-Arlam Village-
Sitting together side by side on a small wooden bench, Rem explains what happened to Subaru this morning as well as the other two instances that his witch miasma increased dramatically without warning. She then begins to explain her first theory as to what may have happened, regarding whether he is cursed or not. Beatrice responds with:
"He is not cursed, in fact."
"I had a feeling he was likely not, since this has occurred both before and after he got those curses from the mabeasts. Regardless, I must ask, how are you so sure about this?"
"Betty told you this before, I suppose." She closes her eyes for a moment and tilts her head down, "Betty can sense when a curse is placed upon someone. Betty sensed no curses on him."
"I see. Could he be in a contract with someone?"
"No, Betty does not believe he is currently in a contract with anyone, I suppose."
"Why is that? Something must be doing something to him for him to suddenly take on such a…frightened and fearful expression." She frowns deeply upon recalling those horror-like expressions.
"As a spirit, Betty can sense if other spirits are currently contracted to a person. Likewise, Betty can sense if someone is magically bound in a contract."
"There are multiple types of contracts?" Rem questions.
She nods, "Yes, in fact. Three total. The first is between spirit-sensitive humans or Demi-humans and spirits. Conditions are set between the two and once set, the two form a contract. The half-elf and Bubby are an example of that sort of contract, in fact."
Rem simply nods, understanding what she means. She has seen Emilia and Puck communicate numerous times as she worked throughout the mansion and is aware of their relationship.
"The second type are covenants. Unlike contracts, these are formed between entire bloodlines. The late royal family of Lugunica and their covenant with the Divine Dragon is an example of this, in fact."
Rem's eyes widen, "Now that I think about it, Subaru-kun has never told me anything about his family! Though I suppose I've never told him much about my family aside from Nee-sama. I wonder if we could talk about our families some day."
Beatrice ignores her comments. "Finally, there are vows. These aren't much, I suppose. They are simply oaths between two individuals. They can be magically backed, so one cannot backstab the other, or they can simply be honor-based."
"And you detected none of these from Subaru-kun. Hmm…" She presses a finger to her chin in thought.
"That's all Betty will tell you. Do with the information as you please, I suppose." She gets up and begins her walk to the mansion.
"Wait!" Rem calls out to her once more, "Are there any other ways the witch miasma could've increased suddenly like that? Could he…be involved with a witch somehow?!"
"Betty doesn't know, in fact. He may be. He's not involved with the Witch's Cult if that is what you are asking."
"I know that! I know that very well. But I just don't understand. I've never detected the scent outside of the members of the cult."
"Observe, I suppose. Maybe you'll discover something." With that, she goes on her way up the dirt-filled road, getting her shoes slightly dirty in the process.
"Observe. I guess that is all I can do for now. Perhaps Roswaal-sama knows something. I'll ask him when everyone returns safe and sound." Oh Subaru-kun, just what goes through your mind at this very moment?
"May the blessings of the spirits be with you." Emilia folds her hands together as she wishes all of the mercenaries and villagers safe travels.
Oh man, Emilia-tan is so cute! She really is like an angel! Subaru happily imagines her as an actual angel. "Bye Emilia-tan! We'll meet up with you soon." He merrily waves to her, Petra, and her friends as they sit in a carriage awaiting to be evacuated.
"You too, Emilia-sama. We wish you and the others the safest of travels." Wilhelm gives a small bow.
"Stay safe Emilia-sama." Julius gives a simple send off.
"Don't die on us nyan!" Felix does a cute cat pose for a brief moment.
She chuckles, "Yes, we'll see you all soon." With that, she and the others take off for the capital.
As soon as she does, Rem returns.
"I'm back Subaru-kun! Sorry, did I take too long?"
"Nope!" He pats her on the head, which causes her to respond with an embarrassed smile due to having this done out in public. "You're just in time. Unlike the last mercenary group, seriously where are they?"
"Here they come!" Ricardo arrives and points in the direction of a bunch of members from Anastasia's camp who make their appearance.
