Watching Arc 4 in The Theater of Despair

by Ostap Bender99

This fanfic is a prequel to the work "The Secret" by Continuer123. The cast is still trapped in an enchanted theater by the enigmatic "Warden". And now they are about to see the trials of Natsuki Subaru that took place in Sanctuary. P.S. - this work is a translation of the finished fanfic.

17. Episode 16

The scene begins with a clone of Ryuzu Meyer waking up in the Trial room. A little boy with golden hair was standing at the door. His gaze was completely blank.

"Oh! That's baby Garf! But he looks really jaded somehow…" Mimi noted with a confused tone.

"I know that I'm most likely prying in something which is not my business, but what did you see in the Trial to have a reaction like that?" Otto asked anxiously.

He didn't know much about Garfiel's childhood, but he was sure that Garfiel had been as restless and energetic from a young age as he was now. And to see him in the state eerily reminiscent of Subaru when he starts another loop was quite disturbing.

Garfiel stared in front of him for a few seconds in silence, as if coming to a conclusion.

"'Tis when I saw the scene of sayin' goodbye to my mom. And den I saw how she died almost as soon as she left the Sanctuary." He replied in a low, even voice. The fact that he had come to terms with the loss did not make reminiscing about his mother's fate any easier.

Frederica felt a strong pang of guilt at these words. It turns out that her attempts to save baby Garf from worries about the fate of their mother went to waste.

'You damn witch! Why would you do this to a small child?!' The head maid growled in her mind.

"Damn it. I'm sorry, brother. I-I didn't want to reopen this wound."

"Don' fret 'bout it, I know ya wanna help. Don' worry, Brotto. I cried out all my tears a long time ago and moved on. What happened so many years ago cannot be fixed. Even by cap'n…"

The last phrase invoked unpleasant thoughts in many who heard Garfiel. Involuntarily, these viewings began to give them the feeling that Subaru could turn any tragedy into a triumph, if only he sets a goal for himself. Even though, a vivid blue-haired example of the fact that the black-haired knight was by no means omnipotent sat in the front row, clasping the hand of the sleeper.

In the next frame, Ryuzu helped the boy out of the tomb. Garfiel while still in the dazed condition, touched his forehead with his fingers. The next moment, he was banging his forehead against a pillar in despair.

"Young Gar, don't!" Ryuzu grabbed the boy, trying to pull him away, but he stubbornly continued to ram the stone with his forehead. A shot of a wagon's wreckage caught in a landslide appeared on the screen.

After the young man's words, everyone immediately understood what this image referred to, who saw it and who was inside the carriage.

"Poor Garf…" Mimi mumbled sadly, lowering her ears.

She didn't remember her parents at all. But the horrors experienced in this room made her imagine how she could feel in Subaru's place. To see the death of his brothers, his lady, Papa Ricardo. Just the thought made her shudder and cry. So how hard it was for Garfiel, who saw it firsthand.

"Little children shouldn't witness such scenes." Ricardo agreed grimly, hugging the kids to calm them down.

"No wonder Garf was afraid of the outside world. To see something like this at such a gentle age can break many."

It was a rare occasion when Ram showed genuine empathy for someone who was not her sister. After all, Garfiel was a close person to her, whom she would like to see happy.

Breaking free from his grandmother's arms, young Garfiel hit the pillar with his head with all his might. A cruciform wound appeared on his forehead, oozing blood.

"Young Gar…" Ryuzu repeated sadly. And the boy could only scream into the sky in desperation.

Most of the audience decided to show respect for the boy's tragedy by silently lowering their heads. Even Priscilla decided not to comment on this scene. It was beneath her dignity to mock the traumatic experiences of little children.

Otto placed his hand oh Garfiel's shoulder, while Rem decided to express her sympathy by putting her hand on Garfiel's clenched fist, who was trying his best to contain emotions inside.

The scene returned to the finale of the previous episode. Subaru and Emilia were standing at the entrance to the Tomb, while a bloodied and beaten Garfiel was standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring at them.

"That stupid bastard, Otto. I told him not to do anything crazy…"

"By the way, I tried my best for your sake, Natsuki-san! I don't recall you showing such concern for my person when we saw each other later!"

"You should know it by now that Subaru-kun is bad at expressing his genuine feelings if he is embarrassed by them. How many times we saw it on this screen." Rem giggled in her fist.

"Didn't expect 'em to be such a tough guy." The blond man replied. "Ya even persuaded Ram to take yer side! And look how it ended!"

"Even Ram? What happened to them?" Subaru was surprised.

Garfiel twisted his cheeks in disgust as he nodded and confirmed what Subaru had guessed.

"Wasn't he aware that Ram was helping your plan?" Felt noted this peculiarity.

"No. Moreover, one of the conditions of her help was that Natsuki-san would not find out why she decided to support us. And, considering that our Natsuki-san is still peacefully resting, I can safely consider this part of our deal with her is still intact." Otto cheerfully declared, earning a stern look from Ram. But right now he was in too good a mood to be affected by it.

"It seems that Al-san correctly guessed the character of Ram-san. She treats our hero much more warmly than she shows." Reinhard did not fail to add, rejoicing that Subaru had really reliable allies in their world. Even if they didn't want him to know about it himself.

"Garfiel, what happened to Ram and Otto?"

"Ya don't think…me bein' here is answer enough?"

"Unfortunately, I'm considered a poor guesser. I'd like to hear it straight from your own mouth."

Garfiel clacked his sharp fangs, his fierce response making Subaru grimace. The two exchanged sharp gazes. Garfiel made a low growl in his throat.

"It don't matter what y'all are plannin'. I'll cut off whatever stupid things ya want right here."

"You didn't kill them?" Subaru asked worriedly.

"I said that's got nothin' t' do with this! Livin' or dyin'…livin' or dyin' has nothin' to do with it. If I smash the entrance to the tomb and end it all right here…"

"Why are you trying to play the role of a villain? Obviously, both Otto-san and Ram-san are alive." Julius asked curiously.

"My amazin' self wanted to scare the cap'n, make 'em show the cowardly nature of the cultist. I thought if he believed that his accomplice is feedin' the worms, then maybe he would show his true nature. Who knew that my cap'n wouldn't even be scared by a White Whale!"

"If you do that, the Sanctuary will be a closed, fenced garden for eternity. You all right with that…?"

"It's fine. Every other option's worse!"

Garfiel moved forward to fulfill his threat, but Emilia stood in his way, her arms outstretched to the sides.

"Wha' did ya come up with, huh?"

"Please accept my admiration of your progress, Emilia-sama. Now you face the challenge with your eyes open." Wilhelm noted an important change in the girl's character.

"Yes! After the Sanctuary, I became much more confident in my abilities! I used to rely on Puck for everything in the past. But Subaru taught me to believe in my own strength."

"Good job, big sis! You and big bro really like two peas in a pod. Give you some good scolding and you both start doing much better!" Felt snickered at her silver-haired friend.

Emilia felt a bit conflicted. She didn't like the idea that she must always be berated to do better. But if so, it meant she had another thing in common with her beloved knight.

"Huh…looks like there is a sparkof potential in the half-devil. Perhaps in the future, you will stop being a total waste of space, after all." Priscilla, in her signature way, admitted Emilia's personal progress.

"Garfiel, what are you so afraid of?"

"Are you saying I'm afraid of something?"

"You're afraid, aren't you? That's why you're speaking so loudly, stretching your arms as far as you can, stomping the ground with your feet… You're pushing yourself, aren't you?"

"Don't talk like ya know anythin' 'bout me!"

"Up to today, I've lived in fear. When Puck was with me, I put all the bad things onto him, relied on him, and forgot… I think I understand a little now that I finally remember them. I haven't figured out what to do next yet. But I have to find my goal. But you know…"

"Shut your mouth and disappear. You don't know a damn thing about me."

"But you've already found that something for yourself, haven't you?"

"Shut up. Get lost. I… I'm not listenin' to any of this."

"That's weird. Judging from what I've seen before, you wouldn't hesitate to attack anyone who would say something like that to you. So why did you act so self-conscious when Emilia-sama confronted you?" Julius was interested in such an unexpected change in Garfiel's behavior. In one of the previous loops, he even attacked Ram when she began to admonish him on a similar topic.

"'Tis obvious i'nit? Only Bagozul runs headfirst at the dimly lit gate in the middle of a night! Back then, my amazin' self had no idea how stron' the princess is and wha' to expect from 'er. I'm ashamed to admit, but my amazin' self was also wary of 'er cause of 'er elven parts. So I decided to be careful, was waitin' for 'er to make the first move and show what she was capable of."

"It is indeed a smart tactic, Garfiel-san. I am glad to see that even at such a young age you understand well not only the combat itself, but also the tactics of it. Emilia-sama and Subaru can be proud of you!" Reinhard added good-naturedly, hoping to gain the friendship of this hot-headed but very kind guy.

Garfiel had the heart of a real hero, but at the same time he wore his heart oh his sleeve. Just like Subaru. His mistress had ordered him to be more greedy. So Reinhard was just following the orders of his lady, and therefore there is no point in doubting his actions or scolding himself for undeserved desires.

"Damn right, dey can! Y'all see, Reinhard! One day I'll be able to beat yer ass too!" With a cocky grin, the Garfiel pointed a finger at the Sword Saint.

"Then I will be happily waiting for your every challenge, Garfiel-san. I pledge to give my best to meet your expectations!"

"You've finally started moving in the right direction, Rein. If only you didn't pour out so much pathos at every word." Felt poked her knight in the side, pleased.

She was extremely pleased to see how the ever so shy red-haired swordsman was taking initiative in trying to establish friendship with others. Especially if they were big bro's friends.

[Melody: Melody of the Oath]

"—Everything you do is half-hearted, Garfiel." Subaru intervened in the conversation. "Who would argue, Emilia failed the Trial once. Undoubtedly, she could not be appeased after meeting with an unpleasant past."

"If ya know that already, why make her do it over an'…?" Garfiel tried to argue.

"But Emilia will try as much as she needs to. You, who ran away from the Trial with his tail between his legs, is not her equal! And all because you hate your mother, who left you?"

"The only reason why I won't judge Natsuki-san for such words is because he didn't see what we saw! Any little kid would be devastated if he experienced something like this!" Otto said with notes of indignation.

Although, the merchant was sure that his friend would never have been so insensitive if he had known about Gabriel's past and his failed attempt to remove the barrier around the Sanctuary on his own.

