Greed Chapter 3: Correction.
The hallway was intensifying due to the cold and frost that was beginning to permeate into their bodies. Subaru, Garfiel, and Beatrice knew that their lives were in immediate danger.
Emilia looked towards the demi human boy sharply as she says in a very intimidating tone so unlike what she used to be:
"Don't you dare hurt my Subaru."
This voice along with the temperature of the hallway dropping rapidly was enough to force Garfiel to get out of there, not wanting to die before he accomplishes his goal.
The sheer terror had Beatrice slowly stepping away from her contractor out of reluctance, extremely scared of the silver haired half elf.
Subaru was stunned by this as he didn't expect himself to be scared of Emilia by this much since he remained still as she was approaching him.
'Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Now what? I wasn't ready for this.'
Subaru has only ever encountered this type of Emilia two separate times in one loop, the first being after Beatrice had saved him from Elsa and the second was after having forced his way through the great rabbit.
He didn't feel comfortable interacting with this version since it is one that made him feel...guilty for a variety of reasons.
Once Emilia was within range of Subaru, she didn't hesitate in hugging him.
"Eh?"
"I couldn't stay put. I missed you, you dummy."
"I'm..." Subaru couldn't think at all, this was too much for him. It may not be his Emilia...but it's still an Emilia and this one's very clingy.
The tighter she hugs him, the more his mind is just unable to focus.
This was enough to prompt Beatrice to step up and try to separate the two.
"Stop hugging him like that or he'll die, I suppose!"
"Hm?"
Emilia turned towards Beatrice's direction, her eyes looking slightly kind compared to a few moments ago. As she looked at the great spirit, she was surprised to see Beatrice out of her room.
"Beatrice, you have finally left your room."
"...what?"
"What?"
Subaru had snapped back into reality when he heard Emilia say this, prompting him to quickly free himself from the hug while grabbing both of her shoulders.
"Emilia-tan, what did you mean by that?"
"Hm. What? Did I say something weird?"
"What are you talking about when you told Beatrice that she finally left her room?"
"You are confusing me, Subaru."
"..."
Before Subaru could say anything, he sensed someone was approaching them. He turned towards his right side to see that it was Reinhard.
"Reinhard? Here?"
Subaru had more questions than answers now...but he can tell for sure that something had changed in the events of the Sanctuary in order for this Emilia to be...well, yandere-like.
She was much clingier with him but also very menacing when pissed.
"Natsuki Subaru-sama, please forgive me. She slipped away when I was trying to find Garfiel."
"Subaru-sama? Not you too."
"?"
Reinhard was a bit confused when he heard this as well as noticing the attire Natsuki Subaru was wearing.
"You haven't worn that jacket since..."
As the sword saint paused his words, he immediately realized who this Natsuki Subaru was, prompting him to grab his shoulder.
"What the?!"
"You will come with me."
As he was about to pull Subaru away, the temperature was lowering rapidly once more which caused everyone to turn towards Emilia's direction.
Beatrice stepped back with hesitation while Subaru froze in place and Reinhard looked with a serious expression.
"What. Are. You. Doing. To. My. Subaru.?"
"Emilia-sama, please calm down. This Natsuki Subaru—"
"You Will let him go."
With this voice, Subaru and Beatrice were frozen in place while Reinhard tried to calm the situation down by trying to tell Emilia:
"Emilia-sama, you may not know but this Natsuki Subaru isn't—"
"I said let him go!"
Emilia wasn't listening, if anything, she assumed that they were trying to take her Subaru away.
This prompted her to start attacking the Sword Saint with all of her power, forcing Reinhard to quickly protect the boy from her magic shot at point blank range in her rage.
Seeing that this was his only chance, Subaru took this opportunity to grab Beatrice and make a run for it.
"Subaru! Wait!"
As Emilia wanted to chase after Subaru, she looked at Reinhard once again, with cold dead eyes before firing a powerful attack that nearly destroyed the entire mansion.
Subaru and Beatrice felt this, prompting Subaru to quickly take his contracted spirit into Rem's room.
Once they entered the room, he set Beatrice down before the attack from Reinhard had suddenly sent a strong shockwave to send the two collapsing to the ground.
"Damn...Reinhard better be careful with her..."
As he said this, he got up to see Rem sleeping in the same bed that she was in when she was safely asleep in the second mansion in his world.
This caused him to pause for a moment, seeing that things are indeed dire in this world.
