Ch 25, Thank you all for the warm welcome back, anyways let's get to it.

[Subaru] "Ram….what did you just say?..."

[Ram] "Ram asked who this Emilia person is, surely if there was someone else in the bath with us then Ram would have noticed."

Subaru could feel his heart rate shoot up like never before. Times of when Rem was erased from the world flashed through his mind in an instant….

'No…..It can't be….we killed the whale….'

[Subaru] "Ram stop playing with me!"

Ram could sense how distressed he became as he stared at her with pleading eyes as if to say 'Please just say you are joking'

[Ram] "Hmph, Ram doesn't have time to play around with Barusu, it seems you're nap has only contributed to your-"

[Subaru] "STOP FUCKING AROUND!"

Despite Subaru's outburst Ram stayed composed if not a slight bit annoyed and confused.

[Subaru] "EMILIA, YOU HAVE TO KNOW HER, ROSWAAL IS BACKING HER IN THE ELECTION!…."

[Ram] "Tch, not only are you spouting nonsense but you look pitiful. Roswaal-sama isn't backing anyone in the election since it has yet to start. A fifth candidate has yet to be found"

[Subaru] "Huh!?"

[Ram] "Now that Barusu's delusions have been settled, Ram has come here so we can discuss-"

[Subaru] "Why are we here then?! We are supposed to be here so the bonds between the Emilia camp and the Crusch camp could be stronger!"

Subaru once again stared at Ram with a desperate look, his eyes filled with hope that she would give him an answer he wanted to hear.

[Ram] "...After Barusu helped defeat the white whale, Crusch-sama invited Barusu out of gratitude…"

Ram put a hand on her head as if it started hurting.

[Subaru] "but….so we did kill the whale….so how…"

[Ram] "It wouldn't be out of the question if barusu hit his head while trying to do something as simple as sleep."

'It's not true….not again….how...how…'

Subaru tried to think straight but it felt as if his world was crashing down on him. His hands trembled from hard he was gripping the bed sheets along with a small bit of blood coming from his bitten lip.

[Ram] "Barusu? Surely this Emilia person that you are so worked up over is a product of your dreams-"

[Subaru] "no..."

All hope fled from Subaru as the reality began to set in.

[Subaru] "...Please Ram….you have to remember her….She is the most beautiful person in this world...she has silver hair that smells so nice...her amazing amethyst eyes which sparkle when she cries...and beautiful voice...her cute pointy ears…"

[Ram] "...hmph, Even if you describe someone Ram has never heard of her, still, it seems like those characteristics that Barusu described match the witch of envy-"

[Subaru] "NO!"

Throwing his sheets on the floor Subaru jumped out of the bed and began to run down the hall at full speed.

Ram stood there next to the bed watching him take off, to her she just wanted to talk about her feelings which took a lot of courage in itself and now Subaru was screaming about a girl she never heard of…

Seeing him as distressed as he was would have made her follow him but her tattered feelings prevented her from pursuing….

'What do I do!?...find out...find out what happened to Emilia!'

With his resolve set, the black haired boy continued to sprint down the halls and as quickly as he could, doors and servants out the corners of his eyes seemed to be a blur from how quickly he was moving

"Emilia…"

Nothing mattered to him at this moment but to find out what happened to Emilia.

Finally making it to the stairs that connect him to the main hall, Subaru could feel his breath begin to catch since he ran through the large mansion. Small droplets of sweat formed on his face as he quickly ran down the stairs while jumping at the final few steps.

[?] "Subaru-dono, what's seems to be that matter!?"

A voice booming with respect and worry reached Subaru ears which caused him to stop and look for the source.

[Subaru] "Wilhelm-san...Nothing is the matter! I'm fine as fine could be!"

[Wilhelm] "I see, my apologies, you seemed quite frantic a moment ago."

[Subaru] "Really? I was just going for your average mansion jog, keep the body in shape you know!"

'Nobody has to worry….nobody has to get hurt…'

Subaru stood there rubbing the back of his head in front of the somewhat worried Wilhelm. His unconvincing smile only seemed to add more suspicion to his already odd behavior.

[Subaru] "But…"

'Don't ask'

[Subaru] "I have a question…"

'You already know the answer..'

[Subaru] "Do you remember Emilia?..."

'It's only going to hurt..'

