Chapter 9: Thoughts
Blood, that was the striking feature of the now destroyed village. The most prominent element of this hellish sight.
"G-GUAHhh!" Being unable to hold it, he vomited on the ground, whatever contents he'd digested that morning had now exited his stomach.
He could hear nothing, his mind was in shock. The sight was too much for him to take in, too much for him to process. He could faintly hear voices calling out to him. Voices filled with worry for him.
But it didn't matter, his mind couldn't focus on them.
It was stuck on the hellish sight it saw, replaying it over and over.
He could only process one thing, the understanding that whatever creature caused this, was a monster.
The sight that graced his eyes were, Bodies ripped in half, eyes gouged out from their bodies, daggers in people's skulls, missing limbs, horrified expressions. All of this death was caused by a monster.
Unconsciously he walked forward, to see what else had been caused, see what the monster such as the Witch-cult had caused.
As he walked forward he saw hand prints, destroyed roofs, destroyed homes. The houses of docens of Innocents, who were killed with no previous warning, who were slaughtered with no chance to defend themselves.
What was in the middle of it all, was worse than he could have ever expected, and considering that he had died, that was saying something.
In the middle of the village, there was a pile of burned bodies, their expressions forever shaped into horror as they died to the fire, most likely while they were observed by those sick bastards and their leader. slowly churn to ash into their lives ceased to exist.
[Could this be…] He'd read many books back in time on earth, and although most were manga and light novels, that didn't mean he hadn't read any history books that were assigned in middle school.
That meant he had an idea of what this was, a trope that had come up a couple of times when reading that, the sight that his eyes were observing was-
"Sacrifices" he mumbled under his breath. Clenching his teeth so hard he felt as if they would break at any moment.
Why? The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. So that only left why? Were these sacrifices for their so-called witch? Is this the type of things the Witch cult did?
[They didn't even spare the children!]
The slave traders he caught disgusted him, they enslaved people to get them to do what they wanted or sold them off for money. They took away the freedom from people against their will. They made them do work that benefited them and only them, never caring for the other party's needs or wants. They treated their slaves as tools not people
But this- This was just as if not even worse. They murdered children's parents in front of their eyes and then killed them themselves. It wasn't even a quick death! From this distance Subaru could see one child who was missing many limbs in many ways, as if multiple hands had ripped him apart one by one and then thrown into the burning fire.
He could see a variety of weapons like swords, armor, and a type of dagger all on the floor. Bodies of all kinds whether they were witch cultists, mercenaries, or just simple villagers.
He backed away from the pile of bodies, disgust and horror written all over his face.
These were murderers. People who killed innocent people, it wasn't even just people who opposed them either or tried to defend themselves. No, they came here and massacred this town when they had zero involvement with them.
Subaru thought he was ready. He thought he was ready to face this type of people, that slaving people was the lowest someone could get.
He could have never prepared for something like this. Killing people, torturing them no matter if they were children or adults, attacking towns they had no affiliation with, destroyed houses, roades, monuments-
These were murderers, that was something he understood now.
He could feel fear enter his body. As strong as he was, just the thought of meeting people like this sent chills through his body. what would he do if he was forced to attack them? Would he kill them? Would he be capable of that?
Suddenly Subaru felt a hand on his shoulder.
Due to the tension of the situation he was in and all the training he's had, he instinctively swung his arm. Mid swing he used Ruby's gate to create an ice dagger and tried to impale it on the person behind him.
His swing was caught by a hand before it could reach its mark. Subaru knew he needed to free himself. Every fraction of a second he was in his enemy's grasp was a chance to be killed, that's why he needed to-
"Su-san calm down!"
"El ful- huh?" Hearing a familiar voice Subaru stopped his chant. Turning his head, his mind was finally able to process the familiar face.
"H-Hal-san?"
"Yes it's me, calm down, there is no one besides me around." Letting Subaru's hand go, the boy stumbled back a bit, still in a daze.
"El goa" "Whoa!" Quickly pulling out a Kunai he easily destroyed the fire ball and looked at Subaru questionably.
"What was that for?"
"I was just making sure, you're really Halibel, if you were then you should have easily deflected that, and you did" Subaru wasn't sure what the cult had up their sleeves since they were so secretive. He'd rather not get stabbed by them because they have some type of secret transformation magic he wasn't aware of.
Now that his mind was clear he could feel the worry his spirits had thanks to their connection. He felt guilty for ignoring them but pushed that aside in favor of focusing on the shinobi in front of him. There would be time for apologies later.
"What are you doing here? Did you kill the sin archbishop?" If there were no cultists alive here that meant they were dead right? Even the sin archbishop?"
