Chapter 1
The Forgotten Knight
Blood.
Lots of blood.
It was the first thing that drew Reinhard's attention as he stepped foot into the prison cell of the presumed Sin Archbishop.
If not for the soft wheezing that reached his ears from a darkened corner of the bleak little room, he would have no doubt believed that the owner of all that blood was dead.
Echoing throughout the hallway behind him, the inmates of the neighbouring cells in the penitentiary screamed and howled and complained at having their precious sleep disturbed, the loud bang of the cell's rusted door being opened by the Sword Saint having reverbreated throughout the entire prison.
It was a miracle that the half dead boy managed to sleep through the cacophony.
But then again, it was an even greater miracle that the boy was still alive, despite the copious amounts of blood that had pooled on the floor of his detention cell.
For the last two months, Reinhard had held the fear that he would never meet this person alive ever again. So, this was enough to make him heave out a sigh of relief.
His relief soon turned to regret, as he observed the boy twisting and turning painfully in his sleep. There were faint traces of tears running down his cheeks. His clothes were torn and stained with blood, and there were a number of scars on his body which seemed to have been recently closed by healing magic.
'Ferris….'
Reinhard did not believe that the boy would be treated… hospitably. In fact, he was certain the accused boy would be executed as soon as the knights were done with him. He had certainly not expected, even once, that his own friends were capable of such cruelty.
Reinhard stood irresolute at the doorway in silence as he thought back to the incident that happened two months ago, after the Witch Cult attacked in Priestella, unsure of what to say, should the prisoner wake up from his painful slumber.
"Don't come closer, in fact! When you reek of miasma rivalling that of a Sin Archbishop, it's hard to believe your claims, I suppose." The Great Spirit demanded, her arms outstretched and ready to attack at a moment's notice.
"Beatrice, please believe me!" The strange boy, with hair as dark as the night sky, pleaded. His skin had grown pale with fear, and a drop of sweat rolled down his forehead, and onto the ground. "I really am your contractor and Emilia-tan's knight. I am not a Sin Archbishop!"
"...Beatrice-sama, what seems to be the matter here?" asked Reinhard, arriving at the scene, having heard the distress in Beatrice's voice while rushing around the city for a final time, to see if his help was required somewhere.
"Wrath escaped, in fact!" Beatrice exclaimed in exasperation, informing him of something he could not ignore.
"And this one here-" But before Beatrice could speak out anything else, the strange mean-eyed boy cut her off.
"Reinhard, it's me, Natsuki Subaru! You remember me, right?"
The name was unfamiliar to Reinhard. But the person before him spoke with such incredible familiarity, it made Reinhard doubt his own memories.
"Sorry for being so useless." The boy continued, unaware of the confusion in Reinhard's mind. "I know I told you that you could rely on me, but I guess I'm the one asking you to save me again. But…" He paused, as if he had an epiphany.
Reinhard felt a throbbing headache.
'And sorry for always relying on you. I'll be relying on your strength, but… I'll also try to fill in any parts where you're lacking, so please look forward to it.'
When had these words been uttered to him? He couldn't quite remember it, but he did remember how happy it had made him feel.
"That's right! …If it's you, I'm sure you must have some sort of outrageous divine protection that lets you remember me! —Please tell her I'm not lying. That my 'Name' was eaten by Gluttony and I'm not lying. Please Reinhard!"
"—"
"...Reinhard? You remember me, right?"
"...I am sorry. I—" Reinhard breathed out a soft whisper apologetically at the boy. "—do not know who you are."
He did not remember anyone by the name of Natsuki Subaru. However, his divine protections had not detected any falsehoods in the boy's words. Which meant the person in front of him was indeed speaking the truth.
"...It's alright, Reinhard. You can't do everything. I was just getting my hopes up." Subaru responded dejectedly.
Sadness and fear spread across the boy's face, and it made Reinhard feel disgusted with himself. He was supposed to be the Sword Saint, wasn't he? So why was he unable to protect one of his own allies from becoming a victim of Gluttony?
"...I'm sorry-"
"Don't get taken in by his words, Sword Saint! That person there is a Sin Archbishop, in fact!" Beatrice interrupted him all of a sudden, making both of them turn to face her. Her left hand was outstretched protectively, and Emilia stood silently behind her, as her grip on the blonde spirit's shoulders tightened, unsure of what someone in her situation should say.
"Beatrice-sama, I believe you are mistaken. This person… Subaru has not uttered a single lie this entire time." Reinhard informed her. "He is not a Sin Arch-"
"Your divine protection is not infallible, I suppose. Don't you see?" Extending her right hand, she pointed a finger at Subaru with disgust in her eyes. "It is obvious from that look in the cultist's eyes just how obsessed he is with Emilia, in fact."
'Obsessed?' Reinhard thought as he looked at the boy. Subaru's eyes looked like they were holding a deep yearning for Emilia to… acknowledge him. To love him.
But strangely, it didn't look like an obsession. Unlike Lust, or Greed, or Wrath, or Gluttony, who were all obsessed with the idea of love in one way or another, this didn't feel the same to him.
"It would not be a surprise if he is delusional enough to believe everything he says." And with that, Beatrice quickly shut him down, refusing to listen to reason.
"...B-Beako, please listen to me! You can still feel our contract, can't you? Don't you remember? You chose me in that burning mansion! Don't you remember all the fun moments we had with everyone? Emilia-tan, don't you remember?"
"WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO CALL BETTY BY THAT STRANGE NAME, I SUPPOSE?" Instead of subsiding her anger, Subaru's words only served to add fuel to the fire as Beatrice's eyes were filled with an inextinguishable rage, while Emilia took a step back with her face scrunched up into a frown.
"Betty has no contractor, in fact. Even if Betty had chosen someone, it will certainly never be someone as disgusting as you!" Her needlessly cruel words seemed to have truly broken Subaru's heart. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, as tears began flowing freely down the boy's face, making Reinhard's heart ache.
"Greed tried to take Emilia once already, I suppose! Betty will not make the same mistake again! Betty will not fail Bubby! Betty will not let anyone hurt Emilia again, in fact."
