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.

11. Chapter 11: A Star Tainted Red

Chapter 11: A Star Tainted Red

Subaru merely stared at Julius like he was stupid. "Uh, I mean, kinda? I guess given how many lives I've lived, I might be a few weeks older than I'm supposed to be, but…"

"Not like that," the purple-haired knight said. "I mean that I think you might be hundreds of years old, maybe older. And that at one point in time, you held the full Authority of Envy."

In Subaru's honest opinion, that sounded like the stupidest thing he ever heard. But, Julius was technically his friend, so he had to actually listen to him. Deciding that the bathroom could wait a bit, Subaru turned towards his friend and gave him his honest answer.

"Okay, so what?"

Julius merely looked at him in shock. "So what?! Subaru, that would imply that someone has been erasing your presence every time you arrive here, that ancient individuals such as Satella know the true history of our world, and that everything we have been living is a lie –"

"May I suggest a counter-argument?"

Julius looked at him, but conceded. "You may."

"Time travel," Subaru said. "My Authority allows me to go back in time, right? Well, maybe, in the future, it ends up sending me back to the beginning. Like, four hundred years ago, before the Great Calamity. I try to prevent it, Satella falls in love with me, I fail and or die permanently, the Great Calamity happens anyway, and then four hundred years later, Satella summons me back to this world, I do it all over again, and I essentially end up trapped in a loop, forever."

"An interesting theory, but why bring it up?" Julius asked.

"Because it makes as much sense as me having been reincarnated, but it's also less stupid, given that your idea involves some massive conspiracy that is trying its darndest to make sure my existence remains a secret," Subaru said. "But either way, my initial question still stands: In what way does this theory of yours, heck even mine, help me achieve my goal?"

"Your goal?"

Subaru looked around the lobby a bit, before asking, "Can I trust you, Julius?"

Julius was silent for a bit, before saying, "Yes."

"How can I believe you?"

"Because… if you asked me that question a few hours ago, I would have said no." There was a silence in the room before the purple-haired knight continued. "I was terrified of you. To me, you were a monster capable of burning down entire nations and slaughtering everyone I ever knew and loved, and I would be completely powerless to stop it. You were insane enough to court the Bowel Hunter, the Great Spirit of Murder, and the Great Sage, and succeed. A being capable of making the Admirer, the Blue Lightning, and the Emperor of Vollachia bow to your will."

"Okay… what changed?"

"Reinhard slapped me," he said, much to Subaru's shock. "He yelled at me, asking how I was able to see you like that. For the first time ever, I saw him enraged. He was enraged at the prospect that I saw you as a monster. Where I saw a monster, he saw a victim of circumstance, a person who broke under the crushing pressure of fate. Where I saw you murder, he saw you cry, to try and better yourself. The things responsible for turning you into whoever you could be, was your environment… and the people responsible for turning you into such beings."

"..."

"So, I vowed to myself I would be a better friend to you, to make sure you never went down a path that would make you miserable. I already failed you when I saw you flee to your room after we witnessed the atrocities of the Memory Eater. I failed to defend you when Priscilla-sama called you a monster, and I saw myself fail once more in the last episode. Emilia-sama saved you from the isolation of your room, and that Shion woman saved you when my counterpart failed, and now I wish to do whatever I can to help you, including sharing my crackpot theories."

"..."

"So, please, Subaru… give me your trust. Let me help you."

Subaru was silent for a moment. Of all the people to say these words, he didn't expect it to be Julius. In no part of his speech was there anything condensing, almost as if he was a completely different person from the knight he met in the Capital. He genuinely wanted to help Subaru.

So, Subaru opened his mouth, and spoke.

"Reinhard and I are planning to free Satella."

Julius looked at him in surprise, but he continued. "I don't exactly know what my history is with her, why she is in love with me, or even what I did to make her fall in love with me. The two of us are planning to free her and have her give us the answers. We know for a fact that doing such a thing could label us as criminals in the eyes of Lugnica, and we'd pretty much be charged with treason by the Council. So, my question to you is… what are you planning to do?"

Julius was silent for a moment. The idea that both Subaru and Reinhard had planned to free Satella, it was… shocking, to say the least. But he knew that Reinhard trusted Subaru, and if anyone was capable of what they were planning, it was those two.

So, looking back at Subaru, he said, "I shall help you."

"Great, I'll let the two of you know whenever we end up getting hanged for treason," Subaru joked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go and run to the bathroom…"

"Ah, right, my apologies for stalling you… However, I feel I must ask one more thing," Julius said, causing Subaru to groan in frustration.

"Just make it quick, Julius! I really gotta go!"

"If your theory is indeed correct… then you will technically never get your happy ending," the purple-haired knight said. Though, what Julius said both surprised and confused Subaru.

"What do you mean?" Subaru asked. He had an idea where this was going, but wanted to hear the knight's line of thinking. He did trust him enough with that, after all.

"If you are fated to return to a time before the Great Calamity, and then die in that time, then we will never see you again. Those you love and care for you will lose you forever. You will never get to love and marry Emilia-sama or Rem-san, and you will never see your children. You will never get the chance to live a long, happy life. How can we be okay with that…?"

Subaru was honestly stunned that Julius had thought of that.

"Well, I guess I'll have to make the most of the time I have," Subaru said, not exactly liking the idea, but he was used to having to face a bad situation, so it was nothing new, really.

"I… understand. I will not say a word of this to anyone of this," Julius said, honoring his friend's secrecy. "I will allow you to tell the others when you feel comfortable enough to."

Subaru nodded, and then dashed off to the men's restroom. Meanwhile, Julius stood around for a bit, until he finally understood the incredibly morbid joke Subaru told him.

---

"Ahh… much better," Subaru smiled, as he went back into the Theater.

"Welp…" He could hear Otto clapping his hands. "That was something."

That was an understatement.

While they were grateful it wasn't anything as horrifying as the Memory Eater, seeing a version of Subaru who was abandoned by his friends was just… sad. Sure, he got a happy ending in the form of Shion, but even that didn't last long.

And it was all their fault.

The people in this Theater.

Whenever they interacted with Subaru the end result was either a monster or a victim. As if the only things he was capable of doing was making others suffer or suffering himself.

But they didn't have time to think about it now.

They had new options to consider.

What if Subaru was summoned over fifty years ago?

OR

What if Subaru was summoned during the Demi-Human War?

"Huh," Julius hummed. "These don't sound too bad."

"No, I guess not," Anastsaia agreed.

"Hey, Al what are th' conditions?" Ricardo asked.

"Checking them… now," the helmeted knight responded.

Conditions: None.

Conditions: None.

"That's it?" Subaru asked. "I just arrived earlier?"

Wilhelm read the options once more, and he had a thought: He had seen the young man he considered a grandson be raised by his son, and that apparently made Heinkel and Reinhard both turn out better, so… what would happen if he met a younger Wilhelm?

"Subaru-dono… I suggest the second option."

"Are… you sure? If there's a war, chances are I'm gonna drop dead faster than Nee-sama can throw an insult my way." Subaru gave his two cents.

"That's a horrible joke to say!" Petra scolded him.

"I mean it, sincerely," the Sword Demon said. "Perhaps it will be a sort of aftermath scenario? Like with the Sin Archbishop of Pride, but better. Also, I am somewhat curious as to what would happen if you met Theresia, or even a younger me, so please, indulge my curiosity."

"Alright," Subaru said, as he turned to everyone else. "Anyone got a problem with that?"

No responses.

"Wish granted." Turning to Al, he said, "Yo, Buckethead, grab the remote –"

"I already did the second he mentioned his wife!" Al exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Wilhelm suddenly got a bit agitated.

"Shh, it's starting!"

Everyone immediately got to their seats, as the lights went down, and they prepared themselves to see what would happen when Subaru arrived during the Demi-Human War…

What if Subaru was summoned during the Demi-Human War?

Conditions: None.

Grimm had left Tholter in the tavern and headed out into the cold, breezy night. Careful with his steps as he traversed the cobbled road, he reflected on the day's events thus far.

Wilhelm immediately winced at the mention of his dead friend.

Elsewhere, however, Felt looked at the screen in amazement. "Is that seriously Grimm? I can't even recognize him! No white beard, no scar on his throat, no nothing!"

"If I recall correctly, he received that injury to his throat during the end of the war," the Sword Saint said. "Since this is still the earlier stages of the war, it hasn't happened yet."

He turned toward the barracks, a somewhat guilty look on his face. He felt bad leaving Tholter behind, who had wanted to drink the night away in honor of their day off tomorrow, but Grimm couldn't bring himself to enjoy the alcohol as much as usual. He wandered through the moonlit night, his ale-warmed body rapidly cooling.

"What a gorgeous crescent moon… It looks like a sword," Grimm remarked, his subdued and depressed tone contrasting with the reverence in his words. The military really had gotten to him. One had to have a certain lack of refinement to notice not the beauty but the sharpness of the moon. But then again, in times of war, he guessed that it was inevitable for indulgence and luxury to be stripped away from human hearts.

This inability to enjoy drinking — that, too, had been a new problem for Grimm ever since his first battle.

"What is he referring to?" Kenichi asked.

"It was the day I met him," the Sword Demon explained. "It was our first battle, and he was severely outmatched. He would have died if it weren't for my intervention."

"Your first battle is nothing like how they portray it in stories," Crusch said.

Every warrior in the room, including Subaru, nodded solemnly at the sentiment.

"Tholter's certainly brave. Maybe he really can be a hero," Grimm mused, thinking back the fond memories he'd made with his rambunctious friend. Almost every night he had free, Tholter would make for the tavern, sharing drinks with a crowd of strangers. Grimm tried to tell him to stop this behavior, but in truth, he was envious. At least Tholter didn't freeze up every time he thought of that initial engagement.

