Watching Arc 4 in The Theater of Despair - Chapter 23 - Vyazov23 - Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 (2024)

Chapter Text

The episode opens with Elsa and Garfiel's fight. Sparks of a shield and kukri clashing filled the space, the sounds of the two metals clanging and practically shrieking. And the longer they exchanged blows, the more aroused the killer became.

“Marvelous. You are truly marvelous. Just stunning.” She said with a loving smile, blocking another hit with her blade.

“Ram is the only one I would like to hear this from!” The blond man answered her sharply.

“Hmm! We’ll see for how long…” Mimi whispered grumpily, crossing her arms.

She certainly knows how to give out punches, praises, and a combination of both. The pink maid definitely favored the tall clowns. Whereas, Garfiel clearly liked strong girls. And if so, then she has every chance to succeed. Just let the cat out of the house and see what happens.

“Ha! Don't hold your breath, Garf! Your ego is already bigger than yourself!” Ram proudly declared, crossing her arms.

She was genuinely happy about how much Garfiel had grown mentally over the past year. But she will keep this joy inside herself and for herself. Garf already looked happy as it is.

Exchanging blows, he pinned the killer against the wall and wanted to smash her head in, but she skillfully dodged. As a result, his fist punched through the wall and got stuck in it. Not seeing this as a problem for himself, Garf simply tore out his fist along with a piece of wall, using it as a makeshift mace.

“It really is pleasant to watch how Garfiel adapts instantly to the changing environment on a battlefield. He can, if needed, turn any part of the environment into his weapon. This approach makes him an extremely unpredictable and dangerous opponent.” Wilhelm nodded approvingly, watching the young talent demonstrate his potential.

It was a pity that such a promising young man did not meet his lady before. Wilhelm would be happy to train such a talented teenage fighter. But the fact that he became a loyal ally of Natsuki Subaru was also a satisfactory outcome in the eyes of the gray-haired butler.

“I must admit his fighting style is unrefined but very effective!” Crusch admitted with a nod and content smile.

It was really pleasant for her to see that Natsuki Subaru gained such a powerful ally. And if in the future she’ll be able to make him part of her camp, both her House and the whole kingdom as well.

Seizing the moment, she aimed the knife straight at his face, intending to cut off half of his head. But the attack was stopped.

“Marvelous!” Elsa murmured in wonder after a moment of surprise when she saw that the opponent had intercepted her blade with his teeth.

“Praase frmm you dnnt mke me hppy, dmmnit!! He answered with difficulty.

“Bro, you are awesome! I've seen many things in my life, but for a blade attack to be intercepted with teeth is something new!” Otto noted admiringly, enjoying what was happening no less than the main participant in this event himself.

“Of course! Every part of my amazin’ self’s body is a weapon! If nature gave ya powerful jaws, den you need to use dem to the fullest! Moreova’, the enemy rarely expects such move. As the saying goes, Hoshin always had another catapult under his coat!”

Garfiel was almost glowing with pride from the praise. He knew that he deserved it.

“This defensive technique is very unorthodox, but I can’t deny its effectiveness, since it successfully completed its task. Too bad the other knights won’t be able to utilize such a tactic.” Julius said with a smile, professionally assessing the movements and fighting methods of the young warrior.

“And most importantly, look how spectacular it is. The guy can't help showing off, even in front of such an opponent. Oh, the folly of youth!” Ricardo said sarcastically. Such scenes made him nostalgic.

“Like Barusu, like Garf. Lustful animals that will try to seduce even mortal enemies, as long as they are women!”

“You don't have to worry so much, Ram. I'm sure Garf will be fine!” Emilia hastened to reassure her friend, feeling the nervousness in her tone.

“Ram doesn't understand why you think I care in the least about the fate of this womanizer, Emilia-sama.”

“Because it’ll be obvious to anyone who will look into your e-e-eyes when you look at the screen so i-i-intently, Ram.”

“Here! You see, Mimi? That’s why it's so important to take care of your teeth regularly! I still remember, you used to like to be naughty about this topic. Maybe one day, good teeth will save your life!” Anastasia turned to Iron Fang's deputy commander with a satisfied smile.

Who was now sitting on Ricardo's knee, looking at the screen with loving eyes and a joyful smile, oblivious to the world around her.

“Well, sis? Are you going to stand behind me all night?” He turned to Frederica, who was watching the battle a little further away.

“Of course not!”

“Sorry, but it really don’t look like I’m gonna have time to show off. The Cap’n put me in charge of keepin’ you safe, so please!” Having said that, the guy rushed into battle again.

She looked at the door to the room where Rem was sleeping, looked at how her brother was fighting, Frederica decided.

“I believe in you, Garf!”

“Damn right, you do!” The fighter confidently declared, without distracting himself from the opponent.

Elsa successfully jumped away from another attack, but she was let down by a braid of her hair, which Garf successfully grabbed and with one swing sent the killer face-first into the wall.

“Ha! That's what happens when you let your clothes or hair flutter during a fight! I expected more from a professional!” Ricardo gloatingly noted the killer's mistake.

“For some reason, it seems to me that she understood that she was leaving a hole in her defense, but simply did not consider it necessary to think about it. Her ability to regenerate made her careless in this regard.” Reinhard noted.

“I'll tell ya more! This bitch got sick pleasure from every blow my amazin’ self gave her! Dat crazy psycho…”

“Apparently this crazy woman derived perverted pleasure from the fact that she can experience pain, I suppose. It gave her the sense of mortality, which must’ve bolstered her excitement of battle. What a depraved creature, in fact!”

Without giving her time to recover, he grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and ran along the wall, intending to literally ‘smear’ Elsa on it.

“Yes! Yes! Go ahead, Garf! Smear her! Turn it into a paste!” Mimi screamed with blood thirst, completely engrossed in the battle scene.

And she was not alone like that. Felt, Rem and Ram watched with undisguised pleasure as the hated assassin was receiving well-deserved punishment for everything she’s done.

Emilia and Beatrice, while not showing it outwardly, also felt a sense of satisfaction and disappointment that they could not be the one to execute this gut loving maniac.

Even Frederica was so invested in the fight on the screen that she didn’t try to close Petra’s eyes. Which was used by the little maid to the fullest. She also wanted to see the gruesome end of the Bowel Hunter.

But Elsa was far from done. Her blade struck out, nicking him in the cheek and making him falter in surprise. With his grip lax, Elsa flicked her blades, caving in the floor with a quick swipe of her arms.

“The hell?! She bisected the floor with just her knives?! How strong was this crazy woman?!” Al asked in fury.

The amount of unfairly powerful people in this world never ceased to amaze him. The external appearance and muscle mass meant literally nothing in this world.

‘ It’s been so many years, but still I sometimes feel like it’s a world of cheaters, compared to Earth. And only the ability to not die permanently allows those like me and Bro to survive here’

“Even heavy armor would be useless against her. Good thing that Garfiel relies on agility, rather than robustness.” Crusch mused aloud.

After falling to the floor below, Garfiel was relieved to hear the sounds of a door slamming and footsteps retreating.

“It looks like the sister managed to leave.

The cloud of dust in front of him was actually cut in two with one swing of the blade and swept aside. The killer walked leisurely to the blond man sitting on his ass, grinning like a nymphomaniac in front of a desired lover.

“The Bowel Hunter. Elsa Granhilt.” She introduced herself, licking her lips rapaciously.

“The best shield of the Sanctuary. Garfiel Tinzel!” The blond man answered her, getting to his feet. “Yes, Cap’n, ’tis one hell of a first battle! So ya better hold up yer end!”

“Can someone explain to me where this habit of introducing yourself to your enemy in battle comes from? Even unrepentant maniacs do this.” Al decided to ask a burning question.

“This is one of the older traditions of our world. This is how you show respect to a worthy enemy and tell him by whose hand they will fall.” Julius said with an instructive tone. Personally, he considered such a detail to be a very important part of the etiquette of a warrior.

“No, of course I understand, respect for your enemy, traditions and so on. But does no one really ever think that by telling the enemy your name, you can give them an extra advantage? Or even worse, what if the enemy defeats you or escapes and wants to continue to take revenge on you? They will know whose family or friends to look for.” The one-armed warrior expressed his logic.

“Got to admit…I hadn't thought about it from this perspective before.” Julius answered him somewhat uncertainly.

The scene changed, returning to Subaru and Beatrice's conversation in the Great Library.

“You want to take Betty away from this place…? Is that…any of your business, I wonder? No one asked you…to do such a thing.” The girl replied indifferently, clutching the Gospel to herself.

“I don't have time to argue right now. Do you understand what's going on outside?” Subaru chided her.

“Yes, it's clear that uninvited guests have come to the mansion. But the library of the Great Spirit is a special place. I am not afraid of external threats.”

“Your Door Passage is only effective on closed doors. If someone opens all the doors in the mansion… And the enemies know about it.” The young man refuted her confidence.

“—Why does the enemy know of this weakness, I wonder?” She asked calmly. Subaru pursed his lips, not knowing how to tell about the identity of the person who ordered the murder.

“Roswaal told them…that must be how they know.” The spirit girl guessed calmly.

“So Roswaal's Book of Wisdom described my death?” To the boy's horror, Beatrice uttered these words with a peaceful smile, as if it were the most joyful news in a long time.

“Wait a minute… Why are you looking so happy about this?!”

“Because Betty thought her Mother had finally remembered her. That her pact was finally nearing its end. And in every loop, Betty accepted death with relief, in fact. Because she was a cowardly fool who did not see the best partner she could have dreamed of right in front of her!” Beatrice scolded herself, once again running through her mind all the deaths of Subaru, which could’ve been prevented if she had listened to her desires, and not to her fears at least once.

“Don't berate yourself so much, Beatrice. This all will be over soon, Subaru will wake up, and we all will be able to apologize to him together.” Emilia hurried to take the girl's hand to calm her down.

The prospect of her contractor waking up soon did help lift her spirits. Betty really missed his famous head pats.

“My fate has already been determined.”

“And that's what the book says: let this snake kill you?!”

“…If you have come this far, surely you understand. Roswaal is simply upholding what is written in the book of knowledge, I suppose. If this is the result, Betty’s fate is already sealed.”

“What the hell? Are you…? Roswaal’s book is his, and your book is yours, right?! Or are you telling me that book you’re hugging says that at some point he’s going to have you killed?!” Subaru jabbed a finger toward the book of knowledge, which Beatrice clutched as if hoping to shatter her resignation.

“It’s so unsettling to see how calmly the Great Spirit accepts all this just because the margrave follows the instructions of some magical book!” Felix said with a sad and disappointed expression.

