Chapter 5
Dead End
The four of us journeyed through the streets of Lugnica. We seemed to attract a lot of attention. If I had to guess, it was most likely because of Emilia being a half-elf. We eventually reached the castle itself. We stood in front of a large, black door with a lone knight guarding it.
"Well, we made it, Emilia!" I announced.
"Indeed, we did. Now, we part ways. I should be done before sun down. Make sure you're here before then!" Emilia told us.
"We will, Miss Emilia." Rem replied.
"What Rem said. We'll be waiting here for you." Ram added.
"I won't!" I said.
Everyone turned to look at me.
"Joking! I was joking! Don't worry! I'll be here as well, Emilia." I added.
Emilia gave me a stern look after I said that.
"Well, if it isn't Miss Emilia! Good to see you! I hope you've been well since we last met?" somebody said.
A guy with purple hair and fancy clothes approached us.
'If I had to guess, he seems to be a knight, just like Reinhardt.' I thought.
"Yes. Everything's been the same. I take it you've also been well?" Emilia replied.
"Yes, I have. Also, the fact you remember me is an honor. I must say, you've have only grown even more beautiful, Miss Emilia." Julius added.
He then got down on one knee, and kissed Emilia's hand. I was about to object until I remembered that kissing one's hand used to be a greeting.
Julius then seemed to noticed my presence.
"I take it this boy is with you, Miss Emilia?" Julius asked while standing up.
"Yes. This is Subaru. He's a good friend of mine. Subaru, this is Julius. One of the knights that serves the kingdom of Lugnica." Emilia explained.
"Friend? Does that mean you hold him in high regards?" Julius also asked.
"I wouldn't say that. Subaru is just somebody I can trust and rely on. Ram and Rem would say the same." Emilia said.
"Ram and Rem are these two maids accompanying you?" Julius asked.
"Yes, they are." Emilia answered.
"Pardon the intrusion, but Miss Emilia is correct. Subaru is a very capable and trustworthy individual, which is why me, my sister, and Miss Emilia think highly of him." Rem explained.
"I agree with what Rem said. Although, to say I think highly of him is an exaggeration. It would be more fair to say he is someone I can tolerate." Ram stated.
"Tolerate!?" I asked Ram.
"For a royal candidate to think of another person as their equal is unusual. Just what did you do to gain these three's trust, Subaru?" Julius said.
"Easy! I kept Miss Emilia safe from harm, I fought against Ram and Rem, and then I beat Miss Emilia in a fight." I explained.
"When you say all of that, I find it very hard to believe." Julius said with a sigh.
"Why are you here, Julius?" I asked him.
"I was assigned to patrol the castle, from now until midnight. After all, the royal selection is a very important event. We cannot let anybody interfere with it's preparations!" Julius answered.
'He's working second shift? Lucky! I bet he gets to sleep in tomorrow!' I thought.
"I'm guessing you'll accompany Miss Emilia to the royal selection?" Julius asked me.
"You know it!" I told him.
"Good. In that case, I shall see you there. Take care until then!" Julius said to us while walking away.
"You as well!" I replied to him.
'He seems like an okay person.' I thought.
Emilia then went inside the royal castle. This meant me, Ram, and Rem were now free to explore Lugunica!
...
Me, Rem, and Ram were walking around Lugnica. We were seeing what it was like for the people that lived here. We also checked out some shops and stands. Along the way, Ram started a conversation.
"Barasu. May I ask an important question?" Ram asked me.
"Go for it!" I answered.
"Why do you wear such a ridiculous outfit?" Ram asked me.
Since it wasn't yet the Royal Selection, I didn't need to wear my butler outfit. Which meant I was wearing my trusty, reliable clothing.
"Ridiculous? What's ridiculous about it?" I asked Ram.
"It's a hideous color, it fits you poorly, and it has an absurd number of pockets." Ram stated.
"I have to agree with Sister, Subaru. Your outfit is quite strange." Rem added.
"I wear it because it has practicality. Unlike your maid dresses." I answered.
"Go on." Ram said.
"I mean, look at those things! They're far too short for a dress, they offer little protection, and they have no pockets!" I explained.
