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.

5. Episode 4

Subaru silently stared in front of him with a surprised face.

"C'mon, now, don't ignore me!" His father said.

The next moment, Subaru was dragged off the couch, and he found himself in his father's grip.

"Hey! Ow! Ow! That hurts!" The young man screamed.

"What's the problem? You train every day, and you still lose to one middle-aged man?" His father teased.

Provoked by these words, Subaru began to bend his arm, breaking his father's grip and putting him in a dangerous position.

"Whoa, wait a—" Senior Natsuki said in a frightened tone.

Now the situation has changed. Escaping from the grip, Subaru himself pinched his father's legs in a painful move.

"Letting me get a counter in? You're getting old, Pops! I'm about to win by decisio—"

But in the next frame, he was lying on his stomach, and his legs were in his father's grip.

"Hey, wait! No fair flipping me back over!"

"Well? Ready to give up?" The father was triumphant.

"Ow, ow!"

No one in the audience commented on what was happening. They couldn't get enough air because of the laughter.

"Ah-ha-ha! Tha' so cool! 'm so envious of the cap'n! Ha ha! If my amazin' self had a dad like tha', my amazin' self would be the happiest kid in the world!"

"That guy is pretty lucky to have such a dad!" Ricardo said, barely able to stop laughing.

"He's good, but Ricardo is still the best!" Mimi said confidently, receiving an approving pat on the head from him.

"They hurt each other, but at the same time they look like a loving family. Is there something I don't understand about their relationship?" Emilia was at a loss.

"They have an unusual but at the same time very sincere and close father-son relationship. This is something to be envious of." Al noted with a hint of melancholy.

"Ram thinks she's figured out the source of his masochistic tendencies. Well, rejoice, Barusu. Gracious Ram, in her infinite kindness, will from now on wake you up the way you love it, so that you feel less homesick." Ram solemnly announced, feeling herself literally the embodiment of virtue.

Every day, she will help this pathetic little man to start the morning with pleasant memories of his native world! Isn't she the best big sister in the world?

"Sister, don't hurt Subaru-kun! He clearly doesn't want his morning to start with painful seizures!" Rem was afraid for the future of her beloved.

Not to mention that it would interfere with her morning observations of the sleeping Subaru.

"But, sister, he's obviously enjoying it. Just look at his face, distorted with happiness." Ram objected, not even trying to hide her smile.

"So that's what Sir Natsuki might become in the future? I must say, I see great potential." Crusch said quietly with a lot of interest, assessing the figure of elder Natsuki.

And then transferring his image to the sleeping young man. These thoughts made her heart beat faster, helping to ignore the approving glance from Wilhelm and jealous one from Felix.

'I thought you prefer feminine and gentle images, Crusch-sama…' The healer thought with some resentment. After all, in no small part for her sake, he tried so hard to look as much like a girl as possible.

"Maybe it's customary in their society? What if his father wanted to make Subaru a warrior and therefore prepared him for severe trials?" Julius suggested.

"Hardly, I suppose. Betty's Subaru said that he engaged in training on his own initiative, without prodding from his father. But Betty is now convinced that it was his father who was a role model."

Meanwhile, Reinhard tried in every possible way to drive the painful memories of his childhood deeper. And about what his own relationship with his father had become. Reinhard would have liked to ask himself 'why couldn't I grow up in such a joyful atmosphere' but there was no point in that. After all, the answer was on the surface.

'Because I'm nothing more than a monster. I should be glad I wasn't destroyed at all.' He thought self-deprecatingly.

Even though grandfather Wilhelm had told him a few sessions earlier not to blame himself, never to consider himself a monster. But he was only voicing his own opinion about his grandson, right? Reinhard was incredibly happy and grateful to his grandfather for such words, but they could not change the objective truth.

"How come that such a strong-willed man raised such a pathetic descendant?" The Baroness, involuntarily impressed, reasoned aloud. "Is it the mother's fault? Or is the father so good that the son felt unworthy standing in his shadow?"

"Excuse me, you two… I'm getting hungry." Said a sleepy and very gentle female voice. "I'd like to eat breakfast now."

Turning around, the two men saw a young woman with brown hair and frightening eyes that looked quite out of place for such a kind face and a soft voice.

"And now we see from whom our hero got such a scary look!" Frederica said cheerfully.

"Subaru definitely inherited her beautiful eyes!" Petra remarked with admiration. A beautiful lady with eyes like Subaru's. From the girl's point of view, it was a perfect blend.

"I have an inkling that he inherited not only his eyes from his mother, but also his huge heart." The seasoned warrior remarked kindly.

A single glance at the woman on the screen was enough for him to sense her immense kindness and love for her family shining through despite her intimidating appearance.

"Yes, the heart comes from the mother, and heroism from the father. Subaru-kun truly has exceptional parents." Rem said wistfully.

She longed to meet them, to converse with them, to learn how they nurtured a true hero in their son. She wished to express her gratitude to them warmly and assure them that she would not dishonor them while raising their grandchildren. As she thought this, Rem blushed, catching another questioning look from Beatrice.

"Her eyes resemble those of Mother Fortuna…" Said Emilia, completely captivated.

It's no surprise that she was instantly drawn to the mysterious appearance of the young man when they "first" crossed paths.

"Whoops… Sorry about that. I got a little carried away with my one-on-one time with Subaru. You could've started without us."

"Why should I do that when the whole family could eat together?"

"Yeah, you're right. That's my wife for ya!"

"Come on, Subaru. Time for breakfast." The mother turned to her son. " I put in extra effort today, just for you."

The next shot focused on a salad bowl filled with a mountain of green peas. The men of the Natsuki family looked at this with horror, and Mom looked pleased.

"Little green devils!" Emilia stared at the screen with the same feeling of horror as her knight.

"Wow, Subaru. Your bowl's a forest of green." His father said in a strangled voice.

"Mom, why did you give me so many peas?"

"Run, Subaru! Run away from this muck!" Mimi babbled worriedly, pressing her ears to her head.

"You'll never grow up if you don't eat vegetables properly." Tivey began to admonish her in a practiced tone. But then he immediately had to dodge his sister's baton.

"You're eating greens, but you're not any taller! And you are a weakling, like Hetaro!" Mimi vehemently rejected her brother's words.

Tivey pursed his lips, realizing that he had no suitable arguments left in his hand.

'But I'm smarter!' All he could do now was to cover behind his last mental shield.

Support came to him in the form of Ricardo's big hand patting him approvingly on the back.

"It's not good to be picky about your food." The mother scolded her son. "I thought this might be a good chance to get you over that."

"What 'chance'? This isn't a special day or anything." Subaru asked, moving a plate of peas to his father.

"Very naïve of you, Subaru. Today is… No, every moment of every day is a precious, once-in-a-lifetime moment!" Natsuki Sr. began a monologue, pushing the peas towards his mother. Which Mom immediately moved to Subaru.

"I can understand why children are picky about peas. But I didn't expect this from you, Emilia-sama." Crusch said, unable to hide her smile.

"Y-you misunderstood m-me!" Emilia turned to the duchess in fright and began waving her hands in front of her in panic. "I'm not fussy about food at all! I just really don't like green peas, that's all!"

"And green peppers." Frederica said slyly.

"And green cabbage." Ram added emotionlessly, but with a twinkle in her eyes.

"And celery." Rem did not miss the chance, smiling broadly.

"And broccoli." Petra joined in.

With each line, Emilia blushed more and more, and the other candidates giggled louder.

"You are all traitors!" Emilia screamed desperately, covered her red face with her hands and lowered her head while the audience was filled with laughter. "When I ascend the throne, the first thing I will do is forbid growing all these nasty things!"

"Boss, Mimi is offering to move to Lady Emilia's camp! She will forbid the cultivation of peas and broccoli!" Mimi was enthusiastic about the idea and jokingly turned to Ricardo. He just laughed in response.

"That's irrelevant right now." The young man again handed the plate to dad with the words, 'I'm digging in', and started his breakfast.

"Yes, go right ahead."

The son reached for a small bowl of soup that stood next to the sandwich.

"I've always wondered… Why the mix of Japanese and Western dishes?"

"My favorite thing to put in miso soup is wakame seaweed, and I like strawberry jam on my toast." The mother replied to her son.

"Miso? Another dish from the world of Natsuki-kun! We definitely need to discuss with him what other culinary innovations he can bring to our world. Maybe I should take a look at the restaurant business… Hoshin's company, in cooperation with Natsuki-kun, can revolutionize the world of cooking!" Anastasia rubbed her hands in anticipation of new prospects for the development of her business.

Even if she doesn't find a way to lure the incredible young man to her camp, she will certainly convince him to become her business partner. A good merchant never puts all his eggs in one basket and always has backup plans. Of course, access to any workshops, materials, ingredients, and freedom of creativity will sound very attractive to an inventive foreigner.

While Subaru was drinking miso, he was served a bowl of peas again.

"What are we gonna do with this? We just keep passing it around…"

"Well, I hate peas, you know."

"And you were trying to make me stop being picky?!"

"Don't get the wrong idea, though. I hate all foods that are tiny and round." Mom said, as if that explained everything.

"See?! Even Subaru's mom understands that a lady shouldn't eat these green things! And Subaru's mom is clearly not a stupid woman!"

Emilia tried to justify her food preferences in front of the others, but received only sympathetic glances in response. She had no choice but to admit defeat and lower her head again.

"I didn't have any wrong ideas! If anything, I have even more doubts now! Okay, then. The husband should take responsibility for his wife." Natsuki Jr. protested, trying to move the plate to his father again, but came across unexpected resistance from him.

