Author's note

Well let's start this rollercoaster of emotions!

P.S. Special thanks goes to 'Launciel' ( u/14065175/Launciel) for a beta-reading! If you have any complaints about the thanslation quality, BLAME HIM!)))

That's a joke of course. Thanks for a very thorough check!

P.P.S Happy BD to you, Subaru! Be happy, be healthy, be content, be satisfied!)


Standing in front of Emilia's room, Rem tried to predict how the upcoming conversation would turn out. Last time, she came here to lend a helping hand. The result was… unpleasant to say the least. After that, an invisible gap formed between the girls, which neither side had yet overcome.

So why did Emilia decide to start a conversation on her own now? Did you want to accuse Rem of something again? No, unlikely. Could it be that Emilia wanted to tell Rem to stay away from her knight? Well, she's not going to like the answer in this case. Rem has already decided everything for herself.

'There's no point in guessing and delaying the inevitable.' She thought and knocked on the door.

"Yes, yes, come in." Came from the other side.

The room looked much better than the last time the maid visited it. The bed was made up, the clothes were not scattered. Emilia was sitting at the same tea table as last time, but now she looked composed. Her hair was combed, her clothes were in order, her face was without traces of tears.

"I wanted to talk to you, Rem. And I would like to start with an apology. Last time, you came to me with the sincere intention of helping me get out of the hole I had driven myself into. And in response, I insulted you, called you terrible words and behaved like a vile termagant. I apologize for that."

Rem was silent for a few seconds, deciding what to do. On the one hand, she had a nasty desire to reject the half-elf's apology. Emilia's words had hurt Rem badly. However, for the sake of Subaru-kun and a future where they could all laugh together, it wasn't worth holding onto grudges. Moreover, the oni girl actually also wanted to get closer to Emilia. To compensate her for her indifferent attitude towards the lonely princess when Subaru-kun had not yet arrived, and she was all alone in the mansion.

"Apologies accepted, Emilia-sama." Rem said in an even voice, bowing elegantly.

"Thank you. Now, won't you please sit down? We have something to talk about."

When the maid took her place, Emilia took a deep breath, as if gathering strength.

"As you can see, I listened to your advice and stopped moping. And you, in turn, saw what I meant when I said that Subaru loves you no less than me."

"Yes, Rem still finds it hard to believe that her hero said that. It's a shame that we couldn't implement our original idea and tell you about everything under… more pleasant circumstances."

"To be honest, I envy you very much. After all, unlike me, you went through a lot with Subaru and did a lot for him to earn his love. You two became real battle companions. To the point that he is ready without much hesitation…"

"Emilia-sama…" began Rem, but the princess interrupted her with a wave of her hand.

"Let's not talk about it!"

Trying to distract herself from the macabre memories of her knight stabbing himself in the throat, she took a long sip of tea. Rem followed suit.

"I called you here to tell you that I took your advice, Rem. I want you to know. I finally realized that I love Subaru, and want to be with him from now on and forever. I still don't understand many things when it comes to love. Of course, we are bound to make more than one mistake along the way, but I know one thing for sure. I'm not giving up my Subaru. Not to you, not to Crusch, not to Petra, not anyone. He's my knight. My Subaru! I won't give up anymore. I know that I am not worthy of his love right now, but I have understood one thing firmly. That I should not shrink into a ball and cry because of my incompetence anymore, but do everything to become a better person! And I will become a woman and a ruler worthy of my knight's love!

These last words were spoken in a firm voice, but behind them was the real passion of a loving girl.

Rem found herself feeling proud of the princess. Emilia was finally ready to respond to her hero's feelings. He was closer than ever to finding his happy ending.

However, it was not only Emilia who realized a lot during their time in this theater.

"I'm sincerely glad to hear that, Emilia-sama. Of course, Rem's hero will be delighted to hear these words from you. However…Subaru-kun also promised that I would be able to stand by his side. That we will be able to laugh together, talking about tomorrow. And I intend to make sure that this promise is not broken. Rem also understood a lot. I found out that my hero loves me after all. I have only dared to dream about this before."

The maid was silent for a couple of moments, remembering the scene when Subaru passionately told Emilia that Rem meant as much to him as she did. It was enough for a slight blush to appear on the girl's cheeks, followed by a determination in her eyes.

"And I also realized that from now on, my life will become much more difficult. Previously, Rem could only care about her sister's and Subaru-kun's happiness, not caring about herself. But from now on, Rem will fight with all her might for her own happiness too. Rem will not allow Subaru-kun to take such horrible steps because of her anymore. Rem… I will live! And I will be happy! Because that's what I want! Because that's what my hero wants! And to achieve this future, I will be by his side, no matter what else fate may put up against him!"

The two powerful women stared into each other's eyes, without malice, but full of defiance. Each understood the position of their counterpart and did not intend to concede. Rem decided to offer an olive branch with a sweet smile:

"To reassure you, Emilia-sama, I will repeat the words I said to Subaru-kun before. Rem is content to be a second wife. I know that his love for you and your love for him is an integral part of the happiness that Subaru-kun strives to achieve. And I'll do anything to make sure he gets his happy ending! And suddenly her gaze became the very embodiment of determination:

"But from now on, I'm going to be greedier! Yes, I won't try to take him away from you, Emilia-sama, because that's not what he wants, but I will fight for every piece of his heart. Every look, every touch, every kiss! And in this fight, I will be fanatical, like a demon! So do not expect that you will be able to continue receiving his undivided attention so carelessly!"

Looking at the fire in the maid's eyes, Emilia, apart from fear for her position and jealousy, also felt joy. The girl opposite of her loved her knight so sincerely that she could almost feel it physically. She couldn't help but feel a little relieved that Subaru had such a reliable companion as Rem.

Rising to her feet, Emilia looked at Rem with a triumphant smile, and extended her hand.

"My name is Emilia. The silver-haired half-elf. Angel of the greatest knight, Natsuki Subaru. I will become the ruler and make him my husband!"

Also getting up from the table, Rem shook Emilia's hand with the same smile.

"My name is Rem. The blue-haired demon. Caretaker of the best hero, Natsuki Subaru. I will be his faithful companion and wife!"

The two girls looked at each other with passion burning in their eyes. The previous conflict was over. From now on their relationship will be constructed on an entirely different foundation.

And, wishing to assert her dominance right from the start, Emilia proudly put her hands on her hips and said:

"Just so you know, Rem, I'm already way ahead of you. After all, a year ago, in the Sanctuary, Subaru kissed me. On the lips!"

"A year ago?" Rem asked, suppressing a pang of jealousy.

"That's right. He took me by the shoulders, looked at me with such passionate eyes and kissed me. I was so worried then, thinking later that we were going to have a baby."

"W-what do you mean… b-baby?!" Rem asked, shocked by this announcement. "So you didn't stop with a kiss?!"

"Eh? I don't know what you are talking about. No, it was just a kiss. Does anything else happen?" The girl asked in confusion, blushing quickly and losing her former confidence. Lowering her gaze, she began to twiddle her fingers, muttering uncertainty:

"Honestly, I didn't even know what to do with myself back then. To become pregnant in the midst of the royal elections! And from my own knight no less! It would've been a terrible scandal! Of course, they explained to me later that kissing doesn't result in babies. However, since then, no one has told me how children are made! Oh, gosh! This all happened during this arc! So it's possible that it will be shown on the screen?! Aaah! That's so-o-o mortifying!"

For several seconds, the room was silent. Emilia was burning with shame, thinking about how everyone in the audience would see such an intimate moment between her and Subaru.

While Rem, suppressing the desire to point out that nobody says "mortifying" in this day and age, silently digested the new information. And though she managed to realize and accept the act of the kiss as a reality, the rest left her somewhat perplexed.

Turns out, Emilia was… as naive as a child when it came to relationships between a man and a woman. This gave the maid an extremely tempting idea. Yes, she was willing to be a second wife, but it wasn't said anywhere that she couldn't be the first lover. Especially if the peak of love for Emilia was something as relatively innocent as a kiss on the lips, and lap pillows.

"Rem congratulates you with this decisive victory, Emilia-sama, and recognizes your supremacy in this most important aspect of romance. And now, if you don't mind, Rem'll take her leave."

With a bow, Rem turned around and walked out of the room. She had a sly grin on her face. She'll close the gap between them, and she already had a plan forming in her mind on how.

Wilhelm sat silently at the table in his room, holding a cup of exquisite tea in his hands. Crusch-sama was going to rest and did not require his presence at any meeting. So the old warrior decided to use his free time to think about his personal issues alone. And these questions revolved around two young men, one of whom was his blood-related grandson, and the other one he would have gladly called his grandson himself. And this comparison gave him an idea:

'Come to think of it, Subaru-dono is not part of any family in our world. No one is behind him. He received the title of knight, yes, but it is valid only because Emilia herself is a royal candidate and has the right to declare him as such.' William reflected on the situation in which all participants will find themselves in the near future.

'When the viewings are over, and we return to our reality, this state of affairs may change quickly. The margrave is very likely to be accused of plotting against the kingdom. Even if he is not executed, Emilia-sama's position as a royal candidate will be dealt an irreparable blow. Her chances of taking the throne of Lugunica will become negligible. Surely her opponents would immediately spread rumors that she was a witch, who drugged or bewitched the margrave and forced him to plot the destruction of the kingdom. And considering how she is perceived because of her appearance… There are many who will believe in such a thing. And then what will happen to Subaru-dono?

Over the past year, he has earned considerable fame in the country for his exploits. But if there is popularity, there are also envy and opponents. Those who dream of removing Emilia-sama's figure from the board will not hesitate to throw mud at her knight in order to further damage her reputation. And then who will support him? If he doesn't even have a family in this world.'

Thinking about it, Wilhelm suddenly came up with an idea.

'Crusch-sama will certainly not leave him to fend off attacks alone. But even her sincere desire to help can be used against him. It would be easy for someone to accuse my lady of using a spy disguised as a knight of another candidate… damaging the image of my lady, Subaru-dono, and Emilia-sama simultaneously. But what if Subaru-dono himself will have a powerful and influential family behind him. In this case, few people will have the courage to start spreading rumors about him without fear of retaliation.'

"Natsuki Subaru van Astrea. I like the sound of that. And for some reason I think that Reinhard will like it too." William said with a satisfied smile.

The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. If it worked out, it would solve Subaru's possible problem in one fell swoop, and would be a good step on his long journey to restore relations with Reinhard.

Here are all the notes that I managed to make while we were watching Natsuki's first Trial, my lady." Julius said, handing Anastasia several scribbled sheets.

"Thank you, Julius. Alas, we did not see as much as I hoped for, but even this is enough to, with the right approach, create entirely new business ventures. And when I can establish a long-term relationship with Natsuki-kun, the possibilities of expanding the Hoshin company's influence will reach unprecedented heights!"

"Are you still making plans for how we can lure Subaru to our camp?"

"A merchant that doesn't take advantage of an opportunity if it's right in front of them is a bad merchant. It is unlikely that we will need to spend a lot of resources on this idea. If we play our cards right, then Natsuki-kun will become a reliable partner of the Hoshin company, even without joining our ranks. If my suspicions are correct, Roswaal will soon have his hands full of other problems to care about the election at all. The aristocratic houses will pounce on the weakened Emilia, like a pack of ulgarms on a wounded cow, as soon as they smell an opportunity."

"By remaining neutral, we will win due to the fact that one of the candidates will drop out of the race, but by giving her a helping hand, we will earn his gratitude. And I intend to do it. I owe him that much for what I did to him in that unfortunate loop, at least. And I hate being in debt, you know! Besides, Emilia's camp is not only strong because of their knight. There are some very curious people there, don't you agree?"

"Rem-san is a wonderful warrior who didn't even shy away from the White Whale, and a first-class maid. Garfiel, apparently, single-handedly dealt with the Bowel Hunter. There are hardly many people capable of such a thing, and over the past year, he has certainly become even stronger. If they, together with Subaru or individually, decide to join our ranks, I will be all for it."