"Sister, I have to agree with Subaru. Our dresses are actually impractical." Rem said.
"I admit the lack of pockets is a hindrance, and they offer no real protection. In my opinion, the length is an advantage. All things considered, however, they are somewhat impractical." Ram stated.
'She agreed with me? Am I dreaming right now?' I thought.
I pinched my arm. I wasn't dreaming. We continued walking around, and talking about random stuff.
...
Sometime later, we stumbled across something unusual. A woman with blonde hair, in a blood red dress was surrounded by three thugs. They dragged her into a nearby alleyway.
"Hey! We have to go help her!" I said.
"Right!" Rem responded.
"Let's do this." Ram stated.
We ran into the alleyway, only to see her pull out a paper fan, and literally blow the three thugs out of the alley. She seemed to instantly notice our presence.
"Your assistance is not required. I, Priscilla Barielle, have taken care of these unsightly hooligans." She told us.
"Oh. Okay then. Well, I guess we'll be on our way." I said while walking away.
Unfortunately, I couldn't do that since there was someone blocking our path.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" some guy asked me.
It was a shirtless guy wearing a knight helmet. Ram and Rem tensed up. Whoever this guy was, he didn't have good intentions.
"We came here to help Miss Priscilla until she took care of those thugs herself. We were then about to leave." I told him.
"It's alright, Al. Just let them be on their way." Priscilla told him.
"As you wish." he replied.
He then stepped out of our way. I stared at him the entire time we walked away until we were out of his eyesight.
"I'm glad we left that situation without conflict." Rem said.
"I agree. Having to fight that strange person would have been an inconvenience." Ram said.
We continued walking around and exploring Lugnica. I then remembered something important.
'Time to finally ditch this cellphone of mine. I genuinely have no use for it in this world.' I thought to myself.
Despite not using it, I carried it around with me everywhere I went. Doing this was completely pointless, but it was a habit that was hard to break. I told Ram and Rem that I wanted to find somewhere to sell my Metia. They had no issues with this.
...
After finding somebody that wanted to buy my cellphone, we returned to the Royal Castle to pick up Emilia. After Emilia joined us, we all walked back to the inn together. As we were about to head to our rooms, I suddenly remembered something that I needed to asked Ram and Rem.
"Ram, Rem. I need to ask you something." I told them.
Ram and Rem then looked at Emilia.
"Oh. Should I leave, Subaru?" Emilia asked me.
"It doesn't matter. It's not anything secret." I answered.
"What is it, Subaru?" Rem asked.
"If you're asking for my hand in marriage, the answer is no." Ram told me.
"What? Why would I marry somebody like you?" I genuinely asked her.
For some reason, she seemed annoyed by my question. So did Rem and Emilia.
'What are they upset about?' I thought to myself.
"Anyway, I just wanted to ask what you guys think about my condition." I told them.
"You mean your lack of a gate? What about it?" Rem asked.
"Doesn't it bother you guys? I know when Emilia and Puck found out, they almost died of shock." I explained.
"It is unnatural, and you shouldn't be alive right now, but you've somehow broken that rule. Because of that, I've chosen to accept it as something that is possible." Ram explained honestly.
"Like what Sister said, I've accepted it as well. When I first heard about it, I was shocked as well. However, I quickly realized that there are others that don't use magic. It's not just limited to you, Subaru." Rem explained honestly.
I was silent for a moment. I was processing what they just said.
'Is that how they feel? Man. They really are good people. I can't believe I ever doubted they were.' I thought.
Without thinking, I embraced them both in a big hug.
"Subaru, is something the matter?" Rem asked me.
"Rem. I think he's just happy about what we said to him." Ram explained.
"I really am glad I can call you guys my friends." I told them honestly.
After I said that, they both returned my hug. Emilia joined our group hug, for some reason. Once I released them, we parted ways to go to bed. Once in my room, I got myself ready for bed, and changed into my pajamas.
'I wonder what will happen tomorrow? Only one way to find out!' I thought.
I then went to sleep.
...
After preparing ourselves, we headed to the Royal Castle as a group. Roswaal decided to use the carriage to get us there. I had no complaints since all the walking yesterday had almost killed my feet.
