Aganau Chapter 3: Familiar ties
Subaru and Beatrice walked around the capital of Lugnica, both of them amazed for different reasons.
Beatrice had been amazed for this being the first city she had seen since the start of her contract at the Roswaal Mansion; While Subaru was amazed at how not much had changed in over twenty years. He was curious on how at the very least the other candidates were doing though.
He knows that both Emilia and Crusch are out of the competition for...reasons. Which after taking that into account left Felt, Priscilla, and Anastasia as the remaining candidates.
'But if it has been twenty years, shouldn't the royal selection be done by this point?'
With this question in mind, the first place he wanted to check was Reinhard's, since the knight would know the answer to that question in a heartbeat.
("Rein hasn't been the same for years like everyone else so you might want to be careful.")
Subaru thought back on the words Felix had told him before leaving the hospital, a bit concerned that his friend hadn't been in a good state of mind since his argument with this world's Natsuki Subaru.
'I wonder what happened to you, Reinhard?'
As he was mulling over his situation with his thoughts, Subaru along with Beatrice were walking all around the capital, with Subaru taking this opportunity to see what happened in this world twenty years after Petelguese had attacked the mansion.
The few things he learned from just listening to people talk was that the royal selection had not concluded in the slightest. If anything, from what he had been hearing, it got worse.
Priscilla and her camp had gone missing here and there to attend to issues back in her home country, but they were still involved with the royal selection out of Priscilla's sheer stubbornness, in refusing to give up until the absolute end.
Anastasia had abandoned the royal selection completely after several years had passed, no doubt considering it now a loss to her profits over a substantial gain.
From what he last heard, she was currently handling a problem in Kararagi involving a white haired woman, lots of wind being thrown about and entire towns being destroyed.
'That sounds like Zarestia. I should've asked more about what made her join my Slothful self, since she seemed outright pleasant, so long as alcohol was not involved.'
With that in mind, he has noted that Felt is the only one that appears more than the other two but not by much.
Apparently right after the White Whale had come by, Reinhard had gone out and slain a giant monster threatening the city.
It had gained Felt a lot of popularity for a few years before the goodwill of that act stalled out and left them at square one again.
'This is bad. If something had happened to Felt, that would very much effect Reinhard's state of mind.'
As he continued to listen to the gossip of the common people that they passed along the way, he had also noted how Beatrice was acting throughout the one hour of information gathering. Having spent time with his world's Beatrice, he knows exactly how she feels.
Those observations allowed him to see the Beatrice of this world was hiding how excited she was walking around the city.
Considering that the little spirit had been locked up in the forbidden library for more time than his Beatrice, he knows that the great spirit needs outings like this.
"So, how are you enjoying the city?"
"..."
"Come on, I know you are enjoying yourself. It has been centuries since you've been outside that crappy old library."
"Hmph! I don't have to tell you anything, I suppose!"
As she pouted while also looking away from the boy, Subaru couldn't help but chuckle a bit, having recalled how stubborn Beatrice was back before the events of the Sanctuary...or better yet before the events of the royal selection.
He just thought back onto his mission in finding Reinhard, asking people around if they know where he currently is located.
After an hour of searching, he looks up at the same mansion he saw from the memories of this world's Subaru, figuring that if there's any place he would be, is back at home.
"The fact that he is home at this time of the hour still surprises me. As the best knight around you'd think he would be patrolling the streets."
"Hmph. No one cares about your thoughts, I suppose."
Subaru just ignored this tsundere comment from Beatrice and just took a moment to think back on how his counterpart and this Reinhard ended in bad terms.
Not to mention that Reinhard was also responsible for killing Puck, something that Beatrice most likely knows since she would've seen the entire thing from any given window of the Mansion when it occurred.
"Hey, Beako, are you okay in joining me to speak with Reinhard?"
"...I'll be fine, I suppose."
"You sure? You don't have to come with me for this one."
'Not to mention that my world's Beako wasn't feeling good being near him. Maybe too much mana coming from all his blessings or something?'
Subaru thinks this as he thinks back to something his contracted Beako had said to Reinhard when they encountered each other in Priestella:
("…Betty is Subaru's contract spirit, Beatrice, in fact. I don't dislike your admiration, I suppose. Just, you should keep your distance, in fact. I'm sure you understand why, I suppose.")
