, you know? Even if they're out partying and celebrating right now, I'm sure they're still giving it their all when it counts," Subaru argued, defending the efforts of his comrades. Honestly, he couldn't see the issue with that. Leaving the more indecorous details aside, everyone had the right to take breaks, right? Especially soldiers! They're risking their own lives so of course they need some time off.

"The issue it's that they don't. Oftentimes, new recruits will run straight into the enemy thinking that that way they will get more fame. Or, in worse cases, a knight directing a unit completely disregards safety in order to slay more enemies. Sure, some survivors do learn the lesson but even then they decide to go get drunk or have sex instead of spending their time honing their skills that keep them alive. And that's just stupid behaviour," Wilhelm spat, his tone so bitter that he surprised even himself.

"Why am I getting so worked up over this?" he wondered, suddenly contemplative. Maybe he hated to see such incompetence? Wilhelm himself did not know. What he did know was that getting worked up was a waste of time. He needed to spend this time practicing, becoming better. The young swordsman took a deep breath. After a few seconds, Wilhelm resumed his swings once again. This time faster than ever, almost as if to cut his annoyance and bitterness away.

"Wilhelm…" The young boy's words shocked Subaru. Did the young swordsman feel angry at how many soldiers were dying? He never once thought that Wilhelm could feel like that. Sure, his tone was almost flat as Wilhelm said that, but that's the thing: Almost. Buried deep within the swordsman's words, Subaru could hear a hint of annoyance. If he wasn't mad at that foolishness, he was at least annoyed by it. And that was way more than what Subaru thought Wilhelm capable of.

However, even though the black haired boy felt pleasantly surprised about the sudden show of humanity that Wilhelm had just displayed, he still felt like the young soldier was missing the point. Wilhelm Trias was a genius with the blade, one of those rare ones which appear only once or twice in a century. He surely never got to experience hardships, at least when it concerned combat. Not that Subaru would know, he passed his life as a hikikomori, doing nothing in any case. Still, he felt compelled to speak out, even if just for those who really tried.

"You know, you're probably right. However… not everyone has the same talent you have. Not everyone can just swing a sword once and make heads roll like you. Did you ever think that maybe, maybe there are people for which no matter how much they try… it will never be enough?" Subaru said, his voice unexpectedly beginning to quiver.

"I-I don't know how that must feel but… I think I can understand why someone would try to take comfort that way…" Subaru trailed off, a sad expression on his face. Was that what he was doing? Taking comfort by doing tasks, by training? No, surely not, at least it wasn't only that. He had gotten a new chance at life, something not many could brag about. He really didn't want to waste it. He did not want to be a failure once again.

"I didn't even wash my cup before being transported here did I? I didn't say goodbye to her and I couldn't even wash a damn cup…" Subaru remembered something seemingly unrelated but of great weight on his heart. Could this time really be different? If he tried, if he struggled, if he did everything he could… would it turn out differently?

"I'll tell you one thing, you're all better at that than I am. Making excuses, that is," Wilhelm said curtly, throwing Subaru out of his thoughts. He had narrowed eyes as he was staring down at the black haired boy.

"If you keep behaving like that…'' Subaru said as he slowly got up, the sword strapped at his hip making a metallic sound as it collided against its sheath. "You will make everyone else hate you. What will you do if you find yourself on the battlefield, all alone?" It was just a rhetorical question. Subaru already knew the answer, "Yes since it's Wilhelm it will probably be…"

"Use my sword. One swing, one dead enemy. Two swings, two dead. That's all it takes, one slash after another. To me, you just sound like you're trying to protect those guys." Wilhelm tilted his head as he replied. It was evident, wasn't it? If you find yourself before an enemy, you cut it down. If you're alone, just keep cutting and if there are too many… just keep swinging until you fall.

"I knew you would say something like that you edgy kid…" Subaru chuckled, yes Wilhelm was the exact replica of a fantasy character. Oh the irony, and to think that he wanted to get rid of tropey parallels. Slowly approaching Wilhelm, Subaru's hand slowly got closer to his weapon's sheath. Wilhem immediately reacted, putting himself into a battle stance as he prepared to fight.

