Chapter 6: A Friend.
Authors Note!
Hello again everyone. Sorry this one's taken a while to release, though, I'm writing this before it's even fully done. Honestly I'm having a hard time with this chapter, I have an idea for what I want it to be, and have mostly written that idea down already, but the more I write the more I feel that most of you might not like it considering the story up until this point, especially since I've finally dived into things not described in canon and have had to start taking my own path with some of this, and even resorted to an original character. Well, whatever, I'll at least make sure to get this series done, even if it goes in an undesirable direction, and I can always rewrite it if need be. Anyways, hope y'all enjoy the story! I'll keep trying my best with this one for as long as I can.
(Emilia POV, 2 days after capture)
Waking up in a barred, dark cell again, Emilia can only pitifully sit against the wall, curled into a ball. Captured by the cultist, Emilia has tried everything she could to escape. Magic's been rendered near useless here, with the atmospheric mana somehow drained, making lesser spirits useless, and her own magic being countered by magic stones of the same element as her connected to all the rooms to act as a deterrent to her strength. The only other thing she could try is a burst of magic with all her mana, but that'd kill all of her camp members as well. Her physical strength is rendered useless too, the bars of this cell far too strong for even her mana reinforced half-elf body to break. Along with that, even if she did escape…
"Puck…" Emilia couldn't help but to call out, missing the spirit who resided in the Pyroxene Crystal she previous wore around her neck. After finding out a great spirit resided inside of it, Capella, the Archbishop of Lust and one of the many witch cultist in this location, arrived in front of Emilia and forced the necklace out of her hands, taking it for who knows what reasons. With him taken hostage, Emilia can't even think of breaking out. Everyone else can't get out for one reason or another as well.
Garfiel's had his whole body bound with chains made of some of the hardest material in the world, then was paralyzed by a long-lasting poison that's administered in doses every couple hours. Otto and Petra are far too weak to do anything without assistance, since they're more of the planning type, and Fredrica can't move because Petra and Garfiel are being used against her as hostages. Beatrice used most of her mana in an attempt to escape already, to no avail, putting her into recovery mode. The only one with any chance to break everyone out would be Roswaal, but even despite the dire situation, he refuses to leave his catatonic state…
That's not the worst of it either. Looking across from her own cell, Emilia sees a green haired duchess sleeping somewhat peacefully, a cat eared boy in a maid outfit laying on top of her body, both fear and relief in his eyes simultaneously, and an old but sturdy man in a butler uniform. Somewhat surprisingly, with them is a pink maid who has yet to regain consciousness after being knocked out by their capturers, the witch cult. Crusch, Felix, Wilhelm, and Ram, were all captured shortly after Emilia's camp.
A short while ago as well, Emilia was able to overhear the cults plan to capture the Anastasia camp, while distracting the Reinhard camp through indiscriminate terrorist attacks on the Astrea territory. Then, they'll try and coherence the Priscilla Camp to join their side, though if they fail, they plan to eliminate them. Overall, the situation looks rather bleak, with the only hope being the kingdom mobilizing their army. Though, even if they do, it's likely all the candidates will be killed the moment the kingdom actually moves. That's if the kingdom can even arrive here though. Just looking at the number of cultist here, it's obvious they've got well over 500 people working for them here, all with various abilities. Frankly, the army could very well be wiped out if the 500 people here worked with the reaming Sin Archbishops.
Speaking of the Sin Archbishops, Capella isn't the only Sin Archbishop who was here. Roy Alphard, and Lye Batenkaitos, both archbishops of Gluttony, have both appeared as well, though it's been a day or so since Emilia has seen them, along with Sirius, the Archbishop of Wrath, who's still wandering around and will occasionally visit the camps. But they aren't all.
