By now, the whole night had elapsed and dawn broke over the forest. The rising sun cast a long shadow behind him, and rays of light hit his eyes through the dense treeline.
Halibel's sacrifice couldn't be in vain. Subaru had finally accomplished what he had set out to do. He had kept the others safe, and he had killed Roswaal. Failure now would be unacceptable in his mind.
Subaru looked down at his left hand, where his index finger had been ripped clean off. The oozing red reflected the freshness of the wound, but the pain itself was bearable. Subaru had gone into shock again, a sensation he was - at this point - quite familiar with. He had another injury too. A big chunk of flesh had been torn out of his right calf, which impeded his running, reducing his sprinting speed. Nonetheless, he pressed on.
Finally, he could see the town come into view.
"Subaru!" a familiar voice called out to him. Rem.
Her voice had quite an effect on him. A great feeling of relief overcame him, making his legs weak. He collapsed to the ground, falling face-first into the mud.
/ I made it in time. / He thought gratefully.
The maid rushed to him, and saw that he was injured.
"Mana of water heal this broken body" Rem chanted quickly, holding her palms over his bloodied leg. The wound on his leg slowly began to close and his flesh restored itself.
"What happened?" She asked him.
Through batted breaths, he managed a response. "Roswaal, Beatrice... Dead. Attacked by rabbits... Halibel died too." He had to pause as he spoke, gasping for air he so desperatly needed. "Rem... Why are you here? I thought-"
"Shhh. Don't worry about that now." Rem shushed him.
"No. You're in danger. Those rabbits, I think they're coming here next." He stated, finally getting his voice back properly. "We have to go."
"Rabbits?" An new voice piped up.
Subaru rolled his body to face the unknown person. It was a blonde boy, who seemed a bit younger than himself. He was quite short, but stocky and well-built, with a muscular frame. Subaru thought he looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Subaru cocked an eyebrow, as if to ask 'Who are you?'.
"Garfiel." The boy answered him. "You said rabbits. White ones? With red eyes?"
/ That's Garfiel? / Subaru was surprised. Last time they saw each other, Garfiel was a hulking beast. / Rem must have dealt with him somehow. / He reasoned.
Subaru nodded his head, confirming the boys description. "A swarm of them. They tore Halibel to bits. He died to buy me time to run away."
Garfiel's eyes widened. "The Great Rabbit." He muttered.
The realization aroused worry in Garfiel. "Oi Rem. This is no good. If the Great Rabbit is here..." Garfiel eyed Subaru's injuries. "And by the looks of it, it is. Then we need to evacuate the town."
"Huh?" There were a million questions swirling in Rem's head:
What had happened to Beatrice? How had Subaru defeated Roswaal? What became of the witch's corpse? What was this 'Great Rabbit'?
However, she realized this wasn't the time or place for those questions: there was potentially a terrible threat approaching. She would have to operate on what limited information she had. She looked down at Subaru's broken body.
/ He's completely exhausted, and we need to get out of here. / From this noise of new revelations, that was the conclusion she came to. The priority she had established in her mind.
"Okay Garfiel." Using her abnormal strength, she slung Subaru over her shoulder. The boy could go no further, at least not unassisted.
Garfiel went on ahead of them, frantically going door to door, trying to alert the townsfolk of the impending danger. Rem sat Subaru down on a nearby bench and went to assist the younger boy. Subaru just sat there, shell shocked, cradling his wounded hand in the other.
Only a few minutes passed before a piercing shriek resonated through the settlement. A old lady, with bad bones and grey hair had been the first victim. The rabbit had arrived. Garfiel moved even faster, trying to wrangle everybody to safety, but it was all for nothing.
/ It's no use. There's not a damn thing we can do about it. When they come, this'll all be over. / It was in the bloodloss and confusion that a moment of lucidity dawned on Subaru. He watched the panicked reactions of the people as they were alerted to the impending threat. / I wonder if this is what a warzone looks like. /
"Subaru-kun!" Rem reapproached him, snapping the boy out of his thougths.
"Rem." Subaru's voice was meek, barely audible amidst the growing chaos surrounding the two of them.