I was currently sitting next to Emilia in the carriage. Ram and Roswaal were sitting across from us. Rem was driving the carriage. Emilia's outfit was the same as what she usually wore, only with the addition of a white, hooded cloak.
'Did she become a Jedi?' I mentally joked.
"Are you ready, Emilia?" I asked her.
"Yes." Emilia answered.
"I have full faith in you, Miss Emilia." Roswaal stated.
"As do I, Miss Emilia." Ram added.
"Thanks, everyone! Now, I'll do my best!" Emilia declared confidently.
...
After arriving at the Royal Castle, we walked inside. We walked past several guards before reaching the main hall. We arrived a couple minutes before the selection was set to start.
"Where are we supposed to stand?" I asked Roswaal.
"In the back with all the other attendants. I expect you three to behave yourselves during the Royal Selection." Roswaal told us.
"Yes, Lord Roswaal." Ram and Rem both said while bowing.
"Yes, sir!" I said while saluting.
Roswaal and Emilia walked off to stand at the front of the room. I wandered past people to find a good spot in the middle. Ram and Rem followed me around. I eventually found a spot for the three of us.
"Those must be the other candidates in the Royal Selection." I said.
'I know the orange-blond one is Priscillia, and I obviously know Emilia. Who are the other two?' I asked myself silently.
"So you decided to come after all, Subaru?" someone asked me.
I found that it was Reinhardt who asked that question.
"When I heard through the grapevine that Miss Emilia would be here, I had a rather strong suspicion you would be here as well." he told me.
"Hey, Reinhardt!" I replied.
'Wait. If Reinhardt is here, then Julius must be here as well!' I thought.
"If I may ask, Subaru, who are these ladies accompanying you?" Reinhardt asked me.
"I am Ram. I serve Lord Roswaal." Ram told him.
"I am Rem. I also serve Lord Roswaal." Rem told him.
"Don't let their formality fool you, Reinhardt. These two are menaces to society." I said jokingly.
"Subaru. Please don't bore Sir Reinhardt to death with your dry humor." Ram told me.
"What sister said, Subaru." Rem added.
Reinhardt laughed at their cruel jokes. At the same time, somebody joined our conversation.
"Hello there." somebody said.
'General Kenobi?' I mentally joked.
I turned to look at the newcomer. It was some dude with cat ears.
"You must be Subaru Natsuki. My meow-ster told me to find you at the Royal Selection." he told me.
"Who are you?" I asked him.
"Sorry. My name's Felix Argyle. I serve Lady Crusch." he told me.
"Oh! You must be the healer Emilia told me about." I said.
"Yep! That's me! The best healer in all of Lugnica. Though, that'll have to wait until after the Royal Selection." he told me.
"Alright. I'll be waiting until then." I said as he walked away.
'Looks like I was wrong about the healer being a serious, no nonsense person.' I thought sadly.
Right as Felix left, Julius appeared. He stood next to us.
"Julius." I greeted him.
"Subaru. Reinhardt." he greeted.
The shirtless guy in the helmet also appeared next to us. He ignored us.
Suddenly, a knight with green hair spoke up. Apparently, he was the leader of the Royal Knights. He started explaining the history behind the Royal Selection, until he was interrupted by the girl with purple hair. From what I could tell, she seemed to be a greedy businesswoman. The girl with dark green hair then said something that was completely inaccurate. When she was corrected, she got mad at Felix for misinforming her.
'So that's Lady Crusch. Interesting.' I thought.
Anyway, the knight leader continued with the history lesson. When he mentioned there being five royal candidates, I was confused.
'Wait. But I only see four, including Emilia. Where's the fifth?' I thought.
"Knight Reinhardt Van Astrea. Come forward!" the knight leader said.
"Yes, sir!" he replied.
Reinhardt walked to the front to where the Royal Candidates were standing. He made clear what everyone was confused about. The existence of the fifth candidate. Right after he said that, the door to the main hall opened. A familiar person walked into the room, and made their way to the front.
'No way! Felt is the fifth candidate.' I thought.
...