Before he could say anything more, Beatrice shouted at him:
"I'll be fine, I suppose!"
Subaru didn't like this at all, he knows that Beatrice's mental state isn't well at all and if she was near Reinhard...who knows what would happen.
Before he could retort to what the great spirit had said, she just started to walk towards Reinhard's home on her own.
"Wait Beako—"
"We don't have time to waste. Let's just get this over with, I suppose."
Beatrice continued to walk towards the door, completely annoyed with this situation. Subaru was dumbfounded for a moment before he just sighed.
'Man, I forgot how hard it is to convince you...then again, you do have a point.'
He quickly caught up with the little spirit girl before going off to knock on the door. As he did this, the two waited for a moment. While they waited, Subaru took this opportunity to think on the many issues he finds himself in.
'This version of me is definitely a lone wolf; That can be a problem but considering that it's still me, I shouldn't have too hard of a time convincing him to listen. There's Petelguese, that bastard; Now that he's aware of me having both the Sloth and Greed authorities, he wouldn't hesitate to go start investigating. That would certainly bring the attention of Regulus Corneas, the big tantrum throwing man-child. If that happens, we will need someone like Reinhard to help us since the Greed authority is just that overpowered...but then again, my counterpart and this world's Sword Saint didn't end their last conversation in the best of terms. Man, what a mess to be in.'
"You'll be fine."
The watcher spoke inside of Subaru's mind, surprising the boy.
"What? What's the matter with you, in fact?" Beatrice spoke with an annoyed tone, having noticed Subaru suddenly looking surprised as if someone had slightly shocked him.
"Nothing, nothing, I just had an idea that came to me. Want to hear it, Beako?"
"Hmph. Not interested."
"..."
Subaru couldn't help but feel dumbfounded again but he changed his focus from his brief discussion with Beatrice to the discussion with the watcher.
'What the hell do you want?'
"Is that a way to speak with an ally of yours?"
'Oh shut the hell up, what kind of ally would just send someone to new worlds constantly with no information on what to expect?'
"Hey! I am a good ally! I didn't just teleport you in the middle of a fight like the first time."
'That doesn't mean shit! I have to gather information from the people of each world every single time just to get an idea of what the hell happened to me and those I care about!'
As Subaru was shouting this in his mind, he was starting to get fed up with speaking with the watcher.
There was a couple of seconds of silence before finally the watcher spoke in a more serious tone:
"Look, Natsuki Subaru, it's not like I'm hiding anything from you."
'Then why not tell me what the hell is going on in each world?'
"Because you wouldn't handle it well if you're not given the entire story and context from the get go and I or rather we don't have time for that."
'The hell do you me—?'
Before he could finish his thought, Subaru suddenly felt a strong aura nearby him. This caused the boy to shake on his feet. Beatrice noticed this and was about to say something until she also felt the strong aura, causing her to be filled with fear.
"Seems our conversation is cut short for now. I'll explain to you more once you're done with this world."
'Wait, where's my ally?' Subaru asked since he wants to know at the very least where his ally is located. 'Or can you at least tell me who's my ally this time around so I can make a half decent plan?'
"Your ally will appear when you are in dire need of help. I promise you that."
With that said, the watcher stopped speaking while Subaru noticed the door starting to open.
'What fucking timing.'
As he thought this, he quickly approached Beatrice and held her hand to try and comfort her before looking at the door with a serious look.
"Don't worry Beako, I'll be right here with you."
"..."
After a couple of seconds, the door opened to reveal Reinhard himself, looking a tad bit older but nothing too drastically different. At most his hair had grown out a tiny bit and there were stress lines around his eyes but nothing else for a man in his thirties still looking like his late teens.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The entire area was silent as Reinhard was surprised to see Subaru, Subaru was still shocked to see how good looking the Sword Saint looks twenty years later, and Beatrice was just shaking in fear and anger.
"Natsuki Subaru."
"Reinhard...it's good to see you again."
"...yeah. You haven't aged at all."
"Haha, that's one way to say it. You still look good."
"Hm. Thanks."
