A.N.: Hello everyone! Apologies for the long delay between last chapter and this one, real life stuff happened and pulled me away from my writing for a while. Things are sorted now, so I am back to writing and should be releasing these chapters at the usual rythmn!
This chapter marks the "end" of arc 4 as the anime sees it, but not the end of this fic. There will be more to come that covers some of the time between arc 4 and 5, mostly focused on more slice of life character interactions and focusing on the consequences of what happened during arc 4, both good and bad. With that said, I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that you have a lovely week!
Harisson stared at the reflection in his blade, the sound of the carriage traveling through the woods barely reaching his ears. The young man who looked back at him was tired. Haggard. His eyes looked far too exhausted for his age. And yet, there was a brilliant, near fanatical light glowing in them. They'd decided to head to the mansion in order to stop the attack there; Garfiel had chosen to come with them, which was a major boost to their chances of success.
He wouldn't let Roswaal's schemes come to fruition. No matter what. Subaru was already well on his way to tearing them down, and he would make sure the raven haired boy finished the job.
Although, he had to be careful. Any missteps could cost this whole run. His death was, unfortunately, very likely if he were to face Elsa alone. He'd have to leave that particular fight to those stronger than himself, like Garfiel.
"So what did you have to say to Roswaal?" Subaru asked in the silence of the carriage.
"Hm?" Harisson looked up. "Oh. Nothing too important. Tried to push a bit further on the 'surrender' angle, but the bastard is stubborn."
"The hell did Roswaal do to you to make ya so pissed at'em?" Garfiel asked curiously. "You looked like you were about to stab'em at any moment."
"I…" Harisson exchanged a glance with Subaru. He couldn't explain why. Not really. "Let's just say I'm not a big fan of him using the villagers in some dangerous scheme." It was part of the truth after all. "The absolute disdain to use them as mere pawns is… infuriating." He sighed. "Man, if we had enough time, I'd go straight to the capital and try and get some royal knights on the scene… if they'd even listen to my words over that of the Margrave."
"Who knows? They might." Garfiel shrugged.
"Eh? No way. I'm an innkeeper. He's a lord."
"So what? He's being a prick."
Harisson snickered despite himself, relaxing a tad. "I mean yeah, he is. Fair point."
The carriage pulled into the mansion. Garfiel's eyes snapped open.
"Fuck! Something's going down!" He growled, hoping out of the carriage as the other two followed along. Immediately, it was clear the attack had begun; Broken windows and the sound of shattering stone, of a metal blade striking out. Garfiel swore, immediately rushing to the sounds of the fighting as Otto jumped down from the carriage to join Subaru and Harisson.
"Alright, so what do we do now?" Otto asked.
"We go find Petra, Frederica and Rem." Subaru confidently said.
"Well I doubt Petra or Rem are fighting… and Beatrice does not come out of her library no matter what. It must be Frederica who's fighting right now." Harisson commented. "So Garfiel's already on the way."
"Right. The other two it is then. Our goal is to get them out of there safe and sound. Keep in mind, we're expecting two enemies along with some mabeasts." Subaru looked at each of them in turn. "Let's stay safe and stick together."
The sight of an out of breath, crying, clearly distressed Petra brought a mix of conflicting emotions to Harisson. It was a painful sight, one that showed a girl exposed to the violence of the world far too young. But she was also alive. She was fine. She wasn't…
Petra is dead.
He couldn't keep his cool like Subaru, who greeted her with confidence as she called out:
"Subaru…" She sniffled. "Help me…" She clearly hadn't noticed their presence.
"Alright." Subaru said, catching her attention as Harisson surged forward. "You got it, Petra."
"Eh?" She turned, shock on her face as Harisson embraced her, tears in his eyes.
"Petra… thank Od, you're alright!" A wide grin, full of relief from the building anxiety ever since he'd caught sight of the mansion, spread across his face.
"H…Harisson? Subaru?" Petra whimpered.
"Sorry we're late." Subaru chuckled, flicking the back of Harisson's head. "And apologies for Harisson here. He was expecting bad stuff to have happened."
