"Gotta tell ya, Mili," Subaru said, breathing softly—having to keep up with Emilia's guilty speed-walk, "you dunno how much'f a relief it is, to know for sure that this is all just a misunderstanding. Nobody's in the wrong here."

"What do you mean, Subaru?" Usually Emilia would at least concur with the principle of Subaru's ramblings.

"Just that, you know, what we're doing now? It's not because of any one's fault. It's all of us being stubborn, emotional human beings. And I think that's great."

Emilia took on a disappointingly concerned expression. "I'm afraid I don't see the logic, my dear husband."

"Darling wife, it simply means there's not one source of blame to be had." Returning to his normal voice, Subaru bumped shoulders with Emilia. "I know what you're thinking. And yes, this is absolutely a stupid mess we're in right now because we're being stubborn and emotional."

"It's a volatile mix." Emilia finally donned a smile, albeit a small one. "I see what you mean, though. At the very least, I feel much more at ease now that we're determined to tackle the heart of the matter."

"Rather than awkwardly shuffle our feet in place, not lookin' each other in the eye. Yeah," Subaru agreed. "That's why it's important not to be forceful. But we have to… to let them know that…" The words died in Subarus' throat, their lynchpin chilling him to the bone—the last gambit in convincing the others to abandon this suicidal fight if all else failed.

He glanced at the movement of hands on his right, of Emilia thumbing her eyes dry. "I still can't stand it, Subaru," she croaked in as strong a voice as she could muster. "The weight of that possibility, always in your mind—"

"I know." Subaru blinked away emotion of his own, blurring the shafts of gold sunlight cleaving through the corridor. "Like I said, I try my best to avoid unnecessary sacrifices." Maybe that's what led to the final, uncomfortable leg of silence—the selfish kind where Subaru and Emilia had kept communication between one another, around each other. None pertaining to anyone else, nothing relevant to the certain horrors to come.

"I don't blame you for not saying something about it sooner."

"Please don't excuse my cowardice, Mili! It's emasculating!"

Emilia cried, "It's a horrible thing, no one reasonable's gonna hold it against you!"

"Correction: anybody reasonable would, considering it kinda changes the way we view my reset." Subaru gave a laugh, it was like they were still thoughtless kids who didn't even know about the Witch's Cult. "Besides, there's something irresponsible about excusing a king for making a selfish mistake."

"Now there's a fair bit of irony!" Emilia jabbed lightly, raising a brow in a way that said, 'And you're any different?'

"Look… okay, fine, I guess when it's between couples, there's an exception! We need someone in our lives after all, lest we go crazy!" Subaru looked over to Emilia's silence. She was smiling at him with half-lidded eyes. "We're only human, get off my back!"

Tittering, Emilia said, "Pick one, Subaru! Are kings allowed to be human, or do you think… that you and I, that we weren't meant for these roles?" Her voice suddenly grew as soft and gentle as the grave.

Subaru felt chills blossom from his lips, throughout his core: the phantom of Emilia's deadly kiss. "No. But I also think that makes us even more qualified than the insecure bastards you were running against." Simply put, all of them were about as destructive and thoughtless as Subaru in the failed loops. That is to say, they didn't think about the consequences of their actions—only themselves, and how they felt. Unintentionally, for the most part; just like Emilia on her bad days. But that's what made them human, and Emilia combating her own selfishness was what made her as much a queen as she felt Subaru was a king: their promises to one another that fateful, frightening day the two had become one.

"I haven't lost faith in our wedding vows, Emilia! Don't tell me you have!"

She took a breath to answer with knitted brows, only for all to grind to a halt as they came upon a fork in the road guised as glass corridors around the central courtyard. "Okay," she exhaled, pointing right. "Down there's where Meili ought to be."

Subaru felt chills running down his spine. "I-in the Mabeast Menagerie. Obviously!"

Emilia didn't buy his flimsy attempt at levity. "I-I wasn't thinking! I'm sorry—!"

He waved his hand. "This's normal. It's just a reaction, is all. I've fought it on normal days." Emilia frowned, ready to fight him on this. "Look, the Menagerie is closest to a stairwell that'll take me up to the Royal Wing, faster than where you're gonna go. And we agreed, I'm the one who should talk to Garf and Beako!"

"I know, I know," grumbled Emilia. "You know, I really super hate the way I always assumed your recklessness was a choice."

"'Super hate,' huh?" Through the veil of cuteness, there was a passionate emotion Emilia was feeling deep down. "Well, it kinda always was my choice, what I did with this power."

Emilia stepped in close, donning a fond smile. "I'm saying, silly, that the grin you wear in spite of the pain you're experiencing? I'm starting to trust it, for the first time in my life. All because I've come to understand it better, and that's worrying for me."