Reinhard could understand Beatrice's sentiment in wanting to protect the person most important to her. But this was ridiculous. He had already confirmed that the person in front of them was innocent. Why was it so hard for her to believe it?
"...Beatrice-sama, I do not-"
"Hey Rein, what's going on here?" The voice of his liege called out to him from behind. He turned around to see her approaching him with several other important players of the Royal Selection.
Apparently, they had heard agitated shouts of the Great Spirit and it was too alarming to be ignored. Especially when they too had received the news as well. Most of them seemed to be on edge, rushing to him with unease and agitation.
"Julius just informed us that Wrath may have escaped. …Although—" Anastasia spoke out, looking around at everyone's faces. "—ya already seem to be aware of it already."
And then, she spotted the unknown raven-haired boy, kneeling on the ground beside Reinhard. "Mind filling us in on what's going on here, will ya?"
"Anastasia-san, this person suddenly approached us and began claiming he is …my knight and Beatrice's contractor, and he had his 'Name' eaten. …But we have reasons to believe that he is a Sin Archbishop." It was Emilia, who had maintained her silence until now, that spoke, making the already tense atmosphere even worse.
"—!"
The moment Emilia informed them, Julius and Wilhelm immediately drew out their swords, preparing themselves to attack him should he try something.
"Wait, stop! He is not-" Reinhard made another futile attempt to try and get a word in.
"YOU WITCH CULTIST, TELL ME WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO CRUSCH-SAMA NOW! HEAL HER, THIS INSTANT!"
Only to be stopped by the crazed look in Felix's eyes, who, in contrast to the two elegant swordsmen, was in complete shambles as he marched towards the presumed Archbishop demanding answers.
"Ferris, wait! Don't get too close! It is dangerous!" The purple haired knight called out to him as he pulled him back.
"LET GO OF ME, JULIUS! I NEED TO SAVE CRUSCH-SAMA!" Felix fell to the ground. "...I need to save Crusch-sama." He cried and whimpered softly. "...I need to save Crusch-sama…. Crusch-sama…."
The red haired knight met his liege's eyes in desperation. Felt conflicted gaze shifted to Subaru kneeling on the ground. Reinhard wanted to save this person. But no one was even willing to hear him out. All he could do was only hope that Felt would be able to save this person somehow.
"Why are you making such a racket in my absence, commoners?"
"That's your concern in this situation, Princess!?"
And just before either Reinhard or Felt could do anything to diffuse this volatile situation, things took a turn for the worse as the Bloody Bride and her knight arrived at the scene.
And as they approached, the first thing that drew all of their attention was the blood flowing from Priscilla's forehead, and the way she was limping and approaching them with Al's support. But the proud way she carried herself despite this put everyone at a loss for words.
"Priscilla-san, are you alright?" Emilia asked, immediately heading over to her to help her heal.
"I don't need your help." Priscilla pushed Emilia away. "It is nothing but a mere sprain," she answered. "...of which I have no memory of how I got it." She muttered under her breath.
Of course, with Reinhard's divine protection, he did not fail to catch her words. Finding this incredibly familiar, he immediately turned his gaze to Subaru, only to find the person in question heave out a sigh of relief, causing Reinhard to glance back and forth between them in confusion.
"More importantly, you have not informed me of what is going on here." She asked, her eyes carefully scrutinizing the raven-haired boy kneeling on the ground.
"Priscilla-sama, please be careful. That person is a Sin Archbishop." Julius warned Priscilla as she tried step closer. Priscilla raised her brows and took out her fan, placing its tip on her lips as if lost in thought.
Reinhard had not expected this reaction from Priscilla. Knowing her short temper, he had expected the Sun Princess to fly off the handle like everyone else and attempt to immediately go for the accused boy's head. It honestly surprised him to see her calmly contemplating the authenticity of this claim.
"Really? How did you know?" Priscilla's helmeted companion suddenly asked out aloud, making everyone turn to face him. "What makes you think he's an Sin Archbishop? In my opinion, he looks like …well, your average everyday person to me."
"Saying that while hiding behind Julius and Wilhelm-san doesn't seem very convincing, don't ya think?" Anastasia pointed out.
"Well, better safe than sorry!" As Al responded as he turned towards Priscilla, only to find her glaring at Anastasia.
"But still... his clothes are…" Reinhard heard Al whisper in a soft voice. While Reinhard couldn't see Al's face, he could sense a strange sense of nostalgia from Al's voice.
Priscilla, who had heard Al's mutterings, looked back and forth curiously between Al and Subaru.
Reinhard too tilted his head in confusion. Now that someone had mentioned it, Subaru was wearing really odd clothes. He had never seen something like it before. Before he could ask Al about what he meant by his words, he was broken out of his thoughts by none other than his own lady, who had come to their rescue.
"Big Sis, Beatrice-chan, honestly, I have the same question? Why do you think he's a Sin Archbishop?" Felt repeated Al's question.
There was no real evidence incriminating him as an Archbishop besides the words of the half-elf and the Spirit. Yet, almost everyone had simply accepted it as fact. And it looked like it really rubbed Felt the wrong way.
"Hey, Rein! Is this person really a Sin Archbishop?" Felt asked her knight, finally giving him the opportunity to speak and clear up this terrible misunderstanding.
"...He's not a Sin Archbishop. I can confirm it. He has not spoken a single lie." Reinhard declared loud and clear, making sure his voice was heard by everyone. "Please listen-"
"And Betty told you to not believe the words of that delusional madman, didn't she?" Beatrice voiced out in frustration, cutting Reinhard off.
"Disgusting Witch Cultist!" Beatrice directed a hateful glare Subaru's way.
From the corner of his eyes, Reinhard noticed Subaru shrink back as his eyes widened in horror.
"Beatrice-sama, please-" Reinhard was cut-off for the umpteenth time, this time by Felix.
"She's right, Reinhard!" Felix hissed bitterly. "I've lived long enough with Crusch-sama to know that a madman would believe all his delusions. Witch Cultists aren't to be trusted!"
Felt facepalmed and groaned at the cat-eared knight's words in frustration. If only Crusch was here to confirm Subaru's claims and talk some sense into everyone, thought Reinhard, and he knew Felt was thinking the same.
