DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Re:Zero and other products related to the this series are all owned by Tappei Nagatsuki.

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Chapter 3: Bleak Darkness, Rough Light

Despite Emilia's assurances and Reinhard's own guarantee that nothing wrong was going to happen if the situation got too risky, Subaru just had this sinking feeling that this felt too 'easy'.

Massaging his stomach, a gesture that was seen by the others as merely an attempt to soothe his unease, the young man traced the precise area where his belly got ripped open. The feeling had been so unpleasantly 'odd'. It wasn't the same as other injuries he got from before coming into this world.

At first there wasn't pain, but dread. The air yanked out of his lungs, his body screaming that something was wrong and... he was walking into that place once more. The unease wasn't that unjustified, he reasoned deep within his mind. Dying shouldn't be a pleasant experience, especially with how violent his 'first' one had been.

The previous thoughts about the chances of this being more than just a 'one-time thing' returned to his mind, but the young man was nonetheless displeased by those. He wasn't going to risk it, not with how vicious his previous demise had felt on his soul. Even now he felt the effects of it, as if something had been 'lost' that first time.

He was almost tempted to make a joke about this circumstance having deprived him of his 'death v-card', but the gloomy topic just pulled him away from that kind of amusement. Subaru just couldn't bring himself to think for too long about it without feeling genuinely upset with himself. It had been stupid to assume that a house of thieves would be safe for someone like him, an unarmed civilian, to enter without any issues. Stupid and suicidal. And also mortifying because he led Emilia to an early death too.

Breathe in and out. One, two, three...

Emilia's gaze would keep at his frame at times, turning away whenever he looked back at her. Was she trying to look at him while she thought he wasn't noticing? Puck's amused look seemed to confirm this, but Subaru saw no reason to press on this matter. Reinhard hummed jovially through the whole walk, suggesting a few things to keep in mind within the chances of a fight. It was an acceptable idea to have extra advice to rely on in case the battle turned in a way the NEET didn't see as favorable. The real issue within that advice was Subaru's role. Since he was the weakest, he expected for him to be taken the furthest away from the fight... but no. The red-haired knight was quite direct and frank about that matter.

"Lady Emilia's safety is pivotal for this kingdom's fate. I would suggest you don't let anything happen to her, Subaru. Even if this could cost your life."

His heart tightened at that last bit, but he was surprised when Emilia suddenly looked angry at that statement.

"While my safety is truly important, I believe what you said was lacking of care towards a friend of mine, Sir Reinhard," The half-elf argued heatedly. "Please, put some genuine interest in his well being."

Rather than being stunned or offended by that response, the knight smiled and nodded. He looked pleased by that remark, as if he had hoped for this reply but... how? And why did he take that route just to get her to speak that way about Subaru? The young man was confused, but Reinhard decided to offer some insight on the reaction.

"I'm truly relieved to hear this. You see, Lady Emilia, we all had a very mixed view of your take on how you see your allies due to your... current benefactor."

Emilia's frown softened, almost agreeing to that comment, while Puck huffed at that last bit. The whole reaction had Subaru confused over the topic. 'Benefactor'? Does this mean that Emilia might have someone that could potentially hurt her? That sounded to be the case but... maybe that wasn't as simple. Since this world was set in a feudal era, with some old traditions he was quite sure were common in Europe, perhaps it was just a matter of reputation or something like that. Japan was different in that regard, but while he observed that some traditions reminded him of home, it was also true that the rest of things he had seen here were common in the West.

Another reason to find a few books on the matter and see what I have to be cautious about in terms of politeness.

He saw no reason to pipe in beyond saying that 'it was fine'. And... that actually annoyed Emilia for some reason. The girl just started to stare at him with irritation, something that stunned him for a moment, but was little to what he felt when she spoke up about her current mood swing.

"It's not fine when a friend is treated that way, Subaru. I'm not that kind of person."

The young man felt touched by the moment, and offered just a frail smile as he wasn't exactly sure how to handle that interaction. Cautious and a plan-maker he might be in social situations, but this was one of the rare times he wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer it. And with no answer from his way and his awkward look, the white-haired elf was quick to see it as her win. Somehow. He just didn't question that victorious look on her face, preferring to stare at it and wonder how someone so cute would be treated this oddly by everyone else.

