Re:Zero - The King of Pride

Subaru and the spirits rushed to Emilia's side.

Subaru recognized the field that they had raced across to escape the Cultists and the four Cultist bodies were still lying in the road being pecked at by crows.

Hidden within a grove of trees in the distance, the trailer was still there.

"What happened?" Emilia whispered in a frightened voice, "They were supposed to get away after we led pursuit off! Why is the trailer still there?!"

"Calm down," Subaru snapped at himself as much as Emilia, "We don't know what happened yet. Maybe… maybe…," Subaru groped for something to say, "Alright, let's get over there and take a look. We'll see what happened."

"Subaru, what if it's a trap?" Emilia asked.

"It's a lousy trap if it is," Subaru replied, "Are they really hoping that we'd go back to the trailer? Why? That's pretty bad bait, Mili. All the same let's try to stay under cover. We have no idea who might be around and watching."

As the sun set, the group slipped across the road and quickly hid in the same grove of trees that had protected them during their escape.

"Our journey has come full circle, I suppose," Beatrice muttered, "And Betty is still not back at her library."

Subaru raised a finger to his lips to signal for quiet. Beatrice nodded from his shoulder.

The group crept up to the trailer.

Subaru looked all around trying to spot anyone who might be watching them but he didn't see anything.

Subaru jumped up into the trailer's back door. Nothing appeared to be disturbed from when they had left but the frost flowers had finally melted.

"Felt?" Subaru called in a loud whisper.

They moved quickly up onto the driver's platform. The earth dragons were gone.

"Emilia, can you check the storage container in the trailer?" Subaru asked.

Emilia opened the small trunk, "Empty. Subaru, what do you think happened?"

Subaru considered using Reason and Judgment then decided against it. He didn't think he needed super intelligence to crack this riddle.

"It looks like they got away," Subaru replied.

"What if the Cultists captured them?" Emilia asked.

Subaru shook his head, "No bloodstains, no damage to the trailer, no signs of a struggle. Plus all the food supplies are gone which isn't something that the Cultists would do. I'm guessing that as soon as we left they decided to book it out of here. Keeping the trailer was pointless for only four people. They probably unhitched the earth dragons and either set them free or decided to ride them to safety."

Subaru paused, "Maybe Ram woke up," He mused.

"What makes you say that, Subaru?" Puck asked.

"It would be pretty hard to sit on an earth dragon with no saddle while carrying an unconscious person. It could be done but it wouldn't be easy. I'm guessing that if they took the dragons and rode away then Ram must have finally woken up," Subaru said.

"That's good," Emilia said, "It will certainly put Garf and Rem in a better mood."

"I like picturing the look on Garf's face when Ram refused to ride with him," Subaru snickered.

"Subaru," Emilia criticized, "That's awfully petty."

"Yeah, I'm like that sometimes," He admitted. Subaru scratched his chin thoughtfully, "OK, well there's nothing for us here."

"Except for basic shelter," Emilia pointed out, "If we really think that this isn't a trap and we're safe here for the moment, then this is probably a better place to spend the night than anywhere else we'll find nearby. I don't think I can walk much further tonight.

Subaru reached into the bag that Rem had packed and pulled out a jar of dried peaches. He took one from the jar and chewed it distastefully. It tasted old and waxy.

He then handed the jar of fruit to Beatrice who passed it to Emilia without even opening it.

"Beako? Don't you want to eat anything?" Subaru asked as Emilia ate a peach.

"Bubby and Betty don't get hungry, in fact."

"I know, Beako, but I thought you enjoyed eating with us," Subaru replied.

"Betty does enjoy eating with Subaru, I suppose. However, our journey is currently one without definite duration and scope. We may need to save the food for those who need it."

Subaru sighed, "Well, you're right. But I can't say that's a happy thought…"

Subaru heard some noise coming from outside.

"What's that?" He muttered.

He peered out one of the trailer windows. Emilia and the spirits quickly joined him.

"What do you think it is?" Puck whispered to Subaru.

"I see some people. They look like soldiers I think. Four of them walking down the road," Emilia replied.

"Probably scouts," Subaru said pulling up his hood and almost gagging at the smell.

"Should we risk talking to them?" Beatrice whispered from just behind Subaru, "They might be Cultists in disguise, I suppose."

"Maybe," Subaru agreed, "But we might be able to get information from them and we desperately need some. You all stay here for a minute. If they just see me they won't think I'm a threat. And if they are Witch Cultists then they're looking for a group with an elf and two spirits so they shouldn't think anything of me."

"Subaru," Puck warned, "If those are Witch Cultists then they might kill you just for fun."

"Well, they may find that harder than they think," Subaru winked at him, "Besides I have good friends standing by to rescue me if it gets ugly."

Puck rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

Subaru exited the trailer and moved quickly across the field before picking up the darkened road in a place the soldiers couldn't see. He tried to walk casually toward them.

