Re: Avenger

by Just-Another-Marvel-DC-Geek

CONTINUATION IN CROSSOVER SECTION The arrival of a certain young hero shows the world of the Od Laguna just how small it truly is. Basically, Subaru is MCU Spidey and the Re:Zero cast meet Marvel Multiverse madness. Sounds fun, right? (First fic. Shamelessly posting in both regular and crossover sections for reach.)

41. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 – Dread for the Future

*BARF!*

"AGH—HAHGH-!" Rem cried amidst gasps as she puked, gagging with disgust as an unbearable odor inundated her nostrils. As the many nobles had done so before the earlier revelation, the moment one Doctor Strange stepped into the room, the oni maid too had fallen to her knees whilst spilling bile all over the hall's floor.

"REM-?!" Ram screamed as she knelt down beside her sister, desperately trying to comfort and ease her from the apparent pain she was experiencing.

"WOAH, WHAT DA FUCK-?!" Garfiel yelped in shock as he felt ridiculous maliciousness oozing from the Sorcerer.

"Garfiel-?!" Otto noticed the alarmed rigidity of the boy to his side with fright, not comprehending what he could possibly be feeling.

"HUUU…! HUUU…!" But the boy failed to notice his merchant friend's worry, far too focused instead on the Sorcerer Supreme.

For someone like the half-beast boy, his first instinct would normally be to pounce on the strongest person in the room if he sensed how dangerous they were. However, when it came to Doctor Strange… His legs just paralyzed, glued to their spot, as he perceived that no matter what kind of attack or strike he attempted, he'd be obliterated before finishing the first movement. It was like looking at Ultron and Reinhard clash directly all over again.

"Haaaa…!" Frederica understood the fear of her brother perfectly, herself sensing as well how powerful Strange was simply from staring at his posture observantly. The hairs along her neck, and her entire spine even, rose and froze when witnessing the Sorcerer take just one step further in Subaru's direction.

"Wh-Wha-?!" Emilia gazed around at her companions with anxiety, her right hand all the while strongly gripping to the blue crystal in which Puck lay sealed. For the half-elf, from one moment to another, the atmosphere had shifted tremendously around her. "What is happening, Roswaal-! …Um- Roswaal?"

"…Impossible…" Ignoring the Candidate altogether, seemingly trapped in some sort of trance, Roswaal's eyes remained locked on Strange as he walked, mumbling to himself eerily all the while. "The light was- But no, to use it with that much control… An Authority? It didn't feel like one- Yet…"

For how knowledgeable in magic and spellcasting he was, the Margrave simply failed to detect or even register any hint to familiar methods of mana channeling in Strange's recent hand movements. In all aspects, the magic perpetrated by the Sorcerer was so absurdly foreign and impossible to what he knew that Roswaal remained frozen in silent fascination when examining any minute detail he could cling to of the man.

"Uuuuuh- Wha- What's going on?! Frederica-! Garfiel! Rem?!" From his position before the elders of Lugunica, Subaru was quick to shout when he noticed the hysterical reactions of the Emilia Camp.

"I-I don't know- She suddenly just-!" As Ram spoke with alarm, barely understanding her sister's sudden repulsion through their Synesthesia, another cry interrupted her ramblings.

"*Cough-Cough!* Augh-!" Beatrice pitifully gasped for air as she hugged Subaru for dear life.

"BEAKO?!" Subaru then knelt, much like Ram, and hugged the little Great Spirit with confusion written on his gaze. "Beatrice, are you okay?!"

"B-Betty doesn't feel good, in fact…" Beatrice slowly shook her head, her entire form shuddering as she averted her eyes from the entrance with fear. "S-S-Subaru, there is s-something evil over there…!"

"Evil-?!" Subaru followed the trembling finger of his terrified Spirit, only to find it pointing directly in Strange's direction. "Rem and Beatrice are both disgusted and fearful… Garfiel and Frederica panicking- Hold on, Strange?!"

"Hmm, indeed…" Elsa affirmed in agreement to the boy's conclusion, the normally unshakeable assassin failing to breathe properly as the presences in the room exerted most frightful pressure over her. "Hnn… Fu… Mother's presence in comparison… It pales… Hah…!"

"Even you-?!" The flabbergasted Subaru turned to look at the Bowel Hunter with a vexed expression. It would seem he and Karen were the only ones not perturbed by the appearance of the Sorcerer Supreme.

"Rein… What's wrong?" Behind the hero and the assassin, Felt noted the Sword Saint's distress as he stared with wide eyes at the man walking down the Throne Room's carpets.

"Ah… Ah…" Reinhard's right hand trembled as it slowly, very slowly, reached for the blade sheathed by his hip. Within himself, Reinhard could most certainly feel it: Much like with Ultron, the Dragon Sword Reid begged, clamored loudly to be drawn. It cried and yelled, shouting 'This man is dangerous! DRAW ME!'… However, Reinhard hesitated; hesitated whether it was the correct decision or not, for Subaru seemed familiar with the man…

*Crea~k!*

"Ah, is it the smell? I thought I had suppressed it enough that you wouldn't go mad…" Strange acknowledged the concerns of the Avenger and the others in the Throne Room stoically, whilst the gates slowly closed by themselves behind him. "Well, it shouldn't be TOO much of a surprise; with all the destruction I've done, it'd be logical to assume me as something akin to a Warlock or a Witch."

"A WARLOCK-?!" Roswaal gasped as Strange described himself, prompting a wave of shouts around him.

"MONSTER-!"

"WHAT-?!"

"WITCH! WITCH!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS-?!"

"U-UWAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"

All of the confused nobles surrounding Doctor Strange screamed in horror as they stepped and crawled away in a hurry.

*DASH!*

"YOU DESPICABLE INTRUDER-!" Marcos shouted as he ran forward with all the intention of demolishing the uninvited guest, his fists covered in an armor of pure rock as he braced himself for impact.

"Wait! MARCOS, STRANGE ISN'T-!" Subaru tried to warn the Captain but to no use, for when he did, Marcos was already standing in front of the Sorcerer.

"BEGONE!" Marcos shouted as he rushed forward with the might of a freight train, intending to demolish Doctor Strange with one punch.

*Fwom!*

"-But then again, if it were only the smell, it wouldn't explain the reactions of those that cannot sense it. Did they feel the other creatures, perhaps?" However, ignoring Marcos whilst phasing through him, as though he were walking through a hologram or light projection, Strange mumbled to himself with curiosity over Garfiel and Frederica's reactions.

"What the- Huh?!" Marcos froze in confusion as he turned to look at the Sorcerer behind him, terror written on his eyes as he realized he just rushed THROUGH the man. "How the hell did you-?!"

"Ah, please, be quiet; I'm trying to suppress my own presence right now." Strange brought an index finger to his lips as he instructed Marcos to stop talking, and immediately after-

"…!" Marcos lost his voice, reaching for his throat and mouth in panic as he failed to emit even the most pitiful of sounds. No yell, no clicking of his tongue or even breath emitted a reverb as he opened and closed his lips with panic. "…! …!"

"…Natsuki-kun, my eyes did not deceive me just now, did they?" Anastasia took a step closer to Subaru whilst murmuring, a clearly acted calm demeanor barely hiding a most alarmed face. "He just walked through Marcos, did he not?"

"I don't really know how to put it in good words…" Subaru however recognized what had happened with surprise. It was a technique displayed in battle against Ultron, one the Avenger had seen the Sorcerer use many times. Although that was the thing, he had only ever seen it used in battle, not to avoid one.

"It looked to me like Strange stepped into one dimension as Marcos struck him, and then stepped out of it right behind him when the attack finished." Karen whispered in commentary her observations to the two.

"So it WAS the Mirror Dimension, huh?" Subaru answered back with awe, ignoring the confused Anastasia.

"That doesn't explain anything ta me, ya two-!" Whilst the Candidate grumbled a complaint towards the pair beside her, Marcos once more broke into a sprint.

*DASH!*

"Hmm?" Even if silenced, Marcos would not surrender so easily. As his face contorted into a most irate scowl, the Captain of the Royal Knights dashed furiously in the Sorcerer's direction again, much to said Sorcerer's annoyance. "Please, at ease."

*SHWOOOOM!*

"…!" The silenced Marcos screamed inaudibly as myriad crimson bands sprouted out of thin air from around all directions in the room. From behind pillars, out of the windows, even from the shadows of those present, the whips of pure energy blasted at the speed of light towards Marcos, enveloping his body and paralyzing him on his step.

"What in the blazes…" Priscilla whispered to herself in awe as she slowly put her fan away, her ruby-colored eyes glaring at the ridiculous image before her. "Al, explain immediately. Who is that man?"

"…" But Aldebaran remained ominously quiet, his helmet hiding a confused and shocked face as he remained paralyzed whilst facing the direction of the previous showings.

"Al! Answer me!" Priscilla ordered with slight panic as her servant seemed catatonic, still processing the sight he had just experimented mere minutes prior. "…Damn be all, must you still reel in fear over a World not our own?! Snap out of it fool!"

"…" Alas, again the traumatized Aldebaran did not answer, feeling as though he had fallen unconscious whilst standing up.

"Hakh…! Natsuki!" Priscilla then turned to look at Subaru with irritation, shouting his last name angrily as her cheeks reddened with frustration.

"Ah- Ye-Yeah-?!" Subaru barely managed to face the Baroness properly as she rapidly strode towards him.

"Explain immediately, who is it that has disrupted this disaster of a meeting already?! Who dares meddle in the affairs of MINE Lands so callously?!" Priscilla inquired wrathfully whilst inclining to glare into Subaru eyes, mere centimeters away from his flummoxed face in fact.

"Uuuuh-! Er- Um, this is…" Subaru pointed to the Sorcerer trying to calm down Marcos with a troubled face, but Karen was quick to jump in to assist her master in explaining the identity of the man.

"The monstrous man before us is none other than Doctor Stephen Strange, Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, Master of Magic and the Mystic Arts." The Synthezoid explained indifferently to the irritated Baroness. "Although… He's not exactly from OUR Earth."

"Ho~h! So this intervening mongrel would be an equivalent to Margrave Mathers then?" Priscilla slowly turned to look at the Sorcerer with a suspicious scowl still. "It still doesn't explain the aggressiveness of his entrance; do you intend to harm us, perhaps?"

"Hmm, about that-" Strange then nodded in response to Priscilla's question as he brought his right thumb and index fingers together, and then…

*SNAP!*

"*GASP!* HAAAGH-!" Rem recovered her breathing all of a sudden, the air around her becoming cleaner as the only stench she could still perceive was that of Subaru alone. "*Cough-Cough!* Augh… Huu, augh… Hah… N-Nee-sama…"

"I'm here Rem, I'm here!" Ram whispered close to her sister's ear as her breathing stabilized, the two hugging tightly on the floor.

"Ah…" Garfiel and Frederica too relaxed as their senses fail to detect the man any longer; even though he was still there, plain in sight, it felt as though he had suddenly vanished from the room. As though if they lost sight of him, they would fail to register his presence again until pointed out by someone else.

"Scary…" Frederica whispered to herself as she covered her mouth, even if the Sorcerer had fooled her senses, the phantom terror remained engraved in her heart.

"What ridiculousness even was that?!" As he inspected the Sorcerer from a distance, Otto murmured to an equally confused and fearful Emilia.

"I-I don't know, Otto… He simply snapped his fingers and the tension in the air almost completely vanished…" The half-elf failed to comprehend the events that had rapidly transpired right in front of her, the chills everyone had experienced just seconds prior feeling like a distant memory all of a sudden.

"I have ta give the half-elf that one, it is almost perturbing how at ease I feel when seconds ago everyone was screaming an' running around." Anastasia gave backing to Emilia's ominous words as whilst her gaze remained fixated on the odd Sorcerer. "Was it some kind of spell?"

"An illusion to hide his presence, most likely." Roswaal theorized as he overheard Anastasia's claims and suspicions. "But to cast it so nonchalantly, without any sort of medium, trigger or condition fulfilled would be-"

"Roswaal, do you know something?" Emilia inquired her backer, Margrave Mathers, with curiosity over what he recognized in Strange.

"Rather than knowing something Emilia-sama, it'd be more accurate to say I'm igno~ring something right now…" Roswaal shook his head however, affirming that he could not properly identify what Strange had done to hide his smell or aura. "In simple terms, the distance in skill between thi~ s man and I would be the same between myself and a new~born…"

"…Huh?" Emilia shuddered imagining such a thing. She knew how powerful Roswaal was; after all, at his best, the Margrave could easily clash in equal terms with a full-fledged Puck. To hear Strange dwarfed such capabilities was scary, to say the least.

"…" Strange briefly turned his head to look at Roswaal, the two mages' eyes locking into an uncomfortable yet seemingly indifferent stare down as the Sorcerer murmured to himself. "The distance between you and a newborn… If only it were that kind, things would be much easier on my end."

"…?" Roswaal managed to read the lips of the Sorcerer successfully, but what he read only vexed him further as to the real intentions of the man.