After finding out that Felt was dragged into this against her will, the Royal Selection continued. At one point, people questioned Felt's selection and her intentions, and the atmosphere quickly turned hostile. Thankfully, things eventually calmed down. Priscilla tried to pick a fight with Felt, but it didn't go anywhere and she gave up.
Also, Julius turned out to be the attendant of the greedy businesswoman.
'No! Julius! I thought you were a decent guy!' I thought sadly.
Anyway, as the Royal Selection continued, people criticized Emilia for being a half-elf. I wanted to step in, and tell them to be quiet, but Emilia managed to do that on her own.
Next, all the candidates, Emilia included, gave their brief descriptions of their intentions as ruler. Priscilla's intentions were terrible, and selfish. She simply wanted everyone in the kingdom to bow down and worship her.
'As If anyone would ever do that!' I thought.
Anastastia's intentions were also terrible, selfish, and included capitalism. As you would expect from someone like her, she wanted to turn the kingdom into one big business.
'Exactly what you would expect from a greedy merchant like her!' I thought critically.
Crusch's intentions were interesting. On one hand, it kind of did make sense. If the Dragon was no longer around to protect the kingdom, the people would have to protect themselves. However, if the Dragon was still around, it might be a bad idea to renounce the agreement with them.
'I guess she's a reasonable person. If Emilia wasn't a Royal Candidate, she might be my first pick. Though, I don't know enough about her to be certain.' I thought carefully.
Emilia's intentions were the best out of everybody. As you would expect.
'Equality and no discrimination. Sounds exactly like what MLK Jr. dreamed of.' I thought contently.
Felt, on the other hand, had the most extreme intentions. She wanted to start a civil war, and completely overthrow the Kingdom.
'I agree with Felt that there's racism and classism in this kingdom. However, starting a civil war without even attempting to peacefully change things is wrong! War kills people, and it shouldn't ever be taken lightly! If this is what she wants, there's no way I'd go along with it!' I thought.
After everyone gave their short speeches, the Royal Selection concluded.
...
"That's it?" I asked Emilia.
"Yep. That was the Royal Selection. Basically, it was a way to introduce us to the kingdom of Lugunica." Emilia explained.
"I see." I said.
We were currently walking out of the main hall where the Royal Selection took place.
'Man. Everyone there, except for Emilia and maybe Miss Crusch, were a bunch of selfish jerks. Priscilla tried to hurt Felt for her own amusement. Felt wants to destroy this kingdom, because she thinks it's stupid. Anastastia is a capitalist, and her goals would eventually ruin this kingdom.' I thought in frustration.
After walking outside of the castle, Me, Emilia, Ram, Rem, and Roswaal all ended up back in our carriage. Rem took the reins, and we started moving.
"As you know, Subaru, you'll be staying with Lady Crusch for several days. In the meantime, the rest of us will return to the mansion." Roswaal stated.
"Are you sure you can handle this, Subaru?" Emilia asked me.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." I said.
"If there's trouble, we won't be able to get to you very soon." Emilia told me.
"Don't worry! I'm plenty strong! More importantly, are Ram and Rem going to be okay without me?" I said.
"No need to worry about me, Barasu. I will be fine without you." Ram said confidently.
"Like Sister, I will also be fine without you." Ram answered.
"Then it's settled. Rem, if you would, please take us to Lady Crusch's residence." Roswaal said to her.
"Right." Rem replied.
...
I found myself swinging a wooden sword against Lady Crusch's butler, Wilhelm. Despite being old, he was a very skilled swordsman.
'Man. This guy knows what he's doing! I've been swinging nonstop for the past five minutes, and not a single time have I hit him.' I thought.
Wilhelm then lowered his sword, and looked right at me.
"I believe we should stop here, and take a break." he said.
"Yeah." I said.
"Also, I must say that while your skill with the sword is mediocre, you have razor sharp instincts. If you keep practicing, you'll become a fine swordsman one day. I'm sure of it." he said.
"Thanks. I'll keep improving." I said to him.
He nodded, and walked away. Not knowing what else to do, I decided to take a bath.
...
After my bath, and some dinner, I was walking back to my room when I was stopped by Lady Crusch.
