Welp…100 favorites, 100 follows in FFN. Here is the instant upload I mentioned.
Pryd: Les gooo more Priscilla next chapter this was soo good, they're interactions were made pretty well and detailed. all I can say is... hope they get together because I can see that their relationship would be pretty fun!
Excited for the next chapter as always, see you soon author!
A: Yeah, thanks man. I hope I can keep that up. As for their relationship…yeah, if they could keep that up without problem both of them would be happy as fuck. Yet, both of them are problematic people so that's not gonna happen that easily if it happens.
Here, sooner than you think, lol.
Guest: I don't really get why you are so "kind" to Ana, she's all about that greed, da money, possessions, things she had gained through less than charitable mean-to be fair, she had to-. The moment Subaru doesn't make money or run out of uses, she'll probably just throw him away.
In canon. Not there anyways.
It's funny, even knowing the context, the "lewds" between Subaru and Priscilla look like two lover playing, it's romantic.
I see, the bitterness of the person you knew in a past loop not being the person you know now is in full display there. I like that.
I-is Ram is a sadomasochist?
A: Hmm…let me give you my thoughts.
First, she gained her riches mostly because she is a natural genius and obsessive. Second, Anastasia also treats everyone she considers well. She can be emotional too. She, in my opinion, definitely would have high standards. She is more of a 'normal gal' compared to other candidates. She also both shows and gives off the feeling of belonging, the type of feeling that she will take care of you if you become hers.
Right now, actually let's say before Subaru's invasion…Her attraction sourced from Subaru's intelligence, his originality and things like that. Perhaps even him being totally opposite of Julius gives a fresh air. Subaru also makes clear he doesn't mind her Greed while understanding the big extent of it…that's also a sweet feeling for Anastasia that she never experienced from anyone but Echidna(Fox), since people underestimate her Greed and Julius literally consumes daily copium to ignore it. A big contrast to Subaru who imagines Anastasia as a sugar mommy and gets excited.
Yes, Priscilla and Subaru's lewdness clicks better than anyone else's…since both have no shame to a level. Even knowing the problems, you can't just stop and think it isn't that fine for them to get together right in that instant. Surely, they both think about that now and then but again, the world isn't perfect…Though it would be for them if any of them were to confess directly and somewhat assure other that they won't be thrown into trash after being used as a toy/be disappointed and regret.
Ram is at most a masochist. But with extreme slave/toy tendencies. And some sociopathic behavior to anyone other than their master, including her sister.
Sadism part of her seems to be a headcanon in the fandom since she bashes Subaru a lot. But she is definitely a sub…with how she blushes when Roswaal calls her and Rem his pawns in arc 2.
And now in arc 7 side story she shrugs with a cocky smile without a care when Roswaal mentions himself using Rem as a horn for Ram and that's why he sent Rem there. More than half of Emilia camp would be dead if Subaru gets to learn that after questioning why Rem was injured when they were transported. This won't ever happen in canon of course, where consequences don't matter.
Point is, she is a massive sub with no regard for others.
Master role is seemingly taken by Subaru, since his sheer brutality, how he calls her out and how he is in fact in control….well, unlike Roswaal she didn't even need to delude herself to see a man child who gets all his actions from a book and believe he is a great man when Subaru is in fact, someone different with no such weaknesses.
Yes, simply, while Subaru isn't using her as much as she wants, Ram's world indeed changed and she never wished to come back ever since.
ZACK2357: Wow me encanto la interacción entre Priscilla y Subaru, la escritura fue genial y los pensamientos de ambos acompañaron muy bien, definitivamente fue un gran capituló.
A: Thank you very much.
Welp. Now, chapter.
"How long do you plan to be stubborn? I am saying I wish to see it. It is only natural that you perform your trick." A beautiful voice oozed with femininity was directed at no one other than Natsuki Subaru.
"Ugh! Understand already! It's nothing special! I just learned it when I was nothing but a shut-in!" Subaru rejected Priscilla once again.
"There has to be another reason...mind telling me?" Priscilla tried something else.
"...Well...It is ironically something jesters in history would do. So I don't want to show it to you. I am no clown!" Subaru says with an embarrassed expression.
"Hmm? That only makes me want to see it more and it seems your misunderstanding is the source of your stubbornness. You should be grateful for that title. Mine entertainment is the most important thing for me. It took Al years to get that title, actually he is just a suspicious clown, yet it feels very natural calling you my jester. It's a mystery. You should accept it with pride!" Priscilla says all that with a sweet smile, genuinely trying to make Subaru understand. There was no teasing in her words or ridicule.
Which made Subaru sigh. He couldn't be happy with those statements even if she was honest. Priscilla's understanding might've been coming from her origins…she is indeed a royalty and Subaru knew that. Ignoring how Priscilla slightly opened up about her origin in a 'loop' that was lost, Subaru already deduced and researched everything about her.
He even knew, like many other candidates, Priscilla should not be alive right now.
But that, and other knowledge about candidates wasn't something he knew because he was curious about royal selection and its mysteries…no.
It was something else.
