The next morning, Subaru was awake before anyone else in the mansion even left their rooms. And the funny thing was, he had not even set his cell phone's alarm to wake him up. He just did.

He couldn't help me remember that this was not the first time that he planned to leave the mansion and go on a journey. Except for last time, he didn't actually have anywhere to go. He had simply come up with a half plan that ended up leading to one of the most heartbreaking deaths that he ever experienced. But Subaru knew that this time was going to be different. This time, Subaru knew that there was no plot in mind to stop his progress. He'd talked to everyone and they all knew he was going to be leaving for some personal time and what the details were.

Everyone.

That was why there was no need to worry.

The reason he had gotten out of bed and got dressed so early was that he knew this was going to be the last time that he saw this mansion for a good, long while ago. And Subaru wanted to take the opportunity to just walk around and take in the view of everything one last time. He wanted to do this alone. He knew that if somebody was accompanying him, no matter who it was, he just wouldn't feel the same.

The kitchen was the place where Ram had drilled into him the basics of chopping fruits and vegetables. Subaru was confident he could do it now without making it look like he's handled a cheese grater by the sharp edges. "Guess I won't be needing to take my favorite blade with me this time. Hope ol' Shooting Star is still here when I come back." He enjoyed a private chuckle at the thought before going to another place.

Subaru had to admit that he was going to miss taking baths in this swimming pool-sized tub! Though, he certainly wasn't going to miss cleaning it when the day was over. "Those girls have some serious superhuman stamina to be able to do this every day without fail." He didn't know how they managed to get it done without complaint or be covered in layers of sweat by noon!

"I just hope the place doesn't end up covered in mayonnaise ever again." He shivered at the memory of seeing an entire bathtub full of frozen mayo. Gross!

Subaru wished he could look back on that entire day with happy thoughts. But, thanks to a certain someone, he knew that whenever he looked out the window and saw a land covered in snow, all he would feel was pain.

Winter was irreparably ruined for him. But, that didn't mean he couldn't think fondly of all the other seasons.

The gigantic back of the mansion treated Subaru to a football field-sized area. Once more, he did feel a twinge of guilt for throwing all of his work on Rem and Ram. But, they had gotten along just fine before he ever came here. He felt they could do it again. "Ram's probably gonna bombard me with chores to do next time she sees me." He could already see it. She was going to hammer into him how he had to do make-up work.

A complete drag.

"Come to think of it, this is the place where I first used magic..." And he'd done so in such an unspectacular way that it ended up almost taking him out of work for the entire day. It was funny, Subaru had not done any housework in the last two days and no one batted an eye But back then, he worked almost himself straight into a panic attack.

"I guess me and Shamak just weren't meant to be. Pfft! Didn't even get to learn how to unlock the next level. Oh well..." He had done nothing but complain about how the Yin element didn't appeal to him from the very beginning. Maybe if circumstances were different, he would have been able to learn some things from the real Yin expert in this mansion. But, looking back, Subaru thought that past-him would likely have lacked the patience.

The dining room was the place where he'd been treated to his first meal that was native to this world. While Subaru had ended up needing to introduce the twins to a few of Japan's recipes, he found himself lucky to eat food prepared by such skilled chefs. Well, by Rem, at least. "Maybe I should sneak into Ram's room and put a basket of steamed tatoes on her bedside table." Yet again he laughed at what may happen if he did such a thing.

"Even if a lot of bad stuff happened to me while I was here, I still feel like I got to know everyone pretty well..." Some for the better, and some for the worse. But even still, you couldn't have one without the other, right? A guy like him always found something to complain about. "Yeah, there's always that one guy in the tv show who's the one somebody doesn't like." But as far as Subaru was concerned, that somebody was a grey cat.

It was at this point that Subaru knew that it was better that he left ASAP. All this reminiscing, all this looking at parts of the mansion where he had built memories? There was a very good chance that if he attempted to stay longer than he would have changed his mind and came up with an excuse.

Today was the day. No backing out, now.

"Maybe I should think about giving Sebas and Demiurge's master some sort of present as thanks for the invitation...?" Even at this moment, Subaru still had no idea what kind of person he was going to mean. But, he already had the gist that perhaps this person liked rare stuff? Why else would they want the body of a massive mabeast like the White Whale? With this in mind, he felt he had a perfect idea of what he could take with him as a sort of welcoming gift. He was certain that the mansion would forgive him for helping himself to a bit of a discount. It was a small price to pay for a hero like himself, right?

"Now let's see...where do we keep that stuff, again?"

In a certain room in the mansion's east wing, a certain blue-haired made woke up from her sleep. Looking out her window, Rem noticed that the sun was rising over the horizon. By her estimate, she had slept just a little bit longer than she normally would have. But it was fine. This was a day where she knew that no matter how early she woke and got to work, things in this big house would be changing in a way she would not grow accustomed to anytime soon.

The duties of a maid were never done, and so Rem wasted no time in getting out of bed, getting dressed, and preparing for her morning routine. She seemed to be able to do this with noticeably more energy than how the average person would prefer to lay in bed for an extra ten or twenty minutes. It was all in the mind, and once one became accustomed to a routine, it was easy to follow. At least, for her.

It took minutes for her to prepare, and with the most practiced of ability, she was already leaving her personal bedroom, intent upon waking up her older sister to assist her in the daily chores.

But, the moment Rem opened her door, standing on the left side was none other than her older sister, fully dressed and politely waiting for her!

"Sister! You're...awake before me?"

"...You are starting to sound like Barusu, Rem. Contrary to popular belief, I am able to wake up on my own." Ram felt herself waking up earlier than normal because she sensed that someone was probably thinking about her. And for some reason, her instincts immediately told her that Barusu was to blame.

Why were people forgetting that she maintained the mansion just fine all the time when her sister was off?

The twins exchanged looks and both immediately knew what the other was thinking. Ram, however, was first to speak. "How are you feeling? You know that this is that day?" While the older sister was unaware of the recent change in the relationship between her precious younger sister and Barusu, she was still aware that Rem held him in high esteem. And not simply as a friend or coworker. "Because if there is something you want to say to him, you probably should do it without holding anything in. Things may be different when we again see him."

Personally, Ram felt nothing much needed to be spoken. Or at least, that was her public opinion.

For a few moments, the blue-haired maid was silent, though not because she had nothing to say or was uncertain. Today was a day she had anticipated but didn't truly want to see. She knew that the biggest change in their lives would be leaving them for a place none of them would be able to follow. But she wasn't sad.

"Everything that needed to be said between the two of us has already been spoken, sister. Besides, I know that if I cried in front of him then it would just make Subaru feel sad." She did everything within her power to give no hints of what had transpired between the two of them. Not because she desired to hide her happiness from her beloved older sister, but because Rem took a certain pride in knowing that there were things that only she and her hero shared together, making it all the more intimate in her heart.

"It is the same for you, isn't it, sister? You don't want Subaru to worry that we will not get by without him. That's why you won't admit that you also don't want him to leave?" Upon hearing this, Ram haughtily turned her head away, annoyed that Rem could so easily read her feelings. "The reason I am not concerned is that Barusu will undoubtedly come back here and be his usual, troublesome self. I cannot imagine him changing in any noticeable way."

The pink-haired maid's immediate denial only brought soft laughter to Rem, one that truly woke her up in the morning. And though Ram did not share in her laughs, the older twin did allow herself a small smile.

In perfect unison, the twins set off into the mansion, prepared to start their day.

In one of the more luxurious bedrooms in the mansion, the silver-haired half-elf woke from her sleep. But unlike others, she didn't jump out of bed to begin the morning routine that she followed every day. For what was probably an extra half hour, Emilia sat there in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Today is the day."

She knew it was here, yet she still wrestled with her feelings. Emilia knew that she couldn't stop Subaru from doing what he wanted, what he felt was best for him. But that didn't mean she truly wanted him to go away. Looking back, she now thought herself foolish for thinking that separating herself from him back in the capital was the correct choice of action.