"That's what I should be asking you. What are you doing here?"
"Answer the question!" Subaru didn't want to push him but felt it was necessary. He needed to know what happened before he arrived.
Halibel just let out a long sigh and answered, "I'm not sure, but the boss is trying to track him down."
"Boss?" Subaru repeated in confusion.
"I'm just a clone." Hali- no, Halibel 's clone replied.
"Whah?" Subaru was surprised. He knew that Halibel had a clone ability but hadn't ever seen it personally.
To think it would be in this situation when he first witnessed it…
"B-but, you look so real." He could find absolutely no fault with it. Everything felt the same, breathing, skin, looks. It was almost as if the real deal was in front.
"Well yeah. We are an exact copy, blood, mind, everything. Basically doubles our power."
"Bu- You know what, forget it. You said Halibel went and followed the leader right? Did he find them?" Subaru would ignore the stupidly overpowered ability for now. There were more important things to do.
"I'm not sure. We don't share a mental link like you do with your spirits y'know. I was supposed to be waiting here to see if any cultists come back and capture them."
"But I thought you said Halibel was following them?" Were they going to get away? Would they win?
"I never said that," replied Halibel. "When I arrived here they were already long gone, probably before my companion shinobi told us. They didn't last long." In a somber tone, he replied.
Subaru had nothing to say to that. It was pretty much what he expected and yet, it was somehow so difficult to accept.
After a few seconds of silence, he said, "Tell me if the real Halibel finds anything."
"I will" and with that the Halibel clone left.
Subaru stayed quiet for a few seconds as he took in the information. He then called to his spirits, who he'd been ignoring until now.
"I'm sorry I was ignoring you, it's just…" What could he even say? They must have been so worried. Even he could recognize the estate he was in just a few moments ago was anything but good.
"You scared us," Simply said Ruby, however, he could feel worry in her tone.
"I know, I'll try not to again." He hated doing that. They were a team and had been together from the first day he arrived to this world. He didn't like hiding anything from the six of them, much less ignoring them.
That's when he noticed something.
"Where is Aqua and Lucy?"
"Aqua couldn't take the sight and left quickly, Lucy followed after her."
"Ah- I see" That was true. Aqua was really sensitive to death unlike the rest of his spirits. Of course she would be unable to take on a sight such as this one.
That made him realize that his spirits looked just fine. In fact, they barely seemed affected by the situation.
He wasn't sure what to think of that.
Lucy being Lucy probably went to make sure Aqua doesn't get lost or something like that. As much of a tsundere as she was, Subaru knew that deep down she cared about all of them.
The only reason she left was probably because she knew that he would be fine with the rest as they would keep him safe.
He felt guilty once more. He didn't notice how Aqua was suffering because he was in shock himself. He knew that it was stupid to think like that, stupid to think that it was his fault when that was something he could't control.
Even so, he couldn't help but let that feeling arise in his chest.
"L-let's go look for her." There was nothing he could do here anymore. He came here for nothing. He felt Useless.
Sparing one last look at the massacred village he felt that feeling of disgust rise again. Not because of the sight itself, but because of the knowledge that there were people in this world who would create one as such.
Turning around, he left the massacred village behind. However, the sight would forever be ingrained in his mind, as a reminder of what the Witch-cult was capable of.
He walked in a somber silence trying to get a feel for Aqua's location. Thanks to their link, he was capable of knowing where she was at all times as long as she wasn't too far away from his location. He never really had a use for this skill, since they didn't separate most of the time, but now, he was grateful for it.
When he finally arrived at the location Aqua was in, he realized it was where he left Patrasche at.
Arriving at the spot, he could hear Aqua's sobs from the distance. It broke Subaru's heart. While it was true that spirits had different emotions than people had, they had been very young when he contracted them, so that meant they learned a lot from Subaru himself.
Trying to avoid killing was an example, usually spirits don't mind killing, and while they would do it if he asked them too without hesitation, they still preferred not to. They were also less affected by death, clearly demonstrated by their reaction at the massacre.
Aqua however, was a different story. Her emotions were much, much more fragile. That was especially apparent when it came to wounds and deaths. So it only makes sense she would have such a reaction.
This was possibly the first time any of his spirits had genuinely cried.
And he had been away to do anything about it.
"Aqua..." He softly called out to her, the same way he called out to the kids he helped when doing bounty missions, the same way he tried to make them feel safe. But this time to someone he cared for.
"B-baru!" The moment he was closed enough she jumped to his chest, Subaru catching her, and hugged him, tight and cried on his chest.
