Re: Tales from the Multiverse: Option Two

by Ernalore

Subaru, along with his Camp, his rival Camps, his parents, and Meili, have all suddenly teleported into a theater, controlled by "the Warden". Said Warden has told them that they'd be watching alternate realities, and the Cast would be responsible for what they'd be watching. When everyone saw that the second option mentioned "Subaru's Authority", they chose it, much to his horror.

12. Chapter 12: Purple and Black

Chapter 12: Purple and Black

"What… did the other you mean about that cup?"

Subaru was dead silent, as he stared at his mother.

"Subaru, answer me, please."

Subaru still refused to answer.

"Subaru F.P. Natsuki, as your mother, I am telling you, what did the other you mean by that cup?" Naoko said, her tone increasing. "Just because you hopped to some other world doesn't mean you can just ignore me whenever you want, young man. Start talking, now."

"..."

"..."

"Are you proud of me, Mom?"

"What?"

"Are you proud of me?" Subaru asked. "All of my accomplishments, all of my deeds, they're all built on a mountain of my own corpses. I couldn't even help one girl find a damn trinket without dropping dead. All I'm good for in this universe is being a reset button."

"No. Don't say that. Don't ever say that," Naoko said. "Subaru, you have no idea how proud I am of you. You helped save lives, stopped a serial killer, killed a monster that killed so many people, helped stop an insane cult, and saved the girl you love –"

"And all of that for the small, small price of my life and sanity," Subaru said, bitterly. "But, hey, I guess I was the lucky one out in the big cosmos of the multiverse, am I right? I'm not the one who set fire to the Capital, I'm not the one who held a girl captive in a dungeon, I'm not the one who systematically butchered all of my old friends, nor am I the coward who ran away."

"But you know what we all had in common? We didn't wash that cup."

"Look at me… I'm the son of the oh-so great Kenichi Natsuki, the man who can do anything. Turns out his son couldn't do jack without dropping dead. I tried, Mom, really, I did. I tried to do everything like he would have done, but I guess I wasn't good enough."

"So, I gave up. I stopped bothering, stopped trying. But I couldn't even be good enough at being apathetic. I would always just imagine how both you and Dad would see me as a disappointment. So, I tried to fix that. I practiced kendo, cooked whenever I could, I defended the house whenever I could, but I still felt like that wasn't enough."

"Then… one day… you asked me to wash a cup in the sink. Just one cup."

Naoko stayed silent, as she remembered that day. Vividly.

It was the day Subaru disappeared.

"But I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't face you when I went downstairs and saw you in the kitchen. So, I went out. I went out to buy some more potato chips, more ramen, more crap to indulge on, with the hard-earned money Dad earned. Like I was some goddamned parasite."

"The last words I ever heard from you were "take care." And I wasn't even brave enough to say anything back. That was when Satella jumped me, and sent me to my own personal hell."

"That's where she sent each and every version of your beloved kid. To go get themselves killed, to burn down entire nations, to run away as they let their friends die. And all because… I COULDN'T EVEN WASH ONE MISERABLE DAMN CUP?!"

Naoko simply stared at her son, as he kept rambling. Eventually, he looked up at her, his face shaped into one of rage, but his eyes

"SO, ARE YOU REALLY PROUD OF ME, MOM?! HUH?! ARE YOU?!"

"Yes." The mother of Subaru Natsuki didn't even hesitate.

"YOU'RE LYING! You're a parent! It's your job to comfort your damn brat!"

"Do you want me to get Crusch, or Reinhard? They'll be able to tell if I'm lying."

"You're just confident that you're lying…"

"Or, I'm confident that I'm telling the truth."

Subaru was silent, as he looked down on the floor. "Echidna's trial really wasn't bullshit…"

Slowly, Subaru began to giggle. A small smile crept up onto his face, as his knees buckled, and he fell to the carpeted floor, laughing. "Hehehehe… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"HAHAHA… hehehe… hhh… aaaa…." Pretty soon, his laughter broke down into crying, and Naoko dashed towards her son and hugged him. As he kept crying into her arms, she noticed something creeping out of his sleeve, and on one of his wrists. A scar.

It pained Naoko to see that, because she didn't need that big of an imagination to know what her son was doing. But she didn't call him out on it. Not right now.

A small part of her wondered if she failed as a mother. Both she and Kenichi didn't know what to do when his horrible ability was revealed. All they did was mope around in their room during the first break, and during the second one, only Emilia went to comfort Subaru.

But not anymore.

Maybe she already failed as a mother, but it still wasn't too late. She would do everything she could to help her little boy truly smile once more. And that began with holding him as he cried his eyes out in the middle of a lobby, and reassuring him that everything would be okay.

---

"Reinhard…" Wilhelm looked at his grandson. "I'm sorry. For everything."

The redhead looked genuinely confused at that. "What are you talking about?"

The old man felt a piece of him die inside as he heard his grandson say that. The poor boy had been conditioned to believe that everything was his fault, and he knew who to blame.

Heinkel, and more importantly, himself.

"Do you… remember what I said when your grandmother died?"

"...Yes." It was a memory that the Sword Saint would forever live with.

"I was wrong."

Reinhard looked at him in shock, once more. "What?!"

"We both saw the same thing on that screen. You saw the younger me. I was, as Subaru-dono would put it… an asshole," Wilhelm honestly said. "I only stopped being one when Theresia showed up in my life. Once she was gone, I just reverted to my old self. That fifteen-year-old kid no one wanted to be around, and whose only purpose in life was to kill."

"But I was the one responsible for Grandmother's death –"

"No," Wilhelm cut him off entirely. "After everything we have seen so far, I seriously doubt you took her Divine Protection. And even if by some freak chance you actually did, you were still five. You obviously didn't know what you were doing. You didn't intend to do it."

Reinhard looked like his entire worldview was shattering. "I…"

"Reinhard, I want you to promise me something," Wilhelm asked. "Please, consider your own feelings from now on. As Subaru-donon once said when he interacted with Satella, please, love yourself. Because even if both of you genuinely don't love yourselves, you can best be certain that there will be people who will grieve for you when you die."

Reinhard wanted to refuse, but he kept looking at his grandfather's eyes.

They were the same ones Reinhard always wore. The eyes of regret.

"Alright, Grandfather. I promise."

---

"Do you feel better now?" Naoko asked, as she entered the Theater with her son.

"Mm-hm," he sniffed. "Kind of embarrassing that I cried into my mom's –"

"No, don't even finish that sentence," the Natsuki matriarch said. "You have gone through so much, and there is nothing wrong with crying on someone. Especially your own mother."

"I… yeah, okay."

"Hey guys!" Al called them over. "Where've you been?"

"Oh, you know, just having a mental breakdown," Subaru chuckled.

"Subaru, please don't make light of your mental health!" Naoko chided him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Al said, clearly not caring. "We've got new options!"

"Oh, really?" Subaru said. "Well then, let's read them!"

As, Subaru sat down with his companions, Subaru read…

What if Subaru teamed up with the Anastasia Camp?

OR

What if Subaru started his own merchant group?

… that.

"Hm," Priscilla hummed out. "These seem… rather tame."

"Well…" Emilia looked around at everyone else. "What do you think?"

"We should first look at the conditions, Emilia-sama," Ram suggested.

"Way ahead of you," Al said, grabbing the remote.

Conditions: The Capital City's First Day, Loop Four

Conditions: Subaru Natsuki arrives years earlier.

"Subaru-kun, any ideas?" Rem asked.

"Oooh…" Subaru cringed. "I know what the first one is about."

"What?" Petra asked.

"During the final loop of my first day in Lugnica, a part of me figured that Emilia-tan's problem was her own, and I could just sell my cellphone to live an easy life without conflict."

"So, chances are, you would have gone to Anastasia-sama…"

"... and Ana-bo woulda been interested in ya," Ricardo concluded.

"So, ya not only joined someone else's Camp, but Elsa kills everyone," Felt figured. "Yeah, I don't wanna think about that. Plus, we've already seen you join someone's else's Camp."

"We have?" Felix asked.

"Sure," the blonde said, pointing at the green-haired woman. "Crusch's."

"If you are referring to that one reality where Subaru was a woman, technically speaking, Otto-san merely said that they would consider my offer," Crusch corrected her.

"Alright, but my point still stands: We've seen a similar reality to that one, so there's no point in seeing it again," Felt said. "Big Bro having his own company, however…"

"We've only heard mentions of it in the reality where he was my brother," Reinhard said.

"Alright, I'm game for th' second option," Anastasia said. "Everyone else?"

The majority of the Cast voted for the second option.

What if Subaru started his own merchant group?

Conditions: Subaru Natsuki arrives years earlier.

Subaru sat in his seat, and on his lap was none other than Meili.

Naoko wondered if she could still adopt, when the viewing began…

It was a simple mission.

The mission that Mama had given her was very simple.

Upon hearing the narration, everyone knew whose voice that was.

"Elsa…"

"Tha' bitch…"

An assassination.

The head of the Seven Stars merchant group had to be killed. With its advanced ideas and innovative products, the group has been growing in popularity since it was formed two to three years ago.

It managed to accumulate a lot of money and, as a result, formed a mercenary group called the Celestial Vault. Mama disliked the fact that mercenaries from all over the world gathered under its roof.

Even the thought of how little Mother had liked that made her tremble.

Upon hearing the rest of the narration, everyone had already come to some conclusions.

"I'm guessing I'm the head of the Seven Stars merchant group?" Subaru asked.

"Considerin' I've never heard o' them before, it's a safe bet," Anastasia answered.

"How did you manage to gather so many mercenaries under one banner?" Julius wondered.

"I probably did whatever the Price King did to get Halibel of all people to join me," Subaru said.

Better not think about it, she reassured herself. She could get nervous thinking about it, and she couldn't afford to fail now.

The clock struck midnight. Thanks to the moon, she was able to sneak into the city without being seen.

This is the westernmost point of the world, a place where there has been nothing and nobody here for decades, centuries even. A place so remote that few if any had been the times someone had come and gone alive.

An entirely new town has been established close to the dangerous location known as Zarestia's Bed. Its name was Hastia.

Upon hearing that name, everyone knew what had happened.

"Cap'n… be honest wit' me… did ya fuck Zarestia?"

SLAP!

"OW! Sis, wha' th' hell was tha' for?!"

"WHY WAS THAT THE FIRST THING YOU ASSUMED?!" Frederica shouted.

"Well, how else would he get the free real estate?" Al asked.

"Could you repeat that?" Rem asked.