After how the two of them fended off what remained of the Archbishop of Sloth, things became different and they'd managed to talk more openly.

Communication between them managed to heal the rift that had once been there and they'd managed to start anew.

Looking out her window, Emilia wondered if the same thing could apply to this nation as a whole. She had not been fully candid in her intentions if she were able to become king of this nation, but she did truly desire to create a more equal Lugunica where people could be more open with one another. And in her mind, one of the reasons this was still a far-off goal was because there were things people could not talk with one another about. Walls and barriers prevented it. And it was these walls that Emilia wanted not to destroy or break down, but merely to open doors through.

"Breaking down things sounds more like what Felt said she wants to do, anyway."

Stretching out on her comfortable bed, Emilia rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her lavender nightgown before she was treated to a not-so-surprising sight. A pair of green eyes appeared in front of her, owned by a grey-furred cat that floated back a few feet, only to greet her with, "Morning, Lia! You look like you slept well!"

Ensuring that his most valuable daughter rested well was part of Puck's daily routine.

"I did. Much better than I thought I would, all things considered." Sometimes when one knew a big event was on the horizon, it could be difficult to go to sleep the night prior. But, Emilia didn't have that problem. Was it possible that somewhere inside her, her heart knew what was inevitable? "I can't say that I want Subaru to leave. But I don't think I have ever seen that kind of determination in him, before. And besides, he promised that he'll return as a stronger person, and I want to have faith in him."

She couldn't forget the sight of him throwing himself at her mercy, completely ready to accept judgment for his past behavior. He'd made no excuses or attempts to blame anyone other than himself. It wasn't Subaru's heroic actions that allowed her to accept him back into her heart, it was his overwhelming remorse and willingness to ask forgiveness. If Emilia was going to be king of this nation, she didn't want to be one without the capacity to give second chances. After all, she was lucky to even be given a first chance.

"Y'know, Lia, maybe this is for the better. If you and Subaru have some time apart, it might help you both out in the long run. And when you next see each other, you'll both be all the happier for it!" In comparison to the almost hostile way that he had spoken about Subaru just a couple of days ago, at this point, Puck sounded far more genuine. But, he could not admit out loud that this was mostly just an act. Not completely, but mostly.

Somehow, someway, Subaru had found out his most closely guarded secret. And if revealed to the wrong source, it could, no, would become a threat to his entire existence. The two of them had come to something of an agreement. But, they're still didn't mean that Puck could give him full trust. As long as they had the mutual understanding that they cared about Emelia and her goals, he felt that the two of them could at least leave one another alone. Not that the Great Spirit of Fire would admit that the aggressor had been himself, both in and out of the black-haired teen's presence.

"They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, or something like that," Not that he could understand such a saying. The idea of being away from the person who meant more to him than the entire world was nothing but a world itself of pain.

"Just remember that no matter what, I'm on your side and you should do whatev—" Puck's words froze in his throat. He'd begun speaking this same motto without even knowing it. He said this so often in what he always felt was an attempt to reassure his daughter that anything she did was okay with him as long as it was her choice. But at this moment, he fell that those words were no longer sufficient to lie to himself.

Without her noticing, Puck gulped before he found another set of words, ones that weren't so familiar to him. "I mean, together, we'll do everything we can to help you accomplish your goals! I hope you'll rely on me for anything you need, Lia! And when Subaru finally does come back, he'll be amazed at how much you've improved!" Saying this felt foreign to him. Puck had always been of the belief that his Lia was perfect the way she was. Perfect now. Perfect yesterday. Perfect in ten years. And yet, his last talk with Subaru infected his mind, half convincing him that this way of thinking was incorrect.

The Great Spirit was also one who had much to consider.

But not right now.

"You're right, Puck. I think that I need to follow the example that Subaru is setting. Nothing is going to change if I do not take steps to improve myself and study as hard as I can to learn more about what I do not know." Emilia lacked Crusch's traditional, Lugunica upbringing for a noble. She didn't have the financial genius of Anastasia. And she had nothing resembling Priscilla's utter lack of doubt. Even Felt's experience on the ground floor of this nation and the people who lived there was something that escaped her.

And that was exactly why she needed to keep improving. Subaru would not be impressed if he came back here and saw the same old Emilia from last time.

"I'm going to be up against some very powerful women in the next few years, and none of them are going to make this easy for me. All of them are carrying their dreams in their hearts and even now, they're probably deciding how to do this and that. I have already convinced the Sage Counsel to give me the same opportunity that is afforded to the others. And I won't waste it! I want to fight as hard as I can and I won't give up until the decision has been made."

Filled with an energy that most didn't have this early in the morning, Puck threw his arms up and cheered, "That's my Lia! So, are you ready to get this day started?"

"Yes! I am!" In an uncharacteristically Subaru-like movement, Emilia swiftly stood up on her bed and threw a pointed finger into the air. Bouncing off her bed, the silver-haired royal candidate made way for the door, prepared to meet the day with renewed gusto. Though, before she could even touch the doorknob, she was stopped by the voice of Puck.

"Er, Lia? Don't you think you should get dressed, first?"

Looking down at herself, Emilia suddenly realized that she'd completely forgotten to change into real clothes. Her cheeks flushed with color, Emilia crouched down and whined out in an unusually childish sort of way that she had forgotten something so obvious.

How was she going to compete in a royal selection if she couldn't even remember to put on her clothes? "I bet this doesn't happen to any of the other girls!"

The situation in the dining hall was a rather unusual one. Usually, the working staff would prepare breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and then everybody else would sit down and dine. The twins may have prepared the morning meal, but considering that this was the last day where he would be present in the mansion, Subaru demanded that an exception be made for today.

"Call it, the Last Supper. Or...breakfast."

This is what he told everyone. And took his good luck, the owner of the house backed him up. "This is indeeeed a rare occasion. And so I believe it is only appropriate that we all gather here together and enjooooy this breakfast."

Whether it was because this was the day he was going to depart or the twins were simply in that kind of mood, and Subaru couldn't help but think that they had put a little bit of extra oomph into their cooking. "I dunno what it is, but the two of you seem to have outdone yourself this morning!"

Rem, very unaccustomed to sitting and eating with everyone else was overly pleased with Subaru's suggestion and thankful her master had allowed it to take place. The only thing that even slightly brought her mood down was the fact that she was unable to bring herself to ask her hero if he would allow her to feed him his breakfast.

"Rem is honored by Subaru's praise!"

"Ram thinks that Barusu is just trying to butter her up."

Comedic frustration rising, Subaru pointed a spoon to the silently eating older sister and burst out, "Would you quit it with that?! I'm trying to be nice to you, y'know! Do we have to do this?!"

It was a whole lot more uncommon for the pink-haired and made to speak in the third person the way her younger sister did so frequently. And because she chose this time of all time, Subaru knew for certain that she was just messing with him.

Ram knew perfectly well that Barusu thought less of her culinary skills when compared to her sister. And the pink-haired maid would never, in 100 years reveal that she had watched her sister more carefully than normal to produce a better result, knowing what today of all days was.

"I think Subaru is not just flattering you, Ram. Maybe this is proof that you are improving in areas where you once lacked? I think that's should be something that all of us strive for." It was Emilia who spoke up, and in an upbeat tone that most of them didn't hear from her very often.

And Subaru was quick to thank her for the support. "See! Exactly! I'm just trying to spread some positivity in an otherwise negative world. What's so wrong with that?" Subaru could not help but think that this was a more informal version of the very first time that all of them had sat here at this dining table. But, in that particular situation, the maids weren't sitting. "How far I've come." It was difficult to believe at one point that he was thinking of constant plans of how to make it only past five days of living in this mansion.

A laugh was shared between himself, Emilia, and Rem. And though he did not join in on the shared amusement, Roswaal seemed to at least be pleased enough to wear an accepting smile.

"Now, now, Ram. Let us not give our dear Subaru toooo hard of a time on a day like this. After all, the reason he wanted us to be here as a unit is because he wanted to spend quality tiiiime together. He is merely showing you how much he cares." Roswaal had to silently admit, he enjoyed the back and forth between the two of them. But unfortunately, he knew that this scene couldn't last long.