"Subaru Natsuki. Would you mind joining me for a bit?" she asked me.
She was wearing black heels, a black dress, and a pink cape. Unlike certain young women I know, her dress was a reasonable length.
"Hey. What's up, Miss Crusch?" I said to her.
'That's an interesting outfit. Wonder why she's dressed like that?' I thought while staring at her.
"Oh. That's right. This is probably the first time you've seen me out of my business attire. Anyway, the breeze is cool tonight. Perfect for sharing a drink as we gaze at the night sky." she explained.
'Is she flirting with me? No way! She barely knows who I am, and what I'm capable of. This is probably just her wanting to get to know me better or something.' I thought.
She led me to a balcony. There, we sat at a table. There was water, wine, and wine glasses sitting on the table. Miss Crusch grabbed a glass, and poured some wine into it. She then offered the wine bottle to me.
"I'm too young to drink alcohol." I said.
"You're welcome to drink water, if you want. Don't worry about me, I won't be drinking enough to get drunk." she informed me.
I poured myself some water into a glass. We then tapped our glasses together, for some reason.
'Who are we toasting to?' I asked myself silently.
As I sipped my water, Miss Crusch asked me a question.
"Tell me. How's the work on your gate?" she asked.
I sighed, and steeled my resolve to say the truth.
"Felix confirmed that I have no gate, and he told me there's not any magic he knows of that can give me one. Sorry." I explained.
"You've no need to apologize. Your lack of a gate is not your fault." she said.
I decided to change the subject.
"Anyway, what about you? You look like you've been busy the past few days." I said to her while drinking some water.
"Yes, indeed. My family is currently gathering people and supplies in response to a certain occurrence. Also, since word of the Royal Selection spread, I've received proposals everyday now. I'm sure the other candidates have, as well." she explained.
'Yeah. That all checks out. After all, who doesn't receive marriage-' I thought before it hit me.
I spat out my drink, and coughed.
"Proposals!? As in, marriage proposals?" I asked her.
'Actually, I guess all the candidates are single, aren't they?' I thought.
A dumb thought then crossed my mind.
'They're all girls! I bet I could get them to join my harem!' I thought jokingly.
"Does that bother you?" she asked me.
"No. I'm just surprised, is all." I answered.
"Wah!" Felix wailed.
I turned my head to the left . Felix was standing in the doorway of the balcony. He complained about me and Miss Crusch being alone, and having a drink. He also stated that males were degenerates, and that she shouldn't be alone with them. I pointed out that he was a male as well.
"No need to worry, Felix. Despite the fact that Mister Natsuki is a man, it is clear to me that his feelings lie with someone else." Miss Crusch stated.
"Huh? How do you know that!? Have you been spying on me?" I asked while pointing at her.
"Mister Natsuki. You are aware of the fact that you live with three attractive women around your age. I find it very hard to believe that you would not have romantic feelings for any one of them." Miss Crusch answered.
"Believe it." I said deadpan.
'Might be hard to believe, but I see Emilia, Ram, and Rem as good friends. Nothing more.' I thought.
Miss Crusch stared at me for several moments before saying something.
"So be it." she told me.
I yawned. I then realized how late it was. Normally, I would start practicing my swordmanship at this hour, but I had already done that with Wilhelm earlier today.
"Well, it's been fun, but now it's bedtime. Good night!" I told them.
"Have a good night, Mister Natsuki." Miss Crusch told me.
"Good nyght! Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Felix told me.
I went to my room, got ready for bed, and fell asleep.
...
The next day, I sat down with Miss Crusch in her office. She explained to me that she received a report of strange and troubling movement from the Mather's domain. Also known as, the territory that belongs to Lord Roswaal. She also told me her opinion about how this was happening because of Roswaal supporting Emilia as a royal candidate.
'I leave them alone for two days, and this starts happening!? Damn! There's no end to this racism!' I thought angrily.
"Are you going back there?" Miss Crusch asked me.
"Yes I am!" I said while standing up.
"I see. Since Felix was unable to do anything about your lack of a gate, there's no need to keep you here any longer. You're free to leave." Miss Crusch stated.