"Mimi will run on the ceiling with happiness if Garf joins. And don't forget about cute little Petra. That girl will go far, mark my words. And then there's Otto. Of course, he gives the impression of a purely comedic character, and we have a lot of fun teasing him, but…my merchant instinct tells me that if he decides to play seriously, he can turn out to be both a valuable ally or a dangerous opponent. Therefore, we should take a closer look at the entire Emilia camp. Including herself."

The girl's eyes literally burned with excitement from the opening prospects and ideas running in her head. She began to skim through her knight's notes. Julius always liked to watch his lady work with such dedication. This happened every time a new promising business opportunity appeared. Despite the fools spreading rumors that the merchant princess spends most of her time in idleness, he knew that his lady was a real workaholic. Not many people were as wholeheartedly rooting for their business as his lady.

In no small part, this was what attracted the best knight to her camp. After all, they were very similar in their dedication to improve themselves. And now Anastasia was willingly immersing herself in her work yet again. Too willingly, as Julius noted. It seemed to be her own way of not thinking about what she saw before the break started, and about what will happen next.

"You don't have to worry so much about me, Julius." She interrupted his train of thoughts without ever taking her eyes off the papers. "I'm not so gentle as to break down because of what we saw. After all, there were scarier scenes in the previous 'arcs'. In fact, this kind of work is like a relaxation time for me. After all, here I can spend time dreaming and immediately estimating the amount of investments to realize these dreams. So believe me, by the end of the break, I'll be ready to continue watching with the same energy. You should also relax and prepare for the next episode."

"I am always ready to face any difficulties with my head held high, my lady!" Her knight nodded elegantly and confidently, not wanting to admit just how easily his princess guessed his thoughts.

"Isn't pride against the code of chivalry?" Ana sarcastically remarked, seeing perfectly well how tense he was. "Not only you can read me well, Julius. I can also read you. And you need to accept and firmly remember one thing."

Anastasia tore her eyes away from the papers and looked at her knight.

"While we are in this place, there is nothing we can do for Natsuki-kun. So it makes absolutely no sense for us to blame ourselves for anything that happens in this arc. We wouldn't have been allowed into the Sanctuary anyway, even if we had accompanied Emilia all the way to the mansion."

After waiting for a nod of understanding from the knight and making sure that this was not just a gesture of etiquette, she continued:

"I know you're worried about your friend, and I share your desire to help him. The poor guy found himself in the meat grinder once more, which he will have to stop with his own body. And he will obviously achieve success. At no small cost, if the scars on his hands tell us anything. This worries me a lot. His attitude towards himself. His growing confidence that life can be sacrificed for any little thing… If this is confirmed, we will have to invest heavily in countermeasures. Do you understand me?"

Another nod of agreement. This time it was much slower, but decisive. Julius understood everything. And, as the best of knights, he will do as his duty to the lady dictates.

"Therefore, the most we can do now is to observe carefully. To notice every detail, draw conclusions, and think about what we can do afterward to help him. And also… to pray that our fears remain nothing more than fears. You can go now. Don't worry about me."

"In that case, I will see you in the main room, my lady." Setting an example to all the knights of the world with the perfection of his bow, Julius left the princess's room, leaving her alone. More precisely, that's what he thought.

"I thought you'd be having a conversation until the end of the break." A new voice sounded in Anastasia's ear.

"He's very worried about his friend, and I can understand him. You didn't think that I would leave my knight without support during such a difficult period for him, did you?" The girl didn't even flinch due to the sudden appearance of a new companion. "Rather, tell me, what do you think about what we saw? About the Witch of Greed? About the Sanctuary? That Beatrice girl who is also an artificial spirit. About Garf, Ryuzu? Did you see anything familiar?

The arctic fox scarf around the girl's neck abruptly gained in volume, becoming like a live white fox, and jumped down on the table.

"Alas, nothing even remotely resembling a sense of recognition arose. Nevertheless, I have no doubts. Echidna is my creator. However, I don't even know if I was created before Beatrice or after. I guess, I was Echidna's first attempt to create a spirit, which is why I came out so… incomplete. Perhaps I was created as a proof of concept? Or maybe the witch got rid of me as the result of a failed experiment?"

"Don't you dare talk about yourself as some failed experiment!" Anastasia blurted out with passion.

"Thank you for your support, Ana, I appreciate it. However, I am not worried about this at all. I've already said before about the feeling that I fulfilled my destiny as soon as I was born. Now I am even more convinced of this. Well, after me, Echidna, taking into account her mistakes, made a better creation in the form of Beatrice. Even if the Witch of Greed acted that way, I don't hold a grudge against her for it. For some reason, this outcome seems to me as very… logical."

"I must admit, it scares me a little how similar your manner of speech is to Echidna's. Perhaps anyone who hears you and her might think that you might be a Witch of Greed, taking on the image of a white fox."

"If you suddenly have doubts about me, then how could it be that a year ago Subaru Natsuki ran into Echidna in the Sanctuary, even though I was with you during that entire time."

"Don't worry. I have no doubts about you. If you hadn't been with me all these years, I probably wouldn't be even alive now. Better tell me, should we go to Beatrice, and tell her about you? After all, you and her are, in fact, sisters. What if she knows something about you and your past?"

"I am very intrigued by this idea. The possibility of learning something about yourself sounds extremely tempting. But let us wait. Who knows, maybe the next viewings will give us all the answers we need without forcing us to reveal our cards."

"As always, you read my mind!" Anastasia nodded with a satisfied smile.

"I haven't looked into your thoughts right now, these are my own musings."

"It was a joke, Echidna."

"Ah. Is that so? It was a figure of speech. It is funny."

"And now let's compare Julius's notes with my sketches. Maybe we can start implementing some things right after we return to our world."

The girl and the artificial spirit, being completely on the same wavelength, began to discuss with fervor what things from another world the Hoshin trading company would offer its customers in the future.

"Even though I knew that a meeting with Elsa was inevitable, it's not any easier to see it with my own eyes again." Otto sighed heavily, pouring himself a glass of wine. Shortly after the break began, Otto went to the common room, where there were several tables and even a bar where sometimes members of the camps gathered to talk. And right now he was not alone there.

"Otto-sama, are you sure that you should be drinking now? Can't you at least wait for a big break?" Frederica, who was also in the room and made herself tea, asked him anxiously and with a note of condemnation.

"Believe me, Frederica-san. I'm already restraining myself in every possible way! After what I saw in the last episode and guessing what awaits us next, I'm eager to drink something much stronger and in much bigger quantities. There's only one thing holding me back from this right now. Understanding my responsibility to our camp and the need to protect its interests and secrets as much as possible. We are already in an extremely difficult situation. And, believe me, the worst is yet to come."

"You mean the fact that it was Roswaal-sama who organized the attack on the mansion?"

Before he could answer, Garfiel entered the room with the darkened expression on his face.

"The old man said it right. It sucks tha' dis bitch is already dead. I'm startin' to wish I could take her alive, keep her chai'd up in a dungeon, an' tear her limb from limb sometimes!"

Garfiel sat down on a chair at the bar, clenching his fists. The entire time, he never even looked at his sworn brother and sister.

"You're saying scary things, brother. Maybe you shouldn't beat around the bush, like Natsuki-san likes to do, and go straight to the main question you want to ask?" Otto asked directly."

The young blond man was clearly worried about something. And very much so. The head of the Interior did not drink his wine in for nothing, and even before the start of the display of the Sanctuary arc, he thought over different scenarios. The obstacles that Natsuki-san faced. The dangers he had told him about that fateful night.

Based on everything he remembered from their conversation, Otto tried to anticipate the scenes that could be expected in the near future. Repeated failed attempts to save the inhabitants of the mansion. Confrontation with Roswaal and the disclosure of the secret of his tome of wisdom. Possible collision with the Great Rabbit. And, of course, the conflict with Garf, which they will see pretty soon, he guessed. Judging by the young fighter's face, Otto wasn't the only one pondering the last point.

"I'm… I'm scared, Brotto. I'm afraid. Afraid tha' I might do somethin' to the cap'n. You saw everythin' on the screen y'self. I talked to him almost like to a friend. Damn, I got the feelin' that if dis was the second loop, and he had hinted to me tha' he needed help to save my sis and Petra… M'sure I would have followed him right 'ere and den! But it didn't happen… the cap'n died… again. And you know what that means."

"That the intensity of the miasma that emanates from him will become much greater." Otto gloomily expressed his guess and drank a glass of wine in one gulp.

"Yeah. I got tha' afta' death, the cap'n will be transferred to the tomb. Because old Shima told me tha' she smelled the witch's stench on him when he came out after the Trial with the princess. Which is why my amazin' self immediately suspected something was wrong with him."

"Yes. And the same night, Natsuki-san told me what kind of threat you pose if you are not neutralized and persuaded to take our side." Otto did not try to sweeten the pill for his younger brother.

He guessed that sooner or later they would see a conflict between Garf and Subaru. It was inevitable. The only thing they could hope for was that he wouldn't be as violent as…

"I don't wanna that, Otto. I don't wanna see myself attackin' the cap'n. You know, he's like a brother to me!" The young ruffian was on the verge of tears from the tension.

"I know, Garf, And I believe you." The merchant poured himself another glass.

"But Rem… we both know now how much Rem loves him. We've seen it for ourselves. But after all, it's the same Rem that before seeing how cool cap'n is…" Garf could not finish and fell silent.

"She thought he was a cultist because of the same smell that got stronger with each death. Therefore, as soon as she had an argument to use aggression against him, she immediately used it." Frederica completed the thought for him, anxiously clenching her fists.

The parallels between Garfiel's initial perception of Subaru and the way Rem treated him were frighteningly close.

"I understand what's bothering you, brother. I'm not going to calm you down with sweet talk about how you have nothing to worry about, And you know it yourself. I'm sorry, but all you can do is to prepare yourself internally for a similar scene to the one that Rem-san went through."

It was hard to look at the blonde. This young man, who was barely fifteen, lowered his head and clasped his hands over it. His shoulders shook. He was on the verge of tears from the fear and guilt that consumed him.

"But!" Otto snapped, holding up a finger and forcing Garfiel to look at him.

"I want you to remember the main thing, Garf! Remember it, and never let it out of your head for a moment! No matter what you see, no matter what terrible scenes await us, remember: Natsuki-san did not turn away from you! He didn't list you as his enemy."

Garfiel looked at his older comrade with a look in which there was a desperate desire to believe what he just heard. Seeing that his words were having an effect, Otto continued, placing his hand on his shoulder and deliberately putting as much pathos and confidence into them as he could:

"The goal of the plan he and I made was to convince you to join our side. Voluntarily. Natsuki-san knew you weren't a villain. He knew that you had traits that made you worthy of being called a brother. Just like in the case of Rem! Natsuki-san didn't leave her, even after everything that happened, and as a result, she took a place in his heart. The same thing will happen to you. Remember that, Garf."

Inspired by this speech, Garfiel was even able to force a small smile. Quickly wiping away the tears that welled up, he squared his shoulders and asked for juice in a confident voice.

"Oi! When did ya learn to juggle with words like that, Brotto?! With yer silver tongue, ya can cajole even Zarestia! Ye're right. If I did somethin' stupid, I should not wallow in snot, but wait for the cap'n to wake up and properly apologize to him for what a jerk I was! Since he has decided to make me his bro, den I have no right to decide the opposite for him, have I?!

"That's right, Garf!"

"Great spirits. I am amazed that Garfiel was able to formulate such a long and clever thought in his head." Frederica commented on her little brother's words sarcastically, but with a kind smile.

"Sis, don't get in the way with yer barbs! Right now dere was a moment of men's unity and bondin'! The girls won't get it!" The blond man proudly remarked and confidently left the room to take his place in the hall.