And what about Grimm himself? Would the next experience of combat make him any happier than the last one? This question tormented him. When he closed his eyes, he saw the flames; when he fell asleep, he saw his comrades who had been reduced to ash; when it was quiet, he could hear their final, agonized screams.

Both Naoko and Kenichis' stomachs didn't agree with what they were seeing.

Petra hid behind Frederica, while Meili looked at the scene before her with minor disgust. It was quick, so it was technically better than whenever Capella did something equally gross.

"And yet I can't bring myself to quit the army. If I did, I wouldn't have anything left. Maybe that's what scares me," he said to himself, his breath warm in the cold night. He had left his family and his home behind to come to the Capital. Sick of the daily routine, he had joined the army. But now that he knew the fear of death, he wanted to run away from this too.

He hadn't changed. He was still weak. He had clung to his childish dream in the hope that he would find a place where he might be acknowledged, only to be hardly willing to work for it. That, he was sure, defined who he was now.

"Does that sound like anyone we know?" Otto asked.

Everyone immediately looked toward Subaru.

But then, on his way back to the barracks, absorbed in self-hatred, Grimm stopped. The reason was a noise. He thought he'd heard a faint sound from around the back of the soldiers' quarters. He could hardly imagine anyone being stupid enough to try to break into the barracks of the national army, but this was a time of war. "A demi-human on a secret infiltration mission, perhaps?"

The various demi-humans in the audience felt slightly uncomfortable watching this. Sure, they technically weren't alive, or conscious in Emilia's case, during this, but the scars of that war never truly faded for them.

No, that was overthinking it. But he had to be sure. Grimm touched the scabbard of the sword he carried and, as silently as he could, made his way to the back of the building. He peeked out from the shadows, attempting to find the source of the ongoing sound. As he came closer to the source of the noise it became clearer. There were voices. Fearing the worst, Grimm slowly made his way towards the barracks. And then, behind the building, he saw it. Two men swinging their swords in the middle of the night.

"... Wilhelm? Wait a second, you too Subaru?" Grimm questioned the two figures, his voice weary. What were they doing there, late at night?

"Oh, I'm already here!"

"Could you stop bothering me?" Wilhelm replied, but not to Grimm. He had a somewhat annoyed tone in his voice, the reason making itself evident mere seconds later.

"Not a chance, sensei… " Subaru replied to Wilhelm's request with a teasing tone perfectly matching his current expression: a smug one.

"Tsk…" Wilhelm, clearly irked by Subaru's pestering, decided that to continue arguing with that fool was a waste of time. After voicing his dissatisfaction, the young swordsman once again dedicated himself to his swings.

"Huh, is it just me, or does this younger Wil seem… grumpy?" Felix asked.

"Truth be told, I wasn't as cheerful as you see me today," the old man admitted.

"You were cheerful?" Al asked, kinda amazed.

"Compared to my younger self, yes."

"What is happening here?" Grimm thought to himself. He hadn't the slightest idea as to what to think about the odd situation developing before his eyes. To Grimm, Wilhelm Trias was something akin to a monster. A demon of the blade which was best left alone and unbothered. Yet here was Subaru treating him like he does with Grimm himself. This surely wouldn't end well.

"What is happening here?" Grimm asked at an audible volume, giving a voice to his doubts.

"Huh? Grimm? What are you doing here? Weren't you partying with Tholter or something? Did you drink the whole tavern dry?" Subaru asked, immediately stopping his half-baked practice swings as soon as he noticed Grimm. The differences between the two practitioners were as clear as day. Wilhelm did not even give the newcomer a passing glance while Subaru's reaction was the exact opposite.

"Subaru, remind me to teach you how to use a sword," Reinhard said.

"And give me more ways to kill you? No thanks."

Reinhard merely sighed as he realized Subaru was still very affected by the Memory Eater episode.

"Umm, no I just went out to get some fresh air…" Grimm replied, training off. The surrealism of the situation was striking, an effect only further enhanced by Subaru's apparent indifference to it. Was he that big of a fool or was that courage? Maybe somehow the raven-haired volunteer managed to unlock the secret to get the sympathy of the little demon? Whatever it was, one thing Grimm noticed immediately was the difference in skill.

Wilhelm was a genius with the blade. That much was clear to anyone who possessed eyes. Frighteningly, Wilhelm's blade made no sound as it sliced through the night. It was as if the sword was so sharp the air itself didn't realize it had been cut. Only his short breaths and the sound of his shoes sliding across the earth indicated the movements of his sword. The blade flashed silver as it danced through the night air in a perfect arc. By the moonlight, Grimm could see how astonishingly clean Wilhelm's technique was. It was art. However, it's only when compared to a normal person that the difference in skill becomes blatantly obvious.

In Subaru's defense, he had no training, so his form was horrible. His skill with the blade was that of a complete novice and should have not been compared to that of a master such as Wilhelm, but Grimm didn't focus on that. Grimm's own abilities with the sword were not that much better than Subaru's, after all. No, upon seeing Wilhelm's mastery of the blade, Grimm knew that he was witnessing the skill of a genius required to become a hero. At that moment, a single thought surfaced into Grimm's mind, I never had a chance to begin with and maybe… maybe Tholter has no chance either…

"Grimm…?" Subaru warily asked again. Grimm was supposed to be drinking in the tavern with Tholter so what was he doing here? And why did he display such a desperate expression?

"I-It's nothing, I'm alright. I just… I dozed off," Grimm answered, stumbling with his words as he spoke.

"Are ya really tha' much o' an expert on th' sword?" Garfiel asked.

"I suppose I was," Wilhelm said. "However, to be completely honest, my abilities with the sword were a fluke. A product of far too much training and determination. If you wish to achieve a level of fighting prowess like myself, I would suggest pushing your talents to the limit, not the blade."

"So, ya really have no Divine Protections?" Anastasia confirmed her suspicions.

"None whatsoever," the Sword Demon replied.

"In the middle of a conversation? Grimm, did you drink too much ale?" Subaru shot back, taking the opportunity to tease the young man. But, if he had to be honest, Subaru felt fairly jealous of Grimm. Having feasts, going to parties, and drinking ale in a tavern was one of the quintessential medieval experiences! Many times Subaru dreamed of what he would accomplish should he find himself in another world. He often fantasized about doing great deeds in a fantasy world only to celebrate every victory by throwing a big party in a tavern, where everyone sang his praises with mugs raised.

Of course, his first experience on a battlefield crushed those dreams in a matter of seconds, or rather, minutes. Ten to be precise. He also had his own moral code to follow. Since he was in a fantasy world, there were surely many rules from Earth that he could break — and maybe he would end up breaking a few — but drinking was not one of those. In Japan, the legal age required to drink was twenty. So, when Subaru was approached by an enthusiastic Tholter with the offer of a night of partying and drinking, he had to regretfully refuse. It was a shame, truly a shame.

Upon hearing the narration, everyone's mood dimmed quite a bit.

Subaru had once more died.

"Wha-? N-No I just… Look, can you just explain what's happening?" This was the second time that Grimm asked that question. It was night, he was tired and his curiosity was growing.

"A-Ahh yeah about that… You see, right after you two left…"

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."

The next scene has the members of the Emilia Camp appearing out of thin air, one by one, and walking. First, Emilia, by herself. Followed by Rem, Beatrice and Ram. Then, Petra, Meili and Frederica, followed by Otto, Garfiel, and Roswaal in the next shot. They all encircle Subaru sitting on a throne, and pose as if it's a portrait.

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.

"Hey, I just realized something," Al whispered in Ricardo's ear.

"Yeah?"

"Bro's a chick magnet, and the previous Sword Saint was his age around this time, right?"

In response, Ricardo merely slapped Al upside the head.

The scene changes to show Stride Vollahcia next to a younger Grim and Carol Remedis, along with Julia, while the camera pans up to also show Vincent Vollahcia, Priscilla, Rem, Louis, Flop, Medium, and Subaru, all while Pandora is pulling the puppet strings.

"You think Subaru will fight beside your old comrades, Wil?" Felix asked.

"I certainly hope so, Felix," the old man said.

It's my only hope of keeping him safe…

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 Ten:

A Star Tainted Red

"What? You can't come? Why?" Tholter asked, surprised and crestfallen. He'd gotten himself all enthused for a night out with Subaru and Grimm, drinking until the sun came up, only for Subaru to… refuse?

"Look, Tholter, it's not that I don't want to come with you guys… I just don't drink, I would only be a hindrance," Subaru explained, apologetic in his tone. It was just a simple fact that Subaru Natsuki would not drink until he reached the age of twenty, as the law dictated. For him, even in this fantasy world, it was a special sort of unwritten rule; perhaps one he only heeded to maintain some sort of fleeting connection to his homeland.

"Ah, it seems we're having a flashback," Kenichi said.

"Thank you, oh, obvious husband of mine," Naoko snickered.

As the two of them bantered a bit, the rest of the Cast was listening to Subaru's reasoning for not drinking. "Subaru, why won't you drink until the age of twenty?" Emilia asked. "The law –"

"I know, I know, the law in Lugnica says that the drinking age is fifteen. However, in Japan, the legal age is twenty. Plus, added with the fact that your brain keeps developing until you reach your mid-twenties, I'll make sure that my most valuable asset stays intact."

The rest of the audience took that new piece of information with interest. Some of them even planned to change the drinking age now, thanks to Subaru's wisdom.

The more you know, I guess.

Regardless, Subaru understood perfectly that him coming along would just kill the mood for everyone else. He would only end up being a third wheel, having to ask for water or juice like a little kid. And Subaru wasn't happy with that. He was already useless baggage for his unit in any sort of combat situation. He couldn't allow himself to be an obstacle even when they tried to relax and have some fun.

