Natsuki Subaru had been bonded with The Spectre, the embodiment of God's vengeance, and was sentenced to another world to deliver divine punishment on all evil. With his newfound power, the once powerless teenager effortlessly defeated and killed Elsa Granhiert in such a way that it could only be seen as a horror movie.
Though Elsa was certainly an individual to deserve such a fate. And unlike with the three thugs, Subaru didn't feel a shred of remorse for what The Spectre did.
"My name is Natsuki Subaru. I know there's tons of things you want to ask me."
The half-elf girl cautiously approached him, and was about to ask him something. But this was halted when everyone heard a clear voice.
"Can someone explain to me what just happened here?"
Everyone turned to the entrance of the room, and there was a young man standing there. What first drew their eyes was his red hair that was like a blazing inferno, and right below were shining blue eyes that could only be described as daring.
His extraordinary good looks only further amplified his awe-inspiring presence, and a single glance was all it took to tell that he was someone of great importance. He was tall, slender, and well-proportioned, and he wore well tailored black clothing. At his waist knight's sword that despite its simple appearance, gave off an abnormally intimidating atmosphere.
"Reinhard-san?"
The elf girl gasped. Subaru turned and looked at her briefly before turning back to the man who he now knew was named Reinhard. This person must be really important for her to show such surprise in his presence like that.
"I heard a scream coming from this place. And I wish to know what happened."
Subaru could feel the seriousness and determination behind his voice. This guy clearly meant business. So Subaru decided to explain it in the most unbiased way he could.
"We were attacked by Elsa Granhiert, the Bowl Hunter. But I managed to kill her."
Reinhard eyes widen in surprise as he looked at him.
"You killed Elsa Granhiert? The Bowl Hunter?"
His voice was filled with surprise and astonishment. Subaru simply pointed at the bloody mess on the floor, proving he was not boasting.
"It's true, Reinhard-san. This person, Natsuki Subaru, killed her and... he saved me. He saved us all."
Reinhard returned his gaze at Subaru. His look said it all. But then he then smiled softly.
"You have my respect, Subaru-san. What that woman did to her victims... is deserving of what you did to her."
Subaru chuckled and grinned. Even though it was technically The Spectre who did it.
"Thanks. She wasn't much trouble for me."
The silver-haired half-elf approached Subaru, and looked at him with wonder rather than horror.
"I never told you my name earlier. My name is Emilia. I don't have a family name."
Emilia. That was a rather fitting name for such a beautiful girl. Subaru simply smiled at her as she continued.
"It's nice to meet you, Subaru. And ofr saving my life back there. I will ask you for any kind of request that I can fulfill within my power."
Subaru perked up. His cheeks redden as he blushed slightly. Any request he wanted, huh? 'No!' Subaru screamed at himself mentally to not get any dirty thoughts. Still, there was something that he needed at the moment...
"Well, I'm kind of homeless at the moment..."
"Than, as a thank you, I will allow you to stay in the mansion of Roswaal-sama, as a temporary guest."
Subaru blinked. Stay in a mansion that no doubt must be super expensive? This girl, Emilia, despite what she just witnessed this night, was willing to offer him a place to stay. A mansion, no less.
Any other person would have been too horrified by the display of The Spectre's nightmarish power, and she certainly was disturbed by it. But the fact that she quickly got over it and trusted him was something he did not expect.
Perhaps she could already tell he was a nice person underneath it all.
"I only wish to ask what kind of magic did you use to defeat Elsa. Are you a spirit arts-user like me?"
Emilia asked. She had every right to ask him about that.
"Well, I do have a spirit inside of me. His name is Spectre, and he calls himself the Spirit of Vengeance. He wants to punish all evil in this world. So, in a way, I guess I am a spirits arts-user."
Both Emilia and Reinhard were surprised and impressed at hearing this. It was even more impressive that Subaru was able to use his spirit despite it being past six.
Then there was also the question of what kind of magic he used, but that will have to wait for another time.
As the trio were conversing, Felt tried to sneak away but the old giant stopped her.
"Hey, what's the big idea, Old Man Rom?!"
"You don't need that anymore, so please return the insignia to Miss Emilia."
"Okay! Fine!"
Felt pulled the insignia from her pocket. For an unknown reason, the insignia glowed — something Reinhard immediately took notice of. He quickly grabbed Felt's arm which made the girl very uncomfortable.
"Get your hands off of me, creep!"
"Stop it! I don't care if you are an Imperial Knight. No one touches Felt!"