These words brought back memories in Garfiel: a young woman with green, kind eyes and golden hair, Ryuzu holding baby Garf in her arms and a girl of about eight years old standing next to her, looking at the departing cart.

"Sorry. Even though we take off our shoes when entering someone's house, we keep them on when stepping into someone's heart. It's a Natsuki family tradition!"

"So Subaru-kyun's trademark tactlessness is a family trait? I wonder which parent passed on such 'talent' to him, nya?" Felix asked with a mischievous smirk.

"I'm sure Natsuki-kun inherited his behavior from both his parents. From father came loudness and thirst for theatrics. And from the mother, the unpredictability and unrestrained imagination." Anastasia cheerfully remarked.

The merchant princess wasn't going to lie to herself. She was interested in Natsuki Subaru not only as a source of ideas and knowledge that would open the door to a new era for the world. The girl also would be happy to watch the interplay between Emilia's knight and her own finest knight. Along with possible antics of triplets and Subaru. He had an incredible ability to make his surroundings brighter just by being there.

"I have some notion of what past you saw. Frederica and your mother left you both in the Sanctuary and went out into the world. So you saw that, and then what?"

These words made the discouraged blond shake his head negatively. He unconsciously began to retreat. While Subaru, without taking his eyes off him, on the contrary, started advancing to him.

"Frederica left the Sanctuary. She believed you'd open the Sanctuary someday, so she left to make a place in the outside world for the people here. So what have you been doing on the inside? Was it that your mother abandoned you, so you hated your mother, so you hated the world that had stolen your mother from you, so you stayed shut inside the Sanctuary? Here, because you didn't want to get hurt!"

"That ain't…! What do you know…? Don't flap yer damn lips like ya understand!" Garfiel backed down while Subaru continued descending onto him via the stairs.

"That's right! All I'm saying is my own arbitrary guess, flapping my lips like I know what I'm talking about. Only you know what you really think. I'm not your family, so I'm not gonna know unless you come out and say it!"

Garfiel was a little stunned by this scene. His youthful mind retained the memory of his frank conversation with Subaru, in a slightly different format. He had forgotten how intimidating and overbearing his captain had looked back then.

While Garfiel continued to recall the last moments with his mother, Subaru continued his verbal attack:

"You hate your family. That's the only way…"

"'Tis not true!" Garfiel interrupted him with a furious shout that surprised Natsuki.

"I have to admit, big bro can be pretty menacing when he wants to be. Using both his words and his gaze, he manages to intimidate Garf!" Felt shuddered involuntarily.

It was a rare occurrence when she saw someone with eyes like that. They didn't seem to be malicious, but completely threw off balance everyone they were focused on. It reminded her somewhat of Old Man Rom when he was ready to pound someone to the ground for threatening his foster granddaughter.

"Rem agrees. This stern gaze doesn't really suit her hero's gentle nature. But this scene makes every instance when his eyes soften all the more precious."

"And this all despite the fact that in a real fight to the death, Garfiel will not even be afraid of a Witch herself." Otto noted. "I guess Natsuki-san gained an upper hand by opening up old wounds, but as far as I know Garfiel, he will come to his senses any moment now and start using his fists."

"Sir Natsuki's methods in this situation can be considered acceptable only because he did not know the fate of Garfiel's mother at that time. Otherwise, it would be an extremely undignified act!" Crusch said firmly.

"Actually… I wanted somethin' else.…"

"What is it you really think?! Tell me, damn it!"

"I just wanted... to make my mom happy! We were definitely in her way! My sis and I didn't let my mother become happy!"

In order not to show tears, Garfiel covered his face with his hands.

"What's there to guess? She was even disgusted to look at us. Of course, she would leave us! No wonder! Mom went to the big world to find her happiness! So I 'ave nothin' to blame her for."

'That's not true, Garf! Mom loved us, and you especially!' Frederica wanted to shout, but she didn't have the courage to say it.

After all, she had never told Garfiel what had happened to their mother. She didn't want to darken the child's mind with bitter thoughts. How could she know that in the end he will find out about it by himself. In the witch's tomb. When the older sister was no longer there to help. As a result, Frederica's good intentions led to the situation on the screen.

"But I saw wha' happened next…"

The picture of the wagon crushed by the landslide appeared on the screen again.

"When I went into the tomb without tellin' granny, I saw… Mom, who left us…right after she left, she got caught up in a landslide, and den…! She died…she never got to be happy… Why? Didn't she leave here because she wanted to find happiness? Did she 'ave any other reason to leave us?! If she ran away from us, but died without achievin' anythin'... den wha' else can we do? I wanted my mom to be happy.… I tried to convince myself tha' our sadness, the grief of bein' abandoned, was all for Mom's happiness! I wanted her to hate me!"

"Oh, Garf…" Mimi even teared up a little at this monologue. Despite her being sad for what the tiger boy's been through, she couldn't help but feel elation, seeing that behind the rough appearance and attitude there was a tender and kind heart.

'Okay, boy. I believe you. One such as you will not betray his sweetheart no matter what.' Ricardo smiled approvingly. Despite his obligatory "father's dislike" of the boy his daughter took liking in, Garfiel time and time again showed that he was someone Ricardo could entrust Mimi to.

After crying his soul out, Garf began to fire himself up again and prepare for a fight.

"I won't let anyone else go into the big world. Changes alone cannot achieve happiness. There will be dose who changes cannot help in any way. But I can protect… I'm stron' enough! I am ready to defend everythin' that my hands can reach! I will be betta den any barrier! And I will truly separate our world from the outside."

"Garfiel!" Subaru tried to reason with him.

"I can protect the Sanctuary, its inhabitants, and granny! I'm the only one who can do it! I'll be the only one who knows what's out there! Dey will live well without 'tis knowledge!"

"Garfiel sincerely wanted to protect his loved ones from the dangers of the world generated by his childhood fears. No wonder Subaru-dono's actions caused such aggression in him." Wilhelm nodded understandingly.

Many of these problems could have been avoided if Garfiel had a senior figure who could listen to the boy's fears and help him face them. The young man was simply unlucky.

"His mindset strongly reminds me of the behavior of the Beast of the End." Crusch mused aloud. "The Great Spirit also deliberately opposed the development of Emilia-sama as a person. After all, for her to grow, it was necessary to face obstacles and challenges. And he did not want to allow this, preferring a quiet and safe stagnation."

"This monster would have agreed to cooperate with any scum or thugs without a second thought, if it could guarantee the safety of the half-devil! And he wouldn't ever care that she would live in a golden cage, like someone's secluded trophy!"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with it. Alas, the way of thinking and morals of the spirits are simply different from those of the mortal races. If it was Emilia-sama's safety that was the first priority for him, then the scenario described by Bariel-sama looks particularly likely." Julius nodded in agreement.

With these words, Garfiel began his transformation. Once again, Subaru was facing a huge tiger. Garfiel let out a powerful growl that almost blew the guy away.

"Subaru!" Emilia confidently stood in front of the young man, fully ready for battle. But he had other plans."

"It's all right, Emilia. You ignorant, blockheaded bastard. I'll put you on your back and drive it into you. That you're a kind and really stupid jerk!"

"Ha! All your theatrics are so unconvincing, Garf, that even a blockhead like Barusu easily saw through them!" Ram said sarcastically, diligently hiding her genuine joy, that Barusu had correctly understood the character of the young tiger boy and seriously intended to help him.

Subaru leaped forward. Garfiel responded in kind.

"I'm counting on you, body of mine. Don't break down on me when we're inside the ring!" The young man shouted to himself.

"—Shamaaaaaaak!"

The world seemed to freeze. The screen displayed the gate in the form of a glowing sphere, to which tendrils of darkness stretched. The next moment, black cracks appeared on a dazzling white background.

"Thank you very much…": Subaru breathed out, realizing that his gate had broken.

The surrounding area became filled with darkness. Garfiel's punch missed.

"Damn it! If it wasn't for my stupid self, the cap'n might still have his gate in one piece." Garfiel muttered guiltily. His admiring smile was slightly diminished by the realization that he had contributed to his brother's injuries.

"Exactly, in fact! Because of you, my contractor is now tied to Betty for life as his only lifeline. Because only Betty is able to draw out the accumulated toxic mana from him, in fact." Beatrice tried to reprimand the ruffian in a demeaning tone.

However, she used this tone only to hide the fact that she was secretly happy about it. Subaru's gate was initially too unstable and poorly developed, which means that he would never become a full-fledged magician, anyway. But due to this unfortunate event, their spirit-partner bond was even stronger. After all, the exchange of mana was vital for both of them. And it was a bond that no one could replace!

"Beatrice-sama, your words would sound more convincing if you didn't have such a pleased expression on your face." Otto advised her.

"What does toxic mean?" Tivey asked.

"Spoiled and corrupted, I suppose. This is another subarism."

"So Subaru-kun's gate is really broken? And there's no way to restore them?" Rem was worried about this news and turned to Felix with a questioning look. But the healer only shook his head negatively:

"There's nyo way to repair a broken gate, nya. Nyow, for the rest of his life, he won't even be able to light a magic lamp on his own, nya."

"There is no need for Betty's Subaru to do any of that, I suppose! Whatever Subaru needs, always has his ever reliable Betty to help her hopeless contractor, in fact!"

"—Come step onto my turf, Garfiel." Subaru shouted and pounded something he gripped in his hand into his right shoulder. Light gushed forth. And the tiger began to rapidly return to human form.

"What did he do? What did he stick in it?!" Mimi was worried.

"Cap'n shoved Frederica's crystal into me and den damn cat spirit inside sucked all the mana out of my amazin' self. Worse, dan a bloodsucker!" Garfiel crossed his arms indignantly.

He himself sincerely admired the resourcefulness of his captain, who found a way to neutralize the most dangerous enemy. But he still didn't like that he was the victim of such an approach. And now it was being demonstrated to everyone!

"Well, at least after tha' we had a normal man-to-man talk." He admitted with a sigh.

Ram quickly figured out exactly what Subaru had done and how his actions had eventually helped her achieve her own dream. The girl instantly wished she could give a good kick the sleeping young man in the ass. How dare he evoke feelings of sincere gratitude in her that relate directly to her, and not to Rem?!

"Damn womanizer! Utter pervert! Useless fool…" She muttered curses softly, trying with all her might to suppress the unnaturally strong desire to stand up, approach the sleeping boy, pat him on the head and whisper softly in his ear: 'thank you, for everything."

