You woke up to see Subaru shaking your body.

"(Y/N)! What just happened?! We walked into the ruins, and I don't remember what happened, but I woke up and saw you passed out next to me! Weren't we supposed to meet a witch?!" He was still shaking your body, so you brushed him off.

Before you could tell Subaru something, you heard a voice inside your head. '(Y/N), act like you don't remember anything as well. He will believe you.'

This was Echidna. Right before you were forced to leave her tea party, the Witch of Greed had given you a black pendant, which had surprisingly materialized under your shirt, where you had put it on back there.

Following her advice, you scratched your head. "Well, I can't remember anything either."

Subaru looked down at the ground. "It kind of feels like someone said something to me..." He shrugged his shoulders. "Anyways, we should get back outside and look for Emilia and Otto."

You stood up and followed him out of the ruins.

'As you can tell, Subaru has no recollection of his meeting with me. You, on the other hand, have made a contract with me, so you will naturally remember everything.'

'Well, I can't imagine it any other way. If I had a contract with you and couldn't remember it, that would be pretty bad.'

Echidna chuckled. 'Maybe for you.'

This didn't sit well with you, but the bright light caught your attention. Squinting your eyes and covering them with your arm, you looked out from the ruins.

Otto was on the ground, and he was stunned. Literally.

All of a sudden, Subaru, who was standing next to you, was lifted up in the air. You took a step back and observed what was going on.

It was none other than Garfiel who picked Subaru up by the scruff of his tracksuit. Before you could do anything, he decided to pick you up as well. "Look 't the two 'f you, just waltzin' out 'f there! You've got some nerves, outsiders!"

When the two of you struggled to get out of his grasp, Garfiel began to laugh. "Is this like a magmarin laughin' when it's full 'f holes?"

'Uh... Echidna? What's a magmarin?'

'I would like to know as well. Ask him for us, would you?'

You sighed. It seems like nobody can understand whatever it was that Garfiel was saying.

But that sigh stopped when he threw Subaru away from him, towards the field where Otto was lying. Luckily enough for Subaru, Patrasche caught his body with her dragon carriage before it could hit the ground.

You wouldn't be so lucky.

"Don't throw me! Garfiel! Please let me down! I'm not trying to pull anything! Let me down!" You started to squirm frantically because you didn't feel like breaking some more bones today.

Just as you asked, Garfiel let you down. Let it be noted, however, that he did it quite violently. If it wasn't for your regeneration, you would have been left with several bruises for the rest of the week.

"How th' f'ck do ya know m' amazin' self?" Garfiel asked while he towered above your body, which was still on the ground before him.

Naturally, you bluffed your way out of it. "I didn't come here without doing some preparation. Why wouldn't I know who the Shield of the Sanctuary was?"

Hearing this boosted Garfiel's ego. "Aha! I like you! Now, what were ya doin' in there? If you're up t' no good, then I've got n' choice but t' kick ya out'ta here."

'Tell him a close version of the truth.'

"Well, me and Subaru, who you threw, got lost in the forest. And then we saw this little girl who had pink hair and white robes, and we followed her. We came out over here, and decided to go inside those ruins."

Garfiel narrowed his eyes. "That still ain't explainin' why you're here!" He began to pick you up again, ready to throw you as well.

Subaru saw this, and shouted from his position on the dragon carriage. "You know Frederica, right?!"

Garfiel froze where he was, and turned to face Subaru. "Why did I hear th't name from y'r digustin' mouth?"

"Just think about it!" Subaru yelled.

Without pausing and without putting you down, Garfiel replied, "Thought about it. Don't know." His face transformed into a wicked smile. "I'll think some more aft'r I chunk this guy here across the forest!"

Before Garfiel could 'chunk' you, you decided to get a few words in. "It's because we know her too! She came to the mansion to take care of it for Ram, and we met her when we got there!"

Garfiel slowly put you down. Then, he leaped to where Subaru was. Apparently, you weren't as high on his kill list as he was.