This also wanted to make him cry. Not only because he understood why Aqua felt like that, but because he felt so useless. No matter how much work, how much power, how much magic he had, he could not shake off the feeling. He tried to convince himself that it wasn't true, that this was just a bad situation for him.
But if that was true, when was it? What situation was the right one?
Lucy had said he should direct his anger to those cultists, but… what cultist? There was nothing he had been able to do, all he did was arrive at the scene and witness the result. Who should this anger be directed to?
All he could do was wait twiddling his thumbs to see if Halibel found the cultist or not.
But do nothing himself. He could do nothing himself.
For now, that was all he was capable of.
[X]
There was a somber atmosphere in the air. Well, it was to be expected? After all, this was a funeral.
Crying families were heard all around and hate to the witch cult was one common factor in this atmosphere, although, hate for the witch cult was mostly universal anyways.
Subaru had never been to a funeral before. Not in his old world or in this world. He never had any real reason to go to one as anyone he was close with hadn't died yet. Something he was grateful for.
Even to this date, that continued to be the case but, a sense of responsibility pushed him to be here, to be here and mourn the death of someone he was unable to reach on time.
Was it because it was his fault? No, that was a stupid thought, their deaths had nothing to do with him.
Yet, thoughts such as "you should have been faster" or "you could have done better" haunted his mind. The sight of the massacre replayed every night, reminding him of the truth of this world.
He had forgotten. He had forgotten how cruel this world could be. It was true that he always saw things such as slavery attempts or beatings, yet, none of that was something he wasn't able to stop. All of that had been put to a stop when he arrived. He hadn't failed once.
This was a reminder, a reminder that no matter how strong he gets, there will always be things beyond your control.
"You can't save everyone" he mumbled under his breath. "When did I-" When did he start thinking like this? When did he start believing that he could save everyone? What gave him the right to think like that?
It wasn't even consciously, he was just unconsciously thinking that way. For him to not even notice that was because it had been quickly integrated into his mind.
Maybe he hadn't gotten over his old attitude as much as he thought. The desire to feel wanted, to feel important, it was still there wasn't it? Even if it was hidden because of his good intentions, he never truly got rid of it.
Now that he thought about it, he never did anything about it did he? Once he got a taste of the fame, of the good it felt to help people like that, he started to unconsciously become weighted by their expectations. The unspoken expectations that existed because he was someone "special" when he wasn't.
"That type of thinking was very arrogant wasn't it?." The memories of the dissected bodies haunted his mind. Barely enough of them were even recovered to be able to call this a funeral. Some of them were just pools of blood, who were unable to do anything against an overwhelming enemy.
[Getting summoned to another world never changed me.] The old Natsuki Subaru still remains. Wanting attention, just like when he was just a child, that was another thing that remained with him. He just never wanted to accept it.
"Is it always like this?" Subaru asked Halibel, who unlike him, had an actual reason to be here. His shinobi companions died. He came here out of respect.
Usually shinobi would die without an official burial since the work they did was mostly in the shadows. They knew what they were getting into when they became shinobi, so this was fine by them.
Being part of a witch-cult attack changed things. Since they had already been recognized as bodies on the scene they decided to give them a proper burial anyway.
"Is this what you feel when you see someone you care about dying?"
Truthfully, Subaru wasn't sure what the relationship between Halibel and his subordinates were. Even so, he hoped Halibel could answer that question.
He didn't even know them and yet he felt such a great sense of loss. Was it because of how brutal the scene was, or maybe just the weight of death was enough to make him feel this way?
For someone who's already died, he would have expected to be able to stomach more. Guess he was wrong.
That doesn't make him any more special.
"You can't help everyone, sometimes situations like this arise." Said Halibel.
Before Subaru could say anything, he was already out of sight.
Subaru knew Halibel was frustrated. Frustrated for not being able to help people who were part of his squad. People he must have known for years.
This was hard for him even if he didn't show it. For someone who was said to be close to the sword saint's level, he too had been useless, just like him. The weight of letting the archbishop get away when he was one, if not, the best at collecting information and tracking locations must have made this even harder for him.
"What should I do?" What should he do now? Should he continue on as always and do his bounty hunting? Or should he stop.
There was nothing that was stopping him from it. The reason he began doing it was because he was in need of money and for experience, right? What was the point now? He's strong, really strong, he wouldn't fool himself with that.
He should be strong enough to protect himself now, and if he wasn't he could stall until Halibel arrived. So why should he continue to get stronger?
[What do you think?] He called to his spirits, knowing they knew what he was thinking. He would listen to their opinion, then he would make a decision.
What would be that decision?
