'Goddamn it Rein! This wasn't what we agreed on!'
Felt had been trapped in his dress closet for over five hours by this point. She was starting to get anxious at being kept out of the loop for so long, especially considering the time constraints she was operating under. If she didn't find a solution to the 'Mabeast' problem before nightfall, odds are, Subaru would end up in danger! Reinhard had to be aware of this, right?
It looked like he knew something about the culprit behind the attacks, so at least there was something for her to hope for. The problem was, he never got the time to tell her!
He'd instead left her all alone with no means of escape!
Felt was reaching her breaking point and she was close to just making a run for it. The odds of someone catching her were already pretty slim and Reinhard's duel would act as a suitable diversion.
*SLAM*
As she started to creak the closet door open, Reinhard's bedroom door abruptly slammed open.
She swore she nearly had a heart attack! Felt silently cursed Reinhard again, her only comfort imagining the ridiculous punishment she would levy onto him for forcing her to do this.
Two pairs of footsteps made their way into Reinhard's room, but there were no words exchanged between them. It was a bit odd, all things considered.
"Please, take a seat somewhere."
Felt immediately recognized Reinhard's voice and breathed a sigh of relief. He obviously won the duel, but more importantly, she finally had a chance to get out of this stupid closet!
"It's fine~, I'll just stand!"
'W-Who is that? I've never heard her voice before. . .'
An unknown person chirped up a snarky reply. Judging by the sound of their voice, Felt guessed that the speaker was a girl around her age. Why did her Big Sis bring along this chick to search for Subaru?
"Very well. I suppose I'll just start with some clarifying questions."
Reinhard's voice was lacking its normal. . . cheeriness. It was hard to describe, but it reminded Felt of the first couple months after Subaru's execution. It was almost like the red-haired knight couldn't be bothered to make an effort anymore.
"Sure, ask away~."
"Before you answer, I would also like you to be aware that my Divine Protections can pick up any dishonesty in your replies. I would like to avoid a situation where you're lying to me."
"E-Eh!? So you also have the green-haired onee~san's Divine Protection too? How unfair~!"
Felt wasn't a fan of the tactic Reinhard was employing, as he'd now given her advance warning of his absolutely broken abilities. If she was smart, it was possible for her to talk around them. What was Reinhard thinking!?
"How did you come into contact with the Emilia Camp?"
"On a job~."
There was a slight pause, but it was short enough to where it could be dismissed as her collecting her thoughts. If she was trying to qualify her statements, it would become obvious very soon.
"And what kind of job was this?"
"Hmm~. . . I've been told not to disclose it to strangers, so if you want to know you should ask the half-elf onee~san's friends."
Reinhard was obviously suspicious about this, but he felt he'd get an answer if he tried a different line of questioning.
"I've detected some animosity directed at me from the moment you arrived through these doors. I would go so far as to call it killing intent. May I ask what it is that I've done to upset you?"
He made sure to emphasize the words 'killing intent' to show Meili he'd seen through her little act. It was obvious he knew what her previous occupation was, even before he brought her in for questioning, but he simply wanted to see if she'd confess it or not.
Felt was now on the edge of her seat.
"Am I not allowed to dislike you without a reason~?"
"I believe I've already told you that my Divine Protection detects dishonesty. Please refrain from lying to me any further."
Meili was slightly surprised Reinhard saw through her deception, but she hadn't slipped up too badly yet, so she wasn't worried about Reinhard's threats. He was obviously lying to everyone here too, so the worst-case scenario could be avoided with a little bit of blackmail. She already knew for a fact that Reinhard had been harboring Subaru here the night they began the search.
"You hurt someone ~dear~ to me, that's why."
"Would you tell me who that person is?"
"The black-haired oni~san, of course!"
Meili smiled at Reinhard's pained expression, as he looked like he'd been completely overtaken with guilt by her nonchalant call-out. However, this had an unintended side effect.
"I told you not to lie to me. I won't ask again."
Reinhard could feel the intense vortex of wind emanating from the young assassin's statement. This signaled an animosity towards Subaru even more potent than what was directed at him. And she absolutely wanted to kill him, there was no doubt in Reinhard's mind about that. His suspicions about her involvement with the Mabeast attacks became even stronger.