Emilia and the spirits watched from the trailer.

"Puck, maybe we should sneak closer," Emilia whispered. "That way if something happens we'll be ready to help Subaru."

"You'll stay right where you are," Puck growled at her.

Emilia flinched.

Beatrice's gaze flickered between Emilia and Puck, "Betty thinks she has an idea for how we can monitor Subaru, I suppose."

Subaru was wondering what he should say as he approached the soldiers but they saved him the trouble.

"Halt, peasant!" A soldier with a tall feather in his helmet shouted imperiously.

Peasant?! Is that really how you talk to someone you just met?

"Me, sir?" Subaru replied politely.

"Do you see anyone else around here?" The officer asked in annoyance.

OK. I do not like you, Subaru grumbled to himself.

Regardless, he put a broad smile on his face, "What can I do for you, sir?"

The officer glared at him, "Have we forgotten how to make our manners?"

Who the hell is this jerk?! How does a peasant greet an army officer? And why does he expect me to know that?

"I can't forget, sir," Subaru shrugged, "I never knew."

"Ignorant trash, you-" The officer snarled.

"Sir? Is there really a point to teaching proper etiquette to a filthy peasant?" Another soldier asked wearily.

I'd like to dispute the filthy part but in this funky robe that would be pretty hard. We're all going to need a bath after this. Possibly several.

The officer shook his head with a sigh, "I suppose not, corporal. Still, dark times are these when a traveling knave can make light of a man of noble blood."

The Witch Cult is on a rampage, there is a pitched battle of terrifying scope twenty miles away at most, the peasants are starving each winter, and the whole kingdom is facing down the barrel of a race war between humans and demi-humans any time now. But this guy thinks that a lack of respect to the nobility is the major problem? I'm starting to think I know what's wrong with this kingdom and the French solved the same issue by introducing the guillotine.

"Peasant, what are you doing in this region? Are you unaware that all persons were bidden to evacuate for their own safety?" The officer demanded.

Subaru activated Reason and Judgment.

Alright. You should think this over carefully. And try not to waste too much time thinking about how much better this idiot would look with your Indomitable fist driven straight through his torso.

Everyone was told to evacuate? The man is an idiot if he assumes that all the peasantry out here actually got that message, especially the ones living on isolated homesteads. You only fled the Sanctuary a few days ago. The evacuation order can't be any more than four or five days old at the most. To make certain that all the peasants in the area were informed of this order by now, much less were able to evacuate, the Kingdom would have to have been really motivated to keep all the peasantry out of harm's way. Somehow that doesn't jive with their priorities as far as you've seen.

More importantly it's clear that there's nothing to be gained from conversing with this man. He views you as subhuman and he'd never agree to answer any of your questions unless you reveal yourself for who you really are. But that should be a last resort. For one thing, you're not entirely sure who this fellow is or what his purpose is. You shouldn't disclose yourself or reveal the others to him until you are certain. More to the point, he would almost certainly refuse to believe that a peasant traveler in a dirty robe that reeks of years of mud is a royal candidate.

If you plan to get any information out of him, you will need to capture his interest. Perhaps by introducing yourself as a villager of Arlem who got separated from the rest? No matter who he is or what he's looking for, that might catch his attention. It's worth a try anyway.

Subaru restarted time.

"I'm afraid I'm not from around here, sir," Subaru apologized, "My name is Lucas of Arlem," Subaru said grabbing the name of one of Petra's friends.

"Arlem, did you say?" The officer said in a riveted tone.

OK, well I got his undivided attention. Hopefully that's a good thing.

"Yes, sir, my friends and I were fleeing the Sanctuary in a wagon and we were attacked by the Witch Cult. That's how I got separated from the rest," Subaru explained.

"Where did this happen?" He asked intently.

Subaru shrugged, "Can't really say, sir. I'd been wondering through the woods all night trying to find the road. No idea where I came from or how many circles I went in."

The officer sighed, "Regardless, perhaps you are still in a position to be useful to me."

"I'll try, sir," Subaru said cautiously.

"If you are a resident of Arlem village then you are doubtlessly aware of Lord Subaru."

"Oh, yes. I've met Subaru, sir," Subaru said biting his lip to avoid smiling.

"Lord Subaru, peasant," The officer grated, "Mind yourself when referring to the man likely to be the future King of this land. Disrespect for his majesty is a capital offense and it can be made retroactive, you know."

And the future king will get to deal with nobles just like you all day long. Hard to imagine why anybody wouldn't want the job.

"Lord Subaru, sir," Subaru said trying not to grind his teeth.

"Do you have any knowledge of his whereabouts?" The officer demanded.

"I know he fled the Sanctuary at the same time we did. We both drove north for a while before we separated at his urging to give our pursuers more targets. Why are you looking for him?" Subaru asked.

