-Echidna's Tea Party-
Subaru is left astounded by Rem's sudden kiss and her declaration of love and loyalty to him.
"Rem-tan?"
"Yes, Subaru-kun?"
"Thank you. I know I asked this once before, but I'll ask again. Are you really sure you're alright that it's me? I'll probably bother you a lot, and I might ask unreasonable things at times. I may have to cry on your shoulder randomly for seemingly no reason. I might seem like a baby."
She chuckles and responds, "Of course. I wouldn't want it to be anyone but you. I'm your Rem, you can come to me for anything, anything at all. Now that I know you fully accept me as I am and forgive me for what I've done in the past, I'm ready for absolutely anything that will stand in our way."
He gives a small kiss to her forehead, "I really appreciate that, and I will be relying on you. Though I have to ask with what you said at the end there, what about Ram and Roswaal? You're not going to leave them or anything, right?"
"I never want to be permanently separated from Nee-sama. I want to be helpful to her as well whenever she needs it. As for Roswaal, well, it might come as a surprise to you but I'm completely fine with parting ways with him."
This does indeed come as a surprise to Subaru, "Wait, seriously? Haven't you been his maid for several years now? Aren't you loyal to him? Now that I think about it, you have been rather cold and distant with him lately. You even slapped him, which was something I never thought I'd see happen. Nor are you using sama for him."
"The fact I've been a maid of his for several years now is true. Nee-sama and I were rescued by him almost immediately after our village fell into ruin and everyone but us had died. While I am grateful for the fact he saved us, I couldn't get comfortable with him like Nee-sama did. After the attack and moving into the mansion, I mainly wanted to protect Nee-sama and the home we lived in. I had no other desires. As long as Nee-sama was happy and healthy, I was happy. As time went on, I did come to care about Roswaal to some extent. I also cared about the well-being of Emilia-sama, Frederica-san, and Beatrice-sama, but Nee-sama was my main priority. My desire to be a servant to Roswaal was not strong."
"I see…" He mumbles in an intrigued tone. So this is how she was when he first met her. It lines up with what she talked about in the loop when she tortured him. She basically equated him to an annoying yet dangerous pest that if kept around would likely destroy the peaceful harmony of the lives of the mansion residents. Something else also catches his attention, "Though I can't help but notice you're speaking in past tense."
"That's because my circumstances have changed drastically in the last few months. Ever since you came to live at the mansion, my life was thrown upside down in the best way possible. I of course still very much wish to protect Nee-sama and the home we live in, just like back then. However, there are other things precious to me that I wish to protect now, such as you Subaru-kun." She smiles widely. "Additionally, and this addresses your concern on why I've become more distant and harsh with Roswaal lately. My opinions regarding him have changed drastically."
"Really? Though I can't say I disagree. He's become…how do I say this? He's always been somewhat cryptic and has always had a clown-like personality of sorts. But lately he's been way more cryptic and mysterious, and even selfish. His unknown connection to Echidna and the fact he didn't want to get himself involved with the Witch Cult. If he was weak like me then I'd understand why he wouldn't want to do that. But he's the strongest mage in Lugunica as far as I know. So why? Do you have any idea Rem?"
She shakes her head. "Unfortunately, I do not. I was likewise appalled when I heard that. I understand that from his point of view that it seemed he made the right decision since everything seemingly went smoothly. However, if he knew the attack was coming, he should've been prepared to intercept if needed. I couldn't help but get furious when I knew just how much his decisions caused you to suffer, no matter whether he was aware or not."
Going silent for a moment, she gasps. "Wait!"
"What is it?" Subaru inquires.
"This all might be connected." Grabbing one of his hands with both of hers, she gives him a look of both realization and determination.
"What do you mean it all might be connected? What's connected?"
"Ah! My apologies. I got a little ahead of myself. Subaru-kun, have you ever heard of the Tome of Wisdom?"
He raises an eyebrow in confusion, "I haven't. What is it?"
"I'm not fully sure myself, but this is all information I've been told by the Witch of Greed. I know she's not all that trustworthy, but for various reasons I think what she told me about it is the truth."
Subaru nods, "Alright, let's hear it."
With his confirmation, Rem begins to explain what she was told by Echidna about the Tome of Wisdom. A one of a kind book that holds a fraction of the world's knowledge within it. It greatly assists its holder on how to accomplish whatever goal they set out to achieve. It'll even go so far as to tell the future as necessary for the holder.
"Tell the future?! That sounds absurdly powerful. And I should know, since I've relied on knowing what would happen in the future so much. But what does this have to do with Roswaal?" Subaru is quite amazed at what this book can do. He's also a little afraid too. If that book fell into the wrong hands, who knows what they could do with it.
She answers, "My first trial involved me facing my past. Talking about the specifics should be saved for another time so I will be brief. I had to relive the night the village I lived in burned down."
"Oh my! I'm really sorry to hear that…" He frowns as he gives his condolences.
