". . .ubaru!"

Subaru's consciousness was drifting like a raft in an ocean. As he tried to reassert himself into his body, he only found it unresponsive. It seemed he would be unable to calm down whoever was calling out to him. What a shame. This had been totally avoidable. The second that he had time to himself, he somehow found a way to mess everything up.

'Embarrassing. I can't believe this is happening again.'

". . .hat happened?! Suba. . ."

His mind briefly returned for a moment. He was still out of commission, but he was picking up hints of a conversation happening around him. Someone was carrying him. . .

'This reminds me of that time Rem saved me from all those Mabeasts. . .'

Before he had time to learn more, Subaru's thoughts began fading again.

". . .h-he didn't do that, I s-suppose. . ."

The voice spoke of something vague. It seemed like it was struggling to get words out due to some form of hyperventilation. It was clear the person was sobbing their words out. Subaru wanted to speak to them, but he was still confined to his unmoving form.

'B-Beako. . ?'

Darkness retook him.

"HAh?!"

Subaru sat up in a frenzy. He wasn't sure if he had returned or not. At the very least, his surroundings should indicate how much time he'd lost since entering the city.

'T-This room is. . ?'

Subaru couldn't recognize this room. This wasn't the manor or the carriage. . . But he had immediately left the Seasylph Lodge after everyone's weird behaviour. . .

If he had to guess, that was where he had ended up.

'W-Wait! Does that mean. . .!?'

Before Subaru had time to look at his arm, he was dogpiled by a very angry half-elf.

"Subaru! Subaru! . ."

In his confusion, Subaru hadn't noticed he'd woken up the sleeping Emilia on his bedside. He was still very much confused, but at the very least, he was glad he got such a nice wake-up gift from Emilia. It may have been pretty selfish, but Subaru wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Emilia-tan! To what do I owe th. . ."

*Mhm*

Subaru, even with Return by Death, would never have predicted this!

Emilia had pulled him into a deep kiss the moment she confirmed he was awake. Subaru was dumbfounded for a moment, completely shocked at the stark change in attitude Emilia had given him. She'd been unreceptive to stuff like this for the past year. What prompted such a bold move? After a moment of hesitation, he returned her kiss, putting one of his arms behind her head.

'She's been acting differently since the carriage ride. . .not wanting me to leave her side. . . Could it be she was worried about me?'

Subaru had woken up to Emilia by his bedside before, but never like this. She wouldn't just randomly kiss him, even if he was injured! Had his pathetic display made her pity him?

'I hadn't considered that. . . She's probably feeling really guilty that I got hurt, huh?'

Subaru reluctantly broke the kiss and turned away from Emilia.

'I have been pressuring her for an 'answer' for nearly a year. . . I suppose she wants to make me feel better with this. . .'

Of course, Subaru wouldn't lie and say he didn't enjoy kissing Emilia. But the circumstances for this kiss were less than ideal. After all, he'd completely derailed all their plans in Priestella because of his stupid idea to wander off by himself. He had no idea how long he had been out for, but he was aware he'd wasted valuable time. As happy as it made him that Emilia cared enough about him to postpone her negotiations on his behalf, it only served to make the guilt for this situation even more palpable.

Emilia could see the look of embarrassment begin forming on Subaru's face. It made her really angry.

Subaru had done so much for her, but because he made one small miscalculation, he plans to ignore all his successes and use his misfortune to torment himself even more.

She was preparing a massive scolding for his reckless behavior and self-destructive attitude, but before she could say anything, the door was busted open by a combined group of Anastasia and Emilia Camp members. It seemed like they had all been waiting out there for news on Subaru's condition.

"Natsuki-kun! Are ya' doin well?"

Anastasia abruptly ruined the moment between Emilia and Subaru, much to Emilia's annoyance.

"Yo, Anastasia! What's going on? Where am I?"

Anastasia grimaced at the nonchalant attitude Subaru was putting up only moments after a near-death experience. The guy was hardened, that's for sure.

"Nastuki-kun, it's only been a few hours since y'all arrived, but ya' already found a way to create chaos!"

Subaru didn't seem happy with this response and turned to Emilia to get answers.