"Subaru…" Beatrice wiped the few tears that almost fell from her eyes as the Avenger hugged her, the girl's little figure ceasing to tremble as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"It'll be fine Beako; Strange- I mean, Doctor Strange isn't a bad man. Well, not exactly a GOOD one either, but he is not here to harm you or anyone. I think so, at least…"

"Subaru is most awful at reassuring, in fact…" The Great Spirit giggled as she nuzzled close to Subaru's shoulder.

"Ahahahaha…"

"…" But the Council of Elders would not be satisfied when an intruder suddenly breaks into their domain like this. Even if he could hide his hostility with the movement of his fingers, Bordeaux would not trust the man that trivialized Marcos's defenses so easily. In his experience, it is when things are calmest that they tend to go belly-up, which is why it was they who had to take the initiative in confronting an intruder. "Reinhard! Step forward and aid Marcos!"

"Huh-?!" The Sword Saint faced the elder with confusion as he delivered an impromptu order for him to obey, reigniting the tense aura of moments ago.

"Why are you standing there like a fool?! Draw your blade already-!" But Bordeaux's order would go interrupted, for the Sorcerer performed yet another outrageous act.

*Grab!*

"Please, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Strange warned as he suddenly teleported right in front of Reinhard, grabbing his right hand tightly, preventing him from drawing Reid.

"!" Everyone in the room, bar Subaru and Karen, shuddered in awe as the man transitioned from one location in the room to another in the blink of an eye. One moment he was near the entrance, and another, he was standing before the Sword Saint. Once more, he had stepped into the Mirror Dimension from one part of the room, and had exited from another part, right in front of the flummoxed Sword Saint.

"Goddamit, we had such a good mood going right now-!" Subaru growled with frustration as things once more returned to a state of turmoil.

"Let go…" What Reinhard wished to say was 'Let go of my hand this instant', however, his voice died midway through his demand as he truly felt the strength of the creature grabbing his right hand. Strange's fingers did not feel like the touch of a human, and they could not be the touch of a mere beast either; they were more akin to… An army of monsters slowly but surely digging their fangs into his flesh. It felt as though he were a toddler sticking his hand inside a wolf or crocodile's open jaws.

"…L-L-LET GO OF REIN- Y-Y-YOU-!" With trembling legs as her fear returned tenfold, swallowing all instincts of self-preservation begging her NOT to do something stupid, Felt growled angrily at the man stopping Reinhard's arm.

"Felt-sama…" Reinhard wished he could alleviate his Lady's anxieties by making the Doctor comply with her demand, but he was still primarily focused on the danger posed by Strange instead.

Let alone him being the Sword Saint, he is the one the Od Laguna regards as its Champion! Why was he struggling to even move his hand then?! Why couldn't he overcome the man, nay, creature before him?! He clashed with Ultron in nigh equal grounds, did he not-?! No… That's not right, he didn't.

Ultron had held back the entire time, the previous showing was proof enough of that.

And if that is the case, could this man somehow be in a league comparable to the machine himself? Does that not mean that he drawing Reid could prove fruitless in slaying Doctor Strange? Was the warning from Doctor Strange meant not to protect himself, but protect them from what he'd do if he were attacked?

"Subaru, what should we do?" Karen whispered whilst inching close to the Avenger, the pair nervously witnessing the events unfold, hesitating on how to approach the situation or defuse it.

"I-I don't know?! I don't actually sense any danger from Strange, so I'd say we have to calm Rein and the elders down! But… the Court would just panic further-!" Subaru muttered with frustration as he failed to come up with a solution. And as the boy and the Synthezoid whispered to one another…

*SHWIN!*

"Tsk!" Despite his injuries, Julius stepped forward to defy Strange's disruption, pointing a chipped and broken blade at the Sorcerer whilst glaring through his unpatched eye. "Let go of the Sword Saint, intruder! Lest you force my hand into putting you down for good!"

"Dude, are you serious?!" Subaru flinched as he witnessed Julius's bold reaction.

"Julius?!" Anastasia looked surprised by her knight's warnings. "What are you doing?! Lower your weapon-!"

"I'm sorry, Anastasia-sama, Subaru, but even if you know him or don't perceive him as a threat…" The knight turned to look at the nervous and injured younger knights behind him, few survivors of the previous siege that were overwhelmed and terrified still by the battle, the revelations and the Sorcerer before them. "We are not in a position we can simply welcome someone who threatens Lugunica's authority. Not right now, not after such a battle."

"Look man, I get that, your guys are still in shock about it all, but-!" Subaru tried to reason with the purple-haired man, but his words fell into obscurity upon the cacophony of yells and chants for blood.

"HURRY AND DRAW YOUR BLADE, SWORD SAINT!" Bordeaux pressured Reinhard to act.

"REIN!" Felt shouted with dread, followed by the knights and nobles.

"SLAY HIM!"

"ATTACK ALREADY, SWORD SAINT!"

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!"

"DRAW THE DRAGON SWORD!"

"Crap, not good!" Subaru mumbled with frustration as the yells calling for Strange's death inundated the Throne Room. "We are back to square one again-!"

"Maybe we should just evacuate…" Karen suggested as she stared to one of the open windows. "At this rate, they'll never give up until someone does die."

"Betty has to agree with the metallic woman, Subaru." Beatrice nodded in agreement with Karen, her butterfly eyes fixated on her contractor's nervous face. "Our priority is your safety, and if the Court were to endanger it-"

"Can ya'll really hope to live as fugitives though?!" Anastasia acted as a sudden voice of reason for the rattled pair of Spirit and Synthezoid, warning them of the future that would await Subaru if he fled. "Natsuki-kun, if ya run right now, there's the very solid possibility that ya will be regarded in the same category as the Witch's Cult an' get hunt down! Forget wood, ya'd be pouring oil directly into a smoldering fire!"

"Are you saying he should stay put and get executed like a 'good little boy', merchant?" Beatrice growled with animosity in response to Anastasia's words.

"Mineself agrees that there is only one way to prevent the boy from accruing more bad blood with the hasty fools." Priscilla responded to Beatrice in agreement with Anastasia's evaluation of the situation. Although still suspicious of Strange, he was not the priority here for the Baroness. "Stand your ground and argue your case properly, Natsuki."

"Easy for you to say, it's my head rolling if it goes down south! But, you are right in that I cannot simply just leave… Augh, if we don't run, they will STILL clamor for someone's execution anyways! Dammit, what was the purpose of returning if this was what would happen right after?!" Subaru shook his head as he refused to believe that this was all the interrogation could amount to, wanting someone's head in a pike. "Think man- Think!"

And whilst Subaru brainstormed desperately, and Anastasia and Priscilla argued with Karen and Beatrice in the background, the situation between Reinhard and Strange grew tenser still.

"…" With disappointment clear in his face, Strange eyed those present sharply, silently judging them. Slowly then, the Sorcerer's vision drifted back to Reinhard, whose face began sweating profusely as his right hand trembled. "Son… Don't."

"I-I…" Reinhard's blue eyes displayed a revolting mix of hesitation, fear and anxiety, doubting whether he should risk drawing his blade or hung his head low and surrender. Which path to take? Obedience? Caution? Either way, someone would judge him harshly for it, if they even managed to survive the ensuing duel…

Would it be duel though? Would he die? Could Strange kill him? Would Strange kill everyone present? But he knows Subaru, so he wouldn't! Right?! But they locked Subaru up and treated him like a criminal… Would that not mean that he would retaliate on his behalf, ignoring Subaru's begging? Would he feel slighted that his friend was harassed like this? If he were in his position, if his Lady Felt had been treated like a criminal set up for execution by a foreign nation, he would most certainly destroy the accusers with indiscriminate force. And if he can do that… Wouldn't Strange do the same with them-?

"IT WILL BE FINE, EVERYONE!" As tensions escalated in the Throne Room, a sole voice of reason disrupted the tense atmosphere with a loud yet confident yell.

"Uh… Crusch-sama?" Miklotov said as him, Bordeaux, Strange, Reinhard, Subaru, and everyone present turned to look at her with wide eyes.

"Crusch-sama, what exactly are you attempting to do?" Wilhelm quietly whispered to his Lady as he inched close to her ear; her throat was supposed to be damaged from the injuries received in battle, and yet, here she was yelling for the sake of stopping a potential conflict. Needless to say, the Sword Demon found himself puzzled by his master's decision.

"Crusch-sama, your throat has not yet recovered! Please, refrain from-!" Felix whispered as well, cautious of the Duchess' bold action of interfering in such a precarious situation when injured herself.

"It'll be fine, you two." Crusch shook her head as she rolled her wheelchair forward in Strange's direction, self-assured and with a smile on her face.

"Crusch-sama?! Wait- WAIT! CRUSCH-SAMA!" Felix squealed with panic as her master waved him away, approaching the monstrous Sorcerer uncaringly.

"Julius, please." Crusch looked up at Julius as she rolled forward, requesting he moved aside.

"…" Julius hesitated, still dreading the man who so easily trivialized Marcos' attacks. He felt apprehensive of Strange's threatening presence.

"…Julius, please step aside." Anastasia spoke slowly as she ordered her knight to move, trusting that Crusch perhaps had a plan to calm everyone down at last.

"…Kuh…" Julius finally backed down, sheathing his blade with mixed feelings as he returned to the side of the Iron Fang and Anastasia's supporters.

"Hah…" Anastasia sighed with relief as her order managed to overcome her knight's fears.

"…Sir Sorcerer." Crusch then extended her uninjured hand towards Doctor Strange. Unlike in the past, whence she had extended it to Subaru with the intention of him showing reverence only for the boy to shake it obliviously instead, Crusch now WANTED to shake Strange's hand as a sign of respect.

"Hmm? Ah, you must be the Duchess… Crusch Karsten, I presume. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Strange let go of Reinhard's hand and turned to face Crusch instead with a pleased smile. Immediately after, the Sorcerer knelt down, grabbed her hand and softly kissed it as a sign of respect… Not unlike a knight would usually do.

"Huh…" Crusch felt oddly shocked by the gesture, thinking that Strange would shake it. "People of Earth really just behave as they want to, don't they? No set code of conduct at all…"

"I got acquainted to the gestures towards Lugunican nobility through- Well, let's just say I'll explain it as we go along, shall we?" Strange stood up as he continued to look at Crusch in the eye.

"As you so wish, Sir Sorcerer." Crusch nodded whilst keeping her smile and relaxed tone intact, dispelling all previous tensions in the room, throwing them out of the window with mere gestures of cordiality for their 'new' witness.

"…Ah." It was all Reinhard could muster to say when witnessing the interaction. Without noticing, he had relaxed as well, lowering his right hand to his side, no longer seeing a need to draw his blade as the Sorcerer emitted hostility no more.

"Elder Bordeaux, as well as all other members of the Council, I, Crusch Karsten, would like for the presence of Sir Sorcerer Doctor Strange to be acknowledged henceforth." Crusch then turned to look at the elders with resolution visible in her amber eyes.

"Acknowledge-? You mean, you wish to excuse this man's impertinence in disrupting an emergency meeting?! ATTACKING the Captain of the Royal Knights-?!" Bordeaux asked back with a reddened glare.

"I believe it would be in our best interests to hear out what this man has to say, elder Bordeaux." Crusch responded calmly again.

"And how exactly do you KNOW he has something to say, Duchess Karsten?" Miklotov then asked with worry, scratching his bear as he frowned. "Is it not clear he might wish for conflict instead, taking into account what he has done to Captain Marcos?"

"Well, I-" Strange tried to argue for himself, but the Duchess stopped him with one raise of her hand.

"I believe he may have merely acted on self-defense, and this whole situation is a misunderstanding of intentions." Crusch rebuked once more, turning to indicate with her index finger the nobles passed out by the entrance and Marcos still paralyzed in confusion. "While it is true that his entrance was thunderous to say the least, he did silence the panicking crowd of the lower nobility that attempted to flee the Throne Room after Karen-dono's revelation. Past that, was it not Marcos who attacked first? All Sir Sorcerer did was avoid the fight, and when he could not, he simply stood to stop Marcos in his step, not slay him or hurt him."

"Hmm…" Miklotov lied on his chair as he considered the Duchess' words carefully.

"Finally, when Reinhard went for his Sword, Strange did nothing to harm him either." Crusch continued explaining in a loud voice, for everyone in the Throne Room to hear her, especially so Felt. "If he wished harm upon him, or anyone here, can we confidently say he couldn't have done so from OUTSIDE of the Throne Room? Or as soon as he entered even?"

"Are you asking that we expressly pardon a stranger that so callously ignores rules of conduct before the nobility and knights, Duchess?" Bordeaux inquired with a disgruntled expression.

"I ask that you please accept that there might not be a reason for us to feel alarmed by his presence, elder Bordeaux… He wouldn't be the first stranger we owe such a debt of gratitude." Crusch turned to look at Subaru once more with a serious gaze. "For you are one of the warriors that slayed Ultron along with Subaru, right Sir Sorcerer?"

"?!" Everyone froze in confusion as they heard Crusch's assumption.

"And what gives you that idea, Duchess?" Stephen wondered with a raised eyebrow, curious about the woman's intuition.

"Karen herself mentioned it just now; you are Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, yet not OUR Earth. And Subaru mentioned in passing that in our Universe, your parallel safeguarded dangerous items and fended off magical foes." Crusch reasoned decidedly, authority behind her every word. "To my knowledge, Karen was in a state of disrepair and could not be communicated with prior to Subaru's disappearance from the battlefield with the… Being made out of stars that appeared afterwards during the conflict."