"Alright...but first, we need to get away from the eyes around us."
"You want only mine eyes watching you? I shall accept that request. Continue like that" Priscilla was satisfied with Subaru's decision...even though the reason for his request was nothing other than avoiding embarrassment as much as possible.
Priscilla wasn't delusional or anything. She just enjoyed twisting things into her way. Subaru admired that weird behavior…indeed, that optimism and pride made Priscilla always right. Not the world or anything supernatural.
"So...where will you perform?"
"You and me, about to do something with appas. It has to be an alleyway." Subaru says with confidence as he smiles.
Priscilla does not comment on it, even though she is curious. 'After all, I gave mine word that there shall be no unnecessary burden.' It was a mindfulness that Subaru didn't receive from his close circle of friends. Priscilla holds herself back from reminding Subaru that she has forgotten him by asking what he means by that.
Subaru recalled a while ago, the possibility that all of this might be lost in Priscilla's mind a day later. Yet it didn't feel like it would ever happen this time around. Was that a fool's hope? Or a hint his consciousness picked up without his awareness? He didn't know. All he knew was that hope was inserted in him by Priscilla.
'I did accept her 'help' after all. All in all, this is my best day in a long time so far. So, I will accept any hope or feeling I receive from her. That was the reason why I even accepted all this. And if she forgets…all of this is nothing but entertainment, right?'
Subaru understood why Priscilla didn't ask him about his choice of place to perform his trick. He was grateful for that.
'To think Priscilla is one of the most understanding and thoughtful individual I know. It's hilarious to think about, but it also feels right.'
Perhaps that's what people stood beside Priscilla received all the time and so much more.
But then what Natsuki Subaru received by being with them?
The answer was nothing.
Subaru started drowning in that answer.
Yet Subaru forgot he was at the receiving end of Priscilla's mercy. So the Sun Princess brightened Subaru's mind with—
"Hmph!?" He felt something invading his mouth. It felt like flesh upon contact. It tasted like an apple. His tongue inspected it a little more before Subaru backed up after realizing-
"Why are you putting your finger in my mouth?!"
"These appas are too juicy, I like it that way but it's so much so that it makes my fingers sticky, I don't like it. So I am letting you have the duty of cleaning my divine fingers." Priscilla said matter of factly and, this time put her middle finger on Subaru's mouth.
Subaru went along with it for a while. It was quite an experience. Priscilla stopped looking at him while keeping her finger in Subaru. His tongue savors the taste of apple or appa. Appas in this world could be much more watery than Earth apples. The appas Priscilla made Subaru buy her(She said something about indulging in his money feeling good.) even though she was wealthier than Subaru. He is doing well economically without even trying for it.
In fact, Subaru did nothing but whine for no reason other than hiding his own agreement on that action. He was the type that would pay instead of a woman and would cause a scene for that with his stubbornness.
Subaru kept cleaning her fingers with masterful movements, even making sure no saliva was left on her fingers. Yet, that erotic, domineering feeling caused by how Priscilla assertively made Subaru clean her fingers while not even looking at him, turned into annoyance thanks to the lack of attention and unnatural silence from Priscilla. He wanted to stop that by biting her finger.
But he made a mistake by biting too well.
"Mphm~!?" Until now Priscilla was enjoying the new experience. But suddenly she was hit by a pleasurable pain...something she didn't think could be possible.
The feeling traveled through her body, and both of them froze when she made the sound.
'Oh...did she just moan? I...didn't mean to bite her like that!' It was something Subaru studied and imagined himself doing with a woman. However, in this instant, it wasn't consciously done.
Priscilla's face was already tinted with red with all that appa cleaning done to her but that was the face of a mistress who was smug about being pleasured by her beloved servant. But now that red spread even further and expression was considerably different. A more vulnerable face…
'Cute? Sexy? Sexy-cute?' Subaru shrugs off the thought.
"Do you still want to see the trick?" Subaru asked while blushing. Priscilla wanted to say something about the situation but she didn't when she saw Subaru blushing.
She didn't realize until later that her involuntary voice also made Subaru excited.
Little both of them knew that things would get heated if Priscilla realized that a little bit earlier. Priscilla would be all smug, teasing Subaru to hide her vulnerable moment. Subaru would reach a boiling point, push her on a wall, leaving her nowhere to run and give bites to places that were more than her finger. That would turn into a sweaty sex—
They start walking again.
"Yesh..." Priscilla coughs to snap out of her dizziness. "Yes. Unless you ran away like a coward? Then it can't be helped."
"Tch. I'll show you. Don't sulk on me if you get disappointed, Priscilla-sama."
"...Say it again"
"Priscilla-sama?" Subaru does it, knowing that they will be stuck in another cycle of stubbornness if he doesn't.
"No. It should be like before."
"Priscilla-sama," Subaru said with a playful yet sensual tone. Latter was likely involuntary because of Priscilla herself. This woman…
"This isn't what I asked…but it's even better! Very well, from now on, you are obligated to call me like that whenever I want," Priscilla says with a bright mood. But...