"Emilia-tan, where a- . ."

"Y-You idiot!"

She slapped him across the face with barely any strength restrained.

"You dunderhead! Y-You. . ."

Subaru looked down in embarrassment. Shee was right. She had every reason to be upset with him for all the trouble he's caused her. Especially when this could be her only chance to bring back Puck.

"Emilia. . . you're right. I apologize for all the tro-. . ."

She slapped him in the face again. Even harder than before. Subaru was too overwhelmed to figure out what was happening at the moment.

She then kissed on him the cheek she had just slapped, almost ashamed of what she had just done to him.

"S-Subaru, do you really believe I care about some stupid negotiations more than you?! I'm upset b-because. . ."

He had absolutely no idea what was going on at this point. He knew that Emilia cared about him, it had been obvious since he'd met her. She wasn't so coldhearted as to only think of herself. But the feelings he was receiving from her now were. . . different.

"Natsuki-kun. Tell us about your attacker."

Subaru was broken out of his stupor by Anastasia's stern declaration. It looked like Anastasia was out for blood against the man who'd invaded Priestella.

"I-I don't know. The guy was wearing a cloak, I didn't see his face."

This news seemed to dishearten everyone present, including Emilia.

"Nothin'? Can't ya' think of any distinguishing factors?"

Subaru rested against the shoulder of Emilia and thought for a moment.

". . .The guy spoke like an absolute crazy person. Ranting on and on with no end."

Everyone paused for a moment, but none of them were skilled enough to draw the connection between this mysterious man and the Archbishop they'd seen in the viewings. It was simply too vague a description.

"Subaru. . . I promise that I'll-. . ."

Julius hadn't spoken a word since he'd entered the chamber. He looked disheveled and like he'd been without sleep for several days. Quite the departure from what one would expect of the 'Knight of Knights'.

"Julius? The hell are you looking like that for? I've only been out a few hours! Could it be? Has the Knight of Knights finally lost his elegance?"

"Ah. . .I suppose so. . ."

Subaru tried to make one of his typical jests, but Julius seemed to take his words more seriously than intended.

"H-Hey Julius, isn't this the part where you say something ridiculously snobbish about my aptitude as a knight?"

Julius didn't respond to Subaru's prodding. He didn't feel worthy of criticizing someone who he'd inadvertently caused so much pain. He just turned around and began leaving.

"W-Wait! Julius? What are you leaving for? This situation was my fault! Why are you acting so w-. . ."

Anastasia simply shook her head at his words, signaling for Subaru to stop. Everything he was saying was only making the scene worse. If Subaru lacked the awareness to see how much his near-death had rattled them, then he might truly be a lost cause.

"Natsuki-san!"

Otto peered in from outside the door.

Subaru's eyes lit up at the sight of his reliable buddy.

'Everyone else might want to try and dodge my questions, but I know Otto will answer me! He's my most dependable friend! Not that I would ever tell him that. . .'

"Otto! Thank Od! Can you please tell me what is going on?!"

Otto snuck past Julius and into Subaru's room.

"Natsuki-san. . . Right now, Garf-san is roaming the city looking for your attacker."

Subaru wasn't surprised, but he wasn't exactly thrilled to hear this news either. While the guy may have overreacted, Subaru did throw up on him. Subaru had been hoping that they would just let this whole thing go and pretend like it never happened. But it looks like he'd been too accurate in his assessment of his friends.

"O-Ok, so how about where I am right now?"

Otto looked at everyone else in the room incredulously before panning back to Subaru.

"W-What? They didn't tell you? You are in the Seasylph Lodge!"

Subaru nodded his head, happy with the accuracy of his quick assessment.

'Perhaps I really am becoming smarter.'

Subaru seemed slightly relaxed until he took another look around the room and noticed a very important person who had gone missing.

"O-Otto. . .W-Where's Beako?!"

Subaru mood shifted into a panic. He tried to get out of bed, but Emilia put her hand on his shoulder and kept him seated.

"She's fine, but. . . Natsuki-san. . . your left arm. . ."

Subaru didn't seem to hear him. Or maybe he wasn't listening.

"Where is she Otto?!"