"How th' h'll did ya know I have anythin' t' do with Frederica?!" he screamed. You had no issue hearing him, even though you were a good distance away from him.

You didn't hear Subaru's response, but you could tell from his facial expression that he said something along the lines of, "Are you serious?"

Garfiel obviously resembled his sister, as they both had golden hair, and their faces looked pretty similar.

This really proved how little the demi-human was thinking right now.

'Hmph. So I guess that you won't be asking him what a magmarin is? You might kill me with the anticipation that I had.'

'But you're already dead...'

'...Did you like my joke?'

Time Skip

After Garfiel finally understood that you and everyone else wasn't a trespasser, he became a lot less angry.

Now, you were sitting with him in the dragon carriage as Otto was steering Patrasche to where everybody in the Sanctuary lived.

The mentioned merchant was still rubbing his head from the bash that Garfiel had given him. "I got beaten up for nothing..What am I supposed to do with this anger?" he asked with a straight face.

Garfiel put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his seat. "Ya nev'r shut up, do ya, trader? I apologized, didn't I?"

"You call 'Hey, sorry, numbskull, I kinda jumped the gun,' an apology?!"

Inside of your head, you agreed. With Garfiel, of course. His apology was reasonable.

'You know some amusing people, (Y/N). I haven't witnessed such excitement for the past few centuries!'

'And that might not be a good thing.'

'As long as I am here, nothing can be as bad as you believe it will be. Any situation will be turned around in your favor when the Witch of Greed is helping you.'

'Thanks. I guess.'

'That's i-"

You tuned Echidna out as you found out that someone was talking to you. Holding a conversation in your head and one with the physical world was something that you haven't gotten the hang of since you don't have any practice doing it.

Garfiel leaned over and hit you playfully, though it still hurt. "You agree with me, right? Ya gotta act on a ganglion before ya think about it."

You nodded your head slowly. "Yep. That's right. Thinking just gets in the way." Of course, this wasn't necessarily true, but getting in an argument with Garfiel was not a wise thing to do.

He laughed, which showed off his sharp teeth. "He knows what's goin' on! What's ya name?" he asked you.

You cleared your throat and introduced yourself. "I'm (Y/N) (L/N). As of right now, I'm a part of Emilia's camp, and that's about it."

Garfiel looked over to where Emilia was sleeping. "And that must be her, right? The famous silver-haired half-devil that Roswaal's helpin' out."

Subaru stood up in objection. "She's a half-elf! Don't ever call her that again!"

Garfiel waved his hands in dismissal. "Don't get so work'd up about 't. I'm just messin' with ya." He leaned forward again and clasped his hands together, and looked as if he just had a wonderful idea.

"Do ya wanna know how it feels to be a bazomazo bein' flung back an' forth?" He cracked his knuckles, and looked expectantly at Subaru.

'Actually, I would like to know more about this. (Y/N)! Volunteer yourself!'

At this point, Echidna wasn't really providing any helpful feedback, and you were questioning your choice to make a contract with her.

'No thanks.'

You used the short and abrupt reply method to get her to stop pestering you. Did it work, or did she just decide to be quiet for another reason? Either way, Echidna went silent after that response.

Meanwhile, Subaru was just as confused as everyone else was at what Garfiel was trying to say. "Um... Is there a translation glitch between us? If that's the case, I would like to report a bug."

"Huh?" Garfiel started to look for a bug, but couldn't find one in the dragon carriage.

At that point, Emilia was finally starting to wake up.

When Subaru noticed this, he called her name. "Emilia!" He then rushed over to her side, and went down on his knees in front of her. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

Emilia rubbed her eyes, obviously still drowsy from the forced sleep that she was put in to. "Subaru...?" She then looked around the carriage, and noticed Garfiel sitting at the other end of it. She snapped up, and covered Subaru's body. You were sitting pretty close to Garfiel, so you were out of her reach.

"Who are you?! Just so you know, I won't let you lay a finger on Subaru. And don't you dare lay a finger on (Y/N)!"