The old man was quick to move in and protect her little girl. Reinhard released his grip from Felt and backed away from the old giant, who was now known as Rom.
"Forgive me for being so sudden. But a prophecy has been fulfilled here. I cannot takes this lightly."
"What a load of crap!"
Wait, prophecy? Subaru looked at the knight in confusion. Wondering what he meant by that.
"It is written on the Dragonstone. An insignia will glow to reveal the fifth candidate for the Royal selection."
This time, Subaru couldn't hold it back any more and he went to ask Reinhard what he meant.
"Hold on. What's this Royal selection?"
"The Royal selection is a selection process where five candidates will be chosen, to see who will be the next ruler of Lugnica."
Luganica? So that was what this country was called. And there was going to be a Royal selection, with this little girl being one of the candidates? This world just kept surprising Subaru more and more.
"I might have heard something about a prophecy, but I never heard about a Dragonstone. Though I might be too old to remember."
Old Man Rom said, scratching his head.
"I don't care what the prophecy says! I don't want to be ruler of Luganica!"
"I see. Then what if I told you that you'd be the richest person in the land? I would be much batter than being a thief living in the slums. What do you think?"
"No! I don't care about nobility and I don't care about being rich! I'm not leaving Old Man Rom behind!
Subaru was impressed by this girl's stubbornness and determination. Any homeless person, especially a thief, would instantly say 'Yes!' the first chance they got to live a life of luxury and riches.
But this girl, despite such an offer, refused to leave what may very well be a grandfather to her.
This caused Subaru to smile at her in respect.
"You heard what she said. Now leave her alone!"
Felt gave the insignia to Emilia then turned back to Reinhard. Angry as always.
"I'm not going anywhere!"
"Don't make us say it again!"
Reinhard quietly sighed.
"I didn't want to have to do this, but..."
Before Subaru could get in the way and stop this argument, Reinhard and Rom began fighting. The giant used his club to attack the knight, but Reinhard was too fast and easily dodged all of Rom's attacks.
Reinhard didn't even bother to use his sword. Subaru assumed he simply didn't want to kill him.
The Imperial Knight got behind Rom and touched his forehead in the blink of an eye. After which the giant fell unconscious. Reinhard must have used some kind of magic spell, Subaru guessed.
"Rom!"
Felt cried out, but she too soon fell unconscious as Reinhard appeared behind her, and gently picked her up in his arms.
"I'm sorry you had to see this, Subaru-san and Emilia-sama."
"They're gonna be alright, right...?"
Even though Subaru could sense (courtesy of The Spectre) that Reinhard was a good person, he still couldn't help ask for confirmation.
"I assure you, they are both alive and well."
Subaru breathed a sigh of relief, something Emilia noticed, and then smiled.
Seeing his concern for their safety, despite stealing her insignia, confirmed to Emilia that Subaru was a good person, despite his spirit being less... merciful.
Subaru and Emilia had a arrived in the mansion via a dinosaur-ridden carriage. It was still night outside, and Subaru was trying his hardest to stay awake in the carriage as they traveled. But after a while, the carriage owner had brought them to their destination.
He received his payment as Emilia and Subaru, still barely awake, exited the carriage.
"Welcome to Rswaal-sama's mansion."
Emilia stood in front of Subaru, and welcomed to the mansion. Subaru looked in awe at the place in front of him. And to think he was going to be temporarily living here as a guest. Talk about being lucky.
After careful examination of the place, Subaru noticed two young maids standing in front of the entrance of the mansion. They two maids looked almost identical, with the only difference being their hairs: The maid on the left had short pink hair, while the maid on the right had short blue hair. Other than the color of their hair, the pink-haired maid had her right eyes exposed while the blue-haired maid had her left eyes visible.
They were both almost as attractive as Emilia herself.
"Welcome home, Emilia-sama."
"Who is that person, Emilia-sama?"
Both maids said with a bow before turning to gaze at Subaru.
"Rem, Ram, this is Subaru. He helped me get my insignia back, which was stolen by a thief, and also saved my life."
Both maids' eyes widen slightly and looked at Subaru in surprise. Subaru grinned in a friendly manner.
"It was nothing, really."
"And as a thank you for his aid, I allowed him to stay in Roswaal-sama's mansion as a temporary guest."
The two maids looked at each other for a moment before turning to the duo.
"Very well, Emilia-sama. Come inside."
The pink-haired maid said.