"Subaru, families that get along as well as ours are rare these days. In other words, I hate the same things you and your mother hate!" He declared enthusiastically.

"Haa … So be it. Ram admits that we have a lot to learn from the inhabitants of another world." Ram sighed, after which she solemnly declared. "We will include green peas in the daily diet of our camp."

"Eh?!" Emilia looked at her in horror.

"For breakfast, lunch, and dinner." The pink maid added ruthlessly.

"Please, no!" The half-elf pleaded desperately.

"Emilia-sama. It is obvious that green peas are extremely useful and nutritious. As a responsible maid, Ram is simply obliged to take care of the balanced diet of the mansion's inhabitants!" It seemed that a halo should appear at any moment over the pink-haired demon's head.

"Even I-I-I can't stand eating peas every day." Margrave commented with a nervous smile.

"Don't worry, Roswaal-sama! A separate set of dishes will be prepared for you. Without peas, if it is your will." Ram assured him immediately with a kind smile.

"And so will I! I am a candidate for the royal throne, after all! I have the right, and I'm not afraid to use it!" Emilia said firmly.

"And you decided to remember about it only when it came to peas?" Felt said sarcastically.

"Haa… if you insist, Emilia-sama…only Barusu and the penalized camp members will eat peas. If you agree to this, then I will not insist on your participation."

"A-are you sure I won't have to eat it then?" The half-elf asked hopefully.

"You have my word that you will not find a single green piece on your plate."

"Then…maybe… Subaru is my knight, he is obliged to protect me from threats… and I consider peas a hu-u-uge threat!"

"Emilia-sama." Otto said to her, barely suppressing a laugh. "Aren't you afraid that Natsuki-san will run away from our camp in a week with such a diet?"

Emilia thought about it for a second.

"No peas in my camp, period!" She said firmly.

Ram could only click her tongue annoyingly. Happiness was so close!

"This forest of green was never going to make anyone happy, then!" Subaru said.

"I'll just make it into something we all love: pilaf!"

"I see tha' Natsuki-kun lived in a very spacious house! Apparently his family was well-off." Anastasia commented, making a sketch of the interior of the room with quick movements.

"So we were right to assume that Natsuki comes from a family of noble origin?" Julius asked.

"Betty's Subaru said that his family was pretty much ordinary, I suppose. Middle-class, he said."

"You mean this is a house of a non-noble family? Subaru-kyun's world must be very rich if ordinary people can afford such housing, nya!"

The focus changed on the bowl again. Now the whole family looked in horror at the result of their work — a mountain of rice with vegetables, abundantly flavored with peas.

"I can't even stand to look at it." Commented the mother of the family.

With a face of condemned, the men looked at each other. The father took a plate and began to fill it with rice.

"Subaru." He handed the plate to his son.

"Right."

The next frame showed an empty bowl. Two well-fed men were sitting at the table.

"Thank you for breakfast." Subaru barely uttered.

"My pleasure!"

"Now, let's get the dishes to the sink, and we'll race to school to help us digest!"

"Quit making this a scenario that ends with me going to school. I'm sleeping in until noon." Subaru said melancholically, getting up from the table.

But as soon as he said that, pain shot through his body and he clutched his head.

"Ow…"

"Subaru!" Rem and Emilia declared in panic at the same time.

"What's going on with him?! Emilia-sama, did the same happen to you during the Trial?" Julius asked worriedly.

"N-no! I didn't feel any pain! Moreover, at my first Trial, I only watched the events from the sidelines, and did not participate in them!"

"T'was the same with my amazin' self! I saw m'self as a kid from the side, and no one from my past noticed me!" Garfiel added, tensely clutching the armrests.

"So the Trial that Subaru-dono is undergoing is unique." Wilhelm summed up.

"I'm tired of being surprised by this. When it comes to my big bro, he always finds a way to show off!" Hiding her fear for her friend, Felt grumbled.

"It feels like it's not him passing the Trials, but we are shown scenes from his life before he came to our world. But if so, why?" Tivey remarked.

"Obviously, this is the work of my mother, in fact. She is certainly watching him and studying his actions and decisions. She has some kind of plan for Betty's Subaru. All we can do now is watch and look for clues, I suppose." Beatrice said, peering at the screen.

No matter how hard she tried, so far the girl could not figure out what her creator might have planned.

"Subaru?" Father was surprised.

"It's nothing." The boy waved off and hurried to his room.

The scene changed. Sitting in his room, Subaru held his chest with his hands, as if his heart ached.

"What the hell? Why? Why do I suddenly feel so weird?" He opened one of his eyes and looked at his watch.

"And what kind of metia is this?" Otto asked, looking at the unknown device.

"It's a watch, I suppose. There are no magic stones in Subaru's world, so instead they use such tools to determine the time of day." Beatrice did not fail to explain.

She was very pleased with the fact that even if everyone had the opportunity to see the world of her contractor, only she had the understanding of what everyone was seeing. Her position as the chief expert remained unshakeable. As it should be.

"And what do these symbols mean?" Reinhard asked curiously.

"That's how they record numbers in their world, in fact. The clock indicates what hour and minute of the day it is. They divide the day into twenty-four hours, sixty minutes each."

"Interesting. It turns out that their day length almost coincides with ours." said Julius, writing this fact down on paper.

"We will have to think about how we can transfer this principle to our system with magic stones. Using the arrows will allow you to determine the time up to a minute! This can significantly increase the efficiency of doing business! And if we can scale it down to portable size, it will be incredible! I hope Natsuki-kun knows how such "watches" are made." Anastasia muttered enthusiastically, hurriedly sketching the dial and other details.

Subaru sat silently, staring at his watch, until it was eight o'clock in the morning. Visibly relaxing, he whispered:

"Once it's past eight… I won't make it to school on time now. So there's no other choice. I have no choice…" But as soon as he said it, a twinge of pain shot through him again.

"Why? That normally calms it down…" He collapsed on the sofa, cringing in pain.

"Mind if I come in, Subaru?" The father said, entering the room via a moonwalk dance.

"Wha?! But the spirit girl said that there is no magic in this world! And the mini-boss's dad goes forward while moving backwards! Is he a space-controlling magician?!" Mimi was ecstatically shocked by what she saw.

"Relax, it looks like it's just an unusual kind of dance." Ricardo calmed her down.

"And his old man got the moves." Al respectfully noted, recognizing this dance.

"What's the point of asking if you come in before I can answer?"

"There's no need for that between two guys as tight as you and— Wait, I guess there is! Sorry, I forgot you're a teenager! I'll leave and come back!" Natsuki Senior pretended to be embarrassed.

"I wasn't doing anything! So?"

"And what can Subaru be doing in his room that his father shouldn't unexpectedly enter?" Emilia asked, perplexed.

The guys burst out laughing, the ladies (except the baroness, of course) giggled in embarrassment.

"Garf, shut up!" Frederica commanded.

"Oi! 'm not sayin'…" The blond wanted to refute this unfounded accusation, but he was interrupted:

"And don't even think!" Ram supported her colleague.

She would have said this to Barusu, but, unlucky to her, he was asleep. Therefore, his first deputy at getting scolded got the honor of receiving a personal quip from Ram.

"Emilia-sama, your innocence is palpable, please never change in any way, nya! "Felix taunted her.

"Once again, some well-known facts are hidden from me?! I'm not a kid anymore, actually!" Emilia puffed out her cheeks childishly from such an attitude towards her. She was, in a way, the oldest person here except Beatrice.

"Well…" The father immediately relaxed. "Subaru, is there a girl you like?"

"Are we in middle school now?!" The young man was indignant.

"You're no fun." Father commented in disappointment.

"So, what do you actually want?"

"Oh, well, you know…"

"The weather's nice, so… Let's go have a nice father-son talk outside."

The scene changed. The screen showed blossoming sakura trees, a green field dotted with yellow flowers. Father and son were walking along an empty road against a background of flowering trees.

"What a beautiful sight…" Rem whispered. How she would like to walk with her beloved surrounded by such beauty.

The girl made a mental note for herself: to go with Subaru to the Sanctuary during the flowering period of the white sakura there. It was one of the most pleasant memories Rem had in her years as a maid. Now she intended to add to it an even more wonderful day that she would cherish until the very end.

"Is it always so beautiful in their world?" Emilia asked.

"No, these trees are called sakura, I suppose. They bloom only in spring. But Betty agrees, it's really beautiful. Betty would like to walk with her contractor through such landscapes someday."

"And I was hoping that they would show us the views of his hometown." Anastasia said in disappointment.

Trees and flowers are, of course, beautiful, but there was an abundance of those in their own world. What she wanted to see was images of breakthrough ideas and architectural designs.

"Man, what's with everyone?" The elder Natsuki spoke cheerfully, while his son trailed behind with a bored face. "They happen to see me on my day off, and they all assume I lost my job. Hey, don't make such a gloomy face on a nice morning like this."

"It's your own fault for dragging me out here." The son grumbled listlessly.

"Don't act all suspicious. I'm not gonna tell you anything scary. It's more of a father-son subject."

"A father-son subject, huh?"

"Ken, my boy!" A voice called from the side. Turning around, they saw an old man sweeping the road. "Haven't seen you in a while. Oh? Don't tell me that's…"

"Yep, that's right. He's my son… Actually, I should say he's my pride and joy."

"Ah, so I was right. He looks so much like you did when you were…"

Priscilla narrowed her eyes at the scene. Her intuition told her that there was much more behind this phrase than it might seem at first glance.

'It seems that I will soon discover a lot of answers about this commoner.' The baroness decided for herself.