"Are you going to attack me? You know how to defend your pride, I can respect that. Alright then, but know that I will not hold back," Wilhelm said in his usual flat tone but there was something else there, a hint of ecstasy.

Wilhelm didn't expect at all to get another opportunity to fight, at least not until they were assigned to another battlefield. The young swordsman knew how little skill Subaru had with the blade; that realisation killed his anticipation a little. Still, he would not back down. A fight was a fight. Subaru brought it upon himself and Wilhelm would be sure to win. Still, in respect to his opponent he decided to wait until the black haired boy made his first move to strike.

A move which never arrived. Instead, the nasty eyed boy unsheathed his blade, positioned himself right beside the swordsman and started swinging his blade, just as Wilhelm himself had been doing moments prior, much to the soldier's surprise.

Seeing the flabbergasted expression that the boy was making beside him, Subaru couldn't help but laugh, "Haha, you thought I was going to fight you, right? You really are a chunni…"

Taking a deep breath as if to steel himself, Subaru said, "Not in a thousand years! I'm sorry but I value my life! I will be happy dying once after a long and fulfilling life! Actually, I wish people who say 'I'd rather die' would actually die before they say it. So that they'll know how I feel." As Subaru began to swing his sword faster Wilhelm's eyes narrowed at him. Subaru was sure that Wilhelm wouldn't attack him, probably, but his cold gaze still sent shivers down his spine.

"You're doing it wrong," Wilhelm said as he approached there's black haired boy. "Your posture, the way you hold the sword… Everything's wrong. Just try to imitate me."

Maybe it was that Wilhelm had finally given up on sending Subaru away or maybe because it bothered him to see someone doing swings in an incorrect manner, but Wilhelm found himself correcting every move of the black haired boy.

Said boy felt rather surprised at Wilhelm's reaction. He expected Wilhelm to ask him to go away once again or maybe just leave himself but certainly not this. For the first time ever, Subaru saw a golden opportunity to tease the young swordsman, an opportunity that he wouldn't waste.

"Thank you, shishou!" Using the most military-like voice he could, Subaru decided to tease Wilhelm in that manner. Surely there would be other, better ways to do it, but Subaru wanted to live to see another day if possible so he decided to go light.

"Shi-? Doesn't matter…" Once again, another strange word was uttered by that mysterious black haired boy. This time though, Wilhelm had the sensation that he had heard that same term before, but from where? "Maybe that time when that peculiar Kararagian merchant passed through our lands?"

Wilhelm quickly dispersed those thoughts. It didn't matter where the boy came from or what words he said, thinking about it wouldn't bring him anything. It was a waste of time, time he could spend training. Ignoring Subaru besides him, Wilhelm began once again swinging his blade, the black haired boy observing him while trying and largely failing to imitate his movements.

"Again, you're doing it wrong." Why did it bug him that much? Wilhelm never felt the necessity to correct something more in his life than he did now. In his defence, he never trained with anyone else either. He always used to train alone in the mountains near his home. Seeing Subaru's sloppy technique triggered something within the swordsman, an instinct to correct it.

"Of course, do you prefer if I call you sensei?" Subaru of course used that chance to tease the swordsman further. He truly wasn't scary at all right now!

"Tsk…" Wilhelm decided to do the wisest thing he could do, and ignored Subaru's teases. Somehow though, he was sure that he would continue teaching, "This will be a long night, won't it?"

---

"And then shortly after that, you arrived. You asked me what was happening aaand… here we are," Subaru said with a shrug. The explanation had taken longer than he'd planned but surely he covered everything.

"Man, that sure was a long flashback." Feeling his throat to be slightly sore, Subaru began to regret not giving a brief summary of the situation instead of doing a long and unnecessarily detailed narration.

"O-ohh…" Grimm was left speechless. Subaru had somehow managed to approach the solitary murder machine that was Wilhelm, a feat that Grimm himself thought to be impossible. The soldier had many questions in his head about Wilhelm, questions that he thought would never be answered, be it because of the swordsman's stoic personality or by his own pathetic self. So the soldier found himself greatly perplexed when the black haired boy answered them one by one as his narration progressed.

Maybe they did think somewhat alike, after all.