Otto pointed to the left side of Subaru's bed, where he saw a sleeping Beatrice covered up by several blankets.

"She's exhausted a lot of mana trying to reattach your arm, so she'll need a bit of rest before she can-. ."

Subaru struggled out of Emilia's grip, stood up, and walked over to Beatrice's sleeping form.

"Ah. . ."

Subaru realized why Otto had been hesitant to mention his arm. Beatrice had successfully reattached it, but he could feel nothing below the spot it had been severed, It was being held to hid body with an improvised sling made from Beatrice's dress.

"Beatrice was able to reattach your arm, but all the nerve endings are still severed. . so unless we take you to see a renowned healer. . ."

Subaru put Beatrice's hand into his own. At least, his functional hand. He was hoping to give Beatrice some mana to recover quicker, but she was still sound asleep from repairing him.

"B-Beako. . .Damn it!"

Subaru picked her up with his single arm and placed her into his bed.

"Otto, come with me, I need t-. . ."

"And where do you think you're going?"

Emilia put her hand on his shoulder before he could take another step out of the room.

"I'm going with Otto to find Garfiel so we can call off this pointless-. . ."

"Absolutely not!"

She yanked Subaru back and gently placed him next to Beatrice.

"Believe me, I hate that jerk as much as you guys, but we have way more important problems to deal with! The last thing I want is to squander the only chance we have to get Puck back!"

It was obvious to everyone watching that Subaru was desperately trying to erase his mistake. Any normal person would want their potential killer thrown behind bars. But of course, Subaru wasn't a normal person. He hadn't even given a reason why this 'search' would endanger their negotiations for the mana crystal.

"Subaru, those aren't mutually exclusive. We want this person to face justice! They nearly killed you!"

He realized that he wouldn't be able to convince her very easily.

"Emilia. . . I don't like having to take this tone with you guys. . . but this is none of your business. Understand?!"

Emilia didn't seem to care what Subaru was saying, her mind had already been made up.

"Really? Someone attacks and nearly kills my knight? And that isn't my business!?"

Subaru pauses for a moment and wonders how he should explain what actually happened. If they knew how stupid this fight was, they would understand why he didn't want to waste time worrying about this anymore.

"You do realize that it's my fault that he attacked me in the first place?"

Anastasia decided to step in at this point, as Subaru's self-loathing attitude was beginning to affect his judgement. Whoever was responsible should not be allowed to roam around the city.

"Natsuki-kun, will ya' stop all th' theatrics for a moment? If that person nearly killed ya' over a petty disagreement, they can't be allowed ta' remain in Priestella."

". . .Tch!"

Subaru couldn't talk his way out of this one. Both candidates were in agreement that this guy had to be punished.

"Also, Natsuki-san, we've sent a letter to the Miload Manor updating them on the situation. . ."

Subaru was washed with shame. Now the clown was going to hear about this failure? There was no news that could make this day worse.

"And we've requested a carriage to escort you there until you are healed."

'What the hell is happening?!'

The last two days in the Miload Manor had been. . . turbulent, to put it lightly. When it began, Annerose had been drinking tea, courtesy of Clind. Suddenly, she heard a clamor coming from the first flood of the Manor.

". . .everything! You tortured Subaru-kun! . . ."

*crash*

"Hmm? What is that noise?"

Clind moved from his stationary position and gestured for Annerose to remain still.

"It seems there is a battle. Please remain stationary, Annerose-sama. I shall ascertain the situation. Commotion."

Clind disappeared from the room the moment Annerose blinked.

". . .haaaad to do! Suuuubaru-sama is. . ."

She grit her teeth and put her cup down.

"This is troublesome. What problems have you created for me now, Subaru?"

It only took a moment for Clind to settle everyone down. That man was very skilled with rhetorical persuasion after all. However, even though the fighting seemed to dim down, the entrenched attitudes of the different maidstaff seemed to remain the same.

Rem, Frederica, and Petra were acting significantly different than their usual selves, and Annerose had taken notice. She had hoped that Clind would be able to coax the reason out of them, but even he failed to get a confession out of them. Their clear hatred towards her uncle was obvious to all, but the maidstaff were powerless to act on it.

