"Hey Lilia, would you mind gathering all of the staff for when I get back from shopping?"
'We have a few hours before the attack if I return early like I did during the last loop. I don't have enough time to go and put in a request to the Royal Knights, so while I'm out shopping, I need to come up with a plausible reason to leave the mansion until we can contact Reinhard.'
Subaru sat down for breakfast and quickly scarfed down his Omelet. He knew there wasn't any time to waste, and that he probably wouldn't be able to talk to all the staff unless he scheduled something for later. If he ordered them to leave, would they listen to him? He knew that he had some standing in the mansion due to Reinhard's repeated praises, but he had never needed to order them around before. If he failed. . .well he didn't want to think about what would happen. Seriously, what terrible luck! Most people only die once in their life, but he had died twice only a couple months into his 'isekai' journey. This wasn't counting the hellscape he probably already endured for the past two years.
"Sure. . .do you mind telling me why?"
Lilia had her curiosity piqued from Subaru's odd request. He only interacted with a select few staff members, what did he need to talk to them all about? Maybe he wanted to let them in on their little 'surprise' for Reinhard and Felt? It made sense, but she also couldn't shake the odd feeling she had been noticing since Subaru woke up. Something seemed off.
"Oh, I just wanted to make an announcement, that's all."
Lilia shrugged it off. He probably just wanted to ask the staff if they wanted to help out with the gift.
"Ok, I'll tell them to gather in the kitchen once they all finish their shifts."
'Ok, that works. Now comes the hard part. I need to figure out an excuse to order them out of the mansion for the night. I'll just have to figure this out while I'm out shopping. Who knows, maybe an excuse will present itself to me?'
Subaru froze up as he turned the doorknob to leave the manor. The last time he tried opening this door, he never finished turning the handle. If he couldn't successfully work out a solution by the time he got back, there was a real chance he could end up dying again. This might be his last chance to run. . .
"Take care Subaru!"
Lilia called out to Subaru as he left the front entrance. It kinda reminded him of his mom. She would tell him that every time he went out, no exceptions. He couldn't just leave these people to die right? Even if they wouldn't say it, they had become friends since he arrived here a couple months ago.
"I will!"
'It's no use thinking about stuff like that right now. If I need to run, I'll do it after I warn them. I owe them that at least.'
Subaru nodded. He would try to get them to leave with him, but if they refused, there would be nothing more he could do. They didn't understand how terrifying it felt to die, and he refused to go through something like that again. Wait. The only way he could truly prepare them for what was coming would be to tell them the truth. The whole truth. If he just left them alone at the mansion because he wanted to 'visit a friend' for the night or something, could he really tell himself that he 'warned' them?
'No matter. They will come with me. I'm not going to waste the small amount of time I have stressing about the ethics of some hypothetical nonreality.'
It had been two hours since he had left the Manor. Still nothing. What "new information" could he get from his trip to market to merit them leaving the mansion for the night?
'Man, this is hard! Maybe I could say I want to treat the entire staff to an expensive night out. I would have to do it on the Astrea's dime though, sorry Reinhard. I'll go with that for now.'
As Subaru kept walking, he was picking up everything on his list even quicker than his last two loops. He was met with a lot of "Are you ok?"s and "You seem nervous."s but he brushed off those comments with some half-baked excuses. This was bad. Were people really able to tell that he was hiding something? If random people could see it, so would the mansion staff. He needed to succeed. He had to convince the staff that everything was fine. That he just wanted to 'give them all a reward'.
"Thanks." Subaru said.
"Don't worry about it sir, have a nice day!" A smiling merchant replied.
He turned away and beelined it for the next shop. He felt bad about leaving that merchant hanging, but the more time he had to talk with the maids, the better. Subaru had already changed most of the day's interactions into cold quick exchanges. If he kept deviating from previous loops, there is the chance he could be taken off guard by something. That wouldn't do.
"Hey kid, glad to see you again! Want to buy some appas?"
'Right on cue.'
"I'll take a bag."
As Kadomon began bagging some Appas, he glanced up at Subaru and started smiling.
"Hey, how's that blue-haired girl doing? Is everything ok with you and your buddies?"
Subaru didn't have time for this.
"Everything's fine. I'm sorry, but I don't have a lot of time to talk right now, I'm kind of in a rush, can we just skip the change?"
Kadomon froze for a second.
"Yeah, that's fine, I guess. Are you really in such a hurry you can't wait 5 seconds for me to hand you your change?"
He knew it was ridiculous. How much of a difference would one second make? Subaru didn't care. So long as that second bought him time to escape, it would be good enough.
"Thanks."
Subaru bolted off. If he ran back to the mansion, he would make it back thirty minutes before he did last loop. That will hopefully give him and the maids the ability to leave before it gets dark.
"Hey wait kid! Tell some of your friends to come shop here whenever you get the chance!"
It was too late. Subaru was out of earshot. Kadomon stood there for a second before turning back to his stand.
"I like him, but why does he always act so weird around me?"
He made it. It was still light out. Subaru sprinted up to the mansion entrance and opened the door.
"Wow didn't expect you back so early! When did you become such a hard worker?"