"Yes, how can I, a simple humble maid, understand such secrets of the universe!" The girl decided to keep the last word for herself. Turning to Otto, who was pleased with himself, Frederica decided to allow herself a little more. Placing her hand on his palm, she smiled modestly but tenderly at the surprised merchant.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Otto-sama. I'm glad to know that my worthless brother is growing up under the care of someone as reliable as you. So I ask you to continue to take care of us."

"Ah… I-I… o-of course, Frederica-san! You can count on me!" The head of the interior managed to bubble out, red as a tomato.

"Since you say so, then I will take advantage of your offer." The head maid winked playfully and left the room.

Left alone, Otto tried to calm his heartbeat. Glancing at the remains of the wine in the decanter, he wondered what awaited him next. But for the first time in recent days, he had the idea that not all the upcoming changes would be unpleasant.

"Can I… have a stronger one? But just a little. For courage!" He said aloud.

Out of nowhere, a shot glass with a clear amber liquid appeared in front of him and a saucer with a single tartlet as an appetizer.

"Much obliged!" After emptying the glass in one gulp and eating the snack, Otto moved into the theater.

Meanwhile, the screen was preparing for the next session.

The hall was gradually filling up. After using the time allotted to them to gather their strength and thoughts, the guests took their seats. Ram took a seat to her master's right. Felt decided to take a seat next to Emilia in order to support her friend if necessary. The faithful Reinhard sat down on her right. Because of this, Garfiel and Otto sat on the opposite side, to the left of Rem, who had already taken his place next to the sleeping knight. Beatrice immediately climbed onto her contractor's lap.

When all the participants were seated, the screen came to life, launching the sixth episode of the fourth arc.

Subaru woke up inside the tomb, breathing heavily and holding his stomach. Coughing up the dirt that got into his mouth, he realized what had happened:

"Did I just die? What was that woman doing in the mansion?"

"By the way, were you able to find out who hired the Bowel Hunter to attack the mansion?" Crusch asked. "Considering the clash in the capital and the attack of the mabeasts on the village, It turns out that this is the third attempt on Emilia-sama's camp, which is not related to the Witch Cult."

To her surprise, the members of the half-elf's camp visibly tensed, and their faces hardened.

"You don't have to worry, Crusch-sama. We have successfully identified the client and made sure that this will not happen again." Otto replied carefully.

Although her blessing showed that the merchant was telling the truth, Crusch couldn't let go of the feeling that they didn't want to tell her the truth. But why? What were they so desperate to hide? It was then that Crusch remembered how many times the members of Emilia's camp had cast angry glances at the margrave. Crusch looked back at Roswaal. The magician sat with an indifferent face, staring at the screen.

'Is he really the culprit? But why? What purpose can he pursue by hiring the Bowel Hunter?' The duchess mused, trying to understand the clown's motives.

Then she remembered her own words, which she had told Emilia a couple of days ago, that it was Roswaal who hired the Bowel Hunter in order to steal Emilia's insignia.

'But why would he do that?' He wasn't lying when he said he needed Emilia alive. He couldn't get to the dragon without her. Then what purpose does he have…' suddenly the duchess had a thought that put everything in its place.

'Did the margrave really know something about Subaru's ability? But from where?! How could he find out about it? Subaru couldn't have told him about it, even if he wanted to. And even if that's the case, why would he hire Elsa again? For what purpose?'

Not knowing yet what to do with these thoughts, Crusch decided to postpone the question until a more convenient moment. She will use the next break to consult with her companions and listen to their thoughts. Or perhaps the magic screen will give hints that will clarify the picture.

"This is… the graveyard?… right after the trial? Or—" He noticed the girl lying on the floor.

"Emilia!"

"Subaru?"

"Yeah, that's right. It's me."

Suddenly, her face turned into a grimace of horror.

"It wasn't me! It wasn't!"

"I know. It's okay. Everything's okay."

"Subaru…" As the girl clung to the young man in fear, he had an expression of grim determination on his face.

The scene changed to a night panorama of Emilia's lodgings.

I'm sorry. I've finally calmed down." Emilia lamented.

"Emilia…"

"Are you feeling alright?" Ram asked her.

"Yes… because Subaru was there for me, I think. We need to talk about the trial now."

"Yeah… but I have a pretty good idea of what it's about." Natsuki took the floor. "It showed you your past, right?"

"Past?" Otto was surprised.

"How the hell d'ya know what happens in the Trial?" Garfiel asked suspiciously.

"You saw the ruins glowing, didn't you? I was qualified to do it, too. And… I passed it."

These words caused everyone present to be surprised.

"Just so you know. This conversation did not happen in our reality." Otto said absently.

"We can only guess how many attempts he'll need to find a way out of this. In the second arc, he had to start over four times just to find out about the shaman in the village and survive the hostility of the maids. On the other hand, he managed to deal with the White Whale, a much more formidable opponent, in one go." The merchant princess said.

"Therefore, I propose we prepare ourselves and initially perceive each loop as a failed one, until someone from Emilia-sama's camp sees new familiar scenes." The duchess warned the others.

"Hmm… Young Su passed, eh?"

"Assuming he's not joking, that's quite an achievement. If it's true, we can remove the barrier." Ram said skeptically, "Garf, how does the barrier look now?"

"No changes."

"So you lied. Drop-dead." She scolded Subaru mercilessly.

Ram didn't need to take her eyes from the screen to feel the scathing gazes from different directions, but to her there was no need for that. Her own conscience was enough to make the girl regret the words her screen counterpart used.

"Ram will… reevaluate the way she speaks with Barusu." She said with a guilty expression.

"Kindly do that, Ram." Emilia responded with an icy tone.

"You reached that conclusion too fast!" Subaru joked, but then he noted that Garfiel was giving him an intense gaze. "What's wrong, Garfiel?"

"Not a damn thing's wrong."

"Subaru…" Emilia called to him. "If that's true, how… What did you see?"

"I wouldn't say I 'saw'… More like I 'realized'. It seems like there's not just one of these sadistic trials. There are three in total, apparently."

"So… two more?" The girl sighed heavily.

Seeing her doomed expression, Subaru made up his mind.

"Emilia, I have a suggestion. You might not like it, though."

"A suggestion?"

"I could do the remaining trials in your place, and pass them. That's my suggestion.

"So he decided not to rely on me… that's understandable I suppose. He already knows in advance that I will not be able to succeed in this task…" The half-elf muttered, lowering her head.

"You shouldn't think like that, Emilia-sama. His goal now is to free the Sanctuary as soon as possible in order to return to the mansion with everyone, and fight off Elsa! Until this problem became apparent, he was determined to give you as much time as you needed. You saw everything for yourself!" Otto explained, trying to cheer up the royal candidate.

"I want to be your strength." He said, seeing Emilia's frightened expression. "I don't know what you saw in your past, but if it made you cry so hard and look like you were in such pain… I want to lend you a hand."

"Hang on!" The blonde man suddenly replied. "You've just been sayin' whatever the hell you want while we sit and listen, but I don't want anyone but the princess, Emilia-sama, bein' the one to go through the trial. At the very least, you're the last person I wanna see gettin' rid of the barrier!"

Subaru was surprised by this turn. The last conversation with the blonde man in the previous loop appeared in his head: 'You can go through the trial in Emilia-sama's place.'

"Wait, wait, wait!"

"Why the sudden change of stance? Last time, you were the one to propose this alternative." Anastasia asked bewildered.

"In our reality, when the cap'n came out of the tomb for the first time, he reeked with the witch's stench. And in addition to tha' the cap'n just said he's passed the Trial. So it turns out tha' an outsider's appeared in the Sanctuary. A pure-blood who for some reason has the right to pass the Trial. He went in dere, looking like an ordinary guy, and came out smellin' like a cultist. It was too suspicious. Most likely, the same thin' happened in this loop."

"So you can feel the miasma too?" Felt asked.

"Not me. Old hag Shima could. She warned me 'bout it after he came out of the tomb, so I could keep a close eye on the cap'n.

"Shit. Don't tell me he's going to be harassed again because of the witch's scent, like back at the mansion?!" Al was indignant. "It starts to look like a bad TV series, where the plot twists are regularly repeated!"

Garf wanted to reply that he would never harm Subaru, but stopped himself. He had seen for himself how much Rem loved his Captain. And how she had hated and tortured him before because he smelled like a cultist.

"What? You're surprised that I'm against it? You're a real dumbass, ya know that?"

"No, I mean, why—"

"Subaru…" Emilia addressed him quietly. "A-Are you saying you can't trust me with this?"

"Huh?"

"Because you saw me failing. So you want to do it instead?"

"That's not it! But you shouldn't have to face your past if—"

"Once again, Barusu is forced to lie to everyone around him in order to save their lives. And all of this because he cannot talk about his knowledge of the future." Ram remarked bitterly.

"This is another point that we should consider for the future. After the Sanctuary, we thought that Natsuki-san either knows how to see the future or has an incredible intuition. We need to let him know that we are ready to believe him just like that. Without any need from him to invent excuses or false arguments!" Otto said firmly.

"Aren't you afraid that, knowing that you are ready to blindly trust him, he will just start using your trust in him…" Anastasia began to express her skepticism about such a naive position, but stopped mid-sentence. "Oh what am I even saying? We're talking about Natsuki-kun. He doesn't seem to be capable of such a thing in principle."

"Ha! I see you're starting to understand how big bro operates!" Felt said, proud that she had understood the essence of Subaru's mindset far earlier.

"But if I don't face it, I'll never get past the trial! If I turn my eyes away from things I don't like, leave them all to you, and run away…"

There was a heavy silence in the room.

"What would be left for me then?"

"Let's stop talking about this."

The scene changed to the outside of the house.

"Got a minute?" Subaru called out the departing Garfiel and Ryuzu. "Why were you so opposed to what I suggested?"

"Because—"

"Because it is what Young Ros wants. Young Ros believes that Emilia-sama should be the one to liberate the Sanctuary."

"And you guys back him on that?"

"Don't get me wrong! I hate that son of a bitch as much as you do. But… you get it, don't you?!" Garfiel tried to explain.

"I guess…even if the barrier disappeared and Sanctuary officially became part of his domain…"

"This land is overseen by Young Ros. No one among us wishes to defy him and endanger our position. I hope you and the others know that I am sorry."

"It just keeps getting harder and harder for me to trust Roswaal."

"Don't look at me, it's all a li-i-ie. I did not give them such instructions. Moreover, I was trying to persuade our knight to take the Trial instead of prince-e-ess" The clown replied with an impudent smile to a new batch of accusing glances.

"But then why would Ryuzu-san lie about it?" Didn't she realize that with such words she was creating discord between the margrave and his subordinates?" Tivey didn't understand the logic behind village head behavior.

"She… had no choice." Garfiel declared, lowering his head guiltily.

"What do you mean, Garf?" Ram was wary.

"At that time, my amazin' self… was the apostle of Greed.

"What kind of title is that?" Crusch asked, looking sternly at the young man.

"It sounds like a rank among cultists." Tivey said suspiciously, for which he immediately got hit on the head by Mimi's wand.

"I got nothing to do with the cult! This title meant that I had the responsibility to keep an eye on everything tha' was happening in the Sanctuary! And tha's why all the copies of Ryuzu Meyer had to follow my commands! Most likely, when she saw my reaction to the cap'n's idea, she made up that it was a clown's order so tha' the cap'n would not bother us with questions.

"Anyway! It's gotta be the princess who goes through the trial! Even if you are qualified, I ain't lettin' you do it!"

After these words, the two of them left. And Subaru was left alone with his thoughts.

"Damn it… Emilia… No, take it easy. I need to figure out what to do about the mansion. There's no way that insane woman won't do anything to Rem and the new maids. It's Frederica I'm worried about. Does she have ties to Elsa somehow? In any case, I need to get back to the mansion as fast as I can."

