There was a moment of stunned silence, but upon closer examination, this was entirely in line with everyone's conceptions of Priscilla up to this point. She had a real gift for throwing people off.
But even so, one person simply couldn't let this desire go unanswered. . . .
"My knight will remain with me. I won't give him to anyone else!"
Emilia put her arm around the, still elated, Subaru to show the rest of the room where Subaru would be remaining.
Upon registering these words, Subaru could only feel his entire body begin to heat up in embarrassment. He couldn't believe Emilia was being this possessive with him. It honestly made him quite happy.
'First she kisses me. . .and now this! Did she finally figure out her feelings towards me. . .or is she just feeling guilt over all the danger I've put myself in?'
Emilia, on the other hand, realized that she spoke out of turn. Even though Subaru was her knight, she didn't make it sound like he had a choice in the matter. There wasn't any reason for him to want to switch his allegiance, but Emilia still felt she'd violated some sort of unspoken rule.
"U-Uh. . .Oh! Sorry! I-I should've asked you before I said anyt-. . ."
"EMT!"
Subaru couldn't even bring himself to acknowledge Priscilla's wild statement as he was simply too enamored by the look of embarrassment on Emilia's face. He had unintentionally communicated his answer to everyone in the meeting, even if it would've been obvious who he was going to choose.
"Ah, I see ya' decided to come after all! I don't remember sending ya' an invitation."
Anastasia decided to take a quick jab at Priscilla. It was obvious that Priscilla wouldn't have joined them if she had sent her an invitation in the first place. This way, she got to kill two birds with one stone. Not only did she guarantee Priscilla's arrival, but she also humiliated her in the process.
"The squabbles of gutter rats don't interest elites like mineself! Accepting a competitor's invitation demeans oneself to a simple commoner that is not worthy of consideration."
As always, Priscilla had a comeback that illustrated the gap between her high-class thinking and her opponent's. It was amazing to see the amount of mental gymnastics required to take up such a position. But in her case, the world did those gymnastics for her.
"Why's she here?!"
Felt had been overjoyed when they began negotiations without Priscilla. Now that she had shown up, just like she always had, she was creating chaos. While normally, Felt might've believed this to be entertaining, there were serious issues that needed to be addressed. Why was she stopping their discussions and demanding concessions from all of them?
"Felt-sama, please don't let yourself be distracted- . ."
"Shut it, Rein! Where do you get off tryna' separate Big Sis and Big Bro?!"
Felt was livid. She had a strong bond with Emilia and understood how much Subaru meant to her. While she would love to add someone like Subaru into her camp, she recognized the special relationship that Emilia had with him. That was why she hadn't made any moves since arriving in Priestella. Yet.
"As expected of a slum dweller! Speaking out with no regard for their betters!"
Priscilla had brushed off Felt's concerns as if she was speaking to a toddler. It was quite the display of (perceived) superiority.
"I would also like to echo Felt-dono's sentiments. While we would all like to welcome Subaru-dono into our camps, his current position is where he believes he ought to be."
Crusch spoke some surprising words and backed up Felt. Even without knowledge of his abilities, Subaru's track record was enough for anyone to want him in their camp. Such a fact should be obvious. And it was. . . to everyone except Subaru.
"Woah! Woah! Woah! Time out! When did this discussion become about my allegiances?!"
Subaru was dumbfounded. Every single camp had just expressed an interest in adding him to their ranks. He was honored that they all thought so highly of him, but none of his accomplishments were simply his own.
"Out of all of us, one person has managed to achieve several legendary feats in the past year! It's only natural we'd want to acquire that person for ourselves, ain't it?"
Anastasia made the effort to try and push past Subaru's ingrained feelings of worthlessness. But as expected, such a task wasn't something to be attempted lightly.
"H-Huh?! It really means the world that you all think of me so highly, b-but don't go giving all the credit for those accomplishments to me! There were so many people wh-. ."
"We acknowledge the role that everyone played in those victories. However, you were instrumental to the success of all those endeavors!"
Crusch finally opened the can of worms that Subaru had been trying desperately to keep closed.
"Mhmhm. My knight really is one of the greatest heroes of the modern age!"
As if Emilia gave a signal, everyone in the room began to open their mouths to heap praise onto Subaru. If he had known he would be walking into this, Subaru would've accepted Emilia's carriage ride back to Miload in a heartbeat. However, it was too late. He would have to sit and be told how awesome he is by everyone he loved and respected.
"Subaru-dono, without your boundless sacrifices, I would not have been able to avenge my wife. I'm now free to live the rest of my life in peace. There aren't words to depict how highly I regard you. Please accept this old man's veneration."
Subaru put his hand in his hair and tried looking away from Wilhelm's beaming smile. He was afraid he'd start tearing up again if he looked at him. But the rest of the candidates wouldn't let him escape so easily!
"Natsuki-kun, ya' killed two of the great Mabeasts that have plagued merchants fer' centuries! Not to mention all ya' did to protect my knight and mercenaries! Let yerself' be greedy fer once!"
Anastasia had become so worked up that her Kararagian accent began to slip through her normally reserved speech. It was a sign that she had dropped the mask of formality and simply wished to address Subaru as a friend.
"I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Big Bro! That psycho bitc-. ."
"Felt-sama!"
Felt rolled her eyes and continued on.
"That crazy lady would've gutted us if ya' didn't show up!"
Subaru didn't like how accurate Felt's characterization of Elsa was, but he didn't have time to argue, as he now had to deal with compliments from the rest of the room.
"Kid, I'd be dead if it weren't for you and that demon chick!"
Ricardo spoke in a cheery tone, as he usually did.
"Ooh ~! Ooh ~! Mimi too ~!"
Mimi used this moment as an excuse to walk over closer to Garfiel and jump on his back.
"Subaru, you're an inspiration to everyone across Lugunica, including me."
Reinhard seemed genuinely appreciative of Subaru's accomplishments and attitude.
"T-Thanks Reinhard! You're an inspiration to m-. ."
"Oi! Cap'n! Don't tell me ya' forget 'bout us?!"
Garfiel and Otto were looking at Subaru with unusually serious faces.
"Natsuki-kun, there are countless times where you rescued us from certain peril. I'm sure we'll never know the true extent of your struggles."