Subaru, who was standing behind Emilia, began to blush. "Hang on, Emilia-tan! I appreciate it, but as a guy, I have mixed feelings about this! Really, I'm fine!"

You nodded your head in agreement, and Emilia was beginning to look confused.

Garfiel, the reason for her confusion, just closed his eyes and rested his head on his arms behind it. "I ain't gonna do nothin'. I don't want Ram givin' me h'll lat'r," he exclaimed confidently.

"Ram?" Emilia blinked in surprise.

Subaru began to explain the situation to her, but you were listening to a different voice now.

'Tsk. She's revolting. If possible, I would like for you to avoid her at all costs.'

'Why do you hate Emilia so much?'

There was a slight pause before Echidna continued. 'That is something very personal, so I will not be sharing that with you. I am confident that I will tell you in time, so you will have to wait for that explanation.'

You considered this, and then nodded your head, even though Echidna wasn't physically with you. 'Fine. I'll be pretty busy, and I'm leaving it up to Subaru to figure out how to help her through everything here, so I probably won't be seeing much of Emilia anyway.'

Echidna didn't say 'thank you', but the lack of a reply was just as good.

But it really was a shame. You might have been able to figure something out about Emilia's actual heritage, but it looks like it's still going to be a long time until you figure that out.

And there was one more thing that made you a lot more nervous.

Ram.

It finally hit you that you were about to meet her again, and it was probably going to be rough. At the very least, the confrontation was going to be awkward. At worst, you might have your heart shredded again. No amount of regeneration could fix the damage from her verbal assaults.

You were snapped out of your thoughts when a breeze hit you. Both Subaru and Emilia were poking their heads out of a window, presumably to look at the Sanctuary.

Garfiel, similarly to a tour guide, began to introduce the three of you - plus Otto - to your destination.

"This 's a place where a bunch 'f demi-humans with mixed blood live. We welcome you, Emilia-sama, and your three escorts too!" Garfiel raised his arms dramatically, though you were the only one who saw his display. "Roswaal likes callin' it the Sanctuary, but it ain't the kind 'f place that deserves such a nice name. Nothin' here but a hodgepodge of halfwits. It's just a dead-end testin' ground."

All of a sudden, the dragon carriage stopped.

"You're back? It took you long enough." Hearing this voice, your heart rate shot up.

Subaru moved around the carriage, and opened up the front window, and you could now clearly see who it was that made Otto stop.

"Ram!" Subaru exclaimed.

You gulped, and peeled yourself off of the seat. You stood next to Subaru, and waved at her with a nervous smile on your face.

Ram huffed. "What are you doing in there? Get out. Roswaal-sama wants to talk to all of you."

You climbed to the back of the carriage, and opened the door for the rest of the passengers. Once they all safely exited, you took a deep breath and followed them out.

You walked to the front, and as soon as you got there, you and Ram made eye contact. She was just finishing her greeting with Emilia. "H-hey Ram. How are you doing? It's been a while since we last talked."

Thankfully, Ram reacted in her usual manner. "As you can see, I am still as lovely and healthy as ever." She flipped her pink hair as if to show off.

When Subaru exhaled a sigh of relief, she added, "And all of the villagers are safe as well."

Subaru looked a lot more at peace, and you were as well. Ram wasn't acting weird towards you, so maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Subaru, on the other hand, had been worrying about something else. "Yeah, that's a relief. After the last time that I saw you and everyone else, I haven't been able to make any contact, so in all honesty, I was pretty worried..."

Subaru's sentence died off as he thought of something. You knew very well what he was thinking of.

Rem.

Ram couldn't remember her, and the guilt of this was still crushing you. She had lost a major part of her life, but she didn't know anything about it.

Should you tell her? Should you let someone else tell her? Should you let her find out on her own?

'If I may, I do believe that you should be the one to tell her, but at a later time. This does not seem to be a very appropriate place to tell her about a sister whom she does not recollect.'

'Yeah, that seems to be a good idea. Thank you.'

Echidna chuckled in response to your thanks, and went silent again.