"There is no need to concern yourself over it. It was honestly a good thing that I went through that trial. I felt like I matured a bit somehow. Anyway, I've mentioned before that Roswaal was the one that saved me and Nee-sama from the Witch Cultists. Right before the trial ended, I saw the moment when he came to save us. I never noticed as a child, but this time I saw a black book hanging out from his cape. It was black and aside from it being larger, it looked almost exactly like a gospel from the Witch's Cult."
"Really…" He mutters as he puts his thumb and index finger to his chin and makes a thinking expression.
"I asked the Witch of Greed about whether he was a Witch Cultist or not. She believes he isn't. I also don't think he's one either. Later on I asked Roswaal if he had ever heard of it, to see if he'd tell me. He said he had no idea what I was talking about, which I thought was very suspicious. Though that wasn't what confused me the most."
"It wasn't?" He asks.
She shakes her head, "No. Right at that moment Nee-sama came into the room for her mana infusion."
"Mana infusion? Oh wait, I think I remember you telling me that's the main way Ram gets mana, right?"
"That's correct. Usually us oni's are able to absorb mana in the atmosphere through our horns. As you know, Nee-sama no longer has her horn. As such, she cannot take in mana via that method anymore. To compensate for that, Roswaal has dutifully injected mana into her body most nights ever since he took us in."
Subaru silently nods as he is reminded of their nightly routine. Neither Ram nor Roswaal have ever told him about this themselves. He tried asking them both, but they shrugged him off. The only reason he knows is because he and Rem encountered Ram one evening as she was going for her infusion. After bidding her goodnight, Subaru gave a small perplexed expression as she entered his office. Seeing his expression, Rem explained why Ram goes into Roswaal's office.
"I suppose Nee-sama must've been right out the door when I asked Roswaal about the Tome of Wisdom, because she whispered to me to never bring it up again."
Subaru's eyes widen, "Hold up, are you saying she's aware of the book's existence?"
"I don't have direct confirmation, but I can't think of any other reason as to why she said that."
"And you clearly had no idea of its existence. Why would Ram know, but not you? I would think that if Roswaal told one of you, he'd tell the other as well. Or at the very least, Ram would tell you." Subaru says, confused as to why both her master and sister would withhold such an important object from her.
"I always thought that as well. I know Nee-sama and Roswaal share a more intimate relationship than I do with him. However, I never would've thought Roswaal would tell Nee-sama something so important and not me. It's even weirder that Nee-sama has both refrained from telling me and also saying to not bring it up again. I don't want to doubt Nee-sama and her intentions. However, I can't help but think she and Roswaal are aware of something important that I'm not. Especially considering that book can tell the future. What future is Roswaal seeing? What is his goal? Why does it seem like he and the Witch of Greed are familiar with one another? I can't help but be suspicious of him, especially after he waved off the whole ordeal with the Witch Cult and gave his reasonings for why he didn't participate." Having held these feelings for quite a while, she feels a little better being able to spill out her feelings of suspicions for Roswaal, as well as a little for Ram.
"I don't know about Ram, but I agree with you that Roswaal has been acting way weirder lately. Frankly, there's still too much we don't know. About both him and the Tome of Wisdom. You may not like it Rem-tan, but I think we should put that on hold for now. There are more pressing matters to attend to first. Mainly, the attack on the mansion."
"Oh! That's right!" Rem exclaims. "I remember right after taking the second trial I felt a giant amount of mental pain. I knew Nee-sama was in deep trouble at the mansion, but I couldn't do anything about it and the next thing I knew, I was back in that field with Meili-san. Subaru-kun, I must know, who killed you?" Her tone grows dark as she asks him that question.
"...Elsa."
"Elsa-san…" Rem ponders deeply for a moment, feeling the name is familiar. After a moment, it clicks. "Is she that person who tried to kill you back at the loot house before you came to the mansion?!"
She had heard the story from Emilia and Ram once Subaru came to the mansion. How Subaru had helped save Emilia's life. While she didn't doubt Emilia or Ram's words, she couldn't help but feel a lot of suspicion towards the new boy that arrived with them. Mostly due to the miasma emitting from his body.
"Not tried, succeeded. Twice." Subaru corrects her grimly. "She's responsible for my first two deaths in this world."
"Tch. How dare she…" She trembles with rage, "Unforgivable. I swear she'll pay for what she did to you. Though we'll need a plan. Let's see…"
Rem attempts to think of some sort of strategy to combat one of the greatest assassins in Lugunica, but Subaru puts a halt to it.
"Actually, would it be alright if we save that for later? Since it's not related to Return By Death, we should be able to safely talk about it once we leave. As much as I want to continue talking with you like this, we're probably overstaying our welcome by now. Let's wrap up any loose ends we need to about Return By Death and leave before the witches finish their tea party." Glancing in the direction of the witches, he sees numerous dishes laid out on a giant white table the witches are seated at. Looking at the general shape of the dishes, it seems they are likely at the dessert portion of their meal. For being witches, he is surprised how normal looking their tea party is.
"Oh, of course! That would be a wise decision. Well, I personally only have two more topics I'd like to discuss if that's permissible."
