Coming face to face with a hated enemy filled Subaru Natsuki with a plethora of emotions.

Hate. Resentment. Anxiety. Regret. Shame. And, to his surprise, even something resembling excitement.

Even though the two of them had only encountered one another a small handful of times, that was still more than enough as far as the Japanese teenager was concerned. Indeed, if he never had to look at the green-haired maniac again, it would be an incredible load off his mental shoulders.

And today would be the last time in which Subaru ever saw the face of Betelguese Romanee-Conti. He would make sure of it.

"I AM the Archbishop chaaarged with SLOTH—"

The madman outstretched his hand which was mangled from self-inflicted wounds as he geared up for his trademark introduction. His eyes were wide with a madness that Subaru could not, and did not want to understand. A look of creepy glee upon his face, he finished as he gave his name,

"Betelgeuse...Romanee-Conti!"

To the surprise of Subaru, the madman broke out into a happy little dance that seemed to express excitement that he had never before seen in the Witch Cultist.

"It is A fine day, A splendid day! To think that this day, the day of the trial, I would BE greeting a new adherent of love! I AM moved, greatly moved, moved to tears, my chest is on the verge of bursting!"
The madman let spittle fly as he embraced his own body of skin and bones. Subaru harbored disgust for his eccentricities, but he was accustomed enough to smooth over his facial expressions in the man's presence.

On top of that, Subaru executed the operation just as agreed upon beforehand. Namely—"Lord Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins! It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time!"

This was both the truth, and a lie. As far as the madman knew, he had never once set eyes on Subaru. But Subaru knew him very well.

And what's more, Subaru was truly surprised to notice that the Archbishop seemed to have no sense of curiosity about Subaru's...physical state. To say that he was not in the most presentable state would have been putting it lightly. After all, he had recently gone through a battle with a massive whale monster and gotten splashed in its blood.

"Is he really that consumed with his own thoughts that he doesn't understand anything else?" Was it truly possible for someone to be that insane? This was something that Subaru was not certain he could understand. However, only one thing was important at the moment. And that was wiping the man in front of him out forever. "If he wants to be this dense, I'll let him go the same way of his followers!" Subaru had no problem in putting on a show to make sure the madman let his guard down even further.

"I am embarrassed to have made it to you on the very eve of this great ordeal! So please use this body, this soul, to fill any vacancy among the faithful, and add me to your ranks with all haste!" Thus, with an excess of bombast, did Subaru speak bald-faced lies. He proclaimed his on-the-spot lines with an enthusiastic, zealous tone that went only skin deep, as he silently awaited the madman's reaction.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence between the two of them. Betelgeuse made no response to Subaru's earnest plea. He said nothing. He did not move. The disquieting silence made Subaru anxious as he increased his caution and alertness concerning Betelgeuse's next move. The silence continued for about ten more seconds before it was abruptly broken by a sudden outburst, "OOOH! Such, such fervent zeal from the very first meeting?!" Betelgeuse gazed up, extending both hands to the heavens. His voice and his entire body were shaking. To the mild surprise of Subaru, he had been moved to tears.

"What a disciple that LOVE has summoned! In all my time cursed as Sloth, I cannot recall one with such clear eyes! YOU! YOU, a pious adherent of love! How unworthy I must be to have overlooked you all this time! I ASK you to forgive my slothfulness—!" Betelgeuse cast his limbs aside as he practically leaped onto the ground in front of the now confused Subaru. Without hesitation the madman prostrated
himself on the rocky ground, banging his head against the surface several times. The merciless self-punishment made his forehead bleed.

Subaru felt himself cringe from this revolting behavior. Was this how a Witch Cult Archbishop was?

"Should I attack him now? He's totally freaking out, and...I could probably end him right here and now while he's distracted." The Japanese teenager wanted to. He wanted to more than anything else. But, there was a reason that he stayed his hand. And it was not out of uncertainty. "He's in a real talkative mood right now. If I can keep him like this, it could do a lot of good for me in the long run." Subaru knew that he was taking a massive risk, here. There was no telling how someone like this would respond if he said even the slightest thing that was too suspicious.

But simply going on didn't sit right with him. "I'll still be here in this strange world. There are other Witch Cultists out there. If this guy is the representative for Sloth, that means there are others just like him." Anything that Subaru could learn about their plans and their organization would be of benefit!