"..." Subaru doesn't say anything but puts a blank expression.
"Don't give me that face. Didn't you clean my fingers with utmost eagerness and effort just now? This is nothing when you compare it with your service." Priscilla says teasingly…and there was even some serious attempt at persuasion.
"...It wasn't that one-sided enough to call a service!...Fingers and all. I don't dislike it." Subaru says with some bashfulness.
"...!?" Priscilla stopped in her place and instantly, with a shock that she cannot hide on her face.
"Legs, feet...and now fingers?" Priscilla asked with pure honesty. She was interested in this. And of course…shocked by the limits of Subaru's lust, which she still didn't reach.
"Well...if it's just licking, the hand isn't that high on the list alone. Appa juice added spice to things. But again, It's something I can get excited about if...the person is sexy enough." Subaru says it without any embarrassment, there was no meaning in being shy anyway. Priscilla was rather blunt with this kind of topic. His words didn't have any lie in them either, fingers themselves aren't enough to awaken lust no matter how delicate they look. But the idea of licking a beautiful woman's fingers itself makes it exciting."
"..." Priscilla stays in silence with a thoughtful expression and feelings inside of her. Some embarrassment...no, acknowledgment? Excitement? She couldn't tell what it was but she knew it was a positive reaction from her. When it comes to this man, he brought a side of her that she didn't witness before.
Of course, Subaru misunderstood her silence.
"Hey...don't think of me as a creep! Didn't we agree on the normality of appreciating all parts of a woman's body?" Subaru asked, trying to make Priscilla recall.
"I don't remember us mentioning any other woman at all. We agreed on how every part of my body is worthy of utmost worship. Very well. Your eagerness to follow that surprised me. I shall admit that much." Priscilla said as she brought her fan from her chest and opened it, covering her face as she watched Subaru with observing eyes.
"...Sigh, I think you are twisting things as you wish but...well...it's not like you are wrong," Subaru admits. Priscilla is just beautiful, even her dominant characteristics and assertiveness weren't masculine in the slightest. Whatever she did, she oozes femininity like a goddess of beauty in her actions. If her arrogance and assertiveness gave even a slight feeling of masculinity Subaru would be turned-off. But Priscilla…was perfect. In that regard at the very least.
As for her look, it needs no statement.
'The curves, the proportion, the way she dresses, that face, only Emilia can matc-Nah, I am not even gonna lie to myself about that. Priscilla is just...' All in all, there was a good chance that Priscilla was the most beautiful woman he ever witnessed.
It shouldn't be a problem to admit that much…Emilia does bluntly say he isn't handsome after all, then she would try to retract that, but that would hit even harder.
"You are an odd man," Priscilla says. There was an unknown emotion in her voice.
"I get that a lot," Subaru answers just like that. Subaru knew that he was different, but ever since the events in the sanctuary, he questioned if he was far more insane than even witches.
At the very least, Subaru didn't stagnate with the excuse of him being a 'witch' he can always change. He was responsible for his actions, and he will make no excuses when he is at fault.
As they continued to walk together. Both Priscilla and Subaru stopped their own thoughts and indulged in each other.
"So...is this place satisfactory for you?" Priscilla says with an annoyed tone.
"Hmm...well, yeah, I guess," Subaru said, somewhat still unsure. But he didn't want to say that he wanted to leave the city and perform it deep in a forest. That would make Priscilla smack him, justifiably so. It was too late to back down.
"I will deduct points because of how poor the stage is. I hope you keep that in mind." Priscilla said matter of factly. They were in a dirty alleyway after all.
"It's a problem that you have any expectations to begin with." Regardless of how many times Subaru explained that it was just a dumb trick. Priscilla had the curiosity of a cat. It didn't matter how insignificant and uninteresting it was. She had to see it with her own eyes.
But that also meant she would get disappointed like a cat. Perhaps that would be the trigger of this time's 'reset' with her relationship with Subaru.
Subaru takes some of the appas he bought as he dismisses dark thoughts.
"So, it had something to do with appas after all..." Priscilla says.
"If I found a better alternative, I would do the trick with that instead." As Subaru says, he took three appas in his hands. Subaru was ambidextrous more or less thanks to his training with his right hand, so he chose to carry two on his left and one on his right.
Subaru sighs. 'Well, I had a good day with her...let's just get over with it.'
Forgotten or not forgotten. There was no meaning in it.
If someone forgets the time they spend with you, that shouldn't make you sad. After all, it was pointless to begin with. So there was no meaning in making memories with that person, to begin with.
This type of logic is what Subaru believed and he applied it to many things in life.
Despite his many insecurities and fears...Subaru wasn't particularly scared of getting cheated. He is possessive, but that is because he IS possessive. He feels like he has to show that, even as a form of love and care. Not only that, but he also wants people around him to be possessive of him too.
This was a real expectation from him. If Emilia and he had a real relationship, and if she would be the same as she is now. Then it wouldn't work.
As for getting cheated on, that would make his love fade. If someone cheats on Subaru, then the person Subaru loved wasn't the person who cheated on him. Hence, Subaru, in this situation, never loved that person. There would likely be an emptiness. But Natsuki Subaru did not believe he could feel pain for someone he didn't love.