'Rem's asleep, Garfiel hates me, Reinhard is for some reason here, Ram is acting fake towards me, Emilia's cut her hair and is acting like a yandere...'
As he was thinking on what could've gone wrong in the Sanctuary, he suddenly had a headache.
"What the...?!" He collapsed to the ground with Beatrice noticing this.
"Subaru!"
"..." Subaru was silent as he just started to see a familiar table, a familiar woman drinking her unique tea.
("Go for it, Natsuki Subaru. Are you really going to be able to pass a Witch's challenge?")
'Wait...Echidna...?' Subaru knew that voice anywhere, after all it was someone that did help in the situation regarding the Sanctuary...despite her ulterior motives.
("I definitely will.")
Subaru hears this, realizing what exactly is going on.
'Did this idiot...beat the trials instead of Emilia?'
As this was the question he wanted to conclude to, he begins to realize that he's once again getting memories one at a time.
'Hey! Watcher! I thought I've passed this restriction of just getting memories at random or when it's convenient?'
"Yes, you did overcome that with your slothful counterpart. But that's because you accepted their choice and allowed yourself to fill your shoes in theirs. Are you certain that you can do the same with this Natsuki Subaru?"
'...'
Subaru didn't really know if he wanted to respond to this, making him hesitant to know more since this world...is one that might've been one where he refused to accept Otto's help.
"Subaru! What's wrong?!"
Subaru turned towards Beatrice, seeing how incredibly worried she is for his sake, prompting him to start thinking about something.
'Wait...if Rem's here in this world, still sleeping then...where's Beako?'
With that question in mind, he just turned towards his Beako to give her a surprise hug.
"S-Subaru?!"
"Sorry, I just need this for a moment."
"I-It's fine..." Beatrice says hesitantly since she does enjoy being hugged by her contractor. After a few seconds, she continued to speak: "...just don't worry me like that, I suppose."
"Hehe...sorry about that. I'll try not to worry you anymore." As Subaru said this, the wall behind him was destroyed by one of Emilia's attacks.
He noticed this and quickly moved Beatrice away from the wall coming down on them.
Once he succeeded in doing this, he turned to see Reinhard on the defensive while Emilia was going crazy on the offensive.
This forced Subaru and Beatrice to prepare to leave, only for Subaru to stop on his tracks for a moment.
"Subaru, we have to go, in fact."
"I know...but we can't leave her here."
"Huh?"
Beatrice was confused for a second before realizing what her contractor was doing.
He turned towards Rem's direction and quickly picked her up to take her to safety.
"You know she isn't the sleeping maid from our reality, I suppose, right?"
"I know...but I'll save any Rem from any reality."
Beatrice looked with a blank expression at her contractor, withholding the fact that she does like this aspect of Natsuki Subaru.
As the two quickly head back into the hallway, Emilia spots Subaru which prompts her to shout:
"Wait Subaru!"
"..." Subaru didn't want to look at this Emilia, since for one she's scary but because he can't be distracted right now.
He needs to get this Rem to safety as well as to check on his Emilia and Otto.
He and Beatrice ran towards the stairs with Emilia of this world shouting the boy's name once again, very angry but also scared.
This was enough to cause Emilia to finally lose it and explode ice all around with Reinhard managing to survive this attack.
Subaru and Beatrice barely escaped this attack all the while reaching the first floor.
Unfortunately, the moment the pair reached the first floor, the world had suddenly reset with Subaru being out in the forest along with Beatrice, Emilia, and Otto.
'What?'
Subaru was at a pause since he doesn't know why he was suddenly sent back here.
'When did he...now, what exactly had happened?'
Emilia and Ram were both attacking from range, Emilia using her icicles while Ram used her wind attacks.
"Ram, please stand down. I don't wish to fight you." Emilia shouted, not wanting to fight a friend, even if she's an alternative version of her.
Ram continued to look with a blank expression, not truly caring what this Emilia had to say.
She just stood silent as she continued to throw everything she had at Emilia.
As the two girls were neck in neck, Natsuki Subaru and Otto Suwen's fight continued with Natsuki Subaru managing to not get overpowered easily...but he was still unable to truly knock his merchant opponent out of the fight.
Thanks to his numerous encounters with the events of the Sanctuary, the mansion, Clind, and the events of the watergate city, Natsuki Subaru was able to fight.
Otto noticed this and knew that unlike Subaru he's familiar and fought side by side with, this one is dangerous.
Despite this though, Natsuki Subaru kept hesitating to truly take down the merchant. Every time he's close to stabbing him, he's reminded of that painful memory.