"Uatu, the Watcher." Strange named the creature that had snatched Subaru mid combat as the Watcher. "A creature that exists between Universes."

"More like the living crystal ball, damned voyeuristic d-bag..." Subaru grumbled with annoyance at the mention of Uatu.

"For how mindboggling it sounds, it amazes me to know you lie not, Sir Sorcerer, Subaru." Crusch looked impressed how the two mentioned the absurd being with normalcy, as though it were not something or someone to be feared. "But moving on… If Karen, who was deactivated and effectively dead by our standards beforehand, somehow NOW knows of 'a' Doctor Strange that belongs not in our World, does that not mean she must have witnessed him when Subaru left to combat Ultron?"

"How do you deactivate a person though…?"

"Am I missing something?"

"I don't really get it…"

"Hmm… My head hurts…"

The many knights and nobles present murmured with confusion as Crusch explained her conclusions in detail, still missing the point.

"Hmngh… Argh, damned you be Natsuki!" Bordeaux however comprehended better than those surrounding the Throne the importance of Crusch's words. "Of all people to become our benefactor-!"

"The logic is sound, it is there." Miklotov and the other elders acknowledged with equal frustration as they stared at Crusch with awe. "This Karen woman couldn't have known of another Doctor Strange if she hadn't met him when Natsuki left… So this man saved our lives huh? How vexing this whole situation is. And you realized all of this from crumbs of information here and there Duchess?"

"I wouldn't refer to them as 'crumbs of information', for it diminishes the importance of the sayings, but yes." Crusch nodded in affirmation, demonstrating her sharp wit and her talent for noticing details.

"At the very least, I owe all present an apology for my sudden rudeness in disrupting this meeting." Strange bowed with reverence to the Council as he apologized. Immediately after this gesture-

*THUD!*

"*GASP!* Agh-!" Marcos fell to the floor as the crimson bands restraining him dissipated into thin air, his voice returning whilst he gasped for air in confusion. "I-I'm… I can talk-!"

"Marcos, at ease." Bordeaux ordered with anticlimactic quietude, a disillusioned and defeaten expression on his face. "This man… Haaah, this man might not be an enemy after all… Does not mean he is an ally though."

"Elders of the Council, as well as all present, I ask once again that you heed my word!" Crusch rose with difficulty from her wheelchair, ignoring the pain of her broken left leg to make a statement.

"Crusch-sama?! Please, don't strain yourself-!" Felix rushed to her side, trying to prevent her from performing such an action.

"…" However, Crusch waved him away, continuing with her declaration despite her injuries to show both the terrified knights and nobles behind Julius and by the entrance the seriousness of her conviction to continue hearing about the Multiverse. "Everyone, I ask that we listen to the words of a Sorcerer that has seen the unimaginable, stopped the unstoppable, for the sake of considering our options in the near future! I ask that Doctor Strange be admitted as a witness in favor of Subaru Natsuki's case!"

"Hngh…"

"Can we do something to prevent that?"

"No likely…"

"For the love of…"

The murmurs and whispers in the room magnified as everyone commented on the new arrival, wondering whether they should fear or feel grateful towards the Sorcerer Supreme standing beside the Duchess.

"I think we might as well see this through…" Bordeaux swallowed his pride as he and the other council members gestured and murmured to one another, fixed on a decision at last.

"…Very well, Duchess Karsten." Miklotov was the one to speak out loud as they concluded in agreement with Crusch. "Doctor Strange here will then provide testimony to the events transpired last night."

"My thanks, Duchess Karsten, members of the Council." Strange nodded respectfully as he smirked, thanking Crusch and Miklotov for acknowledging him as a witness.

"Holy hell, way to go Crusch…" Subaru sighed with amazement as Crusch had managed to defuse the situation with ease, all by trusting that Strange wasn't actually looking for a fight, but just to talk.

"So they will finally bother hearing us out without crying and yelling for an execution?" Karen looked on with admiration at Crusch's gesture. While her general impressions of the Royal Candidates had never been either the greatest or the lowest one, the Synthezoid found herself deeply respecting Crusch Karsten at that moment.

"Credit where credit is due, I'm actually impressed the Karsten girl managed to silence the parrots." Priscilla looked on with slight awe at Crusch, surprised she succeeded in defending Strange's appearance.

"Is this a hint of excitement I spy in your eyes, my dear Baroness? Or perhaps envy over Karsten's timely intervention?" Anastasia teased, amused by the words of honest praise coming out of the Baroness' mouth.

"Hmph, don't assume to know what isn't there vixen." Priscilla glared in response to the smug Anastasia.

"Huuuu…" Unable to keep standing up, Crusch dropped to her wheelchair as Wilhelm and Felix rushed to her side.

"Crusch-sama that was an incredibly daring thing to do, to defend an stranger when the whole room was rearing to fight." Wilhelm smiled as he held the chair's handles tightly, carrying the Duchess back to their earlier site along the other nobles and knights.

"Reckless you mean Wilhelm! What if he DID myean to harm us?!" Felix nevertheless reprimanded his liege's bold action.

"I admit I considered such a possibility when Rem-dono and the others in the Emilia Camp reacted with fear at his appearance." Crusch responded to Felix's fears with agreement. "I too feared Sir Sorcerer when he approached us…"

"Then why?! Why go out of your way to-?!"

"Because I trusted that someone Subaru spoke highly of would NOT mean us senseless harm, Felix." The Duchess baffled her servants as she expressed a nigh unshakeable trust in Subaru's words. "Do you remember Subaru's explanations back at the Mansion, Wilhelm? Doctor Strange is a man that kept his World safe by keeping watch over dangerous items and beings. Someone like that- If he is here, then it is with a reason beyond attacking us in a weakened state. He has purpose, and he can vouch for Subaru; that is enough for me."

"…" Felix almost swallowed his tongue as he slowly turned to look at the Avenger with frustration, dumbfounded by the fact that in a mere two weeks he had managed to obtain his liege's sincere considerations.

"I am of the firm belief that the fact we live right now is a direct product of Subaru's assistance, and unlike the Dragon that has abandoned us in 'our' Reality… I want to defend those who haven't." Crusch assured as her face turned stern, staring at the bulk of nobles that had backed her at the beginning of the Royal Selection that had been calling for Subaru's death moments prior. "As my benefactor, I won't let Natsuki Subaru take the blame for a catastrophe he helped prevent. Moreover, I had to make it up to him in some way for not addressing his shackles the moment he entered the Throne Room; I avoided it due to thinking his restrained state would deter the belief of my supporters that he was an active threat… Clearly, I overestimated them. If defending Subaru's witness sullies my standing amongst houses of fragile loyalties and beliefs, then so be it; I can do without bootlickers that turn tail when things don't go their way."

"Along that line, I wonder what the Sorcerer has to say in Subaru-dono's defense…" Wilhelm then wondered aloud as he brought a hand to his chin, scratching his beard in consideration of Strange's testimony. "If we follow the logic of what Karen-dono did…"

"Doctor Strange, was it? If you would explain the reason for your presence here?" Bordeaux was the first to ask a question to the Sorcerer.

"…Upon slaying Ultron, Spider-Man and all other warriors that accompanied us in fighting him returned to their respective Worlds." Strange declared firmly yet calmly, the expression on his face as solemn as it was stern. "However, I came to this Universe in particular with the worry that your society might have been… 'Lacking' in understanding the greater circumstances behind the danger that you've averted, resulting in trouble for Spider-Man upon his return."

"Clearly he wasn't wrong on that point, I suppose…" Beatrice murmured while still looking away from Strange, even dreading his voice. "But we've already witnessed the destruction of our parallel Universe. What other awful demonstration could you possibly gift us, I wonder? Sorcerer of the destroyed World…"

"I must correct this misconception, Great Spirit." Strange shook his head as he explained to Beatrice and everyone. "Whilst my Reality is indeed gone, I do not come from the same Reality as Ultron. In fact, none of the other heroes did."

"Hold on, what did you mean with that?" Bordeaux asked for the umpteenth time with frustration. "So you don't come from 'our' Reality, yet you don't come from the 'dead' Reality? Where the hell do you come from then?!"

"Make memory, Bordeaux." Miklotov's brow sweated a bit as he spoke, considering the visions of the destroyed Lugunica and Subaru's previous sayings. "Multiverse considers more than one Universe, more than one Reality… Which means, this man proceeds from yet ANOTHER Reality parallel to ours."

"As Elder Miklotov claims, I come from another Earth that ran parallel to Subaru's own. And so did the Guardians of the Multiverse." Strange nodded in acknowledgement of both elders' worries, raising his hands in the air.

*FWOOOOM!*

"OOOOH~!"

"Ah-!"

"Woooah-!"

Everyone looked on in awe as the room grew darker and star-like orbs surrounding the Sorcerer became the sole source of illumination, each of these orbs displaying the figure of one of the Guardians.

"T'Challa, outlaw of the stars. Captain Carter, a soldier displaced in time. Gamora, former assassin turned liberator of planets. Thor Odinson, crown God-Prince to the Asgardian Throne. Natasha Romanoff, a spy and sole survivor of Ultron's World…" Strange indicated as each of the orbs danced around the room, eventually coming together until he and Spider-Man appeared as well. "We came together upon the call of Uatu, the Watcher, in a desperate attempt to prevent a repeat in your Universe of what happened in Ultron's own…

"So we owe our lives' to these people?" Felt asked as she examined the images of the men and women closely. "I kinda dig the outlaw's getup though, looks like something I'd wear."

"Felt-sama, I'd ask that you please don't show admiration for an outlaw…" Reinhard mumbled with slight disappointment.

"Why can't I?! Didn't this guy save our asses?!" Felt growled back in complaint to her knight's worries.

"Hngh…" Garfiel looked troubled as he admired Thor, who he instinctually sensed just from the image of the carefree God that he was powerful indeed. "I don't get it…"

"What don't you get, Garfiel?" Otto murmured a question for the boy as he examined the other Guardians in turn.

"This guy, just from da image alone ya get his strong… But I don't get dat from da other guys. Hell, I think I could beat da green chick with da sword or dat outlaw guy. Why dis team? If it's just strength, I coulda' gone with Cap'n…"

"*Sigh…* That sounds more like petty jealousy to me, Garf." Ram shook her head with disillusion for the boy.

"Huh?! How come?!" Garfiel turned to look at the oni with vexation.

"Think it over, fool. If strength were the only criteria, wouldn't the Sword Saint have sufficed instead of Barusu?" Ram smirked with superiority whilst explaining to Garfiel.

"Hmngh… I mean, maybe…" Garfiel grumbled with embarrassment whilst blushing and looking away from the Guardians' images. "Although Ram will say Barusu's choice remains particularly vexing still; he barely possesses the qualities one would call useful, let alone indispensable."

"You sure do love bullying people, don't you?!" Otto cried with sadness for the insults hurled at Subaru by the pink maid.

"So this are the people that helped Subaru-kun…" Rem looked at the warriors with sincere, thankful eyes, managing to smile with relief. "Were we to ever meet them, Rem would make sure to organize a proper banquet in gratitude."

"I don't think a banquet alone would cut it with how thankful we should be, Rem…" Frederica murmured with gratitude as well. "Maybe they'd want riches too? I don't exactly know how one could repay a World-saving debt…"

"…Wrong…" Unlike the amazed reactions of his friends however, Subaru looked confused as to Strange's intentions in showing the Guardians in full, appearance and all. Looking at the Sorcerer with suspicion, the boy theorized in silent alarm.

This is worng… It is not as though I dislike recognition, but this is wrong… It feels manufactured somehow, the admiration Strange is instilling on everyone for the Guardians.

He kept telling to himself with anxiety.

It's true, we saved the Multiverse, but Uatu explicitly said 'aside from the select few whose Worlds were already raided by Ultron, your Worlds will know nothing of this victory'. However, clamoring a sense of admiration for the Guardians, and me by extension… Why would Strange disobey Uatu's words, go out of his way to reveal details of the fight and himself like this? Didn't he just come here to mediate my release? Why would he dedicate the time to introducing the others to the Guardians in such detail if the danger has passed already? Hold on… Is it really disobeying Uatu's word if we already knew about Ultron-? Fuck, just what are you playing at here Strange?! Did you come to bail me out or flex on people?!

"…" And unbeknownst to Subaru, the other one suspicious of the admiration Strange was trying to impose on Subaru was none other than Roswaal himself. "What are you planning, 'Sorcerer'…?"

"…Royal Candidates." Strange called to the attention of all five girls aiming for the Throne, the stars that illuminated the darkened room gathered in the Sorcerer's hands as he brought his palms together in a praying motion.

*FWOOOOM!*

"Eh?" Emilia stepped forward almost on instinct as Strange called out to her, and following this, the other Candidates perked up as well.

"When I release my hands, it shall be revealed to you a scale of power that surpasses even the projections Karen showed moments prior; you will bear witness to the battle that unfolded between the Guardians and Ultron."

"WHA-?!" Subaru flinched in alarm and panic as Strange disclosed his intentions of showing everyone the battle for the Multiverse. "Oi! Strange, cut the shit! You can't just-!"