"It seems Reinhard and Felt-chan aren't really satisfied. Beatrice-chan, don't ya think it would be better to explain why ya think that child is a Cultist?" Anastasia suggested with a smile on her face, that made her seem strangely detached from her surroundings.
"...We intercepted the Sin Archbishop of Wrath and a blond girl, who were trying to escape the city, in fact. We failed to stop them, I suppose. But we did manage to capture this person who was following behind them, after we heard the blonde girl call Pride, in fact. Now this Cultist is trying to escape by claiming he's one of the forgotten due to Gluttony, I suppose." Despite Reinhard's words, Beatrice seemed completely sure of her accusations upon the boy, and refused to budge on her opinion.
"...No….please….." Subaru weeped. "...please….listen to me….I'm not…."
"Silence, Cultist!" A hatred clear in almost everyone's eyes surrounding the poor boy. With Beatrice's revelation, everyone's guard went up with what seemed to be confirmation for her claim about him being a Sin Archbishop. With the exception of a few who were still unsure of the fact, others had either backed off a few steps, or were oozing bloodlust, prepared to kill the boy they believed was a Cultist at a moment's notice.
One of the few exceptions to this was Priscilla whose eyes widened. Al noticed her walking towards the mean-eyed boy. "Hey Princess, where are you going? Don't go too close-"
"Shut up, Al!" Ordered Priscilla as she opened her fan and hit his helmet. "Fools who do not know anything should just shut their mouths." She muttered inaudibly. Then bringing the fan in front of her face, she shifted her gaze towards the crying boy kneeling on the ground as she approached closer to him, her expression was unreadable behind the fan as she continued to remain unusually quiet, in contrast to her usually pompous self.
However, in contrast to Priscilla's calm demeanor, Reinhard was panicking.
"Please wait, Beatrice-sama! This is the first I'm hearing of this. Is this true? Did that happen?" Reinhard asked the raven haired boy. Subaru flinched, but began answering—
"...Yeah, but-"
"I see. In that case, I suggest we take him with us to the Capital and have the Royal Knights interrogate him. We may find a cure for the victims of the Witch Cult, including Crusch-sama."
—only to be interrupted by the purple haired knight. Felix nodded in glee at the suggestion.
"Hey wait! He wasn't done answering yet! Let him talk, damn it! Who the hell is this blonde girl and why should we trust anything she said?" Felt stepped in front of Julius to prevent him from going any closer to Subaru. "Reinhard said it, didn't he? This guy isn't lying. So hear him out!"
"Felt-sama, I think you have misunderstood something. Reinhard's divine protection isn't absolute. In fact, I have witnessed Ferris lying to Crusch-sama several times with my very own eyes." Julius revealed, making Felix flinch back and Wilhelm nod his head in confirmation.
"So there must be loopholes that the Sin Archbishop must be using to bypass Reinhard's divine protection, right?" Emilia asked, glancing at Subaru warily from the corner of her eyes.
"...Sin Archbishop…." Emilia's words seemed to have the greatest effect on the raven-haired boy as he shook his head desperately in denial, biting his lips hard enough to draw blood from them. "...It's her fault…. she was lying…. she did something…. that's why Emilia-tan thinks that I'm…." The fingers of his right hand were clawing at his left over his sleeves, as if in an attempt to tear it off while his tears kept hitting the ground.
"That seems to be the case here. In fact, I have heard cultists and hardened criminals often end up foolin' Reinhard's divine protection." Anastasia explained.
To Reinhard, it felt like they weren't speaking rationally at all. They had no qualms about using his or Crusch's divine protection to verify the truth before this.
But at this moment, all he could see was a hint of a madness in their eyes, that wouldn't be quenched until they had captured the Sun Archbishop. No amount of justification he gave would ever get through to them.
"That is indeed the case." Julius nodded in affirmation. "Furthermore, there is one more thing I have not yet mentioned."
The purple-haired knight looked at Subaru with indignation and revealed, "I believe the blonde girl in question is the same person we met during our fight with Gluttony, the third Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. When Ricardo and I managed to corner Roy Alphard, he suddenly morphed into her. She called herself Louis Arneb and claimed she was his younger sister. She felt if the fight continued any longer, Alphard would lose and so she would be running away." He paused for a bit as he gripped the hilt of his sword. "We tried to chase after her but unfortunately, she slipped away. It was our carelessness that led to her escape." He spoke with regret.
"That still doesn't answer my question. Why should we believe her when she said he is Pride? If she is Gluttony, she really could have eaten his name." Surprisingly, it seemed that Priscilla seemed to agree with Felt.
"That's because before she escaped, we had caught her saying this: the Gospel had instructed the two of them to rescue Wrath as everyone else was already gone."
"—"
"Felt-sama, if she is one, who is the second? He was the only other person who was present when Wrath was escaping. And he was identified as Pride in front of the Great Spirit. I am certain she was talking about him at that moment."
Felt still wasn't convinced. She felt that the people accusing him were being incredibly biased based on suspicion and were simply presenting her evidence condemning him, when he hadn't even done anything but cry until now.
"I see. Felt-chan, ya heard my knight. If I had to guess, that girl and this child here are probably responsible for breaking Wrath out. This child, …Pride here is probably distracting us from going after Wrath and probably taking advantage of this confusion caused due to the 'Nameless' to probably avoid suspicion and escape." Anastasia theorised as she lightly stroked her scarf.
"That damned Fox Woman should really stop talking!" Both Subaru and Priscilla reflexively muttered in annoyance under their breath in unison, while Al simply nodded at them.
Having seemingly heard each other make the same comment, Priscilla looked at the raven haired boy in amusement, while Subaru panicked over his subconscious comment having been heard.
The only other people to have heard their comment were Reinhard and Felt, who looked at the two in bewilderment.
But before Felt turned around to ask them what they meant by that, Beatrice continued in her accusation of the mean-eyed boy.
"And that's not all. He reeks of miasma, in fact. The miasma around him is the same, if not greater than that of a Sin Archbishop, I suppose. That is proof that he has an Authority and is a Sin Archbishop, in fact."
"—" The boy simply stared at her in despair, unable to defend himself.