Wilhelm was now fully concentrated on his swings. Subaru's unskilled attempts had been bugging him for a while, ruining his focus. However, now that the black haired amateur was busy, Wilhelm could fully fixate his mind on perfecting his technique. He was grateful for Grimm's entrance. The conversation he and Subaru were having also worked perfectly as background noise. Certainly, he wasn't paying attention, but it made the swings easier somehow. That was, at least, until said soldier himself addressed Wilhelm, once again taking him out of his element.

"...Wilhelm, I also wanted to thank you for that time." Hesitantly, Grimm spoke. This was a chance like no other to speak with the young man before him.

Wilhelm turned his head towards the pair. "I won't be able to concentrate today it seems." It was bothering him to no end. Suddenly, it seemed that everyone wanted to thank him for some reason. Couldn't they behave like before? Everyone doing their own things, no one bothering him or interrupting his training…

"I did? As I said to Subaru, don't worry. I was just doing my job," Wilhelm said dryly and with a plain stare, trying to cut the conversation short as fast as possible.

If he had to be honest, he barely remembered that day, that's how easy the confrontation had been to him and surely he didn't recall having saved the duo before him. He did somewhat recall slaying a mountain of demi-humans however, and how trivial it had all been. He also remembered that weird insult that the black haired boy had said to him, not that he cared about it though. In that moment the young swordsman's only desire was to cut the conversation short and return to his training.

"Hey Grimm, where's Tholter? Weren't you guys partying together?" Subaru suddenly asked. The fact that Grimm was alone picked his curiosity. To Subaru, Tholter seemed the kind of guy who drinks until the sun rises and, based on what he had heard from the other soldiers, he was right. "Did Grimm come here alone?"

"I left him at the tavern. I needed some fresh air so I went on a stroll," Grimm explained, turning towards the black haired boy.

Humming to himself, Subaru put a hand on his chin, processing the situation. An idea suddenly appeared in his mind. "Hey Grimm. Me and… Wilhelm here were training in the art of the blade!" Subaru said, doing a fake samurai pose to illustrate his point.

For a second, he considered the possibility of using a nickname for Wilhelm, but the idea was quickly discarded at the consideration of how said swordsman would react if he did so. "Better if I don't try. I don't want to die, I'm too young for that!" Subaru thought to himself, completely dismissing, or perhaps ignoring the fact that he had already died.

"Why don't you join us? If you're not too drunk that is," the black haired boy added further. He could sense a faint scent of alcohol in the air coming from Grimm.

"Maybe I should join them next time." Subaru considered the thought. He didn't want to drink alcohol, of course, but he still felt like he was losing a huge part of the fantasy experience by not going out.

"You're not a shut-in anymore, Subaru! This is your new life. Surely, no one would look at you weird just for asking for water, right?" the black haired boy thought with distress. Social endeavours were his fortè but he really hated awkward moments.

Grimm tilted his head, warily looking at the swordsman behind Subaru. Grimm couldn't tell if he had noticed the conversation or not. The rather short soldier did not even grant Grimm a passing glance. To Wilhelm, it was as if nothing else existed in the world other than his blade, nothing else mattered to him. It felt as if Wilhelm's whole purpose in life was the continued improvement of his technique.

Noticing Grimm's distress, Subaru felt that it was necessary to reassure the soldier. "Oh, don't worry. He doesn't bite!" Subaru said with a grin plastered onto his face.

"Probably." Only to add more anxiety to Grimm mere moments later. To tell the truth, Subaru himself didn't know if Wilhelm was completely… safe to be around. The black haired boy had been with the swordsman for about an hour and nothing had happened yet, so that probably meant he was safe… right?

"Here," Subaru said, changing the subject, "let me show you a way to warm up with an exercise from my homeland, Radio Calisthenics! Usually you can't just start exercising without warming up, you know?" Subaru explained, ignoring the fact that he had been doing just that until Grimm interrupted.

After a few minutes of cajoling that somewhat crossed the line into bullying, Subaru was able to convince Grimm to agree to try it. Wilhelm looked on with mild interest, his swings getting a bit slower as Subaru led his comrade in a series of stretches and light exercises. As someone following the path of the blade, Wilhelm was always open to new ways to improve the efficiency of his training. He closely observed their actions as they went from exercise to exercise, considering in his mind the usefulness of Subaru's weird training regime as the duo came to their conclusion.