Subaru seemed perplexed, that was a very convenient way to phrase his sentence.
'T-That's weird. . . No use dwelling on that. I must be crazy for jumping to conclusions so quickly!.'
"W-Woah! Everyone wait! Seriously, I think I'm about to run out of dopamine!"
Subaru was afraid of what would happen to him if he let anyone else voice their opinions. If these past couple days had gone by normally, he would've been better equipped to handle something like this. However, right now he simply didn't feel like he deserved any of this praise. So far, he'd only managed to mess everything up! His arm had been nearly blown off, there was now some widely held secret amongst the five candidates, and on top of all of that, a new speaking taboo. If he assumed the worst-case scenario, earlier today his friends had looped to save him. Either way, the failure had been his fault.
Why did they have to choose now to be so nice to him?
"Don't forget the children that you rescued in Arlam."
Julius spoke up from the back of the room. He didn't seem particularly keen to speak up after making contact with Subaru again. Whatever Subaru had said during their last meeting had clearly stuck with him.
'I don't recall that event being publicly disclosed.'
Subaru's reaction to Julius seemed to sour the mood.
"Foolish commoner! Humility is the mark of a feeble, deplorable existence! Such pitiful behavior should not be tolerated!"
And that was it. Even Priscilla had commended Subaru, in her own way.
It simply didn't fit with the MO he had of Priscilla to praise someone who needlessly wrecks their master's plans. What had he done, since arriving in Priestella, to merit this level of praise?
'This had to have something to do with that flash. I don't know what it did, but something has changed!'
"Bro, how have you been?"
A familiar helmeted man poked his head into the meeting room.
"Great! How about you, Al? You look like you haven't really changed in the past year. . ."
Al put his hand behind his head and laughed.
"Hey, that's hurtful, you know?"
Priscilla seemed amused at this interaction and put her fan in front of her face to hide her smirk. It was rare to see Al so flustered talking with someone.
"Can you explain what all this is about?"
Subaru gestured to Priscilla and the bisected door laying on the ground.
"Ah, about that Bro, can we speak in private for a moment?"
Subaru was confused on why Al wanted to talk to him alone, but he figured that the man had his best intentions at heart. They were both isekai'd. Isekai bros stick together!
"Can it wait until after this meeting?"
"Sorry, no can do."
Subaru turned back to Emilia and Co. seemingly looking for direction. He didn't like the idea of leaving Emilia alone with the other four candidates, but with Otto and Garfiel there, he felt significantly less useful in that setting. Not to mention the inevitable compliment barrage awaiting him when the negotiations continued.
"S-Subaru! Please stay here! It's not safe for you to wander the city by yourself!"
Emilia's concern was noted, but it only made Subaru feel more curious about whatever Al wanted to tell him. However, orders were orders. He wouldn't needlessly disobey Emilia unless her life was under threat.
"Hold your tongue, Half-devil! Do you believe my servant incapable of protecting himself?"
It was unclear whether or not Priscilla was referring to Subaru or Al, but the implications of it were clear. The viewings had caused people to doubt the once undefeatable Subaru.
"Princess, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't needlessly create hostility between me and my bro."
She seemed unresponsive to Aldebaran's request and simply put her arms beneath her bust and scowled at the other four candidates.
"I don't recall giving you permission to speak!"
Al slid back behind the wall he was peeking around, signaling to everyone that he was completely whipped.
Priscilla took this opportunity to stroll towards the other side of the table and sit on the other end, opposite Anastasia. Her positioning was as deliberate as Anastasia's.
"Emilia-tan, it's up to you."
Emilia sat in thought for a moment. What they needed to discuss mandated that Subaru is not present. It sucked, but this convenient excuse would at least remove the need of asking Subaru to leave herself.
"U-Um, y-you can go if you want, but please have someone from the Iron Fang accompany y-. ."
"Sorry, can't allow that. Our conversation is strictly confidential."
Al cut off this idea before it could be endorsed by any of the other candidates. He didn't want anyone else listening in on what he had to say.
"At the very least, please signal us if you find anything out of the ordinary."
Reinhard tried his best to assuage Emilia's worries. He hadn't been there when Subaru initially got attacked. If he had seen how terrible Subaru's luck had been, he would've been much harder to convince to let Subaru go off on his own.
"E-Emilia-tan, are you sure? I really don't want to make you worry during such an important mee-. ."
"Go! Aldebaran, leave with your friend before I lop off both of your heads!"
Priscilla didn't want to hear Subaru and Emilia's tooth rotting dialogue anymore.
"Princess. . .I told you not to call me that. . ."
He grumbled a bit.
The message was received.
Subaru and Al walked off together, leaving the remaining five candidates alone to discuss business.
"Mine plan has worked, as expected! Now, let's discuss what you simpletons have been waiting for so long to address."
Priscilla revealed to everyone a surprising fact. She had orchestrated the entire previous scene so she could remove Subaru from the upcoming talks about the viewing. Of course, she didn't really need to tell Al anything to say to Subaru, she simply needed him to coerce Subaru out of the meeting. Al seemed willing to go along with it, perhaps actually having something he wanted to talk to Subaru about.
"I don't think we needed to lie to him. I believe we could've simply asked him to leave."
Crusch felt particularly upset at this tactic used against Subaru. A simple request to Joshua and Felt's thief posse had been enough to get them to leave the meeting. She had always detested lies, even if they were well-intentioned. Someone like Subaru, who had literally given his life to save her from Gluttony, was the exact person she wanted to protect from stuff like this. To say she had feelings for affection toward Subaru would be an understatement.
She, sadly, didn't see the irony in applying that worldview to Subaru. As it stood, he'd been forced to lie to them numerous times across his journey, and he didn't seem to mind them all that much.
"You believe that stubborn fool would've complied?"
Crusch didn't have an answer to that.
"Typical! Commoners prattling on about virtue! When the time comes to act, their effectiveness crumbles at the feet of empty platitudes!"
Crusch scoffed at Priscilla's bold claim, but she didn't feel like arguing with Priscilla over something so trivial. Subaru would only be gone for a select period of time. Best to not waste it on meaningless feuds.
"Am I to assume you've already failed to protect him?"
Priscilla's words weighed heavily on everyone in the meeting room.
"No. He didn't use his ability."
Otto spoke for the Emilia camp. They each seemed to be grappling with the disappointment in her question.