Despite their differences, the two maids practically had the same personality. It was almost as if they were sharing the same mind as far as Subaru could tell.
...
Sometime later, the maids showed Subaru his room. It was a fancy bedroom meant for royals. Subaru imagined his friends back on Earth being super jealous of him if they ever found this out. He mentally grinned at the thought.
"You will be sleeping in this room, Subaru-sama."
The pink-haired maid said, who Subaru learned her name was Ram, while the blue-haired maid was named Rem.
"But first, a shower is necessary, Subaru-sama."
Subaru felt extremely lucky for being in this place. Having God-like powers courtesy of The Spectre, then saving a beautiful girl from danger, and now living in an awesome mansion with two equally-beautiful maids who tended to his needs. It was almost too good to be true.
But still, Subaru tried to not let this stuff go over his head and lose track of his goal. After all, he was sent in this world for the purpose of purging evil.
After his time as a temporary guest was over, he would have to go around and do what he must to continue his mission.
Either way, Subaru decided to hit the shower and dress up in his new pajamas. Once he tucked in his bed, he never felt so alive. This truly was something he could only dream of experiencing. Getting Godly powers, being sent to a medieval fantasy world filled with magic and demi-humans, punishing a sadistic assassin, and saving a beautiful maiden — Subaru smiled as he slowly fell asleep.
He couldn't wait to start his day for tomorrow.
The next day, Subaru woke up and got off from his bed. To his surprise, he was greeted by Ram, the pink-haired maid, who was standing near the door of his room.
"Good morning, Subaru-sama. I hope you slept well."
After dressing up, Subaru decided to look around the mansion. He was currently exploring hallway after hallway, and was accompanied by Ram, who, for the most part, had a blank expression on her face. The interior of every hallway was filled with various decorations and paintings on the walls, nothing less from what one would expect in a mansion like this.
After a little while, Subaru stopped at a random door, and decided to see what's inside.
He was surprised to see that this room was in fact the library, and in front of him was a small petite girl sitting on a chair and reading a book.
She had long cream colored hair that was tied in two twin drills along with blue eyes that had a butterfly pattern at the center (which Subaru found odd). She was also wearing a frilled dress with pink ribbons, tights, and shoes, and a tiny crown laid latched upon the rear right side of her hair, with a butterfly-shaped ribbon joining her cape.
Was this girl owner of the mansion? As if!
And she certainly looked irritated at the sight of him for some reason.
"Who are you, I suppose? I did not expect any bugs to come and bother me, I suppose."
So much for a warm welcome from her.
"Jeez. You could have been nicer, you know."
"Betty sees no reason why she should be nice to you. Seeing as how we just met, I suppose."
Betty? It felt more like a nickname. This girl's attitude made Felt look like a total sweetheart by comparison.
"That is Beatrice-sama. She is the guardian of the library."
Guardian? Is she guarding something important? Whatever the case, Subaru decided not to ask in order to not make himself look suspicious.
"That's nice. Well, I better get going."
"Don't come back, I suppose."
...
Well, so much for first impression to the residents of this mansion. Rem and Ram, while comparably nicer than Beatrice, were mostly indifferent towards Subaru, and expressed very little emotion.
Last night, Subaru attempted to tell jokes to them, or at least make them smile in some way, but nothing worked. They both either scoffed at him or ignored him. Ignoring his not-so-great interactions with the residents of this mansion, Subaru decided to abandon his exploration of the mansion, and go outside to check on Emilia.
Emilia herself was outside in the garden. She was conversing with Puck about something, but stopped once she and Puck spotted Subaru and Ram approaching them.
"Oh, have you finished exploring the mansion already?"
"Not really. I decided to check up on you, and see if everything's alright here."
"Oh no. Everything's fine! Honestly, I was hoping you could answer some questions regarding your spirit. Spectre, you called him?"
"Yeah! He calls himself Spectre. And he said he's the Spirit of Vengeance."
"Spirit... of Vengeance?"
"Yup. He manifests to punish the guilty. Usually people who deserve it."
Both Puck and Emilia, and even Ram, appeared surprised by this explanation. Subaru could tell based on the looks on their faces that The Spectre was something of an anomaly in this world.
"What kind of magic did he use? I've never seen that kind of magic anywhere. It was completely new."
Emilia decided to ask another question.
"Well, as far as I can tell, Spectre can basically control reality with his will. Anything he wants to happen, can and will happen if he wants it."