Reinhard turned towards Beatrice, just having noticed the little loli girl.
"Pardon me. I hadn't noticed you. I can tell that you are a revered and great spirit. It honors me to be able to speak with you like this."
"...please...stay back..." Beatrice spoke as she was doing everything in her power to keep her calm, feeling both fear and anger.
She felt this since she knew that Reinhard was responsible for killing Puck, making her have some resentment towards the Sword Saint. Reinhard took note of this and just nodded while respectively saying,
"I understand. My apologies."
"So, now that we are all acquainted, I wish to speak with you, Rein."
"Speak with me? What about?"
"Something important...is Felt around?"
"...she's busy." That was all Reinhard would say on the matter, which was unusual given his fondness for talking about her.
"Damn...alright then, mind if we come in?" Subaru asked, going to plan B since plan A wasn't happening.
"Sure."
Reinhard welcomed both Subaru and Beatrice into his home. As Subaru was trying to go in after Reinhard, Beatrice let go of the boy's hand.
"?"
"You go alone."
As Beatrice said this, she walked away. Subaru wanted to go after Beatrice yet he needed to speak with Reinhard.
'Damn, I knew something like this would happen. Well, I can't do anything about it now.'
Reinhard looked at Subaru with a serious facial expression while asking,
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, she just was a bit overwhelmed by your amazing self." He quipped, knowing Garfiel would give him a high five for that if he was there…or complain about taking his line.
"..."
Subaru noticed the silence, prompting him to quickly enter the house and close the door.
Reinhard stood silent for a moment before turning around and leading the boy towards the dining hall.
Once the two arrived there, the two sat down with Subaru completely shocked at how fancy the Sword Saint's home is.
"Man, you really live like a king, don't you?"
"...I suppose that's one way to see it."
"What? It was a compliment."
"Pardon me if I couldn't see it as a compliment."
Subaru was unsure on how to take this kind of response, having noted that something has been bothering his friend since normally there wouldn't be so much bite behind one sentence coming from his mouth of all places.
Although he would wish to help Reinhard, he first needed to alert him of what was going on.
"I came here to tell you that I had an interaction with Petelguese Romanée-Conti, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth."
The room went silent with the atmosphere going dark for a moment.
Subaru was prepared for anything, though he figures that he wouldn't be able to escape the Sword Saint if he becomes hostile.
Reinhard was silent as he had a serious facial expression.
"You've been obsessed with finding him for twenty years, I'm not surprised that you would encounter him once again."
"Yes, well the thing is that he is in a new body."
"A new body?" Reinhard looked with a puzzled facial expression. "Would you please elaborate?"
"Right, sorry. So he's been possessing other people because he's a spirit."
"Hm. That's some useful information. It also explains why he's been active for so long."
"Yes but that's not the only important information."
Reinhard looked at Subaru with a curious look, unsure on what else he should know.
"I'm Natsuki Subaru from a different world."
"What do you mean from a different world?"
"Before I elaborate, could you activate a divine protection that can detect if someone's lying? What I'm going to say may sound...well odd. I'd rather have something showing I'm not insane to you."
"...okay..."
Reinhard did this and began to listen to Subaru explain his situation, how he's from a different world that is similar to this world. This information surprised him, prompting the sword saint to approach the boy and grab him by his hand while having his divine protection of empathy active.
"Sorry for this but could you repeat yourself?"
"S-Sure. I'm indeed Natsuki Subaru but not the same one as the one you had a fallout with twenty years ago. I exist in a world that is very similar to this one with a few exceptions such as Emilia-tan still being alive, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth and Greed having been dealt with, two of three great mabeast already defeated, and my world only being a little over a year since we had met in that faithful alleyway."
Reinhard was taken aback when he heard this and almost took his hang off of Subaru when his divine protection told him everything was absolute truth. It brought him understanding now as to why this Subaru is not only just treating him friendly but looking so young. He didn't know what to say but he was for sure having many questions in mind.
"Have you interacted with my world's Natsuki Subaru?"
"Yes. He's grown up for sure but still kinda an idiot."
"Hm. He wouldn't appreciate being called an idiot."
