Chapter 3: A Place Called the Sanctuary
Upon returning to the scene of the crime, Subaru Natsuki had one question: What will he do with all of the Witch Cultist corpses?
Burning them would probably be a bad idea. The smell would be horrendous and probably bad for the environment, plus it could run the risk of starting a plague in the village.
Letting them rot would be an even worse idea. What would happen if someone stumbled across them one day? That would open up a new can of worms.
So, he decided to relax a bit by reading his vision-menu thingy. It brought him a small comfort to know that with all these new powers, he was ranked at Level 100.
Might as well check out some of my other powers… Let's see… "Magic Arrow", "Iceball", "Lightning", wait… "Summon Undead"? What the heck is that?
Focusing on that specific spell, more details appeared for it, including its description, how to perform it, materials needed, and various other notes.
"In order to summon any permanent Undead, the use of a corpse is required," he read. Huh, well isn't that just convenient?
Heading back into the forest, Subaru spotted some of the regular cultist goons that he slew in secret. Interestingly enough, the Japanese teenager wasn't revolted by the bodies.
Last time he saw a massacre, he screamed and puked his guts out. But now, nothing. He wondered for a bit if it was due to some sort of passive skill, or if he felt no remorse for what he did. Shaking his head, he told himself it didn't matter, and that he had more important tasks.
Welp, let's test this out.
"Create Low Tier Undead. Skeleton Warrior!"
With that, Subaru chanted the chant, and with it, a shadowy purple liquid surrounded the dead cultists, being absorbed inside their bodies. Within seconds of being inside, the corpses started to move, and transform. Upon completion, they now looked like skeletons, wearing their ripped purple clothes as scarfs and trousers, but now also equipped with red shoulder pads, knee-high brown boots, forearm guards, a sword and a shield.
Whoa! It made them weapons out of nothing. So cool!
Upon noticing that they were just standing there, Subaru felt compelled to say something. "Um, go and form a perimeter around the forest, but attack no one."
Upon receiving their orders, the Skeleton Warriors rattled in response, and ran off.
"Maybe I should have given them more specific orders. Oh, well. I'll just go turn the next batch."
Upon turning a few groups of cultists into skeletons, Subaru eventually came across one of the Witch Cultists that served as Petelgeuses' Fingers.
I guess these guys were technically higher-ranking than the regular goons, so I guess it makes sense to turn them into something else besides plain skeletons.
However, it was also true that he didn't want to create something too powerful, lest they turn against him, so he needed to figure out a nice balance.
Reading his summoning options once more, Subaru got an idea.
"Ah, I got it! Create Low Tier Undead. Elder Lich!"
Once more the process started over again. However, this time instead of turning into a Skeleton Warrior, the corpse of the Finger retained most of its skin, becoming pale, and it's fingernails grew longer. It's robes turned from purple to blue, gained a light-blue orb necklace, a yellow sash, and red eyes, to compliment it's undead nature, along with its lack of a nose.
"What is your bidding, Master?"
Damn! Talk about respect! "Okay, listen up. There are some Skeleton Warriors in the village. I want you to supervise them and keep track of them. Also, there will be more undead coming soon. I want you to look after all of them until I get back. Is that clear?"
"It shall be done, Master."
"Great, thanks."
With that, the Elder Lich floated off and out of the forest. Subaru nodded in approval, and headed off to turn more corpses into undead.
Subaru continued to trek the forest, creating more and more undead. Any ordinary Witch Cultist would become a Skeleton Warrior, while any Finger would become an Elder Lich. By the end of it, Subaru had amassed a small army consisting of dozens of Skeleton Warriors, and exactly nine Elder Liches.
Upon leaving the forest, Subaru encountered the last corpse.
It was Ketty, the cultist who posed as a merchant.
Since Ketty was a Finger, Subaru turned him to the tenth and final Elder Lich. But since he oh so graciously gave Subaru vital information, he would also reward him.
Upon his completed transformation, Subaru spoke with him.
"What is your name?"
"I have no name, Master."
"Well then, I give you the name of Ketty. Also, I'm making you in charge of the rest of the Elder Liches and Skeleton Warriors. You will also obey any orders I give you, or of anyone I give permission to. Is that clear?"