"What is an Authority, Beatrice-sama?" Julius asked.
"It's those disgusting abilities that the Archbishops have, I suppose. This Cultist definitely has it."
"Hey, do ya have an Authority?" Anastasia questioned.
Subaru took a single glance at Reinhard in horror, giving Reinhard the answer to the question. "...Wait! It's a misunderstanding! I swear I am not a Sin Archbishop! That girl, Louis Arneb, ate my 'Name'! I really am Emilia's knight-"
"Please stop!" A bell-like voice chimed in anger.
"W-what…?" Subaru stumbled in shock as he turned his gaze to the owner of the voice.
"Please stop calling yourself my knight! I don't have a knight, but if there's anyone I can call that, it's Garfiel. He's worked reeeeally hard for the past year. When the city was under attack by your people, he fought his hardest to save Mimi and everyone else. I will not allow you to diminish his hard work and his achievements, villain!"
Her words were the final nail on the coffin as Subaru was completely heartbroken, all his hopes were dashed.
"Ya didn't answer my question. Do ya have an Authority?" Anastasia repeated her question.
"B-Beatrice, please believe me! I know you can feel it as well! Our contract!" Subaru defended himself desperately.
"...This is your Authority, isn't it? To force a one-sided contract onto someone without their consent, I suppose." Beatrice fumed. "—How dare you, I suppose! HOW DARE YOU FORCE A CONTRACT ON A SPIRIT LIKE BETTY AND HUMILIATE HER, IN FACT! MINYAAA!"
As Beatrice incanted the spell, purple crystals began flowing out of her hands towards the raven haired boy. As he saw the Minya crystals approaching, "Why, Beatrice?" Sobbed Subaru as he closed his tear-filled eyes and clutched his chest. Any contract that had existed between them had been broken by Beatrice as she shot the purple crystals at him.
"NOOOOO!"
Many voices could be heard in the background. Ferris was screaming, Felt was panicking, and Emilia, Julius and Wilhelm were watching the scene at a loss for what to do.
But before the spell could kill him—
"Reinhard!" "Reinhard-dono!" "Sword Saint!"
—Reinhard had saved him.
Before he knew it, Reinhard had gotten in the way of the incoming attack and had defended the raven-haired boy. He didn't know why, but his body had moved even before he could have thought about it. Almost everyone was convinced that Subaru was a Sin Archbishop, including the Great Spirit.
Yet, why couldn't he bring himself to believe it? All of Reinhard's instincts were screaming at him that the boy in front of him was a good person.
"What is the meaning of this, I suppose! Are you trying to defend a Sin Archbishop, in fact?"
"Reinhard…" Felt whispered in pity as she watched her knight try to protect the boy.
Priscilla simply smirked at the scene. "It looks like the Sword Saint and her Master are the only ones here capable of thinking for themselves."
"Sword Saint Reinhard-dono, the Great Spirit herself has confirmed that this person is an Archbishop. Even with this knowledge, you continue to protect him." The old butler of the Crusch Camp spoke up upon witnessing the events, a hate filled glare directed towards his grandson.
"...Grandfather, I... I don't know... I'm just doing what I feel is right." After much hesitation, Reinhard replied.
Wilhelm then turned to face Subaru. His expression changed from pity to disgust as he turned to Reinhard before he began speaking.
"Reinhard-dono, you feel protecting this Archbishop, verified by the Great Spirit herself, is correct?" Wilhelm seethed with rage upon hearing Reinhard's words. Pointing his sword at Subaru, he spoke out, "You feel that this Cultist deserves to be saved and your grandmother deserved to be killed?" While everyone looked around in confusion, all Reinhard could do was stare at the ground, wallowing in guilt.
"—You truly are a monster." Wilhelm muttered inaudibly that even Reinhard couldn't hear him.
"...Reinhard…. I'm sorry." The red-haired knight heard a weak apology behind him. He turned around to see Subaru staring at him with guilt.
'Why was he apologizing? He didn't do anything wrong.'
"If I may, Reinhard-dono, by aiding him, not only are you directly opposing most of the candidates present here and hindering the recovery of my master and the others afflicted by the Witch Cult, you are also putting your Lady and those you care about in danger!"
"Reinhard, you are too kind. So kind that you feel the need to protect everyone. But don't get caught in his act!" Julius advised him, pointing his sword at Subaru. "He is a Sin Archbishop, verified by the Great Spirit herself. Please move aside so we can take him." Julius appealed to Reinhard.
As Reinhard continued to be at a standstill, Julius walked past him towards Subaru. "I'm sorry, Beatrice-sama, but since the other Sin Archbishop escaped, we cannot kill him yet. We'll need to take him for interrogation."
"...Fine, I suppose." Beatrice reluctantly agreed.
But before he could reach him—
"Stop right there, commoner! I have decided, this fool is coming with me." Priscilla spoke as she blocked his approach. With one hand fanning herself and the other on her hip, she gave a bored look to the others before turning around to glance at the forgotten boy kneeling on the ground.
"Eh!?" Both Subaru and Al's jaw dropped at her declaration while everyone else looked at her in shock.
"Princess, are you sure? We could-"
"I told you to shut up!" Priscilla smacked his helmet once more.
"Priscilla, why are you helping me?" Subaru questioned her, unsure of her intentions.
Priscilla silently looked at him in annoyance for some time. "Why indeed, I wonder?" Putting a finger on her chin, she thought for a while before answering, "I simply felt like it. Is that not a good enough reason for me to do so?" She uttered the words to him before turning around and facing everyone. Subaru's eyes widened upon hearing her words.
"You were unusually quiet during this entire discussion and now you want to take him? Is it love at first sight or something?" Anastasia joked.
"Don't you dare talk to me, fox woman!" Priscilla fumed. "All of you fool's long-winded blather could not be more tedious. I have decided to take this clown with me. So just move aside and let me take him." She declared.
"Priscilla-sama, please move aside! Unfortunately, we need that piece of garbage to heal Crusch-sama. Because of these cultists, Crusch-sama is suffering. I will definitely find a way to heal her! ….Crusch-sama is…." Ferris rambled on and on like a madman.