This time, Emilia, Puck and Ram looked at Subaru in complete astonishment and disbelief. A being that can alter and control the very fabric of space and time itself, and even more? Such a thing for them was hard to comprehend.
One would have to be in the same league as God Himself in order to have that kind of power. Or at least a close second.
This explanation only brought up more questions from everyone around Subaru.
Though before anyone could ask another question...
"Everyone, Roswaal-sama has returned. Please go to the dining room, as your meals are ready."
Rem called out from one of the windows of the mansion.
"I want to ask you some more questions later during dinner, if that's okay with you, Subaru-san."
"It's no problem! You can ask me anything, anytime you want!"
...
After entering the dining room, where their meals were prepared, they saw that only Rem and Beatrice were present. Much to Subaru's surprise, the moment Beatrice noticed Puck, her haughty attitude dropped as she embraced the flying cat like a little girl getting her favorite toy on Christmas.
"Oh, Puck~! I missed you so much~!"
She squealed and spun around in excitement while hugging and nuzzling Puck. Guess she too had a soft-spot for someone.
As Subaru watched Beatrice play with Puck, a tall man that Subaru didn't met before entered the room.
He was taller than Reinhard, but also well-built, and with long indigo hair and heterochromic eyes; the right one being blue and the left one being yellow. His eyelids were decorated with purple eye shadow, though the left eye's was longer. He wore a lavender colored make-up that accompanies his unusual outfit comparable to those similar to a clown or jester, consisting of a black hat, a top and bottom with different shades of purple, along with red and black boots, and a cape. He also had a spiked chain surrounding his right ankle.
Though for Subaru, standing close to this odd-looking individual felt a bit eroding.
"My, my. How unuuuuusual to see you here, Beatrice. I'm so happy you're dining with meeeeeee. I so do looooooove your company and treasure our times together!"
The man spoke as if he was singing. But considering his already-goofy appearance, Subaru wasn't too surprised about his way of talking.
"That boy is more than enough fool-brain for me, I suppose."
Beatrice really enjoyed mocking Subaru every chance she got. But Subaru ignored her, he was more focused on the man that stood next to him.
"So you hire a clown to entertain you before each meal? Heh. I'll never understand you royals."
Subaru laughed as he patted the man on the back. However, Emilia had look of worry and uncertainty about this. She gulped at Subaru's casual attitude towards the man.
"Um... Subaru, that man is actually-"
"Oh, it's quiiiiiiiiite alright, Emilia-sama. I'll handle the introductioooooooooooon."
"What...?"
"I am a lord of this mansion, Roswaal L. Mathers. So very pleeeeeeeeeeeased to make your acquaintance, Subaru Natsuki."
Subaru's jaw dropped in pure shock. This man who was dressed as a clown was the lord of this mansion?! Honestly, now that he thought of it, Beatrice felt like a better owner for this mansion than this Roswaal guy.
Still, despite mistaking him for a clown, Roswaal remained unfazed by the misunderstanding and was friendly nonetheless. And at least Roswaal was nicer to him than the other residents of the mansion, barring Emilia and Puck, of course.
...
After the introductions were out of the way, everyone sat down in their respective chairs and began to eat. Subaru, sitting right next to Emilia, was taken back by the deliciousness of his meal.
They were eating some kind of soup with chicken and bread, but for some reason, this food tasted much better than anything he had eaten before. If this was a hotel, he would have given it 5 stars, no question.
"This food is way better than I thought."
Of course, if his mother knew of this, she would likely be jealous of the twin maids. Subaru mentally chuckled at the thought.
"But of cooooooourse. Despite her appearance, Rem's cooking is quite impreeeeeeeessive."
So the blue-haired maid was the one who made this meal? Neither of the maids seemed proud when Roswaal complimented their skills, they both just stayed calm and expressionless. Subaru was really starting to wonder what was up with these two maids.
"Um...Subaru-san, if you don't mind, could you answer some of my questions that we agreed on?"
"Oh, right! Of course!"
"Hm? What's thaaaaaaat, Emilia-sama? Does this boy have something that you seeeeeeek?"
"Not exactly, he-"
"Pardon me for interrupting you, but why did you refer to her as 'Emilia-sama' just now?"
"I'm not suuuuuuure how things are where you're from. But here, we address those with higher status respectfullyyyyyyyyy."
Subaru froze, and slowly turned to look at Emilia, who was giving him a guilty smile for hiding this from him.
"That would mean Emilia is..."