Usually, Ram would have responded by turning her nose up in the air. But since these were the words of her master, she silently continued eating.

"But seriously, though. I do appreciate everyone being here," Well, mostly everyone. It was probably a little bit too much to ask for Beatrice to come out of the library. She only seemed to do so when something personally caught her interest. And this probably just wasn't one of those times. Needless to say, Subaru knew that he would speak with her one more time before he left. "As I've said to everyone, I really don't know how long I'm going to be gone. But, all I can say is that I will do my best to stay safe out there."

Subaru didn't know what the future had in store for him. But, it would have been naive if he told himself that there would be no trials or hardships ahead. He had lived so much of his life always avoiding the struggle of doing things the hard way. Going forward, he knew that just wasn't going to cut it. At the very least, being with Sebas and Demiurge would make for new and interesting experiences.

And since his mind was on the two—

"Anyway, Subaruuuu, when do you believe that those new associates of yours will be arriving? I think those of us who have not yet had the pleasure of meeting them would be delighted to greeeet them before you depart."

Finding this to be an appropriate question, Subaru set his silverware down on his plate as he finished eating, mulling over how he would answer. "I don't know when, but I get the feeling it'll be soon. Sebas is a butler, so I guess he won't wanna keep anyone waiting." And to be honest, Subaru didn't know how long he could contain this growing anxiousness. He hoped one or both of them arrived, soon.

Hearing this, Ram turned and asked curiously, "One of them is a butler?" This was a great surprise to her, considering that the man in the red suit certainly did not appear to be any sort of manservant. Just what sort of people had Barusu been talking with?

Turning to her older sister, Rem nodded in confirmation. "He is In fact, I think he is about the same age as Wilhelm van Astrea. I would also be pleased to see him, again, Subaru." This time, it was Rem who spoke up. He would not deny that she had been suspicious of the appearance of the duo when they first met. But, now that everything was said and done, she simply could not deny the results. Her Subaru had made all the correct decisions in his dealings. Honestly, it was just as to be expected of him when he was in a pinch.

"Well, if you mean old guys who are butlers, then yeah, I guess that's about as far as you can go."

Emilia, having met not a single one of these people felt somewhat left out. But, it was because situations were not ideal at the time that prevented her from meeting and thanking the people who had given Subaru so much assistance. She had to give thanks for this, and nothing would prevent her from being there this time and seeing him off safely! "Subaru, I know you said that you are going to be going on a journey to better yourself, but just make sure you don't laze about just because you get comfortable."

Feeling a little bit embarrassed by her advice, Subaru could do nothing but put his hands up in defeat. "Geez, thanks for the advice, big sister! I swear I won't sit in bed all day long!"

"And just to prove that I'm not gonna be lazy, I'll even help Rem and Ram clean the dishes one last time!" Standing up first, he prepared to take away everything that had been eaten off by the household members. At least until a snarky comment by Ram almost made Subaru trip over his own feet in shock!

"Look, sister! Barusu appears to want credit for doing the job he was hired to do. His ability to be a layabout is truly astounding."

"Would you get off me, already?!"

Another round of laughter was had in the dining hall shared at Subaru's expense. It took Subaru a few moments to allow the humor of her words to reach into his heart, but eventually, he found himself smiling.

Subaru didn't have many belongings that he wanted to take with him. And while he didn't want to say anything about it out loud, especially not while he was still here at the mansion, he had a strong feeling that he wasn't going to be needing any of the money that he had saved up from his personal payments. It would of course turn out to be bad if in the end he was wrong about this assumption, but Subaru didn't think he was.

Not to mention, "She's still out there." The fact that Elsa had not yet made a move just further proved to Subaru that she was indeed waiting to get somebody alone. Not a single one of them had and needed to go off the property for anything since he learned of her presence. She definitely was not comfortable and getting this close. She was too outnumbered.

As he stood in the entry hallway, Subaru took one final look around. "Who'd have ever thought I'd end up living in a big-ass house like this? I knew it couldn't last forever, though." He shouldn't be seeing this scene again for a good, long time. Subaru was going to miss these big, central pillars, the stairways that led to the other floors, the doors that he had become so familiar with.

"Well...it was fun while it lasted. Even if a whole lot of bad stuff happened along the way." In the end, he was still here.

Just as Subaru was about to find something, anything else to occupy her time, the creeping voice of the Shadow Demon whispered out to him, and only him, "He is coming to retrieve you. Be prepared."

This stopped Subaru in his tracks. Indeed, had been prepared to leave. But when he heard that it was seriously time, his heart and body froze. It was happening. He was really about to do this. "I guess there is no turning back at this point. It'd be a lie to act like I'm not worried..."

It was strange. When he first came to this world, all Subaru could think was that this was the time and place where he could begin things anew, become a new person, and then live a life that was like what he knew from his fantasies. Needless to say, not a single one of those things happened. At least, not without some genuine elbow grease thrown in. But even at the beginning, he didn't feel this sense of nervousness about going to a place he had never had gone before.

"Maybe it's because I showed up here against my will from the very beginning. This time I prepared for it."

Yes, that was the answer he would go with to calm himself down. It slowly seemed to work.

Luckily, Subaru did not have to think too hard on it because he was suddenly distracted by an all too familiar voice. "Who in the world are you talking to, I suppose?"

It was Beatrice. And unlike normally when he simply appeared out of nowhere, this time, Subaru noticed the drill-haired little girl coming down the main staircase by foot.

"M-Me? Oh, err, it was nothing, I guess you could say that I was just having a little conversation with myself since this is the last time I'm going to be here in the house. So, where have you been? We didn't see you at breakfast." But that was no surprise. It was incredibly rare that she left her room for social events. Something he could relate to.

Though the Great Spirit of the library came close enough to invite further conversation, she didn't answer him. Instead, her physical response reminded him somewhat of Ram when the pink-haired maid looked off in another direction to avoid a question.

"Right...no comment." He felt that she was thinking of saying something like "Betty was in the place Betty always is." At least, that was the impression that Subaru got. Very least, she was here now.

Now that she was here though, Subaru Found this to be the perfect opportunity to remind the little librarian that he had not forgotten about the last conversation that the two of them had. "Don't worry, Beatrice I still plan to get you outta this place at some point and let you get some fresh air."

He had only actually seen her leave the mansion at two points. And each one of those times concerned saving his life in some way or another, not because she wanted to.

"He said it before Betty could..." Though she was unwilling to admit it, the drill-haired little girl had come here to ask if I meant what you said, before. And just now, he'd proven that he wasn't just running his mouth incessantly. Beatrice had been waiting. She had been sitting in that room for longer than he had been alive, waiting for the person to come along and tell her she could finally come out. "Is it possible he is that person?"

"I don't exactly know what the two of us will do when I come back. And to be honest with you, I might even get us in a little bit of trouble. It has this weird tendency to follow me around. But, if the two of us are together, I get the feeling that we'll be able to take care of things just fine." Giving the loli librarian a confident thumbs-up and a smile unhindered by doubts, Beatrice's expression changed to one that was the exact opposite.

She wanted to believe. And yet for so long, nothing and no one had answered her prayers. If she was standing in front of that person, what exactly was he waiting on? If she wanted to bet on it, he'd likely leave and never return. People always did that. And yet, "Betty thinks this one is the first to actually make such a promise." From this, the Great Spirit made the choice to have a small measure of faith that he would come back to this place and do as he said. Managing to return to her stoic face, she spoke out, "Betty will be waiting for you, then. If you do not return, Betty will make certain you regret it."

Unable to feel threatened by this because he knew for certain that he would be coming back, Subaru decided to throw out a little blast from the past. One in which only he knew.

Kneeling to eye-level with the blonde loli, Subaru offered his hand out to her, hoping that something would prompt her to take it. "I'll be back here, Beatrice. There's still a lot of things I haven't done, yet. We aren't saying goodbye. Just 'see you later' until next time. I swear that it's gonna be temporary." At one point, it had been him who took her hand when he'd asked her to protect his life until a certain period of time passed. And even though that loop ended poorly, Subaru remembered that Beatrice kept her promise throughout the entire thing.