"I really wouldn't care, but if you say so…" Tholter said, a little dejected, "Still… at least try to relax and take some time off. Lately you have been trying way too hard, you'll get sick." Tholter was being uncharacteristically serious but the situation deserved it. So much so that everyone in the unit had noticed it.

It was always good having a hard worker as a new recruit, but Subaru was pushing himself too far. For some reason, he always tried to keep himself busy in some way, always training or cleaning once his official duties were complete. It was very much appreciated amongst the soldiers, and was a good surprise to those who thought that the new recruit would be completely useless. But… he never seemed to give himself any real time to rest. Normally, Tholter wouldn't usually meddle in someone else's affairs, but Subaru was his friend. Unlike a certain short and rude swordsman who also kept himself constantly busy, Subaru would hopefully listen to him.

"What? No. Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine! Subaru Natsuki is always at a hundred percent!" Subaru exclaimed, striking his signature pose. While it was true that lately he was doing more than normal, Subaru considered it necessary given the circumstances. He was in the army and he didn't exactly have a great debut either. As the new recruit, he still had to prove himself in any way possible. If he could do something useful, he would. He wouldn't let his new chance at life go to waste. After a whole life as a NEET leeching off the goodwill of others, the newly reformed hikikomori was aching to make himself useful.

"Subaru-kun, you've done more than enough," Rem said.

"I know that already, but tell it to him," Subaru said. "Chances are, he'll still be doing something to seem useful, kinda like how I did during my entire first week at Roswaal's place. The only problem is that there won't be an Emilia-tan there to help me once I break down."

"That's not entirely true," Emilia said. "I'm still frozen at the Elior Forest at this time. If you and Wilhem unfreeze me earlier, I could be there to join in on your adventures."

"In the middle of a war against demi-humans? While everyone who looks at you will assume you're the Witch of Envy?" Subaru asked. "Eh, I don't think so."

"Subaru, I can protect myself!"

"Tell that to the on-screen me!"

And, even if Subaru would never admit it to anyone, for him, it was becoming harder and harder to sleep through the nights following that battle, so being able to do something to distract his mind from dark, fiery thoughts was a good plus. Yep, it was just a plus. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Also, it's not like it would kill me…" he added, almost as an afterthought. A few days in, Subaru quickly found out that joking about the things that weighed on his mind was a great way to relieve or at least distract from his stress. It immediately became one of his many habits. Sure, it did gather some weird glances here and there, but nothing more.

The Cast grimaced at the reminder that nearly every one of Subaru's bad jokes was secretly also a cry for help.

They would make sure that Subaryu wouldn't suffer like that again.

"Alright, you do you. Grimm, let's go, follow me!" Tholter said, excitement in his tone, quickly changing both the mood and topic of the conversation as he often did. Having called to Grimm, who immediately began to follow behind him, the archer began walking away with a confident pace, his concern for his new friend now completely pushed out of his mind. He had a fun night ahead of him, after all, and he wanted to enjoy it as best as he could.

"I guess I'll return to the dormitories then..."

"Clearly, that didn't happen," Petra smiled.

"Yeah, he obviously ran into the old man," Meili said.

"He isn't old anymore!" Mimi corrected her. "He's young again! And lean!"

"I mean… my younger self hasn't developed his muscles fully, so…"

"Chillax man," Al told Wilhelm. "They weren't calling you fat."

Subaru had almost arrived at the barracks when a sound grabbed his attention. The faint noise was seemingly coming from around the back of the soldiers' quarters, peaking Subaru's interest.

"What is that?" he thought to himself as he grew closer to investigate. Supposedly all soldiers and other personnel in this part of the encampment were out that night. It was a day of leave for everyone in the unit which meant going to party and getting drunk. For Subaru, it was very hard to believe that someone else would be outside, especially that late at night.

Giving in to his curiosity, the black haired boy started heading towards the quarters. There, in the middle of the night and only illuminated by the moon, a young man was single-mindedly swinging his sword.

"…Wilhelm?" Subaru questioned the young man, surprised.

"Did you always train with that sword?" Subaru asked.

"Before I met my wife? Yes," the old man admitted. "I really didn't feel like there was anything to do in life other than train. Relationships were meaningless at the time, and the idea of "fun" was also deemed a waste of time to me. To be quite honest, my old life was… bland."

"Everyone take this to heart," Naoko said to the audience. "Work is fine, but don't let it consume you. Some of you need to learn to relax, and not have to do everything on your own."

Both Kenichi and Subaru could feel her glare on them.

"Your mother is very wise," Crusch smiled.

"Oh, Subaru, it's you," Wilhelm said with disinterest. "Don't bother me." Immediately after that quick request, Wilhelm started swinging his sword again. The blade reflected the moonlight as it cut the air of the night, giving it a silver gleam.

"Hey, what did you say you little – Wait, you know my name?" Subaru's initially annoyed tone changed quickly into one of pure surprise at the revelation. Wilhelm knew his name? The same kid who didn't seem to care about anything else other than swords and massacres?

"Why shouldn't I? We're in the same squadron. You know my name, don't you? Or maybe you thought I'm one of those idiots who can't remember a name?" Wilhelm replied in a rude tone, not even giving Subaru a glance as he kept at his swings.

"Huh, you were quite rude back then, weren't you?"

"To be honest, I thought you were one of those edgy kids who only thought about the 'beauty of the blade' or the 'feeling of a real fight to the death' while ignoring everyone else around them," Subaru confessed. Since his first encounter with the reality of this new world, he'd always tried to avoid making any kind of parallel between fiction and reality. But this… this was a cliché as old as time. There was no way he would ignore it. Surely, Wilhelm was one of those guys who are completely obsessed with swords. He was clearly the archetypal rude and cold kid obsessed with something who always turned out to be a killing machine. The only thing that is lacking is a tragic backstory or some comment like 'I had no purpose in life but then I noticed the beauty of the blade'. Looking at Wilhelm, it's probably the second one isn't it?

"You are actually correct," Wilhelm said.

"Huh?" Subaru looked at him puzzled.

"My family was nothing more than a baroney up north, and since I was the third son, I had no prospects for the future. Well, that was until I ended up becoming enchanted by the family sword," the old man explained. "I spent six years learning how to swing it."

"Badass," Garfiel whispered under his breath.

Wilhelm wasn't quite sure about what 'edgy' meant, but he was surprised about the accuracy of Subaru's statement. "I don't remember people's names because I care. I do it because it's necessary. If I don't remember the names of my squadron, it'll cause me problems later. Have I explained myself thoroughly enough for you?"

Wilhelm rarely held any kind of conversation with anyone, not even with his squadmates, which is what he preferred. Any time spent talking or joining in meaningless chit chat was time that wasn't spent training, so Wilhelm tried to close the conversation as quickly as possible.

"I see, I see… Wait, that only means I was right! You're not even trying to deny what I said!"

"Yes, exactly."

"This kid…"

"Wow…" Roswaal said. He completely forgot how much of a little shit Wilhelm used to be.

Subaru was irked by the young swordsman's behaviour but was also somewhat relieved. Wilhelm Trias rarely talked or interacted with anyone, and when he did he kept his conversation to a minimum. Somehow, he felt inhuman to Subaru, so the black-haired boy was pleasantly surprised that the swordsman could hold a conversation like a normal person.

"Well, at least you can act like a person I guess, sometimes I thought that you weren't human," Subaru unintentionally voiced his thoughts, lightly chuckling to himself. " Even that expressionless demon is a person inside, huh?"

"What was that?" Wilhelm asked, a brow raised.

Clearly, Subaru said something stupid. He wasn't even surprised anymore. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Wilhelm replied drily.

Subaru sighed.

"Awesome…" Subaru murmured to himself. "Well done Subaru, keep provoking the mass-murderer…"

"I believe the term is called 'soldier,'" Al said.

"Not the time for technicalities, Al."

Even though he witnessed first-hand the kind of massacre that Wilhelm could enact, Subaru wasn't afraid for some reason. The kid could be really rude but he certainly didn't come off as the type of guy to hurt people on a whim. If Subaru had to summarize Wilhelm, it would be 'focused' and 'efficient'.

"You have my thanks, Subaru-dono," Wilhelm bowed.

"Hey, no worries," Subaru smiled. "We're war buddies, remember?"

"Heya, he's right!" Ricardo said. "Ya think he'll tag along on yer adventures?"

"That would be an interesting thing to see," Wilhelm had to admit. "I would be curious on how he would assist in taking down Stride Vollachia, or helping us win the Demi-Human War."

Yes… Roswaal thought to himself. I wonder how the two of us would have interacted…

"Well, I'm sure he'd be an excellent friend to both you and grandmother," Reinhard said.

"Hmm… I think you're right, Reinhard," Wilhelm smiled.

He really didn't know what to think about the young boy before him. Subaru certainly despised his actions. But, on the other hand, he was a kid, they were in the middle of a war, and Wilhelm saved his life. In the end, Subaru failed to reach any conclusions. His sense of gratitude heavily conflicted with his hate for Wilhelm's apparent disdain towards life.

Wilhelm shot Subaru a dubious look, but he quickly lost interest. He raised his sword and began swinging it again.

In any normal circumstance, the conversation would have ended there, but Subaru wasn't done talking.

"Thank you, Wilhem. I really despise what you did but… thank you for saving my life," Subaru said with a serious face. Despite his contrasting feelings towards the young swordsman, Subaru felt like he had to at least thank him.

"Despise him?" Crusch asked.

"Before I was hammered in with the reality of how this world actually worked, I wasn't too fond of killing," Subaru explained. "I still am, but to a far lesser degree than before."

"I see," Julius said. "You just have seen him kill several demi-humans."

"Yeah, probably. But then again, war is hell."

