"Digging your own grave, Barusu?" asked Ram, having observed him for the past thirty minutes shoveling away layers of dirt, right outside the mansion grounds.

"It's for a trap," replied Subaru curtly, rather focused on the menial task. It was a lot more exhausting than he would've thought. Even after all this work, he had not come close to even matching the beast's footprint—not to mention the actual depth he was aiming for. If he was lucky, about one meter in depth would be enough to immobilize the beast terrorizing the village, even if it would only be for a short moment. As soon as the beast got stuck, he'd attack it, striking at its neck, or taking a stab at its heart. It was the best idea he'd come up with so far—other than learning how to handle a bow… for several years.

"And you think this is going to work?" Her raised eyebrow left little doubt in her thoughts about that.

Subaru sank the shovel deep into the ground, sighing. "Won't know until I tried it," answered Subaru. "And it's the best idea I've got so far. Or will you give me a better one?"

But the only thing the maid gave him was a dismissive look, full of rejection. She hadn't provided him with any help so far. Even the knowledge about the monsters he'd had to extract from Beatrice last evening. And while he somewhat expected that, given the conditions Roswaal had set, it was still disappointing.

"Thought as much," said Subaru, heaving away a stone that had been stuck in the dirt. At this rate, he'd be here for hours to produce anything useful. And that was just to test whether it had any chance to work. He could hardly lure the monster here, right next to the mansion.

Though with the way Ram had sat there on a nearby stone all that time—just staring at him with her head supported by her arms, wearing the most bored expression conceivable to man—and the undisguised hint of annoyance in her voice, he did feel a bit bad about keeping her there for nothing.

"Ram, you don't have to stay here the whole time," said Subaru eventually. "I'm not doing anything you need to see. Just going to dig here for a while, and maybe gather a bit of woo—hey!" When he turned again to her, she had already gotten up and began to move away.

"Barusu could've said so from the beginning instead of wasting my time," said Ram, turning around with her arms crossed.

He had already felt bad keeping Ram away from her work, forcing either Rem to make up for it, or her to do even more later. And seeing how long this would probably take... she'd be sitting there for a while.

"At least let me finish talking," muttered Subaru under his breath. "And you were the one who followed me." He had only asked for a shovel that morning, saying he wanted to try something just outside the mansion's walls—mainly to avoid digging up Roswaal's garden. But as he walked down the avenue, Ram sighed and followed along.

That's why, ultimately, he didn't counter, and just let her walk off with that remark. As soon as she had left his sight, Subaru ruffled his hair. The pit was a bit deeper than his ankle so far. Even if he could keep up the pace, he'd be here for…

Three, maybe four hours.

With a deep sigh, Subaru sat down on the stairs in front of the main entrance, waiting for a certain someone.

"Three to four hours," repeated Subaru, this time saying it out loud, carrying his thoughts to the outside. "That's what it would take to dig a pit deep enough to hinder the monster. And that's if it actually falls for it…"

Even by covering up the hole with leaves, maybe held up by a thin frame of sticks… only the dumbest of beasts would ever fall for something like that.

"Well, gotta be optimistic about it," said Subaru, slapping his face with both hands. "It's a plan, even if a bit lacking And maybe I'll come up with something better later anyway."

"You seem pretty motivated." A voice coming from behind him interrupted his thoughts, making him turn around with a grin.

"Thanks for coming," said Subaru, stretching out his hand.

"I thought I kinda had to since you exploded the last time I saw you. Twice." There was an attempt to keep a neutral tone, but Subaru could hear the snicker behind it all the same.

"At least one of us seems to have had fun with that."

"Just don't tell me you want to cast magic again," said Puck, sitting down on Subaru's palm, his snicker making way for a more sincere tone.

"Would it be that bad?" Fighting against the monster, he definitely considered using what little magic had been shown to him. But Puck shook his head.

"You've strained your gate," he said. "It will take a week or two to let it recover… especially since you probably can't control your mana any better now than before."

"There goes one plan down the drain…," said Subaru, frowning. That was certainly not what he wanted to hear while preparing himself for a monster hunt.

"So I guess you did want to ask for another lesson in magic?"

"Yeah," said Subaru, still sounding a bit down. Though ultimately, he shook his head. He wasn't that easily disheartened. Even if magic fell flat, maybe he could come up with something else.

