Chapter 11

While Itsuki helped the maids in the village, Subaru somehow managed to get almost everyone to participate in his warmup excercises. Part of the plan to determine who the Shaman is was to get Subaru into physical contact with every single person. However, Itsuki was still dead set on it being the small puppy that bit him and Rem, seeing as how that was the only thing that came into physical contact with the both of them. It may not make the most sense when explained to someone, but to Itsuki, it was the only logical explanation.

"Barusu." Ram said, getting his attention. "Exactly what sort of game is this?"

"Radio calisthenics." Subaru replied as he walked over to the trio. "I think the fact that everyone, young and old, can enjoy it is the key secret to its many long years of success."

"Who cares?" Ram dead panned.

"Ram-ram, that was cold." One of the kids said, getting the pink haired maids attention.

"Ram-ram, that was mean." Another kid said.

"Ram-ram, you're scary."

Staring at the kids for a few moments, Ram looked to Subaru. "Did you teach all these children to call me by that name?"

"Well, it was more like: I wanted to share some friendliness around with everybody."

Ram sighed. "I suppose I don't mind it. What about Rem?"

"You mean Rem-rem?"

"She's Rem-rem."

"Or Rem-rem-rem-rem."

"Uh..." Rem let out a surprised breath before looking to her sister.

"Hmph. And Itsuki?"

Hearing his name brought the teen back to the moment. "Hm? You need something, Ram?"

"That's Ki-ki!" One of the kids said.

Upon hearing the nickname, Itsuki's eyelid twitched as he slowly turned his gaze to Subaru.

"He's Ki-ki!" Another kid spoke.

Hearing the nickname again, Itsuki grit his teeth in annoyance. "I refuse to be called that."

Subaru gave an innocent shrug.

"You couldn't have thought of something better, Barusu?" Itsuki growled.

"What? I just thought a nickname like K-"

"If you ever address me by that name in front of me, I will use fire magic to burn a second whole in your a-"

"Okay!" Subaru quickly cut Itsuki off from cursing in front of the children. "Got it! Duly noted."

"So then, enjoy the village trip you wanted so much?" Ram asked Subaru.

"I sure did! Nothing to worry about there. My trip is now complete." Subaru stated.

Still ticked off by the lack of creativity of his nickname, which the kids now referred to him by, Itsuki crossed his arms.

"Fuckin' 'Ki-ki'..." he growled under his breath.

Just thinking about the lame nickname made Itsuki annoyed.

As Itsuki was lost in his own annoyed thoughts, Subaru's attention was taken by another of the kids.

"Take a look. O-over there." The kid pointed down one of the dirt paths leading to the forest.

Looking to Rem and Ram for confirmation, Ram sighed.

"Alright. Have your way a little bit longer."

"Well, if you say so, sister." Rem said.

"Yes! Thanks!" Subaru waved before heading off in the direction the kid pointed.

With Rem, Ram and Itsuki now alone, Rem noticed Itsuki was still thinking about the nickname given to him by Subaru.

"Itsuki." Rem said softly.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Itsuki looked to the blue haired maid.

"Yes?"

"After we return to the mansion, how would you feel about beginning the first training lesson?" Rem asked.

"Training lesson?" Ram repeated.

"Itsuki has the magic attributes: water and fire. Yesterday, I offered to teach him water based spells." Rem explained.

"I see." Ram said.

"So, Itsuki." Rem looked to the boy. "Would you like to practice a bit once we return?"

"I'd love to!" Itsuki said with a smile.

A few hours later

Arriving back at the mansion as the sun began to set, Subaru placed a wooden barrel full of supplies down in front of the entrance.

"Holy crap I made it. Good job me. Seriously, really nice work there." Subaru complimented himself.

"Yes, yes. Job well done."

"Yes, yes. Excellent work."

"Why couldn't you have helped me carry it?" Subaru asked while looking to Itsuki.

Scratching his chin, Itsuki shifted his gaze to the sky.

"Call it payback for telling the kids to call me by such a ridiculous name." Itsuki replied.

"I already apologi-"

"Aaaaah, the four of you are together. Good. That will save me precious time on my way o~ut." Roswaal said, approaching the four from the mansion's main entrance.

"Lord Roswaal." Rem and Ram bowed respectfully.

"Pretty fancy clothes you got there." Subaru said, acknowledging Roswaal's change of wardrobe. "Nice."

"Thank you so much." Roswaal said whilst taking off his hat. "I'm getting together with someone who is absolutely dre~adful to deal with in normal attire. So I had no choice but to wear dre~ss clothes for the occasion."

"Is it a visitor?" Rem asked.

"Or will you be going out?" Ram asked.

"Ram is correct." Roswaal said. "I'll be going out. I've received a message earlier today that was a ta~d trou~blesome." He said while putting his hat back on. "So now I'm off to make the rou~nds outside. There's a fairly high likelihood that I won't be back home to~night. Ram, Rem take care of things until I retu~rn."