Finally, something she could wait for with interest. Since the magic window does not want to show her the wonders of another world, then let it compensate by revealing the essence of the plebeian, who will soon take on the role of polishing her shoes.

"Actually, no, you don't. Do you take after your mom?"

"Uh… Well, a lot of people say I do. My eyes, especially." Subaru replied sheepishly.

"I see. Hard to believe you're old enough to have a son that age."

"Come to think of it… Today's Monday, isn't it? What are you doing out here with your dad at this hour?"

He couldn't answer anything as another wave of pain shot through his body. Pressing his hand to his forehead and heart, he trudged on, muttering: "Sorry..."

"Hey, Subaru!" The father replied, but seeing that his son was not going to stop, he decided to hurry after him. "Sorry about that. We'll stop by again when we have time to chat."

"Ah, sure. Looks like I said something I shouldn't have. Apologize to him for me, would you?"

"You have nothing to apologize for. It's up to him to deal with it himself now."

In the next scene, they were on the kids' playground.

"Here ya go. A tasty, ice-cold cola packed with my love." The father handed his son a canned drink. Which he quietly took, moved to the side and opened. A powerful stream of sweet soda gushed out from the jar. The father only chuckled in annoyance, seeing how his joke was revealed.

"What was that just now?" Otto asked in surprise.

"Betty's contractor told me that sweet soft drinks with gas inside are very popular in their world, I suppose."

"With gas? Do they combine sweet water with gas?! What is the composition of the drink? And what kind of gas? How is it made? How do they get it into the water?" Anastasia began bombarding the spirit with questions. If only they can repeat this process in their world…

"I already said that I'm not going to give away the secrets of my contractor, in fact! Don't try to interrogate me, girl!" Beatrice didn't want to admit that Subaru, and therefore she, had no idea how carbon dioxide was produced.

"Then I'll just have to ask Natsuki-kun directly about it." The Kararagian princess grumbled in disappointment.

"Poor guy. I'm afraid when we return to our world, sooner or later he will find himself in the most comfortable of our lady's dungeon, from where he will not get out without a full-fledged interrogation." Ricardo jokingly whispered to the twins, causing those two to laugh into their fists.

"Don't cluck your tongue at me. I know how you think. Ugh, my hand's all sticky now." Subaru stated apathetically.

"Well? Feel better now?" His father asked him.

"Hard to say." The guy replied and grabbed his head again.

"You look like you're really not feeling well. Want to go home? I can carry you on my back."

"You don't have to do that, and I don't need to go home. It'd be the same at home, anyway."

"Listen, Subaru… Not to change the subject, but… Is there a girl you like?"

It seemed that this question only increased the pain that the guy was experiencing. With difficulty enduring the incessant headache, Subaru suddenly heard a girlish voice that resembled the ringing of silver bells: "Subaru!". The pain went away immediately. He began to look around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"It's Emilia-sama's voice!" Otto recognized it.

"But he couldn't have heard it before he came to our world, right?" Felt remarked, confused.

"I suppo-o-use the whole point is that we are not seeing Natsuki Subaru's real past, but an illusion created by Echidna, based on his me-e-emory." Roswaal introduced a new perspective.

"And for some reason, the Witch of Greed decided to seal his memories of our world away. And now she gradually adds new variables." Tivey remarked thoughtfully.

He didn't want to admit it out loud, but he felt some respect for the witch as a kind of colleague who was conducting an unusual experiment. Ah, this thirst to find the answers to your questions. He could understand her.

"But wait! If tha' witch can see the cap'n's memories, den does she know about the Return By Death now?" Garfiel asked curiously.

The young man's question made many people think.

"It could very well be so. Moreover, she got into Subaru's head back when he first entered her tomb." Reinhard nodded in agreement, once again using his divine protection of absolute memory. "Do you remember the words she said in his head before dragging him into their pocket reality? 'So that is the root of your desire? How very interesting.' That's what she said."

"So you think that by 'curious discovery' she meant Return By Death? Considering that Echidna is hungry for knowledge, Sir Natsuki should be an extremely welcome companion for her!" Crusch added her opinion.

"And if so, it becomes quite clear why she would allow a pure-blooded person to take the Trials. After all, she will be able to meet and talk with him every time he visits the tomb." Frederica guessed.

"So in the future we should expect more conversations between Subaru-dono and the Witch of Greed." Wilhelm summed up. And this conclusion did not inspire him at all.

[Music playing — Called Out by Your Voice]

"What's up?" His father turned to him

"Wait… did someone just say my name?"

"No…"

"What the heck was that, then?" Subaru muttered.

"So? Is there a girl you like?"

"He does, and more than one! It hasn't even been three months, and he's already turned a bunch of girls' heads!" Al sarcastically remarked, for which he received a slap on the head from the baroness.

"Why do you keep asking that?"

"You can stop beating around the bush. Just come out and ask me why I didn't go to school."

"And here I was trying to be considerate for once. Well, that is what I wanted to talk about, so you're not wrong."

"I know it's disrespectful to you and Mom."

"There's no need to feel that way. I do have the vague sense that you have your reasons for it, and even if you don't, I'm prepared to brush it off as something I can't do anything about.

Sitting down next to him, the elder Natsuki continued:

"I don't know about the rest of the world, but I personally don't believe school is everything. I mean, what's the big deal?"

"Why?' Subaru asked, not understanding.

"Hm?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to tell me all this today? It's not like today is a special day or anything. It's just… Peas Day."

"Well, your bowl was certainly full of them."

"I'm not sure why. I guess the look on your face this morning seemed a little better."

"My face… looked better?" Subaru repeated his father's phrase doubtfully.

"It is easy to tell from the faces of young people that they are in love. It's good that his father is an observant man and does not hesitate to speak openly with his son." Wilhelm respectfully noted, after which he looked sadly in the direction of his grandson.

'I could really use such a skill myself. But alas, I have not been able to develop it as a sword skill in my whole life…'

"The look on your face. Your face still looks like a bad guy's, with those mean eyes you got from your mom." At the mention of his eyes, Subaru also covered them with his hand.

"Nothing about me has changed! That's how I want it, and that's how I'll—"

He was interrupted by another severe attack of pain. The strongest of all. The young man cried out in pain.

"What's the matter with him?! I can't figure out a pattern in these pains! Has this ever happened to him?" Tivey asked those on a front row.

"No! Betty watches him every day and has not seen this, in fact. It's something to do with the Trial, I suppose." Beatrice replied, startled.

Although she did not want to believe in such a thing, her fears that her mother was planning something wrong with her contractor were getting stronger.

"But what can Echidna achieve by this? Why would she torture Subaru?!" Emilia clenched her fists in anger, for the first time she wanted to slap the nasty witch.

"She probably wants to lead our knight to some kind of pa-a-ath." Roswaal suggested. "Or else she is curious about what decision our knight might ma-a-ake, having got into such conditions. We should remember that this is not the real world and not the real memories of Subaru-kun. All we see is a high-grade illusion created by Echidna for the Tria-a-AL.

"I wonder what conclusion she is trying to push Subaru-kyun to, especially by causing him such pain?" Felix asked with a displeased face.

"Not to anything specific, I suppose. Mother has always been driven by an inexhaustible thirst for knowledge. She wasn't interested in inciting people to make any particular choices, unless it was part of a larger plan, I suppose. Most of all, she was interested in what people would choose for themselves, what decision they would make. My mother was satisfied with receiving any answer, in fact.

"Hey, you look like you're really in pain!" But his son was unable to answer. 'Are you okay?'

'Subaru… It's been rough, hasn't it?' He heard the girl's voice again.

At that moment, the world around him disappeared. All he saw in front of him was an unfamiliar girl with silver hair, whose face he couldn't make out. He could only stare at her in amazement.

"And now what's happening?" Frederica asked with interest, slightly holding Petra down so that she would not jump up from her seat from worry.

"Barusu starts to remember Emilia-sama." Ram guessed.

"Maybe this is the cause of his pain? What if the memories of Emilia were trying to break out?" Anastasia thought aloud.

"But why were they locked away in the first place? What goal could a Witch of Greed pursue by locking up his memories?" The duchess asked a relevant question.

"Echidna said that the Trial tests the willingness of the one to face the hardest experiences of the past and accept them. How does this relate to his memories of me?" The half-elf could not understand what the harmful witch was trying to achieve with her knight.

"And what if that's the point of his Trial?" Wilhelm suggested.

"What do you mean, Old Man Will?" Felix asked him.

"It's just my hypothesis. Subaru-dono's life is divided into two main parts: before entering our world and after. Obviously, despite his initial enthusiasm, he misses his home and family greatly. I guess the Trial is to find out which of the two parts of life is more important to him. For this purpose, the memory of life in another world was initially sealed. What I don't understand is the cause of the pain he is experiencing.

"So either he subconsciously wants to stay in his native world and suppresses memories of his life in our world and that causes pain. Or on the contrary, the pain related to the fact that he is trying to remember everything?" Lady Crusch mused aloud.

"It must be the second one! Subaru-sama wouldn't want to forget about us, I'm sure!" Petra said firmly. She didn't doubt her hero for a second.

"I wouldn't be that sure." Felt said mournfully. After receiving a series of questioning and a few startled glances, she decided to clarify her point:

"Just think about it. In just a couple of months of living in our world, the big bro was repeatedly betrayed, abandoned and even died cruelly a dozen times! Because of his ability, he has experienced things that you would not wish to your enemy! Even when he finally achieved a big victory, life immediately kicked him in the balls with the loss of Rem! And if in such a state he is given a chance to return home to his family and forget all the nightmares he had experienced, I wouldn't bet on what he would choose!"