"Shut up Subaru." Harisson grunted, brushing the tears off his face. "It's good to see you Petra. Feels like forever." He laughed then. He couldn't help himself; He hadn't realized just how much concern he'd been feeling for the people he hadn't been able to save. "We're here to help."
"You… you came for us?" She said, light returning to her eyes as she smiled.
"Yes we did." Subaru said as Harisson let go of Petra, drawing his sword as he examined their surroundings.
"Subaru! Big sis Frederica…"
"Just leave it to me!" Subaru said, patting himself on the chest. "Is what I'd like to say, but if I rush in there, I'll be dead in a heartbeat. So I sent some super strong reinforcements instead."
"Trust Subaru Petra." Harisson agreed. "Of all the people to send, we had the strongest one we could find go."
"For a night of reunion, the people in the way are a little too in the way."
"Subaru. We need to move." Harisson reminded. "The danger's not passed, not even close."
"Right." Subaru nodded. "I'll go find Beatrice. I'm the only one with a shot at that. Harisson, you go and meet up with Otto."
"Right." He grinned at Petra. "You're coming with me, and we're getting out of here." Harisson glanced at Subaru. "What about Rem?"
"I'm hoping Frederica can help out with that."
"Right." Harisson turned, gesturing at Petra to follow as he and Subaru exchanged a nod. Parting for now, but not for long.
They ran down the stairs of the mansion, Petra right behind him.
"Harisson… it was so scary." She hiccuped. "This lady… she was trying to… to ki…"
"It's okay Petra." Harisson gave her a reassuring smile. "She won't hurt you. We won't let her."
She looked at him, nodding. "A…Alright." She gulped. "What happened to the others?"
"It's a long story. Basically, they're stuck in the Sanctuary, and Emilia is working to get them out. Roswaal isn't on our side anymore. Or at least, not fully. Don't trust him."
"Lord Roswaal?!"
"Harisson!" Otto exclaimed, running up to him as they turned a corner.
"Ah, found you!"
"And you found miss Petra! Excellent!" Otto grinned. "That's the plan going smoothly so far."
"You have the stone?" Harisson asked.
Otto nodded, showing the green crystal in his hand. "This should be enough to keep any mabeasts away."
The situation outside was… not good.
To say the least.
There were mabeasts everywhere. Strange snake-like creatures, ulgarms, flying monsters… A whole range of them. Harisson felt fear grip him, his instinct to run catching him as the cacophony of screams and screeches reached his ears.
But then he felt the trembling, fearful grip of Petra against his shirt.
He drew the sword from its scabbard, taking the pose he'd practiced so many times with Ram.
"Alright. Stay close. They can't reach us with that magic stone."
"Helloooooo!" The child-like voice caught Harisson's attention, flicking to the forest.
His eyes widened as something massive began emerging from the woods, a young girl in fancy clothes sitting atop of it.
"That child… from the kidnapping incident?" Harisson said, gritting his teeth. Subaru had mentioned their likely opponent, but he'd failed to mention that particular detail.
"Wow, that's a sharp sword!" The child exclaimed as the beast stepped forward, seemingly uncaring of the crystal's ability. It was massive; A monster of pure strength and mass. Harisson gulped. He doubted his sword would do much here.
"Hey Otto?"
"Yeah?"
"Why isn't it being stopped by the crystal?"
"No clue."
"How many bombs do you still have?"
"Not enough."
"Gotcha." Harisson grabbed Petra, whirling around back toward the mansion. "RUN!"
"GAAAAH!" Otto screamed as he ran after him, the beast rampaging behind them as it lumbered surprisingly fast after them.
As they made their escape inside of the mansion, Harisson considered the situation. This… this was bad, but it was not unsalvageable. He didn't know how strong this Elsa was exactly, but Subaru had seemed pretty confident Garfiel could take them on. And this beast was also dangerous, but the child on top of it… she was surprisingly exposed. He reached for the bow on his back, his hand freezing as hesitation washed over him.
Was he… was he really about to shoot a child? He shook his head. This wasn't just a child; This was a monster controlling monsters. If she wasn't stopped, she would kill all of them. Fury blazed in his heart. Once, she DID likely help kill them!