The subject didn't worry Subaru as it hit him; this was always a point of contention between the two of them, his daredevil streak. "Worrying how?" he asked dryly.

Emilia's arms closed lightly around his arms, her being against his front a perfect mirror-match, chilling Subaru all over again. "Because," she said, "I'm starting to understand why you've done what you've done, acted as you have, behaved as you do. It's a wonderful thing to see, but it's also heartbreaking, and the latter feeling is so awful that it makes me afraid to come to peace with it." Emilia's small, shaking voice took an even tinier, quivering breath as her arms squeezed Subaru's arms to his sides, encouraging him to return the embrace. "I mean," Emilia whimpered, "what kind of a wife does that make me? If I stopped caring about the fact that you suffered?"

Subaru couldn't help but recall the icy chill of Emilia's final kiss last loop again, and wonder. "There's no guarantee that you'll ever stop caring, Mili," he murmured back. "You see? There's a difference between moving forward and not giving a damn."

"Right." Emilia nodded, and that was that. Just a small tug of the anchor was sometimes all she needed. "Right. Okay." Emilia pushed herself off Subaru's chest, at eye-level, looking him in the eye. "Let's evacuate the rest of our subjects. For any who say 'no—'"

"There's nothing to be done, it's their choice. Even if they insist after learning this world will probably go on. After I… die…" It was surreal enough to be talking like this, planning for something of this nature, to make Subaru a bit lightheaded. The touch of Emilia's hand on his cheek brought Subaru back. "Um, right, I mean… we just don't have a choice except pray that we're more than the Witches of Sin can handle." Part of Subaru could see himself forcing the matter, another part couldn't imagine forcing Beatrice going on with the rest of her life, the breaking of their contract upon his death forever a reminder.

"I'll see to the maids, and Otto if I run into him."

"You'd better not. If he didn't hightail it outta here with the rest of the staff, then I'mma throw 'im out myself!" Subaru smiled as his act successfully made Emilia giggle. "See you soon." He pecked Emilia's lips, to her blushy surprise.

"S-see—you too!" And Emilia pecked him back, avoiding his gaze after pulling back.

Subaru saved that to his memory scrapbook.

Subaru also took a detour to the kitchen for a snack after realizing he hadn't eaten since Emilia first met up with him in the dining hall. He wasn't expecting to find Meili in the same place, and he didn't, but he wasn't expecting to find anyone finishing off an apple core—stem and seeds—in two bites without a care in the world.

"Ram." Subaru crossed over from where he stood stunned.

The pinkette folded her arms, her usual maidly dress bore more brown than white as it was splotched in dirt, as well as some light grass-blood and dark mortal blood. "So you've emerged, King Barasu. I was beginning to wonder if you'd slipped out with our fellow coworkers."

"That there's a health risk of the Ram-related variety."

"Under normal circumstances, perhaps. But we're dealing with an extraordinary set of rules now, are we not? One where death is not a risk."

Rather than insist that it still most definitely was for his loved ones, Subaru wondered aloud, "So you would've been fine if I left you all to your doom, saved my own sorry ass?"

"That's not what you would be doing, Barasu." Ram turned to the counter. "That's clearly not something you would ever do." There was a steaming teacup and kettle on the stove behind her he hadn't noticed right away. "At least not now, when you've fought for so long. But investigating the world outside these walls, I think, would be a much better use of this free time instead of just frolicking between the sheets."

"H-how?! Mili and I are as quiet as babies!"

Ram flinched in horror. "Gross. Disgusting. I wasn't looking for confirmation. The two of you are just so sad and obvious when you're feeling pitiable—this certainly being an appropriate time to feel as much." She observed Subaru's smile, his gratitude for her frank lack of judgement. "Although, when it matters most, I've only ever known you to come through at the last minute, and do what was right. You have the look of this being one of those times, surprisingly; it seems the queen has charmed you too with her delirium."

Subaru frowned. "Even if you're not completely wrong, that doesn't make what you say justified."

"No, it does not. I've been feeling rather snippy since this morning." Ram took a sip of tea, dispassionately turning away from Subaru. "Leave Ram to her self-pity, Barasu. I won't say more, but I gave enough for even you to glean as to why I'm in an unkind mood."

Subaru felt nails digging into his palms, and the words lodging themselves from escape in his throat. "Well, if I had to guess," he managed, "it's that… you don't think this is one of those times."

Ram blinked, gazing through the utensil hanger before her as she sipped her tea. And she said, "We're all going to die."

"Ram—!"

Looking him dead in the eye, she asked, "You sense it, too, no? This isn't going to magically be the run where everybody lives." Ram shook her head, composing her brief faster-than-usual wordflow. "And yet, we're just sitting here. Thumbs up our asses. 'Training' for a fight we're not going to win, no matter how many bodies we throw at them." That explained the various stains on her dress; the work of Gard or Rem or Frederica, no doubt. "But the queen immediately asserted that we won't know unless we try."