"I only did my job. I had to kill the enemy and so I did. You don't need to thank me. Now don't talk to me. It disrupts my concentration," Wilhelm quickly shot back, giving a rather short reply to Subaru's thanks. To him, it was only protocol. He had to get rid of the demi-humans and there was one about to kill Subaru and Grimm, so Wilhelm slew him. Nothing more, nothing less. Wilhelm did not feel like he deserved any special kind of thanks. Especially not for something so trivial and easy.

"That makes you sound like a robot," Subaru said.

"A what?" Felt asked.

"Robots are machines capable of fulfilling complex tasks," Beatrice explained. "They may appear alive, but they're not. They solely exist to carry out their tasks, nothing more."

"Thanks for that, Beako," Subaru smiled.

"That sounds like a horrible way of living," Frederica said.

"That's the thing," Al said. "It's not living."

"You are really rude, you know?" Subaru said. "He's a tsun but without the dere, really the worst kind of tsundere."

"Does that mean that my personality is more favorable, Barusu?" Ram asked, teasing.

"I mean, yeah, I guess," the black-haired knight said. "You are capable of warming up to people. Your counterpart warmed up to the Purge King, and you've mercy killed me before, so…"

"Both of those examples are horrible for so many reasons," Al groaned.

A few moments later, Subaru broke the short-lived silence, asking, "Tholter and Grimm went to the tavern to drink and I think they invited you too. Why didn't you go?"

Subaru did not drink, it was his rule as a former resident of Earth… but Wilhelm wasn't. As far as Subaru was concerned, Wilhelm should have been old enough to drink. So why refuse?

"They did? I don't fancy alcohol, it's a waste of time. Don't talk to me."

As he gave his curt answer, Wilhelm began swinging the sword faster and faster, losing himself in the act. Subaru could hardly follow the blade as it cut through the air. So, instead, he slumped against the side of the barracks and stared at the swordsman.

"Why are you even so into sword fighting? Isn't there anything you do for fun? You're a kid, you should enjoy life! You know, seeing friends, chasing girls… that kind of stuff." Subaru would also have mentioned school, but that only brought bitter memories. Also, he was fairly certain that education was something fancy that only nobles had access to in this kind of fantasy world, else there wouldn't be kids waging a war.

"Maybe there would be something fun to do, if we weren't at war. But we are. Practicing with the sword is a lot more likely to keep you alive than getting drunk or cavorting with whores," Wilhelm replied, disdain clear in his tone.

"Frederica-nee-sama, what's a 'whore'?" Petra innocently asked.

"It's what that Great Spirit of Murder is," Beatrice said.

"Beatrice-sama! I'm trying to keep Petra away from stuff like that!" Frederica scolded the Great Spirit.

"What? Would you have preferred the real definition, in fact?"

"Now that I think about it, I've heard people yell that word at me, too…" Emilia said.

"Is that so…"

"Subaru? Why do you look angry?"

"It's nothing to concern yourself with, Emilia-tan. I'd just like some descriptions of the people who've been yelling that word at you…"

"Seriously, who even says 'cavorting' anymore these days and... W-Wait a second, the people in the unit were going to brothels?!" Subaru's face quickly began to flush. Now he was thankful that he did not accept Tholter's invitation. Despite his irreverent attitude, Subaru was a believer in true love and was a moral person who did the best to keep his body pure. He sometimes struggled with this, especially with the coming of puberty, but he persevered. One of Subaru's few good points was his determination, after all.

Seeing Subaru's reaction, Wilhelm raised a brow, "You weren't aware? They never made any sense to me. Why would anyone want to waste their time on booze and women instead of working on their swordsmanship? It is foolishness."

Wilhelm failed to understand it. What was so great about alcohol and women. Was it worth putting their own lives at risk? Frowning, he remarked, "Even you, a complete amateur that came from who-knows-where, is trying harder than most of them. They surely won't survive for long…"

The swordsman's tone was cold but it held a hint of annoyance. As he turned to face Subaru, his sword came to a halt. That was one thing he did not like about war, everyone was deluded with the hope that they could be a hero. This made people act more reckless in order to attain more glory, which in most cases ended with said person's demise. The situation would only worsen if the one holding this greed for fame was a leading figure, since it could end in many meaningless deaths. People should be interested in their survival first rather than some title and a few minutes of glory. "Still, they can do whatever they prefer as long as it doesn't affect me."

"Hey, they're still trying, you know? Even if they're out partying and celebrating right now, I'm sure they're still giving it their all when it counts," Subaru argued, defending the efforts of his comrades. Honestly, he couldn't see the issue with that. Leaving the more indecorous details aside, everyone had the right to take breaks, right? Especially soldiers! They're risking their own lives so of course they need some time off.

"The issue it's that they don't. Oftentimes, new recruits will run straight into the enemy thinking that that way they will get more fame. Or, in worse cases, a knight directing a unit completely disregards safety in order to slay more enemies. Sure, some survivors do learn the lesson but even then they decide to go get drunk or have sex instead of spending their time honing their skills that keep them alive. And that's just stupid behavior," Wilhelm spat, his tone so bitter that he surprised even himself.

"Your logic sounds like that of a supervillain," Subaru said.

"Like the Sin Archbishop of Pride?" the old man asked.

"Okay, let me rephrase: Pride was basically the Joker of this show, your logic makes you sound like Lex Luthor. Both are bad people, but one is insane, while the other is logical, albeit has a massive inferiority complex towards Superman."

"I do not know any of those people."

"Don't worry about it."

Why am I getting so worked up over this? he wondered, suddenly contemplative. Maybe he hated to see such incompetence? Wilhelm himself did not know. What he did know was that getting worked up was a waste of time. He needed to spend this time practicing, becoming better. The young swordsman took a deep breath. After a few seconds, Wilhelm resumed his swings once again. This time faster than ever, almost as if to cut his annoyance and bitterness away.

"Wilhelm…" The young boy's words shocked Subaru. Did the young swordsman feel angry at how many soldiers were dying? He never once thought that Wilhelm could feel like that. Sure, his tone was almost flat as Wilhelm said that, but that's the thing: Almost. Buried deep within the swordsman's words, Subaru could hear a hint of annoyance. If he wasn't mad at that foolishness, he was at least annoyed by it. And that was way more than what Subaru thought Wilhelm capable of.

However, even though the black haired boy felt pleasantly surprised about the sudden show of humanity that Wilhelm had just displayed, he still felt like the young soldier was missing the point. Wilhelm Trias was a genius with the blade, one of those rare ones which appear only once or twice in a century. He surely never got to experience hardships, at least when it concerned combat. Not that Subaru would know, he passed his life as a hikikomori, doing nothing in any case. Still, he felt compelled to speak out, even if just for those who really tried.

"You know, you're probably right. However… not everyone has the same talent you have. Not everyone can just swing a sword once and make heads roll like you. Did you ever think that maybe, maybe there are people for which no matter how much they try… it will never be enough?" Subaru said, his voice unexpectedly beginning to quiver.

"I-I don't know how that must feel but… I think I can understand why someone would try to take comfort that way…" Subaru trailed off, a sad expression on his face. Was that what he was doing? Taking comfort by doing tasks, by training? No, surely not, at least it wasn't only that. He had gotten a new chance at life, something not many could brag about. He really didn't want to waste it. He did not want to be a failure once again.

I didn't even wash my cup before being transported here did I? I didn't say goodbye to her and I couldn't even wash a damn cup… Subaru remembered something seemingly unrelated but of great weight on his heart. Could this time really be different? If he tried, if he struggled, if he did everything he could… would it turn out differently?

Upon hearing that, Naoko said, "Stop the viewing."

"Uh, sure thing, ma'am," Al said.

"Naoko?" Kenichi looked at his wife, but she was looking elsewhere.

She was looking towards their son.

"Subaru… what was that about?"

Silence was her only answer.

"Subaru, answer me."

"..."

"Fine," she said. "But know this isn't over."

As she sat back down and the viewing continued, everyone was far more tense.

"I'll tell you one thing, you're all better at that than I am. Making excuses, that is," Wilhelm said curtly, throwing Subaru out of his thoughts. He had narrowed eyes as he was staring down at the black haired boy.

"If you keep behaving like that…'' Subaru said as he slowly got up, the sword strapped at his hip making a metallic sound as it collided against its sheath. "You will make everyone else hate you. What will you do if you find yourself on the battlefield, all alone?" It was just a rhetorical question. Subaru already knew the answer, "Yes since it's Wilhelm it will probably be…"

"Use my sword. One swing, one dead enemy. Two swings, two dead. That's all it takes, one slash after another. To me, you just sound like you're trying to protect those guys." Wilhelm tilted his head as he replied. It was evident, wasn't it? If you find yourself before an enemy, you cut it down. If you're alone, just keep cutting and if there are too many… just keep swinging until you fall.

"You really just followed orders without question?" Felix asked, his voice filled with pity.

"I think… when I was younger… I tried to find purpose with my life… so, I detached myself from actually living it… and only viewed living as tasks, a number of jobs I had to do. I completed one, and moved on. Eating, sleeping, and even killing were merely chores from my perspective," Wilhelm said, trying to find a way to explain himself.

"That really is a horrible way to live," Meili said.

Roswaal bit his lip. That was exactly how he lived. For the last four hundred years.

"I knew you would say something like that you edgy kid…" Subaru chuckled, yes Wilhelm was the exact replica of a fantasy character. Oh the irony, and to think that he wanted to get rid of tropey parallels. Slowly approaching Wilhelm, Subaru's hand slowly got closer to his weapon's sheath. Wilhem immediately reacted, putting himself into a battle stance as he prepared to fight.

"Are you going to attack me? You know how to defend your pride, I can respect that. Alright then, but know that I will not hold back," Wilhelm said in his usual flat tone but there was something else there, a hint of ecstasy.