"Alright," stated Subaru with a hint of excitement, "the last thing is to stretch your arms up, lean back and yell Victory!" The black haired boy yelled as he jerked his arms upward in a V shape. As a former shut-in, Subaru never got the chance to do his warm ups with someone other than his father. For him, this was a good chance at bonding with someone he considered a potential friend.

Unfortunately, Subaru was alone in those feelings as Grimm had been feeling nauseous since the start. The drinks hadn't been going down well that day and doing exercises in that sort of condition turned out to be a rather poor idea. As soon as Subaru proposed the last exercise, Grimm fell onto his knees, bracing his own stomach. For the young soldier, it was getting increasingly hard not to throw up.

"Grimm?! Are you ok?" Subaru asked, with a worried tone matching his expression. He immediately came rushing to Grimm's side in order to check on him.

"You should have told me if you were feeling bad! Here, I'll help you get up," Subaru commented, offering to help the nauseous Grimm. The young soldier wordlessly agreed. Grabbing Subaru's shoulder to support himself, Grimm slowly got up, all the while trying to keep the contents of his stomach in place.

"You drank too much, this was a bad idea, I'm sorry," Subaru apologized. Grimm only nodded, slowly calming himself down.

"I-I'm sorry Natsuki-san, I guess I had one or two more glasses than what I can handle…" Grimm replied, breathing slowly. "Usually I can handle this much, what is happening?" Grimm Fauzen wasn't a heavy drinker, but he was at least able to entertain Tholter's outings without much issue. This time, for some reason, he couldn't.

"Ahh, I thought I smelled alcohol. Now it makes more sense," Wilhelm suddenly interjected, stopping his swings and turning to look at the duo.

"You were being sloppy in your movements, Grimm. I really don't get why you guys drink but if you plan to do so at least commit to it. Don't try to humiliate yourself and the sword," he elaborated, his expression bitter. Unless one possessed good resistance to alcohol, drinking and then training immediately after was a terrible idea. To Wilhelm, it was an insult to the art. If one doesn't want to commit to the blade, at least he could try to not tarnish it by practicing under those conditions.

"Can't you have some tact, Wilhelm? He was trying! And he's also feeling sick," Subaru shot back. He could understand Wilhelm's view but he wasn't going to stand idly by and watch while one of his friends was treated badly, especially not by some kid. That's not the person his father raised Natsuki Subaru to be.

"He's feeling sick from something he did to himself, something stupid may I add," Wilhelm deadpaned. It was Grimm's fault, what more was there to add?

"I know, but still…" Subaru trailed off. He was about to reply, but then Grimm interrupted him.

"Don't worry Subaru, it was my fault…" he said, his voice weak and his expression pitiful. He was feeling downright horrible.

"That look in your eyes… Now I remember it. You were that guy, we saw each other on the battlefield, didn't we, Grimm?" Wilhelm let his sword rest, straightened, and stared at Grimm.

"Wait, you didn't even remember saving him?!" Subaru asked, shocked.

"Well, I didn't remember saving you either, Subaru." Now it was all more clear. Yes, the memories were finally coming back to him.

"What?!" Subaru exclaimed, even more shocked than before.

"I-I…" Grimm began to mutter. He, on the other hand, was feeling even worse—if it was possible—after hearing that. He felt his throat tightening and his skin forming goosebumps. His eyes widened slowly. To think Wilhelm would have remembered him… remembered him like that.

"Yeah, I remember that look now. So you guys stick together because you're scared? Subaru tried to make it logical, but I guess it was just a way to run away from your issues? I may have misjudged you guys. I guess you weaklings should stick together, then. Or maybe… Do you think I'm wrong?" Wilhelm inquired.

He recalled the pitiful look that Grimm had in his eyes and the terrified gaze that Subaru gave him… "What a bunch of weaklings." Wilhelm now gave them an opportunity to regain their pride. He said that last part in order to test them. He might have misjudged them, after all, but if they let it just slide in fear…

"Wilhelm!" Subaru was the first one to react. The black haired boy immediately yelled, outraged by Wilhelm's remark. In his shock, Subaru did not notice the underlying challenge in Wilhelm's words. And even if he had understood, it wouldn't have changed his response. Wilhelm had gone too far.

