There was a positive mood in the theater. The previous session, which ended the third arc of the adventures of the boy from the other world, had left the guests truly inspired. The effect was even stronger due to the fact that a much darker course of events was expected before the last session began.

Subaru's latest death suggested that they were once again in for a series of failed attempts until he finds a way out of this predicament. It was terrifying to think that the spirit of Betelgeuse could take control of Natsuki's body. They could only guess what their friend could come up with to counteract this abominable ability of the Archbishop of Sloth.

But what a surprise and joy it was when in the first minute of the episode, those who participated in the campaign against the Witch Cult confirmed that the scenes shown on the screen matched what they remembered. From this moment on, the mood in the room kept on improving. Everyone watched as the events unfolded. Some with adoration, some with pride, some with admiration. And some just for the sake of satisfying their curiosity.

They watched as Subaru humbly asked the villagers to leave their homes for their own safety. How surprised he was to learn of their respect for him. How he had taken out the Cult's spies among the merchants beforehand, got hold of a map of their hideouts, and devised a plan of attack. We laughed at the scene of another encounter with Otto.

Just a bit later they laughed at the scene of another encounter with Otto. Young merchant cheered them up by confirming that everything that was going on corresponded with his memories. The scene of Petelgeuse being lured out from his shelter and the subsequent archbishop's pursuit of the young man made some particularly emotional viewers grab onto the armrests of their chairs. Mimi was surprised by how the "creepy guy" actually looked like when flying through the air.

The audience didn't miss the opportunity to tease the interactions between Subaru and Julius, who the further they went, the more they showed how much they resembled each other. Despite the exchange of «pleasantries» between the top knight and the would-be knight, that one can't stand the other and vice versa, they turned out to be a great team.

Julius himself still felt guilty in front of Natsuki for what he had done in the last loop. He could listen to others try to convince himself that it was a necessity, that Subaru himself had asked him to do it. But In truth, the conscience of the «best knight» was unwilling to be appeased. He was convinced of only one thing — he needed to talk to the one he sincerely wanted to consider a friend. To tell him how deeply he respected him for everything he had done and to ask for forgiveness for his mistakes.

When the defeated Romané-Conti possessed once again the young man's body, some deemed it a failed attempt after all. However, what truly sent shivers down everyone's spines was Natsuki's audacious plan to set up a "witch date" for the deranged cultist.. Witnessing Satella cast aside the archbishop, proclaiming, "You're not him" not only instilled profound horror into everyone, but also made them think deeply about the real relationship between the witch and the cult of her name. Was it possible that the belief about the Witch of Envy leading the cultists is false? Or was it that Subaru himself was so «loved» by her that she would not spare even the Archbishop for his sake? Was this the reason why the other cultists regarded him as the embodiment of "pride"? Ultimately, they had to accept that this matter would require thorough future investigation, and for now, they had no choice but to commit every detail to memory.

As they watched Petelgeuse bury himself under the rubble, calling for his favorite witch to hear him, Emilia, Roswaal and Beatrice lowered their gazes in sorrow. They were saddened by the fate of their dearest friend and mentor. But at least his descent into the abyss of madness had come to an end and he could now rest in peace. It was especially hard for Emilia to watch, for she felt partly responsible for what had happened to her father-figure. The scene made her remember in detail the first Trial in the tomb of Echidna. Her childhood, her mum Fortuna, young Geuse. The happy days they had spent together. And those two who turned her utopia into a nightmare. Yet, she could not dwell on the past for long, as the unfolding events on the screen demanded her attention.

After learning about the fire stones hidden in the wagon where Emilia and the children were traveling, Subaru began to search for a way out. That materialized in the form of an unlucky gray haired merchant who saw a chance to solve his problems and help his benefactor at the same time. Otto in the theater was happy to remember that he had been able to help his friend when he needed it so badly. Garfiel, Julius and the others were also there to support the young man, hoping that he would finally stop thinking of himself as useless and focus on helping Natsuki with his problems.

The crazy dragon carriage race through the forest pleased the crowd greatly. Garf was openly jealous and began to demand that the three of them with Subaru do it again! But enthusiasm was quickly replaced by fear when it became clear that the archbishop of the witch cult representing Sloth was a complete opposite of his title. And killing him was much harder than it might have seemed at first. The sight of Petelgeuse's mangled, bloated, shadow-woven body was genuinely horrifying. Even as a dead man, the Archbishop of Sloth showed a frightening amount of zeal. Otto thanked Natsuki for telling him not to look back. If he had seen for himself what kind of monstrosity was chasing them, he could have easily panicked, made mistakes, and ruined the whole loop.