"Big Bro's arm was still injured! We can't write that off as nothing!"
Felt rebuked Otto's black and white assessment of the situation. Regardless of whether or not he had to use his ability, they had all failed to protect Subaru.
They were simply fortunate enough to remember it this time.
"Why d'ya think m'tryna' get th' bastard who hurt th' Cap'n?"
Garfiel grumbled out to nobody in particular. He knew how much he had failed already. He didn't need anyone else to rub it in.
"I propose we conduct a proper search for the man responsible for this attack."
Emilia wanted to get the conversation off of their failure. Her heart still ached when she remembered Beatrice bringing Subaru to her unconscious and bloodied. It really scared her.
"What do ya' want us to do till we find him?"
Anastasia seemed interested in Emilia's suggestion.
"I think we should impose some sort of lockdown for the city, pushing most residents near the exit gates on each side of the city."
A lot of eyebrows were raised at this suggestion. It was a very serious undertaking.
"Isn't that a bit of an overreaction?"
Crusch wasn't aware of the particulars, but she doubted this man was an existential threat to the city.
"With just the flick of his hand, he leveled two buildings. If we encountered him with people present, there would be massive civilian casualties."
The description seemed to trigger something in Crusch, but she wasn't exactly sure what.
This odd method of attack seemed very similar, but she couldn't put her finger on why.
"I suppose that makes sense. But how would we achieve this effect? If we used the broadcast system, it would alert the man to our presence."
"Ya' don't need to worry about that. I'll deal with it."
Anastasia seemingly figured out a plan before anyone else needed to agonize over this issue. Just like Crusch, she was eager to move on to the main topic of their discussion.
"Anyone disagree?"
The room was silent.
"Good! There are more important issues for us to focus on! Chief among them, Roswaal."
Anastasia began voicing her position on bringing Roswaal to justice.
"To be honest with ya', I'd like to have him immediately detained for the numerous crimes he's committed against y'all'."
Crusch and Felt nodded their heads in agreement. Roswaal was simply too much of a menace to be left to his own devices.
"I agree. Roswaal has been responsible for everything that happened to Subaru since he was summoned. Not to mention his self-admitted goal of slaying the Divine Dragon."
Reinhard was particularly supportive of removing Roswaal from the Royal Selection. With the news of who actually hired that Assassin back in Arc 1, he felt as much of an obligation to his lady as he did for Subaru to free them from Roswaal's influence.
"He has also, apparently, been transferring his consciousness into the bodies of his descendants."
Crusch reminded everyone of a disturbing detail of Roswaal's plans. For hundreds of years, he's effectively murdered his own descendants through his soul transcription technique.
"I still can't believe that she is still alive. . ."
Wilhelm remembered Roswaal J. Mathers, who helped him battle an enemy from long ago. It sickened him to finally learn the truth.
"As much as we would like to echo those sentiments, we simply can't let something like that happen to our Camp's backer."
Otto decided to simply cut to the heart of the matter. Even if everyone had righteous reasonings for getting rid of Roswaal, the fact remained that it would only serve to benefit the other camps.
"Without Roswaal, Emilia-sama would be forced to resign from the Royal Selection. While I don't wish to ascribe any negative motivations to you, the only people who stand to gain from something like that is all of you."
Felt raised an eyebrow at this claim. She figured that, out of everyone, the Emilia Camp would have the biggest grudge to settle with that Clown Bastard.
"What do ya' mean? Did all of ya' forget that he promised to kill all of ya' if Subaru ever stepped out of line?"
Anastasia decided to play dumb, forcing Otto to explain to the room what he believed their true intentions were.
"I did not forget that. . .However, it would be awfully convenient for you all should Emilia-sama's camp fall apart."
Priscilla scoffed at this bold leap in logic. She had no reason to be afraid of some spineless half-devil. Her victory was assured from the moment the Royal Selection began.
"What are you trying to say, merchant?!"
Felt didn't like the insinuation of Otto's sly remark.
"I'm saying that one of you could use that opportunity to integrate the rest of us into your camp. An endorsement from someone like Subaru could be enough to swing the entire election."
Otto didn't pull any punches. He believed, just as much as they cared for Subaru, that they had been plotting to use his legendary status to boost their popularity amongst the people. Nobody had plans on simply stealing Subaru away. Rather, they wanted the entire Emilia camp to themselves.
"Not to mention, well-connected people like me and strong folks like Emilia-sama and Garf!"
Otto had expected people to roll their eyes at his last-minute praise of the remaining members of the Emilia Camp, but to his surprise, they remained silent.
'It appears my guess was correct. Even acquiring Subaru isn't enough for these greedy bastards!'
"I suppose I can't hide behind excuses anymore."
Anastasia's words hoisted a silence onto the room. Otto had seen through her scummy tactics, but she expected nothing less from someone like him.
"If I haven't convinced you yet, how about I illustrate the most likely outcome for you all?"
Otto turned to Felt, Priscilla, and Crusch.
"The speaking taboo prevents us from mentioning anything that happened to Subaru in previous loops. Even Reinhard can't defy this stipulation."
Emilia remained still. She was still reeling from the fight she'd had with Subaru before the other candidates arrived. That damned taboo kept her from saying a word to him.
'This is how you've felt this entire time. . .'
Emilia put her hand to her chest and felt her heart ache.
"Even if we were to bring charges against Roswaal, how would we prove any of his wrongdoings?"
Otto brought up a fair point.
"I believe my word would suffice. The Sage Council would have no reason to doubt any claims I've made."
Reinhard stood up to address the room.
"And what claims would you be able to make? That Roswaal plans on killing the dragon? That he's been using a long-lost magic spell to transfer his consciousness into his descendants? How would you convince them of something so nonsensical without any proof? Everything else is locked behind the taboo."
Reinhard put his hand to his chin, deep in thought.
"Roswaal is the most powerful mage in Lugunica, potentially the world. The Sage Council wouldn't throw him in jail without substantive proof of his actions, as it needlessly upsets the balance of power between Lugunica and its neighbors. Not to mention how hypocritical it would be, considering how all of us contributed to Subaru's deaths."
His last second defense did more damage than Otto was intending, but it achieved its purpose.
