Beginning of a Corpse Path
Seventeen Hours since the Last Death (Fifty Deaths)
Since early in the morning, the corpses of those who died during the siege of the Witch Cult had begun to be cremated. And this included the corpses of those who in life belonged to the Fang of Iron. In other areas of the city, mass cremations had taken place in order to speed up the process and thus prevent plagues from spreading throughout the city; something that could well prove to be the coup de grace for the convalescent Royal Capital of Lugnica.
Because the number of corpses piled up in the garden of the Ryuushika Mansion, formerly the Hoshin Mansion, did not exceed fifty, the mercenaries had chosen to devote a brief mourning ritual to each one, prior to individually cremating each corpse. Among the deceased, were friends or relatives of someone in the mansion, so it could not be otherwise.
Thus, as soon as the first rays of dawn shone through, the funerals began. And now that Subaru was returning from having acquired the dragon carriage he would need for his impending journey, it was the time when Mimi's body was being carefully prepared for cremation. One of the Fang of Iron's mages who was knowledgeable in fire magic was performing the ritual.
Predictably, Ricardo stood beside the mage, his eyes fixed on Mimi's corpse, which lay wrapped in a white blanket. However, the mercenary captain was not the only one in attendance. Tivey and Hetaro had left the room where they had been recovering and were at the mercenary captain's side.
Given that less than twenty-four hours earlier they had both been on the very brink of death, it was astonishing to Subaru that they were both there. No doubt their determination far surpassed his own; he simply could not help but admire them. In addition to the brothers, other members of the Fang of Iron were present, among them Kitzu and Maju.
Subaru jumped down from the carriage and asked one of the mansion's employees to take Patrasche to the stables. The carriage would be ready for their departure at the crack of dawn the next day. He then walked over to the place where Mimi's funeral was being held. When he was just a few meters away from the cluster of people who were paying their last farewell to the little demi-human, Subaru spotted them; Anastasia and Halibel.
When he was in the coachman's seat of his newly procured carriage, they had escaped his sight. And the explanation for this was that both the shinobi warrior and the merchant forgotten by that world, were standing far away from the other people present at the funeral, isolated from the crowd of people who had met and befriended Mimi.
Subaru silently stepped closer to where Mimi was lying. The mage had already brought his hand close to the corpse and it seemed that he was about to set it on fire. It was then that Subaru pushed his way through the crowd and crouched down next to the one who was about to cremated that girl, who had grown so important to him over the time he had worked as an employee of the Hoshin Company. Heedless of the dozens of eyes that were now bearing down on him, Subaru stretched out his hand and cupped it over the covered head of the little girl.
"I already told you this once, in one of the many loops I discarded while trying to save you, but I'll tell you again. I'll make sure to bring suffering to the culprit of your death. I will inflict on him ten times, no, a thousand, a billion times the amount of pain he inflicted on you; I will make the son of a bitch experience hell before I send him to hell itself. So I'm gonna live, Mimi, I am going to live, and I'm going to reach all my goals. And you'll too, you will live in my heart... I'll never forget you, Midge, ya lil' ankle biter. Thank you for everything..."
Having whispered his last goodbye to Mimi, Subaru stood up, hid the hand, in which Echidna was in, in one of his pants pockets and, just as he walked over to the place, he walked away from there in the direction of where Halibel and Anastasia were.
As he walked toward those who would be his traveling companions, he listened as the flames engulfed Mimi, drowning out the sound of the sobs of those who had not been able to hold back the tears. Anastasia, her eyes reddened with salty tears, reached out one of her hands to Subaru and he took it. He still would not tell her about the spirit he had met on the way there, he would merely share the warmth of his hand with Anastasia and bask in the warmth of hers in silence. At that moment, that was what they both needed most.
Once the ceremony of Mimi's cremation had concluded, her ashes were deposited in a small urn that Hetaro received with moist eyes. Both brothers returned to the room where they would spend their convalescence, and afterwards everyone present returned to their daily chores; only a couple of mercenaries remained, the mage in charge of the cremation and Ricardo. Mimi's funeral may have been over, but not all the corpses piled in a far corner of the garden had gone through the fiery ritual.
