Chapter 6: Path of the Blessed Stars

Within the exit door of the Theater, a long stretching hallway was located towards the side. Out of that exit, a lobby and a snack bar could be seen, with a corridor full of dozens of doors towards the side of that. Those were the temporary quarters of the Cast.

For the one hour intermission they would be spending, everyone had the choice of either staying in the Theater, going to the lobby, or their respective room.

Naoko and her husband decided to go to their room.

Lying on their bed, the mother of Subaru Natsuki was thinking of the insanity that she and her husband had experienced in the last two hours.

After two months of searching, they finally found their son. Rather than running away or being kidnapped as they initially feared, he was actually summoned to another world, a fantasy world straight out of a fairy tale, like one of his books he read.

The fact that humanity and all life on Earth was not alone in the universe was still being processed by the couple, but they were happy that they're son was now safe. He finally made friends, found a purpose in life, and seemed happy.

But with the reveal of the first episode, that illusion was shattered.

Return by Death. A horrible curse was placed on her child that allowed him to go back in time, whenever he died. And apparently, it had happened so many times that her little boy had forgotten how many times. He had been eaten alive, his throat was slashed, even his own allies had murdered him. As he put it, he was immortal in the worst way possible.

His allies. Honestly, Naoko didn't know what to think of them now. She was still in a sort of shock during the first episode when everyone began turning on one another, and now, she was even wondering if she had a right to be angry. Subaru said it was fine, and since it was a whole other world and people they truly didn't know, one could argue that it was out of her and her husband's jurisdiction. But even that option felt wrong.

The main thing she was feeling, however, was tiredness.

Looking over at her husband, she saw he was staring at the ceiling, in a similar manner to her. He had been silent for quite a while, and he remained so, until…

"Naoko… were we bad parents?"

The matriarch of the Natsukis looked over to her husband, looking at him questioningly.

"It's just that…" he sighed. "You saw it too, didn't you? The amount of stress he hides behind that smile, as if he's carrying the entire weight of the world on his back. And not only that, but when we saw those… other versions of him… are we responsible for what they became?"

Naoko looked over to her husband, and spoke.

"I don't know," she said. "I honestly can't tell for another world's Subaru. But what I do know for a fact is that we're here now, with our little boy. He may have suffered, yes, but he chose to persevere, far more than we could ever. So, we're going to spend as much time as we have with our child, and give him enough happy memories to bury the sad ones!"

The Natsuki patriarch looked over to his wife. "And his… friends?"

Naoko bit her lip at that, but slowly, she decided to say, "If he says he forgives them, then we can't do anything about it. He's an adult, and we should respect his choices."

Giving her a nod, Kenichi said, "Okay, Naoko. Then let's get our son back."


Out within the seemingly endless hallways, with doors to a seemingly endless amount of rooms on either side, a maid and a merchant were having a private conversation.

Otto looked at Frederica, and asked, "How long have you… liked me?"

The blonde maid gave a sad chuckle, and said, "I believe I've liked you since I first met you. It was only during the viewing… with her… that I realized what those feelings were, and why it hurt so much to see you with another woman… even in another world…"

"That's still no excuse to attack someone! Especially Natsuki-san, after everything he's already been through!"

"I know, and I'm sorry! My anger and jealousy got the better of me!" Frederica apologized.

"I know you're sorry, Frederica-San, but I'm not the one you need to be apologizing to," Otto said, making sure Frederica knew that she owed it to Subaru.

Frederica nodded in shame before continuing, "I… I just wanted someone who wasn't afraid of me."

Hearing that, the green merchant looked confused. "Afraid of you?"

The demi-human was quiet for a moment, before she decided to spill. "My heritage… It makes people uneasy. Whenever people see my teeth, they freak out, and Subaru-sama was no exception. That's why I cover my mouth whenever I laugh; so people don't see me smile."

"Frederica-san…"

"But then, you appeared in my life. You, Otto, were the first person who wasn't put-off by my demi-human heritage, not afraid of my sharp teeth, or intimidated by my appearance… and it felt nice. Sure, Petra-chan was the same, but she's a child. You, however… you're reliable, a person of good character, any girl would be lucky to be with you!"

"..."

"But… seeing Subaru-sama… in all of these realities… to be able to take on anyone he wants as a lover, just because he can try again as many times as he wishes… It felt wrong. And seeing him working with our attempted killers… as a Sin Archbishop, no less… It was too much for me to bear. A part of me fears for the future. A part of me fears that he'll break under the strain and become a monster like Pride, or the Purge King, and then we'll all be…"

"..."

"I just…" Frederica looked up directly at Otto, with tears in her eyes. "I don't want to lose you…"

GRAB!

Before the blonde maid could register what just happened, she felt the warmth of another body wrapping around her, their arms holding her, refusing to ever let her go.

"E-eh? O-otto-sama –"

"Otto," he said, in a voice of authority. "Just Otto."

"I…"

"I promise you, that Natsuki-san will never become like that. I will make sure he stays on the right path. And I promise you, Frederica, I will never let you go."

As tears welled up in her eyes, the blonde maid hugged the merchant even tighter.


Emilia was alone in her room. She couldn't bring herself to be in anyone else's company. Not even Subaru.

Subaru… Her heart ached when she thought of him. From his kindness, his selflessness, his desire to save everyone, and his love for her were some of his greatest qualities. She wondered what she did to earn such a wonderful knight.

But now, she knows the truth. Subaru had seen horrors beyond human comprehension and died so many times. He died… for her. A part of her wondered why he would go through all this, she already had the answer.

It was because Subaru loved her. He loved her so much he made a promise to save them no matter what. A promise that he believed to be more important than any other promise he made, and willing to break any he deemed necessary for their survival.

He loved her… but it wasn't entirely reciprocated.

Emilia appreciated Subaru and cherished him as a dear friend that she could trust with her life, but she never reciprocated his feelings. She never understood romantic love, and Puck never taught her about it. A part of her wanted to give Subaru an answer to his affection…

But now… Emilia feared that she would end up breaking Subaru's heart. What if she didn't love Subaru? What if she had to give him an answer and it wasn't what he wanted? Should she just stay quiet about it indefinitely? No… That would give him false hope, and would be the equivalent to lying, and she hated lying.

Emilia could only sit in silence as she pondered what to do, wishing her aunt Fortuna and Guese were here to help her.

I'm so sorry, Subaru…


"Why the fuck are we here?" Felt asked, in an annoyed tone.

She, along with Crusch and Priscilla, were currently in Anastasia's room, as the purple-haired merchant had invited them to a meeting during the hour-long intermission.

"Well, th' answer is simple," she smiled. "We're here ta discuss Natsuki-kun."

"What is there to discuss?" the red-eyed blonde spoke in an accusatory tone. "Big Bro was dragged into our world, and is suffering for our mistakes. We need to help him."

"Foolish child, so you honestly believe that the world, let alone us, will possibly even think of letting him go, now that we know his true potential?" Priscilla asked.

"An' tha' may not actually be his true potential," the purple-haired merchant said. "Fer all we know, were jus' scratchin' th' surface of what Natsuki-kun is capable of!"

"Stop it."

"What?"

"Stop acting like he's something you can profit off of!" Crusch yelled, disgusted by what Anastasia was insinuating. "He's a human being. A person with free will, not something to be used to undo your mistakes!"

"I wasn't suggestion' we use 'im fer that!" Anastasia waved her hands in response. She may take advantage of a lot of things, but she wasn't going to kill someone for her mess up. "I was talking about his otherworldly knowledge! Within tha' brain o' his, he could tip th' entire world economy upside down! He could revolutionize th' whole world! Not only that, but he's charismatic enough ta potentially have people like th' Admirer and Zarestia listen to him! He's already defeated th' White Whale an' Sloth, an' if the talk abou' th' Sanctuary is anythin' ta go off of, th' Great Rabbit, too!"

"So, what exactly are you suggesting he do? You wanna hire him into your business and exploit him for his knowledge?" Felt asked. She still didn't trust many of the higher class in Lugnica, Anastasia and Priscilla among them.

"Not only that, but to make sure he remains… altruistic."

The other three Candidates looked at Priscilla with confusion.

"Altruistic?" repeated Crusch.

"If you speak of this in front of the others, mine divine self shall deny it, but…" the Vollachian Matriarch sighed. "Mineself is afraid of him. Afraid of what he's capable of, afraid of what he could do, and afraid of what he could become if left unchecked. We've already seen him… change… those worlds to suit his needs, and none of us could stop him. What is stopping our version of the boy from doing the same thing?"

Felt and Anastasia were quiet. What exactly was stopping Subaru Natsuki?

"His heart."

The other three Candidates looked at Crusch, who had a fiery look in her eyes. "His desire to help others. The things that make him human. That's what's stopping him. His heart."

However, Crusch had more to say, "Not just that, but the people he cares for. Those in his Camp all seem to be very close to him, minus Roswaal-sama, but I trust their judgment on whatever happened at "the Sanctuary". But the others, they, in a way, are an extension of his heart…"

The other three Candidates started to see where this was going.

"Take them away, take his heart away… and he becomes heartless."


Rem and Ram were also in their room, contemplating what they had witnessed.

Rem was still heartbroken over the fact that she murdered her hero… twice! The man she loved, who saved her life, was murdered and possibly even tortured by her own hands!

She wondered how Subaru could tolerate her, much less love her after what she did. While Subaru didn't share the specifics, it was obvious that Rem's past counterparts were not kind to him.

Rem was beyond thankful Subaru had forgiven her, but the blue oni believed she needed to be punished somehow. It was only fair to Subaru.

Ram was not faring much better. She began to regret how she treated Subaru, who literally died to save her sister's life, even after what Rem did. She mocked and insulted constantly, and he never once spoke up about it.

Sure, it was their way of showing they cared for each other, but Ram couldn't help but feel that she took it too far. She saw a timeline were her rash actions drove him to become a murderer who would decide people's fates, literally, with the flip of a coin. He was almost emotionless, and constantly paranoid that he would be betrayed again.

Deep down, Ram knew that Roswaal was to blame. With his gospel, he could've cleared up the misunderstanding regarding Rem's death, let her know that Subaru wasn't to blame. She wondered how many times his machinations have caused Subaru's deaths.

"Sister…" Ram heard her twin speak, "We really are demons, aren't we…?"

Ram could not give an answer.


"And whyat exactly is this drink called?" Felix asked.

"It's called root beer, trust me, it's good," Al replied.

Outside at the snack bar, Felix and Al, alongside Reinhard and Julius, were trying to cool their heads, when Al decided to have them try some food from Subaru's homeworld.

"Well, the "popcorn" he offered us did indeed happen to be delectable, especially with this strange liquid butter," Reinhard said.

"All right, I'll try it, nyah…" the cat boy said, as he opened the bottle with the dark brown liquid, and took a big gulp. Everyone stared at the knight carefully, when suddenly…

"PFFT! UUUGGGHHH! OH MY OD, MY MOUTH! IT BUUURNS!"