The officer seemed to debate answering, "There are unconfirmed reports that Lord Subaru has been abducted."

"Abducted?" Subaru echoed in surprise.

Did Felt think the Witch Cult captured me? Fuck, she must be worried sick.

"His retainers and companions believe that Lord Subaru may have been bewitched by the Witch of Envy and then abducted by her," The officer replied.

Subaru's jaw dropped.

What? No no no. This can't be happening. Who told the Lagunican army that I was abducted by Emilia? I mean, maybe Rem I guess might say something like this but Garf and Felt? They wouldn't do this to me… would they? And how do they even start to think that Emilia is the Witch of Envy? Just because she's a half-elf with silver hair? Her appearance is striking no argument but it can't be that unique.

Oh my God. The entire Kingdom is after Emilia now! If they think that she's the Witch of Envy then she's going to be killed on sight! I'd never persuade them to wait long enough to explain the situation to them. Beyond that, if everyone thinks that Emilia has bewitched me then they won't even listen to me anyway. If I've been mind controlled then everything I say is suspect.

Holy shit. Ever since the Sanctuary I've been saying that things simply can't get any worse and then somehow, in complete defiance of all reason and logic, they do!

Subaru took a ragged breath, "The Witch of Envy? Umm… that's a little hard to believe, sir. I always thought she was sealed away somewhere."

"That's what I said, Captain," Another soldier commented to the officer, "Maybe those maids, the little girl and the weird one were just confused. Lord Subaru was abducted by the Witch of Envy? Really?"

"I know Lord Subaru," Subaru quickly agreed, "I find it hard to accept that he would be bewitched and abducted so easily, sir."

"Regardless, that is the intelligence we have received," The officer said in annoyance to both Subaru and the soldier, "We are to locate Lord Subaru and bring him back!"

Subaru raised an eyebrow, "Um, no offense, sir, but what if Lord Subaru doesn't want to come with you? How do you plan to capture a man who killed a troll with his bare hands?"

"Hey!" A soldier gasped, "Is that story really true?! Were you there when Lord Subaru fought it?"

Subaru chuckled, "I was there and I was scared to death," Subaru replied honestly.

"Enough of this," The officer interjected, "We will locate Lord Subaru and liberate him from the witch. Those are our orders."

"Um," Subaru began, "What about Red- Sir Reinhard, Lord Subaru's knight? What does he say?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business, peasant," The captain snorted, "However, Sir Reinhard van Astrea is combing the country looking for his lord. He is determined to liberate him from the witch's spell and do justice upon her."

…And things just got worse yet again…

Subaru swallowed hard, "Well, best of luck to all of you. I certainly hope you find him," Subaru said in a faint voice, "Anyone know how far it is to Arlem from here?"

"Oh foot?" A soldier said dubiously, "Maybe two or three days. There's an army camp about fifteen miles up the road. If you head there maybe they could help you find-"

"Enough soldier, we have important business to do," The officer interrupted, "We can't be distracted by shepherding lost peasants. One side, knave!" The officer ordered Subaru as he deliberately pushed past Subaru so he could lead his small group down the road.

Subaru watched and waited until the soldiers were well down the road and then slipped back into the well hidden trailer and reunited with the others.

Puck looked unsettled, "Well, that was interesting!"

"You heard all that?" Subaru asked noticing Emilia's forlorn expression.

"We heard it all," Beatrice grumbled, "Betty's magic can be used to eavesdrop, I suppose."

Subaru closed his eyes and rested his forehead the trailer wall with a sigh.

"So, do we have a new plan, Subaru?" Puck asked.

Subaru laughed, "Why are you asking me, Puck?" He chuckled, "Ever since we went to the Sanctuary all my plans have gone belly up! Everything I try to do just makes things worse. I'm leading everybody from disaster to disaster…" Subaru sighed.

"That is not true," Emilia said firmly.

Subaru turned around and saw Emilia standing there looking angry. "SUbaru, you helped me understand how I could pass the trials. Your plan let us get all the villagers out of the Sanctuary safely. Your plan allowed us to get away from Capella yesterday and that soldier told you that Garf, Felt, and the twins escaped safely as well. I know that we're all in a dire situation right now but none of this, none of it, can be laid at your feet. You've done everything possible to keep us safe and you will get us out of this mess yet!" Emilia proclaimed.

Puck stared at Emilia.

Beatrice nodded approvingly, "The elf speaks sense, Subaru."

Subaru laughed and pulled himself off the wall, "Thanks, Mili. I needed that."

Subaru rubbed his forehead with a sigh.

"So what's the new plan, I suppose?" Beatrice asked.

Subaru shrugged, "I guess," He hesitated, "For right now we head back toward Arlem. They trust me there… I think."

"Of course they do!" Emilia said.