A bright flash and Garfiel is back in his human form standing in front of Subaru.

"What was that? What is it?" He asked weakly, falling to his knees. A blue crystal fell out of his hand. "This is my sister's pendant…but why would I lose my powers for this?"

"Dunno. Maybe one extremely voracious cat has settled inside that tone, huh?"

"—This is all the help I can give you." Puck's voice sounded from the crystal.

"If you're gonna be quiet, keep quiet, you noisy, glimmering jerk…"

'Once again, Subaru-dono turned a potentially deadly adversary into an ally. This talent is his biggest asset, apart from his Authority.' Wilhelm noted with a content smile. If it wasn't for this boy's forgiving nature and aptitude to pull others on his side… the old butler could only imagine the likely outcome of the Whale Hunt without Subaru's help.

"Look at me, Garfiel."

"Eh?"

"Try to stop me with your own hands. Don't take advantage of your blood, you miserable coward! Don't take other people for fools. No matter what you say, we're heading to the outside world. If you want to stop us, stop me first. Emilia will challenge the tomb. The Sanctuary will open…whether you want it or not."

"Don't decide all tha' shit on yer own! Who asked ya to?! Who gave ya permission?! This place—this place should stay as it is, never changin'!"

'Is that how you made a scared young man change and stop looking into the past, fearing the future, Natsuki Subaru-kun? You can really be a formidable enemy even without your ability. And with it, you truly become an insurmountable obstacle.' The margrave thought.

In just one attempt, without even relying on his Authority as insurance, this unusual young man broke the game board that the ancient magician had been building for many years without holding back.

"This place cannot freeze in time. One day you will also get into a story from which it is impossible to get out alone. Maybe tomorrow, or maybe right now. I'm gonna knock you on your ass, Garfiel. Respect the power of numbers!" Subaru stated, lifting his fists and getting ready for a fight.

"You could have chosen… a better expression!" The blond man declared and rushed to attack.

Garfiel howled at Subaru's line, their fists both unleashed simultaneously and landing in each other's face.

Letting out anguished groans from the sharp pain, the pair backed heavily away from each other. Setting Subaru's fist aside, Garfiel's blow was tragically weakened. The crystal in his shoulder absorbed most of his mana. Thanks to its aid, they were able to have a good, honest fistfight.

"It perplexed me to no end what actually happened that day. Just before, Subaru and Garfiel were having a conversation. A heated one, but still a conversation. Then they suddenly started punching each other. Why?"

"With all due respect, princess, it would be hard for a lady like yerself to understand the true meaning of real men talkin' with deir fists." Garfiel tried to explain the sanctity of this 'ritual'.

"So you two were communicating? That a very unusual way of negotiating." Emilia was sincerely surprised by these revelations.

"Umm… You can call it 'aggressive negotiations', Emilia-sama. That's a very peculiar type of communications that is used in very specific cases." Otto decided to gloss over the rough edges for some reason.

"I think it's a very aggressive way of parleying, though." Emilia tapped a finger to her mouth, unsure if she approved of such a violent means of reaching an agreement.

"Who says 'parleying' in this day and age, I suppose?" Beatrice rolled her eyes, while the half-elf's face lightened up.

"Oh! I get it now! It's the same type of aggressive negotiations that you, Otto, used on Subaru to convince him that he can rely on you, right? After that, you and Subaru became best friends! And after his negotiations with Garfiel they also became best friends! This looks like a very effective way to make friends! Perhaps I should use it too during my meetings with other peo…"

"NO!" Both Otto and Garfiel screamed simultaneously.

"But why?! It seems to work well for you and Subaru." Emilia was sincerely confused by this negative reaction.

Knowing Emilia's inhuman strength due to her elven heritage, and the fact that Emilia was always giving her all whenever she was doing something, the consequences could be…problematic, if not catastrophic. While imagining how Emilia merrily pounded Crusch or Anastasia to make them her 'best friends forever' Otto felt happy that he was born gray-haired because otherwise he would become one with his camp's antics.

"Princess, it's just…that's a guy's thing! Girls use other types of gettin' alon' y'know. Like… I dunno…tea parties n'stuff."

"You mean to say I'm forbidden to use such an effective method, simply because I'm a girl?! That's just chauvinistic!" The half-elf princess became indignant because of such injustice.

"Emilia, be at ease. When we get out of here and ya come to Pristella I'll show how we girls should bond prop'ly." Anastasia hurried to clam down the offended princess.

At the same time, the merchant princess started thinking how to use the promised bonding procedure to her advantage. Perhaps during the friendly conversation between hot bath and professional foot massage, she'll be able to strike some interesting deal with the half-elf.

"He-he, you're looking a little weak, Garfiel." Subaru mocked the tiger boy.

Thanks to Otto, Ram and that gemstone, we finally got into a fair fight…ack."

His confident muttering was interrupted by a well-placed left hook. His vision swooned, which he put a stop to with a stomp. In return, he kicked upward into his opponent's gut, sending a straight punch right into his opponent's lowered face. He was hit back. The hard blow made his eyes spin, and nosebleed s oozed—from Subaru and Garfiel both.

Both their faces marred with blood, the objectively awful and clumsy brawl continued. Each and every blow was weak, but they reverberated in each other's core because of the feelings infused in their fists.

"Man, I was hoping to see some good brawl! But this looks like a kids squabble in a sandbox! Bro is physically exhausted. Garfiel is exhausted in both body and spirit. And as a result, I feel embarrassed simply by watching it!" Al admitted with some glee.

"Aw, c'mon. Boys are just duking it out to become real friends. You should take pleasure in their spiritual bonding!" Ricardo answered with a sarcastic smirk.

"While I'm truly happy that you didn't use your Divine Protection, I'm still curious, why didn't you use it, Garfiel?" Otto asked, remembering that his young friend could replenish his stamina and heal wounds in a matter of minutes.

"Ain't tha' obvious, Brotto? Cap'n said tha' he wanted to 'ave a fear fight with my amazin' self. So I was honor bound to give 'em a fair fight!" Garfiel said, proudly pumping out his chest.

"Ahem…" Crusch pointedly coughed in her fist, politely reminding that her Divine Protection of wind reading was still intact. Garfiel, quickly understood that his boisterous lie won't work in this situation.

"I was so pissed off at cap' tha' I simply forgot to use my blessin'." He confessed, looking down with an embarrassed expression.

"Ah! Now that I can easily believe in!" Otto said with a content smirk.

"Screw you, Brotto!"

"E…nough of…this!"

When both sides were depleted in strength, what separated victory from defeat in a fight was skill.

Evading Subaru's attack, Garfiel spun his body, plunging an elbow strike into the pit of Subaru's stomach. When Subaru moaned in agony, his movements coming to a halt, Garfiel delivered a hard chop to the back of his head, and when Subaru fell down, Garfiel kneed him in the face. Subaru's vision ferociously shook. He proceeded to move backward and—not fall.

"You still…! Just sleep already! Give up, and I'll end this!" Garfiel screamed almost in despair.

"Here he is, my cap'n in all his glory! Even a savage beatin' from a tough guy like my amazin' self won't break 'em!

"You were completely exhausted at that moment." Felix reminded him.

"Well, yes. If my mana had been in place, I would have blown his head off with one blow. So ya can say tha' he truly endured the blow of my muscles." The blond man answered him without embarrassment at all.

Garf couldn't believe that the enemy still resisted. And he even had the audacity to smile smugly. Realizing that the enemy was going to fall, the blond retreated. Subaru spat out a broken tooth and wiped the blood off his face.

"Don't make me look uncool in front of my girl…not giving up makes me look way better than giving up, damn it. If you're a man, let me look cool, you stupid jerk."

"Typical Barusu! So much pathos and loud words, but in the end all of it is simply to impress Emilia-sama and ultimately fail at it!"

"Actually, Subaru re-e-eally impressed me with his tenaciousness that day!" Emilia hurried to protect her knight's dignity.

"And you haven't thought of him as a dunderhead who always rushed into a dangerous situation head on without ever consulting with you at least ones?" Ram asked her skeptically.

"W-well… I-I…of course I was worried about him…and I didn't like how he once again put himself in danger just to show off in front of me!"

"So, like I said — typical Barusu. Making us worried sick over his stupid, selfish shenanigans."

"So you admit that you are worried sick over the boss boy?" Ricardo didn't miss the chance to throw a quip at the pink maid.

"Kindly go and shave yourself bald!" Ram snarled back, making the demi-human mercenary laugh at his little victory. The others also noticed that Ram didn't try to refute Ricardo's question. Probably because of Crusch and Reinhard.

Snorting out the blood blocking his nose, Subaru put a smile on his awful-looking face. His expression made Garfiel swallow his breath, from which Subaru understood how creepy he must have looked.

"Take a good look, Garfiel. The wall you were so afraid of never existed!"

"There is a wall! There is for me! An absolute wall, separating inside from outside for me! For me, Grandma, and all the others! We're standing still! We're shut in! It's over for us!"

[Melody "Realize]

"Don't you dare go and say it's over…don't you dare lose hope! No matter when! No matter the time! If you wanna do something! If you wanna change! When you think of it, that's your starting line, damn it!" Subaru shouted at him, remembering how he had recently felt in a similar situation.

Remembering how it was easier for him to destroy his mind at the witches' tea party than to accept himself and all those who somehow influenced his final decision.

"They tell you: "Raise your head and walk!" It's not customary to say, "Yes, it's better to give up!" Isn't that right, Garfiel?

"Thas' right, cap'n! Ya tell 'em... me!" The blond man raised his fist triumphantly.

Watching his captain giving out corky lines was Garfiel's guilty pleasure. Even if he didn't realize it himself yet.

Subaru took a step forward.

"Isn't that right, Emilia?" He asked without turning around.

"Exactly, Subaru! You can't cling to the past. You need to move forward, supporting your friends around you and relying on them in return!" The half-elf echoed Garfiel's gesture.

He froze for a second, as if talking to himself.

"Yes..?" An image of a smiling Rem appeared in my head. "Am I right, Rem?!"

"You're absolutely right, Subaru-kun! Giving up doesn't suit you! Not you, not Garfiel, not anyone else!" Rem joined it, brimming with pride that her hero remembered her at such a crucial moment.