[X]
It was hours later after the funeral had ended, Subaru went straight to his apartment. To think.
He thought about the last few days, everything that had happened. It all happened so fast that only now did he have time to think.
It was now when he understood something, something important.
He was lucky, that was a fact he couldn't deny. He had it easy compared to others.
It was true, he had been summoned in a forest to die, that was unlucky and a horrible fate, it was true.
But, could he really say that about the rest of his life?
The first person he met had just happened to be one of the strongest in the world, who not only got him a place to live, but also helped him get to where he is now. To have been summoned in Bannan, the only city which is protected from slavery and its illegal, instead of any of the other ten cities where he could have had it so much harder. Hell, it could have been any of the other kingdoms!
His enormous Spirit affinity, which allowed him to become as strong as he is now, to gain such trustworthy companions, companions he could even call family. His great pool of mana, that allowed him to even be able to summon them in the first place. Perfect combination, wasn't it?
He died and came back. Not many people get such an opportunity.
Now what if he didn't? What if he didn't have such spirit affinity? What if he didn't have that much mana? What if he never met Halibel? What if he arrived somewhere other than Kararagi, than Bannan?
How many times would he have died? Where would he be now? What people would he know? What if he hadn't been so lucky?
He didn't know. He didn't know how that felt. He was lucky. He wasn't defenceless against people such as the witch cult.
That massacre was the reality, the reality of this world. It's because he had been sheltered, because after his own suffering he had it easy. He'd forgotten.
Was it right that he quit because of an event like that?
He wasn't sure. No matter what powers he might have, he owed nothing to anyone. Halibel had helped him because he wanted to so he didn't owe him anything either.
[...I'm not sure…] He wasn't sure what to do, he wasn't sure if he could even trust his own opinion. He needed more.
So he called his spirits, some of the only people he could trust. He talked with them, asked for their opinion, and what they thought. They were a team, it wasn't just his decision either, no matter how much he might want something.
They said they would support him on whatever he wanted.
How did he end up with people that cared so much for him? Did he deserve this?
No- It didn't matter if he was worthy or not. If he wasn't then he would become wortly later, for now, he just wanted to protect what was precious to him.
[That's right] he thought. That was the reason he began training wasn't it? The reason he was so mad when he "threatened" Aqua's life. It was because…
"Because I want to protect." He understood.
Something that should have been so obvious… God he really wasn't that smart now was he?
He began getting stronger because he wanted to protect himself, because he was scared of dying, because he didn't want to return by death again, because he wanted to get strong, to defend himself.
It then turned into wanting to protect the people close to him, people he really cared about. His spirits, who although were his source of power, were also people he wanted to protect. Things he had come to care about.
That is why he had become stronger.
If he wanted to help others, why not? He wasn't a superhero, that was more obvious than ever before. However, he had power, and he also had the decision of what he would do with this power.
Was this still because he wanted to feel wanted? Or maybe because he had already gotten used to that lifestyle? Maybe he truly has not changed from before.
Regardless of that, there was something he was sure of.
This was his decision.
[X]
"Good girl patrasche, we're almost there." Subaru said to Patrasche who was pulling a carriage all by herself. Yang's magic buffs were incredible. It had been over six hours and she was still going strong!
"Are you sure you can do it?" Asked his customer.
"Well, I'm not sure if I can, but I can try. I doubt anyone else can do this." Subaru answered truthfully, he doubted anyone else but a full fedgle team of mercenaries could do it.
This was a strange mission he was taking. It was capturing a Guilty Lowe alive and getting his customer to tame it. In other words, getting his customer close to Guiltylowe and not getting them cut in half.
What was so difficult about this mission was that the Guiltylowe had to be captured almost alive.
Killing it would have been so much easier than capturing it and letting the customer get close and break the horn on his own. If someone tried it unprepared, then there was a good chance it would be a failure.
Subaru took on this quest because it would allow him to test out a new spell he was working on. It was an extremely difficult spell as it was a combination of three elements and possibly more.
He didn't really care about the money, this quest would allow him to see if he got stronger.
He would be able to see if he got stronger and would be able to protect what he cares about. This would be a good test to see how much stronger he had gotten in the past month and a half. To see if all that time hadn't been wasted.
To see if he would be able to face murderers like those cultists, those assassins.
He had trained like hell, till the point of exhaustion. probably harder than he ever had been before.
Was that a good decision? Or not? Well, he was about to find out.
"We should be close." The place they were going was around seven hours away. Although if he was alone with patrasche he could probably get there in around an hour.
He had to go this far to find a Guiltylowe. Not many of them roamed around the city.
It would be bad if they did.