Garfiel couldn't help but admire his captain. How cool he looked, glaring straight into the monster's eyes without any fear. He didn't lose his head even in such a critical situation, doused the enemy with oil, set him on fire with a fire spirit, and then used the archbishop's gospel to lure him into a trap.

All the while spitting out, from a young fighter's perspective, the coolest phrases! And what can be more awesome for a warrior than his own name being shouted out in desperation by his nemesis before dying?! The young beastman got so worked up cheering for his captain that Ram had to stand up and calm him down with a powerful slap that sent the blond man to the floor with his forehead forward.

The scenes that followed were like a fairy tale of ancient heroes coming to life. When he flew into the carriage, smashed the bottom without any tools, took out a bag of explosive stones, and then rode away on Patrash with only the words «I love you, Emilia», even Ram inwardly agreed that Barusu looked heroic. Well, almost. She gave him seven points. Out of a hundred. And even under torture, she wouldn't admit it!

Many were afraid that Subaru would not be able to escape the explosion but Emilia, without taking her eyes off the screen, assured everyone that she remembered everything that was happening on the screen. Her tears of happiness didn't stop from the moment she saw the determined face of her knight remembering his most precious moments with her.

The scene where Natsuki woke up on his beloved's lap, admitted his past mistakes, and confessed his love again made the entire female half of the audience (except Priscilla of course) wipe away maidenly tears. Even Rem at this moment, more than jealousy, felt joy for her hero. A hero who had broken through all the obstacles that fate had put up for him, achieved his goal and confessed his feelings to the girl he loved.

The end of the episode was met with a standing ovation. Everyone was so happy that their friend had finally succeeded. Everyone was saved, the villains were defeated, and the hero himself finished the journey, waking up on the angelic feet of his beloved. Could you think of a happier ending to the story?

However, the joy subsided a little when the Warden made himself known again, informing them that there still was a fourth arc ahead of them, and that it would be as long as the three they had already watched. Grumbling that after such a great finale he could have let them go, the «guests» went to take a long break before the next session.

The hall gradually became empty. Many people wanted to discuss what they had seen, share their impressions and think about their next steps after these sessions finally come to an end.

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity to be alone with her contractor, Beatrice snuggled to the sleeping young man. For a while, she too was happy that her partner had finally overcome all the problems and emerged victorious. However, she had no doubts of this outcome in the first place. After all, he was Betty's contractor, Betty's Subaru! But the girl's joy was short-lived. And it was the eyes of the young man on the screen that killed her joy. Eyes with which he looked at Emilia as he professed his love to her. With which he looked back at the happy ending of his misadventures, where all his friends and allies were alive. Those eyes held sincere happiness, and did not hide pain and fear in their depths. Eyes that Beatrice had hardly ever seen since she had made a contract with him.

And that fact made the girl hide her face in his chest to cry.

— Why? Why don't you look at me with those same eyes, Subaru? Why do I always see pain, fear, and darkness in them, I suppose? What else have you suffered through? How much have you endured at the Sanctuary? How many times… how many more times has Betty failed to help you, in fact? Or was it that after all my failures, you didn't think I was worth coming to for help? Then why did you come to me? Why did you ask me to take your hand?

Although the Warden had announced a long break, suggesting that his «prisoners» get a good night's sleep, Beatrice was in no hurry to go to her room. She did not want to see the same nightmare again. She rarely had that dream before. But now, faced with the revelation of just how 'mortal' her Subaru was, it was the only dream she had in this enchanted place.

In it, Betty sat by the bed in which her aged contractor lay. She clutched his wrinkled hand, wept tearfully, and begged time after time for her favorite man not to leave her, to stay with her at least a little longer. But all her prayers, tears, and healing magic were useless. The old man called Natsuki Subarui bade her farewell, closed his eyes and passed awy. And Beatrice was left in the middle of the dazzling whiteness, all alone, until the end of time.

"Betty doesn't want to sleep anymore, in fact. Betty doesn't want to close her eyes for a moment. Betty won't take her eyes off her contractor again. So please don't leave Betty alone» the spirit girl muttered tearfully.