At the very least, she knew Subaru had something to do with it. So, her current plan was to wait for Subaru's return from Priestella and to interrogate him herself.

Those plans were birthed with arrival of a letter from Priestella.

Roswaal, being a lord, never had to check his mail himself, as he would always have it brought to him by one of his maidstaff. Unfortunately for him, Petra was the maid tasked with retrieving his mail, and she didn't seem interested in helping the clown at all. This gave Annerose the opportunity to sift through his incoming mail before anyone had a chance to read it.

Subaru's serious injury and subsequent request for a carriage would be the perfect opportunity to figure out what was going on.

Sadly, news like that couldn't be hidden. But she could use it to her advantage.

It appears that, for some reason, most of the Manor was expecting a letter from the Emilia Camp once they arrived in Priestella. So, with no other choice, she relinquished it over to Roswaal to formulate a plan of action.

"Ah, I seeeee! Our dear Subaru-kun has been atttaaacked! This is. . . not good."

Roswaal dropped the funny accent at the end of his sentence. He didn't like the idea of removing Subaru from Priestella, where the rest of the Emilia camp could be in danger. However, he was also aware that he wasn't in a position where he could exert any influence as he had been thoroughly exposed during the viewing. This left him in a precarious spot, as he would lose the one representative in Priestella who could stop his potential execution.

He paused for a moment and thought it over. This was the perfect opportunity to extend an olive branch to the rest of the maidstaff while also sending another representative to negotiate with the other camps. If he went himself, odds are, he'd be immediately arrested. This wasn't a risk he could afford. Rem was already searching for any reason to meet up with Subaru, while Ram clearly showed her loyalty to him during the viewing. This was the perfect way for him to quell the anger at him and redirect it elsewhere. The best part? It would give Subaru a valid excuse to stay in Priestella until negotiations were over.

"Honorable Uncle?"

"Ahhh, what is it? I normally don't hear you address me so foooorrmally!"

"I would recommend you send Clind alongside the other maids for this job."

Roswaal raised an eyebrow at this demand. It appears Annerose was more like him than he thought. She must've already known what he'd do with this information when she decided to give him the letter.

"Veeeerrry well. We shaaallll send Clind alongside the other maidstaff to pick up Subaru."

'Subaru, I hope you realize my true intentions. I have a sinking feeling that the situation in Priestella will require your assistance. . .'

Subaru had fought tooth and nail to stay with Emilia in Priestella, but everyone else was determined to send him home before anything serious could happen to Subaru. The way they regarded him, even the members of the other camp, was simply too different from how they had treated him before.

'During the White Whale fight, they were willing to let me charge into danger at a moment's notice. Same with the battle against Sloth. But now. . . Emilia and Anastasia are working together to get me out of Priestella because of some. . . unhinged twitter user? This is unacceptable! I need to figure out what they are hiding from me before I get sent back. After all, if this guy can attack me, he can also hurt anybody else in the city. If I'm not here to prevent that, I risk another situation like. . . R-Rem's.'

Subaru resolved himself to sneaking out of the room in the middle of the night to avoid the ire of Emilia and Anastasia.

'Perhaps Beako will help me. . . She wouldn't desert me in my time of need.'

"Emilia-tan, I need to tend to Patrasche. She won't eat anything unless I feed it to her. Please let me go and see her."

After their heated exchange a couple hours ago, they had been sitting in silence without speaking to each other. Emilia had felt bad for confining him to his room, but after coming so close to losing him, even the slightest risk of her failing him again terrified her.

". . .O-Ok. But I will accompany you, along with some members of the Iron Fang. ."

Subaru couldn't believe what he was hearing. The attitude shift was so severe that he was beginning to wonder if these people were imposters!

"D-Do you think I'm a child?!"

Emilia turned away in shame. Subaru was the most reliable out of all of them. But his luck was the worst. In the minutes he had left her and Beako's sight, he'd nearly been mortally wounded.

"No! I-It's just. . . every time you are alone, you-. ."

Time froze.

Only those who saw the viewing can know the truth. Speaking with anyone else is forbidden.

Emilia gritted her teeth in frustration.