"We gotta go. Come on, come on!" She tugged at his shoulders, begging him to stand up.
By now, the rabbits had descended upon them in full force. Screams of terror filled the air. This wasn't a targeted attack, or a military campaign. No. This was a natural disaster, indiscriminately killing anyone present. Men, women, children, the elderly and the invalid, none were to spared from this mindless, gluttonous foe.
Subaru tried to stand, but his legs gave out beneath him. There was no more fuel in the tank. His use of the authority, coupled with the exertion of this day and the previous were simply too much.
"Rem is going to carry you." Rem put him on her back and tried to march them away from danger. She too was tired though, not moving as quickly as she might have. The extra load of a Subaru piggy-back was not helping either. Still, she somehow managed as they went into the forest.
Behind him, Subaru heard russling. An ominous rustling indicated the presence of rabbits behind them, and Rem endeavoured to speed up, trying her damndest to save them.
Subaru craned his neck and looked behind him. Specks of white came into view, alerting him to the enemy tailing them.
"Rem." Subaru coughed out. "Stop."
"No. Rem can't. Rem won't." She cried out.
Subaru reached into the breast pocket of his kimono, wrapping his fingers around the tang of his blade. He let go of Rem, letting himself fall to ground with a thud and rolling a distance.
Rem turned back to him, and saw him holding the knife over his head. His expression was so calm one might think he was holding up a phone in bed.
The knife itself was already bloody, having just recently pierced through Roswaal.
Rem ran to him and fell to her knees.
"Stop. You can't." Rem whined out. The emotions had flushed her face with blood, giving her a rosy hue.
"Even like this... You're so pretty." Subaru said.
"What are you talking about! This isn't the time-"
"Do it for me, because I can't." Subaru continued, ignoring her pleas. "I'm not strong enough."
"No. You can't ask me to do that. Anything else, but not that!" Hot tears gently kissed Subaru's cheek, but they weren't his. They had fallen from the girl positioned above him.
"Make it painless. The neck or the head." Subaru moved his arm, grasping Rem's wrist and moving her hand towards the knife. "That's better then both of us being torn up by them."
By now, the rabbits had surrounded the two of them.
"Please." Subaru whispered solemnly.
Rem's fingers had been limp, but now they tightened around the dagger. "You're so cruel. You know that? Asking Rem to do this. Really, really cruel."
Subaru knew she was right. As she held his knife, he reached up and wiped her tears away. "Don't worry Rem. This isn't giving up. This is just the beginning. I love you. You're the only one I can ask to do this."
Rem snivelled and then nodded her head. "Okay."
Rem started to count down. "Three.. Two... "
There was no 'One'. Rem slammed down the chunk of metal in her hands. She struck true. Subaru's skull caved in as his forehead collapsed under the impact of the blade.
A coppery scent filled Rem's nostrils. And then a flash to a different place.
Unbearable pain, for a single second.
Pain.
And then relief.
Subaru fell over and grabbed his forehead with both hands. Folded tents made a metallic 'ding' as they fell to the floor.
The lingering pain made him stiffen up, like electric current ran through his body, it made his muscles seize in various places.
It took a while for Subaru to get a hold of himself, but when did, he looked towards Rem, and saw she was shook and despondent. The package of food she had been carrying had also fallen.
Rem was looking down at her hands. The image of what she had just done clung to her mind like an unwanted stain. She rubbed her fingers against her sweaty palms, trying to maybe peel off some of the blood that was already gone. Or rather, blood that had never been.
"I'm sorry Rem. Really sorry." Subaru spoke up as he walked towards the girl. "I didn't mean to put you through that."
"Huh?" Rem's didn't react, her face was still other than her moving lips. She seemed to be in some kind of trance.
Rem's attitude made Subaru feel a pang of guilt. It was clear the incident would inflict some psychic damage on her.
/ I'm such a damn scumbag. / He talked himself down internally. / Using her that way. I'm really horrible, aren't I? /
"Thank you Rem. Honestly, you did me a favor. Although, asking you to do that really was cruel."