Surprisingly though, it seemed Puck could sense his changing emotional state, as it was he who now took the initiative. "Well… there is another way I could help you, I guess. While I'm not sure whether Lia would be all too happy about it, you seem determined enough for me to suggest it anyway."

Now it was Subaru who raised an eyebrow. He hadn't known him for long, but Puck was usually pretty passive if not asked directly by Emilia to do something. One could say even disinterested. To hear him bring up a suggestion thus seemed like nothing short of a miracle.

"There's one thing I can help you with that might come in handy when hunting a beast."

"Miserable manners, posture, and general appearance. No grace or charisma. His diplomatic tactfulness can only be described as nonexistent. Combat skills and magical talent are also utterly imaginary. The same can be said for cunning or any form of wit. Alone tenacity might be remotely present… though whether it stems from genuine endurance or simply from foolish stubbornness, I cannot tell." She highly suspected foolishness, though. Presented in her usual calm and composed manner, Ram had delivered her first report about the newest member of the Mathers' household.

While she summarized her observations and stated her thoughts, Roswaal sat at his desk, resting his chin on his entwined hands as he listened to the rather harsh-sounding estimation, though without showing any outwards reaction to it. It was not unusual for her master to drop his smirking charade in the privacy of his office, especially when conducting serious work—and discussing the suitability of this hopeless knight aspirant was of the highest importance, given the far-reaching consequences it could yield for the king candidate he chose to support.

Even though Barusu had not been the most dreadful company she ever had to suffer, it was paramount that she gave her master the information he asked for. Even if it would reveal him to be—

"Delightful," said Roswaal much to her surprise, as he looked up directly at the maid. "How delightful."

Would Ram not have taken the greatest care to maintain her highest degree of professionalism in front of her master, astonishment would have been written all over her face.

"It appears that you are not quite sharing my enthusiasm, Ram."

"Forgive me Master Roswaal, but… I fear I cannot quite follow in what way this would be delightful."

"You were saying he is utterly incapable. And yet, he managed to get the villagers of Arlam to at least hear him out—despite all odds. Does that not deserve recognition?"

"After he had been practically thrown out of the village before, having shown as much backbone as a slug."

"Only to return, despite knowing fully well that he would draw their ire in doing so," countered Roswaal shrugging his shoulders. "For now, I am rather pleased by this course of action. Very pleased." Leaning now back into his chair, he truly did not seem too worried.

Even if Ram did not share her master's enthusiasm, she nodded in understanding. She had come to understand that Roswaal often had hidden motives or plans. Perhaps he was looking for a special quality that could help his chosen king candidate in the upcoming royal selection—whatever quality someone like Barusu could offer. In other words, Ram suspected Roswaal to have his own reasons to play along with the boy's request for now.

"And what does Rem think of him so far?"

Ram turned her gaze slightly away. "…She seems to rather share my skepticism." That was putting it mildly. Even though Rem had mostly kept her distance, going so far as to have asked Ram to be the one accompanying him when he went to the village the other day, Ram knew that was not all. She noticed her sister's tension when he was around, or how she kept a distrustful eye on him from a distance when she thought no one was watching.

Understanding her sister's concerns though, Ram did what she could to reduce her worries, taking on most of the additional work Barusu caused for them. She simply hoped that Rem would eventually warm up to him… being able to look past his many issues.

"I see," said Roswaal with a contemplating voice. "If that is the case, it is even more important for you to continue keeping an eye on him," he added after a short pause. "This is a matter of fair importance. I trust the two of you will do splendidly."

"Of course, Master Roswaal." With another bow, Ram took her leave, as Roswaal had given her to understand that this was all for the moment, turning his attention to the piles of paperwork before him.

Once the maid stepped outside, she sighed. She couldn't voice her worries about her sister's aversion to Roswaal. And since he expected them both to continue observing Barusu it would fall on Ram to do that, while making sure that Rem could avoid him if she wanted to. That was her duty as the older sister. And, maybe, if Barusu would prove to be half-competent and some more time would pass, Rem could drop her caution towards him.

Absentmindedly, Ram walked down the central winding stairs, from the highest floor all the way down to the main entrance. Her next destination was the garden, where she had to take care of a tree that needed to be felled. So she opened the door, and—

Breathing heavily, Subaru jumped to the side, sliding all over the grassy ground to avoid the sharp blades being constantly hurled at him. Though when he tried to get up, he noticed a slight burning feeling coming from his right foot.