It made him feel sick to do this, but even still, Subaru knew that his own feelings were irrelevant in this situation He had to butter his enemy up a little bit more. "Please stop, Archbishop! Such actions bring no joy to the Witch Cult! That I am here now is all that matters, yes?"

"Ahh, but! Butbutbutbutbuuuuut! My very own sloth! My sin! The ugly fact that one such as I have not repaid Her love! I possess no other way to REPENT!"

"That is not so! The Witch Cult would rather its cherished followers repay Her favor than see them hurt themselves! It is the will to carry out the ordeal that will surely bring it joy!"

Betelgeuse was continuing to thrust his head against the ground when Subaru used a rambling speech to stop him. But suddenly the words brought Betelgeuse to a halt. He stared at Subaru, eyes wide open. With those parched eyes upon him, Subaru strongly nodded, not that it meant anything special to him. This was nothing but a charade.

When he did so, Betelgeuse's obsession seemed to fall away. A single tear trickled down his face as he spoke. "Yes, it is just as you SAY." Picking himself u off the ground, the madman then showed no signs of having just repeatedly abused himself by smashing his head against the rocky ground. Indeed, he carried on with his alien antics as if the last few moments had never taken place.

The next moment, Subaru found Betelgeuse strongly embracing him like a friend he had just come to reunite with. And the Japanese teen instantly felt repulsed at the touch of the Witch Cultist. Subaru's throat caught as powerful, instinctive repugnance hit him, but the madman paid his reaction no heed. Betelgeuse grandly wept, wiping away neither his flowing tears nor the blood on his forehead.

"Ahh, I am wrong, I am deeeeeeply mistaken! Yes! The ordeal! What I require is not to punish, judge, or slay myself, but to complete the ordeal! What terrible slothfulness, forgetting that while wallowing in the joy of my own wounds! I thank you! I! MUST! THANK! YOU!"

When Subaru turned in Betelgeuse's arms, he faced upward as Betelgeuse showered him with one-sided gratitude. Betelgeuse wiped the blood off his brow and thrust his right hand's fingers
into his mouth, the same mouth that bespoke the foolishness of self-injury, crushing the thumb, index, and middle fingers one by one. "I am worthless if I am slothful! Diligence is the most valuable thing in this world, and in this world, sloth is the worst vice that I must abhor! Ahh, AHH, ahh, I must repay Her love!"

Subaru was instantly confused at how this man was the Archbishop of the sin of sloth, and yet he claimed that he must not live beholden to such a vice. Yet another reason these Witch Cultists were truly incomprehensible to him. But time wasn't to be wasted. He needed to control Betelguese while he was emotional.

"Lord Archbishop, may I speak to you about the ordeal? I am a newcomer, so there are many things I do not yet understand." The green-haired madman was the more experienced one in this situation, and so, surely he would be eager to give detailed instructions to someone who was eager to serve the brethren, yes?

"The ordeal? Yes, the ordeal! The ORDEAL! THE ordeal! We must carry out the ordeal and test her! We cannot fail to test this half-demon, and learn if she is a suitable vessel for the descent of the Witch!"
Subaru was bathed in a strange, shrill voice and gross breath as Betelgeuse broke into a little dance. Subaru grimaced in shock and disgust as the madman's declaration sank in.

"A vessel for the Witch's...decent...?"

"If she passes, embrace her! If she fails, eliminate her! We must test the half-demon's capacity to accept life, whether she is suitable for the Witch, whether the Witch's love can be sealed within! And the ordeal is how we determine this!" The madman responded to Subaru's doubt-instilled voice with his own mad voice, raising his hands above his head in the process. The words struck Subaru like a thunderbolt. He was horrified by the knowledge he had gained.

Vessel. Witch. Descend.

If he could take the meanings of those words at face value, then, "If the trial determines she's a suitable vessel for the Witch, the Witch will descend into her body..."

Sweat dripped down his forehead. This information was far beyond anything he had hoped to hear. But he knew he couldn't give up his act. "And so...our true goal is to...resurrect the Witch?"