He never got cheated, but he had a friend he was interested in. Subaru liked her A LOT, with an unreasonable passion. But that love was lost when the girl dated a boy that Subaru couldn't see as significant. No, even if he was the best pick in the world, that wouldn't matter.
The girl Subaru liked wouldn't do that. So it couldn't be helped. He never loved her anyway.
That is how things worked with him. Despite Subaru being aware of how twisted that way of thinking is.
With Priscilla, things were different. That is until Subaru remembered his past self's opinion on the matter. He reapplied his logic. Now he didn't care if Priscilla forgot him or not.
This Priscilla wasn't that Priscilla he met in the capital anyway.
With those thoughts concluded. Subaru started his little pointless show.
He threw the appas one by one and caught them, throwing them. Over and over again. There was a rhythm and balance that allowed Subaru to continue without any mistakes.
As he adapted to the weight of appas. He was relaxed about his juggling performance. It was just a matter of time before Priscilla would get bored and lose interest.
Subaru looked at her face as he juggled. He didn't require any eye contact anymore.
However, instead of boredom, there was an expression of annoyance in her mien.
'She actually got so disappointed that she found this offensive?'
That was ridiculous, Subaru thought. But if Priscilla was going to bother Subaru because of something Priscilla wanted to see, then she could fuck herself.
'That would be rather hot to see—The fuck? What am I imagining!?' As Subaru Priscilla was moving…he thought perhaps she sensed the perverseness with her woman instincts…
But Priscilla did something Subaru wasn't expecting.
She reached for an appa' from their 'reserves' and threw it high.
"Shit." Subaru loudly said. He threw his appas higher as well.
As he caught the new appa, he instantly threw it again.
Hence, Subaru started to juggle with 4 appas.
"It's no good to sabotage my performance, you know?" Subaru said while he was slowly getting the hang of it once again.
Priscilla gave a ridiculing 'hmph.'
"As expected, you fool wasn't giving your best. Nothing but the best is acceptable in my eyes. Here, another one." Priscilla says and throws another appa. Subaru was annoyed. Even so, he acknowledged that she was throwing high enough it gave him time to recalculate his rhythm and throw other appas.
'I am still keeping up, somewhat.' He was getting more comfortable with time. After this, it would be problematic.
He would prefer finishing it in this appa count than dropping it in higher numbers.
As Subaru continued juggling for another 30 seconds. He threw appas differently this time, way higher, surprising Priscilla.
He threw all appas high. The first four dropped right into the appa bag they had in the ground. As for the last one, Subaru made a graceful bow and appa land on the back of his neck. He swiftly straightened himself, making appa go high and opened his palm towards Priscilla. Appa landed on Subaru's palm.
Subaru looked at Priscilla with a normal look and took a bite out of it. He sighed. "It's the first time I am doing this with fricking apples. But I pulled it off. If it was with balls, well, my record is seven. Even though I can't keep it for long."
Priscilla opened her fan, hiding her mouth as she would do from time to time. "I have no idea why you fool whined for so long about this. Your performance entertained me. You ought to have pride in it."
"Unfortunately, this isn't the type of thing you can show off in a friend group. I did it, and all they did was look at me blankly...hah." Subaru cringed as he remembered the moment...
"Isn't this just that? A trick to show and make other fools who wouldn't give time for such a thing look in awe?" Priscilla said, but Subaru refused once again.
"Nope. At least it didn't work for me. All of them looked at me like a weirdo and then I even burned some bridges."
Subaru says that, however, it was a distorted perspective of the past that happened back then.
It was a time when Subaru was barely coming to school but kept his contact with some people in his high school.
A 'gyaru' type of girl who looked good and was a natural blond. Showed her interest in this particular party trick. Everyone was watching casually and had fun watching her juggle with three balls.
Then Subaru started talking about how he did that useless trick, deluding himself into believing it was cool in the past. This was, of course, because of his resentment towards everything he learned alone while avoiding school.
Of course, Subaru's overwhelming negative energy triggered the eager blond who thought it was cool. Then everyone around him challenged him to do it. The intention behind here was to make Subaru fail and laugh at him. Especially the ass-kisser males in the group, though Subaru was obvious to any roles like that. Unfortunately, long before that, he started hating himself too much to consider a girl would like him.
Subaru, who never thought there was a point. Rejected.
Though they continued to bother him. So even though he saw no point, he had done his trick...with gradually increasing numbers.
He stopped at seven.
He was calm about this 'Enough?' he said.
Of course, he had no idea that he looked cool. In his mind, looking cool would at least require actions equal to labors Hercules
After that, it was just girls asking him what other hobbies he has and actually surprising Subaru knew a lot of skills he counted as insignificant even though it was impressive to them. Which prompted other guys to dislike him and never call him again.
Subaru would later think that girls also disliked him for some reason unknown to him and cut interactions.
Such was the sad reality of suffering Subaru created for himself.
