Chapter 4: Split Decision

Two days had passed since the initial heartbreak that came from Subaru's disappearance. Morale was at an all-time low due to Roswaal keeping a strict eye on each member of the Mathers Mansion. He was more than glad to enforce his stance, even if it meant using an iron fist. With that iron fist came a sense of urgency for those who cared.

Petra watched as Frederica lifelessly carried out the duties entrusted to her as acting head of the mansion. In any other situation, she would practically be dancing down the halls, making sure not a single spot was left unattended. There wasn't much the little maid could do on her own to comfort her mentor.

Petra knew that Frederica was being buried by her own sense of guilt. They all felt responsible in one way or another, but Frederica seemed to take it worse after finding out Rem was missing too. She wasn't even sure if Frederica had gotten any sleep given the heavy bags under her eyes. Concerned and worried that if this continued on any longer, it might start to seriously affect her health, she could only watch.

With Garfiel unable to trace any scents and Otto finding no luck with any of the animals, all that was left was to go off their best guess. Ram had the idea of investigating her home village in the hopes of locating Rem. It was definitely a long shot, even considering the fact they were sisters; their lack of memories of her cast doubt on the operation.

Visiting the old village wouldn't be simple given the isolated location, but they didn't have much else to go off of. Even with that sound reasoning, getting permission to leave the mansion proved to be difficult. The only way Ram was able to convince Roswaal to let her go was by having her carry a tracker at all times. This would relay her location as well as anything she sees to him with it without her permission.

Ram was hesitant, but after Garfiel begged her on his hands and knees, she reluctantly accepted the conditions. She knew that the pair of siblings both felt obligated to watch over Rem in Subaru's steed, and having her missing was eating them alive on the inside. At the very least, Garfiel wanted to ensure that if Subaru returned, he wouldn't have to worry about the sleeping beauty's safety.

After preparations were made, Frederica and Petra were informed of their exclusion from the expedition. To say Frederica was livid afterward would be an understatement. To her, it was as if they were telling her to simply stay put until they could find a use for her. That feeling of uselessness shook her to her core and made her question the value she held for her peers.

Similarly, Petra was also discouraged after finding out she would not be going on the expedition. Deep down, she knew she didn't offer much in the same way Otto and Garfiel did when it came to these sorts of tasks. "My time will come," she told herself.

Beatrice took notice of the disappointment Petra was feeling and decided to talk with her that same morning before the departure. For a few hours, they both talked—not about Subaru, not about the mission, not even about the mansion—but rather about how much they valued one another as friends. Beatrice may have been hundreds of years older than Petra, but she was still a little girl deep down. Petra had a way of making her feel like a kid again without making her feel guilty.

It didn't mean much, and it wasn't a promise, but Beatrice had declared to her that she would be bringing Subaru back. Even if she had to drag him back by the ear, she was making sure he made it home safe. She was even nice enough to let Petra join in on the scolding she was going to give him.

A declaration like that was no better than an empty promise. There were almost no clues, no real plan, but Beatrice still said it with such fire in her eyes. That conviction was more than enough to reignite the little hope Petra had in herself. At that moment, Petra felt all of her doubts blown away.

Petra had been attempting to come up with a way to share that hope with Frederica. It was simply becoming too noticeable how much of an impact Subaru had on their daily lives as a whole. The entire atmosphere of the mansion was shifting from one of a tightly knit family to one of a prison. The weight of the world that they had been blissfully ignorant of began to surface with seemingly no end.

By no means was Subaru the only thing they had going for them. He was joyful and optimistic, despite how stressed he seemed at times. It was that carefree and loving attitude that drew everyone close. Even when faced with a bad day, he would find a way to turn it around and make the most of it. He represented the indomitable human spirit that they lacked.

As she continued to half-heartedly sweep the ground, Frederica could feel her eyes grow heavy. It didn't matter what the task was; it all felt wrong. nothing more than a waste of time when she could be out helping find Rem or helping find Subaru. Being left alone with her thoughts was starting to grow dangerous, not only for herself but also for the group.