"Stay put, boy." Priscilla stepped before the Avenger, silencing him with a movement of her fan as she motioned for the Sorcerer to continue talking.

"Huh?!" Subaru grumbled in annoyance as the Baroness ordered him to be quiet. "You don't know what happened when we fought Ultron! It was insane-!"

"Exactly, mineself doth not know so mineself wishes to know." Barielle declared again, ignoring Subaru's pleas with a stern attitude and voice.

"Subaru, at ease… There's purpose in what I'm doing, trust that." Strange reassured with a slight smirk drawn on his face.

"That's what's worrying me actually…" Subaru mumbled with distrust for the Sorcerer.

"…As I was saying, I will now show you the battle that occurred to save the Multiverse from destruction, and after that, I will also reveal some uncomfortable truths regarding Subaru's presence here and your fates." Strange continued declaring for all five Candidates to hear.

"And what would be the purpose of that?!" Felt felt overwhelmed by the sudden declaration, not reading between the lines of the Sorcerer.

"Must you be explained everything slowly, Slum monkey?" Priscilla huffed with annoyance whilst glaring at Felt.

"Ah?! Ya got somethin' ta puke, dumb bitch?!" The blonde girl growled with disdain.

"Dumb? Mineself? Rich coming from the one that understands not what is occurring at the present moment! Ha!" Priscilla fanned herself whilst grinning derisively in Felt's direction.

"In simple terms, the reason Sir Sorcerer is requesting all five Royal Candidates pay attention to the following revelations is because there is a possibility that what he has to show and tell might shake our convictions in pursuing the Throne, Felt-dono." Crusch explained with a monotone voice so all in the room could understand.

"Whua? Why would it makes us want to stop pursuing the Throne? I don't get it." Felt asked with confusion again.

"That's what we DON'T know now, do we?" Anastasia shook her head with exasperation as she looked at Felt with pity. "You should just keep silent and watch, blondie; if anything, the following show will change the landscape of the race entirely."

"Looking down on me with all yer fancy wording an' crap… Urgh, FINE! I'm watching, geez!" Felt sat on the floor crosslegged as her frustrations reached their peak, her dress becoming dirty as she plopped on the dusty tiles of the dilapidated Throne Room.

"A showing that may make us reconsider our intentions to pursue the Throne?" Emilia frowned with suspicion as Strange seemingly prepared the light between his palms.

"This is troubling… No matter what he might show however, you mustn't allow Strange's showings to deter you from the path to the Throne, Emilia-sama." Roswaal recommended as he acknowledged the dangerous possibility of Emilia forsaking her claim to the Throne. "For my sake and everyone's, you mustn't…"

"…I want to believe that, after my Trials, my conviction has become strong enough that I won't discard my Candidacy, Roswaal. No matter what I'm shown, I won't give up." Emilia shook her head as she turned to look at the Margrave with disappointment.

"You say that now, but what he might show may sti~ll shake such convictions, Emilia-sama." Roswaal affirmed ominously as his eyes fixated on Strange's hands.

"You simply don't want me to give up because it would get in the way of your dream, right?" Emilia glared at the nobleman.

"Indee~d." Roswaal did not even look at her as he continued smiling.

"Hah… You really are worried by all the wrong reasons, aren't you?" Emilia turned away from the man with frustration. "You should be worrying not about me, but yourself. What do you think will occur now that your connection to Echidna has been revealed? Remember, Subaru isn't the only one being judged here."

"…Even that I can yet take care of, Emilia-sama." Roswaal's smile remained unaltered as he declared with confidence. "So long as you do not give up on the Throne, even my sure to come punishment will be nothing but another obstacle in the way."

"…You are the worst." Emilia huffed with disdain.

"That I a~m."

"…" As everyone settled down to watch the coming spectacle, Strange released the stars once more into the room. "BEHOLD!"

The stars aligned until becoming one, and in a radiant blaze resembling the lights of dawn, the newly formed Sun projected before the audience a scene comprised of the most mindboggling battle Lugunica's upper echelon had ever witnessed…

"IMAGES OF IKONN!"

Following the echoes of Strange's yells within the illusory spell covering the Throne Room, hundreds upon hundreds of copies of the Guardians appeared in the projection constructed by the Sorcerer.

Hundreds of Spider-Men, T'Challas, Gamoras… All blitzing at impossible speeds around the image of an infuriated Ultron.

"By the-!" Emilia gasped in pure shock, her green pupils shrinking within her amethyst irises as she realized she was in the Throne Room no longer, her surroundings turning into a ruined and alien City the likes she could never had imagined… No, it was a ruined version of the City she envisioned on her Trials.

The heroes exchanged strikes with Ultron in a most dexterous display of teamwork and skill, confusing even Reinhard as the entirety of the Throne Room witnessed the coordination of the Guardians overwhelm the machine's own defenses. The Sword Saint alone had trouble properly landing attacks on Ultron, so to see the likes of Captain Carter so perfectly organizing some hastily put together team against such an impossible opponent was rather… shocking, to say the least.

"How can they move so fast-?! Is this a Sorcerer's strength?! To equate the battlefield against a monster with such a meager team is just-!" Julius murmured as he failed to understand the sheer speed and strength demonstrated by Subaru and the other Guardians in the memory displayed by Strange.

The Subaru he knows is strong to be sure, but the one in the image is just something else… Breaking buildings, parrying Ultron's impossibly powerful attacks, he sensed as though something had to be boosting the Avenger's might exponentially to even achieve such feats.

"Oh man, from the outside perspective we DO look like flashes of light rather than people! I-It is kinda wild… Might as well change my name to Barry Allen…" Subaru agreed with Julius's murmurs awkwardly, having trouble with looking at himself within the memory acting so bravely and strong whilst battling Ultron. From his perspective, the fight had been one desperate struggle after another with no end in sight, but from the outsider's point of view, it was akin to watching a show of lights with the sudden afterimages of heroes in the middle.

"My people would like to have a word with you, robot."

"Spiritual entities… You really would ask your own dead to fight YOUR war?! T'CHALLA!"

"WAKANDA FOREVER!"

The man called T'Challa summoned an army of Spirits with the command of the Soul Stone, demonstrating to all present the inconceivable potential of the Infinity Stones properly.

"He summoned the souls of the dead… As Spirits-?!" Crusch noted with awe as the spectral panthers rushed around and through her toward the desperate Ultron.

"The souls of the dead…" But due to her surprise, Crusch failed to notice the aghast yet intrigued mumbles of the healer by her side. Felix understood now that his theories about the Soul Stone were speculation no longer, but fact. If he could perfectly summon the soul of a deceased person, then casting the Sacrament of the Immortal King with the Soul Stone in hand could genuinely… It could feasibly resurrect the dead, without any downside. "The Soul Stone's power is the real deal…!"

"In his hand, that is the gemstone Betty held as well." Beatrice indicated with severity, looking at her little hand that had held the Soul Stone.

"The Soul Stone dominates over all Anima of a Universe, going as far as ignoring the will of those who try resisting it. This means, all the energies emitted specifically by Souls and Spirits; Psionic energy would be another term, though calling it only energy too is underselling it… Souls are composed by more than quantifiable numbers-" The Sorcerer attempted an explanation, only for his words to result confusing to everyone but those knowledgeable in the Spirit Arts.

"You suck at explaining about as much as Subaru, in fact." Beatrice turned away from Strange with disgust; even if she understood the man's explanations, his every word frustrated her.

"To freely control all Spirits would be-!" Julius gasped as his own contracted Spirits shone and trembled with fear under his burnt jacket. "Theoretically, if it dominates so unilaterally over Spirits… Could it bypass contracts as well? No wonder you are so terrified… To erase a Contract with a Spirit forcefully, without anything you can do to stop it, would spell the demise for both the Spirit and the Contractor…"

The audience was skipping through most vexing scenarios one after another; knowing some aspects of the fight could trouble Subaru or be altogether too complex for the audience to understand.

Eventually, they came to a standstill amidst the flashes of light speed skirmishes as they finally stood atop a body of water as though they were flying through the air. Whilst they wondered through mists most thick, thinking as though they had dove inside the clouds, Strange's conjurations within the memory cleared the path for them to witness once more…

"WINDS OF WATOOMB!"

*THUD!*

"BY THE OD-!" Otto yelped with terror as he fell on his butt, he and the audience paralyzing in fear as the jaws of a kilometers-sized reptilian beast spawned from the waters underneath them.

Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent, the massive dragon-like snake that by far dwarfed creatures like the White Whale, clashed wrathfully with Ultron as the spectral panthers on its back assisted it expertly.

"Ha… Hahahaha…" Heinkel chuckled at the absurdity of what he was witnessing, his legs trembling as he failed to stand up. His brain refused to acknowledge as real the monsters that bordered on the imaginary, and as such, he shuddered in a fetal position as he giggled in denial. "Ahaha… A dream… Y-Y-Yeah, this is a dream… Ahaha…"

"Kuh…!" Wilhelm too struggled with acknowledging the vision as real, but what troubled him the most with was witnessing his own son in such a deplorable state. Reinhard's hesitation and disgust with himself when parading Subaru as a criminal was already frustrating for the Sword Demon, for his entire family to remain in a state of constant anxiety like this was just… Unbearable.

"Strange… Are you really going to show them the full thing?" Subaru quietly murmured with trouble while everyone else was distracted with the happenings.

"Only what I think they can handle; of course I wouldn't show them Volcanica of all beings, it'd drive them crazy to know I can summon it… I skipped what could trouble you or me."Strange affirmed psychically, not looking at the young man as the image around them distorted in a flash of lights again, showing the destroyed New York once more.

"BANDS OF BEDEVILMENT!"

"Come on, come on!"

"I'm on it-!"

"Get- off-! GET OFF ME!"

Seal after seal piled atop the Synthezoid within the memory as Strange convoked the Bands of Bedevilment, Ultron's body paralyzing as chains of crimson light covered the arcane projection of the recent past.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!" Mimi squeaked with excitement, cheering with brilliant eyes as Subaru and the other Guardians restrained Ultron in chains of pure energy. "LET'S GO! KICK HIS ASS!"

"Uh- Mimi, just keep quiet will ya?" Ricardo tried to appease the excitable little girl as he stared with awe at the illusions.

"So this is how he dies? An insectoid tool grinding him into nothing?" Tivey adjusted his glasses as he took note of everything that had occurred since the interrogation, or better said, the projections started. He felt as though every single detail could come to be useful in handling any such major threat in the future, so he and Hetaro had been silent observers since the beginning.

"Ah- Wait, if it's New York after Jormungand and the Crusher then…" Subaru then face-palmed when he remembered what occurred after the failure of the Infinity Crusher.

"Why art thou suddenly flinching in anxiety, Natsuki?" Priscilla narrowed her vision on Subaru as she murmured. "Is this not how the beast meets its end?"

"Welp that comes later, first-" Before he could justify his dread, the all-encompassing explosion of the Infinity Stones covered the Throne Room.

"I'm honestly shocked."

"Yeah, that happened…" Subaru scratched his head with trouble as he indicated to the projections with a trembling finger.

"Didn't the Watcher warn you? Each Universe is different, each just a fraction unique… THUS the Infinity Stones are different for each Universe!"

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"A portal just like Betty's!" Beatrice pointed out with dread as the sudden apparition of Ultron's portal to the Soul Dimension immobilized the Subaru within the illusion.

"But Subaru is and the others are right there at the center of it all!" Emilia noted with panic.

"This is a portal to the Soul Dimension!"

"The same dimension that you banished me to, Subaru!"

"There is nothing of worth in there… An atrocity in which the metaphysical is palpable, yet empty and devoid of anything that served meaningful purpose. An illogical dimension… Fitting for trash like you, Subaru."

"Goodbye, Avenger!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"SUBARU!" Beatrice shouted with anguish as Subaru was absorbed by Ultron's portal, this one apparently killing the Avenger in the projection instantly.

"I-I'm here Beako…" Subaru tried reassuring the Great Spirit by hugging her, which barely succeeded in quelling her cries.

"Da fuck?!" Garfiel was baffled by the image; Subaru was just crushed to death by the pressure of the portal Ultron threw him in, those screams were a death rattle for sure. "But how?! Didn't Cap'n beat dat asshole?!"

"What is happening…? Subaru could not have died! Is there some sort of mistake in the showing?!" Emilia argued with frustration at the image, not wishing to accept the absurdity of the images as fact. How could she after all? Subaru was here and alive! He couldn't have died in battle and still be here by her side! She thought this, thinking still within the box… Differently to the man by her side.

"…" The Margrave's mind drifted somewhere else altogether as he considered the possibility of Subaru's death being a fake out of some sort. He couldn't jus tdie like this if he was here, so perhaps… There was a trick to his resurrection he wasn't seeing, maybe to the whim of the Sorcerer showing him the battle in the first place.

"I-I don't get it…" Rem mumbled with fear as the portal swallowed Subaru, wishing to look away from the image. "The Subaru-kun in the image just d-d-died… So then, how is Subaru-kun back again here with us?"

"It is quite obvious, maid." Priscilla huffed with exasperation whilst glaring at Subaru. "The boy here is not the same as the one we knew; he's an impostor that-"

"Don't even consider that possibility! I'm not another version of myself, idiot!" Subaru shouted back at Priscilla with indignation. "I'm not a Variant; I'm the same Subaru that gave you that damned projector by your wrist!"