Looking down, he could see sock and skin having been cut right around the ankle, where now a faint line of red began to form. He clenched his jaw, ignoring the pain, and got up to face his adversary again.

"Looks like I got you," snarled Puck, baring his fangs while floating some distance away.

Subaru swiped the sweat off his chin before he began to shout, "That last one was way too close! And couldn't you have warned me before you started shooting!?"

"Do you think an enemy will warn you before he starts attacking?" asked Puck, licking his paw. "At least you're not half-bad at running and dodging. It will keep you alive… if nothing else." Judged by Puck's expression and voice, he was quite content with himself.

Subaru made a long face. This was certainly not what he had imagined when Puck offered his help. Then again, it perfectly fit the cat's careless attitude, and he always seemed to enjoy getting some fun out of him.

Though, despite the spirit's easygoing attitude… having to dodge ice shards fired left and right at him was almost a bit too much. While Puck had made the first ones miss on purpose, he quickly started to increase his accuracy, chasing Subaru all over the garden. And though the ice shards quickly disappeared after their impact, one could easily see where Subaru had run along to escape the onslaught of magic, thanks to the many holes left in the ground and bushes. Even a few of the bricks showed cracks from the assault.

Following the trail with his eyes, he could see it stretched across the whole garden, all the way back to the main entrance to the mansion… where someone had just stepped outside. Someone glaring daggers at them.

Subaru gulped. So much for not ruining Roswaal's garden.

"Oh," said Puck, following his gaze. Though he seemed to remain utterly relaxed, his tone as casual as ever. "Looks like you're going to be in trouble."

"Don't try to put this all on me!" whispered Subaru. "It was you who chased me all over the place!"

"So Barusu would put the blame for his actions on the honorable Great Spirit?" asked Ram as she approached, clearly having overheard what he just said.

"I wish that would've been me," retorted Subaru," would make it way easier to take care of the monster by myself if I could cast magic like that."

"It is obvious that it was not Barusu who cast magic," said Ram, shaking her head, "otherwise much more than just the garden would lay in ruin. But it was done regardless because of you. Did Barusu feel the need to provoke a Great Spirit again?"

At first, Subaru wanted to reject her accusation again. However, there was some truth to her words, leaving him to hang his head low. "It was for training." Kinda his fault.

"Though it was me who suggested it," said Puck, still without a worry in the world.

To his surprise though, the maid had immediately dropped her glare when she turned to Puck. "… I understand, Great Spirit-sama," said Ram, bowing slightly. He only now noticed that both maids had shown nothing but respect to both Beatrice and Puck so far.

Puck, however, seemed as disinterested as before. "Well Subaru, you've done well to survive that. If you can at least run and dodge, you might stay alive… if nothing else." Despite Puck not putting in any effort to hide his jabs, they still hit in unforeseen ways each time. "Well, I'll head back to Lia. See you!"

Even before Subaru could thank him, the spirit had already faded away… leaving him now alone with Ram—whose attitude towards him didn't seem to have changed in the slightest.

Though her expression had been as neutral as always, he could feel her burning gaze resting on him. Just earlier that day she'd asked him to not waste her time, and now she'd probably be forced to use all her spare time and some more just to fix the mess he caused— the sheer wreck he and Puck had made of the garden during their impromptu training session.

Yet, despite feeling a pang of guilt, Subaru remained silent. Not because he didn't feel a need to apologize… but because he felt that apologizing alone wouldn't quite do.

So it was Ram who broke the silence first, crossing her arms. "If you're done now, please go back inside Barusu, so I can start fixing your mess. If you were expecting to go out today, I request you leave it for tomorrow." She said it as stoically as usual, but with none of the usual play to her tone.

"Wait a moment," said Subaru, though more out of a reflex than intention.

"What is it, Barusu? Don't even think about bothering Sister to go with you either. This mess is too big to clean up alone."

But Subaru shook his head. "It's not about going to the village. Let me help you."

"Barusu helping me?" asked Ram, raising an eyebrow.

Subaru gave a singular nod. "You said it's too big a mess to fix it yourself. And it is my fault, so I want to help you fix it."