"Sure, go for it."
The first topic is what Echidna explained to Rem about how Return by Death works. Primarily that there is no limit to the amount of times he can die and that he won't return to a point where he is guaranteed to die again no matter what he tries to do. She wasn't sure if Subaru was aware of this information, so she figures it would be a good idea to tell him. Sure enough, he wasn't aware of it. His reaction is a mixture of disbelief, apprehension, and relief.
The second topic is:
"Subaru-kun, you don't have to go into detail if you don't wish to, but I must ask, are you from beyond the Great Waterfall?"
"Hk!" He grits his teeth while widening his eyes in response. "U-Um, what makes you think I'm from beyond that waterfall?"
"I've noticed that you've said you came into this world a few times before. Additionally, you've shown a lack of knowledge or understanding of many common things in Lugunica. If you're from beyond the Great Waterfall, then it'd all make sense."
"Man, I really can't hide anything from you, can I?" Subaru chuckles, "Well, it's my fault for being careless and saying such things. Anyway, you're right. I'm not from here. I'm from beyond the Great Waterfall. I don't really want to get into it now though."
"Understandable. My apologies for trying to pry into your past like that. If I may, I'd like to ask one last thing."
"And that is?"
"You were wanting to tell me everything that has happened since you came here, right? I'm honestly very curious about what you've seen that everyone else has forgotten about. I'm especially curious about what happened at the mansion through your eyes." She gazes into his eyes with a look of wonder.
"I-It's not a pretty story…" He weakly says.
"I know. There are some parts I will probably not want to hear. Regardless, I want to hear everything you've been through Subaru-kun. To be able to listen to everything you've seen would bring me the greatest satisfaction. Of course, if you wish to remain private about it then I will respect that. Unfortunately, we may not be graced with another opportunity to discuss it again if you ever change your mind."
"I-I see. You're really awesome Rem-tan. You know that?" He gives her a small, weak, yet wholesome smile while patting her head.
"I don't deserve such praise. You're the one who's truly amazing Subaru-kun. But thank you, I'll gratefully accept it." She says in a quiet voice while returning the smile.
"Well then, I guess I should start with when I first arrived in the capital…"
Meanwhile, a few hundred feet away from them the witches chat away at their tea party.
"So good so good so good! I can't get enough! Give me more!" Daphne licks her lips in excitement. Opening her mouth, she leans down her entire body with the assistance of her coffin. Taking a giant bite of the strawberry cake on the plate in front of her, her mouth gets covered in frosting as she happily chews her food loudly. As she's tied to her coffin, Daphne is unable to use kitchen utensils like the other witches can. To compensate for that she brings her face down and takes the food into her mouth directly. She is blindfolded as well. Thus, she relies on her great sense of smell to locate the precise position of her meal.
"Stop making such a racket. My ears are about to bleed." Sekhmet sighs as she lazily brings a fork with nothing on it to her mouth. To the other witches' shock, she's sitting in her seat. It's something she rarely does, as she usually lies her entire body down on the table itself much to the annoyance of Minerva. The upper half of her body is slumped over the table. She's barely touched her slice of cake, or any of the other food for that matter. It's not because she dislikes the food. It's simply that she believes grabbing the food with her utensils and bringing it to her mouth requires too much effort.
"Are they going to be okay?" Carmilla looks behind her chair and sees Subaru and Rem still talking with one another in the distance. A frown of concern is etched onto her face.
"What makes you ask that?" Echidna asks a question in response.
Carmilla turns and faces her, "W-Well, that boy has gone through a lot. The blue-haired girl also seems to be very concerned about him. They've been talking for a long while now too…"
"They're good people, so I'm sure they'll be fine and work it out somehow!" Typhon cheerfully smiles.
Echidna glares at Rem from her seat, "I can't believe she's the fourth person that-"
Suddenly, something tingles Echidna's senses and cuts herself off. Tilting her head up towards the sky, the sun still shines as brightly as ever. Yet despite that, a looming shadow as if the clouds had blocked the sun slowly makes its way across the grassy field.
"And she's one of them." Echidna's voice goes dark as she narrows her eyes and grits her teeth, quickly understanding what is going on.
"She's here!" Minerva instantly darts her eyes around on high alert.
Carmilla covers her head in fear, "N-No! P-Please! I don't have anything to do with this!"
Sekhmet remains perfectly calm. However, a tinge of annoyance is laced in her tone, "A really troublesome girl just showed up at a troubling time to start some trouble."
"More food! Quickly!" Daphne's mouth waters. She had also instinctively looked up into the sky, also wondering what was happening. However, her mind quickly reverts to thoughts of food and hunger.
"Hey! It's Tella!" Typhon smiles happily and waves her arm, welcoming the new individual. "Long time no see."
"And I think that's about everything. Wow, I feel like explaining everything didn't take as long as it should've." Subaru scratches the back of his head.
Starting at the day he first arrived in the Lugunica capital, Subaru proceeds to explain in general detail what happened in every loop that is now lost to everyone but him. Up to the present day.