The memory of Otto Suwen leaving the Emilia camp. This was something that Echidna had noticed right from the get-go.
By the way Natsuki Subaru was repeating in the fight that he has the upper hand only for him to not finish the job and allow Otto to get back up and continue fighting him.
"You know this isn't him, the Otto Suwen that left."
'...I know.'
"Then you need to finish the fight. Otherwise, you won't learn about the other Natsuki Subaru."
'...'
As this was said to him within his mind, he received a punch by Otto.
Despite the merchant not being a fighter per say, he did know how to fight should he be put in such a scenario.
As his punch stunned Natsuki Subaru, the merchant began to question him:
"Why do you look so broken, Natsuki-san?"
"..."
"Why do you look so alone?"
("Why do you want to do everything alone?")
"...none of you will ever understand."
"Understand what?"
Natsuki Subaru was silent when this was asked, prompting him to look at the merchant with his truest feelings on full display.
"I'm the only one who can create the perfect future for everyone." The moment this was said, he prepared to kill Otto Suwen right then and there, wanting to take his anger and pain that the Otto Suwen of his world had caused him for leaving onto this merchant.
Right before Natsuki Subaru could even kill Otto Suwen. Emilia noticed this and was hesitant to do this but remembering that this isn't her knight, she was able to fire an icicle directly towards Natsuki Subaru's chest area.
Just as the attack was about to pierce through Natsuki Subaru, someone was able to swiftly pull him away from this attack as well as knock Otto down the stairs.
Emilia and Ram paused when this happened, both uncertain at first what was going on until they saw a familiar clown carrying Natsuki Subaru.
"Miiiind if I join iiiiin?"
"Roswaal." Both Emilia and Otto had said this in unison with the merchant getting back up and going towards Emilia's side. Roswaal looked at the two and found this scenario interesting.
"Now, anooooother Emilia-sama here. Isn't that quiiiite the treat. Wouldn't you say, Subaru-kuuuuun?"
Roswaal turned towards Subaru after allowing him to stand on his own, seeing the true him underneath the fake expressions he would have ever since the events of the Sanctuary.
This interested the margrave, rarely having the chance to see the real Natsuki Subaru.
Natsuki Subaru remained silent as he looked at Emilia and Otto standing side by side.
It already hurts seeing the merchant but seeing an Emilia that isn't mind broken...the same determined look that had saved him back when it all started.
Before he could make any more choices, they all felt a sudden explosion.
He turned upstairs to see that Emilia had lost control once again.
"This might've been caused by the other Natsuki Subaru."
'...'
"Then again, she's such a mess, she would've blown up anyway."
'Echidna.'
He still hated how she would take the chance to insult Emilia...but she wasn't wrong that his Emilia has a bad habit of exploding when it involves him. He took a moment before turning towards Roswaal to tell him:
"Seems like we will need to start over."
"Is thaaaat so?"
Roswaal looked at his partner in crime, interested to see how the other him would handle this situation.
Natsuki Subaru turned towards a different room where he could seclude himself and end this loop. As he was about to leave, he asked Roswaal:
"Could you distract them for me? I don't need long but I don't want to be interrupted when I reset."
"Understood."
Roswaal slowly started to walk towards Otto and Emilia's position while Natsuki Subaru began to go towards the closest room.
"Wait."
Otto shouted as he wanted to stop this Subaru from leaving only to stop on his tracks when the intimidating presence of Roswaal L Mathers was closing in on them.
"This is bad." As Otto said this, Ram closed in on them as well, following her master's movements.
Emilia knew that this would be a problem since she doesn't wish to fight either of them but knows that they don't have a choice.
As the situation forces Emilia and Otto to face off against Roswaal and Ram, Natsuki Subaru takes this opportunity to go into a room in order to pull out his knife and end this version of events from playing out.
Just as he was about to stab his own neck, Echidna spoke out:
"Do you have an idea of how to stop Natsuki Subaru? Wouldn't you want to get more information out of him first before restarting?"
'...even if I do, this loop is already a failure.'
He stabbed himself as hard as he could before beginning to cough up blood, hating this since it drains time when dying in such a way but seeing no other choice, he needs to do it.
As he was bleeding to death, he could feel himself fading away while his mind was running a bunch of thoughts all at once.
'Another Natsuki Subaru with another Emilia, another Beatrice, and with another Otto...I need to learn their history. Why is Emilia still the way she is? Was it before the Sanctuary or after but different?'
"It's possible that it's after."