Because very few people seemed to have been alive 400 years ago, Subaru didn't know if there was a whole lot of concrete information on the Witch of Envy. However, there were a couple of things that most people seem to unanimously agree on. And arguably the biggest point was that she had destroyed half the world in her rampage. She was an entity so terrifying that even speaking her name was a social taboo.

"And these freaks wanna bring that monster back to life? They want to use Emilia's body as some kinda...human shell for the Witch?"

Subaru felt as if time had stopped. So many thoughts and emotions ravaged his mind that it was difficult to process them all.

First off, if the goal of the Witch Cult, or at least the psychos under the command of Sloth were intent on resurrecting the Witch, this confirmed that Subaru absolutely could not let any of them live. It was already decided.

"I put in all this work just to make sure Emilia doesn't die. Because if she does, then Puck will completely fly out of control and freeze the entire world. That's what I didn't want to happen. But, if they manage to use Emilia as a vessel for the Witch, and it works, then who knows what could happen!"

What if the Witch was not grateful. What if she was uncontrollable? What if she picked up right where she left off 400 years ago?

This entire ordeal was another disaster waiting to happen. And a flood of resentment built up in Subaru once more. Why was he the one who had to deal with this? Why was there no hero in the world who was on a neverending quest to ensure things like this didn't happen? Subaru understood that this world was nothing like any sort of fantasy video game. But the fact of the matter was. there were so many would-be cataclysms always on the horizon, but no one ever knew about it!

Why was he the only one who could do anything about this? Why did he, Subaru Natsuki have to endure this ordeal? He didn't ask for it. And he didn't want it.

And the worst thing of all was that without his own knowing, Betelguese had revealed to Subaru that he thought of Emilia as nothing more than some empty box to fit the Witch's essence.

"Yeah, it's just like what he does." He couldn't believe that this information had slipped his mind. The purpose of the fingers was to ensure that the Archbishop had spare bodies in order to house his spirit in case anything happened to the current shell that he was inhabiting. The person before him viewed people as being nothing more than waiting vessels for himself and his precious Witch!

"Damn it! What did Emilia ever do to deserve this? She shouldn't even have to look into the eyes of a monster like this!"

Even if it had only been around a week and some change since he actually spoke with the silver-haired half-elf, Subaru still felt a great sense of desire to protect her. Before, he told himself that everything he did was solely for her benefit. But the truth was, he was only deluding himself. Only telling himself that he wanted to be useful for her sake in order to make himself feel less worthless.

And after some failed loops, all Subaru wanted was to escape. Not to run away, but to escape this hellish series of failures! And the path to that escape was sitting right in front of him, ironically enough.

"Betelguese Romanee-Conti. I can't let someone like you keep running loose in the world. Your existence is the door to too much death and destruction. You'll ruin everything for everyone I've ever touched and more. You have to be stopped."

Subaru could feel nothing but cold fury within himself. But, with a single deep breath, he contained his feelings.

Yes, he still had an act to put up. And it was working just fine.

"…The favor that you have been granted is too THICK to add you to my Fingers at thiiis juncture…I wonder, just how rich is the love of the Witch I see before me? Even Wrath would be envious of this… Could it be that you are Pride?!"

This completely took Subaru off-guard. Pride? Who?

Him?

"...Pride? Me?"

Internally, he had to admit that this was not within his calculations. He already knew that they were under the assumption that he was a new member of the Witch Cult. And Subaru had allowed the rank and file members to proceed with this incorrect information. But now, here he was faced with one of the Archbishops who believed that he was Pride?

"Wait! Excluding this freak in front of me, I thought there were six other Archbishops for every sin? But if he thinks I'm Pride, then that means they don't have someone occupying that position right now." Things were coming together, now! Rem had told him that the Witch's Miasma around him had gotten stronger and more repugnant.

Was this the love that Betelguese was ranting on about? Was this why the lower-ranked members of the Witch Cult treated him with no hostility? "They don't only think I'm one of them, they think I'm one of their new superiors. Someone they have to treat with respect."

"Among the six Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins, only the seat of Pride is currently vacant! None of this generation worthy of the sin had appeared in this era, but the Witch Factor has suuurely reached the next generation's Pride—you have received your Gospel, of course?" Taking a step, Betelgeuse closed the distance between them. Betelgeuse's question, posed with his head tilted ninety degrees, could not fail to creep Subaru out.

