Garfiel and Otto were both excited and nervous as they roamed the main streets of the capital.
"I can't believe m'gonna see th' Cap'n again! What am I s'posed t'say?"
"I don't know! I don't think there's anything we can say to him that will convey the guilt we feel for what we did to him. Natsuki-san has always been too nice. I'm honestly afraid he'll end up forgiving us."
"Fer real? Mine amazin' self has already prepared for th' asskickin we're about t'receive."
Otto and Garfiel had been searching for Subaru since their odd interaction with an appa merchant earlier in the evening.
It came completely out of the blue. Subaru was alive? And he had been right next to them this whole time? Otto and Garfiel had never thought about what they would've wanted to say to Subaru. After he had died, they felt that imagining themselves 'apologizing' to Subaru was just another way of running away from what they'd done. Now that Subaru was alive, they would have to deal with the consequences of all their mistakes.
"He hasn't announced his survival for a reason. This might mean he's been avoiding us. If that's the case. . ."
"You wanna leave 'im without sayin' a word?!"
Garfiel was surprised at Otto's deduction. Even if Subaru had been avoiding them, it didn't excuse what they had done. Both Garfiel and Otto needed to talk to Subaru again, it was the only thing they could do.
"No Garf-san! I agree that we should talk to him, but if he doesn't want us around anymore, then we shouldn't bother him. He has a right to make his own choices."
Otto was torn up inside. Subaru had saved his life and those of his friends. He'd given him a place to live, a well-paying job, protection, and had bought him out of ruin. Otto never had the chance to repay any of that. At least now he had another shot to make things right. Otto wasn't sure which scenario he was more afraid of; being forgiven or being shunned.
"But he's my Cap'n! My amazin' self was s'posed to protect 'im. I failed 'im. Now I'm told t'leave 'im alone?! What about th' Sanctuary?"
"Garf-san. I understand. Believe me, I don't want to leave him either. But we don't have a right to ask anything of him anymore."
Garfiel felt conflicted. Subaru had freed the Sanctuary and promised to protect all the citizens inside; as well as him and his sister. Without Subaru around, what was going to happen to them? These last few months had been especially rough for them. Garfiel hadn't been able to make it any better. Even though Subaru had been betrayed, Garfiel still needed him. Would he be able to leave Subaru alone after all that?
"My amazin' self will take whatever punishment I need t'."
Garfiel would do his best to convince Subaru to return with him. Should Subaru demand he get bitten by 1000 mabeasts, he would do it without hesitation. If Subaru told him to jump under the wheels of a moving dragon carriage, he'd become the world's softest speedbump. Should Subaru tell him to 'get lost' and leave him alone, that's what he'd have to do.
By talking with Subaru, he would at least be able to face some form of judgment for his failures.
"Garf-san, I think we'll have to call it a day. We need to head back to the Miload Manor before Roswaal gets suspicious. We can return with the rest of the Emilia camp to continue the search."
Garfiel responded with a grunt of frustration. They'd been searching for hours, and it had turned up nothing. Otto was probably right that they should leave before Roswaal questioned what they had been doing. Once they told Emilia, Rem, and Beatrice about what they'd heard, they would certainly be back here again.
'I did it. I actually did it. I saved them!'
Subaru felt like crying. He'd never felt so much fear, hopelessness, and rage in his life. His suicide had been a crazy gamble and he doubted he could've handled returning by death again. Now that the person responsible had been captured, he would finally be able to figure out what the hell was going on. Why had he been targeted? Who was this assassin? How did people know he'd survived?
'Honestly, just being free to go back to normal life is enough for me. This never-ending loop of pain has finally been severed. I can finally finish Reinhard's gift and. . .'
"Hey, Su-san? I've got your assassin right here. Don't you want to unmask them or something?"
'Oh, right.'
Halibel had tied up and restrained the assassin before pulling him down from the tree he had been hiding in. The assassin looked considerably different than the clones Subaru had seen in his previous loops. Instead of a black humanoid figure, he saw a masked person with a cloak and hood. Whoever this was; they had HELL to pay.
"Yes, please. Hal-san, take off his mask."
Halibel yanked off the assassin's mask to reveal. . !
"Wait, a demi-human?"
Subaru thought that the assassin was a human. Lugunica had always favored full humans over demi-humans. While Subaru had never been someone to discriminate against others, he had certainly not expected to find a demi-human behind that mask. For someone to hire a demi-human assassin meant that they probably weren't from this area.