"It shall be done, Master," nodded the newly-named Elder Lich.
"All right, cool."
"Barusu!"
As soon as Subaru was done giving orders to his new subordinate, Ram returned to witness everything. From her perspective, all Barusu had done since returning was destroying half the forest, and turning multiple corpses into undead monsters. Sure, he brought back her little sister safe and sound, but those details meant nothing to an angry Ram.
"Oh, hey, Ram. Don't worry about them, they're with me."
"Ram doesn't care! You're coming with Ram back to the mansion, and explaining yourself to everyone. Emilia-sama, sister, everyone!"
"Okay, okay, fine, sheesh. Everyone, listen up. One third of you, come with me and establish a perimeter around the manor. The rest of you, stay here and establish a perimeter around the village. If anyone suspicious arrives, capture them, unharmed, and bring them to me."
Upon reaching the steps of the Mathers mansion, Subaru knocked on the door and waited with Ram. Much to his surprise, a familiar little girl with reddish-brown hair opened up.
"Subaru-sama?"
"Woah, Petra, is that you? No wonder I didn't see you during the evacuation with the other brats. What are you doing here?"
"Oh! Uh, while you were away, Rosawaal-sama hired a few new maids," she replied shyly.
"Oh, really? Who else?"
"That would be me," a voice behind the door replied.
"You must be Subaru-sama." The speaker revealed herself to be a taller maid, with golden hair and emerald eyes, and a smile full of sharp teeth. "I am the current head maid of the Mathers Family, Frederica Baumann."
While Subaru was surprised by the scary teeth, he kept that to himself. No need to make a fool of himself a second time. "Nice to meet you, Frederica."
Frederica smiled, before it turned into slight concern. "By the way," she asked, pointing her finger. "Would they happen to be with you?"
Subaru turned around to see who she was referring to, only to be greeted upon by dozens of his Skeleton Warriors, and three of his Elder Liches, way too close for comfort. "Huh? Oh, yeah, those guys are with me. Guys, do the thing."
In response, the undead started to form a perimeter around the mansion, all while Subaru and Ram made their way inside, led by the two new maids.
Inside one of the many living rooms of the Mathers mansion, Emilia, Beatrice, Rem, and Puck were silently waiting for the rest of the maids to arrive with Subaru, each with different emotions brimming inside.
Emilia was conflicted. She was disappointed in Subaru for breaking yet another promise and coming back, but she was also grateful that she saved the mansion and the villagers from the Witch Cult's attack.
Beatrice was also concerned. According to what Ram had told them, Subaru now held immense power. Could he really be "That Person" that her mother spoke of?
Rem was nervous. She had heard of what her sister spoke of, and she saw Subaru's new capabilities firsthand, but still didn't know what to think.
Puck was also a wreck. Not only had the promise-breaker that hurt his daughter come back, but he was now a legitimate threat, to boot. He was now uncertain if he could win if things got violent.
All four of their thoughts were interrupted when the door opened up, and Subaru, along with Ram, Petra, and Frederica, came in.
The silence was palatable. Every moment of it made the atmosphere more intense.
Subaru decided to speak first.
"I'm sorry I came back, but I had no choice. No one I told about the threat would come help. They left you all to die."
"And how exactly did you acquire these new powers, I wonder?" interrogated the Great Spirit.
"Oh, those? Well, I-"
Knock, knock.
Turning around, the group heard a knock on the door.
"Oh, that's probably for me," Subaru explained. "Wait right here, I'll be right back."
Leaving the room, Emilia, Rem, Beatrice and Puck returned to their thoughts.
Walking down the stairs, Subaru could hear the constant knocking coming from the front doors of the mansion.
Knock, knock.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm coming, I'm coming, I heard you the first time, sheesh."
Opening the door, Subaru was surprised to see Ketty, with two Skeleton Warriors, holding a familiar-looking frightened merchant.
"Master," Ketty answered. "We found this one entering the village on some ground dragons. He claims to have business with you."
"Oh, Otto, hi! Thanks, guys, you can let him go, he's my friend. Come in, dude."
Responding to their master, the Skeleton Warriors unhanded Otto, who in turn rushed inside, bawling his eyes out. "Natsuki-saaan! How could you make such scary things?!"
