Author's Note:
Almost all my exams are over. The admission tests were really crazy. Regardless, I am trying to get 'English Literature'. Is there anybody among you who belongs to the 'Department of English' one way or another? Let me know! Anyways, I really hope I can get this. Please, please, pray for me!
I have tons of other interesting stories. Check them out in my profile. Just in case this site dies: I have an AO3 account— same username and profile picture.
Chapter 12
Subaru sat up, gasping for air. Her heart was hammering, her skin was clammy with sweat, and her entire body trembled with the ghost of pain that wasn't even there anymore.
She had died. Again.
And this time, not at the hands of some monstrous beast, not through a witch's curse, but by Ram.
That cold, calculated strike.
That ruthless efficiency.
She had never truly thought of Ram as a threat before. Rem? Definitely. The little blue-haired murder machine had been gunning for her from day one. But Ram had always been distant, indifferent, barely acknowledging her existence outside of snide remarks and sarcastic jabs.
Until now.
"Shit," Subaru groaned, running a shaky hand through her pale white hair. "Just... shit."
The scene replayed over and over in her head. Rem's corpse. Ram's grief-stricken face. The blind, overwhelming rage. And then—the pain.
A swift, almost painless death.
If she had to rank all of her deaths so far, this one was... surprisingly merciful. A quick strike. No prolonged suffering. But that didn't mean she was okay with it.
She gritted her teeth, fingers digging into the bedsheets. Ram thought I killed Rem.
Which meant Rem was still going to die.
That was inevitable. That hadn't changed.
The only difference was that now, she knew it was coming.
She knew that if she let things play out the same way, Rem would die, Ram would lose it, and Subaru would end up bleeding out again with Betty's horrified screams in the background.
Hell. No.
"Alright," she muttered, forcing herself to breathe, forcing her mind to work. "Think. Think, think, think."
Who poisoned Rem?
She had no idea.
And that was the problem.
If she didn't find out who the real killer was, she'd never be able to prove her innocence. And if she couldn't prove her innocence, then Rem was going to keep trying to kill her. And Ram was going to succeed the moment she lost control again.
She had to fix this.
She had to win the twins' trust.
Somehow.
Subaru exhaled shakily, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. The wooden floor was cold against her bare feet, grounding her in the present. She was still alive. She had another chance.
She wouldn't waste it.
Her black eyes flickered toward the door, half-expecting it to click open, half-expecting Rem to be standing there with a glass of poisoned milk again.
Nothing.
That was good.
That meant she had a little time.
Winning the twins' trust won't be easy.
Rem was still actively trying to kill her.
Ram? Could kill her, given the right push.
And given that she had already died once tonight, Subaru wasn't exactly in the mood to test her luck.
So.
If she couldn't win their trust immediately, then she needed to do the next best thing—
She needed to figure out who actually poisoned Rem.
Because if she saved Rem's life, if she proved to Ram that she wasn't the murderer, then maybe—just maybe—she could stop them from killing her in the first place.
It wouldn't be easy.
It wouldn't be safe.
But it was her only option.
Subaru lifted her hand, staring at her pale palm. She could still feel the phantom pain of it being severed.
Then, slowly, she raised it higher and slapped her own cheeks.
No pessimistic thoughts!
She wasn't going to sit here and wallow. She wasn't going to let fear paralyze her.
She was the Greedy Witch—whether she liked it or not.
And if she had to bend fate itself to survive?
Then she would.
No matter what.
Y—Y
Subaru had made up her mind.
If she wanted to survive, if she wanted to prevent the nightmare that was Rem's inevitable death—and Ram's subsequent vengeance—she had to act.
And acting, in this case, meant stalking Rem.
Not subtle observation. Not casual monitoring.
Full-on, shameless, dedicated tailing.
It started first thing in the morning.
The moment Rem left her room, Subaru was right there.
Rem's eyes twitched slightly at the unexpected presence, but she didn't say anything.
Then she went to the kitchen.
Subaru followed.
Rem started cleaning.
Subaru watched.
Rem chopped vegetables.
Subaru nodded sagely, arms crossed.
Rem turned sharply, fixing Subaru with an icy gaze.
"Echidna-sama," she said smoothly, "do you require something?"
Subaru smiled, wide and polite. "Nope! Just appreciating your hard work."
Rem's grip on the knife tightened.
It wasn't paranoia. Subaru could see the murder in her eyes.