"Thanks for everything! I'll be sure to repay you guys, someday!" I said while running out.
'Miss Crusch is a decent person. Not as good as Miss Emilia, of course. But, she's still half decent.' I thought.
I made my way out of the manor, and started the walk back to the mansion. I then thought about something Miss Crusch said.
'She received a report about Roswaal's domain? Does that imply she has spies planted there? Even if she did, its probably nothing to worry about.' I thought deeply.
...
'Since it only took a day to get to Lugunica by carriage, it should probably take about a day and a half to walk back to the mansion.' I thought as I walked.
I didn't know how to drive a carriage, but if I wanted to, I could've paid somebody to take me back to the mansion. I decided not to since I wanted to walk to build up my stamina.
'Even though my feet will be sore tomorrow, it'll be worth it later on! I just know it will!' I thought.
After several hours of walking, it started to get dark. If I wanted to walk at night, I could've, but I was tired and wanted to rest. I continued walking until I saw an inn I could stay the night at.
'An inn! Finally, I can eat something and go to bed!' I thought in relief.
I walked inside, paid for some food and a room, and sat down at a table. As I waited for my food, I looked around the inn.
'Man. This place sure is lively! Look at all these people messing around and getting drunk!' I thought.
At one table, there was a group of middle-aged men. They looked like mercenaries. I could tell because they had armor and weapons, and they didn't look like Lugunica Royal Knights. At another table were a man and a woman. They looked alike, so I thought they were brother and sister until they started kissing.
'Wait. What if they are brother and sister?' I thought concernedly.
Interrupting my thoughts, a waitress came and delivered my food.
'Finally! Sustenance!' I thought excitedly.
I didn't order anything special. Just some stew, bread, and cheese with a glass of milk. Unable to resist my hunger anymore, I started eating. In the blink of an eye, my food and drink disappeared.
"That hit the spot." I said to myself.
I left behind a tip, and headed up to my room. Once I was ready for bed, I went to sleep.
...
Once I woke up, I left the inn and continued on my journey. As I walked down the road, I ran into somebody on a carriage. They warned me that there was fog ahead. I didn't see what was dangerous about it until they explained it was because of the White Whale.
"What's so dangerous about this White Whale?" I asked them.
"Are you kidding me? It's what killed the previous Master Swordsman. Nobody can even dream of fending it off! If you see it, run for your life and don't look back!" they explained.
"I see. Well, thanks for the warning." I told them.
"No problem! Stay safe!" they said before riding away.
I continued walking down the road. Until, I saw the fog. It was in front of me, and it was blocking the road. My intuition told me it would be a bad idea to touch it.
'No problem! Nothing a little Anti-Magic can't fix!' I thought.
I pulled out the Demon-Slayer, and slashed at the fog. As I did so, it slowly started disappearing. Once the fog was out of the way, I continued walking.
'Hang on, guys! I'll be there soon!' I thought.
...
I soon found myself close to the village. As I continued walking, however, I suddenly had a bad feeling.
"An enemy!" I said while pulling out the Demon-Dweller.
In front of me was a person in a black hood and robe. In the blink of an eye, I was surrounded by a bunch of people in black hoods and robes.
'Heh. Look at these KKK wannabes!' I thought in amusement.
I stared at them for several seconds before they bowed and ran away.
"Okay. That was weird." I said.
I continued walking toward the village. As I walked, I could smell smoke. I also smelled something strong. It was metallic.
'No. Please, no!' I thought in genuine fear.
I started sprinting towards the village. Once I got there, I saw what happened while I was gone. Everyone died. Not one of the villagers was left alive. They were burned, stabbed, dismembered, or killed in another way.
Seeing dead people in a movie or a video game is one thing. Seeing dead people in real life is another thing. I stood frozen for several minutes before I remembered I need to also check the mansion. I ran there without stopping once. My lungs and legs were on fire, but I didn't care. I just needed to get there in time.
As soon as I got to the mansion, I saw it. There were dead cultists everywhere. At the center of the destruction was Rem. From what I could tell, it looked like she fought them off the best she could, but it wasn't enough. They killed her with a knife to the head. I slowly walked over to her, and grabbed her hand. It was cold.