Of course, Subaru could tell things from his perspective, but Priscilla already understood his corrupted view wasn't trustable.
'He thinks himself weaker than everyone else. This is why he will never stop getting powerful or exploiting the enemy's power. He is a dangerous man because of his delusions...however, that's a double-edged blade that causes him to not enjoy life itself.'
Priscilla observed. This man turned most trivial things into 'suffering' all of his pain was because of that. Nevertheless, just like any real pain, it made him grow.
However, Natsuki Subaru negated both fate and luck itself conceptually. That is why his misfortune was far greater than Priscilla's luck.
And Priscilla's view?
Subaru's misfortune was about to prove Priscilla wrong.
(Priscilla POV)
"This...it's actually happening. Alright then..." This guy 'Subaru' mutters those words tainted with something I do not understand.
Very interesting indeed. Yet, it's something I strongly dislike for some reason. Maliciousness isn't something I find inherently dislikeable. Since It shows human's nature most of the time. But I didn't like how the entire air around the man who carried the duty of my entertainment alone changed instantly.
"Here, hold this for me."
"Hmph." I took the appa in his hand. I make sure I do not touch the part his mouth interacts with. But I didn't need to do anything. Jester himself predicted that intent perfectly. He puts it into my hand slowly without making the bitten part touch.
I should commend him for not being a buffoon. However, that action feels unnatural.
I stay silent.
Considering what myself witnessed so far. It's not that this man cares about the hygienic aspect of the situation. Neither he values my skin so highly that he cannot allow such contact. That second one is totally untrue. If given permission, that man would savor my skin like no other man, let alone not see himself worthy of contact. It can be said that he 'values' in a different way than how my male followers worship me. In fact, it's commendable that he didn't commit a crime if that's how much he is interested in women's skin.
...No. It's understandable. After all, it's unthinkable that a servant of mine would show that much interest in other women's skin when he witnessed mine. Or his interest is special to my skin…it's logical.
Either way, I made his eyes feast with my legs that he loves so much and taste my fingers. He will never have a healthy relationship with his future wives. That's why it's better if he stays beside me, inhales my scent, and feasts his eyes upon my skin happily.
And if...IF...He can keep his dignity while doing what he claims. I might even actually be willing to experience my feet getting licked.
...That person made me get interested in things like this. He is bizarre.
For some reason, I keep thinking about his thoughts about certain things.
What does he think about my candidacy? He proved several times that he knows how I move. He must know that my victory is inevitable. Yet, I want to hear it anyway.
Does he like my smell? I do want to know that for some reason. He took in my scent once. Even though there should be no importance. I did observe him in that regard.
How much does he know about me?
Does he compare me to others? I want that to happen. It should be insignificant. Anyone who knows me knows that I am better than everyone else. Especially my 'enemies.' They are promising with their theoretical potential, but that's about it, they might just never reach that potential. So far, only that fox can be counted as a rival. Valkyrie got lazy for some reason.
'It's not lost on me that all I want to know from him consists of 'me' in them.'
That is an anomaly. Since an opinion of a Jester should be irrelevant. I am me, Priscilla Barielle.
I stopped thinking about him further than I should've. He didn't deserve to be in my mind this long.
I tried to find out why his mood changed so suddenly. I stood there in silence. Nothing changed. He was just looking into emptiness with an even emptier face.
I reached no conclusion from observing him. I can't read him.
As I was about to voice my annoyance, the sound of chains was heard. A commoner's presence was near, but it had no importance. I already had the finest of commoners here.
But my commoner was acting weird...
I could see that his controlled breath was changing rhythm. A sweat formed on his forehead.
Was he scared? Here I thought he was a fool with no fear of how he interacted with me.
What a disappointment. Greatest disappointment ever.
"What 're you two doing 'ere in a place like this?"
A commoner daring to disrupt my moment appeared. He wore a collar with a severed chain on his neck, which explained the sound that reached mine ears before.
He was thin but built quite well, better than the commoner beside me, taller than him. He had an ugly face with an ugly expression that I disliked instantly. I am not someone who judges ugliness and discards the person. The proof was the commoner that I spent this day with. But this person's expression and personality itself were ugly.
He also wore garbage clothes, unlike the commoner of my choosing.
"..." The commoner stayed silent.
Ah...perhaps he is indeed scared by this trash. That's indeed disappointing. He even started to shake.
Was I wrong about him? I kept asking that question to myself. Regardless how many times I was proven wrong, there was some sort of unnatural unfairness towards him from myself.
"Ah! You are that guy who called Reinhard like a bitch!" says the ugly man.
First, he had a furious expression, then he gained a sadistic smile. Probably because he saw him scared. I could only assume since I couldn't see his face. Only his back was visible.
He was a pest for not acknowledging my power. I also felt his disgusting gaze on me because of that.
"It's you,"the commoner beside me said. I was losing interest.
"Of course, it's me, you bastard. Get on your fours and beg, then perhaps I'll spare you after I feast on that bitch you ran away with that time." He says so...But I can't remember-
"Oh...you are that commoner who got angry for no reason!" I remembered this man…his whole existence could be explained with one word: Thug.