The next scene started in Roswaal's bedroom.

"And what is it you would like me to do?"

"Get the people of Arlam Village back home. I want you to bring up that suggestion to Ryuzu-san and the rest. It doesn't look like I'll be able to get them to agree with me this time."

"This time"?

"You have to agree, this phrase sounded ve-e-ery strange." Roswaal shrugged his shoulders when others looked at him, silently asking what his version on the screen meant by that.

"Hmm… And why is that?"

"That Garfiel punk seems to hate my guts. I don't have time to convince someone as volatile as him. And there's one other thing. I want to go and tell the people who're still in Arlam that their families are safe. I'm going back there alone to tell them that. Of course, I'm also going to the mansion, where Frederica's planning something."

"Ram has informed me of this. But given what I know about her, Frederica would not be hasty in—"

"And what do you know?" Natsuki said angrily. "Frederica gave Emilia the glowing stone. That's proof she's planning something!"

"And if she does prove to be an enemy, what will you do?" "I'm sorry to say so, but you stand no chance against her."

"Emilia's dealing with the barrier, you're injured, and Otto won't have any part in all this. We're stuck."

"That is true, with the exception of one person."

The next frame showed Subaru preparing a Patrasche for the trip, there was a Ram next to it.

"If I may be blunt, I don't like this."

"You're still talking like that, Nee-sama?"

"With Roswaal-sama in his current condition, I don't like the idea of leaving his side."

"Yeah, but it's not like you can do anything for him, right? I couldn't believe it when I heard that Garfiel put those bandages on him."

"Don't be a fool. What if I had put them on him and only made his injuries worse?"

"Show a little guilt, would you?!" Natsuki was astonished with her lack of remorse.

"Ugh! It's disgusting to even remember how my amazin' self had to bandage this snake!" The blond man grimaced.

"Silence, you ingrate! I was the one who had to watch with jealousy as you took away the most desirable aspects of my work!" Ram crossed her arms, turning away with displeasure, cursing her damaged hand-eye coordination.

"Makin' your triumphant return with a pretty girl on each arm? You've really got some nerve, you know that?" Garfiel suddenly came up to them and commented.

"Are you that worried that Ram and I will fall in love during our journey?" Subaru remarked sarcastically. "Even if we ride together, we won't be touching, you know. There wouldn't be anything soft anyway."

"Oh, shut up! You don't tell me something I know better… AAH?!"

Garf's angry retort was interrupted by a powerful slap that consistently knocked him and Subaru to the ground.

"You won't know it, or I'll knock you down." Ram commented calmly.

"You already did!" Garfiel protested, holding his cheek, which had a bright red mark.

"Stop hitting me, pretending it's by accident!" Subaru joined in, being in the same situation.

"Ram! Why are you doing this to Subaru?!" Emilia protested, turning to Ram.

Disapproval was written on the half-elf's face, mixed with a complete lack of understanding of the situation.

"I just defended the honor of many women from the dirty hints of these obscene animals, devoid of any sense of aesthetics, Emilia-sama." Ram replied in the same unperturbed tone as on the screen before, looking her mistress straight in the eye.

"Eh?" Emilia did not understand anything.

"Nice hit, Ram!" Anastasia clapped contentedly, not taking her eyes off the screen, trying to hide her face full of rage behind a smile.

"Hm! You idiots deserved it! That's what you get if you don't know when to keep your mouth shut!" Felt supported her, laughing.

"Truly, his tongue is his most terrible enemy." Julius sighed, covering his face with his palm.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but this time I'll approve of what you did, maid." Beatrice surprised many with her words, glaring at the screen with red cheeks. "My contractor sometimes needs to be reminded of the simplest rules of decency, and be taught a couple of lessons about true beauty, in fact!"

"If you wish, I will gladly undertake this task, Beatrice-sama. And I will definitely achieve the desired result!" Ram gallantly informed the ancient spirit, placing a frightening emphasis on the word definitely.

"What a lovely sight, it's not often that I've seen Ram embarrassed by her appearance!" Frederica giggled contentedly.

Petra, meanwhile, was trying to figure out why this scene caused such different reactions. Repeating the last scene, she saw in her head and looking at those who were outraged by the boys' words, she came to an unequivocal conclusion: 'I need to drink more milk.'

'I wish you luck on your path of big boobs, pal! It's a wonderful journey!' Al nodded approvingly, peering discreetly from under his helmet at the impressive bust of his mistress.

"I see they both have trouble understanding what to talk about, and what to keep quiet about". Ricardo mused aloud.

"It's fine! They both are honest and say what they think, and if they say stupid things, you can always hit them on the head! Not like all sorts of scheming clowns!" Mimi replied, pleased with the situation. Apparently, the modesty of girls in certain areas did not bother Garf at all. All the better for her.

"Well, since you're happy with his attitude, I won't comment." The mercenary captain nodded at her.

Rem felt conflicted. On the one hand, she wanted to slap Subaru on the back of the head for such insulting hints about her wonderful sister. On the other hand, she felt a shameful sense of inspiration and self-confidence.

"I didn't expect you to come out so early in the morning to see me off. So you heard?"

"Frankly, it pisses me off that this was all decided without me, but I ain't gonna fight it."

"Really? That's good to know. If you'd tried to stop me, I would've had to throw Ram off into the distance as a decoy."

"Like that would even work!" The guy answered firmly, but immediately his confidence faded away, and he asked Subaru: "Would it?"

"How would I know?!" Subaru retorted and turned to Ram for support. "You should say something to…"

But for some reason, the girl appeared to be thinking about something.

"So even before you recognized him as your commander, you instinctively reached out to him for advice and help?" Otto couldn't help but chuckle.

"My amazin' self wasn't reaching anywhere! It's just… it's just that the captain's question confused me!"

"A blockhead can smell another blockhead a mile away. Poor Garf was lonely, being the only half-wit person in the village. That's why he was so happy when two like-minded brothers appeared in the Sanctuary. So it's no surprise that he used every opportunity to get in touch with Barusu."

"Ram is right. Not in the sense that Otto-sama and Subaru-sama are slow-witted, of course. I'm talking about the fact that Garf must have been lonely in the Sanctuary without other boys of similar age." Frederica agreed, feeling guilty that she had not been with her brother for so many years while he was growing up.

"Oi! My amazin' self could easily do without friends! I didn't need you or the cap'n back then! Don't make a sugar princess out of me!" The young blonde said, not noticing how his face turned red with embarrassment.

"Garfiel, please calm down. Otherwise, the wind of untruth around you will soon sweep everyone away!" A rare case when Reinhard allowed himself to be sarcastic about someone else. But for some reason, he felt that Garfiel won't hold a grudge.

Numerous appreciative chuckles were the reward for the Sword Saint.

"Ram? What's wrong?"

"This stupid conversation gave me a headache, that's all." She waved them away.

"Well, I'm outta here." Subaru said to Garfiel. "I should be back tomorrow, so look after things until then."

"You're not gonna say goodbye to the princess?"

"I'm surprised you're actually worried about Emilia. But it's fine. I left her a letter."

Looking at Garf, Subaru waited for him to offer the medallion again. But the young man did not move.

"By the way, don't you have anything to give me?"

"Huh? The hell are you talkin' about?"

"Then are you going to show some concern for me?" Ram took the initiative. "The woman you love is leaving to fulfill her duty. Have you no desire to offer her some assistance?"

"You're only nice when you'll get somethin' out of it, aren't ya?" Garfiel grumbled and took the pendant off his neck. "There!"

"She's just taking advantage of his kindness! Relationships don't work like that!" Mimi flared up, looking at this scene.

"We will definitely listen to children's thoughts on a subject at the appropriate time." Ram replied firmly, without even looking at the girl.

"Hey! I'm already an adult, you know! I'm fifteen!"

"Take care of Emilia. Do the best you can to let her know I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart!" Subaru said goodbye to him and Patrasche set off.

"Tell her that yourself, damn it!'' The blond man shouted as a goodbye.

The scene changed. Subaru and Ram, riding Patrasche, were moving through the forest.

"So, Barusu… Will this thing Garf gave us be of some use?"

"I don't know."

"What do you think? You've known him longer than I have."

"Actually, I have no idea. Since it's part of a matching pair, I'm sure it means something to him." The girl replied and went deep in her own thoughts.

"You've looked pretty unhappy today."

"What you said earlier… When you said you would throw me as a decoy. For some reason, that bothered me more than I expected. Almost as if… something like that has really happened before."

"What? So Ram still has these memories?" Frederica asked, clearly perplexed.

"And what if they were not 'eaten', as we thought earlier, but sealed in the depths of consciousness! If that's the case, then maybe there is a way to unlock them!" Felix almost lit up with enthusiasm, looking at his mistress.

He was still worried that after these sessions were over, after the Warden sent them back, his lady would lose her memories again.

Surprised, Subaru immediately remembered how he launched Ram towards the enraged Rem over the heads of the ulgarms. He gripped the reins with force, which did not escape the maid's attention.

"Barusu?"

"Ram, there's something important I need to tell you. The most important thing in the world to you."

"The only thing that is important to me is Roswaal-sama."

"No, there's something else. So I'm going to tell you about it. There's a girl named Rem…"

In the next scene, they were already approaching the Mather's mansion.

"Please don't let anything be happening. I'm here two days earlier than last time. If it still goes wrong, I'll have to take off on Patrasche the moment I wake up in the graveyard. If Frederica turns out to be an enemy, it's crucial to know when she's going to take action."

"Barusu?"

"Should I attack or run? If it's Elsa I'm dealing with, it'd be wise to turn tail and run."

"At least he is still aware of his own weakness and understands when to hit and when to run." Al commented.

He knew very well that running from a fight rather than entering a fighting position more often than not was the choice of a sage and not of a coward. And all sorts of knights with their honor could bite his immortal otherworldly ass!

"Apparently, he begins to perceive someone as a threat only if he has been clearly shown that fighting with them is inevitable. That's why he's not afraid of the witch Echidna, but the mere mention of Elsa makes his heart sink." Remarked Julius.

"Which means…"

"Barusu!"

"What? I was thinking about—" He started to get angry, but stopped when he noticed Petra making a gallant curtsy.

"Welcome back, Subaru-sama. You returned much sooner than I expected."

Dismounting, Subaru froze, staring at the young maid.

"Is something wrong, Subaru-sama?"

"Oh, God! You're just so cute!" The young man cried out, hugging the girl.

"What, what?! What is this?! Subaru!"

"Damn! You have no idea what I've been through! Seriously… Damn it…"

"Groping young maidens, moreover maids, in broad daylight, right on the street! The perverted side of Barusu dominates him more and more every time!" Ram said with mock disgust.

"You're just jealous that he didn't hug you like that." Al chuckled.

"Kindly go and choke to death with your own filth." The maid replied in a most elegant tone.

"I'd rather pay attention to a cunning maid who takes full advantage of her innocent appearance to charm our hero." Ricardo quipped, enjoying the sight of red-faced Petra.

Then Subaru noticed that the girl had the same handkerchief tied around her arm.

"Is that…"

"Oh… It's to match the one I gave you."

Hearing these words, he hugged her even tighter. The girl noticed that he was visibly shaking.

"Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm just incredibly relieved, from the bottom of my heart. It's good to be back, Petra."

"I dread to even imagine what a blow would have been inflicted on his psyche if he had seen the fate of Petra in the last loop." Rem said sympathetically, gently stroking the sleeper's hand.

"Maybe she managed to escape that time? We didn't see any bodies!" Garf suggested with little hope.

Many nodded in agreement, but they themselves did not believe in these words. The Bowel Hunter was not one to spare the innocent.

"If I may be blunt, I don't like this."

"I feel like I've heard that before…"

"Yes, because it was sarcasm. The cute sarcasm of a Ram who has been forgotten and left at a loss."

"She's jealous." Garf grinned impudently.

"Jealous." Otto agreed.