"Well, you did see me take down the White Whale. This was actually pretty easy in comparison."
Otto, who was still trying to prevent himself from wetting his pants, tried to figure out Subaru's insane logic, but gave up. "Okay, yeah. Fair enough."
Climbing up the stairs, Subaru continued his conversation with the ashen-haired man. "So, I take it that you came back to tell me that everyone is ready to return home."
Scratching the back of his head, Otto answered. "Uh, kinda. Well, there's sort of a problem, you see."
"Problem? What problem?"
"Uh, it's best if I explained the situation with everyone else present."
"Oh, uh, okay." Subaru responded awkwardly, as they both continued climbing up the stairs.
"The Sanctuary?" Frederica asked.
Otto nodded meekly. "Yes. Apparently, the villagers and the rest of the merchants aren't allowed to leave until the barrier is brought down. Rosawaal-sama tried to bring it down himself, but he was severely injured. That's why he requested I fetch Emilia-sama, Ram-san, and Natsuki-san."
Upon hearing his name, Subaru got suspicious. He wondered how Roswaal knew he was here, but eventually he wrote it off. Otto probably told him. Yeah, that was it.
Upon finishing his story, the rest of the group was deep in thought. For Frederica, Ram and Rem, the Sanctuary was the place that held their dear brother and friend, Garfiel, imprisoned. For Beatrice, the Sanctuary was the place that held the body of her deceased mother, Echidna.
For Emilia, Subaru, and Puck, this place meant little, if nothing at all.
But that didn't mean they weren't going to do nothing at all.
"Okay!" exclaimed Subaru, standing up. "So, we just head to this "Sanctuary" place and free the people trapped inside, and all's well that ends well, right?"
Ram, snapping out of her thoughts, nodded. "Yes. I shall prepare the carriage immediately." Leaving, she also grabbed Otto by the cheek. "You're helping me, merchant boy."
"Okay, okay! Just stop pulling, please!"
"Do you really have to go?" asked Petra, pulling on Subaru's leg.
"Sorry, Petra. Orders are orders. But don't worry, I'll be back before you know it!"
"Yay!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly, as she wrapped a white handkerchief around Subaru's wrist. "This will keep you safe on your trip!"
"Aww, thanks!" cooed Subaru towards the little maid. "I promise I won't take it off!"
"Oh, before you leave," Frederica said, fishing for something from her pocket. "Emilia-sama, take this. And Subaru-sama, if you encounter a fellow by the name of Garfiel, tell him that you know me," she said, handing a blue crystal to Emilia.
"Okay…" responded Subaru, a little weirded out.
With the carriage prepared, all that were left were good-byes.
"So, here's the deal. You guys are going to follow the maids' orders as if they were my own," Subaru said, pointing to Rem, Petra and Frederica. "Understood?"
"Yes, master," responded all ten of the Elder Liches.
"Okay, these guys are ready for you," Subaru announced looking at Rem.
"Thank you, Subaru-kun," the blue oni replied with a smile.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, in fact?" asked Beatirce. She had also decided to send-off the group headed toward the Sanctuary.
"What, did my little Beako want to boss some of them around as well?" teased Subaru.
"What?! No- that's not- I mean… Oh, just go already, I suppose!" yelled the drill loli, all flustered.
With that, Subaru, Emilia, Ram, and Otto all headed off to the Sanctuary.
The ride towards the Sanctuary started off quiet. Ram was busy with Otto, and Patrasche had Otto's ground dragon, Frufoo, to keep her company.
That left Subaru inside the carriage with Emilia.
It was quiet, and awkward. The two of them really hadn't spoken since their fight back in the capital, and neither of them knew what to say to the other.
So Subaru decided to go first.
"I'm sorry."
Emilia turned her head towards him and let out a "Huh?"
"I'm sorry!" Subaru then let it all out of the floodgates. "I shouldn't have picked a fight with Julius, I shouldn't have broken your promise and snuck inside, I shouldn't have said all of those things that made you feel sad for someone like me!"
The half-elf was silent.
"You were right, everyone was right. I'm a lying, promise-breaker. I talk big, and complain like a pro! Everything I ever did was to make myself feel like I mattered, but in the end, I'm just a coward. A waste of space. The lowest of the low. I hate myself for what I've done."