Staring at the offered hand for a few seconds, her mind immediately thought that this was a contract being offered. But, the lack of any conditions or stipulations made that impossible. This was simply him reassuring her that his word was good. Almost without knowing she was doing it, her arm reached out and her slender fingers intertwined with his.

There was no bright flash of light or even anything as simple as an increase in warmth between them. Rather, this was nothing less than two people agreeing by their word to come together again.

Subaru would make sure that it happened.

He was so focused on this one-on-one bonding experience with the blonde librarian that Subaru did not even notice the two of them were being watched from one of the doorways. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that if anyone could get Lady Beatrice to come out of her room, then it would be Subaru."

"Eh?

"Hmm?"

It was Emilia, followed by Puck.

"We were just...y'know, saying we'd see each other again, know what I mean? Nothing weird was going on!" He didn't know why he was explaining it this way as if something inappropriate had happened. As if either one of them could have allowed such a thing in the middle of the house. Even still, Subaru felt a little bit bashful at having been caught in such a private moment. Maybe they should have had this conversation somewhere else?

Deciding to interject with his own attempt at humor, Puck added, "It appears that my cute little sister has taken a liking to you more than she does most people. I'm surprised she didn't drain your mana and go back to her room. That would be just like her."

Standing upright, he placed his hands on his hips and slowly shook his head. "Ha. Ha. Real funny. Can't imagine anything like that happening." Except it already had, once. And Subaru was not eager to let that happen a second time. He'd passed out just from the experience!

"Betty is always cute, Puckie!" The librarian puffed out her cheeks in a stubborn sort of way. She really only seemed to show her little girl side when Puck was around, Subaru noticed.

He had no idea how it worked when it came to spirits, but Subaru just could not believe that Beatrice shared any sort of familial relationship when it came to somebody like Puck. Sure, she had gotten on his nerves a couple of times, but at the end of the day, he didn't think that the two of them were really anything alike. And if it came down to one of the other, Subaru knew which one he would rather spend time with if he had to be stuck in her room.

Noticing that there was a bag that was apparently filled with a few contents inside sitting near the front door, Emelia immediately took this to mean that Subaru was absolutely prepared to depart.

But, before the silver-haired half-elf could open her mouth again, there was a firm knock on the door from the outside.

Someone was there.

Taking the initiative, Subaru knew that this was probably his cue. Heading over to the door, he unlocked it and then opened it to see who was on the other side. To his half-surprise, it actually was not Demiurge.

The person who had arrived was an older man with white hair and an immaculately groomed beard. He was dressed in a black butler's uniform that was completely without crease or imperfection. And, despite appearing to be at least in his sixties, the man's broad shoulders and predator-like gaze gave off the appearance that he was not a simple civilian servant.

He was Sebas Tian.

"Sebas! I'm glad to see that you made it here! Feels like forever since we saw each other!" In truth, it has not even been five days. But, the only Butler had such a presence that Subaru immediately felt calm down once he was here. Stepping aside, he, as an on-leave butler, invited the more experienced of the two into the mansion.

The two of them shook hands, and from the way they did so, Emilia noticed they seemed to be quite comfortable with one another. Just from his General appearance and the way that he carried himself, she almost immediately understood the comparison to Wilhelm van Astrea.

Unlike the immediate hostility he failed when looking at the unnatural form of the bespectacled man who wore the red suit, Puck could not send any sort of unnatural present from a newcomer. However, that did not necessarily mean that there was nothing strange about him. And if he was coming to relieve them of Subaru, a selfish part of him felt glad. But at the same time, somewhat worried.

"Subaru, it is good to see that you accomplished the second part of your goal without incident. I had faith that you would, however." And he was not simply saying this because the young man was being aided by the hand of his partner, either.

The way the two of them carry it on made them seem like old friends when in reality they had only embark on a single undertaking together. But it did not matter. The two of them would be seeing quite a lot of each other in the coming future.

"Sebas, lemme introduce you to my friends who live here at the mansion. This is Emilia," He gestured toward the silver-haired girl who instinctively bowed a little in greeting. "She's actually in the running to become the new king of this country. Isn't that crazy?"

And yet, the crazy thing that was probably how he had ended up in the presence of such an important person. Subaru may not have been living the life of some sort of video game main character, but he certainly couldn't deny that he'd run into a girl who could be classified as a heroine.

"This is Beatrice. She's usually stuck up in her library, so I guess this is a rare opportunity for her to meet someone from the outside." Nodding toward the blonde loli, Beatrice inspected the stranger. She'd almost reached out a hand to test this person's mana, but chose not to. "If he's trusting enough of him, then Betty will refrain..."

"And this is Puck. I guess you could say he's essentially Emilia's guardian." Jabbing a thumb toward the floating cat, it took a lot of willpower for Subaru to not say something that was a little bit out of pocket. But, this was not the time for him to be talking about things and people in such a negative way.

With a slight bow, the white-haired man politely introduced himself, "It is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of everyone here. I am known as Sebas Tian. Subaru and I happened upon one another while in the capital city and, well, I am certain he has told you the story, so I will not drag on with the details. But needless to say, it was quite the eventful experience."

After having taken a closer look at the person who would be entrusted with the safety of her friend, Emilia said, "Thank you very much for taking Subaru under your wing. We can all only hope that you will have safe travels, wherever you go." It took a lot for her to be able to say this with a straight face. The two of them had only just repaired the relationship. And if he was staying here, they could go back to the way they used to be, or even better. But deep down, she knew that this would help them both in the long run. She couldn't be so concerned about just today.

"Please, think nothing of it. In fact, Subaru has been a great assistance to us. More than he knows." Shifting his gaze over to the black-haired teen, Sebas had already prepared himself for what was in store for their new associate once they returned. "If I may ask, Subaru, where might your young friend be? Rem, I believe her name was?" Since he was here, it would have only been polite to pay his respects to the young girl who had gone into such danger alongside Subaru.

Just as he was about to answer, the very same blue hair to me appeared from one of the hallways. And, she was not alone. Accompanying Rem was her older sister. Sebas immediately recognized that the two of them as being twins of the same gender. The only difference between the two of them appeared to be the color of their hair and eyes.

"Did Rem hear Rem's n—"

Upon seeing who was here, the younger of the oni twins immediately smiled to greet their guest. "Ah, it is a pleasure to see you again, Sebas! Rem did not know you had arrived so quickly!"

Following behind her sister, Ram was also surprised. But not for the same reason as Rem. "This person...he does not seem anything at all like the other one." Just as she had been told by Barusu, this man was indeed dressed as a butler. And from his appearance, Ram could only assume that he was a human, unlike the mysterious one in the red suit who appeared to have demihuman traits.

"Yes. I see that you appear to have made it back home safely. That is good to see. And, it would also appear that you have a sister?" His intense eyes shifted to the pink-haired maid, who Rem nearly dragged to the front. "Yes! Rem is Rem. And Rem's sister is Ram."

Almost at the same time, both Sebas and Ram exchanged nods and bows.

"Please allow me to thank you as Rem's older sister for the assistance you granted her. And Barusu."

At the corner of her eye, she immediately noticed the black-haired teenager flinch in irritation from the way she said his nickname. "Going into battle against the White Whale is something not many would attempt. I can only give my thanks for your part in keeping my little sister safe."

"Please, think nothing of it. We were simply abiding by the agreement we made. And if I have to say so, Rem handled herself quite well against that creature. If you had seen the outcome for yourself, I am certain you would have had no need to worry." Everything turned out splendidly, and so, there was no further need for thanks.

After a few seconds of silence, Ram stared over at her favorite target and asked, "Barusu, why is it that you have never exhibited the diligence and professionalism of this man? You should learn from his example while you are away. It may make you a better manservant the next time we meet one another, because I do not intend to clean up your messes any longer."