[Wilhelm] "Emilia?...hmm, Unfortunately I do not recall meeting anybody named Emilia, is she a companion of yours?..."

Looking at Subaru, The sword demon could clearly see the distraught and pained face the black haired boy had on.

[Subaru] "...I see….anyways, do you think you could get me a dragon carriage? I have some place to go…"

[Wilhelm] "Subaru-dono...Surely there is something wrong! If you are going to do something dangerous please allow me to accompany you-"

[Subaru] "Pfft! Dangerous? You should know me by now, I hate pain and dangerous things so don't worry, I just want to go sightseeing is all!"

Once again Subaru put on a fake smile and laughed. The old man once again simply stared at him with worry plastered on his face.

[Wilhelm] "Please forgive me if this overstepping, but you seemed to be very upset a moment ago."

[Subaru] "Nah, im fine, I just need to go for a little drive to clear my head."

'Wilhelm is strong...he could help if there is trouble...but I need to find out about Emilia before anything else…'

[Wilhelm] "Very well…"

With a small bow, Wilhelm excused himself and began towards the front door in hopes of getting Subaru a ride.

Subaru's mindset of needing to do things alone was strong, he figures nobody else needs to get hurt, even if he were to find the whale again Subaru would still take time before asking for more help.

A few minutes passed and from beyond the main door the old man called to the youth, without wasting a second Subaru raced outside and once he saw the carriage with a familiar looking ground dragon before him, he jumped in the driver's seat.

[Wilhelm] "My apologies Subaru-dono but do you know how to take control of these carriages?"

[Subaru] "Not really, but I've seen many other people do it so it can't be that hard right?"

Wilhelm gave him a look of worry and somewhat pity.

[Wilhelm] "If you wait a few more moments I'm sure I can find you a chauffeur-"

[Subaru] "Nah don't worry about it, this beautiful creature here will take care of me once again, won't you patrasche?"

Subaru patted the jet black scales of the ground dragon who had done so much for him. In all honesty he didn't want to take her with him either in case something dangerous were to happen but she was the most reliable companion he has had so far…'don't tell Rem that'

[Wilhelm] "Heh, yes she will, she is very smart and can remember a path once she has already ridden through it, luckily for you she has been all over this city so she will do you well."

[Subaru] "See nothing to worry about!"

'I can't take this anymore…'

[Wilhelm] "Now then, enjoy your 'Sightseeing', Subaru-dono."

With a small bow, the old man excused himself and began walking back towards the front door.

'I'm so scared and nervous that I'm gonna throw up…Emilia...please...I'll find you!'

With a 'Hiyah!' Subaru whipped the reins against the ground dragon's back and with a jolt the carriage began to move.

[Subaru] "I know I said I would only go around the block but that was a lie, please forgive me, but right now I need you more than ever patrasche…"

The dragon looked up at the depressed looking youth, even though her face was relatively scary looking, Subaru felt like he could see concern in her eyes. Shaking away his sad expression, the black haired boy looked on with a determined look and resolve written in his face.

[Subaru] "Do you remember the route we took to get to the great tree, that's where we are heading!"

With a determined roar Patrasche understood Subaru's words and moved onward, she picked up speed as the two began racing towards their destination.

'I'll definitely save you!'

—-

Earlier...

The blue sky seemed calm with few clouds in the sky. Birds were singing, the wind blew in a relaxing manner and the sun seemed to be exerting just the right amount of heat. There in a green field with trees on a path was a small carriage with a single passenger and driver.

In the driver's seat was an unimportant extra but in the back seat was an impossibly beautiful woman clad in an odd white, black, and orange jacket which she seemed to be trying Bury herself in while simultaneously hugging it close. Her amethyst eyes were glistening and her cheeks were willed with dry tear stains running down them.

'It's not too late to turn back is it?...no, if I did that then it would be selfish to Rem-chan….I should be happy that I got to see him at all….and his trip should be over in a few days…'

Continuously Emilia tried to reassure herself, the tears she thought ran out, came once again flowing out. Even though she was crying, Her smile never faded.

'Subaru wouldn't let me cry...he would want me to smile…'

Emilia who had been curled up, hugged herself even tighter. The fact that she was wearing Subaru's jacket made her feel as if the black haired boy himself was there with her.