Just as with Kurgan, and Theresa, several other deceased people have been brought back from the dead. A purple haired man with rings adorning his fingers, Stride Vollachia, sits in place, unmoving, eyes dull, as though waiting for a command. Petelguese, Emilia's own father, sits in a similar state, though burn marks adorn his body and his eye sockets are empty. It seems they couldn't bring all of him back for some reason, though there's been talks of restoring at least their minds somehow by going to the pleadies watchtower. From what Emilia's heard, neither has their abilities as an Archbishop anymore either, something about them losing their 'Authority' to 'false pride' when then were killed.
Next to those two, sits an assassin the Emilia Camp know very well, as well as the one who gave the whole camp so much trouble this time, resulting in their capture. Elsa, revived once again despite being reduced to nothing but ash back on the original mansions attack. She has undergone a major increase in strength due to being paired with Stride, who's 5th ring brings out the absolute limit of power in a person, though usually at the cost of their body braking down. However, Elsa as a cursed doll has her body constantly regenerate, and she doesn't have to worry about pain due to only being half living. Though she'd probably enjoy the pain even if she wasn't half living.
This is why the Emilia Camp had so much trouble against her this time. Her speed, strength, and regeneration abilities are far beyond what they were before, making her a black blur even Beatrice couldn't keep up with. Along with that, her arm, previously cut off, near instantly regenerated back when she attacked the camp. The most troublesome thing though, was that she no longer has her previous bad habits. No longer does she wait for conversation to finish, nor does she aim for the guts, instead, she's quick and silent, like an assassin should be, making her far more deadly.
'It should be about that time…' Emilia couldn't help but sigh in her mind. Lunch time, arguably the worst time in this place, since Capella is the one who supposedly prepares them. They're brought what appears to be steak that's been cooked enough to be edible, yet it still continues to twitch around. When stabbed with a fork, it flails, something Emilia found out the hard way. Worse, even if Emilia rejects eating it, they threaten to hurt her camp members, forcing her to go through with it as she apologizes on repeat to whatever, or more likely whoever, she's just eaten.
As she thought, several cultist come up to the bar's, each handing out food, the one in the center loudly announcing,
"You're all veryyyyy unlucky today!"As he begins, the cultist paces back and forth, waving his hands around in what can only be described as failed Jazz Hands. "Our beloved, the only and only Sin Archbishop of Lust~" He takes a moment to lick his lips, as just the thought of her seems to arouse him "Has decided to step out for today! The reason why, none but her know… but it means your meal must be a little less appealing today!" With true sadness in his voice, he holds out a tray filled with… cut and mixed vegetables? "Such a pity, is it not? A true, trueeee pity. Oh well, worry not! I'm sure our lovely, merciful, beautiful, gracious, glorious, forgiving, and responsible Archbishop of Lust shall make sure to make it up to you hundreds of times over upon her return…"
Although she couldn't see his face, Emilia could feel the twisted smile on his face. A shudder couldn't help but run down her spine at the thought of what Capella might have in store for them later…
(Subaru Pov, 4 and a half days before the mansion is attacked)
Looking at the forest if frozen trees glistening in the sunlight, Subaru couldn't help but gasp and stare in awe. The leaves captured and refracted the light, resulting in an almost ethereal glow to the whole forest. Along with that, small bits of snow constantly fluttered around the windy environment, causing a cold yet somewhat comforting feeling to wash over Subaru. Yet the most breathtaking sight of all must be…
"What a massive tree. Is it a world tree or something like that?" Subaru can't help but to say out loud at the sight of the massive tree, towering over all the others. Subaru decided then and there that the tree is something he absolutely has to see up close, and possibly even climb. That can come later however, for now, he needs two things, shelter, and training. Subaru decided a while ago not to simply kill himself over and over for a strength boost, instead training his reinforced body, even if it takes a while longer. He doesn't want to lose the small traces of self care he has left. "Pfft" He couldn't help but chuckle at that last thought, seriously, when was the last time he actually practiced self care?