Rem listens to every word he says with extreme interest. She's a little surprised he never encountered Ram at all in any of the loops since he traveled with Emilia a lot in the capital and Ram was sent as her escort.
Once he arrived at the mansion, Rem remembers a bitter memory when she felt the strong urge to strangle his neck while he slept. With how innocent and vulnerable Emilia is, she couldn't help but feel the boy had ulterior motives for coming there. The stench he gave off certainly did not help matters. In fact, that was the primary reason for her suspicion of him. She nearly strangled him, but stopped at the last second when he began to mumble random things in his sleep. So instead of doing that, she flicked his forehead with her finger. Hearing him give a small cry in response yet not waking up gave her a small sense of relief. Before leaving the guest room he slept in, she said in a murmur:
"I don't think I'll ever get along well with this guest. Please leave as soon as possible."
Hah, I sure ate my words didn't I. She chuckles mockingly at herself. Not only do I get along with him wonderfully now, he changed my life forever for the better. I don't ever want him to leave. She smiles.
Rem learned that it was Ram who ultimately taught him how to read and write in their language. On one hand she was happy that Ram was willing to teach him, but on the other hand, she is rather saddened that she wasn't the one who taught him. She learned other small various things as well. For example:
Subaru generally got along better with Ram in the initial loops. Rem understood why as she didn't make as much of an effort to get to know him and Ram was the one who worked with Subaru throughout the day.
Subaru saw Roswaal naked once to his displeasure. When Rem heard this, she laughed hysterically since it came out of nowhere and she pictured how it would've played out. He begged her to get that image out of her head, which only led her to laugh even more. Despite how weird it was for him back then, Subaru was really glad they could have a good laugh over it now.
One of the most important things that happened was when she and Subaru went to Arlam village to get groceries. It was on the way home that they had their first real conversation with one another. Their conversation wasn't very long, but it was the first time that Rem opened up herself to him in any capacity, sharing how she felt she couldn't be as self-assured as her sister was. It was also the first time she ever smiled warmly at him. Emilia would later dub that as a date between them, even though Subaru frivolously denied it.
Rem's reaction as he recalled that was a mixture of joy and sorrow. It sounded like such a wonderful memory, yet she couldn't remember it at all. It felt exasperating that the witch snatched that precious memory from her. In the end, she's glad that even back when she was still distrustful of him, she was still able to show her kinder and sweet side to him.
Subaru summarizes the later loops as Rem has seen many of them in at least some capacity. He's rather embarrassed when he has to explain just how idiotic he acted in trying to save Emilia from the Witch's Cult. Rem agreed that the way Subaru went about recruiting the assistance of the Royal Selection candidates was not the most well thought-out plan, but she is also angry at the candidates themselves, especially Anastasia and Priscilla. Anastasia for taking advantage of him and Priscilla for being needlessly rude and disrespectful. However, she does remember that Subaru asked her to bring Anastasia to negotiate with him and Crusch about loaning their Iron Fang to help deal with the White Whale in exchange for them to have magic stone mining rights. The negotiations went smoothly, and Anastasia followed up on her promise to lend the Iron Fang to them. They ended up being a major help in both subjugating the White Whale and the Witch Cult. Rem is forever grateful to them for their assistance. So, due to this, Rem's feelings toward Anastasia remain positive.
Back in the present, Rem responds to Subaru's statement, "I see. It really must've been so tough on you, having to bear all of it alone. I'm sorry you've had to wait until now to tell anyone. It's selfish of me, but I'm very happy that I'm one of the only people aware of this."
"That's fine! Like I said-huh?! Rem-tan?!" He shouts.
"Ack!" Rem, who has been sitting on her knees for a while now, lurches forward and begins to cough heavily.
"Crap! Crap! What's going on?! Rem-tan!" He hastefully attempts to sit her up.
"S-Smell…c-can't…ack!" Roughly coughing some more, she barely gets a couple words out. Already, she's on the verge of unconsciousness.
"The smell?! But the witches are over there!" He turns his head to see all the witches still sitting at the table. However, he finds it odd that they are all looking to the sky. Looking around him and at the sky himself, he realizes why.
"What the…"
The sun is shining down on the grassy field as it always has whenever they enter the Castle of Dreams. Yet a giant shadow envelopes the entire perimeter of his surroundings.
Shaking his head, he shouts to himself, "No! Don't look around like an idiot! I need her to drink more tea now!" Standing up and picking up Rem in a princess carry, he runs as fast he can towards the witches.
As soon as he arrives, he slams his left hand down on the table and demands, "Rem passed out from the stench! She needs tea now!"
All the witches except for Sekhmet jump a little in shock at his sudden arrival.
"Grab that teapot there. It should still have a lot left." Minerva points to the white teapot at the center of the table.
"Thanks!" Setting her on the ground and quickly grabbing ahold of it, he opens her mouth and slowly pours it down her throat. Her breathing, which has been erratic due to her coughing from earlier, starts to stabilize. He relaxes a little knowing that she'll be fine.