At the entrance to the hall, the youngest of the maids was listening to the ancient spirit's lamentations mixed with sobs. Petra thought of taking the chance to sit beside her hero again. But Betty's unhappy look ruined her plan. She did not even dare to approach to try and comfort the girl whom, in spite of the colossal difference in age, Petra regarded as a little sister. Her young but very rapidly maturing mind realized that this was a very personal scene that could not be interrupted, even with the best of intentions. Turning around and suppressing her resentment at not being allowed to be near her first love again, Petra silently retired to her room.

"Ferris, may I come in?" The duchess asked quietly, knocking on the door of the room where her knight had taken up residence.

"Yes…of course, Crush-sama, come in» a faint voice answered her.

With growing unease, the girl entered the room. On the edge of the bed, knees tucked up, arms wrapped around them, sat Felix. He was staring at one point in front of him. His eyes were red and swollen. There were obvious tear marks on his face, his hair disheveled, cat ears pinned to his head.

"Ferris…you don't look well" Crusch began softly, looking at her knight. The effeminate healer didn't react to the words in any way, continuing to stare at the ground. He sat silent for the entire last session, staring at the screen as if in a trance, showing no reaction to either the scary moments or the joyful ones. He left the hall as soon as the break was announced and closed himself in his room. And the young woman had a good idea why her dear friend was in such a state.

— Talk to me, Ferris. You're still worried about Natsuki's last death, right?

For a while, he didn't react to her question. Slowly, he lowered his legs, looked at his palms, and, choking on tears, began to speak:

"These hands…they don't know how to protect what Ferris holds dear…as much as I wish it was otherwise. They are not meant for fighting. These hands…are meant to help people, they…are meant to save lives. And I k-killed. Killed an innocent man I wanted to call a friend…who has done so much for us. A healer has no right to take the life of others like that."

"Ferris» Crush walked over to him, sat down beside him and took his hands in hers. "Look at me."

She had to wait before Felix dared to look into her eyes. In them she saw fear. Fear of being judged, fear of contempt, fear of being rejected. She'd expected something like that, but that's exactly why she came here.

"Ferris, listen to me. You did the right thing."

His eyes widened in surprise.

"Wh…what are you talking about, Crush-sama?! I killed…"

"You have saved Natsuki Subaru. And I believe if he were here right now, he would confirm my words."

"But I..."

"I would have said the same thing even if we were still living in that tragic reality."

"Why…"

"Think about it" the duchess interrupted him gently but firmly. — "Put your emotions aside. Remember what happened in that loop and think. What would have happened if you couldn't to do it like Julius did?"

Felix stopped trying to say something and thought about it. Crush inwardly smiled at her success. She had succeeded in shifting his thoughts from self-abuse to reflection. Now all she had to do was show him the way.

"The very fact that Sir Natsuki had been able to resist the influence of the Archbishop of Sin was a great stroke of luck. It bought him enough time to warn you and ask for help. And only your determination saved him from a far worse fate. If you two kept hesitsting, Petelgeuse would have taken full control of his body. He would have taken advantage of your confusion and killed you with his invisible hands. Next, he would have headed back to the village, where no one suspected that Natsuki's body had been taken over by the enemy."

"It would've been a massacre. Wilhelm was badly wounded, ordinary soldiers wouldn't have been able to deal with such a threat. I doubt lady Emilia would dare to kill Subaru. She would've ended up a victim to the ritual Petelgeuse had prepared for her. After that Puck would've showed up in his monster form to freeze everyone to death. Natsuki would still be thrown back to his last save point, just like what happened in our reality. But…"

"But…?"

"Think about it» she repeated again. "What would it be like for him to powerlessly watch Petelgeuse kill you and Julius with his own hands? To see the expressions of hatred and fear on the faces of the soldiers who trusted him? To watch him kill the girl he loves more than life? In what condition would he begin another attempt? Would he even be able to regain his strength and lead you all into battle again after such a nightmare?"

Felix was silent, his gaze was unfocused and his face contorted with horror. Obviously, he was vividly imagining the scenes his mistress just described. She had one last step to take. She touched the healer's cheek with her palm and turned his gaze back to her.

"And it was you, Ferris, who saved him from this horror, this pain and guilt. Yes, he died again. But he died on his own terms, believing it was the only right thing to do. And with the determination to succeed. Just like he did at the cliff when he decided to sacrifice himself to save Rem."

"I…saved him?"

"You did. When this is all over, when he wakes up, you may ask him what he thinks about it. I'm sure he'll say the same things I told you."