"While Subaru is a valuable member, how can we be so sure he wants to return?"

Roswaal was a good-for-nothing narcissist with an ego problem the size of Lugnica, but he still managed to make sense that day. Everyone in the group felt a bit differently about what he said. Most of the members easily brushed it off, but unfortunately for Frederica, she was left contemplating everything she had ever asked of the boy. What was right, and what was too much?

The peace they all monopolized came at the price of Subaru's own freedom. That is the conclusion Frederica had reached after trying to decipher the noise in her mind. Nobody in their right mind would ever want to willingly be put in that situation again. The chance of returning to a life you're familiar with was probably the only one Subaru would ever be given.

That realization manifested itself in a sea of voices. Frederica had no chance of drowning them out on her own. She could feel her body tensing up from the stress and anxiety building up. Any attempts at simply ignoring the noise or trying to redirect her focus only caused her to notice it more than before. It was an uphill battle; she had no experience or idea how to win.

Frederica turned to face Petra, attempting to keep a straight face, she just needed to hear a familiar voice. "Do you really think Subaru wouldn't want to come back?"

With Frederica treating Subaru like taboo, Petra was caught off guard after hearing her ask about him so bluntly. "Honestly, I don't know." "I truly wish I could answer that."

A large frown could be seen on Frederica. "After all we've been through, I do not know if I would have the heart to return either." "Without him, I doubt we would even be here today."

Petra slowly started to approach her mentor. "I wonder what else she's been thinking about that she won't say."

Even with the vast love she harbored for Subaru, it was hard to say he would wish to return. He was torn away from his home without warning and is forced into life-or-death situations almost immediately. The love he spread may have been nothing more than a coping mechanism for knowing he would never see home again.

"Hey, do you two happen to know why-" an oblivious Emilia could be heard asking from behind the two.

The pair of maids nearly froze in shock. They were under strict orders to not inform Emilia of Subaru's whereabouts, even if it brought about a strain in their relationship. Nobody really had an issue with that order since Emilia would most likely not take the news well. That, however, made any interactions with the girl similar to walking on eggshells.

The half-elf was oblivious to the conversation that just took place. "Are you two all right?" I know I'm not the best looking, but Subaru did say I was beautiful. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Frederica couldn't find the words to appropriately respond. "I've just been…"

Emilia took a long look at Frederica. "Are you alright?"

"She hasn't been feeling well; I actually came to bring her back to her room." A panicked Petra said

Frederica certainly didn't look well, but the half-elf suspected there was something else afoot. "Well, I was just wondering where everyone went. I saw them take off in Otto's carriage yesterday, but I thought they would be back by now."

Seeing the suspicion on Emilia's face made Petra a little nervous. "They went off with Subaru to investigate a lead regarding a possible cure for the sleeping beauty syndrome."

Nothing was out of the ordinary, but Emilia's gut was screaming at her that there was more to this. "Have you checked on Rem at all today?"

Frederica put on a smile. "She has been transferred over to Felix's care in the meantime, I'm afraid!"

This was the lie Roswaal had fabricated in anticipation of Emilia's curiosity. They could make up hundreds of excuses for Subaru, but there was no covering up Rem's sudden absence. She had previously been transferred to the Crusch estate once before on a suspected lead that Subaru insisted on chasing for about a month. The perfect lie for the perfect cover-up.

After some minor small talk, the maids took their leave. Emilia stood in silence, contemplating her next actions. There was something about their answers that raised an alarm. It was hurtful to think that they didn't trust her enough to share what was really happening. Despite finally proving herself to be capable at Sanctuary, she was still being treated like a child.

Tears began to run down her now-flushed cheeks. All the trust she had placed in those around her appeared to be one-sided. Normally, when she felt this way, she would be able to confide in Subaru. He would listen for hours on end with no complaints, but right now he was focused on Rem.