Wilhelm didn't expect at all to get another opportunity to fight, at least not until they were assigned to another battlefield. The young swordsman knew how little skill Subaru had with the blade; that realization killed his anticipation a little. Still, he would not back down. A fight was a fight. Subaru brought it upon himself and Wilhelm would be sure to win. Still, in respect to his opponent he decided to wait until the black haired boy made his first move to strike.

A move which never arrived. Instead, the nasty eyed boy unsheathed his blade, positioned himself right beside the swordsman and started swinging his blade, just as Wilhelm himself had been doing moments prior, much to the soldier's surprise.

Seeing the flabbergasted expression that the boy was making beside him, Subaru couldn't help but laugh, "Haha, you thought I was going to fight you, right? You really are a chunni…"

"BRO!" Al laughed. "I can't believe you used that word!"

"What does that word mean?" Rem asked.

"It's a teenager who has grandiose delusions, who desperately wants to stand out, and who have convinced themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers," Subaru gave them the exact definition. "Only here, Wilhelm can actually back it up."

"I didn't wish to stand out back then," the old man said.

"You kinda did when you refused to talk to anyone."

The Sword Demon couldn't argue with that kind of logic.

Taking a deep breath as if to steel himself, Subaru said, "Not in a thousand years! I'm sorry but I value my life! I will be happy dying once after a long and fulfilling life! Actually, I wish people who say 'I'd rather die' would actually die before they say it. So that they'll know how I feel." As Subaru began to swing his sword faster Wilhelm's eyes narrowed at him. Subaru was sure that Wilhelm wouldn't attack him, probably, but his cold gaze still sent shivers down his spine.

"I'm pretty sure I've said that line before," Subaru said.

"When?" Emilia asked.

"It was when I realized he was cursed, in fact," Beatrice answered.

"Oh, yeah, you're right, Beako!" Subaru smiled. "I guess even in the vast multiverse, there are moments I'll be bound to say the same thing! Talk about a coincidence!"

"Or a callback," Al added.

"A what?" Felix asked.

"Nothing. Forgot I said anything."

"You're doing it wrong," Wilhelm said as he approached there's black haired boy. "Your posture, the way you hold the sword… Everything's wrong. Just try to imitate me."

Maybe it was that Wilhelm had finally given up on sending Subaru away or maybe because it bothered him to see someone doing swings in an incorrect manner, but Wilhelm found himself correcting every move of the black haired boy.

Said boy felt rather surprised at Wilhelm's reaction. He expected Wilhelm to ask him to go away once again or maybe just leave himself but certainly not this. For the first time ever, Subaru saw a golden opportunity to tease the young swordsman, an opportunity that he wouldn't waste.

"Thank you, shishou!" Using the most military-like voice he could, Subaru decided to tease Wilhelm in that manner. Surely there would be other, better ways to do it, but Subaru wanted to live to see another day if possible so he decided to go light.

"Shi-? Doesn't matter…" Once again, another strange word was uttered by that mysterious black haired boy. This time though, Wilhelm had the sensation that he had heard that same term before, but from where? "Maybe that time when that peculiar Kararagian merchant passed through our lands?"

"What does that word mean?" Tivey asked.

"It's a regional dialect back from Japan that means 'teacher', or 'master' of the teaching variety" Subary explained. "The term 'sensei' is also used, and is far more common."

"Hm," Priscilla hummed. "The more you know."

Anastasia quickly wrote that down in her notes. Information was information.

Wilhelm quickly dispersed those thoughts. It didn't matter where the boy came from or what words he said, thinking about it wouldn't bring him anything. It was a waste of time, time he could spend training. Ignoring Subaru besides him, Wilhelm began once again swinging his blade, the black haired boy observing him while trying and largely failing to imitate his movements.

"Again, you're doing it wrong." Why did it bug him that much? Wilhelm never felt the necessity to correct something more in his life than he did now. In his defence, he never trained with anyone else either. He always used to train alone in the mountains near his home. Seeing Subaru's sloppy technique triggered something within the swordsman, an instinct to correct it.

"Of course, do you prefer if I call you sensei?" Subaru of course used that chance to tease the swordsman further. He truly wasn't scary at all right now!

"Tsk…" Wilhelm decided to do the wisest thing he could do, and ignored Subaru's teases. Somehow though, he was sure that he would continue teaching, "This will be a long night, won't it?"

"End of flashback," Subaru asked.

"And then shortly after that, you arrived. You asked me what was happening aaand… here we are," Subaru said with a shrug. The explanation had taken longer than he'd planned but surely he covered everything.

"Man, that sure was a long flashback." Feeling his throat to be slightly sore, Subaru began to regret not giving a brief summary of the situation instead of doing a long and unnecessarily detailed narration.

"Subaru, did you seriously break the fourth wall?" Kenichi asked.

"Maybe…?" Subaru shyly answered.

"What's the fourth wall?" Emilia innocently asked.

"Uhh… okay, how do I describe this…" Subaru muttered to himself, before he came up with an answer. "Ah! Do you know how in stage plays, there are three walls that surround the actors that are used as the play's environment? Well, the fourth wall would be the invisible wall between the audience and the actors, the one the audience uses to watch the play."

"So… our version of this "fourth wall" would be this screen," Crusch said.

"Yep!" Subaru answered. "Now, the only question I have is if this Subaru knows that he's being watched by others, or does she think that he's fictional – Actually, never mind."

That's right, Subaru. Don't question it.

"O-ohh…" Grimm was left speechless. Subaru had somehow managed to approach the solitary murder machine that was Wilhelm, a feat that Grimm himself thought to be impossible. The soldier had many questions in his head about Wilhelm, questions that he thought would never be answered, be it because of the swordsman's stoic personality or by his own pathetic self. So the soldier found himself greatly perplexed when the black haired boy answered them one by one as his narration progressed.

Maybe they did think somewhat alike, after all.

Felix looked at Wilhelm in concern. "You good, Old Man Wil?"

"I'm just re-examining several interactions I had with others in my youth."

"Don't let that comment get to you!" the catboy said. "Sure, maybe everyone was kinda afraid of you, but the past is the past, you can't change it! Well, except for Subaru, but you get the point!"

"Thank you for your words of encouragement, Felix," Wilhelm said, but due to his tone, it was hard to tell that he was using sarcasm. Unless it was Crusch or Reinhard, of course.

Wilhelm was now fully concentrated on his swings. Subaru's unskilled attempts had been bugging him for a while, ruining his focus. However, now that the black haired amateur was busy, Wilhelm could fully fixate his mind on perfecting his technique. He was grateful for Grimm's entrance. The conversation he and Subaru were having also worked perfectly as background noise. Certainly, he wasn't paying attention, but it made the swings easier somehow. That was, at least, until said soldier himself addressed Wilhelm, once again taking him out of his element.

"...Wilhelm, I also wanted to thank you for that time." Hesitantly, Grimm spoke. This was a chance like no other to speak with the young man before him.

Wilhelm turned his head towards the pair. " I won't be able to concentrate today it seems." It was bothering him to no end. Suddenly, it seemed that everyone wanted to thank him for some reason. Couldn't they behave like before? Everyone doing their own things, no one bothering him or interrupting his training…

"WOW, you really were grumpy as a kid."

Wilhelm could not bring himself to deny it.

"I did? As I said to Subaru, don't worry. I was just doing my job," Wilhelm said dryly and with a plain stare, trying to cut the conversation short as fast as possible.

If he had to be honest, he barely remembered that day, that's how easy the confrontation had been to him and surely he didn't recall having saved the duo before him. He did somewhat recall slaying a mountain of demi-humans however, and how trivial it had all been. He also remembered that weird insult that the black haired boy had said to him, not that he cared about it though. In that moment the young swordsman's only desire was to cut the conversation short and return to his training.

"Hey Grimm, where's Tholter? Weren't you guys partying together?" Subaru suddenly asked. The fact that Grimm was alone picked his curiosity. To Subaru, Tholter seemed the kind of guy who drinks until the sun rises and, based on what he had heard from the other soldiers, he was right. Did Grimm come here alone?

"I left him at the tavern. I needed some fresh air so I went on a stroll," Grimm explained, turning towards the black haired boy.

Humming to himself, Subaru put a hand on his chin, processing the situation. An idea suddenly appeared in his mind. "Hey, Grimm. Me and… Wilhelm here were training in the art of the blade!" Subaru said, doing a fake samurai pose to illustrate his point.

"That was beyond cringe-worthy, Barusu," Ram said.

"Hey, it's my brand! Weird humor!"

"Doesn't make it any less cringe-worthy," Priscilla let out a small laugh.

"You two would know a thing or two about cringe-worthy." Subaru snarkingly said.

"Care to repeat that?" Ram's look darkened a bit.

"Hah." To further the disrespect, Subaru mimicked Ram's 'Hah.' expression.

For a second, he considered the possibility of using a nickname for Wilhelm, but the idea was quickly discarded at the consideration of how said swordsman would react if he did so. Better if I don't try. I don't want to die, I'm too young for that! Subaru thought to himself, completely dismissing, or perhaps ignoring the fact that he had already died.

While most people cringed at the confirmation that this Subaru had already died, Wilhelm simply stated, "Even at a younger age, I would never kill a comrade!"

"Would you beat them senseless if they pissed you off?" Subaru asked.

"Subaru, I believe I already apologized for that," Julius said.

"I'll let you know when you're off the hook."

"Why don't you join us? If you're not too drunk that is," the black haired boy added further. He could sense a faint scent of alcohol in the air coming from Grimm.

Maybe I should join them next time. Subaru considered the thought. He didn't want to drink alcohol, of course, but he still felt like he was losing a huge part of the fantasy experience by not going out.

You're not a shut-in anymore, Subaru! This is your new life. Surely, no one would look at you weird just for asking for water, right? the black haired boy thought with distress. Social endeavors were his fortè but he really hated awkward moments.