"What the hell are you talking about? You bitch! Stop being high and mighty. That's the attitude that needs correction! Don't worry. I'll take care of you after this loser."
That's what he claims, huh. I am the strongest person here. He surprised me that time with his ability which made me unable to use my magic. But even so, I wouldn't lose to him.
And if this pest's physical ability is higher than his...then that's where this buffoon embarrasses himself.
I am really bored. I don't want to watch this guy beaten by this pest after everything...but I can't also save him. That's even more tasteless.
Wait…I am not acting like myself.
Priscilla Barielle widened her eyes at the unnatural change inside of her.
(Back to normal POV)
Back then, the thug Subaru got ambushed several times on his first day, was here.
He also tried to attack Priscilla, which allowed Subaru to come into play to 'save' her. That was how Priscilla and Natsuki Subaru met.
But none of that mattered to Subaru. He was more focused on the fact that how much he fucked his first day mattered to him.
How he took his life back then.
"I'll have fun with you later for ignoring me. But first!" Unlike in the past, Larkins was trained now. It was an unnatural improvement that Subaru shouldn't be able to predict.
But he didn't need to predict. He figured it out the moment his eyes laid on him.
He figured out things that made him disappointed…so disappointed.
A punch was coming towards Subaru. It was incomparable to the fighting level of an ordinary thug.
Yet, Subaru evades easily by shifting himself. His movement lacked unnecessary movement. But the reason he could easily dodge that punch wasn't only because he trained. That was just a little element, the true reason was equally simple and special at the same time.
It was easy. Subaru accepted himself. The end for him would not come with his loss of life. Subaru foolishly acted like he didn't have Return By Death for so long. He understood how stupid it was when he thought about Satella's words.
That's why Natsuki Subaru discarded his self-preservation instincts completely. His heart would not beat faster when death neared close. Adrenaline was a tool. His whole body and mind were used consciously.
Natsuki Subaru no longer felt fear because of people's presence or their killing intent. Because it was pointless. So…his being entirely changed from other people's.
"Aa?" Larkins backed away with a quick leap.
The reason for that is that a weakling like that was too calm.
And when he decided to look at him, to observe him. He saw his mouth was red.
Larkins felt pain right after that.
"Y-you bit my arm!" It wasn't any bite, a chunk of flesh gone just like that.
"Why not? You bleed, don't you? I think people should use all parts of their body to kill. You are way stronger than me. Yet, if I could rip your throat, that would be it, isn't that right?"
'One thing that no one in this world can't seem to learn. I don't need to be stronger than you to kill you. This is why all strong people are stupid enough to act like they are strong when once the gap is closed that's when one's life is lost..'
All in all, everyone acts like NPCs.
Everyone acts according to their instincts and birth, never trying to make a new way. Larkins was no different.
'It's not like I killed anyone before. I do not count Petelguese and Elsa...they died way too clean.' Elsa died when I burned her alive and threw her outside, eerily similar to Petelguese.
...No, I killed them. I already killed people. In fact, I allowed hundreds of cultists to die against sloth. I killed many myself in this one year too.
Yet...I feel like when I am done with him. It will be different.
I don't mind.
Subaru sorted his thoughts and made his decision. Unless Subaru changed his mind, Larkins would die. Regardless if fate wills it or not.
Natsuki Subaru let himself be. He had nothing to hide from these two, so it was fine to stop acting, stop hiding-
"W-why a...re you smiling?" Larkins face could not escape from that terrible expression. There was no killing intent or anything natural with that.
All he felt was cold.
Natsuki Subaru had a smile with no teeth and a gaze that burned with the release.
Killing this man right here would be a step towards his satisfaction, his absolute freedom. A confirmation that if he wants, people can get consequences out of killing him even if they don't know.
He wanted that…so much.
His smile widened. He considered his ways. Should he use Invisible Providence? Burn him alive? Boil his blood?
No.
Natsuki Subaru would do what he wanted to do in the past, the urge that he ignored back then.
"That's how you are going to die," Subaru says with excitement in his voice. He talks to no one but himself. To begin with, he wasn't someone who made any effort so that people could understand every single thing he said.
Excitement. The feeling of being alive.
Not because of any pleasure or psychotic joy. But simply because of the implications...
Doing this...would mean a lot.
He realized that changing himself by thinking and questioning could only take him so much.
He had to make choices...and he had to change himself with actions that carried deep meaning.
'If I constantly acted like a retarded reset button who could do nothing but follow the waves of fate...It wouldn't matter what I actually knew or thought.'
He started walking...slowly.
Back then, he prayed. Roles were changed. No one could judge him for this.
No one could understand.
This whole situation was beyond morals.
Human morals did not consider a situation where you get to face your killed who doesn't know what he did after all.
The right choice was HIS choice.
Natsuki Subaru kept walking toward the thug. Who finally snapped out of his fear. To the point that he could defend himself at least.
"G-get BURNED!" Ironically enough. This time it was Subaru who was threatened with death by flames.
Priscilla watched, seemingly expecting him to die. His trick did not work this time.