Grimm, on the other hand, quickly understood that Wilhelm was telling him to draw his blade; to use the sword at his hip and show him what he was made of.

But Grimm found himself out of words. He immediately cast his gaze downwards, hiding his eyes as if to hide his expressions from everyone else, hide his shame from the world, hide his weakness from any who may look upon him.

"You can't even draw your sword? Coward."

Grimm didn't even consider replying to Wilhelm's final remark. No, he couldn't draw his sword. He couldn't even stand up for himself, much less reach for his scabbard. He felt like a tugging mess, like he was once again on that damned battlefield.

"Wilhelm, this is too much! Apologize right now!" demanded Subaru, his voice filled with rage. Not only was Wilhelm insulting him, he was also insulting Grimm and all the other soldiers!

"Who the hell does he think he is…" Subaru thought bitterly. Almost unconsciously, his hand started to slowly reach for his scabbard, the only thing restraining him being the memory of who was the one he was drawing his sword against and the knowledge that he stood absolutely no chance against him.

"Then show me. Take your sword and prove that you're not weaklings, prove me wrong," Wilhelm said, annoyed. The young swordsman always despised those who couldn't back up their words nor pride. If someone wanted to prove him wrong, it had to be with the blade.

"You…!" For Subaru, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. With a quick movement—one that Wilhelm had taught him mere minutes prior—Subaru drew his blade and pointed it at the swordsman with a furious expression.

"Do you think we'll just let you insult us like that you… you little bastard! Right, Grimm?" Subaru yelled, his rage boiling like never before, but when he turned his head towards his friend, he saw something unexpected.

"—"

Silent, Grimm was with his knees on the ground, his head downcast; his hair covering his eyes with shadow. His scabbard and sword layed limply at his side. Grimm looked... defeated.

"Grimm?" Subaru asked in a worried tone. "Are you alright? Do you feel bad? Do you need help?" Subaru's worries only grew as his companion refused to respond to him. However, they wouldn't last long.

Clang!

"Wha-" Subaru uttered, jerking his head towards Wilhelm once more. He turned to find a sword pointed directly at him, dangerously close.

"Never look away from your enemy… it was one of the first things I told you, but of course you wouldn't listen…" Wilhelm looked at Subaru with a straight face as if he wasn't even surprised by it, "People just never learn."

Subaru's eyes darted around, trying to find any way to escape the situation. His gaze landed on something on the floor. It was his sword. Quickly looking at his hand, he found it empty. Somehow, Subaru had been disarmed. "What? When did he… How didn't I notice?" As he was still pondering about what had happened, Wilhelm looked at the young soldier beside Subaru.

"And you? What do you plan to do, Grimm?" Wilhelm asked. He did not receive an answer. Grimm was seemingly frozen, or rather, trembling in fear.

"You are not going to respond? Can't even draw your sword? Coward." Wilhelm looked almost disappointed as he turned his back to the duo and resumed his practice.

Realizing that Wilhelm was no longer paying attention to him, Grimm let out a long sigh, finally relaxing and managing to take control over his own body after being effectively paralyzed in place. It brought him bitter memories. Memories of a battlefield in which his body wouldn't move no matter how much he desired it to, of a moment in which he was sure his destiny was already set in stone.

Quickly casting away those thoughts, Grimm pitifully forced himself to his trembling feet. He had his head downcast and an unreadable expression on his face. Was it fear? Was it humiliation? Was it wrath? Not even Grimm himself knew for sure. After forcing his pathetic body to stand, the young soldier directed himself towards the barracks and left the place behind as if he were fleeing.

Having bore witness to the sudden confrontation, Subaru decided to follow Grimm. But not before insulting Wilhelm one last time.

"Are you happy now, emo boy?" Subaru asked, sarcasm oozing off every word. He glared at the swordsman with as much hate as those nasty eyes of his could muster.

Wilhelm didn't bother to reply as he kept at his training.