Subaru's words caused Rem's face to twitch oddly. "A favor? Is that what you call it?" A hint of annoyance laced her voice. More than that though, there was an overwhelming sadness in her tone.
Subaru gulped, but he wouldn't hide his true feelings. "Yes. It was a favor. For me, that was the best possible outcome. I know you think differently about this, but my dying and yours are completely different."
Subaru took an algebraic response to this very emotional problem.
"I can't stand to see you die." He continued. "You don't come back. I do. I know you might not understand, but when I saw you there, dead, at the mansion. Well, that was just about the worst thing I've ever had to experience. No joke. So, yeah, it was a favor. My dying there was a net positive."
Rem could see his logic, what Subaru was saying made sense. But in her mind, it being logical and it being valid were wholly seperate issues. The whole thing just made her feel dirty.
She didn't say anything.
"Hey Rem?" Subaru said casually.
"What is it?"
"I think we should break up."
Rem blinked.
/ Subaru-kun... What? / She was deeply surprised at the statement.
"You just said you loved me."
"Exactly. That's why. I keep hurting you and hurting you... I can barely live with myself." Subaru said. "Maybe, with a bit of space between us, you can escape my orbit, and you'll stop getting involved with all this stuff. And besides, I'm not much of a man."
"Escape your orbit? What are you talking about?" Rem didn't want this. "Rem doesn't think that you should be responsible for everything. It's not fair you're the only one who remembers. And, what if you really do snap and-"
"Then it'll be my fault." Subaru cut her off. "I didn't believe it at first, but now I'm certain. I'm a bad-luck charm, Rem. Betelgeuse, Capella, Zerestia, Echidna... Need I go on? These creeps are all attracted to me like flies to a turd. If you stick around, you'll just get hurt more. You'll have to hurt me more! You get it?"
Buried emotion gushed forth from him, like a flood breaking a dam. Flashes of that gruesome scene at the mansion played in Subaru's mind, reminding him of his failures.
"Subaru-kun."
"I'm a damn nobody! I don't have the power to protect you! When you died, do you know what I was doing? I was hiding in the library like a rat, twiddling my thumbs and feeling sorry for myself. Your death was because of me, and I can't stand that."
Rem tried to interrupt, but Subaru went on. "I really deluded myself. I so badly wanted to be the hero of this story, when I haven't done a single thing to earn it. I'm just a weakling... Before I met you, do you know what I did? I did nothing. I lived a life of self-indulgence and apathy. I'm a horrible person, and it doesn't matter where I am - Lugunica or Japan - I'll always be a loser blowhard, grand-standing instead of actually accomplishing anything. Your sister saw that side of me perfectly well... I'm surprised that you can't."
Subaru continued. "I wanted to hide it. That's why I was shootin' off at Roswaal, I was trying to pretend I was strong. But the truth is I'm a shithead and a coward, and I can't ever save you."
There was silence for a second. Rem soaked in the meaning of Subaru's words, diagnosing that the boy, at this moment, hated himself.
Subaru stood there sadly. He was the image of 'pathetic', his head hunched forward and his eyes cast to the floor.
"...I can't save you..." He said again, more quietly.
"That's not true." Rem's voice interrupted whatever was going through his head.
Subaru looked up at her.
"You've saved me plenty of times." She started, pausing to consider her words carefully.
"How can you say that!?"
"You saved me from that lonely life at the mansion. Before you came, I spoke to nobody but Ram, but these days I feel like I'm friends with everyone."
"That wasn't me. You always had that in you, it was-"
"You saved me that day you took me out to the village. You filled a hole in my heart, a hole Rem didn't even know she had." Rem's eyes felt moist now.
"What are talking about, I was just chasing tail-" Subaru was raising his voice, trying to get a word in. Rem wouldn't let him.
"When Tia told us I was pregnant, and you hugged me, and held me close, you saved me a third time." Rem had tears rolling down her cheek, but she couldn't tell if they were happy or sad.
"Even when you think you're a bad guy, I will always believe in you. Because I know you, and I trust you, and because I... I... love you! Even when you don't realize it, you're always saving me!"