"You wounded my precious older sister."
The playful intonation in Meili's voice was now noticeably absent. Her bloodlust flared up even more, but she was powerless to act on those feelings.
"If I did so without good reason, then I'm deeply sorry. I'll try and finish this up soon."
Felt was listening intently to everything the two of them were saying, trying her best to piece together the situation with the few context clues she had. Reinhard seemed uncharacteristically cold towards the unknown girl he was interrogating. This was definitely weird, as Reinhard didn't even act this way towards Emilia or Crusch.
"This is my final question. Why have you decided to keep Subaru's survival a secret?"
With the mention of Subaru's name, Reinhard sounded like he'd snapped at the young girl.
". . .h-huh?"
Meili's mouth hung open. That was supposed to be her bargaining chip, the information she'd reveal to Reinhard in order to blackmail him!
For Reinhard to outright confirm Subaru's survival to her, it meant only one possibility. He'd somehow figured out her plan.
How did Reinhard know? It shouldn't be possible for him to trace the attacks back to her, Subaru was gone! She'd also deliberately avoided any and all interactions with him up this point! Subaru had no contact with Reinhard either, as far as she was aware! Maybe if they were communicating via metia. . . but that brought up its own problems.
"W-What?"
"No need to feign ignorance, I know you've been sending out your Mabeasts to hunt Subaru. I simply would like to kn-. . ."
The closet door was nearly kicked off its hinges. The blonde-haired thief pulled out her spare dagger, slamming Meili into the nearby wall, knife to her throat.
"You bitc*! So you're the one. . !? You're the person who tried to kill Big Bro? Well, I guess I'll just dispose of you now!"
Before she could slash the blade through Meili's throat, Reinhard intercepted Felt and quickly separated the two girls. Had his intervention been even a second later, Meili would be lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood.
The knife still broke skin, but luckily for her, it was only a superficial wound.
"I'll make sure you regret letting me live~! I'll have my pets dissemble you one piece at a time!"
This wasn't good. Reinhard obviously wouldn't let the young girl carry out her threat, but those were the least of his worries.
The commotion was sure to attract the rest of the people in the mansion. His hearing had already picked up a scramble of hurried footsteps rapidly closing in on their location.
His hand had been forced, leaving Reinhard only one option.
"Sorry you two!"
A cloaked man wandered the streets of the Capital, seemingly directionless, while he longingly stared at the vibrant citizens that passed him by.
Any person observing the man would say that they looked like they were one foot in the grave. Their cloak was tattered, movements jumbled, and whispers nonsensical. He looked like he was simply searching for a comfortable place to lay down and die, and this wasn't completely incorrect.
Since most people didn't have a high spiritual affinity, they lacked the ability to see the six multicolored spirits hovering above the man's head. His words to them looked like the ramblings of a crazy man.
The only things keeping him going were his commitment to his brother's safety and the recent promise he'd made to himself.
Julius Juukulius would stand vigil for his late companion.
No matter how much time passes, he wasn't allowed to forget. There were no words, no quests, no heartfelt apologies that would bring him back. Remembering. . . This was the only thing he could do for him.
Just as he'd remembered Julius when the world forgot his existence.
Just as he'd believed in him, even when Julius wasn't deserving of his trust.
He MUST remember. If at least, to carry on his memory. . .
Julius knew he wasn't worthy of these feelings or this responsibility. For all intents and purposes, he should've been laying in a grave right next to him.
But circumstances wouldn't allow for it.
The tombstone had been left unmarked, a cheap ploy to prevent his despicable acts from being discovered. If he'd had any extended family who hadn't betrayed him, they would never know what happened. His grave would be left alone for all eternity.
This thought made Julius want to puke. It revolted him to such a degree, that he'd considered burying himself a grave right beside his and disappearing into the earth. At least then, he would suffer the same fate he'd so callously cast onto others.
His spirits talked him out of it.
They reminded him of all the people he'd be leaving behind. His brother, who'd looked up to him even now (although he still didn't know the truth). Ricardo, who'd stuck his neck out to get him employed as a mercenary after he'd been demoted. Anastasia, who'd so earnestly pleaded with the Council to spare his life.
To forsake the remaining people who still cared for him guaranteed his soul would rot in the afterlife. If there even was one.
