Chapter 1:

Shadows surrounded him. Though they were more like an opaque mist. He still wasn't sure what 'he' was. All he knew was this shadowy world. He looked around, using the eyes that he formed some time ago. He felt warmth coming from someplace in the darkness.

The mist in front of him began moving to the sides as a woman covered in shadows approached him. She wore a black dress, her face covered by a veil. The shadowy mist covered her legs. Silver hair flowed behind her as she walked.

Incredible warmth flowed from her. It was intense. It was comforting.

He wanted to reach out and touch her.

He tried to form a body as he had with his eyes last time.

However, he was interrupted as the woman looked at him. Her gaze was warm. It was just as warm as the feelings that came from her. It was-

"I l-"

"Mhmn…"

Subaru's eyelids fluttered open. He stared up at a white ceiling. He could feel a soft bed underneath him, and a heavy blanket on top of him. Warmth surrounded him, it was strange after being in the cold for so long throughout his loops. He slowly turned his head to look around. He was in a mid-sized pretty empty room. The walls were wooden. Sunlight streamed in through a window next to the bed. A bedside table was nearby. A desk and chair were also in the room.

Subaru slowly sat up. His body was still tired after everything that happened, though he didn't feel any pain. He looked down at his body and found that there weren't any traces of wounds left on him, other than the tracksuit he wore, which was still charred, bloody, and torn.

"Gh…"

The memory of killing Hans came back to him. The blood pouring out of his neck, staining the grass below. The murderer's eyes losing their light. The scent of the burning underbrush mixed with the scent of blood. He deserved it… right? Subaru felt the phantom weight of the dagger in his hand again. Subaru looked down at his hands, they were shaking. He shook his head.

Subaru took a deep breath and pushed the bad feelings away.

He looked around again. "This is probably Clement's place." He got out of bed. He ignored how tired his body was and walked over to the room's door.

He pulled it open and stepped into a hallway. It opened into a dining room to his right and continued down with more doors on both sides on his left. He walked into the dining room. A kitchen was attached to the dining room, with a living room also nearby. A fire was lit in the fireplace within the living room.

Clement was sitting on a couch in the living room, reading an open book. He closed the book and turned around, saying, "Good morning, Subaru."

"Yeah. Good morning."

"How are you feeling?'

"...Good. What happened to our injuries?"

"Ah, a mage stumbled upon us and healed us all. He also saved Selena's life."

"Oh..." Selena. Subaru still had mixed feelings about her. She had been the indirect cause of his death several times, yet she had also been essential in killing Hans.

Clement stood up. "Here, let's go get you some new clothes. You can borrow some of mine."

Subaru nodded and followed Hans back down the hall and up to one of the doors.

"Wait here," Clement said and walked into the room. He came back a few moments later with some clothes. "These should fit you."

Subaru went back into his room and changed into them. They fit fine. He now wore a gray shirt, and cotton pants. They were plain compared to the typical clothes people wore back on Earth.

Subaru left his room, and the two returned to the living room.

Subaru into the living room and asked, "So, this is your place?"

"Yeah." Clement motioned to a chair nearby. Subaru sat down in it. Clement added, "Sorry if it's a bit small for two people."

Subaru shook his head, "It's fine."

"Oh, I'll get you some tea. Is that fine with you?"

Subaru nodded, "I don't know what kinds of tea there is here so I'll just take whatever you recommend."

Clement nodded and walked over towards the kitchen.

Subaru let out a breath and relaxed as it began dawning on him that he had actually survived. It may have taken him ten painful deaths, but he had overcome Hans. "I… actually did it…" He whispered, hope bubbling up inside him, "Now hopefully I can just live here in peace. I've had enough action for a lifetime."

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. His eyes sprung open as he exclaimed, "I just triggered a flag, didn't I?!"

"Huh? What was that, Subaru?"

"Nothing, nothing, just me going off by myself."

Clement laughed a little as he waited for the water to boil. "You know, you're pretty strange. I think I mentioned this yesterday, but you also use a bunch of weird words."

"Yeah, that's the influence of the 21st century."

"There are those strange words again."

The two laughed.

Subaru smiled in the warmth of the house.

Subaru absent-mindedly looked into the fire, and he ended up thinking back to yesterday. The forest burning, Hans, killing Hans. Blood. The weight of the knife in his hands. The kettle began to shriek in the background as he fell deeper and deeper into his thoughts. The weight of human life on his shoulders. Crushing him. Watching Hans' life fade from his eyes. He deserved it. He deserved it. He deserved it. He deserved it. He deserved it. He deserved it. He deserved it. He deserved it.

Subaru sucked in air as he shook his head. He slapped himself across the face. Stop it… I shouldn't think of those things.

"Eh? Did you just hit yourself?"

"Ah, yeah. Just… a bit of a ritual I do."

"Oh… okay."

Clement finished preparing the tea and brought it over. He set a saucer down on a table next to Subaru's seat and then set a cup of dark tea on it.

"What kind of tea is this?" Subaru picked up the cup.

"It's Elder Leaf. It's pretty popular around here."

"Mhm." Subaru brought the cup to his lips and wet his throat with it. He brought the cup away from his mouth and said, "It has a… unique flavor."

Clement smiled, "It's a bit of an acquired taste for some."

Clement walked into the living room. He was wearing a light gray coat. "I'm going to head out and get to my stand now."

"Eh? Stand?"

"Yeah. I run a small stand on the main street here. I sell a variety of things."