"Tsk…" Seeing that he was being ignored, Subaru turned around and lightly jogged, trying to catch up to Grimm. In his haste and rage, he forgot that, gleaming in the moonlight, his own blade was left laying on the ground.

"Well, at least he has backbone and is actually trying. I suppose I can respect that." As much as Wilhelm found Subaru's behaviour to be childish, he couldn't help but think that he was different from the rest. Every soldier had some grade of pride of course, but few actually put in the effort necessary to back it up, and that's where Subaru's difference lay in the swordsman's eyes.

"But he's too emotional," Wilhelm mused to himself. Subaru was clearly the type of person easily swindled by emotions and the proof of that was right there on the ground. "He even forgot his sword."

Picking it up, Wilhelm saw his own reflection on the blade, and the moon. He tilted his head upwards. As he gazed at the starlit sky above, the young swordsman could not help but think that more interesting times were certainly just over the horizon.

---

In the middle of some dark woods, deep in a forest of unknown location, under the steady glow of the moonlight, there was naught but silence. In the midst of the night, only an occasional, dull filament of light would pin-prick its way through the dense foliage. It was a thin, sickly beam of hopelessness, limply flickering, giving all the cheerless comfort of a dying candle flame.

The cold nature of the woods only exacerbated its grimm look. The darkness generated by this play of light and shadow fell upon the uncaring heads of those below, creating a sunless curtain of chaotic black in which true evil thrived.

"Is that so?" a voice said, shattering through the thick, eery quiet. Its tone was filled with morbid curiosity and the figure from which it came was obscured by the darkness, untouched by those hopeless beams of light.

But then—a creaking and cracking sound akin to that of stepping upon loose floorboards ringing out, further breaking the silence—that figure walked out into the dim, pale moonlight.

It was a thin man, inhumanly thin. He was clothed in shadows and garbed in long, dark robes. His sickly green skin and lifeless pine-colored hair made him seem like more of a corpse than a man. And yet he stood, moved, and spoke. And he was certainly not alone.

Surrounding him, all bathed in that same hopeless light, were a number of similar figures. They all wore the green-skinned man's same robes, but none had their faces exposed, their madness exposed like his. Their eyes were lifeless, but none of them held the same crazed look as his.

"So… you let one escape?" the sickly man, a bishop—Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti—murmured, a hint of darkness in his voice.

He marched right up to one of the many individuals surrounding him, his gait unnatural, his bones cracking with every step. He raised his face up, his sickly skin sagging while in motion, and gazed straight into the depths of the hooded figure's hollow eyes.

"Are you sloth…?"

As the hooded one's eyes snapped wide open, Petelgeuse ferociously grabbed the figure's neck. The bishop's hands squeezing down with strength unexpected from one as sickly-looking as him, he began to strangle his subject.

"You let one escape?! Without facing punishment?! That! That, that, thaaat! Is how you faaaaithfully repay the Gospel?! She gave us a mission, trusting in our sinful selves, and you have the sloth to let a heretic escape?! To leave her love unpaid?!"

It was unclear where a man of skin and bones held such power, but Petelgeuse's hands easily sunk deeper into his subject's skin, undoubtedly scarring the figure's neck. He shoved the hooded figure to the ground, slamming them down with enough force to kill a normal man. Straddling the abused individual, his hands still gripping their neck tightly, Petelgeuse gazed up toward the night sky, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"And! Once again my finger's laziness is my own! Ahh, please forgive the indolence in this flesh, filled with affection for thee! Living solely to work diligently for body and soul of the Gospel! For how things must be! Forgive that I have been wasting my time in idleness!"

As tears continued trickling down from Petelgeuse, the figure on the ground let out a sob of its own. It too looked up at the sky and prayed, just like the one whose hands were wrapped around their neck, "Love! This is love! One must sacrifice for love! Laziness cannot be permitted! I must obey the Gospel! I must return the love granted to me with my own!"

"—" Petelgeuse released the one he had moments ago been furious at and stood back up, head bent unnaturally far back as he stared up at what he could see of the sky through the thick canopy of the forest.