"Well, well, well. Isn't this interesting? You look awfully familiar."
Halibel seemed to recognize this guy! He was a tanuki-looking demi-human with hair covering his face and head. Whoever this guy was, he certainly hadn't been a resident of Lugunica.
"Oi, Su-san. This guy was infamous in Kararagi. He orchestrated several slave rebellions before eventually becoming an assassin. Last I heard, he'd been killed by somebody in the iron fang."
'Looks like I'm not the only one who people believe to be dead.'
"Wait, he's from Kararagi? Somebody from Kararagi is trying to kill me?"
"Hold on kid. We don't know that the employer was from Kararagi. He most likely works with some kind of organization. Whoever hired him is probably extremely wealthy; these services don't come cheap."
Subaru's mind was racing. If some extremely powerful people wanted him eliminated, they weren't going to stop trying here. They potentially had advance knowledge of the multi-camp conference, so it would make sense why they chose now to strike.
"Hal-san. Until I'm sure that there are no other attackers, can you stay and watch over us? Once Reinhard returns, I'll pay you whatever you ask."
Halibel took a deep puff from his pipe.
"No need. You're an interesting guy Subaru. Whatever you've got yourself tangled up in, you've piqued my interest. I'm afraid I won't be able to just leave it alone. How about letting me stick around and work for you in my free time?"
'This was unexpected! I certainly don't want to turn down this offer.'
"Really?! I mean, sure, but. . .don't you need to make money? I'd feel guilty having you stick around without paying you anything."
"Nah, no need. I'm actually pretty well off. I just think sticking around you will make things a lot more exciting for me. But, oh my, are you concerned for me Su-san?"
Halibel shot a smirk at Subaru before he broke out into a small fit of laughter.
"As if! You're so strong that I'd be wasting it on you!"
'Having Halibel around would be perfect. I trust Reinhard, but no matter what I do, I seem to attract trouble wherever I go. If Reinhard isn't there for some reason, Halibel could be the key to preventing this hell from occurring again.'
"Subaru!"
The maids had finally returned from their trek into the capital. While they managed to bring a Royal Knight back to the manor, they realized that the battle had already ended. No matter what they would have done, the result would be the same.
"Hey, Lilia! Everyone! It's ok, Hal-san managed to capture the assassin!"
The Royal Knight looked relieved. He clearly wasn't prepared to deal with an attack that the Astreas couldn't handle. Luckily for him, the assassin had already been apprehended and taken into custody.
"Subaru! Are you ok? Did you get scratched up by that guy? He seemed dead set on killing you!"
Lilia was visibly nervous as she assessed Subaru's limbs and head to check for serious injuries. Subaru didn't respond though as he had other matters he needed to address first.
"Hey, you're a Royal Knight right?"
"Correct. I descend from House. . ."
"Ok ok! I get it! Listen, this guy attacked the mansion while Reinhard was away. Instead of taking him into custody now, we plan on holding him here so that Reinhard can interrogate him when he gets back. Can you please keep this attack a secret? It would be very embarrassing for the Astrea family, and the royal candidate Felt, if you reported this to the rest of the Royal Knights."
'If the person who tried to kill me is a part of the Lugunican nobility, the last thing I'm going to do is report the result of this attack. This assassin could end up being silenced or freed. If possible, I want to conduct an interrogation of this guy myself before dispatching him.'
The Royal Knight was overwhelmed with demands from the relatively unknown Subaru. He paused and opened his mouth before closing it and putting his hand to his chin.
"Well, I don't really know who you are or why you are claiming to represent the Astrea family. However, your story does seem to check out. I heard that there was some kind of conference going on between the five camps, so I suppose I can bend the rules just this once."
Subaru exhaled a long sigh. This was good. If he kept a low profile, whoever hired the assassin might end up believing he'd died in the attack. With Halibel conducting a search for the assassin's organization and Reinhard questioning him on his employer, Subaru had a great chance of finding out who was responsible for this.
"Oh, I forgot. Hal-san, what's this dude's name anyway?"
Subaru gestured to the tied-up assassin.
"His name is Reisel I think. . ?"
"Ahh thanks Hal-san!"
Subaru turned to face Reisel and kicked him hard in the stomach.
"I'm only going to ask this once Reisel. If you answer me now, what's coming next will be significantly less painful for you. Who hired you to kill me?"
The demi-human looked up and flashed a broken smile.
"It doesn't *hahgh* matter *gh* whether you torture me or not. The moment I got caught my life was forfeit. Do you really think my organization forgives things like failure?"