“I thought that you, knights, would understand his actions better than anyone else, in fact. Didn’t you swear allegiance and gave the right to control your actions in the hands of another person as well, I wonder?” Beatrice turned her head and gave an inquisitive look to the healer. Which made him jump up from his seat in a feat of defiance.

“That’s completely different! We serve our lieges because it was our own decision! We know them, we saw their nobility, their virtuousness, and we completely trust their judgment!” Felix answered with indignation, completely forgetting about adding cuteness to his voice.

“And ho-o-ow is that any different from my situation, pray tell? You think I was forced into becoming Echidna’s student? Or that I didn’t see my Teacher as the most no-o-oble, beautiful, wise and worthy of se-e-eving? Or do you think the moment you are ordered to do something that goes against your ethics, you’ll simply defy her will and refuse to carry out said o-o-order?”

“There is no way my lady would make an order that I will refuse to carry out!” Felix said adamantly.

“Then wha-a-at is the difference between you, serving your lady and me, serving my Teacher, este-e-emed knight?”

“Do you really have the gall to say that when it was you, who willingly let the Witch Cult burn down the entire demon village, just because of your damn book!” Julius reminded him in an ice-cold tone.

“These kids simply don’t learn, in fact.” Beatrice muttered, shaking her head in disappointment, knowing that the resuming of the episode was going to be postponed again.

“And I concur with you completely, esteemed kni-i-ight Julius. This was truly an inhumane decision of a real mo-o-o-nster. And as you saw a bit e-e-earlier, I’m ready to accept the punishment for what I’ve done. Thankfully, It’s not like anyone else would make such a cruel decision, ri-i-ight?” Roswaal answered, once again revealing to the world his cruel, smug smile.

The knights only gulped with worry. They already learned that this smile promised nothing good. And their ladies froze in fear. They understood what the margrave was implying. And none of them had means to repel his verbal attack.

“Earlier, in this very place, haven’t we all se-e-en that you, sir Felix, didn’t even bat an eye when Crusch-sama decided to leave the Arlam village to their fate simply because saving them didn’t suit her go-o-oals? I don’t remember you calling her o-o-out on this decision. She had the resources a-a-and the willpower to stop the Witch Cult, but opted to ignore them to pursue her own ambi-i-itions. Can anyone present here say how it’s different from what I’ve do-o-one? And it’s not just Crusch-sama. E-e-every candidate that Natsuki Subaru asked for help ref-u-used him because it didn’t suit their interests, held no promise of profits or simply was not amu-u-using enough.”

Smiling cruelly while looking at the dismay on the faces of the knights, glaring at him, Roswaal made himself more comfortable in his chair. Anastasia and Crusch didn’t even turn to look at him, but he could easily guess their thoughts. Priscilla simply huffed irritatingly and fanned herself, not dismayed by the clown’s accusations. She already said everything on that matter.

“So please, enlighten me, sir Felix. What is the difference between you, serving your lady and me, serving my Teacher?” He asked the dazed demi-human with a stern look, full of poison. Felix didn’t say anything. He simply sat back in his chair, looking completely detached from reality.

Neither Crusch nor Anastasia tried to argue with the mage. Not only because they were sure he’ll find a way to twist their words and use them against the candidates. But also because of an overwhelming feeling of guilt. Could they really judge him after everything that was shown? He was right after all. It was the prospect of gaining something that tipped the scales in favor of helping the black-haired kid.

“Ya know, wha’ pisses me off the most, Brotto?” Garfiel asked quietly.

“That you can’t deny his words?”

“Yeah, exactly. Feels like I jus’ ate sh*t…”

“There's not a word about it in the book.” She replied calmly, opening an empty book. “My fate has remained a blank slate.”

“Then what's the matter? You have no reason to follow Roswaal's lead! Do as you see fit, as you used to do!”

“Should the decision be mine?” Beatrice was surprised by this statement. “Have I ever chosen anything for myself in my life? I have continued to protect this mansion, all alone, because Mother asked me to… When did I ever make a choice of my own? Who is this Beatrice you speak of, and what has she done for herself?”

“Beatrice…”

Suddenly, Rem felt an urge to convince the spirit girl that this was not true. “But you are wrong, Beatrice-sama! You wanted to save Ryuzu! No matter what! You were ready to strain yourself, even defy Echidna’s plans just to save her!”

“And what results did it bring in the end, girl? Ryuzu still chose the Sanctuary over Betty. At the end of the day, what’s the point of your aspirations and motives if the result is still a failure, I wonder? What really matters is what you’ve actually achieved. And Betty failed in everything, in fact. Betty was too weak to save her friend, her Mother, or even Roswaal.” Beatrice said with a teary expression, holding Subaru’s palm and caressing it tenderly.

“That’s why Betty decided not to make any decisions on her own from that day and wait for instructions from the Book. Because she thought only that way she’ll be able to achieve at least something. It took Betty’s Subaru and his unparalleled stubbornness to get through to Betty and make her see things from another perspective.”

“My life is as barren as this book. It is empty from beginning to end. Although just one volume would be enough for me.… I have a soul too. During the time Betty’s spent here, I managed to think about a lot, let it go through me and eventually lost my faith. How many nights have there been when I needed help, when I couldn't even find my mother's smile among my memories?”

Digging her nails into the book she clutched to her chest, Beatrice bit her lip as she glared at Subaru.

“There were times when I was afraid of being alone and desperately wanted to be with someone, anyone. But as the years went by, everyone eventually left Betty behind. They all said something incomprehensible about how it was for something so important… Mother left Betty! And so did Roswaal! Even Ryuzu!” The girl cried out with tears in her eyes.

“No wonder, Subaru set himself a goal to get the Great Spirit out of this place. Her life is so much like his own, and so much more tragic.” Julius commented, doing his best to contain his emotions.

What really helped him was the knowledge that the same spirit girl was sitting in the front row right now and was gently holding the hand of her beloved contractor. No matter how alone and desperate she felt back then, this uncouth, rude, loudmouthed otherworlder managed to save her and bring her out to the world.

‘ Just how do you do it, Subaru? It’s not like your ability was of any help here. Although something tells me, if it was needed to save this girl from her mind prison, you would’ve looped a thousand times. And not once would I’ve judged you for this. ’

His liege, however, didn’t say anything, she was too busy wiping off tears. Just like the majority of other ladies in the theater.

“Betty…the spirit Beatrice…has always been alone, destined to be left behind by everyone else… But now I can rest a tiny bit easier, I suppose. Even if it’s only within Roswaal’s book of knowledge, the fact that Betty has been recorded… Does that mean Mother has not forgotten about her daughter, I wonder?”

“Were you so traumatized by Ryuzu's sacrifice that you locked up your memories of how happy you were because of the decisions you made, Beatrice? Did you forget that it was you who decided to make friends with little Ryuzu? That it was you who made the decision to go to help Tosca? Did the fear of loss bind your heart so strongly you decided to forget all this?”

The surrounding people were so shocked by the notes of sadness and empathy in Roswaal's voice that no one thought to tell him to shut up. These words felt like something too personal for him and Beatrice. Even Priscilla decided not to comment, realizing that it was not worth interfering in their conversation right now.

The girl even turned her head to him, seeing that the magician had closed his yellow eye and was looking at her with his blue one, which she remembered from the first years of her life. It was the original Roswaal that was talking to her right now.

“Every time something bad happened, no one asked Betty. No one was interested in her opinion. Betty was never given a choice. I was simply confronted with the facts and expected to comply with the new and sad reality. Each time, I could only accept that Ryuzu was not there anymore and would no longer smile at Betty. That Betty’s Mother was dead and would no longer scold Betty or teach her anything new. That the first Roswaal had died and would no longer make fun of Betty.”

Trying not to let tears interfere with her words, the spirit girl kept holding the sleeping Subaru's hand, as if it was her lifeline.

“All Betty's independent decisions only led to the fact that she eventually experienced the loss of loved ones. If I hadn't become friends with Ryuzu, then I wouldn't have cared about her fate. If Betty hadn't gotten close to Roswaal, I wouldn't have worried about his fate. If Betty hadn't helped Tosca, he wouldn't have come to me at the end of his years to try to bring me out into the world… Everyone who was close and important to Betty left me because they had other, more important things in their lives than Betty, making them leave her for some higher cause, I suppose.”

The spirit's words caused others to ponder about them in silence for a while. Was it possible in their lives that some problem will arise, so critical, that they will have to leave their loved ones behind or become abandoned by them?

Emilia and Rem simultaneously thought about the possibility that Subaru would have to leave them forever for some reason. Or that he would return to his home world as abruptly and unexpectedly as he was summoned. Such thoughts were frightening, not even because that was a feasible possibility, but because they understood that they had no way to prevent it.

“Make Betty… the first.” Rem repeated Beatrice's words from the previous loop. “You didn't want to be the only one in his life… but to be the most precious one. So significant that no debt, desire, or affection would be more important to him than his contract with you, right?”

“What was the point of accepting him as ‘That person’ if in his soul there was already a burning desire to do anything, sacrifice himself without any hesitation for the sake of a naive half-elf or a love struck maid, in fact? That's what Betty thought at the time.” Beatrice replied sadly.

“Betty had been thinking about this for hundreds of years, and the longer the time dragged on, the more convinced Betty became of her being right. It took the repeated intervention of an arrogant, stubborn, mannerless boy who does not know how to give up, even when there is no hope anymore, to make Betty doubt herself.”

“And what do you think now, Beatrice? From the height of your experience, if you could go back in time and say something to yourself, would you tell her to act differently? To give up all those moments in order to avoid the pain of loss?”

The girl looked down and thought about the words of the ancient mage. What would she do if she had the opportunity to never experience this pain of loss?

Unconsciously, she squeezed Subaru's hand a little harder. She felt his warmth, remembered the words of the promise he had given her. A warm smile appeared on Beatrice's face, because in her mind she imagined what answer her contractor would give to this question. Boldly glancing back at Roswaal, she replied decisively:

“No way! If Betty had a chance to tell her past self what to do, Betty would have ordered her to stop being lazy and take everything for granted, in fact! To hurry up and create as many wonderful memories with all her dearest ones as possible! Because breakups and farewells are inevitable! Which means there is not a single day to lose!” At these words, she unconsciously squeezed Subaru's hand, as if trying to make sure that he was still with her.

“One day, even Betty's contractor will leave her, in fact. No matter how hard Betty tries, this ending cannot be avoided. But before that happens, I will do everything so that the memories of these days will last me for another four hundred years!”

Roswaal couldn't resist giving her a sincere smile, which Beatrice hadn't seen since the day Hector attacked the Sanctuary. He didn't like it when people changed. He was too fixated on how happy his past was and how bleak his present and future were. But this time, he couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness, seeing how his sworn little sister had matured.