But Ram narrowed her eyes. "Barusu. Your attempt to be responsible is as shallow as easy to see through. You're just trying to shy away from the task given to you."

"That's not true," said Subaru, shaking his head. "I'm not trying to shy away from anything!" He could've just apologized and walked away, leaving Ram to deal with the mess. But that's not how he wanted to handle things. He wanted to be seen as a full-fledged member of the mansion, and he couldn't do that by just shoving work onto others. Especially if it originated from him messing up.

"While it's true that I'm… temporarily stuck on how to deal with the whole monster hunter thing, it's not like I'm trying to shirk away from it. I just don't want to be a burden. And, well, clearing my head is also a bonus." Truth was, he already had wanted to ask the maids wherever he could help them with some of their work earlier in the day, when he first realized that he ran out of ideas. Though… in that regard, what Ram said was maybe not completely off. Still, this was his way of taking responsibility. Chasing after a feeling of belonging.

"Hah," scoffed Ram, in a manner that was close to gotcha. "In that case, you know where the shovel is. Bring also the axe, gardening sheers, gardening shovels, and two buckets. And don't forget the loam. I will go and fetch some seeds in the meantime."

Somehow, the workload seemed a bit uneven. Then again, maybe it would've just taken her way longer to fetch those. With a nod, Subaru headed off to the gardening shed, while Ram walked towards the mansion. It was only after he had heaved over the heavy sack filled to the brim with loam—some special sort of dirt, as it seemed—that Ram reappeared, holding a wooden box in her hand… and accompanied by her sister.

"Too bad Subaru-kun didn't apply to become Emilia-sama's gardener. That way an answer would've already been found," said Rem, taking in the garden's pitiful state.

Sulking, Subaru placed the tools before them. "Not like I redecorated the garden on purpose." It was a weak retort, but given that he was the one who caused it, he saw little ground for protest.

"So Subaru-kun would be able to turn the garden even more upside down if he wanted to. Rem understands," said the maid, nodding understandingly.

"In that case, Barusu will truly appreciate how work is split," said Ram, nodding contently along. "Barusu, you will even out the ground, filling every single crater with fresh loam. When you're done, Sister will undo the damage you caused to the plants as well as possible. Where necessary, I will then plant seeds to restore the garden to its proper state. Is that alright with you, Sister?"

"Of course, Sister," answered Rem. Neither of them seemed to care about Subaru's opinion on the matter… not that he would have disagreed, given that he did offer his help. But it was once again a not-quite-equal split of work. Not that Rem seemed to mind at all.

Filling one of the buckets with fresh loam and keeping the other empty—it was to discard the old soil—he and Rem, equipped with gardening shovels, moved over to the first of the many holes that plastered the green.

As Subaru collected the dead pieces of soil and filled the gaps, Rem kept a watchful gaze on his work, evening it out whenever he moved on to the next. Though that was not all she was doing—

"Are you using magic on the ground?" asked Subaru, somewhat confused as to what Rem was doing, with both hands held over the not-so-green patches, summoning a blue shimmer in her palms.

But instead of answering right away, Rem kept her attention to the ground—the more and more green-turning ground. Subaru was baffled to see the previously brown patch getting filled with some specks of green again. "It's healing magic," she answered as soon as she had finished casting, giving Subaru an unreadable look.

"So you can use healing magic as well? That's amazing!" said Subaru, quickly internalizing that healing magic could be used on any kind of living being. Given his otherworldly knowledge of biology, it was in the end not too surprising… but he certainly didn't expect healing magic to find application in gardening.

Rem waved his praise off, though. "Rem can only do a bit of healing. Especially since it's far less effective on plants than on humans," she said, shaking her head. "But even so, Rem shall use all that she can to serve Master Roswaal." Even though Rem normally seemed reserved, those words were carried by some special conviction.

"I think it's amazing nonetheless," said Subaru, undeterred by her rejection, though in the end dropping the matter, since all it seemed to do was to make Rem tense up.

So the two of them backtracked Subaru's previous escape from Puck's assault of ice magic, patching up wherever the spirit had torn up the earth. And while they were busy, Ram had taken a seat on the lowest step of the stairs, sorting through the wooden box that she had brought along, not seeming to be in any kind of particular hurry doing so. It was only after they had reached about halfway that Ram got up and began to plant some seeds.