"You know, like how a guy moves into his girlfriend's place?" the helmeted knight explained.

"Wouldn't it be better to assume that Natsuki-san contracted her?" Otto asked.

"No," Beartrice said. "I do not want to imagine such a scenario, in fact."

"Really?" the ashen-haired merchant asked. "Because the alternative would be –"

"I know what the alternative is, and that is far more preferable, in fact."

Otto simply sat back down into his seat, in amazement. Meanwhile, everyone else also calmed down, and returned to watching the viewing. It was at that moment, Subaru realized something.

HEY, WAIT A MINUTE! Subaru thought to himself. Did everyone just quietly agree that I had sex with a Great Spirit in that reality?! AND THAT SOMEHOW THAT WAS THE BETTER OPTION?! Holy shit, Satella is gonna have so much trouble holding back Envy after this!

Elsewhere, Satella was indeed having trouble holding back a pissed Envy.

Though the area was remote and inhabited by an aggressive Spirit, the Murderous Spirit was yet to appear. After all, the people were still alive.

Many people in the town she recognized were walking through the streets. People with impressive strength and fame. World-renowned individuals. Mercenaries, thieves, and murderers.

"The Weaponmaniac" Maya and her companion, "the Monk", Argo. Furthermore, she recognized Alhazir "The Cunning Elf", Hao "Pegleg", and several others.

What led these people to this place?

Those were the thoughts going through her head.

"Oh, great, I'm a leader of an entire league of villains," Subaru groaned.

"And the Purge King wasn't, how exactly…?" Felix asked.

When they arrived, she dispelled those thoughts because they weren't useful for the mission, and she didn't want to fail.

Then she saw him, her target. A young male with short black hair, the same color as her own, and evil eyes.

He was Subaru Natsuki, head of the Seven Stars merchant group. On his own, he walked the streets of the town.

"Wow, he does look like the Purge King!" Emilia gasped in amazement.

"Only healthier," Ram added.

"He probably eats better and sleeps more than the Purge King," Subaru guessed.

She decided to follow him without hesitation.

Opening Theme: Voracity

The screen begins to glitch, as it changes to Subaru, in his traveling clothes, crossing a desert. The screen glitches again, with words that can't be read, as it changes back to Subaru, who gets closer. This keeps on repeating, until…

Tales from the Multiverse

Volume III

The next scene opens with Minerva attacking, and it reading, "WRATH," followed by Typhon dancing around with the words "PRIDE." Then, Echidna and "GREED." Sekhmet with "SLOTH." Carmilla panicking while "LUST" appears, and then Daphne biting at the camera while the word "GLUTTONY" appears. And finally, Subaru, with madness all over his face, drags his finger over his throat, as he's bestowed with the title of "ENVY."

"You know, compared to how they actually act, the Witches in the intro are…"

"Scarier?" Wilhelm tried to finish Felt's sentence.

"Yeah, that," she replied. "But then again, so is Bro. In this intro, at least."

In the next scene, Elsa, Zarestia, and Shion are all seen together, and laughing, but their eyes are cut off from the screen, and their smiles are sadistic. Then, an army of Witch Cultists appears in the next shot, as the camera pans up to reveal the Sin Archbishops.

"Well, I guess since Elsa is in the episode…" Al grumbled.

"What?" Crusch asked.

"It's technically accurate to the advertising," Al explained.

And finally, the scene shows a close-up of Subaru, as he bites his own tongue. As the blood escapes his mouth, he laughs maniacally, as the camera pans out to show that behind him, the shadowy monster known as the Witch of Envy has appeared roaring, and ready to tear apart the silhouettes of the enemies in front of Subaru.

The final shot shows each one of the six Witches of Sin in a black void, each one of them smiling, as the shot changes to Subaru and Pandora, alone in the desert, ready for their final battle. Then, the camera pans over the desert of corpses, and the opening ends.

Episode Eleven:

Purple and Black

Her target was looking at some papers as she walked through the streets of the town. The people of the city treated him with kindness and he treated them with kindness. It was a pleasant environment.

The man arrived at what appeared to be his home. He walked in through the front door of the Kararagian-style house and she lost sight of him after the door was closed.

Just because she lost sight of him did not mean she had lost him completely. In an instant, she entered the house, hiding in the shadows, without anyone noticing her.

She silently walked through the corridors of the house without being seen or noticed. Hearing her prey's footsteps, she approached him.

The door to the room is open. In the dark, a candle illuminates the room. And the prey with her back to her, giving her a free pass from attack.

One step. She pulled her knife out. Two. She lifted it into the air. Three. She had him in front of her.

But when she tried to slice downwards with the dagger. Something, no. Someone had gotten on her back. Her nose filled with the cold smell of steel. She saw a dark blade close to her neck.

"I knew it," Subaru clicked his tongue. "He was acting too calm."

"Huh?" Emilia looked over to her knight. "What do you mean, Subaru?"

"This version of me, he knew Elsa was coming," the black-haired knight explained. "He must have used Return by Death, and then planned a counter-attack to avoid getting murked."

Everyone in the room still felt uncomfortable with the fact that Subaru had to use such an awful power to gain the advantage, but they hated to admit, it did produce results.

"You know... If I were you, I wouldn't do that."

Upon hearing that voice, everyone immediately cheered.

"""HALIBEL!""" Garfiel, Ricardo, and Al all celebrated.

Rem smiled, seeing that the uncle of her potential children had returned.

Even Reinhard and Julius smiled, as they knew that meant Subaru would be safe.

Halibel truly was the greatest, wasn't he?

Shocked.

That's how she felt. She hadn't noticed anyone following her for a single moment, let alone approaching her so closely. She would swear no one was behind her if not for the knife and the hand she could see.

Slowly, she turned her head to see who was on her back. She recognized the tall mass of hair at a glance. "The Admirer" What was this person doing here?

"The answer's pretty simple, lady," Al said. "You messed with his homeboy!"

"Hal-san is by far the most honorable mercenary in the world," Julius said. "It's only natural that he would save his friends, regardless of how much money he would lose."

"Hey, I'm clearly not that big of a financial drain!" Subaru defended himself.

Subaru made sure to remember to go looking for Halibel after the viewings ended.

Even though she could still smell the scent of steel very close to her, with her prey in front of her, she quickly lowered her weapon.

It was a clean cut. Beginning on the left side of his neck and ending on the right.

Everyone's celebrations quickly died out as they saw what Elsa just did.

"No!" Petra shouted.

"Fuck!" Kenichi cursed under his breath.

However, Priscilla noticed that Subaru wasn't bleeding, rather, he was… smoking?

"Oh... I wouldn't have done that."

The body exploded in a cloud of black smoke which covered the entire room within seconds.

"What?" Rem looked confused.

"A SHADOW CLONE!" Subaru realized. "Why didn't I realize this sooner?!"

"What do you mean?" Crusch asked.

"Halibel's a shinobi, right? Well, one of their abilities in a bunch of media is the ability to create a bunch of shadow clones! Hell, in the last episode he was in, I referenced that ability!"

"That does sound incredibly useful…" Felix admitted.

"Goddamn motherfucking Naruto references…" Al cursed under his helmet.

She was unable to see anything. However, she noticed that something surrounded her in the complete darkness. Although she tried to let go, whatever it was adapted to her movements.

Almost immediately, she began to feel pain in her face. She was sure she hadn't been hit, and the smoke was more of a distraction than poison.

Her ears rang as her head ached. It started small but grew up quickly. She began to feel tired.

The pain was something she had grown accustomed to overtime in her life and despite the enormous amount she was feeling right now, she remained conscious. Something like this wouldn't cause her to faint.

She couldn't think clearly. "What... what... is this...?" She asked, but no one answered her. Her head ached as it had never done before. There was only one person who had been able to do something like this before.

Despite her best efforts, she was unable to escape. Whatever she was wrapping around her was tough, moldable, and annoying. Even with the high level of pain she was feeling, her body kept healing. How marvelous, she thought enthusiastically. She is excited by the prospect of facing a powerful enemy.

"Mmm… yeah, nope, that's still creepy as hell," Subaru cringed.

"For a moment there, I forgot that she was such a perv," Felt groaned.

"Is she a masochist?" Naoko wondered.

"Having second thoughts about your potential daughter-in-law?" Roswaal joked.

"Well, she's dead in our reality, so there's not much that can be done."

However, before long, despite her excitement, she began to feel increasingly tired. Her attempts to free herself just resulted in exhaustion. The pain in her head, ears, and face increased as she gasped for air.

Hitting, cutting or piercing. No matter what type of attack she used, whatever was wrapped around her didn't break. But she didn't give up and kept trying, but whatever it was didn't seem to weaken in any way.

She didn't know how long she'd been trying, but her strength was beginning to fail her. She shouldn't feel so tired, something wasn't right.

She feels something, a liquid, run down her cheek through all the pain. Blood. Her blood.

She was bleeding from her ears and from her eyes. But she still didn't think to give a single step. There was no way she would back down now. It was incredibly amusing for her.

Eventually, the dark smoke dissipated.

Then she spotted it. A woman in white. White clothes and white hair. There was a beauty that was inhuman with yellow eyes looking down on her.

Down on her?

Initially, the Cast had no idea why or how Elsa was bleeding.

But then, the smoke on-screen dissipated, and everyone immediately understood.

Zarestia was back.

Much to the cheers of several men, and the glares of several women.

She had no idea when or how. At some point, while she was resisting, she fell to the ground. Her body ached so badly that she hadn't noticed. Her vision had reddened from her blood and she couldn't hear anything.

With the steady rate of damage that she was enduring, her healing couldn't keep up.

Her lungs stopped receiving air. Getting up was impossible as her head hurt like nothing she had ever experienced, and she couldn't let go of whatever was surrounding her.

Her bloodied sight should have confused her because she didn't see anything that could stop her, but she couldn't shake that feeling. A feeling of being restricted by something around her.

She watched as her prey and the Admirer entered the room and said something to the white-haired woman but she couldn't hear them. Her ears were ringing like crazy, and her head hurt too much.

Her prey seemed to be saying something to the white woman with an angry expression on his face. It was then that the pain stopped, and her prey stared into her eyes.

She looked at him strangely, but why? It confused her.

Even though he seemed tired, his eyes shone with a kind of nostalgia and... happiness?

Garfiel and Al looked at Subaru with a bit of concern. "Uh, Bro?"

"Why are the two of you looking at me like that?" Subaru asked, slightly concerned.

"Look, we get it that Elsa's hot, but are you alright? She literally tired to kill you –"

"COULD THE TWO OF YOU STOP THINKING WITH YOUR PANTS FOR FIVE MINUTES?!"