A woman that nobody but Subaru remembered, she was a mystery despite looking exactly like Ram. From the stories he told of her, she was the most dependable, lovable, and caring maid the Mathers mansion had ever seen. Hearing the man who proclaimed his love to her speak so intimately about another woman was starting to make Emilia question the validity of his words. She never saw herself as the jealous type, yet here she was.

Jealousy was nasty and crude, but it was an emotion she felt anytime he would lock himself in the sleeping beauty room for hours. It wasn't always obvious, but at times it seemed as if the two had some sort of romantic tension before she succumbed to her illness. Knowing that was a possibility, the half-elf found herself wishing at times that Subaru had lost his memories of her as well.

Considering she basically just wished the very person Subaru was fighting so hard for didn't exist, she figured she needed some fresh air. She wasn't the type to wish ill on anyone, not even her enemies. Yet despite her best efforts to understand Rem, Rem was always the victim of her resentment.

Walking down the empty halls, a shiver went down her spine. For the most part, she did her best to ignore it, but ever since moving the mansion, she's felt a strange gaze on her. No matter how many times she asked Roswaal to investigate, he never found anything that would cause concern. Part of it also had to do with not having Puck with her at all times.

There was a horrible knot in her stomach. Slowly, it began to seem like she was losing those she cared about the most, one after the other. First, it was Puck, then it was Subaru, wherever he may be, and now there was doubt in the relationship she had built up with the maids. There was already a limited number of people she could lean on, and it wasn't getting any bigger at this rate.

Emilia shook her head violently. "Why can things never be simple?!" Why does it always have to be us? "We're just trying to take things one day at a time, damnit!"

"It is often difficult to find some semblance of peace in hard times." "It may seem unfair, but there is always a reason, at least that is what I would like to believe." A rough older voice said

Emilia was startled, nearly losing her balance before catching herself. "Sorry, I didn't notice you there!"

The man who asked was none other than Wilhelm van Astrea. "No need; you were quite deep in thought. I shouldn't have spoken up so suddenly." "It may have been rather rude, but if I can be of any assistance, let me know."

Emilia let out a relieved sigh. "There's just a lot of things I would like to sort out, that's all. I apologize if you managed to hear my sudden outburst! I didn't think anyone would be here."

Wilhelm gave her a kind smile. "Well, I'll be taking my leave. I hope you have a pleasant day."

Emilia's curiosity got the better of her; Wilhelm was here, and there was definitely a good reason. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you to the mansion?" "Unless it's confidential, then I do apologize."

Wilhelm looked a bit uneasy. "Well, I simply came at the request of Felix." "It appears Subaru didn't respond to the media we gave him, and admittedly I was concerned as well."

"Oh! Well, he went off to check on a lead that might help Rem. "It was kind of sudden, so he might not have it on him." Emilia reassured him.

"I'm relieved to hear that. If I'm being quite honest, Roswaal gave me the same answer, but I was reluctant to believe him so quickly." Wilhelm smiled.

Emilia playfully shook her head. "I don't blame you; sometimes I wonder if he's ever telling anyone the truth; oh, and make sure to thank Felix for me!"

Wilhelm looked confused. "I don't mind doing you the favor, but thank him for what, if I may ask?"

"For taking care of Rem while Subaru is out investigating, of course!" Emilia smiled.

Wilhelm took a moment to think. "I do apologize, but to my knowledge, Rem is still residing with you all here."

At that moment, she felt something within her heart snap. "Oh, I see. Well, I really should get going; I still have a lot to do!"

Wilhelm didn't even get another chance to speak as Emilia dashed away at full speed. She couldn't stop; she had to keep going until she was back in her room. Her heart was racing at full speed, and the tears from her eyes blurred her vision. The same knot in her stomach turned into the worst gut-wrenching pain.

"They lied, they lied, they lied..." she cried out until finally reaching her room.