Though when Subaru tried to make a lighthearted joke about it, Rem was quick to shut him down. "Sister truly is hardworking," she replied almost instantly, almost glaring at Subaru. It seemed she was not inclined to hear anything that would disrespect her sister's efforts.

Even though they otherwise didn't talk much while working together, Subaru was glad that he got the chance to spend some time with Rem. It almost seemed like she had been avoiding him… though to be fair, not like she was here now of her own volition. Ram must've asked her for help, and he doubted that Rem would reject her sister, judging by how she seemed to regard her.

"Subaru-kun certainly is better at staring holes into the air than anything else," noted Rem, waiting on Subaru to finish up the last hole.

"I was just thinking about what we'd do next," he replied. He estimated it had taken them about two hours so far, meaning there was still plenty of time to fill until the evening.

"So Barusu really wants to escape his duties," said Ram, shaking her head. "Sister, Sister, what have we done to deserve such a burden?"

"Sister, Sister, how can someone be so irresponsible?"

"Oh come on!" groaned Subaru. "I helped you here, didn't I?"

"For the mess you caused in the first place," replied Ram.

"Creating more work in the process, thanks to your lack of talent," replied Rem.

Defeated, Subaru sank down, mumbling some barely sensible words of defiance.

"However, Barusu. If you really want to, there is still plenty of chores to do," said Ram, giving a slight nod to her sister.

Though she did not seem to be wholeheartedly happy about it, she too nodded in the end. "Maybe Subaru-kun will do better in other aspects." And yet, it sounded absolutely doubtful.

Sadly for Subaru, it seems Rem's skepticism was justified. When he felled a tree together with Ram—it taking her merely a swing of her hand to cut the trunk clean through—he got almost struck down by it. When chopping wood, a log had directly hit him… where it hurt. Much to the amusement of the twins. The only positive coming out of the whole ordeal was acquiring some branches from the felled tree, with which he hoped to be able to construct a trap. Other than that, he felt like he had succeeded more at embarrassing himself, than at being actually helpful. Still, he made a bit of progress with his monster-hunting plan, so he was content at the end of the day.

And as if the universe had noticed that he could use some form of solace, it was Emilia that gave him his lessons in reading and writing that evening. Even though he was extremely flustered at first—after all, Emilia had visited him in his room—the additional motivation provided by her presence made him put in even more effort, and in turn increased his overall learning experience.

Even when they eventually paused, sitting down and talking about their day, when he told her that he mostly spent it helping Rem and Ram, she simply seemed happy that he was getting along better with the maids. They had criticized him for shying away from his task, but the thought didn't even seem to cross Emilia's mind. She did protest mildly when Subaru told her about the training regimen Puck had put him through. But when she noticed how grateful he seemed to be for it, she dropped the matter… with a pout. So passed the third day. With some, though not overwhelmingly much, progress.

Unfortunately, the fourth day passed without much progress either. He hadn't come up with any better plan for dealing with the beast, and there weren't any new developments that could aid him. Not even the brief chats with Beatrice had brought forth another idea. Time was ticking away. So, in the afternoon, he made a decision. "I'll have to try something."

"Subaru-kun. You're supposed to collect the dust with the broom, not yourself," said Rem, after watching him just stand around for a couple of minutes.

"Rem-rin, I have to ask a favor of you," he said, ignoring her snide remark. "Would you accompany me to the village tonight?"

"Subaru-kun wants to go to the village at night?" repeated Rem, her voice dripping with doubt.

"Yeah. I need to find out where the monsters are coming from, or maybe I can even get to see them. Then I'll know better what I'm up against," said Subaru, convinced of his reasoning. "That aside, maybe I'll find some additional clue just by being there. If the monsters attack at night… then that's when I'll have to be there as well."

Rem put her fingers to her chin, mustering Subaru from top to bottom, before mumbling something inaudible to herself. Though eventually, she nodded. "If Subaru-kun thinks that will help him finish his task, so be it… Rem shall accompany you to the village."

Beaming, Subaru made a little jump on the spot… and caused all the dust he had swept so far to rise into the air. At that moment it was hard to determine whether Subaru or Rem looked more baffled, contemplating his incompetence.