Six.

Six.

Six.

He'd said that there were only six Archbishops, but there were Seven Deadly Sins. What in the world was the meaning of this?

However, Subaru fell as if he had an inkling of what the answer might be. Considering that these psychopaths were outlaws who worshipped the Witch of Envy, perhaps it would be considered sacrilegious to have anyone but the Witch herself represent her own sin?

He accepted at face value that the seat of Pride was vacant. But Betelgeuse suspected that Subaru might be the one to fill that vacancy. It was easy for him to claim that he could, but should he do so, and how would Betelgeuse react if he did? It was a hurdle he hadn't anticipated at all. And he didn't have a clue about the Gospel the guy was asking about. Was it some kind of code word used among members of the Witch Cult, or a trap for the unwary?

"Well, yes. My Gospel. But, before we get onto that, there are a few more things I was hoping an experienced one such as yourself could clear up for me? After all, we cannot allow there to be any mistakes once the ordeal begins, yes? The Witch would not be pleased if we were not truly diligent."

Subaru used that word intentionally, hoping it would trigger the distracted madman into speaking.

And it did.

"The ordeal...yes. That is fine. I do not mind at all. It ought to be some time until word reaches all regions that the highway has been barricaded. Similarly, the ordeal will not begin yet—for time is something we still possess."

In contrast to his disquieting actions, Petelgeuse's words to the eager to learn Subaru were, if anything, amiable. A smile came over Subaru at the reaction. "Huh…sealed the highway? What trick did you use to do that?" Upon hearing this, Subaru immediately felt as if he knew what was coming next. All he wanted was confirmation.

"A very simple ONE. The mist. That is enough explanation, I believe?"

With an understanding nod, Subaru couldn't help but allow himself a satisfied smirk. "You just told on yourself, stupid!"

This was basically proved to Subaru that the Witch Cult was using the White Whale and its mist in order to ensure that no one came along that particular highway to interrupt the ordeal. He had also just received confirmation that the Witch Cult was not as in communication with one another as they should have been. Because otherwise, they would have been aware that the gigantic creature had been slain.

A feeling of savage pleasure coursed through him. Yes, he was finally ahead of them. After all this time, it was now Subaru who was leading the With Cult around by the balls.

"So you sealed the highway so that you could do the ordeal with no one to interfere. That's a pretty shrewd way to operate, Betelgeuse. Truly, I must endeavor to learn from one who has your years of diligence and experience."

"My duty is recorded within the Gospel, and I must fulfill it as proof of my love! If you are indeed Pride, you will understand my lofty ideals! After all, it has been centuries since the vacancy among US, the forsaken bearing the titles of sins, has been filled!"

Gripped by madness, Betelgeuse slipped an arm into his robe. Then, after a little rummaging, his fingertips pulled out a small, case-bound book. Subaru thought it about the size of the old pocket dictionaries that were common in the world he came from. Deftly opening the book with one hand, Betelgeuse ran his bloodshot eyes along its pages with astonishing speed!

The madman was truly in the throes of his own rapture. But to Subaru's surprise, he had come back to reality in a snap!

"Present your Gospel. The proof of your favor!" Speaking this, the madman extended his blood-smeared right hand toward Subaru, demanding proof that he was an ally. His undamaged left
hand touched the beloved book within it. From his demeanor and actions, Subaru understood.

That book was a Gospel. But...what was written inside of it? How could Betelguese know that Subaru was not inscribed within the pages? What did a Gospel have to do with him?

After a few more moments of scanning the pages so quickly that Subaru did not know how he could understand anything that was written, the crazed Archbishop looked up with a confused expression. Betelgeuse thrust his Gospel text toward Subaru. "You are not recorded within the text of my Gospel. I do not see any mention of you. Therefore, who are you, and why have you fortuitously come to appear in this place?"

The jig was up.

Subaru did not feel particularly disappointed. He had learned a good deal of secretive information that such a clandestine organization would have loved to keep quiet. And besides, it wasn't as if he could keep talking all day and night. This had to come to an end.

Lifting his face, Subaru locked eyes with the Archbishop, no trace of fear anywhere in him. This was not going to be like the situation back there in the cave where he had been so traumatized and afraid. He knew about the Fingers. He knew about Betelgeuse's method of secretive attack.