I was waiting for her to look at me, and ask why I grabbed her hand. She didn't. She stayed still, like a statue. I let go of her hand.
I looked, and saw a shed nearby. There were knives embedded in the door, and some blood slowly flowing under the door. I slowly walked over, looked inside, and regretted it instantly.
'Not the kids! Not them! Why!? What did they do to deserve this?' I thought in despair.
I remembered the times I played games with them, and shared my wisdom with them. I even remember the time when I saved them from the magic draining curse.
Yet, here they were, hacked into a bunch of pieces. I couldn't look at it any longer. I ran out of the shed, and threw up. Once I was done emptying my stomach, I continued walking around.
I walked inside the mansion, to try and find Ram and Emilia. After trying a couple doors, I found Ram and Petra. They were both dead. I knelt down, and grabbed Ram's hand. It was cold.
I was expecting her to slap my hand away, and tell me to keep my hands to myself, but she didn't. She just laid on the ground, and stared at me with her lifeless eyes. I let go of her hand.
I continued wandering around until I found a trail of blood leading to a spiraling staircase. At a glance, I could tell it was completely frozen. I slowly walked up the frozen stairs until I found a door. I put a hand on the door handle, but it was freezing cold. I jerked my hand away, and lost several fingers in the process.
I stumbled backwards, and my right foot detached at the ankle. I fell on the floor. My entire body was slowly freezing solid. The last thing I saw was a cultist staring at me. The last thing I heard was Puck saying, "You were too late."
Everything went dark.
...
I found myself in Roswaal's carriage. Everything that happened next was a blur. I heard people's voice coming and going. It was day, which eventually turned into night. There were people walking around, and suddenly they vanished. There was food in front of me, but it vanished almost instantly. There was a lot of movement, and the scenery constantly changed.
Images of everyone that died kept replaying in my head over and over.
'Useless. I failed to save them. I'm useless.' I thought.
At one point, the ground underneath me started shaking before it suddenly stopped, and the world around me spun like a top. Once it stopped spinning, I could see clearly now. I was surrounded by cultists. I remembered what they did before this, and I was scared.
At the same time, Rem started attacking them.
'Rem? Why is she here?' I asked myself.
She crushed them with her flail. Also, she had a glowing pink horn on her head, for some reason. A knife suddenly struck her in the shoulder.
"Damn, Witch Cultists!" I heard her say.
An image of her cold, lifeless body appeared in my mind. I didn't want that to happen again. I tried to stand up to help her, but something struck me in the head, and everything went black.
...
I woke up in a cave with my hands chained to the wall. A creepy guy with green hair was staring at me. His name was Betelgeuse Romanée-Conti, and he was completely insane.
He rambled on and on about random nonsense. I'm not sure when, but I slowly began to regain my normal state of mind. My previously broken determination started to rebuild itself.
I thought to myself, 'I'm not done yet. There's still more I have to do.'
"These chains." I said to Betelgeuse.
"Hm. Yes, aren't chains wonderful? They're strong, they hold things in place without question, and they perform their work diligently. Truly wonderful!"
"That may be so, but they're not going to hold me in place!" I told him.
I used all the strength I could muster. I couldn't break the chains, but I did rip them away from the cave wall. Once I was free, the grimoire floated in front of me.
"Ah! No! He's free! Quick, my servants! We must stop him!" Betelgeuse said.
Pulling out the Demon-Slayer, I got to work and began attacking them. Surprisingly, they didn't put up much of a fight. Except for Betelgeuse.
"By the Authority of Sloth, I summon the Unseen Hand." he said.
A bunch of glowing, purple arms appeared from behind him. From what I could tell, he wasn't using magic.
"Hey! That's not fair! You can't just use non-magical powers! That's cheating!" I accused.
More Witch Cultists appeared out of the ground. I was ready to fight them, until I saw something.
"Rem! You're here to save me?" I asked in relief.
"Yes!" she answered as she approached.
Using her flail, she turned the Witch Cultists into ground beef. Now, it was just me, her, and Betelgeuse.