"I'm not-"
"You are!" Rem looked him dead in the eye, and the Subaru was speechless at her emotional state. "And don't say you're not, because it breaks Rem's heart! This whole time, you've only been thinking about your own feelings! Think about Rem's feelings for once! All I want is to be the one standing beside you! To be that person you know you can lean on! And sometimes Rem will get mad at you, and sometimes we'll both get hurt, but that's okay!"
Rem prayed that her words would get through to him. At this critical juncture, he had to truly understand how she felt.
"What if I didn't have this ability? Would I still be saving you then? I don't think so."
"It wouldn't matter. In fact, I might be happier for it, if it meant you could love yourself more. That what really matters: You. Not your power."
Then she said something Subaru found remarkable. "Even if we truly died, I would have been fine with that."
"Rem you can't say that! That's ridiculous!" Subaru retorted.
She answered him in a snap. "No it's not ridiculous. It would be unfortunate, tragic even, but not ridiculous. It's not ridiculous to die, everyone dies sometime. Rem hopes she dies at the end of a long and happy life, beside you, Ram and the little one." She patted her stomach.
"That's why Subaru. Even when you feel like you're useless, I'll always be there to remind you you're not. Even when you're at your lowest, I'll always have faith in you, because you're worth it. You're funny, sweet and the father of my child! You've been saving me this whole time, and I want you to see yourself that way too!"
/.../ His mind went blank.
This blasted through some mental wall, and Subaru started to cry.
He wiped vigorously with the sleave of his kimono, but it was no use. "You really mean it?"
"I do."
Subaru paused. "And you don't mind that it's me?" He asked her.
"I want it to be you."
Subaru hugged her. "Okay. Okay." He said, as if reassuring himself. Rem hugged him back.
"Rem, the truth is I'm crazy about you too." Subaru said. "But I need you to promise me something. Promise me, you'll always save yourself first. That's my condition. You have to take it."
Rem didn't say anything.
"Say it. Say you promise." He said pleadingly.
"I promise." she said quietly.
Subaru didn't notice, but she had crossed her fingers.
"Good." Subaru held her tighter, savouring the tender moment.
* Scene Break *
The two of them returned to the mansion, bringing with them the supplies to camp the night.
The first thing Halibel and Emilia noticed was that they looked exhausted, especially Subaru. The boy had only been gone an hour and a half, but he looked as if he had aged ten years in that time. Dark bags clung to his eyes as slowly marched to the rest of the group.
They silently set up the tents, and started a small campfire with the logs kept in the stables. Rem and Subaru sat shoulder-to-shoulder as they stared into the flames, allowing themselves to be hypnotised. A brief moment of relaxation in a hurricane of horrific events.
It was Emilia who broke the silence. "Hey, you guys seem kinda off. Did something happen?"
Subaru looked at her for moment, unsure of how to respond. "No... Nothing happened. I'm just tired is all." It wasn't exactly a lie: he really was tired. Physically and emotionally, Subaru felt beyond drained.
"Well if that's it Su-san, then you should get some rest. I want you in good form for tomorrow." Halibel prompted him.
"Rest huh?" Subaru considered it. Subaru felt something on his hand. It was Rem squeezing his hand gently. It seemed she agreed with Halibel.
"The rabbits won't come unless Roswaal is disrupted." Subaru whispered to her. "Do you think it's okay for us to rest now?"
Rem nodded 'yes'. At this time, she too needed a break. Rushing headfirst into another death scenario would be too much right now.
"You're right Halibel." Subaru said, more loudly.
With that, Subaru and Rem retreated into one of the tents, and promptly fell into unconsciousness.
It was deep slumber. Nothing would rouse them, short of an earthquake.
To nobody's surprise Rem and Subaru overslept.
It must have been noon of the next day when a chiming voice brought the young man out of his torpor.
"Barusu, get your filthy hands off my wonderful sister." Ram said with expected sass.
"Huh? What?" Subaru opened his eyes slowly. The buttons of the tent flaps were coming undone, and light filtered into the cramped space. Irritating rays travelled directly into Subaru's pupils, so it took him a minute to recognize who was opening the tent.