Unsure whether his night visit to the village would lead to any form of success, he remained vague when discussing it with Emilia, shortly before leaving. Thus, all she told him was to remain vigilant, as night is obviously the time when mabeasts were most active. Though he could feel her worried gaze when he and Rem were departing, as they had been spending some time together in the garden while waiting on the maid.

"And, what has Subaru-kun come up with yet?" asked Rem, surprisingly breaking the eerie silence that surrounded them. Even though being awake until late was nothing unusual for him, it was completely different being outside at night, with only a lantern casting some light into the forest path, and potentially surrounded by monsters. Even though he had brought along his sword… it did little to reduce the tension he felt.

"A pit, just deep enough for the beast to tumble or get stuck. Covering it with a wooden frame and covered with leaves. That might give me an opportunity to slash its throat, or stab its heart," said Subaru, drawing shapes into the air. "And if that fails… well. Maybe run."

Despite Subaru hoping to get any reaction, or really anything that might hint at Rem's thoughts on the matter… she remained silent. When he turned around to catch a glimpse of her expression, it was utterly unreadable—her features further hidden by the flickering shadows of the lantern she held.

Clenching his teeth, he tried to remain optimistic about it… but the reaction wasn't exactly positive. He looked ahead again, directing his thoughts towards his goal. It was for this very reason that he trekked in the midst of the night to the village.

But as they drew closer to their destination, a strange noise startled him—a noise reminding him of a rattling chain. Intrigued, Subaru perked his ears, and looked around, searching for the source within the thick, dark forest.

"Hey Rem, did you hear that?" asked Subaru, almost whispering, but the maid didn't give an answer. Just as he was about to turn around—

"…!" Jumping backwards, Subaru gained distance from the source of the noise. Out from a rattling bush emerged a small silhouette… of a girl.

Rem stepped a bit closer to Subaru and held the lantern directly at the figure.

"… Meili?"

"You're… here?" asked the girl, her eyes just as wide open as his own.

"That's one of the village children…" said Rem, her voice equally filled with surprise.

"Uwah!", said the girl, running towards Subaru, tightly gripping the hem of his jacket. Tears welled up from her eyes, as she tried to stifle her sniffles. "I was… so scared!"

Patting her head, Subaru looked over to Rem, searching for aid, though the maid seemed rather lost as well.

"Meili, what are you doing out here?"

"I… The beasties were so loud. I thought they were coming closer, so… I ran away. I just ran, but then I didn't know where I was. And when I saw your light…" Slight whimpers made her occasionally halt in between. But Subaru got it. This too, was his fault, for not having taken care of the beasts already. But for now, all he could do was to help her calm down.

"So you ran into the forest instead of staying in the village?" asked Rem… in a manner that reminded him more of an interrogation than a simple question.

But all the girl did was nod meekly.

"C'mon Rem, she was just scared. Let's bring her back to her parents… that's more important for now." He exchanged a prolonged gaze with the maid, who didn't seem convinced… but she eventually closed her eyes, backing out.

"Fine, Subaru-kun. But we should hurry. Maybe they're already searching for her," said Rem, holding her gaze on the girl.

With a nod, Subaru turned around and offered his hand to Meili, which the girl gripped tightly. He kept his eyes on the edges of the path, wary of dangers lurking in the forest. Failing to notice either Meili's narrowed, or Rem's suspicious gaze directed at each other, all the while the three of them closed in on the village.

When they came to the village proper, they made their way to the central plaza. There was a single person there, late though it was. Another one of the village children, a girl wearing a red ribbon.

When she first spotted them her face showed a sign of intense fear, but it quickly turned to relief when she noticed Meili, and she began running towards them. "Meili! There you are!" she said, hugging the lost child. "What have you gotten yourself into?" Her eyes wandered quickly between the three of them, Meili, as well as the two late-night visitors.

"Petra-chan… I'm sorry," said Meili, leaving Subaru's side. "I… I was just scared."

"It's alright… Let's just head back before Mama and Papa notice," said Petra.

"I'm afraid we can't just leave it at that," said Rem, shaking her head, much to Subaru's surprise. To him, getting the girl to safety would've been good enough. But it seemed that was not quite the case for his companion.

Perhaps noticing his questioning gaze, Rem glanced at him before continuing. "I'd like to talk to her parents. We did find her in the forest, after all."