Comfort? She had no idea. Her mind was foggy.

Why was it like th–

Her eyes opened. She lay comfortably in bed. Her head rested on a soft pillow.

She had no idea where she was.

"Of course you didn't kill her," the pink oni growled at Barusu's stupidity.

"What was that?" Subaru asked.

"Do you have to save every single person who attempts to murder you?" Ram asked.

"I dunno," Subaru joked. "Did you not want me to save Rem?"

"That's not the issue," Ram said. "But why are you saving everyone?"

"I'm not," Subaru said. "Any Witch Cultists and Sin Archbishops I see are dead."

"Glad to know where you've drawn your line."

Her eyes darted around the room. However, her head began hurting before she could take any action. It made her feel like vomiting.

"Oi. Is everything alright?" A voice she almost didn't hear, asked. The room was not empty

When her headache had subsided, she looked up to see who was talking with her. Immediately, her body tenses up. While searching for her weapons, she couldn't find them. They weren't in their usual place.

Due to her obvious disadvantage, she prepared herself for any eventuality. A quick glance around her was all she needed. The room was small and not very decorated. There was a window that overlooked the outside a few meters away and a sliding door in the opposite direction.

The person in front of the door was the only issue. Halibel 'The Admirer', this side of the world's strongest person. Only he stood between her and her freedom.

"You needn't worry, Miss Bowel Hunter." The voice of the wolfish demi-human puzzled her for a moment. But proving that they knew who she was "And you don't have to look around like that, if I wanted you to be dead you wouldn't even be awake, you know?"

The man's words made her ears ache.

"What kind of technique did they use to make her act like this?" Wilhelm wondered.

"Chances are, it's a curse," Meili answered honestly.

"It makes sense, I suppose," Beatrice said. "They drained enough of her mana to slow her down, but not enough to kill her entirely. Must be one of Halibel's abilities."

"Maybe the dummy-me had a built-in curse?" Subaru suggested.

"That's an interesting theory," Otto said. "But one for another time.

"Call me distrustful if you wish, but waking up in an unfamiliar place and with someone like you isn't exactly safe." Her voice was harsh, her throat was dry and it was uncomfortable to speak "What have you done to me?"

"Nothing. You've just been unconscious for some hours" The man got up and collected a water pitcher and a glass "Su-san had mentioned that you might feel weak when you woke up but that it would pass" He filled a glass with water and handed it to her. "A side effect of overexerting yourself in low atmospheric pressure or something like that, I didn't quite understand it."

She regarded the glass suspiciously. She did not accept it.

"It's not poisoned. Su-san said it was good that you drink some water when you wake up. And like I told you, I am not going to kill you."

Even though it was alleged that the glass wasn't poisoned, she didn't take it. Her gaze continued to fixate on the other person. She's waiting for the right moment to escape.

He leaned back in his seat as he placed the jug and glass in front of her for her use.

As she saw what the demi-human had left within reach of her, she considered using it as a weapon. Her thoughts and observation of the Admirer led her to discard this idea.

His posture was relaxed, but he wasn't letting his guard down.

Both silently awaited the other's actions. Observing and analyzing. Minutes passed by in a flash.

This had been the case for a while. Halibel had stretched a few times in his seat. Suddenly, the sliding door to the room opened after what seemed like an eternity.

She saw the same woman she had seen moments before falling unconscious. She now could notice that her white hair had a few streaks of green. Her white kimono also had green and black decorations.

Their eyes met. Elsa trembled for a moment.

"Oh, great, the whore is back," Beatrice hissed.

"Beatrice, what have I said about playing nice with the other Spirits?" Subaru said.

"I'll play nice with her once she stops stealing my contractor, in fact."

Despite facing Cecilus 'Blue Lightning' Segmunt, the most powerful of the Vollachia Empire's Divine Generals, and being in the same room as Halibel 'The Admirer' for an hour. Her entire life, despite being a murderer and meeting all sorts of people, she had never seen bloodthirsty eyes like these.

"Yeah, they don't call 'er th' Great Spirit o' Wind n' Murder fer nothin'," Ricardo joked.

It was the woman's hunger for blood that overshadowed Elsa's arousal when fighting strong enemies and almost made her feel like a little girl.

She wanted to run and hide from this monster in human form. Her killings far exceeded the number she could ever have imagined.

Although she had wanted to flee the room, she had lost that opportunity.

When she was alone with 'the Admirer' in the room she could have tried to escape. She could have forced her flight, but it would have been costly for her.

However, the woman in white was a total mystery to her, and yet her polished and worked instincts told her she was a much worse monster than 'the Admirer'.

If she wanted to escape these two monsters alive, she would have to fight to the death. Yet, she still didn't see a single route to escape.

Her thoughts changed when the woman in white left the door. She sat on the other side of the door, where 'The Admirer' wasn't.

Behind the woman, another man walked into the room. Her prey, to be more precise. He wore the same black kimono and long orange scarf.

The same worn-out eyes. Last time, she had also seen this happiness... Why? She didn't understand it.

"Jesus Christ, it's the second coming of the Purge King," Subaru said.

"Not really," Emilia said. "While their outfits and lack of sleep are the same, he seems far healthier than the Purge King, at least before he started talking to Ram. He seems to be eating properly, at least, and he doesn't seem to be seeing only in black-and-white."

"Clearly, your eyes are both far better and far more beautiful than mine, Emilia-tan."

"EHHH?! Subaru, you dunderhead, stop trading me like that!"

While the boy scanned the room, no one spoke. Then he turned his gaze to her. Or rather on the glass of water next to her.

"I recommend you drink that," were his first words. Not a greeting, not even a question. The boy's tone was tired and friendly as he said, "I know you heal quickly, but the water will help with your dry throat and headache." He sounds like he's talking to an old friend. Soft, calm and gentle.

It was strange, she didn't remember ever meeting him. There was no relationship between them at all. Why was he treating her in this manner?

"What – cough – What do you want – cough – from me." Her throat didn't hurt but its dryness was annoying. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the boy in front of her. She wasn't going to fall for such a trap.

"Ahhh – I know you're stubborn when you want Elsa, but sip some water." The man pointed to the glass while sighing.

If Halibel's previous statement didn't confirm it, then this did. They recognized her.

"Yeah, I mean, kinda hard not to," Mimi said.

"Mimi, think about it for a little," Tivey said. "Sure, black hair is rare, but that alone isn't enough cause for someone to stand out. The only way someone would be able to discern her identity was if she was brandishing her weapons, or from her speaking manner."

"Why am I suddenly getting vibes from the whole "Clark Kent is Superman" thing?" Al wondered.

It was to be expected if they took her weapons from her, she supposed they would know. After all, her weapons were unique.

Pinching his nose, he got up from his seat and approached her.

Elsa would not miss this opportunity. To battle without weapons, she would have to be creative, and with few chances left, this was the perfect situation.

Even though she reached out her arms to grab the boy, nothing was grabbed.

There was something strange going on.

The boy was close enough for her to grab him normally.

When she looked at her arms, Elsa could only stare with her eyes wide open because her arms had become stumps from her biceps downward.

There were two parts in the following reaction:

The first half was when Elsa got up and still planned to murder Subaru. Unfortunately, that happened so fast that no one had time to vocalize their shock.

The second part however, was when Elsa's hands were chopped off in an instant. However, due to the fact that it was so sudden and gruesome, most of the reaction were…

"HOLY SHIT!"

"OH MY GOD!"

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

… that.

Her arms were dripping blood as they lay on the ground. They had been cut off. So fast and so clean that she hadn't noticed it until she looked at it. She didn't even feel the pain until she realized it.

"Huh?"

When did this happen? Her arms had been fine until just a moment ago, and now they were bleeding.

"Tia!" Elsa heard the boy yell and turned to the woman in white with a frown and narrowed eyes.

"So it was Wind Magic," Ram realized. No way I'll ever be THAT good.

"That was so… brutal," Petra whispered, trying to hold her lunch in.

"Is it just me, or does Subaru only look mildly disappointed?" Felt asked.

"It somewhat reminds me of when a pet is misbehaving," Julius chuckled.

With her own frown, the golden-eyed woman replied, "I wasn't going to allow her to attack you." The woman's golden eyes shifted from the boy to her.

Slowly, Elsa's passive healing effect began to regenerate her arms. She also felt the bloodlust of the white woman all over her.

Despite a whole youth spent as a slave, and after that, Mama's tortures. After all that, she had never felt closer to the threshold of death than she did now.

"Jesus, is Zaresita that scary?" Al wondered.

"Yes, in fact," Beatrice said, as she turned to look at her contractor. "Which is why it is imperative that you do not try and seek this loose woman out, Subaru!"

"Okay, first off, I know you didn't use the w-word, but don't think I didn't notice you slipping in that "loose woman" phrase," Subaru said. "And second off, I've managed to befriend her in three different timelines, and we need all the friends we can get. So, I'm still gonna try."

The Great Spirit looked down at that. "Drat…"

Her whole body trembled. It made her want to cry and hide in the corner. She had no chance and if the woman in white approached her she could end up worse than a meeting with Mama.

It was an entirely different experience than fighting the Blue Lighting. It was something she couldn't comprehend.

"Tia, I think I told you not to hurt her. I owe her."

Subaru Natsuki doubtfully approached her. He didn't know what to do. Meanwhile, her arms continued to heal.

"Tia-chan's intervention saved us from a misfortune." Halibel crossed his arms and watched the black-haired man with narrowed eyes. "Be a little more careful, Su-san."

While her arms were regenerating, Elsa overheard the conversation. She didn't understand why the black-haired man helped her so much. And as much as she wanted to escape from this place, she couldn't do it while the woman in white was close to her.

He clenched his fists to bow to the rest of his companions and turned his back to her. "Guys, I know you won't like this, but could you please leave the room?"

The woman in white's frown grew even bigger if she could be.

"Huh, she really cares about you in this reality," Naoko hummed.

"In the first one, she was a tsundere," Al said. "In the second one, she was the next-door neighbor. And now, in this one, she's a fucking yandere."

"Eh, I don't think so," Kenichi said. "Yanderes would be people who murdered to make sure that their crushes stayed theirs. She seems more like a trigger-happy bodyguard."

In response, the Admirer appeared more frustrated rather than surprised. "I just told you, Su-san. It's dangerous." Smoke escaping from my mouth. His words were met with nods from the woman. "However, you don't seem to be backing down from this matter, ahhh – Well, I'll wait outside the door, that's all I can do."