In Kararagi, there weren't many in the first place. You would only find them in a few places. That meant he had to go look for them.
If you really wanted to find malbeasts then you should go to Lugnica, they have more than enough.
Subaru wasn't really worried. If worse came to worse he could just throw all the spells he had to the Malbeast. He wouldn't fool himself and say something like "all lives are equal." He'd already made it clear to himself how much of a lie that was.
He was a clear example.
However, that didn't mean he wasn't anxious. Ever since he witnessed the massacre, his self-confidence had taken a hit. He wasn't doubting his good chance of success, but he wasn't over confident either.
"...That sounds like a good thing." If he had taken something like that to humble him this much then...
[Ahhhg! Now's not the time!!!] He thought to himself. He shaked his head and pushed those thoughts out of his head. Not the time!
They traveled for another twenty minutes, before finally arriving at the forest.
"Right, um…" [How in the world do I do this now?] He wondered to himself. Should he take him with him, or should he make him stay?
"Are you coming with me or not? Although it's probably better if you stay."
"Of course I'm coming, I'm the one who is going to take off that horn, right?"
"*sigh* Alright then " Subaru wasn't actually sure why he wanted the Guiltylowe. All he knew is that this man was a retired mercenary. The chances of him using it to kill someone was not low, but not likely either.
It should be fine. Well, probably.
Hopefully.
"Well, let's go Patrasche"
They walked towards the inside of the forest in silence, Subaru strategizing along the way. He knew that if his new spell worked, he should be fine. But even so, having an extra plan was always a good thing.
They arrived to the deeper parts of the forest where all the dangerous malbeast lived.
"We should be careful from now on." Subaru whispered the obvious.
"Alright." Was the simple response he received.
Guess they weren't that talkative. Although it makes sense, considering what they were here for.
The jet black king of the forest, shadow lion. Those were some of the nicknames this beast had received, it was proof of its fierceness and strength. That was the target.
"Check if someone is approaching us." Subaru told Kazu, who quickly obeyed and began using her wind searching ability. Although she still couldn't tell specifics, it was more than enough to know if someone was getting close and if they were human or not.
"Something is approaching, slowly." She answered.
"Stay behind me." Subaru told his customer. There was a good chance that his target was the one approaching them.
The Guiltylowe unlike other malbeast didn't try to assert superiority or anything of the like. It approached in silence and killed by attacking its enemy's vital spots. This behavior was what allowed it to become so feared and be known as the most dangerous Malbeast after the great three malbeasts.
[Remember Aqua, if that's a Guiltylowe, then don't kill it.] Subaru told her through their mental link. He didn't want to risk killing it, not only would they have to find another one but also he already felt guilty for coming to kill one for no real reason.
It was true that he hated demon beasts, but that didn't mean he would go and pick a fight with them for no reason.
The customer (who Subaru learned his name was Ken) stood behind Subaru, making sure he wasn't in his way.
Subaru waited, having his senses increased with yang magic would allow him to react faster and more effectively.
Not to mention he was the one taking the quest…
He acted casually as to appear an easy target, knowing that the Guiltylower would most likely try and attack him because of that.
And just like expected, the beast fell for the bait.
"Now!" He screamed as he saw a shadow approaching him.
"Ul huma!" A massive Ice pillar exploded through the ground and hit Guiltylowe who attempted to decapitate the boy with a sneak attack. Luckily for Guiltylowe Aqua had dulled the Ice pillar so as to not kill it, so it was only hit back instead of being pierced in half.
"Fula '' Wind blades flew through the air impacting the Malbeast's skin making it scream in pain.
"El vita" Luna casted.
Guiltylowe, who was avoiding the wind blades, was visibly slower after the spell was cast and forced to put more force behind his movements. This helped to exhaust it faster.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAARRRR" The beast roared. Subaru ignored him. He needed to concentrate to make the next spell work.
He pulled on Luna's, Gaia's, and Lucy's gate at the same time. He made sure to be careful when handling the massive amount of mana they held. If he wasn't careful he might lose control and be unable to cast this spell.
He then imagined the shape of the spell, the shape of a chain. Shaping the mana was easy as the shape was simple. Then he chanted-
"Netaru!"
Originating from the chant, below the Guiltylowe's paws, a chain of shadows erupted from the ground. It binds it from its midsection and tightens, leaving no hope of escape.
The Guiltylowe struggled, roard, bit the chain but it was all to no avail. The monstrous strength of the Malbeast stood no chance against the shadowy chain.
When it tried to charge at the boy in one last attempt at freedom it failed miserably as the boy just pulled his hand back, the chain seemingly replicating those movements and pulling the Guiltylowe further the ground.