Wrinkling his face, Subaru moved to cover his nose with his naked hand. He had not noticed it before, but the stench of burning flesh had pervaded the atmosphere of the mansion's garden. If he had avoided going to the commercial district in search of possible desperate vendors, it was mainly because he wished to get away from the stench of death that wafted through the air in the area.
That distinct smell of death that clung to his clothes and permeated his nose, preventing him from perceiving any other smell except that one, foreshadowed a destiny that filled him with an intense distaste for his own decisions. He would indeed do whatever it took to achieve his goals, and it made him shudder in self-loathing. Eager to get away from that stench as soon as possible, Subaru took the purple-haired girl's hand tightly and motioned for them to return to his room.
That place, his personal quarters in Anastasia's mansion, had become the meeting point for the three of them. Subaru took a seat on his bed, as was usual; it was not long before Anastasia followed suit. For his part, Halibel occupied the wooden chair located exactly in front of Subaru's work desk.
"Well, are ya gonna tell us why you were in such a hurry to get back here?" Subaru couldn't help but swallow audibly upon hearing Anastasia's question.
They would embark on a journey in search of Anastasia's memories, and his longed-for revenge, the very next day, and so Subaru felt an obligation to instill trust in his two companions. From his mouth they would not hear that he feared the future ahead; he would not admit that he sensed that his hands, no, the hands of the three would be stained crimson, a crimson so intense that it would be impossible to tell whether it was innocent or enemy blood.
"I need you to look at this." Subaru said, unveiling the hand he had kept tucked away in one of his pants pockets. Although it was clear that Subaru had been addressing Anastasia, Halibel locked his gaze onto the upper limb, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
Subaru had acted almost by instinct, he had not planned beforehand to introduce Echidna at that particular moment, however the appearance of the spirit that claimed to be artificial had been useful to hide his apprehension about the near future. The truth was that Subaru could not entertain his fear of the future as anything more than another fruit of his despicable and eternal weaknesses; continuing to show himself weak was unacceptable to Subaru.
Besides, Anastasia deserved to know about Echidna's presence. If his suspicions turned out to be true, that could be a pleasant reunion for Anastasia; or quite the opposite, for that matter. That would be just another of his rash gambles. This time he hoped he would have better luck than with the previous gambles, or else Anastasia could be left deeply emotionally wounded.
"Hmm... Looks cool on ya, Su-san! Now all that's left's fer ya ta get a black glove and you'll be portrayin' both your inventor side and your Sin Archbishop side." Halibel commented casually, flashing off his canines.
"..." Subaru flat out disregarded Halibel's nonchalant remark and kept his gaze fixed on Anastasia's face. It was obvious that the presence of that white glove on his left hand had taken Anastasia aback. With her eyes wide as saucers and her lips ajar, the merchant girl stared transfixed at the foxy-detailed glove.
"Echidna..." Anastasia muttered, snapping out of her stupefaction. That was all Subaru needed to hear.
"So I was right, this spirit was your white fox fur scarf." Subaru concluded, as he took the glove from one end with his fingertips and removed it from his hand. "Echidna, stop whatever you're doing to hide your presence, it's obvious it's not working on her."
"Interesting, quite interesting... Up until today I was yet to meet a person who'd be able to detect my presence when I was concealing myself." Said the artificial spirit, then transforming into its white fox form.
"Oh, I've never seen anything like it!" Halibel exclaimed, looking astonished at Echidna's sudden appearance.
"Echidna!" To Subaru and Halibel's surprise, the ever serene Anastasia threw herself at Echidna with her arms outstretched. And as if afraid that the artificial spirit might vanish into thin air, she wrapped her arms around Echidna like a bear trap and hugged her tightly, clinging to her. "You had me so worried, Echidna! After what happened at the mansion, I really came to think that I'd never see you again! The very thought that one of the cultists might have kidnapped you, or worse...! It's really good to see you again, my dear friend!"