"Yes, that's right – what?! Hal? No, no, no." The woman in white looked at her furry companion with fully open eyes. "At the first chance she had, she wanted to kill him! We can't leave them alone."

"You won't be able to win this Tia-chan." Halibel shrugged a little "When Su-san gets like this it's hard to convince him of anything else."

Still bowed with his head, he begged, "Please Tia." The woman looked at him sadly. She bit her lip as her body trembled. But not from anger

If Elsa hadn't seen it, she would not have believed what was happening. "Su... I can't... I don't want... Not again, please." The woman who so terrified her, was whimpering.

"Don't worry, Tia." He gently stroked her head. He spoke with a gentle tone. Like a sibling telling his older to not worry much "I'm not telling you to go. Just stay behind the door like Hal-san. I'll be back in a moment. Please."

"Again?" Rem repeated. "What did she mean by that?"

"Probably that Natuski-san did another one of his stupid stunts," Otto said.

"Hey! My stupid stunts always work out!" Subaru defended himself.

Meanwhile, Ricardo leaned over to Al. "Hey, ya think that Tia and Bro…"

"With tears of worry like those?" Al asked. "Oh, yeah, they're definitely fucking."

They both looked into each other's eyes. Elsa realized they were having a speechless conversation. It was a contest of wills.

Silence...

"Su... please... at least... stay safe" The white-haired woman lost. "I'll... be outside if you need me." The woman stood up and looked into her eyes. In order to stare into her eyes, Elsa had to maintain her will. She looked at him for a moment with golden eyes that seemed to sparkle. "If you hurt him, I will kill you." With slumped shoulders and shuffled steps, she left the room.

"Be careful Su-san please, for your sake and for everyone's."

"Thanks so much, guys."

The last thing they saw before the door closed was Tia sitting right in front of the door as Halibel closed it.

There were now only two people left in the room. Each with dark hair. Black looked at purple and vice versa. Neither said anything for the next few seconds. Only the sound of the breaths was heard.

"OH, I GET IT!" Mimi exclaimed. "They're purple and black!"

"Ya jus' figured tha' out now?" Garfiel looked at the girl like she was stupid.

The boy started bowing his head as he said, "I guess the first thing I would have to do is apologize."

She was caught off guard. "You guess? -cough-" Was the woman's rhetorical reply "If the first thing you do after someone -cough, cough- tries to kill you is offer an apology, then you -cough- must have a problem."

"Yes, I guess so." Elsa noticed how his eyes went blank for a moment. It left and came back so fast that it was as if it had never left. As if nothing ever happened. But I still feel like I have to apologize. I told them not to do anything to you..."

"Oh? And why's that?" She couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Talk to you, get into your pants, same thing, really," Al joked.

"Oh my fucking God," Subaru cursed under his breath. He then turned to look at the helmeted knight, and asked, "How long are you gonna keep making jokes like that?"

"Until I forget that you had a daughter with this psycho."

"So until the sun explodes. Great."

She was surprised by that. It wasn't every day that one of the world's most influential people sought her out personally.

"Now that -cough- you mention it... Before... You said that 'you owed it to me'. What do you mean-cough- by that, Subaru Natsuki?" Her mind wandered back to the conversation he had with his companions moments ago. She had been focused in her arms to fully concentrate on their conversation.

"I figured you wouldn't remember..." Elsa heard him mutter. His eyes looked down. Sad. Had he expected another outcome? She noticed his mouth moving but she couldn't hear what he said, her ears still ache.

"Have we met before?-Cough-" She had no memory of meeting the boy before. She tried to think and search in her memories but nothing came to mind.

"More or less... Three years ago in Kyo." His eyes shined a bit with nostalgia. Slowly, he stroked his right arm as well. "At that time... I was about to be captured as a slave. In truth... I spent a few days locked up."

Kyo... Three years ago... Wait! Was him –

"Ah! Were you – cough – part of that group?" Now that she had details, she knew what the boy was referring to. Three years ago she was hired to handle the murder of a person in Kyo City.

This led to the freeing of many of those who had been enslaved unjustly. This is one of the few of her works that could be thought of as 'good'.

"Wait, are slaves a thing in this world?" Naoko asked.

"Yep, slavery is legal 'n most parts o' Kararagi," Anastaisa answered, with a bitter tone.

"That's awful!" Kenichi yelled. "That should be abolished! Right away!"

Ricardo looked at them, with a small bit of hope. "You don't have that?"

"We used to have it centuries ago," Subaru explained. "It was dismantled country by country, and it was officially nearly one hundred years ago back in my world."

"Unfortunately, we can't really do anything about it. While slavery is illegal in Lugnica, we have no say in the other counties," Crusch said. "What's more, in Kararagi, while Banan outlawed slavery, it's still legal to enslave street children as long as you're not seen doing it elsewhere."

That put a sour taste in everyone's mouth.

"Yeah... we... talked a bit after that." His eyes drifted to his feet "But I'm sure you don't remember that" He laughed sadly after saying that

"You're right. I don't remember that – cough –" She didn't remember talking to the boy. She left town before anyone could see her after completing the mission.

Subaru handed her the glass of water, saying, "You should drink a little." But she pushed it away with her almost fully regenerated arms.

"It is the third time that -cough- you offer me water. And -cough- just as before -cough- I will not accept it." She did not trust the man to accept it. She simply kept this conversation with him because of the people -monsters- who accompanied him.

He said with a hurting smile, "I see… well, it's a shame." He sighed. The kid said nothing more, he was silent.

As the boy had led the conversation until now, Elsa did not know exactly what to say. They both remained silent. He kept looking at her with a sad face.

He was a strange boy, to put it mildly. There was no doubt in her mind that he cared for her. He was angry when she got hurt, he tried to take care of her, and he treated her with respect the entire time.

Nevertheless, it did not make sense to her. He said they had only spoken once. However, he treated her as if they had become friends.

For fuck's sake, she just tried to kill him a few hours ago. And he treated her far better than almost anyone had ever done.

"That's an extremely depressing thought," Subaru said. "But, it was nice to know that, even if Elsa was a sadistic killer, she at least understood what compassion was."

"Oh, wow! Elsa had a moral compass?" Felix jokingly asked, while playing shocked.

"One good deed doesn't erase all of her bad ones," Reinhard said.

"Well spoken, grandson," Wilhelm praised the redhead.

For once, Reinhard actually beamed at the praise. "Thank you, grandfather."

Felt smiled at the scene. Aww, they're getting along!

Still, that wasn't a priority at the moment.

"What -cough- what are you going to do with me?" Some kind of punishment or torture, perhaps? Maybe something else... She was at his mercy as much as she hated it

"That's a good question," he replied. Her question was answered without a second's delay. As if he was aware she would ask it.

"That... isn't the answer I was hoping for." She stared at him with wide-open eyes.

The man glanced her in the eye and asked, "And what were you expecting?" The woman arched her eyebrows.

"That you would -cough- lock me up. I knew that -cough- you wouldn't kill me after everything you've done but I thought you weren't going to let me go either."

"I really just wanted to talk to you a bit. After that you're free, you can go or stay." He shrugged. His brow furrowed as he drank some water and continued, "Although, I suppose neither is an option for you right now."

Elsa gasped and looked at him with wide eyes "How much do you know?"

"More than you think." His smile sent chills down her spine. Even knowing that he wouldn't stand a chance against her.

"Okay, that's just creepy," Tivey called Subaru out on that.

"Sorry, I'll try to be less cryptic next time," he smirked.

Meanwhile, Meili picked up on what the on-screen Subaru was putting down.

He knows that Elsa also didn't want to go back to Capella…

"What do you want?" The tired boy disappeared and something else was in front of her right now.

"Your cooperation."

"Of course," Anastasia smiled. "A favor for a favor."

Al raised his hand to ask a question…

"No, Al, it's not an innuendo," Priscilla sighed.

… Al then put his hand down.

"Oh, hey, we have a scene change," Roswaal hummed.

It had been a month since Elsa arrived in Hastia. The month had been strange for her as she did not leave town.

Everyone looked at the screen in interest. What had happened?

She still had a mission to complete, and going back to Mama implied very bad things for her. As a result, she decided to stay in the same room that they placed her in while she was unconscious.

It was a safe place, away from Mama's eyes and the right place to continue her mission.

She found out later that she was at Subaru's house. Although he inhabited it with Halibel and the woman called Tia.

During this month, she had considered attempting to attack the black-haired boy, but she couldn't get the chance. There was always someone around him, whether it was 'The Admirer', the woman in white, or if neither of them was available, one of the mercenaries of the town.

As a result, she hasn't done much in the last month.

And today was another day in this new peaceful life. She just woke up and as usual, she got hungry.

She arrived rather quickly to the dining room "I'm getting used to this..." She didn't know if it was a good or a bad thing.

It was there that Subaru Natsuki, her prey, met her. Subaru Natsuki was alone, much to her surprise. He looked up from the papers on the table and smiled at her.

"Good morning Elsa." There was no fear reaction or anything that indicated that he didn't want to be with her alone.

He's not alone, then, she thought. Up until now, they have never been alone so there was no reason for him to be afraid of her. But now the situation was different and he showed the same emotions. The only conclusion was that someone was hiding.

"This seems like the set-up for some slice-of-life anime," Kenichi surmised.

"Yeah, I can already picture the title," Al laughed. "My Roommate is an Assassin."

"You know, I'd actually pay a couple yen to watch that," Subaru said.

She calmly sat in front of the black-haired man and took some of the food that was on the table. If there's one thing she'd learned this past month, it was that, at least, they weren't going to kill her with poisons.

Not in the food or the water or even in her clothes. None were poisonous nor did they have any kind of dangerous reaction.

She had come to trust her 'captors'. As pathetic as it sounded.

"Trust isn't pathetic," Subaru growled. "It's something sacred."

"Huh, I didn't know that you valued it that much," Priscilla said.

"Well, Otto pretty much beat the concept into me a long time ago, so…"

"Good morning to you too." She looked around her, trying to notice either of the other two.

"If you are looking for Hal-san or Tia they are both gone." He commented without looking up.

"And you were left alone with me?" Elsa feigned disbelief in her voice. It was obvious that they weren't going to leave him alone. But she couldn't sense any of them nearby.

"That's right. I got Tia to go do some things and convinced Hal-san to leave me alone for a while."

"I love how he can casually say tha' while readin' th' paper," Ricardo chuckled.

"I don't," Emilia said. "That is extremely reckless."

"So's ninety percent of the stuff I've ever done," Subaru argued.