The queen had a genuine point with Subaru considered. "Well, we really don't know their power ceiling—"

"Stop kidding yourself, Barasu," said Ram. "The impossible aside, you and I both know our only hope is the success of one of your stupid plans. "

It hurt—it terrified —how accurate she was. Subaru tried a smirk. "Are my plans really so stupid if they always work, though?"

"From yesterday's perspective, perhaps not. Perhaps Ram would insist upon their stupidity anyway, based on their various concepts alone. And only their concepts."

"Eh?"

"It means 'die.'"

"Figured." Subaru still didn't understand.

"It means, 'Die. Those plans, once thought mildly clever, were just built on a mountain of Dumb Barasu Ideas. For that, die.'"

"You said 'die' twice, read the room a little!"

"And that's your legacy, Barasu. Tell me I'm wrong." He couldn't, and could only wait until after she took another sip for Ram to press on. "Tell me, how many times have you sacrificed us to get your stupid plans to work, Barasu? How will this time be any different? Why should I be in anything but a foul mood?"

Subaru exhaled shakily, lowering to a kneel under the weight of it all. "That—those've got a bit of a complex answer, Ram, those questions."

"No issue. Go retrieve your checklist of excuses, I'll wait. But don't take too long, this Ram's time will be up tomorrow night."

Frustration exploded at the pain of how correct she was. "It's just how it is, cut me some slack!" he cried, to Ram's waiting for more with a steady breath. "I gave every plan I ever came up with everything I thought I had! I never wanted any of you to die—I really didn't! But…" But Subaru was selfish and got them hurt, whether it was to protect his ego or some other thing he couldn't live without until discovering he always could.

"Butts are for sitting."

Subaru snorted at the randomness. "That's juvenile, even for you."

"It's also one of the few truths in this world, Barasu. I believe one's intent is another. Perfection has never suited you, besides, so I find your response..." Ram looked into the contents of her cup before deciding, "refreshingly unsurprising."

As usual, she was going full-steam ahead in all sorts of zigzags. "So, wait, where're you going with all this?"

"Nowhere but where you and I have always been," Ram said with a wink.

Subaru felt a little bit of life force leave him.

Her neutral normalness returned. "I believe you, Barasu. You're hopeless without us anyway, so I suppose I'd lend my hand in the face of certain death regardless."

She was right. Absolutely correct, from beginning to end: Subaru's legacy, all of his success, was built upon the usage of his more-capable peers. He didn't know how strong the Witches were going to be in a prepared fight, on top of that, but he was too scared to confidently disagree either.

Nothing Ram said was inherently wrong, or even inaccurate. All along, Subaru could tell this wasn't going to be a successful run. "I'm sorry." He lowered his head, fists clenched. "I really don't know what else to do right now, Ram. I'm sorry. For… everything."

"Barasu." As he twitched his gaze to meet hers, something twitched across Ram's calm disposition. "What is there to be sorry for, you idiot? Honestly."

Her voice was shockingly gentle. "R-Ram—?"

"It's as you said." She shrugged apathetically, as if Subaru just asked her to do the dishes at least. "We're up against five of the seven Witches of Sin. Nothing short of a dozen Reinhards has a chance at beating these legends in a head-on fight. Without annihilating the world," she added.

Subaru surprised himself with a weak chuckle. "Nice save."

"This is all in my unlearned opinion, though."

"How humble."

"Praise me more." Ram crossed her arms. She clearly meant it lightheartedly, but Subaru couldn't help but feel a pang at Ram's ever-deadly precision with her words. It reminded him of why they were talking in the first place:

"Then escape, Ram. That's my order."

That same twitch from before now surged across Ram's face, leaving her brows knitted. "Excuse me? Is King Barasu getting cold feet all of a sudden—?"

"Escape." Subaru stood, lowering his face to hers. "You wanna live, don't you? You wanna experience a long and lazy life?"

"More than anything."

Subaru gave a laugh; she never changed. "Then serve yourself. Save yourself. There's just enough time to make it to Roswaal's if you hurry. Maybe he'll let you cozy up in his crib, for old time's sake!"

"Ram's goodwill for Barasu has completely sapped away all of a sudden." As Subaru grinned at her jest, Ram's folded arms dropped to her sides. "What is the point of this gesture? Trying to probe me for any sensitive reactions to take back with you? How perverse."

"Ironically, I've never in my life thought of it that way. That's way too heartbreaking to turn into something of an advantage." Intentionally, anyhow.

Subaru hoped saying that would alleviate some unintended tension, but instead Ram's knitted brows furrowed. "Then what is even the point?" she asked, adding, "My king? If this was what you wanted from the start, you should have decided on that from the start."