"Disgusting!" Priscilla decided to ignore him.
"Priscilla-sama, if I may, at least three out of five Camps here are in agreement that he should be taken for interrogation. If you continue to protect that Sin Archbishop, it would gravely affect your candidacy." Julius spoke before being followed up by Anastasia.
"That's right! Let's not forget about the fact that Wrath was supposed to be captured by you, but she escaped. And knowin' your personality, it seems strange you are protectin' someone. A Sin Archbishop at that. It seems extremely suspicious, don't ya think?"
Almost everyone turned to look at Priscilla suspiciously at Anastasia's insinuation. Anastasia would soon come to regret her words when—
"You dare accuse me, fox?" With a single swing of the fan in Priscilla's hand, a cut appeared across Anastasia's neck.
"...Ah?" Anastasia, initially too shocked to process what had just happened, slowly raised her fingers to gently touch her neck. Although not too deep, the presence of blood on her finger was still enough to elicit a short gasp from her, as her breath became heavier with horror.
"—Anastasia-sama!" Julius screamed out and instinctively swung his sword in panic at the Sun Princess, releasing a burst of mana, realising only after the act had been committed that there were other people who could be caught in the line of fire.
"Princess!"
"Felt-sama!"
"Beatrice!" Emilia let out a scream, releasing a barrage of ice spikes at almost everyone present there.
Although Wilhelm and Reinhard managed to somehow diffuse the attacks, the volatile atmosphere had now boiled over to the point that everyone was staring down at everyone else, with the wish to tear each other's heads off.
Just as Reinhard had feared, a single action by the hot headed Priscilla had unfolded a cascade of chaos, nearly about to transform the place into a bloodbath.
If it wasn't for—
"STOOOOOP!"
—a scream that managed to temporarily bring them all back to their senses.
"Stop fighting amongst yourselves!" Subaru pleaded. "….It's her fault! This is what she wants! ….That girl…. Pandora is-"
"—What did you just say?" Emilia's voice had dropped by a hundred degrees.
"...Emi…lia…." Subaru weakly whispered out her name. His hair was standing on the end just hearing the bloodlust oozing out from her voice.
Never had he once believed that Emilia could be capable of such hatred…. And that hatred would one day be directed at him.
"Just die!" She said in an almost robotic way, sending her ice attacks his way. "Just die!"
"Emilia, calm down!" Beatrice screamed, but Emilia paid no attention.
"Just die!"
"Emilia-sama, please stop!" Reinhard requested, deflecting each of her attacks.
"Emilia-san, stop! We need the Sin Archbishop for interrogation."
Beatrice and several others had approached her, trying to calm her down.
However, Felt taking the opportunity to slip closer to the forgotten knight, offered him a hand to help him get up.
"This is your chance! Run away now!" She told him in a soft voice, urging him to move quickly while the others weren't paying attention to him.
"But…." Subaru reached his hand out, wanting to comfort the girl who had stopped her attacks and had now fallen onto the ground and was crying, obviously in pain.
"Save it, bro. She won't listen to you. None of them would. It really feels like they've lost all their senses. Just leave now while they're still distracted."
"..."
Unable to form any response, Subaru turned around and ran.
And as he ran—
"I do not believe you were given the permission to leave, cultist!"
—He was stopped.
"Wilhelm….san."
—By none other than the man he admired most in this world, the Sword Demon, who had grabbed his arm, not allowing him to run.
And it made everyone's attention return to him.
Reinhard could do nothing but watch helplessly as Julius walked over to Subaru and restrained him. The purple-haired knight handed him over to Ferris, who sported a dark glint in his eyes and began smiling maniacally.
"Don't worry, dear Cultist~! Ferri-chan will take really good care of you~!"
Both Reinhard and Subaru flinched as they heard Ferris speak. Felt just watched the cat-eared knight take the boy away with disgust.
"Please wait…. Just let him-" Reinhard began another desperate plea, but it was in vain.
"Cultist! Cultist! Cultist!" A few of the people who had stopped by after witnessing the commotion had even begun chanting.
Felt looked around in bafflement at the scene and then turned to face the raven-haired boy in pity, and Priscilla clicked her tongue in distaste at the scene. Anastasia was rubbing the cut on her neck, and Emilia was being hugged by Beatrice to calm her down.
"Princess…. I don't think that guy is a Sin Archbishop." Al, who had remained a bystander the entire time, spoke out.
"Why?" She asked.
"...I don't know. He reminded me of someone familiar." Al answered sadly.
Priscilla opened her fan, hiding her expression behind it as she took one last look at the forgotten knight.
"Do whatever you want for now, commoners." She spoke out furiously. "—This world is designed to operate in the way that works best for me." She announced to the world. "So it's a given that even if you take him now, he will come to me someday."
Subaru's eyes briefly met Priscilla's before being forced away by the knights.
With that she turned her head away bitterly, storming off angrily as Al followed behind her. "Al, let's go now! I do not wish to be involved with any of these disgusting pigs any longer."
Watching the fiery matriarch leave, Reinhard thought of what else he could do in this situation.
But his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
"In case interrogating that child doesn't work, I have a proposal." Anastasia suddenly spoke up gathering everyone's attention.
"What do you have in mind, I suppose?", Asked Beatrice, patting the silver-haired half-elf, who seemed to have calmed down significantly.
"—The Sage Shaula."
"What?" Murmurs could be heard going around the crowds as they began discussing Anastasia's proposal.
"In case the Archbishop refuses to help, to save the victims of the Witch Cult as well as provin' the Cultist's guilt….. if they're the person of legend who knows everythin' about the world, it wouldn't be strange if they can fix everythin', right? It will also put Reinhard's mind at ease. —Let's make a group of people to head to the 'Pleiades Watchtower'. What do ya think?"
"—"
Everyone present looked at each other doubtfully.
"I am fine with it, Anastasia-san. Let's do it." Emilia, with a new determination in her eyes, was the first to break the silence and agree to the proposal. It was hard to tell what she was thinking but at least she had calmed down.
Anastasia then turned to Felt. Felt hesitated a bit before finally responding, "Fine, I guess." She then walked towards Reinhard and told him, "Reinhard… you should go."