"And you wonder why we're all worried about you," Petra groaned.

"If you really expect me to believe that you are sorely mistaken"

"You can believe anything you want, Elsa." The man said with a smirk. He used the chopsticks to grab some of the food on the table. "How was your night?"

She mimicked his actions as she retorted, "Boring as always. This month has been like torture."

"You are free to leave anytime," He replied. He didn't even deign to look at her as he looked at the papers in his hands. "You know you can go and come back whenever you want."

"Not until I'm done with you" In twenty-three years of life she had never had this kind of experience. It was completely different from what she knew. You didn't talk like that to someone who wanted to kill you.

She shouldn't talk to her prey to begin with.

"Ah, yes, don't play with your food," Kenichi joked.

Naoko merely slapped him on the arm.

"How bad could 'er life be that she still stays wit' Cap'n?" Garfiel wondered.

"Plenty bad," Meili said in a curt tone, as she kept hugging Subaru.

After finishing his meal, Subaru took the papers he was carrying. "If you need anything, I'll be in my room working on some things."

Subaru was about to leave the room, passing near where Elsa was sitting, when the woman grabbed his arm and slammed him to the ground.

Several seconds passed before she did anything. She waited for something to attack her, but nothing came.

"You were really alone." Elsa couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips "You were stupid enough to be alone with me."

"I think... I told you." He was finding it difficult to speak. It was painful for him to be face down on the ground after being hit against the floor. "Well... now what are you planning to do?"

"I think it should be obvious." She took a knife from the table "Don't you think?" She felt excited. She was finally able to complete her work after a long time. Because she was used to short-term jobs, she was not used to long-term ones.

"Heh- Alright and what- will you get out of that?" A smirk appeared on the boy's lips. "Back with Mama? After a month? Very good Elsa-chwan, you will surely receive a present. The ones she likes." His voice is full of sarcasm and mockery.

Meili's blood froze as she heard the on-screen Subaru mock Elsa.

"What does he mean by that?" Felt asked.

"A fate worse than death," Subaru answered, his voice lacking any humor.

"How do you know that?" Ram skeptically asked him.

Although he was on the ground and steps away from death, his eyes did not waver or beg for help. They didn't try to fight for his life by confronting her.

She could see his eyes picking on her. He did not think this was the end of his story. Angering her.

"What do you know about me, boy?!" Her grip tightened. "You have no idea what you are talking about."

"It is possible... And I may never know it either but I know you have problems and I just want to help you."

"Help me? Good joke, kid." Subaru could start to feel the sharp point of the knife on his side "Now, a last word?"

"I know you're more than just a puppet." He paused for a moment. "If not for yourself, then at least for Meili."

Everyone's eyes widened at that statement. They had known for a while now that the blue-haired girl was an assassin, but they really didn't know much about her relationship with Elsa, other than the fact that they saw each other as sisters.

But seeing a Subaru use that relationship as leverage?

That spoke volumes.

The power of Elsa's grip intensified, and a sick smile spread over her face. "How do you know that Subaru-kun…" If it wasn't for the fact that she needed answers, she would have gutted the boy by now.

"I already told you we met – gkk!" The knife slashed into his side. Because it was not a proper weapon Elsa dug into his side before thrusting the knife completely into his stomach"Elsa – gack! Please listen to me!"

Suddenly, Elsa's dark eyes lost the usual glow "How do you know about Meili, Subaru? What do you know about her?"

"Gack –! Good! I'll talk! I'll talk but please stop nailing me before T–"

Subaru was unable to finish his sentence because Elsa's head was separated from her body. The body of the woman fell to one side as the head hit the ground.

"AIIEEE!" Petra screamed, as she, and everyone, watched as Elsa's head was immediately chopped off by an invisible blade. It was so sudden, everyone was caught off-guard.

"HOLY SHIT!" Al yowled.

"Is she dead?" Felix asked, slightly horrified.

"It'll take more then dat ta kill 'er," Garfiel answered.

A stern voice echoed in the room, "I thought I warned you, filthy animal. Now die!" Tia's stern voice was evident.

"Elsa!" A high-pitched voice screamed. The little blue-haired girl ran into the room, ignoring Subaru bleeding on the floor, and grabbed Elsa's headless body. "Elsa! Are you okay?"

"Meili-chan?!" Emilia recognized that voice.

"Subaru-kun, did you kidnap a child?" Roswaal asked, slightly curious.

"I'm pretty sure in this case, it would be a rescue," Subaru corrected him.

Elsa's headless body arose, showing that what should have been certain death was not for her. She regenerated her head much faster than she did with her arms. Bones, muscles, nerves, skin, and hair. The headless body regained its head in an instant.

With a simple kitchen knife, Elsa Granhiert protected Meili from a very angry Tia.

"That is disgusting," Beartreice said, as she watched Elsa regenerate.

"That's somehow worse than my Divine Protection…" Felix whispered.

Meanwhile, Al was having flashbacks to a certain Sin Archbishop.

"This is it, isn't it?" the blue-haired assassin asked. "This is how I die."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Subaru reassured her.

The little girl behind her noticed her trembling and asked, "Elsa?" She had never seen the woman tremble like this in front of an enemy.

"Don't worry, Meili. We'll get out of here." Elsa smiled comfortingly. Although her hands and feet were shaking, she had to get Meili out of this place. As she positioned herself, she tightened her grip on the knife.

"I like it," Tia said, a smile plastered on her face. "You have prepared to die." The wind picked up. Cuts appeared on the walls in the house. "Now... How do you want to die?"

"I would prefer not to do it."

Meili from behind Elsa watched as Elsa's body was thrown at supersonic speeds against the woman in white only for it to be torn to pieces in a moment.

Elsa's head, arms, and legs were severed by the woman in white without a movement from her side. Creating six pieces of meat from her.

Quickly her torso re-created her limbs but they were severed before they were completed.

"Stop!" Meili yelled to the woman in white. But Halibel, who appeared on the scene just then, stopped her before she could get near Tia. With Subaru under his arm.

"Tia! Stop!" The black-haired boy yelled. "I'm fine! Stop it please!" He begged.

"Subaru, you're bleeding!" Emilia said. "That is far from fine!"

"I agree with you on that front!" Subaru said. "But the fact of the matter is, even if my life is precious, it can still be saved, but Elsa and Meili's? They only have one."

"Mmm… fine. If it means saving you, go ahead and help them."

"I wish I could, but that's up to the me on the screen."

"No Su, I'm not going to stop." Was the response of the white-haired girl "She has had the nerve to do the one thing she couldn't do and now she's going to pay for it. I'm going to kill her!"

"Tia-chan! Calm down, I'm sure we can talk about it." Halibel tried to reason with the woman.

However, he went unnoticed. Subaru seemed like the only person who could reason with her. "Tch- What do we do Su-san?" He could try to fight her but that wasn't going to end well for him as well as he wouldn't risk the town's well-being.

"If this continues Elsa will die. We must stop her please!" With teary eyes, Meili begged. The sight of Elsa being tortured in such a way brought dark memories to her mind.

"I can't believe they're actually going through with this," Felix deadpanned.

"Would you prefer to have that Great Spirit go on a rampage?" Priscilla asked.

"But it's Elsa Grainheart!"

"And that's the Great Spirit of Murder!" the Vollachian Matriarch argued back. "She has far more deaths under her belt than the Bowel Hunter, but for once, she's under control of Subaru! She needs to stay under his influence, and that means, following any of his commands."

Everyone around them were kind of surprised at Priscilla for using such logic on Subaru's behalf, but they were still focused on the scene going on in front of them.

"I think I have an idea, Hal-san," Subaru whispered to the black wolf.

"An idea that doesn't put you or us in mortal danger?" Even so, they saw few solutions to his current situation. There were only a few in which none of them died.

"What's that?"

"I thought so." The man put the boy down "And? What's the plan?" He said with a sigh.

"You try to get Elsa out of that storm and I try to stop Tia." It was a relatively simple plan for a rather complicated situation, but they weren't able to do anything else. "Don't worry Meili, we'll help Elsa." The boy stroked the little girl's head.

"What if we do it the other way around?" Of the two, he was the most prepared to handle Tia.

"Do you think Tia is going to listen to you?"

"Right... Let's get to work!"

"Stay here Meili, not moving is the wisest option right now." Subaru advised before going.

"Don't worry, Onii-chan, I'm staying far away from that!" Meili said.

"How do you even plan on stopping Tia-sama?!" Rem asked.

Julius began to speak. "Well, she is most likely his contractor, so there's a good chance –"

"Maybe with a big wet kiss?" Al suggested.

The purple-haired knight merely glared at the one-armed knight.

Even though the dining room was not particularly large, due to the large amount of wind Tia was generating, it was difficult to move. Furthermore, just being near her made him feel the wind cutting him.

Tia, however, seemed to be too focused on Elsa to notice that Subaru was approaching her. Even so, he was losing a large amount of blood.

"You fucking filthy pig! You thought you could hurt him in front of me!" Tia had let all her power run wild. Elsa was trapped in a sphere of wind blades. "AND! DON'T! PAY! THE! CONSEQUENCES!" Elsa's body was ripped apart by the wind with every exclamation.

"Wow, that is super gory," Kenichi said, as he watched Elsa be reduced to chunks. Again.

"I don't think I'll ever look at a ketchup splatter the same way again," Naoko said.

"Even if she's still a whore, I have to admit, she makes a… fine substitute as a contractor for Betty's Subaru," Beatrice acknowledged Zarestia's abilities.

"Wow, that almost sounded like a compliment from you, Beako!" Subaru smiled.

"No, it wasn't!" the blonde Spirit tried to deny it. "And your counterpart is still bleeding!"

No longer have they been cut, but have been torn apart and chopped in seconds. As a result, there was no more body, just a mass of meat that tried to regenerate itself and was chopped up over and over again.

"Come on! Try to do something to him now! I'm going to kill you!" Tia screamed like a madwoman at the meat mass, her power was overwhelming. "I'll kill you so many times that you'll forget what it's like to be alive!"

"What did you think –!"

When something touched her side, Tia stopped speaking. As she turned to see what had bothered her, the wind completely stopped.

A bloodied and cut Subaru says "Tia... please... stop." His black kimono was sliced and stained with blood. In addition to the wound Elsa had caused him, he also sustained cuts over various areas of his body. A bloody cough escaped Subaru's mouth. "Please, don't -cough- please," Subaru pleaded.

Al stared at the screen. "Okay…"

"Ah, so my suggestion turned out to be the correct one," Julius smiled.

"But you never told us your suggestion," Tivey said.