“You've grown up so much. And became so greedy. Your Mother would’ve been proud of you!” He winked at her playfully.

To which Beatrice indignantly puffed out her cheeks and abruptly turned away with a ‘Hmpf!’, crossing her arms.

“Of course, she would be proud of Betty! Betty is, after all, her daughter! The Great Spirit of Knowledge who rid the world of the legendary mabeast and signed a contract with the greatest of heroes instead of breakfast! You can't expect anything less from Betty!” She declared, turning up her nose.

However, the friendly laughter of others made her make a sour face. No respect from ordinary mortals these days, what has the world come to?!

“And I also remember your obligations, girl.” She reminded Rem, softly giggling to her left. Who quickly forced herself to stop laughing and politely nod to the spirit.

“There's no way I'm going to let myself forget about it, Beatrice-sama.”

“Good, in fact!”

“Umm…what sort of obligation does Rem have to you, Beako?” Emilia became really interested in this news.

“It's none of your business…girl. Yet. The maid has pledged to provide me with a number of services for the right to be near my contractor, that's all.” Beatrice replied, not even looking at the half-elf.

Rem didn't dare look her lady in the eyes either, afraid that her flushed face might give her away. These reactions gave rise to vague doubts in the young girl's mind. Was Rem trying to bribe Beatrice somehow? Shrewd, but logical. She could understand the intentions of her rival-friend. She was also using support from third parties, like Ram. Emilia began to think about what Rem could offer to interest the Great Spirit to make her help the maid. And also how she could counter Rem’s move.

‘ Sweets! Beatrice is a real sweet tooth! And Rem is a great cook! I’m ready to bet she convinced Beatrice with the promise of delicious pastries! ’ The girl suddenly realized the serious advantage the maid had over her.

‘ It's decided! As soon as we get back, I will ask Frederica to teach me how to make desserts!’ Nodding confidently to her thoughts, Emilia threw a sideways glance at the maid. ‘ I'm not going to lose to you, Rem! ’

Subaru listened in silence as Beatrice poured out her heart to him, sympathizing with her situation. But when she said with a smile that she was glad that her name appeared on the hit list in the Book, he could not stand it:

“You're kidding me.… Are you an idiot?! You are an idiot! It hurts me even to look at you! You had four hundred years to ponder, and you couldn't find a less radical solution?! Like, what if your mother messed up and gave you the wrong book by mistake?!”

“Do you intend to insult Mother, I wonder?! Mother would never make such a stupid mista—”

“Can you say for sure it absolutely couldn’t happen? You don’t have even the slightest doubt? Are you so certain the only possible explanation is that your mother deliberately handed her own daughter a book with nothing but blank pages?!”

“It seems that after his successful inspiring of Emilia-sama, he decided to bring everyone to their senses, telling them that they were idiots.” Commented Julius, covering his face with shame.

And who could blame him? Right in front of his eyes, some commoner kid had just called an ancient spirit, the Great Spirit, an idiot! Even in the case of Emilia, it was easier for the Finest Knight to accept his attitude, because she never even tried to show him the difference in their social status and communicated with him as an equal. Which is why such frivolity on Natsuki's part was egregious, but at least understandable. But to say such a thing to the Great Spirit?!

“Remember how his father taught him to stop sulking and overthinking things? They clearly use the same family approach to solving problems!” Otto remarked with a mischievous smile.

“Subaru-kun did the same to me when I started talking about how I shouldn't have been saved. So he's been using this method for a long time.” Rem recalled with a smile the night Subaru-kun first showed himself to her as a true hero.

“So it seems he raises the bar every time? Who else will he yell at or punch in the head in the future? The Emperor? The Sword Saint? Perhaps a verbal slap to the Witch of Envy is coming her way?” Anastasia asked enthusiastically, wondering if it was worth offering a new bet.

“I would never be surprised if one of these days, big bro hits Reinhard on the head when he starts talking self-deprecating nonsense again. Only, unlike me, he will do it without a drop of wickedness and therefore Rein will not be able to dodge!” Felt said grumpily, unhappy that she sincerely believed in her own words. Because none of her own attempts to take out her anger on her knight were successful.

“Why…would you put it that way…? M-Mother surely would never make such a mistake. I-is that not obvious, I wonder? This is Mother we’re talking about! Would you doubt your own mother’s words?!”

“Of course, I would! The times I can trust her don’t come along all that often! My mom’s the same person who heard a report about a satellite falling into ‘the atmosphere’ and somehow thought it was ‘Aichi Prefecture.’ I stopped believing any news that came from her mouth after that! It’d be mega-embarrassing if I spread around something that stupid again!”

“Well, that shows why Natsuki-san had such a reaction to Beatrice-sama’s firm confidence in her mother’s words.”

“I didn’t understand half of what Subaru-sama just said, apart from that his mother is a very impressionable person.” Frederica said with a thin smile, a little embarrassed by the situation.

“Well, at least we have confirmation that Subaru-kyun’s mother was a bit of an airhead. And that her son definitely inherited it.”

“Which did not stop her from giving a word of wisdom to Subaru-dono when it was most important, and that is what really counts.”

“Well, let's be blunt, so that your stupid mom can hear it too.” Subaru said sternly, walking up to the girl, taking her hands in his and forcing her to look directly into his eyes. “Don't let a four-hundred-year-old promise and an empty book rule your life! Choose for yourself what to do, Beatrice! Four hundred years have passed!”

Unable to find a response to his words, Beatrice simply lowered her head.

“Four hundred years… Isn’t that more than enough time to justify at least one rebellious phase?” Subaru continued to push.

“The mini-boss is talking business! If Betty is already four hundred years old, then she is a grown-up girl! She can decide for herself what to do! Like Mimi does!”

‘ Come on, Natsuki Subaru! Show my stubborn little sister that it's time for her to make her own decisions! ’ Roswaal thought, nodding approvingly. A cheeky guy who never gives up, succeeded where he’d failed for hundreds of years.

“Say what you want, but I'm bound by a pact. And a pact is absolute… That’s why…” Beatrice said in an empty voice, not daring to look up.

“Big talk from a girl looking for a loophole in that same pact, ready to go straight to her death so long as that pact isn’t broken in the process.”

Beatrice shied away from his piercing stare until his comment made her eyes shoot wide. After having her inner thoughts laid out so plainly, a shudder ran through her as she began to tear up.

“What you’re saying is all messed up, Beatrice. Haven’t you noticed the inconsistencies? There’s no way you haven’t. You got a good head on your shoulders.”

“Would you…just be silent, I wonder…?”

“A familiar move. He uses what he learned about her in the previous loops to persuade her that she’s right.” Ricardo nodded in understanding.

“How glad I am that Subaru-kyun still fears death! Say what you want, but the potential his power has if he’d ever decide to abuse it is enormous, nya!”

“Yes, it could be a disastrous ability, if it was wielded by someone less virtuous than Sir Natsuki. Thankfully, fate’s decided otherwise and instead of despair, our world was given hope.” Crusch said with a confident, yet gentle smile.

“Y’know wha’ scares my amazin’ self the most, seein’ dis scene, Brotto? If cap’n ever comes to me when I’m in a pinch and don’t know what to do, and just starts talkin’ smart words, tha’ strike right into yer heart. Cause If that happens I won’t be able to think of anything butthe number of times he had to go through hell again, just to learnwha’ to say to save the day again…”

“I hear you, Garf. Od knows, I hear you…that’s why it is our duty to make sure he never has to act outside his goofy self ever again.”

“Ya got tha’ right, bro.”

“I have a friend who is bound by the pact. She wanted to break it, but she couldn't and preferred death.” These words made the girl shudder. “If you die fulfilling the pact, it's better to break your word and move on! Is it really so strange that I chose this option?”

“Well, of course, you are an egoist without shame and conscience.”

“I know how cheeky that sounds. And yes, I'm quite an egoist! But I… will never give up those I cherish!”

“I do not know how to feel about this. On the one hand, Subaru says wonderful and reasonable words. But… he is directly calling on Beatrice not to break just her promise, but to break the pact by which she is connected to Echidna!” Emilia shook her head in confusion, unable to come to any conclusion.

How many times in her last day of childhood, people had promised that everything would be fine, while knowing full well they were doomed? And still they lied to her so that she wouldn't worry or cry in despair. She hated it when someone broke their promises! But after seeing the events from Subaru's point of view, she still began to think that maybe everything was not so simple.

“Apparently, no matter how many times you tell him, he won't change his attitude to promises so easily. After all, he is from another world, and he has a different view of things.” Frederica tried to clarify the situation from a neutral position.

“Subaru-kun should learn to take promises more seriously! This is one of his worst traits, along with the habit of carrying all the problems on himself!” Rem sternly voiced her thoughts and right after that added with a more humble tone. “And as for us… we should learn from him, that holding on to some promises is not worth it if it can lead to tragedies. Like the one we see right now.”

“That which does not bend under external pressure will eventually break, in fact. That's what Betty’s contractor told her.” The spirit girl agreed with the maid's words.

“I-if you were…the one I’ve been waiting for…then maybe…” Looking up, the girl for the first time allowed a tinge of hope to creep into her voice. “Would you…? Would you…become ‘That Person’ for Betty?”

Subaru looked at her blankly.

“You really are an idiot. There’s no way in hell that I’d be this stupid person or whatever you’ve been waiting for.”

The next second, he flew out of the library into the corridor.

“IDIOT!” A chorus of voices rang out at the same time.

And Beatrice was the loudest among them. Those, who refrained from vocally denoting the young man's mental abilities, limited themselves to hitting their faces with a palm of their hands.

“How many times will my opinion of him swing from side to side?! Sometimes it seems to me that Subaru-kyun suffers from a split personality! One person is an irresponsible idiot who does nyot know how to read the atmosphere at all, always says the wrong things to the wrong people at the wrong moment and because of this constantly gets into trouble! And the other one is a great tactician and a hero, who can inspire a whole army even in the face of a deadly threat and find a way out of the most desperate situation, nya!”

“For the past year, Betty believed that her contractor had done the right thing by forcing her to accept him exactly as Subaru, and not as the ‘That person’ Betty was waiting for. But that's only because Betty had no idea what was at stake, in fact! How could he risk everything, including our future together, just to show off?!”

“Perhaps he said that on purpose, exactly because he remembered the previous loop? After all, Beatrice herself wanted to be the very first for him, and he could not do such a thing for her. That's why he refused to be ‘that person’.” Petra tried to defend her hero, although she herself understood how weak this argument sounded.

“I agree with Petra! He followed what his heart said. Sir Natsuki did not want his relationship with Beatrice-sama to be based on lies, and acted honorably!” The head of House Karsten did not want the noble impulse of the black-haired young man to be drowned in a torrent of criticism.