"..."
"So, when this is over… I'll leave, if that's what you wish for."
It was now Emilia's turn to speak. "Subaru, you dunderhead! I never wanted you to leave! I just didn't want to receive special treatment from you! Why can't you treat me like a normal girl?!"
"Because you're not normal! You're Emilia, one of the best people I know! Everything I do for you, is because I want you to validate me! Because I care about you guys, because I-"
Because I… what, exactly? Subaru thought to himself.
In all this time, Subaru never knew why he was fighting. At first, he thought it was because it was his destiny, that he was a summoned hero. Then, he believed it to be a moral obligation, one that came with his power. But now, he fought… for what reason?
Why did he always fight for her? Why did he want to make Emilia smile?
Emilia on the other hand, was now stunned into silence. She didn't know that this was what Subaru truly thought of himself. But she couldn't let up.
Finding her voice once more, she continued, "I don't understand the things that you speak of. Of how to validate you."
"That's okay," Subaru reassured her. "I'll wait for as long as you want, Emilia. Until then, until I get a response, maybe I can just be your friend?"
"A… friend? I never had one of those before."
"Then, I'll be your first."
With that one sentence, the Royal Candidate had her faith in Subaru restored. "All right, Subaru," she said, with a smile. "Let's be friends."
And for the first time in a long time, Subaru smiled a real smile.
However, the happiness was cut short. The blue crystal Frederica gave Emilia started to shine brightly, greatly confusing the duo.
"Huh…?"
"What the…?"
Before either of them could say anything, the light became brighter, and brighter.
"Okay, I'm getting a bad feeling about this!" Giving his hand, Subaru commanded, "Emilia-tan, hand it here!" to which the half-elf obliged.
"Okay, if this thing starts to heat up, I'm throwing it out the window, got it? Emilia…?"
Turning around, the Japanese teenager saw that the reason the silver-haired woman wasn't responding was that shen was unconscious. Something which fueled his fear even further.
"EMILIA!"
And with that, a flash of light engulfed the whole carriage.
Subaru suddenly found himself in the middle of a forest, with only his staff on one hand, and the blue crystal in his other.
"What the Hell…?"
Looking around, all the nasty-eyed boy could see were some trees, and… a little girl. She had pink hair, blue eyes, pointed ears, and a white robe.
Upon seeing that she was spotted, she ran.
"Hey, wait up!"
Grabbing his staff, Subaru gave chase towards the little girl, but she was quick. Subaru was having a hard time catching up to her when suddenly… all of the trees were gone, and all that was left was a stone path, leading up to a single stone building in ruin.
Holding on tighter to his staff, Subaru stood tall and walked inside.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" All the while Subaru had one question.
What is this place?
"I see. So, that is the root of your desire? How very interesting."
Alarmed, Subaru turned around to confront the feminine voice, only to find that his surroundings had changed. The ruined tomb was gone, and all that was left was a sunny, grassy field, with various voices and whispers entering his ears.
"Oh, did I startle you?"
Hearing that voice once more, Subaru turned around to find a hill. And on that hill, there was a table covered by an umbrella. And under that umbrella, there sat a woman of black and white.
"It had been quite a while since I spoke with anyone, so perhaps I was too eager. My name is Echidna, or perhaps you know me better as the Witch of Greed?"
Silently, Subaru regained his bearing, and decided to ask some questions. "What is this place?"
"This is merely my Castle of Dreams. You weren't actually moved. Think of it as an illusion. You were merely invited to my tea party," answered the Witch of Greed.
"Tea party?"
"Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to come take a seat?"
"All right, all right, I'm coming!" groaned Subaru, as he walked up the hill and took a seat. Grabbing a cup of tea and sipping on it, he asked, "So why did you abduct me?"
"I was fascinated by you," answered the white-haired woman. "You possess immense power and other worldly knowledge, something I crave, along with two Witch Factors. Plus, you remind me of someone I met a long time ago."
"So, you brought me here just to talk?"
"In a sense," she replied, leaning in closer. "I want to make a deal with you."
"A deal? What kind?"
"The root of your desire is to gather information. That is also the root of my desire. You want to know everything I know, and I want to know everything you know."