"Your theory sounds very reasonable, my lady. Perhaps it was for the sake of answering this question that Echidna sealed his memories, and now she is gradually returning them." Reinhard continued her thought.

He himself was extremely curious to know what Subaru would choose. In their world, he found friends, love and became a hero. Although, for some reason, he himself didn't want to understand and admit it. But he was forced to leave behind a loving family. And considering the price he paid to achieve this… The sword saint would not be able to condemn his friend if he decided to leave them. Even if he wanted to.

"So what right now is being checked whether bright memories of life in our world can outweigh his desire to stay with family? Is that why he started remembering Emilia?" Anastasia suggested.

'You don't want to forget about me, do you? About all of us?' Rem thought warily. 'I know I've given you nothing but pain. But… you're the only one in the whole world who remembered me, Subaru-kun. Don't leave us… me… Please!'

'Thank you, Subaru.' Her voice sounded like silver bells in her head.

'Who are you?' He thought.

'For saving me.'

'What?'

'What? What? What's going on?' Natsuki asked in his mind.

'Subaru…'

He just stared at her, mesmerized, repeating over and over again: 'Who are you?'.

'May the blessing of the spirits be with you.I think you're much more amazing than me. Why do you always save me?'

After closing his eyes for a few seconds, he opened them again. At that moment, the girl's face in front of him cleared up. He remembered her name. He remembered who she was to him. The most important moments that he shared with her flashed through his mind. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"He remembered!" Wiping away tears of happiness, Emilia said. "He remembered me!"

"And, apparently, he immediately felt better." Said Tivey.

"The princess works on him like a sweet medicine! Her lap pillows are able to cure any of his ailments!" Mimi said, proud of her hunch.

"Sorry. I'm fine now." He said, wiping his tears with his sleeve.

"Really? Well, as long as you feel better. But don't worry me so much, you hear?"

"Sure. Sorry. And… about what you asked me… There is a girl I like. So… I'll be okay now. I remember everything now. What I was so freaked out about, and why I was cowering in fear. No, that's not right. I already knew all of it. I knew, but I was pretending I didn't see it. I wanted you and Mom to call out my weakness, since I was the only one in pain. To tell me I'm an unbelievably small person, an idiot who's never good enough, and a self-righteous scumbag. I wanted you both to beat that into me and make me give up. I've always had this way of somehow managing to squeak through anything, you know? Like in schoolwork and sports."

The scene changed, and an old black-and-white photo of a young boy appeared on it.

"Oh! Little Subaru! He's such a cutie!" Emilia admired the childhood photos of her knight.

"I'd like to meet young Subaru-sama." Petra said cheerfully. "He would certainly introduce us to a lot of new games from his world!"

"And Betty doesn't like this idea, in fact! If Betty's Subaru became a baby again, who would carry Betty around in arms? And who would Betty be sitting on, I suppose?" Beatrice was indignant.

"You're absolutely right, Beatrice-sama. Subaru-kun is good enough in his adult form!" Rem firmly supported the spirit girl. Unnoticed by the others, she felt the young man's strong abs with her hand again. 'Oh, yes! So good!'

Then black-and-white photos began to flash, showing Subaru's childhood years. When he was a child, he won competitions and looked happy.

"You're definitely his kid!" Said a chorus of voices off-screen.

"This is it! This is the root of his despicable vices!" Priscilla pointed at the screen with her fan.

"That he was constantly compared to his father?" Felix did not immediately understand.

"Exactly, you idiot! Obviously, his father was an outstanding man among the commoners, who enjoyed universal respect. It is clear that the son wanted to follow in his footsteps. But, as he himself correctly noted, he has neither the talents nor the assiduity to reach the same heights. But at the same time, everyone around claimed that he was his father's son, creating in the commoner a monstrous complex of inferiority!"

"Which makes him do idiotic things, trying to attract the attention of Emilia-sama and the others." Julius agreed with her.

"And because of this he doesn't know when to stop. After all, whatever Betty's contractor does, it always seems insufficient to him, I suppose." Beatrice added sadly.

"And it pushes him to take on exorbitant obligations on himself, while not caring about himself at all." Ricardo summed up.

'I understand you perfectly, Subaru. I know what it's like to be crushed by the expectations associated with a family name.' Reinhard mused, suddenly discovering a common trait that weighed down both of them.

"Subaru-kun and his father… just like me and my sister." Rem whispered, stunned by this revelation.

She knew that her beloved considered himself weak and unworthy, but she could not imagine that the reason for such emotions was so similar to her own.

'I understand how you feel, Subaru-kun. I promise you we'll be able to laugh about the future together. Let's go forward together, leaning on each other. I will help you forget your feelings of inferiority, just as you helped me!'

"But… I don't know when it started…" Subaru was thinking out loud. "But I was no longer the best at things I used to be the best at. What used to be my 'best' grew smaller and smaller. I started thinking that it all made no sense. Working my hardest at school seemed stupid. And why is being a fast runner something to brag about? Making everyone laugh seemed way cooler to me, and I was way better at it."

"You're definitely his kid!" A chorus of voices repeated.

"But if I kept that up, it became apparent that I'd always have to do something bigger the next time. I didn't want people to think I was boring. I thought I could do anything.

The screen showed pictures in which Subaru was the ringleader of the group of children. Together with them, he painted walls, climbed on poles, set off fireworks at night, and protected them from street dogs.

"I made everyone think I would do anything. And so the things I did got dumber and dumber. I was just out of control, not thinking about anything. I knew they were a bunch of idiots. I wanted them to think that they couldn't have this much fun if they weren't with me."

The screen showed Subaru running merrily along the road with his friends, but gradually they disappeared one by one.

"That they could regret whatever they wanted, as long as we spent the boring times doing pointless crap for fun. I decided I would set my sights higher. But the next thing I knew, I was looking around… And there was no one left but me."

Until he fell to the ground, and when he turned around, he realized that no one was following him anymore.

"He always went too far, as he usually does. His friends were leaving him one by one." Anastasia commented sympathetically.

"And he didn't understand that the reason for this was his restless nature. Instead of realizing where he was wrong and changing his approach, the big bro just kept raising the bar every time. Making it even worse in the end." Felt said, clenching her fists at the terrible injustice that had befallen her friend.

If only she could have been with him back then and give him a few punches to knock some sense in him…

"Because of the feeling of inferiority to his father, he always thought that only he was to blame for every failure. That he didn't put enough effort. So he kept banging his forehead against the wall instead of stopping and thinking." Added Julius, realizing how similar they were in their mistakes of youth.

Only Subaru wasn't so lucky. He did not have the code of chivalry and senior comrades in front of his eyes who would tell him where the limits of what was permissible were.

"This is exactly what we observed in the palace, on the day of the beginning of the elections. This vicious circle has led him to loneliness more than once, which is what pal is most afraid of." Al summed up.

"Most afraid of?" Emilia asked, feeling the horror of realization forming inside her again.

"Yes, Emilia-sama. Subaru Natsuki's biggest fear is being left behind by everyone. To be left alone, not needed by anyone. That's why he was so desperate to get into all your affairs and did not recognize your right to have a life unrelated to him. He didn't think about your feelings or desires, he didn't care about the possible consequences. He was just driven by fear." Otto explained to her.

"If that is true… so…when I left him after that quarrel…" The half-elf could not continue, she was choked with tears.

"Exactly, half-devil. By abandoning him in the capital, you have plunged him into the deepest abyss of despair that exists for him! Ha! As if one should've expected something different from a half-wit!" Priscilla finished her thought with enough venom in her voice to poison half of Pristella.

"We didn't deal with him any better, Bariel-sama!" The duchess answered to the baroness harshly.

"We didn't owe this dog anything! But the half-wit on the other hand was already neck deep in debts to him. But she chose to throw him away like a used dress as soon as he became a burden to her! Although, I won't lie, I don't blame her for this particular moment. I would have lopped off his head myself if he had caused me such shame!"

Unable to say a word against it, ready to agree with every poisonous word of Vollachian princess, Emilia could not resist the urge to curl up. The burning feeling of guilt that she had somehow managed to drive deeper with the help of earlier Subaru's words on the screen returned with a vengeance.

She realized a long time ago that she had acted completely selfishly towards him. She picked the simplest path: decided to just turn away from the problem and from a friend instead of patiently figuring it out. But she could not even think this decision would send him to his biggest nightmare!

'How… how can you still even stand me after this, Subaru?'

"Shut your mouth, you fiend! Big sis didn't know that big bro had such problems!" Once again, Felt stood up to defend Emilia. "None of us knew! And more than that, he needed it! He needed to finally face his problems and solve them!"

"Typical pack behavior of sewage rats!" The fire-haired princess replied sarcastically. "Anyone with at least half a brain could see what would happen to this commoner if he was abandoned. You've seen it all for yourself. He wasn't going to face his problems. He wanted to do the same thing as in the past — turn tail and cowardly run away from them as soon as he understood that this was not a game! And it wasn't the half-wit who set his head right with her demarche, but that blue maid over there. With her pompous speech, after she rejected his deal! Even if she just replaced one problem with another!"

"Wha' kind of deal?" Garfiel did not understand.

"I think I agree with Bariel-sama on this one." William said thoughtfully.

"Old man Will, can you explain what you're talking about, nya?" Felix asked.

"I'm referring to that poignant moment on the hill when Subaru proposed to Rem to flee from the capital together. When he came to the conclusion that he could not change anything by himself and there was no help from others. But even in this state, his fear of loneliness was stronger than the others. So he decided on a gambit. Knowing that Rem-dono harbored romantic feelings for him, he decided to offer himself to her. In exchange for not being left behind anymore."