Like a raging torrent of water flowing out of a fragmented dam, Anastasia's pent-up emotions welled up and flowed out of her. Tears soon drenched the face of the girl, who seemed to refuse to let go of the spirit, who at no time showed displeasure at Anastasia's tight embrace. Therefore, Subaru and Halibel waited in silence, not daring to interrupt the scene. They patiently waited for the merchant girl to convey her emotions to Echidna...
"I found her on my way back to the mansion, after buying the carriage; or well, she found me. She was looking for someone, but couldn't remember exactly who. Probably my good affinity with spirits was what attracted her... I'm sure who she was looking for was you." Subaru related, once Anastasia had calmed down and let go of Echidna, who remained lying on the bed, between Subaru and Anastasia.
"T-Thank you, Natsuki-kun, once again you saved me..." Anastasia muttered, choking back tears.
"I'm simply giving you back some of how much you gave me." Subaru replied, a genuine smile plastered on his lips. Anastasia's moistened eyes rested on Subaru's, whereupon they both stared at each other for several seconds, caught in each other's gaze, until Echidna's voice snapped them out of that trance.
"You didn't lie when you said I was looking for someone that was beyond my recollection, Subaru. However, I must say that you're mistaken about one thing." Such a statement caused both Anastasia and Subaru to look at the artificial spirit.
"How do you mean, Echidna?" Subaru questioned her, frowning. Had he failed in his gamble yet again? So close it was all about to unfold in the best way. Why could not that spirit keep quiet and just embrace that Anastasia was that person she sought?
"It's true that you radiate a pleasant aura, you aren't lying when you say that you are compatible with spirits. However, that's not the reason I resolved to show myself to you."
"So, which was it?" Subaru asked, his voice slightly gruff. Why did she have to ruin this beautiful reunion? Was Echidna incapable of reading the mood?
"Your greed."
"Eh?" Echidna's statement elicited two different kinds of reactions. In Subaru's case, it was confusion; in Anastasia's and Halibel's, realization and comprehension...
However, the merchant and the warrior came to such a sentiment for reasons that varied in several respects. Anastasia, who had known Echidna years ago, remembered how interested she had always been in her greed, her unquenchable thirst to succeed in the business world; besides, Subaru embodied the quintessence of this, Anastasia knew. Halibel, who was aware of Subaru's ability to change the world, had realized that this strange spirit had sensed the same thing he had; Subaru's greed to pursue unattainable goals.
"I remember you, Natsuki Subaru, just as I remember getting to see the demi-human warrior on the odd occasion. The same I cannot say for the girl, Anastasia." Echidna said, as she gave Anastasia a sidelong glance. A hurt expression took shape on Anastasia's face, but she managed to hide it swiftly; though not enough for Subaru not to notice it.
"And yet, Anastasia does remember you; furthermore, she's somehow able to see you even when you conceal your presence. Isn't that proof enough that she is the one you're looking for?" Subaru argued, thus seeking to convince Echidna that Anastasia was the right person and not him.
"I cannot deny or claim that this girl is whomever I had been in search of." Echidna said, stubbornly refusing to completely accept Subaru's words. "But whether that's the case or not, the fact remains that I found someone more than suitable."
"..." Although their lips remained still, the faces of Halibel, Subaru and especially Anastasia suggested that they understood what Echidna was getting at with what she was saying.
"My utmost desire is to bear witness to the extraordinary feats of those driven solely by greed. And while it's true that this girl's soul is brimming with remarkable greed, yours completely overshadows it. Yours is a daring, aggressive, dangerous greed... I can feel it in your soul, see it in your Gate, in your core... I truly want us to form a pact, and for you to thereby allow me to behold how far your ambition, your insatiable greed, will take you."
"No." Was the blunt reply from Subaru, who immediately followed up by shooting a reproachful glare at Halibel, on whose snout a smirk had been plastered. "First of all, I already have a contract with a spirit. And you probably have one with Anastasia. So there's no way you and I are gonna form a contract. 'Sides, I'm tired of hearing that people want to follow me around to witness my "deeds". I'm just a nobody, really, so stop parroting that bullshit."