'He said he would come to me as soon as he could…'

That thought alone warmed Emilia up, the small tears that flowed down her face stopped and with her hand she wiped them away. Looking forward, Emilia wouldn't be sad anymore, because she knew Subaru would come to her…..

All of a sudden, Emilia could hear what sounded like a slashing sound and in the next second she could feel the entire world flip upside down...well it wasn't the entire world but instead it was the cart she was on.

The carriage which seemed to have hit a giant bump flew through the air and in turn, made the passenger in the back get launched out...

Tumbling through the air, Emilia's vision was blurred and she couldn't tell up from down, the sudden shock of being thrown and twirled gave her a feeling of whiplash and dizziness. Her thoughts were in a jumble and just as she almost got a grasp of her situation, she could feel her body slam against the ground and roll around some more.

'What happened-'

Holding her head while getting up, Emilia noticed the warm and crimson liquid attached to her hand. As a matter of fact she felt the very same liquid in a pool beneath her. Standing up rapidly, the half elf couldn't understand what was happening...was it her blood? Doing a quick body check, Emilia couldn't seem to find any major wound that would release that much blood…

There were many questions flying in her head right now. What happened, Who's blood is this, How did this happen?-

[Emilia] "-hk"

One of her questions seemed to be answered in a shocking way.

Down next to her foot was the severed head of the ground dragon that had been in the front of the carriage…

'What could have done this...the carriage!'

Looking over to the disaster that was once was the carriage, Emilia felt a sense of relief knowing that had she not been ejected in the flip, she would most certainly be incapacited or at the most killed in the wreckage. Even though she was grateful to her dumb luck there were still things she had to worry about, immediately she began racing towards the wreck.

It had only been a few seconds since she landed, this just goes to show how selfless Emilia could be. As quickly as she could, the silver haired girl began searching the mess for the driver of the carriage.

Finally, although it was a sad sight, Emilia found the driver who unfortunately suffered the fate she was spared from. The half-elf didn't enjoy looking at the mangled corpse of the man but something caught her eye.

Slash marks made by something sharp were clearly visible, if he had just been crushed by the weight of the carriage then surely these types of wounds wouldn't exist...they were definitely under attack, the only reason it took her so long to figure it out was because she was too worried about small details…

[?] "Ah! My meal, Spoiled and rotten, decimated, obliterated, devastated, destroyed! Oh well, the memories of a humble carriage driver are not gourmet at all, yes it isn't, of course it isn't, we know it isn't!"

Suddenly a startling voice came from behind Emilia, Immediately she jumped up and away in order to get some distance from the scary sounding voice. Looking up she could see the figure of a child? A boy that looked no more than 14 with long hair and covered in dirt and blood.

[?] "You! Yes you, we know you, you were of the other one's gospel, yes she was, we remember she was, nobody else matches, so we agree it was her!"

Emilia could tell that this person was strong, his teeth seemed razor sharp and attached to his wrists were sizable blades covered in blood.

[Emilia] "Are you the one who did this!?"

[?] "Hey onee-san, you loooook~ very pretty!, Yes and very strong, yes she is, this will be an amazing meal, it sure will, Now then! Witch Cult Sin Archbishop representing "Gluttony".

Immediately Emilia took a fighting stance and readied her minor spirits around her.

[Ley] "LEY BATENKAITOS!"

Roaring his name, the sin archbishop lunged forward at full force towards our heroine with intent to fight.

'Sin archbishop….this doesn't look very good but i need to survive for Subaru!...Even if I get hurt I'm sure he will come for me….'

[Subaru] "C'mon patrasche, Don't give up on me!"

[Patrasche] "..."

[Subaru] "Don't look at me like that, there is something dire on the line!"

The ground dragon looked up at the boy with a seemingly annoyed look in her eye. She understood his eagerness and seriousness to get to his destination but with her carrying a whole cart, and traveling a great distance already, it was only natural that Patrasche would feel tired.

'I'm already being selfish enough to bring her out here...but i can't stand by and not know what happened to Emilia…'

Subaru's face looked as if it was in conflict. He knew he needed to let Patrasche rest but his mission seemed more important…Looking down at the ground dragon, Subaru gave her a look that said 'You can rest'

The surprisingly perceptive Patrasche picked up on this and in the next moment came to a stop.

[Subaru] "I don't want to push you too hard...but please try and make your break short!"