Otto was putting in serious work on Roswaal's behalf. He better receive some sort of 'thank you' from the bastard when they made it back to Miload Manor.
"Would a threat against the Dragon not be considered treason?"
Otto shook his head at Reinhard's naïve question.
"Did you forget? One of the people in this room has publicly denounced the continued contract we have with the Dragon."
Crusch solemnly nodded her head. The Dragon had not fulfilled its obligations to protect the previous Royal Family. They had no reason to trust in its word anymore.
Reinhard looked disheartened. He didn't have any ability to prove wrongdoing on Roswaal's part.
"That leaves us only one option then! Punish him ourselves!"
Felt jumped the gun and laid her, until then, secret plans bare.
"Felt-sama, you can't take the law into your own hands, especially against another candidate's bac-. . ."
"Shut it, Rein! I'm sick and tired of these corrupt nobles doing whatever they want without consequence! If this stupid clown wants to play dumb, then let him be buried in his dumb outfit!"
Felt stomped her foot and tried to kick Reinhard in the head. He simply caught her kick and let out a disappointed sigh.
"Otto, I believe in Subaru-dono's judgement. We will wait until the time is right to figure out his punishment."
Crusch changed sides. Otto's explanation had clearly shown how difficult it would be to punish Roswaal under current circumstances. She still didn't want to let him off the hook though.
"I suppose I'll let Natsuki-kun make his own decision on how this matter should be handled as well."
Anastasia was still disappointed that her plan had failed, but she trusted Subaru enough to handle something like this.
Felt was shocked to see her two former allies be swayed by Otto's quick proposal.
"W-What?! Are ya' serious? You're gonna let that bastard get off scot-free?!"
Felt grit her teeth and tried to hold her composure.
"Don't misunderstand. He will be punished for everything he's done."
Emilia did her best to calm Felt down.
"I simply ask that you leave the punishment up to us-. . ."
"Absolutely not!"
Felt slammed her fist onto the table.
"If I know Big Bro, he'll make him do something stupid and then forget all about it! And you! An 'I'm sorry'!? Really?!"
Emilia smiled with a look of clear embarrassment on her face. She'd forgotten all about that. Felt was making a good point.
"If ya' don't wanna punish him for what he did to Big Bro, then fine! But don't forget that he tried to have me killed too!"
Felt had nearly been a victim of Elsa's that day in the loothouse. If she counted Subaru's loops, then she'd died multiple times. Roswaal was as much to blame as Elsa.
"Y-You are right about that Felt-chan. . . How about this? After the Royal Selection is over, regardless of the winner, we can both decide how we'd like to punish Roswaal."
Emilia realized that this wasn't going to go anywhere. So she decided to propose a compromise.
Felt didn't look satisfied with this option, but going any further would only make her demands seem even more unreasonable.
"Fine. . ."
Felt grumbled under her breath and rested her arms and head on the table.
"Supposing the worst possible scenario, would you be able to stop Roswaal?"
Anastasia asked a loaded question to Emilia.
"If Beako and I worked together, most likely."
Crusch and Anastasia looked pleased with this answer and decided to continue on.
"We should discuss some other disturbing information we've uncovered from the viewings, as it pertains to the Witch Cult."
Crusch seemed eager to move the conversation on to more pressing matters. As it stood right now, Roswaal wasn't much of a threat. His Tome of Wisdom had been destroyed and he had been bound by a contract. The Witch Cult, on the other hand, was a larger threat than they anticipated.
"Ah, that's right! Now we know that the White Whale's attack, as well as the Black Serpent's appearance in Elior, was due to Witch Cult interference."
The mention of Elior made Emilia tense up, most likely due to shame. They had all seen who was responsible for freezing over the forest, as well as all of its inhabitants. While they didn't seem to blame her for losing control during the viewing, the demonstration of her latent power had shocked everyone, including Priscilla.
"Don't forget about the nature of their powers. Supposedly they stem from 'authorities' passed down by the previous seven witches of sin."
Reinhard brought up another important point of contention. Supposedly, authorities were the antithesis of 'Od Laguna', the entity that regulated the world's mana flow and bestowed Divine Protections onto people. This power stemmed from a corrupt, unnatural source and binded itself to the user's soul.
"That man~! Geuse~! He got corrupted by one of those 'aut-thor-ities', right~?"
Mimi tugged on one of Ricardo's arms, signaling her renewed interest in the conversation between the five camps.
"I believe so. Still. . .I can't believe that psycho had such a normal life. . ."
Ricardo remembered facing off against several of Petelgeuse's fingers and he couldn't believe that the man he saw on screen was the same person. The man had nobly sacrificed his life, and sanity, to protect the one's he loved. Only for him to be toyed with and forced to kill those same people. Watching him delve into pure insanity had been a moment he'd never forget. It only made him detest the Witch Cult even more.
"I believe that Natsuki-kun currently harbors two of these authorities, correct?"
Anastasia looked over to Emilia and Co, hoping for some form of confirmation.
"Y-Yes, Subaru has two authorities as far as I'm aware."
Everyone was surprised to learn that someone could be compatible with multiple different authorities, but it made sense that someone like Subaru would pull something like that off.
"I-If I may ask a difficult question Emilia-sama. . ."
Julius spoke up for the first time since Subaru's departure.
"From what we've seen, authorities have the potential to drive their holder to insanity. How can we say for certain that. . .S-Subaru hasn't been affected?"
His question was, surprisingly, well received.
Nobody had wanted to entertain the idea of Subaru ending up like Petelgeuse, but they had to admit that some aspects of Subaru's personality couldn't exactly be considered normal.
"I've got faith n' th' Cap'n's strength. He's still th' same man I pledged my amazin' self t'!"
Garfiel tried to reassure everyone of Subaru's mental fortitude. But upon closer examination, there was something different about him.
"I trust Subaru as well. However, even I have to admit. . . his reactions to some of the stuff people have done to him are abnormal."
Julius tried to give a reality check to everybody in the meeting. It simply wasn't natural for a person to go and befriend their previous killers. It defied human nature.
"Natsuki-san is too forgiving. I doubt that his mindset is a result of receiving his ability. It's most likely a product of using it."
Otto brought up an interesting new perspective about the issue. Subaru, someone already predisposed to harsh introspection and judgement, was likely unable to rationalize his feelings due to his new position.