"Farewell." She muttered. She didn't know why she did that.
Flames exploded as they came into contact with Natsuki Subaru.
"...T.. that's where it ends. You sick freak!" Larkins felt joy as he survived. His arm was still bleeding, yet it was fine. It was alright.
As long as he survived everything was great.
"...Worst ending. Don't think I'll let you go scot free. Not this time, scum." Priscilla spoke with uncharacteristic anger as she looked at the dust that came out of the explosio-
'No...something isn't right.' There was no flame spread nor any sound of burning. Could it be?
"No matter what, I'll get that XP out of you this time." Incomprehensible words answered her unspoken question. Natsuki Subaru came out of the smoke without any damage.
'That's beyond unnatural. No matter how powerful you are, that way of taking a spell...'
-Is not possible
Priscilla witnessed many individuals stand as strongest. The attack was at the middle El tier. Above-average. She saw people that could take such attacks without doing much, they could afford that thanks to their power level. But the spell seemingly disappeared without having any chance the moment it hit him. He didn't use any mana too...She never saw anything like that.
'At this point...Calling his skills 'tricks' feels wrong.' Priscilla didn't see herself saying that before. But this man wasn't moving forward with one trick...It was something else that she could not understand that gave him an incomprehensible arsenal.
While Priscilla's red eyes with immense beauty stuck on Subaru. Larkins understood that he was fighting with a madman. In fact, everything about him was similar to things he was taught about cultists...
So he would run away-
Yet, he couldn't.
"Well, this is embarrassing. You can't even run for your life without being a failure." The nearing death spoke to him tauntingly.
'That...monster! I didn't fail...Something pulled my leg!' So he said. However, as he tried to find out what happened...he could see nothing.
Couldn't I really run? Such doubt appeared in his mind. Was he a failure of that magnitude? It was no wonder that he was kicked out by his family...
But all of that was irrelevant.
The monster was right in front of him. The only thing he could do was...
"P-please help!" He put his hopes into one last he did, a fireball appeared on the tip of his finger and fired toward the sky...That was his last hope.
He called for the ultimate help.
"But nobody came." And fire disappeared before it could reach its destination.
"..." A despair seeped inside of Larkins. This person...made everything futile.
What was the point of fighting?
"I'll...live," Larkins says. He said to himself. Even so, what he desperately wished not to happen...happened. He answered.
"We shall see."
Simple words...yet they sucked the willpower out of his being.
Larkins got up. The figure waited for him to do so.
'He...is weak. That feeling didn't change...That's why!' He instantly draws his hidden knife after getting up. He did it at such speed that no friend of Subaru would believe he could react. That was the fruit of this thug's training.
Pierce! Splash!
The 'battle' concluded.
Priscilla's eyes got wide open and a cold feeling entered her body even though she was the Sun Princess.
Everything about him was unnatural.
Unknown.
But what she was seeing right now was outright wicked.
What she hoped happened. That...person was fast enough to react.
But how he reacted...
Priscilla couldn't take her eyes off the red liquid painting the wall. The interaction between the two wasn't nearly fast enough that she could not keep up...that's why she witnessed it perfectly.
'There wasn't any hesitation while he took that knife to his hand.'
Who was he?
What can make a person like this?
She never saw anything like this.
It was twisted beyond comprehension of any Vollachian.
'...' As if the shock wasn't enough, Priscilla witnessed something she didn't believe even though she was still looking at it.
Natsuki Subaru was crushing the hand of the thug while a knife pierced his palm.
'That face...'
Priscilla didn't feel like she could accept that expression.
"It has nothing to do with me anyway." Voicing her intention she made a bored expression and turned her back and walked away. Yet the expression was done by her own will, it did not express what she truly felt.
Subaru acknowledged her departure in his mind while not even flinching from outside. Nothing ever changes. Good. Nothing was conflicting with him right now. Priscilla acted just as he expected: Perfect. She was free to forget him as well.
He brutally listens to the sound of bones breaking against his grip.
The thug's reverse grip on the knife is no longer there.
He could see in his eyes. Nothing but fear left. His self-preservation...was done.
"That's it." Subaru had a cold smile on his face.
"Ghhk?!" Back then, he really wanted to choke the life out of this piece of shit.
"Let me tell you. There is nothing that can save you from me. Nothing."
"HHGGGGGK!" The thug started to move for his life as he was dying from a lack of oxygen. His other hand punched and scratched Subaru.
"Annoying."
Without any hesitation or reaction. Subaru takes out the knife from his palm with precision and stabs Larkins's unharmed hand, sticking the hand to the wall.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!? UGHHHHHHHH?" He screams and screams. Tears start to fall down from his eyes. He shuts them tightly as he waits for his death.
Subaru continues to choke him again. He continues and when Larkins is about to lose consciousness, he lets him breathe.
He does it with such timing that it could be said no one ever tortured with such precision. It was something Subaru did learned after so much suffering.
He could sense as his life slipped away. The moment when his body was about to give up, he would close the doors of relief.