…Felix immediately spat it back out, and began to scream bloody murder.

"BAHAHAHA!" Al laughed his ass off, before saying, "Hey, I wasn't the one who told you to drink it in one big gulp, nor was I the one who told you to drink it that fast in the first place! Also, you forgot to add ice. I mean, some people prefer it without, but ice is helpful for newbies."

"I'm not drinking this again! It's disgusting! Why do people in Subaru-kun's world like to drink this stuff?!"

As Al and Reinahrd continued to laugh at Felix's antics, Julius looked out towards the Theater with a depressing expression, and asked, "What's the point?"

Upon hearing that, the other three knights looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how can you all be laughing and drinking, when we know for a fact that we're just waiting to see Subaru burn down the kingdom again, or recruit living calamities to whatever cause of his, or watch him murder our lieges over and over again?! What's the point?!"

The other three were quiet for a moment, before Reinhard said, "This is about Anastasia-sama, isn't it?"

"Twice! I've watched him murder my liege twice! And now, thanks to his counterparts, we know our Subaru can do the same thing! He has the means to do it, and he… he…"

"..."

Quietly, Julius asked, "Is it my fault?"

"What?"

"Is it my fault? During the duel, as I beat him into the dirt, I called him weak, lacking conviction, and unworthy of being at Emilia-sama's side, and yet… he's far more worthy than any of us. He went through hell and back to see her and her allies safe… Do you really think that any of us would be able to do what he's done? Would we have persevered like him, or ran away?"

Silence.

"He's a far superior knight than any of us, and yet all I can think of is that it will only be a matter of time before we break him, we push him to the edge, and he turns on all of us… You heard Beatrice-sama; what is stopping him from simply leaving? Or worse… What is stopping him from doing away with all the people who had wronged him? People… like me…"

The snack bar was quiet for a moment, before suddenly Reihard walked towards Julius…

SMACK!

…and slapped him.

Felix and Al were shocked by what happened, but neither of them voiced their protests. Going up against the Sword Saint, especially an angry one, was a death sentence.

"How dare you?" the redhead spoke, almost in a whisper.

"Wh-what?"

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Reinhard yelled, letting his emotions out for once in his life. "How dare you even suggest that our Subaru would do such a thing?!"

"But… you saw those other realities –"

"What I saw were versions of Subaru who were all victims of circumstance, influenced by outside forces, and shaped by the people around him. Did you see Pride? He burned down the kingdom and murdered our mistresses, yes, but I also saw him cry! I saw him wishing to leave that life behind! And the Purge King? Yes, I saw him decide the fate of people on a coin toss, but I also saw him save Banan from a mock Zarestia, and I saw him care for his friends and Ram-san! Where you see monsters beyond your comprehension, I see broken people!"

"Wh-what are you saying?" Julius stuttered.

"I'm saying that, yes, while our Subaru could become like them, we now have a chance to prevent that! Don't you see? We have been given an opportunity to help him, to not have him take on his burden alone! You shouldn't be afraid of him for what he could do, you should be happy that he hasn't gone down that path yet, and you should be helping him stay the course!"

After hearing his friend's speech, Julius realized that Reinhard was right. Yes, Subaru was capable of terrible things, but everytime he was pushed over the edge and they weren't there to help him, the otherworlder would rise up on his own, and save the day.

Subaru was physically and magically the weakest knight, but that meant he wasn't supposed to be on the front lines. He was the tactician, who laid out plans and traps for their enemies, and his victory against Sloth and the White Whale proved that.

The only reason Subaru was on the front lines all the time was because he didn't know who he could trust, and they themselves didn't make that issue any better.

So, they needed to fix that, and show that he could trust them.

"You're right," he said to the Sword Saint. "You're absolutely right."

Julius Juukulius vowed that he would make his friend trust him.


Subaru Natsuki was pissed.

He was basically a quiet version of "himself when he vowed to kill Petelgeuse" levels of pissed.

Meili had spilled everything. How she was abandoned at birth, and was raised by Mabeasts until Elsa slaughtered them all and brought her to the Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella Emerada Lugnica. How she was forced into the assassin life, and how whenever she failed, that blonde bitch would use her Authority to… well, do things that would scare the shit out of even the most "into it" sadists and BDSM users.

From what he gathered, Capella is a shapeshifter. She can turn into any person or animal on Lugnica (maybe even Earth as well) and mimic their natural, biological abilities, such as a dragon's ability to breathe fire. She can also apply that power to anyone else as well just by making physical contact. She even had some kind of regeneration power that made her almost impossible to kill. Despite the absolute piece of shit the user was, Subaru couldn't help but be fascinated by the power itself. With her Authority of Lust, Capella could've helped so many lives. She could've been the greatest healer in the world, able to help others grow back long lost limbs and cure just about any illness. She could've used her power to enhance the bodies of knights to make them stronger, or even change the race of someone who wanted to be something else.

But instead, she used this power to… well, "torture" was too nice of a word for it.

Hugging Meili closer, he swore that Capella would die, maybe by Reinhard vaporizing her, and once he got her Authority, he would shape it to his desire, use it to bring her back, and kill her all over again, just to spite her.

Aight, break's over. Let's resume with your newly scheduled program.

Upon hearing the Warden's very distinct voice emanating from the Theater, the knights, along with Otto and Frederica, who were also loitering outside, went from room to room, and knocked on the doors, letting everyone know that one hour had passed.

Five minutes later, everyone was settling back in the Theater, and Beatrice had an unreadable expression, one aimed towards her contractor. "What is that purple thing doing on your lap?"

"Her name is Meili, and she's going to be sitting on my lap for the foreseeable future," Subaru spoke, in a tone that left no room for argument.

"But what about Betty?!"

"You can have my spot next to Petra-chan on Frederica's lap," Meili suggested.

"Absolutely not. Betty refuses to be more than ten feet from her contractor."

"Beatrice-sama," Rem said, in a sad tone. "You can have Rem's spot next to Subaru-kun. I'll be sitting next to nee-sama for the foreseeable future."

"Actually, I'll be taking that one," Crusch interjected, while she and Felt glared at Priscilla and Anastasia, who simply ignored the glaring Candidates.

"Fine, but you must sit beside Betty so Betty can be next to her contractor. No exceptions, in fact!" Beatrice remained adamant to stay beside Subaru.

"That is acceptable," Crusch allowed it.

"Rein, we're scooting closer to Big Bro," Felt moved to sit on the second bottom row, making sure the other two candidates didn't try anything.

"Understood, Felt-sama." Reinhard could sense that his lady was angry, but chose to question it later.

As Crusch was about to sit down, she whispered into Emilia's ear, "Felt and I need to talk to you and Subaru later."

Emilia was confused, but nodded. Once everyone sat in their new seats, the Warden spoke up again.

Alright, here are your newest options.

The Cast leaned forward, and prepared themselves for what they saw.

What if Subaru contracted the Divine Dragon?

OR

What if Subaru was adopted by the Astrea family?

The initial reaction to these newest options were… underwhelming. But the more they thought about it, it was perhaps the most underwhelming option that indeed up being the most… "amazing" wasn't the right word. Traumatizing? No. Life changing? Yeah, that works.

"Subaru?" Emilia addressed her knight, asking for his opinion.

"I… got nothing. I either contract… Volcanica, was it, which makes me assume I'm the King?" Subaru asked, receiving a nod, "Or, I think, I got adopted by Rein's family, and thus, I never turned into a psychopathic monster that burns down the entire nation."

"Okay, before ya start ta spiral, Al?"

"Way ahead of you, Hoshin," the helmeted knight replied.

Conditions: Return to the Capital City, Loop Three.

References "the Original".

Conditions: Subaru arrives earlier.

"Okay, so the first one implies thyat you die, nyah," Felix analyzed the situation, still not comfortable at all with Subaru's power requiring him to die, or the fact that his liege decided to sit next to the guy who let her get erased from history in one universe.

"And the other one simply means that… you become my grandson?" Wilhelm said, the realization hitting him way too late, but still making him excited at the possibility.

"So… does that mean I'd be Rein's adopted brother?"

"Ooooor perhaps Theresia's," Roswaal said. "It doesn't say hooooow much earlier."

Subaru hated to admit it, but the shitty clown was right. They had no idea which generation of the Astrea family this was referring to, but in his opinion, it was better than the possibility of seeing him going mad with power just because King Ghidorah's nice brother liked him.

"I vote for the second option."

"I agree," Crusch nodded.

"As do I," Wilhelm added.

Soon enough, the majority of the Cast decided that it would be best to play it safe, and chose the second option. After all, who to better keep Subaru in check than a Sword Saint themselves? Even if the Cast didn't know what generation they would be following.

But as the lights went dim, the Cast would find out soon enough.

What if Subaru contracted the Divine Dragon?

Conditions: Subaru arrives earlier.

I already made up my mind the moment I got down from the carriage. This city was fantastic, especially the sublime palace standing proudly at the center of it. To be honest, the city's architecture, especially the noble district, was so impressive I could barely take my eyes off it. I was walking beside my brother and father while looking around the main street of Lugunica. There were lots of stands and markets displaying both high-quality goods like metias or simple groceries such as apples. If I manage to pass the examination, I'm going to patrol these streets for a month... IF I pass. I couldn't tell why but this palace felt familiar yet so different, just like Flanders. It was probably because I'm used to living in this fantasy world now, though. Well, calling it fantasy would be an injustice since I've been here for five years now, but it still feels weird to learn new things about this enviable world. There was one thing, in particular, that was bothering me about the city: the people. Especially the people's treatment of each other. I could see demi-humans in alleyways, avoiding the main road for reasons I don't know. I understood the difference between the demi-humans in the main road and the alleyway after giving proper attention to both of them. Most of the demi-humans in the alleyways were quarter and what I guessed to be quarter-elves. Racism in this world is also alive and well… great. I hope someone can figure out a way to change this. Anyway, I still have an examination to focus on. It was clever of Haruo to suggest this walk; it helped me to get rid of my anxiety… for now, at least. He even insisted on walking on this particular street.

"Huh, I guess the narration is from Barusu's perspective," Ram huffed.

"Jesus Christ, word vomit, kid!" Al yelled. "I couldn't even understand half of that mutter storm!"

"I did," Reinhard said, having Al quickly pause the viewing. "Apparently, this version of Subaru arrived in Lugnica five years prior to this "episode", and has already been adopted by the Astreas. He also doesn't take a liking to how demi-humans, especially those of elven lineage, are treated, so this suggests that this takes place post-Calamity."

"At least that one thing is a constant to all the Subarus out there," the original mused.

"Also, he apparently knows someone by the name of "Haruo"," the Sword Saint added.

"Calm down for Od's sake, Subaru! You're so anxious that it's making me anxious."

It seems like Kage was getting affected by my emotions.

"Oh, great, he has a contracted Spirit of Yin in this one, too. How wonderful, I suppose," Beatrice groaned at the continuing trend.