"What is going on?" He asks, referring to the shadow.
All the witches point in a single direction. He turns his head in that direction. There, in the distance, a lone figure slowly makes its way over to them.
"Hk!" A serious chill flows throughout Subaru's body, all the way down to his bones. The figure wears a giant black robe that covers its entire back along with most of its face. Only its mouth can be seen. For its front, it appears to wear a black dress with a little yellow as well. Two large yellow flowers appear to be attached to its dress near its hips. The body shape of the figure looks to be female. Finally, a dark miasma emanates from her body.
"Stand up everyone." Echidna says to the entire table. They all comply except for Sekhmet, who opts to slither to the ground like a snake. Once everyone is out of their respective chairs, Echidna makes the table and chairs vanish in the blink of an eye, like they never existed.
The figure reaches them, causing Subaru to tense up incredibly. Rem's face also squinches unconsciously.
"You made it past all those barriers, to enter the castle of dreams? Talk about rude." Echidna says to the figure.
"S-Seriously, what is with you? What do you want from me?!" Subaru speaks with a demanding yet fearful tone.
"For so long…for so very long…" The figure holds out her arms towards Subaru as she walks even closer, "I have loved you…and no one else."
"N-No…stop…"
"I love you." The figure says. It's a voice Subaru is intimately familiar with.
"Stop it." He clenches his teeth in fear.
"I have loved only you for so, so long." She nearly touches his cheeks with her hands, only for him to jump back.
"I said stop, damn it!"
"You! You! Echidna! Both of you! I've had it with you both! I don't want your love! My love only belongs to Emilia and Rem!"
"That's really harsh of you." Minerva crosses her arms and frowns at Subaru.
"Harsh? HARSH?! She made me like this! She gave me that cursed ability! She-" He angrily shouts at her before he stops himself when he hears the new witch's voice.
"You know." The woman walks over to Rem.
"Hey! Wait! What are you doing to-"
She picks up Rem and holds her high in the air. High enough that Subaru cannot jump up and reach her. "You know. No one alive is allowed to know."
"O-Oh no!" Carmilla shouts in horror.
"I should have foresaw this. It's a shame really, but I suppose she had it coming." Echidna frowns as she watches the scene unfold.
"What are you talking about?!" Subaru shouts at her, demanding an explanation.
"The oni knows about Return By Death. The Witch of Envy, Satella, does not want anyone to know about it. She must be planning to kill her."
"What?!" Utterly appalled, Subaru quickly turns around and shouts, "Minerva!"
"What?"
"You seem to be stupidly strong. Give me a boost!"
"Rude! But fine. Don't break apart on the way down!" With that, Minerva picks him up and launches him into the air.
Freaking out a little at just how fast he goes through the air, he quickly sets his sights on Rem straight ahead of him. Holding out his arms, he manages to cross paths with her right when Satella begins to bring her closer to her body. He grabs and secures her in his chest.
Landing on his back, Subaru and Rem tumble over numerous times before finally coming to a stop. He groans at the rough landing. Satella, briefly confused by what just happened, walks towards them once more.
"S-Subaru-kun…?" Regaining consciousness, Rem opens her eyes and tries to gain an understanding of the current situation.
"Stay back Rem! This witch is dangerous!" Subaru gets up and stands in front of her in a protective stance.
"T-The miasma!" She barely holds back the severe urge to vomit. By now she's probably drunk about a half-gallon of tea. If that much tea is managing to keep her from puking by only a narrow margin, then intensity of the miasma oozing from this witch is absolutely no joke.
"Who is she?" She weakly asks.
"I heard she's the Witch of Envy, Satella." The one everyone fears. And the name Emilia used when we first met…why…why is she here…what does she want with me? Please…leave me alone…leave us alone…
"The Witch of Envy?!" Fueled by rage, she leaps up and gets in front of Subaru. Glaring at her with hatred, she seethes, "You have a LOT of nerve to approach us after everything you've done to Subaru-kun! You…! Ah…"
"You know." Satella repeats with little emotion. As she gets closer to them, Rem's knees buckle down under the intense aura of her. She wants to run, run as far away as possible from her. However, her legs will not listen to her commands to move. Just by being in Satella's presence, her heart slowly begins to understand what true fear feels like.
"Rem!" Subaru calls out to her as he too feels some force that makes it difficult to move his body. He tries to reach for her, but he is a second too late as Rem is picked up by Satella once more.
"Hk!" Rem, unable to take in the stench as she is right next to the source, is forced to hold her breath so that she doesn't go unconscious.
"No one is allowed to know." Satella repeats as she brings Rem closer to her chest. What she plans to do, nobody knows. All that is known is that Rem is violently hitting her, trying to force her to release her grip.
"Satella! Stop!" Subaru screams.
The witch pauses and lightly gasps. Her head slowly turns to him.
"I love you." She says.
He doesn't listen, "Put her down! If you don't, I'll…I'll hate you for the rest of my life!"