“I would agree with you, Crusch-sama, If Natsuki-kun wasn’t bound by the pact with a scheming magician.” Anastasia answered her sternly.

“Such stupid games in nobility could cost him everything! Including those in front of whom he decided to wave his ‘nobility’!” Priscilla answered her sternly, who was now determined to mercilessly shoot down any attempt to justify the actions of a commoner.

“Even if this dog said it intentionally to make the spirit completely discard all thoughts of the old pact and become truly free of it, it's still not an excuse! He had no way to know if the half-wit had already passed all the Trials! And if he died before that, he would lose the bet and become a slave to the clown! Who would just tell him to forget about everyone in the mansion! That's what his stupid desire to do everything ‘honorably’ could have cost him if this idiot had stumbled at least once!! What worth does such ‘honor’ even have if you end up in front of the graves of those whom you ruined because you decided to act with honor?!”

She was outraged. Therefore, she will not allow any pity or attempts at justification of his stupidity! It would seem that, faced with so many horrors and abominations of their world, it was high time to become smarter! Forget the fabulous nonsense about unbending nobility and the desire to always be sincere and direct, set a target before you and reach for it by any means necessary. If you want to save as many as possible, be ready to compromise with yourself for the sake of saving them all.

“You're kidding me.… What an idiot! We were still in the middle of talking…!” Getting on his feet and opening the door, but all he found on the other side was a simple guest room. “I had more stuff to say… Damn that short-tempered loli!”

“Like you are one to talk! That is the exact reason I try to keep you out of any important negotiations! That’s it, he will receive a full course of rhetoric and art of negotiations! I’m currently feeling immense second-hand embarrassment because of you, Natsuki-san!”

“Just how many troubles could he've avoided, if he only he thought before speaking?” Julius closed his face with a palm.

“And somethin’ tells me he’s still the same in this regard. His tongue is his worst enemy.” Anastasia wholeheartedly agreed with her knight.

“Natsuki-san!” Otto's worried voice came from the left. Turning his head, he saw Otto and Petra standing next to him.

“Damn it, guys… Why are you still in the mansion?! You only needed to open the doors on the first floor, and run as soon as that was taken care of, right?”

“Mabeasts. The interior of the mansion is already filled with them.”

“That must mean Meili’s here, huh… But you took the crystals, right?”

“Apparently, he remembered how he had successfully eliminated one of Petelgeuse's fingers with mabeasts, using the trick with repelling crystals and prepared in advance. Sir Natsuki, as always, is quick on the uptake. Despite the need to hurry, he was able to take into account many factors, managed to remember the only episode where he used such a trick. More than that, it happened in one of the failed loops!” Crusch noted with respect.

“Indeed, Subaru-dono's excellent memory is one of his most outstanding features. We can safely say that this trait, to a large extent, compensates for his lack of combat skills. The example of Subaru-dono shows that royal knights should, in addition to training with weapons, also learn to think laterally and look for non-obvious solutions. This can give them unexpected advantages over the enemy in a variety of situations!”

“There's a mabeast they don't work on!” Petra said worriedly, showing him the glowing crystals that worked as a repellent against the mabeasts.

“What kind of beast did she bring to the mansion if it doesn't even care about repelling crystals?!” Mimi asked with surprise.

“Surely this must be the Guiltylowe we saw earlier, that the girl brought.” Tivey suggested, adjusting his monocle.

“Yeah, that was this monster.” Petra nodded.

“Really? But why?”

As if to answer Subaru's question, tremors started shaking the entire mansion. Suddenly, the floor below the trio collapsed. All three of them began to fall down, screaming.

“Petra!” Subaru managed to hug the girl to him to protect her from falling.

“In any situation, Subaru-sama always thinks about protecting those around him first!” Petra happily declared, for whom this moment has been one of the most pleasant memories of how her hero saved her from danger. Again.

“—Make sure you don’t let her go!” Frederica's voice suddenly rang out.

Right in the middle of the fall, a strong hand grabbed Subaru by the collar. The next moment, the head maid flew out of the window, holding a Subaru in one hand and holding Otto in the other. Subaru gently fell to the ground, clutching Petra in his arms, and Frederica landed gracefully on her feet.

“Well done, sis! You saved everyone!” Garfiel praised her.

It was nice to know that even while he was busy with the Bowel Hunter, there were those who could take care of his brave but defenseless captain.

“Frederica is the best in the whole world!” Petra jumped onto the chair with joy, making her mentor laugh into her fist.

Perhaps, given the general atmosphere, she could allow her young student a couple of seconds of mischief. No harm will come out of it.

“Your swiftness and dedication do honor to all the maids of the world, Frederica-san.” Wilhelm bowed respectfully to her, however, not trying to hide a satisfied smile.

The old man would also not mind jumping to his feet and waving his hand triumphantly, but age and status obliged him to strictly adhere to etiquette. Especially since the younger generation was doing such a great job of celebrating the moment.

“I was merely doing my job, Wilhelm-san. This is our duty to those whom we have decided to serve.” Frederica bowed elegantly in return to the gray-haired warrior.

The maid and the butler understood each other perfectly in this regard, and in a brief exchange of words were able to say much more to each other than it might seem to an outsider.

“Okay, I'm sold. We'll take Frederica too. This girl has a huge potential.” Anastasia whispered mischievously to her knight.

“Considering that she even manages to keep Garfiel in check, maybe she will make a good mentor for Mimi?” The finest knight supported her idea.

“If she succeeds in this, I will provide her with a lifetime emolument and build a maid training school with her as a headmaster.” Said the merchant-princess without a hint of irony, recognizing a tremendous difficulty of trying to tutor her adopted daughter is.

“What happened?” Subaru asked, coming to his senses.

“Please forgive my impropriety. The situation forced it. Is anyone hurt?” The maid asked.

When Petra saw her mentor, alive and unharmed, she rushed to hug her with tears. “Frederica!”

In a hurry to respond to the gesture of love on the part of the youngest, Frederica, without any care, dropped Otto to the ground and hugged Petra.

“If only you knew how terrified I was, thinking that I would never see you again, Frederica nee-sama!” Even though everything that happened on the screen corresponded with her memories, the girl still couldn't help but worry about the people close to her on the screen.

“Even the maids don't give a second thought about this plebeian! How do you even manage to seem so insignificant even to the servants?! This is definitely a talent of yours!” Priscilla did not miss the opportunity to tease the merchant.

However, the reaction of the gray-haired man was different from what she’d expected.

“You know, Priscilla-sama, I myself start to believe that this is , in some way, my talent. It does create a lot of difficulties in everyday life for me, I must admit. On the other hand, I understand that at crucial moments, even the eyes of the gods may lose sight of my insignificant figure, allowing me to make the move I wish to make in their game. A pawn that is too insignificant to even consider its position on the board is still a pawn, capable of eating the king, won't you agree?”

After getting a grunt of displeasure from the Baroness and taking it as a sign of his victory in the dispute, Otto showed a satisfied smile.

“Ow!! Wait a minute! I’m grateful you saved my life, but what is this rough handling?!” Otto groaned, getting up from the ground.

“I-I am very sorry, Otto-sama. She was simply higher on my list of priorities…” Frederica crushed his self-esteem with utmost elegance.

“Women, children, old people, men, and then Otto.” Subaru jokingly listed.

“Have I been exiled from even the ranks of men?!” Otto almost sobbed at the realization of his position.

And at this moment, Otto's satisfied grin disappeared. He made a more stern face and looked towards the maids sitting in the back. Ram gave him a smug look. Petra gave him her sweetest smile, believing that this trick would definitely work on someone like Otto. And Frederica blushed heavily at the awkwardness of the situation on the screen.

“You know… I would be extremely glad if I wasn't treated like a sack of potatoes in the future!” The head of the camp's internal affairs spoke in an exceedingly calm and slow way.

“I-I’m truly sorry about this incident, Otto-sama!” Frederica bowed guiltily. “To my shame, I did not realize back then how important you are to our entire camp! I promise to make amends!”

“What a scandalous display of self-importance! You need another ten years of arduous work in order to get at least close to a whole bag of potatoes in terms of value!” Ram said ruthlessly.

“Well, Ram-san, I didn't expect anything else from you when it comes to potatoes. If you lose access to them, you will lose the will to live in a matter of days.” The merchant scurrilously replied to her.

“As if the words of someone who won't last a day without a bottle worth much!” The pink-haired maid did not hesitate to counterattack.

“I'm more than used to long periods of sobriety on the road, you know! But I really doubt you can say the same about yourself and steamed potatoes, Ram-san! I have the high ground!” Otto said defiantly.

“You underestimate my willpower, pathetic merchant!” The demoness replied haughtily.

“I feel like a very interesting bet is coming up here!” Anastasia rubbed her hands, wondering which side would be able to bring her a bigger win.

“Subaru-sama, as you asked, I took Rem with me.” The maid said, showing the sleeping Rem, secured on her back with a sling made of a sheet.

“You did… Thank you…for getting her out safe and sound. I mean it.” He said tenderly, lightly touching Rem's cheek.

‘ I wonder, when I see you again, will you look at me the same way, Subaru-kun? Will you touch me just as gently? Will you let me hug you and cuddle up to your chest?’ Rem thought happily.

The girl's heart was beating faster when she saw with what tenderness her hero was looking at her. And even in such a situation, when it was necessary to save Frederica, Petra and Beatrice first, he did not forget about her. He was the only one who didn't forget.

“ You didn't forget about me, even when the rest of the world did… Do you think I can imagine life without you in my life after that, Subaru-kun?”

“It was the natural thing to do.” Frederica replied friendly, but immediately turned stern and looked towards the mansion. “More importantly, we have a pressing problem to deal with…”

In the broken wall stood a huge figure of a hippopotamus, better known as a wagpig.

“Wow! Look at the size of that thing!” Mimi was amazed at the size of the mabeast, which was larger than some buildings in the Capital.

“Indeed. Just one of those wagpigs would require a whole squad to fight with. Preferably with the support of a couple magicians! This monster probably has a really thick skin too! I can cut him up, but the fight would be long and intense.” Ricardo reasoned seriously.

Out of habit, he had already begun to plan the amount of forces and tactics necessary to bring down such a monstrous creature. And his military mind came to a conclusion that the current group on the screen will have a hard time without Garf's help.

“With such a huge creature, you need to constantly evade its attacks, exhaust it, attack from the sides and inflict lacerations so that the bleeding would weaken him.” Tivey mounted his favorite hobby of gathering and analyzing information.

“Garfiel, did you really fight with such a huge beast?!” Emilia asked the blonde man in surprise and trepidation, pointing at the screen.