'You think so?' Subaru asked while his life was reaching its end.
"Yes but we can discuss this in the next loop."
'Right.'
Subaru closed his eyes as he felt everything around him dizzy until it was like he was floating in nothingness.
Echidna sat on her usual chair, waiting for Natsuki Subaru as he was making his way into the crystal to speak with her one on one.
She's aware that he's in a new loop by the way he suddenly inhaled differently.
She waited patiently until she started to see the memories that her contractor had in the previous loop.
"Interesting. Very interesting. This other Natsuki Subaru is...fascinating."
She was interested to speak with this Natsuki Subaru since she speculates that this one had found a way to surpass the deadlock that was the Sanctuary and the mansion situations through different means.
Considering the number of factors it would take to solve the situation with the two assassin sisters and the great rabbit, it would take an enormous amount of luck.
As she was thinking of the multiple possibilities Natsuki Subaru would solve the Sanctuary issue without her, Natsuki Subaru has finally arrived at the tea party.
"Welcome back, Subaru. It's been a while."
"Yes."
Subaru sat down onto the chair and drank the tea without hesitation.
"You've gotten accustomed to my tea."
"Well, it would be inconsiderate at this point if I don't drink it."
"Even if it has my body fluids?" Echidna said as she wanted to tease him. Subaru remained with a blank expression, not really in the mood of being messed with. Echidna looked at him with a smile as she continued to speak:
"You aren't any fun."
"Echidna, do you believe this version of me defeated the trials or was it prior to the trials?"
"Well, there is evidence that it's after the trials." As Echidna said this, she pauses herself in order to take a sip of her tea before continuing. "For starters, Otto Suwen wouldn't have been as close to that version of Natsuki Subaru if it was prior to the events of the Sanctuary. The second one is Beatrice, she's constantly by his side, implying that she successfully got her out of the library and befriended her enough to have her in close range. Perhaps a contract between the two exists."
"A contract...could that Subaru have lied to her about that person?"
"It's a possibility but the way he acted makes me believe that he didn't use that on her."
Subaru crossed his arms while thinking about the information he received from Echidna, annoyed by what he's learning.
"...how the hell did he do it?"
"Hm?" Echidna looked intrigued by the way he asked this question.
Subaru kept a calm composure for a few seconds before slamming his hand onto the table, startling the Witch of Greed for a second.
"How?!"
"Oh my."
"...How did he do it...?!"
Subaru was angry when he heard this, starting to think of how it could've been done.
He got up and prepared to leave the world he was in.
"Are you sure leaving is a wise idea? With no real plan?"
"..."
Subaru was silent as he stood standing, calming himself down before turning towards Echidna's direction.
"We have enough information for now. I'll just have to ask a few things before facing myself again."
"Is that wise? She hasn't enjoyed being around you."
"I know, but she's the only one who can at least answer these hypotheticals."
As he said this, Natsuki Subaru closed his eyes as he began to focus on leaving the dream world in order to return back into the real world.
Right as he was going to return to the real world, Echidna had one more thing to tell Natsuki Subaru:
"Do be careful, Beatrice is very sensitive."
Subaru knew this but it was something he would have to keep in mind when he returns to the real world.
Once he closed his eyes, he opened them after a few seconds, he noticed that he was back at the real world where his checkpoint was at.
He left the room after speaking with Reinhard and Petra, telling them to inform Roswaal that he'll be there shortly.
The two nodded and went to inform Roswaal what Subaru had told them while he approached Beatrice's room.
As he was right in front of the door to her room, he prepared to enter it only for his hand to pause right as his hand had touched the doorknob.
("I hate you. I hate you!")
Subaru was hesitant to open the door, remembering all the times the little spirit girl hated her presence after forcing her out of the forbidden library, causing her to break her contract.
This made him hesitant for a moment before recalling the moment he saw the other Natsuki Subaru holding another Beatrice's hand.
This was enough to get him to open the door. Once he was inside, he began to speak in a calm tone:
"—Heya, Beatrice. Sorry to intrude."
As he entered this room that was the library of the mansion, he could see her on the corner of the library, hugging her knees to her chest.
"..."
Beatrice remained silent as she had her forehead pressed into her knees, still wearing the same old dress.
Back then, she would have greeted Subaru with a poor temperament but now it's different, more depressing.
He wanted to greet her like he usually tried to prior to everything changing but he knew that he needed to get some kind of information from her.
"Beako...I know you are mad at me but...I need your help with something."