Subaru grimaced. He almost acted on an urge to be petty and reveal to everyone here right now that he had once caught her sitting in the garden and having a relaxing break with a cup of tea while she was supposed to be trimming the hedges. With a burst of willpower, he decided to hold that in and use it as blackmail for another time to embarrass her.

"Can we just drop it? I don't wanna walk out of here after having to dunk on Ram, try as I might avoid it."

"Ooooh is there some excitement going on heeeere? I hope that I am invited to partake in the fuuun?"

That voice and recognizable way of speaking there's only been one person. Coming down the stairs was none other than Roswaal, dressed in his typical flashy attire.

Like always, the master of the House seemed oftentimes to be the last one to show up. Subaru wouldn't say anything about it right now, but the next time they met, he really needed to give him a lesson on punctuality.

"About time you showed up, I was just about to ask Beatrice to throw you through one of her Doors." He wasn't, but the mental image of it happening amused him. Now everyone was here and they could say anything they wanted to say.

Setting eyes on the only person that he did not recognize, the margrave could only assume that this was one of the mysterious duo that Subaru had been in contact with over the past couple of days. However, he was internally a little bit disappointed to only see one person. Either way, things would proceed in the way that he had organized.

"Ah, so you must be the enigmatic butler who has given our Subaru sooooo much assistance while the rest of us were away from him. Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am the master of this mansion, Roswaal L Mathers. I do bid you welcome. I hope you will accept all of my thanks for everything you have done in my absence for a member of my staaaaaff."

Having found himself repeating the same thing, Sebas, with unparalleled patience and grace, once more did the same. "I was happy to be of assistance. In fact, the situation was mutually beneficial, it would have been folly to not take Subaru up on his offer." Even still, he could claim the credit for the actual negotiation process. But, at the person who had been involved was not present, Sebas merely thought it best to leave it at that.

Turning to Subaru, the makeup-wearing margrave locked eyes with him and said, "Well then, I suppose that this is goodbye, Subaru. Once more, all of your services have been truly invaluable." Holding out a hand, he found himself surprised when the other shook his head and chuckled like he had made some sort of unknown joke.

"Just like I told Beatrice, this isn't gonna be goodbye for us. I'm just going away for a little. I'll be mad if you let anyone have my room I'm gone, Roz. I've actually grown attached to that space as my sovereign territory." And with this, he reached out to shake the hand of his sorta-kinda employer. He had no idea how it worked when someone was on leave.

That's without even intending to, the magician could only return the laugh, finding it to be genuinely amusing that someone would claim something in his house to be their own. "As you saaaaay, Subaru. I think Rem will take measures to ensure that it remains exactly the way you left it. You have no neeeeed to worry."

Turning to the rest of the house that stood within the entryway, Subaru's eyes shifted from one to the other. He had told everyone about his plans to leave, individually. They had accepted his choice and now was the time.

"I guess...this is it, then. I know I made a lot of promises about coming back better than I am now, and I meant them. But, I hope everyone else here does the same. I might not come back rich and famous or anything, but I'll definitely be something!"

Locking eyes with Emilia, she was the one who spoke first, "Subaru, I think it's pointless not to ask you to do anything reckless. So I won't. Just make sure that when you do it's for a good reason." It would have been too naïve to think that he would be sitting in a room and quietly going about life. That just wasn't the Subaru Natsuki she knew. And Emilia had come to terms with that.

"Glad we're on the same page. I think my days of getting into unnecessary drama are behind me. Unless of course, somebody here wants to jump into the thick of it with me! Rem? What about you?"

With a look that could only be called demonically fanatical, Rem wasted not a second in responding, "If it is with Subaru, then Rem will happily even fight the White Whale again!" From this, the two of them shared a laugh. It didn't need to be said, because they both knew what the other was thinking.

Neither of them wanted to ever go up against that, again!

"Ram, try not to throw 80% of the work on your sister just because I'm not here." Though he meant this as a joke, one that had some proof that was based in fact, he still didn't mean to poke at her too much. It was essentially the way the relationship between the two of them worked. And, to his surprise, the pink-haired made seemed to immediately understand his intentions. "You do not need to worry, Barusu. As her older sister, taking the excessive load off her shoulders is my natural duty."

Happy to hear that Ram wasn't going to be using his absence as an excuse to sleep on the job, the two of them exchanged wordless, but mutually understanding looks. He supposed this sort of silent agreement was part of their weird friendship, also?

With nothing left to say to anyone, Subaru exchanged looks with Puck. He obviously couldn't say anything that would be disrespectful or hint at his true feelings. If he was being honest, he didn't know if the Great Spirit was trustworthy. Subaru knew and he cannot put his own life on hold, forever. And he wouldn't. Which was why he took this gamble, hoping that Puck would relinquish his sloth and indolence for the sake of someone else.

"Well then, I'll see you all...when I see you."

And with that, Subaru picked up his knapsack and for the last time, opened the doors to the mansion to set off on a new journey. One that didn't involve the aid of his friends. Ones he had cried with, fought with, and even died for.

He didn't know what was to await with Sebas and Demiurge. But he knew he would meet it with eyes and mind open.

After waiting a few moments before she knew he was gone for good, Rem stared at the floor and let out a heavy sigh. "Rem can't believe he is gone." She couldn't show this face while Subaru was still in their presence. She didn't want to use any sort of guilt, intentionally or not, to make him feel as if he could not do what he thought was best for himself. In the end, he had gone through with it.

Feeling a gloved hand come to her shoulder, Rem looked back to see her master giving her a comforting smile. "You needn't worry, Rem. Subaru has promised that he will come back. I have a feeling that we will be seeing him again sooner than you think. All you need to do is keep waiting and be here for him when he returns."

As expected from the master she had pledged over ten years of service to, he knew what to say to ease her heart. She didn't want to cry. Not in front of so many people. And especially when Subaru would not have wanted her to. Nodding to show she understood, Rem, at this moment, knew that she had to throw herself into her work like never before. Until the time her master promised her arrived, she would continue to become a better maid.

But, Roswaal had made a promise to his faithful servant that he could not keep.

There was no transportation waiting for the two of them outside. But, Subaru didn't expect any. He had to admit, traveling in the carriage of a ground dragon with their magical resistance to wind pressure was pretty cool. At least, if one was of the mindset that the "destination was the journey," or whatever hippy crap people believed in. But Subaru knew that if just getting to the destination was a goal, there was a much faster way to make it happen. Which made him ask, "So, where's Demiurge? I can understand why he didn't show up, but..." There were things that Subaru was still not comfortable asking the two of them. Not yet, at least.

Having predicted this question, Sebas already had an answer prepared, "Oh, he is around. And he will make himself known soon enough." Receiving only a nod as the two of them left the Mathers mansion in the distance, Subaru now knew that it was safe to ask about the current problem. "So, I hope you were told about my new problem?" As soon as the topic changed, Subaru's tone became noticeably lower. Not because he wanted to be quiet, but due to a certain coldness taking root in his words.

"I am aware."

Subaru breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, Demiurge was on top of things. That meant that all three of them were on the same page. He could only assume that the missing member of their party was watching from somewhere to make sure that nothing got the drop on them.

He wanted to make idle conversation with the butler. It appeared that the two of them had nothing else to do. Besides, Subaru did not think that they were actually going to walk all the way to the capital. Yes, they were probably waiting for something to happen. If that was the case, he had better just make everything look natural.

"So, Sebas, about the White Whale? I guess that I will see for myself when we finally get to where we need to be, but was your master pleased with its body? I mean, I don't really know what someone would do with something like that. They say that mabeasts are good for nothing and that their flesh is gross. So..."

"That is because I believe no one has bothered to think outside the box when it comes to the use of such creatures, Subaru. Further development and advances do not come from relying upon what we already know. My master is of this belief. And as for your question, he was more than pleased. Overjoyed, even. That is why you have been given such a rare opportunity to meet with him, directly. You should consider this to be an immense honor."

Once more, Sebas refused to get into specifics about what they had done with the corpse of the Whale. And he was even vaguer with the identity of his superior. "Guess I really won't know anything 'til I get there. I guess he's not allowed to say more."