“Like I told ya before, princess. It was preventin’ my amazin’ self from gettin’ to the bitch in black.” Garfiel replied to her in a relaxed manner, pleased with the attention he received from all sides.

“Garfiel-san, how would you deal with this opponent if you prefer to fight without weapons?” Wilhelm asked, who was becoming more and more respectful of the young fighter.

The young man demonstrated not only bravery and a desire to protect his loved ones, but also remarkable combat potential, which allowed him to fight on equal terms with Elsa. Subaru-dono was extremely wise to include such a promising fighter in Lady Emilia's camp. In the future, he may become the most worthy knight of the kingdom.

“I screwed its head off.” The young fighter replied without any boasting, shrugging his shoulders just like he would describe how he swatted away a fly. Which evoked several surprised exclamations.

“Could you please… elaborate what you mean by ‘screwing its head off’?” Felix asked him, not believing these words.

“Literally. I transformed and twisted its head off. C’mon, guys, dis fat ass was just a small fry, no point in givin’ it so much attention. T’was the bitch tha’ proved to be a hustle to deal with! Les’ just keep looking, I'm sure it’ll be shown to us anyway.”

Seeing the tiger boy’s relaxed demeanor, some people couldn’t help but shake their heads in surprise. Such a huge and dangerous beast was simply a small fry to him? And since neither Crusch nor Reinhard said that he was lying, they could tell that Garfiel really dealt with this hulking giant without much problem.

‘ Perhaps it’s not such a good idea to demand a duel from him for the right to date with Mimi… ’ Ricardo suddenly started to doubt his plans. Still, he decided to wait and see everything for himself.

“Wow, well done! It's amazing how everyone survived such an attack?” Said a little girl, sitting on the back of a huge beast.

“Wait, so the floor under the big bro and the rest collapsed because this wagpig rammed the mansion’s wall? sh*t, just how strong that beast was?!” Felt explained in surprise.

“Not strong enough to stop my amazin’ self, tha’s for sure.”

“Still, such mabeasts are like a living siege weapon. Who knows what destruction they can cause if somebody learns how to control them.” Anastasia pointed out, recalling that Meili was a mabeast user and was capable of taming them.

“Meili!” Subaru looked at her angrily.

“Wow… For some reason, you are not at all surprised by our meeting! What a disappointment! Well, okay, but now I'll get both maids. With you, Petra, I will try to be especially gentle. After all, we are friends!” Meili said with a sweet voice, looking like she was inviting everyone to a tea party in pajamas.

“Y-yay, I’m so happy! If we’re friends, that means you’ll let us go, right—?” Petra replied in a mock cheerful voice.

“Tee-hee-hee. Of course, we’re friends. That’s why we’ll get along until the ve-e-ery end, right?” One sweet girl didn't buy the charm attempt from another sweet girl.

“Uh, Subaru, sorry, but I tried my best, and it still didn’t work…” The girl turned to Subaru in frustration.

“It’s still a really dreary picture when you realize that Meili became like this simply because she was unlucky in life and grew up among the most vile people around her.” Emilia noted sadly.

“I am somewhat ashamed that due to the lack of a normal system of aid to the poorest communities in the kingdom, such ‘Meilis’ emerge.” Julius commented, trying to keep a straight face.

“Don't waste your breath on useless regrets!” Felt answered him sharply, throwing an angry scowl at the noble knight. “Your high-born pity will not feed the inhabitants of the slums, who do not even have a loaf of bread and will not help cure the sick!”

“I would kindly ask you to not use my knight as a napkin to smear your tears about the fate of the poor!” Anastasia answered her coldly.

“Then don't let your knight revel in his noble hypocrisy in my presence! It is so easy to talk about the miserable fate of the slums dwellers and other deprived areas, sitting in your rich mansion, drinking expensive wine! And while you're there, enjoying your exquisite cheeses, hundreds of such potential ‘Meilis’ are growing on the streets! Who has a banal choice between death and serving all sorts of scumbags, like a Witch Cult!”

“And how are you planning to solve this problem? Give out everyone bread for free? This will definitely solve the problem, su-u-ure!” The merchant princess sarcastically remarked.

“That's only because you've never held a single holy coin in your life. But will you be able to restrain your greed when you gain access to huge wealth, I wonder? We all saw how your greed clouded your judgment in the first arc.” Anastasia pointed out how Felt used to make choices similar to those whom she hated so much.

“That was then. Now it’s different. And especially so since I saw what my greed can lead to.” The ex-thief said with a somber tone. Ana noted with a hint of pleasure that Felt seemed to have reevaluated some of her life priorities.

“Let's continue the discussion about the solution to the problem with the poor in Lugunica after we return to our world.” Crusch intervened in their argument. “I will also join this discussion, if you don't mind.”

Subaru was thinking hard about what to do in such a situation when a sling with a sleeping Rem was suddenly placed on his back.

“This little girl… or rather, the assassin, I would like to take on myself. During that time, all of you…” Frederica said, stepping forward.

“Don't, Frederica nee-sama! This is exactly the same as before… We’ve only just met again, and…” Petra was afraid for her.

“No, it’s different now… After all, last time, I was resigned to death. So much has changed. After ten years, I have reunited with Garf…with my younger brother. And I have you, my unspeakably adorable junior. I have never been happier. And that’s why I refuse to be defeated here.”

“Yeah!” This time, the girl believed Frederica’s words.

“Frederica! We're going to the margrave's room!” Subaru informed her.

“Please do. I shall join you once I have given this girl a proper spanking.”

Otto took Petra's hand and everyone except the maid hurried to the other wing of the mansion.

“Hey, hold on a…! Don’t decide stuff on your own like that! Petra-a-a-a!” Meili was mildly indignant at this turn of events.

“Be-e-e-e!” The maid girl stuck out her tongue at her without slowing down.

“That's right! You show her Petra-chan! Such a nasty girl doesn't deserve anything better! And I'm not going to be friends with her!” Mimi expressed her opinion unequivocally.

“You do realize that such a gesture will only make her angrier, not upset?” Tivey asked her.

“You don’t get it, Tivey. It doesn't matter, as long as Petra stays alive! This bad girl faced the situation when someone stuck out their tongue at her, and she couldn't do anything about it! And she will have to live with this shame from now on!” His twin sister announced solemnly.

“’Tis ankle biter should just be glad that she stayed alive, and did not share the fate of her older ‘sister’!” Garf said grumpily.

“Dear guest, allow me, on behalf of His Grace margrave Roswaal, to give you a warm welcome!” The maid politely addressed the murderer.

“That's it! I’ll make you regret this!” Meili pouted and gave the order to mabeast. “Get her, Rock Piggie!”

In response, the huge beast opened its giant mouth and let out a deafening roar.

“Now, come closer. I’ll be teaching you some harsh lessons today!” Frederica announced, turning her hands into paws. “Prepare yourself!”

“Like sister, like brother. Just give them a reason to show off before the fight.” Anastasia noted with a smile.

“I think Frederica was right. Her brother tries in every way to be like her. And to surpass her in every possible way. Oh, boys will be boys, I guess.” Crusch agreed with her.

The scene changes to a Subaru and his group hurrying through the corridors of the mansion.

“What's the plan?” Otto asked.

“There's a secret tunnel out in Roswaal's chambers. Let's follow it and leave!” Subaru said.

“Wait, when did Subaru-kyun learn about the secret tunnel, nya? I don’t remember him using it even once.”

“He knows about if from one of the failed loops. When he saw the aftermath of a Witch Cult attack for the first time. The cultists dragged Emilia-sama into this tunnel and were frozen to death by the Great Spirit. And later Subaru met the same fate there.” Reinhard's absolute memory allowed him to quickly find the answer to this question.

“No wonder my amazin’ self didn’t remember ’tis moment. I would gladly remove those horrors from my memory If I could!”

“Still, once again we should note the Subaru’s incredible memory and perceptiveness. Even while in a state of shock, he managed to remember that he saw a secret exit in margrave's office.” Julius said, hoping that his envy won’t be visible on his face.

But they had to stop when they noticed a bunch of brutally torn bat-looking animals in the corridor, and a huge mabeast was approaching from the other side, who had created this massacre.

“He appeared!” Petra said.

“Natsuki, that's him! The Guiltylowe! Repelling crystals don't work on this one! He's the worst opponent for us!” Otto explained the situation.

With a terrible roar, Guiltylowe announced the start of the hunt.

The scene changed, returning to the moment when Emilia went to the second Trial.

“Events are jumping from place to place again! Let's finish at least one thing before we move on to another!” Otto was indignant.

“Maybe this is how they show us what things happened simultaneously? While the fight was going on in the mansion, Emilia was just starting her second Trial.” Julius suggested.

“But even before that, we were thrown back and forth along the timeline. So it's hard to say for sure. It's just corny and confusing!” Felix shook his head.

“It was my Teacher and I who started it. That is the one thing you got wrong, Emilia-sama.” Roswaal murmured to the departing half-elf girl.

Meanwhile, Emilia was trying to guess what was expected of her now.

“I've seen the past.… I can guess what will happen next.” The girl reasoned aloud as she walked along the glowing corridor.

When she entered the Trial room decorated with Subaru and Park scribbles and pictures, she closed her eyes and heard her own voice in her head:

‘Behold the unthinkable present.’

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar, not luxurious but comfortably furnished room.

“That's enough, Lia! Don’t wobble your head like that and sit still, would you? Sit tight! You are so naughty!” She heard her mother's familiar voice.

On the screen was little Emilia, who looked to be in her pre-teen age. And at that moment, someone was brushing her hair.

“Emilia-sama! It's you! But you look younger. Almost like me!” Petra said admiringly.

“Poor Cap’n. He’ill curse us up to the seventh generation, after we tell him tha’ we saw the princess in all the most innocent ages, and he did not!” Garfiel smiled obscenely at this situation.

“Yes, Natsuki-san. Get ready to shed bitter tears when you find out what you missed. For my revenge will be sweet!” Otto whispered gloatingly, rubbing his palms together like a real villain.

“Mother Fortuna?” Emilia was surprised.

“Eh? What happened? Did you doze off?” The elf woman asked her.

Emilia looked down and made sure that Fortuna had a shadow, which means it was not an illusion.

“Are you dressed up today, Mother? It suits you very well!” The girl quickly got her bearings.

“Is that all? And here I was getting worried, only for you to tease me.” Fortuna was embarrassed and continued to take care of the girl's hair.

“Now you're a beauty!”

“Thank you, Mother. Where's the mirror?” Getting up, the young Emilia went to the mirror hanging on the wall, but soon noticed that there was no reflection in it.

“That’s an unexpected weirdness. Why doesn't the mirror show your reflection, big sis?” Felt was mildly surprised by this.