"Hey, Beako, it's okay," Subaru tried to comfort his contracted Spirit.

"Hey, quick question, is this the third or the fourth of you've contracted?"

Al's question was answered with a patented Natsuki death glare.

"Kage is right, Subaru. You prepared well; you have nothing to worry about."

My brother was overly optimistic about me as usual.

"First of all, you weren't even at the house in the last three months. Secondly, I'm not OP and can still lose against another OP rival, so I have something to worry about. Thirdly, there are only two openings for the second knight unit, and there is no way I can be one of them."

"Actually, I'm willing to bet you will, Subaru."

That was unlike Reinhard.

"Bet…? What are your terms?"

This would at least distract me from my anxiety.

"What are you kids betting on? Don't do anything serious."

Father tried to intervene but Haruo seemed determined.

Upon hearing that, everyone now knew what time period this was.

"I guess you're my brother, Haruo," Subaru smiled.

"Yes, I guess I am," Reinhard smiled.

While everyone else was chuckling at the jokes, Wilhelm stared at his son on the screen. He looked far cleaner than his Heinkel was, as if he was off the alcohol.

Felt was also looking at her knight's father. He looked far… nicer. Accepting, even. He clearly adopted Subaru in this timeline, something which their version of Heinkel would never do.

"You will try your best, that is my term. I bet that you will get the first rank. If I win, I get one favor to ask from you." Haruo's terms seemed a bit ambiguous, but this bet is a sure win for me so, who cares?

"Deal, I also get a favor to ask if I … win? I'm sure I won't get in the first place even if I try my best, so it's a sure win. I'm dying to try a new grenade idea. This one includes a big Fire crystal."

"Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no –"

"Subaru, what's wrong?" Emilia asked.

"That kid is about to introduce 20th century warfare to this world."

"What th' fuck izzat, exactly?" Garfiel asked.

"Basically, instead of fighting with swords and arrows, in my world, people fight with tools and weapons that insta-kill anyone in front of them. Grenades happen to be one of those things. They're basically hand-held explosives. Throw them, and boom, your opponent's dead."

Emilia and Garfiel, along with Petra and Meili, and anyone else who overheard their conversation, stayed dreadfully quiet, as their minds tried to compute what was just said.

"Subaru, does this include anything dangerous?"

Father was looking at me concerned, so I decided to soften my response.

"Just a bit… I will take proper measures. I promise."

"Subaru, could you not?"

Well, that's the best answer I can give without lying, father.

"Ask him to not be an idiot after you win, Reinhard."

I wonder if Kage practices with Auntie or she just turned out to be this way on her own.

"I'm planning to save it for a proper occasion, sorry for doing what you asked, Kage."

"What a supportive contractor Spirit you are."

"It's not my fault that you are an idiot. If you don't like me, then good luck with the duel tomorrow."

"Geez, that Spirit has sass," Ricardo chuckled.

"Yeah," Subaru agreed. "Also, I have an aunt?"

"I believe that version of you is referring to Carol Remndis," Reinhard explained. "She was a comrade of grandfather's during the Demi-Human War, and both she and her husband have visited my estate to see their grandchildren, and even spoke to Felt-sama."

"Yeah, they're nice enough," Felt added. "But they looked at Old Man Rom weird."

"They prolly figured out tha' he's Valga Cromwell," Anastasia said.

The Cast was silent as they remembered the episode where they made that discovery.

The duel… the first part of the examination. This part is usually less important for officers, but it's still important if someone wants to get into a high rank from the start. I think Kage is tired of me being anxious in the last three months.

"Subaru, do you want to check the duel grounds for tomorrow's combat evaluation?"

"Sure, why not? Am I even allowed to go there?"

"Son, was this the reason you wanted to walk on the main road?"

Father seemed to understand my brother's intention before I did.

"Yes, it was. The first examination should be at the small arena of the knight garrison. I believe it would help if he becomes familiar with where he is going to fight."

He stopped walking and pointed towards a building just a bit ahead of us.

"I want to ask one thing, Haruo. Did you timed this talk just so we would end up near the building, so I wouldn't get any second ideas?"

"I would never do such a thing!" Reinhard exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Crusch smirked.

"I would only do such a thing if it was for the greater good."

"Yes, but I was hoping we would get closer before you guessed."

"Well, that was impressive. Ok-kay then, let's check it out."

Haruo and I walked towards the building while our father tried to talk with us.

"You two know I'm here, right?"

Haruo was too focused to answer, and I didn't have a good answer in mind, so I continued walking.

"Well, if any of you want to find their dad, I will be waiting outside."

Haruo and I entered the garrison to check the arena.

"Do you have any ideas on what to do, Subaru?"

I was looking at the small arena from the tribunes. There was nothing special about the arena that brought anything to mind… great. The exams are tomorrow, and I still have no idea what to do. I frantically looked at the arena to find something that could help me. The ground is dusty so maybe I could raise the dust to block my opponent's view? No, that would be pointless since it would block my view as well, and getting too close to an experienced opponent is probably a good way to get my ass kicked; thus, failing the first part of the examinations. The wall of the Arena? No, if my affinity was Earth or Fire, I might have used the small arena to my advantage, but sadly my affinity has limited offensive options. Actually… a well-placed "Minya" could make anything it hit brittle or break them. I slowly looked up to see the canopy offering protection from the sun to the arena beneath it. It didn't cover the whole arena since the four-piece canopy wasn't long enough to reach the others, thus leaving an illuminated center. A smile slowly formed on my face.

"Subaru, what are you thinking?" Julius asked.

"Something sneaky," Subaru answered. "Perfect for a villain like me."

"Subaru-kun, you're not a villain!" Rem admonished him.

"Well, I'm certainly not a hero like Reinhard who can take everything, that's for sure!"

"Haruo, I have an idea."

"Does it include explosions?"

"Why do all of you keep asking me stuff like that? No, it doesn't, but I might have to do some improvisation."

"Prepare twenty water buckets and three healers."

"Kage… you know what, I'm not even going to answer."

"Hey, looks like we got the intro here," Tivey spoke up.

"We always get that intro! It's getting old!" Mimi complained.

"Al, can we skip it?"

"I'll try but…" Al stopped as he heard the music, it was different this time, "On second thought, we may not have to."

Upon hearing the melody, Al, and everyone else, realized something. The music was different, and so were the visuals they were seeing.

"This is a new introduction," Otto realized.

Opening Theme: Polaris

The opening begins with a bright and shining light, as a child's hand reaches for it. The hand then changes to an older one, with a very familiar tracksuit sleeve. The hand changes once more, to one wearing a knight's uniform.

I recognize that sleeve… both Emilia and Subaru thought to themselves.

The camera shows Subaru being the one wearing the knight's uniform. The screen flashes two shots of Subaru's parents, Naoko and Kenichi, as Subaru gains a determined look, runs towards the light, unsheathing his sword, and then leaping into the air as he slashes towards the camera.

The screen then shows multiple rapid still images. From when he encountered Satella in Japan, to fighting off several Mabeasts, to burning down the Capital. Him and Emilia as children in Elior Forest. Subaru in dark clothes sitting on a throne of shadows. Otto drinking with the female Subaru. Shaula with Elsa and Meili. Halibel with Zarestia. Volcanica and Reid. A smiling Rem. All of these images become background noise to…

"Strange. I don't recognize half of those…" Otto commented.

"Eh, it's prolly the other half o' our options, Brotto," Garfiel suggested. "Ya know, th' ones we didn't pick. Like, look at dat one, a kid Cap'n an' kid Princess. Remind you o' anything?"

"Hey, you're right! It was one of the options we didn't see! The one where Natsuki-san was summoned to Elior Forest as a child! Good eye, Garf!"

"What about the dark one sitting on that… I don't even know what that is. He looks like he's ready to rip your throat out." Felt asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know, Felt-sama." Reinhard answered his liege.

Tales from the Multiverse

Volume II

"We're doing a sequel!" Kenichi laughed.

"That was an atrocious joke," Naoko deadpanned.

The next shot shows Subaru, along with the rest of the Emilia Camp and the members of the other Camps, looking off into the distance, as Garfiel smiles maniacally. In an instant, the camera changes to show Volcanica, Shaula, Reid Astrea and Alec Hoshin all sitting together, while the next shot shows a silver-haired half-elf in dark clothes, all by herself in a grassy field, holding a black veil next to her, facing away from the camera.

The next shot shows a smiling Echidna, along with the rest of the Witches of Sin, posing for the camera, along with Elsa, Meili, Halibel, Zarestia, Shion, Flop, Medium, Cecilus Segmunt, Vincent Vollachia, and Ryuzu Meyer, all of them smiling happily.

"Garf, stop smiling like that, you'll give Petra-chan nightmares."

"Sis, I can't control my on-screen self."

The next shot shows Kenichi and Naoko smiling at the camera, who are quickly replaced by Geuse and Fortuna, until flames suddenly light up, and the two of them are replaced by the Sin Archbishops of Sloth and Wrath, Petelgeuse and Siruis.

The next shot shows the woman in the black dress, her face obscured by the black hood-like veil, walking, as the faces in the background changed. First, it's a smug-looking Pandora, and next, an apathetic Hector. After that, a crying Echidna, and finally, a smiling Subaru, wearing traveling-like clothes, including an orange scarf.

The woman's mind flashes back to a moment where she cradles Subaru's bloodied body, while she cries. In an instant, she runs, and sees a dead Subaru, one with blood all over his tracksuit. Lifting her hands, the body rises, the blood disappears, and his eyes open up. The woman pushes the now alive Subaru towards the arms of Emilia and Rem, while she watches, crying, until suddenly, shadows engulf her and she becomes a monster.

Emilia gave a silent prayer for Geuse and Fortuna, but that quickly ended when she saw the hooded woman, and the faces who followed her like a vision.

"Return by Death…" Subaru whispered under his breath.

"Hold up… is she the one who gave you that power, Subaru-sama?" Petra asked, confused.

Subaru knew that he had to give an honest answer. "I'm still not entirely sure why, but yes, she's the one who gave me that power."

Everyone else turned to Subaru, and Beatrice asked, "Why?"

"So I don't die, obviously."

While some groaned at Subaru's stupid joke, others looked a bit more into it. They saw in that previous scene that Subaru was clearly precious to the hooded figure, given how she mourned while holding his corpse. But why? Did they have a history together?

A few however, had a theory the second they saw the shadow monster.

Meanwhile, Subaru's brain kicked into high gear. This was twice he had seen that platinum-haired loli, alongside the creepy clown bastard who looked eerily similar to Roswaal. Who were they, and why were they connected to Satella, Echidna, and more importantly, him?

In quick succession, three shots are shown, starting with Ram and Rem charging at something, with their weapons out, Beatrice charging up her Minya spell, and finally, Emilia, as she spins towards the camera and slashes it with an ice sword.