But this wasn't this life.
She was still a child.
His eyes found the terrified, trembling gaze of Petra.
But so was she.
His hands grabbed the bow, whirling around as he notched an arrow and fired. The girl had seemingly not been expecting this sudden attack, gasping as the arrow whizzed through the air towards her, finding its mark as it sank into her arm. She let out a piercing scream which was far too childish for Harisson's comfort, his hands shaking as his eyes grew wide. The girl was bleeding from her arm as she collapsed backwards on the monster, yelling as she held her red stained arm. He'd done this. He'd hurt a child to protect the ones he cared about.
Od. Oh, Od.
And yet, despite all of this, the main thought in his mind was how her lying down made it impossible for him to fire another arrow at her. What a horrible, disgusting thought that was. Annoyance at not being able to finish off a child. Had the despair of the loops really made him so desperate to win this?
"Keep moving!" Otto snarled, pushing him forward. "You can panic later!"
"R…right." Harisson muttered, his eyes still fixed on the paling form of the child as the monster began lashing out, slamming itself into everything around it. They continued running.
Eventually, they stumbled into Subaru.
"You guys?!" He exclaimed seeing them run down the corridor towards him. "What the he…"
"MABEAST!" Harisson screamed. "Big one! Crystal doesn't work!"
"What?!" Subaru exclaimed in confusion, right as the floor beneath shattered and collapsed, sending them plummeting to the ground.
"OH OD DAM…" Harisson screamed.
"Hold on!"
Suddenly, a tugging sensation pulled at his neck as someone grabbed his shirt, flying out of a nearby window and into the courtyard. He cried out in surprise as he was sent to the floor surprisingly gently, Subaru and Petra laying nearby as Frederica landed in front of them. Harisson watched her with wide, relieved eyes as he saw she held Otto under an arm and Rem on her back.
"Frederica!" He cried out with a smile. "You're a sight for sore eyes!"
"Apologies for the rough landing." She said with a smile. "But emergencies and all."
Harisson rose to his feet as Petra rushed forward towards Frederica crying out for her, the maid not even hesitating to drop Otto to the ground in order to hug her. Harisson winced at that, only for his eyes to widen.
"We need to move! That thing is still out there!"
"Thing?" Frederica asked in confusion. "Right. That." She said as she turned, facing the creature that had demolished the floor and wall as it trampled through. Once more, the terrible massive monster that the assassin child had been riding was there, its owner glaring down at them. She'd seemingly torn part of her cloak in order to make an improvised bandage for her arm, her eyes blazing with anger as she stared down at them.
"Tsk. None of you died? I must be losing my touch." She snarled.
"Maylie!" Subaru angrily said.
"Is that her name?" Harisson softly said, grabbing his bow with murder in his eyes. This was no child. This was nothing but a murderer. The only reason no one had died was because of Frederica's timely intervention. And in some other timeline… she'd likely helped killed Rem. He glared at her with raging fury. She'd killed Frederica. He notched the arrow, Subaru giving him a surprised look as the girl's eyes widened. She'd killed Petra! "Good, we'll have something to write on her grave!" He screamed, firing the arrow at the child. Unfortunately, this time she'd been expecting it and managed to duck underneath.
"YOU!" She cried out with a mixture of anger and fear. "YOU SHOT ME AGAIN!"
"You are trying to kill us!" He angrily shouted back.
"YOU SHOT ME!" She screeched. "CRUSH HIM, ROCK PIGGIE!" The beast began lumbering forth, Subaru and Otto cursing as they stepped back.
"All of you go on ahead." Frederica boldly declared, taking a step forward towards the monster. "I will handle this one."
"Frederica…" Petra sniffled. "No… I just got to meet you again…"
"It will be alright. I was able to reunite with my brother after all." She narrowed her eyes. "There is more I wish to say, but it does not seem our foe plans on giving us the time."
"We'll go to Roswaal's room!" Subaru declared, grabbing Rem and starting to run as Otto pulled Petra behind them.
"Harisson!" Subaru cried out, noticing the innkeep hadn't moved.
"I'm staying." Harisson declared, notching another arrow. "No time to argue. Go!"