"..." Still silent, almost like she's dead. Subaru sat down as he was right next to her.
"I wish I could show you the problem since explaining it might make it sound like I've gone mad...but he won't appear for a little while."
"..."
"Hey, Beako—"
"...just shut the hell up, in fact."
"..."
Unable to bear looking at him, Beatrice spoke this out quite loudly as Subaru was trying to talk with her, needing her help.
Her voice sank heavily, as it grew hoarse but despite this Subaru did feel some relief at hearing her since it's rare.
"Betty is tired. I've already given up, I suppose. I went against mother's instructions...I broke the contract...and despite that, I'm still alive...why?"
Subaru paused since he wanted to hug her, knowing full well that she would attack him if he tried that...but it wasn't the time for such things.
"...out of curiosity, would Echidna make another you?"
"...?" For the first time in a while, there was a question that caught her attention. "What a stupid question, from a stupid man, I suppose."
"...fair enough." Subaru did think this was a stupid question since well that wouldn't really help his situation in getting some information but he did get her attention. "Then answer this, would you hold 'that person's' hand if you saw them?"
"..."
Beatrice was getting more mad by the minute as this conversation was only reminding her of her failure to keep her contract.
"You do realize she's going to attack you, right?" As Echidna said this, Beatrice was slowly moving up to go and possibly kill Natsuki Subaru. He knew that was coming, which forced him to ask:
"What if I told you that there's another Beatrice here, in this world?"
Just as Beatrice was about to kill Subaru right then and there, the question went right into her ears, allowing her to pause for a second.
"What the hell are you talking about, in fact?" Her voice was anger, the anger she has towards the boy right in front of him, but also curiosity.
Subaru looked at her with a serious facial expression before getting back on his feet.
"There's another Beatrice in this world, though it seems like they may have found 'that person'...maybe."
Beatrice looked at him with cold yet burning eyes of rage while analyzing what was being said.
"That's why I need to know about everything related to this contract of yours through your perspective. Because I need to know what the hell did he—"
He got stabbed by one of Beatrice's yin magic projectiles, not having realized this until he felt his left leg starting to crystallize.
"Huh?"
"You lie! You lie! You just want to torment me, I suppose! It isn't enough that you dragged me away...that all those books are gone forever...Clearly, you're not...you're not 'they'!"
The purple crystal was moving rapidly towards his body, eventually killing him but before his death, he had one last question to ask.
"Would you...Beako...hold 'that person's' hand...?"
Although he wouldn't get a response, the way Beatrice looked when asked this question was enough to indicate that she would've indeed.
And with that, he once again was killed.
'Must've reset again.' Subaru thought as he and his group were about to reach the mansion and are now all the way back in the forest. 'What the hell is he up to?'
As he was thinking this, he paused himself as he closed his eyes and thought about everything that he had dealt with in the mansion.
He knew that Rem was still there and most of the Emilia camp being there confirms that there was indeed a success in saving the Sanctuary and the Mansion but he still needs to find the Beatrice of this world to confirm something.
'Everyone acts weird when they see Beako. Ram acted weird as well as Garfiel and even the other me. That means something happened to her. She's the key in solving what fully happened here.'
("Don't you dare hurt my Subaru.")
Subaru was scared when he thought back on the Yandere like Emilia. He's only seen her like that once in his world.
("Hey, Subaru. I love you. I really love you. When I think about you, when I think only of you, I want to be with you forever. That's what I think. I'd be happy if...you think about me the same way, Subaru...Eh-heh-heh. Yeah, yeah...I love you. Subaru...I really love you.")
Subaru had chills when he thought back to that failed loop of the Sanctuary. Even if he did slightly enjoy hearing Emilia say that she loved him, it wasn't right.
All of that wasn't right. Seeing an Emilia that's like that makes him want to punch the ever living shit out of Natsuki Subaru of this world.
'Whatever the hell you did, I'll make sure you regret it.'
Unlike with the Purge King, he still had the goal to help this Natsuki Subaru...but after beating him for his mistake.
"Natsuki-san, is everything alright?"
"...yeah, I just had something in mind."
As Subaru said this, they all suddenly felt something off with Beatrice slightly feeling overwhelmed suddenly.
Subaru saw this and quickly grabbed her hand while pulling out his whip with his other hand.
As they were close together, they watched as someone familiar suddenly jumped high onto the sky and managed to land right in front of them while blowing away a couple of trees.
"Reinhard-sama?! What are you doing here?" Otto asked.
"...I'm here for Natsuki Subaru."