In a long shot, multiple figures appear, all of them moving on and off the screen in rapid succession. First, a smiling Stride Vollachia, followed by a charging Regulus. As the Sin Archbishop gets off the screen, Capella and Zarerstia appear, facing off one another, followed by Halibel and Cecilus. The O'Connell twins appear, followed by the Gluttony triplets of Lye, Roy, and Louis. Shion passes through them, along with Theresia van Astrea, followed by Shaula, Reid and Volcanica. The long shot ends when the dust clears, revealing Pandora and Subaru, both of them engaging in combat.

Subaru scowled as he saw Capella on-screen. Meili had described the bitch to her, and he recognized her from the first intro, and it seemed like just like in the original, she's fighting Zarestia. As Meili tightened her grip on him, Subaru held her closer.

"Who exactly is the green-haired woman?" Rem asked.

"Oh, hey, it's that platinum-haired bitch from before," Felt said. "So, who exactly is she? And why does she have so much beef against Big Bro that she fights him in both intros?"

"I think it has somethin' ta do wit' the crying lady from earlier…" Anastasia analyzed.

"Perhaps it is some sort of time-travel hijinks?" Julius suggested.

The Cast played around with the concept: After all, with Subaru, nothing was impossible.

The next shot shows the shadowy monster, only for it to fall, making it dissipate and show the veiled girl in the black dress. Subaru dives after her, getting closer and closer, until the two of them are face-to-face. As soon as that happens, the veil flies off, revealing the crying face of Satella, who has black smoke coming off her.

"WHAT THE –?!"

"HUH?!"

Everyone was shocked by the reveal. The few in the audience who had a small theory suddenly had it doubled with this evidence, but they remained quiet.

Subaru merely smiles, and kisses Satella, whose black smoke disappears, as it begins emanating from Subaru. Subaru grabs hold of Satella, and like an olympic athlete, tosses her towards a nearby cliff, where she lands safely, only to see that Subaru is still falling. Subaru looks towards her, when he suddenly gains a pained expression, and the camera reveals that a shadowy tendril has stabbed him, and is dragging him down.

"Hold up, Emilia-sama is the one who gave you your power?!" Otto asked, shocked.

"How is that possible?" Naoko asked, confused.

Meanwhile, a few in the audience connected the dots, and they did not like it.

Satella… on a scale from 1 to 1,000,000, how fucked am I? Subaru thought as he knew that once it was revealed that it was Satella, he was sure they would beat him like a pinata.

Reinhard decided three things at the moment: One, it was a bad time to activate his Divine Protection of Telepathy, and two, it would be best to keep his mouth shut. And third, figure out what exactly was a "pinata", and make sure Subaru wasn't used as one.

Meanwhile, Emilia felt conflicted. She had no idea who this copy of her was, and seeing her getting kissed by Subaru made her, and unknowingly, a few more girls, uncomfortable. A small part of her wondered if that was indeed the Witch, but she knew that wasn't the case. Sure she may have similarities, but there was no way she looked exactly like Satella.

Right?

"Cap'n, is th' you up there good?" Garfiel asked.

"Doubt it. Though, gotta say, that's the first time I've been stabbed with a shadow tendril."

As the tendrils wrap around him, Subaru softly smiles through his bleeding mouth, and accepts his fate. However, suddenly, the shadow tendrils are destroyed, revealing that Satella had jumped off the cliff, refusing to ever let go of Subaru.

A few in the audience were saddened that this version of Subaru seemed to be ready to die, but were suddenly surprised when the second Emilia jumped back down to save him.

Especially Subaru himself.

Huh… even after that… Satella would still try to save me.

Somehow, despite the circumstances, a small smile formed on his lips.

As the two of them hug and crash down, the scene fades to show Subaru and Satella standing up, and beside them are Echidna and the rest of the Witches of Sin. Softly smiling, Subaru holds onto Satella's hand, giving a determined look, as all eight of them run toward the sunset, with the final shot of the opening being a still image of the eight of them leaping across the screen, all of them smiling.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, Roswaal internally cursed. He wasn't an idiot. He knew Satella when he saw her, and given how his Teacher and the other Witches seemed to be so buddy-buddy with Subaru-kun made him realize that Subaru-kun was hiding something big from everyone.

Sure, pissing off his entire Camp wasn't the best idea, especially if they told the Sword Saint, but if Satella cared about Subaru… then he knew that whatever fate he had in store would be a thousand times better then what the Witch would do to him.

But not just one Witch, he now had to also deal with five more, plus his Teacher. A small part of him wondered why all seven of them were acting like Subaru was their leader, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized it would be better to stop that line of thinking.

Episode Five:

Path of the Blessed Stars

I was walking towards the gate of the arena, thinking about my plan. I don't know who is going to be my opponent, but It was probably going to be a high-ranking knight. Good thing we don't actually need to beat them since all of them would mop the floor with inexperienced candidates like us. Just because I don't need to beat my opponent doesn't mean losing hard would look good, though. They are here to assess the combat potential of each candidate, so managing to actually force my opponent to fight for real would look good on my assessment. According to Haruo, I should be able to force someone in the second knight unit to fight properly. He also said I would probably lose since they are more experienced than me, but I should be able to make them take the fight more seriously than other candidates. If my opponent is someone from the first unit, then he said I should use everything I have to make them take the fight seriously. Well, if my opponent is someone from the Royal Knights, then I have no chance to make them fight seriously, so let's hope my opponent is not that great. I entered the arena after I heard my name being announced.

"OH MY GOD, STOP WITH THE FUCKING WORD VOMIT!"

"I think it's an improvement," Crusch said. "It is certainly better than watching you repeat the same words over and over again while spiraling into madness."

"I guess," the nasty-eyed boy sighed. "When do you think he'll first use Return by Death?"

No decided to answer Subaru's question.

"Subaru Natsuki Astrea, come forth for your examination."

I walked into the arena and barely managed to keep my composure after I saw my opponent. Marcus Gildark, commander of the Royal Guard. Well, the good thing is, he definitely will not go full strength at me since I would die immediately. Bad news is… well, his existence is bad news. Why the hell is he, my opponent, out of everyone? Haruo told me the commander is the strongest knight in the kingdom after himself.

"Subaru Natsuki Astrea, come forth and introduce yourself to the arbiters of the current examination so we can start your evaluation," the commander spoke with a stoic voice as Haruo mentioned before.

"I remember my evaluation," Julius smiled fondly at the memory.

"As do I," the Sword Saint nodded.

"Eh, I nyever had to do that, nyah," Felix said. "I gyot in on recommendations."

Al stayed silent as the other three talked about their evaluations, naturally.

I walked towards the middle of the arena and turned to see the arbiters of my evaluation. I was surprised to see a familiar face among them. Ros-chi was sitting beside the other arbiters. He waved his hand after seeing me. I nodded my head as an answer since waving back might look like I'm not taking this seriously. I might be an idiot with this kind of stuff, but I'm not that idiotic. Haruo was also sitting next to one of the arbiters. The arbiter had purple hair and was wearing a uniform that proved that he was a member of the Royal Guards as a Knight. I decided to ask who he is after my evaluation is over. Well, time to do my introduction before I get my ass kicked by none other than the commander.

"The purple-haired man looks… interesting."

What the hell is Kage talking about?

"Kage, this is not the time."

"Great, I'm acquainted with Roswaal even earlier in this timeline. Huzzah," Subaru mumbled at the prospect. "At the very least, I hope I'm acquainted with Rem and Ram."

Reinhard was about to say something under the lines that it would be an honor to be acquainted with such an amazing magic-user, but remembering all of the Emilia Camp's interactions with the man, he decided it would be best to keep that comment to himself.

"Ah, it seems that your contracted Spirit was affected by my Divine Protection," the purple-haired knight realized. "I apologize in advance if it affects your evaluation."

"No, no, keep going. With any luck, it'll sever that contract with the Spirit, in fact."

Poor Beako, Subaru thought to himself. She really wanted her to be the only Spirit contracted to him, but it seemed like every reality they saw so far, with the exception of the first one, was like "Okay, we'll start you off with a Fire Spirit, then Zarestia, and then…"

Was this like some sort of universal contract?

"My name is Subaru Natsuki Astrea, and I'm here for my combat evaluation about my candidacy as an officer."

All of the Arbiters looked at me, and one of them spoke after a moment of silence.

"You're allowed to continue."

I turned towards the commander and unsheathed my sword and made sure my whip was not visible to the commander. It's a good thing we are allowed to hide weapons as long as they are not metias or spell imbued mana crystals. I was thinking about bringing my flash-bang, but, according to Haruo, it would be too slow against my current opponents. Well, he was right considering my opponent could probably break my flash-bang with a simple squeeze. Why do I always deal with OP people?

Understatement of the motherfucking century, Subaru thought to himself.

A small part of Wilhelm felt all warm and fuzzy inside at hearing Subaru use the Astrea family name, but that quickly faded away as he remembered that this was not his reality.

"Subaru Natsuki Astrea, I will start my attacks in five seconds. Be ready!"

The commander calmly spoke and looked towards me. He didn't even bother unsheathing his sword. I counted down in my head and made sure I won't get knocked out.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats. They never got to see Subaru actually fight, not counting his and his counterpart's planning, so this would be interesting.

Five.

My self-healing "Amanrath" is working at its "Ul" level. I still can't increase it to "Al"… dammit.

Four.

Roswaal's eyes lit up when he heard the on-screen Subaru's thoughts. He had never heard of that spell before. Which could only mean one thing.

"Subaru-kuuuuun… congratulations!"

"Uhhh… what for?" the black-haired knight asked, clearly skeptical of the clown.

"It appears that in this universe, you have created your own original spell!"

Everyone else in the Theater mumbled in excitement, while the black-haired knight only vaguely knew what the Margrave was talking about. At the very least, when looked over to Beatrice, she seemed to be excited by the prospect, so he figured it was good enough for him.

I reinforced my entire body with as much mana as possible.

Three.

The commander finally unsheathed his sword and checked its balance.

Two.

"Kage, are you ready?"

"Anytime."

Kage disappeared to take her position for my plan

One.

Be careful, Subaru, Naoko silently prayed for her son.

I took a deep breath. It starts.

"I'm coming."

The commander immediately dashed towards me. He closed the distance so fast I barely blocked the first sword swing aimed at my right shoulder. The commander wasted no time and swung his sword two more times towards my left shoulder and left leg. His next target is too obvious for me to not guess. I immediately blocked the sword aimed towards my right leg and swung my sword from its downwards position to try to do an upper slash but the commander jumped back. I'm sure he is not going all out, but I can barely keep up with the guy as of right now. Thank the Od it's my turn to attack now.

"Kage, NOW!"

"El Minya."

Immediately forty "Minya" crystals formed right next to the commander. It was integral that he should think this was my original plan. He is definitely expecting something, so I should give him a fake plan before the real one. The commander immediately cast a spell of his own to block Kage's attack.

"JESUS CHRIST!" Al howled, at the massive amounts of crystalized shadow on the screen.