"Ahh… the heretic must be far away now… I need to repay her love! I must be diligent!" Petelgeuse declared, raising his hands to his mouth and biting his own fingers in fury. As the bishop's ramblings grew louder, his fingers shrank in size, blood beginning to drip to the floor in place of his tears.

Suddenly, the bishop turned his head, looking back down at the figures around him, the sound of cracking continuing to ring out as he did so. In a shrieking voice, Petelgeuse gave a command to the black robes, "The heretic who escaped… find him! If he's alive, kill him! If he's dead, bring me his head! We must repay her love, we must make an offer to attain forgiveness!"

In response, the figures started seemingly melting into the darkness before another hooded figure appeared in the distance, a bag in his hand. As they came closer, the bag became more noticeable. It was dripping something onto the ground.

As the figure approached the bishop, a crazed smile formed on Petelgeuse's face. "Such diligence…" he thought to himself.

Silent, the figure drew closer and then, kneeling down before the bishop, wordlessly offered the bag to him, opening it for everyone to see.

Inside, frozen in time, the head of a little girl laid with tears of blood rolling down her cheeks lifelessly laid. Her once bright lavender hair had turned crimson due to all the blood covering it; her eyes now hazy in death. A terrified expression resided on her pale face, registering the cruelty of her last moments.

Voicing his thoughts out loud in crazed happiness, the bishop complimented his subordinate, "You killed her, even before I finished asking nonetheless! Ahh, that too iss good! That is diligent! My fingers are so diligent! As long as there are still fingers on my hands, diligence is the most crucial thing of all! Ahh, love! Life! People! Diligence in all things!"

Petelgeuse was so worked up that he bent his body back far enough to almost touch the ground, bones creaking with every impossible movement he made, seemingly not feeling pain in his insanity.

He sprang back to his feet like a drawn bow, a look of ecstasy clear on his face, "Ahh, my brain trembles. Trembles, trembles, treeeeeeeeeeembles!"

Petelgeuse, his madness rising to heights unknowable to normal men, had blood trickling out of his nose. He closed his eyes, his body shuddering as his fervor reached its peak. Petelgeuse wildly wiped away the nosebleed with the sleeve of his robe.

However, his happiness wouldn't persist for long. A shiver ran down the bishop's spine, making him stop in his tracks. It was a clear indication that another mission had been assigned to him.

Petelgeuse reached within his habit and pulled out a single tome. It was a book with a black cover, about as large and heavy as a dictionary. At first glance, it could look like he was simply carrying his favorite book with him, but that was too normal an act for a madman. "Ahh… I feel the love of the Gospel. My brain, it shivers…"

Murmuring those last words, Petelgeuse rested the book without a title in his hands with as much care as a mother would cradle her baby, calmly and reverently turning the pages. The bishop kept turning the pages before stopping suddenly to read, seemingly having found what he wanted, his face almost glued to the paper.

Almost immediately his eyes widened, a crazed passion burning deep within them. Once again contorting his body at angles that would break any normal human being, the bishop said, "Incredible! Love! This is love! This must be love! To receive such an ordeal to accomplish, this is a test! A prove to test my love! My diligence! Oh such a show of trust, of love, love, LOVE!"

Almost vibrating from the excitement, the bishop placed the holy tome inside his robe before, once again, directing his attention to his subjects.

"Believers of love, the Witch has once again granted us her love! We must repay it in full with diligence, and complete the new ordeal as soon as possible! There's no time to waste." Saying those last words with a surprising calm, Petelgeuse turned his body, starting to walk deeper into the woods. However, the bishop stopped dead in his tracks as soon as the decapitated head came into his view.

"Ahh yes, the heretic. You must also have been a believer in love at some point, right? Why did you stray from that path?" With a pitying look in his eyes, the bishop asked the bodiless little girl, almost as if waiting for her to answer his questions.

"Such a shame, your parents must've surely given their lives to make you escape and yet you couldn't grant them their last wish… You're sloth, aren't you?" the bishop commented, a wide smile on his face. Everyone was slothful in their own way, but striving for diligence was sadly a destiny that few could try to reach. Petelgeuse himself was the representation of sloth, after all.

Turning momentarily towards the hooded figures, Petelgeuse gave his order, "Place her head with the others and light them on fire. They shall make a fine offering, an example of our diligence!"