Mimi shouts as they come in on their Ligers, which are wolf-like creatures their army is known for riding on, "Sorry we took so long! But we killed them all! Hooray!"
"Don't say it like that, it makes us sound like we're the bad guys." Tivey retorts with a frown, who's just behind her on his own Liger. "We brought back a prisoner!"
"Huh, a prisoner?" Subaru questions. Turning his head to his right, he spots a familiar face coming his way.
Said person, his name being Otto Suwen, is in quite a peculiar situation. Sporting gray hair, wearing primarily green clothing, black pants, and a green merchant cap. He is currently tied by his arms and feet to a large wooden pole that is being carried by two Ligers on either side. Hanging upside down from it, he has his head tilted back in defeat while moaning.
Subaru chortles at the hilarious sight before him, "O-Oh! He isn't in the Witch's Cult. I was wondering why he hadn't shown up. Pfffh!"
The Ligers set him down and without any way to balance himself, he topples over to his side. Not finding the situation funny in the slightest, he says, "I don't know who you are, but thanks for saving me. Wait, scratch that! I'm in no mood to say that and actually mean it, dang it!"
Subaru's only response is more laughter, finding the situation highly amusing compared to the much more grim events he experienced just recently.
He is quickly untied and after some last preparations, everyone is ready to head off to face the final threat, Petelguese.
-Old Temple-
Arriving at the same old temple as before, Subaru finds Petelguese standing by the entrance just like the last loop.
Petelguese introduces himself, though Subaru does not give his name. Instead, he says "Nice to meet you, great Sin Archbishop. If it would please you and you could find it within you, please add my body and soul to your fingers' ranks. Carrying out the Ordeal would bring me no greater honor." He even bows to add the cherry on top.
He is easily moved by his words and responds with great vigor, "How wondrous! How vivacious your faith is!" He arches his back by about 90 degrees and comes back up. "To think there would be such a devout believer. Please forgive my sloth for failing to find him sooner!" To punish himself for his sins, he bashes his head against the stone wall of the temple numerous times, causing his forehead to spray out blood everywhere.
"Forgive me! Forgive me! Forgive me! Forgive me! Forgive me!"
Subaru looks a little disturbed and says, "Please stop Archbishop!"
"But, but, but, I have no way to atone for my sloth and foolishness but by punishment! If only I found you sooner…"
"That's not true, the witch wouldn't want to see her beloved believer in pain like this." Pulling up a fist to stress his next point, "She would be happier to see you carry out the Ordeal!"
Expressing a shocked face that looks eerily similar to a face one would make in utter horror, he states, "You are exactly right. Of course! The Ordeal. What she needs from me now is the Ordeal!" Jumping several feet into the air, Petelguese lands right in front of Subaru. "Your words have opened my eyes, dear believer. Thank you! Thank you!"
Petelguese gives him a hug. Subaru, hating every second of touching his body, much less actually hugging this disgusting piece of filth, grits through it. Just think about Emilia-tan and Rem. Just think about Emilia-tan and Rem. He imagines himself hugging them instead, which makes the whole situation a little more tolerable.
Petelguese continues, "With this Ordeal, we must test her. To learn whether this half-devil is a worthy vessel to house her. A worthy vessel to put the witch into."
For the first time, Subaru is confused, "Huh? Put the witch into? Vessel?"
"If she's worthy, then the witch will possess her. If not, reject her. If she proves to be an unworthy vessel, then the witch will be reborn into this world on the coming fated day."
Instantly realizing that he meant Emilia when he said half-devil, Subaru furrows his brows slightly, "You're saying Emilia is secondary, without intrinsic value, to you?" Clenching a fist and trembling slightly, he finally lets go of the facade. "You monster."
They finally stop hugging and jumping back a bit, Petelguese reveals the gospel. "The words inscribed in the gospel tell of her love. All of it guides my path!" Tilting his head 90 degrees in a startling and disturbing manner, he demands with a hint of threat in his tone, "Show me your gospel."
Pulling out one of the metias he stole earlier, Subaru opens it up before him.