The clearly anxious Subaru sat there while tapping his leg. He stared down at the panting ground dragon, hoping that she would get enough energy for another push.

After a minute, but it felt like an hour for Subaru, The jet black creature seemed to be ready. As Subaru once again took up the reins, Patrasche spit out the bar that connected her to the carriage and grabbed the youth with her teeth. Of course Subaru was confused but when she put him on her back he understood, to conserve energy and become faster he would have to just ride on top of her.

[Subaru] "You're smart, C'mon!"

With a roar Patrasche took off, the speed and sudden acceleration almost made Subaru fall off but he managed to stay on. Both of them were ready for anything as they continued to ride.

Sometime had passed since their small break. The rising sun beat down on them as the ground dragon ran at full speed through the trail. Subaru's anxiety kept racing, he had no way of knowing where Emilia was, all he knew is that she should have taken this path back to Roswaal's area…

Even running in the grassland worried Subaru because he could see quite a bit around him except for what is blocked by trees, and every direction he looked he could only see more grassland until…

[Subaru] "..."

As the duo made their way over a small hill, Subaru could see it, in the distance it looked to be a giant mess of wood and blood….he could feel his heart sink to his stomach, any words that tried coming out his mouth were no more than helpless pleads for Patrasche to go faster.

The closer they got, the more damage Subaru could see, the scattered pieces of carriage and the copious amounts of blood made him want to throw up in fear. Fortunately or unluckily, Subaru found what seemed to be the source of all that blood. Lying on the ground in a giant crimson puddle was the severed head of a ground dragon, a quick gasp left his mouth from the sight, but as he was about to panic he noticed a trail of bloody footprints running towards the former carriage.

[Subaru] "EMILIA!"

Screaming the name of his beloved, the black haired boy got down from his mount and began sprinting towards the rest of the wreck.

'Emilia...'

Subaru could feel his splinters enter his hand as he rummaged through the mess of wood, he didn't know what to believe, what could have caused this? A ground dragon has tough skin so something powerful had to have done this…

[Subaru] "-ghk!"

There in a mess of piles of gore and blood was the smashed corpse of someone and the beheaded corpse of the ground dragon.

[Subaru] "...Emilia…"

Hoarse, and full of fear, Subaru once again muttered the name of the silver haired girl. He knew the horror in front of him wasnt her but for something to cause this much damage...He didn't want to think of it…

Still, even with all this, for Emilia to be forgotten by everyone that must mean the whale is nearby...but they killed it...Subaru was sure of that...the possibility of there being another one wasn't out of the question but if-

'Em?...'

Out the corner of his eye and near a tree was something, or someone he should say...He knows that someone, he would recognize her from anywhere...immediately his heart dropped even further than before.

Laying face down and covered in blood was Emilia, her silver haired was dyed slightly red and his signature jacket that she was wearing also seemed to be crimson colored…

After taking in what he saw, Subaru sprinted full speed towards the fallen woman. Sliding to her side, he immediately picked her up. Her fragile body seemed so light in his arms...wait...she was still breathing...he could see her chest rise and fall like a sleeping person...

'Emilia…'

Looking around her body Subaru could see the many scrapes and cuts across her delicate skin….

'Please…'

No matter how hard he looked, there didn't seem to be any wounds large enough to create this much blood, still, she wasn't conscious so whatever made her like this was still strong…

'At least you're alive...'

Subaru didn't know what to do, even still it felt as if a small amount of pressure lifted from his chest knowing that she was still alive…

[Subaru] "Huh? -hk!"

Turning his head Subaru could see something large flying towards them, as if by reflex, with Emilia still in his arms the youth jumped out of the way using every bit of strength his legs could produce.

'What the…'

Landing on his side, Subaru immediately sat up with the sleeping beauty in his arms and internally apologized to Emilia for treating her so roughly. Looking at what had been thrown at them, he couldn't believe his eyes, another hoarse gasp left his breath as he stared at Patrasche's body.

[Subaru] "no….."

Subaru could see two large slashes across her back and neck, she was still alive but only barely…

[?] "Ah! You really did show up! You always show up!"

Everything was happening too fast for Subaru to process it all, Dying Patrasche, sleeping Emilia, and now in the direction from where she came flying from was what looked to be a young boy with long hair…

[Subaru] "who…."