"Time 'n' time again ya sell yerself short, Su-san, despite how far you've come." Halibel remarked, as he took a puff of his kiseru. Despite the fact that she made no comment on the matter, due to the fact that she was focused on paying attention to the situation unfolding between Subaru and Echidna, it was clear that Anastasia agreed with Halibel.
"..." Echidna, nonetheless, refrained from answering Subaru; instead she watched him intently, her pitch-black eyes gazing deep into his soul.
"Subaru... My Gate is damaged... And my body's Od is unstable, that's why Echidna and I never formed a pact." Anastasia informed; it was clear that it had not been easy for her to reveal such information. A piece of information that distanced her from her lifelong companion.
"I am by no means a particularly powerful spirit, so I won't take too much of your mana. Having a Spirit Arts User make a contract with more than one spirit is not unusual. Besides, think of the advantages we would gain from making a contract." Echidna added.
"Advantages?" Subaru inquired, slightly intrigued.
"We would be bridging your Yin and my Yang; we would embrace both ends of the magical spectrum together. From a magical point of view, we'd be complementing each other. Our lack of magical compatibility shall not be an obstacle for you to use my magic, since your spiritual affinity and compatibility far outweigh that minor issue." Echidna proudly stated, as if she were a peddler trying to close a deal. Though not as if Subaru doubted Echidna's words; after all, thanks to his enormous affinity for spirits, Julius could wield all six types of magic.
"Anastasia..." Subaru called out in a hesitant tone, looking at the girl in question. She returned his gaze. It was clear that with this, Subaru was asking for the businesswoman's opinion. And after a small moment of silence, Anastasia spoke.
"You'd make the contract with Echidna. Don't turn down the offer just cause o' me. I'm sure she'll be able to help you in more than one way."
"Are you sure 'bout it?" Subaru insisted; he did not want to rush into a decision they would later regret.
"It would be unfair for Echidna to be bereft of satisfyin' her own greed for my sake alone; even a greedy gal like me oughta let go once in a while." Subaru had never considered accepting Echidna's proposal, however, the one who made him change his mind was none other than Anastasia. On the face of the girl he had come to love, a wistful smile had taken shape; a wistful, yet genuine smile.
A Day and Thirteen Hours since the Last Death (Fifty Deaths)
Subaru had made up his mind that he would break the pact with Echidna once he had restored Anastasia's name. She was convinced that Echidna could help him in times of trouble, and therefore Subaru would use the artificial spirit as an ally to expedite the achievement of his first goal. Echidna would assist in returning to Anastasia what rightfully belonged to her, it could not be otherwise; on this basis their pact would be established, although it was something that only he would be aware of, at least until the day of breaking it.
The ritual by which the contract was formed was not in the least different from the one whereby he formed a pact with Kuro. This even in spite of the great difference that existed between the two spirits, and that Echidna was a spirit aligned with Yang magic, as opposed to Subaru, who was aligned with Yin. Once the two accepted each other as partners, a mana connection was formed between the two. From now on, Kuro and Echidna would be his spiritual allies.
"Are you going to keep pretending to be a glove?" Subaru asked mentally, as he eyed his left hand, where Echidna now resided, camouflaging herself as a garment.
"Do you wish me to disguise myself in another way? Yesterday you seemed at ease with this form." Replied the spirit, her voice echoing inside his head.
Now that their souls were linked, they were able to communicate in this manner. Another peculiarity of artificial spirits; though Echidna claimed to have never met another artificial spirit, so this conclusion was nothing more than something Subaru had merely assumed. Nevertheless, Subaru could not help but associate Echidna with Puck. Perhaps he should ask Emilia about it once she had recovered.
"The Lesser Spirit I formed a contract with, Kuro, can disappear when I don't need him." Subaru said matter of factly.
"Well, I cannot possibly do that, so I will continue to conceal myself in this way."
"Aside from that, why do you have to hide? It's not like..."
"I feel more at ease if not too many people know of my existence. As I said before, I'm not particularly powerful and my presence alone could cause unwanted stir. Still, if you command me, I suppose I would have no choice but to remain in my true form." Subaru could sense the spirit's sheer reluctance to comply with such a command.