"Harisson. I cannot allow a guest to get injured in my presence." Frederica said as her body began morphing into more animal-like features, her arms turning into two large fuzzy paws and a tail growing from her back.
"Again, too late to argue. That thing's after me, I'd only put them in danger by going with them. Besides, I don't plan on taking that thing straight on." Lower, he added. "I just need a shot on the girl. The beast will be easier to take out without her controlling it."
"Fool." Frederica said without bite. "Don't you dare die." She added in a breath, rushing forwards towards the beast.
"The same to you." He said, willing his hands to stop shaking in fear at the massive creature. "Besides. I'm tired of leaving people behind to fight."
For a moment, he simply watched the fight play out. Frederica was a marvel to witness in action, managing to outmaneuver the creature's lumberous movements with her own agile style of fighting, before unleashing powerful blows against it. As they fought, the mansion began catching fire; Harisson could only hope this was intentional from the others and not some other unknown threat.
Then, an opportunity. The frustrated child rose up, screaming down at her mabeast to fight back, managing to hit Frederica.
Harisson's arrow flew true.
The child screamed as it buried itself into her leg, sending her sprawling to the side and off the beast. Immediately Harisson was running towards her. As much as he wanted to kill her, they needed someone, anyone, who could testify against Roswaal when all of this was said and done. And of the two assassins, the child would be by far the easier one to keep imprisoned. She had shown no feats of great strength or speed.
The beast roared at him, nearly freezing Harisson in his tracks in fear; Only for a raging Frederica to hit it so hard it was pushed into the nearby wall, shattering it on impact in a shower of debris and burning wood.
Harisson did not let this opportunity pass him; Grabbing the child and slamming her into the ground, making her cry out before the tip of his sword pressing down on the back of her neck made her freeze in silence.
"Enough!" Harisson snarled. "Make that thing stop, or I finish this myself."
"My, my…" The words, said in a mocking, vicious tone sent shivers of dread down his spine. "That will not do."
He barely had time to blink before the assassin Elsa was upon him, rushing through the hole in the wall. He cursed. Of course they just so happened to stumble onto her.
Thankfully, Garfiel slammed into her at the last second.
"Oi bitch! I'm the one you're fightin'!" He growled angrily. "Harisson! Keep yourself and the brat out of this!" Then with a grin, he added. "Thanks for stickin' round with ma sis." In an instant he was gone, clashing once again with the absurdly fast assassin. Harisson could barely keep up with the sheer speed the two of them were moving at.
"Let me go!" The child cried out, squirming under his grasp/
"I said to make the mabeasts stop!" He angrily spat back, trying to keep his wavering hesitation from his voice. Despite what she had done, she was still a child; And Harisson had only recently started fighting people. He couldn't imagine killing anyone, let alone a kid.
"Then do it, coward!" She retorted. "I won't be a burden to Elsa or our mission!"
"You stubborn…!" Harisson pushed the trip of the sword further, drawing blood. His hands froze at the sight of the red liquid pearling down her skin.
"Aaaah!" The child cried out. "It hurts! It hurts! Monster!"
"I…" Harisson's arms felt heavy. What was he doing? He was just an innkeep. What the hell was he doing here, threatening a child with death in this burning battlefield? Trembling, he slammed the pommel of his sword into her head, watching her body slump as she passed out.
The sound of Garfiel and Elsa's battle echoed around as he stared at the bleeding child under him, his eyes wide. Bile pooled in his mouth. Od, he… He shot a child. Made her bleed, and beat her with his sword.
He couldn't help it. He threw up, coughing and retching. His eyes stung at the acidic smell. Od, he knew he'd done the right thing. So why did it make him feel so disgusting?
"HARISSON!"
Frederica's scream made his head tilt upwards, catching sight of the massive mabeast trampling towards him with a furious bellow of rage. He scrambled to his feet, but he needn't have to as the maid slammed into the monster, deviating its path enough to avoid Harisson. Meanwhile, Garfiel's fight only escalated as he tore into Elsa, managing to gain the upper hand in their exchange.
