The world was ending. Otto Suwen was sure of it.
He had come so far, much farther than he had expected (or even wished for), but now it was over.
He had reached a prestigious position within the kingdom. As the Minister of Internal Affairs, his career could be said to be an enviable one.
Of course, that this had not been his original goal, that he had been strung along into this position, and had been a little unwilling in some parts of the journey could be called drawbacks.
But his job had been enjoyable. Even when every time the King went and goofed off most of his unfinished paperwork went over to him. Or when the Queen Consort Anastasia had decided to quadruple his workload in her bid to 'take over Kararagi', or when it had quintupled even more when she succeeded, or when…
Well, now that I say it like that, they do not sound like good memories…
But it didn't matter anymore. Otto was glad that he had made all those memories in the end. For even now, as that shadowy hand was about to catch and engulf him, he could say he had lived every moment of it.
"Hiya!"
"Ah, Julius-san!"
Otto was taken out of the way just in time. Rather, one of the shadowy hands did reach him, but he did not feel any sort of pressure from it. Something to note, but not right now.
"Thank the dragon you're here! Is- is everyone else…?"
"Gone. Subaru… My lady… all gone…"
"Damn it! Even Reinhard-san?"
Julius just nodded solemnly. He made to speak, but then he quickly changed his position and dodged the incoming flurry of shadowy hands towards him. Then, his sword now glowing, he effortlessly cut down a dozen of them in one fell swoop.
The hands did not relent, sending wave after wave of dark tendrils, but they were all slashed away by the 'Finest of Knights'.
"Dammit, there has to be an exit somewhere!"
Even now, the shadow that chased behind them was not the only one. Every window of the palace was completely pitch black, as if the shadow had managed to engulf the whole castle.
He saw a few colored balls of light emerge from the passage where they fled. They joined Julius and formed a burst of light that temporarily pushed back the advancing shadow.
"I sent my girls to look for an opening in the castle but…"
"Dammit! We're completely trapped?!"
He supposed his fate was sealed from the moment the dastardly Witch of Envy had manifested in the Royal Castle but considering how a decent gathering of the world's strongest and smartest people resided here, perhaps he wouldn't actually be misguided to have held onto some hope of their survival.
As the matter stood, however, the only reason he was still alive was because of the sacrifice of the Queen Consort Emilia, whose sacrifice had allowed him a slim chance to escape the Jealous Witch's grasp.
He had been on his way to deliver some paperwork, considerably late into the night. He had stumbled into the Queen on one of her nightly strolls. It was one of the rare occasions where all the Queens had been present in the capital… and in the bedroom of the king… the same place where the Witch had apparently jumped into their world.
But by chance Emilia had been outside and awake, and out of the range of the initial assault of the Witch. And rather that save herself the Queen chose to throw Otto out of the way.
And it turned out to be for naught, for now he would be swallowed up regardless…
"Come with Betty if you want to live, I suppose."
Just then, a door at the end of the hall opened, and the great spirit Beatrice stood there, with a surprisingly calm expression on her face.
But before Otto could question any of that, he was grabbed by Julius and prodigiously thrown into the room. The great spirit sidestepped so he crashed against a table.
"Ouch… At least tell me before you do something like that Julius-san!"
"My apologies, Otto-dono, but chivalrous or not, the situation called for it."
"Jeez, keep hanging too much with Natsuki-san and the rest, you'll end up as bad as Garf…"
Despite just being a little bit of banter, the mention of their friends, who they had lost to the clutches of the witch, still made Julius frown and…
"Nothing will be gained by you both looking sad and deplorable, in fact. At the very least, you're safe here in Betty's library, I suppose."
Beatrice walked up to the two men. The door through which they had come had closed, and the imminent danger that had haunted them was seemingly nowhere to be seen.
"But Beatrice-sama, the King…! Subaru, he-"
"That despairing look doesn't suit you, I suppose." Beatrice walked closer, the spirits of Julius flowing to greet her in joy. "After all, Betty's foolish contractor still lives, in fact."
The faces of the two men instantly regained their luster.
"Ah! You managed to get them inside your library!?"
This new library, the Royal Library, despite having the knowledge stored in the entire life of the Kingdom and beyond, still paled in comparison to the now-destroyed forbidden library. Even so, the great spirit had seen it fit to once more make a similar space within the library of the castle.