"That's right, he said that he could withstand any difficulties if he knew that someone would be waiting for him at home with a smile." Reinhard reproduced this scene in his head.

"Yes, that was his proposition. In return for Rem-dono's companionship and liberation from his fears, he was ready to devote himself entirely to her. Had she accepted his offer, she would have become a central figure in his world. He would love only her and care only about her happiness.

'How ironic! Subaru-kun was prepared to transform willingly into the very person I desired him to be! But alas, for the wrong girl! The absurdity of it all fills me with a bitter amusement.' Mused Roswaal inwardly, his countenance revealing no hint of his true emotions.

'Love only her… Care only about her happiness…' The old man's words pierced Emilia's heart like a sharp blade.

Still clenching into a ball, she grappled with feelings of inadequacy compared to Rem and a fierce jealousy that urged her to cast aside all uncertainties, stand resolutely, and win Subaru's affection by any means necessary.

"So all of Barusu's words that he loves my sister are just a bunch of lies?!" Ram said sternly, clenching her fists angrily. If he was just playing with her sister's heart, she would find the way to tear away his manhood, even if he's guarded by the Sword Saint himself.

"Do not jump to conclusions, Ram-san." The old butler said with a sly smile. "I am more than sure that every word Subaru-dono said to Rem-dono after the battle with the whale was genuine. After all, by declining his proposal to escape together, she had given him something far greater. More than he could ever imagine. She professed her unwavering belief in him, regardless of the circumstances. For Subaru-dono, this was so unbelievable that he even tried to reject her words. He tried to dissuade her, to make her despise him by saying everything that he thought about himself."

As everyone listened intently to his words, Rem struggled to hide her blush.

"But Rem-dono never gave up on him." He continued. "He grew to love her because, in his darkest moment of self-doubt, she remained by his side. She was the only one who did. It was her faith that became the source of strength that empowered our hero to stand tall once more. With her support, he found the courage and will to achieve remarkable feats for which we hold him in such high regard."

"I'm glad that I made that choice," Rem said softly as she gently played with the young man's hair. "I must admit, the idea of becoming the most important person in Subaru-kun's life filled me with immense joy at the time. However, I hesitated, unsure if it was the right decision. Yes, Subaru-kun would belong only to me, but I feared that he would no longer be the same Subaru-kun I knew. Along with happiness, I would always carry a sense of fear – the fear that if he could leave even Emilia-sama, then one day he might also leave me. I still believe I made the right choice. In the end, he became the hero he always aspired to be – a hero any father would be proud of!"

"No one could have said it better, Rem-rin!" Frederica exclaimed proudly, her smile beaming.

"That's right! Thank you, Rem nee-sama, for bringing us a hero Subaru!" Petra chimed in, her voice filled with gratitude.

"Betty feels obliged to thank you for what you did back then, I suppose." Even Beatrice couldn't help but smile warmly at Rem.

Emilia still couldn't get the words out, but she looked at the maid with the sincere smile.

"But it means that we finally have a good clue on how we can help Natsuki-san!" Otto said happily. "We need to reassure him that he never has to fear loneliness again. We must help him realize that he has loyal friends who will support and stand by him no matter what!"

"Well said, salesman!" Felt firmly supported him. "If big bro knows that he has reliable allies, he will not be afraid of being alone, and maybe even start behaving less idiotic!"

"Barusu, who stopped acting like an idiot? I would rather believe that Garf will become a renowned scholar!" Despite harsh words, the maid's tone was positive.

With this plan in place, the audience decided to continue watching.

A lonely young Subaru was walking along an empty street. Images of his father began to form around him. He was welcomed everywhere, he was loved by everyone, admired by everyone.

"That's when I finally realized that there was nothing special about me at all."

"You're definitely his kid!"

"From then on, I just spent all my time trying not to stand out. That's how I got through middle school, then when I got into high school… I gotta say, I really blew my high school debut. But it was bound to happen. I'd never had any real relationships up to that point. High school wasn't gonna be any better.

The screen showed an image where Subaru stood in his trademark pose before his classmates, then how he tried to communicate with everyone in his typical hyper-energetic manner.

"And then it occurred to me… I just… didn't want to go to school. It all just snowballed from there. One day a week of skipping school turned into one in every three days, then every other day… It didn't take even three months before I stopped going at all. But no matter how pathetic I was, you and Mom still treated me the same as always. That's what scared me most of all."

The sight of his friend gradually losing all will to interact with the outside world made Reinhard think again about the issues, that plagued the young man. And how the desire to escape from difficulties was replaced by something else.

"Priscilla-sama." Reinhard said politely, turning to the baroness. "Earlier, you said that when Rem-san inspired Subaru, she just replaced one problem with another. What did you mean by that?"

"Ugh… what a chore it is to live among the illiterate rabble… Listen up, commoners! The goddess will condescend to describe the obvious things to you in simple words. Does everyone remember how at first this dog considered himself the main character of some fairy tale novel? His stupid fantasies, that the world itself was obliged to give him some great power, a maiden in love, and send him on a quest to defeat powerful enemies?"

After receiving nods from most of those present, she pointed her fan at the sleeping boy and continued:

"Foolishly considering himself the protagonist, he perceived the trials he faced as mere steps to his greatness. And he considered the half-wit to be a heroine that must stand next to him, while he would be in the center of events. Therefore, he could not accept that he was not allowed to attend important things, like the start of the royal elections. He was obsessed with the half-wit, with his desire to save her from any problems, as he considered it his duty as the main character."

The baroness was clearly satisfied with the undivided attention of her future servants.

"She's the reason he didn't run away from the mansion when the maids killed him. He meddled in all her affairs, broke promises, deluded himself into believing he was her sole savior and confidant. It all came to a head in a quarrel, when he was bested by a merchant's knight, who showed him that he was nothing more than a powerless slug."

Emilia and Julius were struck by a pang of guilt as they heard those words. Each of them couldn't help but feel that, despite the truth in Priscilla's words, they shared some responsibility for the events that had occurred. Perhaps Subaru's initial behavior was flawed, driven by selfishness and misguided beliefs about Emilia and his role by her side. Both the princess and the knight came to realize that their actions weren't so different. They, too, had failed to truly listen to the other's perspective. Acting solely on their convictions, convinced of their own righteousness, they had dismissed any opposing views.

And the baroness went on:

"That was the breaking point. The persistent dog refused to acknowledge that the world didn't solely revolve around him. Determinedly, he hurled himself into danger, striving to rescue the half-devil to prove his worth and reassure himself of his significance. But he constantly failed. Each setback resulted in the demise of those around him."

"But it wasn't his fault! Subaru-kun didn't know what he was going up against, and he didn't have the strength to defeat such enemies on his own!" Rem tried to argue and protect the image of her beloved.

"Try to convince HIM about that, maid! I will laugh at your failure. But it wasn't just his own self-deprecation. Every time someone told him how useless and helpless he was. A rebuke from the Beast of the End was the last straw. He admitted the obvious thing and found nothing better than to escape from everything, as he did in his world before."

Pausing briefly so that ordinary mortals could digest her profound words, Priscilla redirected her fan from Subaru to Rem."

"And that's where the blue maid came onto the stage. Using beautiful words, she decided to mold him into the image that she had come up with in her head. A radiant hero capable of triumphing in any circumstance. And he embraced those ideals wholeheartedly. He discarded the idea of playing the protagonist and decided to devote his life to meeting the expectations of a girl who agreed to love his pathetic being!"

The baroness's cutting words caused Rem's heart to tighten with apprehension. Was she mistaken back then? Could it be that her efforts to motivate Subaru-kun and assist him in conquering his insecurities had been a grave mistake?

"Since then, he has assumed the role of a hero who must save everyone. Who is responsible for everyone and has to find a solution to every problem himself. Given his battered psyche and his vile ability, he would gradually come to the conclusion that the only value his life has is dying for the sake of others! After all, he has no other abilities to meet the girl's expectations. That's the problem I was talking about!"

"So… when I was trying to convince Subaru-kun not to give up… did I… did I just make things worse?" Rem asked with a note of desperation in her voice.

Was the only thing she could be proud of in her life, a gruesome mistake? Instead of helping her beloved, she pushed him on the path of self-destruction?

"Don't you even dare to doubt yourself, Rem-dono!" Wilhelm suddenly declared in a harsh voice.

It made the girl shudder, but it did distract her mind from mentally beating herself to a pulp. Easily understanding the girl's thoughts from her expression, the old warrior decided to crush them in the bud.

"At that moment on the hill, you did everything perfectly and every word you said was right!

"W-Wilhelm-san?" Rem looked at him in surprise, but hope still lit up in her eyes. If the sword demon himself said so.

"Old Will is right, Rem! Just think about what would have happened if you hadn't convinced Subaru-kyun not to give up, nya!" Felix decided to support her.

"Emilia-sama and Ram-sama would have died! And me! And my whole village!" Petra supported them.

"And many more, after this cat would have tried to freeze the entire world!" Ricardo emphasized.

"They're right, Rem. Don't even think about blaming yourself for what might have happened to Subaru after our encounter with the archbishops!" Crusch added from herself, looking the maid firmly in the eyes. "Alas, but this is part of its nature. Whatever role or task he takes on, he gives himself to it completely, sees no boundaries. Subaru doesn't know how to stop himself. He needs someone nearby whom he truly trusts, who will restrain his excessive impulses and tell him when to ease down."