Emilia, who had noticed the tension that you and Subaru were feeling, decided to guide the flow of the conversation elsewhere. "Hey, Ram. This really isn't a place to stand around and talk. Would you show us inside?'

Ram bowed towards Emilia. "Certainly." She then looked around the three of you, and addressed Garfiel. "Garf, take the ground dragon and carriage somewhere suitable. Merchant-san, you can join us once Garf has settled this."

Garfiel looked angry at Ram's request. "Is that any way t' treat me?" All of a sudden, he smiled. "That's jus' how I like 't, though."

So he's a masochist. Nice.

Garfiel started to walk away. "Yo, cabbie, follow me."

Otto looked stricken when he heard this. "Are you referring to me?! That's the worst name you've called me yet! Also, I have to be alone with you?!"

Subaru jokingly gave Otto a thumbs up. "I'll pick up what's left of you!"

"Why am I being treated so roughly?" Otto cried.

Reassuringly, Subaru shook his head. "What are you talking about? When me and (Y/N) were unconscious, Emilia only stayed safe because you were there. I'm grateful."

"O-oh?" Otto smiled sheepishly. "W-well, as long as you guys are appreciative..." He then followed Garfiel, and the rest of you followed Ram to where Roswaal was currently resting.

"How pathetic of me..." you heard Subaru mumble shortly after you began to walk.

You lightly tapped his arm, which made him look at you. You gave him an affirming nod to let him know that he wasn't the pathetic one. Neither of you could find it in yourselves to tell Ram about her sister yet, but there was nothing pathetic about that.

The three of you continued to follow Ram past worn-out buildings, and several demi-humans almost seemed to be hiding in between the structures.

After a short, silent walk, you finally reached the house where Roswaal was supposed to be at. Ram opened the door, and you whispered, "Thank you," as you walked past her. Even in tense situations, manners were a good thing to have.

"Aaaaaah, Emilia-sama. Subaru-kun. (Y/Nnnnnnnnnn)-kun. It feels like it's been sooooo very long since I last saw you."

You heard someone gasp when they saw Roswaal's appearance. His whole body was wrapped up with white cloth, and his usual makeup was gone.

Even though he was in such a pitiful state, you couldn't help but let out a small smirk. Roswaal shouldn't know that you made a contract with Echidna, so he was in for a nasty surprise. He narrowed his eyes when he saw that, but he shrugged it off as you just enjoying the fact that he was injured.

Subaru looked surprised at Roswaal's condition. "I know that the letter said that you were injured, but I didn't think that it was this bad! To be honest, I was going to slug you for leaving us at such a bad time, but now..."

Emilia, on the other hand, was actually worrying about his state. "What happened? What could have hurt you so badly?" she asked.

"Well, now, wheeeeere shall I begin?

"Before that, just one thing," Subaru interrupted. "The alliance with Crusch is on. And you're not going to interfere with that."

"Oh my! I am impressed with what you and (Y/N) were able to accomplish. I wouldn't daaaaare interfere with it." He then smiled, which looked weird on his face. "Truly, you two were the once-in-a-lifetime windfall I had waited for."

"Oh, really?" Subaru questioned.

Roswaal's words made your eye twitch. Up to this point, he had been using you. Well, there was going to be no more of that.

Emilia was feeling troubled, and since neither you or Subaru were talking, she asked, "Roswaal, what is this place? Since we got here... no, since we passed the barrier... I've had this anxious feeling in my chest, and I can't relax. I've heard it called the 'Sanctuary,' but it doesn't seem like one to me at all. In fact, it feels more like..."

Roswaal suddenly had a gleam in his eyes. "The Witch's Graveyard?"

Emilia jumped back when he said that. Continuing, Roswaal said, "Does it seem to make far more sense for me to call it that?"

'Ugh. I feel as if my maidenly self is being defiled by this man. How dare he expose the nature of my resting place so casually? Just because he has an obsession with my being does not mean that I have an infatuation with him as well.'