Time unfroze.

"THAT! What was that!?"

Subaru pointed at her, nearly overtaken by fear. The taboo had activated before she could finish her sentence. Why would the taboo activate when she talks about him?

'Could she be referencing her future loops where I've died?'

Just the idea put his mind into a fervor. Did their Return By Death have priority over his? How would that even work? The rules for his own power were so undefined that he wasn't even sure if he was actually reversing time!

But this was the last straw. Subaru couldn't take this anymore. Being left out of the loop (literally), could mean endangering his life or the lives of the Emilia Camp. For all he knew, they'd died multiple times trying to protect him.

He was sick of having his questions ignored. Subaru wouldn't take no for an answer.

"U-Um. . . I . ."

Subaru hung onto every syllable coming out of her mouth. If he could just figure out the activation condition, even with vague context clues, he might be able to discern the truth.

"I. . .can't tell you."

His eyes widened. Yes, he was angry. But he knew that Emilia wouldn't consciously hide something from him in a moment like this.

"Emilia. . . I don't know if there is something stopping you from speaking, but if there is. . . please. . . just try and tell me anyway! I swear! I'll figure it out! I promise!"

Emilia's eyes wavered at the determination in his voice. She could feel his empathy. There were probably an uncountable amount of times that Subaru had been in her position. However. .

'The reason for the speaking taboo is the Witch of Envy. If she learns that we know about Return By Death, even indirectly, there is a chance she will take out her wrath on everyone.'

That was why they hadn't been killed inside the carriage. Was it justifiable for Emilia to risk the lives of everyone on the chance that Subaru could learn the truth?

"I-I'm sorry. . ."

This was the wrong answer.

'I don't understand why, but they don't trust me! I really want to help them! I really do! But for some reason they want me gone. . .'

Subaru grit his teeth.

'I guess they really think I can't be depended on, no matter how much I try.'

He made his decision.

'Well then. If they can't tell me what is wrong, fine! But I made a promise. To Roswaal. To Myself. Even if they want to send me away. . . I will protect them.'

Subaru took Emilia's hand and stood up.

"Subaru?"

He walked with her to the lobby of the Seasylph Lounge.

"Emilia-tan. . . weren't we going to tend to Patrasche?"

'Once Beako wakes up, we'll sneak out and find somewhere to stay. I'm sorry Emilia, but I can't let you send me away. . .'

"B-But Subaru, we need to wait for the rest of the Iron Fang!"

Subaru belted open the front doors of the Lounge.

". . . ."

"S-Subaru-dono. . .?!"

"BIG BRO!"

And came face to face with two royal candidates.

Author's note

Man! I was in a flow state at the start of this chapter, but kinda dropped off towards the end. Do you think I gave realistic reactions to each of the characters in this chapter? I imagine the Emilia camp might seem sort of OOC in this chapter because of how much they switched up on Subaru, but considering their position, it doesn't seem that impossible for them to react this way. There is an unhinged man roaming the city. Subaru's luck is the worst (like ever). He nearly got killed once! And his wounds haven't even been healed. Add in Subaru's determination to shoulder the burdens of others, and you have the perfect recipe for widescale paranoia amongst the Emilia and Anastasia Camps! I hope Subaru's reactions were realistic in this chapter as well, as he seems like the type who wouldn't just leave his friends alone when there is a chance they could be in danger. (I almost want to pre-emptively state that this is different from that time in the capital during Arc 3 purely due to the presence of Regulus. If Subaru didn't think there was a miniscule chance of his friends coming under attack, he might've been willing to return to the manor.)

I hope you weren't let down by the quick description of what happened in the Miload Manor (Post-Viewing), but please remember that I only wrote a snippet and this isn't all you'll be seeing! I'll have a whole chapter from the POV of people like Rem, Roswaal, Petra, Frederica, etc, so we can see what actually was going on while Annerose was drinking tea. Also this was my first time writing Clind!

Any critiques or comments are welcomed, suggestions too. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll do my best to release another one within a reasonable amount of time. This is my favorite fic I'm writing at the moment, so I have been sort of neglecting Another Chance, but don't worry! I will be releasing a new chapter for that fic next!