Grimm tilted his head, warily looking at the swordsman behind Subaru. Grimm couldn't tell if he had noticed the conversation or not. The rather short soldier did not even grant Grimm a passing glance. To Wilhelm, it was as if nothing else existed in the world other than his blade, nothing else mattered to him. It felt as if Wilhelm's whole purpose in life was the continued improvement of his technique.

Noticing Grimm's distress, Subaru felt that it was necessary to reassure the soldier. "Oh, don't worry. He doesn't bite!" Subaru said with a grin plastered onto his face.

"Probably." Only to add more anxiety to Grimm mere moments later. To tell the truth, Subaru himself didn't know if Wilhelm was completely… safe to be around. The black haired boy had been with the swordsman for about an hour and nothing had happened yet, so that probably meant he was safe… right?

"Yeah, th' one who bites' ma amazin' self!" Garfiel laughed at his own joke.

"Garf, we weren't even born yet," Frederica groaned at her brother's idiocy.

"Here," Subaru said, changing the subject, "let me show you a way to warm up with an exercise from my homeland, Radio Calisthenics! Usually you can't just start exercising without warming up, you know?" Subaru explained, ignoring the fact that he had been doing just that until Grimm interrupted.

After a few minutes of cajoling that somewhat crossed the line into bullying, Subaru was able to convince Grimm to agree to try it. Wilhelm looked on with mild interest, his swings getting a bit slower as Subaru led his comrade in a series of stretches and light exercises. As someone following the path of the blade, Wilhelm was always open to new ways to improve the efficiency of his training. He closely observed their actions as they went from exercise to exercise, considering in his mind the usefulness of Subaru's weird training regime as the duo came to their conclusion.

"Alright," stated Subaru with a hint of excitement, "the last thing is to stretch your arms up, lean back and yell Victory!" The black haired boy yelled as he jerked his arms upward in a V shape. As a former shut-in, Subaru never got the chance to do his warm ups with someone other than his father. For him, this was a good chance at bonding with someone he considered a potential friend.

"Yay! I love these!" Petra exclaimed. "Everyone in the village does them!"

Unfortunately, Subaru was alone in those feelings as Grimm had been feeling nauseous since the start. The drinks hadn't been going down well that day and doing exercises in that sort of condition turned out to be a rather poor idea. As soon as Subaru proposed the last exercise, Grimm fell onto his knees, bracing his own stomach. For the young soldier, it was getting increasingly hard not to throw up.

"Grimm?! Are you ok?" Subaru asked, with a worried tone matching his expression. He immediately came rushing to Grimm's side in order to check on him.

"You should have told me if you were feeling bad! Here, I'll help you get up," Subaru commented, offering to help the nauseous Grimm. The young soldier wordlessly agreed. Grabbing Subaru's shoulder to support himself, Grimm slowly got up, all the while trying to keep the contents of his stomach in place.

"You drank too much, this was a bad idea, I'm sorry," Subaru apologized. Grimm only nodded, slowly calming himself down.

"I-I'm sorry Natsuki-san, I guess I had one or two more glasses than what I can handle…" Grimm replied, breathing slowly. "Usually I can handle this much, what is happening?" Grimm Fauzen wasn't a heavy drinker, but he was at least able to entertain Tholter's outings without much issue. This time, for some reason, he couldn't.

"Geez, he kinda reminds me of Otto," Subaru cringed.

"I don't know, I think he reminds me more of Emilia-sama," Ram said.

"No, no, Emilia-sama was more of a happy drunk," Rem corrected her sister.

"Meanwhile, Otto just straight-up passes out," Subaru chuckled.

"Ahh, I thought I smelled alcohol. Now it makes more sense," Wilhelm suddenly interjected, stopping his swings and turning to look at the duo.

"You were being sloppy in your movements, Grimm. I really don't get why you guys drink but if you plan to do so at least commit to it. Don't try to humiliate yourself and the sword," he elaborated, his expression bitter. Unless one possessed good resistance to alcohol, drinking and then training immediately after was a terrible idea. To Wilhelm, it was an insult to the art. If one doesn't want to commit to the blade, at least he could try to not tarnish it by practicing under those conditions.

"Can't you have some tact, Wilhelm? He was trying! And he's also feeling sick," Subaru shot back. He could understand Wilhelm's view but he wasn't going to stand idly by and watch while one of his friends was treated badly, especially not by some kid. That's not the person his father raised Natsuki Subaru to be.

"He's feeling sick from something he did to himself, something stupid may I add," Wilhelm deadpanned. It was Grimm's fault, what more was there to add?

"Okay, hearing both sides to our arguments makes us seem less like dicks, but that really isn't that major of an improvement," the black-haired knight said.

"While the language is crass, I admit that you're right," Wilhelm admitted.

"Crass?" Ricardo repeated. "Yer younger self said th' word "whores" not a few minutes ago! He was a bit more than just crass, 'specially compared ta Bro!"

"Well, he was younger," Tivey defended Wilhelm. "And meaner."

"I know, but still…" Subaru trailed off. He was about to reply, but then Grimm interrupted him.

"Don't worry Subaru, it was my fault…" he said, his voice weak and his expression pitiful. He was feeling downright horrible.

"That look in your eyes… Now I remember it. You were that guy, we saw each other on the battlefield, didn't we, Grimm?" Wilhelm let his sword rest, straightened, and stared at Grimm.

"Wait, you didn't even remember saving him?!" Subaru asked, shocked.

"Well, I didn't remember saving you either, Subaru." Now it was all more clear. Yes, the memories were finally coming back to him.

"What?!" Subaru exclaimed, even more shocked than before.

"Wow, he's even more blunt tha' Al," Garfiel admitted.

"Hey… what's that supposed to mean?" the helmeted knight asked.

"It means that you're a foul human being," Priscilla explained to her knight.

"I-I…" Grimm began to mutter. He, on the other hand, was feeling even worse — if it was possible — after hearing that. He felt his throat tightening and his skin forming goosebumps. His eyes widened slowly. To think Wilhelm would have remembered him… remembered him like that .

"Yeah, I remember that look now. So you guys stick together because you're scared? Subaru tried to make it logical, but I guess it was just a way to run away from your issues? I may have misjudged you guys. I guess you weaklings should stick together, then. Or maybe… Do you think I'm wrong?" Wilhelm inquired.

"Aaaaand, now he's giving me Julius vibes," Subaru deadpanned. "Great."

Julius internally cringed at the memory of their duel. The only saving grace the purple-haired knight could play was that he at least had the decency to remember Subaru's name.

Not a great card to play, really.

He recalled the pitiful look that Grimm had in his eyes and the terrified gaze that Subaru gave him… "What a bunch of weaklings." Wilhelm now gave them an opportunity to regain their pride. He said that last part in order to test them. He might have misjudged them, after all, but if they let it just slide in fear…

"Wilhelm!" Subaru was the first one to react. The black haired boy immediately yelled, outraged by Wilhelm's remark. In his shock, Subaru did not notice the underlying challenge in Wilhelm's words. And even if he had understood, it wouldn't have changed his response. Wilhelm had gone too far.

Grimm, on the other hand, quickly understood that Wilhelm was telling him to draw his blade; to use the sword at his hip and show him what he was made of.

"Oh, no," Subaru groaned. "Oh, no, no, no, no…"

"Subaru?" Naoko asked her son. "What's wrong?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm about to engage him in a duel…"

"The last time that happened, he lost a few teeth, nyah," Felix said.

But Grimm found himself out of words. He immediately cast his gaze downwards, hiding his eyes as if to hide his expressions from everyone else, hide his shame from the world, hide his weakness from any who may look upon him.

"You can't even draw your sword? Coward."

Grimm didn't even consider replying to Wilhelm's final remark. No, he couldn't draw his sword. He couldn't even stand up for himself, much less reach for his scabbard. He felt like a tugging mess, like he was once again on that damned battlefield.

"Wilhelm, this is too much! Apologize right now!" demanded Subaru, his voice filled with rage. Not only was Wilhelm insulting him, he was also insulting Grimm and all the other soldiers!

"Who the hell does he think he is…" Subaru thought bitterly. Almost unconsciously, his hand started to slowly reach for his scabbard, the only thing restraining him being the memory of who was the one he was drawing his sword against and the knowledge that he stood absolutely no chance against him.

"Then show me. Take your sword and prove that you're not weaklings, prove me wrong," Wilhelm said, annoyed. The young swordsman always despised those who couldn't back up their words nor pride. If someone wanted to prove him wrong, it had to be with the blade.

"You…!" For Subaru, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. With a quick movement — one that Wilhelm had taught him mere minutes prior — Subaru drew his blade and pointed it at the swordsman with a furious expression.

"Do you think we'll just let you insult us like that you… you little bastard! Right, Grimm?" Subaru yelled, his rage boiling like never before, but when he turned his head towards his friend, he saw something unexpected.

Julius looked over to Subaru, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"About the fact that you nearly killed me, or that I'm about to die?"

"Both," the purple-haired knight answered.

Silent, Grimm was with his knees on the ground, his head downcast; his hair covering his eyes with shadow. His scabbard and sword layed limply at his side. Grimm looked... defeated.

"Grimm?" Subaru asked in a worried tone. "Are you alright? Do you feel bad? Do you need help?" Subaru's worries only grew as his companion refused to respond to him. However, they wouldn't last long.

Clang!

"Wha–" Subaru uttered, jerking his head towards Wilhelm once more. He turned to find a sword pointed directly at him, dangerously close.

"Never look away from your enemy… it was one of the first things I told you, but of course you wouldn't listen…" Wilhelm looked at Subaru with a straight face as if he wasn't even surprised by it, "People just never learn."

"Grandfather…"

"I know, Reinhard, I know," Wilhelm said.

Honestly, the old man never realized how much of a dick he used to be.