[?] "Ah! I can't contain this love we feel for you! So passionate, excited, hungry, you came, you came, you always come to save the day SUBARU!"

[Subaru] "Who are you…."

His survival instincts told him to run but he needed to find things out before he did anything else. Information gathering was the best use of Return by death after all…

[Ley] "Of course, Witch cult archbishop representing Gluttony, LEY BATENKAITOS!"

'Archbishop….gluttony….'

The possibility that there were other archbishop with other sins had crossed Subaru's mind a few times but he had hoped to never meet another one of them. Still, that didn't matter since right now and right in front of him was another one of those monsters.

[Subaru] "What did you do to Emilia?..."

[Ley] "We had a feast! So delectable, tasty, savory, gluttony! Ah! You shouldn't look so sad Subaru, you did your best, thank you for the days you've given me!"

[Subaru] "What…"

So many questions, so many problems, things didn't make sense, he just wanted to reset…

'Not an option yet…'

[Subaru] "What did you do to Emilia!?"

[Ley] "Hey Oni-chan, you don't listen well do you? Either way you must be strong! Yet we can see that you are very weak...Hey Subaru, do you love me?"

Disgusted, no matter how he looked at it he was just disgusted. The kid before him was imitating Emilia...The anger that Subaru had been too scared to acknowledge seemed to grow stronger.

[Ley] "You still don't seem to get it! Subaru can be really stupid at times...AH! These emotions, so passionate, flourishing, blooming, incredible, EDIBLE!"

[Subaru] "...STOP FUCKING AROUND!"

Shouting and pointing his finger, Subaru couldn't hold back his anger anymore. Though it would have probably been better if he had, his emotions only ever serve to worsen his situation.

[Ley] "YES! Anger, anguish, wrath, pain! What a feast this will be! You seem like a good meal! Names, memories, all to satisfy our GLUTTONY!"

Dramatically the boy shouted to the air, the bloody wrists blades seemed to be shaking with anticipation. This wasn't good, Subaru knew he stood no chance against this person…

'Names...memories...did he…'

Slowly Subaru began to piece together the slightly cryptic words of the deranged child. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, something began to glow...the necklace around Emilia's neck, to be exact the crystal hanging from it. With a small flash of light a small, cute gray cat stepped out and yawned while scratching its eye.

[Subaru] "puck…"

Was this good? Subaru couldn't decide, even though the presence of someone as strong as puck was reassuring, the black haired boy couldn't help but feel a strong amount of rage and hatred directed towards the cat.

[Puck] "Yo Subaru, where are we?"

[Subaru] "Puck…."

[Puck] "That's the second time you said my name, is there something wrong?"

[Subaru] "Where were you….."

Anger, loss, despair, hate, Subaru felt all these things as he stared at Puck with glossy eyes.

[Puck] "What do you mean? I'm here now right? Speaking of which, why was I in this crystal?"

[Subaru] "WHERE WERE YOU?! IF YOU JUST SHOWED UP THIS COULD HAVE ALL BEEN AVOIDED, IF YOU'VE JUST SHOWED UP EARLIER THEN EMILIA WOULDN'T BE LIKE THIS!"

The black haired boy had reached up and grabbed the gray cat, his small furry body felt so fragile in Subaru's hand but yet no matter how hard he squeezed, the fur ball didn't seem to be affected.

[Puck] "You seem to be under a lot of stress, and i can't see why you're angry at me? Even though I trust you if you continue to act so aggressively I won't hesitate to put you in your place...Agh.."

The gray cat which looked at Subaru with a concerned face, was easily able to push his way out of the youth's vice grip...As he did so, the cat seemed to hold his head as if in great pain.

[Puck] "My head hurts like crazy…."

That would be the effect of Gluttony's authority. Erasing Emilia from everyone's mind would definitely give them a few lapse in their memories but to Puck who basically devoted his life to the half-elf, to him it seemed like his whole life was missing.

[Puck] "Also, Who is Emilia?"

Subaru could feel his teeth grind so hard that they could shatter at any moment. His hand which was balled into a fist felt so strained from how hard he had been squeezing, all the emotions Subaru could feel regarding pain and suffering, he felt….

'There isn't anything else i can do here….'

[Ley] "We have been patient in your conversation, no more, IT'S TIME TO FEAST!"