Lilia saw Subaru entering and immediately began praising his strong work ethic. He must really care about his surprise for Reinhard and Felt. Well, it wouldn't do for the head maid to stand around and make a guest do all the work!
"Would you like to begin testing recipes? I have most of the dishes clean from lunc. . ."
"Have you gathered everyone yet?"
Subaru interrupted Lilia. He was panting and sweating like a dog. Was his announcement really important enough to run all the way back here?
"Honestly, I wasn't expecting you back so soon. They should be finishing up their final sweep right about now."
"Ok, I guess that works, please tell everyone to convene in here when they finish, alright?"
"Sure, I'll go get them now."
'Great. Looks like all that rush only served to make me more nervous. This might not be so bad. I'll have some time to think about how I'll pitch this to them.'
Subaru walked up to a mirror and began practicing his speech. It should be simple enough. 'Hey guys, I want to thank you all for everything you've done for me. How about I take you all out and treat you to a nice dinner and hotel?' Hotel? What the hell is he thinking?! Is he trying to hit on them or something?
He kept rewording his statement and staring at himself in the mirror.
'It can't look like I'm nervous or hiding anything. If I so much as blink in a weird way, they might start asking questions. Alright, smile!. . .I hope this is good enough.'
His smile seemed fake, but he didn't have time anymore. The maids began to shuffle into the kitchen and sit down across from him. The mansion staff was a team of 5 maids, including Lilia, meaning Subaru had 5 potential causes of failure. Once the last maid arrived, Lilia sat down in front of Subaru and asked what this was all about.
"Ah. . .Uh you see. . . I wanted to give something back to you guys after everything you've done for me. As you know, Lilia, I'm planning on giving a gift to Reinhard and Felt when they return. What you didn't know was, I had already prepared a gift for all of you!"
"A gift? What kind of gift?"
Lilia was surprised. She didn't expect Subaru to have a gift for all the people living in the mansion. She would make sure to remember his birthday!
"Well, I'm sorry I had to spring this on you without any advance notice, but I already reserved an overnight suite near the edge of the Capital. My plan was we'd all head over there, have a nice dinner, and potentially go sightseeing the day after."
"Wait what? Why did you wait until now to tell us? Also, do you expect us to leave the manor unattended!?"
Lilia was really confused now. Is he stupid? He knows the staff can't leave the mansion alone, especially when the master is away on business. Did he expect them to pack up and head out with no questions?
"Well, you guys seem to be finished with your final sweep of the mansion and we'd be returning tomorrow morning. If I told you I made arrangements to have someone watch the mansion would you trust me?"
'That's a total lie. If I have to, I'll even tell them Reinhard was in on this little scheme. Whatever it takes to get them to stop asking questions.'
"Really? I'm still a bit hesitant, but a break every once in a while, doesn't sound too bad."
One of the other four maids spoke up. Perfect. If he can get another one on his side, maybe he can peer pressure the rest into agreeing.
"Don't worry. I ran this all by Reinhard before he left, so please, don't worry about the manor!"
This was it. If it didn't work, he would have no more cards left to play. Any attempt to order them to leave the mansion would only be viewed as suspicious and probably be denied.
"I guess it could be fun. . ."
Another one of the maids added.
"Yeah, if it's ok with Reinhard, we might as well enjoy ourselves. It's not often we get an all-expense paid mini vacation."
Yes! The only one left was. . .
"I don't think this is a good idea."
'Lilia. Why. Why does she have to choose now to be so headstrong?'
"Lilia, I get it. As the head maid, you have to be the responsible one of the group. Please understand, Reinhard and Felt have noticed how hard you've been working. They sincerely want to show their appreciation! Would you be so heartless as to deny this gift from them?"
'Please. I don't think I can leave you guys behind. Just stop being suspicious and listen to me!'
"Well. . .when you put it that way. I suppose it would be rude of me to ignore a gift from the masters."
'I did it. . .I saved them! Let's go! I'm awesome!'
"Really?! Awesome, everyone please pack a small bag and let's head out as soon as possible. They are expecting us before it gets dark!"
"Well that's odd. They seem to be packing their bags. Are they really going to leave nobody to watch the mansion? Hmm. I guess I'll have to make my move a bit early."
A rustle could be heard coming from a tree near the mansion. The figure observing them had been keeping a close eye on them the past few days. He wanted to attack when everyone was asleep, but now that it was clear he wouldn't get that opportunity, it seemed he had no choice but to act.
"How unfortunate. I really didn't want to make a huge mess."
"Alright everyone, is everything loaded up in the carriage? Please don't waste any time going back and looking for stuff! The place we are staying will have all the accommodations you would ever need!"
Subaru had loaded up a carriage to be pulled by a couple of ground dragons. They hadn't packed very much as they only planned to stay at this place for one night. Luckily for Subaru, he had seen advertisements for this place while he was lost during his first loop. He never thought he would be visiting them the same day.
"Is everyone ready to leave?"
Lilia emerged from the front door.
"Before we go, I need to have a quick word with you Subaru. In private."