Damn it. She was getting on her nerves already.
But that was fine. She was built for this.
If Rem was suspicious of her, Subaru had no choice but to brute-force her way into her life until she was too exhausted to suspect her anymore.
Method acting, baby.
So Subaru stuck around the kitchen like a loyal dog.
Every time Rem moved, Subaru moved.
Every time Rem reached for an ingredient, Subaru stared.
Every time Rem glanced at her from the corner of her eye, Subaru grinned.
She did not blink.
She did not falter.
She absorbed the tension like a sponge and basked in it.
Ram found the whole thing hilarious.
"So devoted, Echidna-sama," she teased, resting her cheek on her hand as she sat at the table. "I didn't know you had such an interest in kitchen work."
Subaru didn't take the bait.
"Oh, yes," she said dramatically. "I simply must witness Rem's culinary brilliance firsthand. It's an educational experience."
Ram smirked. "Of course."
Betty, however, was less amused.
"Mother," she whined, clinging to Subaru's arm. "Why are you wasting your time on this girl instead of me, I suppose?"
Subaru patted Betty's head. "Now, now, Betty. Don't be jealous. You're still my favorite."
Betty pouted but didn't argue.
Rem, however, was definitely arguing with herself internally.
Subaru could feel it.
She could practically hear Rem's inner monologue:
"Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. KILL HER. WHY IS SHE STILL HERE?!"
The way Rem's fingers twitched every time Subaru moved even an inch was proof enough.
Rem was trying so hard to resist the urge to summon her morningstar and bash Subaru's head in.
And Subaru?
Subaru was handling it like a champ.
She kept her posture relaxed but ready to dodge.
She maintained eye contact but not too much eye contact.
She threw in compliments just to confuse Rem enough to keep her from snapping.
At one point, Rem was slicing carrots with terrifying precision, and Subaru decided to test the waters.
"Wow," Subaru said, watching as the knife glided through the vegetable effortlessly. "That's impressive. You'd make a great assassin."
Rem paused.
For just a fraction of a second.
Then she resumed chopping.
Subaru's lips twitched.
"I knew it."
She was learning.
And what she was learning was that Rem was actively fighting the urge to kill her.
This wasn't a joke.
It wasn't a passive dislike.
It was a battle of self-control.
Rem wanted her dead.
Badly.
And yet—Rem wasn't acting on it.
Which meant something was holding her back.
Subaru just needed to figure out what.
So the stalking continued.
Rem went to clean the hallways?
Subaru followed, hands in her pockets, whistling.
Rem checked the supplies?
Subaru checked them, too, nodding as if she actually knew what she was looking at.
Rem went outside to gather herbs?
Subaru picked random leaves off the ground and pretended she was helping.
By noon, Rem was visibly twitching.
Her aura was practically screaming murder.
Subaru took every single one of her glares with a big, dumb smile.
Ram was still entertained.
Emilia was confused.
Beatrice was jealous.
And Subaru?
Subaru was alive.
That was all that mattered.
Y—Y
Subaru was nothing if not persistent.
That morning, she continued her relentless campaign of shadowing Rem like a dedicated paparazzo.
If Rem went left, Subaru went left.
If Rem stopped, Subaru stopped.
If Rem breathed, Subaru held her breath just to throw her off.
And if Rem looked annoyed?
Subaru grinned harder.
Her resolve was absolute—she would win over Rem.
Even if it meant dying a hundred times trying.
So when Rem left the mansion to get rations from the nearby village, Subaru?
Subaru followed.
Rem did not acknowledge her.
At all.
She walked with the elegance of a trained servant, her posture straight, her footsteps even, her face calm.
But Subaru knew better.
She could see the irritation in the way Rem's hands slightly curled into fists.
She could feel the hostility rolling off her in waves.
And when Rem stopped to buy vegetables and Subaru casually leaned on a nearby stall?
She swore she saw the oni maid's eyebrow twitch.
Oh yeah.
She was pissing Rem off.
But that was fine. Better irritation than outright murder.
She had to ease her way into Rem's good graces somehow.
If she stopped following her now, Rem might think she was planning something sinister.
So she did what she did best.
She acted casual.
"Hey, Rem."
Silence.
"Rem."
More silence.
Subaru tilted her head. "Rem-chan?"
No response.
"Rem-Rin?"
Nothing.
"Rem-Rem?"