Seeing how the light of hope comes back to Rem's eyes, Wilhelm decided to continue:

"With your words, you helped Subaru-dono to take the first step towards correcting his shortcomings, Rem-dono. You taught him not to run away. After that, there had to be the next steps that would turn this young man into the most worthy of knights. But alas, this was prevented by the attack of the archbishops. And don't even try to think that if you had run away from that fight, it would have fixed the situation. Knowing Subaru-dono's nature, I can say with confidence that the loss of Crusch-sama would have hit him in the same way. Just like in our reality, he would've blamed himself for everything and would've followed the same path.

"And it means tha' our task is ta help the cap'n ta go the rest of the way! And we have high hopes fer ya in dis matter, Rem!" Garfiel winked at her, also wanting to help the girl who indirectly brought him together with the captain.

Rem managed to smile at this. Words of support helped her not to fall into the abyss of self-hatred. Thanks to this, when everyone turned back to the screen to continue watching, she took the sleeping youth's hand without any shame and pressed it to her chest. It was pleasantly warm.

The father silently listened to his son's monologue while he continued:

"I wanted you to say, 'I don't love you.' 'I despise you.' 'You're not my son.' I wanted you to tell me that and throw me out. I wanted you to make me give up."

At that moment, his face cleared, and he looked at the sky with confidence.

"But…"

'It is easy to give up. But it doesn't suit you.' An image of Rem appeared in front of his eyes. 'I love you, Subaru-kun. Let's start here, from square one. No… From zero! Right! My hero is the greatest in the world!'

"You remembered me after all." The maid muttered, wiping away tears of happiness.

"This little rapscallion does not forget about the ladies of his heart, even at the Witch's Trial!" Ricardo said cheerfully.

"Barusu never changes his ways…even in this situation, his womanizer essence shows itself!"

"You're just jealous that he didn't remember you and your signature insults towards him." Al teased her, chuckling contentedly, even after he received a smoldering gaze from Ram.

"Subaru…" His father said slowly, then got up from the bench and suddenly raised his foot to the level of his head.

Subaru didn't understand his actions.

"Father Headbutt!" With that shout, the elder Natsuki brought his foot down right on top of his son's head. "See that, Subaru? That was my most loving Father Headbutt, packed with all my rage!"

"That was an axe kick! Nothing about that was a headbutt!"

"My leg goes up pretty high, huh? But you know, you're pretty dumb, aren't ya?"

"H-Huh?"

The laughter in the hall threatened to make the audience deaf. Rem and Beatrice clutched their bellies, trying not to fall to the floor while laughing. Even Emilia was able to take her mind off her heavy thoughts and laugh at this scene.

"Ah, this sweet revenge, in fact!" Beatrice said with satisfaction. "I hope you like the taste of your own medicine!"

"This is for calling me a pain in the ass. You deserved it!" Emilia murmured, smiling, as she ruffled her knight's hair.

"Indeed. That's his son, whatever you say!" Al added cheerfully.

Priscilla just watched in silence with a satisfied smile. This sight was amusing to her.

"It's a very unusual way to raise your son." Julius remarked elegantly, straightening his hair.

"In the case of Subaru-kyun, the usual methods, it seems to me, are completely useless, nya!" Felix replied to him.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." The 'best knight' agreed with him.

"A lot about what you said bothers me, but you know what's the worst? You wanted me to hate you, so you tried to achieve that by playing hooky? Are you dumb?! And if you want to get me to throw you out, pick a more active method! Who would ditch their own kid just because he retreated into his shell?! You're so twisted, you're on the fast track to being an idiot! I'd be glad to set you straight by force if you want…"

"Subaru was very lucky, for once. He had a chance to talk so freely with his father and pour out everything that had accumulated in his mind." Reinhard said melancholically.

He was thinking if he will ever get the chance to have a similar conversation with his father and grandfather?

Wilhelm, who was sitting behind him, looked down guiltily. Of course, he has already tried to establish contact with his grandson and even talked to him. But this was only the first step. He still had many years of remorse ahead of him. And yet, an opportunity to devote his last years to compensate for his grandson all the insults and hatred sounded pleasant. Much more pleasant than spending those same years hating and seeking revenge on the legendary monster.

"But it looks like you've already been knocked down and stood yourself back up, so there's no need." Saying this, Kenichi helped his son to his feet.

"Remember what I said? I found a girl I like. Plus, there's a girl who said she loved me, despite the way I am. And neither one of them knows I'm the son of Natsuki Kenichi. In their eyes, I'm just Natsuki Subaru. No, in all of their eyes… I was Natsuki Subaru. I finally figured that out."

"You're wrong, Subaru-kun! You are much more than just a Natsuki Subaru! You're my hero!" Rem said confidently.

"You are my knight!" Emilia supported her.

"You are our brother!" Otto and Garfiel said together.

"You're the mini boss!" Mimi jumped up from her seat.

"Now he remembers everything. And he made his choice." Wilhelm noted with pride.

"Has he decided to stay with us?" Petra asked hopefully. And joyfully hugged Frederica, after receiving an affirmative nod from the old butler.

"Well, it took you long enough." His father teased him. "You're just now coming around to saying all this? I should whack you."

"You just whacked my skull with your heel a second ago! Sorry about that. Still, this was my fault for not realizing that you thought so highly of your awesome dad. Sorry, I was just too big a part of your life!"

"I really don't want to admit that's true, even though it is!"

"But that took a little of the weight off my shoulders. Now all that's left to talk about is the future. We've only just begun."

"Oh, sure. Um, sorry for putting you through—"

"If you feel sorry, all you gotta do is take your time making it up to us. Take good care of your mom and me when we're old, my eldest son." The father gave his son a confident thumbs-up.

Subaru, shocked by this news, was overwhelmed with emotions. He began to shake, tears began to flow.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Subaru?"

I'm sorry. I… I… I… can't… I-I'm sorry. I won't be able to make anything up to you before… I will never see you again. I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!"

Trying to calm his crying son, Kenichi gently hugged him.

"No matter how much time passes, you're still such a handful, son. Sheesh."

There were noticeably fewer joyful smiles in the theater now. When they first saw Subaru's real emotions about how he felt about his family, they realized another thing.

"Has he only now realized that he won't be able to return home and see his family?" Mimi asked blankly.

"Not at all. Back during the first week of his life in the mansion of Roswaal-sama, Barusu told us that he would not be able to return to his homeland."

"From what we saw, the big bro was very glad that he had entered another world. And it looked like he was never worried about it." Felt noted.

"Obviously, he was excited about getting into another world. He deliberately suppressed sad thoughts by distracting himself with other things. The memories of his lost home would have given him nothing but suffering." Al added, remembering how he himself had once preferred not to think about his past life in order not to fall into melancholy.

"And now, when he had the chance to talk to his parents, all the accumulated emotions burst out." Otto summed up.

Talks about the hero's separation from his family made the old man look at the red-haired knight in the front row. And to suffer another attack of guilt and self-hate for all the undeserved words that he had said to his grandson over the years.

And also it made him think about the position of the black-haired young man in their world. Even though he was a knight of candidate for the throne, in fact, from the point of view of the kingdom, he was a loner without family. Wilhelm was determined to think this question through properly as soon as he got the chance.

The scene changed to an urban landscape. Subaru and his father were standing on the road.

"I still feel like walking a little more, so I'm going to take the long way home."

"Okay. I'll head home myself, then.

"Hey, Subaru… I'm sure you have a lot going on, too, so there's only one thing I want to say. Give it your all! I'm expecting the best from you, son."

"Yeah. You can count on me, Dad." Said the son and got into his trademark pose. "My name is Natsuki Subaru, son of Natsuki Kenichi! So I can do anything, and I will do anything! 'Cause your son's just that awesome!"

"I know that. You're half me, after all."

Tacitly agreeing, Subaru walked forward without turning around.

In the next shot, he was standing in his room and looking in the mirror, dressed in his school uniform.

"I like Subaru-kun in this suit. He immediately looks like such a solid and serious man." Rem remarked dreamily, thinking about making him a similar one.

"Just wait, Rem, you haven't seen him in a knight's uniform yet!" Frederica winked at her colleague.

"Will they show it to us?" The maid asked with evident interest.

"Who knows. Barusu's knighthood happened after all the problems around the liberation of the Sanctuary were settled, and after we moved into the mansion of the Miload family." Ram informed her sister.

"Subaru-kun… in a knight's uniform… so noble, proud, with his head held high…" The maid had to cover her mouth urgently so that no one would see how she began salivating a little.

"I remember seeing Subaru in his uniform at the celebration of the victory over the White Whale. At that time, I thought it was too early for him to wear a knight's uniform." Julius said thoughtfully.

"Have you changed your mind now?" Felix asked him. After a few seconds of silence, Anastasia's knight nodded:

"Yes, now I think that in terms of spirit he is the worthiest of all to be a knight of the kingdom… Which does NOT negate the urgent need to hammer the rules of etiquette into his head, before Commander Marcus decides to personally take care of it!"

"The student Natsuki Subaru is complete. What's it been, about three months?"

Before leaving, he looked into the kitchen, where his mother was cooking.

"Oh? Are you nervous?" She asked him. "Want to eat some mayonnaise with me?"

"I'm not in the mood right now."

"I guess not. You don't actually like mayonnaise that much, after all."

"It's Barusu, who doesn't like mayonnaise?! I'm surprised he hasn't married it yet!"

"But now we know whom to thank for the appearance of this wonderful condiment in our world!" Reinhard said happily.