"It reminds me of the time Subaru and Beatrice fought against the Great Rabbit…"

"Emilia-sama, please! We agreed that the fight would remain confidential!" Otto gaped.

Very few people even acknowledged what the half-elf was talking about, as they were too busy watching this version of Subaru strategize to fight against the Captain.

"Dona!"

So the Commander had Earth affinity… good. I prepared myself as the commander jumped backward under one of the canopies. I looked to make sure they are low enough and there is no one under the audience section to execute my plan.

"Kage, Phase two."

I ran towards the commander to make him think I will attack at melee range. Sadly, commander, I'm not idiot enough to take you head-on. I have to cast my part of our combo properly.

"El Minya."

"Dona."

Commander cast another "Dona" spell to block my attack, but he did just what I wanted. He blocked his view.

Predicting an opponent's moves? Well played, Subaru-kyun, Felix nodded in respect.

A small part of him was still angry at the Sin Archbishop of Pride and Purge King versions of the Japanese teenager, but seeing at least one version of him who was both good at combat and not a complete psychopath did help garner some positive emotions from the catboy.

Elsewhere, Priscilla wondered what would happen if her version of Subaru were to be trained like this one… perhaps she should make an effort to obtain him for herself.

After all, he can't harm her if she's in control of him.

"Ul Shamak" is the highest spell I can cast. Sadly, most, if not all, of my mana is gone. I can't even solidify Shamak at that level.

"Ul Minya."

I cast the magic at the point commander should be, and one-fourth of the arena commander was engulfed in shadows. I could feel Kage's Minya spell forming a Yin mana circle surrounding the commander with a purple ring before executing the target. I was worried that it might actually kill the commander, but Haruo assured me he would step in if anything dangerous happened, and he was probably sitting in his place. I calmed down after hearing the commander cast two of the same spell in a row.

"Ul Dona, Ul Dona."

One earth dome engulfed the Commander and the other engulfed the first earth dome before Ul Minya started its relentless assault. Okay, now it's showtime.

"Subaru, go. El Minya."

Kage's crystals hit the wooden support part of the canopy, causing it to fall down.

CREEEECH!

It's supposed to fall down. Why is it still standing? Think, think, THINK! It was only four meters above the ground and I could still force it down with my whip. I grabbed my whip from my back and grabbed the canopy with it. I watched as the "Ul Minya" ended and the shadows of "Ul Shamak" dissipated, showing what happened to Commander's double dome. The first one seemed to be crumbled and the second one barely held. I immediately forced down the canopy so it would drop on the Commander. Before he could dash towards me, the sound of the canopy fully coming down echoed across the Arena.

CRAAAAAAAAAACK…

"Aaaaand, there's a sneaky totally-not-a-villain-plan!" Subaru announced.

The Cast watched in amazement as the on-screen version of Subaru tenaciously did everything he could to bring down the canopy on top of Marcos. While some were admiring his determination to win, a few other people were thinking of something else.

In every story they had seen so far, Subaru's greatest asset was his mind. He could predict his opponents, how they would react, what they want, how to strategize, and how to defeat them. And while it was true that the ones who excelled at toi the most were his villainous counterparts, talent was still talent, and it shouldn't be wasted.

Speaking of which…

"Natuski-san, I am going to level with you," Otto said. "While it is true that your less… morally correct counterparts excelled in non-confrontational tactics like these, you shouldn't shy away from them. You clearly excel in sneakiness, and you should utilize it to the best of your abilities. And remember, just because such tactics are associated with villainy, doesn't mean that they are exclusively for villains. Intent can make all of the world's difference."

Subaru, along with the rest of the Cast, looked at Otto in amazement. "Uh… thanks, man. I'll try to listen to your advice," the nasty-eyed boy smiled.

While Otto nodded, satisfied that his words came through, Meili asked, "Have you always been this wise? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that this is the first time I've heard you say something smart."

"You impudent brat! I AM smart!"

"Hehehe! Too easy!"

"You –!"

I watched as the canopy fell down at the commander's location. He immediately slashed the top of him to make sure he wouldn't get hit… perfect, the opening I wanted. I dashed towards the commander and immediately delivered a lunge while making sure I made my frame as small as possible to avoid a hit towards my head. Kage and I executed the plan perfectly, so there is no way the commander would dodge this without at least getting scratched.

CLANK!

He stepped back and parried my blow and then hit my hand. I immediately jumped backward, but I was disarmed. SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT! I don't have much time left. THINK, THINK, THINK, THINK!

"Ul Vita, I got no mana left within me."

Kage is out of mana and I can't drain the mana fast enough to re-charge her faster.

The commander should at least weigh over a tone, if not more, if the guy can still stand. Just how fucking strong are you, Commander? The spell will not hold long since Kage had no mana left. I still haven't used the "Pandemonium" since it would interfere with the plan and it's unstable, but I'm about to lose. What can I lose by using it anyway? I probably got two seconds left before the commander dashed towards me and ended the fight. I only have my whip to defend myself.

"Ul Pandemonium!"

Immediately, the arena got illuminated with the lights of the Spirits around us. Well, there wasn't as much as I hoped to be. I could feel one Fire Spirit and three Water Quasi-Spirits obeying me with a lot of Lesser Spirits but the lesser ones would not help the assault. I also felt the presence of six Quasi-Spirits with all of them being different types somewhat hearing me. I called them towards me as well. The Fire Spirit immediately attacked the commander before the other six quasi came in as reinforcement.

Upon seeing the effects of "Ul Pandemonium", the entire Cast was in shock and awe.

"Barusu… do you realize what you've created here…?" Ram asked.

"Not in the slightest," Subaru nonchalantly stated.

"Are all of those glowing things… Spirits?" Kenichi asked.

"They are," Julius nodded. "And they're all fighting for Subaru."

"Al Goa."

Well, it is determined to help me so this is nice, but it probably wasted quite a lot of mana for one attack.

"Ul Dona, Dona!'' the commander cast two spells in a row at the same time. The first dome engulfed the Fire Spirit and the second one was just between him and the Fire Spirit.

BOOOOOOM!

The earth dome blew up, but it managed to block the spell when it was combined with another "Dona" spell. After that, the commander dashed towards me. I immediately whipped towards him as the three Water Quasi-Spirits all cast their magic.

"Ul Huma!"

"Ul Huma!"

"Ul Huma!"

"Okay, so what does this exactly mean?" Subaru asked.

"Subaru-kun, let me explain in place of my sister," Rem said. "Spirits, like all sapient things, have a free will of their own. They need to consent to a contract, just like a Spirit Arts user. What this version of you has basically done is persuade Spirits, who have no reason to help you, to aid in your battle, something that nearly no one has done before!"

"It's true!" Emilia added. "All I can do with uncontracted Spirits is ask them for directions, at most! What this you has done is basically create a temporary faux contract!"

"Huh…" Subaru deadpanned. "What Rem said sounds a lot like brainwashing."

"I seriously doubt Spirits can be brainwashed, in fact," Beatrice said.

"Wait, has anyone even tested out such a thing?" Tivey asked.

There were dozens of massive ice pillars coming from the ground at the commander, but he managed to dodge them perfectly while coming towards me and dodging my whip blow simultaneously. I immediately used my other hand to change the whips direction mid-air to deliver a side blow towards the commander. He grabbed the whip mid-air and tried to pull me towards him. I dropped the whip and tried to conjure another spell. I don't have any mana left. if I can dodge him, maybe… maybe… the commander closed the distance between us, and I heard the Spirits attempting to defend me one last time.

"Ul Goa"

"Minya."

It seems like Kage saved enough mana to use Minya one last time. I should've not made her hold the Ul Minya spell that long. Maybe she would've had enough mana if I didn't fail planning.

"Ul Dona!"

An earth dome engulfed both me and the commander as he finally got near me and placed the sword close enough to my head to signify his win. I heard both spells hitting the earth dome. The commander let it crumble so the Arbiters could see the result. I saw all three Quasi-Spirits generating tons of ice to fire at the commander when they got the chance, but I signaled them to leave. The fight is over. I wonder where the six quasi Spirits went.

"The evaluation ended, Subaru Natsuki Astrea. Signal your Spirits to stop fighting."

"Sir, I only have one contracted Spirit, other's helped me because of my Spirit Arts. I already signaled them to stop fighting."

As the fight ended, the majority of the Cast was silent.

Frederica was the first one to speak. "That was…"

"FUCKIN' AWESOME!" Garfiel whooped.

"Amazing," Anastasia whispered under her breath.

"Damn broken Gate…" Subaru muttered. He didn't mind being contracted to Beatrice to use magic, but he was still missing out on quite a bit.

"Do not worry, I suppose," Beatrice reassured her contractor. "You only need me, in fact."

Well, if that ain't ominous…

I hoped maybe he would be impressed with me calling other Spirits for help without a contract, but he looked as stoic as usual. He sheathed his sword and turned towards me, signaling me to do the same. I got up from my place and walked to the now damaged arena, standing before the arbiters to perform the last part of the ordeal. I screwed up anyway, my only chance left is the command evaluation.

"Do any of the honorable Arbiters have any questions before the candidate, Subaru Natsuki Astrea, leaves?"

While Arbiters usually did not ask questions, at least that's what my brother told me, there were two of them wanting to ask a question. One of them was Ros-chi and the other one was the purple-haired man sitting beside my brother. Well, it seems like Ros-chi has a higher rank than the purple-haired knight, so Ros-chi spoke first.

"Do youuuuu have any other magiiiiic you want to shooooow us?"

Thanks, Ros-chi. He is even trying to help me here, but sadly I'm all out of mana. I could barely hold the basic version.

"Shit," Subaru groaned. "This version of me is TRUSTING of Roswaal."

"Yeah, that does seem like a bad thing, Onii-chan," Meili agreed with her Onii-chan.

"I have my personal magic called "Veil", but I don't have any mana left, so I can only show the basic version if it's not a problem."

"Noooot at aaaaall…"

"I'm casting it then. Veil."

Faint black Yin mana shaped like a veil or a cloth appeared around me and dissipated after two seconds. It seems like I'm literally out of mana. One "El" level Minya and one "Ul" Shamak is enough to make me run out of mana. Well, I can recharge my mana pool by asking the Lesser Spirits to give their mana to me, but it's not that good and I'm sure my gate can't take the burden of casting too many spells.

"Sorry, but I have no mana left within me. It usually helps me block other magical attacks depending on the level I cast it. It's my original spell."

"So, that's THREE original spells that version of has created," Priscilla admired the screen. "And what exactly have you created during your short stay in our world?"

Subaru simply stared at the Vollachian and gave her an honest answer of, "Two dead Great Mabeasts, a dead Sin Archbishop, an alliance between three Camps… oh, and lots of mayo."

"And a mountain of your own corpses. Never forget that."

Subaru merely turned around and gave Priscilla the same death glare he gave her during the Sin Archbishop of Pride episode. It seemed to shut her up.