Seemingly unimpressed by this speech, Garfiel shouted "Damn you!" and rushed forward again. The screen focused on Subaru's torso, time slowed down, and a pulsating sphere consisting of writhing tendrils of darkness appeared inside the young man.

"It's the witch factor, I suppose!" Beatrice was the first to guess what was going on. "Betty's Subaru subconsciously activating the witch's factor of Sloth inside him!

"What can this lead to? Is Subaru-kun in danger?!" Rem asked worriedly.

She was still worried about the fact that inside her Subaru-kun were the witch factors who turned people into monsters, like the archbishops of the Witch Cult. Her hero may not have shown any symptoms so far, but who knows how these concentrations of pure evil work?

"'Tha's it! Now the cap'n will hit my amazin' self with his special attack! But I had no idea tha' he used the witch factor for it!"

"What kind of attack? Julius asked.

"How should I know? I didn't see anythin'. It's just that right before I hit the cap'n with all my power, somethin' hit me in the jaw and I flew off. It must have looked cool from the outside!"

"He used an invisible attack to hit you? Using the Sloth witch's factor as a source…" The finest of the knights began to form a guess in his head. And he was really afraid of this prospect.

The witch factor began to shine. Subaru's eyes twinkled.

"This is my…burning wish!" He let out a cry. And the next moment, a shadow fist burst out of his chest, which smacked Garfiel right in the jaw.

Struck by this blow, the blond man flew several meters away and remained lying on the ground. For a while, the shadow fist reached triumphantly towards the sky.

"Co-o-ol! Tha's my cap'n! Fantastic move!" Garfiel exclaimed in complete delight.

A new and effective technique created by the powerful wish of his captain's burning heart! What could be more awesome than that?

"Come on, mini boss! You're doing great!" Mimi joined Garfiel in the celebration.

"He activated the Authority of Sloth. And now he uses a similar force as the archbishop he killed." Anastasia noted, cautiously, but quietly, so that only Julius could hear her.

"I'm sure Subaru is fine. After all, there has been no news of incidents at Emilia's camp last year."

"We've already seen that he's very good at hidin' his problems." The merchant princess reminded him.

"Which requires a very clear mind, my lady. If Subaru had been struck by madness like Petelgeuse, something would have surfaced."

"Are ya sayin' that because ya really think so, or do ya just want to believe it?" Anastasia asked, glancing sideways at her knight.

"A bit of both. I want to believe it's very much. And I really think so. Subaru is not the kind of person who would let some witch factor break him. He is simply too arrogant, stubborn, and tenacious to care about the rules of our world." Julius answered with a tone of admiration.

"Cool down, Julius. A little more, and I'll start ta get jealous at your adoration of Emilia's knight."

"A thousand apologies, my lady. I simply wanted to express that…" Julius started explaining himself, but cut it off when he saw that Anastasia was practically laughing at him with her eyes.

Subaru then collapsed to his knees. The dark hand was gone.

"What a disgusting new technique…" He barely muttered, after which he vomited.

"What's wrong with him?! Why is he in pain?! He's not losing his mind because of the witch factor, is he?!" Emilia felt the horror awaken in her because how familiar this scene seemed. "Geuse went crazy after taking in this substance as well!"

"A year has passed since the events at the Sanctuary and Betty's Contractor has shown no signs of slipping into insanity, i fact. Apart from the problems, we already know… If the witch factor has not affected his mind so far, then there is nothing to worry about, I suppose. Still, you are right about one thing, girl: Betty's Subaru clearly has poor compatibility with the Authority of Sloth. I think that's why Betty's never seen her contractor use it during his training." Beatrice replied hastily.

"You mean to say Barusu has bad compatibility with sloth?! Now I am convinced that these shows, in addition to the truth, are abundantly laced with poorly concealed lies!"

"Ram, don't judge others by your own standards. Even if, after receiving the title of knight, Subaru-sama stopped performing the duties of a butler on a regular basis, he still opted to help us out from time to time! I would also add the fact that he was also engaged in his physical and combat training with diligence, unimaginable for you!" Frederica reminded her sarcastically.

An opportunity to justifiably protect the image of Subaru-sama, while at the same time throwing a quip at Ram? Two servings, please, the head maid thought to herself contentedly.

"And for some reason it seems to me that if the Sloth witch factor were planted in Ram, it would fit her like a glove, nyah!" Felix jokingly commented.

"An interesting thought. What if the witch factor gives different people different abilities? What kind of power would Ram-san get?" Julius decided, for a change of pace, to support the humorous attitude of his friend.

"My guess is that she would get the ability to remove big bro from our reality and get him back if necessary." Felt laughed at her own joke.

Ram kept silent so that the others would not understand how attractive she found this idea. The ability to remove Barusu from reality and return him only in case of utmost necessity? She NEEDED such power!

Glancing at his opponent, he muttered in disappointment:

"Are you kidding me?" The reason for these words was Garfiel, who even after this blow was able to stand up and staggered towards Natsuki. "Just how impenetrable are you?"

"Don't look down on me.… I have to... stand... against you..." he staggered towards the Subaru.

"Tha's jus' the way it is, cap'n. Ya're cool and all tha', but it'll take more effort to brin' down my amazin' self!" The blond man said smugly.

"Yeah. You are right, I guess. Looks like Natsuki-san's hand is empty now… Oh, wait! How could we forget that Natsuki-san still has allies who can help him?" Otto decided to bring his brother, swollen with pride, from heaven back to earth.

Garfiel immediately understood what the merchant meant and immediately crossed his arms resentfully.

"Yeah, yeah, f'course. How dare I forget 'bout that sneaky lizard…"

"Well, that's it… Since you're so stubborn, I just have to accept it.…"

"Soon I'll put an end to our fight! Tha's it!"

The frame changed, showing the fast approaching earth dragon.

"No one else is…"

The camera, spinning, showed the oncoming Patrasche. Next moment, the best girl crashed into Garfiel's back with all her might, sending him flying to the nearest wall. Remembering her past defeat, Patrasche roared triumphantly, announcing her glorious victory to the world.

"Well done, Patrasche! You got your justified revenge on this meanie!" Petra declared solemnly.

"It's always nice to see how the most useful member of Emilia-sama's camp never fails to deliver!" Ram added with a smug grin.

"What do you think, Garfiel? Like I said — the power of numbers."

"I told ya… Ya could have… chosen… a better expression!" Garfiel grumbles, struggling to get up.

"Then everyone's feelings bundled together to form bonds of victory."

"Haa …so this is, like, none can lift the quain stone alone…" said Garfiel and lost consciousness.

"I gotta admit this the kid is really strong!" Ricardo couldn't help but note, assessing the young fighter from the point of the mercenary captain. "First, he was thoroughly exhausted by a fight in the forest, then got all his mana was sucked out by a great spirit, hit squarely with a witch's Authority, and in the end, an earth dragon crashed into him at full speed! And only after that did he allow himself to pass out! An ordinary person's spine and other bones would be in splinters from such a blow!"

"Yes! Mimi's Garf is strong! Mimi approves!" The soldier girl declared contentedly, as if it was her own merit.

"Oi! When did I become yours?!" The young man was indignant, unhappy that someone was trying to mark him as one's property.

But inwardly, he was flattered that a cute and perky girl appreciated him so highly. He even glanced at Ram to see if she would react to Mimi's statement, but Ram did not take her eyes off the screen. On principle. Garfiel could only snort with frustration.

"Finally, one of those sayings made sense…" Natsuki replied in the same tone and also passed out.

"And that's how the strong friendship of two idiots was born out of the chaos of senseless violence. For some incomprehensible reason, Od Laguna gave them both the gift of speech, but did not give them the brains to use it to peacefully resolve their disputes." Ram summed up with a satisfied smile.

The scene changed, showing Subaru's body floating in the dark against a background of purple glow. The source of this light was the witch factor displayed in front of the young man.

"What are they showing us now? Subaru didn't die, did he?!" Emilia asked anxiously.

"Relax, princess. If Natsuki-san had died before the conditions of the bet were fulfilled, he would have lost to Roswaal. And since we already know the outcome of the bet, then we can, for once, loosen up and enjoy how our hero manages to deal with all the obstacles!" Otto himself couldn't get enough joy of the fact that he could say such a thing and not lie. This arc was too expensive for his psyche, and now he longed to see only the triumph of his friends on the screen. Well, and his own too, a little.

"Apparently, this is how Betty's contractor's inner thoughts are shown to us, I suppose."

"It's probably the tricks of that wicked witch. The witch factor she was talking about worked." Subaru mused to himself.

A cute version of the evil Garfiel appeared in his imagination, which was sent flying by the shadow fist.

"Invisible Blow. Unseen Palms. Blindside Impact! No. The will of the invisible God!

"Awesome name for a new ability!" Garfiel spoke up.

"The 'Invisible Blow' is more consistent with how this ability was used!" Tivey disagreed with him.

"The 'Unseen Palms' option is bad! It's too similar to what the creepy guy screamed!" Mimi said authoritatively.

"Let it be called the Invisible Providence! He muttered under his breath."

Opening his eyes, he saw the most desirable view in the world.

"Here we, the fools, were worried about him, that a piece of the witch has awakened in him, and he was busy rummaging through lousy names for a new trick!" Felt said with a grin, shaking her head contentedly.

She would have chosen a better name. Also, she would love to argue with her big bro about what such an ability should be called. Maybe when he wakes up, and they have time to chat, she'll give him a couple of really cool options. Such that any thug in the Slums would nod respectfully upon hearing.

"Hey! 'Invisible Providence' 's a cool-ass name! Dere's no need to make fun of the cap'n! Garfiel immediately stood up to defend his commander.

Felt snorted haughtily at this and stuck out her tongue at him. Those who admire such lousy names were not worth her getting into a debate with them.

"Regrettably, Ram have to admit that she was wrong. Naively, at that moment, she considered Barusu to be older and more mature than Garf in terms of mental development. Now she sees that, despite the age difference, he is no different from his henchman!" Ram was glad to have the opportunity to once again improve the atmosphere in the room.

The fact that at the same time she did not forget to punch the reputation of the sleeping young man in the gut, she considered a payment for providing a service. She was even sorry that Barusu was asleep and couldn't respond in his trademark indignantly apologetic manner. After this thought, she mentally kicked herself for missing the good-natured bickering with Subaru.

"It is very unchivalrous to use such tricks. Although, we're talking about Natsuki Subaru. It quite fits his style. Although I would come up with a better name for such ability." Julius said in a confident tone, elegantly braiding the strand of his hair.