Subaru's eyes darted around, trying to find any way to escape the situation. His gaze landed on something on the floor. It was his sword. Quickly looking at his hand, he found it empty. Somehow, Subaru had been disarmed. "What? When did he… How didn't I notice?" As he was still pondering about what had happened, Wilhelm looked at the young soldier beside Subaru.

"And you? What do you plan to do, Grimm?" Wilhelm asked. He did not receive an answer. Grimm was seemingly frozen, or rather, trembling in fear.

"You are not going to respond? Can't even draw your sword? Coward." Wilhelm looked almost disappointed as he turned his back to the duo and resumed his practice.

Realizing that Wilhelm was no longer paying attention to him, Grimm let out a long sigh, finally relaxing and managing to take control over his own body after being effectively paralyzed in place. It brought him bitter memories. Memories of a battlefield in which his body wouldn't move no matter how much he desired it to, of a moment in which he was sure his destiny was already set in stone.

Quickly casting away those thoughts, Grimm pitifully forced himself to his trembling feet. He had his head downcast and an unreadable expression on his face. Was it fear? Was it humiliation? Was it wrath? Not even Grimm himself knew for sure. After forcing his pathetic body to stand, the young soldier directed himself towards the barracks and left the place behind as if he were fleeing.

Having bore witness to the sudden confrontation, Subaru decided to follow Grimm. But not before insulting Wilhelm one last time.

"Are you happy now, emo boy?" Subaru asked, sarcasm oozing off every word. He glared at the swordsman with as much hate as those nasty eyes of his could muster.

"I hate to ask this, but… what does that word mean?" Crusch asked.

"The word "emo" originally meant a style of rock music resembling punk but having more complex arrangements and lyrics that deal with more emotional subjects," Kenichi said. "But these days, it's used as a word towards teenagers with serious brooding issues."

"Tha… honestly fits the old man to a tee," Anastasia realized.

Wilhelm didn't bother to reply as he kept at his training.

"Tsk…" Seeing that he was being ignored, Subaru turned around and lightly jogged, trying to catch up to Grimm. In his haste and rage, he forgot that, gleaming in the moonlight, his own blade was left laying on the ground.

"Well, at least he has backbone and is actually trying. I suppose I can respect that." As much as Wilhelm found Subaru's behavior to be childish, he couldn't help but think that he was different from the rest. Every soldier had some grade of pride of course, but few actually put in the effort necessary to back it up, and that's where Subaru's difference lay in the swordsman's eyes.

"But he's too emotional," Wilhelm mused to himself. Subaru was clearly the type of person easily swindled by emotions and the proof of that was right there on the ground. "He even forgot his sword."

Picking it up, Wilhelm saw his own reflection on the blade, and the moon. He tilted his head upwards. As he gazed at the starlit sky above, the young swordsman could not help but think that more interesting times were certainly just over the horizon.

"Okay, so you're slightly less of a dick than we initially thought," Subaru said.

"That still does not fill me with confidence," the Sword Demon admitted.

"Oh, hey, the scene changed," Petra said.

"Indeed," Frederica agreed. "It appears that we are now in some dark woods…"

In the middle of some dark woods, deep in a forest of unknown location, under the steady glow of the moonlight, there was naught but silence. In the midst of the night, only an occasional, dull filament of light would pin-prick its way through the dense foliage. It was a thin, sickly beam of hopelessness, limply flickering, giving all the cheerless comfort of a dying candle flame.

The cold nature of the woods only exacerbated its grimm look. The darkness generated by this play of light and shadow fell upon the uncaring heads of those below, creating a sunless curtain of chaotic black in which true evil thrived.

"Is that so?" a voice said, shattering through the thick, eery quiet. Its tone was filled with morbid curiosity and the figure from which it came was obscured by the darkness, untouched by those hopeless beams of light.

But then — a creaking and cracking sound akin to that of stepping upon loose floorboards ringing out, further breaking the silence — that figure walked out into the dim, pale moonlight.

It was a thin man, inhumanly thin. He was clothed in shadows and garbed in long, dark robes. His sickly green skin and lifeless pine-colored hair made him seem like more of a corpse than a man. And yet he stood, moved, and spoke. And he was certainly not alone.

Upon hearing that voice and seeing that figure, everyone knew who that was.

"Petelguese…" Julius hissed.

"Geuse…" Emilia said, her voice filled with pity.

Surrounding him, all bathed in that same hopeless light, were a number of similar figures. They all wore the green-skinned man's same robes, but none had their faces exposed, their madness exposed like his. Their eyes were lifeless, but none of them held the same crazed look as his.

"So… you let one escape?" the sickly man, a bishop — Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti — murmured, a hint of darkness in his voice.

"Witch Cultists," Rem growled, kept steady by her sister.

"Goddammit, I forgot that he'd still be alive in this time period," Subaru groaned.

"Who's to say that not all the Sin Archbishops are active right now?" Reinhard wondered.

That was a thought absolutely no one wanted to entertain.

He marched right up to one of the many individuals surrounding him, his gait unnatural, his bones cracking with every step. He raised his face up, his sickly skin sagging while in motion, and gazed straight into the depths of the hooded figure's hollow eyes.

"Are you sloth… ?"

As the hooded one's eyes snapped wide open, Petelgeuse ferociously grabbed the figure's neck. The bishop's hands squeezing down with strength unexpected from one as sickly-looking as him, he began to strangle his subject.

"You let one escape?! Without facing punishment?! That! That, that, thaaat! Is how you faaaaithfully repay the Gospel?! She gave us a mission, trusting in our sinful selves, and you have the sloth to let a heretic escape?! To leave her love unpaid?!"

Petra and Meili immediately ducked behind Frederica once Petelguese began to strangle one of his goons, as did Mimi and Tivey, behind Ricardo. Everyone else kept watching.

Subaru was having some intense flashbacks from back in the cave, when the madman pummeled one of his lackeys to death for failing to bring Rem. The same Rem who –

No, stop thinking that, he told himself. She's here, she's alive, you saved her.

It was unclear where a man of skin and bones held such power, but Petelgeuse's hands easily sunk deeper into his subject's skin, undoubtedly scarring the figure's neck. He shoved the hooded figure to the ground, slamming them down with enough force to kill a normal man. Straddling the abused individual, his hands still gripping their neck tightly, Petelgeuse gazed up toward the night sky, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"And! Once again my finger's laziness is my own! Ahh, please forgive the indolence in this flesh, filled with affection for thee! Living solely to work diligently for body and soul of the Gospel! For how things must be! Forgive that I have been wasting my time in idleness!"

As tears continued trickling down from Petelgeuse, the figure on the ground let out a sob of its own. It too looked up at the sky and prayed, just like the one whose hands were wrapped around their neck, "Love! This is love! One must sacrifice for love! Laziness cannot be permitted! I must obey the Gospel! I must return the love granted to me with my own!"

Petelgeuse released the one he had moments ago been furious at and stood back up, head bent unnaturally far back as he stared up at what he could see of the sky through the thick canopy of the forest.

"Ahh… the heretic must be far away now… I need to repay her love! I must be diligent!" Petelgeuse declared, raising his hands to his mouth and biting his own fingers in fury. As the bishop's ramblings grew louder, his fingers shrank in size, blood beginning to drip to the floor in place of his tears.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" Naoko whispered to her husband.

"Ugh, no more finger food for me," Al said, semi-jokingly.

"Now's not the time for jokes, Aldebran," Priscilla told her knight.

Suddenly, the bishop turned his head, looking back down at the figures around him, the sound of cracking continuing to ring out as he did so. In a shrieking voice, Petelgeuse gave a command to the black robes, "The heretic who escaped… find him! If he's alive, kill him! If he's dead, bring me his head! We must repay her love, we must make an offer to attain forgiveness!"

In response, the figures started seemingly melting into the darkness before another hooded figure appeared in the distance, a bag in his hand. As they came closer, the bag became more noticeable. It was dripping something onto the ground.

As the figure approached the bishop, a crazed smile formed on Petelgeuse's face. "Such diligence…" he thought to himself.

Silent, the figure drew closer and then, kneeling down before the bishop, wordlessly offered the bag to him, opening it for everyone to see.

Inside, frozen in time, the head of a little girl laid with tears of blood rolling down her cheeks lifelessly laid. Her once bright lavender hair had turned crimson due to all the blood covering it; her eyes now hazy in death. A terrified expression resided on her pale face, registering the cruelty of her last moments.

"Petra, Meili," Otto slowly said. "Whatever you do, do not open your eyes until Fredeirca tells you to. Understand?" His response was two little girls nodding their heads.

Subaru meanwhile, was beginning to breathe heavily. The words spoken by that madman reminded him of when he killed Rem. How he used his Authority to hang her up in the air, like a sack of meant, and then twist her head like she was a doll, how in the last loop, everyone was mercilessly slaughtered, how Petra lacked her eyes, how Rem was stabbed, Rem, Rem –

Suddenly, he felt someone take his hand.

Emilia.

She looked at him, with a look that said "Everything will be okay." And for once, he actually believed it. Petelgeuse was gone, dead. And that he would never rise again.

And so, he kept watching.

Voicing his thoughts out loud in crazed happiness, the bishop complimented his subordinate, "You killed her, even before I finished asking nonetheless! Ahh, that too iss good! That is diligent! My fingers are so diligent! As long as there are still fingers on my hands, diligence is the most crucial thing of all! Ahh, love! Life! People! Diligence in all things!"

Petelgeuse was so worked up that he bent his body back far enough to almost touch the ground, bones creaking with every impossible movement he made, seemingly not feeling pain in his insanity.

He sprang back to his feet like a drawn bow, a look of ecstasy clear on his face, "Ahh, my brain trembles. Trembles, trembles, treeeeeeeeeeembles!"

Petelgeuse, his madness rising to heights unknowable to normal men, had blood trickling out of his nose. He closed his eyes, his body shuddering as his fervor reached its peak. Petelgeuse wildly wiped away the nosebleed with the sleeve of his robe.