"Frederica…" Harisson whispered as he stared wide-eyed at the bruised maid. Right. He didn't have time to dwell in self-pity. He awkwardly reached down, grabbing the unconscious child and lifting her up. He couldn't help any further here. His attacks were either too weak or too slow against the mabeast and Elsa, and he would only be a burden.
"Frederica! Garfiel!" He cried out. "Kick their asses and come back alive!"
"Of course." Frederica answered with a reassuring smile.
"Ha! Ya got it!" Garfiel roared with a grin, slamming his foot into Elsa's chest and sending her flying into a wall. This was his chance.
Harisson fled away from the battle. He needed to find the others. Needed to find Subaru, Otto and Petra.
He ran. Ran as fast as he could.
By the time he found the others, it was already over. Subaru was gone, a blinding light seen heading towards the Sanctuary. Otto, Petra and Rem were all safe and sound, albeit a little singed from the burning of the mansion.
Harisson was staring at the collapsing mansion as someone walked behind him.
"Good to see you made it out in one piece."
"The same to you, Frederica." Harisson answered with a soft smile as the maid sat down next to him. "Is the fight over?"
"There wasn't much she could do against both of us." The maid said.
"Hell yeah." Garfiel boasted as he leaned against a tree near them. "We kicked the bitch's ass."
"Language." Frederica rebuked him.
"Come on Frederica. It's a miracle everyone is alive." Harisson commented. "Just let it slide."
"Hmpf. Very well." Frederica glared at Garfiel. "Do NOT embarrass me in front of a guest."
"Can ya really call him a guest when there isn't even a mansion left?" Garfiel said, gesturing at the crumbling building. Frederica did not relent her glare. "Jeez, fine."
"Harisson!" Otto's voice brought Harisson out of his contemplation, making him turn around. "Should we really be standing around, waiting? We should head to the Sanctuary as soon as possible!"
"Ugh." Harisson sighed. "You're right. No use staying here anyways." Harisson sagged. "No rest for the wicked."
"I doubt there'll be anything left to do anyways. By the time we get back either they'll have won or lost." Garfiel commented.
"It doesn't matter. We can't leave them on their own." Harisson replied. "Half of our issues came from misinformation and being separated. With all of us in one spot, we can put an end to this mess."
"Oh dear. How dramatic is the situation in the Sanctuary?" Frederica asked, concerned.
"Really bad." Harisson said. "But like Garfiel said, by the time we get there, it'll have been resolved. One way or another."
"So let me get this straight." Frederica slowly said, fury in her eyes. "Lord Roswaal is the one who sent the assassins to the mansion."
"Yes." Harisson said. Petra looked at him with wide eyes, her expression a mixture of shock and horror as she sat next to Frederica in the carriage.
"And he manipulated everyone, including Lady Emilia, Subaru, the villagers… all in an attempt to accomplish some vague goal, risking everyone's lives in the process."
"Correct."
Frederica was silent for some time "We are going to have a serious discussion, he and I."
"You aren't the only one." Harisson agreed.
"Ugh… what a mess. I hope Subaru and the others are okay."
"In all likelihood, that light was from Beatrice, and she would not leave without reason. With her present, I have no doubt success is guaranteed."
Harisson remained quiet, staring at his clenched hands. At this very moment, his friends were fighting for their lives. Ram. Subaru. Emilia… Od, he hoped they were alright. He knew how bad things could get. His hands were shaking. If someone was dead, he wouldn't know until they got there or the world reset. He didn't think he could handle another reset. He…
"Harisson? You're shaking."
He hadn't even noticed Petra walking up to him, her eyes full of concern as she grabbed his hands.
"Ha." He said with a slightly hysterical laugh. "So I am. Would you look at that."
He froze as she hugged him.
"It's okay. I'm scared too."
Silently, his arms wrapped around her, one of his hands going up and patting her head. Even after all she went through, Petra was still bringing comfort to others.
"You're amazing Petra." He softly said. "I'm alright though. We all will be."
"Yeah! Mine amazing self won't allow anything else!" Garfiel roared confidently, jumping on one of the seats. "And if Roswaal's gonna be difficult, I'll just kick his ass!"