The next moment he felt the gaze of several skeptical looking from different sides. Even his lady looked at him with disbelief.

"And what name would you choose if you got such a trick? An Unknightly Strike?" Felix asked him snidely, not even hiding a mocking grin.

"July's Kick?" Garfiel echoed, barely suppressing a laugh.

"Inelegant Slap?" Ricardo laughed outright, echoed by the twins on his feet.

"Unsportsmanlike Behavior?" Al joined in the group mockery of the finest knight with the worst imagination.

Seemed like no one has forgotten his pseudonym - "July". Offended to the depths of his soul,

Julius raised his finger to give his critics a rebuke worthy of a Lugunika's finest knight, but unexpectedly received a small fist bump on the shoulder. Looking in surprise at the attacker, he saw Anastasia angrily but still cutely puffing out her pretty cheeks.

"Don't even try to argue now that you would have picked a decent name! You're the one talking nonsense, and I'm the one burning with shame because of it!" She whispered threateningly.

In response, Julius had no choice but to close his mouth and stare at the screen in silence. He may have lost this round, but he will show them all that the finest knight even defeat accepts with dignity and elegance!

"Eh? What did you say?" Emilia asked him, looking down at him. The night sky could be seen behind her.

"Well, it doesn't matter …" After looking around a little and realizing what position he was in, he turned back to the girl:

"Well, Emilia-tan, I'm lying on your lap again… It's a reward for getting over the first big hurdle, so…"

"Yes, yes."

A nearby exclamation from Patrasche made Subaru get up from his favorite place and turn around. Next to the dragon on the stairs sat Otto, beaten up, but alive and in one piece.

"Ah, Natsuki-san, you've come to your senses."

"Why, you—!" Taking off abruptly, the dark-haired guy rammed the merchant with his head, knocking him to the ground.

"Wh-what is this all of a sudden?!"

"Shut up, you stupid moron! Don't go acting all cool! Your freelancing almost blew up the whole plan! But without your assist, I wouldn't have been able to nail Garfiel, either, so it's not like I don't feel grateful, okay?!"

"And he still has the audacity to call me tsundere after this! You are such a hypocrite!" Beatrice protested, giving the sleeping boy a barely perceptible slap in the face. Rem and Emilia, who were watching this, could not help but laugh sweetly.

"Subaru-kun! The Rem's hero should not behave so capriciously and call cute girls names! You will be punished for this later!" The maid supported the spirit girl with feigned anger, gently pulling the sleeping man by the ear.

"That's right! Not only do you break promises, but you also lay your own fault at others doors! No lap pillows for you until you get forgiveness from Beako!" Emilia scolded her knight, barely holding back her laughter.

"Gosh, princess, ya've become ratha' ruthless since last year. Leavin' cap'n without lap pillows is harsh!" Garfiel commented with a corky smile.

"Hmph! It's the least that Betty'contractor deserves for being such a hopeless fool, I suppose!" Beatrice supported Emilia's 'threat' with a smug look. The mood in the room was brightening with every minute.

"I don't even know what you're saying anymore!" Otto complained.

Subaru smiled and extended his hand to his friend to help him stand up.

"I'm glad you're alive and well. If you died, I figured you'd turn into a ghost and haunt me at my bedside… Is Ram all right, too?"

"Yes, though my liver went cold when I awoke and found Ram lying on the ground. I was quite relieved to find her state was not as bad as it looked. If anything, the poison she spewed after I carried her on my back was worse." Otto replied, taking the hand.

"Ha! That the least you should get for touching an unconscious maiden without her consent and carrying her in the wood, touching her in places!" Ram added venomously with a smug look.

"That's just slander! I didn't even think about touching you somewhere inappropriate! And how else I was supposed to get you back, without getting you on my back?!" Otto shouted back, reeling from accusing stares of girls around him and one particularly suspicious glare from Frederica.

"Not my problem, how you should've handled it. You could always just wait for me to wake up, get scolded by Ram for wasting so much time idly waiting for her to get her beauty sleep, and then carry her back on your back." As usual, Ram was savvy and merciless.

"That just means I would've been scolded and abused no matter what I do!" The merchant cried in despair, causing another wave of chuckles at Otto's hopeless position.

"Ram. Ram never changes." Al commented with a cryptic tone of a depressed narrator.

"At least we can safely assume that if Ram is spewing poison left and right, it means that she's fine and there is no need to worry about her!" Ricardo added his two cents with a wolfish grin.

"Also, in case of Ram, you don't have to worry about some assassin mimicking her. The moment they, disguised as Ram, say something polite to big bro or anyone else, they'll blow their cover!" Felt said with a giggle.

"This fact only proves it further that Ram is unique in her cuteness and charms and no one can come even close in that regard!" the pink maid answered, looking quite satisfied.

"Ha! The sheer, undiluted hubris of you to think that such pathetic commoner's charms cannot be surpassed!" Priscilla added confidently, fanning herself, making it obvious whom she considered a goddess of harsh love.

The brewing romantic moment between two unlucky youths was rudely interrupted by a jealous tail kick from a proud dragoness, who considered herself deprived and expressed her disapproval with a dissatisfied growl.

"Do you need the help of an interpreter? Otto asked.

"'Don't make me worry.'" right?"

"And besides, without hiding her displeasure, she added: 'Don't get cocky', 'There won't be a next time', and 'Become mine already' with a fair hint of anger."

"That's some serious heroine power at work. Jumping into the race to be my leading girl?"

"No one can keep Natsuki-san's ego in check better than Lady Patrasche! No matter how big he becomes for the rest of the world, for her, he had already climbed to the highest position. And any attempt to jump above his head is severely suppressed by precise tail strikes!" Otto solemnly explained the behavior of the best girl for Subaru.

"What?! Patrasche also wants to become Subaru's beloved?! No! That's just… not right! I object to this!" Emilia said indignantly, clenching her fists, feeling betrayed, oblivious to numerous giggles and chuckles caused by her overreaction.

"Oh, so you finally see how hopeless you are, if even a ground dragon outpaces you?!" Priscilla said gloatingly.

"Et tu, Brute!" Al said with a preposterously dramatic voice, amused by the half-elf's words.

'Hm! We'll see about that! Rem also knows how to exalt her hero and how to bring him down from heaven to earth if necessary!' Rem thought defiantly.

The maid was willing to make many compromises in the case of Emilia-sama. But in everything that concerned Patrasche's claims to Subaru-kun, she was ready to wage an all-out war of attrition!

"Thank you." Natsuki patted his dragon gratefully.

"Okay, where's Garfiel? Subaru asked Emilia.

"Ah, Garfiel is over there." she replied, turning her head to the side. "But I think it's better not to bother them yet.

Ram was sitting in the same place where the blond man had lost consciousness, with his head on her lap.

"Ram put Garf's head on her lap herself?!" Frederica was nearly shocked by this picture. And then she grinned contentedly at her thoughts. "It looks like she desperately wanted to win Garf over to Emilia-sama's side, since she decided to use all the crumbs of her feminine charm!"

"There is more than enough feminine charm in Ram! If there were a little more of it, the world wouldn't be able to stand it." The pink maid proudly replied to her, defiantly ignoring a lot of skeptical glances.

'Lap pillows. Got it!' Mimi nodded very seriously, taking mental notes about what Garfiel likes.

"You think?"

"Yeah."

Moaning quietly, the Garfiel opened his eyes and saw the displeased face of his beloved.

"Garf, are you awake?" Ram asked.

"Well… I opened my eyes…"

"Then move already!" A powerful slap on the head sent the young man to the ground. "My legs are already numb.

"Just like usual, a girl without one shred o' kindness…"

"Ram'd be kinder to you if you were worth it." She replied calmly, greatly upsetting the guy.

"Okay, that's just harsh! One really must have a masochistic side to pursue such an uncouth girl." Anastasia stated, glancing at Garfiel and then whispered to her knight: "Is he really like that? And if so, is it safe to allow my Mimi to get closer with him?"

"Well, it's not like we saw any other girls his age around, and it seems like Ram and Rem were the only ones he was acquainted with. Since Rem back then was as emotionless and cold as we saw in the beginning, no wonder that he chose a harsh, but more lively sister." Julius answered just as quietly to her.

"As always, Ram-san is the real antithesis of the maid's image." Otto took advantage of this opportunity.

"Maybe it's because of the clown? Does he like it when subordinates humiliate him, so the maid is used to expressing her feelings like that?" Felt declared just for the opportunity to once again tease Roswaal.

"As likely as it sounds, Ram was just like that from the first day she woke up in the margrave's manor. Not an ounce of respect! Even to her superiors or her mentors!" Frederica explained with a huff, crossing her hands and looking quite sour. When Petra touched her hand gently to soothe her, Frederica immediately hugged the little girl with gratitude.

"Are you sure I'm not worth it?" He asked dejectedly.

"I won't tell you. You must be smoother than that if you wish to hear a girl's true thoughts."

Seeing that he was lost in thought, she decided to interrupt him:

"Garf…you're an idiot, so thinking about it is useless."

"Eh?"

"From now on, put aside your doubts and fight with an empty head! For the sake of me and Emilia-sama."

"The advice is actually much better than it might seem at first glance! The guy is clearly fights using his instincts, without any specific technique. In such cases, the best option is to clear your head from any thoughts and doubts. Simply trust your feelings. Let the body decide for itself how to fight and when to dodge" It was a rare occasion when Ricardo spoke in a serious tone, without trying to throw in any jokes.

The matter now concerned the combat skills of Subaru's closest friend and, who knows, the future romantic interest of his adopted daughter. This means that the issue of combat potential must be approached as seriously as possible. The guy still had to prove himself in a real fight.

'No matter how you put it, until Garf defeats me in a fair fight, like hell he's going to get permission to go on a date with my dearest Mimi. I've spoken!'

"Jus' ya wait for a bit! Soon all of ya will see how my improved amazin' self deals with enemies!" The tiger boy confidently declared to the audience, then turned to the screen and continued with a note of bloodlust in his voice. "I can' wait to see the part where I pound tha' bitch to the ground!

Frederica wanted to scold her brother for another swearing in the presence of children and noble ladies, but restrained herself. After everything she saw, she dreamed of personally tearing the Bowel hunter to shreds. Garfiel had every right to feel hatred, and her own desire to convey a couple of 'lovely' words to Elsa Frederica fulfilled by not stopping the younger brother from speaking out.