Mostly to 'have her own peace and quiet'. Indeed, her contractor's life had become quite hectic, and he was usually… 'occupied' spending time with his wives. And while the spirit loved to spend time with her contractor and other residents of the castle, and they loved her, she also needed a place to get away from the more 'explicit' activities that her contractor did around the mansion.
But from what little knowledge he had of this space, that meant that there was a chance that Subaru and others were still safe in the confines of this space outside of the witch's reach.
But the sour expression on the great spirit's face told Otto all he needed to know.
"Betty… Betty failed at saving her contractor from the witch's grasp, I suppose…"
"Then-"
"But Betty's Subaru is still alive! Of that there is no doubt, in fact. Even now, Betty feels her connection with him. Subaru is alive, I suppose."
Otto and Julius both looked surprised at her declaration, but it did little to lift their sorrow.
"But… this is the Witch of Envy we are facing. She is a monster beyond our comprehension! For all we know, he has been consumed! That is why your connection-"
"I would ask you to not underestimate the connection between a spirit and contractor, Otto-dono."
"Hrgk! S-sorry, Julius-san…"
Julius turned to Beatrice, a look of hope appearing once more on his face.
"Beatrice-sama, I believe you, but that thing… I saw how it consumed people around it…"
"And that's where you're mistaken, in fact. The witch isn't consuming what she takes, but rather… sending them away, I suppose."
"What?!"
Beatrice moved past the two stunned men and moved to sit down.
"Betty does not completely understand it, but it seems to be similar to Betty's spell of Al Shamak, I suppose."
"Al Shamak…?"
"The spell that allows Beatrice-sama to send things to other places…" Julius answered Otto's question himself.
"O-other places? What if they got sent very far away, like to other countries? That for sure will end up in trouble!"
Although Lugunica had managed to develop good diplomatic relations with Vollachia, and Kararagi was more or less in the pocket of Queen Consort Anastasia, only the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko was the outlier, and they had amicable relations with them.
Although of course, having the entire Lugunican Royal court be sent to one of these places could result in a diplomatic incident of its own.
Beatrice just sighed at the words of the minister. "If Betty's contractor were sent to any distant country, even to the most remote corners of them, Betty would feel the direction where he is, in fact." And then, with a hardened look of her own, she said, "But as it stands… Betty's Subaru is no longer in this world, I suppose."
This time, Otto didn't even have the will to muster a response.
"But Beatrice-sama, you said-!"
"You are underestimating Al Shamak, I suppose!" Betty said with a humph. "It's capable of taking things into different 'dimensions' entirely, in fact!"
"Other dimensions… Then… Subaru and my lady… are they truly no longer in this world?"
"That's right… I suppose…"
Beatrice couldn't contain the shame in her when she spoke next.
"Betty has no clue on how exactly this is being done. The magic at play is on a completely different league than even the yin magic Betty knows, I suppose."
For the great spirit with possibly the most knowledge in the field of yin magic, admitting that her own skills and experience were lacking was difficult, but even Beatrice understood the great disparity of power between the Witch and her.
"Still, whatever other dread magic is being used by the Witch, Betty is still a master in yin magic, in fact. And this is undoubtedly what is being at play here. Of that Betty is certain, and as such, Betty knows that Subaru is still alive. But not of his whereabouts, I suppose."
"If what you say is true, Beatrice-sama, then the King and the Queens can be…"
"If you're thinking about jumping into the claws of the Witch to reunite with them, then you're a bigger fool than Betty's Subaru, I suppose."
Julius's reckless enthusiasm was quickly shut down by Beatrice.
"Betty's understanding of the situation is already lacking and does not account for the whims of the Witch, in fact. There are too many unknowns, be it the location, or even what happens to those who are being taken away, or why the witch is doing it. Besides… if this keeps up, we will all soon find out either way, I suppose."
That ominous statement was reinforced by the subtle sound of banging on the walls of the Royal Library.
"I-I fail to see how the witch that devoured half the world can't engulf the castle, nor the library in its entirety, but given time she will do it, right Beatrice-sama?"
Beatrice nodded at Otto's affirmation. "Indeed, this library will not hold her out forever, I suppose."
Otto was surprisingly calm after such revelations. Even as the witch closed the grasp on them, he did not feel the terrible dread he had felt while she chased behind him.
Julius's spirits reappeared and went closer to Beatrice. "In that case, let's try to make the most of the time we have by finding those answers. My girls can help. And even though I'm not one myself, we have some powerful minds with us." It took Otto a second to understand he was also referring to him when speaking of powerful minds.