"Ram?" Subaru mumbled out, still half asleep. "Lea'me alone, you sis-con."
This pissed her off, so she kicked him. "Kindly tell me what the hell is going on here."
"Ow!" Subaru was now fully awake thanks to the pain. Suddenly, Subaru remembered the present circumstances.
"Wait. Ram!? You're awake!?" Seeing the pink haired oni back on her feet greatly pleased Subaru.
Subaru's loud voice also disturbed Rem. "Mmm" She hummed, wanting to stay tucked away a little longer.
Rem unconciously swung her arm around Subaru, enjoying the warmth he provided.
"Oi Rem." Subaru shook her arm lightly. "You're making me look bad." The boy realized the precarious situation he was in.
Rem's eyes fluttered open, and she took in her surroundings. "Subaru-kun." She whispered.
"Yes. Welcome back to the world of the living." Subaru said.
Subaru turned his gaze back to Ram. Her sharp eyes were looking pretty scary, and he let out an audible gulp.
"Hehe." Subaru gave a chuckle. "It's not what it looks like..."
/ She's not gonna buy that, is she? / He cringed internally.
Ram maintained her intense stare a bit longer than Subaru would've liked, but then she turned away and let out a sigh. She didn't have the energy to put him in his place right now.
Subaru broke the awkward silence. "Nothing happened alright?" Subaru said. "Anyways, I'm glad to see your awake. I thought you couldn't wake up though, given you drained your MP and all."
"'Drained my MP'?" Ram hadn't heard that term before. "You mean my low mana? Emilia-sama had Puck-sama help me. I'm still quite grumpy though, so you should stop with your shenanigans now."
Subaru smiled. If she was using a word like 'shenanigans' then she couldn't be in too bad a mood.
Rem, now fully conscious, decided to speak up. "Really sister, we were just sleeping." Rem said. "That's good that Puck-sama helped you. I was really worried."
Ram agreed. "Indeed. If he'd not been there, I would be in critical condition right now."
Rem and Subaru got out of the tent. They walked and the three of them joined the others. Subaru got a look at his companions.
Emilia seemed anxious and bored, trapped in what was now a field with some ruins, and there was nothing she could do. Crusch seemed stoic and ready, her face indicated that she could jump into action at any moment. Halibel looked a bit more like the newcomers: groggy from having slept too long. The fact he had just woken didn't stop him from smoking on his kiseru though.
"Alright team." Subaru addressed them. "There's a few things I want to discuss."
"First." He turned to the pink-haired maid. "Ram, I want you to be honest with me." Ram gave him her attention.
"Roswaal's goal. Emilia and I are connected to it, right? Tell me why he started acting out after I left." Subaru asked.
Ram seemed hesistant. Even with everything that had happened, her life still belonged to Roswaal. She couldn't just tell Subaru something her master wanted to be kept secret.
"Tell him Ram." Rem said. "We're getting the details one way or another, you'll only save us the pain."
Ram looked at her sister, understanding the implications of what she was saying. Of course, Rem was talking about Return by Death.
"You're really forcing my hand here sister." Ram complained. Still, she opted to give in, not wanting harm to come upon her dear sister.
"Here's the story as far as I know it." Ram began an explanation. "Roswaal wants to kill the dragon. In order to get to said dragon in the first place, he needs to be granted access to it by the monarch of Lugunica. Hence why he's so determined to make Emilia the next ruler. Naturally, as her backer he would be granted that access."
Despite the clarity of her explanation, Subaru felt a bit irked. She wasn't telling him what he actually wanted to know.
"Tell me about his book, and about Echidna." Subaru ordered. "That dragon stuff isn't important at the moment."
The mention of Echidna's name gave Ram pause. For some reason, just hearing it made her feel slimy.
Ram really didn't want to do that. It would basically be betrayal. Still, if they were finding out anyways, there wasn't much point resisting. "I need you to promise me something." She said.
"What?"
"Roswaal and I have a contract. That's why, if I tell you this... Under no circumstance are you to hurt him."