"It was the one where do to their contract –"

"Hey, yeah!" Mimi agreed. "The bucket head interrupted you!"

Julius merely sighed at the irony in front of him.

Due to the bleeding on his side, he had difficulty breathing and his skin began to pale.

"Su…"

"I'm fine… don't -cough- worry."

"No... Su- You're not... You're not fine!" Tia hugged him tightly. She wanted to heal him, but she couldn't. "Please don't go, don't leave me alone!" She was a danger to those near her.

Watching the Great Spirit of Murder cry was… something no one saw coming.

"Okay, I know Ricardo and I joked about it," Al said, "but we didn't actually think it was like that!"

"Ugh, contracted Spirits can be considered family, like siblings, parents, or children," Julius groaned. "They don't have to have… that sort of relationship to be close."

Beatrice meanwhile, felt something wet coming from her eyes. She knew that one day, Subaru was gonna die for good, and she would break down the same way as Zarestia. All she could do was hope that watching all of this would prepare her for when that day came.

"Shhh… Alright." A small smile formed on his lips. He smiled tiredly. But it was a smile that Tia needed "I'm fine-cough cough-. Now let's calm down. Elsa's attack was my fault. She attacked me because I provoked her."

"But... she... she could have killed you," Tia replied. As she checked the boy's injuries, her eyes were red and watery, her lips trembling, and her hands shaking. She had never wanted to get his magic back as much as now.

"She could... but you saved me so- cough- let's just leave it there ..."

"Elsa!"

The hysterical voice of a little girl was heard. The mass of meat Tia was chopping up had reverted to Elsa's shape. Completely naked.

"Elsa? Elsa, are you alright? Elsa, answer me... please!" The little girl was tearing over the adult woman's body.

Everyone was quiet at that.

While it was true that the camera angle had helped to censor the Bowel Hunter's more… private bits… the fact was that no one was pointing that out, or even laughing about it.

They were all hoping that she would be okay.

Not for her sake…

… but for the sake of the crying girl, begging for her big sister to wake up.

Although Elsa's body was whole again, she did not respond. Elsa had been beaten so severely by Tia that she had become unconscious.

Meili shook Elsa's body to try to wake her up. But she was stopped by Halibel.

"Girl, calm down. She's unconscious, don't shake her like that. You have to let her rest." Halibel separated Meili from Elsa and carried the woman's body before turning to Subaru whom Tia was helping walk. "I guess I'll take her to her room, right?"

The black-haired man nodded and the white-haired woman snorted "Yes, please. Let Meili go with you too."

"We will talk about this later, Su-san. Despite what Tia-chan has done," who just looked averted "what you have done has been very risky." The demi-human blew his kiseru and a large puff of smoke filled the broken room. "And we are also going to have to move."

"I agree with Halibel," Emilia said. "Very unsafe, Subaru."

"Aww, man! And I thought Halibel was cool!" Al groaned.

"Do not encourage Subaru-kun's risky behavior!" Rem growled.

"Hey, guys, we have another scene change," Subaru pointed out.

It had been another month since she arrived at Hastia, and the situation had drastically changed. With the new role she had been given, the easy life she had been leading in town had become a distant memory. They planned to kill the Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella.

"Wait, that was the plan?!" Felt yelled.

"Ya really gonna try an' kill an' Archbishop?!" Anastasia exclaimed in shock.

Subaru simply shrugged. "I guess that was the plan. Elsa and Meili show up as bait, Lust comes looking for them, and then Halibel and Zartestia kill the bitch."

"That plan is insane and shouldn't work," Ram said.

"But…?"

"But it will, because it's you we're talking about, Barusu."

As far as she was concerned, she had already done her part. Unfortunately, the prey was able to escape. They were now chasing it.

It was noon. They had managed to set a trap for Mama and Elsa had never felt her heartbeat so fast.

The Cragrel Moving Forest was located on the Magolya Plateau, near the Grand Mogolade Geyser. It is not far from Fusumi and the Lugunica border of Kararagi.

It was in the easternmost region of the country where they had met Mama. It would require her and Meili to take Halibel's Subaru clone to a place where they would set their trap.

Capella wanted Subaru dead. After waiting for two months and not knowing anything about her "daughters," she received a letter from them.

In that letter, Elsa explained that after investigating during the two months they had decided that using the boy would be more beneficial for her and that they had decided to kidnap him and take him to her.

Her letter seemed to have worked as Capella appeared. In a clearing, in the middle of the forest, the great black dragon was waiting for them.

"HOLD UP, HOLD UP!" Kenichi yelled. "That's Lust?!"

"No, that's her Authority," Meili said, her eyes full of hatred. "She can change her shape to whatever person, animal, or monster she wants. Usually, it's this black dragon."

"A shapeshifter…" Wilhelm realized.

"Gotta admit, tha's pretty damn intimidating," Garfiel said.

The meeting started well for them. Mama praised them for a job well done. And they just smiled. But Mama dropped that there would be a small punishment for disobeying her orders.

Elsa could feel that her heart was going to explode at any moment because of what they were doing. And she could see that Meili was about to fall unconscious. The pressure was unimaginable.

So far everything was fine. The Subaru clone was unconscious and loaded with curses prepared by Halibel's black magic. In the same way as with Elsa, the moment someone other than him touched it, the body would explode in a cloud of smoke. But unlike the last time, that cloud would be capable of killing any adult who breathed them only once.

Obviously, they knew the smoke wouldn't have the full effect on Capella but it would weaken her quite a bit. There both Elsa and Meili would leave the area as quickly as possible and Tia would enter the scene.

Tia... The woman who almost killed her. She didn't know her identity at the time and that was strange because there weren't many powerful people that she didn't know. Even Halibel, famed as the strongest in Kararagi, treated the woman with caution.

That's when she found out that Tia... Or rather Zarestia, was the Great Spirit of Wind and Murder. There are only a few who have preceded both the Divine Dragon of Lugunica and the Witch of Envy. The one who was known to live alone and kill anyone who approached her home. They had her on their side. Despite everything that had happened between them and the fear that she had instilled in her body, she could not help but feel relieved.

"Okay, I gotta admit, the clone of me laced with death touch is a good plan," Subaru said.

"Natsuki-san, I hope you're not planning to recreate this plan without Halibel and Zarestia."

"Hell no, Otto!" Subaru said. "Of course I'm gonna recruit them first!"

During that month many surprises and mysteries came into her life. But none like Subaru Natsuki. The biggest surprise and the biggest mystery of all.

Don't think about it now, she reminded herself.

The situation was tense.

The dragon had transformed into a little girl wearing revealing clothes, hot pants, leggings, and a bikini.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Felt screamed in a mix of disgust and confusion.

And for good reason.

"She looks like Felt-chan… but evil," Emilia did her best to describe Lust.

Meanwhile, inside Felix's head, alarm bells were going off. He knew about the fabled "Emerada Lugnica," a member of the Royal Family that supposedly "died" before the Demi-Human War. She also possessed the same features as the old Royal Family.

She possesses the same features as Felt-sama…

He seriously hoped no one else would pick up on those traits.

It appeared that she was about to kick the clone's body as she approached it. However, she stopped before doing so. And she took her gospel out of her body.

That made a bead of cold sweat begin to trickle down Elsa's forehead. If she read the Gospel now the chances of the plan getting complicated were pretty great.

"Is there – gulp – Is there something wrong, Mama?" Elsa gulped. She didn't know why she had done it. To interrupt Mama was to have a death wish. Even Meili had dropped everything she had taught her about behaving in front of Mama and was staring at her in frightful surprise.

If she could have done it, Elsa would have struck herself by the sheer stupidity that she had just done.

"You seem to be having a rebellious phase after a while without seeing us, Elsa." Capella turned her gaze on her, momentarily forgetting her gospel. "I was going to postpone it but what do you think if we have your punishment now?"

Elsa couldn't do or say anything, couldn't even think about that point. Her own actions had brought her to this point. She wanted to shake, but that wasn't going to help at all. So she was completely static, she seemed to have turned into a statue.

"You know that I am compassionate towards my sons and daughters, Elsa... So tell me, which do you prefer? A chunk of meat or a lot of ants? Or do you prefer a mixture of both?"

"Wait, what?" Petra asked, frightened. "Meat?"

"That's a part of Capella's sick Authority," Subaru hissed. "She can turn other people into animals, monsters, or deform them completely, making them lose their minds. It's a fate worse than death, and she uses it to punish her subordinates when they fail."

Frederica looked towards the blue-haired girl. "Meili-chan, did she –"

"Yes."

Immediately, the blonde maid hugged the little girl as tight as she could.

Obviously, the correct answer was not to answer and that is what Elsa did. Capella had her already in arms range. She reached out her arm to touch her. Elsa closed her eyes fearing the worst.

"Huh?"

But the contact never came. Elsa quickly opened her eyes to see a kunai stuck in Capella's forearm. Capella's forearm began to rot instantly.

"Who's there meatbags?!" The Archbishop yelled clearly annoyed. The arm rotten from the kunai quickly healed once Capella drew the weapon.

"HALIBEL TO THE RESCUE!" Mimi cheered.

"Oh, great, she can heal herself," Julius groaned.

"Is every Archbishop in your world some sort of Dark Souls boss?!" Kenichi asked.

"Yes," Al said, without a hint of his joking personality.

But Capella did not receive an answer. The wind was the only thing she could hear in the clearing. Not the animals, not even the water from the nearby stream.

Elsa grabbed Meili and ran towards the trees.

It's coming! Elsa thought knowing what was going to happen. They both knew it.

If they had turned their heads they could have seen an enraged Capella watching as they fled.

"DAMN UNGRATEFUL PIECES OF SHIT! GET BACK HERE!" Elsa ran into the trees as she had never done before.

But Capella never hunted them down. Well, when they left the clearing, another figure entered the place.

Tia... No. Now she wasn't Tia the cheerful woman of Hastia. Now she was Zarestia, the Spirit of Murder. Ready to add another name to the long list of people and beings who died by her hand.

"Now who are you?!"

"Die!"

The word was like a whisper, but even Elsa and Meili who were relatively far away had heard it. As if carried by the wind for all to hear.

"FUCK HER UP, TIA!" Subaru yelled, unleashing his anger. That bitch hurt Meili, and he was looking forward to doing the same thing to that bitch when he got back to his universe.

Crusch observed the battle, trying to figure out if there was anything she and her resources could do in the event that having Tia join their side turned out to be fruitless.

Meanwhile, Priscilla simply watched the fight because it was honestly entertaining.

