"Forgive me for interrupting, but there is something I must ask him… "

Julius stepped forth and looked at the posing Subaru. "If you truly proclaim yourself to be Emilia-Sama's knight."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You just declared that you are a knight. And you audaciously did so here, before the Knights of Lugunica!"

The entire army stomped their feet on the marble floor. And held their swords out of their sheaths.

"That was pretty well-coordinated. Did you guys' practice that just for this meeting?"

"Of course. To make known to all the dignity of our empire, we are highly conscious every day of who we are. Do you have the resolve to match that?"

Subaru flinched back… surprised.

"I want to make Emilia-Sama the ruler. No, I will make her the ruler!"

"And you believe you have the resolve and strength to do that?" Julius stared hard at the sweating frantic Subaru.

"I don't have anything as grand as resolve, and I'm well aware that I lack strength. But I'm going to make Emilia the ruler! I'm going to make her wish come true!"

Julius shook his head. "Do you not feel that your answer is far too arrogant? Weakness is something to be ashamed of, not to take pride in. Have you worked hard to earn the right to stand here? Have you done enough service to shame us, the Imperial Knights?"

"I'm still going to make Emilia the ruler!"

"I don't understand. After being so denied, why do you continue to stand here?" Julius looked at the boy in pity.

Subaru's entire form began to shake.

"Because she's special!"

Julius looked taken aback but schooled up to continue his assault. "I understand and accept your reason for standing there. But I do not think I can acknowledge you as a knight."

Julius walked back into his position in the line.

"Anyone who aspires such an expression on the face of the one they wish to stand beside is not a knight."

Subaru's face contorted to panic at Julius's words.

He slowly looked back to the half-elf girl that's been silent this whole time.

He turned to Morgan but a veil had appeared over her face and he couldn't see pass it.

He couldn't see her face… so he closed his eyes and hitched his breath.

"I-Is being a knight that big a deal?"

Every knight glared at the boy as his twisted smile showed just how broken he was.

Pathetic.

"You just happen to be born into the job! Don't act like a big-shot with your daddy's name!"

"Natsuki Subaru, that is not a beautiful look." Julius cut him off and stood into position.

"That's enough, Subaru." Emilia slowly whispered and bowed to the council.

"I am deeply sorry to waste your time. I'll make him stand down."

milia quickly trotted out of the hall while grabbing Subaru by the arm.

Before she left, one of the councilmen slowly called out.

"Emilia-Sama, if nothing else, he has shown us all that you are not one to be feared. You have a fine attendant."

Emilia stopped in her tracks. "Subaru is not my attendant."

"Natsuki Subaru-Dono, please leave the room."

Subaru remained on his knees with a haunted look on his face.

The doors closed behind him.

-Small Time skip-

Subaru is standing in the middle of an arena. The place is filled with disgruntled-looking knights that were glaring at the arrogant boy.

Reinhard could be seen talking to Julius from the other side of the arena.

"Julius, you shouldn't do this. It's not like you."

"He insulted us knights in front of the candidates to be our future ruler, and he made light of the chivalry we practice."

"I admit that he said some things that went too far. But for such a matter, he need only be warned and corrected."

"No, this is not only my problem. I hereby administer the death penalty to this insubordinate man who has sullied the knighthood's honor!" Julius shouted as the crowd roared in reverence.

"Normally, it wouldn't be unusual for you to be slain for insolence. However, much to my dismay, you are Emilia-Sama's attendant. Therefore, we will fight using wooden swords."

"Shall we begin?"

Subaru glared at the man that stood opposite him.

"Sure! I'm not gonna hold back!"

Subaru ran towards the knight and flipped mid-run to splash dust in his face.

That didn't deter Julius from delivering a blow straight towards his gut making him roll on the ground.

"It appears you truly have no pride. What a simple, vulgar way to live." Julius spat and began smiting Subaru's face with his wooden sword.

As the crowds cheered.

The scene changes to a knight entering the hall where all the candidates stood.

"Reporting! The knight Julius and Natsuki Subaru-Dono are having a mock battle with wooden swords in the training ring!"

Emilia gasped with eyes wide. "How did that happen? I have to-"

"I just wanna know one thing. Which one of 'em issued the challenge?" Anastasia asked with a cheerful smile.

"I'm told it was the knight, Julius. Natsuki Subaru-Dono accepted, leading to this fight."

"Well, I'm against stopping them, then."

"But your knight and my, um… friend are fighting! Aren't you worried?"

"Worried? About what? That Julius will go too far, and I'll have to pay for your boy's treatment?" Anastasia cutely tilted her head.

"If we're questioning their mock battle, I can't agree with stopping it before they finish, either." Crusch gave her opinion.

"If they're just duking it out, you could've waited until it ended and told us who won." Felt admonished the guard.

"Yes, ma'am! But the fight was, well… It was just so one-sided that I… " the guard nervously glanced at Emilia.

"I have to stop it!"

"We should go. You like watching weak creatures be tormented by vicious beasts, don't you?"

"Don't misjudge me with your own unfounded imaginings, Al. But yes, I do love that."

Scene changes to the crowd of knights looking at the battle with pity and shock at the brutality.

"Why don't you admit that you've reached your limit? I'm sure you've now realized to a painful extent just what the knights that you insulted and made light of really are!"

Julius can be seen beating a heavily bruised up and bleeding Subaru to the ground.

Beatrice glared at her.

"I believe continuing would endanger your life."

Subaru slowly got up with a manic crazed glare.

"Damn it. I'll break."

Subaru began running towards the knight.

"Subaru!" Emilia shouted from a balcony.