As it would turn out, Echidna did not have feelings for Roswaal.

'Echidna, would you mind explaining what you just said later? I didn't know that Roswaal liked you.'

'This is a matter that I have no qualms discussing with you. When you are prepared for the explanation, I will freely tell you.'

"What do you mean?" Emilia asked Roswaal while you were mentally talking to Echidna.

"Exactly what I said. Nothing more, and noooothing less. This was where the Witch of Greed, Echidna, met her end long ago. In my mind, it is worth calling a 'Sanctuary.'"

'You know what, I can kind of see what is happening.'

You heard Echidna sigh. 'I will explain it later. It is quite embarrassing, to be honest.'

At the same time, Subaru was mumbling to himself. "Echidna..."

Emilia finally noticed that you and Subaru seemed to be in deep thought. "Subaru, (Y/N)? Are you two all right?"

Subaru shook his head to clear it, and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine."

You just stayed the way you were and quietly nodded your head.

Just like you, Subaru had questions. "And why are you overseeing a place with such a backstory?"

Roswaal laid back on his pillows. "It is simple, really. This land has been overseen by the heads of the Mathers family for generations."

Emilia was even more lost than you and Subaru. "Then the Mathers family and the Witch of Greed have-"

"Echidna." Roswaal corrected. "When you speak of her, do use her name."

'And while she's at it, why doesn't she just not speak of me?' Echidna's voice was dripping with hate, and it made you all the more curious as to why she hates Emilia so much.

Roswaal continued his rant. "The name, 'The Witch of Greed' makes her sound so evil. That's not very niiiiiiice, is it?"

Echidna chuckled. 'Foolish boy. I am a very evil person. Let this serve to show how disillusioned he is.'

'Is it a good idea to be telling me that you're evil? We have a contract, so that makes me feel slightly uncomfortable.'

'Is it a good idea to continue letting me see your memories? I look forward to investigating this nhe-'

'NOOO! Not that! Off limits! Private stuff! Don't look!'

Apparently, you let your panic show on your face.

With an amused expression, Roswaal asked, "Whaaaat is wrong, (Y/N)? Is there something that I need to be made aware of?"

Whether or not this was his purpose, Roswaal just made you twice as anxious as you were before. Did he know about your contract with Echidna? Did the Gospel tell him about it?

No, if he knew about the contract, he would be a lot more angry. You would probably be tortured or something.

So he's probably just messing with you.

'That is accurate speculation. I reached the very same conclusion.'

This time, you didn't reply to Echidna since you didn't want to be distracted from the conversation that was going on right in front of you.

"Well, it just hit me that it seems like you seem pretty fond of Echidna, which doesn't make sense. Do you want to explain?" You answered his question with another question, a tactic that has served to turn many bad confrontations around.

Unexpectedly, it was Ram who answered. "Do not make accusations about Roswaal-sama." She sternly stared you down, and it shut you up.

"Don't be like thaaaaat, Ram. I diiiiiid ask him what was on his mind," Roswaal grinned. "Now, to answer your question, (Y/N), am I not merely showing respect? The answer to your question only requires thinking- if you are capable of that."

You balled your fists up, ready to beat the crap out of this joker.

"Roswaal-sama, that's not nice! Say you're sorry!" Emilia spoke up for you, and you unclench your jaw to smile in her direction. You nodded in thanks, and turned to Roswaal, waiting to hear an apology.

Roswaal looked surprised at this interjection by Emilia. "I see that you've grown closer to these two boys, Emilia-sama. Very well. (Y/N), I am sorry for what I saiiiiiid. It was an unnecessary comment."

The way that he apologized sounded more like he was mocking you, but it was good enough. A lot of the anger that was building up inside you dissipated, and you felt a lot less inclined to injure somebody.

On the other hand, Emilia was blushing because of Roswaal's comment, and Subaru was still angry at the clown.

"Noooow, I believe that there is one important thing that you three should know. As to how I ended up as I am now..." He smiled as if he made a mistake. "We are all being held under house arrest here in the Sanctuary."