"Officially, my current title is 'Candidate for The 42 Ruler of the Kingdom of Lagunica'. With the backing of the honorable Roswaal L. Mathers."
Subaru began sweating profoundly at the realization that he (well, Spectre) saved a candidate who had a high likelihood of becoming the next ruler of this other-worldly country. At the same time, he also realized that Emilia was going to be in direct competition with Felt, the thief who stole her insignia.
Talk about a coincidence.
"Heh. Well, there's something you don't get to experience everyday."
"Now, Subaru-san, I want to ask you something about Spectre."
"Yeeeeees. You mentioned that before, Emilia-sama. What is it that you wiiiiiiish to ask Subaru?"
"Subaru here is a spirit arts-user. Just like my daughter."
After Puck said this, Beatrice, Rem and Roswaal were taken by surprise and looked at Subaru in astonishment.
"Myyyyyy, that's surprising."
"Y-yeah, that's right. His name is Spectre, and he only manifests to punish evil."
"When I went to sleep during our battle, he saved my daughter from being killed by Elsa Granhiert, the Bowl Hunter."
"It's true. Subaru-san and Spectre-san saved my life."
With the exception of Subaru, Emilia, and Puck, everyone else in the room were completely speechless at hearing this. Needless to say, they didn't expect much from the boy when they first met him, but now that they knew his secret, the words 'shocked' or 'dumbfounded' were an understatement.
Beatrice and Ram were particularly shocked at hearing this, since they never thought highly of him at all. Roswaal was eyeing Subaru with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism.
Rem just looked at him curiously.
But Emilia and Puck knew better than to judge one solely based on their appearance.
"Regaaaaardless of how you saved Emilia-sama, your actions are deserving of my praaaaaaise, Subaru! And as a rewaaaaaaard, I shall grant you anything you wish that is within my poweeeeeeeer!"
Subaru looked at Roswaal in surprise? Anything he wished, huh? No! He had a job to do here. He was sent to this world and given this power for a very good reason, and must not abuse it for his own ends.
But then again, he needed a place to stay, and like any good superhero, he also needed a base of operation.
"Well, in that case, I have only one request... I want to work in this mansion as a butler!"
The room was filled with silence as everyone looked at Subaru in confusion or with blank expressions. Ram sneezed.
Sure it wasn't the most effective way to stay in the mansion, but Subaru couldn't think of any other way but this. But regardless, how hard can being a manservant be?
...
Some time later, Subaru was dressed in a butler outfit. But he only acquired this outfit after numerous fails because most of the other outfits in this mansion were too big for him, and the only outfits that did manage to fit him were the girly ones, much to Subaru's dismay — and Rem and Ram's amusement.
His work hasn't even begun, and Subaru already found himself humiliated and in a position he didn't like.
Afterwards, Ram showed him around the other parts of the mansion, particularly the living room, the bathing room, the kitchen, and the library. These were the primary locations in the mansion where he was going to work alongside Ram.
After showing him the last room, Subaru opened the door of the last room...
"Ahhh~! You're so wonderful nii-chan! Your fur is—!"
Beatrice was playing with Puck in the library, but stopped when she noticed Subaru staring at her. Subaru was struggling to hold back his urge to laugh.
"Well, well. Looks like someone has a soft spot for—"
"Get lost, I suppose!"
Beatrice unleashed an invisible force towards the doorway. Subaru took the full hit and flew hard into the corridor wall. Ram simply looked at the fallen Subaru and shrugged.
Later, Subaru was informed that Beatrice can use an ability that allowed her to teleport the Forbidden Archives around the mansion. Ram stated that it was impossible for anyone to find it without opening every door in the mansion.
However, much to Ram's surprise, Subaru was able to find Beatrice almost instantly. Beatrice became even more annoyed at Subaru and his apparent ability to sense her. But considering he, from their perspective, was a spirit arts-user, it wasn't all that surprising.
Subaru especially had a hard time with trying to learn the language of this world. But slowly and surely, he was beginning to progress.
Later, in the kitchen, Subaru was trying to cut potatoes with Ram in the kitchen, only to fail miserably. He constantly cut his fingers on the knife he was using. With there being no such thing as a peeler in this world, he had to do it the old-fashion way. It annoyed him to no end.
Finally, Ram sighed and decided to step in and help him with the potatoes, seemingly out of pity. Rem, who was cooking, just smiled and chuckled softly at this.
"You're hopeless, Barusu."