Subaru kicked Reisel in the face before spitting on his motionless body. This scum had tortured him and laughed. He'd killed everyone in the mansion for no reason. He'd tried killing Subaru and the maids in the most painful ways possible. For Subaru, this guy was the lowest of the low. No amount of groveling or pity was going to dissuade Subaru from killing this guy.
"Hal-san, can you move this guy into a secluded part of the manor? I'm going to head inside with Lilia to finish up our recipe testing for tomorrow."
Lilia was shocked. What did this guy just say?
"S-Subaru? Isn't this assassin more important than some random recipe? This guy nearly killed all of us! We need to contact Reinhard and. . ."
"Except we can't. Not until tomorrow anyway. We've spent the last three days planning a surprise for Reinhard and Felt. We might as well work on that while we wait for Reinhard to arrive at the Miload Manor."
Subaru cut her off. If he could, he wanted to return to normal life as quickly as possible. The last thing Subaru wanted to do was think about all the pain he'd been feeling for the past few days. Even if they were just pretending, it would be better than spending the entire night talking about that.
"I'm just. . .gonna go then. ."
The Royal Knight had turned around and walked off the second he felt the conversation had deviated from him. He seemed like he wanted to leave the second he arrived.
"Hey! Thank you for coming to help! Please, don't report this to the Royal Guard!"
Subaru called out to him before he was out of earshot.
'I really hope this guy listens.'
Reinhard and Felt had finally arrived at the Miload Manor. It was clear that coming on such short notice had bothered several of the other candidates too. Crusch and Anastasia looked uncomfortable returning to the mansion. This had been their first time here since. . .that incident.
They each felt like they were responsible for what happened and tried to make things right, but ultimately ended up cutting all contact with the Emilia camp. Julius and Felix resigned from their positions and volunteered themselves to face justice. In the end, they were let off easy by the Sage Council and it soured the relationships between their camps. Subaru had always been the glue that held the Emilia camp together. How could they continue talks with Emilia and act like nothing had changed?
"This meeting doesn't interest me in the slightest. A clamor made by commoners shouldn't be allowed to reach the ears of superiors such as myself."
Then there was Priscilla. She'd come to this conference to learn about the expedition to the watchtower and she whether could use it to her advantage. Instead, she walked in on a gloomy, silent gathering of regretful slumdwellers. How pitiful!
"Please, Princess. I understand this wasn't what you were expecting, but we are getting stares from all the other. . ."
"Did I give you permission to speak? I thought that servants weren't supposed to mouth off to their masters! You were the one who begged to come to this conference Al. I will not tolerate insubordination."
Al piped down. It had taken him over a hundred attempts to convince Priscilla to come to this meeting. If he kept trying to calm her down, he might just end up dead again. He really didn't want to make enemies of everyone here though.
"It appears this 'meeting' was nothing more than a farce to mourn the dead servant of that half-wit! These fools would have nothing to mourn if they knew how to exercise restraint."
Al wouldn't say it, but that had also been one of the reasons he wanted to attend this meeting. Subaru had been 'isekai'ed just like him. As a fellow 'otherworlder', Al had always felt a kinship with him. He wanted to know what happened to Subaru. It wouldn't be right for him to let the people responsible for his death get off scot free.
"Princess, we are getting looks from the other candidates."
"The stares of plebeian gutter-rats don't concern me. Nor should they bother you Aldebaran."
"I told you not to call me that. . ."
Reinhard had been listening this entire time with a gloomy expression. Even though Subaru had survived, everything she was saying still applied. Their reckless behavior had caused them to rush to judgment and condemn an innocent man. As the only candidate not present during Subaru's betrayal, perhaps she had a right to criticize them.
"Everyone. The meeting is set to begin now. Please take a seat."
Ram silenced all banter and directed everyone into the back of the manor.
"Hello everyoone. As you all knooww, the Emilia camp, Felt camp, and Anastaaasia camp made an expedition to the Sage's tooower several months ago."
Roswaal greeted everyone as they took their seats at a large round table. It seems that Emilia was still preparing to enter the meeting, so Roswaal was speaking on behalf of the camp.
"The voyage was quiiite eventful. The Archbishop of Gluttony was defeaaated and the path to the Sage's tower cleaaared."
"Get to the point wretched clown. Your voice is a drain on mine ears."
Ram shot a glare at Priscilla before Roswaal put his arm in front of her and continued his statement.