A sudden release of a ton of miasma causes even Subaru to feel woozy for a moment. He braces for the worst, but nothing happens, at least for a moment. He sees a single tear trickle down her cheek. Then she releases Rem who falls to the floor. His huge gamble has paid off.
Frantically getting up and running away from her, she lets out a "Pwah!" and begins breathing once more.
"She's…she's no joke…I…I felt like I was about to get crushed and buried alive under all that miasma." She says haggardly. If she were to describe this stench, it'd be like smelling a rotting corpse covered in feces. It's much worse compared to Subaru's miasma. Though maybe it's just that Subaru has way less of it, since Satella is likely responsible for the miasma emanating from him.
"Rem…" He hugs her tightly to calm both her and himself down. She accepts it and returns it in full force.
The witches are amazed by how close their bond is. Especially Carmilla, who can't help but smile softly at them. She speaks up to Satella. "U-Um, Satella-chan. W-What's your reason for coming?"
She doesn't respond. Sitting on the ground with her head hung low, she refuses to look at anyone.
"Did she come to play?" Typhon asks.
Echidna sighs, "I don't know, but it certainly isn't that."
"Me too." Releasing Rem and telling her to stay put, Subaru steels his heart and bravely walks towards Satella. "Why…why me? Why give me this? Why give me the ability to Return By Death! Tell me! Tell me now!"
She turns and faces him, her black cloak still covers her face, "I love you."
Tears welling up in his eyes, he shouts furiously, "That's not an answer! I'm so tired of hearing that from you! I'm utterly sick of it! Tell me, why did you grant my pathetic self the ability to never die?! And perhaps even more importantly, why can't I tell anyone about it?! Do you even realize how much pain and suffering you've put me through thanks to that cursed ability?! Pain and suffering I have to go through all alone?! Tell me! If you want me to love you, then you're doing an absolutely horrible job at it!"
"Now hold up!" Minerva shouts at Subaru. "Don't speak to her like that unless asking for a death sentence! She has to be Envy!"
"Haaa…you're jumping to conclusions Minerva. Look at her. She's not nearly as aggressive as Envy. It must be Satella." Sekhmet says.
"She's Satella, the Witch of Envy, isn't she? What's the difference?!" Subaru shouts at them both.
"If you forcibly introduce a Witch Factor into a person who's incompatible with it, then naturally these afflictions will occur." Echidna strokes her hair a little, "The result being a split personality will develop. The witch personality develops separately from the original personality. Then, the two conflict. Though as for me, I don't personally see the difference between the two. They are both Satella to me."
"Woah! Hold the phone! So what you're saying is one part of her is responsible for the entire calamity I've heard she inflicted on the world. And the other half is completely innocent?"
"No, that's incorrect."
"Huh?"
"The destroying of half the world was caused by Satella's actions, not Envy's.
"W-Wait! This doesn't make any sense! Then who gave me my…"
"It does fit. Haa…Thus, we won't forgive the Witch of Envy. But we have no grudge against Satella. That's all." Sekhmet says.
"I-I don't like Satella-chan very much, b-but at least she's better than the Witch of Envy, so…" Carmilla nervously states her opinion on the two personalities of Satella.
"Oh, before I forget, I must inform you of something Natsuki Subaru." Echidna turns to him and says this.
"W-What is it?"
"Since we were just talking about Witch Factors, you killed the one who possessed the Sloth Witch Factor, correct? When he died, the Witch Factor chose you as its new dwelling. It's also the reason why you've not needed to really drink much of my tea unlike the oni girl." She gestures to Rem not far behind Subaru.
"Huh?! Subaru-kun has a Witch Factor?!" Rem doesn't know what that is. Although, since it has the word 'witch' in the title, it can't be anything good.
"W-What does that mean exactly?" He may understand that he obtained a Witch Factor, but like Rem he doesn't know what it is or what it does.
"Simply that you may be able to utilize the Witch Factor in some way. How you utilize it is up to you." She smiles and then frowns towards Satella. "Anyway, back to her…"
"You do not need to love me." Satella, still kneeling on the ground, looks at Subaru once more. "Treasure yourself more. Love yourself more."
"You're the last witch that should be saying that to him." Rem angrily crosses her arms, refusing to get any closer than 100 feet from her. "By granting him Return By Death, you've made this poor boy remember every single gruesome and horrendous death he's faced. He's nearly gone completely insane numerous times because of that! You…you have no right to say he should treasure and love himself more! Even if that's completely true!"
"S-She really cares about him…" Carmilla notes Rem's behavior.
"Rem's such a good person!" Typhon says happily. "Tella though. Tella's a meanie for allowing Baru to suffer like that."
"But still, without it Subarun wouldn't have been able to save everyone. He wouldn't have been able to kill the White Whale and feed it to everyone who's starving!" Daphne, having been quiet up to this point, gives her opinion.
"Bleh! No one wants that stinky meat Daph!" Typhon sticks out her tongue at her. There's no reason to do it though, since Daphne's blindfold prevents her from seeing anything.