"I… I see…" said Petra, her shoulders slightly slumped. "Then… follow us." But just as they were about to follow the girl, a gigantic, ear-numbing roar echoed throughout the village, shaking Subaru to his core, followed by many smaller, though much more long-winded howls.

With a shout even more shrill, Meili broke away from Petra and ran to the direct opposite way from where the sounds came from.

"Dammit, Meili, wait!" shouted Subaru, going after her. "Rem, go look for her parents, I'll catch up with you!" shouted Subaru over his shoulder, chasing after the blue-haired girl. He didn't get to see the maid's reaction, but she didn't stop him either.

Wading through the streets for a bit, he found Meili easier than expected. Turns out, she didn't run very far away. Looking over the railing of a stone bridge—the very same bridge he had stood on when he first explored the village—the girl seemed to observe the splashing water.

"Meili, let's go back to Petra and Rem," said Subaru, stepping closer. Though when he stepped onto the bridge, the girl turned around to look at him, with all the panic she had moments ago seemingly gone.

"The howl… it came from over there," she said, pointing to the other side of the village. Though… not completely opposite. It was a bit to the right of where he and Ram had first begun to follow the footsteps they had found. "I just… needed to get away from there."

"It's alright," said Subaru, nodding understandingly. "It's okay to be scared. But… don't just run away, alone at night. I'm sure Petra's worried all over again."

"Even though it should be someone else all worried," said Meili, shaking her head. "You're going to hunt the beasties, no? You should look out. Chains don't grow in forests." Having said that, she walked back towards the direction they came from… and didn't say another thing. They met up with Rem and Petra back at the plaza, both having stayed in place. Rem watched in silence as Petra fretted over Meili, and the group made their way to the girls' house. Subaru was left wondering just what Meili meant, mentioning chains. This world sure had weird sayings.

As it turned out, Meili was living with Petra's family, and Subaru had already made the acquaintance of both of their parents. The worried mother who scolded the village children when they had piled on him. And the father, who had told the other villagers that someone from the mansion was seen the previous day.

Even though it was quite late, and their first reaction to seeing him was to shut the door, they stopped when they realized that both Petra and Meili were with him. And after Rem had explained the situation to them, they thanked her and bid them inside. Leaving him a bit peeved that they chose to ignore his presence or assistance, but he could hardly complain. It was still better than the treatment he had been expecting, anyhow.

While the mother—Paula Leyte—brought the children to bed, their father—Howard Leyte—had asked them to take a seat at the kitchen table. Due to the advanced time, they courteously declined a beverage, not wanting to cause them any more trouble.

It was only when Mrs. Leyte had returned, that they explained what happened exactly. "So you found her in the forest?" she asked, visibly shocked.

"Yes. It seems like she ran away when the monsters howled earlier tonight." Rem guided the conversation on their part. For the best, perhaps, as the couple didn't seem intent on sparing him more than the bare minimum of attention.

"They were terribly active some while ago, that's true," said Mr. Leyte with a grim expression. "Still, for her to run away… ah."

"What is it, Dear?"

"Don't you think it might be because of… you know. That?"

"Ah, you mean... Poor, poor girl," said Mrs. Leyte, clearly stricken by pain.

Subaru and Rem exchanged confused gazes, seemingly neither quite able to follow what they were talking about.

"Do you have an idea as to why your daughter might have run into the forest?" asked Rem, apparently curious as to what conclusion the two had come to.

"You see… Meili isn't exactly our daughter. Two months ago our neighbor, the carpenter, was on his way to a neighboring village to get his tools fixed, when he found her bleeding and deeply wounded on the roadside. She was awfully frightened, and the children were the first ones to really get through to her," answered Mrs. Leyte, forming a slight smile. "She seemed to get along especially well with our Petra."

"As it turned out, she was traveling with her family and some merchants along the northern edge of the forest. There… the caravan got attacked by mabeasts. We did send out some hunters, but… there were no other survivors." Mr. Leyte's voice was grim, barely able to mask his discomfort of simply thinking about that matter. "So we decided to take her in with the approval of the village head, and have been sending messages through passing merchants, trying to find out if someone else from that caravan escaped. If they did, maybe they were able to find shelter in another village. But we haven't heard anything so far…"

Subaru pressed his lips together, his gaze cast down. "So you think the reason Meili might've run away when she heard the loud monster howling was…" He couldn't say it.