Julius hoped there was. Maybe he'd finally face justice there.
While he remained on this plane of existence, the only pittance he could offer was his daily visits to the cemetery.
He wasn't the best company, but at least someone remembered.
The former knight finally made it to the merchant district, quickly snapping out of his depressive episode, and instead searching for a store carrying the specific item he needed.
"Flowers. . . o-orange flowers. . ."
Julius reminded his six companions what it was they were searching for and they scattered, looking for a shop they could direct him towards.
The recent stoppage had really backed up the commercial areas of the capital, and that included the merchant district. Lines looped the entire road, some people waiting all day only to find out the store closed before they could buy anything. It was truly pitiful to witness.
Julius eventually found what he was looking for, and luckily, the line wasn't too bad.
It would still be around a thirty-minute wait, but since everyone else was more focused on buying food and other essential goods, there wasn't much competition surrounding cosmetic products.
While he waited, his spirits drifted next to him, observing the crowds of people passing them by on the street.
One of them was a cloaked guy, accompanied by another, slightly taller, cloaked guy. They could sense he had some pretty crazy spiritual affinity, but Julius recalled them as he didn't want them to go harass the guy.
"I-I hope he doesn't mind waiting a little longer today. . ."
Julius knew that he would be arriving slightly later to the cemetery than usual.
He truly was scum.
The two unconscious girls were fully laid out on Reinhard's bed as Rem and Emilia came bursting in.
"W-What is this!? R-Reinhard, why is Meili-chan unconscious?"
Emilia had a million questions running through her head at once, but the most pressing one surrounded the yelling she'd heard earlier. Felt's sudden appearance was certainly good fortune for them, but seeing the wound on Meili's throat made Emilia worried that something serious might have happened.
"Emilia-sama, I can explain. Please give me a moment to check their physical condition."
Reinhard, in his panic, had resorted to his go-to plan for situations like this.
"Reinhard? What happened to them?"
Rem extended her hand to start using healing magic on Meili's throat wound, but Reinhard didn't answer her question. He was still preoccupied with the physical wellbeing of Felt and Meili, considering the aggressive action he'd just taken.
'Perhaps I went a little overboard. . .'
His mana drain was super effective on them, but in his rush, he may have drained a little too much. It would be a couple hours before either of them woke up.
He prayed that it would give him enough time to find a way out of this mess.
"I knocked both of them out before they could continue hurting each other. Don't worry, neither of them are seriously wounded."
By this point, Otto and Garfiel had arrived and both were as dumbfounded as Emilia.
"Th' hell's goin' on!?"
Reinhard took a deep breath and prepared to lie through his teeth. Even if Crusch overheard him, by the time Felt woke up, they had no chance of getting out of this. He needed to completely erase their suspicions before that happened.
"N-Now that you all have arrived, I suppose I must tell you the truth."
Otto raised an eyebrow at this, as it was awfully convenient for him to say something like this when Crusch wasn't present, but he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"W-Wait. . . so that means. . . is S-Subaru-kun. . !?"
Rem practically grabbed Reinhard by the collar, desperate for any chance at seeing the young man again. All Reinhard needed to do was confirm it.
"Please, wait. I didn't mea-. . ."
"Reinhard. . . Does this mean you were lying?"
Emilia looked at Reinhard with a betrayed expression, which only made his guilt flare up even further. What he was doing was wrong and he knew it, but it was what Subaru wanted!
"Emilia-sama, please accept my apologies. I haven't exactly been truthful with you."
She felt tears in her eyes, but this time it was a different feeling. The pain, the guilt, the regret. There was a chance, however slim, that it might go away.
"A-Apology accepted, but from now on please be honest!"
Reinhard swallowed the lump in his throat, as the literal next words to exit his mouth would all be lies. His only consolation was the fact that they'd been lying to him too, but it was obvious that both sides were aware of this.
"I'm sorry to quash your hopes, but the situation regarding Subaru has not changed. Rather, my odd actions were in response to that young girl over there."
Reinhard pointed at Meili's unconscious form, trying his best to avoid the shattered visages of the four Emilia Camp members stood in front of him. He didn't need to look at them to know he'd once again trampled their hopes of a possible reunion.