Sighing mentally, Subaru replied. "Never mind, keep on hiding yourself as a glove. Maybe I'll take Halibel's suggestion and get a black glove to match."
"I appreciate it, Subaru..."
"Something the matter, Natsuki-kun? You started staring at Echidna all of a sudden?" Anastasia questioned him, pushing him out of his thoughts.
"Nothing of any importance." Subaru said, pulling his left hand away from his face. As he did this, Subaru caught a glimpse of a figure in black approaching from the back of the hallway, accompanied by two people who came carrying a third. "Halibel, you're finally back. What took you so long?"
"I couldn't find thes' two anywhere, so I spent some time lookin' for 'em." Said the beast-man casually, as he pointed a finger at the mansion employees walking behind him.
A day had passed since his meeting with Petelgeuse, and at that moment they were about to embark on their journey of no foreseen return. The carriage was now ready, loaded with their luggage and the supplies they would need to survive for several days. The morning sun was shining brightly over the blue sky, lighting their way to what would be their new life. However, the only thing that prevented their departure was the purple-haired knight.
"Will you be the ones in charge of attending to Julius while I'm away from the mansion?" Subaru inquired, addressing the two mansion employees, which consisted of a butler and a Fang of Iron mercenary.
"Yessir."
"That's correct, Subaru-sama."
At their response, Subaru nodded and gestured to the inside of his room; Anastasia and he had been waiting for Halibel by the doorway leading to it. "You can place him on my bed."
Given that his room would be unoccupied for the duration of his journey of rescue and revenge, the knight's frozen-in-time body would rest in it. That way, Julius would not be occupying a room that could be used in another way. Otherwise, his presence in the mansion during the time he would not be remembered could well prove to be a nuisance to its inhabitants.
"So you're my knight..." Subaru heard Anastasia mutter, as she stood gazing intently at Julius' sleeping face. She really had not had much of a chance to see her knight since the eternal bloody dusk had concluded. "I'd still like to talk to Felix when I get back..."
Julius was gently placed on Subaru's bed, and after a short exchange of words between Subaru and the mansion employees who would be tending to Julius, they retired to continue their duties. Considering the nature of the knight's abnormal condition, it really was unnecessary for someone to be looking after him every minute of the day.
"... I do hope you find my room comfortable, Julius. Anastasia recently tidied it up, so it might be up to your fine standards." Subaru said, as he stared at the comatose Julius, who now lay in what for months was his own bed. "I promise you, I will avenge Mimi. I will make you wake up. I will get Anastasia's name back. You'll see Julius, your words of encouragement and the time you spent training me won't turn out to be a complete waste."
"Su-san?" Halibel called out to him. He and Anastasia were waiting for him at the door. No one remembered Julius, just as no one remembered Anastasia. At the same time, the latter didn't have the slightest recollection of the former. Looking slightly uncomfortable, Anastasia approached Subaru and cast an unsure glance at the sleeping man.
"Shall we go, Natsuki-kun?" Subaru knew, Anastasia was itching to get away from her mansion and its employees. That place that was hers, but at the same time wasn't; those people who constantly reminded her of how much she had lost, like a thorn that simply could not be removed from her skin.
"Yeah..." Subaru replied in a breathy voice. And so Anastasia held out her hand towards him, a sign that she wished for him to take it. And Subaru was about to do this very thing, but before his fingers could even touch hers, he noticed something on the floor that caught his attention. "Huh?"
Under Anastasia's puzzled gaze, Subaru crouched down looking straight at the ground. There, in front of his eyes, was an emerald stone giving off a sinister quality of energy. At the mere sight of such a cursed object, Subaru shuddered to his core. He slowly brought his trembling hand closer to the object, as if hesitating whether to take it or not. Similar to how seconds ago he had tried to take Anastasia's hand, Subaru tried to take the rock.
His breathing grew heavier, and beads of sweat accumulated on his forehead. From his mind he had removed the memories of the existence of that stone, yet there it was, just centimeters away from his fingers. After intense seconds of struggle, his index finger came into contact with the stone. Then he felt as if it had zapped him, his right arm went numb.