"Yes sir, we will do as you command."

"Yes sir, even if it costs our lives."

Watching Roswaal approach and put a hand on Subaru's shoulder, Itsuki began to think.

"Did Roswaal leave in any of the previous loops?" He asked himself.

"Sure. You can definitely count on me for that!" Subaru said as Roswaal stood upright.

"Itsuki." Roswaal said, getting his attention.

"Yes?"

"Keep an e~ye on Subaru for me. He seems to have a knack for getting himself into tr~ouble." Roswaal told him.

"You can say that again."

"Look after things while I'm a~way, everyone!" Roswaal suddenly flew into the air and took off like a jet.

"Roswaal can fly?!" Subaru said in amazement.

However, to Itsuki, he wasn't as taken off guard. He had a decent idea as to how much power Roswaal held, so being able to fly didn't really come to a surprise.

"Itsuki." Rem said softly, getting his attention. "Follow me and I can teach you more magic."

"Right."

Being led to the back of the mansion, Itsuki and Rem stood a few feet apart.

"Alright. Tell me what you know so far." Rem said.

"Pretty much the basics." Itsuki replied. "I know how to channel my mana through my gate, albeit only slightly, as well as the different levels of spells. Right now, I just want to get used to focusing my mana and fine tuning it."

"Very well." Rem said softly. "Is there a particular spell you wish to practice with first?"

"Maybe Goa?" Itsuki said with a shrug. "Puck told me it's a fire based spell, and I was curious about it."

Rem slowly nodded. "I see. If you wish to cast Goa, then you will surely need a target. Since I won't allow you to damage Lord Roswaal's property, you will aim your spell at me and I will block it with Huma."

"Are you sure?" Itsuki asked.

"Yes. Now, visualize your mana." Rem told Itsuki. Doing as told, Itsuki prepared to cast. "Now, ca-"

"Rem, Itsuki, we need to talk now!" Subaru shouted from the doorway.

Minutes later

Standing in the foyer of the mansion, Ram, Rem, and Itsuki stood before Subaru.

"We need to get to the village immediately!"

"The village? What for?" Ram asked.

Subaru held up his left hand in reply, showing the dog bite wound he received from the puppy.

"Beatrice said that the one who gave me this wound is also the one who's responsible for placing the curse on me!" Subaru said. "And that means it was the dog the kids were playing with! It may have looked innocent at the time, but that little beast cursed everyone it bit! If I don't do something they'll be in grave danger! If you don't think you can trust me, you're welcome to come along. But we can't just leave Emilia here defenseless all by herself. That means only one of you can come."

"You made up that rule." Rem said. "And if we are to obey master Roswaal's order to the letter, then there is absolutely no reason for either of us to go with you."

"Fair enough. But do you happen to recall the only order Roswaal gave to me?" Subaru asked.

"Very well, Barusu." Ram spoke. "I will allow you to act on your best judgement."

"But sister..."

"And Rem will be accompanying you." Ram added.

"What about me?" Itsuki asked.

"You will stay here in the mansion with myself and miss Emilia." Ram told him.

"But Roswaal told me not to keep an eye on Subaru." Itsuki told her. "Also, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to help as well."

Ram closed her eyes. "Very well."

"But sister!" Rem said.

"That's my decision, so please respect it and go with them." Ram said. "I'll confirm everything with miss Beatrice and remain here to protect miss Emilia. I'll be sure to keep an eye on other things too."

"Sister, wait. You shouldn't-"

"Subaru." Emilia said as she approached from the staircase. "Are you going somewhere?"

"We're going to the village again." Itsuki said. "A sudden problem has occurred and we're going to solve it."

"You're going to do something dangerous again, aren't you?" She asked as she ran over.

"Funny enough, we were just wrapping up a dispute on that particular subject." Subaru said.

"I can't talk you out of it, can I?"

"No. Matter of fact, if you try to, it would be a hindrance in several ways." Subaru said.

"It's okay, I get it." Emilia said. "I won't try to stop you. It's probably no use to tell you not to be rash or reckless either, right?" Emilia suddenly placed her hand to Subaru's chest. "Go with grace. May the blessings of the spirits be with you. This is a good luck prayer. It means to come back safe, so you better."

"I will." Subaru nodded firmly.

Minutes later

Making it down to the village, Itsuki, Subaru and Rem looked around. This place held a drastically different atmosphere at night than it did in the day. A bit sinister, really.

Spotting a villager run by with a torch, Rem called out to him.

"Has something happened?"

"Several of the village children have gone missing and now everybody is out looking all over for them."

"Don't tell me-!" Subaru said before suddenly darting off towards the woods.

Stopping at the fence lining the village, the trio began to look around.