She really enjoyed this sort of violence when she wasn't on the receiving end.

"Okay, you don't have to run anymore." Halibel suddenly appeared before them. Next to him was Subaru who had his brow furrowed "We are in safe distance now."

"The plan has not worked as it should, but we have what we wanted. Tia against Capella." Subaru commented looking at the clearing.

"Do you think she can finish her off?" Elsa asked seriously. She was not used to others doing the work for her. But she might pass up the moment.

"If I didn't think she could do it, we wouldn't be here in the first place." Was the black-haired boy's reply. Then he turned to the shinobi "Hal-san have you blocked the escape routes?"

"They've thought of everything," Reinhard whispered.

"Chances are that Subaru-dono looped to make sure that his plan was completely flawless," Wilhelm said. "A saddening tactic, but one necessary for a monster such as Lust."

"The boys are waiting at each of the exits." The demi-human nodded "Everyone is in a position to delay her in case she escapes."

"Good. So all that's left is to see if my theory works and it doesn't have any more guarded tricks." Four pairs of eyes settled on the fight that was going on several meters away.

Elsa probably wouldn't forget something like this in her life. Even though it wasn't her fight, things like what was going on are hard to forget.

Capella soon found herself at a disadvantage and transformed into her dragon form to escape her but this turned out to be a bad idea when Zarestia cut her wings, causing her to fall to the ground.

The Archbishop found herself at a disadvantage and ran. Transforming into a canine beast she started running through the forest at high speeds.

"Oh no! She's running away!" Halibel informed Subaru. "She is heading towards where Maya and Hao are."

"We can't let her get away!" Subaru yelled. It didn't take long for Halibel to grab him and start running. Zarestia had long since begun her pursuit of the Archbishop.

"Come on Meili, we have to see this to the end!" Elsa grabbed the little Meili and ran after Halibel and Subaru.

I look forward to when it happens in our world, too… Meili thought to herself.

The chase was long through the forest. Capella managed to dodge the two guardians and managed to get out of the forest.

The race had brought them to the Great Mongloade Geyser. There Zarestia and Capella had already arrived. Zarestia had managed to cut Capella's legs forcing her to fall, but she was not long in getting up.

"Damn trash! Who are you?!" Capella screamed. Her veins showed on her neck, her face flushed from running and she was clenching her jaw tightly.

But again the only reply she got was "Die". And another of her limbs was amputated.

"You don't deserve the honor of knowing your opponent's name," Julius hissed.

"Plus, we should probably avoid giving Sin Archbishop's our names, in the event that we have another Gluttony debacle," Subaru helpfully added.

"Ah, good point, Subaru."

The situation had reached a point where Zarestia could not kill Capella and she was trying to escape from her only to be blocked.

"I'm getting tired of THIS!" Capella transformed her head into hers from her dragon form and fired a great blaze at Zarestia.

A flare was launched but failed to reach Zarestia. There were too many strong winds to keep the fire alive.

"Let's get this over with," Zarestia said uninterestedly. The winds seemed to calm down.

Elsa trembled. She instinctively touched herself to see that she was not being destroyed. That attack left her scarred forever and now Capella was going to suffer the same.

First, it was an arm that flew off. She didn't get very far before turning into mincemeat. Then a leg. The sphere of blades grew smaller and smaller and in a matter of seconds, the screams that never came ceased to exist.

According to Subaru, the voice was transmitted through the air and Zarestia's sphere of blades prevented the transmission of air as it was completely closed.

Elsa wasn't going to lie, she didn't quite understand it but it didn't bother her. And so with possibly one of the easiest fights of her life, one of the greatest fears of her had ceased to exist, trapped forever in a sphere of death.

After remembering that, Elsa couldn't help but remember the boy that despite not being directly involved in the murder, he was the mastermind behind a plan that did not go quite right but served its purpose.

"Is Bro a genius?" Mimi asked.

"What do ya mean?" Anastasia asked.

"He was the man behind the White Whale and Sloth, along with a bunch of other stuff in a bunch of realities," she explained. "Plus, he's an inventor, so he's gotta be really smart, right?"

"I guess it stands to reason…"

"Ya hear tha', mastermind?" Ricardo smiled. "They think yer a genius!"

"I have ears, you know," Subaru replied. He really wasn't paying attention to their conversation. He was more busy hugging the crying Meili. Not of sadness, but of joy.

"She's gone, she's really gone," she smiled. "She can be beaten, I can be free…"

No one called out the scene change, as it began it's transition.

"What will you do now?"

It had been a few days since the 'fight' against Capella. The group had already returned to Hastia. Subaru and Elsa were in the dining room of the house. Tia had gone out for a walk and had taken Meili with her, Halibel, for his part, had gone out drinking with some of the village mercenaries.

"What are you talking about?" Elsa replied, arching an eyebrow. She tilted her head to the side, clearly confused.

"I mean, what are you going to do now that Capella is gone?" The black-haired man explained.

"What? Can't I stay here?" It was her instant response "These months I have gotten used to life here. Life is relatively simple and I don't have to worry about being arrested wherever I go." Elsa turned her gaze to the window beside her and to the people who were on the street "Also here there are strong people to fight." She licked her lips in anticipation.

"Sure you can stay... I just didn't think you were going to do it."

"And why not? It's a good place. Away from problems, stability, and Meili can grow up calm here." Elsa explained the points quickly "If this is not a good place to stay I don't know which one is."

"Wow, thank you." As the leader of the people, he couldn't help but feel flattered.

"No problem."

Subaru felt a bit of a twinge of guilt hearing that interaction. Was there a possibility that he could have saved Elsa back during the Sanctuary event? A part of him said probably not, as chances were, she was too far gone at that point. And besides, he really couldn't afford to save absolutely everyone between Roswaal's machinations and the Great Rabbit.

So, he figured it was best not to think about it.

Meanwhile, Reinhard wondered, "Would this qualify as a redemption story?"

"For Elsa?" Felt asked. "Probably. But, it can't be done here."

"I agree," Crusch nodded. "What's done is done, and it really can't be changed."

The room fell silent for a moment before Subaru lifted his head and looked Elsa in the eye.

"Elsa you know... When we met for the first time... I really thought that I was going to die."

Subaru seemed to think of something that for him was of the utmost importance but for her, it was not even something that she could remember, no matter how hard she tried. "I really thought 'Is this it? This is how far I can get?'" His expression seemed weak and sad "I felt that I had done anything with my life and now I was paying the consequences. Heh."

Elsa noticed how Subaru's eyes lost their shine. Something that happened to him when he seemed to speak of the past.

"But you just came and got me out of there. The days– hck" Subaru clutched his chest tightly.

Elsa was instantly concerned "Hey? Subaru? Are you okay?" It was the first time she had seen him do something like that.

"He's remembering something painful," Subaru said.

Naoko merely looked at her son with pain in her eyes, but she saw all of the people that now surrounded her little boy's life, and she knew that things would get better.

"I'm surprised that Elsa asked such a question," Felix said.

"Even monsters ask other monsters how they're doing," Reinhard said.

"Yes- yes ... I'm fine!" After a moment he regained his composure. "I'm sorry I worried you." One of his tired smiles crossed her face again.

"Forcing yourself like this won't do any good."

"Maybe, but don't worry... I'm fine now." He shook his head before continuing "Where was I? ... Ah yes. The time we spent together ... you really inspired me."

Those weren't words Elsa expected to hear from someone. She? Inspiring people? What fun.

"I know you may not believe me but you really inspired me."

"You know I'm a murderer right? And one with a rather murky reputation." The title of the gut hunter was not for nothing. She still enjoyed the warmth of her insides even though she hadn't been able to enjoy them as much lately.

"Well, I am an immortal time-traveler," Subaru admitted.

"And I'm a Hero with some abysmal self-esteem," Reinhard added.

"I'm a mage who has been alive for the last four hundred years," Roswaal said.

"What is the point of all that?" Ram asked.

"The point is that everyone has a murky reputation," Subaru explained.

"I know and although it seems a little weird to me, I'm not going to pressure you for it if you don't want to tell –"

"I really don't care." She cut him off without thinking twice.

"Melo- wait what? Really?" Subaru didn't expect this kind of development from her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Even though we have known each other for a short time I feel that she could tell you this ... It must be that I really appreciate you." After these two months, it was something that she could do for the black-haired man.

Subaru couldn't help but blush. Few were the times that a beautiful girl had said that to him.

"Oh… just so you know… I really appreciate you too, Elsa…" He was red like a matoe.

Al began to chant, "Harem, harem, harem –"

SLAP!

"OW, PRINCESS!"

"Oh, my… Aren't you a smooth talker? Ufufufu…" Elsa can't help but laugh at how red she had turned Subaru. "Don't worry Subaru-kun I'll teach you everything you need to know…" She winked at him playfully, Subaru turned even redder.

"Wait! What does that mean?" Subaru looked at her excited and confused. He wasn't an expert at this sort of thing, Elsa thought. And she was going to have a lot of fun with him for it.

"Nothing to worry about…" She gave him a playful nudge. She saw him like this after everything she had seen of him was quite funny, now she understood why Halibel bothered her from time to time.

"Elsa-san? You can't just leave me like this!"

"Sure I can Subaru-kun." A small laugh escaped her lips "Now... let me tell you a little about myself."

Now, Al and Ricardo were also chanting, ""Harem, harem, harem –""

"Will you two stop that, I suppose?!" Beatrice yelled at them. "I do not want to imagine my contractor with either the Bowel Hunter OR the Great Spirit of Murder, in fact!"

"Hey, wait a minute…" Otto began to wonder.

"What is it?" Subaru asked.

"Would it be possible for Zarestia-san and Natuski-san to have children –?"

""NO,"" both Emilia and Rem shot that idea down with both that word and some death glares.

Subaru was strange. That would be the way she would describe him. He did strange things, thought strange things and said strange things.

For Elsa he was too kind, he had forgiven her after almost splitting his side in and possibly killing him. He had forgiven her after she unhesitatingly cut off his clone's head.

He had let her stay at his house and he had treated her injuries 'in case her regeneration didn't work out all right after what Tia did'.

He gave shelter to her and Meili. He gave them food and then a chance to see her dream come true. After that, he gave them a job.

He was definitely weird and an idiot. But for some reason, she couldn't completely hate him. His strange way of doing things as well as the people who were drawn to him...

"You do have a knack for that," Otto smiled.

"Arguably, your best trait," Anastasia said.

Subaru was now blushing. "Aww, thanks guys…"

"But she is right about you being weird and an idiot," Ram smirked.