"If they don't trust you, why should you keep trusting them?"

An unfamiliar voice found itself sneaking into Emilia's ear, much like a gentle whisper. It sent chills down her spine, and she felt a foul sensation come over her skin. She shivered, holding her arms and frantically looking around for the source of the whisper. What bothered her about it was how sincere the voice had sounded.

Emilia fell to her knees, unable to control her tears. "First they lied to me, and now I'm starting to hear things!"

"Do you really think they lied to you because they didn't trust you?" The voice whispered

Mustering up her strength, the half-elf got the door to her room opened, dragging herself to the bed. As small as it may seem to her, that simple lie broke her heart more than she imagined it would. These people were her family, the people who were always supposed to be in her corner whenever the situation arose. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel like an outcast; she finally had a place to belong.

The pain she felt was like none she had ever experienced before. Just moments ago, she couldn't even control her tears, and now she could do nothing but lie down and be unable to make a sound. Her body felt numb, all of her senses numbed by the pain in her chest. After a few minutes of attempting to process these emotions, there wasn't much she could do but stare up at the ceiling.

There was a small feeling of regret that snuck in between the one of heartbreak. If there was anyone to blame for the way she was feeling now, it would be easy to just pin it on the other, but it was her decision to lower her guard that landed her in this position. Blinded by faith in others, it was a risk she was not prepared to take.

"Subaru, at least I know you'll always be there for me." Emilia said before dozing off.

As Wilhelm exited the estate, he turned back to take in the eerie view of the mansion. It was nicer than the previous one, and it wasn't as barren. Seeing the reaction of Lady Emilia made Wilhelm suspicious of Roswaal. Subaru never directly said anything ill of the man, but after the events of Sanctuary, Subaru always seemed to harbor some spite concerning Roswala's actions. What exactly the clown had done was a mystery to anyone outside the group.

It was then that he recalled the exact phrase Subaru had mumbled under his breath.

"I really wonder, had it not been for this damn authority, just how screwed would we be?"

Initially, Wilhem did want to question Subaru on what he meant by authority. Authorities were only granted to the Arc Bishops of Sin, and if he had heard Subaru correctly that day, it would have been the same as accusing him of being a member of the church. The more he tried to think about it, the less sense it made. Subaru had to lead many battles against the very church he would be a part of if he possessed authority.

There was no other way around it; the next time Wilhelm got to see Subaru, he was going to ask what he meant that day.

Meanwhile, on an unnamed path, two days after departure

Otto and Garfiel had been sitting in the front of the carriage, keeping as much of their attention focused on being lookouts. Even with his best efforts, Garfiel couldn't pick up either of the two's scents even after coming all this way. While the main purpose of the mission was to retrieve Rem, he didn't want to ignore the small chance Subaru could be there as well.

However, now that they had almost reached their desired destination, the fact that Rem's scent wasn't showing up either was becoming a concern. If Rem wasn't at the village or the previous Roswaal mansion, then there was little they could do to locate her. Garfield was bothered by it ever since they explained that the spell was meant to send the target "home." It was too vague a description for his liking.

Garfiel threw himself back onto the stiff carriage seat. "Hey, Bugman, is there any update from any of the animals?" "We're almost there, and I have nothing on my end."

"DO NOT CALL ME BUGMAN! "I can speak to all animals, not just bugs!" Otto snapped.

"That's not the issue here; you didn't answer my questions." Garfield scoffed.

Otto grew silent.

Garfiel didn't need him to answer to know that even the animals hadn't found anything either. It definitely took some of the wind out of their sails. Things had already fallen apart enough since they left on their expedition. What little hope and optimism they had was slowly whittled away the closer they got to the village, with no signs of anything.

Otto spoke up. "I'm sorry. "Even after checking in every hour, it's all the same."

Garfiel was aware that Otto was pushing the limits of his blessing, already having a few ear bleeds because of it. "Don't be; we're all trying our hardest here." "Your boss wouldn't want you to beat yourself up about it either."