“Maybe this is some kind of error in the work of the Trial?” Reinhard suggested.

“Or we're being given a clue that the half-devil is actually a monster that doesn't even reflect in mirrors.” Priscilla joked, although the lack of venom in her tone indicated that the Baroness was just making a joke.

“Everything is much simpler. After all, the Trial builds the world on the basis of memory. And at the time of passing this Trial, I just did not know what I looked like, because I had never looked into reflections since I woke up from the ice. For some reason, I was… scared to look at my reflection. That's why I didn't remember what I looked like.”

“That's right. I remember the order of the Great Spirit Puck that there should be no mirrors or mirrored surfaces in Emilia-sama’s room.” Ram confirmed.

“But why, Emilia-sama? What could cause this behavior?” Crusch asked.

“Most probably, so that she herself would not become terrified at her resemblance to a Jealous Witch.” Priscilla expressed the obvious version, which others would tactfully prefer to keep silent about.

“Priscilla is right. I was called a witch ever since I met other people after I was released from my ice prison. That’s why I came to hate my appearance, despite never seeing it before. As part of our contract, he picked my clothes and hairdo. After the Trial, I realized that this was how he was trying to protect me. So that I won't hate my appearance, which looks so much like the Witch of Envy, even more. After all, all the people I met after waking up were afraid of me, called me a witch or ran away.”

‘It’s a good thing that the real appearance of the Jealous Witch is unknown to the public. Otherwise, Emilia-sama could’ve easily faced not just persecution from locals, but from the governmental system as well.’ Otto thought with a hint of relief.

Even if other camps start spreading gossip that Emilia-sama looks exactly like Satella, this won’t hurt her reputation much since they won’t be able to prove it with pictures.

“Emilia?” Fortuna asked worriedly, watching her daughter freeze.

There was a knock on the door.

“We have guests!” The girl immediately took the opportunity to complete the uncomfortable topic.

When she opened the door, she found Archbishop Romane-Conti standing behind it. Alive and well.

“Good morning, Emilia-sama. I'm flattered that you met me.” He greeted her affably.

“Geuse …” For a couple of seconds, Emilia froze, as if trying to confirm that Geuse was really standing in front of her, but then she smiled as if nothing had happened. “Good morning.”

“This moment is quite interesting. It's as if you didn't immediately believe that you were seeing Romane-Conti alive. So you realized that it was all an illusion?” Otto asked Emilia with interest.

“I don't remember all the details, Otto. I was ve-e-ery confused at the time. My real memory was struggling with a fake one.”

“This is very similar to what Natsuki-kun faced in the first Trial. The subject's memory is being locked up, but it still tries to break through when there is a collision with important elements of the past.” Anastasia thought about it out loud.

“You're punctual. Well, shall we go then?” Said Fortuna, who took a picnic basket with her. Seeing how Geuse was staring at her, she asked. “What?”

“No, it would be better not to worsen your mood…”

“We’ve known each other long enough. There’s nothing you can say that will shake me now, Geuse.”

“Whatever you say, Fortuna-sama. Your clothing choices today are dazzling. I find myself rather enchanted by the sight of you.”

Fortuna was speechless with embarrassment for a moment and punched Geuse with her fist. The basket would have fallen to the floor if Emilia hadn't caught it in time.

In the next frame, the trio was walking along a forest road. Fortuna stomped angrily forward.

“Man, their dynamic is so cute, I would like to see more of their interactions.” Al said, sincerely smiling at what seemed like a scene from a romantic comedy.

“Did I say something inappropriate?” Geuse asked, confused.

“No, it’s not that. Mom gets embarrassed really easily, so she couldn’t help but blush when you said that to her, Geuse. Mom’s so cute.”

“Don’t go around making things up! Geuse is… He is a man wicked to the core.” The woman continued to sulk.

“Now that’s how a true tsundere should act!” Al said contently.

“Gotta admit, Fortuna-sama had her charm.” Ricardo nodded in agreement.

With the quarrel at home out of the way, the three amicably strolled along—Fortuna marched ahead in a huff, with Emilia and Geuse walking side by side as they headed for the lake in the forest.

On the way, a group of elves called out to them:

“Oh my, Lady Fortuna.” “And Emilia and Geuse, too.” “Good to see parent and child getting along.”

Before Fortuna could whip out a snappy retort, Geuse said, “You are obviously very loved,” and the happy smile on his face made Fortuna swallow her words.

“You could say that…” Fortuna agreed sheepishly.

“Hmm… it seems that part of this ‘ideal world’ concept is that others are very friendly and respectful with Fortuna-sama, and even strongly approve of her relationship with the archbishop. Is it possible that this was not the case in our reality?” Reinhard asked.

“Well, we know for sure that Fortuna-sama and Emilia were non-natives to that village, and they were also responsible for the Seal. But was it possible that even the elves were wary of them?”

“I understand that these moments are important to Emilia-sama, it’s part of her Trial and all that, but can we skip these pastoral moments, and get back to what's really important?” Al grumbled, propping his head on his one hand.

“Amazing! You've made such an adequate point, Al, that even mine divine self is ready to agree with you.”

The scene changed. The happy family enjoyed a picnic at the picturesque riverbank.

“Isn’t it nice?” Emilia said, digging in the snack she took from the basket, leaving crumbs on her face.

“Young lady! She looks big, but she doesn't have any manners.” Fortuna gently scolded her daughter, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

“You and Emilia are always inseparable. No matter when I look at it, my heart rejoices.” Geuse commented.

“Once again, I am convinced that the world is completely unfair to my big bro!” Felt pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why couldn't he get himself such a happy Trial?! Nothing bad would’ve happened if he spent for a few hours in a fictional ideal world! For him, It would be like a rejuvenating sleep! But no-o-o, it was necessary to break his psyche to pieces with images of non-existent realities, where everything is ruined!”

“I agree. Apart from the time between the first confrontation with the mabeasts and the beginning of the Royal elections, Subaru-kun did not have periods in our world when his life could be called calm and joyful.” Rem nodded sadly.

“But nothing so terrible has happened to him in the last year, right?” Mimi pointed out.

“For the past year, Betty’s Subaru has been suffering from terrible nightmares and visited the blue maid almost every day, constantly blaming himself for her condition, in fact. And the relationship with the half-elf girl stagnated. He may not have had to face mortal dangers, but, to Betty's shame, it can hardly be said that he has been happy for the last year, I suppose.”

“More like he was on a constant alert, exerting himself with training and helping others any way he can, or entertaining Beatrice-sama or Emilia-sama. I thought he was just that diligent and hard-working. But now it seems that he always tries to keep himself busy so that he won’t be left alone with his thoughts.” Frederica recalled with a sad tone.

The last year that she considered the happiest in her life suddenly became not so joyful and bright.

“So move in with us! Let's all live together!” Emilia suggested, which baffled Fortuna so much she started coughing.

“Emilia!”

“Did you choke?” Geuse was scared, but the lady made it clear with a gesture that everything was fine. “I am greatly pleased to hear you say this, Emilia-sama. If only it was possible. I, too, desire this from the bottom of my heart.”

“Is there anything stopping you? If neither of you has a problem with it… Besides, no one’s going to get in the way… Or am I in the way?”

“Not at all.” “That is not so.” The girl's adult words were simultaneously refuted.

“You two sure get along really nicely.”

“Interesting. Is it possible that spirits living inside other people's bodies can be interested in… physical pleasure?” Ricardo asked curiously.

“No idea. I would say no, considering how Geuse and the mother behave, while they have obviously known each other for dozens, if not hundreds of years.” Al answered him, scratching his head uncertainly. “But maybe it's because they're both long-living beings.”

“And if the daughter took after her mother, then I don't envy the guy.” The captain of the mercenaries quietly expressed his fears.

“Fortuna-sama has been entrusted with a very important mission. Bad rumors may be spread about her if I stay in her house for a long time.”

“I think you realized it too late. Remember what Tanse and the other aunts said? What a wonderful family we are!” Emilia answered him in a pleased voice.

“And I thought they only meant the two of you!” The archbishop began to justify himself in a panic.

“I expect nothing less from you, Geuse… But Mom understands, right?”

“Yes.” The embarrassed Fortuna could only squeeze out.

“I think this is a very good idea! It will be nice! No one in the forest, including me, thinks there’s anything weird about it. And I absolutely won’t stand for it if anyone says anything bad! I’ve said what I wanted to say. I leave everything else to the young couple. Go right ahead.”

“Emilia, truly, where did you learn of such things?”

Looking at the proud-looking girl, the adults laughed.

“She's a very sweet girl!”

“I see... Emilia-sama has… I see, she has grown up sound and well. Truly, a joyful thing.” Geuse agreed.

“Well, of course she has. She’s my daughter, my pride and joy. It goes without saying.”

“Yes, so I see.”

Seeing this picture, Emilia suddenly felt tears come to her eyes.

“It was at that moment, when you realized that all this was just an illusion created by the Trial, huh, big sis?” Felt asked sympathetically.

How horrible it must’ve been. To suddenly find out that the utopian reality in which you live is nothing more than a figment of the imagination.

“No, I actually started realizing that this wasn't the real world before.” Emilia admitted.

“But then why did you pretend not to understand it, Emilia-sama?” Otto was surprised by this revelation.

“I know that I acted like an egoist. But I just really, re-e-eally wanted to at least spend some time together with Mother Fortuna and Papa Geuse. To see once again how they smile, how well they get along with each other. To tell them how much I love them. At least like that.” She began to answer in a calm tone, but by the end of the monologue, tears were streaming down her cheeks. “Put yourself in my place. Imagine you are in a place where your wildest dreams would become reality, wouldn't you like to spend at least a few hours there?”

A simple and obvious question made a lot of people think about what would they do if they fell into such an alluring trap.

Crusch and Felix, independently of each other, imagined how their lives would have turned out if prince Fourier had not died of that disease. How could Crusch, Fourier and Felix continue to live carefree lives. There would be no need to arrange a royal election in the first place.

Wilhelm imagined a family dinner where he and his beloved Theresia would all be sitting together, his son Henkel with his wife Luanne, and Reinhard. Theresia would constantly pamper him and make fun of her beloved grandson, asking when he would find a girlfriend and give her great-grandchildren. And he would only become more and more embarrassed, coming up with weak excuses. One big, happy family.

Garf and Frederica imagined a large house in the Sanctuary, where they would live along with mother and all their Ryuzu grannies together.

Felt dreamed of how she and old man Rom would live in a luxurious house, denying themselves nothing, enjoying carefree days, coming up with different ways to have fun with her big bro and Reinhard.