"Then maybe they'll give Emilia the benefit of the doubt when I tell them that she's OK," Subaru replied. "If we can just get a few people to say that she's not trying to hurt anybody, we might dull everyone's certainty that she's a witch. That gives us an opening to start negotiating for her safety."

"But, Subaru, won't the twins and maybe even Garf and Felt be at Arlem?" Puck asked.

"I don't know, Puck! But we have to take the chance! The whole world is after us right now and Arlem is pretty much our last possibility to find a potentially sympathetic audience. If we say that Arlem is a no-go, what's left? We run off to Gusteko or Kararagi? We don't have any particularly promising prospects there."

Puck took a long hard look at Emilia and finally sighed, "Alright, Subaru, you lead and we'll follow. We are a family. Betty and I are on your side, no matter what."

Beatrice nodded firmly.

Subaru sighed, "Alright, let's get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow will be better."

The spirits nestled against Subaru dozed off quickly but Subaru and Emilia were up longer. They were sleeping on opposite couches again and that just felt wrong. Puck and Beatrice had very reasonably pointed out how there wasn't room for two people on a single couch but Subaru suspected that they had ulterior motives for this.

What am I going to do? If that idiot soldier was right then the whole goddamn Kingdom is after Emilia! What the hell can I do to protect her? If they think she's the legendary Witch of Envy then they'll kill first and ask questions second. Not that they'll even bother to ask me any questions anyway! If they think I've been bewitched then nothing I say has any weight. If I beg them to leave Emilia alone, that's just a sign of how completely she's brainwashed me.

I hate to think of it this way but Reinhard is my knight and he's pledged to obey my orders. If I ordered him to leave Emilia alone, would he have to listen? Or does the code of chivalry make exceptions for not following your lord's commands when he's been mind-controlled by an evil witch?

What the hell can I do? Everyone thinks Emilia is a witch, there are armies after us, the Witch Cult has declared war on everybody, and the dragon blood is all gone.

Wait. Let's take a deep breath and focus. Right now there should be only one priority: Keep Emilia safe. Period.

You have to keep your family safe. Emilia, Beatrice, and even Puck need you right now. You need to keep it together.

You have two options: find friends who are willing to give Emilia a chance, or get the hell out of the country and disappear for a while.

Neither option is necessarily appealing. I think they trust me in Arlem but if I walk in there with the Witch of Envy at my side and try to convince them that's she's really a sweet girl named Emilia, will they just assume I'm crazy? And let's say that they do believe me. Let's say that they like Emilia and decide her resemblance to a famous monster is just an unfortunate accident. Great. Now Reinhard and Felt show up and tell everybody that I've been brainwashed and you can't trust a word I've said. Do they argue the point or just assume this was all some kind of ruse by the witch to trick them?

So do I run for the border? Well, that's not very appealing either. The closest border, and the only border that I have any real chance of reaching on foot, is Gusteko. The people there are probably still a little annoyed with me. I did kill a bunch of their troops. From what I've read, Gusteko is one of the worst countries in the world for demi-humans so Emilia will not get a warm reception there. There are only a few cities in Gusteko and the closest one is a huge trek to the northeast. No way our supplies will last that long and we aren't equipped to deal with the cold once we start entering the Gusteko mountains.

OK, so that's it then. Arlem is my only option. I go to Arlem and try to convince everyone to trust Emilia. If that fails maybe at least I can gather supplies. The chief might agree to give me clothes and provisions for the long march up into Gusteko.

It's a dumb plan. It only has the faintest chance of working, and if we don't gain acceptance from the Arlem villagers then we'll have to walk all the way north again but it's the only plan I've got.

Subaru sighed and slipped into a pensive sleep.

Something woke Emilia up in the middle of the night.

"Betty!" Puck whispered, "Wake up!"

"Ugh," Beatrice grumbled. "What is it, I suppose?"

"Subaru and the witch are fast asleep. We need to talk."

Emilia tried not to tense as she lay there with her eyes shut.

"What did Betty's Bubby want to talk about?"

"Betty, how far are we going to let this go?"

"Let what go, I suppose?"

"Subaru's fascination with this witch! She does nothing but put Subaru in danger both directly and indirectly. I don't believe for an instant that she had nothing to do with this memory modifying thing. She could lose control of her magic at any moment and this time she might actually kill Subaru. And now we know that everyone in the whole world wants her dead and that just puts Subaru in more danger!"

"Bubby's statements are true as far as they go, I suppose," Beatrice said with a yawn, "What do you propose that we do about it?"

Puck was silent.

"Bubby," Beatrice warned, "Taking the elf away would make Subaru most unhappy."

"Ugh! Betty! How can we let Subaru just wander around with someone who puts him in danger?"

"Betty thinks that all of our Subaru's friends have put him in danger at one time or another, I suppose. He seems to attract this type."

"Not like this, Betty! We need to get her away from him!"