And this time, he was prepared.

"I'm Subaru Natsuki. And the one who will kill you, will be me."

"I've got to stop him! I've got to stop him! I've got to stop him!"

This was the only thing that a silver-haired half-elf could think to herself as she raced down the path that led from the Mathers mansion toward Arlam Village.

And what's more, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was, once again, all because of her. Everything was always her fault. Her existence brought people uncertainty and fear.

But that was exactly why she could not remain in the mansion and stand on the sidelines. Emilia may not have understood the entire situation, but what she did know was that she could not allow him to die. Not that person. He had already endured so much. If Emilia could just take this one thing away so that he didn't have to suffer any longer, then the answer was clear.

"Puck. Is what you've told me true? You really believe Subaru has returned for such a reason?" It was difficult to ask these questions while she was running with all the speed her legs could muster. She cleared the forested passageway that ended at the entrance to the village, only to find nothing but emptiness. She already knew the villagers had evacuated, but it was still somewhat strange to see the entire place devoid of life like this.

Appearing, seemingly from behind her flowing, silver hair, the Great Spirit was not quick to respond, but he did, nonetheless. "I can't think of any other reason. After all, you told me the reason he got in trouble back at the capital was that he said he was doing everything for you." Puck could not allow this situation to go on, but it was already out of control. He needed to ensure that Subaru stayed as far away from his daughter as possible! But, Puck was not confident that he himself could threaten Subaru in the way in which he usually would toward someone who'd offended his Lia.

"Somehow, Subaru knows about the secret condition in our contract. There's no way he doesn't know. All those things he said were too specific to be a coincidence. And worse, he may have told the Sword Saint."

If someone such as Reinhard van Astrea knew one of Puck's most closely guarded secrets, it could mean the end of everything for his beloved Lia. She was already a girl who was scorned by so much of the world. And to add insult to injury, she was fawned over by a troublesome boy who had committed an inexcusable wrong. To make his daughter cry was an offense that Puck could not forgive.

But, he wasn't certain he could do anything. "What I'd like more than anything is to get Subaru away from Lia, forever. All I can do is hope that this time, she pushes him away for good."

"Maybe he thinks that if he can succeed against the Witch Cult, then he will look like a hero in your eyes. It's totally selfish if you ask me and it shows he hasn't changed or thought about anything you've told him, Lia."

Those were the words Puck gave to his daughter right before she burst through the mansion doors and raced off! It was an unexpected reaction. And to be honest, Puck truly hoped she would have abandoned all thought of that black-haired nuisance.

"But why, Puck? That doesn't tell me anything!" Even though she was already aware that she would find no one here, Emilia still felt it best to be on her guard and not run about aimlessly. There could be dangers hidden, anywhere. "Subaru...he—"

Images of the kind-faced boy flashed through her mind.

She thought Subaru would be the one person in her life who did not attempt to put her on a pedestal or treat her as if she was a pariah to all things. That was the only thing she asked for. But, in the end, she never told him this. She wanted for this so deeply that it became a silent craving.

When the two of them parted ways in the capital, Emilia left that room with tears staining her face and her hopes fractured by one of the people she thought she would be able to rely on above all else.

Why had he left the capital? It had only been about a week. Surely his medical treatment hadn't finished? And even if it had, Emilia was certain she would have received a letter of notice from the Karsten household. The agreement that she had made with the Karsten duchess should have assured that. And yet Subaru was back here in the Mathers domain so suddenly? Nothing made sense!

Subaru was someone who was always seemingly throwing himself into danger for other people. That time at the Loot House, it had been Subaru who called out to warn her of that assassin. And at the mansion, it was Subaru who was the first one to notice something was afoul in the forest and sped off to save as many people as he could while she stayed within the mansion and did nothing to help.

"Yes, those actions are the reason why Subaru was able to befriend the people of the village, not me." When she came down from the mansion with them, Emilia hid her identity, never showing anyone her true face and allowing them to look her in the eye. And because of that difference in closeness, it was Subaru who once again pushed forward with actions that led people to safety.

And not her.

She wanted to believe that at his core, Subaru was a considerate boy. As much as she hated to recall the events at the royal selection meeting, Emilia wanted to believe that perhaps Subaru's actions were ones he would never again repeat.