"What is that?" Petelguese asks.
He explains with a smug grin that it is a metia. Appearing on the mirror is Felix.
"Oh! I see him! I see him!" Felix announces excitedly. The transmission is not completely pure, as his voice sounds quite nasal. Putting a hand to his chin he gives a surprised expression, "Oh my! His face looks just as scary as I'd heard it was!"
Stepping back in fear, Petelguese demands, "Who are you? No! What are you?"
Saluting, Felix says, "Now then…Tora! Tora! Tora!"
As soon as he says the last Tora, Subaru grins while he snaps his fingers. This signals both Patrasche and Rem, the latter riding the former, to come barreling forwards from a nearby large bush. They smash straight into Petelguese from the side, taking him completely by surprise. Patrasche roars victoriously while Rem says, "Yes! It worked! Take that you filthy Archbishop!"
"Indeed! Our surprise attack was a success!" Subaru high fives Rem and pets Patrasche on her head.
"What?!" Petelguese struggles to get up again, "A surprise attack… a surprise attack you say?" Bending down a bit, many unseen hands pop out from behind his back. "Then what do you think of this?!"
"Crap! The unseen hands!" Subaru yells.
"Quick! Get on Subaru-kun!" Rem extends a hand to him. He quickly grabs it and she pulls him up behind him. Grabbing her waist, they immediately take off to avoid the hands.
Once again Petelguese is surprised by what Subaru is capable of, "What?! How?! How can you see my Authority?!"
Rem pulls up near him. Subaru says, "I dunno. Ask the witch that left her scent all over me."
Rem's eyes widen considerably in total shock. So he IS involved with a witch somehow?! What does he know? Has he tried to fight one in the past and got struck with some unknown disease or curse by her that even Beatrice-sama can't detect?
He continues with a condescending tone, "Oh, that's right. Unlike me, you haven't received the pass that allows you to meet the witch at any time!"
Huh?! He can MEET with her?! The oni maid is completely gobstruck at this whole load of new information she would've never expected to get in a million years.
"What do you mean?" Petelguese asks, hostility evident in his tone now. "How dare you speak as though you are intimate with the witch!"
"Subaru-kun, I'm very curious too. What is your relation with this witch?" She asks, worry clearly evident in her tone even if she is trying to hide it.
Oh crap! He realizes that what he's saying must sound very suspicious to Rem. I got careless! I don't want her to think I'm secretly a witch lover! He quickly whispers to Rem, "I'm sorry, I can't really explain our…erm…relationship. Frankly, I don't really know what our relationship is myself. Though please believe me when I say I'm not on the witch's side or anything. "
She breathes a huge sigh of relief and whispers back, "Don't worry Subaru-kun. I put my complete faith and trust in you. Carry on with what you're doing." That's super relieving. She internally breathes a sigh of relief as well. So he is involved with a witch somehow. However, while he is aware of this, he doesn't seem to know what the relationship is between them. He's not on her side either, which makes complete sense. Still, there are far too many questions left unanswered. Content with her new knowledge of her hero for now, she resumes a derogatory look at Petelguese.
Returning his focus to Petelguese, Subaru says, "She's so intimate that she's even grabbed my heart. Literally."
What does he mean by that? Rem wonders. Literally grabbed his heart? Wouldn't that be…life-threatening?! Is that witch trying to kill him?!
"What do you mean by that Subaru-kun? Isn't that life-threatening?!" She can't help but ask with even more worry than before.
He frowns and whispers again, "Not really. Not for me at least. Sorry, don't think too deeply about what I'm saying. I'm just trying to rile him up."
I can't help but to think deeply about this when your life is on the line! She retorts immediately in her mind. Why do you not want me to worry about it? Why do you want me to forget about it? Am I not trustworthy enough? Am I not reliable enough? Have you told Emilia-sama about this? Her self-deprecating thoughts that, while they have been severely reduced ever since Subaru saved her, have not fully disappeared. They eat away at her confidence. Can she really stand by Subaru's side, able to listen to whatever he has to say when he doesn't believe in her? Then again, it's not like I've told or trusted him with everything I've experienced in my life. I haven't fully told him about what occurred in me and Nee-sama's village all those years ago. We are the same in that aspect after all. I should tell him, he deserves to know, even if he won't tell me about his issues in return.