Subaru rubbed his temples, things were getting complicated. "It depends what you tell me next."
"Barusu." Ram said seriously. "Against my better judgement, I'm trusting you to do the right thing. Don't make me look like a fool."
Subaru just nodded.
"Fine then." Ram went back into storytelling mode. "The Witch of Greed is Roswaal's teacher. That book is one she gave to Roswaal, one capable of telling the future. He calls it his Gospel."
Everyone gasped. Telling the future? That was no trivial power.
"The future it predicted is one in which you are loyal only to Emilia, and where you help her in becoming the ruler. Obviously, you can understand how someone like you could be useful to that end." Ram explained. "When you left with my sister, you acted in complete contradiction to that book."
Subaru and the others didn't say anything back, too stunned at all the revelations.
"So, Roswaal lost faith in the book, and he's become more rash and more desperate. He's given up on making Emilia ruler, because without the Gospel's guidance he thinks it's impossible."
She went on "He was going to use the dragon's blood for a revival. Now though, he's going for an incomplete ressurection, a spell to use Beatrice's core as a vessel for Echidna's soul. He's bringing her back as a spirit and not in her true body."
Everything was starting to make sense to Rem and Subaru now. Rem understood why Roswaal had been so angry when he saw her. Roswaal blamed Rem for 'distracting' Subaru.
/ Even still, why is he acting with such violence? / Subaru thought to himself.
"And Capella, and the curses, what were those for?" Subaru asked her.
"I think he brought Capella into the fold to deter you from reaching him. Same goes for the curses: they're to stop me and Emilia interfering. Now that he's without his Gospel, he's become desperate to reunite with Echidna as soon as possible."
Subaru pressed his fingers to his chin, now considering the whole story. "I see..."
Suddenly, Halibel raised his hand. "I have a question." The wolfman asked.
Ram looked at him. She had noticed the wolfman when she woke up. Among all the people assembled, he was the only person she had not seen before. Earlier, he had introduced himself as a 'friend of Su-san' and told her that he was 'looking out for those cute kids'."
Ram didn't respond, but Halibel took it as a 'go ahead'.
"Why would Roswaal think Su-san is the key to the royal selection? Rather, why is he placing such importance on a single butler?" Halibel's question also intrigued Crusch, who's face showed a flash of obvious interest.
/ Crap. / Subaru thought to himself. Now the conversation was steering towards his own secrets, secrets he didn't want to expose to anybody who wasn't already looped in.
"I don't know." Ram responded, seemingly a bit annoyed. "Ask Barusu."
Halibel took a drag off his pipe and looked at Subaru. Something was up with the boy. Halibel had suspected it back in Banan, but now it was confirmed in his mind. He felt a growing curiosity in himself, wanting to uncover the mystery of this plain-looking teenager.
"There's nothing special about me." Subaru said.
Smoke escaped Halibel's lips, swaying gently through the air. "If you say so." The beastman backed off this line of inquiry.
There was a lull in the discussion, and then Rem spoke up.
"Nee-san, Rem thinks we have to stop Roswaal. Nothing good can come of Echidna's revival." Rem recalled the encounter she had with the witch. Her suggestion to kill Emilia might have been the truth, but it also confirmed to Rem that Echidna was evil.
Subaru was under the same impression. / It's bad enough with the archbishops. If the pawns of the organization are enough to give me grief, I never want to deal with the witches themselves. /
Ram nodded. "I actually agree with you. Echidna's revival would be bad for everyone, especially Roswaal. If she's brought back then he will truly be lost."
Rem saw through the true meaning of that statement. It was not 'he will truly be lost' but rather, that Ram would truly lose him.
Subaru spoke up again. "There is another thing we need to discuss. Capella killed Frederica. Roswaal needs to be held responsible for that. Don't you agree?" He directed his question to Ram.
Ram shut her eyes, like she was making some calculation in her head. "Do you have any evidence for that?"
"Guh!" Subaru and Emilia were caught off guard by the callous response.
"Sister!" Rem cried out. "You saw what happened! Capella was wearing Frederica's skin! She was our friend! How can you act like he did nothing wrong!?"