"Subaru would object most strenuously to that plan, I suppose," Beatrice replied in a bored tone.

"Betty, Subaru is just a kid! He doesn't know what's best for him yet!" Puck hissed, "He's too soft hearted for his own good! That's why he needs us here to watch out for him."

"Betty is looking out for him. Bubby is looking out for him too, I suppose. What's the problem?"

"Betty, what happened? When did you go so soft on the witch?"

Beatrice hesitated, "When Bubby and Betty heard them talking in the forest. Betty saw how much Subaru cared for her. Betty understands now how much Subaru would be hurt if he lost her, I suppose."

"But it could all be the witchcraft making him think he loves the girl!"

"Perhaps. Are you willing to kill Subaru's love on a 'perhaps,' Bubby? Even if this theory were true, it is unlikely that killing the elf would undo the witchcraft."

Puck growled, "Alright, fine. How do we prove if Subaru is bewitched or not?"

Beatrice was quiet for a moment. "Betty has read stories about witches who charmed men this way, I suppose."

"Were any of them cured?" Puck asked.

"Yes. A knight was charmed by a witch. The spell was broken when the knight met his son and realized that the witch was not his mother."

"Well, honestly, Betty, unless Subaru has been keeping secrets, I don't think that's going to be too useful."

"The same principle applies, I suppose. The Authorities are supremely powerful but to modify one or more person's memories like this is a challenging endeavor. Because the son's mother was not the witch, simply replacing the mother with the witch in all of the knight's memories would have led to obvious inconsistencies because the witch and the mother would behave differently in a given situation. Correct for this and you'll have still more memories to fix because the outcomes of the remembered behaviors would differ. If, on the other hand, the witchcraft tried to make the son be forgotten about entirely, then more and more memories would need to be removed and the man's mind would become fragmented. It was the details that ultimately defeated this witchcraft, I suppose."

"OK, Betty, so how do we remove it?"

"Witchcraft is never perfect, I suppose. There is always a flaw. If Subaru has been bewitched, the witchcraft may be strong enough to rewrite Subaru's memories but there's always some inconsistency that it can't cover up. Betty's Subaru isn't stupid. If the elf has bewitched him, in fact, then sooner or later Subaru will stumble over a paradox in his memories that even the witchcraft can't reconcile. Then he'll realize what is going on."

"OK, so at least there's hope then. Maybe we could try to get him to talk about the differences in his memories? Maybe that would highlight an inconsistency?"

"Perhaps," Beatrice mused, "Subaru is the thinker, not us, so Betty and Bubby would need to wait for him to solve the puzzle, I suppose. In any event, talking about memories might provide the answer to who is bewitched: us or Subaru."

"Wait, us? Betty, you don't really think that everyone was bewitched except Subaru, do you? I don't think that even an Authority could shift a Great Spirit's contract around the way Subaru claimed."

"Betty is simply keeping an open mind, I suppose. Betty trusts her Subaru. He will find the truth eventually and resolve this matter."

"Alright," Puck said grudgingly, "That makes sense. But we need to keep an eye on the witch. If she tries something else we need to end her hard and fast. We can apologize for it later if we're wrong."

"Do you truly think that Subaru would accept such an apology?" Beatrice asked skeptically.

"Betty, Subaru is my everything. I won't accept a world without Subaru. I'd destroy it before that happened."

"Betty agrees with the sentiment, I suppose, but Betty still plans to take a wait and see attitude. Betty trusts her Subaru. If he is bewitched, Subaru will unravel it. If the elf is cursed, Subaru will break it. It's just a matter of time."

"Stupid witch, messing up our family. First she almost kills our Subaru and then she gets the Witch Cult and the entire Kingdom after him. She's done nothing but put Subaru in danger! If she hurts Subaru again, I'll-" Puck grumbled.

"It's late, Bubby. Go back to sleep," Beatrice muttered.

The spirits settled down and went back to sleep.

Emilia lay there with her eyes shut for a long time until she was absolutely certain that Beatrice and Puck were unconscious.

And then she broke down and quietly cried herself to sleep.

The group was up with the sun. Subaru and Emilia ate a quick breakfast while the spirits again refused to partake. This alone made the food taste stale in Subaru's mouth.

The group marched south from the trailer following the road from the shadows of the nearby forests.

"I'm going to be honest," Subaru sighed, "I'm not really sure which way we're going at this point. The soldiers suggested we were headed toward Arlem but I don't know that I trust their sense of direction. We could be headed toward Arlem or the capitol. Personally, I am completely lost."

"Hey, anywhere is better than where people are looking for us, Subaru," Puck observed.

They walked through the forests until noon when the forests finally thinned out. Before them was a large plain with more forests visible far in the distance.