"N-NO! Inconceivable!" Petelguese bites down extremely hard on eight of his fingers at once, making them all bleed. "That cannot be!" He sends out around two dozen hands after him.
"Patrasche! Rem! Let's go! The hands are coming after us!"
Shaken out of her thoughts, Rem nods, "Right!"
-Forest-
Rem guides Patrasche towards the forest right next to them and heads into it, hoping to gain some distance from Petelguese. Thankfully there is a long straight narrow road that seems to go on forever. Rem keeps Patrasche on this path so as to not run into any bushes or trees along the way. Still, the pathway is somewhat darkened by the overhanging trees.
Looking up into the sky for a brief moment, Rem gasps. "He's…he's flying! Why is he in a sitting position looking frightened?"
Subaru follows her gaze and spots him as well. Unlike her though, he can see the real source of why he's able to seemingly fly.
"Actually, it's those hands you can't see that are causing him to fly like that. Wow…they are huge! I didn't know he could alter the size of them."
"Do not think you can escape!" Petelguese shouts from up in the sky, overlooking them.
Subaru looks behind him and notices three Witch Cultists approaching. "Crap! Three cultist members are coming!"
"Subaru-kun! Swap with me!" Rem orders. He complies and quickly manages to edge his way to the front and takes control of the reins. Rem, now sitting in the back, whips out her Morningstar and throws it towards the cult members. With her incredible aim, she manages to wipe all three out with a single strike.
"Futile! Impossible!" Petelguese, seeing his comrades fail, attempts to grab them with the unseen hands himself. Thankfully, he is able to guide Patrasche away from each one and dodge.
"More are coming Subaru-kun!" Rem announces as she sees four more cult members approaching from the back, this time in a square formation. Two of them are so quick they manage to get side by side with Patrasche.
She is forced to deal with them one at a time. First she targets the two that are right next to them, successfully killing them. The last two Rem isn't able to get to in time. They are just about to strike the tail of Patrasche. However, two resonance waves come barreling in and strike the two cultists, killing them.
Subaru looks behind and sees Mimi, Tivey, and many other members of Anastasia's camp. "Thanks for the help! But be careful where you aim, you almost got us caught up in that!"
"Aw geeze, you ain't dead are ya?" Mimi laughs. "You're welcome though. Yay!"
"Is that man in the sky the Sin Archbishop? Wow, he is creepy looking, flying like that." Tivey says. "Why is he balled up like that?"
"Yes he is. And I don't know why he's in that position." Subaru answers honestly. "Don't worry though, we'll take care of him. Watch the rear like we planned!"
"Got it!" Tivey says, "You heard him onee-chan!" A few cultists begin to run alongside Mimi and Tivey in the forest next to them.
"Aye-aye! Hey, onii-san! Beat him now, and you'll look awesome!" Mimi says to Subaru, flashing him a thumbs up. Sometimes, she likes to call him her brother even if they aren't blood related at all.
"Yeah, we got this!" He returns the thumbs-up. "Alright Archbishop, bring it on!" He taunts and beckons with his finger.
As Mimi, Tivey, and their camp deal with some Witch Cultists, Subaru has Patrasche speed up a little.
Watching his comrades fall one by one, Petelguese grows more and more frustrated. He continues to follow Subaru and the gang. "Just…just what ARE you?! That cannot be. None of this is in the gospel, the guide to my destiny! What…just what are you?!"
"You've asked that so many times now, this is getting ridiculous." Subaru grows increasingly annoyed with his antics. "If you're talking about nightmares, I've had way more than you!"
Oh no! Subaru-kun…just what have you been through to have nightmares? Rem again anxiously looks at him, feeling helpless to do anything to help him through his mental struggles, whatever they are.