The cycle repeated over and over again. The man who died so many times had such control over life and death that he could give anyone hell itself in the world of living.
It wasn't wrong to say that he was a demon.
"I hope you realize you deserve all this. But that doesn't matter."
"...P..lease.."
Subaru understood him perfectly. Larkins wants to die.
No one could understand him more.
Though when Subaru wanted to die, it wasn't because he searched for 'relief.' It was because he wanted to do it over already and continue.
What made Subaru want to die was a rejection of fate.
They are not the same.
"Open your eyes."
"..." Sobs and whimpers.
"Open your eyes. I am not a coward. I won't evade my eyes while killing you."
He heard about the stories where terrorists made their victims look somewhere else, by force or by deception. Subaru decided he won't be like that. If you are going to take a life, you should be aware of that as much as possible.
"..." A shaking body.
"If you don't open your eyes now. I will take more time with you." Subaru felt no remorse whatsoever. He was desensitized to such things. No one gave a fuck about Subaru's life anyway. They saw him as weak and wanted to step on him for their sadistic pleasure. This scum was exactly like that and he proved it on Subaru's first day.
'That slut Carmilla's Authority proves jack shit.' This is why he asked himself regularly if the number of people who cared about his life wasn't as high as he believed after realizing the witch's actions meant nothing.
Emilia's words after the Kiritaka incident...
'That's right. Not everyone cares. Perhaps no one does.'
There was a massive misunderstanding. It was obvious that Emilia's world would crumble if Subaru died.
But because of her sick belief that everything that happened to him was no reason to get angry since Natsuki Subaru wouldn't die anyway...Subaru's understanding wasn't unreasonable at all.
Not only that. Emiia's kind nature also made it so that she would always prioritize being kind to people without ever getting angry.
But that also meant that she prioritized strangers over Subaru in situations like that.
Subaru wanted someone who would get angry with him. Bothered for him. Would get emotional for him…
Because Subaru was exactly like that to people he cared about. He wanted to feel that too!
...But none of that mattered now.
Because he could see the monster reflected from the thug's eyes.
"Hah...I am not weak after all?" Satisfied with how he looked, he was about to affirm that look with his actions.
And with that, he crushed Larkins thro-
"That's enough!"
A silhouette of a living, exploding volcano. A presence that could not be opposed, the absolute justice that no evil can look at without fear—
"The irony...So it was you as I predicted?" Unphased by immense presence incomparable to anyone, Subaru speaks casually.
"S-Subaru?" The red haired man finally realized who the pitch black figure that was torturing the victim was.
"So it was him after all. But how?" Subaru muttered to himself. He DID negate that magic...
Hero stops the villain from taking life unjustly.
Subaru understands he wouldn't hate Reinhard if he were to stand against him when he did something unacceptable…In fact, Subaru himself might've cheered for Reinhard to win deep down.
However…
Isn't this situation one where justice and revenge are one and the same?
Subaru's Return By Death, his determination, would not let a world where he kills Reinhard who saved him without hesitation to go on, perhaps, checkpoint would never update even if he perishes. Because he can't not wish Reinhard to be with him in the future…however…
—If you are not Reinhard, but [Hero]...then I can kill you easily.
The chapter name is Reenacment because you know...alleyway, thug, Reinhard, Priscilla and Subaru. A reenacment of arc 1 and 3 at the same time...LoL.
Priscilla realizes a weird, out of character conflict inside of her and leaves, Subaru destroying Larkins's help sign in time yet Reinhard comes anyway. How did that happen?
As you can see, things won't be easy.
Scent kink, feet/leg stuff and now finger licking…It is a good list despite how little time passed.
Reinhard isn't nerfed whatsoever, but as you can see, Subaru is confident as well. Though take his 'can kill you easily' part with salt, since he is willing to do a lot in this mindset, lol.
Subaru is really hurt by Kiritaka incident. Emilia's choices caused Subaru's 'change' to accelerate.
As for Priscilla's actions…they only affirmed his changes. You may ask, isn't all this OOC for Priscilla? I'll just say, I am aware of that. In fact, if you read carefully, the answer is there.
About Larkins…some people may be confused why he is 'evil' or bashed…since Tappei likes to make scum he likes look normal or good. However Larkins is a rapist, killer, thief and so on…and if you read arc 5 or know how he ends up after doing all the shit. Yeah, you probably can guess what Subaru's problem will be. If it left your mind, just read Larkins's wiki page. Subaru already realized what was going on with him the moment he looked at him…he didn't like one bit. Reinhard's appearance only confirmed it.
Btw…with all his pessimism, time spent with Priscilla in this chapter still IS one of the happiest he has ever been. Subaru was basking in the fact that someone was putting an effort to him so that he can have a good time. That feeling is so much appreciated that he could literally cry if he were to try thanking her. It felt even more special since it's someone like Priscilla caring for him, who is picky and wouldn't do that for everyone.
Which is why it's so sad that some thug appears and fucks with everything.
Anyways…I don't know if I am going to take this upload or the previous one as a reference to choose when I will upload next. We'll see.
I hope you liked it!