"Natsuki-san's power makes him the sole determiner of what remains real vs. forgotten. Being in that position, I doubt he feels right assigning blame to anyone for their actions, even if he should."
Emilia listened on with a dreary expression across her face. Hearing his isolation so accurately depicted only made her more desperate to find a way to break through.
"I-I simply don't understand. . . he should detest me for what I've done to him."
Julius kept replaying that moment in the forest over and over. He had killed Subaru. He had forced Felix to do something against his code. How could Subaru ever look at him the same way after that?
"Well, this part is my own speculation. . . Let me ask you something, Julius-san. From his perspective, do any of us have free will?"
People didn't like entertaining this train of thought.
"Whadya' mean?! Of course we do!"
Felt picked her head up off the table and glared at Otto's presumptuous declaration.
"How can we? If we are fated to behave a certain way, supposing Subaru doesn't intervene, how can one say that we hold agency over our choices?"
Otto's thought experiment was beginning to anger everyone in the meeting. It almost sounded like he was trying to make excuses for the terrible things they'd done to Subaru.
"Hahaha!"
Priscilla broke out laughing at Otto's previous ridiculous leap in logic.
"Your words entertain me, merchant! All the half-devil's knight can do is predict how you'll behave? Such a task does not require a rotten ability like his! It is quite easy for a goddess like mineself to know what commoners desire! I suppose, in mine presence, this means you lack free will? The world simply turns in mine favor. Is it too hard for plebians like yourself to grasp?"
Everyone found themselves shocked to be in agreement with Priscilla, but she was right. Where was the bright line between Subaru and someone like Priscilla?
"Priscilla-sama, I apologize if it looked like I was trying to make excuses for our mistakes. I am simply trying to explain the mindset that Subaru adopted in the midst of his ability."
Priscilla squinted at Otto and turned away in disgust.
"Taking on the burdens of common trash as his own? Such an act isn't heroism, it's simply rampant narcissism!"
Priscilla calling someone else a narcissist was something that nobody expected to see in their lifetimes. But, once again, they couldn't find anything wrong with her assessment. (Although they still each regarded Subaru as a hero!)
"Before we stray too far off topic, there's another question which has been bothering me for a while."
Reinhard rose to speak once more.
"Why is Subaru compatible with multiple different authorities?"
There were a multitude of different possible explanations, but there was one particular relationship that seemed to stick out more than anything else.
"It could have something to do with Subaru's relationship with the Witch of Envy."
Ricardo's words inspired another silence across the large table.
It still didn't make any sense to them why the Witch of Envy had such an obsession with Subaru. She was the most hated figure in documented history. She didn't care for the lives of men, women, or children. The fact that she was capable of understanding concepts of love baffled everyone. Not to mention those feelings being strong enough to literally pull someone across dimensions!
"I-I don't like calling whatever they have a 'relationship'."
Emilia was the first to address the elephant in the room. She just recently learned how similar she and the Witch really were. It sickened her to see how much this doppelganger of hers had ruined Subaru's life. It didn't help that she had been used as a vessel for the Witch's reincarnation in one of Subaru's previous failed loops.
"Emilia-sama is correct. Subaru-dono would never freely associate with the Witch."
Crusch nodded in Emilia's direction. She was glad that Crusch made that distinction between her and Satella. After all the looks she'd received in the theater, Emilia was actually beginning to question her identity as a half-elf. It seemed really convenient that Subaru came in contact with someone who looked just like Satella on his first day in Lugunica.
"However, his authority was, seemingly, gifted ta' him by Satella."
Anastasia, unaware of the fact Satella and the WoE were two different entities, stated the obvious fact underlying Subaru's powers.
"The Witch of Greed corroborated this fact too, I believe."
Tivey added an important new variable to the conversation.
"That's right! I forgot! The Warden referred ta' Subaru as a 'Sage Candidate'. Didn't Echidna say somethin' about it ta' Natsuki-kun?"
Anastasia instinctually crossed her arms in front of her fox scarf. She still hadn't informed everyone about her artificial fox spirit. With the new information regarding her spirit's creator, she didn't want to risk revealing it to everyone in the meeting. Luckily, it was smart enough not to react to hearing its name in this context.
"The word 'Sage' isn't something to take lightly. . . Perhaps it has something to do with Subaru's ability to safely absorb the Witch Factors?"
Reinhard gave an interesting theory to everyone regarding Subaru's 'candidate' status, but most weren't keen on picturing that scenario in their head.
"These 'witch factors' can only be taken after the previous owner's death, correct?"
At Tivey's question, the Emilia Camp seemed to get particularly frustrated. During the viewing, the person that everyone relied on for knowledge about these questions was Beatrice. Without her, it was significantly more difficult to grasp the rules behind these long-lost magical powers.
"I believe so. Along that line of thought, what happens if there is nobody around who can absorb the Witch Factor?"
Julius's question raised some well-founded concerns to the rest of the room. So far, Subaru had been present for each successful encounter with an Archbishop. The only other example they had to reference was Petelgeuse's sacrifice.
They had absolutely no idea what would happen if an Archbishop was slain, and nobody absorbed their Witch Factor.
"There's a potential risk of it binding to someone incompatible, I'd imagine."
Otto gave an educated guess, but his spine shuddered at the possibility.
"We can't allow another situation like Petelgeuse's. . .perhaps Natsuki-kun could absorb the remainin-. ."
"Absolutely not!"
"I won't condone such barbarism."
Emilia and Crusch made their opinions heard. Neither of them thought it was ok to use Subaru as a solution to their problems. Not to mention the insane damage if that plan failed. If Subaru ever did snap. . . nobody could stop him.
Aside from Anastasia, the plan received no support from the remaining negotiators.
"Fine then, how do ya' propose we deal with these 'rogue authorities'?"
The room went into a deep thought. There had to be some way to contain these dangerous abilities.
"Geuse carried around a Witch Factor in a little box, right? Maybe we could create a container of some kind. . ."
Emilia grimaced as she reminisced on that moment once again.
"We don't know what that box was made out of. . . but at least there is proof of concept."
Otto poured a cold dose of reality onto Emilia's wishful thinking.
"Does anyone remember any details about that container?"
Julius posed a question to the room, hopeful that they could figure out a clue to the box's makeup.