Subaru scratched his head with a sigh, "OK. We're out of hiding places so we're going to walk boldly down the road. We can't hide so we want to be so boring that nobody notices us. Mili, keep your hood up and your head down. Beatrice, any chance you could change your clothing to something… less vibrant?"

Beatrice made a face, "It is an emergency, I suppose. What colors are less vibrant?"

"Honestly? Try gray. We're basically pretending to be peasant refugees so anything that makes your clothes look old and worn out will help.

Beatrice scowled but raised a hand and her pink and red clothing faded to various shades of gray. A moment later her outfit changed into a hooded robe that covered everything above her gray tights. It looked like the clothes of someone who had gone through hard times recently.

"Puck, the other thing is that they're looking for a group of four and frankly a magic flying cat attracts a lot of attention," Subaru said apologetically.

"So, nap time?" Puck said with a yawn.

"Sorry, buddy," Subaru said shamefaced.

"Nothing to apologize for, Subaru. I'm always happy to take a nap. Frankly it's weird not having to go into the crystal as much since I met you."

Subaru blinked and looked at Emilia who shared his puzzled look, "Huh?"

"I'm not as hungry for mana since we contracted, Subaru. I guess it's part of your Authority but ever since we contracted instead of getting tired and needing to rest every sunset, I feel like I can just keep going and going. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to go into the crystal and take a nap but I'm not really tired so call me if you need me."

Subaru scratched his chin, "OK, Puck. Thanks."

The little cat disappeared and in his pocket, Subaru felt the crystal pulse with warmth for a moment.

The trio continued to walk down the road.

Subaru was deep in thought, "Beako, have you noticed any changes since we made our contract?" He asked.

Beatrice shrugged, "Betty doesn't require as much mana as her Bubby does, I suppose. Also because Betty loves her Bubby, she tries to always make sure there is plenty of mana left over for him."

"Aren't you a wonderful sister?" Subaru complimented you, "I say that from personal experience by the way. You're my favorite sister."

"Betty is your only sister!"

"That did make the choice easier," Subaru admitted.

Beatrice smirked, "Betty is wonderful in many ways, I suppose, but she never tires of hearing it."

Subaru kissed her cheek, "Guess I better say it a little more often."

He reached out his hand toward Emilia who was standing there, looking left out and forlorn. After a moment she took it.

Together the three went down the road.

They walked for most of the day and Subaru had no idea where the road they followed was going. He thought he was still headed toward Arlem after the discussion with the soldiers, but who knew how reliable their directions were.

Emilia and Beatrice were both exhausted. Emilia was somber and Beatrice was snippy so after a while he stopped trying to engage them in conversation.

Come on, Subaru. Pick it up! Your girls need you! They're depending on you to keep their spirits up. It's all on you, Subaru. Think of something to get Emilia and Beatrice talking. Find a way to take their minds off their troubles.

"Hey, Emilia, did I ever tell you about how Beako and I learned to ride an earth dragon?" Subaru mused.

"You rode an earth dragon?" Emilia asked.

"Betty is not going to like this story, I suppose," Beatrice grumbled.

"Yeah, Roswaal left us a riding earth dragon at the manor so that we could follow you to the Sanctuary. Beako found the ride most stimulating," Subaru continued with an angelic smile.

Beatrice pinched Subaru's cheek firmly, "Betty did not enjoy that experience, in fact!" She snapped

"What?" Subaru asked painfully as Beatrice held him by his cheek, "You didn't enjoy it? But you were saying such lovely things to me during the trip."

"The only land monster Betty wishes to ride is Betty's Subaru!" She retorted.

"Beatrice," Emilia murmured looking unsettled, "What are you doing to Subaru?"

"Betty's Subaru often thinks that it's funny to annoy Betty so that Betty will punish him! Subaru is an overgrown child who causes trouble because he enjoys getting caught!" Beatrice informed her still pinching the side of Subaru's face.

"Hey, can we talk about this?" Subaru moaned through a numb cheek.

Emilia chuckled, "I'm well aware of his bad habits. Do you remember when he tried to use his engine to blow me out the window?"

Beatrice's eyes widened at Emilia's question and she let go of Subaru's cheek, "…No, Betty doesn't remember this, I suppose… But only a few people knew that Subaru's engine was briefly the world's most powerful fan…"

Emilia gave her a tired smile, "I was there, Beatrice. Just like I was there all those nights that you and Subaru read to each other from your book before bedtime."

Beatrice looked unsettled and she gazed off into the distance.

OK, well, it wasn't what I was hoping for but maybe it could be good anyway. Beatrice looks like she's debating if maybe Emilia is telling the truth.

Or maybe she's just worried that Emilia can read minds…

Damn. Beatrice still looks frustrated and Emilia still looks depressed. I didn't accomplish anything. Can't I think of some way to perk them up? We need to stick together and we need to keep our morale high which is really hard when we don't actually have a strategy and we're just grasping at straws for ideas.

Jeez, Subaru, you suck!