Briefly, Subaru contemplated withdrawing his hand, but ultimately refrained from doing so. There was no doubt about it, that emerald stone was the same stone that Elsa had used when torturing him. All that time, Julius had kept the cursed stone with him, waiting for the moment when Subaru would ask for it back. Most likely it had slipped out of one of his pockets when he was laid on the bed.
Subaru had assured Julius that he would request the rock back from him when he felt ready to hold it in his hands. However, before he could do so, Julius had lost his very existence at the hands of the Archbishop of Gluttony. Subaru could no longer shy away from that juncture, that was undoubtedly an ordeal of fate. With that stone in his grasp, he would never die...
A wave of frustration and self-loathing washed over Subaru. If only I'd given it to Mimi; Subaru thought. No... He could not succumb to that line of thinking; it was too late, he could not keep beating himself up over things he no longer had control over. Yes, he would take that stone and make use of it in the way it was meant to be used. With it he would torture Gluttony before murdering him, with it he would prevent Capella from dying before disclosing the identity of the "Client".
Finally letting go of his hesitation, Subaru picked up the stone, and tightly balled his hand into a fist, with the stone as its core. Pain, rage and hatred boiled up in his heart, but Subaru repressed those emotions; he would have time to vent them out later. Subaru looked up, only to notice that Anastasia had walked back to Halibel's side, and was now looking at him with subtle resentment. Had she gotten upset because he had not taken her hand?
With a smirk on his face, Subaru took something from one of his desk drawers and then walked over to his traveling companions. And wordlessly, he grabbed Anastasia's hand. The latter, indignant, tried to make him let go, but it was useless. "Look..." Subaru said, as he showed her the stone and a thin cord he had just taken. Before the now bewildered Anastasia's gaze, Subaru wrapped the rope around the rock, thus fashioning a makeshift necklace, which he placed around the girl's neck.
"W-What's this?" To Subaru's surprise, as well as satisfaction, his action made the girl blush faintly.
"A gift, it will protect you." Subaru casually stated, then added in a more serious tone. "Eventually I'll ask you for it back temporarily, that's when I'll finally return to you what was taken away from you."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Later you'll come to understand..."
"Hey, could ya kids stop flirtin'? We've a long journey to begin." Halibel chimed in, tearing the moment apart. Subaru was grateful for this, since it was clear that his answer had not completely pleased Anastasia.
"Halibel's right, it's time to say goodbye to the Hoshin Mansion and Lugnica, at least for a while."
A Day and Fourteen Hours since the Last Death (Fifty Deaths)
"... You sure ya don't need me to tag along, b-… bro? I get that ya don't wanna tell me what you'll be doin' during this 'journey' o' yours, but I ain't so thick-headed as ta not get an idea of what it'll be. And if it's what I think, I figure the more comrades ya have by yer side, the better chance you'll have of achievin' your goal and gettin' back alive."
"I do think of several scenarios where more allies would definitely be quite handy..."
"So..."
"But we already discussed this, Ricardo. You've your responsibilities here in the capital, in the mansion, responsibilities that you can't shirk. You've to see to the safety of the mansion while you wait for Ryuushika-sama's return. You must also respect the contract that Ryuushika-sama formed with the Court Mage; that is, to provide protection for Emilia-sama and her maid. Lastly, I need you to carry out what I entrusted you with, and make sure that the knight, Julius, is treated and cared for as a very important guest... You cannot leave the mansion, Ricardo."
His final moments at the Hoshin Mansion, for what would be a long and undetermined period of time, were drawing to a close. The preparations for the journey had been completed and the carriage was ready to leave. But before he could do so, Subaru was bidding farewell to those with whom he had shared a roof over his head for several months.
"Ya're right, bro, I'll stop badgerin' ya." Ricardo said, slightly crestfallen. The mercenary captain had not given up, and had tried once again to convince Subaru to allow him to join his traveling party; though once again it proved fruitless. "Excluding me, are ya darn sure ya don't want anyone else to go with ya? I'd tell Maju or Kitzu."