"I'm not saying that it's right." Ram responded. "But it was Capella who actually killed Frederica, pinning her death solely on Roswaal would impossible to prove. I'm just being pragmatic."
Rem seemed put off by her words, but Subaru understood Ram's point. Ram's willingness to deflect for that awful guy was not a good thing, but Subaru had to respect the dedication Ram had for her master.
"Alright." Subaru said, sighing. "It's pretty messed up, but I suppose you're right. He's literally gotten away with murder."
The conversation continued a bit, but the topics lost their relevance. The only noteworthy thing that came up was the revelation that Garfiel was Frederica's brother.
Crusch paid attention to every detail, soaking up the the free information like a sponge.
Then, Subaru started explaining a possible plan of attack.
"We need Roswaal to power down his spell gradually." Subaru said. "If he's just cut off, it'll attract the Great Rabbit." Everyone was suprised at this. How did Subaru know this information? Halibel's interest in the boy was aroused for a second time.
"That's why I'm gonna have a little talk with him. Halibel you'll stay with me in case that clown gets any ideas." Subaru continued. "Rem and Crusch-sama, you guys deal with Garfiel. Crusch-sama, once I'm done with Roswaal, you can ask him about your companion."
Crusch didn't seem convinced.
"Don't worry, I don't plan on killing the Margrave anymore." Subaru reassured her. "I'll be using my words, not my fists."
Rem was curious as to what Subaru meant, but she figured she could ask him later. Maybe when they were on their way.
Emilia was at a bit of a loss. Subaru had always been surprisingly effective in a crisis, but now it was on another level. The boy was rushing ahead, making all these plans, and he had even recruited a powerful ally to help him. She was mistaking RBD for Subaru having an extremely sharp mind.
With that Subaru, Halibel and Crusch moved to board the dragon carriage that would be taking them to Sanctuary. Rem stayed behind for a minute, she had something she had to talk to Ram about, sister to sister.
"Nee-san, Rem needs to speak to you." Rem looked a bit shifty as she spoke. She was feeling a certain nervousness. The kind that runs through you whenever you have to face the ones you love.
"What is it?"
"Well, Rem doesn't know that best way to this, but she wanted to check." Rem said. "You're really in love with the master, aren't you?"
Ram's momentary silence told Rem all she needed to know.
"You could say that." Ram answered quietly.
"I want to hear you say it properly." Rem needed some sort of closure. This had been a topic she had never bothered her sister about before. But now that the chips were down, she needed to know where they all stood.
"Well... I suppose... I love him." Ram squeaked out, her cheeks reddening a little.
Rem closely looked at her sister, as if inspecting every detail of her face.
"After all this... You still say that. Ram." Rem said. "That's not a normal love. It's beyond; it's a passion. A passion that's in part pathological."
Ram was starting to understand that her devotion to Roswaal was causing Rem some anxiety.
"You might be right Rem. There's no logical reason for me to think of him that way. Considering what he did, what he's still doing, I should have every reason to hate him, but..." Ram pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I don't know! Somewhere along the way, it just happened. You can't help how you feel, can you?"
Rem agreed. It's impossible to force your feelings.
"Roswaal's done a lot for me, in his own way." Ram continued. "Besides, pathological passion? You're the last one who should be lecturing me about such things."
Rem let out a chuckle. "That's probably right." Rem had lost count the number of times she had looped with Subaru up to this point.
Ram hesitated. "Say, Rem."
"What is it?"
"I'm going to do my best to help Roswaal, in my own way." Ram spoke with strong determination. "You should do the same for Barusu. Help him, in your way."
"Rem will try her best."
An honest discussion had deepened their bond. Right now, the oni sisters of the hidden village were at peace.
"Oh, and when Rem gets back, there's some exciting news for you."
"What?"
Without giving an answer, Rem turned away and went to the carriage with the others.
Rem, Subaru, Crusch and Halibel departed for the Sanctuary. Ram and Emilia and wished them luck as they left.
/ Let's just hope the third time really is the charm. / Subaru thought grimmly.