Ley who had assumed a fighting pose set one foot forward as if to launch off of it.

[Subaru] "Give me like another minute damnit!"

[Puck] "Who is that?"

[Subaru] "Gluttony…"

[Puck] "Gluttony? Oh is he the reason I wouldn't remember this Emilia person?"

The light that seemed to fade from Subaru's eyes, came back with hope that Puck could provide him with any kind of information.

[Puck] "It is said that the archbishop Gluttony's authority is to eat the names and memories of people. Agh!"

Once again that headache that bothered him so much showed up again.

[Ley] "YES! We feast on only the best to satisfy our hunger, starving sucks!"

Subaru who had finally found out what he needed to know felt a small weight lift from his chest. He was still devastated about what happened but now that he knows what happened then maybe….maybe he could do something...Slowly and delicately, the black haired boy laid the sleeping body of Emilia on the ground.

[Subaru] "I'm not that strong…"

Getting to his feet, Subaru began to walk to the dying patrasche that laid a few feet away.

[Subaru] "I cry a lot and I'm scared of dying…"

Kneeling down, he gently caressed the ground dragon while simultaneously saying 'i'm sorry' he truly hated himself for making her go through this.

[Subaru] "To be honest i haven't felt this shitty in a while…"

Reaching towards the ground Subaru grabbed hold of a sharp piece of wood that broke off from the crash.

[Subaru] "But I will save Emilia!"

Bringing the stake up to his neck, Subaru could feel his entire body begin to go against what he wanted. Looking over, he could see how confused both Puck and Gluttony looked as he did this. Subaru plunged the piece of wood into his throat, the world around him fell dark and soon the warm red liquid that poured out of him felt cold until finally…

[Subaru] "Gah!"

Using return by death was never easy, the coldness of life fading always made Subaru shudder, but sometimes it was the only way for him to get out of a shitty situation…

Shootin up, Subaru looked around at his surroundings, there he was back inside Crusch's mansion, to be specific in his room…

'Can't waste time'

Similar to how he left his room before, Subaru threw his sheets on the ground and began sprinting down the hall, the only difference being that Ram wasn't there…

'Ram?'

As he began running he could see the sass cannon Ram down the hall, his heart needed some kind of relief and him seeing someone that made him happy gave him that said relief.

[Ram] "Ram thought Barusu would be sleeping-"

Ram who questioned the oncoming boy was cut off with a sudden hug. Her face gained a small blush along, she didn't know what to say since this wasn't something she would expect.

[Ram] "Has Barusu finally come around and is ready to acknowledge Ram's feelings?"

[Subaru] "..."

Subaru only held on tighter, even Ram could feel that there was something wrong but not wanting to give up the metaphorical high ground she chose to stay ignorant and try to tease him like usual.

[Ram] "Or has Barusu already already recharged and is now lusting for Ram after Emilia-sama left, either way it is what it is and Ram cannot fault you for it."

Immediately Subaru released his embrace on Ram and grabbed her by the shoulders while staring deep into her eyes. His own seemed to be on the verge of crying but yet something else seemed off with them, like he had regained hope.

[Subaru] "Did you just say Emilia?!"

[Ram] "Yes, ugh, if the mention of Emilia-Sama's name brought back Barusu to his senses then this surely was a waste of time-"

Ram was about to walk away but Subaru's grip on her only seemed to tighten. His face that was riddled with despair and sadness gave way to a hopeful and determined one.

[Subaru] "I won't waste this chance!"

Grabbing the oni maid by her hand, Subaru once again began running down the hall.

[Ram] "Ram is glad that Barusu is finally taking initiative in this relationship but the bedroom is the other way."

[Subaru] "Stop being horny, we have a mission and I need you!"

Hearing those words made her heart skip a beat. Ram's current dilemma was about how small she felt compared to Subaru's many other female companions, both physically and metaphorically, but now that she feels that Subaru needs her…

Racing down the hall with Ram in hand, Subaru made his way towards the main entrance once again, he wouldn't let this chance pass him, gluttony's attack hasn't happened yet, this means that he can save Emilia...

Not the usual harem fanfic right? Listen I get that the thing that makes this story interesting is the lemon and spicy scenarios but I gotta give the plot some kind of suffering, it is re zero after all. Leave a review if you want, I hope you all enjoyed it.