"That's right. Don't underestimate a great spirit that has been separated from her contractor, I suppose! And we better get to finding those answers fast! Wherever he is, Betty's Subaru is likely crying on the ground with snot running out his nose, so we have to go and help him, in fact."
Julius and Otto both chuckled at the great spirit.
"Don't be that way, Beatrice-sama. Knowing Natsuki-san, he's already looking for ways to reunite with us!"
"Yeah, after all, there are few things that can make Subaru… the King of Lugunica drop to his knees!"
[Lust Subaru] the King of Lugunica, was currently on the ground with tears close to dropping from his eyes.
"I can return by death! I can return by death! I can return by death! I can—"
It was a very familiar scene for the two other Subarus, considering it had happened to both of them just some time earlier.
At the very least, they no longer had a sword pointed at them, even though they now had a 'King' despairing on the ground.
"Yeah, nothing is happening with him either…"
[Sloth Subaru] had been somewhat anxious when the newest [Subaru] was quickly disarmed by the words of Subaru. Or rather, his declaration over Return by Death.
It turns out that the idea of them being crude copies banished away quite quickly once he uttered the biggest secret of them all.
It had, of course, taken a bit of time and words to reach the current point where this 'king' was almost crying on the ground.
Subaru had started talking about their situation of being in another world. Well, 'another' another world for the two of them. He had spoken about how they knew and hailed from Earth too, and how now they were in the other world they had been summoned to, but an alternate version of it.
This took [Lust Subaru] by surprise but was not enough to deter him. Only when Subaru began to talk about Return by Death, and [Sloth Subaru] backed him up, did [Lust Subaru] finally completely lower his guard. He lowered it so much that he was on the ground without his sword now.
"You were quite reckless there. What if he didn't know about it, or activated the taboo, huh?" [Sloth Subaru] admonished his younger self.
"That was the fastest way to bring us all on the same page. You can't argue with results, can you?" Subaru said, pointing at the dropped sword next to the 'king.'
"Results? That's one way to call it. I'm here crying on the ground and you two don't even bother to look sad for me. What a pair of heartless guys you've turned out to be, huh?" [Lust Subaru] cleared the tears from the corner of his eyes and recomposed himself quite rapidly.
"Hey, you're the one who pointed a sword at us!"
"Yeah, plus those tacky accessories you're carrying…"
[Lust Subaru] dusted his tracksuit off and then inspected his cape and crown. "Just so you know, I usually don't wear these. It's just that when I came to, they were there on the ground, and I thought they would be a waste to just leave them there."
"Oh, so they aren't yours?"
"Of course they are!" [Lust Subaru] looked at the faces of his other two counterparts, who both had doubtful looks on their faces.
"You sure you didn't steal those?" [Sloth Subaru] began.
"Of course not! Who do you think I am?"
"With those eyes, I'd say a serial killer of some sort, so a thief would be no surprise," Subaru continued.
"No! I'm a king! THE King of Lugunica!"
"Really?" [Sloth Subaru] smirked. "And what king doesn't even know what number he is placed in the dynasty of his own nation?"
[Lust Subaru] had the decency to look ashamed of that fact.
"Yeah, you're right. Man, don't tell Crusch or I'll be up for a scolding…" he said while scratching his head.
The careless remark from the king was actually picked up by Subaru. Ever since he met the newest 'him,' he naturally began to wonder what the differences were between the universes of this 'King' compared to him.
Did he, or any [Natsuki Subaru] for that matter, have the mettle to become a king? It was perhaps lacking in humility coming from him, but he could see it.
There were a few ideas he had, and [Lust Subaru] even mentioned Crusch, something that he took to be significant, so he made to ask…
"Hey, you want to ask me something, right?" [Lust Subaru] interrupted his thoughts.
At Subaru's slight surprise, the king just grinned and put his hands behind his head. "Come on, I've been seeing your—erm, my face for my whole life. I can tell that you want to know about me." He chuckled and flicked his cape. "Besides, it's only natural. A guy like me appears all of a sudden and is a king—"
"Or at least claims to be one," [Sloth Subaru] cut the other him short.
"Gah! Listen, I get I haven't given you guys much proof yet, but…" He paused, searching at his feet. With an 'Aha!' he picked back up his sword. "I still have this sword, so I lead the conversation!"
If this was meant to be a threat, it certainly stopped being one when he just sheathed his sword and did not assume any sort of stance.