"Variant… That how ya refer ta a parallel self?" Anastasia mentioned with curiosity.

"Hmm…" Priscilla seemed intrigued by the confident declaration. "How do you explain that? As the monster is systematically killing your teammates, how exactly is it that you return from the dead?"

"Betty's Subaru is the real Subaru you irritating wench." Beatrice answered Priscilla with spite, interrupting the Baroness' questions.

"And how can you be so sure, Spirit?" Priscilla asked again, this time with contempt for the little Yin Great Spirit.

"Betty's contract with Subaru remains intact, in fact." Beatrice affirmed confidently whilst glaring back at Priscilla from Subaru's arms. "Were he another Subaru, Betty is confident the contract would remain broken, for he wouldn't be Betty's Subaru."

"Hmph! We know little about how contracts would work in other Realities; do they even exist to begin with, Spirit? Perhaps the impostor's contract with a parallel self of yours simply overwrote yours as he insidiously replaced Natsuki in OUR Reality…" Yet Barielle remained undeterred as she smirked jovially, almost mocking Beatrice as she proposed her doubts as facts.

"How incommesurably rude can you be…" Beatrice growled at the smug Priscilla with disgust.

"You are wrong, Barielle." Strange quickly corrected Priscilla though, interrupting the argument between the Spirit and the noblewoman.

"In what way exactly, interloper?" Priscilla asked whilst turning her head to Strange.

"Contracts are a constant, even between Realities." Strange explained slowly, taking into account his previous difficult explanations. "A Variant of Subaru, even if he held a contract with the Beatrice of his Universe, would be unable to say that contract is the same as that of the Beatrice of THIS Universe. They wouldn't overlap; just remain parallel to one another."

"That just makes the happenings even more confusing then. Are you saying the boy, Natsuki, resurrected from the dead? We saw his demise just now, he couldn't have simply reincarnated onto himself when facing a monster that so one-sidedly control Souls, could he now?" Priscilla looked visibly confused at last as her gaze returned to the illusory projection of Strange's memories.

"Bold of you to assume I died to begin with…" Subaru glared past Priscilla and towards Strange with anger. "Ultron's control of Souls was shoddy at best 'cause he himself LACKED a soul…"

"Was that too much? Showing them the initial defeat?" The Sorcerer Supreme inquired telepathically as he noticed the Avenger staring at him.

"More than TOO much, idiot! No reason to show them my death!" In kind, Subaru answered with his thoughts.

"Return by Death never triggered here, so there isn't much reason in hiding it. Your link to Satella went unrevealed, so you should lighten up-"

"That's not… Don't go yapping about Return by Death! What is wrong with you?!"

"Worry not, MY telepathic links specifically are nigh imperceptible. The Witch of Envy could not hope to interfere with them-"

"Don't think it's something I can just brush under the rug, idiot… You borderline talked it out loud just now! Are you TRYING to clue them in?! What if something happened like in Sanctuary, huh?!"Subaru shook his head away from Strange, frustrated by the Sorcerer's actions. "Just because I could talk to someone about Return by Death, do you think I would?! I don't want to… I don't want to burden others with that. Not even you…"

"…I'm sorry; perhaps I really did overstep." Strange then accelerated the illusions covering the room again, ready to advance onto Ultron's defeat.

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

"What is this?!"

"…ROUND TWO, ASSHOLE!"

"This is the moment in which the tables turned, when the Uni-Power answered our pleas." Strange announced as the illusion showed Spider-Man breaking through the dimensional barrier with a brand new suit and webbings made of Stars and Souls.

"Hey, hey-!" Garfiel jumped with excitement now, much like Mimi did earlier. "Yo, did Cap'n jump back from da portal?! He's beatin' da shit outta Ultron!"

"…" Nevertheless, Garfiel and Mimi seemed to be the only ones to entertain the development with cheerfulness, for everyone else remained silent in shock before the spectacle of Subaru acquiring the 'Uni-Power' as Strange implied.

"Hold on… Didn't the portal crush him to death?"

"I saw a lot of blood loss, that I'm sure of…"

"Did he resurrect himself…?"

"One after another…" Roswaal murmured to himself in a mix of hatred and admiration, bordering on jealousy for Strange. "One after another, powers that defy the logic of what we know, one after another… It is almost disgu~sting, a power that can resurrect you from death."

"…Although you are quite guilty of the like as well, Roswaal. Although I don't know the details of how you've done it for centuries since meeting Echidna, it is something like that right?" Emilia criticized despondently whilst staring at Subaru with pity. "Subaru… It is not as though he really died, but he brought himself back from the brink of death right? It must have… It must have hurt."

"…Doctor Strange, I think these shows are enough." Bordeaux taciturnly, in a quiet voice, insisted whilst rubbing his temples furiously. "We understand it now, you and Natsuki triumphed over Ultron with powers that defy logic, we understand that…"

"…" Strange soon gazed at the flabbergasted audience around him and nodded in agreement. "Maybe the full fight is too much for you right now, but at last you properly understand the kind of force the Kingdom narrowly managed to beat."

*FWOOOM!*

With a shake of his hands, the daylight returned to the darkened Throne Room, and the images of the battle against Ultron ended prematurely.

"Huh?! We are not gonna continue watchin'? What gives?" Garfiel turned to ask the Sorcerer with confusion.

"Mimi too, Mimi too!" The Pearlbaton girl backed Garfiel's sentiment with cute anger. "Mimi wanted ta see Boss-Bro turn Ultron into a junkyard!"

"It isn't necessary, loud morons."

"Anh?!" Garfiel then faced Priscilla, who insulted him and Mimi, with a glare. "Tsk, da asshole bimbo again, eh?"

"We saw Natsuki die, yet in the other Universe, it seemed as though even death wasn't a limit for him to stop Ultron. And if he came back to life to defeat him product of this 'Uni-Power', then it is safe to assume that the claims of Ultron's demise are truthful. Meaning… Continuing to witness events past is unnecessary, a waste of time for the moment." The Baroness' explained with boredom without even looking Garfiel's way. "What intrigues mine divine self however is how exactly did all these events transpire, exactly? The timeframe seems… Rather erroneous, at best."

"Time; it doesn't flow the same in all Universes." Strange clarified, dispelling Priscilla's doubts. "In Ultron's Universe, time flows drastically faster than in your own. The fifteen minutes it took Subaru to leave and return was akin to an entire day in Ultron's Universe, Lady Barielle."

"So those fifteen minutes dragged on much longer for ya, eh?" Anastasia then spoke to Subaru with surprise. "When ya left with that giant in the sky, the fight intensified absurdly. I could hear it from outside the City Walls; the explosions and screams just went off every second afterwards…"

"You don't need to tell me that, I saw the destruction for myself…" Subaru felt like shit as Anastasia described to him the state of the City outside. "Fifteen minutes huh… I should have fought harder, to make it last even less."

"I didn't- Sorry, I worded myself wrong." Anastasia apologized as she sensed the shift in the Avenger's mood. This, however, only made Beatrice and Karen glare at the merchant. "I wasn't blaming ya for taking long or anything, I simply meant ta say it all feels like a fever dream when analyzed… Parallel Worlds and alternate times are a bit too much even for me. On the contrary to blaming ya, I feel thankful it only took ya fifteen minutes…"

"Hmm…" Subaru nodded, acknowledging Anastasia's apology and justifications.

"…To answer your previous question, elder Bordeaux-" Strange once more turned to face the still troubled councilman and proceeded to speak courteously. "I do indeed possess the means to travel across Realities, or rather, to the crevices between them. It is not an easy spell in terms of mana consumption, but it is certainly one I can cast. And yes… The amount of Realities out there is so mindboggling, we might as well call them endless."

"So the Multiverse is just… It is full of Worlds like the ones we just saw? Or was that what awaits beyond the sky and the Great Waterfall?" Anastasia asked back with a shudder, her voice almost breaking whence still processing the awful sight.

"The Multiverse is a congregation of all Realities, the result to every history changing decision made manifest in a branching timeline either eerily similar to your own or wildly different." Strange affirmed with sincerity. "While it is true that even in your own Universe creatures like the Midgard Serpent do exist, the Multiverse as a whole is a vastly wild and incomprehensible place. Which connects to my next point, to verify the will of your Candidates to the Throne."

"Verify the will?" Miklotov's eyes narrowed on the Sorcerer, disliking the implications of his words. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"As I said before the showing, I wished to ascertain whether the Five Royal Candidates would still pursue the Throne… If they knew that dangers like Ultron are destined to occur in the next three years of the Selection." Strange's voice sounded ominous as everyone in the room flinched in shock.

"Wha-?!"

"Oi, oi, did he just say that-?!"

"You serious-?!"

"Sir Sorcerer…" Crusch talked with dread as she motioned forward for Strange's attention. "W-What exactly do you mean by that? The next three years of the Selection… You mean to say, Ultron was only the beginning?"

"Exactly." Strange nodded slowly, his eyes looking dead as he pronounced his next words. "The likes of Ultron are only the beginning. For the next three years, the duration of the Royal Selection… The Royal Candidates shall face dangers like this constantly during that time, so long AS they remain Royal Candidates."

"!" Crusch, Anastasia, Emilia, Felt and Priscilla all looked at the man with shock as he announced such a wild claim.

"If you drop out right now, then you can rest assured the chances of seeing yourselves involved in such risky affairs again will see itself reduced to almost zero, such responsibilities will fall only to the likes of Spider-Man, the Avengers and myself." The Sorcerer continued declaring with a stern tone. "On the contrary, were you to decide to continue participating as a Candidate of Lugunica's Royal Selection, you will find yourselves at the forefront of dealing with these dangers, as Earth's heroes have done so in the past… Can you deal with that?"

"S-So… We are going to face MORE monsters like that?"

"…If that is the case, can't we back out from the Selection as well?"

"I back Lady Anastasia, but… I don't wanna get involved in crap like this any longer…"

"Do we even have a way out though?!"

"If we face dangers like this again, doesn't that just mean we'll get involved even if we don't want to?"

"We are talking about the entire World, It's not as though you can run away in such a situation…"

"…" Crusch considered her options in silence as murmurs of doubt abounded in the Throne Room; the backers of the different Candidates hesitating over remaining in the Throne Room behind their Camps at all. "Sir Sorcerer… A question."

"…Ask away, Lady Karsten."

"How do you know exactly that this is our fate? Is it written in stone somehow, the fate of all present, if you can so confidently claim dangers like Ultron are destined to occur again?"

"It isn't that your fate is written in stone, though… If we go by the means by which you were declared Royal Candidates, maybe it is?" Strange asked back with a playful smirk.

"Please be serious. I understand the involvement of the Dragon's tablet to be important, but what you suggest seems to go beyond even that." Crusch insisted again, denying Strange the satisfaction of pointing out the Royal Selection's means of selecting its Candidates.

"You are right, my apologies for the rudeness." Strange bowed apologetically before looking back at the Duchess. "But how can ascertain the fate of the future dangers? Hmm…"

"…" Subaru's gaze focused on Strange as he meditated an answer, and soon, Strange himself locked eyes with the boy as though an idead had popped inside his mind.

"…I can assure you of the titanic dangers ahead because you are meant to be dead, Lady Karsten." Strange admitted with slight remorse as he continued staring at Subaru. "If Subaru here never arrived to Lugunica… in a Reality not too different to this one, what do you think would have happened to your Kingdom then?"

"…Wouldn't we have…?"

"Um… The Whale would still be around?"

"Sloth too…"

"Subaru-kun… Never came to Lugunica?" As the people around her speculated with trouble, Rem sweated cold at the notion of a Universe in which she never met Subaru. Her kneejerk response was to cling to her sister for dear life. "N-No… I don't want that…!"

"…The children of Arlam would be dead then." Ram closed her eyes whilst hugging back her distressed twin. She swallowed bitterly any insult she could muster for the Sorcerer's rough and uncaring truths.

"…So would my dream…" Roswaal mumbled with darkened eyes, adding to Ram's commentary with anger.

"…The Cult would have killed me…" Otto sitting on the floor tiles murmured too, his face and voice frozen in monotone shock, for he could not muster any more surprise.

"It is possible the hunt for the Whale would have been a disaster." Priscilla considered with disgust, imagining the carnage of such a battlefield with a disgruntled face. "Of course, the one most affected would have been…"

"…We should be dead in said Reality then." Crusch bit her lip with frustration, comprehending the immensely astonishing result of Subaru's nonappearance. "My dream ended so abruptly? It is almost pathetic… to know how lacking my strength is."

"I-I-It is not clyear that is the case, Crusch-sama! Just because that man argues it COULD be true, it does not myean-!" Felix tried to argue, but deep inside, he too felt Strange spoke true.

"Felix-dono, sometimes it is wiser to remain silent…" Wilhelm shushed the nervous catboy as he suppressed his anger, his clenched fists bleeding as he imagined his demise in such a World. "Subaru-dono was THE key figure against the Whale. Without him, our defeat was not speculation but fact."