Otto just rubbed his eyes, letting himself reminisce about how good things had been just a few days prior. "You know, earlier I was wondering what Subaru would be doing in a situation like this."

Garfiel followed suit, closing his eyes and letting himself melt into the seat. "He'd probably already have an idea of where they were, I bet." Either that, or he'd have some clues. I mean, we're entirely in the dark here."

Otto flicked the top of Garfiel's head as payback for the Bugman comment. "Whenever I think about it, I feel a little guilty." It kind of seems like he's cheating sometimes. "There's no way any of us could ever figure out what he knows unless we had prior knowledge."

Garfiel held the spot on his forehead that Otto had flicked. "Honestly, I was going to argue with you, but you're right." "Kinda like he's had a few chances to get it right."

The carriage continued on steadily without issue. The cool breeze was complimented by soft and warm sunlight. It started to cause Otto and Garfiel to drift off. The lack of sleep had finally caught up with them, and they felt their eyelids had become too heavy to keep open any longer.

After about another hour, the carriage had come to a halt. Beatrice and Ram exited the carriage to see their drivers long gone in deep sleep. Both knew that the two had been pushing themselves since the whole trip started, so they decided to let them continue their well-deserved rest.

Ram began to release Patrasche from her harness before they went off to explore the ruins of the village that lay a few feet ahead, but she could feel someone's gaze at the back of her head. As far as she could see, there wasn't a single soul aside from the animals. She wondered if it was just her nerves acting up since she hadn't come back in so long.

It was hard to explain, but the atmosphere around the village didn't seem as heavy as they expected. Despite being the location of a tragic event, it was rather peaceful, similar to the eye of the storm. It was almost straight out of a painting.

The two carried on, seeing the abundance of wildlife that had decided to call the area home. To their surprise, there weren't nearly as many magical beasts as they assumed. Being this far away from any kind of civilization, it's almost a guarantee that one would have to deal with hoards of them.

Beatrice turned towards Ram, expressing some rare concern for someone aside from Subaru. "Are you going to be alright?" I mean, this is the ruin of your home."

Ram kept a neutral expression. "Well, being bothered will do us no good now that we've gotten this far. "I've come to terms with what happened, as cold as it sounds."

Her response made things a little awkward for Beatrice, who decided to remain silent until Ram spoke again. Not too long after they were standing in the middle of whatever rubble was left over from the attack, The charred remains of what used to be homes were now being overtaken by the local plant life.

In a twisted way, Beatrice felt like it reminded her of the way she was before. She was burned out and without hope, just going through the motions of everyday life. All she could have ever hoped for was to find fulfillment in "that person." But now, much like the plants, she was trying to make the best of the pieces left behind.

Ram, on the other hand, was taken aback. The aroma of the fauna filled the air, making her recall memories of a time back when she was a child. Times were much simpler, and she would play day and night without a care in the world while being doted on by her parents. Knowing she once possessed that childlike innocence was bittersweet.

"To be honest, I think the worst part is that I don't even know if I liked her." "I could have hated her, maybe even resented her, but she's nothing more than a stranger to me." Ram said

Beatrice stood closely beside Ram. "Subaru is always talking about how close you two were. "I don't see a reason for lying when we'd regain our memories of her once the curse is lifted anyway."

Ram knew Beatrice was right but had some trouble accepting it regardless. The frustration alone was enough to bring her to tears on most nights. With everything going on, she was beginning to harbor some unsavory thoughts, not that they were enough for her to attempt anything.

"I just wish I didn't exist anymore."

Beginning their search, they skipped the homes that weren't even standing, but even those that were standing wound up empty. Anything inside was charred and ashy, like the remains of old furniture. What felt like a simple rescue mission was starting to look like it was going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Every room was just as empty as the previous one. Neither of them wanted to break the momentum they had going. They knew it wasn't a guarantee that Subaru would be here, but for Rem to not show up would mean they had no idea of her whereabouts. She had to be here for the sake of everyone, including her.