"What do you mean?"
Emilia didn't understand why Reinhard would lie to them just because they brought along an unknown girl.
"Emilia-sama, when she entered the mansion, I could sense her projecting killing intent. I wasn't sure why, so to be safe, I moved Felt-sama and the rest of the maidstaff to a secure location. I didn't wish to levy any accusations against her without evidence."
What a convenient lie. If he got ahead of the rumors, discrediting Meili before she had a chance to expose his secret, there was a decent chance that Emilia believed him. She most certainly had reasons to doubt Meili's claims.
"I'm sad to say, my predictions were correct."
Reinhard gestured to the two unconscious girls, implying that Meili was responsible for the commotion they'd heard earlier.
"Why did you want to speak with her alone?"
Otto was still a little bit confused. Felt just appeared out of nowhere and Meili tried assassinating her? He knew about Meili's past, but her couldn't think of any reason for her to target Felt. This was because he'd never been told of the initial incident with the Bowel Hunter.
"Her target was still unknown to me. If I questioned her myself, she was more likely to try and make a move."
"I-I don't understand. . If you'd said something earlier, we would've helped you!"
Emilia wasn't even sure of her own words. It was plainly visible to everyone how much Reinhard had been suffering and her first instinct had been to jump towards accusations. She never even considered that it'd been her own fault. That perhaps, the cold-blooded killer they'd brought with them, had nefarious intentions.
"E-Emilia-sama, I didn't wish to accuse someone you trust. . ."
Emilia felt guilt creeping into her once more. She'd forced her friend to accept a potential murderer into his home. Did they really let their desperation overwhelm them to this degree? Everything they've done since they arrived here had been completely unethical.
And what was it all for?
If Subaru was still alive, he most certainly didn't want to see them.
They were simply being selfish. Their desire to apologize, to be forgiven for their sins, had become their justification to make even more mistakes.
None of them changed.
Not a single one of them.
This was exactly why she didn't want to believe Subaru had survived. It only served to lessen her culpability. To give her the excuse to act like the person she'd long since evolved out of.
"I-I. . ."
The half-elf stumbled forward, now supporting herself against the wall. By this point she was speechless. How low they'd fallen. . .
"Emilia-sama? What's wrong!?"
Rem momentarily stopped her healing magic, rushing over to assess the well-being of her employer. Neither of them noticed Beatrice, Crusch, and Wilhelm's presence outside the doorway.
"Call it off. . ."
The blue-haired maid's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't have just heard those words, right? Emilia was mumbling, so she must've been trying to say someth-. . .
"Call if all off!"
At this, virtually everyone except for Reinhard had to take a step back. Even though Reinhard knew what she was talking about, he still had to act like he was clueless.
"Princess, what'r ya' suggestin'?!"
Emilia couldn't keep lying to them anymore. It was wrong. What they were doing here was wrong. This wasn't a way to 'honor' Subaru, it was just their desperate attempts to dispel their guilt. How many more people would they be willing to hurt if it meant seeing him again? She didn't want to find out.
"The blockage, the hostility, the lies. . ! This needs to stop!"
Otto heard what she was saying, but he didn't want to say anymore while Reinhard was in the room. Then all of it would be for naught.
"I-I understand your concerns, I feel similarly, but what about the rest o-. ."
"No! You clearly don't!"
Emilia was shaking with rage, however most of it was directed at herself for even agreeing to this plan in the first place.
"Do none of you realize the magnitude of what we've just done? The sheer number of people whose lives we've disrupted? Everything we've done here is an affront to the life Subaru led!"
Everyone stood still in guilty acknowledgement. They'd seen the bread lines. They knew the part they'd played in this debacle and hadn't paid any mind to it.
"Don't talk about Subaru like he's dead!"
The person who broke the silence was none other than Rem. How dare she try to extinguish the last bit of hope they had left? The only thing that kept Rem going was the hope she could reunite with the man who'd sacrificed everything on her behalf. And now, telling her to give up? One of his murderers? She was lucky Rem didn't have her Morningstar with her, because the demon was unsure if she would've been able to stop herself from flying into a rage.
"He is! And we should've accepted the truth! I'm know. . . I'm just as guilty as all of you, but I-I-. . . I won't continue this path any longer!"