"Stop messin' with me! After doin' all this, bein' yer enemy, stompin' all over what ya people think…ya're sayin' ya'd forgive me and take me as one of yer own?!

"Don't be absurd. I'm saying you need to work for it because we don't forgive you. You cannot beg for forgiveness without offering something in return, can you? Ram won, and Garf lost. Be a good boy and do as I say."

"Wow! If not for this girl's attitude, she would make a perfect aggressive emissary! Even though she totally lost her own fight, she acts like everything that happened went according to her plan, and now she stands as a victor who can make demands! I must admit, I feel somewhat impressed by her tenaciousness! Anastasia said with a grin.

Obviously, Ram acted like that because she knew Garfiel pretty well, but that didn't change the fact that she twisted the logic of what happened in her own favor pretty good. The fox lady found it worthy of respect.

"I start to think that if Ram is ever completely cornered and out of any options, she will yield by saying: 'I accept your unconditional surrender!'" Crusch decided it was a good moment to try to make a joke. Felix's laughter she took as granted, but Wilhelm's approving smirk and giggles from members of other camps was a real indicator that her attempt at humor worked.

"I accept that I lost! But acceptin' and yieldin' are two different things! Me, I'm in fightin' shape even now! If ya wanna do things I don't want, ya shoulda just killed me! If ya wanna pick up where we left off, right…"

"Enough whimpering! You lost, didn't you, Loser Cat Garf? Just how long do you intend to dawdle and look pathetic in front of the girl you like?"

"And... do ya want me to laugh and join yer company? I admit defeat, but I was not mistaken in anythin'! Precisely! I don't think I did anythin' wrong at all! We haven't put an end to it yet!"

"If you are missing a point, check if you are ready to put it yourself.

"Eh?"

Instead of answering, Ram pointed her finger in the direction of the tomb.

"The Trial…"

"Garf, can you change? Or will you remain a cowering, unmoving little boy?"

"After such words, I just want to refuse more." Garf muttered thoughtfully, but then Subaru's words came to mind: 'Don't give up ahead of time!'

"Your face says your resolve is set. Don't worry, Garf. If you come back crying, I'll be ready to comfort you. As a sign of our long friendship, yes?" To enhance the effect, Ram even gave him a flirtatious smile.

"Who is she and what did she do to the real Ram?! For a pink maid to give such a sweet smile? Full of warmth?! I don't believe it! It's a fa-a-ake!" Al was jokingly horrified.

"The tricks of some witch, no doubt about that!" Ricardo echoed him.

"By the way, yes. Maybe it was the Witch of Lust Carmilla who decided to take revenge on Echidna for her past transgression? Pretended to be Ram and, using her witch's charms, convinced Garfiel to side with Emilia-sama?" Anastasia, who was enjoying this game, suggested with a smile.

"It still sounds much more plausible than Ram, sincerely smiling with such warmth! Let's accept this idea as canon!" Al did not fail to support this assumption, earning a few more laughs in the audience.

After entering the tomb, Garfiel walked warily along the corridor. As he stretched out his hand to open the door to the Trial Room, he noticed how it was shaking.

"Damn it all!"

"Oh, I do get you ve-e-ery well, Garfiel. To face a painful past, it's oh-so-scary!" Emilia said with a genuine concern.

"Please don't, princess. I needed it! A man can't grow further if he's not ready to face his fears! The cap'n had smacked it good in my head!"

Overcoming his fear, he opened the door, stood in the center of the room and heard his own voice in his head: 'First, face your past.' The screen turned white for a second, and then Garfiel found himself again in the autumn Forest of Kremaldi. Turning around, he saw a group of four: one of Ryuzus, little Frederica and his mother, holding a very small Garfiel in her arms.

"—M-Mom."

"Did you decide to leave anyway?" Ryuzu asked her.

"Yes, I shall go. Though, it shall cause you a great deal of trouble, Ryuzu-sama…"

"You definitely shouldn't worry about me. More importantly... how your children will feel."

The baby was laughing merrily, playing with his mother's pendant. Angry at the carefree behavior of his young self, the adult Garfiel rushed at him, shouting 'You little brat!' But his blows passed through the images of his relatives, and they did not notice the interloper.

"Mother... maybe it's not worth it?"

"I'm sorry, Rika. You're going to have a hard time because of me, too."

"That's fine. I am all right…but I feel sorry for Garf."

"I want to take you with me, but Mom is such a clumsy person. Surely Garf won't like our trip at all. Though you are Mommy's child, you are very responsible, so please.

"Correct you are, madam! Your daughter is the most collected and responsible lady in the world!" Petra blurted out fervently.

She longed for the whole world to know what a great mentor she had. Barely holding back tears from the scene of saying goodbye to her mother, Frederica found an outlet for her emotions by grabbing the girl in a strong, but gentle embrace.

"It's still good that their mother did not dare to take the children with her. At least they were safe that way." Anastasia commented sadly. Scenes of children parting from loving parents were one of her weaknesses.

"Don't, Mom ... ya can't go into the big world …" Adult Garfiel unsuccessfully appealed to her.

Taking a pendant with two crystals from her neck, mother divided it.

"Here you go. One for you, one for Garf." Said Frederica's mother, putting a pendant around her neck and kissing her on the forehead.

"Garf. It's time for your mom to go." She said, and also kissed her son in the place where the scar would later appear.

"It looks pretty symbolic. A parting gift from his mother became a key element that was used in the right place, the right moment, and played a role in helping her son break out of his own shackles." Reinhard poetically remarked, enjoying the heartwarming scene. Although, it once again reminded him of his own responsibility for his grandmother's demise.

"Please don't!"

"I'm sure I will bring your father back. Wait for me until then, yes?"

Garfiel was startled by these words. He could not have imagined that Mom had left for this purpose.

"My dad?" He asked in surprise, taking a couple of steps away. "You're lying! It's not true! After all, Mom... left in search of happiness…"

"Our mother loved both me and you very much, Garf." A young version of Frederica suddenly addressed him. The other three were frozen in time, along with the surroundings.

"Mother left the Sanctuary for the sake of her family. Are you dissatisfied with this?"

"Don't make it up! What's wrong with her love?" Garfiel replied emotionally.

"Why did the image of Frederica suddenly speak to Garfiel directly?" Emilia asked with a surprise.

"It's not Frederica talking, I suppose. These are his own thoughts, which he either suppressed or ignored. Just like, Betty's contractor subconsciously understood much more about his relationship with his parents than he allowed himself to remember." Beatrice explained.

"Ya mean nothin' like tha' happened to ya during yer Trial, princess? Garfiel addressed the half-elf, who shook her head.

"No, no one from my memories talked with me or ever acknowledged my presence even once."

"It appears the structure of the Trial differs from person to person." Crusch nodded with understanding.

"And the only thing that remains unchanged is the question of wherever the one taking the Trial is ready to come to terms with their past." Wilhelm added thoughtfully.

The old butler was struck with an uneasy question — if he ever took the first Trial, what would he see? What would be considered the most painful episode in his long life, full of things he regretted? His far from heartfelt farewell with Theresia? The day he accused Reinhard of her death? Perhaps the fallout with his own son? Or something from a more distant past? From the time of Demi-human war? The options were abundant.

"It was easier for you to think that she didn't love you. After all, it is easier to explain your scar if the love was not mutual."

"No! No, no! Ya…ya don't even know nothin' about…what happened to Mom next!"

"—How could I not know? Of course, I would know. If Mother was visited by misfortune immediately after distancing herself from the Sanctuary…of course I would not fail to hear of it."

"Then…then why…?!"

"Surely, you understand why I would not tell you that at such a young age? Garf. You are not a child anymore, so… Really, you remembered that Mother loved you, didn't you? Your forehead wound—you did that to yourself so you could forget Mother's kiss, to act like it never happened, didn't you? The past…is ending, isn't it?"

The landscape around and the frozen images began to dissolve into the void.

"You were afraid to look to the future. But at the same time, you longed to forget the past, which created your fear of said future. So you wanted to get out of the Sanctuary after all?" Felix asked curiously.

"Who knows. Probably cause of the books I've been readin' since I was jus' a little brat, deep down my amazin' self dreamed of explorin' the whole world. Compete with the strongest fighters pf the world, see all the cool places, try all kinds of different food! But the fear was just too strong." Garfiel mused aloud over his behavior.

"Mimi likes this approach! Mimi also wants to show that she is the strongest and try all the good stuff!" Mimi joyfully declared, pleased that her dreams resonated so well with the desires of the young man. Who knows, maybe in the future they will be able to go on adventures together. That would be great.

"Wait a minute. Wait! What am I supposed to do now?" He asked, still confused.

"Can't you figure it out without asking a little girl for advice?" Rika asked mockingly.

"Yes, I understand that I am pathetic! But I can only trust you! Well?"

"Despite all his harsh words, Garf has always trusted you and counted on you, Frederica nee-sama." Petra looked approvingly at her mentor. The head maid did not answer, as she was trying to hold off tears of happiness.

"Garfiel really has the heart of a kind and caring person." Wilhelm nodded, rejoicing at the friends Subaru had found for himself.

"You bet. Anyone who does not have a sincere desire to help others and save them would not be able to use the magic of healing, nyah!" Said Felix.

"You will make a worthy knight, Garfiel. We could really use someone like you." Reinhard said to the young man.

These words made Garfiel think hard. On the one hand, becoming a real knight was a childhood dream of many boys, and Garfiel was no exception. On the other hand, the viewings in this enchanted place have really distorted the image of knighthood in the eyes of a young fighter.

What were the royal knights really like, demanding the blood of his captain for throwing a couple of unpleasant words in their direction? How will they treat him because of his mixed blood?

"I'll think about it. When the princess ascends the throne, I will have to get myself somewhere, after all." He replied somewhat evasively. After all, if Emilia, a half-elf, becomes the ruler, then the attitude towards the demi-humans will begin to change, he thought.

"What do you want to do yourself? Garf, what do you want?"

"I don't want to not live up to expectations…"

"And who puts them on you?"

"I want... I want not to disappoint the expectations of those who need me!"

"And where did you get this desire?"

Garf remembered what Emilia and Subaru had told him at the entrance to the tomb.

"They just helped me remember. That Mom... always loved me after all!" He finished with a happy smile. Little Frederica gave him the same toothy smile before disappearing.

The scene changed to the street in front of the witch's tomb.