After being done in the kitchen, Subaru and Ram cleaned the floor and windows of the living room, washed all the dishes (minus Subaru breaking a few), cleaned the entire floor of the bathing room, washed and hanged the laundry, and tended to the garden's bushes — with Subaru once again cutting his finger.
As Subaru worked, Rem and Ram's expressions and personalities slowly began to change. Rem appeared to become somewhat fond of Subaru, and found him mildly amusing due to his antics. Ram simply found him hopeless and annoying.
Subaru, on the other hand, was having a much harder time than he originally expected. He regretted his decision of becoming a butler in the first place.
However, as days passed without incident, Subaru slowly began to improve and become a better manservant. Rem and Ram even offered their assistance whenever he was having some trouble more frequently. Especially Rem, who was becoming more cheerful and friendly around Subaru.
Running out of food, Rem and Ram went to a small village that was overlooked by the mansion to buy some groceries, while Subaru stayed in the mansion to tend to his duties. Subaru wished he could come along, but he felt like if he finished the chores in the mansion, the twin maids would have less work to do when they return.
...
Eventually it became dusk, and the maids returned to the mansion with their supplies. They were welcomed by Subaru as he opened the doors for them. He was trying his best to act like a gentleman.
"Good evening, ladies! Had a nice time?"
"Indeed, Subaru-sama. I played with some children in the village, thought their dog did not seem to like me, and bit me. However, it is nothing to worry about."
Rem explained.
And it was true, when they were at the village, while Ram was buying groceries, Rem decided to play with the village's children, thought their small puppy was rather aggressive and bit Rem's hand. She didn't think much of it.
Subaru felt somewhat jealous of Rem and Ram for being able to interact with the children while he didn't. But it was his decision to stay behind and lessen their work when they return, so he kind of walked into that one.
"That girl has been cursed."
Suddenly, Subaru heard The Spectre's booming voice inside his head.
"What?!"
Subaru exclaimed out loud, and startled both Rem and Ram.
"Subaru-sama, who are you talking to?"
Rem couldn't help but ask. She looked at him worriedly.
"It's Spectre! He just told me that you've been cursed!"
The two maids understandably became shocked at this as they looked at Subaru with widened eyes.
"The dog that bit her was no dog. It was a Ma-Beast in disguise, and when it bit the girl, it cast a curse that will begin to slowly steal her mana, or life force, and kill her."
"The hell?! Can you do something about it?"
"Indeed."
Before Rem or Ram could ask him what was he talking about, Subaru began transforming before their eyes. The twin maids looked in shock, awe, and disbelief as The Spectre now stood before them.
They could almost feel his glowing eyes pierce their souls. Against any other potential threat, the two maids would immediately go on the offensive and start attacking. But The Spectre's mere presence caused them to experience an overwhelming sense of fear.
Their instincts were telling them — no, screaming at them not to engage this entity if they valued their lives. The two maids were frozen in place, unsure of what to do.
"Girl, you have been cursed by a Ma-Beast. I shall remove it."
The Spirit of Vengeance pointed the palm of his hand at the blue-haired maid. Soon after he did that, a dark mist-like aura appeared on Rem's left hand — the hand where the dog bit her earlier. Spectre then clenches his fist, causing the mist to dissipate from Rem's hand.
Rem was freed from the curse.
"What did you...?"
"As I said, I destroyed the curse that was on your sister. Had I not disposed of it, the curse would have started draining all of her mana, and she would have been dead by tomorrow."
Rem and Ram were at a loss for words when they heard this explanation. To think she was so close at death's door...
But The Spectre's work was not yet done.
"The village in which the Me-Beast cursed you is in danger. I suggest you both return to the mansion. I will deal with this myself."
Rem and Ram tried to protest, but The Spectre teleported away by dematerializing into a green mist. The twin maids were left completely shocked and dumbfounded by what had just happened. To say that 'they didn't see this coming' would be a major understatement.
In an open grass field surrounded by trees, somewhere deep in the forest, laid several children from the village. These children were in fact the same ones who were playing with the 'dog' that cursed Rem, and subsequently fell victim to its cursed bite. They were unconscious and barely breathing, as their life energy was slowly sucked away.
But they will not perish this night.
"You are all freed from this curse."
The Spectre appeared in front of the unconscious children, raised his hand, and destroyed all the curses that were on them in an instant. The children stopped sweating, and began to breath much more easily now that they have been freed.
"To the village with you."
With a wave of his hand, all of the children were enveloped in a bright light and disappeared. They were safely teleported back in the village, in their respective homes and beds, with no memory of what happened.