After the final room turned up empty, Ram threw herself on the charred remains of a mostly intact bed, kicking up a large cloud of ash. "Did we really expect it to be this easy?" "I'm starting to feel like Barusu."

The ash engulfed the air, making Beatrice cough and sneeze. "And what does that mean? I suppose"

Ram tried her best to hide her grin. "Incompetent."

Beatrice glared at the pink-haired maid with a pouty expression. "Honestly, all of you are so immature, I suppose!"

Ram sat up. "On a more serious note, what are we going to do?" She wasn't here, and this was probably the only lead we had.

Beatrice took a seat next to Ram. "Unfortunately, that leaves us with one of two possibilities."

"And what would those be?" Ram asked

Beatrice let out a sigh. "Well, the first possibility is that whoever cast the spell knew that Rem would be here and beat us to her." took her hostage, I suppose."

Ram crossed her arms. "And that would leave us with the question of who took her and why they took her."

Beatrice twiddled her thumbs. "The second predicament would be that we were wrong about what Rem considered home. "We assumed your home village or the Roswaal mansion would be the answer because we assumed she'd value you the same way you do."

Ram rubbed her eyes. "But if Rem considered somewhere else home, we'd have no idea because we have no memories of her." "The only person who'd know would be Subaru."

In sync, the two spoke. "So either way, we're back to square one."

The two exchanged looks and seemed to be chuckling a little. The whole trip, they had been so stiff and serious that they weren't giving themselves a chance to relax. They got sucked into the mood, letting it cloud their judgment. They needed to keep their heads straight if they had any hope of solving the mystery.

Garfiel could be heard screaming at the top of his lungs, followed by the cries of Otto attempting to calm him down. It was their sign to start heading over to the pair before they got themselves into any real trouble.

"I smell her!" I can smell her! Let me go check, dammit!" Garfiel pleaded.

"Let's wait till Beatrice and Ram get back!" said Otto, holding Garfiel in a headlock.

It didn't take much for Otto to lose his grip on the boy, considering the difference in strength. Once he broke free, he took off at top speed, with Otto chasing behind.

Garfiel decided to try and shake off Otto by going through a narrow path littered with plants and rocks. His plan would pay off when he heard Otto trip and fall into a face full of dirt. A part of Garfiel couldn't help but smirk as he enjoyed messing with Otto.

He stopped in his tracks after seeing the path lead to an opening. It was definitely the source of the scent, but he had a gut feeling that something was waiting for him. Subconsciously, he began to grind his teeth.

Otto finally caught up with him, ready to give him a piece of his mind. He was ready to give him a piece of his mind right after catching his breath. He could hear the loud grinding of teeth that hurt his sensitive ears.

"Didn't Subaru tell you not to do that?" Otto asked

Garfiel turned to face him, realizing he was grinding his teeth. "Damn, I didn't even notice."

"So what's up ahead?" "You think she's there?" Otto asked, still catching his breath.

"I don't think so; the scent isn't necessarily getting stronger despite getting closer." "It's probably something related to her though." Garfiel said.

"Let's hope Beatrice and Ram are able to find something in the village then." Otto commented.

"Sorry to disappoint, but we came up empty on our end." Ram said.

Otto let out a sigh of frustration. "Well, that's just our luck, isn't it?" "We are seriously a magnet for the unfortunate."

Beatrice elbowed Otto. "Luck or not, we at least know something smells like Rem up ahead."

Garfiel placed his hands on his hips. "I think there's a graveyard up ahead; it kind of smells like one." "Although I was going to tell Otto that we should go before Ram got here..."

"While I appreciate the concern, it's a little too late for that kind of thing." "Let's just check it out." Ram cut in.

Beatrice started walking ahead. "We're not going to get anything done just standing around."