A few seconds passed before he finally realized what his lady had said. The weight of guilt finally fell from Felix's soul. Instead, a wave of relief swept over him. Tears flowed in streams. Forgetting all etiquette, he rushed to his lady and began to sob into her waistcoat. Crush was taken aback for a second by this reaction. But then she hugged him with one arm and started stroking his head with the other.

"Spirits, what a crybaby my knight is sometimes. Just like another incredible young man I know."

They remained seated on the bed while Felix poured out his soul.

"I beg your pardon for disturbing you, Roswall-sama, but it seems to Ram that something is troubling you» asked the pink-haired maid of her lord with all respect to the etiquette.

"How ni-i-ice of you to show such concern for me, my de-e-ear Ram.» Margrave replied jokingly. This made the maid stretching of words clearly showed that her lord was not in the mood for sincere conversation. And that wasn't something she could afford at the moment.

"Surely you understand the gravity of the situation, Roswal-sama! Next arc will show the events at the Sanctuary. There can be no doubt that your plans, which Barusu ruined, will become known to all involved."

"It is of little consequence to u-u-us. The fact that they know the goal of my participation in the royal election is enough for most to want to cut o-o-off my head. And my ploy to make Subaru-kun my pawn stopped being a secret to everyone in our camp more than a y-y-year ago."

"They will find out that you've been hiring services of a The Gut Hunter."

"As well as great many o-o-other aristocrats and rich men. You can't earn such notoriety in all four great co-o-ountries unless your services are hired on a regular basis. Though it is a serious accusation, I have both conne-e-ections and dirt on many of the kingdom's dignitaries. I wouldn't consider my situation so hopeless. And as for the Drago-o-on, one of the candidates had openly stated that she plans to break the covenant with Volcanica if she wins the election. So it is unli-i-ikely that they will be able to put me down easily. I'm more interested in whether this magical window will reveal more pe-e-ersonal or more frightening facts."

"What do you mean, Roswall-sama?"

"We know that we're not only being shown what Subaru-kun has seen and experienced pe-e-ersonally. We also shown events that happened in parallel with the butler-knight's life. Like our evening se-e-essions with you.

Ram blushed involuntarily, remembering the embarrassment of having such an intimate detail of her relationship with her lord displayed in public. If she ever gets her hands on this Warden…! He'll have to undergo a sex change after she finishes explaining to him the importance of the privacy of noble maids…

"We've also been sho-o-own events from the distant past, like your's and Rem's childhood or the sword demon's youth. I'm genuinely cu-u-urious as to what other unexpected things we might see. Who knows, maybe at least this way I'll be able to admire my dear Teacher's image aga-a-ain» The clown brought up a hot topic for Ram. But he did so not to tease his maid, but to conceal his true fears.

"It is possible that even my secret of longevity will become known to everyone. How would the situation turn out then? Cases about hired assassins and the conflict with the holy dragon can still be delayed and resolved with minimal loses. But such ancient magic, which, in addition, is so much like the power of the Archbishop of Sloth…it will be problematic. One has to think through all the possible options and ways out of the situation.

Unaware of her master's thoughts, Ram was preoccupied with her own worries. Roswaal's provocation had hit the mark. The young demon was distracted from trying to unravel the margrave's schemes while fighting her own jealousy. It had been a year since she'd disposed of that damned book. A year since she'd poured her heart out to her beloved and told him her true feelings. And still she felt like she was losing the battle to a witch who had died four hundred years ago. And it made her angry. But Roswaal, who read his maid far better than she read him, decided to shift the focus of her attention to something more important right now. So he spoke the next sentence without his trademark accent:

"If I were you, Ram, I wouldn't worry more not about my situation, but about the state of our dearest Rem"'

His comment made the girl wince and glance worriedly at the clown.

"I have good reason to believe that she will soon have to fight another bout of guilt because of the worries she has caused Natsuki Subaru."

"Rem has nothing to feel guilty about! My beautiful sister already excelled in the battle with the White Whale. She got tired during the battle and went along with the wounded and Crusch-sama."

"And that's where she encountered Gluttony."

"That's true, but I…"

"You saw the same thing I did» The margrave interrupted her with a grim tone. "Our knight's obsession with Rem is almost as great as his obsession with Emilia-sama. Do you think he would simply leave her in such a state?"