"Rem has already helped me greatly with that. If it wasn't for her, I would be in a much worse place right now." Subaru says to Satella. "As much as Return By Death has been immensely troublesome and painful, it is also the only reason me or anyone else I care about is even here. For that, and that alone, I thank you. I don't intend to use it if I don't have to, but if a time comes where a person dear to me dies and I must die in order to bring them back, then I will. I cannot imagine living in a world without Emilia-tan or Rem-tan."
"Subaru-kun…" Rem is deeply touched by his words. She's already observed him doing it before, but she finds it incredible that even now he's still willing to sacrifice his life for others if he needs to. Sure, he may come back to life, but the process of dying should never, ever be taken lightly, no matter the circumstance. I'll do everything in my power to make sure me and everyone dear to you lives. So that you may never resort to using Return By Death for any reason.
With that declaration made in her mind, she clenches a fist, having firmly resolved her decision.
"Mmmm…" Satella makes a noise that only Subaru hears. He can't quite place it, but he feels there is sadness in that soft voice. "People he cares about."
Subaru tilts his head in confusion as she stands up. She takes a few steps towards Rem, who responds by taking a few steps back.
"No! Don't come near me or anyone else again!" Rem shouts at her.
"I don't know why you're obsessed with me. I don't know why you love me so much when I've never met you. I have no idea what your past is or what happened when you took the Witch Factor. But what I do know is I want you to keep innocent people out of this! Please don't punish Rem for knowing about Return By Death! It wasn't her fault she was shown those scenes in the trial! If you must punish someone, punish me! Tear and grind at my heart as you always have!" Subaru shouts in frustration. He cannot understand her at all.
"It's because you gave me everything. That's why I love you." Satella responds in a quiet voice only he can hear.
"No! Don't say that Subaru-kun! If I must be punished somehow, then that's fine. I can take it, whatever it is."
"You love him?" Satella turns towards Rem and says this, her tone indicating she wants to know whether she loves him or not.
"Who? Me?" Rem asks.
She doesn't respond.
In case it is being directed at her, she answers, "If you're asking me, then yes, I love him dearly. I cannot put it into words how much I love him. Though don't even think of comparing my love and your love for him. Your love, if it can even be called that, is completely incomprehensible. If you wanted to love and support Subaru-kun, then there are a million better ways to do it than using granting him Return by Death. If you…if you had given him the strength needed to face his enemies, then he wouldn't have needed to die! He wouldn't need to suffer and agonize all alone! Just why?! Why?!"
Rem may not have been personally affected by Satella like Subaru has been, but her fury would make it seem like she has.
"Then protect him. Protect him with all that you have. Protect him with the power of the oni god. That power I sensed."
Rem's eyes widen as far as they can go. Did she just mishear? Or did Satella really just say:
"Protect him…with the power of the oni god?" B-But that's impossible. Only Nee-sama had-"
"Protect him." Saying that once more, Satella turns her back on Rem and focuses on Subaru again.
Subaru's confused on what she means by the oni god, but based on Rem's reaction it must rather important. Still, based on what he heard from the flow of the conversation, he wonders if he can presume that:
"Is it safe to say you'll spare Rem-tan? Will you allow her to know about Return By Death?"
It takes a moment, but she slowly nods her head.
Feeling a huge weight lifted off of his chest that he didn't even know was there, he lets his emotions take over and he grasps one of her hands in gratitude. She opens her mouth a little in shock.
As soon as he does this action, the sky above begins to crack and break apart, like it was made of glass. This causes Echidna to sigh.
"Looks like our time is about up. Natsuki Subaru, as you have rejected the contract I offered to you, you will no longer be permitted into the Castle of Dreams. You must forge the path ahead with your allies."
Then turning towards Rem and narrowing her eyes while glaring at her, she states coldly, "As the Witch of Greed, I'm admittedly not that good at feeling emotions. Yet, I hate you oni girl."
"As Subaru-kun's attendant, the feeling is mutual Witch of Greed. Quite honestly, all of you disgust me to my core. However, to all the other witches aside from the Witch of Envy," Rem looks around at each of the witches in question. Typhon, Minerva, Sekhmet, Carmilla, and Daphne. "I must thank you for granting me and Subaru-kun the opportunity to privately talk with one another. For only that do you have my gratitude."
"As you two are good people, I wanna see you two be successful! You have my full support!" Typhon grins happily.
"Hmph! It was only because Echidna was seriously making me pissed off!" Minerva pouts and crosses her arms in an angry manner.
"Haaa…don't waste your gratitude on me." Sekhmet sighs, unamused.
"I-It's my pleasure! I h-hope you two remain h-happy in the future…" Carmilla tries to smile, but ends up frowning due to how nervous and timid she is.
"Eat lots of food and don't starve!" Daphne grins and licks her lips. "Remember, it's eat or be eaten! If you hunt well, you can eat lots of mabeast meat!"
"I already told you that it's inedible!" Rem states in irritation to Daphne. But still, hearing the surprisingly humble replies and well wishes for their future in their own ways makes her crack a tiny smile.