Once again turning towards the depths of the forest, the bishop started to walk once again. To march towards a destiny only he could realize, as he was chosen for it.

Later that same day, an unlucky merchant would discover the village after being attracted by the mysterious trail of black smoke in the sky. Later reports would only label this as 'another unfortunate attack of the Witch's Cult'. A gruesome sight that sadly was far too common in this god-forsaken world.

Deep into a forest there was a thin man.

He was feeling happy.

"Ahh I can't wait. My brain, it trembles…DESU!"

As the time would soon come.

---

Aaand we never saw him again!

-And now, the afterthoughts! (Skip at will)

Man this took way too long… I'm sorry about the delay, this chapter should have come out earlier but the word number just kept increasing and increasing and…

Well here we are. A chapter over 22k words, that's a new record for me.

As always I would like to thank NotAPenguin and TheColourPurple for helping me write this chapter, without them it would have been way harder, especially Purple, that man is crazy. Note: Yes, yes I am. I need help. - Purple

Well for today's chapter many things happened. This was some sort of interlude you could say, a moment of peace for our heroes in which they can interact and bond. It didn't go too well as you can see.

This whole chapter passes over the course of a week, more or less. Subaru is trying to get rid of his MC mindset but it's hard. At least he has some time to ponder about it all so I like to think he's somewhat more mature than in canon. Unfortunately it's not enough, I think he'll need to die more for that hehehe.

Today was also Bete-san's introduction! I tried to give it some sort of dark and sinister aura but I don't know if it delivered… I sure hope it did.

As many of you have probably noticed there are many parts using or referencing the original novels, I usually tend to use a paragraph or something like that and then start extending from that. I think it gives a result much more similar to the original and more fluid to read, especially to original Re:Zero fans. I hope you like it.

So, I was thinking, should I keep doing this? You know, introducing certain characters and what they're doing at the moment or would it become stale too quickly? Let me know in the comments.

Also, soon school is going to start so releases will probably slow down, don't worry though. They will keep coming.

Now for some light QuA:

-It is actually canon in the EX novels that Grimm, and presumably the other soldiers, can leave the army whenever they want. I get that tappei is trying to show how inept the Lugunican army is after centuries of peace but that is just ridiculous. There is know way an actual army would function in such a protracted and brutal conflict as the demihuman war when desertion is tolerated. Therefore it was necessary to come up with the social pressure explanation. This helps explain why your average soldier stayed in the military after the terrible defeats we see in the war other than just because it is a job which puts meals in your belly, which was the only explanation given in canon. (By your friend NotAPenguin)

-Also, fun fact. Did you know that in the real military non infantry soldiers, such as Subaru in this fic, are referred to as a Person Other than a Grunt? POG for short. Isn't that interesting. - still by NotAPenguin

Ok that was… interesting, now on my side:

-About that one guy who keeps shipping J. and Subaru, it was was funny but if you keep going I might resort to heavy torture, so please stop.

-About the main ship… It's almost assured to be TheresiaxSubaru, take it as a 70% chance for it to happen, I still have to finish reading all the original material but unless I find something that makes it 100% impossible it'll be that. But, once again, don't take it for granted I might change my mind or the story could make it turn out to be impossible.

-I read Theresia's named chapter, turns out it wasn't love at first sight but a crush, not that I cannot understand it. 18 year old Wilhelm is pretty hot. I think I may be able to work around that, maybe? It's a worthy challenge, that's for sure.

-For those who think that I seriously ship TheresiaxSubaru… I don't. Honestly, what's your issue? I like rare ships, ships that usually would be impossible. They're a good writing challenge. In fact I'm also considering the idea of a ZarestiaxSubaru fic, I don't think we have many of those…

-What more… Oh yeah! Theresia as a character won't appear for a long while, maybe some little snippets here and there but don't expect her to appear so soon. As I said before this is following canon closely until a certain point is hit in the story, then everything will go out of the window.

I'm always searching for ways to improve so don't hesitate to leave any criticism you may have for this chapter (unless it's stupid, in which case… no). Well, good luck to everyone, I wish you all a nice day, goodbye.

-MetallicBox out.