Still nothing.
"Remington the Third?"
Rem exhaled through her nose sharply.
Success!
That was the closest thing to a reaction she'd gotten all day!
Progress.
Subaru smirked to herself, hands in her pockets, watching as Rem silently paid for the supplies before continuing on her way.
And of course, Subaru followed.
Halfway through the trip, they were ambushed.
Not by bandits.
Not by Witch Cultists.
Not by angry demon maids wielding spiked clubs.
No.
They were ambushed by children.
The village kids had spotted Subaru from a mile away, their little faces lighting up like lanterns the moment they saw her.
"Big sis Subaru!"
Oh no.
"Big sis Subaru's here!"
Oh god.
"Victory pose, victory pose!"
"Another magic!"
Subaru barely had time to brace herself before a swarm of small, excitable humans tackled her.
She staggered but managed to keep her balance, letting out a forced chuckle as she patted their heads.
"Haha, hey, guys! Good to see you too!"
They cheered.
Rem, meanwhile, stood at a distance, watching.
Expressionless.
Observing.
Judging.
But Subaru ignored that. She had to focus on the tiny gremlins now attached to her legs.
One of the kids, a little girl with pigtails, held something behind her back.
"Big sis Subaru!" she chirped. "Look what we found!"
She brought her hands forward—
And Subaru saw a tiny, bald puppy.
It was hideous.
Subaru had never seen such an unfortunate-looking creature in her life.
Its skin was patchy, almost hairless, and its eyes were big and watery.
It looked like a goblin pretending to be a dog.
But the kids were excited about it.
So Subaru pretended to be excited too.
"Oh wow, a puppy!" she exclaimed. "Where'd you find this little guy?"
The kids all started talking at once.
"We found him near the well!"
"He was all alone!"
"His mommy wasn't there, so we took him in!"
Subaru nodded along, crouching down and reaching out.
"Alright, let me give him a pat then—"
And that was when the dog whimpered.
Loudly.
As if it were terrified.
Subaru's hand froze mid-air.
The kids blinked in confusion.
The dog shrank back.
Its tiny, body trembled violently, and its eyes—big, round, almost human-like—stared at Subaru in pure, unfiltered fear.
Like she was a monster.
The air shifted.
The happy, cheerful atmosphere vanished.
The kids exchanged confused glances.
Subaru's stomach twisted.
And then—
She felt it.
The weight of a glare.
She slowly turned her head.
Rem was staring at her.
Hard.
Her blue eyes were like daggers, piercing through Subaru's soul.
And in that moment—
Subaru realized.
She had screwed up.
Because now, instead of making Rem trust her—
She had just convinced her that she was evil.
Subaru took a step back, forcing a laugh.
"Haha… guess he doesn't like strangers…"
None of the kids laughed with her.
They were still confused.
The dog was still trembling.
And Rem?
Rem didn't say a word.
She just turned and continued walking.
Like she had already made up her mind.
Like she had confirmed something she suspected all along.
Subaru gritted her teeth.
Damn it.
This was not what she wanted.
She needed to fix this. Fast.
But before she could think of anything—
Before she could salvage the situation—
Rem spoke.
Just one word.
Cold.
Flat.
"Disgusting."
Subaru stopped breathing.
And just like that—
The gap between them grew wider.
Y—Y
The night was quiet, unnervingly so. Subaru lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, hands resting on her stomach as she mulled over the day's events. There was something off, something gnawing at the back of her mind like an itch she couldn't scratch. But for now, she pushed it aside.
Across the hall, Ram sat on the edge of the bed, carefully wrapping a bandage around Rem's hand. The younger twin winced slightly, but didn't complain.
"Honestly, to be bitten by a puppy, how careless," Ram chided, voice carrying the usual sharpness, though it lacked the real bite.
Rem lowered her gaze. "It wasn't the puppy's fault. He was just scared."
Ram sighed, tying the bandage off with a bit more force than necessary. "Still, be more careful next time, Rem. You wouldn't want to get sick over something so trivial."
Subaru, watching from the doorway, sighed quietly. She had spent the whole day thinking, following Rem, searching for anything that might explain the creeping sense of wrongness she felt. She found nothing.
No suspicious villagers. No one slipping anything into food. No strange men lurking in the shadows.
No poison.
Which left only one possibility.
Ram?