Nobody could shake the goosebumps from wondering what could possibly be waiting for them in the graveyard. While crude Beatrice had a point, standing around and brainstorming doesn't present results in this situation. Reaching the clearing, the sudden burst of light blinded them.

As their eyes adjusted to the change in brightness, they could see that tombstones were neatly arranged row after row. It was a grim reminder of just how many people used to call this place home. It didn't take long to spot where the scent was coming from.

Otto held his arm out to stop everyone from moving. "We should be careful; it could be a trap to lure us in."

Ram pushed forward, kicking Otto's ankle. "No offense, but I'm pretty sure we would have noticed someone besides us poking around."

Otto let out a whimper of pain while holding his ankle. "Okay?! You could have just said that you didn't have to hit me!"

What they ended up finding was a ball and chain made to resemble a morning star. It was adorned with blue accents and showed some moderate wear and tear. Licking for them, there wasn't any dried blood or chunks of flesh wedged into it.

Ram picked it up, holding it up for the group to see. "I guess it's safe to say that this was her weapon?"

Otto took a closer look. "That's a stark contrast to the wand you use, Ram."

"No kidding, it's like the polar opposite!" Garfiel added on.

"As fun as it is to see the difference between you two, this didn't exactly get here on its own." Beatrice added.

Ram looked down at where it was placed. "I doubt Rem got up and came all the way here to set it down for us, so that means someone wanted us to find it here."

Beatrice took this opportunity to explain the conclusions she and Ram had reached when finding nothing in the village. This heavily leaned in favor of a third party getting to Rem before they could and thus holding her captive.

It wasn't a major discovery, but it was a step in the right direction nonetheless. The group agreed not to tamper with the weapon until returning to the "new" Roswaal mansion. Try as she might, Beatrice knew she didn't have enough mana saved up to attempt any of the complicated spells it would take to analyze the weapon. They were going to have to rely on Roswaal himself.

The group slowly made their way back to the carriage as the fatigue of making a two-day voyage without any stops started to wear on them. The two that had it worst were Otto and Garfiel. Aside from the short nap earlier, they hadn't gotten a full night's sleep this entire time. It was obvious the two were running on nothing more than adrenaline and fumes.

Ram tripped Otto and Garfiel, making them fall flat on their faces. "I think we should camp out here for the night." "We've been going nonstop, and at this rate, we're all going to collapse."

It took all of his remaining energy, but Garfiel managed to pull himself up by Ram's skirt. "We can rest when we get back to the mansion; we've finally got a lead, and you want to just stop?"

Beatrice approached him. "We aren't going to find him any quicker, no matter how fast we rush things."

She had made her point, and a damn good one. While there was still daylight, the group decided to camp out next to the entrance of the cemetery. Unlikely as it may be, there was still a chance that they might be able to see something overnight that they couldn't see during the day with all the noise they made. Luckily for them, Otto always kept camping equipment in the carriage in the event he ever found himself unable to make a trip on time.

The first thing on the agenda was for Otto to make dinner for everyone. Nobody took the time to eat these past two days, especially with the carriage moving non-stop. It was a side effect of letting themselves get sucked into the heat of the moment. Letting things like that happen would become more and more dangerous if they weren't careful. The group all agreed that, in order to keep things fair, they would each take turns keeping watch for anything in the graveyard. With nightfall sneaking up on them, they all gathered around the campfire before getting ready for bed.

The silence was too much for Otto, so he decided to speak his mind. "I may be misunderstanding, but is anyone else curious why Roswaals' curse hasn't kicked in? Isn't it supposed to keep him from making these types of moves? He's blatantly turning his back on Subaru."

"That's because he isn't doing anything wrong." "It might seem like a scheme, but there's a pretty good reason behind what he's doing." Garfiel said so, to everyone's surprise.

They turned to look at him with such shock on their faces that it was almost insulting to the young boy. It was no surprise they would react that way. He had basically made it a point to actively go against anything and everything that ever came out of the clown's mouth. Suddenly coming to his defense, he was half surprised they didn't question if he was the real Garfiel.