"A hypocrite, as usual…" he can't help but murmur out, then suddenly slaps his cheeks hard enough to leave a mark "now's not the time for stupid remarks, now's the time for exploring!" Says Subaru, forcefully pushing away the unwanted thoughts and setting off into the forest.
Currently, Subaru has a few sub-goals, things apart from Training and Shelter that he'd like to accomplish in his time here. The first of those goals is his chains, what he's been using as a whip this whole time. Currently, while they work, they're still a bit unrefined compared to his old weapon the guiltywhip, leaving a lot to be desired. So, he'd like to find a way to turn them into a proper whip to use. He's even got a idea for what to call it! He's thinking of calling it crimsonfree, since these chains have been dyed crimson and were responsible for helping free him. He can just feel his old chunni self awakening the darkness sealed inside from that name. His next goal is to try and learn some basic survival skills, as currently, he has none. He'll be relying on what's already around, his magic, and increased strength to survive in this harsh environment until he can figure out how to properly build his own shelter and cook food despite the cold weather.
Suddenly snapping him out of his thoughts is nearby mana signatures. From what he can gather, they're most likely demon beast… deciding this would make a good start, Subaru begins to approach them. For this fight, he's going to restrict his magic usage, using only his sword. After seeing Wilhelm fight against the white whale, he's always wanted to get better with it, he just lacked the necessary talent until now.
Moving around a group of tree's, Subaru finds the mana signatures from a group of demon beast, 3 of them, who looked as though they were about to fight over what appears to be another dead and mostly eaten animal. One, a large gorilla standing at about 3 meters tall, with white fur adorning most of its body, with its face, inner arms, and chest left without fur. It's eyes glowed a menacing red as they moved to stare at Subaru.
Next is a large frog-like creature, standing at 6 meters tall. It's head has two large horns while it's back and stomach have fins on them. It has 3 legs, one in the back, two in the front, each with two fingers on the end, with those fingers having hook-like claws on the end. In place of where a fourth leg would usually be are two, thin dragon like tails with spines on the end. Nearly its entire body is covered in fur. Overall, it's far more terrifying than most of the demon beast Subaru has seen until now.
The last one is only 2 meters tall, and looks similar to a chameleon with wings attached to its front arms. It's tail, long and scaled, with a end split down the middle, creating a almost unique looking flag shape, is covered in vibrant patterns that just scream poison. Each of these creatures are terrifying on its own, but together…
Simultaneously, they all roar at Subaru, thinking him a weak creature who's gotten overconfident, and is coming for their prey, like a single Hyena standing up to a pride of lions. What this pack of animals didn't know was what they thought was weak and vulnerable prey, was a Beast capable of taking them out with a single flick of its wrist…
The gorilla's fist instantly smashing down towards Subaru. As the fist closes in on him, Subaru instantly ducks and rolls to the right, avoiding the fist as snow is thrown high up into the air from the massive fist impact. Quickly readying his blade, Subaru slashes at the Gorilla's chest… to no effect. The sword deflects off with a sound as though Subaru just tried to slam his sword into concrete. 'Crap, too tough to cut.' Jumping back once again, Subaru barely dodges a highly compressed snowball, thrown with all the Gorilla's might.
Crouching down and preparing to aim for the eyes of the gorilla with his sword, the place he believes to be the most likely weak point, Subaru is once again forced to dodge as the frog, with speed that nearly matches his own, comes slamming down on him with its scythe-like fingers. Barely dodging that, Subaru suddenly finds his back pressed up against the Chameleon… with what seems to be a creepy grin, the Chameleon suddenly opened its mouth and licked Subaru.
"Hey! This isn't the time to be falling for me- ow?" Subaru can only incredulously look down at his right arm that had been licked by the giant lizard. Blistering and dyed purple, his skin quickly started to be melted through, though truthfully, Subaru felt minimal pain. For him, this much is nothing, besides… Subaru raises his mana charged right arm and, as hard as he can, slams the hilt of his sword down onto the Chameleon's face, causing a small indent in the ground.