"Felt-sama?"
"This incident has left a really bad taste in my mouth. I don't want to think about it anymore." Felt continued as she looked up at him. "I'll go back home with Gaston and the others. You remain here and see what you can do about the victims."
"But Felt-sama-"
"You've already failed in getting to the Watchtower once, right? Well succeed this time save everyone like you're supposed to for once." Felt punched him weakly in the stomach.
As she walked away, Felt looked bitterly at everyone who were taking away the raven haired boy. She felt disappointed at the people she called her friends after they tried to throw Reinhard and Priscilla to the wolves, when all they were trying to do was defend someone who was being condemned simply because the Great Spirit said so. All the others had done was search for evidence that were in agreement with what Beatrice had said and refused to let him speak.
As Reinhard watched Felt leave, he couldn't help but feel he had disappointed her.
Reinhard vowed that he would do everything right the next time he met her.
And so, they had organised a team with Reinhard, Wilhem, Emilia, Beatrice, and Anastasia and headed for the Pleiades Watchtower. Julius had wanted to go with Anastasia, but had to remain behind to transport Subaru to the Capital, while Ferris was transporting Crusch.
At first, they had made good progress. Anastasia had revealed that she had a spirit with her that knew the way. However, after one day of travelling in the Augria Sand Dunes, they realised the tower was not getting any closer.
Anastasia had theorised that the Sage had some mechanism in place, probably some kind of spatial distortion to avoid people from reaching the tower. She guessed that they might be able to reach the tower by breaking through Sand Time. However, after weeks of attempting to break through, they had no choice but to return empty handed.
Reinhard had come to visit Subaru as soon as he had returned, only to be greeted by the sight of the half-dead boy sleeping painfully on the floor.
As he continued to be lost in his own thoughts—
"Reinhard?" A weak voice called out to him. Subaru had stirred awake and was looking at him with wide eyes.
As Subaru got up into a sitting position, his now slightly longer, unkempt hair brushed across his face, and Reinhard noticed that they had begun turning white. The mean eyed boy winced in pain as he used his scar-ridden arms to get up. Trying to move further backwards, his back hit against the wall. His face was contorted in fear, and he folded his legs inwards, wrapping his hands around them.
"...It seems you have woken up... Subaru."
"What are you doing here, Reinhard?" With his voice laced with suspicion, Subaru asked Reinhard.
"...I'm sorry." Was the only reply he could muster out.
"—?"
The confused white-haired boy stared at Reinhard, cautiously maintaining his distance. But after a while, he let out a sigh and steadily got up, limping towards Reinhard.
As he got closer, Reinhard wondered what Subaru was trying to do. Then, to Reinhard's complete surprise, Subaru began gently patting his head.
"...What's wrong, Reinhard?"
"...Everything is fine. Why would anything be wrong?"
"It's just…." Subaru hesitated. "You look like you're about to cry."
"—"
That's when tears began flowing down Reinhard's face and he truly did begin to cry.
Reinhard felt even more guilty. He truly was the worst. Subaru was the one in pain. He was hurt so badly that he could hardly stand, and yet, it was Reinhard that was crying. He quickly wiped away his tears and faced Subaru.
"Are you alright now, Reinhard?" Subaru asked as he stopped patting him and put his hand down, and Reinhard couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"I am fine now. I'm sorry-"
"I'm going to stop you right there. Someone who was important to me once told me that it's better to hear a thank you rather than a thousand sorrys." Subaru paused, and Reinhard watched as all signs of emotions vanished from the white-haired boy's face. "She doesn't really remember me anymore though. —None of them do."
Reinhard looked at him in worry. Something about the way Subaru spoke didn't seem normal to him.
But Reinhard felt that bringing it up was an extremely bad idea. He didn't know what to say. So all that escaped his mouth was, "Sor-...Thank you."
However, Subaru did not give him any response and instead, inspected the knight from top to bottom, as if trying to figure out his motives in coming here.
Once again, he reiterated his earlier question, "Why are you here, Reinhard? And how did you get here? I'm pretty sure Ferris and Julius wouldn't have let you in."
"They're…. not here. Our group has just returned from the trip to the Watchtower, so Julius and Ferris have gone to meet up with Anastasia-sama and…. Wilhelm-sama. It was a junior knight that let me in."
Subaru pretended to not notice the pause before he addressed Wilhelm and instead asked him, "Watchtower?"
"The Sage's Watchtower."
"The sage nonsense again!" Subaru muttered irritatedly under his breath, gritting his teeth.
"Subaru?" Reinhard called out to him in surprise.
"It's nothing. ….More importantly, what does the Sage's Watchtower mean?"
"You don't know the Sage's Watchtower?" Reinhard asked incredulously.
"I might have heard of it but can't seem to recall it." Subaru shrugged his shoulders. "I'm actually a foreigner. I don't know too much about this place to be honest."
"I see. ….It doesn't matter anyways. We failed to reach the tower." Reinhard said dejectedly. "This is the second time I've failed. No matter how much I travel, I can not seem to reach the tower."
"..."
"I…. didn't know how to face Felt-sama after disappointing her once again, and I don't know who else to talk to. So I came here. I am aware of how strange this sounds and I don't know why, but…. I thought I could rely on you." Reinhard suddenly felt a headache as he spoke the last part.
'For you… that would be no problem at all. —Right, I will look forward to it. You filling in for me… the parts that I cannot reach.' When had he said those words?
But as soon as the words left Reinhard's mouth, Subaru bit his lip and with a bitter expression, only replied with, "Why?"
Reinhard was thrown off-guard by Subaru's sudden question.
"Why did you think you could rely on me? Why did you come here?" Subaru backed away, his eyes trembling with suspicion and doubt, as he demanded Reinhard for an answer.
Reinhard thought for a while. He himself did not understand why he felt like he could rely on Subaru; his thoughts were far too muddled.
So instead, he just answered with what he truly felt. "...I don't believe you are a bad person. Despite what Beatrice-sama said, I couldn't bring myself to believe it. ….I really do want to help-"
"STOP!" Subaru shouted, slamming his fist against the wall. And losing his balance, he stumbled onto the blood covered ground.