Living with Rem and Ram for so long, Subaru had become accustomed to the mindset of "because it is not permitted by my master." Though he had given up on his former delusion of becoming a knight, Subaru did still admired that there were people like the three of them who considered the words of their lord to be inarguable. They had a kind of discipline he didn't think he'd ever have.

Just as he continued to admire the qualities Sebas had that he did not, the Japanese teen found himself drawn to the older man's next words. "Anyway, Subaru, I think we have more important things to worry about at the moment." The calmness in his voice could have implied anything. Like their lodgings for the night, or how much money he had. But neither of these things was what Sebas was referring to.

"Important things? What exactly do you—"

But the teenager didn't even get to finish his sentence, Sebas' hand shot out faster than Subaru could perceive. Jumping back on instinct, a bead of sweat formed at his forehead as he saw what was now caught in Sebas' grasp.

They were three needles. Projectile weapons. And Sebas had caught all of them in between his fingers.

"W-What is that? Where did those come from?" From the position of where Sebas held his hand, Subaru guessed that those thin pieces of metal were aimed directly at his neck!

Tossing the now useless weapons on the ground, the butler called out, demanding their assailant reveal themselves. "It is useless to hide. I know exactly where you are. Hiding in the forest will not help you. Your aim may have been spectacular, but your ability to conceal yourself is not."

"My, my. And here I thought that I would disable the weaker target, first and then take care of the old man, personally. I suppose things do not always go as planned. It appears you are more skilled than you appear." The voice was low and cold, the voice of a woman who seemed to be having fun.

From within the denser part of the first, Subaru heard brush being moved away. And moments later, she made her appearance. She was, in fact, the only person Subaru had ever met in this world who had black hair. But the similarities ended there. Even with what was bloodlust in her eyes, a person who didn't know her could have been taken in by her distinct aura of eroticism. Wearing a revealing, black dress that was cut incredibly low in the middle, the dark-haired woman's large breasts were a definite eye-catcher. Subaru would have been enthralled if she wasn't high up on the list of people he hated in this world.

"So it really is her..."

The Bowel Hunter, Elsa.

"I hope you didn't think you would not be seeing me again. After all, we made a promise to one another, did we not?" She talked as if the two of them were long-lost lovers who were now reuniting to make good on a love game. And it made Subaru sick.

"Don't talk to me like we're friends! What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're after Emilia's royal insignia, again? Hate to tell you, but that ship's sailed." This wasn't what Subaru thought at all. Once again, he was making use of the tactic of hoping he could get the other person to run their mouth.

Unfortunately for him, while she may have been a psychopath, Elsa was not a madwoman who so easily took her attention away from what was important in the same way that Sloth did so many times. "Didn't I just tell you? I have business with what's inside you. Why wouldn't I take this opportunity to feast?" And she seemed to mean this literally, a hungry look in her eye. She even licked her lips as if prepared to bite.

Stepping forth, Sebas took this as his opportunity to become involved. "So, you waited until he was away from the mansion and out in the open. A fair enough plan. However, your method of attack was so straightforward that it was impossible to not see it coming."

"I appear to have been underestimated." A frown came to her face and a displaced tone took place in her voice. "But you seem to be capable of handling yourself quite well, old man. How did you know where I would attack?"

Subaru was actually wondering the same thing. Fortunately, he didn't have to pull any mind games to get him to answer.

"As I mentioned before, I sensed your presence earlier on. And when I noticed you following us, that was more than enough to make you seem suspicious." Sebas had a skill that allowed him to detect lifeforms within a certain radius of himself. And if one was not skilled in hiding more than their physical self, then as long as they were in range of his ability he may as well have been looking straight at anyone sneaking around. "One of my direct subordinates is also an assassin. And she would not have been so obvious as to attack when her targets were exiting the line of sight of the trees. In other words, you were forced to attack Subaru right here."

"Incredible..." How did he not realize any of that? And more importantly, why did the Shadow Demon not warn him of the impending danger? It had always come and go with such speed that Subaru never doubted its effectiveness. Was it possible that Sebas noticed Elsa before the Shadow Demon and could respond so much more quickly?

As he took in the surroundings, it all made sense to him. Once they got away from the forest, it was nothing but open field and a cobbled road. Elsa could not come out here and stay hidden at the same time. She would lose the advantage of surprise.

That's why she had to attack when she did!

"Did Sebas force her to give herself away like that? Just by waiting? Totally awesome."

Subaru knew that he needed to pick up on these kinds of observational skills. He couldn't always rely on doing things over two or three times to survive. No, he didn't want to!

"Sebas, this woman's an assassin from the northern country. She likes to use weird, curved knives and she usually goes for the stomach. That's why people call her the Bowel Hunter." If she just killed the other person and walked away, Subaru probably would not be so disgusted at her. This woman and her repulsive fetish for opening the stomachs of people made him want to wretch!

"Just don't let your guard down, Sebas! This woman's a serious monster!" She was one of the people he'd encountered who'd personally claimed his life multiple times. And those were in situations where he was generally in his right mind and making what he thought were rational choices.

"Is she now?" The older man inquired, raising his hand and tightening his white glove. "Then, let us see just how monstrous she truly is..."

It was an invitation. And Subaru knew that this was the moment where he had to step back and let someone else handle the situation. This was not like his confrontation with the members of the Witch Cult. He wasn't going to be able to lure her into a false sense of security. Subaru knew from prior experience that the bottom line was, Elsa was just far too fast for him to keep up with it. If he tried, he'd get cut up. He may have been proud of his accomplishments, but, he had to know when to back off and accept help.

"This is no time for stupid pride."

And with that, Subaru retreated to near the tree line. Because Sebas had not mentioned noticing anyone else in the vicinity, Subaru could only think that the mysterious partner who had been with Elsa from the beginning was not here. Maybe they are not an ally? Maybe they were just too far away? Either way, he would rely on the Shadow Demon to alert him to any funny business.

Dashing forward so quickly that Subaru noticed a burst of air shoot up behind her, Elsa flew out like a missile! A kukri knife in hand, the Bowel Hunter made for her favorite attack: A horizontal slash straight to the gut!

Her speed was such that she had used it to dispatch entire groups before they'd even known what hit them. She could feel it. The point of connection was near. Soon she would have the pleasure of seeing what kind of bowels this old man had in him!

But, her desire was denied, flat.

With the greatest of ease, Sebas dodged. It was nothing flashy about his movements. He simply moved back a few feet to ensure he was completely out of her range. And before the northerner could respond to what happened, Elsa was thrown into the ground, her head smashed in by the downward swing of a ferocious hammer.

It had to be a hammer. What else could hit her with such force?

It wasn't a hammer.

Sebas knocked her into the ground, creating a crater twice the size of a person by bringing his elbow down and slamming it straight into Elsa's head without hesitation. Blood sprayed from the hit, a puddle of brain matter and meat filling what would have been a face-shaped impact pattern in the ground.

If Elsa still had a face.

Subaru felt disgusted to even look at the scene. And this was coming from somebody who had blown the entire top portion of a Witch Cultist's body off. The brutality of the single strike made his face squinch up reflexively.

"Damn...That was crazy." Out of all the insane abilities that he had seen in coming to this world, Subaru supposed that he had simply forgotten that one of the most deadly weapons that anyone possessed was simply their own fist. "He floored her in one hit. Just like Reinhard did..."

Elsa's body was motionless. Well, of course it was. But she was dead. She had to be. How could somebody get up after having their head bashed in like that?

Just as Subaru was about to come and take a closer look, albeit reluctantly, Sebas' calm voice warned him to stay back. "She is not finished, Subaru. I believe this will require a bit more...force."

He was about to ask just what exactly he was talking about. And Subaru's answer came just a few seconds later. Jumping up out of the crater, Elsa performed a spectacular double backflip as she lept through the air, creating some distance between her and her foe. To Subaru's surprise, her head was still intact. What's more, in a truly grotesque sort of way, Elsa's neck seemed to crack in unnatural angles as it seemed to...fit back into place?