"Oh, then I'll go out with you." Subaru began standing up.

"You don't have to."

"It's the least I can do for you. You're letting me stay here, after all, and you helped me yesterday."

"You should rest, a lot happened yesterday."

"Nah, I'm fine. I'll come."

Clement sighed, "Alright. I'll get you a coat."

Clement walked back into the hallway.

Subaru stood up and stretched. "Ah, I didn't do my radio calisthenics today. I'll make sure to do them tomorrow."

Clement came back shortly after. He handed Subaru a brown coat, and shortly after the two were walking along the street. A chill breeze ran through the town.

"So," Clement asked, "What kind of job do you think you can help with?"

"Hm… Well… My communication skill is a one, I can't read the language here, I'm unfamiliar with pretty much everything here, I haven't ever actually had a job before, but my online communication and gaming skills are both 10s."

Subaru's pace slowed, "Now that I think about it… I totally put my points into the wrong skills!"

"Uh… could you put that in terms I understand?"

"Hmm… I'm pretty bad at most things. I guess I'm pretty strong... at least I was back on Earth…?"

Clement sighed.

He said, "I'll just have you do odd jobs."

Subaru placed a box with a number of things that made jingling sounds within down on the ground behind a stand. Clement stood at the stand's counter. He was talking with a woman about some of the things he sold.

The stand itself was pretty small. It was wooden and had a white awning covering it from the sun and snow. There wasn't much for protection against the cold winds. There was a sign out front that Subaru assumed had the name of the stand on it, but he couldn't read it.

Clement waved goodbye to the woman. Subaru wiped the sweat off of his brow despite the cold temperatures. Right now Clement had him moving around some boxes in the back of the stand. Clement turned around and leaned against the back of the counter. He said, "You good, Subaru?"

"Haa… yeah."

Clement reached under the counter and pulled out a leather flask filled with water. "Here." He tossed the flask towards Subaru.

Subaru caught it. He opened it up and drank the refreshing water. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and said, "Thanks. I'm pretty much done moving these around." He motioned towards the boxes.

Clement nodded. "Thanks for that."

"Yeah. No problem."

"We'll eat lunch soon, and then we'll close up soon after."

Subaru nodded and cracked his knuckles. "What else do you want me to do?"

Clement walked over and opened up one of the boxes. It had an assortment of jams within.

Clement closed the box and stood up, "I was going to have you organize some bottles of things, but you can't read…"

Clement cocked his head, before saying, "Well, I guess you can just have off. You've done plenty already."

Subaru nodded, and Clement added, "You can go wander around the marketplace here, it'll be good t get you acquainted with the area. If you get lost, just ask someone for directions to Faula Street, then you should be able to find our stand."

"Mhm, okay. See you."

"Yeah. Bye." Clement waved goodbye as Subaru made his way out of the stand, and onto the street.

It wasn't too crowded, Clement had said earlier that it was a pretty mellow day, plus this was apparently a pretty quiet time of day. Subaru walked around, gazing at different stands. It reminded him of his first loop, from before he had died and he was wandering around lost.

A smile formed on his face as he walked.

He ended up in an area where people were selling various types of food. He gazed at a vendor selling various kinds of meat. Another selling produces. Yet another selling some fish. He noticed that quite a few of the produce and fish looked similar to those from Earth.

He kept walking and found himself in a section where people sold lots of goods. A vendor selling thick clothing. Another selling coats and blankets. Yet another selling various other items.

As he walked he ended up thinking, This world isn't so bad when you aren't in a life or death situation. He shook his head at his morbid thought and pushed away rising memories of taking Hans' life.

Subaru ended up looking up into the sky while he walked. He mumbled to himself, "I should probably be getting back to Clement soon."

He lowered his gaze, and then bumped into a woman who was looking at some products at a stand. The two stepped away from each other, and Subaru apologized, "Sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you-"

He froze as the woman turned to face him. Her eyes were narrow and she glared at him. They reminded him of Hans' eyes whenever he looked at Subaru — as if he was the scum of the Earth.

She had nice shoulder-length blonde hair and wore pretty light clothing for the temperature. She was only a little shorter than Subaru.

Subaru's hands shook a little. He swallowed hard and clenched his fists. He shook his head and repeated what he had tried to say, "A-are you okay?"

She curtly nodded, her eyes still narrowed. She stepped back towards the stand and continued looking at the products.

Subaru took a deep breath and continued walking, unclenching his hands, which were slick with sweat.

He could remember where he came from pretty well, so he returned to Clement's stand without too much issue.

"Hey," Subaru said as he walked into the stand.

"Hi," Clement responded, "Ready for lunch?"

Subaru nodded, but not before it dawned on him that he hadn't eaten since he arrived in this world.

Clement reached under the counter and pulled out a bag. He opened it and pulled out two simple sandwiches. He sensed Subaru's disappointment as he handed him one.

"Don't worry, we'll have something bigger tonight."

Subaru nodded, "Alright."

The sun shone brightly as birds flew across the sky. A cool breeze blew across Inorandum.

A black-haired boy sat across from a brown-haired man while they peacefully ate lunch.

A woman with long dark green hair lay in a bed, unconscious from injuries she sustained the night before.

A man with dark green hair was cold and buried under the ground.

A man with yellow hair stood on a hill, staring out across a great plain, thinking about events from the night before.

A woman with blonde hair and nasty eyes strolled along a street, holding a bag full of things she had bought. A strange aura surrounded her.

With this, our protagonist's peaceful life in another world starts.