After he was done, The Spectre heard growling noises coming from every direction in the forest. The growls were accompanied by red glowing eyes that peered from the darkness of the forest.
The Spectre knew he was completely surrounded.
Soon, the owners of these growls slowly emerged from the thick foliage. These Ma-Beasts were known as Wolgrams. They somewhat resembled dobermans, but with with several reptilian features and characteristics. They had long lizard-like tails, boar-like tusks, spikes on their backs, and a single horn on their noses.
And among them was the 'puppy' who did all this, and who was apparently their leader.
They growled furiously at The Spectre, angered that he took away their meals.
"I normally do not judge beasts, as animals are incapable of committing true sins like mortals. But since you are not animals that have been born from nature, and were instead created by the Witch of Gluttony, Daphne, I will make an exception."
The Spectre snapped his fingers, and swarm of human-sized insects materialized around the Spirit of Vengeance, with some hovering in the air. These giant insects closely resembled the Japanese giant hornet, but they also had two major differences: Firstly, they were the size of full-grown men, and secondly, their bodies were colored in black and white stripes instead of orange and black.
The Monster Hornets glared at Wolgrams, eager to start killing them.
"Dispose of them."
On his command, the Monster Hornets let out blood-chilling screeches and immediately began charging the Wolgrams. In response, the Wa-Beasts reacted in kind, and charged at the giant insects. As soon as the two armies of beasts clashed, the fight became obvious.
That is to say if there even was a fight...
Subaru had seen documentaries where Japanese giant hornets would effortlessly decimate entire colonies of European honey bees. Just 30 hornets were enough to kill 30,000 bees in 3 hours. And that's exactly what was happening right now.
Despite having numbers on their side, the Wolgrams were effortlessly being massacred by the Monster Hornets. The giant hornets' main method of killing was via decapitating them with their mandibles, or tearing their bodies in half. They rarely even needed to use their stingers.
And on the rare occasion where they did sting them, the Ma-Beasts' bodies instantly dissolved from the inside due to the Monster Hornets' venomous stings also being acidic.
The fact that the Monster Hornets can also fly gave them another edge over their canine-like opponents.
What's more, the Wolgrams were incapable of piercing the hornets' hard exoskeletons with their teeth, no matter how hard they tried. Even if several Ma-Beasts ganged up on a single Monster Hornet, the results did not change.
It was just like watching those documentaries about hornets, only scaled them up to human size. It was truly no contest.
In just 20 minutes, at least 79 Wolgrams were killed, while no a single Monster Hornet was dead.
The puppy-looking lead Wolgram growled in frustration at the sight of tihs, and decided to step in. The small 'puppy' suddenly transformed into a giant Wolgram, completely dwarfing all the others. It seemed ready to take matters into its own paws.
"How irrelevant. Then I will respond by summoning a beast of my own."
Once again snapping his fingers again, Spectre summoned a giant beast of his own. He flew upwards as the ground beneath him shook and erupted. A long segmented tail with a sharp curved stinger at the end was the first thing to emerge, which was followed by two slender lobster-like claws. They were followed by the rest of the giant animal — which was a gigantic scorpion.
In short, a Giant Scorpion that was 29 feet tall and roughly 60 feet long had emerged from the ground, summoned by The Spectre. The Giant Scorpion turned to the lead Wolgram and let out a loud screech, challenging it.
The giant Wolgram roared back and began charging at its giant arachnid opponent. But thanks to its long-reaching claws, the Giant Scorpion easily grabbed the dog-like monster by the neck with one claw, and its left front limb with the other. Using its superior strength, the Giant Scorpion then pinned the lead Wolgram against the ground with its claws, and plunged its stinger into the Ma-Beast's chest, piercing its heart.
The dog-like monster roared and howled in pain, before it quickly died from both the venom and the massive trauma. The battle ended even quicker than it began.
Victorious, the Giant Scorpion began tearing the body of its fallen opponent apart and started feeding.
...
Elsewhere in the forest, a lone young girl was laying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. She had olive green eyes and her hair that was braided on one side. Her hair was blue in color, matching her blue dress with a light blue collar. On first sight, one would assume she was attacked like the other children and dragged into a more secluded area to be eaten by the Ma-Beasts.
"You can get up now. I know you're not harmed. After all, you were the one who was commanding those Ma-Beasts to attack that village and harm those children."
The girl instantly opened her eyes. She was met with the cold stare of The Spectre who stood before her, glaring disdainfully.