"Shima, can you tell me, are you Ryuzu's older sister or younger? Emilia was curious, looking at the twins Shima and Birma standing next to each other.

"Emilia, it's a long time to explain, let's do it another time." Subaru replied uncertainly.

They were distracted from their conversation by the light of the tomb fading away. The Trial is over.

"Young Gar! "Two embarrassed clones hurried to meet their adopted grandson, who jumped down to them. "Young Gar... you see, I... we all…"

"Don't make faces that don't suit ya, grannies…" Garf said good-naturedly, gently placing his palms on the tops of their heads. "Sorry to make ya worry."

"Once again Ram is proved wrong! She said that Garfiel is incapable of being gentle and courteous. See how gallant he can be!" Al said with a satisfied tone. Poking fun at the pink maid was becoming his favorite pass-time in this theater.

"Ha! If you had heard the compliments he spews out, you would immediately curse yourself for such blatant stupidity!" The pink maid bristled.

In the absence of Barusu as a sparring partner for verbal clashes, such a replacement will do.

"Maybe you would have received more courteous attentions if you were worth it?" The one-armed knight gleefully used Ram's phrase against herself.

"Ouch! What a burn!" Ricardo laughed approvingly.

"Garf, how was it?" Ram asked him.

"Eh? Yes, you can't tell right away whether you did it or not. But I decided... to turn this page."

Ram responded to these words with a kind smile.

"Well, all that remains to finish off the remaining ones." Said Subaru.

"'Tis clearly not my job." Garfiel immediately cut off this topic.

"Yes, that's right. What comes after is my job. I won't have anyone go and snatch it away." Emilia stood up for herself.

"Oh... and right away, before I forget. I think it was your words that helped me pass the Trial. Thank you." The blond man said, feeling very shy.

"Garfiel, who sincerely and humbly thanks someone? Now I've seen everything in this life!" Frederica said cheerfully, inwardly proud of how much her wayward brother had grown after one good beating.

"I wasn't bein' humble! M'just not used to havin' someone help me with my personal problems! And not thankin' someone for real help is not cool!" The blushing blond man tried to justify himself, jumping up from his chair and pointing a finger in the direction of his sister. But in response, he saw only a lot of sarcastically looks, telling him, 'Of course, of course'.

Cursing the Warden and his vile habit of revealing the personal moments of others to everyone, Garfiel plopped down in his seat.

Patting the head of a contented Petra, the head maid felt her gratitude for the sleeping boy grow ever stronger. How much did Subaru went through because of Garf's childhood injuries? All because she failed at her job as an older sister. But, as with others before, he found enough mercy in himself to forgive the offender and even save him from himself.

'I don't think I'll ever be able to repay this debt to you, Subaru-sama. But thanks to you, now have a lifetime ahead of me to try. Thank you.'

"You just thanked me." Subaru replied, stunned, unable to believe it.

"And I won't do it a second time! Do you understand?! Yes, I lost to you in a fight! But remember, if my grandmothers get hurt when you remove the barrier, I'll skin you!"

"R-right. Of course, that's what we…"

"I'm sayin', I'll watch with my own eyes whether ya jerks are all talk! I'm seein' this through to the bitter end, ya hear?!" Having shouted this demand, Garf changed his threatening expression to a friendly one. "—So ya better get this done right, cap'n!"

His demeanor and the unexpected manner of address left Subaru taken aback. During that time, Garfiel instantly turned his back to Subaru, turning his feet toward his two grandmothers.

"Just now, Garfiel made a really red face" Emilia remarked with satisfaction.

"What captain? Actually, our leader is Emilia-tan."

"He probably thinks he's found a brother in spirit. You are the elder, so be magnanimous." Ram explained to him.

"Well, if it's like that, it is what it is…wait! Did you just say that he's younger than me?"

"He turned fourteen this year. "

"What?!.. Subaru's jaw dropped in surprise. "So he has eighth-grader syndrome!"

"What does he have?" Julius did not understand.

"What Betty's contractor means is that the flea-bitten loudmouth suffered from "eighth-grader syndrome" at that time, I suppose." Betty commented, sensing an opportunity to once again shine in front of everyone with her knowledge from another world. And they gladly took the bait.

"I don't have fleas!" The blond man protested loudly.

"So, what is this syndrome?" Emilia asked with interest.

Once again, she felt a pang of jealousy that only to Beatrice Subaru told so many amazing things and phenomena from his world. He clearly was not forbidden to talk about the fact that he came from another world! What prevented him from bringing up this topic on one of their dates?!

'Subaru, you dunderhead! No dates for you for two months!' The half-elf thought resentfully, although she herself understood how empty this threat was.

"It sounds like a contagious ailment that Barusu certainly brought into our world." Ram hugged herself by the shoulders and shivered from feigned fear.

"Betty's Subaru told me that this is a psychological condition that many people go through in early puberty. Especially those who have read a lot of fairy tales and historical stories. In this state, they develop ideas about their greatness, excessive self-conceit about themselves and their importance in the world. In particular, they like to talk using quotes from great people of the past or just…'Cool phrases' he said. It goes away by itself when the kids grow up a little."

"So in Garf's case, it's an incurable mental illness." Ram summed up.

She was very pleased with the understanding that she should not be worried about catching some kind of illness from another world from Barusu. But still, for a second, she imagined herself 'infected' with said syndrome.

Dressed as tastelessly as Garf, with a blindfold over one eye, bandages on her arm, giving out quotes at random, wandering around and making stupid poses like an idiot poseur Barusu. These images actually made her shudder with true horror.

The scene changed. At the entrance to the tomb, Emilia was preparing to begin her Trial.

"Are you ready?" Subaru asked her.

"Yeah. If I delay for a long time, I will only lose all resolve. Tell me, Subaru… About what was in the tomb..." She began to look away, embarrassed.

"Emilia?" The young man did not understand what she was talking about at all.

"Really? Is he that slow-witted when it comes to women's feelings?" Even Crusch was surprised by this reaction.

"You have n-o-o-o idea how much, Crusch-sama." Rem sighed wearily.

"But it happened just a few hours ago! And it was also a strong emotional moment!" "Anastasia also hardly comprehended such blockheadedness.

"Subaru-kyun was probably scared of his own arrogance at that moment and hurried to forget about it so as not to burn down with embarrassment." Felix explained, smiling slyly at the thought of how he would tease the black-haired young man and enjoy seeing his embarrassed face.

"Well, you remember, today…" These words made him remember their kiss, blush and lose the ability to speak.

"I think it's very important. So let's take our time to discuss everything once we're done with the Trials and everything else?" The girl decided, and the guy just nodded his head furiously.

"It would've been intriguing to fantasize about what big sis wanted to say to big bro after everything is done, but…knowing the current state of affairs, I'm pretty sure it will be a dig and boring let down." Felt grumbled, not amused in the slightest. The foreknowledge could be a real killjoy.

"But you're pretty confident if you're talking about having a conversation after all this, Emilia-tan." He said after coming to his senses.

"Is this confidence? I wonder. It might be just bluff and bluster, you know?"

"You will definitely do it. I'm willing to bet on the right to ask you out." Subaru held up his finger and gave the girl his brightest smile.

"Yes, yes, whatever you say." She said and went to the entrance. When the ruins lit up, Emilia turned to the Subaru.

"All right, I'll go."

"Have a nice day. And beware of strange men and carriages!"

"Don't say foolish things."

"An interesting farewell. Is this how they encourage each other, where Subaru-dono comes from?" Wilhelm asked curiously.

"For some reason, I can't let go of the idea that bro has just referenced the stereotypical ways of being transported to other worlds." Al suggested thoughtfully.

"How can a carriage transport someone to another world, though?" Tivey asked with evident curiosity.

"Well, I'm not a scientist, but I heard that if you install a flux capacitor fueled by plutonium and then speed up to eighty miles per hour you can…" Al's musings were interrupted by a smack of the fan on his helmet.

"Stop spewing nonsense that no one can understand, fool!" Priscilla decided that she was not amused by her jester's fooling around.

'Does he imply that it is possible to recreate the technology of traveling to another world?' Anastasia's eye light up with interest and greed at this information.

As Emilia walked along the brightly lit corridor, Subaru prayed for her success to the gods and spirits only he knew.

"Now Giltirau takes one step … Gonna look less of a man with a worried face like that, cap'n!"

"Huh, it's easier to absorb those peculiar sayings when I know they're coming from an eighth grader. I had a phase like you, quoting all sorts of sayings from important people.…

"Truly, you and Barusu are two brothers at stupidity. And each one is dumber than the other."

"Wha' the heck do ya mean each?! Yer sayin' the cap'n is dumber dan me?! Or tha' am I dumber dan 'em?! But if I'm dumber, then how can he be dumber if... aah!" Garfiel was completely at a loss, trying to make sense of what the maid had said, until his brain started malfunctioning. And Ram simply returned her gaze to the screen with a smug smile, completely satisfied with the result of her quip.

"Speaking of which… cap'n, there's one more thing I should apologize for."

"Well, isn't that admirable of you?! Tell me, your captain will be happy to listen to everything. Damn, it's a shame to say…

"In general, I saw everything."

"Eh?"

"The, uh, product of all the cap'n's hard work." Garf's face showed that he was ashamed to talk about it himself. And it was unclear whether he was ashamed of himself or his captain.

When Subaru realized what the guy meant, he immediately blushed like a tomato.

"Damn it! I completely forgot! I didn't know you were going to the tomb!"

Subaru began to sob with despair.

"I looked around and realized: of course, my cap'n is an impenetrable fool, but it's good that I gave in to such a person!"

"Shaddap, forget you saw it! You can just pretend you didn't see it, damn it! You're not a little kid…wait, you are a little kid! Damn it all!" Subaru wailed to Garf's mocking laughter.

The scene changed, showing Emilia looking at the Trial room and smiling warmly.

"You're a fool, Subaru."

"Ah, sorry 'bout tha', cap'n! But it seems tha' this screen is as merciless to ya as Ram! Everyone will see your… words of encouragement!" Garfiel said with completely fake sympathy, breaking down at the end and starting to laugh with anticipation.

"What? What did he do there?" Burning with curiosity, Felt, Petra and Mimi started talking together. Adults preferred to anticipate silently.

The whole room was covered with pictures of Puck and inscriptions left by the black-haired guy, such as: "Try your best. You can do the Trial", "Puck and I are rooting for you!", "We'll go on a date later!"