"Ya' wanna' give up!? 'fter all we've done?"
Reinhard watched the scene playing out in front of him with no joy in his heart. Yes, it may have been what he wanted, but it was quite the horrible thing to desire. His actions had now led them to despair. He'd completely trampled all over their will, sending them back to the feelingless void they'd been trapped in for so long, somehow making things even worse.
"Don't you understand!? I-If Subaru is still alive, what would he see when he looks at us? Would he see people who'd made an effort to change themselves? To try and right their wrongs? Or would he only see monsters?"
Emilia didn't dare expand on her last sentence. Just imagining it was enough to make her heart sink through the floor. Subaru really hated them now. . . didn't he? So much that he never wanted to see them again. They didn't deserve the peace that came with an apology.
"Isn't that all the more reason to seek him out? To directly voice our contrition for what we've done?"
Otto was still holding out hope that he could change Emilia's mind. At the very least, he wanted her to realize the position she'd put everyone else into. Emilia wasn't the only person complicit in Subaru's execution. It wasn't right for her to make this decision on everyone's behalf! She was taking away their only chance of reconciliation!
"It's as I said, your effort was pointless, I-I suppose. He wishes never to see us again, i-in fact. . ."
Beatrice spoke her first words since they'd began their trip here.
Even with Emilia begging her to come along, she'd seen the writing on the wall. The spirit wasn't happy about being right this time.
"B-Betty's. . . no, Natsuki Subaru is dead!"
Crusch balled her fist, as she realized Emilia's resolve to find Subaru had been completely eroded. And just when she'd finally steeled herself to go the full distance. . .
"You may be right Emilia-dono, I will grant you that. However, as selfish as it might sound, I need to see this through."
Wilhelm put his hand on Crusch's shoulder, signaling his support for her determination.
Emilia clenched her teeth together as she panned her view across everyone watching this pitiful scene. Even her own camp members didn't seem to agree with her outburst.
"Fine then. All of you, do as you will, but I refuse to continue deluding myself. I hope you realize Subaru would be disgusted with our actions. . ."
Crusch was not deterred, as she already knew what a monster she'd become. This was her only chance at atonement.
"V-Very well. Reinhard, when Felt wakes up, please give us a moment to speak."
Crusch could swear she saw drops of sweat forming on Reinhard's face.
"This is insane! We've been waiting in lines all day, and we're still only halfway done with our shopping!?"
Subaru felt his upper body arch forwards as the stress from standing upright for so many hours finally began to take its toll.
"Stop bein' such a baby! I swear, you're actin' just like my daughter, kid!"
As Subaru started to prepare an insult to shoot back at Kadomon, the two of them rounded a corner only to find the street even more populated than the main road they'd been sticking to all day. There was only one shop here, but it was safe to say that business was going well.
"You've gotta' be kidding me. . !"
This was the line to end all lines. It snaked so much that Subaru could barely make out where the line ended and where it began. Even Kadomon let out a slight groan at the thought of waiting the rest of the day here.
"Wow, this has to be a new record! I wish my shop got patronized this well. . !"
"Oh, I forgot! You merchants measure suffering with dollar signs. . ."
Subaru grumbled out to nobody in particular.
"Eh!? Got somethin' to say, kid? I'm nothing like those other merchants! I don't take advantage of my customers!"
Subaru stayed silent and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. He probably shouldn't have said 'you merchants', but it was too late to take it back and not look like an idiot. Luckily for him, Kadomon already knew Subaru was an idiot, so he didn't come out of the exchange looking any worse.
Kadomon guided Subaru to the back of the overwhelming mass of people and they both took their spot at the back of the line.
"U-Uh. . . Any idea why there are so many people at this place?"
Subaru couldn't stand awkward silences, and the idea of this one continuing for the entire time they stood in line made Subaru consider the merits of a strategic RBD. He quickly discounted it though, as all it would do is make him have to stand in all those lines again. The horror. . .
"There's only a couple butcher shops in this city, so this place was bound to be packed."
'Oh, that makes sense. If my knowledge of Medieval societies is accurate, meat wasn't something people got to eat every day. I suppose I've been pretty spoiled from my time living with Reinhard. . .'