However, his happiness wouldn't persist for long. A shiver ran down the bishop's spine, making him stop in his tracks. It was a clear indication that another mission had been assigned to him.

Petelgeuse reached within his habit and pulled out a single tome. It was a book with a black cover, about as large and heavy as a dictionary. At first glance, it could look like he was simply carrying his favorite book with him, but that was too normal an act for a madman. "Ahh… I feel the love of the Gospel. My brain, it shivers…"

Anyone who wasn't currently sickened by the green man's antics was now glaring at the book he was carrying. The Emili Camp hated that book because it was similar to what Roswaal had for so long, while the Natsukis hated that book for what it did to one version of their son.

But absolutely EVERYONE hated that book simply for who each copy belonged to.

Murmuring those last words, Petelgeuse rested the book without a title in his hands with as much care as a mother would cradle her baby, calmly and reverently turning the pages. The bishop kept turning the pages before stopping suddenly to read, seemingly having found what he wanted, his face almost glued to the paper.

Almost immediately his eyes widened, a crazed passion burning deep within them. Once again contorting his body at angles that would break any normal human being, the bishop said, "Incredible! Love! This is love! This must be love! To receive such an ordeal to accomplish, this is a test! A proof to test my love! My diligence! Oh such a show of trust, of love, love, LOVE!"

"Uh-oh," Roswaal whispered.

"Roswaal-sama, could you please elaborate on that?" Reinhard asked.

The mage internally swore at the Sword Saint's superhuman hearing, but kept his cool. "Either Sloth has found Emilia-sama, and he will attempt to perform the Ordeal…"

Those who subjugated Sloth vividly remembered the madman's ramblings.

"... or, they have just discovered Subaru's arrival."

Upon hearing that, everyone froze. It was practically a guarantee at this point that Subaru was a magnet for danger, and this version of him on-screen was no exception.

But why? Emilia asked. What does Pandora want with Subaru?!

Almost vibrating from the excitement, the bishop placed the holy tome inside his robe before, once again, directing his attention to his subjects.

"Believers of love, the Witch has once again granted us her love! We must repay it in full with diligence, and complete the new ordeal as soon as possible! There's no time to waste." Saying those last words with a surprising calm, Petelgeuse turned his body, starting to walk deeper into the woods. However, the bishop stopped dead in his tracks as soon as the decapitated head came into his view.

"Ahh yes, the heretic. You must also have been a believer in love at some point, right? Why did you stray from that path?" With a pitying look in his eyes, the bishop asked the bodiless little girl, almost as if waiting for her to answer his questions.

"Such a shame, your parents must've surely given their lives to make you escape and yet you couldn't grant them their last wish… You're sloth, aren't you?" the bishop commented, a wide smile on his face. Everyone was slothful in their own way, but striving for diligence was sadly a destiny that few could try to reach. Petelgeuse himself was the representation of sloth, after all.

Turning momentarily towards the hooded figures, Petelgeuse gave his order, "Place her head with the others and light them on fire. They shall make a fine offering, an example of our diligence!"

Felix wanted to scream. This was wrong, this went against everything he believed in as a healer. He wanted to save those people, but he couldn't, they were already dead.

Wilhelm cursed himself. While he was busy training, that monster was out there, slaying innocents. Hell, even after the war, he didn't dedicate himself to eliminating any of those sick bastards outside of Stride Vollachia, and that monster had to provoke him first!

And even after the death of his wife, he simply wasted his years looking for some elusive animal, instead of hunting down the evil men who controlled the beast, actual monsters who simply chose to be evil for the fun of it, all while ignoring his family!

Roswaal merely looked at the scene with guilt. This was Geuse, his old friend. He could have saved him back at Elior Forest, he could have laid his friend to rest before he could cause this massacre, or any other massacre, but he didn't. His book told him not to, since it had nothing to do with bringing back his beloved Teacher. He was truly slothful, wasn't he?

Once again turning towards the depths of the forest, the bishop started to walk once again. To march towards a destiny only he could realize, as he was chosen for it.

Later that same day, an unlucky merchant would discover the village after being attracted by the mysterious trail of black smoke in the sky. Later reports would only label this as 'another unfortunate attack of the Witch's Cult'. A gruesome sight that sadly was far too common in this god-forsaken world.

Deep into a forest there was a thin man.

He was feeling happy.

"Ahh I can't wait. My brain, it trembles… DESU!"

As the time would soon come.

As the lights came back up, several people got up. Some of them went to the bathroom, just in the case that they ended up throwing up after witnessing all of… that.

Others, such as in the case of Wilhelm, went directly to a person they wanted to talk to.

"Reinhard."

His grandson quickly looked up to him. "Yes, grandfather?"

As Subaru watched the interaction, he left for the lobby, trying to get some fresh air. Him seeing Sloth again spurred up some negative memories, and he wanted to –

"Subaru."

He immediately recognized that voice.

Turning around, he saw his mother. "Hey…"

"No," Naoko said. "No stalling, no games. You're telling me, now."

"..."

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

---

Author's Note: That Subaru is in for a lot of pain, huh?

The original story is called "A Star Tainted Red," and was a written collaboration made by both MetallicCube and TheColorPurple123. The link for this on is s/13934429/1/A-Star-Tainted-Red on and /works/33261952/chapters/82588417 on ArchiveofOurOwn. And now, onto the comments!

XPowerpointC: I have been considering a sequel to these, but not for a really long time. There are several other projects I want to get to before doing any more Re: Zero.

Guest #1: People either seem to love or hate angst, don't they?

Junsuina Tamashi: No, these options aren't all the same, really.

anonymous: Good comment.

Guest #2: Yeah, Shion is one of the best girls. And I think the reason doesn't have any fics about her is due to the fact that she technically wasn't real. But I'll make sure to add the older Natsukis' opinion on the new elf their son had managed to seduce.

The Wanderer: Hehehe, about that…

Guest #3: Nah, Wilhelm is safe in both chapters. For now.

The chosen one: Thanks for the link, I'll make sure to check it out!

Chuck B. Winanaki: If there's an opportunity for Subaru to hate himself, he'll find it. Everyone got hit hard by something in the last chapter, be it from the previous reality they saw, or the one where they basically forced Suabru into exile. There will be talks of time-travel, and some interactions between Subaru and a younger Wilhelm. Sure, it's not an action-packed war movie, but I still hope that you like it.

Commissar Gaunt: That's an interesting story suggestion, I'll give you that.

Pryd: It'll be a while before Priscilla is her old self again.

Wally991: I have actually read that fic you're talking about, and I actually liked it. Shame it hasn't continued. But I gotta admit, I didn't think to add it to the series.

Deathenglegamers1144: I love how Priscilla's PTSD is casually called a Vietnam flashback. Though I haven't checked out the story you're talking about.

5queso: Yeah, I'm using that idea to make everyone realize that Subaru may or may not be the Great Sage. Though to be completely honest, I'm not really taking any suggestions, given the fact that this series will soon be over. Enjoy your day!

Dhyestrya: Nice.

Jesus t: Yeah, one more chapter to go, and the current arc of Re: Avenger will be done for! I have no idea what you're speaking of, but please enjoy the chapter, regardless.

Jpx0999: That was confirmed chapters ago, my dude.

Ronnie 101: I saw your Option One review. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to fix it, so I just responded to it over there, since I read that one first. Sorry about that.

KingAsgore: Insert sixty-nine joke here.

Raider301: Your names and motivations are awfully similar.

claderoneric758: Done and done.

Pembaca Sampah: Yeah, I agree. That story alone made Shion-tan premium best girl material. Hopefully, the author will choose to continue that story.

strangerwager: Glad I was able to help with your sleeping condition!

Shinka23: Now, what warranted such a reaction?

IsseixAtalanta77: Your wish has been granted in the other chapter.

Don tico: Huh, I didn't know that story existed. But yeah, it is pretty exhausting to write the story. Two chapters into this volume, and I already wanna go on break again.

IlluminatedSins: Fixed it. Thanks for that.

hlglh: Oh, look, more hearts.

Terra: There are plenty more fics in the site. And speaking of everyone else, they pretty much got over the whole "Subaru's a monster" bit after the thing with the Purge King, and since they didn't see themselves die, it didn't flare up again. But I do have a plan for the self-harm thing. And Priscilla will soon go through some character development. And I'll try to make Subaru less of a heartless monster when not traumatized.

Spideysuperb: I have considered Re: Start, but not for the SubaTella fluff.

leymax2021: What the heck are you talking about?

Lordy: I kinda forgot Louis was responsible for Gluttonybaru.

Gomy_el_camaleon: Don't be like Al. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Lordy: I don't understand the reference within the parentheses.

Tomaseeek: Is that really what you want to use this week's comment on?

SenSlice: Implications, so many implications. Also, I don't respond to "some" comments… I RESPOND TO ALL OF THEM! But thanks for helping Tomaseeek.

Phoenix_Rayz: I have no idea what that is a reference to.

Synicall: While they won't see the full story, I promise you that they will see snippets of the Greed If. Though, I have to admit, there won't be any fight scenes, it will mostly be to showcase a far bigger monster, one whose name, for once, is not Subaru.

Weirdman: There will be something close to that, yes.

NoodleF_cker: You know what? For the sheer time it took you to write all that, I'm gonna go ahead and use all of it in one of the future chapters. Congratulations!

Mythril: That's what perspective does to you. And yeah, thanks to the noodle's comment, Priscilla is gonna end up reconciling with what she saw a few chapters ago.

Jousé: Don't know that story, so, sorry, no can do.

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 /Gq3Z3kBu. 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! 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

---

Next time:

What if Subaru teamed up with the Anastasia Camp?

OR

What if Subaru started his own merchant group?