Ram dreamed of the day when she, habitually sitting on her master's lap, replenishing her mana reserve, would look at him. His face, devoid of any makeup, will have a sincere, warm smile. Without taking her eyes off his, she would slowly bring their faces closer together for... at that moment, Ram had to clench her fists to distract herself. She couldn’t let others notice that her face had turned redder than her hair.

Otto thought about how he would live peacefully with his family, helping his older brother in his business, rejoicing at how his younger brother was growing into a fine member of the Suwen family.

Anastasia reflected that if it weren't for her defective gates, she might not even bother with these royal elections, devoting herself entirely to the development of her company. On the other hand, then Julius would not have appeared in her life as her knight. Which meant her present was already most desirable for her. All she needed for complete happiness was to resolve her personal problem

Ricardo, Petra, and Mimi and Tivey thought about the same thing. For them, life was already going very well. It was stupid to dream of some even more ideal world when life already had everything they needed.

“For Roswaal it wasn’t even a question. He remembered how his perfect world looked in perfect detail. And when it was shattered to pieces, he spent the next four hundred years planning to bring those happy days back.”

Priscilla stubbornly told herself that for a goddess like her, there was no such thing as the unthinkable present. Only the present that she wished for could exist. Which meant that everything she wanted, she already had. But no matter how she convinced herself of this, one thought stuck like a needle in her heart. The image of a half-human girl with silver hair, red-dyed bangs, red eyes, dog ears and a tail stubbornly remained in her mind.

“Arakiya…” The baroness whispered faintly, barely suppressing sad thoughts about her closest friend. How much more interesting and fun her life would be if she had the opportunity to watch Arakiya jokingly chase Al around the estate for her amusem*nt.

Al felt… strange. He had long since stopped building dreams and tried to just live each day in peace. That's why he didn't even know what kind of ideal future he could dream of. The one-armed warrior even became curious about what images the second Trial would show him if he took it. Maybe… he would have been shown how his life turned out if he had been able to save the girl with the silver hair, he failed so many years ago.

“Oh… I think I got a speck in my eye. I'm going to wash up.”

“Make sure you don’t drop your eyeballs by mistake. They’re such a pretty color… Pretty violet eyes, just like Brother’s.”

“Another point to remember. Purple eyes she also inherited from her father.” Anastasia murmured to Crusch, earning a nod of agreement.

“Yes, the same wonderful color as yours. Wait for me and don't quarrel. And always, always re-e-eally get along!” Emilia sincerely conveyed her last wishes to the two closest people.

“Yes, yes, you worrywart. But don’t make us wait too long. That would put me in a serious bind.” Fortuna saw her off.

“We are ready to wait for you forever, Emilia-sama.” Geuse said goodbye to her.

“—I love you both…”

“Dey sounded like dey also knew t’wasn’t the real world.” Garfiel said seriously.

“In a sense, the second Trial for Emilia-sama turned out to be similar to what Subaru-dono faced in the first one.” Wilhelm expressed his thoughts. “Only for him, the opportunity to say goodbye to his family at the same time went with the need to face the experiences of the past. And, just like him in the first Trial, Emilia-sama had to decide which world was closer to her. A cruel reality where she will have to live with the burden of losses and fears, but in which she can move forward, or a blissful illusion where she can exist in happy stagnation.”

“The Trial is much more sophisticated than it might seem at first glance.” Crusch said with a serious look. “If the second Trial creates a picture of an ideal world, then it is extremely difficult to give up such happiness. To do this, you need to have considerable willpower and make a conscious choice to leave it behind. And since Emilia-sama has successfully liberated the Sanctuary, then I can say with pleasure that she has such willpower.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Crusch-sama. But I couldn't have done it alone. I was helped to gain strength by all who were waiting for my return, who helped me and my knight.”

In the next frame, she was standing at the cliff, admiring a married couple in the distance.

“Emilia, it's dangerous to walk here alone.” The young man's voice came from behind.

“Archie…” The girl recognized him.

“The archbishop is coming today. Is he not with you?” Archie asked her, then looked behind her and understood everything. “Ah… are they on the other side? Did you give them some time alone?”

“Yes. Right. What do you think about when you see them together?”

“They're a great couple. Fortuna is excessively strict with herself. Can’t she at least think a little about your own happiness? I don't think they'll get along right away, but if you give them time…”

“Only… in fact… there is no such world.” She interrupted Archie with sadness in her voice, touching the hairpin taken from her dead mother.

“Emilia… Did you really not want to stay here after seeing the unthinkable present? No doubt you wished them both happiness. After all, this is the perfect future you wished to see.”

“Yes. That's right.” Emilia agreed, not taking her eyes off the couple on the other side.

“Fortuna has already died, whether the archbishop is alive is unknown, and the forest dwellers have turned into ice statues.”

“Yes.”

“Yes. Now, I'm sure it is exactly as Crusch-sama said. I’m ready to make a bet that it’s the Witch of Greed disguised as Archie, and now she’s evaluating the result of the Trial, asking Emilia sensitive questions to check how strong her dedication is.” Reinhard commented.

“Your homeland has been frozen over, people are pushing you away. Even the spirit that replaced your family is gone now.”

“Yes.”

“You could be happy here. I'm sorry you chose to cling to reality.”

“I'm sorry, Archie.”

“Why do you want such a future?”

“I want to show off.”

“Emilia…”

“Like Mother Fortuna, whom I look up to. Like a kind, but strong Geuse. Like you, Archie, who smiled at me until the very end and tried not to scare me. Like Puck, who kept protecting me, so I wouldn’t be alone. Like Ram, ready to do anything for the good of the person most dear to her.”

Ram's eyes widened in surprise for a second. She never imagined that the princess would appreciate her efforts so much. And that the plea of a simple maid would give her strength to pass the Trial of the vile Witch.

“You, too, should learn to accept praise sincerely, Ram. After all, you deserve it.” Roswaal said softly, putting his hand on the girl's palm. She did not find what to say and did not dare to look at the margrave, so as not to show her flushed face.

“Like Otto, who is ready to go to great lengths for a friend.”

“I have always believed that you, princess, can appreciate my efforts more than anyone else. But what prevented you from saying that to my face?!” The merchant declared loudly, almost starting to cry from an overabundance of feelings.

Why did everyone in the depths of their hearts value him so highly, but in reality they preferred only to make fun of him and pretend that he was an empty place?!

“I'm so-o-o sorry, Otto. It's just that seeing how the others are having fun when they make fun of you, I can't help myself either. It's too much fun.” Emilia replied sheepishly.

“Like Garfiel, who did not allow himself to grumble and complain.”

“Of course my amazin’ self won’t grumble and complain! Am I a man, or not?!” Garf said proudly.

“Like Subaru, who’s crazy in love with me and is ready to endure any pain.”

‘ But I won't let him endure any more pain. He's done more than enough for me and the others! I’m done piling up debts! It's time to return them a hundredfold!’ Emilia decided firmly.

“I want to show off in front of them. I want to give a helping hand to another person myself. That's why I won't be lost. And I'm not afraid of the future or the outside world! Thanks for worrying about me. But I'll be fine, brother Archie!”

“Emilia, you're so stubborn. I wish you'd think about how we and Fortuna-sama had to struggle with you.”

“I'm ve-e-ery sorry.”

“It's nothing. After all, it's… the duty of an older brother to fulfill his sister's wishes.” Archie replied with a smile.

Noticing that Fortuna and Geuse were waving at her, Emilia returned the gesture.

Roswaal, who was sitting silently, thought deeply about Emilia's words and the determination with which she announced plans for the future. A determination that was completely uncharacteristic of a naive girl before.

‘ It seems not only Natsuki Subaru, but also this place decided to prove me that I was wrong in my belief about the weakness of other people. After all, it turns out that even Emilia was able to get wings and soar in just a couple of days. And all she needed was a man who believed in her, who would say the right words to her at the right moment.’

Grinning sadly, he remembered that this was not the first time they had been shown a similar situation.

Similarly, Otto gave confidence to Subaru, which Roswaal almost brought to the right condition to become the partner in crime Roswaal dreamed about. Just by hammering into Subaru’s head that he wasn't alone and could rely on friends. And before that, Rem did not turn away from Subaru at a critical moment and said that she believed in him. And before that, he himself helped Rem get out of her shell, saying at the moment that she was not just a replacement for her sister, but a complete person with her own strong features, which Ram did not have.

‘Perhaps you're right after all, Natsuki Subaru. And it was me who has been walking the wrong path in the dark for four hundred years, living in the shadow of my fears and my own weakness? Who knows, if I had extended my hand to Beatrice hundreds of years ago, maybe we would have become excellent partners.’ For a short time, Roswaal allowed himself to be distracted from the show and dream about how events would have turned out if he had done so all those years ago.

“Thank you, big brother. And thank you, for letting me look at this world, Echidna.” Emilia said, as if sensing that the witch was standing behind her. “I would never have thought that one day I would see them sitting together and laughing. Mother and Geuse… my father. Thank you for that!”

“I…” The witch said in a completely uncharacteristic tone.

“Echidna?” The surprised princess turned around and saw that Echidna was on the verge of tears.

“I hate you. I just… hate you.”

“Was Mother just ready to… cry?” Beatrice's jaw almost dropped to the floor from such an incredible picture. “Was she capable of such a thing?! But, what could have caused such strong emotions in her, in fact?!”

“Obviously, it was some kind of very stro-o-ong and sad memory.” Roswaal answered her, no less amazed.

This single moment created a huge storm of emotions in him. No matter what, his teacher could feel strong emotions. She could worry. She could cry. That meant she wasn't heartless, no matter how often she claimed otherwise.

I wonder what caused Echidna to show that expression. She said that she hates Emilia-sama, but I heard…hesitation in her voice.” Reinhard pointed out.

“You mean she could be lying that she hated big sis and all she said before was her hiding true feelings?” Felt was puzzled by her knight’s statement.

“I really doubt it. If it was really just a game, she won’t be so spiteful with Emilia. I’m pretty sure she feels what she said and her hatred towards the Witch of Envy, and, by extension, to Emilia is genuine.” Anastasia argued back.

“Or, her true feelings towards Emilia, or Satella for that matter, might be more complex, including genuine hatred and desire to become closer at the same time.”

“For some reason, it was the sincere gratitude from Emilia-sama that caused the witch to have such a violent reaction. Or could it be the words she used? Just like it was in the case with Geuse. Could this reaction be due to some strong memory from her past?” Julius guessed.

“Even if it is, they probably won't tell us anything about it, which makes this whole scene completely useless for us!” Al added grumpily, who couldn't wait for the action to return to something more meaningful.