Emilia gasped. "So, is the reason that you're injured-"

Roswaal shook his head. "No, it was not Garfiel. I was rejected by the Trial."

At the very same time, Garfiel and Otto walked in. "That's right. Th' fool done tried t' pass th' Trial, but it reject'd 'im. You've seen what happ'ns when ya come 'n contact with th' barrier, right?"

Emilia and Subaru thought about it as Garfiel kept on talking. "Mixed-bloods who go through that an' still come 'n here 're nev'r allowed t' leave." He smiled menacingly.

You didn't react, but both Emilia and Subaru (kind of) took a step back. "So that means that Emilia can't leave?"

Garfiel crossed his arms. "Yep, but th' barrier don't mean squat t' most people. That pretty unfair, don't ya think, Emilia-sama?" He asked mockingly. "Th' only way to break th' barrier is t' go through th' graveyard's Trial. But if any'ne who ain't a mixed-blood tries it..." He gazed at Roswaal, and it became apparent why he was injured.

'And for good reason. I can't have just anybody try to meet me.'

You ignored Echidna for now, and you continued to observe the situation. At this point, you were just watching everybody and making sure that what they were saying matched what you knew, because a lot was happening.

Garfiel continued. "And we only want Emilia-sama doin' the Trial. That 's our demand! She must break th' barrier surroundin' th' Sanctuary! If she can't break 't, none 'f th' villagers can leave. An' you too!"

Garfiel, saying everything that he came to say, swiftly stepped out of the small building. Otto finally walked in, but nobody acknowledged him.

"Nooow, if you do not mind, I would like to talk with (Y/N) aloooone," Roswaal stated.

Subaru and Emilia left silently, and Otto was mumbling something under his breath.

When the door closed, you gritted your teeth. You'd like to let Roswaal have a piece of your mind, but Ram was still in the room. Apparently, 'alone' didn't count the maid.

"Actually, there's something that I need to tell the both of you." You took control of the discussion, and used this opportunity to say something that was almost certainly not going to be said if you didn't do it now.

"While I, along with Crusch and some of her forces, were taking the White Whale's carcass to the Capital, we were attacked by the Archbishops of Greed and Gluttony." You took a deep breath, and Echidna chimed in.

'Go on. You can end this conversation after informing them about the blue-haired maid. It is the perfect time to do it.'

You gulped, and the two others in the room looked at you expectantly. "And... Rem-" You looked Ram in the eyes. "Your little sister had her existence eaten by Gluttony, so nobody remembers her."

Ram looked at you like you were stupid. "And why would I believe that? If this is a prank, it is misplaced."

You shook your head. "No. It's not a prank. I'm dead serious. Didn't you wonder why it was suddenly more difficult to maintain the mansion? It's because your sister wasn't there to help you."

Ram considered your words as Roswaal came in to the conversation. "Thaaaaank you for telling us about this. I am sure that it must have been difficult for you." Once again, his tone was condescending. "But there iiiiis something that I would like to tell you."

You narrowed your eyes and waited for whatever it was that Roswaal was going to say.

"Akra is a spell that allows the user to become much stronger. You should learn it."

This random information was very unexpected. "Thanks...?"

Roswaal leaned forward with a smirk on his face. "And now that I have taught you more about magic, you owe me another favor."

If you hadn't made a contract with Echidna, this would have screwed you over. But you did have a contract with her, so it was finally time to mess with the man who had caused so many issues.

"Okay, what do you want me to do?" You asked in a tired voice. Since Roswaal didn't know that you didn't have to do what he ordered you to do, you played along with him. Of course, you wouldn't actually do what he said, and his reaction when things go wrong for him will be priceless!

"Aaaaall that I want you to do is to become an obstacle for Subaru-kun. He still has a long way to go, and an extra obstacle will push him in the right direction."

You acted like you were thinking about it. In a defeated manner, you replied, "Fine. I don't like it, but I have no choice." You turned around with your shoulders slouched, and walked out of the building.