Ros-chi already knows this, but I decided to present it to everyone. Even though Veil is the least impressive magic I know, maybe it would help.

"Not a prooooblem."

Ros-chi signaled towards the Royal Knight, so he could also ask his question. The Royal Knight stopped playing with bangs, seemingly in deep thoughts, and got up from his place to ask his question.

"What was the technique you used to call the other Spirits?" Well, at least I managed to get the attention of a Royal Knight.

"Pandemonium, It makes Spirits around me fight with the people I choose or heal me and the people I choose as allies. It also does both at the same time. The current "Ul" version can call full-fledged Spirits to my aid as well."

"His hair looks nice… You should let your hair down."

Okay, Kage was being ridiculous right now.

"Kage, please not now."

Everyone, especially some of the girls, looked towards Subaru.

"What?"

"Can you try and leave your hair down?" Petra asked.

"No, why would I do such a thing?"

"C'mon, Natsuki-kun!" Anastasia said. "You'll look better than you do now!"

"Do not insult my father's hairstyle!"

"Wait, you seriously modeled it after mine?" Kenichi asked. "She's right, burn it!"

"DAD!"

"Can your technique affect contracted Spirits?"

The Royal Knight seemed to be not satisfied with my answer. His question was also quite weird. What did he want to learn by that?

"I don't know. Probably not if their contractor doesn't let them."

Hold on…can this guy. Okay, this is going to be a big bluff but I hope it pays off.

"Like the six Quasi-spirits, I felt during my evaluation."

I forced the Spirits around me to be visible once more and there they are. Immediately, six Quasi-spirits appeared near the Royal Knight. He was also a Spirits Arts user.

"I want to talk with you later after your examinations are over, Natsuki Subaru Astrea."

"As you command, Sir."

"Ohoho!" Mimi smirked. "It seems that not even your Spirits are immune!"

"Yer right, Mimi!" Ricardo laughed. "Ey, ya think they'll run off fer Bro the first chance they get?"

"Immune to what exactly? Subaru questioned.

"The raw Natsuki charm."

"DAD! THAT'S THE SECOND TIME NOW!"

"AHAHA!"

I waited until I was dismissed by one of the Arbiters. I walked towards the gate as mages walked into the arena to fix it for the next evaluation.

My legs were shaking while I was waiting to get invited into the room for my command evaluation. I screwed up hard during the combat evaluation. I only spammed magic like an idiot and the only reason I didn't get knocked out was that Kage carried my incompetent ass during the entire duration of the fight. Maybe that Royal Knight Spirit Arts user would talk positively about me. Who am I kidding, I could barely get into the third unit now, and this is if I do well at the command evaluation.

"Subaru"

"Yes, Kage?"

"Can you calm down for the love of Od? We did fine, don't worry."

"You are only saying because you are…"

"Subaru, I will wake you up with a El level Shamak for the next two weeks if you end that sentence."

"You are becoming like me every passing day."

"That's what I was fearing."

"You can't escape Subaruisms, Kage."

Everyone in the Theater agreed. For them, three things were certain: Death, taxes, and Subaruisms. And thanks to said Subaru, it was only a matter of time for all of them.

"Note to self: Create a book to understand Subaruisms," was a thought that went through the heads of a lot of people at that moment, including but not limited to, the Candidates, the knights, maids, and the children.

I continued messing with Kage to calm down. It was helping me calm my nerves. Everyone back at home was waiting for me to succeed. Everyone I know at the Capital also expected me to succeed. Well, I only know Teach Helmuth, Father, and my brother. Still, people were expecting too much from me. I already screwed up the combat evaluation, so I need to ace this examination in order to not lose. According to Haruo, they were going to give me a scenario with a knight unit of ten members. It should be simple, but there is not much to do to impress the arbiters. I should pull off a perfect strategy against their scenario. Well, it's easier said than done. I was deep in thoughts as one guard walked towards me to call me into the room.

I've waited for my results at the garrison, and it's fair to guess it won't be well. It's been three days since my evaluation, and I'm losing my shit. I fucked up so hard, they might as well invent a new word to describe how much I fucked up. Combat evaluation was a cluster-fuck and the command evaluation was no better. What the hell was I thinking while talking like that? Even the Prince of the freaking nation intervened, and I literally did the presentation to his friend like I was challenging her. Well, my dreams were good while they lasted. Maybe I should've listened to Haruo and became an inventor. No, I would've probably managed to fuck up even that. I'm losing my mind, the results will be announced today and everything will be over. Maybe I can get into the third unit? No, I probably fucked up too hard for that. The second unit only accepts two applicants and the third only accepts ten. Most of the applicants like me will probably be rejected or enter the fourth unit as an eternal garrison. I still have to talk with Russel Fellow tonight, and I have no idea what to talk about. I looked at my brother entering the room. Well, here it goes. Goodbye to my dreams.

"Subaru, your results will come in shortly. I believe I won our little bet."

Well, I'm sure I won the bet considering how much I managed to fuck up. Actually, if I did that while… no, I would've fucked up anyway.

Even if everyone was prepared for the massive exposition dump ahead of them, hearing this coming out of a younger Subaru, one that hasn't experienced Return by Death yet, was very concerning, especially when compared to his counterparts.

"Subaru-sama, do you have such negative thoughts about yourself?" Frederica asked.

"I mean… you have seen the other mes right?" Subaru weakly chuckled.

"He does," Rem said. "His thoughts of himself are far worse."

Everyone remained quiet at what they just learned. Some decided to turn back to the viewing, while his friends decided that they would help Subaru with his self-esteem, no matter what.

"You are way too optimistic, Haruo. I fuc… I mean, I failed on several levels."

My brother had a smirk on his face. Well, it was unusual for him to show a mischievous emotion. Should I be proud?

"I shall be magnanimous in victory."

He is way too optimistic. At least, he is somewhat acting like me now.

I heard footsteps coming from the corridor. Well, here it goes. The door of the room opened without a sound and three individuals entered the room. My father, the commander, and the royal knight I saw at my combat evaluation. I immediately got up from my place to greet them. What are they doing here? Probably because of our family name, they want to soften the bad news. But why does the father have a smirk on his face?

"Sir Subaru Natsuki Astrea, come forth."

"YOU DID IT!" Petra cheered.

"Yes, now for it to actually happen in our reality," Julius chuckled.

"Which it will, now that we know the true extent of Subaru-kun's feats!" Emilia added on.

"Technically… Subaru-kun is already a meeeeember due to his knighting after the Sanctuary."

"So… promotion?" Subaru asked, as he replied to what Roswaal said.

"I believe in Subaru's world the expression is "dibs". I call dibs for him to be with me!"

"Reinhard!"

Sir? Huh? Did I manage to get into the third unit in the last place? The second unit is out of the question but maybe…

"I… sir… of course." My name is getting longer with each passing day.

The commander gave me what looked like a uniform covered with a white cloth to hide it. Well, it could be anything. I can only see the white cloth and a uniform is the only fitting thing in the context. I looked at the commander to wait for what he would ask me to do. Thankfully, he is not a person who waits to make statements.

"Open the package to see your rank. I must also point out that your family name did not affect our evaluation."

I prayed for the cape to be green. The knight units all have their individual cape colors and green would show I'm a member of the third unit. The first unit had Red Capes, the Second Unit had blue capes, and the Fourth unit had black capes. Each symbolized something, but I'm too excited to remember right now. Well, I would've loved to have the White Cape and the Uniform of the Royal Guard, but well… it requires you to be in the Royal Guard. Everyone in the room was looking at me, so I opened the package to see what's in it.

"It is blue… am I accepted to the second unit?"

I probably have a dumb smirk on my face right now. I tried to regain my composure but it was long gone. How did I manage to get into first place anyway? Uniform had an epaulet, proving that I was a first lieutenant now. The second place at the evaluation should get a spot as the second lieutenant while others should be members of the other units. The commander seemed slightly annoyed, so I did my best to look properly before the commander started to speak.

"You will serve under the second unit as a second lieutenant and will be in charge of ten knights. Since this is your first year, you will command either new knights such as you or people recently promoted. You will serve under a captain who should serve under your unit commander, a colonel for your unit. You can ask any other question you might have to Sir Julius Juukilius. You will be under his responsibility for this month. He will oversee your integration. If nothing serious happens, you will be assigned to your new position"

"Tha's a lotta responsibility..." Garfiel muttered.

Am I gonna be held responsible if any of those knights go missing 'cause I wasn't paying attention? Subaru asked internally, because, let's face it, he knew his luck.

To simplify what the commander said to me, don't do anything too idiotic for a month.

I looked at the purple-haired Royal Knight to examine him. It would be fair to say he is someone who was born lucky when it came to looks. He was slightly taller than me and was also well-built in terms of muscle structure. Considering his position, he was probably extremely strong and skilled. I kinda felt ashamed while looking at him. He was only slightly older than me yet he was already at the top. I tried to find a flaw about him, but this was a fool's errand. The guy was the perfect definition of a knight. While looking at him, I started to feel something weird.

"There is something about him that I can't explain..."

Well, even Kage was acting like that… great. Wait… the weird feelings are … I need to be sure.

"My name is Subaru Natsuki Astrea. May I ask…"

"Usually people with higher rank present themselves first when two individuals meet for the first time. I know it seems pointless, but you should know this as a new member of the knighthood. My name is Julius Juukulius, it's a pleasure to finally meet Reinhard's brother I've been hearing about. Also, feel free to ask any questions you have. It's my responsibility to answer them, after all."

Even his answers sound knightly.

"I… will keep that in mind. I was going to ask if you are also a Spirit Arts user. I could feel the six Quasi-Spirits around us."

He raised his hand towards me and opened his palm. Suddenly, six different Quasi-Spirits appeared with each of them being in different affinities. He even got a cool pose for presenting his Quasi-Spirits. I wonder which one of us has the higher affinity. I'm still far from my prime, and, according to Kage, I will reach my prime later than others. Her guess was eighteen years old, but she said she would probably become a Great Spirit before that. Well, it would take her over a decade to make herself a truly powerful Great Spirit in my current condition. At least, that is Kage's guess. She also said it might happen faster after I reach my prime. Still, this guy has six Quasi-Spirits. I wonder about his relationship with them. Well, he is going to be my superior for the next month, so I need to get along with him. Thankfully, there is an easy way to get along with every Spirit Arts user.

Everyone turned towards Subaru, and he suddenly looked uncomfortable. "What?"

"Subaru… do you know how long it takes for a Spirit to become a Great Spirit?"

"Uh… I want to say "a few years'', like the me on-screen monologued, but… given how everyone is staring at me, I'm gonna have to go with… a few decades?"

"Decades?" Crusch repeated, dumbfounded. "Try centuries."

"Centuries? Oh, okay, cool – WAIT, A MINUTE, CENTURIES?!"