No. No, that was ridiculous. Ram might hate her, might be willing to kill her if given a reason, but to kill Rem? Impossible.
She was missing something.
Shaking her head, Subaru let out a deep breath and forced herself to relax. If Rem wasn't poisoned today, that meant she would live tomorrow. That was all that mattered.
Finally, she allowed herself to drift into sleep.
Morning came, and with it, the sounds of the mansion slowly waking up. The maids moving through the halls, birds chirping outside, the distant clatter of dishes from the kitchen. A normal morning. Peaceful. Quiet.
Until the scream shattered it.
Subaru sat up so fast her vision swam. The scream had come from the twins' room. No, not just any scream. Ram's.
Panic seized her chest, and before she could even think, she was already moving, practically stumbling out of bed and rushing towards the source of the noise.
She nearly crashed into Beatrice in the hallway.
"Mother, what—"
Another scream, raw and desperate.
Subaru shoved past Beatrice and ran.
The moment she stepped into the room, she knew.
Rem was dead.
Ram knelt beside the bed, gripping her sister's limp hand. Her face, usually composed, was twisted in agony, eyes wide with disbelief, lips trembling. Rem lay motionless, her skin pale, lips slightly parted as if she had been trying to say something before she died.
Subaru couldn't breathe.
No. No, this wasn't possible.
She wasn't poisoned yesterday. She should have lived.
She took a step forward, but the moment she did, Ram's head snapped toward her, eyes burning with fury.
"You."
Subaru's mouth went dry.
Ram stood, slow and deliberate, shaking hands clenching at her sides. "It was you, wasn't it?"
"I… I don't know what you're talking about—"
"Lies!"
Wind magic exploded around Ram, whipping through the room like a storm. Papers flew, the curtains billowed violently, and Subaru was thrown back against the wall.
Beatrice jumped in front of her, arms outstretched. "If you try to harm Mother, I'll kill you, I suppose."
Ram let out a bitter, shaking laugh. "Harm her? She already killed my sister."
Subaru's stomach turned. This wasn't right.
"Rem always told Ram that the guest was evil, but I paid no heed… Is this my punishment for being blind?"
Subaru shook her head rapidly. "No, I— I didn't—"
Ram took a step forward, and Beatrice immediately strengthened the shield between them.
Subaru felt cold sweat sliding down her back. "Listen to me, Ram! I didn't kill Rem! I don't know what happened, but I swear—"
"Swear?" Ram's eyes burned with something indescribable. "What would an inhuman thing like you know about swearing on something precious?"
The wind picked up, swirling in vicious arcs around the room.
"Step aside, Beatrice."
Beatrice didn't budge.
Ram narrowed her eyes. "Fine."
Before Subaru could react, Ram lunged forward.
Beatrice, caught off guard, shifted the shield slightly to block Ram's direct attack—
But that was what Ram wanted.
The moment the shield shifted left, an invisible force shot past it.
Subaru barely had time to register what happened before—
A sharp, searing pain tore through her arm.
She gasped.
Then—
Crunch.
Her hand hit the floor.
Subaru stared in shock as blood poured from the stump where her arm used to be.
The pain came seconds later, white-hot and unbearable, her vision blurring as she collapsed to her knees.
She could barely hear Beatrice screaming for her, could barely make out Ram's shape through the haze of pain.
But she did see the moment Beatrice's shield faltered.
And Ram didn't hesitate.
A final gust of wind.
A single second.
A blur of movement.
And Subaru died.
She woke up, gasping, heart slamming against her ribs as she shot upright in bed.
Her arm.
Her arm was still there.
She was back.
Back to yesterday.
She clutched at her chest, trying to steady her breath.
Rem wasn't poisoned.
But she still died.
How?
Subaru's mind raced.
And then, it hit her.
You don't always need to take poison orally.
Snake bites contain venom.
Salamanders, too.
Even certain frogs.
But dogs? No, not a dog. A dog bite might cause rabies, but it wouldn't be fatal this fast.
Unless…
It wasn't a dog.
But something else in disguise.
Y—Y
Author Note:I wonder how EchiBaru will fare against the MaBeast. Do you think her magic is strong enough?
Coincidentally, my other story: 'The Legendary Sword Saint Is Not Dead!' is also in the same arc. Check it out. Dattebayo.
Thanks for reading this chapter. Drop your thoughts in the review section. Your words motivate me to write better, larger and with more depth.
Until next time!