Emilia didn't want to believe her paternal figure's words. It would crush her spirit again to find that Subaru was once again acting selfishly.

Her mind recalled some of the last words she had spoken to him as she criticized Subaru for doing things that he claimed were for her. "Coming to the castle, fighting with Julius, using magic? You're saying it was all for me? I didn't ask you for any of those things!"

"I can't believe Subaru would do those selfish things again! I can't!"

This was the first time in her life that she ever felt as if Puck's words were leading her astray. Something inside her felt as if his explanation was...sketchy. Subaru had flaws, indeed. But she could not pretend he did not have his virtues, also.

There simply had to be more that she didn't understand. And there was only one person who could give her the answers that would allow her to close her eyes and not feel this dreadful, tugging sense of unease and incompleteness.

She didn't want to feel this way.

Before the silver-haired half-elf even knew it, she'd realized she'd been standing in place for a few minutes, stuck in her own head.

She had to keep moving. Keep moving forwards! Staying where she was would yield no results.

The village was empty, but there was something on the horizon that did catch her attention. Surrounding the forest was an immense veil of flames that seemed to shift between colors every few moments. But, the strangest thing of all was that the fire was not spreading. And nothing was burning, either. This told Emilia that the fire was likely being held at bay by magic. "...Puck, what are those flames?"

Though he did remember the name that the stranger referred to those flames by, Puck had no real answer. It wasn't a fire spell that he had any knowledge of. And coming from one who was the current Great Spirit of Fire, it was truly an unusual situation. "No clue, but Subaru is inside of there."

Emilia found it both hard, but extremely easy to believe Subaru would run toward something like that.

A look of determination returning to her once conflicted eyes, just before Emilia could set off again, a foul, metallic smell assaulted the girl's nose. But, it wasn't so offensive that she shrinked away. Why? Because Emilia, having grown up in a forest, was well accustomed to the smell of blood. But the question was, who was hurt?

She received her answer not a moment later.

Right in the center of the village, Emilia's violet eyes caught sight of what she instantly recognized as a dead body.

A horrified gasp escaped her as she approached closer to see the state of what was once a person.

All she could tell was that the body was once an adult male. But it was impossible to discern any other features. And that was because the upper half of the body was absolutely mangled in a way that she could hardly bear to look at. This wasn't the work of a blade or fire. Something had collided with the body with great force, essentially smashing the body with high pressure. And the result was a mess of organs and blood splatter that covered a small area.

It was surprising just how much was inside a person's body.

Shaking her head, all she could say was, "What a horrible way to die." She did not think that this was one of the people of the village. Not that Emilia was able to actually tell, but it seemed everyone had evacuated as a large group. It didn't make sense for a single person to be left behind like this.

But that still begged the question of who this person was and what happened to him. But seconds later, almost too quickly, even, Puck responded with an answer:

"It was Subaru! He did this."

Emilia was momentarily shocked into silence. There were too many things happening that made absolutely no sense to her period but this was topping the list.

"...Subaru? He did...this? To a person?"

Why? Why would Subaru do something so brutal? But the more pressing question was how?

Subaru was aligned to the element of Shadow. And what's more, he was a complete novice at magic. He couldn't even use the Shamak spell efficiently without overworking his Gate. How could he accomplish something such as this without crippling himself?

Emilia did not want to imagine that Subaru had used a weapon of some sort to brutalize this person into a slow, bloody death. Even the thought of such repulsed her in mind and spirit.

Floating out from under her hair, Puck decided to add onto things from what he knew. It was a perfect chance for him to further isolate Subaru from his daughter. "Actually, this guy was a Witch Cultist. He was capture and Subaru forced information out of him. And after he got what he wanted...then he did this."

Upon hearing this, Emilia jerked back in surprise, even though a dead body could do her no harm "A Witch Cultist?" One of the people Subaru was currently after? Which meant he'd succeeded in taking down at least one of them. And from what Puck had told her, he hadn't been harmed in doing so. Which she felt relieved to know.

But still, it didn't answer the question of how Subaru could do something such as this. He was not a boy who was clearly talented in martial skills. He even put himself through the wringer when he was doing household chores. And this kind of bodily destruction was something that no beginner magician was capable of.