"Subaru!" Reinhard rushed to help him in a panic, but—
"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER TO ME!" Subaru shouted. "...Why did you come?" His voice cracked as he spoke. "What's the point of trying to help me now?" He had once again curled up against the wall on the crimson coloured floor.
"Subaru…. I-"
"Say Reinhard, if I had murdered Ferris and Julius to save myself…. Would you still have believed I am a good person?" Subaru's sudden question made Reinhard take a step back in shock.
"Subaru…." Reinhard let out a heavy breath, with eyes wide in shock and clearly disconcerted by Subaru's disturbing question.
"If I had punched a hole through Ferris's chest…. If I had torn Julius apart limb from limb…. If I had popped the knights guarding this place like water balloons , creating fireworks of blood…. Would you still have tried to help me?"
A manic smile found its way onto Subaru's lips, and he laughed lightly, before the smile was wiped off of his face and was replaced with what seemed to be absolute horror. The white-haired boy began pulling his hair as he banged the back of his head against the wall behind him.
Reinhard was at a complete loss for what to do, his hairs standing on edge, watching the volatile Subaru before him bleed from his forehead. Something about the way Subaru spoke sent chills down his spine. He didn't even want to know the kind of things Subaru had gone through for him to say these things.
"S-Subaru…. Please stop that…" He requested, as gently as possible.
There was no reply.
"...Subaru?"
Subaru continued to bang his head against the wall, making him bleed even more.
"SUBARU!" The red-haired knight shouted, and the startled Subaru turned to face Reinhard.
In seconds, Subaru's mood calmed down, and he held his head between his hands, while his tears and blood rolled down his cheeks and fell into the puddle of blood on the floor.
"Subaru, are you alright?" Reinhard asked worriedly.
"Reinhard…." Subaru's voice weakly left his lips. "Do you really want to help me?" He asked.
Subaru's question immediately grabbed Reinhard's attention, and he nodded his head. "That's right. I want to help you. Let me take you to my-"
"—There's no need for that."
Reinhard tilted his head in confusion. But Subaru continued to speak.
"I just want you to leave the door open and go back. I'll walk away on my own."
"But Subaru…."
"Please…." Subaru spoke out weakly, as he covered his eyes with his hand, after wiping away his tears. "Just leave me alone. —That's all I want."
"What's with your moping, Rein?" Felt complained, stomping her feet at the sight of her depressed knight. "You just returned and your presence is already ruining my mood!"
Reinhard looked at her with a sombre expression. "I'm sorry." He said, before turning to look down at the ground again.
"—Argh! What's wrong with you?" Felt attempted to punch him in the face, but her fist was stopped right before she could land her attack. "Why do you have to apologise for everything?"
After two months away from Felt and the other Camp members, Reinhard was back in the Astrea Mansion in the Capital city. But considering the circumstances before his return, there was no way he was going to be happy in that situation.
Despite all his protests, Subaru had refused to accept any help from him.
'Reinhard, if you care about Felt's standing in the Royal Selection…. If you care about the safety of the people you love….. Don't get involved with me. Please leave. I will escape on my own.'
"Young Master, it seems something other than the trip to Watchtower is bothering you." The clinking sound of a cup of tea being placed on the table in front of him and the voice of the elderly maid of the Astrea family drew his attention.
His furrowed brows as he turned up to face Carol, confirmed that her assessment was indeed correct.
"Alright, that's it! Out with it! What's the problem?" Felt demanded an answer.
He hesitated but finally answered, "Felt-sama…. there's something I want to do, but you might not like it."
Felt gave him a look of surprise for well over a minute, before suddenly bursting into a fit of laughter.
"Haha! Since when have you worried about my consent? I don't remember liking you knocking me out, kidnapping me, dressing me up in weird clothes or forcing me to participate in this stupid Selection. But you did it anyway. What's one more instance of you doing something I don't like?" She said, laughing while patting Reinhard on the back.
Reinhard's eyes widened.
"Do whatever you want to do, Rein! You can't possibly make me any more annoyed than you already have!"
"But Felt-sama, you don't understand…"
"I don't want to hear anything! Your face is irritating enough even without that expression. Do whatever you have to do and get rid of it!" Felt ordered him.
Forcing him up, she dragged him out of the mansion.
"...Is it really alright, Felt-sama?"
"Do whatever you have to and don't come back until you fix that face of yours!"
Reinhard silently looked at her incredulously for a while, and then a smile came over his face.
"Thank you, Felt-sama." He said, giving her a small bow before turning around with a determined expression.
"Young Master, what about your tea?" Carol asked, right before he could leave.
"I don't think I would have time for that now." Reinhard answered in a soft voice and let out a deep breath. "Please get Ezzo. And also…. prepare a carriage. We need to leave immediately as soon as I come back." With only these instructions, he flew off to find the boy he had left behind.
Both Carol and Felt looked at each other in surprise.
"Any idea what that was about, Granny?" Felt asked, pointing her index finger in the direction Reinhard flew away in.
"I'm afraid not, Felt-sama." Carol answered. "But I was certain you were aware of something with the way you were trying to convince him."
"As if I'd know what that idiot is thinking of." Felt shrugged her shoulders. "I was just sick of watching him sulking like that."
Carol gave a small smile upon hearing Felt's words, and they stood there watching till Reinhard had completely disappeared from their vision.
And then, Carol turned around to head back into the mansion. Sensing the urgency in Reinhard's voice, she went ahead to prepare for everything he had asked.
One step at a time.
Subaru dragged himself along the cold hard walls of the underground prison, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
With every step he promptly fell down, forced himself back up and stepped forward again and again, inevitably repeating the cycle over and over.
With every step, it was getting harder and harder to walk with all his injuries.
But with every step, he was getting closer and closer to freedom.
It was a bit strange though, how the place seemed to be almost devoid of any guards.
And that made him dread what was coming.
He didn't understand if this was God's cruel idea of a joke. To give him hope, then have it ripped right from under his fingers.
But it was either try to escape while the coast was clear, or remain stuck in an eternal torture loop.
Of course, he also had the option to just kill himself right then and there, erase all his pain, and escape while he still had the chance. He knew where his save point was. He could definitely escape if he came up with a proper plan, and prevent the torture altogether.