Differently than before, the house of thieves was not drowning in the darkness. The lights were on, the interior was visible and... there were just two individuals in there. The first one in sight was the tallest of the two and sported a bulky figure. He looked like a small giant as he stood around 7 feet, with his hunched back making him appear slightly shorter than that. He had white strands of hair lining his eyebrows, the only few locks that remained in his mostly bald head. He was wearing a sleeveless vest.

The other one was... a girl. Short, with fair skin and medium-length golden hair with a black bow. Her red eyes glowed vibrantly as she was soon looking at them entering the place. Her outfit was made of a black top, red scarf, and black pants that were incomplete on the left side, where she also wore a red ribbon. Covering the skin her top didn't hide from others' gazes; she also had a vest, gloves, and a belt with a sheath where a lone knife was, while down to the very bottom she prominently had a pair of brown shoes.

"Welcome to my Warehouse, Knight. How may we help you?" The welcome from the old man was polite and yet it perfectly blended cutting formality with a warning tone.

"Good afternoon, we're looking for an item that has been... displaced."

The blonde shifted nervously, quite enough to confirm it was the thief that Emilia spoke about, and she was soon glancing right at the knight and then to Emilia, her red eyes gleaming in familiarity... before then finishing that quick study of the situation with him. Subaru stared back at the girl, with her eyes narrowing as she almost sensed his own doubts on engaging in that exchange and...

Those are some cool eyes.

He rarely saw red eyes on anyone, so, in a way, this combination of blonde hair, red orbs and the girl herself behaving like a standard tough tomboy... that was just plain adorable in his eyes. If circumstances had been different and he had been given the chance to speak and befriend the girl, he would have plotted some head patting for her. But right now, the only thing he could do was stare and wonder how it was possible for a thief with that kind of 'flashy theme' would be able to elude chases and attention from others. It was after he was done setting out the questions he realized that the girl had averted her eyes away from his, her cheeks a tone pinker as she really looked intimidated by him and... he felt at fault for it. He had been told many times by his parents to not stare at people for too long since he got eyes that tended to look mean when he stared at something and someone for too long. It was clear that was the case. And to make things worse, he realized that Emilia had been staring at him for a while. She had a 'sturdy' look on her face, with a hint of a pout by her lips as she tensely glanced at him. Was that annoyance that he saw on her face? Towards him or the situation?

Just as he glanced back at her, the girl suddenly looked away, a red hue spreading over her face in clear embarrassment. Subaru just felt even more embarrassed, mistaking that reaction as the same one that the thief had with him. Should he apologize once they were done with this? Definitely, he thought quietly.

His attention was back to Reinhard and the owner of the place, having missed most of that conversation due to his staring contest.

"I see. So this item could bring us that much trouble?" The small giant remarked with surprise. "I didn't expect the kingdom would go so far for it considering its size."

"The insignia is a relevant aspect of the succession. Trying to steal and sell it would warrant some dreadful consequences, of which I'm willing to ignore because I'm aware of your good conduct despite your foul affairs." The redhead admitted, his lips forming a thin and slightly upset line. "That would be just part of the problem, Rom. I believe we can agree that your presence here is already shaky due to your... previous allegiance."

'Rom' grunted, picking up the small insignia and looking ready to give it to Reinhard with nothing more than a small whine. But while he did so, his gaze moved elsewhere as the doorbell rang once more, announcing someone else had entered the place. And while Subaru didn't see his murderer in their face, he could tell this was the one. The murderous assassin that took his first life. A pleasant smile on her face, a polite humming and then a surprised look on her place.

This... this is going to be troublesome.

Felt was confused by the sudden change of mood from the knight.

Sure, the blonde had noticed the ominous aura coming from their customer, but after spending years of working in the business, the girl knew it was normal to work for unpleasant people. Yet, this very reaction and the unease shown by Rom was enough to confirm one thing: this customer wasn't a 'good one' for them. Especially since the product she asked for wasn't one that they should be dealing with.