I guess these witches aside from Echidna and Satella aren't as bad as the members of the Witch Cult. Having this thought, she's still unable to get along with any of them. Despite that, she doesn't find them to be the most intolerable group in the world. Which, as they are all witches, is very unexpected to her.
The scenery of the Castle of Dreams vanishes before Subaru's eyes, leaving only a white space. All the witches and Rem disappear one by one. In front of him is Satella, who is still holding his hand. He gazes at her black veil.
Satella says, "Don't fret all alone. Fight alongside the people who care about you. Don't forget that there are people who grieve when you die."
As Satella speaks, her black veil slowly disappears, finally revealing her face. Subaru gasps in shock. As for why, it's because Satella shares the same face as Emilia. Of course, he should've known as everyone has ostracized Emilia for her appearance being extremely similar to the Witch of Envy. Yet he couldn't hide his astonishment.
"And one day," Satella continues, "you must come…to kill me."
Now, whether it's because she looks like Emilia, or because of the pained look in her eyes, or she allowed Rem to keep her knowledge of Return By Death, or that she simply looks like an innocent girl, Subaru does not know. But, he makes a decision right here and now.
And that decision is:
"I swear…I'm going to save you."
Everyone goes white after that.
-Trial Ruin-
"Ah…" Making a noise, Subaru slowly opens his eyes. Sitting himself up, he finds that he's back at the ruin where he and Rem have taken their trials in the past. Scanning his surroundings in more detail, he eventually lays his eyes upon Rem, laying right next to him.
"Rem-tan…"
A few small noises escape from Rem's mouth as if in response to him calling her name. Opening her eyes, she slowly lifts herself up into a sitting position like Subaru did. Her gaze falls upon him.
"Subaru-kun?"
"Rem!" He quickly embraces her in a surprise hug. She wheezes a little, but responds by embracing him back. This goes on for a few moments until Rem suddenly begins to cough.
"Hey, are you alright?" He backs off a little to give her some space.
"W-What is…that horrific smell?"
"Huh? Horrific smell? Wait! Don't tell me I'm smelling awful again since we were just with the witches! I'm sorry, I'll keep my distance from-"
"N-No, not that. It…It smells like the Witch of Envy." Cutting him off, she reveals this horrific detail.
"What?! But how? …hk!" Turning around, he instantly notices the reason why she's smelling her.
In the distance there is a gigantic shadow that appears to be consuming the forest at a rapid rate. In the center of that shadow is the figure of a woman, which aside from the shape doesn't appear any different to the rest of the giant shadow. That is at least until she turns around.
Two light-blue balls of light appear towards the top of the figure, at the location where eyes would normally be seen. And from what Subaru can ascertain by looking at them, he can only figure that:
They are set on Rem.
-Author's Corner-
The tea party is officially complete!
So yeah, Satella herself finally appears! Probably not a huge surprise to many of you, but still, it was an appropriate time to have her appear.
I originally intended for her to appear several chapters earlier, right after Rem completed her second trial. However, as I plotted this out further I realized that what I planned for Satella wouldn't have really worked until now.
I am aware Satella is probably a little OOC in this chapter. That is intentional.
Echidna's mention of the Witch of Envy being the one to destroy half the world and not Satella is exclusive to the web novel. Despite it not technically being canon, I think it helps Subaru understand a little better that Satella and the Witch of Envy are separate personalities.
Also, I did reference a short story in this chapter, see if you can figure out which one it is. I'll give a hint, it's one of the short stories starring Rem.
Finally, and this is the big one, the retcon made about Rem, Ram, and the oni god. Of course, it's never mentioned or implied at any point that Rem took over the qualification of being the second coming of the oni god from Ram. However, I do have a reason for why she does here. Not sure when it'll be explained, but it won't be for a long time. Hopefully you found this interesting.
Dovahking2023: I'm really glad you had a good chuckle when Rem went up to get tea! I don't find myself that capable of writing good comedy, so that makes me very happy. And you were right on the money about the teapot. Rem needed the entire thing to keep herself conscious. I hope the interactions in this chapter were satisfactory and worth the wait. As for Subaru being called a simp, haha yeah he does simp for Emilia to a certain extent. But when looking at Roswaal simping for Echidna or Satella for Subaru, his is really tame by comparison.
danielsantiago4545: Thank you so much! Your prediction was correct, Satella made her entrance. Hopefully you enjoyed her presence.
demon god noir: Thank you! As for your answer, it depends on which side of Satella you're asking. Glad the witches' banter and behavior was humorous for you!
Lydia Music: I think by unbelievable you mean it's good? If so, thank you! Rabbits will appear eventually, don't worry.
Maximum Rhapsody: In a way I don't either. I have some major plot points I plan to tackle but that's about it. But yeah, Echidna wasn't expecting this to be their final encounter. Subaru still has a lot to take care of, so his suffering isn't quite over yet. The Great Rabbit will appear eventually.
Deathenglegamers1144: Same here. As for Roswaal, Rem is slowly trusting him less and less as time passes on. Cheers! I hope you enjoyed the chapter.