And, to give more information, it was once again Puck who stepped in to provide, slowly and only half turning toward his daughter when he spoke, "Lia, I think Subaru might be involved with something shady. Actually, the person he was with was the one who captured this Witch Cultist. And I don't have a clue what that person was. If you look for just a second, you might think he's an elf," The man in the red suit did have rather pronounced, pointed ears. But, when one looked closer, he clearly had some features that no elf did. Such as that metallic tail, as well as fangs that were nowhere present on his dear daughter.

"All I can say is that whatever that person is, he's definitely not human. And he might not even be a demihuman, either. He's got this unmistakable sinister air around him. I don't have a clue how Subaru could have met such a person, but my instincts tell me he's no good."

Emilia could not picture such a person in the way her father figure described. But, the idea of someone who may have been an elf struck a cord in her heartstrings. "...And you think this suspicious person is misleading Subaru? Making him do things he wouldn't usually do?"

Puck shook his head slowly. "Nope. In fact, Subaru seemed glad to kill this guy. Like he was waiting for an opportunity to do it. He held out his hand to the Witch Cultist's face, then the next thing you know it's like half his body was blasted apart. I don't know what Subaru has been doing in the past few days, Lia, but it's clear he's ch—"

Just as the Great Spirit was about to go on, he was cut off by his daughter, who had already arrived at her own conclusion. "But you said this person is a Witch Cultist, right? And he's right here in the village? Which means Subaru knew he was coming. And that's why he had all the villagers leave, isn't it?"

It was common knowledge that death and carnage followed in the footsteps of the Witch Cult. And if they had succeeded in coming to this village, there was no doubt in her mind that it would have been turned into a settlement of death. And yet somehow, Subaru completely avoided that grim fate. "And...this isn't the first time he's known about life-threatening danger before it happened. Puck wouldn't have come out in time to save me in the Loot House if Subaru hadn't been there. And somehow, he knew the mabeasts were looming upon the village and arrived in the nick of time to save the kidnapped children."

Subaru knew.

Somehow he knew.

And this time again, he knew.

Emilia did not think she could write these off as mere coincidence. Not when they happened so consistently and in a clear theme.

Whatever was going on, it was clear that Subaru was attempting to help people. And to her heart's regret, he may have been pushing himself too far. Emilia needed to know more. She needed to find the truth of this entire situation!

With renewed energy flooding into her face, Emilia banished her doubts. What happened in the capital may not have been in the past, but there was a new, different situation in front of them right now. And Emilia knew she could not allow that person to face this danger by himself! "Come on, Puck! We are going into the forest to find Subaru!"

But to her surprise, her spirit companion was not quick to follow. "Lia, I don't think that's a good idea! The person Subaru is with is probably trouble. And besides, the Witch Cult—"

"So we just leave him in there and don't even try to help? Puck, how could you even say something like that? We don't know what Subaru is doing back here, but we do know that his actions have saved an entire village from the Witch Cult! And I think Subaru deserves our help based on that good deed alone!" This was a stance she was not willing to move from. Unbending resolve resonated from the half-elf, and before it, the Great Spirit of Fire knew he had absolutely no choice but to obey.

Releasing a sigh, Puck could argue no further. He didn't like this and he didn't want his daughter anywhere near this unknown danger. But she had made her choice and all he could do was follow along and protect her to the best of his ability. "...Lead the way."

And so she did. The silver-haired half-elf raced off toward the edge of the village, hoping that girdle of flames would present no great issue.

But, her feline parental figure did not have a heart full of hope. Puck could only feel rejected. No matter what he said, his daughter hadn't listened. He'd tried to get her to believe that Subaru's presence was of no positive influence. His words were ignored.

Lia was only a child. She needed him. The reason he existed was to push away all things that would cause her pain.

Emilia's happiness was the only thing that mattered to him. He had attempted to steer her away from anything that would cause her to cry, but instead, she was going to go running toward it. "Damn you, Subaru. It's your fault that Lia is thinking these kinds of thoughts. I alone should be enough for her. There's not enough room in her heart for the both of us." But what frustrated him more greatly than anything else, was that deep down, perhaps without him even knowing, Puck sensed that he may have had no say in the decisions his daughter would make in the future.