"I guess but right now I come to you to ask for help. It isn't just the Sin Archbishop of Sloth we are dealing with now. I fear that the bastard known as Regulus Corneas, the Sin Archbishop of Greed, might get himself involved as well."
"And you require my assistance for this battle you, both of you rather will be involved in?"
"Yes."
Subaru was honest with what he wanted, his friend's assistance. Since his world's Reinhard and him were able to originally defeat Regulus, albeit with a lot of help from Emilia, he figures that things would go similar if he can team up with this worlds Reinhard and Beatrice or Felix making up for covering what Emilia had done. There was a moment of silence before Reinhard said:
"I am…very very sorry, but I can't assist you, Natsuki Subaru."
"What? Why?"
Reinhard bit his lower lip as he turned around and just looked at the empty hallway towards the entrance of his home, deep in his thoughts for a brief moment before responding back to Subaru's two simple questions.
"I just can't…my sincerest apologies for wasting your time."
"Hold on, first of all talking with you is never a waste of time. Second, if something's bothering you then talk to me. I can help you out. Even if you're not the Reinhard from my world, I still see us as friends and friends help each other out."
Reinhard enjoyed hearing those words, someone wanting to help him out instead of the other way around, yet he couldn't allow this.
He started to walk away deeper into his home as he responded in a melancholy like tone:
"I appreciate you coming to visit, Natsuki Subaru from another world. It was...nice talking to you but right now I must be alone to process all of this. Feel free to stay if you need a place to sleep for the night."
With that, Reinhard disappeared into a long hallway that would probably lead to his private room or something.
Subaru wasn't sure how to take this since there was many things that could have happened to have Reinhard of all people refuse to help, he wanted to know what happened but the biggest question in Subaru's mind currently was probably the most correct guess of the bunch:
'What happened to Felt?'
Subaru walked outside of the house and closed the door gently before noticing Beatrice sitting on the ground.
"Beako, the ground is dirty."
"..."
"...come on, we have to meet up with the other me."
"Why?"
"Huh?" Subaru was uncertain on what the spirit meant by that. Before he could ask, Beatrice continued to speak:
"Why were you the one she chose, in fact...? Why did that other Beatrice choose someone like you, I suppose?"
"Beatrice..."
Subaru stood silent after calling her name, seeing that having told this Beatrice about how another version of her was freed from her everlasting contract with the Witch of Greed had badly shaken her view of the world at large.
He wanted to pat her head, hug her, and try to comfort her but he knew that she wouldn't accept his help or comfort.
'Considering that I'm contracted with another Beatrice, she wouldn't want my help...though I have to do something.'
He tapped her shoulder to which she didn't respond. Subaru noticed this yet he continued to tap her shoulder until finally she responded.
"What?! That tapping is annoying and starting to hurt, I suppose!"
"Come with me, I think I know what'll help."
"And why should I? I'm not obligated to follow you, in fact!"
"I know but I don't want you to be alone."
"..."
"Just trust me on this, Beako."
Although Beatrice didn't want to do anything with Subaru, either Subaru, she figured that she might as well since the alternative would be being alone. She got up and just stood silent, to which Subaru took this as the great spirit will follow him.
He turned forward and started to guide Beatrice around the city for a bit. After a couple of minutes, Subaru arrived at, for him, an a too familiar stand, one he hadn't been in a long while.
"Hey."
"Hello."
"Can I buy an appa?"
"Yes."
The female shop owner smiled at Subaru as she grabbed an appa to hand to him.
Once she did this, Subaru handed over a couple of coins that he had thanks to having had these from his counterpart of the last world.
As he paid for the appas, he couldn't help but ask the female shop owner:
"What happened to the previous owner?"
"Oh, you mean my dad? He's just sick for now. I'm just helping him sell these appas for the day."
"Oh really? Well then, hopefully I get to see him again when he gets better."
"Oh, do you know my dad?"
"In a way but he wouldn't remember me. Anyway, I shouldn't keep you too distracted from your temporary shift."
"Right! Thanks for coming by."
Subaru nodded at the daughter of the appa shop owner, happy to see that the very first person he had interacted with in the new world is still alive and that the girl had grown up to be a beautiful woman.