"Definitely jealous." Frederica whispered to her student, who clamped her mouth shut to keep from laughing out loud.

The knights suppressed their chuckles with a strong-willed effort. Felt, Crusch and Anastasia, as candidates for the throne, had no need to suppress their emotions.

Meanwhile, Ram came to the conclusion that the low-ranking members of Emilia's camp urgently needed to go on a diet that consisted solely of potato peels. And she, as a responsible maid, will personally monitor its implementation.

"Um, you're Ram nee-sama, right? I was just hired as a new maid in service to the lord of the mansion. I'm Petra. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You seem to know your place, unlike Barusu." She smiled warmly at the girl. "Very good. I give you a passing grade. By the way, Barusu, you fail. I won't allow you to cross this mansion's threshold."

"What was the point of coming back, then?!" Natsuki shouted angrily, while Petra closed her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Ah…why can't all the viewings consist of such wonderful moments? We would just sit, relax, laugh at how everyone makes fun of Subaru, how he amuses everyone with his antics." Emilia said, holding back tears. "I wonder If the rest of the 'arc' is going to be so heavy?"

"Yes, I would really love to watch another episode like when my big bro organized a snow festival instead!" Felt sighed sadly.

All the viewers constantly felt the pressure of the fact that this loop was a failure. This meant that they wouldn't be able to deal with Elsa. And even if Subaru doesn't die by her hand, something else will happen to him. Or, worse, after seeing the death of everyone around him, he will end this loop himself. Everyone understood that it was necessary to take into account the possibility of such an outcome.

"Hey, Petra… has anything weird happened while we were away? Like, with Frederica?" He asked?

"Frederica nee-sama? There's nothing weird about her at all."

"Is she inside right now?"

"She's out patrolling the forest barrier. It may be a while before she gets back." Petra reported.

"I'm not sure if our timing is good or bad. What should we do, Barusu?"

"I want to see what she's going to do. We'll wait with Rem in the meantime."

The scene changed to the hallway of the mansion. Ram and Subaru stood silently in front of Rem's room.

"I'm going to get back to cleaning. If you need anything, please call me." Petra said.

"You're nervous, huh?" Subaru asked.

"I am not." Ram replied indifferently.

"Well, you should be. It's the right reaction. I want you to be."

"It's still hard for me to imagine what it might be like. I'm being told that there is someone whom I have known all my life and even considered my family. I walk into a room, and there's a person sleeping there whom I've never seen in my life. But at the same time, in reality, this may be the person most dear to me." Felt commented with sadness.

She was very afraid of the prospect that someone dear to her or even herself would become a victim of Gluttony. There were not many people in her life that she cared about in the first place. Therefore, the fear of losing any of them was very strong.

"Once again, you start to think that if Gluttony attacked you and 'ate' your name, then it's better if he eats your memories as well. To be in a world where everyone you knew and cherished simply forgot you, and all your deeds were erased, it's like… I don't even know what it's like."

"That's pretty similar to what my pal has to live with in this world." The one-armed warrior calmly replied. "We saw for ourselves how many of his efforts and good moments in the mansion were simply erased from reality due to the fact that he was dying".

"The only thing he can calm himself with is that it works not only with pleasant memories, but also with tragic ones. Tivey expressed his opinion.

Upon entering the room, Subaru immediately breathed out a sigh of relief:

"I'm so glad you're alright."

Ram went to the bed and looked at the face of the girl lying in the bed.

"Barusu…"

"What?"

"Could you leave us alone for a bit?"

The young man nodded and silently left the room.

"Sister, tell me, when you first saw me like this in our reality, did you feel anything?" Rem asked, not really hoping for a positive answer, turning to her twin.

"Alas, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember anything. Just the understanding that you are definitely related to me. The external similarity and residual traces of our synesthesia confirmed this. But I never managed to get my memories back. I'm sorry, sissy."

"I've told you already. You shouldn't blame yourself for what Gluttony has done. In the whole world, only my hero can resist these vile powers!" As he said this, Rem gently caressed Subaru's cheek.

"It's a start… It's a start." He sighed

"You returned sooner than I expected, Subaru-sama. What a surprise." Suddenly, Frederica came up from the side.

In the next frame, Subaru was sitting in the living room, where the maid served him a cup of tea.

"Since Emilia-sama is not with you, I assume the trial is not yet complete?"

"Yeah. There are some things I want to ask you. First, about this."

He took out Garfiel's pendant. Frederica's face showed that she recognized it immediately.

"That is… Garf's stone."

"Yeah. So you really do know him…"

"I mean, you really are related?"

"Garf did not tell you so himself?"

"It's easy enough to guess from your faces. And I imagine you're the older sibling."

"You are correct. I am Garf's… Garfiel's older sister by blood." She said warmly, wiping away her tears.

"If ya missed me so much, sis, ya could have visited my amazin' self and the old hags a' any moment !" Garfiel grumbled resentfully.

"You already know that I've been busy preparing a new home the villagers would need after the liberation of the Sanctuary. By the way, I've been sending you letters regularly! I dread to imagine what you did to them, considering that you haven't written back to me in ten years! Although for the sake of Ram you regularly ruined the paper with your scribbles!" Frederica returned the favor, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Answer me something. Why did you use the glowing stone to set a teleport trap?"

Frederica looked at him blankly.

"Can't tell me that because of your oath, either? Well, this is one thing you need to—" He stood up and grabbed the girl by the shoulders.

"Subaru-sama… What do you mean by 'teleport'?" In response to his surprised look, she continued. "I-I do not know how to respond to that look."

"Wait! Wait, wait! You won't fool me! I know you're working with the conservatives who don't want the Sanctuary to be freed!"

"Conservatives? I do not know what you mean. You will need to explain everything from the beginning…"

"Y-You're really not acting or signaling?"

"Having one-on-one time with Frederica in my absence? It would seem you have no need for your life, Barusu."

"Uh, no, I was…"

"And you call this an interrogation?!" Tivey was indignant. "It was enough for a maid to make a cute face and say that she doesn't know anything about it, and he just let himself be fooled?! If she was really a traitor, she could just stab him in the back with a knife, smile innocently, say that she had nothing to do with it, and he would believe it!"

"That's the way Subaru-dono is. He wishes to see only the good in all people. Even if they treat him unfairly or cruelly, he tries to understand what motivates them. And if they are not villains, he will look for an excuse to forgive them and extend a hand of friendship." Wilhelm replied with an uncharacteristically gentle smile.

"This trait of a big bro, of course, is wonderful. But in the future it can create a lot of problems for him!" Felt agreed with Tivey.

Calmly sitting down on the sofa, Ram took Subaru's cup, sipped from it and said:

"Your skill at making tea hasn't improved since we left, I see."

"Oh… but making tea is the one thing I excel at. Honestly, what an unlovable girl you are." Frederica immediately joined in the altercation, sitting down on an armchair, clearly irritated.

"I'm perfectly lovable. If I were more lovable, the world would be in danger."

"I have a feeling that some women hopelessly confuse charm with conceit." Felix said with displeasure, comparing the behavior of Ram and Priscilla in his head.

"You always have a sharp retort ready. How very like you."

"And? If you don't know about teleporting, why did you give Barusu the glowing stone?"

"Well…" The blond maid looked very hesitant.

"You can't tell us because of your oath? If so, that's a pathetic excuse, Frederica."

"You are right. I cannot tell you anything."

"Sticking to your pathetic excuse, I see." Ram said, jumping to her feet and taking out her magic wand. "Then there's nothing more to discuss."

"Hey, take it easy!" Subaru tried to reason with her.

"Your refusal to answer the question makes your betrayal clear. We will restrain you and take you to the Sanctuary. Then we can figure out who's been giving you your orders."

"Yeah, but…"

"If you insist on taking me to the Sanctuary, I will not resist."

"There, see? Even Frederica's… wait, what?" Subaru was confused.

"I said that I will not resist."

"You… won't? Why?!"

"You're awfully slow on the uptake. Frederica can't break her oath of her own free will so you'll have to use force to make her, Barusu. That's the kind of excuse she needs."

"As I can see, margrave really likes to use oaths to control the flow of information in his camp." Anastasia mused aloud, trying to understand Roswaal's motives for imposing such a peculiar restriction on the maid.

"Looks like he prefers to choose servants that owe him in one way or another. Create a situation that will help a person or offer a solution to their problem, and he becomes yer debtor. Show him kindness, care, and the opportunity to repay the debt, and here ya have a very loyal and diligent servant. The idea is as old as the world, but it does not lose its relevance."

"You guys are in perfect sync." The young man voiced his surprise.

"Naturally. We've known each other for nearly ten years."

"If that's all it's gonna take, frankly, I'm relieved. I want to get out of here as soon as—"

"Oh, dear." A new voice appeared from the doorway. Subaru froze in fear, instantly recognizing who this voice belonged to. "I wish you wouldn't say such unfriendly things."

"What?! Already?! But Subaru returned to the mansion much earlier!" Petra said in a frightened voice.

"Maybe last time she attacked the mansion around the same time?" Otto suggested.

"If so, then what was she doing so much time in the mansion in the previous loop? She couldn't have known that Subaru-san would return with the villagers." Crusch disagreed.

"This means that she was watching the mansion, and when she saw the arrival of the commoner, whom she wanted to kill since the day of her failure in the capital, she decided to act." Priscilla made the suggestion.

"But now the big bro is not alone. Frederica and Ram are with him. Ram, of course, won't be able to fight for a long time, but what if it's enough to drive her away or at least escape?" Felt said with faint hope.

"They might try to get to Beatrice's forbidden library! With her help, they will definitely win!" The half-elf optimistically came up with an idea.

"Emilia-sama. You do remember that this is a failed attempt, right?" Rem informed her sadly, gently squeezing Subaru's hand. "Whatever plan they may come up with, Subaru-kun won't survive."

Beatrice, who was listening to all this, sat as if frozen, afraid to even move a little. Her contractor will die yet another time. It was inevitable. She will let him down again. All because of her obsession with an empty book, in which she was expecting to see the fated words. Words that the dark-haired young man who managed to touch her heart was 'That person'. But that never happened. No words had ever appeared in that damned book.

Now she could only pray to all the higher powers that control reality that Subaru would not reach her library. At least he wouldn't die in front of her, not because of her mistakes. Let her be accused of idleness, of heartlessness, of anything. She couldn't care less about the opinions of others. As long as she didn't have to watch her letting him die in front of her.

'Please… don't come to me, Subaru… don't look for me… and forgive Betty… forgive your useless Betty…'

"Now, let's keep that promise we made." The killer said seductively, looking at the young man.

"Nee-sama… Subaru… Run!" Petra shouted.

Rushing forward with the words 'El Fula!' Ram launched the wind blade at Elsa. The assassin easily dodged, and the spell tore down the door behind her. But this distraction was enough for Frederica to get within striking distance of her hand, that turned into an animal paw.

"A very noble decision, Petra-san! You may still be young, but you already have the spirit of a true warrior!" Wilhelm praised her, nodding respectfully at her.

"Now I understand how Petra ended up in the same camp as Sir Natsuki. Birds of a feather." Crusch said approvingly, admiring the resourceful people with strong spirits that had gathered in Emilia's camp.

Just the type of people she wanted to see as much as possible in the kingdom. People like Petra and Frederica, who could succeed in life without any holy dragons.

"Hmm! In addition to a cute face, there is some backbone to this girl. I'm starting to like her more and more." Priscilla said approvingly.

"Our Petra is bound to flourish like a rare and beautiful flower! Such a talent will be wasted within the confines of an ordinary seamstress!" Otto decided to cheer up the audience a little.

"Now I want to see a spinoff where the girl becomes the royal battle seamstress!" Al supported this idea, giving out his version of Petra's future.

"You did well, Petra. But did you really think that we would leave you in such danger, even if you asked for it?" Frederica patted her student's head approvingly.