In truth, Beatrice was also curious as to why the loudmouth eighth grader suddenly started using the logical side of his brain. "Might you explain why you believe that, I suppose?"

Garfiel took a deep breath. This was one of the few times he was going to defend the clown. "Roswaal is always going to be an ass who needs to be knocked off his high horse."

Hearing this, everyone rolled their eyes, but he continued anyway. "But I think in his own way he's trying to help." He's far too proud to admit it, but if Subaru really wasn't given the choice and was just dragged here... Well, this might be the only real chance he ever had at going home."

The group was silent after Garfiel gave his spiel. Nobody nagged or teased the young boy for what he had said. In truth, nobody needed to say it; Roswaal might not be the big bad, but they needed a common enemy to keep from pulling themselves apart. They could only take things one day at a time.

Beatrice huffed and puffed. "Well, why are we acting like we're so unsure?" "Of course, he wants to return; our contract isn't broken, I suppose."

Ram was the first to raise an eyebrow. "Is there a clause stating that he can't leave you?" "That's awfully insecure."

Beatrice developed a slight blush across her cheeks. "W-well, to be specific, the contract doesn't state anything like that in particular... But since it isn't broken, I assume it could be true. I suppose."

Garfiel could be heard snickering. "It's rare to see you act like a girl; I could have sworn you were like that old hag!"

Beatrice glared daggers at him. "Honestly, even without Subaru, I'm surrounded by imbeciles! I suppose! "

"Come on, guys, let's just get started on cleaning up before we end up scaring away our potential lead." Otto said.

Ram was the first to start cleaning up, as half-assed as it was. "That's assuming there even is a perpetrator involved." "There's so little we know we might as well assume the damn weapon walked itself here."

Garfiel painfully watched as Ram failed to effectively clean anything. "Man, watching you clean up Ram makes me wonder how much trouble you've given the poor guy."

Otto chuckled as he washed what little dishes they had. "I doubt any of us gave him that much trouble after al-"

Otto could feel his muscles constrict and pull themselves in. It was similar to a jolt of electricity being continuously shot into him, and more specifically, his brain. It took all he could to grab his head before violently shaking and collapsing on the floor. Garfiel was the first to run over, with Ram and Beatrice close behind.

All he could see were bits and pieces of conversations between him and Subaru. What was odd was that none of them seemed familiar. Through the pain and his own screams, he couldn't quite focus on what he was seeing. He and Subaru were afraid and running from something in his carriage. He couldn't make out the conversation they were having, but none of it mattered once he saw how it ended. Otto had pushed Subaru out of the carriage, essentially leaving him to die wherever they were running from.

The entire group was gathered around Otto, trying their best to help. He was violently convulsing, and he was hot to the touch. Garfiel tried to douse him in water, but it didn't seem to do any good. Any spell that Beatrice and Ram tried didn't seem to work. Whatever was happening wasn't anything they had seen before, and it was something that even magic couldn't touch. Panic set in, and I had no idea what to do to help.

Suddenly it all just stopped. Otto was no longer screaming and just lying on the ground. His eyes were coated in a heavy fog. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say he seemed almost dead. The group quickly got him up and dried him off, attempting to question him on what happened.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't say anything aside from

"I'm sorry, Subaru."

A:N/ I know it has been months since I posted anything but I was really having a hard time figuring out how I wanted this chapter to play out. I felt like I was making Emilia a little to cookie cutter but I think I sort of got her just right for this chapter. I also had no one to look over and review the chapter for grammatical errors and since I wrote it of course it is all gonna look fine for me but I found someone willing to do it! I will try to keep a steady schedule of one chapter every 1-2 months. I would try to do every month but I don't wanna burn out and then have the fic suffer because I wanna get through it!

Thank you all for your support! I read all feedback so let it rip! It's my first fic so I know it ain't perfect!