"Then…then…you truly are Pride's…" Petelguese starts, before being cut off by Subaru.
"My name is Natsuki Subaru! The silver-haired, half-elf Emilia's knight! And the hero to the oni maid Rem!"
Rem looks at him with awe, "Subaru-kun…"
Petelguese puts one of his real hands to his face, showing complete shock and horror for what Subaru is saying to him.
He continues, "I don't know about any of this "Pride" stuff, but those are the only two titles I want! I don't need any others."
A few moments later, they finally arrive at the destination Subaru was aiming for this entire time.
-Cliff with Spikes at Bottom-
Petelguese mumbles, "This place is…"
"This place is special to me." Subaru says as he and Rem dismount Patrasche.
"How so?" Rem asks, "It looks pretty rough and dangerous here."
"It's…complicated. Let's just say I made a very important decision right around here not too long ago. A decision that involves a person very dear to me."
"A person very dear to you? I see." He's probably talking about Emilia-sama. I wonder what decision he made, but it sounds pretty personal.
Subaru lets out a tiny sigh to himself. I'm sorry Rem. I can't allude to the fact I died here on purpose to save you.
Back on the final loop he died at the mansion before being able to deal with the mabeasts properly and save Rem, Subaru purposefully killed himself to be sent back to his checkpoint. Rem had died due to the curse the tiny dog-like mabeast gave her. Ram went on a rampage to kill him and he only survived as long as he did due to his contract with Beatrice that loop. Arriving at the cliff, he initially didn't have the courage to end himself. However, after remembering Rem and Ram held his hands when he was having a nightmare, and the fact Ram was so distraught about Rem being dead, it convinced him to save them. He leaped off the cliff and died. On the next and successful loop, he saved everyone from dying.
"Anyway, this is where your life will end, Petelguese." He gives him a glare as he descends off of his invisible hand. A good thirty feet or so to Subaru's left. As he turns to face him, Subaru's right side is facing the cliff, while Petelguese's left side is also facing said cliff.
"If your goal was to lead me out here, what do you have planned for me?" He asks.
"What else?" Subaru smiles. "Your natural enemy. One you and I have in common."
Standing atop the cliff is none other than Julius Juukulius. "'Natural enemy' huh? Well, that's one thing to call me." He also smiles, indicating he isn't taking offense to it.
With the assistance of his six spirits, he jumps down from the cliff to the ground below, standing beside Subaru, Rem and Patrasche. Drawing his sword towards the green-haired Archbishop, he states, "I am Julius Juukulius of the Lugunica Imperial Knights. I am the kingdom's sword that will slay you."
"My Morningstar will assist the sword in slaying you." Rem says as she holds the handle and chains of it within her fingers.
"A spirit's arts user, are you?" Petelguese says to Julius, feeling quite disgusted at seeing such pure spirits. "Is this also part of your plot? I have never known such humiliation!" He puts his hands to his head in frustration.
"Consider it payback for all the evil deeds you have done." Subaru pets Patrasche's head again. "Julius, Rem, let's do this!
"Yes, Subaru-kun!" She gives a quick smile to him before facing back at the greatest threat before them.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Julius asks him.
He nods, "Yes. I won't back down. I don't want to lose anyone else this time."
"Very well then." As of a result of the many spirits surrounding Julius, the area surrounding them shines brightly. Petelguese, finally having enough of this nonsense and tired of averting his eyes from the bright white light, proceeds to attack. He sends an equal amount of unseen hands to Julius and Rem.
To his utter disbelievement, both of them are able to precisely strike the unseen hands with their sword and Morningstar respectively.
"What?! Now the two of you can see my unseen hands as well?! How?! How is this possible?! My gospel said nothing about this!"
"Oh man, this is way weirder than I thought it would be." Subaru says from the back. "They can't see it Petelguese. They are sharing their vision with me."
"When you first proposed this, I thought you were insane. However, now I see exactly what you mean." Julius says.