"Partial beast transformation… You have demi-human blood. How lovely." The killer smiled maniacally.

"Petra!" Frederica commanded, bringing out her massive tail, which the girl immediately grabbed.

"I'll shred you! Fula!"

Elsa took the new wind attack with her hand.

"Her arm…" Ram noted in surprise.

"Goodness, that hurt." The killer said mockingly, licking her own blood from her finger. "I thought I was a goner. I like it. Maids in large, medium, and small, and one boy. I'll put you all on a table and compare what's inside your bellies."

"Crazy bitch! Soon the cap'n will recruit me and I'll give ya yer last dance! Now I can only regret that yer're completely dead, and my amazin' self can't smear you a dozen more times!" Garfiel was furious.

He was consumed by guilt for not being there for the captain at the right moment. Therefore, he wanted to drown out this feeling with anger and anticipation of revenge when he was shown how he crushed this maniac.

"Even Garf's pick-up lines are better! Barusu!"

"I know! Shamac!"

A black fog immediately filled the room. Intense pain shot through Subaru's body, causing him to clutch his chest.

Then Ram's hand grabbed him and launched him into the air. Flying out of the black cloud, he landed next to Frederica and Petra. Ram appeared next.

"Aaand, he broke his gate…he really jinxed it back then, nya." Felix sighed wearily.

"Can you blame him for this rash move?" Reinhard asked, looking at his healer-friend.

"No. Nyot in this situation. He does everything to save the people he cares about, using everything he has. Without caring what it will cost him personally. If this is nyot the behavior of a true knight, then I do nyot know who can be called a knight at all, nya."

He was answered by the approving nods of those around him and the pleasant feeling of Lady Crusch's hand gently squeezing his shoulder. The Blue Knight was secretly glad that he had finally stopped being the one who constantly attacked Subaru, condemning his every decision and receiving hateful glances from his friends.

"We're leaving!"

But before he could get up, a dart flew into his shoulder from behind.

"Subaru!" Petra shouted, while being held in Frederica's arm. With the other, Frederica grabbed the guy by the collar. Another volley of darts dug into her back, but did not stop her. Suppressing a cry of pain, she jumped straight out the window and landed with her charges on the pavement.

"Ul Fula!" Ram, who was covering up the rear, sent the spell into the smoke and jumped out too. Frederica was lying on the ground, shaking from her wounds.

"Frederica nee-sama!"

"I underestimated our opponent." The head maid said with some difficulty.

"Ow… Damn it…" Subaru grumbled, grimacing at the pain in his shoulder, and looked out the window. "Did we get her?"

"It didn't feel like it. Who was she?"

"Rem… Beatrice…" Natsuki remembered the ones left in the building. "We have to save them."

"We leave them here." Ram said in an emotionless voice. Subaru looked at her in disbelief.

"The four of us will escape and leave them here. That's the best option right now."

"What? Ram, how could you suggest such a thing?!" Emilia was livid.

"Obviously, I decided to be pragmatic in this situation. It's already clear that we can't handle the Bowel Hunter. I was responsible for three people. And in her library, Beatrice-sama could easily deal with any opponent on her own."

"And what about Rem?! Why did you decide to leave your sister?!" The princess persisted.

Ram couldn't find a response to this accusation. She could reason logically, stating that with a very high probability Elsa would have followed them, since she could not have known about the presence of Rem in the mansion. That she was trying to think about the wellbeing of the group.

If her first encounter with the sleeping Rem was the same as she remembered, then Ram's conclusions were obvious. Despite the physical resemblance, despite the residual signals of synesthesia, she did not feel anything special from the sight of her comatose sister. Yes, she felt that something was missing. Some longing and desire to learn more about the sleeping girl. But in no way was it a sense of kinship and love that overcame her in this mysterious place, when the Warden brought back the memory of Rem to everyone. So for her, the only priority in this loop would still be the plans of Roswaal-sama, who ordered to protect Subaru and help him.

Therefore, she had no choice but to guiltily lower her gaze so as not to see the condemning glances from members of her camp and some others. And the scariest thing for her was the way Rem was looking at her. Without anger, without judgment. But with such indescribable longing and sadness that Ram wanted to yell at her. To demand that Rem must be enraged at her useless older sister for such betrayal!

"Her reasoning is sound. Risking four lives, including her own, for a slim chance to save one that no one knows about is a bad-looking deal."

"Anastasia-sama, you do understand that we are talking about Rem?" Julius asked her in surprise.

"That's the point, Julius. I do. But the current me is the one who is sitting safely here right now. I'm the one who has all the knowledge about who is who, and how they all are connected. And there—" She pointed at the screen with her finger. "This knowledge is possessed only by Natsuki-kun, who right now thinks only with emotions."

"What… did you… What the hell are you saying?!" Subaru instantly got mad at her.

"What good will yelling do? Calm yourself." Ram tried to reason with him

"That's Rem inside the mansion! Your sister! You love her, and she loves you! You have to protect your little sister!" Getting up, he walked over to Ram and grabbed her shoulder with his good hand.

"I only made the appropriate judgment. Losing you along with Frederica and me would be a far greater loss for our side. Sacrifices must be made." The girl replied in the same even voice.

"It hurts her to say this." Frederica suddenly expressed her thoughts.

She understood the pink-haired girl better than many and felt the slightest changes in her behavior.

"Ram on the screen is deliberately suppressing all her emotions. Not only to think rationally, but also to prevent guilt from taking over and influencing her decisions. I know her well, and I can see that this Ram is in a lot of pain right now."

"Say what you want about Ram about her skills or nasty character, but sometimes I have the feeling that she is the only one in the whole camp of Lady Emilia who prefers to act on the basis of rationality rather than emotions". Tivey said, adjusting his monocle.

Inwardly, he began to understand why the pink-haired maid had such a difficult character. It was hard enough for him to tolerate the antics of his sister and the commander. And Ram had to cope with an entire camp of incompetents. And without support from someone reliable like Hetaro.

In another situation, Ram would be happy to proudly point out that Lord Roswaal was too busy with more important business than managing the camp. Therefore, as his faithful assistant, she had to take on a heavy burden and be the only voice of reason. But now she didn't even think about that. The girl's thoughts were occupied by two gazes: the sad one from Rem in the theater and the angry one from Barusu on the screen. She didn't want to see those gazes anymore. Only not from them.

"She wants to leave her own sister in trouble, you idiot! Would you be happy if I left you to die just because it was 'rational'?!" Without restraining her anger, Mimi hit her brother on the head.

This was the rare occasion when she was genuinely angry at him. What surprised her, however, was that Tivei did not shrink from her blow, as he usually did. On the contrary, he looked at her with such a stern look that Mimi even felt a drop of awesomeness in her nerdy brother.

"Because of the Archbishop of Gluttony, she doesn't remember that she ever had a sister to begin with. Therefore, such arguments cannot be used against her. And yes, if I was in danger, and trying to save me would put you in even more danger, I would prefer that you save yourself, and not risk yourself in an attempt to get to me!" He gave her an angry tirade in one breath.

With tears in her eyes, Mimi wanted to punch her brother in the head again for daring to say such stupid and terrible things, but her baton was intercepted by Ricardo's hand.

"Leave it, Mimi. These are your brother's real feelings. And a sign of how much he cares about you. He may be an idiot to tell you that, but don't you dare ask him to give this up."

"He's right, ya know." Garf decided to join in the conversation. He could understand the feelings of Tivey better than anyone. "It's the duty of a brother: to always take care of sisters first, and only then of themselves. It doesn't matter if she's younger or older!"

"You're an idiot, Tivey! And you, Garf, are an idiot, too! Don't you dare throw your lives away so easily! Do you even think about what will happen to us, your sisters, if you die?!" The girl burst into tears from an excess of feelings.

And when Tivey hurried to hug her, she did not push him away. On the contrary, she hugged him tightly, as if she was afraid that something might really happen to him.

"Alas, but I have to agree with Ram. Her arguments are perfectly logical. They are facing an opponent against whom they have no chance of winning. Trying to get back in the mansion and save others means risking losing everyone without succeeding. As a commander, I support her actions." Crusch voiced her opinion.

"I agree. Unlike me, who is usually too fixated on one goal and overlooks details, my sister always thinks about the whole picture." Rem nodded sadly at the duchess's words.

It was hard for Rem to watch her sister so calmly tell that she was going to leave Rem to die. Her heart ached when once again she saw that she was forgotten by the world and her whole life had literally been erased by Gluttony.

But in her mind, she knew that it wasn't her sister's fault at all. Rem herself, in a situation where her rescue threatened her sister's and Subaru's life, would have offered the same thing.

"But Subaru-kun will never agree to this. For him, leaving someone behind is like giving up on himself. He won't accept it, no matter what arguments you give him. He will go alone if he must. Even knowing that there's little to no chance of success, he will not leave."

"You're talking about sacrificing—"

"Yes, she may be my younger sister. I sensed that the same blood flows in her as in me, but her existence itself is a blank."

The screen showed how Ram, after Subaru left the room, touched Rem with an agitated face, trying to remember or feel something.

"Still, if she is my sister, this is what she would say: "Please sacrifice me to save Roswaal-sama."

"I… didn't bring you here to make you say that." He said, looking at her with eyes full of disappointment.

"Don't look at me like that, Barusu… please. I would never have abandoned my little sister if I remembered anything about her, believe me." Ram whispered, lowering her head so as not to see his condemning eyes, barely holding back tears.

She was hurt. She felt as if she let down all the people she cared about. She abandoned her sister, betrayed Barusu's trust, and failed to save her beloved master from the witch's clutches.

Anastasia stared at the screen intently and shook her head gloomily. No matter how much she admired the heroic nature, she could not approve of actions based on naked emotions. Even the most positive ones. Such steps only lead to more mistakes and tragedies.

"Natsuki-kun would do well to learn to think logically. I never tire of admiring his dedication, but he constantly complicates the task for himself. The circle of people he wants to protect is constantly growing. With this approach, sooner or later he will find himself in the same situation in which Reinhard lives. When too many people in different places expect that the hero will save them".

"I believe we should save the two of them." Frederica spoke up. "Both Beatrice-sama and Rem are also vital to our side."

"M-Me, too! I think we should save them, too! I agree with her!"

"We're not taking a majority vote. Be quiet, child."

"I-I may be a child, but I'm plenty grown-up! Frederica nee-sama even said I'm more useful than you!"

This comment clearly struck a chord with Ram, she glared at the head maid.

"Frederica, what did you say to her?"

"Since it was my idea, I will assume the task of stopping the enemy."

"Sis! You can't handle her alone!" Garf shouted in fright, almost jumping out of his chair.

"There was no other choice. Of the whole group, I was the only one who could engage in close combat with her. Leaving Subaru and Petra unprotected was not an option, so Ram would probably stay with them." she said sadly, hugging her student.

Moving away from her ward, Frederica grabbed her dress and tore it with one burst, leaving her completely naked except for a pendant around her neck. Subaru was struck speechless with surprise, looking at this scene.

The audience found themselves in a similar condition. The image of an impeccable maid that Frederica had created for those present over the past few days was too much in contrast to what they were watching now.

The surprise was so strong that they even forgot about the gravity of the situation on the screen.

"I never thought that YOU would be the one to show off your curves, Frederica. Did you like Barusu so much from the get-go that you lost control of yourself?" Ram asked sarcastically, not missing the opportunity to mess with her colleague. At the same time, trying to distract herself from her own sad feelings.

"Frederica! What is the meaning of this?!" Emilia cried out with jealousy, turning to the maid.

All the girls sitting around the sleeping youth supported the princess, turning around with accusing glances. The 'accused' had the conscience to look away and blush deeply from what was shown on the screen.