"If I remember correctly, before he forced the Authority of Sloth into himself, he mentioned a man named Flugel?"
Reinhard's divine protections allowed him a perfect recollection of events. Luckily for everyone present, he had picked up on that small detail.
"Like Flugel's tree?! Was he the previous holder of the Authority of Sloth?"
Julius speculated wildly. He had a love for history. Legends of the three great heroes, Hoshin of the Wastes, and Od Laguna permeated his childhood. Hearing that such a famous landmark was related to an Authority wielder was certainly something he couldn't gloss over.
"But that doesn't make sense. . . the tree was planted over 400 years ago. The events in Elior took place over 300 years after the Great Calamity. How could Geuse have met Flugel?"
Otto was just as surprised to hear this theory, but he didn't understand how it could be possible.
"Oi, th' Cultist was a Spirit, so s'not impossible."
Garfiel was quick on the uptake.
But before this conversation could gain any traction. . .
"The carvings on Flugel's tree didn't have any recognizable characters either. . ."
Reinhard said something that made everyone stop in their tracks.
"W-Wait! Are ya' sayin' that this 'Flugel' came from Natsuki-kun's world?"
Anastasia had reflexively pulled out a piece of paper to write down all the new pieces of information she was being told. This was nuts! Not just Hoshin, but this 'Flugel' guy too?
"I'm not certain. It could simply be a coincidence."
"Are ya' stupid, Rein?! Nothin' with Big Bro is ever a coincidence!"
Felt got some nods from Garfiel and Felix.
"This conversation has gotten sidetracked again. I thought we were discussing the Witch Cult. . .?"
Crusch reminded everyone, for what must've been the tenth time, to stay on topic. They didn't have a lot of time before Subaru and Al returned and they wouldn't be able to talk freely.
"Fine! Fine! Ya' buzz kill. . ."
Anastasia waved her hand at Crusch, prompting a scoff from her and Felix.
"The current leader of the Witch Cult is a girl named Pandora."
Just the mention of that girl's name brought turbulence to Emilia's mind. This monster was still out there somewhere and could easily take everything away from her again.
"She wanted Emilia-sama to open up some seal. I-I hate to remind you of that day, but Emilia-sama. . .are you aware of what lies behind that seal?"
Crusch carefully worded her question as she could see the pained expression on Emilia's face.
"N-No. . .I'm sorry. I don't even know why I am able to open it."
"Isn't it obvious? It is only natural that a half-devil be given the key! That Witch Cult scum even said so!"
Priscilla's rude interjection did nothing but prompt an angry Garfiel to clench his fists and mutter under his breath. Luckily, Emilia was able to calm him down.
"Quite the accusation you're levying! Dontcha' think Emilia's refusal ta' open the seal shows her innocence?"
Anastasia's flowery language did little to hide the hostility hiding beneath her words. She had a soft spot for orphaned children, as she had been one herself. Grilling Emilia for being born a 'half-devil' was beginning to get a little old.
"Fool! You believe yourself intimidating? A gutter-rat's ambitions will never usurp those of a goddess like mineself."
The air around Priscilla had grown warmer, but Anastasia's positioning on the other side of the table kept Julius and Ricardo from taking notice.
"How should we plan to deal with Pandora? I'm not sure how her Authority functions, but there does seem to be some limit on her abilities."
Reinhard asked the question that everyone had been dreading. Nobody had any idea how to deal with that monster. She couldn't be killed, contained, controlled, or convinced. Not to mention her motivations remaining a mystery.
"I think we should simply avoid her until we can get more information about the Witch Cult."
Crusch knew her sentiment wouldn't be popular, but she didn't want to recklessly engage with the enemy. One should only provoke fights that they are sure to win.
"I-I agree."
Emilia balled her fists beneath the table and agreed with Crusch. She would never forgive Pandora for what she did to Fortuna and Geuse, but she was also responsible for the lives of everyone in her camp. She couldn't let desire for vengeance overshadow her duty to the people serving under her.
"Then, if we're all in agreement. . ."
Anastasia looked to Felt and Priscilla to see if they wanted to speak.
"Let's move to the main discussion."
"Natsuki-kun's ability has the potential to jeopardize the integrity of the entire Royal Selection."
Emilia knew what was coming, but she still didn't want to entertain this idea.
"He wouldn't! I know he wouldn't!"
Subaru was her knight. Subaru did love her. But Subaru also hated dying. He hated feeling pain. He hated using his ability. How could they think he'd use his ability for something like this?
"I believe ya', Emilia. But can ya' guarantee Subaru will think the same way in the future?"
Anastasia was right on the money. Emilia had no assurances that the Subaru of today would be the Subaru of tomorrow. Countless erased events could reshape his thoughts and goals and they would have no way of knowing.
"If Subaru doesn't have to use his ability, then we could at least. . .!"
"And how would you manage that, half-devil?"
Priscilla's eyebrow was raised at Emilia's declaration. That was the most ridiculous claim she'd heard since the negotiations began. He'd already been attacked, and nearly killed, in Priestella.
"I won't allow him to risk his life on our behalf anymore. If Priestella isn't safe for him, then I'll send him back to the Manor."
Her words were spoken with a hint of lethargy. She'd clearly grappled with this decision for a long time in private.
"He is your knight, isn't he? You think that fool will abandon his post over your childish protectiveness?"
Emilia grits her teeth. Subaru shouldn't have to die anymore, even if his position demanded it.
"I won't put him in danger anymore! He shouldn't be expected to sacrifice everything for our mistakes!"
Priscilla put her fan up to her face.
"That's exactly the oath he took to you when he became your knight, correct? You to dare besmirch those feelings after all he's sacrificed? Such loyalty is wasted on a disgusting half-devil!"
Priscilla's words cut deep. Emilia could feel some of her magic starting to seep out, but not from anger.
"Oi! Oi!"
Garfiel kept her from freezing more than a small portion of the table, but the threat had already been made.
"What do you know about him?! Do you think I like disregarding his feelings!? Did you think I honestly never considered leaving things alone?!"
Reinhard stood in between Felt and Emilia, much to Felt's dismay.
"I've seen all the pain he hides behind his smile! I wondered what could be responsible for hurting him so much. . . I really wanted to know! You know what I learned?"
Priscilla hadn't moved from her seat. She simply stared at her from behind her fan with a glare in her eyes.