They passed groups of soldiers frequently but none of them paid much attention to the group. Emilia and Beatrice kept their hoods up and the soldiers looked right past them.

Eventually they passed a man who looked too young to be wearing his uniform, digging ditches beside the road.

"Excuse me, sir," Subaru called to him, "Do you know how far it is to Arlem village from here?"

The boy stopped digging, "Are you from Arlem village?"

Subaru hesitated a moment and wracked his brain but he could think of no other reason that three people walking down the road would be asking such a question, "Yes…"

"Do you know anything about Lord Subaru, sir?" The soldier asked.

"I know him," Subaru admitted.

"Do you have any idea where he is?"

"I'm guessing that he's wandering around lost in the woods somewhere. Isn't that what all of us are doing right now?" Subaru sighed.

Emilia covered a giggle with a cough.

The boy looked slightly pained, "I don't think that a great hero like Lord Subaru would get lost so easily, sir."

A great hero?! Is that supposed to be a joke?!

"Listen kid, I know Subaru pretty well," Subaru said with a sigh, "Don't get me wrong he's a nice guy but he's also an enormous dunderhead."

The boy stared at him wide eyes, "Should you be talking about Lord Subaru that way, sir?"

"Kid, trust me. Subaru would be fine with me talking about him this way."

"Really?" The boy asked in surprise.

"Oh yeah. Give Subaru half a chance and he's very likely to tell you himself just how much he sucks," Subaru sighed.

Subaru felt a jab from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Emilia glowering at him, "Subaru! Quit it!" She mouthed.

"Gee. I'd heard that he was casual with people beneath his station but that's a really impressive amount of humility," The boy murmured approvingly.

An impressive amount of humility?! Seriously?! Kid, this is 'Lord Subaru' bowing to fucking reality! Subaru is a loser who thought he had all the answers. Subaru has now been thrown into the deep end of the pool and is just figuring out that he can't fucking swim. Subaru is a guy who is finally accepting that he's in WAY WAY over his head. Also, I'd love to tell this kid that this paragon of humility he's referring to is actually the fucking Witch of Pride.

Subaru was about to ask him for directions when the boy interrupted him, "Sir, if you were at the Sanctuary, could you tell me if the stories are true?"

"What stories?" Subaru asked with a sigh.

"They say that Lord Subaru killed two of the Sin Archbishops with his bare hands! They even say that one of them was Petelguese Romanee-Conti, the scourge of the continent!"

Subaru rubbed his face. I know I should be flattered. All of this stupid praise should be inflating my ego and making my Authority stronger but it's all fucking lies! Regulus killed Petelguese, not me. How am I supposed to be proud of that? We killed Roy by the skin of our teeth and frankly it had more to do with his magic… backfiring on him somehow and making him sick than anything we did.

Come to think of it, why did that happen to Roy? If we have to fight Ley again, it might be good to know.

Subaru nodded, "Yeah, Petelguese is dead," He said shortly.

"You saw it?!" The boy asked his eyes shining.

"Not among my favorite memories but yes," Subaru admitted.

"Wow! I can't wait to tell everybody in the platoon!"

"Um, can you give me directions? I'm just trying to get my wife and sister someplace safe right now," Subaru reminded him.

The boy stared at Beatrice who sat on Subaru's shoulder, "I don't mean to be offensive, sir, but isn't she a little young to be married?"

Is this boy trolling me?! Nobody could be this stupid by accident!

"This is my sister," Subaru sighed.

"Oh. Right. That does make more sense. Sorry, sir. I'm not very clever. That's why I'm out here digging these ditches for the Sarge," The boy explained.

Subaru glanced around.

He's digging ditches by the road in the middle of nowhere. Why do I get the funny impression that his Sarge just wanted to get rid of him for a couple of hours?

"Anyway, could you tell me how to get to Arlem from here?" Subaru asked.

The boy scratched under his helmet, "Can't rightly say, sir. I just followed the column here, honestly. But if you keep following this road you'll come to our base camp. I'm sure somebody there could direct you."

Subaru nodded, "Thank you, have fun with your digging."

"Thank you, sir!" The boy said cheerfully, continuing to chop into the ground.

The enormous army camp was built across the road like a small city. It had a wooden palisade erected around it and several watchtowers.

"Subaru," Emilia whispered, "Are we actually going to go into the camp?"

"I don't see that we have much choice," Subaru muttered, "They're camped right across the road which tells me they want everyone heading south to pass through their camp and be questioned. They have lookouts who are going to be very suspicious if we get off the road so sneaking around the camp doesn't seem to be a realistic option and will just attract attention. We'll just keep our heads down, stay quiet, and we'll get out of there before anyone recognizes us."

Subaru marched up to the large army camp and saw two men in full armor guarding the gate.

"Halt!" One cried, "Identify yourselves!"