"In other circumstances I might've been willing to acquiesce to it, Ricardo. But I'm sure you're the one who's most mindful of what happened two days ago. After the Fang of Iron lost so many of its elite members, I can't simply let you weaken the mansion's security even further by giving up one of its most important warriors."
"If so, maybe two o' the mercenaries who-"
"You don't give up, hm?" Subaru found it necessary to cut off Ricardo's words, who seemed intent on continuing to insist on lending him one of his mercenaries. "Don't worry, the three of us will manage. We've the most powerful warrior in Kararagi, have you forgotten? Besides, to tell you the truth, I bought the carriage with us being a small group in mind, so too many allies would also pose a problem."
Too many allies would be a problem? He had not lied in claiming that he had purchased his dragon carriage with the thought that he would travel accompanied by few people, however, that did not mean that Subaru believed his own words. Yes, Pandora, the Witch of Vanity, had granted him power, but in no way did that mean he was now all-powerful.
He was still weak; it bothered him to admit it, but his eternal weakness had been exposed once again during his fight against Petelgeuse. Had it not been for the fact that he managed to convince the Archbishop of Sloth of the veracity of his title of Envy, it is likely that either Halibel or Patrasche would have ended up intervening in the fight. His Authority could be very effective or very ineffective depending on a variety of factors that he could not control, and that made him a very unreliable ally.
However, the nature of the deal he had acquiesced to on the day of his last death, up to that point, meant that accepting more allies would not prove to be an easy task. He was now one of the monsters abhorred by the people of that world. What would happen if any of the members of the Fang of Iron were to learn of his new identity? Subaru was convinced that the vast majority would reject him, and even attack him; especially considering everything that had occurred during the siege of the Witch Cult. It would not be surprising if they came to consider him an accomplice to the massacre.
Therefore, Subaru could not take just anyone as his traveling companion, he had to select them carefully. Halibel, the eccentric Kararagi warrior who followed him for his own amusement. Anastasia, the nameless girl who had lost her place in that world. And they were not his only allies. Subaru unconsciously moved his hand to the pocket of the black jacket he was wearing, the same one he used when meeting Petelgeuse; there his gospel was stored. If he so wished, a group of the witch cultists would show up and obey his orders without complaint.
"Gotcha! I'll respect yer decision, Subaru. I'll be lookin' forward to your return, and will gladly listen to the stories of yer journey."
"And I'll make sure those stories bring a smile to your face, Ricardo." Subaru declared, extending his hand towards the mercenary.
"Don' know how you're gonna make it, but I know ya will." Ricardo answered, holding Subaru's hand, with a smile that exuded confidence on his face.
Seeing that the farewell between Subaru and Ricardo had concluded, one of the demi-human brothers approached Subaru with an ominous request. "Onii-san, I know I've no right to ask this of ya, but, I beg of you, make the bastard who took our sister away suffer on our behalf."
"You told them?" Subaru asked, looking at Ricardo, who immediately shrugged.
"I told 'im nothin', he, well, they figured it out on their own." With a sharp look visible through his monocle, Tivey stood before Subaru, behind him, walking at a slower pace due to his limping, Hetaro also walked over to them.
"Subaru Onii-san, please... Convey all our wrath to the one responsible for snatchin' Mimi away from us." Hetaro, who usually wore a calm countenance that radiated shyness, looked at Subaru with pleading eyes, but which likewise glittered with rage.
Both brothers looked worn out, despondent, however, neither of them seemed willing to concede defeat, to give up. They both looked at Subaru with imploring faces brimming with respect, but anger overflowed from their gazes. Subaru could feel it, the same emotion that burned so strongly in his heart. Subaru returned the pleading but fiery gazes with a determined look.
"Shrimpys, I'm not going to let you down. I'm going to repay you guys for everything you did for me." It was clear that the intentions of their journey were no longer a secret, but that did not mean Subaru would openly admit that he would hunt down the Archbishop of Gluttony. Having heard Subaru's response, the siblings' gazes softened, and they quickly gravitated towards Anastasia, who was standing next to Subaru.