"I guess so. It must've reminded her of the attack, where…"

The room fell silent again. Mrs. Leyte held her husband's hand, both sharing a saddened glance. It didn't need to be said. Subaru had to take out that beast quickly and bring peace and quiet back to this village. Though he felt motivated enough before, this too was now among his resolutions.

"It must be somewhere in this direction," said Subaru, marching through the dimly lit forest.

"And what makes Subaru-kun so sure of that?"

"When we were in the village yesterday, Meili told me the first roar she heard came from around here. The loudest one." While he had thought about going immediately, he had enough sense to realize it would've been nothing but suicide to just run into the forest at night, completely unprepared. That's why he waited until the next day, late afternoon, to set out.

To his surprise, this time Rem volunteered to accompany him. Subaru was happy that she'd choose to spend some more time together, after how reticent she appeared to be regarding his presence the past few days, so the two of them, equipped with a shovel, ropes, and his sword, made their way into the forest. He was resolved to bring down the mabeast today.

"So that's why Subaru-kun was fine with returning after only having encountered the Leyte family."

"Yeah. I was able to gain a lead. Not to mention that we did help a lost child to get back to the village," said Subaru, not even trying to hide how much it filled him with pride.

"Seems… convenient," replied Rem, keeping a watchful eye on him.

"Convenient sounds a bit weird," said Subaru chuckling, completely missing the point. "Though it was lucky, I guess." Hearing Rem sigh, Subaru left it at that as well, and the two continued to head deeper into the forest.

As the sun began to set—Subaru wanted to be done with the trap not too long before the mabeasts would eventually begin to roam the forest, not wanting to give any stragglers time to accidentally stumble upon it—the noises around them began to stir. Even though it was nowhere as uncomfortable as last night it was still quite the pressure Subaru felt, like needles slightly prickling at the back of his neck. Each rustling bush could've been some monster lurking around. Resting his hand on his sword did little to calm his nerves. Though Rem didn't seem to be bothered at all, given how calm she was. While he could hear his stressed breath, he couldn't even hear her steps anymore…

"… Rem?"

Subaru turned around… and saw no one.

"That's not funny, Rem…" His voice wavered. No matter where he looked, he couldn't see her. And she didn't answer either.

"Rem! Hey, answer me!" But no answer came. "If this is part of Roswaal's test, at least give me a heads-up!" It was as if she'd disappeared—and panic began to swell.

"Dammit!" exclaimed Subaru, as he began to run back, hoping that maybe they simply got separated when crossing through the forest, all the while calling out to the maid.

His voice had grown desperate by now. How could he ever look the others in the eye again if something happened to her while they were going after that beast? Alone the thought cut away his breath, causing him to gulp heavily.

He didn't even know how they got separated, or when! Did either of them just get lost… or did she get attacked? Did a beast sneak up on them and drag her away? Or what if she… what if…

Shaking his head, Subaru ran even faster through the woods, barely keeping himself from stumbling on stray roots and foliage. He had to find her. Surely, everything was okay, they just got separated somehow. If he'd call out to her, she'd eventually answer. It had to be so.

Yet, even after quite some time and him backtracking and then going forward again, deviating from the path he remembered, he hadn't heard a single sound that hinted at her presence.

"Dammit!" shouted Subaru, punching against a tree. "What should I do? I have to find her, but… by now she could be anywhere! And I can't leave and ask for help… if she's wounded or getting attacked… I can't just leave her behind like that. Dammit!"

Cursing, Subaru continued his search, but to no avail. At least, until he heard a heavy rustle coming from behind him. Relieved, he turned to the source of the noise. "Rem, is that you? You scared me real ba—"

But where he hoped to see the maid, instead he just saw claws. Claws as thick as his arms, attached to an even bigger paw. "—Eh?" What rustled weren't some bushes; it was the trees.

Raising his gaze higher, he realized that the creature was at least several meters tall, its head almost rearing as high as the tree tops. And as soon as their eyes met—its fiery red orbs aimed directly towards him—rows of razor-sharp teeth flashed up, bearing down on hi—

Author's Note:

After a short break, I was finally able to post a new chapter. Thanks to all of you who have waited patiently!

And of course, my first and foremost thanks to [LookingGlassInsect] who beta'd this chapter in record time.