"Two against one? That's hardly fair! Oh, my brain trembles!" Betelgeuse said.
I ran towards him, and prepared to use a special technique. Rem swung her flail at him. He smacked it away with his Unseen Hands. He then sent them towards her. I thought she would dodge, but she didn't.
"Rem! Look out!" I yelled.
It was too late. Betelgeuse had grabbed her.
"Crater Maker!" I yelled out.
I swung the Demon-Slayer at him. He sent several Unseen Hands at me, but I sliced through them. He did not expect this. The Demon-Slayer slammed into his shoulder, and forced him down into the ground. The Unseen Hands disappeared, and Rem landed on the ground.
There was now a crater around where he was embedded in the ground. Rem walked up to him, and put a hand on his neck.
"He's not breathing, and I can't sense a pulse. He's dead." Rem told me.
"Seriously? I didn't even swing that hard!" I told her.
'Good riddance! Now he can't kill anybody else. Though, we still have to deal with his minions.' I thought.
"Anyway, Rem. Why are you here? I thought you guys went back to the mansion without me?" I asked her.
"That was originally our plan. But, you suddenly collapsed in the carriage. I decided to stay with you until you recovered. Everyone else went back to the mansion." Rem explained.
"Even so, how exactly did you find me? I thought these guys kidnapped me when you weren't looking?" I asked.
Rem pointed to her nose.
"You have the Witch's scent, remember? Even though it was faint, I could still tell where you taken." Rem explained.
"I see. That makes sense. Thanks for watching over me!" I told her.
"It was nothing. Anyway, Subaru. We should go to the mansion. It could be under attack as we speak." Rem told me.
"But, the village could also be under attack. We should at least check there to make sure it's safe." I replied.
"We can pass through the village on the way to the mansion." Rem answered.
"Yeah!" I said.
Rem then noticed the chains hanging from my arms. Using her bare hands, she broke the manacles around my wrists. They fell to the floor with a thud.
"Thanks, Rem!" I told her.
'I wish I was as strong as her.' I thought honestly.
"You're welcome, Subaru." she replied.
We then took off running towards the village. It only took us several minutes to get there. However, we were too late.
Like last time, everyone was dead. There were no survivors we could see.
"Subaru. We need to keep going." Rem told me.
"I know." I said.
We kept running towards the mansion. On the way, it started snowing for some reason. We ignored it, and kept on running.
...
We got to the mansion, but it was the same as last time. Except for the snow that was piled on the ground. We both saw the dead Witch Cultists everywhere. I looked over at the wooden shed, and saw Ram. She was dead.
"Sister!" Rem said while running towards her.
Rem grabbed her, and shook her, as if to wake her up.
"Rem. It's too late. She's gone." I said sadly.
I looked at Ram. She had the same expression as the last time I saw her. Lifeless. We then heard a loud, cracking sound coming from the mansion. A giant beast had emerged from inside the mansion. It looked at me and Rem.
'What the heck! What's that!?' I thought in a panic.
"Sleep. Along with my daughter." Puck said.
I felt a sharp pain in my neck before the world started tumbling. Everything went black.
Author Note: So, uh, yeah. That was chapter 5. Compared to the previous chapters, this one was faster paced. But, it's because of how this story's written. Some things just didn't happen, like Subaru's duel with Julius, or they happened differently, like how Subaru walked back to the mansion instead of riding in a carriage with Rem. Also, I summarized the Royal Selection since including the dialogue would just be a copy-paste of the original story.
Also, Subaru suffered in this chapter. A lot. If you notice, when he first returns to the village and mansion, there are almost no thoughts. Only narration. I did this on purpose to represent Subaru being unable to think or say anything. Also, the part where everything passes by in a blur, Subaru is in emotional shock. I'm not sure if I wrote it correctly since I've never experienced anything traumatic like that. :/
The part with the inn was something I added after somebody pointed out a continuity error. Originally, I wrote that Subaru got there in half a day, but it didn't line up with when the Witch's Cult attacked. Which is why I added this part.
The next chapter will lead into the battle with the White Whale. That's all I'm saying about it.
Anyway, leave some comments, and let me know what you guys thought! :)