Subaru narrowed his eyes when he heard her reasoning. The way she talked reminded him of the way Anastasia spoke, and he didn't want to make the same mistake twice.
Putting down the tea cup, Subaru spoke, "All right, I'm interested. But on two conditions: One, I ask the first question. And two, there are some things that I have that are extremely private, so I'm afraid I won't be able to answer everything."
"That's fair. I'll simply give you information that is equal to the information you give me. I believe it's called… the law of equivalent exchange?" she smiled. "Regardless, I accept your terms. So, what is the first thing you want to know?"
"What are these… Which Factors you spoke of?"
"What is the reason you summoned us?" questioned Crusch Karsten, who was currently standing next to both Anastasia Hoshin and Priscilla Barielle.
Inside the Throne Room, an emergency meeting was being held. In it, three of the five Camps were present, along with two members of the Council of Elders, and Captain Marcos.
At the side of the Throne Room, Wilhelm van Astrea, Felix Argyle, Julius Juukulius, Ricardo Welkin, Aldebran and Schult were also present, as they were all deemed to be the most trustworthy confidants in each of their Camps.
The only Camp that wasn't present at the moment were Felt's, as she and Reinhard had already left to attend some meetings in another city.
"Very well, you are all entitled to the answer," spoke Miklotov. "However, I ask that you keep this confidential, at least until we have the full-report available to the public."
"..."
"Last night, the Dragon Tablet reported that the White Whale was slain."
With that one sentence, the whole room paled. Especially the Crusch Camp, as they were planning to kill it. You could practically hear Wilhelm clench his teeth. Upon hearing what had happened, Felix's eyes widened in shock, as the gears in his head started turning.
Did he truly dyo it?
"Not only that, but earlier today the Dragon Tablet also reported that the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, was slain by the same individual," continued Miklotov.
That one sentence cemented the Blue's fears.
"And who is responsible for this?" asked Priscilla, yawning in boredom.
"Well, that's the disturbing part…" sighed Bordeaux.
"Aw, c'mon it can't be tha' bad!" chirped the merchant princess. "Who is this hero?"
"It was none other than the Great Sage…"
"..."
"Subaru "Flugel" Natsuki."
The entire room fell into silence.
Anastasia was right. It wasn't that bad.
It was far, far worse.
Author's Note: Hey, y'all! I appreciate you stopping by and reading my work! And now, it's time to answer some previous answers from the last chapter!
Majin Othinus: No, I'm not adding Shaula into the pairing. Subaru created her with Daphne's help, technically making her his daughter. Don't be gross.
Tim Ngu: Thank you for deeming my work "awesome."
CryingAlex: Thanks for the praise. Here's the new chapter you wanted.
myarkbroob: I also love Subaru being the Sage. Got any good material?
Andy: Subaru Speedrunning? You're probably right, but I hope not.
N0rtom: While I would love to be more descriptive, unfortunately it takes forever to write these, and it's very tiresome. But thanks for the compliments, anyway.
Guest: Yeah, I would love to see people wondering why Subaru let Julius beat him.
Guest #2: Yeah, I'll try to focus on the knights' reactions, but no promises.
Fana4tiik: Yeah, Emilia is a good person, she just has it rough.
beginning321: Oh yeah, the candidates and the knights are definitely thinking that it was all a test. They'll think the real reason he came to them was to be the judge of their character. No guarantees, but I'll try to write some more from their point of view.
Anonymous: Yeah, it is pretty ironic that Subaru managed to do such monumental tasks in a single day, when it would take others years to do the same thing. Geuse and Shaula will definitely be saved. Yeah, the reactions to Subaru killing the Great Rabbit will be good, if i can write them properly, that is. Hopefully, I can.
Look2021: Yes, I too thought it was a good chapter.
RyuutoShura: I'm glad you liked my chapter, here's more, you glutton.
suryanshtiwari8858: Thanks for the compliments, here's more.
TheGenesis: I fixed it! Thanks for telling me how relationships work.
stingrasher: Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to make Subaru's relationship work. Subaru will still work with the Emilia Camp, but I always figured that he knew that he loved Emilia, who knows? Oh, also, I've read "The King and his Three Wives", and I want more, along with the other two, of course.