"I learned that it was US!"
Priscilla did her best to contain her laughter at Emilia's uncontrolled lamentations.
"Every time he looks at us, he sees people who've betrayed. . ."
Otto, Garfiel, Crusch, and Felix winced.
". . .who've tortured. . ."
Julius turned his head away in shame.
". . .and abandoned him!"
The last jab was clearly meant for herself. However, Reinhard and Felt still felt the sting of Emilia's words. They'd left him with Emilia and were nowhere to be found during the events of Arc 3.
"Is that so? What a stunning display of ignorance!"
Priscilla's eyes remained pointed at Emilia's scowl.
"It's become clear to me that you still have no understanding of your servant."
Emilia wasn't normally the wrathful type, but Priscilla's words were perfectly targeted. Before Emilia could voice her response, Priscilla spoke again. . .
"And what of you three. . . do you agree with this childish drivel?"
Anastasia and Crusch didn't speak.
"I agree with ya' Big Sis! This stupid bitch needs to mind her own damn business!"
Felt raised her fist in the air. Her declaration of support had only made Emilia look worse.
"Felt-sama. . .Please mind your language."
". . . ."
One minute passed without anyone speaking.
Then two. . .
The quiet was beginning to eat away at everyone's sanity. Crusch and Anastasia hadn't voiced support for Emilia or Priscilla, and the longer they stayed silent, the more likely that negotiations would stall.
Crusch turned to Wilhelm, seemingly wanting him to give his opinion on the matter. He possessed a keen understanding of Subaru's character.
Wilhelm had been staying silent for a reason.
He simply didn't feel like he had the right to influence Subaru's livelihood without his consent.
But with the entire room staring at him, he relented.
"I-If you must heed the advice of an old man. . ."
Wilhelm gestured for everyone to return to their seats.
"Subaru-dono has made his decision on how he'll use his power."
Felt and Emilia weren't exactly in agreement with Wilhelm's perspective, but they knew he was right about this. Any decisions they made 'on Subaru's behalf' were really just shoddy justifications to ignore Subaru's wishes. But with the consequences being Subaru's death. . . How could Emilia be ok with enabling his suffering?
"When I first met Subaru, he was in a similar predicament to yours, Emilia-sama."
Subaru had run into Wilhelm after the spectacle he'd made at the start of the Royal Selection while he was grappling with this exact same issue.
From Wilhelm's perspective, it looked like he'd worked past these feelings in a single night.
Only during the viewing did he understand how much Subaru agonized over this.
"He struggled on his own many times trying to change things. He believed that his actions could all be justified if they were for you, Emilia-sama."
Otto put his hand on Emilia's shoulder. She looked despondent.
"I judge Subaru a man capable of facing whatever suffering bestowed upon him. I also believe he understood the weight of the pledge he made to you when he became your knight."
Garfiel nodded his head at Wilhelm's apt characterization of Subaru's grit.
"When I picked up the Sword, I was asked for whom I would wield it."
Crusch was surprised to hear Wilhelm speak so openly about his wife. He didn't like bringing up his past to people he didn't trust.
"My wife, she and I dueled many times. I stood no chance against her. . ."
He had also been a fool. Believing that it would be as simple as a single duel to free her.
"I was forced to learn the same lesson as Subaru-dono."
His pridefulness had caused him to forget what it meant to wield power for the sake of another.
"Even so, I pledged to take the Sword away from her, to free her from the Sword God. That path wasn't easy, and I faced death countless times. But I succeeded."
Wilhelm took a moment to think about how he'd phrase his next sentence.
"When she took up the sword again. . . b-before that last battle. I couldn't help but feel that my efforts had been. . ." 'in vain.'
He froze. What he wanted to say was obvious, it didn't need to be said.
". . .Subaru-dono has taken up the 'Sword' for you Emilia-sama. Please. . . Don't let him turn out like me."
His words struck a chord with everyone. The old man harbored many regrets, but this would always be his biggest.
"W-Wilhelm. . ."
Crusch was surprised to hear how much pain Wilhelm still felt when he thought about his wife. Avenging Theresia was the fulfillment of the promise he'd made to her so many years ago.
How fitting that it was Subaru who helped him finally realize his dream.
Perhaps Wilhelm could help him realize his.
". . ."
Emilia finally took the time to acknowledge the feelings she'd tried so hard to ignore.
'Subaru loves us.'
'Subaru wants to protect us.'
'Subaru will do whatever it takes to see his dreams realized.'
". . .I've been selfish."
Emilia quietly whispered.
"I-I just couldn't shake the feeling he'd be better off without us. . ."
She put covered her eyes with her hands.
"T-That I knew what was best for him."
Felt didn't seem swayed by Wilhelm's earnest words, but she knew better than to speak up about it here.
"Foolish halfwit! The fact this had to be explained to you shows how unfit you are to rule!"
Priscilla directed her glare towards Wilhelm, annoyed that this man decided to publicly spill his deepest regrets to educate a naïve simpleton on common sense.
Wilhelm wasn't shaken.
He'd committed to making himself into a better man and addressing his past mistakes. Part of that meant helping others avoid his previous blunders.
"Well then, how 'bout we settle the matter right here?"
Anastasia had finally found a place to insert her proposal. She'd already talked to Emilia about this in private, but now she would run it by the other three candidates for approval.
"To ensure that Natsuki-kun isn't put an. . . unwinnable position. . . I propose consistent lines of communications between all camps from now on."
Crusch had no notable objections, but Felt and Priscilla scoffed at her suggestion.
"I'm fine talkin' with you three, but I want nothin' to do with that red-haired b-. ."
"Felt-sama."
"Bimbo."
Reinhard smiled.
"It matters not. I have no reason to communicate with witless cretins like yourselves. Mineself should be more than enough to ensure his safety."
Anastasia rolled her eyes at Priscilla's persistence. It was admirable, but there was no way Subaru would consider leaving Emilia's side. His loyalty was like a dog's.
"Fine then! Just the four of us will have to do."
"Is there anything else we have to discuss before Subaru-dono returns?"
Crusch posed a final question to everyone in the meeting. They all looked satisfied, aside from Emilia.
"I-I guess that settles things for now. It's been a long day, so all of ya' go get some rest and we can continue tomorrow."