As his arm was breaking down, the strengthened Dragon blood on Subaru's body had already begun to move and heal the poison. It took only a few seconds for it to work, which let Subaru fight without having to worry too much.
Staring at the Chameleon that hasn't been damaged in the slightest from his atttack, Subaru can only grimace at the toughness of this one. It's even harder than the gorilla, though Subaru's sure if it can get past its defenses, it'll be rather physically weak. Thinking that far, he's suddenly reminded of one of his previous fights, specifically one against a rather big puppy, and smirks. Dodging yet another snowball, followed up by the frogs claws, Subaru rolls right into the path of the Chameleon, and watches as it raises its front leg up and forcefully pins him down, not wanting to let him escape and heal this time. Subaru hears a rib of his crack and feels his organs physically smoosh down as blood begins forming around his lips, but he persist regardless, waiting for the Chameleon to get close.
'Closer, get closer… Now.' Thrusting his arm, Subaru's sword quickly pierces the top of the Chameleon's mouth and into its brain just as it's about to lick him, quickly killing it. The sword had moved so fast for only an instant that all the beast could see was a silver flash. As the Chameleon falls over, Subaru finds himself buried in a large amount of snow from one of the Gorilla's giant snow ball's. About to dig himself out, Subaru finds a massive claw stabbed straight through his left arm, causing him to- "AUGH!" grunt in pain as the arm is detached from his body.
Bolting up from the snow, sword still in hand, Subaru glares at the frog that's taken his right arm. The frog, in response, proceeds to eat it right in front of Subaru. At this point, Subaru's anger could be palpable as he slams his foot down, moving far faster than usual as his mana reinforcement is pushed beyond its limits. Having an arm taken from him like this reminded Subaru of his previous weakness and time being tortured, when Felix would cut off his limbs and heal him again and again. As Subaru thinks about something even similar happening again… his will to get stronger and stop it before it even has a chance to reach that point causes the blood to rush to his head. Seeing the frogs expression also fueled his anger. It's expression, it's smirk, ever so similar to Felix's as he toyed around with him as he pleases. From the moment he decided to become strong, he decided he would no longer allow anyone to toy with him like this, and so…
Arriving at the Frog, Subaru thrust his remaining arm forward as he leaped, landing behind the frog. Hearing a thlump sound behind him, Subaru finds the frog cut in half straight down the middle. About to turn back to the Gorilla, Subaru feels the air itself twist as the Gorilla's fist is now inches from his face. Gritting his teeth in frustration from the inability to survive or dodge something like this, Subaru relents, and summons a Minya shield, barely buying himself enough time to twist his body out of the way by a few centimeters before the shield shatters into nothing.
'This one… it's too durable, and it's mouth is too small to stab into. Even it's eyes are too high up, and I nearly died to it already. I can't defeat it without magic even if I wanted to.' Sighing in defeat and frustration, Subaru looks up at the demon beast in frustration and says "you win." Then, with the flick of Subaru's wrist, the demon beast's is stabbed through by several Minya crystals from the inside, bursting into a pool of crystallizing blood. Sitting down on the ground, in the middle of the crystallized blood, Subaru could only sigh in disappointment at his own lacking capabilities. He really wanted to kill all of them without using magic, but it seems he's still just a little too weak for that.
Suddenly, the nearby trees swayed unnaturally, alerting Subaru to someone, or perhaps somethings presence. Quickly, Subaru spread out his mana sense and questions "what's there?" While pointing his sword at the direction of the mana signature. Out from the tops of the frozen tree's, comes a man dressed in a white, hooded robe, tattered and dirty, yet without an actual scratch on it. Under his robe, faint blonde hair can be seen, along with a pair of brown eyes. On his back, a brown backpack with a sword sheathed on the back of it, and in his left hand, a second sword with a golden hilt made to look like half of a sun.