"So, could you two help answer my questions about this whole thing? From this newest world to… the curse… After that, I'll tell you all you want to know about me. What do you say?"
"In other words, you're lost and hopeless beyond compare in this world, isn't that right?" [Sloth Subaru] jabbed at the king.
"In this world? I am like that in my world too!" [Lust Subaru] joked back, uncaring that it was at his own expense.
"I suppose on that front you and I—well, we all—are not that different, huh?" Subaru said, causing the two other him to chuckle.
"Sure, sure," Subaru said, straightening out his clothes. "But you got to do an introduction pose while we didn't. So, to fix that…"
With his arm raised high, Subaru struck his iconic pose. "My name is Natsuki Subaru, a fellow hopeless guy, and knight of Emilia, at your service!"
[Lust Subaru] stood with a bemused look on his face. "You know, seeing someone else do it is kind of…"
"Awesome?"
"Yeah!" [Lust Subaru] gave a thumbs up at Subaru. Meanwhile, [Sloth Subaru] just sighed.
"You know, saying our names—our name is redundant at this point. But…" [Sloth Subaru] also grinned and outdid the others by making a spin before doing his pose. "My name is also [Natsuki Subaru], beloved husband and father of two beautiful kids! Pleased to meet ya."
They stood in silence, the two of them holding their poses. Subaru saw how [Lust Subaru] lingered on the words said by his older counterpart. It was another thing he would have to keep in mind about this other him…
"Man, if we find another… another one of us, will we do this whole song and dance again?" [Sloth Subaru] asked, finally breaking both the silence and his pose.
"If they are a proper [Natsuki Subaru], they better do." [Lust Subaru] said, still glancing at him. If [Sloth Subaru] noticed, he made no mention of it.
"Alright then. We can both talk all about this situation, about you and about… the curse. But let's do it while we walk back, ok? There should be a nice little party waiting for us when we get there." [Sloth Subaru] said as he began to move back to the mansion.
"Let's see if they made enough for one more." Subaru said while looking at [Lust Subaru], who had already begun to ask questions to his older self. "Haaa… I can already hear what Ram will say…"
"Hmm, I see. I see." [Lust Subaru] nodded with a hand on his chin.
He had absorbed all the information that the other two could provide exceptionally fast, and he returned questions of his own with the same speed.
They had talked of much, from what Beatrice and the others had speculated about their situations, to the differences that Subaru and [Sloth Subaru] both had about their situation, to even what little they could theorize was happening with Return by Death.
[Lust Subaru] had in turn provided them information about his world, and to be fair, it seemed that his claims of being the king were truthful, even if he still had not explained how he had done it.
He had told them a fair share of information, like how he was from five years into the future, when the Royal Selection ended, and he was proclaimed king of Lugunica. But again, he made no mention of how he was even in the running in the first place.
This didn't seem to be anything like him keeping secrets or the like, but rather…
"So how was it, those first days with Rigel? You know, being a father and all…"
…he was more interested in asking the questions. With a rather particular emphasis on [Sloth Subaru] and him being a father.
"Well, when he was born, the whole town almost got destroyed."
"Was his birth that harsh!?"
[Sloth Subaru] just chuckled at the familiar scene, while Subaru moved closer to him.
"Hey, for a king your questions aren't what I would have expected…"
[Lust Subaru] meekly scratched his cheek. "Hehe, I guess you're right but… well, the thing is…" He took a deep breath and said, "…I'm also going to be a father soon!"
He turned expectantly to meet the faces of the other two.
"Congrats!" "Awesome!"
They both slapped him on the back simultaneously. [Sloth Subaru] even reached around and ruffled his hair.
"Guess you're going to join me in the ranks of being a father, huh?"
"Man, are all these alternate versions of me going to be fathers or what?"
The three Subarus were now cheerfully laughing and cheering at the news.
"Haha, thank you guys… this whole experience has been nerve-racking for me and Rem, but seeing you," he turned toward [Sloth Subaru], "well, it gave me some confidence, I think. So, thank you."
"Hey, if you're supposed to be a king, then I don't know how the advice of a humble commoner like me will be useful, but… you're welcome."
However, while both [Sloth Subaru] and [Lust Subaru] talked, Subaru had his mind on a different matter.
"Wait, hold on one second." He interrupted. "You said Rem is pregnant?"
[Lust Subaru] tilted his head but just nodded.