"Yes, centuries!" Felt exclaimed. "The idea that you would be able to make one evolve into a Great Spirit by the time you're an adult… IS INSANE! For something like that to happen, it would have to mean that your Spirit Affinity surpasses even someone's like Julius'!"

"Wait, really?"

"Subaru," the purple-haired knight said, his voice grim. "It would be a legendary accomplishment for me to have even one of my Spirits become a Great Spirit by the time I die of old age… what this version of you is doing… it makes them something even greater than a prodigy."

"..."

"Unfortunately, you already have a contract with Beatrice-sama," Ram said. "And thus, you can't contract with any other Spirits. Shame that such potential was wasted on you, Barusu."

"That's fine," Subaru said casually. "I only need my Beako."

"They look impressive and beautiful. Now it's my turn."

I snapped my fingers to signal Kage to show herself on top of my palm, but something weird happened. She showed herself right between me and Julius. Is he trying to test my affinity by attracting Spirits around me? Maybe this is a technique for Spirit Art users. Well, I was avoiding doing it since Teach told me it was rude, but I won't make myself look incompetent. Still, it would be best not to go overboard. I decided to not do it in full strength. I focused on attracting Spirits around me. Suddenly his Spirits also left his palm and started to get between me and Julius. Kage also snapped out whatever she was experiencing and flowed next to me.

"You look better when your hair is down. Ok-kay you both look good, but you should stop combing your hair back."

"Kage, what the hell are you talking about?"

I'm starting to wonder what is going on with Kage.

"Nothing, I'm just tired."

Can Spirits get horny? Al asked the dark recesses of his mind. Because if so, I get the feeling that Bro is gonna be in trouble whenever he runs into that Zarestia lady.

Now, many females began to wonder what Subaru looked like with his hair combed down.

I'm not buying it.

"Hmm… We shall talk about this after our first patrol. Your duty starts tomorrow, Subaru. Be in front of the knight garrison tomorrow at ten. You can check out about time by any time-tower in big squares. There should be one at the front of the garrison, but I suggest you buy a pocket watch."

Hey, finally there is one thing I got covered. Well, it was Ros-chi who gifted it to me when I was ten, but it's still in perfect condition. I got my pocket watch out of my pocket and showed it to Julius.

"I got that part handled. Also, can I bring metias or magic items with me to the patrol?"

Julius looked at me like he was puzzled for a moment and then answered.

"Depends on the particular equipment. What is the equipment you are planning to bring?"

"A cloak that prevents others from recognizing me and a bomb that stuns people. The bomb is not explosive so it can't cause any harm around it. It's just to neutralize people before killing them. However, it might deafen someone temporarily or permanently depending on the distance."

Everyone turned towards Subaru for an explanation.

"Okay, so it seems that this version of me MAY have recreated some type of weapons from Earth, similar to how the Purge King did. What this version of me created is a "flashbang". It's a small bomb that shines a bright light and a loud noise, that causes temporary blindness and deafness, thus causing your opponent to be disoriented."

"Julius."

"Already writing it down, Anastasia-sama."

Julius looked thoughtful for a moment. After a short time, he answered.

"The cloak sounds useful, but it goes against the purpose of a patrol. The "bombs" you talked about sounds useful but I've never heard anything like that."

I interjected him before he began his next sentence.

"Because I built it, but decided to not sell them."

I would die of shame if I ever got hit by one of my flashbangs. I know they're not lethal, but the shame would be more than enough to finish the job.

"In conclusion, bring the bombs so I can examine them before allowing their usage, but leave the cloak at home. It might, however, be useful in the battlefield or particular situations, so I suggest you keep it around you while your unit begins their six-month kingdom patrol."

I know the second and first unit go on long expeditions from time to time, but I didn't know I was going on a kingdom-wide patrol. It sounds awesome, I get to travel the nation while doing my job. Julius was looking at me, waiting for my answer.

"Speaking from experience, going on a nation-wide patrol is quite interesting," Reinhard said. "Almost as much as going to another country altogether."

"Wait, you've been outside of Lugnica?" Subaru asked.

"Indeed," the Sword Saint nodded. "Myself, along with Julius and Felix went on a diplomatic mission to Vollachia. The result of that mission ended up with us saving the Emperor's life, and with myself fighting against the Blue Lightning himself."

"I even ended up slaying the 9th Ranking Divine General," Julius added.

"Sounds like a story you gotta tell me later," the black-haired boy smiled.

"I really didn't like how the Steelman just grabbed me, nyah!" Felix complained.

"I will do as you say."

"Very well then, I shall leave you with your family. Goodbye until tomorrow."

"Bye."

With that, Julius left the room. I looked towards the commander but he was talking about something with my father. I decided to check on my brother. He had his usual smile on his face, but something felt wrong.

"I hope you two get along. Also, I won, Subaru."

So this is what was wrong. Well, a promise is a promise.

"I'm so happy that I'm willing to do any favors right now. What do you want?"

"We never specified time so I will keep it until a time arises for its need."

I'm a bad influence on my big brother.

"All hail Big Bro!" Felt cheered. "He has managed to do what I, and no other living person ever could! He has compromised Rein's values!"

Subaru facepalmed and Reinhard merely blushed in embarrassment.

"Considering what I put you through in these last five years, I'm kind of scared right now."

I decided to leave my fears for another time. There is still a snob noble I have to meet tonight. I wish I could throw a flashbang to the guy and be done with it.

Knowing Russel Fellow, that would be perfectly acceptable, Otto nodded in agreement.

Frederica held Otto's hand, and was in agreement with the on-screen Subaru. Roswaal had plenty of nobles who were freaked out by her teeth, and had asked her to be removed. So, seeing someone like them panicking over their temporary invalidity would be fun.

Petra, who was on Otto's lap, now really wanted to see a flashbang in Roswaal's face.

I was sitting at the sofa, between my brother and father, while looking at Russel Fellow sitting in front of me. There was a table between us. He was with a leather folder. Both Father and Haruo told me to be careful with this guy, so I decided to be more reserved around him. Still, I was happy that my brother and father were present as well. Russell Fellow was tapping the leather file with his finger while looking at me directly. I decided to wait until he spoke. Thankfully, he broke his silence after a while.

"I must say I'm impressed with the amount of profit you achieved at such a young age. Frankly, most furniture your company sells are too similar to Kararagi architecture for my taste, but I'm a big fan of your ice-box. It's too helpful not to appreciate it."

"I'm thankful for your appreciation of my brother's invention. May I ask why did you ask for a meeting with my brother?"

"Holy shit, I recreated a FRIDGE?"

"A what?" Wilhelm asked.

"Do you guys have freezers here? For keeping meat cool and fresh?"

"Yeah," Tivey answered. "Why?"

"Think of a fridge as a more compact version of that. It's used for putting drinks and other food that needs to be kept cold, with one compartment for frozen foods, and the other for everything else," Subaru explained. "Some models even have the option of pouring you ice and water."

Both Roswaal and Beatrice were now interested in using magic to recreate something like that, just for the knowledge alone. Meanwhile, Anastasia was hearing yet another golden opportunity, as she nudged Julius to write down everything her soon-to-be money-maker was saying.

My brother was looking calm, but I know Haruo better than that. I know he is a bit obsessed when it comes to my safety.

"I just wanted to meet the man who manages to profit more than the inflation our country is suffering from. I know your house is quite affluent, but your house has become one of the richest houses in recent years thanks to the new trading company of yours. I would love to meet the mind behind these operations."

So this guy is either trying to sweet-talk me, or he is just curious. I don't know which one I should assume.

"Russel, I hope you have a proper reason to come and talk with my sons. I wouldn't mind someone visiting them, but I don't have a good feeling about your intentions."

"Holy shit, Heinkel being a GOOD father? This really is a multiverse of madness!" Felt couldn't believe her eyes and ears.

"I take it he's not a good dad in our reality?" Subaru asked.

Elsewhere, Wilhelm was really regretting several life choices.

"He's a real piece of shit," Felt growled. "He's arrogant and brash, not afraid to throw around his position to scare people, so, yeah, I wouldn't be wrong to call him a piece of shit."

"I see," Subaru nodded, already planning to ask Reinhard about his dad later.

Father also seemed quite suspicious of the guy. I can't really blame him. He feels like a mosquito, waiting for an opportunity to drain my blood.

"I can assure you I have no ulterior motives about your son. I just want to get in touch with more… competent people within our kingdom. It's my duty as treasurer to oversee the economic situation of our country, and I must say things are not looking up for our nation. Our currency is losing its value each passing day, and our national debt is growing. We need to stop minting money and cut out taxes to improve the people's economic situation, but it would have catastrophic effects on our government. If we continue minting money, the value of our currency will decrease; if we continue raising taxes, more people will become impoverished, thus giving out fewer taxes."

If this guy is trying to bore me to death, it's working. Still, there is some interesting stuff he is pointing out. Can I help impoverished people?

"It seems like there is no escape from taxes."

I should try to act like I know what he is talking about.

"Exactly, it's one of the truths about life. Thankfully, cooperation between us could benefit both us and the kingdom."

I watched enough movies before I got here to understand what was going on. Well, I hope he doesn't offer me a deal I can't refuse. If I wake up to an animal's head in my bed, I will tell Haruo about it. Then we will see who will accept a deal.

Naoko glared at Kenichi for that one.

Kenichi meanwhile, decided that staring at the floor was a good idea. He would always regret the day he let a six-year-old Subaru watch "The Godfather".

And that's not even counting when he became terrified of King Ghidorah.

Damn "Godzilla" movies, traumatizing Naoko's little boy.

Elsewhere, Al was doing his best not to do a stereotypical Italian accent.

"Can we talk about why you are here now?" He is trying to sweet-talk me. I'm sure he will try something. I decided to keep my focus on the folder he was tapping. This was probably the reason he was here.

"Well, it seems like you are the type that prefers to talk business before all else. I appreciate that. Time is one currency none can afford after all."

He opened the leather folder and showed what was within it. I can't believe I saw Japanese apart from what I brought with me five years ago. This meant… There were others like me. Do I have a chance?

"It seems I was correct in my belief. You do know how to read the texts of Hoshin of the Wilderness."

Shit! I gave away too much emotion. I need to think of something. Thankfully, Haruo rushed to my rescue.

"My brother spent years deciphering the language by studying a small text he had with the same language. Sadly, it turned out to be something trivial."

Good Job, Haruo.

"Reinhard LYING?!" Felt gasped. "This is –"

"I get the joke, Felt-sama, please stop."

"I was never informed of your family having a text that goes all the way back to Hoshin's time."

"Our family is above your pay grade, Russell. May I remind you of the fact that House Astrea only answers to the king. Our house is considered a Duchy. Just because I'm letting you speak with my sons does not mean I will let you step out of line."

Well, he did also manage to annoy father.

"My sincerest apologies. I was only trying to understand how your son managed to learn such a rare and important language. I also want to learn about it since it could help me translate other texts I did manage to acquire. My Divine Protection tells me they're high quality, but I can't tell their value since I don't know what they truly are."