Beatrice looked annoyed at Subaru as she said to him:
"What's the point of being here, in fact?"
"I wanted to get you this appa."
"...why?"
"Because I want to give you an appa."
Beatrice stood silent for a moment before retrieving the appa from Subaru. As she held the appa, she looked at it for a moment before taking a bite.
She knows that she doesn't need to eat at all since she's a spirit that doesn't require food though it wasn't like she didn't enjoy eating.
It had been two decades since she ate anything since her last food was before the Witch cult had attacked the mansion.
As much as she wanted to hide it, a small smile on her face came to life as she ate the appa, finding it delicious though she made sure that nobody could see the smile outside of Subaru who was too close to not notice.
Once she finished the appa, she just looked at Subaru with a blank facial expression before looking away. Subaru could immediately tell that Beatrice liked it, which made him smile.
'Such a tsundere.'
Subaru turned towards the direction of the hospital, seeing that he had time to speak with Felix to see if he was going to join his counterpart in taking out Petelguese. He turned towards Beatrice to tell her,
"We are going to see Felix once again. I have to know something."
"..."
Beatrice just stood silent and followed Subaru towards the hospital.
As they were getting closer to the building, Subaru noticed that it was almost about time for him to meet up with his older counterpart before he goes on a suicide mission.
As the two were at the entrance of the hospital, they noticed that Felix was leaving the building.
"Felix!"
Subaru with Beatrice by his side approached the catboy.
"Subaru-kyun."
"I came here to talk with you. But first, how are you doing?"
"I'm fine, I guess. Still kind of processing everything, but healers bounce back pretty quickly."
Subaru could tell that Felix was trying to keep himself together. Felix took a moment to clear his mind before remembering that Subaru had gone to speak with Reinhard.
"How's Reinhard doing?"
"He's fine...broken for sure, but fine."
"Yeah, he hasn't been the same, just like everyone else. Nya."
"What exactly happened?" Subaru asked with both a curious and concerned tone of voice. Felix looked down for a moment as he wasn't sure how to respond to this.
"After that disgusting fight you and him had a fight all those years ago, apparently Felt was mad at him for not trying harder to help you out more. That was the start of Felt-chan distancing herself from Reinhard. The resentment for picking her and his duties over you despite you needing the help more had built up to the point where the two rarely talk to each other."
"Wait, isn't she still a candidate for the throne?" He questioned.
"Yes but she rarely shows up in public, her and the other candidate."
Subaru crossed his arms as he saw how tough the politics of Lugnica are in the future. Without Felt or Priscilla showing themselves frequently, it looks like there's no leader to rally behind.
"I can see why things haven't truly changed. There's no leader at all that the people can look up to."
Felix nodded to this. Subaru stood silent for a moment before turning towards the exit of the capital.
"Aside from that, I actually wanted to ask if you would be joining the older me on his suicide quest?"
"And be with the jackass that decided nyot to tell me anything? Nyo thank nyow."
As Felix was about to walk away, Subaru grabbed his shoulder.
"I know you hate him, hell I kinda hate him for not telling you this, but he isn't a bad guy."
"Why should I put my faith in someone who only desires revenge?"
"Because, whether you and him like it or not, he needs you."
"Hm?" Felix looked at Subaru with a curious look. "What do nyow mean?"
"I know he's an ass and can honestly be very selfish but at the same time I understand his pain. Losing Rem...losing Emilia-tan...it honestly is something I understand. The fact that he alone knew of Crusch's existence must pain him. Imagine being the only person to remember someone that the rest of the world forgot about. If he said anything to anyone, they'd think him insane and it would just isolate him even more."
For a moment, Felix was uncertain if he should even try to listen to what Subaru had told him since he's still pissed at his world's Subaru.
The only reason he would go through with it though is because this Subaru is honest and doesn't seem to be selfish in his eyes.
He pictured himself remembering only one person and being the only person that could remember them.
As he played this scenario in his mind, he figured that the only reason he would remember someone while others didn't is because they were special to them.
"What exactly do you want me to see by doing this, Subaru-kyun?" The catboy questioned.
"I want you to understand that it's a lonely path. I know that because in my world, I lost Rem the same exact way that Crusch was lost here."