"Oh well, I guess I was just making assumptions, but I thought you became king by making Emilia win the throne and then marrying her, my bad…"
He had assumed so because, in a certain way, as he planned to make 'his' Emilia queen while also pursuing her romantically, becoming king through a marriage with her seemed like the most plausible explanation for how the other him became king.
But I suppose since our very realities are different, maybe he was like a candidate from the start…
"That? Well, I am married to Emilia too, you know?" [Lust Subaru] said dismissively.
"…"
"Hmm?" [Lust Subaru] turned to see why his two counterparts had gone silent so suddenly…
"You two-timing bastard!" "You two-timing bastard!"
Only to have two fists collide against him, one in the gut and the other in his face.
"You! Cheating on Rem with Emilia! Did you marry her just so that you could become king?" [Sloth Subaru] quickly moved to violently shake him.
"There's… no way…" [Lust Subaru] tried speaking despite being shaken up and down. "…I would ever… do that! I married them both because I love them!"
[Sloth Subaru] stopped shaking him and just gave a long, if over-exaggerated, sigh.
"Seriously, first Mr. Hero with his lady and sleeping girl, and now Mr. King with two wives. Am I the only one who managed to live a correct and wholesome life?"
"Hey, you have two girls, and still punched me?" [Lust Subaru] caressed the side of his face that was punched.
"No, that's—I mean, I kind of—but that's not exactly—with the two of them…"
[Sloth Subaru] put his arm around the stammering Subaru. "Oh, this guy? Yeah, he's a two-timing playboy like you." [Sloth Subaru] chuckled as Subaru just tensed up in his hold. Before he had a chance to interrupt, he continued. "He's probably just jealous because he's the only one of us who is still a pure vi—"
"SHADUP!" Subaru broke free and twisted the arm that was holding him.
"Grr! Why you—!" [Sloth Subaru] answered in kind, and with the experience that 'playing' with Rigel gave him, managed to tussle back. The two began to wrestle in such a manner that it looked choreographed.
After breaking up their 'playful' fight, the three continued towards the mansion. The sun had completely settled now, and the path along the mansion was sometimes obscured by the trees blocking the moonlight. Still, the little road was clear of them, and with the shining lights of the mansion it was impossible to get lost.
The chatter between the three of them continued as normal. It was honestly scary how all of them had adapted to having 'another me' walk and talk right alongside them, but it was not even the craziest thing they had lived.
But at least this allowed them to work things out at a faster rate.
"So, guess I'll be joining your camp." [Lust Subaru] said while fiddling with his crown. "In exchange for helping me look for ways to return to my world, you'll have a king—and from the future at that—helping you out. Man, this brings back memories."
Subaru just nodded. Similarly, they had worked out a deal with the newest [Lust Subaru], in which they'll help in the search of a way to bring him back to his world and find any possible people from his world that were also brought up. An important emphasis on Rem who was pregnant and could be in danger as she couldn't defend herself.
"Man, it hasn't even been a day and there is already someone who blows my entry out of the water…" [Sloth Subaru] said half-jokingly, but Subaru could notice a bit of true sadness in his voice.
He could understand the sentiment somewhat, a little pang of envy at the king who had succeeded and accomplished all he wished. Of course, since [Lust Subaru] was from the future it meant that he had the chance to also reach that point, something that [Sloth Subaru] did not have.
"But I guess, messing with you two young'uns along the way will be fun in its own way…"
At the very least he doesn't seem that sad about it. Subaru chalked it up to the maturity of a proper working adult.
Subaru sighed. "Ugh… we're going to have another whole chat with everyone while we eat to introduce you. Are we going to have to do that every time another new person joins?"
"I mean, I really want to see how everyone reacts to our 'king' here. It's going to be hilarious." [Sloth Subaru] commented.
"Well, with the way you both reacted, I'm starting to feel anxious about what they'll say…." [Lust Subaru] reacted sheepishly. "At this rate, it makes me wary of even saying more about that to you…"
"Hmm? Hey, if we can talk about… the curse, then I see no reason to go keeping secrets. Although I suppose keeping some secrets is fine. That way we can have some boundaries to not lose our sense of identity should be placed…" Subaru muttered.
"I wasn't thinking that far! And that's a dangerous line of thought…" [Lust Subaru] blanched. "…But it's probably better to tell you guys everything I can sooner rather than later." He turned to face the two of them. "Guess I'll start with how I became a king."