"Hell yeah." Harisson agreed with a grin. "Man, it's good to have you on our side." No matter how frightening as well.
"Still to think Lord Roswaal would go this far… what in the world is trying to accomplish?" Otto mused.
"It doesn't matter. Whatever it is, it cannot be worth what he is trying to sacrifice for it. Nothing is." Harisson harshly said. "We will stop him. No matter what."
Silent understanding settled in the carriage.
Sanctuary was covered in snow. The sight sent chills down down Harisson's spine. Obviously, they had been working on an exceptionally tight schedule, and Roswaal calling the weather change had been expected; But it was still disturbing knowing exactly what the purpose of the snow was. The Great Rabbit would have come. Whether it had been eliminated was an entirely different matter.
"Oh!" Petra exclaimed, looking through one of the windows of the carriage. "It's Subaru! And Lady Emilia!"
Immediately, Harisson fell backwards, a wave of relief like no other hitting him. They were fine. This was fine.
It could only mean one thing.
They'd won.
The carriage came to a stop as they reached the two, Petra being the first to sprint out and glomp Subaru.
"SUBARU!" She cried out. "There was this big monster, and then the mansion collapsed, and we couldn't find you but there was this light, and…"
"Whoa, Petra, slow down!" Subaru gently said as Emilia giggled. "I'm fine! Everyone is." He added, glancing at the rest of the group as they left the carriage. "Glad to see you guys are as well."
"Give a heads up before teleporting away, dumbass." Harisson bluntly said, a small grin on his face. "Otto cried."
"I did not!" Otto exclaimed in protest.
"Aw, Otto. It's okay!" Subaru grinned wide. "Well let's go find the others. There's a lot to say."
Harisson blinked.
Beatrice stared at him, eyes narrowed.
Subaru watched the two with a curious expression.
"You. Innkeep." She eventually said with her usual commanding tone.
"Yes, Lady Beatrice?" Harisson asked in confusion.
"I will have a glass of appa juice, two slices of meat with salad and some honey bread." She imperiously demanded.
"I…" Harisson looked around the room. None of the others who had by now all gathered under one roof seemed in any rush to help him. Otto and Subaru were exchanging bemused looks, Petra was looking happily on, Frederica sporting a faint amused smile on her face, Garfiel was clearly enjoying his confusion… not a bit of help to be found. Even Emilia was observing rather than interfering.
"I do not have any ingredients or tools on hand, Great Spirit." He eventually said.
"How useless, hmpf. How is Betty meant to feed her contractor, I suppose?"
"Oi! Don't treat me like a dog to be fed!" Subaru angrily retorted.
"Aw, Subaru would make a good dog!" Emilia exclaimed happily.
"I retract my statement!" Subaru immediately said.
"How pathetic." Beatrice bluntly said. Harisson couldn't help but notice how it lacked her usual bite to it.
"Once we return, I can prepare this and more for you." He said with a soft smile. "I understand we all owe a lot to you."
She seemed surprised by this, eventually turning away with a pleased smile. "That's right. You owe Betty so much, free food and drinks are only natural, in fact." She said in a smug tone.
"No one said anything about it being free…" Otto commented, only to be hit in the side by Subaru. "Ow!"
"Dude! Read the room!"
"My presence is payment enough." Beatrice confidently said.
"Honestly, I am just glad to see you out of that room. Staying in it for so long can't be good for you." Harisson admitted. "You've done us all a huge favor. Of course it'll be free."
"How generous." Ram's voice cut through the conversation like a knife.
Everyone's attention was brought to the entrance of the room.
Ram.
And…
Roswaal.
Harisson felt the now familiar smoldering rage and anger swell up within him as the clown began taking his punishment, each person in the room hitting him in turn. An idea of Subaru, to help clear the air and move on.
He wanted to laugh. Move on. As if he could just do that. The others didn't know how bad it got. How horrible this could have been. Only Subaru did, and Subaru… Subaru was different. He was thinking of Emilia, of her chances at the Royal Selection for which the noble was essential. She needed Roswaal. Harisson could understand that. He really could.
His turn came.