"Ugh…" Felt could feel her stomach churning at the thought of Subaru never coming to the Kingdom, knowing well that Elsa would have no doubts sliced her apart. Imagining the sight, the little blonde girl faced the assassin nearby with dread…

"I suppose such a Reality would have been less cruel to me, little one… Much to your dismay. Ufufu!" Elsa mocked back the Royal Candidate as they locked eyes with one another.

"Shove it, bitch! If such a Re-Reality were real, Rein would have still kicked yer ass-!" Felt argued as sweat rolled down her uncomfortable face.

"Don't diminish Subaru's appearance so, Felt-sama…" Reinhard regretted with vexation whilst silencing his Lady's claims.

"Rein…?" Felt choked on her own voice as she heard her knight's pitiful voice.

"…The sole reason I was in the Slums the night we met was because I followed Subaru and Emilia-sama's trail, Felt-sama." Reinhard shook his head as he avoided Felt's gaze with shame.

"If Spider-Man hadn't appeared that day, I would have most certainly gutted you, slum dweller." Elsa continued with a disappointed tone. "The half-elf would have either failed to show up in time to reclaim her insignia or… I would have killed her as well."

"Correction, you DID." Strange announced, much to Emilia and Felt's astonishment. "In said Reality, many things went immediately south altogether. Just speaking of the first day alone gives away good amount of dreadful-"

"OI! STRANGE!" Subaru shouted with anger, pissed off at the Sorcerer. "What the hell man?! You keep PULLING this shit! There is NO reason for you to tell them that, idiot! It should be enough with the speculation-!"

"If it were enough with speculation, you wouldn't have been held as a criminal. If the top brass of this Kingdom are to understand the gravity of what they just experienced, then it is better if they comprehend the intricacies of your appearance in detail." Strange argued sternly against the Avenger. "Tough pill to swallow the truth is… As it stands, they wouldn't be able to handle all the things that occurred during the fight with Ultron without losing their minds."

"And the next thing to losing their minds is preferable?!" Subaru turned to look at Emilia by the sidelines with frustration.

"Wait- Wait, wait…!" As the boy and the Sorcerer argued, Emilia trembled in place, taking a step back as she shook her head from side to side.

I would be… Huh? But back then, Elsa appeared… I would have found Felt and Rom's shack by myself without Subaru's help, and yet… I would have died by Elsa's hand? If Subaru wasn't- Huh? If Subaru wasn't around… I would have died, just like that? But Puck was around! I would have-?! I would have…

"How convenient it is to use his image at every turn to justify yourself… Do you really think there is space for those people in such a World? Even after YOU froze them?"

"I'll just simply apologize again and again, so many times that they will surely forgive me! And then… I will show them a World that is afraid of them no longer. The World Mother Fortuna spoke of!"

I-I would have died… Without achieving anything?! That was always my fate-?!

"Huff… Huff… Huff…!" Emilia rapidly gasped and huffed, begging for air as her World crumbled. Dissociating from another Reality to hers had been easy, even after witnessing Ultron decimate the Kingdom in Karen's previous projections. However, when confronting the confirmation that her fate without Subaru's appearance was always failure, demise completely going ignored and unknown… She felt insignificant when presented to an uncaring Cosmos. What were her promises worth if they were always meant to go unfulfilled WITHOUT the intervention of a hero? "Uh… Uh…!"

"EMILIA!" Subaru shouted as she grabbed her by the shoulders, supporting the half-elf and preventing her from falling to the floor as her knees lost strength. In the time Emilia had failed to register her surroundings, Subaru had rushed to her side. "Emilia, breath! Just breathe in-!"

"…That was genuinely uncalled for, Strange." Karen chastised the Sorcerer with a disappointed tone as she slowly approached his side.

"I don't think it is, Karen." Strange however argued with a serious voice. "Realizing their place before the greater Cosmos is a privilege. Ignorance is bliss, yes, but it can also condemn us to surrendering before our greatest vices, quite easily even…"

"Are you saying you'd rub Emilia's failures on her face as a way to force her improvement?" The Synthezoid reasoned with worry.

"Similar to her Trials, I would say." Strange affirmed sternly. "Unlike Uatu, I'm not one to simply watch a train wreck slowly happen before me. If I have to break a couple of wills when trying to protect Reality, then I will."

"Assuming that berating these people's lives IS protecting Reality."

"Just mere baby steps towards that…" Strange lamented with an unreadable face. "Were I to speak freely of what Uatu and I have seen, I could certainly make things go awry or happen far sooner than expected. Were that to occur, I hold no faith in anyone's survival… The next months are essential in stopping the unavoidable."

"…You know something, or that something is coming, don't you? It is not just Emilia's resolve you are testing, but that of all Candidates." Karen affirmed with distrust as she glared at the Sorcerer. "What have your eyes seen? What are you not telling us-?"

"Hmph! Hurtful must it feel to confront what fate you were born for, the poor half-elf." Before Karen could continue questioning the man, Pricilla shook her head despondently as she berated at Emilia, her mocking words tasting sour in the ears of the pair nearby. "A most heartbreaking realization to know her road was always destined to an abrupt end, if not for the intervention of the meddlesome boy."

"You seem to almost revel in her pain, Prisca." Strange murmured with indifference. "It is a tad too arrogant to think you would have fared any better, were not for the sacrifices others have made for you. Don't you think Vollachia will eventually call for your blood-?"

"…Keep what is supposed to be forgotten out of your mouth, insolent brute." Priscilla's apathetic mood dissipated as her gaze turned into a heated glare, meant only for the Sorcerer that dared call her out. "Mineself may know of your strength, but this does not mean I recognize your authority to judge me."

"I'm just saying that hubris could speak your downfall." Strange shook his head with disappointment. "A leader that marches forward without doubts or pauses is admirable, yes, but one that knows when to take a step back and review the roads taken may walk a truer path."

"That is not advice but consolations for those that make life ruining mistakes, intruder. If you cannot even speak of the 'errors' I am bound to commit, then they are a lie to begin with." Priscilla huffed with disdain as she assured her own perfection and bright future. "Mineself is perfect as it is, mine path could not be truer already. The display of the slain Reality speaks true in demonstrating mineself as a superior version to any other lookalike there might be out there… I cannot fail; such a thing does not exist in mine future. Victory over the omnipotent simply cements this ever known fact. May the future introduce dangers of most illogical nature henceforth, for mine divine self will triumph over them all with brilliant colors as a dashing goddess!"

"*Sigh…* Let us hope I'm wrong then." The Sorcerer regretted he could not humble the Baroness. Nevertheless, experience is better a teacher than words and warnings alone.

"I'm-!" Emilia's arms trembled as she held onto Subaru's shoulders, and her troubled eyes slowly calmed down as her breathing stabilized. "I'm… Fine. I'm- I- I think I'm fine, Su-Subaru…"

"The hell you are! You can't even stand strai-!" Subaru wanted to argue, but Emilia pressed onward proving him wrong.

"I-I am fine…" The half-elf barely held it together as she let go of Subaru, standing by herself with difficulty whilst giving the Avenger a nervous smile.

"…You don't need to act tough-" Once more, Subaru worried over her, but Emilia doubled down on her stance.

"I'm not acting tough… I just felt…" Emilia struggled to swallow her insecurities as she kept her smile firm, her gaze regaining her usual brightness as she finally calmed down. "I just felt overwhelmed by it all momentarily."

"…" Subaru wanted to say more, to tell her it was fine to cry and wail after such a harsh truth. But as it was, Emilia might actually be handling the revelation of her death better than expected; better than he was doing even…

"If anything, I think I'm glad…" Emilia ceased trembling as she spoke, her smile becoming sincere as her amethyst eyes looked lovingly into Subaru's black-brown irises. "If I was meant to fail and die so unceremoniously, yet I managed to live past said fate… I think I finally feel in control of my own life. I cannot help but feel thankful to you for that, Subaru…"

"…" Subaru struggled with what to say… Should he say she has it easy, knowing that in the other Realities past her death she could have met unsightly fates BECAUSE Subaru saved her?

Yes, it was easy for her to think she lived thanks to me and leave it at that, especially so when she does not know of the timeline in which I ran away with Rem, or the timeline in which I made her my 'doll'- No… that is an unfair assumption. Emilia is strong for being able to confront the Reality of her death like this; I am the weakling for struggling with the revelation. That Emilia should be dead? That they all should be dead? Is it not arrogant of me to think I was THAT vital? But if those are the words of Strange… Argh, you damned Sorcerer, couldn't you read the fucking room?! Did you come here to defend me or humiliate everyone?! Those are two different things, asshole!

Subaru glared in Strange's direction, angered by the Sorcerer's higher-than-thou attitude and speech. He had thought Strange had come here to simply defend him and ease the tensions with the nobility, not shove in their faces how woefully underprepared they were for any such future threats.

"As I was saying before, Lady Karsten…" Strange continued his speech with solemnity. "Most of you are meant to be dead, yet you are not presently; and this is a direct result of Subaru's arrival and intervention. But that means you will now see yourself involved in even MORE events that might spell your doom if you don't act accordingly in response to them, and I cannot assure either Subaru or myself could protect you in such instances. To top it all, many of these events would involve you solely because you ARE Royal Candidates to the Throne of Lugunca. Knowing all this, will you still pursue the Throne? Or will you issue a resignation from the race immediately to ensure your safety? That is the choice I came to talk to you about."

"These are rude sayings, at the bare minimum." Julius bellowed as he took a step forward, a hand grasping tightly the sword by his hip.

"Indeed… Are you saying Lugunica was always destined to perish? Bastard…" Marcos too stepped alongside the purple haired man in Strange's direction, preparing to attack. There was a ceiling to how much knights of their caliber could take when insulted like this; but being told that the Candidates were all destined to perish, regardless of their presence? Lugunica's Royal Order felt slighted by Strange's affirmations, to say the least.

"Woah, Julius… Calm down man." Subaru stepped forward, trying to ease the knight's tensions. "I know Strange said uncalled shit… But if you attack him-"

"Subaru, please, move aside." Julius requested seriously, glaring at the Sorcerer. "This man has no concept of respect, restrain or remorse. He continues talking of our deaths as though they were something trivial… Or perhaps they are to him, being that he can freely travel across Realities as he pleases. The point being is: Doctor Strange sounds less like a man that cares for our safety and more like a monster that cares for our usefulness… And if he continues talking of Anastasia-sama's death so casually, I will step forward and do what I must."

"…" Strange seemed indifferent as Julius, alongside the armed knights behind, glared at him.

"…I agree he seems absurdly utilitarian at times, but I can assure you he does feel remorse. At the very least, he is capable of apologizing, Marcos, Julius." Subaru assured as a droplet of sweat rolled down his right cheek. "Please reconsider. Strange did not come here as a threat, he came here to… Ensure Ana's survival. Ensure the survival of ALL Candidates. That's- That's what I think."

"I agree with Strange and the half-elf, Julius…" Anastasia rubbed the fox scarf around her neck with fascination as she denied her knight's existential dread. "I found myself thankful for the opportunity of witnessing other Realities, and of knowing of my own demise."

"Huh-?!" The confused Julius knew not how to respond to his master as she spoke with fondness of Strange and Emilia's words.

"Think about it." Anastasia continued with interest. "If we were destined ta die, if we were destined to fail, but we managed to survive, even if by the intervention of mister 'hero' here… Does that not mean our fates are ours already? That WE regained our control?"

"…Mngh…" Julius fell silent at the proclamation of the merchant princess. It would not be a lie for him to admit he felt disappointed on himself for feeling dread where his master saw opportunity for growth.

"Yes, I know, I AM disturbed to know that… Someone out there has my own face, my voice, my body, even my soul; and that THIS someone was simply destined to drop dead inconsequently. Nevertheless, as fearful as I am, it also intrigues me." Anastasia turned to face the Throne past the Council of Elders sitting before it. "Rather than always looking at the grass of the house next to door, I wanna focus on my own yard, ya' know? If I surpassed my death, then I want my life ta be worth something. The 'me' right here and now wants to yell out loud that I lived, that I'm not one of many, that my life meant something… All whilst having everything in her grasp. This entire existential charade about greater forces and all just intensified my ambition, there is just more I want to own and know now. Didn't I tell ya all I was a greedy gal? I wanna be the greatest version of myself, and that version has everything!"

"A bit TOO ambitious I would say… But I suppose the spirit is there." Strange tried to compliment the candidate before staring back at Julius. "Your liege seems motivated rather than anxious about the entire reveal. What of you?"

"…" Julius however refused to look the man in the eye, still troubled on his end.

"You can't just ask us to trust in you after such an awful first impressions, Strange…" Marcos growled with irritation as he stepped back with Julius to the side of the other knights.

"…I'm not telling you to dispel your fears or apprehension of me right away, or discarding them altogether. However, even if uncertain, I just want you to know that I am NOT an enemy. Never forget that, Julius, Marcos."

"Doesn't mean you are an ally. Hmph!" Marcos turned away with disgruntlement.

"Kuh…" Julius didn't want to admit it, but the entire situation just rubbed him the wrong way. Just as Subaru interrupted the Royal Selection's inauguration with denouncements of the Kingdom's complacencies, Strange's declarations of the Kingdom's weaknesses offended him greatly. But… He spoke truth. He spoke true, and he hated hearing it. He knew better than call for a duel again of course, yet that did not mean he could so simply swallow the words of the Sorcerer, even if he saved his World. The finest knight felt conflicted and anxious, with little control of his own life.