Slightly bowing his head, the man opens his mouth and speaks "I apologize for startling you like this, I promise I mean no harm. I simply heard a commotion and the roars of beast, and wished to make sure no innocents were being terrorized." Staring into the man's brown eyes, Subaru silently held his gaze for a while, keeping his sword level. After around 2 minutes of pure silence, Subaru sigh's and lowers his sword, thinking to himself-
'His eyes… they're like Reinhard's were when we first met, but they're different at the same time. Reinhard and this man share the same kindness, but he doesn't have the same burdens Reinhard does… the same burdens that led to him silence.' Sheathing his sword, Subaru takes a deep breath and says "I'm sorry for pointing my sword at you too then. My name is…"
'I can't use my real one here, think quick…Mm, that one'll work. Thanks Typhoon.'
"…Baru. It's nice to meet you, sir?.."
"My name is ward, and it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Baru. If you don't mind my asking, I may I know what you're doing in this forest? It's not common for many to come through Elior anymore, as the previous routes that let merchants avoid tolls have long since been found and corrected."
With a small yet bitter smile, Subaru says "I came out here to… well see the sights a bit, and train myself while I do. I also just needed a little break from the city life, too much commotion in the cities these days." Subaru says, with some minor signs of nervousness.
"I see." Responds Ward "well… the forest is certainly pretty, so it's natural to wish to see it. However, you don't seem to have any survival gear on your person? Do you perhaps have a camp site nearby?" Asks Ward, with a small head tilt, revealing a bit more of his face.
Stunned for half a second by the unexpected question, Subaru decides to play it off by- "Aha, I'm probably the most impulsive and hopeless person you'll ever meet, plus I'm totally broke, so I obviously did the thing most natural to me and rushed out without a plan or supplies!" Making one of his old jokes to throw people off, doing one of his weird poses he hasn't done in so long, sticking one hand on his hip, puffing his chest, and one finger raised as though pointing to the gods, Subaru exclaims with a voice of pride.
"Pfft, why do you say that like it's a good thing, Mr. Baru?" Asks Ward, chucking with a smile adorning his face. As he chuckles, his hood completely slips off, revealing his full face.
Subaru jumps back in partial shock and exclaims "why is it normal for everyone to be so good looking in the world!? Geez, make me be reborn with your face! Even Nee-Sama would have no choice but to fall for me then!"
Ward raises his eyebrow, smirks, and says "while I'm flattered by your over the top praise, I'm pretty sure I'm rather average looking, , and I believe you're fine as you are."
"Er, thanks" says Subaru as he rubs the back of his head, a bit embarrassed at his own outbursts, and finally settling down from his joking air when he realizes this man isn't going to pursue the question further. Subaru can't help but smile as he sits on the ground against a tree, and says "it's been a while since I've talked to someone like you, so I'm feeling pretty chatty. Why are you here, Ward? Like you said, it's pretty unusual for people to come through here, right?"
Ward sits next to Subaru and says "I live in the forest, patrolling and clearing out monsters, occasionally saving passerby and escorting them out of the forest." Ward smiles as he speaks, showing obvious enjoyment for what he does. Subaru couldn't help but relax himself for the first time in a long time after seeing that. Subaru knows, that he shouldn't be so trusting and quick to relax, that after everything, things can turn bad just as quickly, but he can't help it. Since the moment gluttony ate his memories, Subaru's done nothing but be hurt and run. He truly needs a break for once, and someone who reminds him of Reinhard is probably the best person to have that break with. As he realized this, he feels his face growing hotter for some reason, and as he brings his hand up to check, he notices the warm tears spilling out, that quickly freeze seconds after they fall from his face.