"While we have reversed the effects of the Archbishop of Gluttony, we were unaaable to undo the damage infliiicted by the Archbishop of Luust."
A silence fell over the entire room. Normally, reversing the effects of an Archbishop would be a cause for celebration. However, considering they hadn't received any help from the Sage, the journey to the watchtower had functionally failed. With the revelation of what happened to Subaru, the expedition had become a sore spot for everyone involved.
"Due to the remoooval of sand-time, the spell protecting the tooower, it has become pooossible for the tower to be raided by potential enemiiies."
"Is that what this whole meeting was about? The Sage has protected the tower for centuries. Why can't they continue?"
Crusch interjected. She hadn't been able to accompany the other camps to the tower, so she was understandably confused.
"Befooore the spell was broken, it was impossible to reaaach the tower. The Sage is strong, but the Witch Cult was only kept at bay by the speeell. If they were to stoooorm the tower, we can't be sure the seaaal won't be in jeopardy!"
Roswaal made a good point. The Witch Cult worshipped Satella. Now that it was possible to access the Seal, there would be nothing to stop them from storming the place and trying to unseal the Witch.
"How about we organize another trip to the tower?"
Reinhard jumped in.
'There's a chance the Sage could help Subaru regain his memories. She wasn't willing to talk to us last time we visited, but if we manage to clear the trials, that might change.'
"Ohh? You want to retuuurn to the tower?"
Reinhard realized how odd this suggestion must have looked to the other camps.
"Yes. Our trip was cut short by. . . an unfortunate revelation. If we return and manage to clear the trials, there is a chance we can help the remaining victims of Priestella and find a way to keep the tower safe."
The members of the Emilia camp all turned to look at Reinhard.
"What would you gain from this expedition, I suppose?"
Beatrice was intrigued. She knew Reinhard also felt guilty for what happened to Subaru. Even though it was her fault, people refused to blame her. This was the last thing she expected to hear from him. He wanted to return to that accursed place?
"Closure. We went to the tower to try and find a way to help the people injured in Priestella. After arriving at the tower, we never even had the chance to challenge the trials or talk with the Sage. If we return there, I can rest easy knowing I've done everything I can to help."
Reinhard carefully worded his statement. Crusch had the Divine Protection of Wind Reading just like him. If he slipped up, she might have called him out in front of the other camps. Should that happen, he'd be endangering Subaru and the rest of his camp.
"I think it's a good idea."
Emilia caught everyone by surprise.
"I. . .I don't want to return to that place either. But I can't let my weakness be the reason for other people's suffering."
Emilia had finally entered into the meeting. When Reinhard saw her, he noticed dark bags under her eyes and a downcast expression on her face. She had taken Subaru's death the worst out of everyone. While she attempted to stay strong for the others in her camp, it was clear she hadn't been able to complete her duties as a candidate since Subaru died.
"Those people in Priestella are suffering from an unimaginable affliction. Wallowing around won't do anything to bring them back. I-I can't let it happen again. I can't."
Emilia's voice was cracking.
She was responsible for all the elves in her village being frozen. The whole reason for her participation in the royal selection was to undo this terrible mistake. For her entire life, she had carried that guilt on her back and wallowed in inaction. At least, until a certain someone came along and inspired her to be better. A boy who had saved her life countless times and told her he loved her. A person she wanted to protect and hold close for the rest of her life.
Now, she had committed an even graver sin. In that person's moment of need, she abandoned him. He opened up his heart to her and she had betrayed that trust. She stood by and watched him being tortured and killed, perfectly content with her negligence.
What would he do now? Would he forget about the people he promised to save, or would he step up and fulfill his promise? Emilia knew the answer. So for now, she would stomach the presence of these depressing memories. If it meant helping the people of Priestella, she had an obligation to put her selfish feelings aside.
"It's ok Big Sis. Me and Reinhard can handle that tower. There's no need for you to. . ."
"No! I have to go. It's what he would've done! It's my fault he's not here anymore, so I have to. . .it's my. . .fault. ."
Emilia broke into tears. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to take responsibility for what she'd done. She had no right to cry. How dare she pull this after what she did?
"Emilia-sama. . ."
Reinhard was extremely tempted to tell her the truth. That Subaru had been staying with him and Felt for the last two months. He thought he could handle keeping Subaru a secret, for now, but this scene was tearing him apart inside. Felt clearly felt the same way too. This was becoming too much for them to bear.
"Excuse me. Reinhard-sama? Someone has just contacted us via metia and asked to speak with you."
Rem called into the room with an urgent update.