"I told you Julius-san, Subaru-kun always comes up with amazing plans." Rem replies with a smile. Back when Subaru first proposed this, Julius initially shot the idea down, finding it quite ludicrous. However Rem, to him, seemed unusually insistent on trying it out, saying Subaru knows what he is doing and that they should trust him. In the end, he was convinced to attempt it and now he does not regret doing so.
"I must admit, keeping the link between the three of us is a bit taxing. Thankfully, Rem-san appears to be a complete natural at sharing senses with others, so I don't have to use quite as much effort to keep my link with her connected."
"Probably because of my synesthesia ability I share with Nee-sama. With it we can share our feelings and emotions telepathically to one another and sense the other's current status to a degree. I can't naturally use it with anyone else, so it is interesting that our link is more stable due to it." She explains. It's so exciting to share my senses with Subaru-kun! She naturally giddy's herself up at the thought, smiling from ear to ear. He seems to be both excited yet scared. I thought he'd be way more afraid and tired considering what I saw in him this morning. This is so perplexing. I can also sense that neverending determination that is one of the many reasons I love him so much!
Subaru, also able to sense Rem's feelings to an extent, also makes some notes regarding her current state of mind. She's feeling really happy and determined right now. I'm so glad she's feeling well. I'm also sensing a lot of…confusion? Anxiety too. What is she anxious about? Is she still worried about what I mentioned about the witch just a little bit ago?
"Curse you…curse you…curse you! Curse you! Curse you!" Petelguese, finally at the peak of his anger, sends about six gigantic unseen hands into the sky, striking everything around them. Everyone is forced to retreat several feet back to avoid them.
"Sharing your senses is pretty disgusting, so let's get this over with quick!" Subaru says to Julius. He turns his head around and looks at Rem running by his right side. "Though sharing your senses is pretty cool! I hope you don't mind this."
"Not at all Subaru-kun. It's wonderful to learn even more about you!" She replies with her usual sweet smile towards him.
"My, you surely have your preferences set, don't you?" Julius teases. "Still, even if you hate me. Even if you insulted us knights back at the royal selection, and I gave you a beatdown for that. I truly-"
"You were way too rough on him then!" Rem quickly interrupts, "Even if he insulted you and the other knights, is that really a proper punishment? To be utterly and completely humiliated and beaten up among hundreds of spectators?!"
"Let me finish." Julius turns around and puts out his sword in front of him. A huge unseen hand is making their way towards them. "I truly consider Subaru a friend. I still believe my behavior was backed by meaning and reason. However, that is no more than self-justification, which has nothing to do with Subaru. So, Subaru, I'm sorry. I went too far then."
"I still hate you. And I don't consider you a friend at all." He seethes lightly, "But, I recognize that you are a valuable knight and you fight for the safety of your kingdom. For that, I truly respect you. Thanks for the apology. I admit I went too far back then too with insulting you and the knights."
The unseen hand finally arrives, and Julius gives it a clean slice right down the middle. A second one arrives right behind the first one, and Rem crushes it with her Morningstar.
With the path clear, Julius and Rem charge for Petelguese, intending to end him once and for all.
-Author's Corner-
A/N: Rem learns that rather than Subaru being cursed or in a contract, he's involved with a witch somehow. This only causes her to have more questions than answers. However, for now she's content to know just a little bit more about her dear hero.
Guest: I understand. This story is not for you then.
Maximum Rhapsody: Admittedly gauging the full extent of Beatrice's knowledge is difficult. Obviously she knows of the existence of witches like Echidna and Satella (or at least, her Witch of Envy self). There's also the extent to which she will share knowledge. Like she will share some, but she's pretty selective about it. As for Rem and Emilia, there should be plenty of opportunities during the sanctuary for them to interact.
OreosAreYummy: Glad to hear it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
sinjawars: Rem wouldn't do that unless Emilia really did directly do something terrible to Subaru. Subaru being with Emilia has brought him a lot of hardships overtime. Despite that though, he really cares about her as she did save him a handful of times and knows none of it is directly her fault.