The tall woman's long wavy hair was the same shade of black as the young man, which was actually uncommon to find around on other people and almost made Felt wonder if they were related somehow, and it was braided into a long tail on the left side of her head that reached down to her hips. Her slim body was well-endowed with large breasts and sultry curves, quite peculiar and intriguing for a young girl as Felt as she wondered if she was ever going to reach that bewitching beauty herself, yet her wonder was stunned by the deadly pale creamy skin color of the customer. Her outfit matched the focus of her beauty by being extremely provocative. She wore a pair of black elbow-length gloves with purple trimmings at the top, a pair of black high-heel shoes, and a black dress with purple decorations that was both strapless and backless and featured brown tights. The dress, that looked skin-tight and accentuating her hips and sizes, also had thigh-high slits on either side and an exposed front that flaunted her bellybutton and cleavage.

"Truly a feast, I'm so... pleased of the many guts that can be spilled."

These words further cemented the young thief's mind on the matter, especially with how lustful they sounded despite the unpleasant topic, and she was quick to unsheathe her knife for the occasion. The gesture was noticed, but almost mocked with a mirthful look from the 'customer'. Leering at her that way, it just pissed Felt off even more.

"I believe that will not happen, Elsa Granhiert."

The name didn't ring any bell in Felt's mind, but Rom was already looking belligerent at that announcement. This wasn't a fun business anymore from the way things were escalating. Even the pretty elf took a fighting stance and the young man beside her, the one she was quite sure was holding back something scary from the mean gaze he got, looked quite unsure of what to do. Worry? Could it be that her early assessment of the guy was wrong? Nonetheless, that wasn't important.

The woman smiled coyly. "Oh, I didn't know that I was known by the Sword Saint himself. Still, good Sir, I'm looking forward to seeing how precious your guts are. What kind of color do you think those are? Normal? Or perhaps they own a sense of 'justice' to them. Or even better, the sorrow of losing a mother at a tender age."

Felt almost shook her head in disappointment at that comment. Sure, trying to bait someone could normally be pleasant in case they could be overwhelmed but... that wasn't the case. Just with a step, the impetuous assault from the redhead was ferocious. The assassin quickly brought her daggers out but those barely blocked the strike of a... normal sword. A frown adorned Felt's face as she was quite sure someone like the 'Sword Saint' should have something stronger than that. And it was there that she noticed the man had been holding his proper sword holstered. Why would he do that?

Despite her confusion at that move, the blonde was soon baffled by something else. They were moving fast. Really fast. Even with her trained eyes, Felt was struggling to keep up with their paces. How was it possible for someone to be that quick? How was it even doable for them both to be able to move around without crashing somewhere. Her early efforts to master her skills had resulted in no shortage of failures before she got the right amount of speed and control needed for precise rushes. But right now, all that hard work that she had grown to be proud of felt insignificant before that display of speed.

Just as she tried her best to track their movements, she failed to notice something soaring towards her. In the middle of the fight, the assassin had thrown one of her daggers out, and it had aimed for... her. Why? Felt's head exploded in pure confusion as she brainstormed as quickly as she could on her matter, as she was unable to understand the reason behind that attack. Why her? What did she do that the others didn't? Why did the Assassin think of her as the biggest threat? Her legs received the message to move away from the approaching projectile, yet her feet were still standing on the ground. Dread roused from within, but as she saw the dagger getting dangerously close to her face, her world shifted down. Her footing was lost, someone had pushed her onto the ground and... then she saw blood flying out as the dagger found flesh. A loud yell filled with pain, Felt's already wide-open eyes were aimed at the individual that just pushed her out of danger's way and... felt horror piling up. The young man, he had saved her from that. And that dagger almost took his shoulder off from how big the gash was.

Is he even going to survive this?

Before she could say or do anything, she noticed tears had started to form and her chest was contracting in shivers. Panic, she had seen her life pass before her own eyes. Sure, she had lived on the streets long enough to know death could be around the corner... but there would normally be a warning, and she would be keen to avoid taking any road that got her too much heat onto her butt. Right now? She didn't get any choice, and she should have died due to her body freezing up in such a terrible situation.