"H-Huh? That's o-odd, why, why am I all of a sudden?…" Subaru can't help but ask himself in complete bewilderment. He normally never cries in front of his friends, let alone a stranger. So why, why are tears suddenly pouring from his eyes? Have they broken? Did Felix somehow mess with his tear glands without Subaru knowing? Seeing his state, Ward, feeling as though he should check on the boy, can't help but get a bit closer and ask,
"Baru, what's the matter? Are you perhaps injured anywhere or-" but is forced to stop, as he looks into Subaru's eyes directly for the first time throughout the conversation. In those eyes, he can see it, the endless amounts of pain this boy who doesn't even seem to be 20 yet has gone through. The pain of betrayal and torture Subaru suffering at those he thought were closest to him. Seeing that pain, Ward, although nearly stunned into silence, knew he couldn't just leave this be, and so, he did the only thing he knew how, wrapping his arms around Subaru, he hugged him and allowed him to cry.
Ward doesn't know this boys past, nor his personality, if he's good, or bad, if he deserves his pain or if he doesn't. He doesn't even know what this boy went through exactly, but so far, a persons eyes have never lied to him before. Behind those pain filled eyes was a purity he so rarely see's in this world, suppressed by the horrors he's been subjected to. Ward decided in this moment, he'll drag that purity out again, if only just a bit. Even if it takes a while, he wants to see it. He wishes to see just what kind of person this boy is without the burdens of pain. Smiling gently as he glances down at the bawling Subaru, Ward looks into his eyes and says,
"Baru, I do not know what pain you've been put through, or whether it is pain brought on by people, or pain caused by the world itself. However, as a knight… no, as a human being, I cannot leave you alone. Not when you have such pain in your eyes. I've seen people… many, many people, but none with pain as intense as yours, but neither have I seen anyone masking something as pure within their eyes. So, although we've known each other for but a short moment, not even an hour, and although I know I'm rushing this far more than I should… will you allow me to help?"
Subaru can only look up at this man in shock. He'd known him for all of what, 2 minutes, and yet in that time, Subaru's broken down crying around him, and instead of finding that weird, he wishes to help? Subaru's begin's to feel feelings of warmth in his chest, but those same feelings clash with the endless suspicion of others that comes with being betrayed. Yet looking into this man's eyes… 'it, it should be ok, right? Don't I deserve some help by this point? Even if I get help, I won't slack on my training… I won't complain about how hard everything is either. So, so just once more, it's alright isn't it? The world won't make me be betrayed a second time, right? I want to trust him… please just let me trust someone…'
Subaru could only nod his head while he continued to sob. He didn't know if he would regret his choice or not, but he's been killed by people he trusted how many times now? If it comes down to it, what's once more? He'll come back again anyways, and if Ward really betrays his trust… at that thought Subaru's magic stirred, just slightly, but it quickly subsided as Subaru's sobs slowly came to a stop, with him calming down.
Taking a few deep breaths, Subaru begins to speak "Geez, Y-You shouldn't let people cry on you like that. If I was a girl I might j-just fallen for you." Jokes Subaru through his sniffles.
Ward smiles a bit at this and says "I have no worries about such a thing, as someone's love is not a burden on me, though I definitely wouldn't reciprocate." Patting Subaru's head, Ward then asks "now then… since you've agreed to my help, as much as you are comfortable, can you please explain your situation? I promise to not make any assumptions, instead, I will simply use the facts you give me and nothing else."
Subaru nods, and so begins his hours long explanation…
Authors Notes!
So, hello again. This one took a while, and it's just a teensy bit longer than usual. I've been thinking about it, but maybe increasing chapter length is a good thing? It gives me some time to get lore that I need and let's me take some small breaks when I must. Anyways, moving on, I'm thinking of writing a second story, this one focused on longer, inconsistent chapters. It'd function more as a secondary series to this one, for when I'm feeling rather worn out from writing strengthened by death and instead want to write something different, so expect to possibly see that posted here. Now then, Q&A time.
Q&A:
Q:Lucian Naruto:Hey? I apologize if I'm bothering you, as this is something very sudden, but I was seeing certain things regarding Re:Zero, and I ended up realizing a certain possibility regarding Subaru and if possible I would like to know your opinion about it. that. Question: Do you think Subaru is immortal? First of all, no, I'm talking about 'Return by Death', I was reading about the Archbishops of Sin, and I think possibly Betelgeuse and Regulus made Subaru get a certain kind of immortality... And I'm referring to the 'Witch Factors' that Subaru absorbed from both Betelgeuse and Regulus.