Scanning the trees, Itsuki noticed green gems were on almost each one. However, one of them was off.

"There!" Itsuki pointed to it.

"The barrier's been broken..." Rem said softly. "The mabeasts can enter the village..."

"Mabeasts?"

"They're known as unholy creatures of the witches' creation. Enemies of humanity that have magic powers. Within the forest, they live wild and in great numbers." Rem explained.

Looking at the forest once more, Itsuki looked fown, seeing footprints leading into the trees.

"The kids went into the forest..." Itsuki said softly.

"Then what the hell're we waiting for?!" Subaru shouted before jumping the fence and darting into the forest.

"Subaru, wait!" Itsuki shouted, however, Subaru was already gone from view. "Goddamnit!" Looking to the villager who had joined them, Itsuki pointed back into the village. "Get the others! Tell them what happened!"

"Right!"

"Fuckin' stubborn moron!" Itsuki growled through clenched teeth as he hopped the fence as well.

"Itsuki, wa-"

"We can't leave Subaru alone in there." Itsuki said. "Besides, weren't we both given orders to keep an eye on that idiot?"

Rem paused before nodding. "Right!"

With a familiar sound of a chain ringing through Itsuki's ears, Rem wielded her morningstar.

"Let's go!"

Running through the forest, Itsuki kept his eyes glued to the footprints left in the dirt. Following them through a bush, Itsuki lost track of them on the other side. "Damnit!"

"You better not get yourself killed again, Subaru!" Itsuki thought to himself. "If you die again, I swear, I'll kill you."

"Itsuki, wait." Rem said as she joined his side. Sniffing the air, Rem suddenly bolted to their left.

Following her, the two made it to an open field with small hills of grass. Arriving at the top of one of the hills, laying in the grass were the missing kids.

Kneeling next to one of the kids, Itsuki heard their breathing, shallow and weak.

"They're dying..." Itsuki said. Noticing bite marks on each of the kids, Itsuki ran a hand through his hair. "Is there anything we can do?"

"I'll do what I can and cast a healing spell to comfort them." Rem replied. "When they're calm, we can carry them back with us."

"What about Subaru?" Itsuki asked. "He's still-"

"Ki-ki..." one of the kids said softly. Looking down, the girl with brown hair and a red bow was conscious. "Subaru...he went...to help... she's still...in the..." that was all she said before passing out again.

"Huh?"

"Subaru was here?" Rem asked. "Then why did he leave them behind?"

"She said he went to help. Wait!" Looking around, Itsuki saw that one of the kids was missing. "There were seven kids earlier in the day, right?"

Rem gasped. "You're right."

"Subaru must have ran into the forest to look for her!" Itsuki said as he rose to his feet.

"Itsuki wait, you can't go in th-"

"I have to make sure that idiot doesn't get himself killed." Itsuki said. "If he found that little girl, then most likely than not he found trouble as well. If it's as dangerous as you say, he's gonna need help."

"If you wander off somewhere, I may never be able to find you." Rem told him.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find me easily." Itsuki replied.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I'm coated in the witches' scent." Itsuki replied. "You can smell it on me, can't you?"

"How do you know that?"

"You think I didn't notice all those untrusting looks towards me?" Itsuki asked. "Can't say I blame you. I know Subaru also has the witches' scent on him as well. Whatever you may think, let me assure you that both of us are on Emilia's side as well as yours, Ram's and Roswaal's. If you still doubt me, then when all of this is over, you can ask me as many questions as you want and I will answer them as honestly as I possibly can. I know you're curious about me just like how I'm curious about you. So, when this is all said and done, let's talk. We can chat late into the night and into the following morning. Promise?"

Rem stared at Itsuki before nodding her head. "Promise."

Reaching out, Itsuki wrapped his pinky finger around Rem's. Even though she might not know what it meant, it was Itsuki's best way of solidifing that promise with something other than words.

"I trust you Rem. And I want you to trust me. So, I'm sticking to this promise."

"Very well, then I promise on my end too. I plan on asking you many questions so be ready for them." Rem said.

"I will be." Itsuki said as he stood up.

"Once the villagers arrive to help the children, I'll join you. Just be careful out there." Rem told him.

"Don't worry, I got this." Itsuki said with a smile. "I'm demonically inspired."

Just as Itsuki said that, he paused, wondering why that phrase left his lips.

"Demonically inspired?" Rem repeated.

"I'm not exactly sure either." Itsuki said honestly as he turned around to head deeper into the forest.

"Please take care. I'll join you soon!"

A few minutes later

Pushing through a bush, Itsuki heard a loud yell. Rushing to the source, Itsuki slid to a halt as he saw Subaru launch a mabeast over his head and impale it on a sharp branch on a fallen tree.

"Subaru!" Itsuki yelled his name as he rushed to his side.