"Barusu, for all his uselessness, would not leave Rem in distress! He would have…» and then the words stuck in Ram's throat.

She understood what her master was implying. Subaru had directly told Rem before parting ways that he wouldn't let her die, even if he had to die to make things right. But that meant that when he found out what happened to Rem he either chickened out and left it at that, or…?

«It's worth mentioning that as it appears Subaru-kun has no control over how his 'save point' changes» Roswaal, as if reading her mind, gave her another hint.

"He probably tried to fix it and…oh! Barusu…» Ram covered her mouth with her palm to keep a sob from coming out.

Her eyes watered at the realization of what had probably happened back then. What a terrible blow to the boy's battered psyche it was. And who her wonderful little sister will blame when she sees him like it: a broken boy with a guilt-stricken face sitting at her bedside.

Using her unrivaled willpower, she forced her tears to retreat. She will not mourn the suffering of a young man who had sacrificed so much for her and her sister. Not now, not here. Not in front of her master. Later. It was her personal grief.

"We know about the dangers he'd dealt with in Sanctuary. But we can only guess about what he went through while trying to find the way out.I can only say with certainty that the Natsuli Subaru we saw in the last sessions and the one who has been living with us in Annerosa's mansion for the past year…are very different."

Once again remembering who was the cause of most of their mate's future deaths, Roswaal sighed heavily.

"I understand your concerns, Ram. You are worried about the number of times our immortal knight fell for the traps I have prepared for him. He will have to endure the deaths of people that are dear to him once again. He will have to die again and again» His gaze focused on the maid's face as he said the last words.

Though she tried to keep her expression neutral, margrave's provocation reached its goal. For a split second he could see fear, anger and bitterness directed at him that swirled inside her. She tried to push those thoughts away. In the end, no matter what happened in the 'failed' loops, Barusu pulled it off. He had broken her master's plans. He helped Emilia-sama to overcome her fears and pass the Trials. He gave Garfiel a motivational kick to finally start growing up. He saved her sister, her colleagues and Lady Beatrice from assassins. The only question was…what price did he pay for that?

"I suggest you get some rest, Ram. We've got a lot more sessions ahead of us. And I'm afraid there won't be as many reasons for celebration as we'd like. Stay close to Rem, don't let her fall back into despair. The last thing we want is for her to be crushed by self-loathing when our knight finally wakes up."

After making a curtsy to her lord, the maid silently left the room, leaving the man alone to ponder his possible future.

"Teacher…how much of this did you foresee? What did you want to achieve? And what did your boundless greed cost Natsuki Subaru in the end?"

"Tch! Such a waste. Such potential so shamefully squandered. I abhor such blind dog's devotion. And to whom?! A half-wit girl who did nothing more than smile sweetly to a lost pig! And after that all she kept throwing him to the wolves because of her utter incompetence! And now I have to take what little is left of his sanity under my wing and mould him into a man worthy of serving me…eh, it's hard to be a goddess. Harder Al, focus more on the heel."

"Yes, princess."

Leaning on the headboard, Priscilla fanned herself irritably while her knight massaged her feet. Unlike most of her «colleagues in misfortune», she was in no hurry to jump happily as she watched the tearful scene of the black-haired boy's declaration of love to the half elf.

"So… you've decided that you want to take pal to your camp?"

"He's only ruining himself under the heel of that lunatic. As insignificant as that pig is, I have to admit that, given the right motivation, he's capable of doing things that would be most amusing for me. Had I met him earlier, he wouldn't have had to go through such a millstone and he might have even become a decent human being now."

"Please allow me to point out one detail, princess. I fully share your opinion about Lady Emilia's inability to manage her camp, to notice and resolve internal conflicts. And generally bringing people together under her banner. But I think there is still a key point that only she could have fulfilled. And I believe that it was that moment that determined both the current course of events and the brother's devotion to Lady Emilia."

"Hm! Well, it's not as if I have a wide choice of available entertainment in this prison. So I'll be gracious and let you speak your mind.» The red-haired noblewoman, true to her role, expressed her interest in the knight's opinion.

"Thank you, princess. What I want to say is this. Think back to the very first episode, when pal just came into this world. He got into an unfortunate fight with three thugs and was helped by a half elf. Imagine if one of the other candidates for the throne had seen this scene instead of her? What would you do, princess, if you were there? Would you help my bro and take him under your wing with how he was back then?