"The hell're ya' talkin' about kid? 'Me-dee-val'? Are ya' sure ya' didn't just get bonked on the head when ya' lost your memories?"
"I said that out loud!? I really gotta' break that habit. . !"
He might accidentally trigger the RBD taboo if he isn't careful. Having his heart randomly get squeezed would make him look like a lunatic to those passing him by. That wouldn't be fun!
"Kid, sometimes ya' really worry me. . ."
An indistinct sound of voices washed over the crowd outside the butcher shop.
"Hmm. . ?"
Subaru tilted his head. The people in the line all began to talk amongst themselves, wondering what the source of those sounds could be. They almost sounded like yelling, but it was too far away for them to make out.
But, as the sounds got closer, everyone's feeling of unrest only grew stronger. . .
"Huh? Don't tell me people are rioting! It's only been a couple days!"
Kadomon had seen this city go through much worse and come out unscathed. Civil unrest after a few days of food shortages wasn't what he'd been expecting. Normally mob violence had specific targets, but with the death of the Royal Family, who were the people supposed to get mad at?
*BOOM*
"W-What was that?!"
The entire line turned to face the place they heard the explosion. It had come from the street that Subaru and Kadomon had just exited. They could see the flames creeping across the roofs of these buildings and onto the streets of the Capital.
*Clap* *Clap*
"A~h! Such a sight~! It sa~tiates the soul, doesn't it? Right? It does, yes it does, very much, yes, undoubtedly~! O~ne of you smells impeccably gourmet ~tsu! Won't you please introduce yourself to us~? Right now~! Immediately ~tsu?"
The voice came from a young boy dressed in rags, inexplicably standing upon the roof of the butcher shop.
Nobody was sure how to react to this boy, but with one look at his eyes, they knew this thing was feral. He looked like he was already devouring them all in his mind.
". . .h-help us. . !"
*BOOM*
Another crowd of people rushed past them onto the main street, only to be almost immediately incinerated by a strong blast of fire magic (although it might be more canonically accurate to say Ice Magic).
At the shocked gasps of Subaru and the rest of the crowd, the young child stopped clapping.
"Wasteful~! So very wasteful~! We are offered such a meal, a banquet, a bounty, a feast~! Must start devouring before it spoils ~tsu! May we take a bite of ~you~ first? Thanks, condolences, your welcome ~tsu!"
The flames had officially blocked off their exit, leaving this large group of people with nowhere to run.
"Oops~! Forgot to intro~duce ourselves~! Bad, very bad, gospel said s~o, can't forget~! We are the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishops of Gluttony, Roy Alphard!"
Author's Note:
Ooooh man, I wanna drop the next chapter for this like right now! I'm still working on it, but guys its about to get crazy. Just think about all the people present during this scene, then hopefully you'll get an idea of where I'm going with this. On a separate note, someone literally predicted the next chapter (not saying who) and I literally wanted to tell them they were right for so long, but I never got the opportunity! This story is about to pick up like crazy, and yes, the Witch Cult is attacking the entire city :).
A poll for next chapter, which will be pretty substantial.
How many loops will it take Subaru to get out of this mess?
A. 5?
B. 10?
C. 20?
Just know, the less loops you pick, the more brutal they will be ;). This is how one learns to write like tappei, lol. I won't cover every loop in horrifying detail, but just know, this will not be a fun experience for our boy!
I've started taking commissions for anyone who's interested in my writing style and wants me to write them a short fic! I charge $40 for 5K words, which is pretty cheap relative to everyone else I see on there! I don't really have any rules regarding what I write either, I just ask that once you receive the document you don't put my name on it unless I say its ok. I don't wanna start beef with people over something I got commissioned to write. It doesn't just have to be Re:zero either! If it's something I'm familiar with, I'll write a fic for you to the best of my ability! If you are interested, check out this link:
continuer123?up_rollout=true
I also have a discord server for anyone interested in getting updates for when new chapters are releasing. We've got roles, a lot of active members, and an overall good vibe going on. It's pretty decked out by this point, so I suggest you check it out:
/tgMtCvdasb
Next chapter should be out soon, but idk I said that last chapter and it took me a bit longer than I expected! Hopefully I don't get bogged down by school and get it out as in the next few days!