"Oh, so you knew?"
She asked, getting up on her feet.
"Meili Portroute, I know everything about you. You were a lonely child living with Ma-Beasts, before Elsa Granhiert found you, and corrupted you."
"D-Don't speak about Elsa-sama like that! She's everything to me! And how do you know about Elsa-sama, for that matter?"
Meili spoke with rage and anger at The Spectre.
"You have my pity, Meili. But your story does not justify your crimes. What you were about to do to these children... is unforgivable."
The Spectre raised his hand, which began glowing with a greenish light. He was preparing to execute the now-frightened Meili on the spot without mercy.
"Spectre, wait!"
The Spirit of Vengeance heard Subaru's voice inside his head.
"This girl has committed sins, Subaru. She is deserving of my judgment as Elsa was."
"You can't be serious! Yes, she's done horrible things, but is she really worth killing?!"
"She nearly killed those children, and nearly killed Rem. And has done other death-worthy sins."
"But she's just a kid! It was all Elsa's fault for turning her the way she is now."
"You suggest to simply let her go?"
"Of course not! There's a better way than killing her. Here's what we do..."
Sometime later, The Spectre returned to the mansion and reverted back to Natsuki Subaru. Once he opened the door and entered, he was greeted by Emilia, who quickly embraced him, as well as Rem and Ram, who were looking at him with relief and, to some extend, respect.
"Oh, Subaru-san! You're back! You had me worried!"
"Take it easy, Emilia. I'm fine. See?"
Subaru laughed softly and reassured her that everything worked out well. He was then approached by Rem and Ram. They were somehow different. Not on the outside, but on the inside...
Both Rem and Ram had looks of respect towards Subaru, as well as relief.
"Barusu, I would like to properly thank you and Spectre-sama for saving my little sister, Rem."
Ram said with a respectful bow. Rem soon joined her and bowed to Subaru as well.
"Subaru-kun and Spectre-sama, Rem wishes to thank you both for saving Rem's life."
Rem smiled happily as she looked at Subaru. At the same time, Subaru could have sworn he saw Rem shed a tear as she told him this.
"Well you have mostly Spectre to thank, since he's the one who detected the curse in time and stopped it. But he's not a very talkative guy."
"Understood."
"Myyyyyyyy, Subaru. I heeeeeeear you saved one of my maaaaaaids."
Everyone turned and saw Roswaal coming down from upstairs, looking at Subaru with a soft smile and admiration on his face.
"Not only did you saaaaaave and help, Emilia-sama, but you aaaaaalso saved Rem from what otherwiseeeee would have been a ceeeeeeeeertain death. And for that, I am eteeeeeernally grateful to you, Natsuki Subaru, and of course, Spectre as weeeeeeeeell."
"And you don't need to worry about this ever happening again. Spectre and I made sure that neither this mansion nor the village will be harmed by Ma-Beasts again."
Elsewhere, in an unknown home located in an unknown village, Meili Portroute was laying in a bed unconsciously. But soon she opened her eyes and woke up.
"Where am I?"
"Oh, you're awake already, daughter?"
Meili turned and saw a woman with long brown hair and fair skin, in her early 30s, wearing a brown dress, and sitting in a nearby chair. She was looking at Meili with a worried expression on her face.
"What happened, mama?"
"You were attacked by Ma-Beasts. Fortunately, a man named Natsuki Subaru saved you and brought you back home."
Hearing this, Meili smiled happily and went to hug her 'mother', who hugged her back.
"I'm so sorry I ran away from home, mama! It'll never happen again!"
"Shhh. It's okay my daughter. I know you never meant to frighten me."
As Meili and the woman continued hugging each other, neither of them were aware of the real reason behind this:
After being convinced by Subaru to spare Meili's life, The Spectre and Subaru decided the best way to deal with Meili was to have her 'restart' her life. So The Spectre erased all of Meili's past memories of her original life and implanted false memories. He made her think that she was the adopted daughter of this woman, who found her on the streets and took her in.
While Spectre would have preferred to execute her with the giant arthropods he summoned, Subaru's morality and better character judgment spared Meili from what would have no-doubt been a horrific death.
Because Subaru doesn't have Return by Death, and therefore lacks the witch's scent in my story, Rem and Ram are a lot less hostile to him, and much more trusting. In fact, they were never hostile to him at all, just slightly indifferent.
Also, The Spectre is aware of Roswaal's true nature. He's biding his time for when the time comes to judge him.