"No way! If I start feeling sorry for every worthless lowlife I cross paths with, I'll only increase the worthlessness in this world! If he couldn't even handle a little thing like this, why should I give him my divine attention?!

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, princess. The moment he entered this world, my pal's value to any powerful person was extremely low. The other candidates would have done the same. Lady Felt's behavior we witnessed first hand in the same episode. She simply left him without a second thought. Lady Crush would probably have shooed the trio away, but that would have been the end of it. Maybe she would have chided pal for his weakness, advised him to go to the guards' post, and moved on. Lady Anastasia might have helped, provided she had Ricardo with her, or someone of the triplets. Perhaps she would be interested in his appearance, and he could sell her his metia. But that would likely be the end of their interaction."

Priscilla listened to Al in silence, pondering his words and finding no argument against them.

"And only Lady Emilia was so kind-hearted that she not only helped a total stranger in a difficult situation, but even allowed him to go with her. Seriously, it was so far-fetched it feeled almost unnatural if you ask me. Her precious insignia was stolen, and she knew that without one she won't be able to even enter the race and fulfill her wish. And still she spends her limited time with some random guy without even knowing if he has any useful info! Not that I disapprove of her personality for that. But still - priorities!

" I agree but you are going off topic, Al."

"Sorry, princess. But still one has to admit. Such behavior and her naive and sweet attempts to lie that she helps others out of selfishness, only strengthened the image of an ideal fantasy girl in the eyes of pal."

"Fantasy girl?" The princess didn't understand that phrase.

"Well, for me and my pal, this whole world belongs to the fantasy genre. These are worlds where magic, magical creatures, and races like elves and demihumans dwell."

"I see"

"I don't know the preferences of Japanese students. But from what I've seen, I have a picture of what happened. Pal was in a delicate situation during his first few hours in another world. For the first time, he was afraid that he might really die. And then a beautiful girl with silver hair and amethyst eyes appeared out of nowhere. And in my and my pal's world, people with such looks are only found at costume events. Then it turns out she's a half elf, and a wizard to boot. And she's traveling in the company of a cute magical animal. Plus she has a heart of gold and is willing to help everyone in her path for free. I'd say she's got all the traits that bro dreamed of seeing in the perfect girl from the magical world.

"That's disgusting. Now I see why he keeps looking at her like she's an animated statue rather than a living girl. He sees her as a shining ideal, not the useless lunatic she really is."

"Well, on the whole, yes, I agree with you, princess. And then after she let him follow her around, it was obvious he was going to fall for her. Especially when these feelings were reinforced by desire to save her from the Gut Hunter. And after she took him back to her mansion when he was wounded, he became convinced that his life in this world was inextricably linked to this girl."

"And that was the foundation of his disgusting obsession with that half-devil» Priscilla summed up scornfully, then added thoughtfully:

"And the stronger this obsession became, the more fear grew inside him."

"Fear?"

"No wonder a foolish plebeian like you didn't notice such an obvious thing. Although you yourself named all the key points. This dog doesn't care who takes him in. He's just lucky it was that lunatic with a heart bigger than her brains. He'd follow anyone who'd give him a morsel of attention. It's the same reason he's so hung up on the blue maid. He just wants to be needed. And his biggest fear is that he'll be abandoned. Obviously, it's happened to him before."

"Is that why, when Lady Emilia left him in the capital, he was so devastated?"

"Exactly. It wasn't so much about his feelings to the half-wit as it was about being abandoned again. And all his thoughts after that were devoted to finding an excuse to stick himself to her again. To crawl back with his tail between his legs, convincing her that he could still be useful. He'd only remembered about his feelings after the maid had made him realize that at least someone wanted him. And now he's going to use his disgusting ability to appease the half-devil. Pathetic."

"You still think he's going to turn a witch's curse into a tool, princess?"

"You saw it yourself. When his body was taken over by that monster, he immediately chose suicide. He didn't even try any other ways. I'm sure we'll see him killing himself more and more easily to fulfill his selfish desires."

"So far, he's never once chosen death willingly for something selfish. Unless we consider it selfish to want to save others."

"Be patient and the magic window will show you I'm right."

"As you say, princess."

"I must admit, my dears, I am extremely excited for the upcoming sessions! Natsuki-kun has every right to be proud of his exploits!" Anastasia said with a satisfied smile, stroking her fox scarf. Holding a glass of white wine in her hands, she looked at the members of her camp standing in different parts of her room.