Having said that, Echidna’s body became hazy. The world also began to lose clarity. Walking to the edge of the cliff, she looked at the water, looking at the reflection. Remembering again that she hadn't seen her face in the mirror. After that, she recalled the many times she was compared to Satella.

“Stay back, witch! Go away!” A girl screamed in the Elior Forest when Emilia first met people after waking up.

“Abomination!” They told her on the day of the beginning of the royal elections.

Memories of the days spent with Puck came back to mind. Only he didn't care about Emilia's appearance. He took care of her even though she was the daughter of a witch.

“Truly, just how much have people been protecting me…?” She thought.

Gathering her will, Emilia jumped off the cliff and flew towards the water, facing forward. At the water's edge, time seemed to slow down, and she could see her face properly.

“—Huh.” she thought, disappointed. Then she dived into the water. “I thought I'd be more like my mother. It's a pity!”

“And at that moment, for the first time since I woke up from an ice-induced dream, I saw my face. I was ve-e-ery disappointed that my eyes were not like Mother Fortuna.”

“You're worrying about nothing, Emilia-sama! You're very beautiful! No wonder Subaru-sama fell in love with you at first sight!” Frederica hurried to support the princess, much to her ward’s chagrin.

Emilia did not find what to say to Frederica apart from blushing, but she could not resist smiling warmly at her. After all, it was still extremely pleasant for her to hear such a thing.

This was the end of the second Trial.

Coming out of the tomb with a satisfied look, she saw that it was not Ram who was waiting for her, but all the inhabitants of Arlam. When they saw Emilia, as one, they began to express their joy:

“It’s good you are safe and sound!” “Were you hurt at all?” “It's good that it ends well!” “What’s important is that she is alive!”

Seeing how happy everyone was for her, Emilia bowed to them.

“Thank you for your concern! I feel great! And she's still alive and well. But… forgive me. So far, I haven't passed all the Trials as promised. But surely Subaru has already explained everything to you? The reason you were held here is gone. You'll see, I'll definitely lower the barrier. But you can already return to your family…”

“Master Subaru? Hey, what did he tell us anyway?”

“Oh? I wonder. Lately, I have been quite forgetful. I simply can’t recall.”

“Goodness, the way you said that seemed so real that it honestly scared me for a minute. Well, not that it isn’t true…”

Looking at one another’s faces, the villagers began exchanging unbelievable words. Every last person had joined in on the act, pretending like they had no idea what Emilia was talking about.

“Therefore, Emilia-sama, we will wait until you return.” The elder Milde said top.

“To think that a half-wit managed to enlist the support of an entire village! The goddess is in shock!” Priscilla said sarcastically.

Some of the more emotional onlookers gnashed their teeth angrily in indignation. But the more prescient ones noticed that, despite the poisonous packaging, the baroness recognized the success of her competitor in gaining trust among ordinary people.

“Say what you want about Vollachians, but you cannot deny them the ability to recognize the successes of others. Even enemies. Even if given in such a form.” Crusch muttered contentedly to her companions, while also celebrating the progress of her rival friend.

“And, by the way, we at the Sanctuary are not the only ones who expect great success from you.”

As Emilia, deeply moved by the unexpected turn of events, felt her chest grow hot, the elderly woman made a mischievous smile as she nodded. When Emilia looked over, drawn by the gesture, she saw even more people entering the clearing. Ryuzu Alma and the locals came forward.

Ryuzu and the people of the Sanctuary were surprised at their arrival. Emilia.

“As far as I understand, you managed to submit to the second Trial. First, I want to thank you. After hearing from Young Gar and the villagers here…listening to both the residents of this place and outsiders alike, I, too, have finally been able to rouse these old bones. I suppose you might fault me as an opportunist.”

Alma shifted her gaze to the tall demi-human next to her.

“And who is this?” Tivey asked.

“He was one of the leader of the party tha’ was against removing the barrier.” Garfiel explained.

“To be honest, I… No, we…still haven’t decided in our hearts. We aren’t sure whether to trust you or not. We who know nothing about the outside world can’t help but be scared of leaving the Sanctuary. That goes for me, too. I was born and raised here. I’d always thought maybe we don’t need to change. However… All of us heard Garfiel’s— that little kid’s angry voice. We finally understood what kind of feelings this stubborn man carried in himself. I'm ashamed of myself, an adult! After all, he is only fourteen years old! But he has so much courage! He's a great person! And you know, Emilia, the same can be said about you! Let me see your triumph!”

“If you do not immediately punish this insolent man for such shameless treatment, you will once again prove that you are completely unsuitable for ruling over people! Although I concur with his lack of respect for you, half-wit, you are still a candidate for the royal throne! Even if only nominally! Therefore, the rabble is obliged to address you accordingly, and you are obliged to ensure that you are addressed accordingly!”

“I would never treat a person so harshly for such a small oversight! He may have addressed me bluntly, but he was honest and open about it! And personally I think that honesty is much more important than adhering to etiquette!” Emilia wasn't going to give in to the fire-haired princess.

“Emilia-sama. While I welcome and support the way you prioritize things, the importance of etiquette must not be forgotten!” Julius interjected into the conversation, who could not help but react to the fact that someone dared to consider etiquette unimportant. “We must not forget that…”

“Julius! I'm begging you! Don't even start! We are already so close to the end of all this!” Felix pleaded, knowing that if he didn't stop his friend now, they would have to take another nap break before they even reached the end of the episode.

“I agree. Julius, leave the lecture on the importance of etiquette for Emilia until the moment when we all gather in the Pristella.” Anastasia agreed with the duch*ess's knight.

Not daring to go against the will of his lady, Julius was forced to shut up and return to watching the screen. He was very displeased.

“I understand. I’m certain I will see this through. When that time comes, we can speak properly.” The princess replied to him.

“Yes, I give you my word! Absolutely!” The man was about to finish, when he suddenly jerked in fright. Because Alma, who was standing right next to him, pinched him painfully.

“Too long, too serious, and midway through, you switched from ‘us’ to ‘me’. Shame on you, shame!”

“I'm sorry, Elder.” The demi-human replied pityingly.

“Either way, our current point of view is as he said just now. This, too… Mm? What is the matter?” Ryuzu stopped herself, seeing how surprised Emilia was looking at her.

“It's just… This is the first time I've heard you called an elder… and I was surprised.” This reaction caused laughter from many residents.

“I can't say that I feel better… but thank you. I'm ready to try for you!” Emilia concluded.

“And what surprised you so much at this moment, dig sis?” Felt asked, also not understanding the reason for the girl's amazement.

“Isn't it obvious? Ryuzu is also a half-elf, just like me. But, nevertheless, she is the head of the whole village. And everyone treats her with respect. And it showed that I wasn't trying in vain. That in the future, in every part of Lugunica, a representative of any race will be able to hold any position. Even a half-elf. That's what I was thinking at the time.”

“I see. It must have been very inspiring for you to see that even in the current state of the world, elves can find a place for themselves and be respected members of society.” Crusch nodded in agreement.

“Yes, it gave me hope.”

“Don't be afraid, big sis! No matter how it turns out in the end, I'm sure you'll find a way to save your own people! And we will end discrimination! And if all sorts of old geezers like Bordeaux get in the way, then we'll quickly make them part of history!” Felt slammed her fist into her palm to empathize with her decision.

“Felt-sama, please. Let's dispense with public threats towards a member of the Council of sages! And even in the presence of other candidates.” Reinhard began to reassure her.

“If we have given you strength, then it is wonderful. There is only one Trial left ahead…”

“I'll be right back. But may I ask, Ryuzu, do you know where Ram is?”

“… Ram is attending to a duty she cannot afford to shirk.”

“What kind of duty?”

While the heated magical battle of Ram and Puck with the Roswaal was raging on the screen, Alma delivered a message from the pink maid:

“She said, Emilia-sama must do what only she can do, and Ram must do the same. Let us do our very best.”

Hearing this, Emilia clenched her fists, turned around to face the Tomb and inhaled.

“If that's the case, I have to go!”

“Good luck, lady!” “Be careful there!” Numerous shouts of support followed her.

In the Trial room, Emilia heard her own voice proclaim:

“Face the calamity that shall come.”

[Screen title: Happiness reflected upon the water’s surface]

“Well, that's about what I expected.” Crusch nodded. Seeing Felix's questioning look, she decided and decided to expand her thoughts.

“As I see it, the Trials are intended to test whether the demi-humans were ready to leave the Sanctuary and go out into the big world. To do this, they had to pass three tests of their spiritual maturity.”

Crusch raised her hand and stuck out her finger.

“First: a test of mental strength, by examining their readiness to face the greatest hardship of the past and either accept it or surpass it.”

The second finger rose.

“Second: a test of willpower, by examining their willingness to give up the illusory paradise and accept the present, no matter how hard and gloomy it may be.”

The third finger rose.

“And the third. Here, I think, there will be a test of courage by making them face an unpredictable and dangerous future. They should prove that their determination will not falter before possible tragedies.”

“Yes, you guessed it pretty much, Crusch-sama. I was shown many moments of the future. And, for the most part, they were ve-e-ery frightening.”

“As always, my lady is the best when it comes to assessing the situation at hand, nya!”

“So you're saying that you know what's going to happen in the future?” Anastasia was surprised by this.

No, as if Natsuki-kun with his ability is not enough for them! If Emilia also got access to knowledge about the future, then this is completely unfair competition!

“I wouldn't say that it is like that. As I was explained at the end, these were all only possible futures, not something that would definitely happen. And Echidna, true to her resentful nature, showed me only bad alternatives.”

“So we don't have to worry about no matter what we are being shown?” Otto cheered up.

“Betty wouldn't just dismiss the visions that will be shown to us, I suppose. After all, the Trial created by Mother directly used the power of the Book of Wisdom, in fact!” Beatrice said importantly.

The spirit girl did not like how others hurried to treat the future presented by the Trial with such frivolity. Nothing that had connection to her mother should be taken so lightly.

“And what is a Book of Wisdom again?” Mimi asked.

“It’s an artifact of great power that my mother possessed, in fact. A book that is an embodiment of her witch factor of Greed. It contained all the knowledge of the world, which suggests that it’s capable of predicting future events, I suppose. The only question is, what chains of events and decisions can lead to one outcome or another, I suppose.”

“So you're telling us to take the last Trial seriously, Beatrice-sama?” Julius addressed her respectfully, for whom the words of the spirits always had great weight.

“That's right. Even if the images of the future that the half-elf girl saw are only just possibilities, they all are based on real events that happened, or yet to come. Knowing this, we cannot rule out that these images can become our reality. Therefore, look carefully everyone, search for details and remember them, in fact!”

The rest, taking the words of the Great Spirit with all seriousness, nodded and turned to the screen, preparing for anything the next episode will show them.