Subaru and Lilia walked back inside the mansion while the other four maids got situated inside the carriage. She closed the door behind them and looked at Subaru with a stern gaze.
"Really? You planned on testing recipes today even though you knew about this 'gift' Reinhard prepared for us? To be frank, I don't believe anything you said to the maids. The only reason I'm going along with this is because you seem to have a good reason for it. However, if at any point during this little 'excursion' I decide I want to return to the mansion, I expect you to turn that cart around and take us back. Understand?"
"Sure. What reason would I have to lie to you guys though?"
She stared at him for a second. Clearly that wasn't the right answer to her question.
'Crap. She saw right through me. She knows me too well. If I play my cards right, I can get them far enough away from the mansion that it'll be impossible for them to make it back in time.'
"Ok, let's head out then Subaru."
Subaru turned the handle again and headed outside.
The sun was starting to go down and it cast an orange hue across the horizon and the sky. As Subaru headed towards the cart, the sunlight made it hard to see anyone inside the carriage.
"Let's head out guys! I hope you're looking forward to. . ."
He stopped in his tracks. When he peeked into the carriage he was met with a horrifying reality. The four maids in the carriage were all missing their heads. They appeared to have been murdered the moment Subaru walked into the mansion with Lilia. It was so fast they didn't even hear a scream.
*drip*
*drip*
*drip*
Ah. There was that horrible sound again. He recognized it very well from his last loop. The frequency and pitch made it so he didn't even need to look to know what he was hearing. The sound of blood dripping from a corpse.
He turned around to see Lilia. . .with a blade through her back and coming out her chest.
"Su. .ba. .r."
Before she could finish, her head went flying. Subaru didn't even have time to speak as he had already begun shaking from fear. It dawned on him; he was going to die again. There was nobody around for a mile and he had no chance against this enemy.
"Lilia! No. .no. .NO! THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!"
He wept profusely at the sight of Lilia's corpse. He had done everything right. He convinced them. They were going to leave the mansion and be safe. So what the hell was this sight in front of him? Why had everything fallen apart? Was he destined to be a failure?
"Yeah, I agree. It shouldn't have happened this way either. I was planning on just killing you while everyone was asleep, but you had to go and screw everything up!"
"W. .why! Why me?! Huh you bastard?! The fuck is your problem with me! What did I ever do to you? What about them?!"
Subaru had gone into denial. It makes sense now. This bastard must have been watching them the entire day, waiting for the moment Subaru dropped his guard. How stupid must he have been to think that leaving the mansion would make it all go away!? A world where he could be happy, where he was successful? What a bad joke! Suffering is his lot in life and no power could change that.
"Killing them was left up to me. I figured they'd get in the way so I disposed of them. As for you? Well, its nothing personal, but I've been ordered to kill you."
'Me? Someone ordered this guy to kill me? This should be impossible. Nobody even knows I'm alive, how can somebody order me dead?'
"What?! That. . .that's impossible! How did you know I'm alive?"
"Huh? I don't even know your name."
"What?! I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand. . ."
"Well the ordered specified 'the guest in the Astrea manor' so I suppose it makes sense why you are confused."
"I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand. . ."
"Hey listen, that's starting to get annoying! I get it, it doesn't make sense to you."
Subaru had lost it. What was he supposed to do now? Accept his death? His heart felt like it was seizing up. It was beating so hard he could feel the blood in his eyes. The only comfort he felt was from the conversation with the cloaked figure. He didn't care what the guy had to say, rather, he felt that as long as the figure kept talking to him, he could delay his incoming death.
"I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand. . ."
"I'm getting tired of this. Time to call it a day."
The figure pulled his blade out of Lilia's corpse before walking over to the delirious Subaru.
"I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understa. . .GRHAGHHH"
The blade slashed off Subaru's left ear. A sprinkler of blood began pouring out of his skull.
"AGRAHHAAHAAAA. . ."
"Well, looks like I finally snapped you out of your trance. I almost envy you. You don't have to hear these disgusting wails like I have to."
With his left arm pushed up against his skull, Subaru looked up at the figure again before falling backwards. This is it. No more talking or stalling. He would brutally murdered again and nothing would change.
"G. .ET AWAY!"
He couldn't see anymore, his eyes had filled with tears. All he could think about was escaping the assassin in front of him.
"I'm done with this."
Subaru noticed his field of vision falling downwards. As he tried to pick himself he realized nothing was responding. What was going on? His last view was of his own headless body, toppling backward after being completely slashed through.
'Is that. . .me?'
This was Subaru's final thought. The darkness began to cloud his vision and a familiar sensation began to overtake him. Emptiness personified, the ego being shredded. Death.
AUTHOR NOTE
Man Subaru's got it rough now huh? I can't promise things will get better just yet. Hopefully the writing seems a bit less robotic than in previous chapters. I've noticed a marked improvement in my writing since I released the first chapter.
What is going on with this assassin? Well, you'll just have to wait to find out! I've been trying to release one chapter a day so potentially you'll be figuring it out tomorrow. . . ? I've got basically the whole story laid out for the next like 40 chapters, so until I reach that point, I will try to post as frequently as possible.