"Note to self: must discuss with Natsuki-kun cooperation with the Hoshin company on the issue of distributing this condiment on the territory of Kararagi. And in the future, maybe it will come to Vollachia and Gusteko. Even if I have already missed Lugunika, this is not a reason to give up on other markets." Anastasia made a mental note to herself, stroking her scarf.

"Huh?

"Your dad and I both like it, so you were just sharing it with us."

"Wh-What gives you that—"

"Then which would you choose: the world or mayonnaise?"

"The world, obviously!"

"You see?" Mom said triumphantly.

"Why do you look so self-satisfied?! Anyone who picks mayonnaise doesn't do it because they like mayonnaise! They just hate the world!"

"That's true."

"Well, I'm gonna head out."

"You're leaving for school now? I'm glad, but… won't that draw some negative attention? Why not put off until tomorrow, what can wait until tomorrow?"

"Your son finally found the motivation to do something! Don't ruin this!" Subaru jokingly protested. "I'm already too hard on everyone else and easy on me as it is!"

"Liar!" Beatrice, Rem and Emilia declared at the same time.

"Give him a couple of punches on my behalf for such an attitude towards himself!" Felt asked, annoyed.

"It will be done. We are ready to accept applications for punches that will bring self-respect and self-love to our knight." Otto supported the idea with a naughty smile

"Deliver three kicks from me! No, let's make it five, nya!" Felix immediately picked up on the idea.

"A dozen slaps on the back of his head for lack of ambition!" Anastasia asked.

"I… I think I'll refrain. As a knight, I am obliged to express all my complaints about the character of Sir Natsuki personally." Julius said uncertainty.

"Well, if you really were like that, it would've meant a lot less trouble for me."

The scene changed to Subaru walking down the street, with his mother walking behind him with a satisfied look.

"And why are you following me?! Walking to school with my mom when I'm trying to get over being a shut-in is worse than a game penalty!"

"I'm not going all the way to school. Just to the convenience store. It's been a long time since you and I walked together, hasn't it?"

"Has it?"

"What did you and your dad talk about?"

"Nothing special. Just reliving the past and stuff."

"And also his love affairs in another world." Al said sarcastically.

"And what are these ropes that are strung everywhere? Somehow they are too high and too far from the windows to hang clothes on them." Petra asked curiously, looking at the power lines.

"Betty thinks these are the wires that transmit electricity." Beatrice hastened to inform the rest of the group, ostentatiously examining her nails.

Once again, forcing the participants of her camp to gnash their teeth with resentment and jealousy.

"And what is electricity? Can we reproduce it at home?" Anastasia seized on the idea.

"In simple words, this is the tamed energy of lightning, in fact. In the Betty's Subaru world, almost all mechanisms use electricity in some way to work. You could even say that it is their substitute for mana stones.

"They have tamed the power of lightning? And without magic? Fascinating! We must ask mini-boss how they managed such feat! If we can replicate their method, the possibilities can be endless!" Tivey was almost salivating from expectations.

"Hmm… And reliving the past made you want to go to school?"

"Well, I guess you could say that. It gave me a chance to look back on some things, so…"

"So you've given up on trying to be just like your father in everything? You were always a hard worker, and you could do a lot of things with minimal effort."

"You can't say it better about him, Mom-sama!" Petra agreed.

"Since your dad was so blindly into lots of different things, you had quite a few opportunities. Exhausting, isn't it?"

"Mom, just how much do you…"

Mom overtook her son and stopped, turning to him:

"You know, Subaru, parents watch their kids much more closely than they realize."

Wilhelm felt a twinge in his chest at these words. He was afraid to imagine how Reinhard felt now, seeing how loving and understanding his friend's parents were. With every minute of this session, he became more and more convinced of how much he had failed, both as a father and grandfather.

'Do I even have the right to try to fix something after I've been unfairly insulting my own grandson for so many years? It doesn't matter! Even if all the last years will be spent in vain attempts, I must try to correct my mistakes. For Reinhard's sake, for Theresa's sake!' The old man mentally decided.

"I'm always watching you, too, Subaru. I gave you a suppository once when you were little, so I've even seen your butthole."

"Um, sorry, but this was a nice conversation up until now. You don't have to say everything you think."

"I have a strong feeling that Subaru's mom is very kind and caring herself, but… she seems a little out of this world." Frederica said thoughtfully. "Al-san, maybe you can tell us if this behavior is common in Subaru-sama's world?"

"I have already said that I remember almost nothing about my life in my native world. I've been living here for too long. But I agree with you, lady. Subaru's mom is kind, but clearly a weird person. And the son clearly inherited some of this weirdness."

"The mayonnaise, too, and your reasons for not going to school… If there was anything I could have done for you, I gladly would have, but it seemed like nothing I tried would have worked out." She explained guiltily, after which she smiled contentedly:

"But… Someone who isn't me or your father did something for you, didn't they? I think that's a wonderful thing. We should be grateful to them."

"Yeah, that's right. That's why I'm able to walk this path right now. They're really good people. I don't deserve them." Subaru agreed with a warm smile.

"Hah! Once a year, even Barusu can be absolutely right!" Ram declared triumphantly.

"Subaru-u-u!" Emilia said sheepishly, pressing her hands to her face. "To praise me so much in front of your mom, and we don't even know each other! And it's up to me to decide if you're worthy of me!"

What if his mom decides that she's a pompous, self-centered, demanding person? Or even worse — Priscilla?!

"I'm sorry that I can't tell you this in person, but thank you so much for Subaru-kun. And yes, I've already decided everything for myself, too." Rem said, blushing, bowing to the screen.

'And not just you.' Crusch thought with a touch of envy.

"Don't be so obviously jealous." Frederica jokingly scolded the pouting Petra, who defiantly crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm not jealous! It's just not fair that Subaru saw his mom before I could show my best sides, and that's why he didn't mention me!"

"I'm sure that if you all meet his mother, you would become her favorite." The head maid supported the girl.

"How else could it be! I'm being trained by the best maid in the kingdom!" Petra said with confidence, for which she received a strong hug from the above-mentioned best maid in the kingdom.

"But you won't give them to anyone else, right?"

"You better believe it! It's not about whether I'm good enough for them or not. If I had to give them away, I'd make them mine, even if I don't deserve them! I'd just make myself worthy of them after."

"Uh-huh… You're definitely his kid."

This phrase caused Subaru to feel a twinge of fear again.

"Ouch! Why shouldn't she have said that!" Garfiel was worried.

He hoped that one accidentally dropped phrase from his mother would not bring down all the confidence that his friend had managed to gather.

"Wait!" Otto snapped at him. "It's his mom after all. She should know how to motivate him."

"Am I… doing all right? Am I living up to the expectations for his kid?" He asked in an uncertain voice.

"You don't have to worry. Half of you is me, after all. So if you become even half as cool as your dad, you've filled your quota. Get half as cool as your dad, and the other half can just be Subaru. That means you can just do your best in your own way. At least, that's what I think."

Subaru's face brightened, as if incredible horizons had opened up in front of him.

"In my own way… huh?"

"That's right."

"You can want to be like your mom and dad as you become Subaru."

They stopped at an intersection and looked at each other.

"Well, I'm heading this way. Will you be okay on your own?"

"I'll be fine."

"I see. Well, give it your all, then."

Watching his mother walk away into the distance, Subaru suddenly realized that he was saying goodbye to her forever. He was barely holding back tears.

"Mom! There's something I need to do! So… I won't see you for a long time! It's kinda far away… so I don't think I'll be able to keep in touch! But no matter where I am… I'll be thinking of you guys! And I'll never… forget you." He closed his eyes and bowed to his mother.

"Perhaps I can thank my mother for that at least, I suppose. Betty's Subaru got a chance to say goodbye to his parents, to take this burden off his soul, in fact." Beatrice said sadly, but with a smile.

At least when he remembered about his parents when he was alone with her, it was in their more pleasant moments together, and not during another bout of nightmares. If only such pleasant moments happened more often. But now she will know what to pay close attention to and will make sure that her contractor is happy. Even if she has to sacrifice a small part of their time together and let these love stricken girls be with him…

"You must appreciate the sacrifices Betty is willing to make for her partner! I expect at least an additional hundred head pats per day for my dedication, in fact!"

"Subaru…"

"I'll never not want to be your kid anymore… And I don't want to do anything that would make me hate myself!"

"Subaru… It's okay. I know what you're trying to say."

"You… do? How?"

"Well, because I'm your mother, of course."

Subaru looked into his mother's eyes, which were often called 'evil'. And which were passed on to him. But now those 'evil eyes' were the kindest in the whole world. Looking at them, he couldn't hold back the tears.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I was… never able to do anything for you guys, and now…"

"We didn't have you because we wanted you to do something for us. We had you because we wanted to do something for you."

"I'm… I'm acting like a little kid… Pathetic…"

"There's nothing wrong with crying. You can cry all you want. As long as you can smile when you're done, everything will be fine. What matters isn't how you start or what happens in the middle. It's how it ends."

"You mean as long as things turn out okay in the end, nothing else matters?"

"That's a very dangerous thought, I suppose!" Beatrice replied disapprovingly, grabbing her contractor by the ear as a warning. "Don't even think that I will allow you to be guided by this attitude! You told me that wisdom from your world yourself! The road to hell is paved with good intentions, in fact! Isn't that what you told me?"

"I agree. Given his ability, such thoughts can be extremely destructive! If he stops considering his life as something valuable, he will quickly turn into a cold, calculating schemer who will kill himself to redo any little thing!" Otto said in horror, involuntarily clutching the burnt book in his inner pocket, and thought:

'I wouldn't be able to be around someone like that… but you wouldn't become such a person, would you, Natsuki-san? You decided to trust others back in the Sanctuary. Me, Ram, and after a good beating, Garfiel. And together we even defeated Roswaal, although he had the Book of wisdom on his side.'