The theater was filled with stifled chuckles, and in the case of the youngest, bursts of laughter.

"So Subaru-sama, as it turns out, is a very original romantic. I can't say I don't like it." Frederica said good-naturedly.

"Natsuki-kun looks like to be a real charmer. Spending a whole night for the sake of preparing a love letter to your beloved girl, it's just so cute." Anastasia giggled, enjoying every moment.

"I must admit, his approaches are very unusual. But…" Crusch commented with a satisfied smile and thought about it.

What would she feel, had she seen a similar picture dedicated to her before the most important event of her life. As a result, feelings of both embarrassment and joy began to struggle in the duchess's head.

"Disgusting. How tasteless. Not even a single decent compliment!" Priscilla grumbled, covering her mouth with her fan.

She definitely didn't give a damn about such low-grade attempts at flattery. Yes! Absolutely! If that fool or her jester had done something like that for her, she certainly wouldn't have been happy! Not in the slightest!

Meanwhile, Ram tightened her grip on Roswaal's hand, which began to literally shake. The Margrave sat with his face contorted with anger and barely restrained the desire to get up, get to the sleeping knight and twist his head off for such insolence. Ruin his Teacher's tomb?! With crooked pictures and silly wishes dedicated to another woman?! Unforgivable!

"Honestly, what an idiot you are. Idiot. Idiot. You're just a dunderhead, Subaru! And for this you broke your promise and ran away at night? I won't forgive for it until you ask for forgiveness." She said, although her voice was full of tenderness and warmth.

At that moment, the Trial began.

"Hello. I've been getting a lot of visitors lately." Echidna's voice sounded. "Even I wonder at the time that you have the audacity to come here again and again after all your outrages."

"Interesting choice of words. After all, although Echidna knows about the past loops, she herself has seen Emilia's Trial only once. Why did she say that as if she had seen her many times before?" Anastasia asked aloud.

"I can only assume it's because of Emilia-sama's appearance. After all, just yesterday she saw the Witch of Envy again and lost to her in the fight for Sir Natsuki's attention. And then Emilia-sama comes again, who looks the same and who also has his attention." Crusch suggested.

"So Echidna got so mad at me simply because she lost to Satella, and I look like her? Emilia was genuinely surprised, and then pouted with resentment. Once again, the Witch was creating difficulties for her out of the blue!

Emilia found herself in a summer forest. The Witch of Greed stood next to her, clearly displeased with her guest. There was an undisguised dislike on her face.

"No matter how dejected and teary you are, you get to curry favor with a man who'll console you and forgive you. You defile my personal world over and over. Selfish in the extreme—you are a loose woman, shameless and immoral. What do you have to say about that, Witch's daughter?"

"The witch's daughter? What does she mean by that? Is it possible that the Witch of Envy had children who survived the Great Calamity and also had offsprings?" Anastasia's eyes literally lit up with curiosity and a desire to discuss this theory.

"M-me? A descendant of the Witch of Envy?!" Emilia asked, dumbfounded.

This thought was very frightening and unpleasant for Emilia. As if it wasn't enough for her that for many years everyone had been rejecting her, scared of her and despised just for looking like the Witch. Now she found out that outwardly she really was like the twin sister of a Jealous One. For her to be of the same blood as Satella would be simply too much!

"As far-fetched as this theory may sound, the resemblance between Emilia-sama and the Witch of Envy is downright frightening. Is this just an incredible coincidence, or are they really related by blood? "Julius did not lie to his soul and expressed what was in his heart.

"It is also worth considering her magical potential. If Emilia-sama was telling the truth, and it really was she who caused the eternal winter in the Elior Forest. To do this, you need a supply of magic comparable to that possessed by the witches of ancient times! "Tivey joined in with his analytical calculations.

"Emilia-sama has NO connection with the Witch!" Rem jumped up, throwing angry glances at everyone who supported this idea. "What this screen showed us proves without alternative that Emilia-sama is as far from the witch of Envy as Subaru-kun is from Witch cultists! She is kind, merciful, and caring! She embodies all the features that witches are completely devoid of!

"Rem, calm down, please. I am ve-e-ery pleased that you so zealously rushed to protect me, but do not overreact so much. If someone considers me a descendant of Satella, then I am ready to listen to them directly and try to convince them that they are wrong, without resorting to aggression." Emilia spoke calmly, but firmly.

Realizing that this was not so much a request as an order, Rem bowed to the princess, apologized to the rest of the audience for her abruptness and sat down in her seat.

"Well said, Rem!" Garfiel whispered to her, giving her two thumbs up. To which he received an affectionate smile from the blue maid in response. 'Man, I wish Ram'd give me such smiles!'

"But how can we know for sure that the Witch of Envy didn't have a lover or, moreover, children. What if she lost them, fallen into madness and caused a Great Calamity, considering her power." Ricardo reasoned aloud.

"But their resemblance is too great for a mother and daughter! Anyway, there had to be a father who would bring his share of appearance, nya! "Felix doubted this version.

He wasn't the only one who thought in that way. The healer was also sure that this approach would be approved by his lady. And having received a satisfied nod from her, he was pleased to note that he had guessed right.

"Stop, stop, stop! I ask everyone to stop, please!" Otto got up from his seat, turned to the audience and raised his hands in front of him, attracting everyone's attention.

"We somehow believe the words of another Witch too easily! Echidna, as we have already seen for ourselves, tends to lie and distort the truth for her own convenience! So maybe it's worth taking every phrase she says with a grain of salt? Just remember the dates, and it becomes clear that Emilia-sama cannot possibly be the daughter of the Jealous Witch. Satella was sealed four hundred years ago. And Emilia herself was born a little more than one hundred years ago!"

"Otto-san is right. Keep in mind that Echidna herself became a victim of the Witch of Envy's atrocities. And her cherished dream was eternal life, which Satella took away. Therefore, everything she said to Emilia-sama can easily be a way to vent her anger at the Witch. Especially since Emilia-sama looks so much like her." Wilhelm supported the merchant's efforts to protect the girl's reputation.

What he saw in this room more than proved to him that Emilia-sama was an extremely lovely, though not experienced, girl with a pure soul. The old warrior was well aware of how rare such compassionate people were in their world. They were worth valuing and protecting.

And therefore, if anyone dares to compare her to the Witch of Envy, Wilhelm will ask them to apologize to her. He will ask them to apologize very politely. The way only a Sword Demon could.

"Wilhelm-san said it right. We must remember WHO said that Emilia-sama is the daughter of a witch! Saying that, I do ask everyone to not indulge in such baseless hypotheses." The matriarch of the house Karsten joined the conversation.

The last words she said in a stern tone, looking straight at the brightly smiling merchant princess.

"Oh, and why are ya lookin' at me like tha', Crusch-sama? I was only interested in the possibility of the existence of descendants of the Witch of Envy. I, personally, didn't say a word that Emilia-sama might be one. My hapless colleague very correctly noticed the difference in dates, which makes such a level of kinship impossible." Anastasia's face now resembled a satisfied cat sprawled next to an empty bowl of sour cream.

There really was no way to put the blame onto her words, and she had nothing to do with everything that was said after that. But Anastasia's eyes showed that she was quite pleased with the result and the reactions of others.

"I would like to add one more small detail. History claims that Satella was a half-elf. Just like Emilia-sama. If she had children, they couldn't be also half-elves." Al decided to put in the word.

Not that he cared that much about Emilia's reputation. But he knew that his Bro would have already exploded and yelled at anyone who dared to compare his beloved with a jealous witch. So why not help out a little?

Priscilla didn't want to say anything. Hints that her rival might have a blood connection with the Witch of Envy seemed ridiculous to her. But she had no desire to speak in her defense. The goddess's protection must be earned.

"Moreover, doesn't the half-devil have obedient dogs specifically to protect her? And the mutts didn't let her down, it seemed. They deserved praise. At least for their loyalty.

Instead of answering, Emilia raised her hand up, imitating Subaru's favorite pose.

"Actually, my name is just Emilia! But you can call me the Freezing Witch born in the Great Elior Forest!" Abruptly, lowering her hand, she pointed her finger at Echidna and smiled confidently.

"Another Witch's malice will not affect me. —I am a troublesome woman like that."

[Screen title: None can lift the Quain stone alone]

"The Freezing Witch? Emilia-sama, are you sure it's wise to call yourself that?" Crusch asked in a slightly disapproving tone.

"Please, don't pay attention to it. It's just that Echidna said such hurtful words, and I re-e-eally wanted to show her that we are on equal terms from now on. Since everyone considered me a witch from the moment I woke up, I wasn't going to back down before a real witch!" With reddened cheeks, but without looking away, the girl replied.

The duchess, seeing that she was answered sincerely, nodded approvingly. To challenge the witch? She had nothing to say against that!

"To be honest, I am much more jittery about the fact that my Trials are likely to be shown here as well!" Emilia drew attention to this fact.

"Does the prospect of such revelations frighten you, Emilia-sama?" Otto asked her excitedly.

Who knows what unpleasant facts the rest of the camps can see about his lady. Their situation was already worse than ever because of the truth that was shown about the margrave.

If there will be defamatory facts about Emilia as well… the merchant could only cover his face with his hat so that no one could see his expression at the moment.

The girl was trying to figure out what she felt about everyone seeing her Trials. Everyone will see the most precious moments of her childhood. They will see how she broke the promise she gave to Mother Fortuna, how it was her fault that the forest and its inhabitants became frozen. It wasn't something Emilia was eager to share with everyone. It was her personal sins.

But then again, everyone will be able to find out what an amazing Mother Fortuna was! That elves are far from what they are portrayed! Even Papa Guese! She will be able to show everyone how wonderful person Guese was before they were attacked by Pandora! And everyone will also find out about the Witch of Vanity!

"No! It doesn't scare me at all! On the contrary, I'm looking forward to when everyone sees what I saw, too." The half-elf said in a firm voice. "It will be most useful for everyone here! You will learn more about our enemies from the Witch Cult.

"You meant Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory that you mentioned before, Emilia-sama" Reinhard asked.

"Yes, her. And her plans and abilities! Also, you'll see how Archbishop of Greed is fighting!"

"This indeed sounds like valuable information! Let us get on with it, then." Wilhelm said, feeling rather excited about this prospect.

"Warden-sama! Please turn on the next episode! I can't wait to see Mother Fortuna again!" Emilia declared optimistically.

And, as if on cue, the screen turned on again.