"What the shit is she...?"

"It would appear that she has a rather powerful healing ability. It is not easy to recover from fatal damage that way by normal means." Sebas intended that to be a death blow, but she had recovered.

"Now that was truly ruthless. I didn't think that you would resort to such an attack against a woman." Despite having been attacked in such a brutal way, and Elsa surprisingly didn't seem to be upset like many others would have. Rather, she seemed even more eager than last time. Brandishing a second kukri, Subaru remembered this scene, perfectly. She did the same thing last time he saw her.

And yet Sebas didn't seem worried.

"I think you have heard me say this before, Subaru Natsuki. Please, feel free to stop me if you remember," The black-haired assassin lovingly licked the flat side of her newly unsheathed blade. "If I lose my fangs, I'll fight with my claws. If I lose my claws, I'll fight with my bones. If I lose my bones, I'll fight with my life." Unlike the last time he saw her fight, this time, Elsa was in a wide-open space. They weren't inside a building where she could annoyingly bounce off the walls and the ceiling beams to confuse our opponent. Which was why Elsa reared back and darted out toward Sebas, perhaps even faster than last time!

Swinging her blade at the deceptively powerful old man, Elsa attempted to connect with a downward chop. But it was dodged. She did the same by attempting to overwhelm her opponent with a flurry of slashes, only to find that he weaved in between every swipe and every cut.

Her speed was one of the attributes that she was most proud of. And yet, every time she initiated an attack, it seemed that the old man evaded just a moment before she was able to make contact. Despite whatever danger she may have found herself in, Elsa was truly upset with battle. But, she didn't find it to be particularly entertaining when the opponent seeing the two have no passion and refused to engage her. From the old man, she could sense no aggression and no killing intent. "He's just moving around and staying out of the way of my attacks. Nng. Why! Can't! I! Hit! Him?!"

Elsa almost felt as if she was being ignored.

Noticing that the old man was preparing to throw a punch at her, she could tell from his stance and his body movement, Elsa and maybe we knew that this was her golden opportunity to land a counter-attack. The kind that intercepted her opponent before they'd even finished launching their own offense.

Sebas thrust his fist out, only to be evaded by Elsa who skillfully ducked under the punch! "You're wide open!" With murder in her eyes, the Bowel Hunter swung her kukri, aimed straight for the old man's ribs while her second blade was aimed to skewer him from the other side. He would be crippled after this attack.

She made contact. And in her mind, Elsa immediately thought, "I win." A victorious, crazed, and bloodthirsty grin marring her face, it took her a second or two to realize her attack had not done the damage that she thought it would.

Indeed, she did connect. But somehow, someway, both of her knives snapped straight in half from the moment of contact. The pieces of metal flew impotently into the air and landed somewhere completely out of reach.

Upon seeing this, she was momentarily paralyzed. Confusion took hold of her mind. Nothing like this had ever happened before. She had been damaged, counterattacked, impaled, cut, burned, and every other sort of wound one could think of. But, nobody had ever managed to break her weapons simply by taking the attack. It shouldn't have been possible! And what's more, the old man was still in the same attack stance, his fist extended outward. And this communicated one thing to her: "He did that on purpose."

He had intentionally created that opening, knowing that she would not be able to resist going in for the kill.

Looking into the eyes of the unknown old man, Elsa, still not in fear of her life could only ask, "How did you destroy my fangs?"

And Elsa received her answer. But not from the old man. A voice so pleasant that she could listen to it speak into her ear for hours caught her attention.

"It's quite simple, isn't it? Your inferior weaponry is no match for his superior defense."

It was a man.

His voice filled her with such erotic pleasure that Elsa did not even notice that the owner of the voice was so much closer than she initially realized. Turning to look behind herself, the northern assassin came face-to-face with a second stranger. He was of an unusual skin tone that certainly wasn't common in her home country of the north. And he looked at her with an unmistakable smile that could only be called predatory.

It was the same look she wore when she eyed new meat to cut open.

"Oh my, I was not expecting to be double-teamed by two men. What's a girl to do, now?"

She was surrounded on both sides. Front and back. And yet Elsa still did not appear to be intimidated. And this was something that Subaru could not identify with on any level. "Doesn't she care about her life...?" She looked even more excited than ever! What was wrong with this woman?

When she fought Reinhard, after the entire house had been blown up, that was the point where she knew to give up and run away. Was it possible that she was not allowed to do so in this situation? Was this assassination so crucial that she would rather die on the job rather than retreat? Was she truly that obsessed with death that even her own did not phase her?

Subaru didn't even have the time to wonder where Demiurge had come from. If he had to guess, perhaps he had teleported in or was invisible. He really wouldn't put it past him to be able to do the second one.

She wanted to escape sideways, but the newcomer in the red sued prevented her from doing so, intercepting her restraining Elsa by placing a hand over her throat from behind. But he was not acting alone. "Sebas, I believe I will require your assistance in keeping her from moving." It was not that he was incapable of doing so. Both of them possessed skills that would cause instantaneous immobilization. However, this woman was his opponent first. It was only fair to keep him in the game.

Elsa attempted to struggle, but she soon found that she was no match for Demiurge's superior strength and completely barehanded. And seconds later, she could not move at all.

The elderly butler placed a finger on her forehead and muttered a single word that stopped Elsa Granhiert from resisting. "[Paralysis.]"

With this singular move, no matter how much she lashed out in her mind, her body simply would not respond. She had not expected this to happen. Elsa was enduring when it came to physical damage. But, she was not skilled when it came to such unknown techniques.

She fell limp in the arms of the man in the red suit, hopelessly powerless. And for one of the few times in her life, Elsa felt fear. Her very ability to move had been taken away, robbing her of even the thrill of dying in battle.

"I feel it is an insult for you to even call such inferior weapons fangs or claws." The man in red sounded pleasantly amused at one of her favored phrases when going into battle, but Elsa didn't see anything amusing about the way she staked her life every time she brandished a weapon.

Whispering in her ear so that only the two of them shared in this exchange, her captor further mocked her, "Fangs and claws are something that inferior humans like yourself will never have." Elsa, an assassin who has slain hundreds in her young life stood powerless in the arms of someone who she didn't even know the name of. And without even the ability to fight to the death on her own terms, all she could do was curse these...monsters in her mind! "Damn it! Damn you! This wasn't supposed to happen! Not again!" She couldn't fail another mission. And especially not to the same client.

At this moment, Elsa thought that it would perhaps be more merciful if she were killed right here at this moment. Because if she were to be let go, she knew what fate awaited her once that person found out. Punishment was inescapable.

"Meili. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

These were the last words that Elsa could think before something split into her gut. The woman's flawless skin had been pierced from behind by something. No, a few somethings. Thanks to her special ability, she could not feel pain, which helped in ensuring she could fight through any injury. But it didn't matter if she was entirely immobilized.

Elsa's intestines burst from her stomach, falling out of her like shredded pieces of fresh meat! It was truly surprising how much was inside a person's body. The assassin's guts hung out of her in thick, fleshy links. Blood littered the stone pavement as her mind temporarily went blank.

"[Aspect of the Devil: Scything Claws]."

Tossing her limp body on the ground as if it was common trash, Demiurge held up a hand, showing that all five of his fingers had somehow transformed into razor-sharp claws at least eighty centimeters long that had impaled Elsa and torn her guts out from behind!

Elsa Granhiert had been disemboweled.

Watching this entire thing unfold, Subaru wanted to say that he enjoyed looking at this. But, he had to admit that it was a little bit different when somebody else was performing the massacre. It would have been far too much of a stretch to say that he was feeling anything resembling sympathy for this assassin. He supposed that he just was not mentally prepared for the way that Sebas or Demiurge would fight.

But as of now? All he could think was, "Good riddance."

Having been watching the scene unfold right from the beginning, Demiurge was impressed to find that she could recover from what was absolutely a fatal attack from his comrade. That was why he personally intervened. He wanted to see just how far her self-healing went. And quickly enough, his answer came.