"Onee-san, we're grateful to ya for keeping us company durin' the time we were bedridden. We can't say for sure that we know who you are, but we both came to the conclusion that before the Witch Cult's attack, you're an important person to us..." Tivey's words caught not only Anastasia by surprise, but Subaru as well.
"Y-Ya knew that too?" Asked Anastasia, dumbstruck.
"It's plain to see from yer behavior, miss." Replied Ricardo, who had apparently also noticed. "No one should know the mansion so well without havin' visited it first. And considerin' everythin' that went on in the castle... Well, it became quite obvious that ya were also a victim of that bastard Gluttony."
"Furthermore, it's not like Onii-san went out of the mansion that much to meet other people. And from the way he treats ya, even to the point of sharin' a room with ya, it's clear that he didn't meet you only two days ago." Tivey added, as he eyed Subaru and Anastasia carefully.
"Uh..." Was all the merchant girl managed to utter, in her flustered state. Subaru had to hide an amused smile as he realized that her face had taken on a slight reddish hue; little did he know that the same thing was occurring with Halibel, who was looking fixedly at him.
"I'm sincerely sorry that we weren't able to remember ya prior ta yer departure and give ya a proper farewell. But we'll be sure to make up fer it when ya return, by then I'm sure Subaru will've already managed to bring us to remember ya." Ricardo stated, as he flashed Anastasia a broad smile.
"T-Thanks..." Responded the girl, holding the tears back. The words of her dearest servants and friends had touched her deeply.
"Protect 'em in our place, Halibel." Richard petitioned the Shinobi warrior.
"Sure I will..." And in this way, the rest of the pending farewells took place.
Ten minutes later, Halibel, Subaru and Anastasia were in the dragon carriage. Halibel would be in charge of driving it, and therefore, Anastasia and Subaru were in the passenger seats. From one of its windows, they both observed the group of employees of the mansion that had come out to bid them farewell. Among them were Ricardo, Tivey, Hetaro, Maju and Kitzu.
"I'd have liked to talk to Utada, but no one seems to have seen him since yesterday." Subaru said to Anastasia.
"Do you think somethin' happened to him?" She asked.
"I don't know..." Subaru replied pensively, his gaze fixed on the front porch of the mansion.
"What's on your mind? It seems like something is bothering ya…"
"Nothing... It's just that... The leader of the Witch Cult mentioned that Utada would be useful to me, or something along those lines... What the hell did she mean by that?"
"Hmm... Maybe we'll find out along the way."
"Yeah, you may be right..."
Having concluded that short exchange of words, they both stared at the farewell party. Inevitably, both began to wave their hands, thus waving goodbye to that place and to those people, whom they would not see again until they had fulfilled the purpose of their voyage. The carriage crossed the threshold of the steel gate and thus their journey of unforeseen return commenced.
Ok, the first matter I wanna address is that, due to, well, my offline life, and that the way I'm currently working on the chapters literally takes me 7 days (3 of writing and 4 of revisions/translations), I'm going to continue with the bi-weekly schedule.
Don't know if you've noticed, but until now the average chapter length was 4500 words at least, and now the minimum is 6000; obviously that means I'm spending more time on the fic now. I work on the fic in the midnights, and using literally every night without a break is going to lead me to the same burnout I went through after arc 3. So, to avoid that, the new fixed uploading schedule will be, as I said, every other week.
That said... Well, we finally concluded the first part of arc 4, concerning to the arrangements. I hope there aren't too many mistakes, as I had said before, this was all written when I was still going through the writer's block. The following chapters have been quite entertaining to write because I've been able to go in depth into Subaru's new authority and the effects of it on his psyche. Expect some pretty disturbing moments in the next few chapters.
And yes, now Echidna formed a contract with Subaru; this was one of the first ideas that came to my mind when I decided to have Gluttony devour Anastasia's name. Look forward to similar changes, with respect to canon, in the relationships between characters later on. Lastly, I just wanna say that something very important is going to happen next chapter. Ok, that's it. As always, I appreciate your support and till... Hmm... I won't be able to write the same farewell as usual anymore. See you in two weeks, I hope you're well in these turbulent times.