"Well… I… I'm obviously going to transform now… The clothes will still be torn apart either way. And in this form it is easier for me to make the transformation. The maid's uniform is… too… disciplining to release the inner beast." She muttered in extreme embarrassment. But when she saw Petra's pleading look, she added confidently:

"Believe me, if it weren't for an emergency, I would never have done this! Especially not in front of Subaru-sama! Honestly!"

"She's not lying." Crusch confirmed, calming down.

And Garfiel just sat there, clearly discontented. Because now he would have to punch his captain hard when he wakes up. He absolutely did not want to do this, but his brotherly duty required him to protect his sister's honor. Even if it was his closest friend. He could only hope that the captain would understand and forgive him later.

"So you're deliberately choosing to draw the short straw again. You're just like Garf."

"You girls are my precious junior colleagues. Also, it is incorrect to say I am 'just like Garf'. Garf is the one who imitates me." Frederica said, and got down on one knee to begin the transformation.

Fortunately for Frederica, the picture on the screen was modest enough not to focus on the details of her figure. However, it was enough to make a general impression.

"OI! Take yer eyes away from your sister!" Garf couldn't stand it.

Getting up from his seat, he began to stare menacingly at all the men in the hall. Otto, William, and the knights had already respectfully averted their gazes. Roswaal looked at his nails with a bored look. Ricardo closed Tiveyi's eyes and looked away, but couldn't hide a satisfied smile. Al was calmly looking at his mistress. It was difficult to surprise him with appetizing shapes.

"Why are you staring at me so shamelessly, Al?" Priscilla asked without taking her eyes off the screen.

"I just realized once again that after encountering divine grace, earthly beauties can no longer impress as they used to."

"It's good that you have enough brains to realize at least such simple things, you lustful blockhead. Now stop undressing me with your disgusting gaze as if you have the right to do so!" A blow to the back of the head with a fan solved Al's dilemma, who now saw only the carpet on the floor.

Nodding with satisfaction, Garf sat down in his seat, continuing to worry about the need to hit the captain in the face, due to his sister's fault.

Beatrice, meanwhile, was busy giving her sleeping partner indignant but harmless slaps to the face with her small palm, while muttering:

"Stop staring! Stop staring! Pervert contractor!"

"Beatrice, you do realize that Subaru on the screen can't hear you, right?" Emilia asked her, just in case.

"It doesn't change anything, in fact! Betty's contractor should learn to control his reactions, I suppose!"

The crystal began to glow brightly, releasing mana, and Frederica's body changed shape. The darts sticking out of the back were simply pushed out, and they fell to the ground.

"So this is a beast transformation?"

A huge lioness appeared before the eyes of those present and let out a frightening roar.

"Petra, I am sorry for frightening you." She said in Frederica's voice.

"You can still talk like that?" The guy was surprised.

"I am still me, after all. You did wonderfully, resisting the urge to scream." She said to the little girl.

"Yes… Yes! Please be careful!"

"Good girl. Ram, I leave the rest in your hands."

"No need to remind me. But if you fall too far behind, I'll make you regret it."

With another growl, Frederica took off and in two jumps reached the window from which they escaped.

"It's nice to see that your cold, cynical approach is just a mask that hides a girl who sincerely cares about her friends." Anastasia remarked with satisfaction.

"My sister is very caring and kind! And she always strives to make sure that everyone gives their best and gets better every day!" Rem happily declared, seeing another opportunity to praise her sister.

"Well, obviously. Because the better everyone works around her, the less she has to do." Frederica jokingly remarked.

"That's actually a very good trait for a leader." The merchant princess responded with a smirk.

"Snap out of it! Let's go." Ram said, slapping the back of the staring Subaru.

"Right… We'll start with Rem." He decided.

After sneaking back into the mansion through the window, they saw that all the doors in the hallway were open.

"This is bad… This is bad. This is bad… We've gotta hurry upstairs!" Natsuki commanded, but they were immediately interrupted by a terrible growl, and the mansion itself was shaken by a strong impact. In the far part of the corridor, a huge beast appeared, breaking through the wall.

"A mabeast?!"

"A Guiltylowe! That monster was a real pain in the ass!" Otto recalled with fright his own encounter with this monster in the corridors of the mansion. After all, it was because of this monster that the mansion burned down.

"But how did such a strong monster end up in the mansion?! Why didn't the magic barrier stop it? Felix was surprised.

"The truth is, Sir Felix, that such powerful mabeasts cannot be stopped by warding crystals. We have experienced this the hard way. Natsuki-san, when he was preparing the operation to save the mansion, gave us these crystals, but the Guiltylowe simply ignored them."

"Such powerful creatures live in the depths of forests, where there is a very high concentration of miasma. They don't just come out of there without serious reason." Wilhelm said.

"That's Meili's doing. She brought the mabeasts and commanded them!" Petra said, clenching her fists angrily.

"This way!" Petra pointed to the nearest room. Subaru had just managed to close the door when the beast's muzzle smashed through it. Ram launched a wind blade at her, but without much effect.

"Why is a mabeast here?!"

"There's no time for questions. It's here, and that's that! I'll go fetch the ground dragon from the stable." Ram said, going to the window.

"You mean Patrasche?"

"With a mabeast here, we'll need transportation. Retrieve the two of them while I draw it away." Another 'Fula' spell blew the door apart, allowing the monster to enter.

"Follow me!" Ram taunted it and jumped out of the window. The enraged mabeast rushed after her, not noticing Subaru and Petra, who were hiding behind a chair.

"Okay… Now's my—" Subaru wanted to get up, but fell due to a wound in his shoulder.

"Subaru?! You're bleeding!"

Petra grabbed the dart tightly, which immediately cut her palm, and, ignoring the pain, said:

"This is gonna hurt! Be strong! Three, two…" And tore the blade out of Subaru's shoulder.

With a cry of pain, he let her tie her handkerchief around the wound.

"Thanks… but what happened to 'one'?"

"You were less tense this way."

"This girl is pretty smart for her age." Priscilla nodded approvingly.

Perhaps, when she takes a commoner to her camp, she should take this little girl under her wing. She definitely had the potential to be something more. And Schultz could use the company of his peers.

"So young, yet already wise. She has a great future ahead of her." Crusch agreed, thinking again about Felix's idea to expand the staff of maids to one blue-haired girl. Now she was seriously thinking of adding one more promising girl to the list.

She did not realize that similar thoughts about Petra were in the head of the merchant princess sitting next to her. Who was thinking about how to lure as many ordinary members of Emilia's camp as possible, and then, with their help, begin to attract the major players as well.

"It's all thanks to my mother! She's the smartest woman in the world!" Petra boasted proudly.

Seeing the cut on her palm from the dart, Subaru began to untie his handkerchief.

"Petra… I'm sorry. I'm always putting you in danger."

"Don't say silly things like that! I'm grateful to you! You always come to save me when I'm in danger! So this time, it's my turn. We'll get Rem nee-sama and Beatrice-chan out of here, and escape with Ram nee-sama and Frederica nee-sama. All of us!"

"And that's how it's going to be in the end." the head maid said softly, wiping her tears with one hand and hugging the crying girl to herself with the other.

"… You're amazing, Petra. I feel so pathetic."

"You're not—

"No, I didn't mean that as a complaint. I meant that I've gotta try harder to be as amazing as you."

Getting to his feet, he held out his hand to her.

"Let's go. Like you said, we're all gonna get out of here."

"Yeah!" Petra said smiling.

"Here he is! My hero — Subaru-sama!" Petra declared with loving eyes.

"Actually, Subaru-kun is my hero." Rem whispered jealously, clutching his hand to her chest.

"Brotto, I get it! It's at such moments of absolute awesomeness that all the girls fall in love with the cap'n!"

"Perhaps there is some truth in your words…" Otto replied thoughtfully.

'That's exactly how it is, boys. It's exactly heroes like that, girls fall in love with.' The proud duchess mentally agreed with them with an admiring smile. Internally rejoicing that she herself could experience such vivid emotions, which she attributed to more feminine natures.

Looking out of the doorway, Subaru checked whether the corridor was clear of enemies.

"Oh!" Petra squeaked in a frightened voice.

"Wh-What?!"

"I meant 'Yes,' not 'Yeah'! That is… The appropriate response was 'Yes'!" She said merrily and playfully stuck out her tongue.

"I'll have Frederica or Ram scold you lat—" Natsuki started good-naturedly, but then there was a new jolt and the ceiling collapsed right on top of them. The screen went dark.

"No!" Emilia and Rem pleaded in despair.

"Is that how this loop ended? But what could have caused such tremors and destruction of the mansion?" Crusch mused, trying to distract herself from the thought of another death of the young man.

"That's probably the beast Meili was riding on. It was such a hulk that it broke through the walls like they were nothing!" Garfiel explained to her, clenching his fists until they bled. Once again, reproaching himself for his cowardice and stupidity.

"Meili brought a Wagpig with her." Otto decided to clarify for the others so that they would understand the degree of danger they had to face in the mansion.

"A Wagpig?! Along with a Guiltylowe?!" Felix found himself both horrified and amazed at the combat potential of the assassins that attacked the mansion.

"Alongside a whole bunch of smaller creatures." Otto added without a trace of a grin.

"With such abilities, this girl can be more dangerous than Elsa," said Julius with a tense face. "How did you manage to deal with both the Bowel Hunter and the mabeasts at the same time?"

"I dealt with the pig quickly. It was preventing me from getting to the bitch. The small fries were taken care of by my sis so that they would not distract me. Cap'n and Brotto got rid of Guiltylowe." Garf replied blankly. He was not in the mood for bragging right now.

"At least now Natsuki-san won't have any doubts that Frederica-san is an ally who can be trusted. At least there is some progress." Otto tried his best to keep from falling into depression again. He just had to be patient. He just had to wait.

There will be a breakthrough soon. Soon he will help his friend by hammering some sense into him with a good hook. After that, he will listen to a terrible story about what was going to happen, and then they'll come up with a great plan together and save everyone. He just had to wait.

Beatrice looked down, feeling completely disgusted with herself. Because inwardly she was relieved. If this was the end of this loop, then at least she wouldn't have to witness herself failing to save the most precious person in her life. Glancing at Rem, who was unsuccessfully trying to stop her hands from shaking, the spirit girl thought ironically:

'So that's how you felt the night your sister lost her horn, I suppose. The same despicable sense of relief, for which you hate yourself more than anyone else ever could, in fact.'

"-rusu! Barusu!" He seemed to hear Ram's voice from afar.

Barely opening his eyes, he could only see her legs, lying on the ground and unable to move.

"That was a mistake. I should have come to check sooner. I must do what I must do. I'm going to do so, too.

Another shockwave hid everything from view again. Then it seemed as if he was being carried somewhere.

"That's it. Very good." His gaze was directed upwards.

Patrasche came into view. Further sounds suggested that he was being taken away by the ground dragon somewhere.

"So he didn't die?" Reinhard asked in surprise, not knowing whether to be happy about it. A quick death under the rubble was still preferable to potential torture from the Elsa.

"Why is the image so strange?"

"Apparently, we are being shown what the eyes of Su-u-ubaru-kun see." Roswaal smiled, intrigue in his eyes.

"Pa…asche…" He barely muttered.

But then a mabeast's muzzle with red eyes appeared in his field of view. The image shot up and quickly flew through the window on the second floor. Subaru smashed it with his body and flew into the wall. The whole body was covered in cuts and bruises. One eye was covered with blood from a head wound. Barely recovering himself, he tried to look around.

"This… is… Are you okay, Pet—" he wanted to ask the girl.

And at that moment he noticed that all this time he was not holding Petra, but only the stump of her arm. On the screen flashed the dead Patrasche on the grass, Petra's ribbon floating in a bloody stream, her dead body buried under the rubble. And in the background of these pictures, Subaru's desperate cry rang out.

"Don't look, my dear, just don't look." The maid pressed the girl to herself, not letting her see the image on the screen, no longer trying to stop the flow of tears.

"Frederica nee-sama… I… I." Petra sobbed into her mentor's apron.