Elsa's body slowly began putting itself back together. Every broken bone. Every severed entrail. They all returned to their natural place within her. And within thirty or so seconds, her body was once again immaculate. If it were not for the fact that she was staying in all the blood, Elsa would have still bad as physically attractive as any stranger could think.

And surprisingly, she could move again. Albeit slowly.

Physically speaking, she was just fine. However, she knew she was defeated. And it was at this point that Subaru knew it was okay to step up to the plate. She had been completely disarmed and her confidence in her ability had been overcome. Now he knew how she survived that house-destroying attack from Reinhard. She technically had not. He had probably blown her up. It was just that Elsa was recovering underneath that pile of rubble and she burst out for a surprise attack when they let their guards down.

Looking up at both Sebas and Demiurge like a kicked animal, the defeated Bowel Hunter looked at the ground beneath her as she struggled to her knees. "No...no matter what torture you attempt to put me through, you will never get anything out of me. As you can see, my body is quite special. You would be wasting your time to even try putting me through any pain or agony." She coughed out a mouthful of blood before falling on her backside.

For once, the smile on Demiurge's face faded. And it sent a wave of displeasure and uncertainty through her entire body. He tilted his head to the side in momentary confusion before gleaming, white fangs became visible behind his lips. The smile returned. "Whoever said anything about feeling pain?"

"So, what are we going to do with her? I think that we should take her. We have to figure out what she wanted. I don't believe for one minute that she just showed up out of nowhere like this." Was it possible that the person who hired her the first time around told her to go back and finish off the person who had gotten in her way?

Demiurge and Sebas both nodded. This wasn't simply because they had been promised another interest in the specimen. This woman had targeted someone who had been granted the protection of their master. Anyone who sought his life immediately became a criminal beyond redemption in both of their eyes.

"Subaru, I think it is finally time that you need with our master. You have been made to wait long enough and I believe you did not deserve to be put in such unnecessary danger on a day such as today. Please prepare yourself."

Demiurge then performed an action that Subaru had only once seen before. He reached out and pushed his hand it would appear to be some sort of black void. Seconds later, he brandished what looked like some sort of blue orb about the size of a softball. A gold, draconic symbol was emblazoned on the face of a sphere as he activated the fact. It began to produce a misty, white light that swallowed all of them.

"Dragon Soul Stone - World Connector."

This was not like the teleportation ability that he had used on them once before. At that time, he barely had any concept of what happened. At one point he was somewhere, and then he was another. It was instantaneous. Now but? Subaru felt as if his body was being transformed into nothingness. And then, he couldn't feel anything at all. As the blinding light faded, Subaru Natsuki vanished from the world itself, leaving no trace that he had ever been there.

Subaru did not even know how much time had passed. But after a certain point, he felt himself come back together. He was whole. Taking a look around, he noticed himself, Sebas, Demiurge, and of course, a bloody, but physically stable Elsa, who was now in Demiurge's grasp. She was completely weaponless and just as confused as Subaru was. Probably more so.

The Japanese teen had no idea where he was. But, he recognized the general architecture and theme of this massive place to be something like a royal hall. He was absolutely surrounded on both sides by suits of armor that were far too large for any human to wear. They probably were fit for real, live giants! They were statues of mythological creatures on both sides! Dragons. Angels. Devils. Exotic, winged beasts, etc.

Massive, jeweled chandeliers hung from the ceilings, reflecting light from the wide windows outside. Wherever he had been transported to, clearly it was still the middle of the day. If Subaru had to make a guess, he would have assumed that he had been transported to a castle. Granted, he'd only ever been inside of one. And even then, he wasn't supposed to be there. But that didn't mean he didn't take in on all of the sights. He immediately got the same feeling from this new environment.

Subaru wanted to ask where they were. But, unfortunately, a certain assassin beat him to the punch. "Where are we?! How did we get here?! It doesn't look like the forest road that we were just in! Is this some kind of Illusion? Where have you taken me?!" Even in the face of absolute defeat, Elsa never allowed herself to express this sort of emotion. And so, Subaru found it to be interesting that a simple location change could make her freak out like this.

"Sebas, I will leave you to handle the directions from here. As for me, I will be making my delivery. I believe I will be taking this woman to the WUC in the Graveyard."

Nodding, Sebas understood. "Indeed. I will take over the rest from here. But, I do not think it will take long. Subaru has a meeting to attend and it would not do well for us to keep anyone waiting. We have already dishonored ourselves by getting distracted."

Both exchanged a silent goodbye, and that was when Demiurge vanished by way of teleportation, taking the Bowel Hunter with him. Against her will, of course. This was something that Subaru knew he recognized! The way he disappeared was in that familiar, instant flash of blue light! It was the same way that they had vanished from the hotel in the capital city when he transported them to the Liphas Plains.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Sebas folded his arms behind his back. Please, follow me. I will only be taking you to your destination. This will be a private audience that you alone will enjoy. Very soon, you will be introduced to our master. And please, you must remember to conduct yourself with the utmost integrity in his presence. Our lord is truly forgiving. But you must keep in mind that the proper etiquette is to be maintained."

Hearing this, the dumbfounded Subaru was immediately reminded of the way certain people in Lugunica behaved when matters concerned their own masters. Sebas had been so professional, but also very cordial before. His sudden strictness told Subaru that this was serious business.

Feeling himself gulp, he wondered why he was suddenly more nervous than when Elsa showed up.

"Don't mess this up! Don't mess this up! Don't mess this up! Don't mess this up! Don't mess this up!" He repeated this to himself in his mind dozens of times as he followed behind Sebas. But Subaru just couldn't help but remember the last time he was in a castle and how he said all the wrong things at the wrong time and got himself into trouble. Nerves were getting to him. As long as there weren't any prideful, purple-haired dicks in this place, surely he would be fine, yes?

Strangely, the castle they were in seemed to be unusually...vacant?

The two of them arrived at what he thought to be the doors of what was probably an audience chamber. "This is where I leave you, Subaru. I wish you good fortune."

"Why do I feel like what you wanna say is, 'you're gonna need it, Subaru.' Geez, am I gonna even survive this? The weight is killing me!"

Locking eyes with the butler for a few more moments, Subaru almost out hesitant to go inside. But, he knew he had to come this far just to make up excuses. And just to encourage him on, Sebas was the one who opened both of the doors for him. Light blasted him from the other side and he was forced to squint on his way in.

Subaru was treated to a view of what was indeed a royal meeting room. A massive, decorated table sat right in the middle with over a dozen chairs on each side. And at the head of the room was a glorious, throne-like chair. If he was being exact, it was more like a chair that had the width of a smaller couch.

Because it was so bright, Subaru still had a little bit of difficulty seeing everything that there was to see in this room. But that did not mean he was alone. Seconds later, a deep, smooth voice made it known that there was another here. "Greetings, Subaru Natsuki. I see that Sebas and Demiurge finally retrieved you. I am happy that everyone has arrived safely."

Standing at one of the windows was the only other person in the room. And Subaru was not even certain if person was the correct way to refer to them.

In terms of height, Subaru would estimate that he was at least six foot six! He was dressed in sublime, red robes that were outfitted with golden accents. Each of his fingers was adorned with a different sort of ring, promoting a true air of wealth. But none of these things were what stunned him into silence. The eyes looking back at him were red flames sitting inside truly empty eye sockets. And he meant that literally! The robed entity that towered over him in stature was a moving, talking skeleton! His face was entirely devoid of skin, muscle, or tissue of any sort!

Approaching a few steps closer, ensuring that he was fully out of the way of the window's blinding light, the skeletal figure closed the distance between the two and continued on. "I am the Sorcerer King himself, Ainz Ooal Gown." Upon announcing himself, he waved an arm over himself in a slow, but noble sort of way. The only thing that Subaru could say about his otherwise frightful appearance was that every movement he made was nothing less than the pinnacle of majesty. "But please, just feel free to call me Ainz."

"By the way, that is a nice tracksuit you have, Subaru Natsuki."