"*sight*" After seeing the spell working, Subaru could say he was relieved.
"Well, I can say it worked." He was worried he would mess up somehow, but it seems he did fine.
"I told you it was fine." Ruby told him.
"I know, but it feels good to have some confirmation." It really did. thinking something might work was completely different than actually knowing. He could tell you that.
This was the spell Subaru had worked on for most of the last month. He had already begun its creation before but wasn't actually putting too much effort. He had been training more leisurely before unlike now. Not that he wasn't putting hard work or anything- he was just more lax about it.
This time, he put on all his magical practice time in it.
The spell consisted of creating the strongest earth binds he could, and strengthening them with Lucy's yang magic. The magic would exponentially increase the strength they held allowing them to capture stronger targets. It would also allow them to be more resistant meaning they would not break as easily.
The shadows weren't just for show either. He used the 'debuffing' properties of yin magic to weaken the target and make them easier to bind. It was basically a very weaker variation of shammac that was combined with the chain.
If he had to be honest, this was probably the hardest part of the spell. He was basically creating a new spell to go with the new spell after all. The only reason it didn't take him as long was because it was a variation shamac, and a weaker one at that. He already had an "example" to go off from so it wasn't terribly difficult.
He then, of course, had to combine all their gates into one for the spell to work. It was surprisingly easier than he had expected. Was it because of their closeness? Or maybe because he was just a natural at it? He wasn't sure, but he supposed it didn't matter.
While he could control the chains at will, he would be unable to cast another spell from the same element as long as they were going. So as it was now, he would be unable to cast "dona" since the spell uses earth magic to work.
Subaru supposed it was fine, the strength they held seemed to make it worth it. Maybe he could get rid of that disadvantage in the future as well.
Unfortunately, for now he was only capable of creating one chain. He was also unable to control their strength entirely, it was taking a good amount of effort for him to avoid splitting Guiltylowe in half.
Yang magic was scary.
One more benefit of this spell was that the gate was still connected to the chain, which was why he was capable of moving it. That meant he was also capable of...
"Ruby." He called. Right after he felt her gate connect with the others. Channeling her magic through the chains, he visualized the shadows being covered by fire.
"GRRRAAAAA!" The beast screamed in pain as the chain around its body erupted in flames and consecutively burned him. A bright burned mark appeared in its body as it was being cooked alive.
Once around twenty seconds passed, Subaru signalled Ruby to stop the flames. Doing as told the flames quickly died down, leaving the poor Guiltylowe unconscious due to the pain
Subaru felt a bit disgusted at that sight and his actions. He felt as if he was torturing a poor creature that was defenceless from its predator.
[I mean if you ignore its big menacing presence, then that's about right.] He thought.
That just made him feel worse. It made him feel like those murderers, praying on the weak for no reason.
But he had a reason, right? This was a quest… Like the directions the witch gave them…
[Let's just get this over with...] He thought tiredly. There was no time for wallowing in his own thoughts
"Well, it's down, and not dead like you wanted. Take its horn and let's go."
Ken came from behind when he heard the chaos ending. He'd been observing the entire time from afar and making sure that he wouldn't get in Subaru's way.
"I'm impressed, you managed to put it down without much trouble. You really are the Lolimacer."
"Huh?" Subaru was surprised. As stupid as it was, he still caried hat title with a bit of pride and knew that people called him that.
Ignoring Halibel, who just did it to make fun of him. This was the first time someone had called him that name to his face. It was a bit surprising to him.
Wanting to say something he turned around but was interrupted by Ken, who continued speaking. "Of course I would know who you are. If it wasn't enough that you are traveling with six spirits in the form of girls, I would never accept someone who wasn't qualified for something like this. I didn't survive this long without being careful you see."
"It's nice to see that there are some people helping those in need. That way, those people can have someone to look up to."
Without saying anything else. He walked closer to the unconscious Guiltylowe, and broke the horn off. Effectively completing the mission.
Subaru, hearing Ken's words, was left with a warm feeling in his stomach, and unconsciously a smile raised in his face.
"Maybe it's not so useless after all." He whispered.
[X]
Exiting the forest, Subaru and Ken were now traveling back to Bannan, this time with a brand new Guiltylowe following behind them. Patrasche pulling the carriage with surprising efficiency considering that she had been pulling it for over six hours now with basically no breaks in between.
"You really are an impressive Patrasche, let's take a break alright." Subaru said. They were just outside the Malbeast part of the forest. It should be safe for them to take a break now.