"Don't think about it, Petra. Remember one thing. No matter what happens, no matter what we see, Subaru-sama came and saved us. You and I are fine. We're here now. Alive and well. Don't forget about it for anything." Frederica whispered, stroking Petra's head soothingly.

"Yeah…" she sniffed. "I don't want Subaru to look at me and remember such horrible sights. I don't want him to see me like this anymore… I don't want him to suffer because of me…"

Only the outstanding discipline generated by long years of working as a maid gave Frederica the strength not to succumb to her rage, not to transform right here and not pounce at her master to tear him apart.

The same could be said about the rest of Emilia's camp. Even Ram, who was barely holding back tears, clenched her fists, suppressing her anger. At Lord Roswaal for following the instructions of that damned book so blindly. But most of all at herself, for not doing anything about it for so long.

"Subaru-dono… You didn't break down even after all this. You managed to rise again. Just how indomitable is your will, my boy?" Wilhelm mused with a mixture of sadness and admiration.

"Not me, they should be calling a knight among knights. Not me…" Reinhard couldn't help but admire his friend. After all, even after that, he was able to achieve victory.

Bloodied, with a blank look in his eyes, Subaru slowly walked down the corridor towards Rem's room, holding Petra's handkerchief in his hand.

"Ah, you've finally found me!" Elsa's voice came from behind.

"Where's… Frederica?"

"You mean the big maid? Don't worry. She proved to be quite enjoyable."

"It will be my great pleasure to watch Garfiel tear you apart!" Petra muttered angrily through her tears, which scared the people sitting next to her and earned an approving look from the baroness.

"Petra… you shouldn't…" Her mentor began to reassure her, but recoiled when she looked into her eyes. Frederica had never seen Petra with such a look, and she'd rather never see it again.

"Please don't, Frederica nee-sama. I know what she did to you. To me. To Ram-sama and Rem-sama. To Beatrice. And she got a perverse pleasure doing all this. She's worse than a rabid dog, because she is aware of everything and does it intentionally. This scum deserved to die! And she died! And I want to see it! To see her pay for all the pain Subaru went through because of her!

Those who knew Petra well became extremely uncomfortable at this moment. The steel in the little girl's voice reminded them of a judge reading out a sentence before execution. Once again, they silently damned the Warden for forcing an innocent child to go through such an experience. They did not realize that Petra had made this decision herself and was well aware that she had decided to see all the horrors of her own free will.

Petra believed that this was the only way she would earn the right to stand next to Subaru and declare that she understood what he had gone through. If necessary, she will behave like a sweet and cheerful girl in front of him so that he will worry less. But it was more important for Petra herself to have the right to tell him at the right moment: 'I know what you've been through, I understand how you feel.'

"Don't worry, lil'one. You'll see everything. And I'm sure you'll like it." Garfiel said in a serious and gloomy voice, without turning around. Otto didn't dare touch his brother to calm him down. Anger at Elsa is better than fear of what will happen next.

Priscilla looked at the little maid with a hint of admiration. Her innocence may have died, but in its place came sturdiness and cold rage. A rage capable of great deeds. The baroness liked the unwavering determination in the little girl's eyes. Cold and controlled. Just like she preferred.

"Who sent you after us?"

"I don't speak of my clients. I do have that much courtesy, at least. Though, since you came back sooner than expected, this didn't play out exactly as my directions specified."

"Not as… specified…"

"Two maids and one shut-in… It was supposed to be timed to your return."

"Wait a minute! What does she mean by sooner than expected? How was she supposed to know that big bro would return to the mansion?!" Felt pointed out an important detail.

"So she was waiting for him specifically?! Was he her key target? Not Emilia? But why? Who would hire a Bowel Hunter to attack Natsuki-kun? At this point in time, he is not even a knight yet and has no reputation. News of the death of the White Whale had just reached the capital, and the details did not immediately become available to the masses. Therefore, the stories about his heroic participation could not be known to many. Then who hired her? And for what purpose was it necessary to kill the inhabitants first, and then wait for him?" Anastasia mused aloud.

"This could be a reaction of the Witch Cult. From what she said, it looks very much like a revenge hit. Kill everyone who lived in Subaru's house, make him despair, and then kill him." Ricardo added thoughtfully.

Yes. It's possible. After all, we now know for sure that it was the cult that controlled the whale's actions. As well as the fact that they have informants among civilians. Including merchants. Therefore, I would not discount this possibility." Wilhelm agreed with the mercenary captain's thoughts.

Garf was literally shaking with anger. He turned around, throwing a withering glance at the sponsor of Emilia's camp. Oh, how he wanted to pounce on this clown right now, who was pretending that everything that happened on the screen did not concern him in any way.

He was distracted from these thoughts by a hand gripping his shoulder tightly. Turning around, he saw Otto, who was not looking at him, but also at Roswaal. There was an evil expression on the young merchant's face, which the young fighter rarely saw.

"Not now, Garf. This is our internal business. Of course, the others will find out about Roswaal's participation in all that happened. But don't reveal everything ahead of time.

"My sister died because of the intrigues of dis snake… the cap'n suffered because of 'im… Rem… Petra. All of dem. And more tha' once…" The blond forced himself to speak quietly so as not to attract unnecessary attention.

"I know, brother. I know. But please. Be patient. We're going to get out of here sooner or later. And then we will remind him of every death of our brother. And everyone else! But only we have the right to do it. This is our business." Otto spoke just as softly, but his voice was full of ice and steel.

"Haaa….fine. I believe ya, Otto. I'll keep myself in check… But as soon as we get out and get back to the mansion, I'm going to break that bastard's jaw…

"I'm not asking for more."

Ram looked at her master pointedly. The maid's mind was full of conflicting thoughts. And the margrave continued to stare at the screen with an emotionless face.

'What will you do when the truth comes out, Roswaal-sama? What happens when the screen shows your role in this tragedy? It is clear that you don't give a damn about the opinion of the other camps, but what will you do with the hatred of our camp? It's one thing when everyone thought that Barusu immediately found out about your plan and broke it, saving everyone. Now they know that everything was completely different… now I know it. What will you do? Will I be able to protect you… will I want to protect you?'

"This is… enough."

"True. I don't want Meili taking any more credit from me. So let's end this now. I'll send you to meet the angels." Having said that, she confidently moved towards him.

'Even if this world won't last, I won't let her hurt Rem!'

'So you've already made up your mind that this world has reached its end… You don't even consider the option of fighting on. Do you basically not want to stay alive if something went wrong for you? Are you really going to disappoint me this much after all?' Priscilla thought, surprised to feel a sense of sadness that she herself despised and vented in every possible way.

Mortals die sooner or later, that's their lot. The best fate one could dream of during their lifetime is to faithfully serve their goddess, so that the years spent in the world of the living would not be a waste of air. And only this otherworlder denied the universal laws of existence, trying to break them in order to satisfy his greedy nature.

When Elsa rushed to attack. Subaru, with a mental cry of 'Rem', closed his eyes, grabbed the door handle, opened the door, rushed inside and slammed it shut. When he opened them again, he only said:

"Why… Why did you save me?!

Natsuki found himself inside a Forbidden Library. Beatrice was sitting in front of him with an indifferent face.

"Beatrice!"

[Title card: The Maiden's Gospel]

"So he reached the great spirit after all?!" Mimi was surprised.

"Rather, it was Beatrice herself who decided at the last moment to save him by replacing the door to Rem's room with the door to the library." Julius corrected her, feeling with his guts that this would not lead to the scene 'after a miraculous rescue'.

"But with Beako's support, even Elsa shouldn't be a threat. Together, they couldn't possibly lose! What would happen to him then?! Emilia asked restlessly. Although she already knew inwardly what the answer would be, she did not want to accept it.

"It's so obvious that even I'm amazed at your slow-wittedness, half-devil!" Priscilla declared vehemently. "The commoner has completely failed in this attempt. He lost to a murderer and everyone he wanted to protect is dead! There's only one way for him to fix it now. The one he has already used more than once."

"He's going to kill himself again…" Felix said dejectedly, feeling extremely conflicted.

He hated people who threw their lives away so easily. The most precious thing in the world. But Subaru's case was unique. He didn't kill himself just out of selfishness. He was dying to live on, so that others could live on. But wouldn't he become too dependent on his ability? He still remembered Subaru's phrase: 'as long as things turn out okay in the end, nothing else matters?' And that genuinely scared the healer that external circumstances will force the raven-haired knight to choose a darker path of self-abuse.

"Exactly. And now, he will do it to himself more and more often! First, to save lives, then to avoid unpleasant outcomes. So on and so forth to the point that he will waste his lives trying to find the right words to seduce a half-wit! Disgusting!" Priscilla didn't like saying those words herself. But what she saw on the screen suggested only this outcome.

It made her furious. She was angry at the incompetence of the half-elf, the intrigues of the clown, the accumulating disappointment in this commoner.

And also she was angry at herself. For allowing hope that this dog from another world will show features that she considered a naive fairy tale to appear.

'Will you let this arrogant baroness be right and suicide will become a habit for you, Subaru-kyun?" Just a convenient tool? Won't you then become a monster more horrifying than any Archbishop of Sin?! After all, no one will be able to oppose such a person in principle! Can we… can I, at least, do anything to prevent this?'

"What else can he do? It's either accept this reality and the losses. Or restart the loop and try again and again until he reaches the desired result. And Sir Natsuki is not one to accept losses." Crusch added seriously.

She felt infinitely sorry for the young man, whom fate repeatedly put before a cruel choice — either his life or the lives of others. The rest could only silently agree with these arguments. Their friend will die again. And he will most likely die of his own free will to save those who are dear to him from the sad fate.

"And what, I wonder, did this title in the end meant: 'The Maiden's Gospel?' Reinhard drew attention to the card that marked the finale of the episode.

"Could it be that they meant the Gospel of the Witch Cult? Who else would call their book gospel, as far as I know?" Julius reflected on this question.

"So we guessed right? Can the Bowel Hunter really be a member of the cult, and in the next episode, they will show us her gospel?" Felt asked.

"Considering what maniacs the Archbishops are, I would say that this fiend would fit in there, like a family!" Rem declared angrily. There was no need for her to look for additional reasons to hate Elsa. She already hated her to the core from the very first episode.

"What if the Bowel Hunter is a product of one of the archbishops? Like Beatrice-sama said before the Witches could create beasts, maybe one of the archbishops can create monsters like Elsa?" Otto suggested.

"Something like elite cult soldiers? It sounds very frightening if there are more creatures like Elsa." Ricardo replied seriously, thinking about the prospects of encountering cultists no less dangerous than Elsa.

And only Roswaal, who was sitting silently in his chair, perfectly understood what the title on the screen meant. His heterochromic eyes were fixed on the chair with the sleeping knight. More specifically, on a girl that was sitting there, whom he used to lovingly call his little sister hundreds of years ago. Beatrice, like himself, called her grimoire a gospel out of habit.

The ancient magician was anxiously thinking about how Subaru Natsuki would react to this book in the hands of the spirit girl. He will fight off any suspicions and accusations against Beatrice here in the theater, but there's nothing he could do about what happens on the screen. He could only hope the next episode wouldn't hit Beatrice too hard. She was already on edge because of what had already happened.

The ancient spirit on Subaru's legs paid little to no attention to the surrounding conversations. Right now, Beatrice was painful to look at. Her pale fists clenched the hem of her dress. Tears were streaming down her face, and her eyes were completely locked-on the screen.

For her, everything that was shown, was like the worst nightmare come true. She did it! She had failed him again! She let him die once more when he was right there, with her, and now she will have to watch him kill himself right in front of her.

While the girl was mentally tormented, the screen came to life again to start showing the next episode.


Okay, Betty fans! Hold onto your butts! (and, maybe, a handkerchief).

We've reached the first cornerstone of this fic. And our favorite spirit-girl will have it rough in the next chapter...