He stepped forward, up to the beaten and bruised Roswaal. Garfield especially had messed him up with his hit. He stared in silence at the clown-looking man. The Margrave seemed entirely unbothered about his injuries, a slightly amused smile on his face.
"I hate you." Harisson finally said in a whisper. A trembling confession that nonetheless carried tremendous conviction. "I really , truly hate you."
"Is this what it's going to be?" Roswaal said with a smile. "A verbal beatdown rather than a physical one?"
The room grew tense as Harisson drew his sword.
"You risked everyone's lives for your gambit." Harisson softly said, pointing the sword forward. Ram took a step towards him, a warning in her eyes. "The only reason we are all alive is because you failed. There is a future out there where most, if not all of us, are dead. A future where Petra is dead." The sword shook with barely concealed rage. "Frederick is dead. Rem is dead. And who knows how many more. All for your selfish ambitions you monster." Harisson pushed the blade a little further, hovering just over Roswaal's chest. "Monsters should be put down."
"Harisson…" Ram said threateningly, her eyes pleading.
Harisson stayed quiet, staring at the blade in his hands. Roswaal did not look afraid, or even concerned. Merely curious.
"But Lady Emilia needs you. Subaru decided you would live. It's not my place to choose your fate." He withdrew the blade, letting it fall to the ground with a clatter of metal. "It isn't fair that you get to walk away with so little lost." He added with disgust.
"I have lost quite a bit more than you think, my dear innkeeper." Roswaal softly said.
"You were going to have a twelve year old assassinated by the Bowel Hunter. You deserve far, far worse than what you got." Harisson snarled, filled with the sudden desire to pick up his sword and ram it through the man's chest.
Instead, he turned around and walked out of the silent room, his body shaking with frustrated anger.
He kept on walking for a few minutes outside, going into the nearby forest, walking off the beaten path.
Suddenly, he couldn't keep it in anymore. He slammed his first into a nearby tree, screaming in pain and anger as he did.
"THAT! FUCKING! BASTARD!" He punched the tree again. "EVERYONE DIED!" He punched it again. Speckles of blood splattered on the bark. "IT WAS HORRIBLE!" Again. The bark splintered. "PETRA DIED! SUBARU DIED! YOU KILLED RAM YOURSELF YOU SADISTIC PRICK!" His hand radiated pain as he kept hiting the tree. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU…" He fell to his knees, his fist pressing against the tree. "I hate you…"
"Jeez, what did that poor tree do to you?"
Harisson closed his eyes, letting out a deep, trembling breath.
"Subaru." He didn't have the energy to get up. He felt drained. Exhausted.
"You made everyone concerned, storming off like that." He sat down next to Harisson. "Can't say I don't get it though." He stated at the bloody spot on the tree. "The others… they don't know how bad it got. Don't remember it like we do. Can't blame them for that."
"I'm not." Harisson weakly protested. "Blaming them, that is. I'm just…" He sighed. "So utterly frustrated with the situation. I hate all of these… all of these memories, and it feels like I might go insane!" He gripped his arms, hugging himself. "Every time I see Ram near Roswaal, I want to pull her away so he can't kill her again. Every time Garfiel moves a little too fast or aggressively, I feel my heart race in fear."
"Yeah. That…" Subaru grunted in frustration. "I knew that would happen the moment you started remembering."
"Despite it all, I can't bring myself to regret it, you know." Harisson admitted. Subaru blinked in surprise. "As much as I hate remembering, the idea of you going through all of this on your own is even more painful."
"C'mon man… you're going to make me blush." Subaru chuckled. "I don't want to worry the others too much. Can I trust you not to stab Roswaal on sight?"
"Even if I tried, it's still the Margrave. I doubt he'd so much as get a scratch." Harisson said despondently. "But I won't, don't worry."
"Cool." Subaru smiled wide. "Let's go back to the others. This is a happy occasion after all."
"Right. Harisson rose to his feet, his eyes clear. "Let's go."
The celebration party was held a few days later at a place owned by a young noble girl favoring Emilia. Harisson has to admit, he felt horribly out of place. Surrounded by well dressed nobles, a commoner such as himself, even wearing his best clothes, stuck out like a sore thumb. Out here, alone at the balcony, he felt a little more comfortable at least, observing the festivities from the outside.