"Itsuki!" Subaru let out a breath of relief. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

Looking to the ground, Itsuki saw the missing girl. "You found her!"

"Yeah." Subaru winced as he rubbed his shoulder. "Think you can help me get her back to the village?"

"Obviously. But we should get going before more-"

Itsuki stopped talking as countless growls came from the bushes surrounding them. Looking back, red eyes stared at the pair from every angle.

"We're surrounded."

"Yeah, no shit!" Itsuki said as he backed away. "Fuck."

"If we have to, we can lo-"

"Hell no!" Itsuki shouted. "This is the final time we're doing this shit! Get ready to fight, Subaru!"

Taking a stance, Itsuki closed his eyes as the first mabeast rushed out of the bushes.

"Goa!" Itsuki shouted as he stretched out his hands to the creature. Immediately, a small ball of fire rushed from Itsuki's palms, hitting the mabeast and causing it to catch fire.

Roaring in pain, it quickly ceased all movement.

"Nice shot!"

Falling to one knee, Itsuki began to huff. "Damnit!"

As more mabeasts rushed them, Rem suddenly appeared out of the bushes, using her morningstar to defend both Itsuki and Subaru.

"The children have been safely returned to the village." Rem said.

As Rem spoke, two more mabeasts pounced.

"Rem!"

Hearing the warning, the maid spun around, killing the two in the blink of an eye with her morningstar. Without letting up, Rem continued to launch the giant spiked ball at more of the creatures, killing them each with a single blow.

Seeing another mabeast rush towards Rem, Itsuki once again called upon his own mana.

"Goa!"

Hitting the beast with his fire magic, Itsuki successfully protected Rem. Looking towards the source of the magic, Rem gave an appreciative smile.

Pushing himself to his feet, Itsuki fought passed his own fatigue. As for right now, his limit to cast seemed to be twice before running out of mana.

Following Subaru through the opening Rem made, the two rushed into the forest, followed by Rem.

"Which way?" Subaru stopped running, looking around to try and get his bearings.

"Go straight. The fight will end once we make it passed the barrier. Look for the village bonfire." Rem said.

"Got it!"

With Subaru carrying the child, Itsuki was having a hard time keeping up. His legs felt like they'd give any moment, but still Itsuki pressed onwards.

Spotting the village lights, Subaru stopped and looked back at Rem. "Over here! We're almost there!"

Looking back at Rem, Itsuki saw the maid was covered in blood.

"Rem..."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake as a low rumbling noise came from behind them. Looking to the source, a mud slide rushed towards the trio.

Instantly, Subaru jumped out of the way of the mud slide, ensuring his and the child's safety. However, Itsuki wasn't as quick. Because of his fatigue, he wasn't going to make it out of the way in time.

A sudden push from behind shoved Itsuki next to Subaru. Rolling onto his back, Itsuki saw Rem had shoved him out of the way.

"Rem!"

Making a quick movement towards her, Itsuki outstretched his hand just as Rem was hit by the mud slide.

"REM!"

Getting launched into the air, Itsuki and Subaru watched in horror as Rem hit the ground head first.

"REM!" Itsuki pushed himself to his feet. Taking a few steps towards her, he stopped as Rem got back onto her feet.

Pink electricity shot out from Rem's forehead as a pink horn slowly grew from the same spot. Her eyes slowly opened, at first being the same color as the horn before quickly turning back to their shade of blue.

"Hehehehehahahah..." Rem began to chuckle before bursting into full blown laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! EHAHAHAHA!"

Walking towards the mabeasts, Rem had a crazed look plastered on her face. Her lips contorting into a chilling, open mouthed smile.

Pulling her arm back, she swung her morningstar at the creatures.

"MaBeasTS! MABeaSTS! MABEASTS! MABEASTS! MABEASTS! MABEASTSMABEASTSMABEASTSMABEASTS! EHAHAHA! HUHEHEHAHA!"

Staring in shock, fear, awe and amazement all at the same time, only one thought ran through Itsuki's head.

"She's a demon."

As Rem killed mabeast after mabeast, she had a small break in between her onslaught. Looking to a group of the mabeasts, there, standing among four other mabeasts, was the puppy that bit Subaru.

As she stared at it, Rem failed to see the five mabeasts that pounced towards her from the side.

Running over, Itsuki pushed her out of the way just as she did to him.

"Huh?"

As Rem fell back, her horn vanished as she stared at Itsuki who was instantly pounced on by the five mabeasts. With two biting his arms, two biting his legs and one biting his side, Itsuki was trapped, unable to move. Yelling out in pain, Rem quickly got to her feet.

"Itsuki!"

Killing the mabeasts currently chewing on him, Rem knelt beside Itsuki as his eyes slowly closed. "Please hang in there! Don't die! Don't die! Don't die!"

"Don't die!"

End of chapter 11