'Oh no. Did something happen back at the mansion? I need to get ahold of the metia before people start getting suspicious.'
Reinhard excused himself and left the room to go see what the call was about.
"Lilia?"
Reinhard was shocked to see that his staff called him this early into the trip. Did these mean there was some kind of emergency? Reinhard didn't want to risk the safety of Subaru or his staff.
"Reinhard-sama. It is urgent. Are you alone right now or are you with the other camps?"
"I'm alone Lilia, what is it? Did something happen?"
She paused for a moment to formulate the best possible response to his question. She didn't want to scare him. They were safe now. At least, she hoped.
"Reinhard. . .there was an attack on the mansion."
"What?! Wait right there, I'm coming. I'll grab Felt-sama and. . ."
"Please. Let me finish. There was an assassin sent to the mansion to kill Subaru. Luckily, Subaru managed to fend him off and capture him. We are unsure if there are any others, but we are under the protection of a strong mercenary. You don't need to drop everything and. . ."
"The assassin was targeting Subaru!? How can that be? Nobody even knows he's alive! I-I've failed yet again."
Reinhard had never felt such guilt in his life. The only moment that even compared was the death of his grandmother, Theresia. He was the Sword Saint for God's sake! He nearly left his friend to die a second time? What a failure. That vow meant nothing. Even with all the power in the world, he still couldn't keep a simple promise.
"W-where is Subaru now? Can I speak with him?"
He needed to see Subaru. As long as he was ok, Reinhard could keep his cool. He would just return immediately and then this would never happen again. He would. . .would. . .
'You failed. You really are a monster, aren't you?'
*Tch*
"No, I swear I. . .I'll. . !"
"Yo, Reinhard?"
Subaru picked up the metia and saw Reinhard on the brink of tears.
"Reinhard?! Hey, what did Lilia tell you? Please, calm down! Everything is fine, I took care of it. ."
Subaru didn't like what he was seeing. Reinhard was his best friend. Now he was crying over him? Why did so many people have to treat him this way? He wasn't some awesome guy, he was a weakling. Reinhard always put Subaru's interests first and that was beginning to bother him.
"Subaru. It isn't fine. You nearly died. Don't try and make me feel better, this is all my fault. My fault."
"Reinhard. It's finished. Look, I don't even have a scratch on me! The attacker has been dealt with. Once you return, you can interrogate him and we can figure out what caused all this, ok? Don't blame yourself for things out of your control! With that logic, you'd be crying everytime it rains."
'Haha, I should learn to follow my own advice huh?'
"Subaru. I'm heading back now. I'm sorry, but nothing you say will change my mind. I'll grab Felt and we'll be back there before tomorrow morning."
Reinhard felt better after seeing Subaru. At least there hadn't been any bodily harm inflicted on him. What bothered Reinhard was something else. While he didn't see any scratches on him, the look in his eyes had changed. They reminded him of a corpse he'd seen a few months back. It had the same tired look in its eyes.
Author's Note
Finally! This has been wrapped up. I wonder, did any of you manage to guess who the assassin was? If you want to know more about him, check out the side story "Kararagi Girl & Cat's Eye". I couldn't find a full translation of it, so my interpretation of the character and his dialogue was based off of just one page. Hopefully I did him justice. . ? When Reinhard gets back, this guy is in for a real bad time!
I also struggled writing this chapter because of all the simultaneous stuff going on so I hope it isn't too jarring. Criticisms are appreciated, I really don't want to keep repeating myself over and over again.
Finally, character reactions etc. I know I didn't have Anastasia talk in this chapter and that's because I don't think she really has anything to say. She went on the expedition with the other two camps, so she probably wouldn't have to ask what the meeting is about. For Crusch, I know she is supposed to have her memories returned, but I haven't found a good place to insert that detail yet. Finally, for emilia, I hope I wrote her in a way that isn't insufferable to most readers. Most people either make her benevolent or completely incompetent and stupid. I really want to make an accurate portrayal for how Emilia would react to that situation. I think what I have so far isn't too bad. For Beatrice, I am really struggling to write something for her that doesn't boil down to 'it's all my fault aghhhh'. With Reinhard, that makes sense cause he's messed up, and same with Emilia. Beatrice feels like she should be the most broken character of them all and for that reason alone, I almost want to write her in denial of Subaru's death. Like, she would be the one to investigate Subaru's survival because she wouldn't come to terms with what she'd done.
Anyway, long rant over! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the return to normalcy (?)