"Yeah, well, I'm a weak and greedy moron." He jabbed himself in the chest, then Ram. "And you're 'the bitch as usual.' You're also my maid, and I'm your king. For that bond we share, as well as another, even more sacred one—"

"Don't say 'friendship,'" Ram sighed.

"I didn't!" He specifically didn't because it was just Ram present.

"You implied it anyway, you cringe king."

Subaru wanted to scream at the point not only being missed, but being intentionally turned away from: "I'm telling you to save your weirdly stubborn ass from getting slaughtered for no reason! Ram! Come on!"

"It won't even matter, won't it? Once you die—"

"Why the heck are you resisting—?!" It's because he wasn't being direct; fear gripped Subaru by the throat then and there. "It could," he choked. "It could matter, Ram. Get it?"

"Pardon?" Ram's eyes were wide; she heard that right.

"I don't know how it works." Subaru rubbed his neck. "But… there's a possibility that I don't reset the world, but rather, I inhabit a parallel one. Leaving a mess behind," he croaked. "A lot of messes."

It took a long time of staring at Ram's feet before hearing her say, "I see. So, what, was this some kind of a loyalty test?"

"What? No. So, are ya leaving or what?" Subaru almost couldn't believe the hope felt flashing across his face.

It was a look that made Ram's mouth open a moment. She swallowed, blinking. "And what could you possibly do?" she wondered. "In this scenario where you throw yourself at the Witches all by yourself?"

He would have the Knights, Emilia, their nearby lords and Beatrice, in all likelihood. "Die," Subaru said for impact. It stopped bothering him how easy it was to say that—despite the notion still unsettling his stomach. "I'll die and come back, again and again, until I think of a way to at least stop these Witches from coming after me. For the time being, I think I'll do my best to get you all outta here. Somehow, that feels more impossible than taking down the Witches, though. Funny, right?" Subaru forced a laugh like it was. Because this wasn't a big deal; it was business as usual: dying, failing, dying, saving—

"So your intent is to get us all to live a long and happy life, at the expense of yours in this world?"

"If that's at all possible, and if that's something you want…" King Subaru put his forehead to the floor, before the feet of his maid. "You have my permission to leave, and my gratitude for everything you've ever done for me." Subaru hadn't planned on saying anything like this, but the moment took him; he wanted complete understanding. "Ram?"

Subaru lifted his head to find her having twisted aside, hand clasped over her mouth. Ram breathed in deep, blinking hard. Subaru couldn't hide his shock; she'd never shown such emotion to him in all his lives.

"A-are you okay?!" Subaru scrambled to his feet; he similarly couldn't believe his own reaction here.

Ram gulped, eyes squeezing shut as she straightened up, rolling her shoulders. She grimaced, growling breathily. "M'fine," she grumbled, glaring straight ahead. "To think someone I wanted to kill so badly turned out to be a kind person." She gazed down upon her palm. "What a nightmare."

"Y-you wanted to kill me?" Was Ram being nice or spiteful? Or both? Or neither? This was so weird, and Subaru couldn't think of anything else but to make it weirder—he reached for her hair.

Only for Ram to practically judo-grip his wrist and slam it into the wall. "Die. For trying to touch me, for making me feel things, just die already, Barasu. Do me a favor and stop breathing already." Dropping Subaru, she turned and stormed off before he could hit the ground, only to freeze in the doorway once he did. "I warned you, Barasu, that I'm in a foul mood."

"Clearly," he grimaced. Subaru was hurt more by her words, but clearly Ram didn't mean them literally, or with genuine hostility. She was conflicted, clearly. About a lot. He couldn't blame her reaction after hearing all that. Wait, did she call me kind? That had to be the nicest thing Ram had ever said to Subaru. And what Ram says is only a part of how she really feels, so what could she be telling me? And inspiration struck Subaru; her meaning couldn't be anything else.

He was in the doorway before he knew it, instinctively drawn and relieved to find Ram not leaving the castle, but ascending the main stairwell. "Ram!" Subaru gasped to her displeasure at being stopped. "Wait! So, are you saying that if I die, then none of you would have a reason to stay here?" His mind was already working—next loop, Subaru could scout the outside world himself, eliminating any runs where his family's lives were threatened for no reason until he got a better idea of the situation. He should have thought of this sooner, the cowardly, selfish bastard.

Subaru almost forgot that he posed Ram with a question. What he found was an unusually uncomfortable expression from her. It almost made him feel like dirt. "I-I was just kidding."

"No you weren't, you fucking asshole." She calmly ascended the rest of the way.

For whatever reason, Subaru didn't allow himself to move until she was out of sight, and until his heart stopped pounding.

Ram's love was intense.

"It's the Red Ogre Who's Beyond Help"