R-king 93: I'm glad you deemed my chapter to be "awesome".
Wilber Beato Quispe: Gracias por los elogios. Eventualmente verás las reacciones de todos los que le dieron la espalda a Subaru.
Maximum Rhapsody: There will be some new enemies Subaru will have to deal with in the future, but the Witch Cult is his main target, for now. Don't worry, Subaru won't be unbeatable, he'll still lose. I have considered making an Isekai Quartet story, as well as a WHDAAA story. Maybe I'll do them once this series is done.
Im The Person: Yeah, I'm gonna shower Geuse with a lot of love. Also, he's going to play a major role in at least one arc, maybe two. And yeah, Roswaal is a dead man. As are the three Candidates, or at least they think they are. Also, I'm still trying to figure out how to make Subaru's love life work out. By the way, can I borrow the book titles Beatrice read in "Sealed"? You know, the ones about necromancy, illusions, and all that good stuff?
WarlockofVainglory: Yeah, the reunion between Geuse, Flugel, and Emilia will be… interesting, to say the least. No spoilers, though.
Deathenglegamers1144: Thanks for the compliment.
Blue Beluga: Sorry about feeling cheated. I'll try to make the story longer, and the end notes a bit shorter. Anyways, thanks for enjoying my power fantasy.
Adonis Urresta: Sí, Subaru es prácticamente un dios ahora. Meili definitivamente se unirá al elenco principal, pero no Elsa. Y en cuanto a cómo Subaru conoció a los otros miembros del Isekai Quartet, la respuesta se revelará en el futuro, pero por ahora, use su imaginación. Sí, Subaru arreglará el mundo y la Dragon Tablet informará con gran detalle. Me alegra que pienses que este es uno de los cinco mejores trabajos de Re: Zero que hayas leído.
Inv0ke: The other Candidates didn't know that the Dragon Tablet predicted the future. The only ones who did know were the Council of Elders, and they weren't gonna help.
Childline: Yes, this version of Subaru will be a lot smarter. While I know you don't want Subaru to forgive the other Candidates, he'll have to work together with them if he wants to survive. But he'll definitely be on good terms with Felt, Emilia, and Al. Wilhelm is gonna be mostly silent on the topic of the White Whale, but Felix will definitely be itching for Subaru to slip up. While no, Shaula won't be in a relationship I will try to focus on her. But yeah, Arc 4 is gonna be super short. Garfiel will quickly respect Subaru, Elsa and the Great Rabbit are a joke, and using his intuition, Subaru will help Emilia with overcoming the Trials, and he will save Beatrice from her isolation.
KazeelBaYz: Rem is indeed back inaction, and totally not in a coma. Sloth is gone, and Geuse is saved. And Felix will definitely freak out after seeing Subaru open up a portal, as will everyone in the Throne Room. Satella being a heroine is gonna be tricky. But Subaru will save Beatrice from the Forbidden Library, and he will save Shaula from the Watchtower. I'm glad to see that you're excited.
The Heretic Slayer 69: Glad you like this so far.
SmilingIceCube: Don't worry about how Subaru will deal with Regulus and Pandora, I have my ways. They may be tough, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
EndertheDark_0326: Don't worry, Petra is safe. For now. I hope you enjoy the rest. I was also thinking of making Felix get enraged, but I might end up having to can that.
Steinfield: Oh yeah, the strained relationship with the other Camps will be a pretty big plotline, and one that I actually enjoyed writing. You'll love it.
Rerto_Sunrise: I have no idea what "BenutButter" is.
And for all those who were wondering, here are this week's powers used by Subaru:
"Magic Arrow": Allows the user to shoot out piercing arrows made of mana. Since Subaru is so powerful, he can shoot out ten of them. Used by Ainz.
"Iceball": Lets the user shoot out a big ball of ice which freezes its targets. Used by Ainz.
"Lightning": Shoots a straight line of lightning from the caster's fingers. Used by Ainz.
"Summon Undead": Summons any type of undead, as long as there is a corpse to use. The main types of Undead Subaru will summon will be Low Tier Undead, such as Skeleton Warriors and Elder Liches. This ability was used by Ainz.
And that concludes everything I have to say for now. See ya next time!
- Ernalore.