"So you also lost Rem..." Felix spoke with a sad tone, somehow feeling bad for Rem considering that in this world she died at the hands of the witch cult. Hearing that something bad happened to her in another version of this world made Felix feel sympathy towards her.
"Yeah, a Sin Archbishop took her memories and her name, rendering her in an eternal sleep. I've devoted everything to save her but not alone. I have many people not only counting on me but people I can count on as well. My counterpart didn't have anybody to rely on."
"But I could've helped him, nya!" Felix shouted in frustration. Subaru was a bit surprised by this reaction though he kept his composure while Felix continued. "I know we aren't close but had he been honest with me, I would've been there for that idiot...but he lied to me. He's disgusting. After saving his life so many times, Subaru-kyun repays me by keeping the truth hidden when he knew I was suffering...it's just infuriating...!"
As Felix was saying this, tears were streaming down his eyes.
Subaru took a brief moment to look into the memories of his counterpart of this world, seeing just how many times the older him needed to be saved.
He looked through multiple memories, watching and somewhat experiencing just how much the older him needed help without outright saying it.
Once he saw enough, he closed his eyes to understand why Felix felt completely hurt and angry towards his counterpart.
"Yeah, you were there to heal all of his wounds. I understand why you feel so betrayed, which is why you have to join us."
"Why?!"
"Because I need your help."
"Huh?"
"Alone, even with Beako's help, we will surely die. I get that you don't want to help my older self so I want to ask for your help as my own person. We need you, Felix. I need your help, please."
Felix took a pause as he saw this Subaru as humble, asking for his help while leaving out no half-truths.
He is not sure if this is his way in trying to convince him to help his world's Natsuki Subaru. Yet he doesn't detect any kind of manipulation from the boy.
The atmosphere was silent as the catboy took a bit to think deeply before finally giving the boy a response.
"...okay. I'll join you."
"Wait, really?"
"Yes, but don't make me regret it! I will leave if I feel like I'm being used."
"I understand. (I wish I could do that myself)."
Subaru nodded before turning towards the exit of the capital, knowing that they should start making their way towards the exit before his counterpart leaves them.
The older Subaru looked at the capital from the exit, just having a serious facial expression while having Patrasche next to him.
He turned towards her, seeing that she was just waiting for new orders from him.
He took this opportunity to pet his trusted ground dragon, feeling like she's the most reliable companion...next to Rem of course.
'I owe you a lot, Patrasche.'
As he thought this, he heard a familiar voice speaking to him.
"You're so caring, Subaru-kun."
"...Rem..."
The older Subaru turned towards Rem's direction, seeing her in a ghost-like state, having a glowing aura around her.
"You look very tired. Did something happen?"
"...sort of. I'll be alright."
"Do you need a lap pillow?" Rem asked in a comforting and innocent tone of voice. The older Subaru had a small smile for a moment before looking at the sky with a blank facial expression.
"We are outside and there are people around. I can't right now."
"Okay."
Rem said with a smile on her face, giving the older Subaru a chance to keep his stress levels down. He continued to look up at the sky before closing his eyes, reflecting on everything that had happened with Felix.
"Rem...did I do the right thing?"
"About?" Rem said as she looked at Subaru with a puzzled facial expression.
"Not telling Felix about Crusch. Was I really wrong to have not talked to him about it back then?"
"Well secrets do hurt people but you didn't do it to harm Ferris-chan, Subaru-kun. You had good intentions."
"True...but even good intentions do not justify every action..."
As he said this, he recalled the complete hatred in Felix's eyes as he revealed that he knew of Crusch's existence the entire time.
"Subaru-kun is always hard on himself."
"I have to. If I want to avenge you from that bastard, I have to be tough on myself."
As he said this, he looked up to see that Subaru, Beatrice, and Felix were approaching him. He watched as the three were standing in front of him and Patrasche. The young Subaru looked at the ground dragon and couldn't help but smile, happy to see Patrasche again even if she was from another world.
"So, will you three be joining me on my mission?"
"..." Beatrice stood silent as she kept a blank facial expression.
"..." Felix stayed silent as he had a very sharp look at him, still mad.