Those forest trees also seemed very comfortable to lay in. Also, if they forgot something they could easily just go back to the forest in about five minutes. If they did get attacked by a Malbeast they could just easily kill it.
Patrasche responded by making a series of sounds that Subaru couldn't understand, but was sure they translated to something along the line's of "of course I'm impressive."
Well, he wouldn't deny that.
He turned to Ken who was looking at Guiltylowe just sitting there. During the ride, he'd learn that Ken's child had been Killed by a Guiltylowe. Taming on was some sort of revenge for him.
Subaru wasn't going to tell him what to do. He had nothing to say to him anyways, he wasn't involved in his situation and didn't know what he felt. Saying anything would be speaking out of place.
Instead he began to think about something that had been bothering him, but he could finally put those worries to rest.
Sigh* [at least now I know all that training actually paid off.] Subaru acknowledged.
It was nice to know that all that training he did the past month wasn't useless.
Yes, it was true he could only summon one chain for now, but that didn't mean it would stay like that forever. Now that he had the bases down for the spell he could work his way up and make it stronger. It should be easier now since all he had to do was increase the number of them as the strength itself should increase as his spirits progress.
[Or at least I hope so…]
"I think this is good" He mumbled under his breath. He knew that after the massacre he witnessed things wouldn't be the same. But maybe, just maybe, things could stay as they were now, were the only worries he had were getting stronger in case something happens.
And if an enemy happened, such as the cult appeared, well…
His thoughts flashed to his spirits, to Halibel, to his training and hard work.
"We can take them." He wouldn't let anyone die, he would protect them all and himself.
That's why this was all happening in the first place right?
"*huff* It feels good to be clear on that." While he'd already decided before, his heart still had some doubts. Not being able to measure his strength against anyone but Halibel (who he already knew was superior then him) was frustrating, almost making him feel as if he was stuck in one place.
Being able to see how effectively he neutralized a beast such as the Guiltylowe, put an end to thoughts such as "I'm not progressing."
After all, actions speak louder than words- although in this case, thoughts.
"Right then, since I'm done with that spell for now, what else should I focus on…"
"Ah I know, how about!..." Before he could finish his sentence Subaru suddenly felt his mana being drained. He knew this feeling, the feeling of one of his spirits manifesting themselves. The next thing he heard was-
"¡El dona!" taking shape by the means of a canto, earth spikes rose from the ground and impaled the Guiltylowe's chest, stopping the mortal attack that was aimed to end Subaru's life.
A normal spell of such a caliber wouldn't have been able to cause such damage, however, this was the spell of a great spirit. Guiltylowe never stood a chance.
So when it tried taking his target's life away, his own had ended after the spikes pierced vital organs.
Subaru, who had turned around after hearing a spell being casted was a witness to the events that unfolded. To that, he only had one thing to say.
"...What?" He had no words to say
That attack would have killed him, he was sure of that.
He'd let his guard down and lost himself in his thoughts, that could have cost him his life. If it wasn't for Gaia's intervention there is a good chance he would be nothing but a puddle of blood right now.
His first reaction was to blame Ken who supposedly had control over the Guiltylowe, but when he looked at his face, he could clearly tell it wasn't him. He looked just as surprised as him and a tinge of horror, probably because he was expecting Subaru to blame the attack on him.
[If it wasn't him, who was it.?] It had to be him right? There was no one else in the area.
Unless…
"Kazu, search the area." A short but effective order.
Kazu quickly carried out what Subaru told her. In a few seconds, she scanned the wind and tried to find anyform of life, whether it was human, demi human or a beast.
Looking at Subaru, she informed him-
"Without counting us, three people and a lot of animals." She realised
"Fuck!" Subaru cursed. Kazu could tell the exact number of targets as long as they were twenty or less in her surroundings. If she could not give an exact number, then that meant…
"My, my, it seems the surprise attack failed. Well, I can't say I'm disappointed really. It would be no fun if you died that quickly."
Turning to the source of the voice, Subaru saw a black haired woman with a purple flower residing in her hair. Her clothing was extremely provocative, so much that Subaru would have probably blushed on sight if it wasn't for the situation they were in. She had a very nice figure and the purple and black dress she wore only helped enhance those qualities.
"Can I ask what business a beauty such as you has with me in a desolated field?" Subaru asked her sarcastically. He then added, "Also, if you don't mind, could you tell your friends to come out. I'm not really comfortable dealing with the unknown."
Hearing those words the women's eyes seemed to bright up and show a murderous and excited glint. "Oh~So You've already caught on? I wonder what your bowels will look like!" She said excitedly.