"You look pathetic." The snarky voice brought a mix of conflicted emotions within him. "Your sense of style is as appaling as Barusu's sense of humor."
"It's not that bad." Harisson protested, turning to face the red haired maid. "I'm surprised you left your sisters side."
"Frederica is looking after her." Ram said, walking up to the spot next to him at the balcony. "Besides. I wanted to talk with you."
"Ah." Harisson gulped nervously. "Well, I'm right here." She looked at him, her expression utterly neutral. And yet, he felt he could detect a hint of apprehension in her eyes.
"I dislike talking in circles, so I will be direct. I am unused to caring about what someone thinks of me. People's opinions are usually highly irrelevant." She paused. "However, I feel the events of Sanctuary have created a…distance between us. And I am not fond of it." She looked at him. "I would like us to talk about that. As…" She hesitated. "As friends." She eventually admitted.
Harisson had to admit himself surprised. He'd never seen Ram make herself so vulnerable to anyone.
"Oh. I see." He said, his tongue feeling as heavy as lead. "We'll, I'm happy for us to talk as friends."
"Good."
"Yes."
Awkward silence followed.
"Are we still friends, Harisson?" Ram eventually bluntly asked.
"I'd like us to be." Harisson answered with a smile. "But… with everything that happened with Roswaal…"
"I understand." She said dejectedly. "I will not ask you to forgive him."
"Good. I have no intention to." He harshly said. It was the reason he hadn't hit the man when given the chance. To do so would be to admit to himself he could move on from what had happened. "But you still fought against him. You… you helped us. You didn't just stand and let him do what he was doing." He closed his eyes. "So I would like us to remain friends, if you will have me."
"Idiot." She poked him in the cheek, a soft smile on her lips. "I'm the one supposed to ask that."
Comfortable silence fell between them.
"Say Harisson, have you ever been in love?"
Harisson blinked at Ram, surprised.
"I… I can't say I have, no."
"Really? Not even once?"
"Nope." He answered. "One say I might, but so far I can't say I have."
"Huh. Well, I have recently confessed my own love." She sighed. "It went… poorly."
"Oh?" Harisson winced. "My sympathies. I'm amazed you're willing to share that. Who is the lucky person?"
"Lord Roswaal." Ram bluntly said.
Harisson stared at her, expression carefully neutral. "You." He eventually said. "Have terrible taste."
"I was expecting a more extreme reaction." Ram admitted, tilting her head.
"We just made up. I'm too tired to start another fight." He glared at her as he slumped onto the balcony. "If that was your was plan, that was sneaky."
"I shall neither confirm nor deny your accusation."
"That's as good as an admission…" Ram looked far too smug for his taste. "So? You said it went poorly?"
"I was rejected."
"Congratulations."
She glared at him, before her expression softened. "You must think me a fool."
"Yes." He said. "But well… love is weird. The heart isn't an easy thing to understand. I'm just concerned he's going to treat you poorly or make you unhappy." He rolled his eyes. "For Od sake the man just tried to murder us all."
"I understand. But I will not try and justify my feelings." Ram said, crossing her arms.
"I…" Harisson sighed. "Look, just don't expect me or anyone else to play nice with this guy. And if I see him hurting you, or if I think you are making a mistake… I won't stay quiet."
"…I can live with that." She softly said. "If I can survive Barusu being Barusu, this will be nothing."
"Oh my Od, what did he do to piss you off so badly?!" Harisson said in exasperation.
"Mostly being himself." Ram said with a small smile.
"You're terrible." Harisson snorted. "Speaking of him… Subaru as a knight huh. No longer a commoner like the rest of us."
"Speak for yourself. I am no mere commoner. I am Ram. That alone easily places me above the rest of you folk." Ram boldly declared with a smug grin.
"Well excuse me your highness." Harisson mockingly said, eliciting a chuckle from the girl. "…I'm glad you made it through alright." He softly added.
"Likewise."
They watched in content silence as the party continued, a feeling of gentle comfort settling between the reconciled friends.
Tonight was a good night.