"Dang, Ram, no mercy!"

"Heh."

"Oh, it appears there is an epilogue," Frederica pointed out.

"What are you guys doing?" Surprising the four people who were calmly in the fountain, Subaru appeared. Wearing his black kimono and his orange scarf.

"Su!" Tia was the first to recriminate the boy "Where have you been? You're late!"

"Ahaha I'm sorry. I ran into some trouble on the way here." The boy made his usual gesture of scratching the back of his neck when he was slightly embarrassed.

"Problems?" Halibel couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Something we need to worry about?"

The demi-human could already notice how it started to get windier.

"No no, just some thieves. But I was able to get away from them with ease." The winds seemed to calm down.

"Could you? Wow, nii-chan you have improved a lot." Meili touched the boy's legs in false surprise "Now maybe you run faster than a snail."

"What is that ungrateful loli?" Subaru aggressively stroked Meili's head, ruffling her hair.

"Elsa! Tell him to stop!" Meili complained trying to stop the black-haired boy.

"Subaru, stop bothering Meili. You know she doesn't like to have her hair touched, she likes her braid very much."

"Okay, okay." The boy removed his hand from the head of the blue-haired girl who hid behind Elsa, making them all laugh. Although they were a motley group, moments like these made everyone happy.

"It appears they're in Lugnica," Julius said.

"Given the architecture around them, that's a safe bet," Crusch said.

"You know, you guys never did ask what a "loli" is," Subaru said.

"Oh, tha' word exists here," Anastasia said. "It was brought by Hoshin."

"Hoshin, huh? Makes sense."

"By the way, Su-san, why did we come to Lugunica?" The demihuman looked around, the place was quite different from the town they lived in.

"Didn't I tell you?"

"No. You didn't say Subaru" Elsa replied. The four of them didn't know what the purpose of being here was. Subaru just said let's go to Lugunica and no one really questioned him.

"Oh boy I thought you knew. Since no one asked me and such" He shrugged "Anyway, we are here to pay a debt I have with a girl."

"Another debt?" Elsa said incredulously "Are you sure you are not in debt to the world in general or something like that?" Halibel laughed at how true the assassin's words were.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" He replied, annoyed "I just have bad luck and people help me. Aren't you on that boat?"

"Then I think I'll get off."

"Hal-san ?!"

"Just kidding, just kidding." The demihuman laughed at the boy's face "So ... who do we help and what?"

"Well, right off the bat we have been invited to the royal palace of Lugunica" Searching in the pockets of his kimono Subaru took out a letter with the symbol of the Mathers family. "I don't know how Mr Roswaal knows about my relationship with this girl but he knows."

"Okay, raise your hands if you know what's happening," Subaru said.

Everyone raised their hands.

"Good to know."

"Roswaal? As in Roswaal L. Mathers? The margrave?" Meili stared at the letter with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Smells suspicious." Elsa for the part of her was looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"We are already down the rabbit hole."

"That's true." Halibel supported "We're here so ~" One more drag of his kiseru.

"Anyway!" Tia interrupted, "You still haven't told us who we have to help."

"Oh right... Her name is Emilia, she helped me a few years ago when I was in the Elior forest."

"The Elior forest? That frozen forest?" Halibel asked, clearly puzzled "Isn't that where 'the Day of Red Earth and Sky' happened?"

"Right... That day I felt that idiot Melakuera fight." Tia commented remembering that night "I was about to go see what was happening and I think I felt that Odglass was going to move too."

"Huh, I didn't know that the Great Spirits knew each other," Subaru said.

"It would be hard not to, given their reputations and their age," Beatrice said.

The four who weren't spirits felt a chill run down their backs. The idea of four great spirits in one place and the great possibility of a battle breaking out between them was not an easy thing to assimilate. The continuity of the world was at stake after all.

"But the battle ended too soon." Tia sighed disappointedly "And on top of that Melakuera ended up losing... That idiot."

"You look sad White-nee-chan."

"It's not that I'm sad or anything. It's just that he and I… kinda know each other?" Tia dismissed the idea "Anyway! So what were you saying?" The woman looked at Subaru.

"Ah, yes. What I was saying... When I was in the forest a girl who lived there helped me. She and her spirit saved my life and in part led me to meet you, so I promised her that if she ever needed my help, I would lend it to her."

"Well, now we know on what part of the timeline I showed up," Subaru said.

"It's also good to see that you keep your promises!" Emilia smiled.

"It's also funny to see that your personal army of mercenaries have pretty much elevated the Emilia Camp to a formidable force in this timeline," Prisciall said.

"Hey, we're a formidable force even in this timeline!" Petra exclaimed.

"Heh, yes," Priscilla softly smiled. "Yes, you are."

"So now we help that girl? Sometimes I think we are a charity group instead of a merchant group." Halibel jokes, getting a laugh from Tia and Meili.

Elsa for her part seemed lost in thought again. Help without asking for anything in return... Yes. That sounded quite familiar to her.

During those hours she told him everything she could tell him about her. Her birth, her childhood, her youth, her adolescence. Everything. She hadn't even told Meili that much.

And she thought her conversation would end there, but to her surprise, or maybe not, Subaru was a man who paid her debts. After she told him her story the boy proceeded to tell his.

He didn't go into much detail regarding his earliest age but his story was full of detail after that.

They were both talking until Halibel, Tia and Meili returned for the night. That night was quite fun in his opinion.

Elsa laughed when she remembered the end of that night, her eyes on the black-haired man who walked in front of her. She could only see the back of her neck but she knew those brown eyes were looking at a place they were sure they were going to reach.

"Let me see how much your passion burns to fulfill your dreams Subaru ..."

As the lights went back up in the Theater, everyone discussed what they saw.

"Felix?"

"Ah! Yes, Reinhyard-kyun?" Felix asked, sweating bullets.

"Are you all right?"

"Uhh… nothing to concern yourself with!" he smiled.

"Hmmm…" Reinhard decided to believe his friend. For now.

Elsewhere, Meili cried into Subaru's chest. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…"

All Subaru could do was hug the little girl, like how his mother hugged him.

Elsewhere in the Theater, Naoko Natsuki smiled.

---

Author's Note: Unfortunately, the original author never mentioned any official ships in his work, so everything speculated by the cast is their own headcanon.

The original story is called "Purple and Black," and was written by Ewent. The link is s/13947163/1/Purple-and-Black, and it can only be found on that site. Now off with the comments from the last chapter!

Junsuina Tamashi: I honestly don't remember what our previous interaction was. Oh, the timeline? Yeah, it's fine. A lotta people messed up there.

Guest #1: I'm glad you found my story fun! I never actually considered having them react to "Wish Upon A Sin". But I guarantee that there will be one where Subaru is part of the Royal Selection. But I did consider adding "Re: Zero Hour", but scappred it due to the fact that the "Beast of Despair" was going to make an appearance.

fonte20nit: Yeah, the cup is something worrying for me. Still, I'm glad you found everything so far amazing, hope everything else lives up to your expectations.

Chuck B. Winanaki: Yeah, Wilhelm meeting his wife was a blessing for his dumpster fire of a personality, and now we know why he's the way he is after she died. More about Pandora will be revealed in the future. And Petelgeuse will always be creepy.

Guest #2: Yeah, Anastisa's horror story is the sister chapter here.

Sussy Cat: Really? The author of the last story confirmed it was gonna be Subaru x Theresia? Well, I didn't know that! And I'll make sure the Cast never finds out!

Commissar Gaunt: To be honest, Naoko and Kenichi didn't exactly know how to handle Subaru's… well, everything. The cup was just the straw that broke the camel's back. And as for suggesting your own story… it's interesting I'll give you that. But like I've said before, I'm not gonna use anything the people request of me! Sorry, them's the breaks.

5queso: Nah, their relationship will be fine. If anything, Wilhelm and Reinhard's relationship improved. But the idea that so many relationships have been flipped around is an interesting concept. Glad you liked the last chapter, hope you enjoy the rest.

Wally991: I might have accidentally doomed that possibility, considering the fact that there is only one more fic referencing Thereisa, and it's not gonna be here. Sorry.

Pryd: "Sealed" is not coming to this series. For the reasons why, please refer to the sister chapter. Anyway, I hope you stick around for everything else I've got!

Ronnie R101: I have a talent for writing under a time crunch, and then telling everyone that I'll be back a month later with new stuff. Yeah, the breakdown in this chapter was tough to write. And I liked to write organized, it makes it all easier in post-production.

Dhestrya: Noice. Did I do that right?

BigSmokeYeet: Didn't you already type that comment in the sister chapter?

Deathenglegamers1144: I do a lot more on the internet than just this. No one can really stand gore, regardless of their world. Hope you enjoy all the future chapters. See ya!

AiriMage: That makes two of us.

Raider 301: I might have a theory, yes…

Pyruss: Glad to hear that the fic wasn't abandoned!

A Passing Bruh: Okay, so you're saying that it's abandoned? I have two different conflicting sources of information. Please tell me who's in the right here!

hlglh: Only hearts for this one?

Leymax2021: Saber? Destroy the world? What the heck are you talking about?

NoodleF_cker: We may or may not get more development in the next chapter…

Imperius: Glad you thought the last chapter was so great! I know a lot of people were expecting Subaru to seduce Thereisa in the last chapter, but I wasn't gonna do Wilhelm dirty like that. I hope Subaru's talk with his mother lived up to your expectations.

Xanthus01: Here's your new chapter! Thank you for your patience!

Don tico: What motivated me to write? Well, I always loved telling stories as a kid, and when I got older, I began writing original stories, with little success. One day, I was bored, and I stumbled upon the Reactionist's WHDAAA, and I instantly fell in love with it. Once I binged all fourteen chapters, I read more and more from the fandom, and eventually, I got a bunch of ideas myself. I pushed down my fears and doubts, created an account, wrote the stories I wanted to see, and published them. And once I got my first positive comment, I just wanted to keep going! And I shall keep going as long as I live!

Now that that's out of the way, a special thanks to Infinite the Celestain for helping me in making this story, and for being an all-around great guy! If you want to join my Discord server, the link is /gEGK4JXH. You can chat with others, post memes and fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, and fan art, and I'll drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! And for the love of God, PLEASE FOLLOW THE RULES! If you can't, then don't join, seriously. If you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! I also have an Instagram where I post my art, called "eranlore_aka_the_writer," so if you wanna check it out, please do!

Thanks for reading, see you next time!

- Ernalore

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Next time:

What if Fourier Lugnica survived?

OR

What if Subaru had a different Authority?