They heard some indiscriminate murmurs coming from outside the building. Three voices. That of a child, young man, and a middle-aged man. As they spoke, their words became clearer and clearer, but nobody dared make a sound. Everyone wanted to hear what those two older voices were discussing.
". . .still can't believe there's someone else from my worl. . ."
Even Priscilla was listening with a renewed interest.
". . .been so long that I don't remember much from before I got. . ."
They heard footsteps stop right next to where the door had been.
'T-That's not possible! There's no way they know about that! N-No way!'
Subaru's mind was racing as he turned the corner into and walked back through the destroyed doorway of the meeting room.
Everyone's eyes bolted and lingered on him for much longer than he'd expected.
"U-Uh. . .h-hello. . ."
He couldn't get his words to form sentences.
A new theory had formed in his mind and it had overshadowed everything he'd wanted to say to them when he got back.
"D-Do they. . . know I Return By Death?!'
Author's Note:
What did Al say to Subaru? Also, Emilia apology incoming! Guess you'll have to wait till next chapter! Normally, I drop chapters like every 4 days when I feel like writing more, but this chapter took forever!
A few things I want to address:
First, this was easily the most difficult chapter to write up to this point. There were so many different things that needed to be discussed and I still don't even think I got all of them. I wanted to have balance where all the characters spoke relatively frequently, but some obviously got neglected (Felix, Garfiel, Mimi, Ricardo, and sorta Wilhelm). I don't particularly like how the last part of this chapter turned out, but honestly, I can't figure out a way to rewrite it that doesn't sound tacky. The main goal of this chapter was to make sure all the relevant information got brought up + have Emilia get a reality check for how she was treating Subaru. He's her knight! She can't be sending him away to do nothing. It's the same mistake Subaru made in Arc 3. I hope I didn't make the characters seem OOC (especially Emilia and Priscilla). I may have made Priscilla overly 'nice' to Subaru, but to expand more on her feelings here, no they are not romantic or even platonic feelings. She is very prideful and believes that if you do something worthy of praise, one ought to bask in it. She is disgusted by Subaru's self-loathing attitude and how much he shoulders the burdens of 'worthless people'. While she did take some of this out on his companions, she mainly did so because believed he was wasting his talent by remaining loyal to Emilia. When she heard Emilia was disregarding Subaru's feelings, it made her snap at her. If a worthless leader doesn't utilize their exemplary subjects, they don't deserve to be a leader! (I don't believe Emilia's worthless, this is Priscilla's opinion). I made Emilia particularly wrathful towards the last part of the story, which may be OOC, but I'm bad at subtlety, so if it seemed kind of out of place, my bad. Hopefully it fit with the tone that Emilia's been operating under up to this point. I mean, Priscilla is basically doing to Emilia what Julius did to Subaru in Arc 3. "You aren't worthy to serve under her" – "You aren't worthy of that fool's loyalty." Anastasia's plan for dealing with the citywide proto-evacuation? Also a bit glossed over, but honestly I'm keeping it kind of vague until I can figure out the specifics.
Second, this chapter is literally double the length of the longest chapter of any fic I've written up to this point. I've literally been writing this nonstop for two days. Considering the setting is literally the same goddamn room with the same goddamn characters, the wording tends to get a bit repetitive. I did my best to keep things spicy, but there are plenty of parts in this chapter where I literally want to fall asleep when re-reading. Ya win some ya lose some. (For just a moment, I felt the pain of someone trying to write a react fic.) There were also a few points where its kind of vague which character is speaking, so also rip. This chapter is mainly an exposition dump, not much else to it. I'm experimenting with writing longer chapters and this one really tested my patience! But it'll be worth it guys! That's just one less chapter before the action starts, right?! Right? If I missed an information that the characters definitely need to talk about, please mention it in the comments! I really just wanna get this out of the way so that the rest of the story can flow how it should!
Third, criticism on this chapter is especially welcomed. I think my brain sort of turned off at the last part of this chapter, so all the characters just end up sounding like the same guy is speaking through them. My tolerance for fruity unnecessary dialogue kind of disappeared as well (basically nothing other than character dialogue beyond the 6K work mark haha). How much should I write a day before calling it quits? I can hit like 5K assuming I've got nothing else to do, but the last thousand or so words will always kinda suck ass. Maybe I'll continue with these longer chapters when shit actually starts to get real, but I'm definitely gonna need a few days to write the next chapter for this. Don't worry! I won't hiatus you! I hope. . . (but if I do, it'll be like a month at max, lets be real) I doubt the discussion with Al will even be half as long as this chapter, but yeah, I hope this got everything out of the way that they needed to discuss.
I'm open to any and all predictions that you guys might have about where the story is going and I would also like to have a pseudo-poll in the comments of this chapter. Do you want Beako up when shit starts to go down or not? It'll be pretty crazy either way, but I want your input on this. It'll won't have a relatively large impact on the story in the long run, since I scripted out this whole story after ch. 1, but it will have a large impact on the dynamics between everyone. I'm thinking of adding these minipolls in the comments whenever larger decisions come up later in the fic as well, so please tell me if you'd be interested in seeing more of these decisions in future chapters.
Finally, I want to get some tips/potential messages from people who'd be down to help me write serious romantic scenes at later points in this fic. I'll be honest, I'm super garbo at writing stuff like that. I know it'll have to be done, but I simply can't bring myself to write anything without cringing at its forcedness. Any tips on how to improve dialogue are greatly appreciated, and if anyone really competent is down to help me write a chapter or two with romance, I'd seriously appreciate the help! Also Beta-readers! I've had a few people message me who were interested, but I don't like waiting multiple days to get feedback, so anyone who is interested, please just send me a message and I'll add u to the list of people I'll send my drafts to before I post. I generally sit around for 12 hours or so before I just say "fuck it" and post, so if you consistently take too long to reply, I might just stop sending it to you. I get it! You guys have lives too! I'm not trying to shame you for that! I'm just super impatient, so I generally like to have a chapter out as soon as possible! If you've already written a one-shot or fluff of any kind, (this is for the romance stuff) just message me on FF or shoot an email to yokedanglomoment to let me know you are interested. I'll credit u and shill all ur works! (Idk what proper payment is for this type of stuff cause I'm pretty new to writing fanfics)