"…Best you mull on your sentiments for a while as you look for an answer." Said Sorcerer mumbled as Julius still looked troubled, the pride he once had on his nation's strengths and virtues laying shattered.

"I back that sentiment as well, Anastasia Hoshin." Crusch announced, surprising the purple haired knight and even her own backers and companions. "If we are to move forward with the Selection and with our lives, we should use this knowledge on alternate Realities as a motivator to improve our approaches to the Throne. If anything, this should be proof that WE are either the most united or powerful Lugunica around, and we should aim to ensure that remains the case. We are part of something greater than just a Royal Selection now; we are part of a greater World full of dangers in every corner. Stagnating whilst focusing on our dread for the unknown would be the most deplorable answer we could muster."

"Then the opinions up until now are…" Strange gazed at the Candidates in the room with admiration, their resolute gazes before the enormity of the Cosmos speaking not hesitation but intense ambition instead. "Emilia, Crusch and Anastasia seek to improve themselves, firm in the belief that avoiding certain destruction has granted them control over their own lives."

"Hmm." Emilia nodded in agreement with a resolute gaze.

"For sure!" Anastasia agreed as well cheerily.

"That's right." Crusch smiled solemnly as she leaned back on her wheelchair.

"Priscilla, overconfident as always, proclaims she was always fated for success. Ultron and the other threats never anything beyond roadblocks, despite their power." The Sorcerer gazed back at the proud Baroness.

"Hmph! Most naturally, of course." Priscilla fanned herself as she shrugged unamused.

"So none of you are quitting out of fear for the future. Good! Now then, Felt…" Doctor Strange gazed back at Felt with consideration, gaining the little blonde girl's attention.

"Huh?! Uh…!" Felt froze as all eyes in the room focused on her, the little Royal's lips quivering as she hesitated on what one should even answer when witnessing events so far removed from normalcy.

"So clearly, the least qualified Candidate was always the Slum Dweller, she can't even declare to a stance properly." Priscilla teased Felt with a playful smirk. "Just give up and ensure your safety monkey; it is, objectively speaking, the best road you could possibly take."

"Oh, fuck off bitch!" Felt grumbled pettily as the Baroness' insults infuriated her. Internally however, Felt agreed with Priscilla's words.

Shit… The haughty bitch is right though! What am I even 'spposed to say?! I ain't cut out for all this insane crap!

Two months. In two months, Felt's veneer of normalcy was thoroughly ripped apart and destroyed by Subaru's arrival. One day she was a lowlife petty thief that dreamed excessively big for her league, but come the next day, she was a princess responsible for a plethora of subjects, and that was just the tip of the mountain. Heroes capable enough to slay Calamities, Worlds of advanced technology in the skies, monsters that could wipe entire civilizations with powers beyond imagination… And she was at the center of that storm as one of the people that HAD to take command and make the decisions.

I just wanted to get out of the slums! I didn't ask for all this- this World ending bullshit! This is not what I wanted! I just… Old man Rom an' I, out of that shithole…! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-!

Her brain raced for an answer as she gazed around the room rapidly, the light of her red eyes growing dimmer and ominous as the weight of expectations pressed her down full force, like the waves of the mighty ocean that sink ships most terribly.

"Felt-sama…!" Reinhard felt helpless as his master shuddered pathetically, his heart hurting knowing this was a decision she alone had to take, without his intervention.

"Felt-chan…" Emilia mumbled with pity, never having seen the little blonde girl this confused.

"It'd be simple to say she could just throw her candidacy away… But as a Candidate up until today, she has already attracted too much attention onto herself." Subaru scratched his head as he empathized with Felt's frustration, glaring at Strange all the while.

"Even if she renounced right now, she'd still have to deal with the hassle of being a public figure, especially as one of the people that gets the accolades for the Capital's defense. Can't imagine her life going easy, no matter the choice…" Karen suggested with a sorry expression for the nervous wreck.

"But even that would be safer than remaining a Candidate at the forefront of it all." Strange disagreed with the Synthezoid and the Avenger.

"Tsk-!" Felt clicked her tongue as she heard the murmurs of the people around her, unfairly resenting Subaru for launching her into this kind of life.

Sure must be easy to be in your place huh, Big Bro?! Ya already are good at understanding all this shit, but I'm not like that! It is not as if I can say I will make the country better just like that! I mean, I kinda did two weeks ago, but then it was different! It was one thing to say I'll change it… Can I say that now when the City is destroyed and there are people all over the place desperate for MY help out of all?! When people actually died and all?! Can I promise safety when I've never provided it before?! If ya were in my shoes, what would you say?!

"Whether you chose this life or not, it is yours now and you MUST be responsible about it. You cannot shirk this; it is your responsibility to step up to the task for those that trusted in you, and those you might lead someday."

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH! I'll fuckin' be- whatever man!" Felt growled with anger as Subaru's words resonated within her, yelling energetically whilst ignoring the people surrounding the room. "Fine! If ya want me ta hide me tail between the legs, then fuck right off! I'm staying here, through and through!"

"So you are not resigning from your Candidacy?" Strange asked with surprise. "I thought of all, you might wish to retract your involvement."

"As if! Even if I have to fight a hundred Ultrons, like hell I'm letting someone like that fat bitch get ahead of me!" Felt pointed to Priscilla with indignation, indicating her willingness to take the Throne. "I said it already, didn't I?! I'll destroy this country and make it WAY better than it is! All the crap about dangers ahead just works in my favor in culling the fake assholes that wanted ta suck off me."

"As you, and pardon my disgusting Slum Dwelling mannerism, 'suck off' the Sword Saint?" Priscilla reproached Felt with disdain as she exaggerated herself up. "You cannot be serious in saying you'd face a hundred Ultrons when the ones you'd send forward to fight in your stead are Natsuki and the Sword Saint; that's just a fragile girl's bravado talking."

"Ugh! Lay off my back! You have yer resolve and I have mine! And mine yells that I wanna win and make this country better, so we don't need bitches like ya!"

"Hah… You wouldn't even know 'better' if it struck you in the face." Priscilla mocked the infuriated Felt again whilst shaking her head with disappointment. "Be thankful I feel generous today, even after the loss of many of my men. Otherwise, I'd have you beheaded for the insolence of talking back to me as though we were on equal grounds."

"Please, refrain from speaking such threats, Priscilla-sama." Reinhard interrupted, stepping into the conversation with worry drawn on his face. "Even in jest, such dreadful commentary is ill adequate, especially so in this situation."

The elders discussed their roads with trouble as the Candidates affirmed their convictions to pursue the Throne despite Strange's warnings of coming dangers.

"Hmmm… With Strange taking it upon himself to confirm the resolve of the Candidates…" From his seat, Miklotov considered the Council's options tiredly whilst scratching his beard. "It feels as though we've lost the edge or relevance in this interrogation."

"To begin with, we were here to ascertain Natsuki Subaru's fate and the information on Ultron and the so-called 'Infinity Stones' he could provide."

"Now, I feel small in comparison."

"All in all, the only road we really have available is releasing Natsuki free of the charges, right?"

"Regardless of what the Candidates' desires may be, as members of the Council, we'll still have to be at the forefront of the coming dangers Strange warned us of." Marcos opted to meddled with ominous words as he returned to the side of the Council. "We should focus on such, taking last night's battle as a point of reference to revise our defenses of-"

"Hold it, everyone." Bordeaux then interrupted with a sever voice, grabbing the attention of the councilmen and Marcos.

"Something on your mind, Bordeaux?" Miklotov asked with curiosity. "I know you are not particularly fond of Natsuki, but our only option is his freedom."

"Damn right I'm not fond of him, but I'll at least acknowledge he's free of punishment." Bordeaux nodded whilst still speaking sternly. "From the sound of it, that Tony Stark guy must have chosen to train Natsuki as a way to make up for Ultron anyways, a protégé to surpass his own failures… Which he did, apparently."

"Then what is your complaint right now?"

"The Whale in the room… Roswaal." The eyes of Bordeaux, as well as those of the Council and Marcos, all focused on Roswaal by Emilia's side. "Are we really going to ignore the fact that he attempts to resurrect a Witch?"

"…" Miklotov and the others ruminated with anxiety over the decision of what to do with Roswaal.

Whilst some of them clearly could not care less for Emilia, seeing the chance of disposing of her backer in pursuing the Throne as something convenient, the fact remained that Roswaal was too influential of a political figure and combatant to remove from the board. With the Divine Dragon's pact at risk, Roswaal and Reinhard's powers were too vital a deterrent for potential wars against Vollachia and Gusteko; he was a precious soldier that prevented an armed conflict from breaking out. Add to that that, as Margrave ruling over Lugunica's northern borders, his connections above and under the table were too numerous to simply discard. He was vital too in bringing Natsuki along to the Capital, which resulted in the World being saved… So how can they punish a man like that? Their authority over the man faltered knowing that, even if guilty, they lost more than they gained from punishing him.

"In the words of Ultron, Roswaal's 'little book' did not foresaw him… Does that mean he has a Gospel? In that case, he is equivalent to a Witch Cultist. According to the law, he ought to be punished upon capture, and yet, losing Margrave Mathers' talents would be too heavy a blow for our already damaged military and martial might." Bordeaux discussed with nervousness, meditating his next move heavily.

"I couldn't help but overhear your words, Elder Bordeaux. Are you having trouble in what path to take in regards to Roswaal's punishment?" Strange spoke aloud for everyone to hear, taking the Council by surprise.

"Tsk! Taking the conversation by storm again…" Bordeaux clicked his tongue with hatred for Strange.

"That's right… Roswaal follows a Witch!"

"Tsk! So he chose the half-elf because he's a cultist?!"

"Bastard, his entire Camp are monsters…"

"*Gulp!* I cannot help but feel as this conversation has suddenly shifted into a glaring contest with us at the center." Otto swallowed with trouble as he gazed around at the stern expressions of those present.

"Tche! Tis' all da clown's fault fer bein' a creepy ass." Garfiel growled with disdain whilst glaring at Roswaal.

"So it is time, for my pu~nishment." Roswaal stepped forward with a resigned smile.

"R-Roswaal-sama…" Ram murmured with frustration, trying to reach for the man to no avail.

"Don't bother, Ra~m." Roswaal shook the oni's hand gently as he walked to the center of the room to face his judgement. "We knew this was co~ming when we came to the Capital anyways… It was what always lied beyo~nd the conflict we just fought."

"Kuh…" Ram lamented pitifully, to which Rem seemed nervous about.

"…" Unlike her twin, the blue oni couldn't help but stare at her master with contempt and even fear. Her trust for her employer seemed shattered after the revelation of his involvement with a Witch and the possession of a 'Gospel'. To say she felt betrayed was an understatement, so she also felt conflicted when seeing her twin emotionally torn like this.

"…Margrave Mathers." Bordeaux was the first to speak as Roswaal approached the Council's table. "Is it truth that you are a Witch cultist?"

"…Keep in mind, I can tell if you lie Margrave Mathers." Reinhard added to the Elder's words.

"No." Roswaal limited himself to respond with brief and concise words, ignoring the Sword Saint's warning.

"But you wish to resurrect a Witch, yes?"

"The Witch of Greed, elder…" Roswaal.

"…Are you in possession of a Gospel?"

"No."

"Then how do you explain the 'little book' that failed to foresee Ultron?"

"…" Roswaal hesitated for a few seconds in revealing the source of his four hundred years' worth of loyalty. Rapidly, his eyes drifted to the side to see… Beatrice, held in Subaru's arms, staring right back at him. "…Rather than a disgusting Gospel, it was a book desi~gned by the Witch of Greed, referred to as the 'Book of Wisdom', elder Bordeaux."

"And WHERE exactly is that book right now?" Bordeaux stressed with suspicion.

"Destroyed… By my servant, Ram, alongside the youngsters Garfiel Tinsel and Subaru Natsuki." Roswaal admitted with reluctant sincerity. "With it gone, I no longer possess the means to ga~ze into the future."

"…Gaze… Into the future?" Crusch found herself infuriated as she heard the Margrave speak. "HEY!"

*THUD!*

"Crusch-sama?!" Felix shrieked with surprise as his liege, despite her injuries, stood up hastily, full of indignation whilst glaring at the man with hatred.

*SHWIN!*

"You!" Crusch unsheathed her broken blade, pointing it a Roswaal as the knights earlier had done so with Strange. "You accursed bastard!"

"Uuuh, what's wrong with Karsten?" Anastasia took a step back with confusion.

"Woah, woah, Crusch!" Subaru swung his arms in alarm. "I hate the guy too! A lot really! But if you attack him right now it could be dangerous!"

"This man… How long did you have that book in your possession, Margrave Mathers?!" Crusch asked whilst her blade shone green with wind mana. "If it's a relic left behind by a Witch that resided in your territories, then likely since you were born, right?!"

"!" Bordeaux, Miklotov, Marcos, Felix, Julius and all present caught onto what Crusch was proposing with anger and dread.

"You knew of the Royal Family's demise since years prior, didn't you?!" Crusch inquired with anger once again, full on glaring at the nobleman.