To explain this better, I was reading about the Archbishops on the wiki and I noticed something... They are all VERY old. An example of this is Emilia herself, physically and mentally she is 19 years old, but it is worth remembering that she spent years frozen, and in reality she is 115 years old.
In her childhood, 1 century before when she was a child, those like Regulus, Pandora and Betelgeuse were already alive, and all this time until the current time of the anime, they didn't age a day, they stayed the same.
Seeing this, I wonder if the Archbishops' 'Witch Factors' grant some sort of immortality by preventing them from aging? They could still be killed by anyone strong enough, but they didn't have to worry about deaths from natural causes like old age or disease.
Betelgeuse stole bodies to prolong his life, but maybe that's just in case he falls in battle, but what I was thinking about was Pandora and Regulus... We don't know much about Pandora, but from what I've seen in the wiki, Regulus from the beginning of his life was a normal human without magic, with his life changing when he obtained the 'Greed Factor'.
Regulus can be very powerful, but aside from the 'Witch Factor' on him, Regulus is nothing special, but still seeing as he's been alive for an indefinite amount of time, he hasn't changed a thing since Emilia's childhood was a century ago. If she freezes, I wonder: Could it be that in addition to the powers they already have, the 'Witch Factors' grant immortality to the Archbishops of Sin by keeping them young?
If this is true, do you think that because Subaru absorbed Sloth and Greed, he would also have eternal youth just like Regulus, Petelgeuse, Pandora and the other Archbishops?
A:Me+Guest:First, let me say that no matter what anyone post, it won't bother me, so don't worry about it! Second, someone else decided to answer this question for me, which I appreciate, since while I understood that the archbishops didn't have immortality from the witch factors (otherwise Echidna wouldn't have been researching immortality) I thought it did potentially lengthen it, but I realize that that's definitely wrong too now. I'm posting the guest answer underneath this, so anything else is their words, not mine! (Also, to the guest, I see reviewers earliest in my emails, getting the full review days after, however, the emails cut off the full review, so sorry about that.)
Helpful Guest: Please allow me to help answer Lucian Naruto's questions about witch factors supposedly granting immortality. Regulus kept himself young by pushing the burden of aging onto his wives using Lions Heart, which he never turns off. Theoretically, Subaru should be able to do the same with Cor Leonis, but it's doubtful that he'd want to considering how immoral it is. Pandora has the ability to manipulate phenomenon in her favor and is implied to do this with the phenomenon of aging effectively making herself immortal. Betelgeuse was actually a great spirit who only wore a human body due to health reasons do naturally he doesn't age. Sirius is a full blooded elf so naturally she would have a very long lifespan. Capella uses her shapeshifting ability to make herself young inside and out essentially being her own fountain of eternal youth. Stride isn't mentioned to have had any special age when he was alive. Although if that's really him showing up in this chapter I guess that'll change soon. I'm pretty sure that the sin archbishops of Gluttony are actually the most recent of the bunch. They weren't around to control the White Whale on the day Theresia Van Astrea supposedly died 14 years ago. Puck freed Emilia from the ice 7 years ago and he apparently knew about the gluttonies authority. This means that they must've first appeared somewhere between 7-14 years ago and haven't been around as
Q:Guest: Still unclear as to why Rem would be waking up if Gluttony hasn't been defeated yet, or does this have something to do with Subaru's Cor Leonis power?
A:Rem's reasoning for waking up is spoilers, however, I'll at least say "good job" in response to your guess!
Also, DashingSlayer, I did see most of your review, I'm going to save that Q&A for next chapter though, as your reviews are great enough that I'd like to display and answer them in full instead of only having the half reviews I sometimes get from my emails.