"You bet! He helped to slay a legendary mabeast. And then sent the archbishop of the witch cult under the cart! All that in just a couple of days! Who else could do that? The guy deserves a place in history for that alone!" Ricardo said confidently, smiling. The last session was a real gift for him. He was ready to watch such adventures for hours.

"Mimi agrees! The mini-boss was straight up awesome! Almost half as cool as Mimi!"

"I can't help but notice that he is extremely effective in extreme circumstances. To think about throwing the gospel out of the carriage to lure the Archbishop outside the range of earth's dragon divine protection of wind… it was a very unexpected but a winning move» Tieyi admitted, adjusting his monocle with an important look.

"My lady, we are not here to share our delight about Natsuki Subaru's adventures, are we?» Julius asked grimly. It was clear from the look on his face that he was still reeling from his friend's latest death, in which he'd played a part.

Hoping to switch him to a more positive train of thought, Anastasia decided to play a little flirtatious:

"Has anyone ever told you that it's not nice to read a girl's intentions so easily, Julius? Unless it's to give her a pleasant surprise. But you're right, I called you here not only to share my impressions of his successes, but also my thoughts on what lies ahead of us."

The merchant princess's eyes were literally burning with excitement and anticipation of how she would learn the secrets of the kingdom's most powerful mage. And what opportunities this knowledge would give her.

"Think about it! We are about to learn one of the most closely guarded secrets of the margrave Roswaal of Mathers family! No matter how many times I tried to get any clues as to what happened to Emilia's camp after the defeat of Sloth, I could find nothing concrete. They disappeared for days. And when they returned they brought with them, literally out of nowhere a whole village of demihumans! And they were quite wary of any outsiders asking questions about their past I might add.

"And then there's Garf!" Mimi added, enthusiastic about the rowdy boy, «We're going to see how they met Garf!"

"At the same time, the margrave's mansion burned down. Apparently, along with that fiend Elsa.» The head of the mercenaries noted another detail, patting his adopted daughter's head to reassure her.

"Yes. Mimi remembers! It was the mini-boss who burned down the house."

"Besides, they had claimed afterwards that while at it they had defeated the Great Rabbit. Even though it seemed most unlikely at the time. Many people thought that Emilia's camp decided to earn some extra popularity on the back of defeating the White Whale. But now…I'm beginning to think that those words might be true» Ricardo added.

"Do you really think that Natsuki-kun defeated two great mabeasts in less than two weeks? I certainly admit that he's capable of amazing things, but that's a stretch» Anastasia wasn't inclined to agree so quickly.

"It took the military strength of the two camps, plus a fair amount of luck and ingenuity on Natsuki-kun's part, to defeat the White Whale. The latter two points were still with him, but I really about the former."

"Lady Emilia has ice magic. Maybe she just froze them all?" Mimi suggested.

"If it was that easy, the Great Rabbit would have been wiped out long ago by a large group of fire wizards. No, you can't defeat the Great mabeast that easily» Julius argued. The image of Subaru's partner, the great spirit Beatrice, came to his mind.

"Beatrice-sama is a great spirit of Yin. I've never heard of shadow magic having any outstanding combat spells…'' The best of the knights pondered.

"If it's a lie, it will be exposed soon anyway. And they must realize that the screen won't play for their side» Tiviy suggested rationally.

"Anyway, I'm sure we're in for some extremely entertaining sessions. I ask everyone to watch carefully and take note of any important details. Who knows what will prove useful in the future."

"We're also likely to see more instances of Subaru dying.» Julius, who didn't share his lady's enthusiasm, added grimly.

His words struck a noticeable blow to the mood in the room. Mimi and Tiwi lowered their cat ears. Ricardo stopped smiling. Anastasia instinctively took a hold of her scarf, as if it could soothe her with suitable words. The excitement in the girl's eyes visibly diminished.

"That doesn't invalidate my previous words. By important details, I meant not only the margrave's secrets. But also how Natsuki-kun reacts to what's going on, and what can help him in the future. We need Natsuki Subaru. I need him. He has the potential to not only rid our world of its greatest threats, but to lead it into a new era. And I will not be named Hoshin unless I am at the forefront of those who will help him in these endeavors!"

Ricardo and Julius faintly glanced at each other. Both were pleased to hear that for their lady, Subaru Natsuki was not just an asset to be used, but a person she wanted to help in every way possible. On that positive note, everyone retired to their rooms to get some proper rest before the next session