"…I did." Roswaal confessed quietly with a nod, his smug smirk unfaltering.

"Kuh!" That was all Crusch Karsten needed to hear, for immediately after, her vision turned red as she swung down her blade with hatred for the Margrave.

*SLASH!*

"Hmm… I'd rather you didn't do that again, Lady Karsten." Strange absorbed Crusch's attack onto his own body, protecting Roswaal behind him.

"Kah…!" Crusch plummeted to her wheelchair, exhausted by her own attack. "Ugh… Sir Sorcerer… Please, step aside."

"…I cannot afford to do so." Strange shook his head slowly as he proclaimed that Roswaal was under his protection. For whatever reason, he would not allow harm to come to Roswaal.

"This man knew of the Royal Family's demise, of Fourier's death for years prior to actually happening and did nothing to prevent such a tragedy! How can you expect me not to do something about it-?!" Crusch gasped for air as she argued her case.

"She is right, Sorcerer!" Bordeaux shouted with anger from the Council's table. "This man… do you even realize how many dangers we could have avoided if he had fessed up about the Royal Family's end?! Or even before that, the White Whale's appearance and Theresia van Astrea's death?!"

"Indeed, that is true." Strange said as he turned to look at Roswaal with indifference. "His ancestors knew of such events for decades before he was even born, after all."

"His-?!" Bordeaux almost bit his tongue as the sayings sunk in, his face morphing into terror of Roswaal's family. "Ancestor… Yo-Your Grandmother… Knew of the Royal Family's death-?!"

"His entire bloodline was in pursuit of the Witch of Greed's resurrection, Elders." Strange affirmed again with monotony. "The desire of the late Roswaal Altair Mathers, who lived four hundred years ago, tied his entire bloodline to said objective, so it was natural that every person to inherit the 'Roswaal' name would come to pursue it as well."

Wilhelm, Heinkel and Reinhard; all three men of the Astrea household stared at Roswaal with complex emotions upon the revelation of this truth.

"Piece of trash…" Wilhelm's face was stuck in hatred for the man, similar to his master. "So even Julia was part of this rotten scheme? Decades in the making is just…!"

"H-H-Huuu…" Heinkel stared with confusion then, wondering if his own life was preordained and directed towards failure by the whims of higher powers if even his mother's death could be foretold.

"…" Lastly Reinhard… Reinhard froze in shock as he drifted for an answer. Should he be infuriated by the proclamation? Sad? …Should he laugh about it instead, for it made him feel so absurdly insignificant in the face of it all? He was always destined to kill his grandmother then, if the book predicted it would occur. Not knowing how to feel, not knowing if your life was even your own… How do you react to that?

"…Roswaal." Miklotov spoke with restrained anger then, disrupting the anguish of the Astrea family. "Your book, did it predict last night's events?"

"No, it did not." Roswaal affirmed with sincerity again. Having come this far, he could only speak with the truth, for he knew deception might drive Strange's protection away. If the Sorcerer was the only one that could stop an infuriated Reinhard, then he could not afford to lose it.

"Is this true? Crusch-sama…"

"…Yes, it is true." Crusch confirmed while still glaring at Roswaal with contempt.

"For whatever reason…" Roswaal continued talking, trying to justify himself, or at least preserve a measure of credibility amongst those present by confessing some truths. "There are events even the Book could not predict… These included Ultro~n's attack and its own burning by the hand of Ram, Garfiel and Subaru."

"…Apart from the demise of the Royal family and the appearance of the White Whale, what events DID it predict?" Miklotov wondered again with hostility.

"…Emilia-sama's candidacy, Natsuki Subaru's appearance, Natsuki Subaru's slaying of the White Whale and Sloth, and the appearance of the Great Rabbit in the Forest of Kremaldy." Roswaal relayed as he closed his eyes, basking in the memories of the boy from another world that derailed his path wildly. "But that same bo~y that the book indicated me to recruit ended up being the uncontrollable va~riable that rewrote everything faster than I could handle. In the end, the shackles of the fate I envisioned were shaken by Spider-Man's presence, elders…"

"So again, Spider-Man's assistance breaks us away from the control of a higher force…" Bordeaux was almost sick of the matter; just how VITAL was Subaru's mere existence to the continued survival of Lugunica?! It was absurd that in a mere two months he had become this influential! "You do realize that now that we MUST punish you, you are the half-elf's backer no longer?!"

"Doesn't that mean the half-de… Emilia-sama should just drop out from the Selection?"

"That would be a path."

"Her backer was a Witch's servant! She should be punished too-!"

"…Emilia-sama's candidacy didn't have anything to do with the book, however." Roswaal added one last thing before falling silent for good, trying to save face for Emilia from the merciless murmurs of the crowd, for the sake of his dream. "She was already destined to become a Royal Selection Candidate, chosen by the Dragon. I simply… took advantage of that by becoming her backer."

"…Even if I were to lose Roswaal's backing, I won't give up on the Throne." Emilia declared aloud, silencing the crowd calling for her expulsion. "As I said before, elders, knight and nobles of Lugunica: I really, rea~lly aim to be crowned, no matter what. Losing my backer… It'll be a stumble, not my fall."

"Emilia-sama…" Frederica mumbled with admiration for the half-elf.

"The fact remains that, despite it being a result of Roswaal's depraved intentions, Emilia-sama here slayed the Great Rabbit." Miklotov announced tiredly whilst scratching the back of his head. "As with the Whale's accumulated rewards, which were divided amongst all Camps of the Alliance upon its slaying, the accumulated rewards for the Rabbit will all go to the Emilia Camp."

"The Great Rabbit's accumulated rewards…" Otto wondered with curiosity, doing rough estimations on his head. "Maybe it wouldn't put Emilia-sama above the other Candidates, but… Even without Roswaal's backing, that should be enough to finance her campaign safely for a year."

"Isn't dat good then? We could work with princess during dat year ta ensure other sources o' steady outcome, even without da clown's help!" Garfiel smirked as he realized that Roswaal's loss did not necessarily meant the Emilia Camp's disbandment.

"That still leaves us with the matter of WHAT to do with Roswaal." Marcos reminded Miklotov. "It was one thing to know he was trying to resurrect a Witch. Now that we know that he did so whilst deliberately causing and allowing harm upon the Kingdom… Can he really be called indispensable anymore?"

"His power and magical knowledge is vital in preventing war with Gusteko, but… We cannot forgive what you have allowed upon our Kingdom, Roswaal." Miklotov nodded in agreement with Marcos.

"KILL HIM!"

"EXECUTE THE TRAITOR!"

"KILL ROSWAAL!"

The knights and nobility's anguish and hatred, which was originally aimed at Subaru, shifted towards Roswaal now. With calls for his execution, Ram glared at the people in the Throne Room with disdain.

"Kagh… This is the worst! Roswaal-sama… Ram can accept that you may be imprisoned, but if it is to the guillotine… I…" Ram mumbled with anger and frustration as she proposed herself to save Roswaal from being executed for his crimes.

"Why would you ponder on saving him, Nee-sama?" Rem asked ominously, in a cold voice. Sensing her sister's anxiety for her employer's safety.

"…" Ram flinched as she heard Rem spoke so coldly to her, feeling as though something had changed in her. Locked in their own little microcosm as they talked, the twins silenced the shouts for Roswaal's death from their ears as they discussed in an eerie tone.

"It's odd… Isn't it, Nee-sama?" Rem asked again whilst turning away from her sister. "Why do you… Act as though Roswaal-sama were so vital?"

"Rem…"

"When he stepped forward, you acted as though you dreaded whatever could be talked about."

"Rem…"

"Ram Nee-sama has always been close to Roswaal, closer than Rem or Frederica even."

"Rem…"

"Ram Nee-sama… No, Ram." Rem turned her head to the side and stared with cold blue eyes at her twin as she spoke with animosity. For the first time, the oni twins saw conflict with one another. "Did Roswaal-sama know about the Witch Cult's raid on our village? Did he know of our brethren's death?"

"Rem… Please, don't speak anymore." In a fit of anxiety, Ram asked her little sister to remain quiet as she considered her options. Roswaal's guilt had driven a wedge between the oni twins.

A few meters away from the twins, Elsa thought to herself.

I wonder what they would say if they knew, he contracted me to steal the half-elf's insignia… Probably nothing, if he is already destined for the chopping block.

And ANOTHER few meters away from Elsa, nearer to Roswaal and Strange, Subaru racked his brain for a solution.

"…Uhhh, Karen, Beako?" Looking around the Throne Room with confusion, Subaru felt awful as everyone called for Roswaal's death. "I-I-I think we messed up real bad, didn't we?"

"…Betty doesn't want Roswaal to die, but with what he has done over the centuries, he reaps what he sows, I suppose." Beatrice lamented with sadness as she stared at the mage with pity.

"I, for one, couldn't care less." Karen shook her head with boredom. "Roswaal had it coming, we all know it."

"Y-Yeah, but…" Subaru whispered with trouble as he face-palmed. "I thought… Imprisonment would be the answer, not execution…"

"You should just be careful that Emilia had the confidence to say she can stand even without his backing; that way, you won't have any guilt in her losing power in the race." The Synthezoid commented with a smile, trying to ease Subaru's guilt.

"Moreover, it was Strange that prompted the conversation about the Candidates' resolve to move onto Roswaal's guilt, so you are free of that weight upon yourself as well, in fact." Beatrice accompanied in a pensive tone.

"Hngh, but even so…" Subaru stared at Roswaal with worry, and even pity. Although he knew it would be deserved if the Elders condemned Roswaal to death, and Emilia seemingly accepted this outcome as well, he could not help but feel guilty about the situation.

Why must I feel guilt for a man that deserves to die?!

"What intrigues me though Is why the Elders haven't taken a decision yet." Anastasia murmured to Subaru with curiosity. "Is it because the Sorcerer, Strange just protected him from Crusch's attack? With the whole book that sees the future revelation, you would think this was a one and done case, and yet, they've yet ta call for the specific punishment."

"…" Subaru considered Anastasia's words with caution as he stared at Roswaal and Strange, particularly at the Sorcerer.

Anastasia is right; Strange has been odd from the get-go though. Revealing the fight, talking about people's deaths, coming dangers he won't delve deeper into, defending Roswaal… What the fuck is he doing?! Why is he playing the mysterious wildcard?!

And as if reading his thoughts, Strange smirked as he directed himself to everyone in the room once more.

"Elders, Camps, all nobles and knights present." Strange spoke eloquently as disrupted the animosity focused on Roswaal. "As you all say, the punishment Roswaal should receive for his crimes is the death penalty."

"Yeah!"

"Kill him!"

"Execute the Margrave!"

"…" Roswaal looked at Strange with doubt as he fanned the flames of his execution, thinking with curiosity just what was he playing at.

Why is this man so intent in both revealing my true nature, yet omitting key details like my Soul transference, all whilst DEFENDING me? Does he need me for something? Is he pushing to put me in a desperate position in which I obey him and ONLY him?

"HOWEVER-!" Strange continued, his loud voice interrupting the shouts once more. "The reason you've yet to impart a verdict on his fate is BECAUSE, despite his clearly shady motives and more than underhanded actions, Roswaal's prowess as a mage and his connections with many key figures is needed to maintain order in the Kingdom, right?"

"…" The yells calling for Roswaal's death fell silent as Strange's declaration sunk in.

"We…"

"With the disaster that is the City…"

"Wouldn't Vollachia invade if Roswaal were to die?"

"Gusteko too…"

"He keeps the northern border under control, the Margrave…"

"So I am right then, Elder Miklotov?" Strange asked again, a smug smile on his face.

"…Yes, you are." Miklotov sweated cold as Strange spoke as if seeing through him. One collective thought coursing through the heads of the Council and Marcos as they stared at Strange…

Scary… This Sorcerer is scary.

"Then, allow ME to propose a solution to your conundrum in regards to one Roswaal L. Mathers…" Strange finally declared his real intentions in disrupting the meeting and coming to Lugunica. Beyond helping Subaru, beyond testing the resolve of the Royal Candidates, beyond teaching them about the Multiverse, beyond teaching everyone about their weaknesses, beyond acting warning of cryptic dangers ahead, Strange declared… A proposition most vexing for all involved. "Let me keep watch of him as my student in the Mystic Arts."

"…HUH?!" The entire room fell on their butts as the strange Sorcerer Supreme spoke and insane proposal.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

OOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOH BOY! What a TWIST! Biggest TWIST since PEPSI TWIST!

I'd call this one of the densest chapters in the series, not gonna lie… I had to rewrite it like six times until I was satisfied with the result though. It's just that too much stuff happened in one go.

For real though, if any of you felt confused reading this chapter, then I succeeded in writing it. I MEANT for Strange to act like a ridiculous, chaotic lunatic, but trust me, THERE IS A PURPOSE TO THAT!

I also set up a LOOOOOOT of conflicts here and there, if you noticed. Like Ram and Rem, they'll have much to talk about after the interrogation is over.

Expect Aldebaran to finally speak up and react next chapter though; I know I missed his interactions when amongst other characters, but that was on purpose.

As always, expecting those criticisms and reviews eagerly!

SEE YOU NEXT CHAPTER, BYE-BYE!