"Now, Elsa, don't get ahead of yourself and leave nothing for me!. There is a reason three of us were hired, instead of only one meaning he must be strong...unless they're underestimating us."
A man who had messy green hair, blue eyes and wore a very expensive suit walked out from the bushes. A Guiltylowe following behind him, who carried a… Child?
"She's right Elsa! Don't just walk out like that, Oni-san is dangerous! He already killed Guitylowe '' The child, who could be no older than twelve years old pouted and said as she looked at the now dead Guiltylowe with pity in her stare.
"Oh~ I know, but don't you see Maylie? That just makes it even better.! He will be a great dance partner."
Hearing those words Subaru was unable to stay quiet. "Oi, you know I'm still here, right?"
Knowing that they were anything but friendly, he called out his spirits. "I would be more grateful if you tell me who you are, while I am a game master, I would prefer for you to introduce yourself above me guessing." He said with a considerable amount of bite behind his tone.
"Now, now, don't get too aggressive, kid. Respect your elders.!" The green-haired man responded with anger in his tone. Forcing himself to calm down, he took a deep breath, and then continued. "So it's true, you really have six great spirits. That means you're the right target."
Subaru then connected the dots. "So I'm a target huh? Well, it seems someone has had their eye on me then?" Subaru knew he was at a disadvantage. He had no idea of his enemy's strengths and they had the numerical advantage. Not only that but he also had Ken behind him, so he would be unable to go all out. [Crap, this is bad. I can't fully fight-]
"Tell the old man to get out of here." Casually said the green haired man.
"What?" Subaru stopped his train of thought when he heard the man's words. Didn't he realize what type of advantage that would give him?
"Any objections?" He asked his two partners.
Elsa just sighed. "He's not part of the targets." She simply said. Then she let out a predatory smile, "Besides, he would get in the way of the dance, don't you agree? It would be a shame if he doesn't give us his full attention." She licked her lips at that last sentence.
"You're really confident, don't you think?" Subaru said. He then signaled his spirits to watch his back as he turned around to look at Ken. "Get out of here, I'm not sure what you were going to do with the Guiltylowe, but you can think about later. Patrasche, go! Leave the carriage, focus on getting out of here."
Patrasche gave Subaru a look. He smiled at her. "Don't you worry about me. We're gonna kick their ass." He gave her a thumbs up.
With doubt in her eyes, but choosing to trust the boy, Patrasche took the man on his back and departed at full speed, making sure to not get in Subaru's way.
Subaru watched closely, making sure they really didn't do anything. Once he saw that they were a considerable distance, he felt comfortable to speak.
"You're going to regret that." He said. His spirits seemed to agree with him.
The balck haired woman smiled a predatory smile at him. "Oh, you sound really confident, what do you say? Shall we dance?!" Elsa said as she pulled out two purple daggers.
'Don't get ahead of yourself, Elsa. This is my chance to prove why I'm one of mothers best assassins! I won't let you take him all to yourself!" The green hair man exclaimed. clearly enraged.
"Mister, don't scream would you! You're scaring the puppies." Maylie said as she pointed at the Ulgram who did not look the least bit scared.
While they were bickering, Subaru took the chance to analyze his surroundings.
They were close to a forest, multiple hours away from Bannan, and his only way of transport was away. He had three people in front of him, who were clearly dangerous and had already stated that he was their target. Meaning they were trying to kill him.
In other words he was stranded in the middle of nowhere with only his spirits and himself to rely on. Not only that but he had three enemies in front of him, who he had absolutely no idea what their abilities were, trying to kill him.
That's when he realized something.
"Ah, this isn't just a random assasination attempt, is it? This was planned and timed, right?" He whispered under his breath and prepared himself for the battle that was about to commence.
[X]
On the other side of the continent, an eccentric noble smiled as he looked down at his black book.
"I wooooonder." He already knew the outcome, all he was doing was following the book's will. Even so, the future described to him was vague.
He didn't even know his name, but that was fine. He was the guide to reviving his teacher. All he needed was the Gospels guidance, there was no need to question it. This was his master's will after all.
"Howwww good will your performance be? Try to impress meeeee."
Well, first of all. Happy new year's everyone!
Well, this chapter was posted today because I didn't want to wait a year to do it, glad I managed!
...okay fine bad joke, but I couldn't help myself!
Sorry this chapter took so long? But the fic exchange honestly took up most of my time. Since that's done, I should be able to not take two months to write the next one.
While there was no Witch-cult fight in this one, This was meant more for a development chapter for Subaru, hope I managed to do that well.
Well thats all for now, If you enjoyed then leave a comment and any criticism you might have, they help a lot.
See you next time!