So he has a Divine Protection, and he also prioritizes money.

Upon hearing that, several people within the Theater were getting some ideas.

Anastasia, who believed herself to be the biggest fan of Hoshin, obviously had such papers within her private collection. If she could get Subaru to read them… the knowledge itself was so tantalizing on its own, tht she had no idea what she would do with it next!

Roswaal himself wondered if getting such papers were beneficial to the Camp. Eh, if Emilia or Subaru asked for them, he would deliver. It wasn't like he could refuse.

Father and Haruo handled me well so far, but I gotta put in some work. I do know what the paper says, but telling that immediately would give him everything he wants. How can I get out of this? I think I have an idea.

"I will tell you what the paper says, but what it says will belong to me." If I'm translating it, I'm keeping it. It's been more than five years since I saw it, and I want to make sure it becomes as widespread as possible.

Russell suddenly started to fidget the paper before he started talking.

"It belongs to me, so isn't it a bit greedy to ask for all the profits? Judging by your reaction and demand, I did learn this particular one is valuable. Why should I consider your offer?" Well, time to use my only advantage.

"Without me, that is just a piece of paper."

"I could find another translator."

"Didn't Hoshin of the Wilderness live four centuries ago? This paper is still not translated since then, and I doubt you will find someone else. I think the odds favor me. Also, I already memorized some of its contents."

"Ah, so that's where your master manipulator skills come from!" Mimi awed.

"Great, we get to see a morally-upstanding version of the Purge King in his youth!"

Well, I only memorized two lines but he doesn't need to know that. Still, I don't know how much this guy has or knows, so I should be careful. If I fuck up again, I will need to rely on Haruo. I don't want to do that again.

"That is true, but leaving me with no profits is a bit selfish, don't you think? How about splitting the profits in half? I also want confirmation that you can read the text."

He stopped fidgeting the paper and showed it to me again. I think telling what it is without telling anything else should be good enough.

"It's a recipe. How about this, I will translate it and tell you its content, but only our family's trading company will be allowed to set up stands and sell them in exchange. We will get to decide who can sell it and who can, our trading company and you will share the profits. This will guarantee only we will profit from it and also that you always get a good share from sales."

This is the best I can think of for both of us. I really don't care about the money, but I don't want to look incompetent.

"It seems acceptable depending on the percentage of the profit. I won't pay for any ingredients and want a guarantee that this deal will not end after everything is over. I'm the treasurer of the kingdom, so it won't be hard to manage."

"I will send administrators and traders for our negotiations. Anyway, If you excuse us, I want to spend time with my sons."

"Of course, after I ask one question. I know you won't fully tell the contents until a deal is made, but can you at least tell me the name of the recipe? It's probably something important."

He is trying to bait me out but about what? I should be careful around the guy.

"It's called ramen. According to the paper, at least."

"HA!"

"Subaru, what's so funny?" Emilia asked.

"Joke's on him, I already know how to make that!"

It was at that moment that Petra, Meili and Garfiel would not stop pestering Subaru after they got back. Well, that was until he finally made some ramen for them.

"There is also a small part at the back, can you read that as well?"

He turned the back of the paper before I could memorize the entire recipe. Well, I wonder what Hoshin wrote at the back of a recipe. I'm still disappointed that my fellow isekai died four centuries ago. Still, there should be others.

Subaru and Al silently glance at one another.

"Ok-kay, let me check. It says, "I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling". The other sentence says "Gotta make you understand". I think this is a song. Anyway, the last part says, "Never gonna give you –" motherfu… my apologies. I… ehm… the sentence is too vulgar for me to translate."

"GODDAMMIT!"

"BAHAHAHAHA!"

"SHUT UP! IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

"IT'S HILARIOUS!"

"YOU, TOO, MOM?!"

I just got Rickrolled. It was just becoming mainstream in forums, and YouTube made it a joke a week before I got here. How the hell did a guy from four centuries ago manage to Rickroll me? Well, this actually raises lots of questions about the passage of time, but these subjects can wait. I just got Rickrolled… goddammit.

"Oi, Bro, wha' exactly izza… Rickroll?" Ricardo asked

"It's a prank from my world, that's what it is," Subaru curtly responded.

"What is it about?" Tivey asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"My apologies, then. I shall take my leave now. I hope our new partnership benefits us both."

Russell Fellow got up from his place after saying those words.

"Incoming scene change!" Mimi yelled.

"Oh, it appears to be the next day," Naoko said.

"Yes, if you son running like a maniac is anything to go off of," Priscilla said.

I was running towards the knights' garrison while checking the time. I got two minutes left. How did I manage to oversleep on the first day? I don't know what kind of person Julius is, but I could hear him scolding me after I arrived. It's not my fault Astrea Mansion at the Capital is so far away from the knight garrison. Well, It's only twenty minutes of a walk, but I only had five minutes when I left the house. I supported my body with all the mana I could get, so I could get there faster. My only problem was the foot traffic in the capital. It's even worse than Flanders. I barely manage to make it in time to the garrison. I saw Julius waiting for me in front of the knights' garrison. I checked my pocket watch before speaking to Julius. I got a minute left, thank OD I'm not late.

"I'm here."

I was a bit sweaty, but it wasn't too serious and the distance was too short to tire me.

"Good morning, Subaru. I hope you didn't run all the way here. A knight running could send the wrong message to citizens."

"I told you to wake up early, but who listens to me anyway?"

Kage was acting as usual.

"I might have run a bit before coming here."

Well, my lies could get caught, so it's best to make my mistake look small rather than lying outright.

"It seems like there is stuff we gotta work on. Anyway, we should start our patrol. We can talk during the walk."

As the lights lit up the Theater, everyone was… waiting.

Waiting for some sick twist, or a surprise that would come completely out of left field. Something like, "And then Subaru died, ha-ha," or "And then Subaru destroyed the world, the end".

Just… anything that could go wrong.

But, no, nothing happened. No twist ending, no horrifying revelation, absolutely nothing.

For once, everyone gave a sigh of relief.

Too bad they wouldn't be able to do that again for a while.


Author's Note: The original story is called "Path of the Blessed Stars" written by SpiritusAuream. There is no ArhciveofOurOwn link, but there is one for , s/13857225/1/Path-of-the-Blessed-Stars. Anyway, it's good to be back. Now, to read all of the comments that have piled up!

Guest #1: While I would love to add the Red Lantern story, I promise to myself "no crossovers". Those are reserved for a future collaboration. (Wait, Future collaboration? When was I gonna hear about this?! -Infinite)

Random Guest: You wanna see the Divine Dragon? Go to the other story.

Guest #2: That's actually never going to happen! Ha-ha, even I have standards!

spicyowl: Yes, I am also posting this on ArchiveofOurOwn, all of my works are there, too.

Minhaz25: I'm glad you liked the chapter, it was wholesome, kinda. As for your question regarding Subaru and Theresia… hmm… let me think… how about… never? (Sorry, but unless Theresia comes back from the dead and files for a divorce, that ain't happening. -Infinite)

vtorx: While I may never actually show Subaru's suffering, I will definitely show the aftermath of them. Also, I'm pretty sure that Tappei will never give Subaru a cheat, or any kind of overpowered move, as a matter of fact. That poor boy's doomed to suffer. (Yeah, give the guy a break. I mean, I doubt to would wanna see yourself get tortured and murdered in brutal and horrific ways. -Infinite)

LaserPointer: Yes, Papabaru and Meili are always a plus in my book.

Iseepandas: Thanks for the praise. Writing and posting two chapters at the same time is taxing, but the gimmick behind it is so lucrative, I just had to do it! (He's a man of focus, commitment, and sheer fucking will… -Infinite)

5queso: Yeah, the idea that Ram getting together with Subaru was wrong. So if you were horrified, it did its job right. But yeah, Subaru is now very protective of Meili. Also, that's the only Twilight reference you're getting, since I've never actually seen the series.

DaHomey: I have a version of the Pride If in the third chapter. Enjoy!

FakeA: Like I told your buddy, third chapter. Look it up.

Supbruh!: Yes, the sister chapter to this one is "Friend in a High Place".

Bm: Yeah, I'll try to add more of the Candidates this time around, but some of the thematic choices are gonna have to stay, like Subaru's leaking pessimism. But yeah, the idea of Subaru joining the other Camps has now appeared!

guestius maximud: Thanks for defending me, I am honored.

Dragonheart of Ireland (RepublicChe): We'll never know, 'cause I'll never touch it.

Mo11an_4an: Once again, that's in the sister story. Go on, git!

Gomy_el_camaleon: While that was most certainly not a happy ending for the Cast, Subaru and Rem's (but mostly Subaru's) reactions were indeed funny, just as intended.

Delicious_PanCakes: I have never heard about this Puck fanfic, could you maybe give me a summary? But as for the other two, I have indeed read them. Pretty good.

leymax2021: It's here! The reality of the Astrea is at hand! I hope you enjoyed it!

King_maximilian_412: Trust me, the ride has just begun. The Cast will have so much PTSD, that they'll wanna get off the ride! I'm going to up the ante so much!

IsseixAtalanta77: You mean "The Otherworldly Sage"? Because if so, then no. While it is true that one of my stories will appear, that one ain't it, chief. But like I said in the sister chapter, "Raven-Black and Emerald-Green" is indeed getting an adaptation here.

Flex_on_writer: No, no, a thousand freaking times, no. (Sorry, but we must keep young and innocent eyes and ears just that. -Infinite)

Deathmonkey361: I do have two Re:Forgotten stories ready to be adapted, but they're not gonna be focused on the torture, more on the aftermath of the situations.

PraiseBob: Yeah, from a viewer's point of view, seeing Subaru commit lesser crimes than in canon might not be as fun, but remember this: The Cast doesn't know that it gets worse. But it's still nice to show that he's still a human. But trust me on this one, by the end of the second volume, that won't be the case anymore.

Ovion's Curse: Wave two is here! I hope you find the next part as good as the original stories, along with the brand new intro! Until next time!

Jetvac_Jesse: While your ideas are appreciated, I'm only having the cast react to published fanfiction. I'm not creating a whole new universe just for an idea.

GayorNot_Salutations: Yeah, a break was necessary. You would not believe how many writing blocks I've had over the last month. I hope you like the end product!

luismmusic: Trust me, everyone, including Ram, will have even more mental trauma coming to them. In the meantime, just appreciate the amount of Ram you have now. (Suffering and heartbreak will come! -Infinite)

Risterine: Sing it with me! We don't talk about the Lust If, no, no, no!

A special thanks to Infinite the Celestain for helping me in making this story, and for being an all-around great guy! If you want to join my Discord server, the link is /pwCawVGN. You can chat with others, post memes and fan art, and I'll drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! If you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! If you want to read more, check out my other stories! Thanks for reading, it's good to be back!

- Ernalore


Next time:

What if Subaru contracted the Warlock of Melancholy?

OR

What if Rem took Subaru's hand?