'Absolutely not!' His inner voice commanded him to take a step forward as he had been doing till now.
He didn't not know if it was because he was scared of dying or if it was because he did not want to erase Felix and Julius's crimes, but in the end it didn't matter. He just wanted to get out of this prison alive.
"You should've left with Reinhard-senpai earlier." A disappointed voice reached his ears.
He gasped and lifted his head up to spot one of the knights observing him from the end of the prison hallway.
The knight had chestnut brown hair and emerald green eyes, and seemed to be about a year or two younger than himself. He had his hands folded in front of him, and was leaning back against the wall.
Subaru had seen him several times earlier. In fact, this knight was the same person who had helped him several times before, by slipping him extra food and water and even first aid sometimes.
In the previous loop, he was one of the few who had not gone after Subaru during the massacre.
Subaru's face immediately contorted in pain remembering that loop.
"...I'm a suspected Sin Archbishop. There's no need for Reinhard and Felt to get into trouble for me." Subaru replied to the knight's words. "...I don't deserve it." He whispered inaudibly.
"I don't know whether to call your attitude admirable or stupid. You're going to waste your whole life just trying to escape this place. The guards aren't going to stay asleep forever, you know." The knight responded to Subaru's words.
"...Asleep?" Subaru tilted his head in confusion.
"Forget it! It's nothing. But really, was it a good idea to let Reinhard-senpai leave like that? He only wanted to help you."
Subaru knew that.
And a part of him felt disappointed upon watching Reinhard leave, even though he himself had begged him to.
But it was for the best.
"Just so you know, I'm really weak, so I can't really help rush you out of here. This is the most I can do."
"...Why do you want to help me in the first place? I don't think we've ever met before and I've never helped you or anything." Subaru asked, genuinely curious about what the knight's objective was.
"...I have several reasons but…. I'm not really helping you. It's the opposite. I'm trying to help myself."
"Huh?"
"All my life, I've tried to avoid becoming a knight. ….But here I am right now. Why? It makes no sense to me. ….I just thought…. you might know why."
It made no sense to Subaru. Why would Subaru know about a person he's never met before?
"What the hell are you-"
"—Subaru, I refuse to leave you alone."
Subaru was suddenly interrupted when the voice of the person he had driven away an hour ago reappeared in his ears.
"..."
"You are too injured to walk on your own. Let me take you back to my mansion. Ezzo and the others can treat your injuries."
"Reinhard, why did you come back? Didn't I tell you to leave?" Subaru asked in disbelief.
Why was Reinhard being so persistent? Subaru shouldn't be going with Reinhard or anyone else for that matter. He was better off alone.
—No one could hurt him, and he couldn't hurt anyone.
"Subaru, tell me you want me to leave. Tell me you don't want me to save you. If that is what you truly want, I'll leave."
Subaru stared at Reinhard in surprise. Just what was he trying to achieve with this?
Taking a deep breath, Subaru spoke out, "I want you to leave. I don't want to be saved."
However, as soon as the words left Subaru's mouth, Reinhard let out a chuckle.
"Understood. I'm taking you with me to my mansion, Subaru."
"Eh!?" Subaru exclaimed in bafflement as Reinhard smiled, the perplexed look on Subaru's face giving him a great deal of satisfaction. He walked closer to the white haired boy and lifted him into his arms, holding him in a princess carry.
"Reinhard, what are you doing!?" Subaru exclaimed, while twisting and squirming in the arms of the red-haired knight.
"Did you know, Subaru, that this was the first time I have seen the wind of untruth blowing around you since the very first time we talked?"
"—Hk!" Subaru had completely forgotten about Reinhard's divine protection.
"Please don't move so much. Your wounds seem to be opening up." Reinhard landed a smack on Subaru's forehead, effectively knocking him out.
"I think you're the one opening up his wounds right now!" Reinhard turned around to see the same junior knight that had let him in watching all his actions.
"I…." Reinhard thought of what he could say to explain himself, but the knight simply put a hand forward, stopping him from making any excuses.
"Please don't waste your time making excuses here, Reinhard-senpai." He told him with a grin across his face. "Leave before anyone comes here."
Reinhard nodded his head and immediately headed out of the prison. But just before he could leave, he turned around one last time.
"Zacharias," He called out the name of the junior knight walking behind him.
"Yeah?"
"Why are all the guards asleep? They do not seem to be waking up even with all the noise we've been making."
"...They work so hard everyday, so I wanted them to relax and rest for a day." Zacharias answered, while taking out a Fannel fruit from his pocket and playing with it, while still maintaining his grin on his face.
"..."
Reinhard sighed.
"So, am I in trouble?" The junior knight asked with a smirk.
"You should be. ….Unfortunately, I'm on a holiday." Reinhard answered.
Zacharias laughed. "Now that that's dealt with, I should go back and do something about the blood stains on the floor." Waving goodbye at Reinhard, he went back inside.
After watching him leave, the Sword Saint turned his gaze at the white-haired boy in his arms. Something told him that Subaru wasn't going to be too cooperative once he woke up. But that did not mean Reinhard was going to leave him alone in that state.
He did not understand why he had the compulsion in needing to save Subaru. But he had already failed in capturing the tower, and he was determined to not fail in saving Subaru.
"….I hope Felt-sama won't be too mad if I brought a guest home today." Reinhard mumbled as he leaped into the air.
The boy in his arms, finally safe from the horrors he had faced in the prison cell, had relaxed in his sleep, while they made their way to the place that Subaru would learn to call home.
Hi everyone. This is my first fic and it is inspired from Re:Forgotten and The Sun Princess. Recently, I have seen a lot of Re:Forgotten stories but none where Reinhard actually comes to the rescue. So, I decided, I'll just do it myself. Unfortunately, I have never really written anything before, but I tried my best. So please forgive me if the story seems forced or the characters are OOC. Anyways, thanks for reading this and I'd love to know your thoughts on this. Until then, see you next time.
Thanks a lot to Antic Master for beta reading.
Also, to everyone who's still here after my long break, thanks a lot for reading this. I hope you liked it.