The other two looked worriedly between themselves, and then turned expectantly to indicate him to continue.
"You sorta had the right idea although you're wrong in some ends... See, the reason they ended up making me king was because I ended up ma—" And then he cut himself short.
He lay his eyes onto something, and then his expression quickly widened into one of surprise, and then of horror.
Both Subaru and [Sloth Subaru] turned over to see what had surprised the king so.
There, next to the trees, almost obscured by their looming shadows but illuminated by the moonlight, lay a figure. And well, it was a somewhat familiar sight for the two of them now, although with a few exceptions.
He had a fine suit that would not be mistaken on a noble. Rather, they would have expected [Lust Subaru] as a king to be wearing such clothes rather than his tracksuit and cape. Although it was marred by dark stains, like some liquid had accidentally dribbled into it. A delicate pendant hung from his neck, also besmirched with the same dark substance.
Apart from that, the only other interesting thing was how he was laying on the tree. Like if he had fallen asleep resting on its trunk.
"Hrg!"
"N-no… no way…"
Or rather, the most notable thing had to be the knife that was plunged deep into his throat, with his blood flowing down from his wound.
The three almost turned to statues at the sight, hoping that if they blinked it would disappear, but to scared to close their eyes for even a second.
Through Subaru' mind, and likely through the mind of the others too, there was only one thought
There lay a dead body… The dead body of [Natsuki Subaru].
[Natsuki Subaru] had died… and the world continued.
Even though he had felt the cold caress of the witch not too long ago, had she deserted him after all? Had she decided to let them all to die? Had she decided to ignore the death of the [Natsuki Subaru] that lay dead before him? Would she ignore him, as well?
To the other two, who didn't even have that small pinch of assurance; Subaru wondered how they felt.
"Oh my… Isn't that a lovely sight?"
A voice rang out from somewhere, and they all could hear it. Subaru immediately jerked up; a cold sweat broke out on his brow despite the chill of the night.
"I feel like I haven't seen it in… well never."
When Subaru had witnessed the corpse that had his own face, he had been terrified. But his mind had wasted no time in trying to figure out the gravity of the situation, and what it meant for hi mind his ability to Return by death.
"Yes, it's my first time seeing such a beautiful look in your eyes…"
For a brief moment, he considered his vulnerability. How if he died again, he would no longer return. If he died again, there would be no second chances. He had chosen to respect the value of his life, but only now did he realize that it had been a long while since he truly feared about losing it.
"That look of fear…in those eyes."
And so, at the dreadful sound of that voice, every instinct he had screamed at him to flee, to run from the specter of his past incarnated in that familiar, deadly voice. Although this was not any kind of ghost from his past, for she still lived. And this was where the problem lived, because she was supposed to be one.
"Ah, you all know me too. Wonderful."
She descended from a tree, having gone completely undetected until then. Her long, lustrous, braided black hair swayed as she descended, and her black eyes gazed at them. Any hope he had that he had of being mistaken about the identity of the person were crushed.
"Ah there it is…! I was afraid of not seeing it again…"
And so there she stood, back from the dead once more…
"That look of hatred in your eyes… In all your eyes… My, how lovely."
The Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert.
Oh boy, things are heating up! Well, I have a bit to say in this one.
First of all, since we officially reached 3 of the same character, and with more soon to come, I have implemented that naming sense. To explain, all of the main route characters will have their names written normally, while the ones from other routes will be written like [Sloth Subaru] and such. This is unless there is only one of such characters present, in which case they will also be written normally or like [Subaru]. I can also get some leeway with this, for example, our newest additions were just [Natsuki Subaru](who will get his IF name soon) and Elsa Granhiert(who will get her IF name when another Elsa shows up). Still, I feel it's far from perfect, so if some parts are hard to make who's who, please let me know.
Second, this was supposed to be Lustbaru' introduction chapter, so I decided to write a bit of headcannon for his setting. And expect a lot of much more headcanon, because that's what the Lust IF is mostly going to be, seeing as we don't know much, from what was the divergence point to how he even managed to woo every candidate. So I ended up writing something akin to a timeline of changes, things that did and did not happen, etc. Basically a blueprint of ideas about how the Lust If would've gone down. The ideas were decent, so much so that I may write it into a fic later... Just kidding.
But yes, as Lustbaru and everyone and everything from his route will be headcannon, if you have any doubts or questions just ask them and I'll try to clear them out.
And as always, thanks for reading, and I hope you liked this chapter!