Julius looked up at where she was.

Subaru smirked and took a chance.

"Don't Subaru!"

But she was too late.

"Shamac!"

The arena was filled with darkness.

"This was the ace up your sleeve?"

With one swipe, Julius erased the darkness.

"Your skill level is far too low. Such low-level magic will only work on unintelligent beasts!"

Julius shot towards him and delivered the crushing blow.

"You are irredeemably powerless. You aren't worthy to stand at her side."

Julius said those final words… as Subaru finally fell.

Natsuki Subaru's humiliation… was complete.

"Subaru!"

-Another timeskip-

Subaru quickly sat up and looked at his bandaged-up body.

"So, I didn't die, then…"

Subaru quickly sat up and looked at his bandaged-up body.

Emilia was sitting next to him and Morgan was in the corner sitting in a chair.

When I'm with you, you always push yourself to do the impossible things."

"That's not what I'm saying! I just… "

"Just?"

"I just wanted to do something for you, so I… "

"For me?" Emilia whispered dangerously.

"It was for you, wasn't it?" Emilia asked angrily.

Subaru's eyes widened at the tone she was using.

"No… I just wanted to do something for you… "

Emilia threw her cloak in his face.

"Stop telling lies about how everything is for my sake! Coming to the castle, fighting Julius, using magic… are you saying all that was for me? I never asked you to do any of that!"

Subaru flinched as Emilia shouted at him.

"Hey, do you remember what I asked you to do?"

"I…"

"I asked you to wait at the lodging with Rem."

"I'm sorry I didn't do as you asked. B-But you're wrong. You're wrong! I didn't do it for myself… " Subaru quickly closed his mouth. "You won't believe me, Emilia?"

"I want to. I want to believe you, Subaru. I want to… but you're the one who won't give me a reason to!" Emilia yelled as Subaru held his hands to his mouth

"You promised me… but you threw it away, just like that, and came all the way here! You won't keep your promise to me, and you ask me to believe you? I can't do that! I can't!"

Subaru closed his eyes and hiccupped.

"Hey, Subaru… " Emilia called softly. "Why do you keep trying to help me like this?"

"Because you helped me."

"I… helped you?"

"Yes."

Image of her saving him in the very first loop in this world.

"You don't even realize how the things you've done for me have saved me."

"No, I don't, Subaru."

"I don't expect you to! But it's true! You saved me! So everything I've done has been to repay you!"

"I told you, I don't understand!" Emilia screamed loudly.

"Maybe you don't, but please listen to me! It's the truth! You were the… When I first came to this world, you were the-"

Black hands attacked and slammed his heart.

Subaru struggled to breathe and held his chest.

Emilia looked at him disappointed.

"Once again, you won't tell me anything."

"Why won't you understand? I thought if anyone could understand, it'd be you… " Subaru began shaking in place as despair filled his crushed heart.

Anastasia looked down as she finally felt a little guilty for thinking so coldly of the boy.

"The version of me that lives within you must be amazing. She can understand everything, even if you don't explain it to her. She can feel all your pain, sadness, and anger as her own." Emilia sounded tearful.

"I can't understand if you don't tell me, Subaru."

Subaru's form gave in to the despair and darkness, he couldn't tell her, he wasn't allowed, he couldn't tell her about his issues, about his crushed heart, about his fear of losing her…. So he told her what he could…

"I've… All this time,"

Emilia looked at Subaru...

Subaru took the plunge into the darkness and gave in to his intoxicated mind's ramblings.

"I've made everything work out all right, haven't I?! When your insignia was stolen, I saved you from an insane killer at the loot house!"

He gave in.

"I risked my life!"

He gave in and shouted.

"All because you were important to me!"

He couldn't ask for help.

"At the mansion, too!"

He smiled and hid it.

"Things worked out because of me!"

He gave in and began hiding it with anything he could think of. His pain would be hidden.

He would make Emilia love him.

"Without me, it would've been a lot worse!"

He will stand beside her. If she sees how useful he was.

"All of it, all of it, all of it!"

All of it because he was at her side.

"All of it was because I was there!"

He could see his own reflection in her amethyst eyes.

He looked mad… he looked broken… but it's the best he could tell her.

So, he gave in more.

"You should have a greater debt to me than you could ever repay!" he screamed and breathed heavily as his darkness overwhelmed him.

"You're right. I owe you so many debts, Subaru." Emilia looked down sadly.

"Yeah, that's right! That's why I… "

"So, I'll repay all of them now, and we'll end this."

Subaru looked up in fear and shock.

His darkness… had failed him.

Emilia walked away from him.

"You've done enough, Natsuki Subaru. You know, I had hope for you. I thought maybe you, only you, wouldn't give me special treatment. That you'd look at me in the exact same way you look at everyone else."

"I can't do that."

Not even darkness or light will make him change this sentence.

"I can't look at you the way I look at others. It's impossible."

Emilia glanced at him one final time and left the room. Subaru desperately looked at Morgan.

"Morgan, I nee-" He was cut off with cold look as she looked at him from behind her veil.

Just who do you think you are, cur? You are only here to finally find some solace in your pathetic existence in that girl, then you successfully drive her away." Morgan coldly stated.

Subaru desperate for some help turned his attention to his left hand had the command seals, or better described as used to have the command seals.

"What happ-"

"I removed the command seals and broke the contract. This world does not have the crushing will of Earth, and thus I am able to go free. Good bye, Natsuki Subaru." Morgan said before leaving the room.

Subaru gripped her cloak in both hands… and cried…

It was because… He stayed alive.