"Looks like that's exactly the problem Bariel-sama mentioned before." Reinhard noted with worry.

"And he will justify his actions by saying that in the end he leads everyone to a bright and happy future. Depriving everyone of any freedom to make their own decisions. After all, everyone can make mistakes, and he is the only one who can correct those mistakes, and therefore all decisions should be his." Anastasia said with fear in her voice. This was the turn she feared the most.

"A terrible picture. And no one would even be able to do anything about it. He would just… erase any resistance to his decisions before it can even happen. Only a real tyrant can think like that!" Frederica shivered fearfully at the prospect.

"Or the Archbishop of Pride." Julius said with equal fear in his voice.

After exchanging glances with Felix and Reinhard, they mentally agreed that this would be another debt they would take on. To prevent their friend from embarking on such a dangerous path.

'I wonder if your mom thinks the same way I do. That only the end goal makes sense, but not the means?' Roswaal thought in surprise.

"That's not how I meant for you to take it. It's a homework assignment from me."

"Oh, thank Od Laguna! They really scared me for a moment!" Otto breathed out a sigh of relief "After all, his mother, though a strange, but still a wise woman."

"I think many people here are jealous that Subaru Natsuki has such an amazing mother." Julius said confidently.

"Subaru's mother's words are somewhat soothing, but they don't solve the problem!" Crusch wasn't going to let others relax. "We should closely monitor his behavior and look for signs of degradation of his ego!"

"Well… I'm going, then." Having said that, he turned around and, throwing his briefcase over his shoulder, moved towards the school.

"Oh, that's right! Subaru, Subaru! I almost forgot!"

Turning around, he saw his mother waving goodbye to him.

"Take care."

At that moment, memories of his last day in his home world came flooding back to him. How he gloomily left the house, not looking around. How his mother said the same words to him, but he was too ashamed of what a bad son he was. So he left without looking at her or answering, those simple words. He went out, never to return home again.

But now he had a chance to make amends. He was no longer ashamed of being their son. Now he could proudly bear the name of Natsuki, confidently looking ahead. Smiling, he waved goodbye to his mother.

"I will!"

The next frame shows the school. Subaru was standing in front of the door of Class 3-6.

"And what kind of place is this?" Otto asked Beatrice.

The arrogant grin of the great spirit exasperated him, but he had no choice. She was the only source of knowledge about the Subaru world. For now.

'Just you wait, your 'greatness'. As soon as we get out of here and Natsuki-san wakes up, we'll find out everything from him personally! And you won't be sitting there looking so smug anymore!' The merchant thought vengefully.

"This door is leading to the classroom, I suppose. The first symbol means the third year of high school. And the second one is his class number. Betty's contractor was in his last year of school."

"And for how many years do they learn in school in their world? Julius asked with interest.

"Eleven years of school, in fact. After that, many people try to enroll in higher-ranking educational institutions — universities, where they study for another five or six years."

"S-sixteen years of study?! What do they study there for so long, nya?!" Felix was amazed.

In their world, at the age of fifteen a person was already considered an adult and had the right to open their own business, start a family or enter the service. Such a long period of study seemed excessive.

"The world of Betty's Subaru is very intricate and developed in numerous directions. Devoid of magic, their society thrives on science and the exploration of natural laws, leading to a vast accumulation of knowledge across various disciplines, in fact. Subaru once shared with Betty his observation that even children as young as twelve could effortlessly tackle the tax calculations of the Miload estate, showcasing their remarkable proficiency in arithmetic, in fact!" The girl looked so proud, as if she was the one who had taught the boy to understand mathematics.

"But still, what can they learn there for so long?" Julius asked in surprise.

By the age of fifteen, those fortunate enough to have access to education were equipped with the essential skills of writing, reading, arithmetic, and a foundational understanding of the kingdom's history. The remaining years were dedicated to preparing for the responsibilities and roles individuals would undertake as adults, influenced by their social class and family background. It was a common belief that there was little need for further knowledge beyond these basics.

Of course, certain professions, such as civil servants, magicians, and knights, demanded a more specialized and comprehensive education. But such professions were mostly hereditary. The life of a peasant or a maid was radically different from the life of a knight or a noble lady. Therefore, their level of education and skills set were completely different. It makes no sense for a shepherd to know about the geography of Gusteko. And a daughter from the noble house has no need to know how to milk cows.

"In Betty's Subaru world, there is no division by class, in fact. Therefore, a vast majority of the population have access to education. In fact, laws mandate that all children attend school to prepare them to contribute effectively to society in the future. That's what Betty's Subaru told me. Their studies encompass a diverse range of subjects, in fact. Some are aimed at obtaining general rather than practical knowledge, such as geography or history. Others in our world are completely unknown. Whether it's how to work with metias, which they call computers, studying the science about the universe and its laws, called physics, the basics of alchemy, and so on, I suppose.

"And what good will all these detailed knowledge of geography or the basics of alchemy make to an ordinary child if he does not plan to become an alchemist or researcher in the future?" Ricardo asked skeptically. "It sounds like a waste of time that could be devoted to something more productive. Or reduce the training time by several years."

"As a great spirit of knowledge, I am offended by the very idea that acquiring knowledge can be considered a waste of time, in fact! But just out of curiosity, Betty asked her contractor a similar question. Betty's Subaru said that you never know what knowledge might be useful at what point. 'The more you know, the better your brain works!' That's what Betty's contractor said to her. And I totally agree with him! It's thanks to the accumulated knowledge, he became so resourceful and quick-witted."

"You know, I like this idea!" Felt became rather enthusiastic. "When I become the ruler, I will open schools all over Lugunika and order every child to take a mandatory course of study! So that high-born pricks could boast that they can read or add up dozens in their minds no more! I will erase the difference between a peasant and a margrave!"

"That's a great idea, Felt-chan! I fully support it! Moreover, representatives of all races could study together in such schools so that they could communicate with each other from childhood and understand that there is no reason to fear or hate someone because of how they look!" Emilia happily agreed with her friend's idea.

"You got it, big sis! Let's get rid of the hatred between the races along with the classes!" Felt replied fervently, offering Emilia a fist. Which the princess, after a second of hesitation, knocked approvingly.

"And where will you get the funds for such grandiose plans? Schools don't grow out of the ground, you know!" Anastasia decided to bring her dreamy competitors back to reality.

"Isn't it obvious? I'll gut the wallets of the moneybags! Because when they want to arrange another gorgeous ball, each of which costs like half of a clown's mansion, they always have money! And when it comes to paying taxes to the treasury, they wail worse than ulgarms on a moonlit night!"

"You'd sooner burn the whole country in fires of revolts than build something new with this approach!" The merchant princess snorted, but then an expression appeared on her face, as if she had stumbled upon another financial vein. "However, I am ready to agree with you on one thing. The idea of making education accessible to more people sound fascinating."

'If Al-kun is right and the Great Hoshin really came from Natsuki-kun's world, then they both went to similar schools one way or another. This means that this approach is much more likely to produce people like them. I would not refuse an institute that produces capable and resourceful people.' Anastasia mentally informed the white fox lying on her shoulders.

"The class division exists for a reason, Felt-sama! This system has existed for centuries and still keeps the kingdom from disintegrating! You are so fixated on the rights and privileges of the nobles that you completely forget about the duties that are assigned to them! Being a noble is first and foremost a great responsibility!" The duchess decided to scold the revolutionary princess in the tone of a strict teacher.

"But yes, I am ready to admit that the idea is not without its advantages. A full-fledged education for commoners could give a way to people who do not have money or connections, but have talents and the will to reach great results. Like Sir Natsuki. We could select the most capable and hardworking and integrate them into the state system. This would greatly strengthen the kingdom, making it less dependent on the dragon!"

"Hmph! To teach the rabble in the hope that there will be swans among the ugly ducklings? It sounds hilarious! Perhaps I'll be interested to see what will come out from such a venture. Al, remind me of this idea when the commoner gets into our camp. His first task will be to organize the school in the same way as in his world." Priscilla was pleased.

The black-haired dog gave her an idea that looked very amusing and promising. Perhaps she could occasionally look into classrooms full of young and pure-minded children so that they could see for the joy of which goddess they were studying with their textbooks.

"Of course, Princess." Al nodded in agreement, inwardly approving of this idea.

And just like that, his pal, even without realizing it, presented another grandiose idea to the most influential people in the kingdom. The warrior was extremely curious about what would come of it in the end.

'Damn, pal, how do you do that?' He thought with a satisfied grin.

Taking a deep breath, Subaru opened the door with the words 'Okay'. The classroom was empty except for one girl in a school uniform sitting on a desk. And that girl was Echidna.

"You arrived much earlier than I expected. Welcome." She said with a satisfied look. "So you've had some time to confront your past. What did it do for you?"

[Title card: Parent and Child]

"And what is she doing here, nya?"

"If Echidna appeared, I guess the Trial has come to an end. And now she will evaluate Subaru. Although I can't say for sure, since in my case, she was with me the whole way. What about you, Garfiel?" Emilia answered.

"I dunno. Tha' witch neva' appeared when my amazin' self was taking the Trial."

"Instead of indulging in useless speculations, we must proceed to the next episode, in fact! Betty wants to know what has transpired between her mother and contractor, I suppose!

The audience decided not to argue with the great spirit, since they also were eager to see the conversation between the witch and the knight-to-be.

The screen started loading the next episode.