"We will but under certain conditions." Subaru said as he wanted to break the silence between all of them. The older Subaru crossed his arms while looking at his younger self with a serious look.
"What conditions?"
Subaru moved his right hand towards the older Subaru's with only his index finger pointing up.
"First, you must not act on your own. We are only helping because I don't want Petelguese to keep causing trouble." Subaru kept his index finger up while having his middle finger point up. "Second, you will not lie no matter what. You want our help, then you better be honest with us. Remember, I'm you so I know if you're going to lie or not." Subaru lifted his ring finger up as he was getting to the last point. "Third and last, you will not abuse Felix's ability to heal us. He's willing to help because I asked and genuinely believe that he's the most important person of the group. The moment you abuse his help, he has the right to leave. Do you understand, older me?"
The older Subaru wasn't happy that he had to follow some rules just to kill Petelguese yet he did need Felix's help. The healing ability would be extremely useful, especially when facing an opponent that could easily leave him in death's door.
"...okay. I'll follow these conditions." The older Subaru was reluctant with this yet he rather have them on his side than go at it on his own.
"Felix?" Subaru turned towards the catboy, curious to see if he believed the older Subaru's word. The catboy approached Subaru while having a stern look on his face. The atmosphere was silent for a moment before a sudden slap could be heard, attracting a few attention from the people passing by them.
"..."
"That's for lying to my face this entire time. You better be lucky I can't do worse, Subaru-kyun."
As Felix said this, he turned around and went back to be next to the young Natsuki Subaru's side.
The Older Subaru allowed this and just stayed silent as they were all making their way out of the capital.
Subaru looked a little amused at the punishment given to his older self and felt the need to rub it in a bit more.
"Hey, other me."
"Now what?"
"Don't fuck with the White Mage."
"...shut up and get your stuff ready. That joke is as old as I am."
A man in white was walking around his large mansion at night, inspecting in case something or someone had entered since he heard an odd noise.
While he was walking around calmly, he just inspected his suit for a second before noticing someone in the usual witch cult attire.
"Eh? Who the hell are you? Why are you even here? It's the middle of the night and you dare to waste my time by entering here without my consent. You are violating my rights, my privacy."
The witch cultist just stood silent before taking off their cowl, revealing to be a female with red hair.
The man in white attire was taken aback for a brief moment before returning back to his usual expressions.
"You haven't answered my questions. Are you trying to provoke me? You know that it's rude to not introduce yourself. Do you believe yourself to be superior to me? Our standings are supposed to be definitively equal as we begin in our efforts to establish a relationship, but now we have a condescending someone trying to extort a name unilaterally. I wonder if it's occurred to you. That you're unconsciously, unsympathetically, and by your own accord treating me as inferior, has that occurred to you?"
"Well, Well, you are diligent as ever! DESU!"
The man stood silent as he immediately recognized someone who spoke in such a manner.
"Ah. Well this makes a lot of sense now. You are very inconsiderate of other people's rights, you pathetic excuse of a bishop. How dare you interrupt my time? Have you not realized you have violated my rights more than once, you know?! Why don't you speak already you insane man? What business do you even want with me here in that body? Trying to take me out once again or are you here to die?"
"My fellow Bishop, I only came here to confirm something and seeing you so diligent, it confirms that you are very much alive."
"Alive?" The man spoke with an annoyed yet curious tone. "What are you insinuating here?! Do you believe that any of you imperfect beings could even do anything to my perfect being? How dare you believe such a ridiculous thought. Who told you about this? Was it someone who wanted to violate my rights? Tell me now!"
The man looked at Petelguese with anger, prepared to kill the finger he was possessing should he not like the response he received.
Petelguese couldn't help but laugh maniacally for a bit, annoying the man for a moment.
Just as he was about to attack him, Petelguese finally spoke out:
"Attack me all you like but allow me to ask you something, Regulus Corneas, have you ever heard of another user of the sloth and greed witch factor?"
Regulus paused himself just as he was going to dispose of Petelguese's finger, taking an interest in what he heard.
"Explain yourself."
Author's note:
Here's one last chapter before the month ends. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It is another talking chapter but we should start getting into the more action type chapters soon. Thanks once again to Cloud Link Zero for beta reading this chapter.