As you closed the door, you heard Roswaal get some final words in. "Indeed~"

When the door closed, you couldn't hide your smirk any longer.

'I can't wait to see his face when I end up helping Subaru and nothing happens!'

'Actually, I would like to discuss something with you that concerns that. Find a safe place to sit, and grasp the pendant. You will find yourself at my Tea Party, and we can talk as long as we want there, as it does not follow the same flow of time as the physical world.'

You didn't know what Echidna was going to tell you, but you decided to follow her directions. After a minute, you found a clean bench, and you sat down on it.

Putting your hand beneath your shirt, you held the pendant. It began to pulse.

It pulsed faster and faster, until it matched your own heartbeat. It reminded you of Ultraman Great and his transformation sequence.

As your conscience left you, a sudden wave of nausea hit. You felt like you were falling, and your body tensed as you opened your eyes. Just as promised, you were now at Echidna's Tea Party.

"Why hello, (Y/N). Why don't you take a seat over here? There is something important that I have noticed, so I wanted to be able to talk to you without distractions."

Accepting her invitation, you walked up the small hill up to the table where Echidna was sitting at, and you sat down across from her. There was tea in front of you, so you drank it.

Echidna grinned when you did this, and you waved her off. Who cares if you were drinking her spit?

"My my, you seem to be very comfortable around me. Are you sure that you should put your guard this low when you are in the company of a Witch?"

You shrugged your shoulders. "Well, it would be awkward if I wasn't relaxed with you around, since you're pretty much always with me."

"That's a good point. Now to get to the main topic..." She leaned back in her chair, and took a sip of her own tea. "I believe that you should allow Subaru to take on the Sanctuary and the conflicts that arise with it on his own."

You scrunched your eyebrows together. "Why? I'm pretty sure that my literal purpose here is to help him out. The first time that my regeneration kicked in, I'm pretty sure that I saw Satella, and she told me to help him."

Echidna sneered when you mentioned the Witch of Envy, but she didn't say anything about her. "To be more precise, I recommend that you go back to the mansion and prepare for the attack there, but allow Subaru to solve everything else on his own. Tell him nothing else, and leave everything for him to fix."

"But why? We've been able to accomplish everything together so far, even if it wasn't pretty."

Echidna shook her head. "You are missing the point. You see, you have been using the information that you had gained from your world in order to face the ordeals of this world. As a direct result of that, Subaru hasn't developed as a person as much as he should have. In order to become the 'hero' that the world will depend on, Subaru cannot have you holding his hand every time that something happens."

Your eyes were wide open. This was something that you hadn't realized yet, but it made perfect sense.

"Are you sure that he won't hate me for this? Last time I let him do something on his own, he ended up being... you know..."

Echidna moved her face closer. "Do not worry. Everything will be fine. If I remember correctly, you claimed that you trust him. And from what I have gathered from my rather short meeting with him, Subaru still has a great capacity to grow, and he is willing to make himself better in order to save everybody."

"...Okay. I'll do it. I'll go back to the mansion, and prepare for Elsa and that little girl."

Echidna smiled, and sat back in her chair. "That is great! Now, you can return to the physical world. I expect you to come back soon so we can watch anime."

You chuckled awkwardly. "Oh yeah... I'll do that soon. Bye... kind of."

You stood in place, and waited to wake up.

"Um... could you please tell me how I'm supposed to leave?" As it would turn out, Echidna didn't tell you how to get back on your own.

"Forgive me. It seems that I have neglected to tell you about that!" Echidna stood up and walked to where you were. She took your hand, and guided it under your shirt to where the pendant was. "You hold this, and you wait. It is as simple as that."

Your cheeks reddened at the contact, and your vision turned black as you left Echidna's Tea Party.

Right before you were completely gone, Echidna uttered a few departing words.

"I'll see you soon, (Y/N)."

Hey guys, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!

Next week, we'll be going back to the mansion. What will happen now that Subaru can't be relying on your presence? How will you fight Elsa?

All these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter! I'll see you there!