"A-Are you alright?" The guy asked, his usually mean eyes flashed a mix of pain and confidence.

Who was he to ask her if she was fine? She should be the one speaking! So why didn't she speak? This last question ended unanswered for a while, but then her voice returned and she replied with a single word.

"S-Stupid."

Stupid for jumping and helping someone that was rotten bad, that was a thief, that was no one you knew about. But beyond that confusion born from that response, Felt spotted a strong lingering feeling of determination. There was no regret, even if the pain had to be horrible for someone like him.

That moment was interrupted as a shadow loomed over them. Violet eyes peering over the two as the young man, instead of moving away... stood between her and Felt. Why? Once more, her perplexity kept her quiet and shocked.

"Your eyes are... quite familiar," Elsa hummed quietly, amused and yet intrigued. The comment was aimed at the young man. "I've seen eyes like yours... yet yours are softer."

That last detail was relayed with quite the disappointed tone, yet her smile didn't falter. Felt was confused, and the shivering from the dumbass matched hers. Both were clueless on what she meant with that, but the blonde didn't see reason to keep in that position. To her credit, the assassin managed to dodge a knife-throw this close, her amusement remaining despite the sudden attack from the thief... but cracking as Reinhard used the opportunity to finally strike through the woman's defenses. The sword cut, but it also shoved the assassin away due to the strength applied to it. A pained gasp, then the assassin was forcefully slammed on one of the walls, with that part of the building cracking at the impact.

Silence echoed within the room, with Felt's gaze and breath shaky as she hoped it was over. That the knight had actually killed the bitch but... that didn't seem to be the case. For the most part. The assassin ran away, possibly frightened by that deadly hit, but she had survived the encounter. Time passed, Felt was helped up and Rom checked on her. He saw her tears, and the blonde felt extremely embarrassed. When was the last time she cried in front of him? A long time ago, and even now he sported the same calm and patient look. 'It is only a natural reaction', he told her back then. That everyone cries at times, especially when we face something so unfair that could hurt us. And now she came close to dying.

While she thought it was over and that life could return to normal, the red-haired knight that had helped them asked a single favor out of Felt. Something silly in her mind, but that he was quite serious in having her try. Rom looked uneasy, but allowed her to give it a go but gave her a warning.

"Be careful."

Was the insignia really dangerous for those that weren't part of the kingdom? She had used special gloves for that, but the knight wanted her to try it. He said that something about Elsa's behavior had him interested in a 'possibility'. Despite her many questions and state of mind, the blonde complied and held the insignia in her palm.

...

"...Why is it glowing?"

AN

And so it is! This first 'tutorial arc' is now over and I have to say a couple of things:

1) While Subaru will accept Emilia's offer to stay at the manor, I have some plans to make it a bit more than just a 'no-brain' decision. A small 'issue' called Felt;

2) As this chapter and the previous point addressed, I plan to give Felt a bit more relevance in the story. I think she will add more to what I've in mind and... right now the main pairing is SubaruXEmilia;

3) Barusu is going to bring more than 'Victory!' to the village. Be prepared for some small improvements for feudal life and... head pats. Lots of them.

Also, answering those reviews about people confused about Emilia's reason to introduce herself as 'Satella': It's not the same as the one in the canon timeline. In this particular case it was to see if Subaru was genuinely helping her and not knowing who she was, or if he was being nice to her because he knew she was the possible new king of Lugnica and wanted to be in her good graces. As the interaction goes, I don't need to explain how that proved to be unnecessary but… politics are mean in Feudal times. Especially when authorizing hits was normal back then.

REVIEW Q&A!

IiTzSunrise: No, they 'speak' Japanese. But, at the same time, how do you know this dialogue isn't just translate through the magical BS that allows Barusu to speak the 'Common Tongue' but be unable to read papers?

N0rtom: I think it's because common belief from many readers has them expecting this kind of story to be the most common. Which isn't incorrect with how many of those 'stray' from canon a lot and there are also 'React to' stories to get the most traction out of them all.