"My name is Lucas, sir," Subaru said lowering his hood, Hopefully I can get him to focus too much on me to pay any attention to Emilia. Luckily, I'm so dirty and mud stained that no one would ever take me for this vaunted 'Lord Subaru.' "This is my wife Petra and my little sister Betty."

"Where are you coming from?" The soldiers asked.

"Up north, sir," Subaru said trying to sound both servile and stupid, "My family farms the land on a small homestead out in the woods. Hard work but we do alright. We got a message telling us that we had to evacuate so we decided to head south to see my brother in-" Subaru tried to remember the map, "Hanumas," He said referring to a town south of Arlem.

"You're walking to Hanumas?" The soldier asked with surprise and some sympathy.

"Well, the thing is, sir," Subaru replied, "My family doesn't have anywhere else to go! I don't know quite what's going on up there but there was lightning and thunder and explosions. I decided it was time to get my family out while the getting was good."

"Good thinking," The soldier replied.

"Can you give me some directions, sir? Are we still going the right way?"

"Yes. Keep going down this road and in a day or two you should hit the King's Highway. It will lead you south through Arlem and Hannumas," He said.

"Thank you, sir. Much obliged to you," Subaru said with a slight bow.

"If you and your family are hungry, the cooks are already preparing dinner. Camp rations I'm afraid but we've been told to offer it to any hungry travelers during this crisis. Orders of Lady Karnstein," The guard said.

Crusch is mixed up in this? Is that bad or good? Maybe it doesn't much matter right now.

"Thank you kindly, sir, but I think we'll keep heading down the road. We can probably get a bit further today before we call it a night," Subaru replied.

The soldier nodded and stepped aside, "Safe journey."

Subaru held Emilia's hand as they walked through the busy camp. It was very much like the camps he had slept in during the Whale Hunt, everybody was yelling and rushing in one direction or another. Subaru spied the ornate tent of the camp commander and hurried past it as fast as he could. The commander might be Crusch or one of the officers he had met during the Whale Hunt.

Subaru could actually see the other gate in the distance when he heard a familiar voice: "…my magnificent self kicked all their asses!"

"Garf!" Subaru gasped and he felt Emilia grip his hand tighter.

Oh shit. This is bad. If Garf is here then is Felt? Rem? Reinhard?

Could you talk to Reinhard? Convince him? Rem and Felt are probably a lost cause right now but maybe Garf and Reinhard could be persuaded to trust you.

No, that's a terrible idea. If you fail to convince him, you'll be in a pitched battle with not only Garf and Reinhard, although that's more than enough, but an entire army of hundreds of soldiers trying to kill Emilia as well. Plus everyone thinks that you've been brainwashed. Nobody is going to listen to you right now. You need to get out of here.

Fuck, don't panic. You look just like ten thousand other refugees that Garf and everyone else have already ignored today. Just keep your head down and keep walking. You'll be out of here in two minutes.

Subaru was sweating bullets by the time they walked out of the camp and it took everything he had not to simply start running.

"Seriously, fleabag? Do you really have to piss off everyone you meet?" Felt asked in exasperation as she and Garfiel returned to their tent. It was large enough for four people to sleep in and they could even stand up comfortably inside although it was just four sleeping rolls spread out on the ground.

Garfiel flung himself down on his sleeping roll with a triumphant grin. "Heh. I feel like the person my magnificent self pisses off is mainly you, shrimp! Besides, what's the big deal? I was just having some fun with those grumps."

"Arm wrestling Crusch's personal guards?" Felt demanded rolling her eyes, "Can you really not even imagine any way that might come back to bite us?"

"It was all in good fun," Garfiel said dismissively.

"I know that you had fun, fleabag! I'm just not so sure about the ten guards that you beat, especially the one that needed to have his arm put in a sling! Nice job taunting them after they lost too!" Felt snapped.

"Come on, shrimp, you're such a scaredy cat! This is the army! It's a place for a man to be a man and it's the perfect place for my magnificent self since I just happen to be the ultimate man!" Garfiel laughed.

Felt buried her face in her hands, "Ugh, fleabag! Why don't you grow a brain?!"

"Why don't you grow some tits?" Garfiel snorted with a grin.

"Garf, you're the dumbest man I've ever met in my life. There is never any blood flowing through your brain, fleabag, and I don't know where the rest is going because that tiny-ass dick of yours can't hold much!" Felt snapped with a vicious smile.

"Listen, shrimp, your little ass-" Garfiel began but something grabbed Garfiel's ear and jerked his head around.

Garfiel found himself looking up into Rem's coldly impassive face, "Garf, do we need to discuss the proper way to speak to a woman?" She asked calmly.

Garfiel's eyes were wide as he shook his head back and forth violently.

Rem let go of Garfiel's ear.

Felt sighed, "Rem, you know, you didn't really have to get involved in that. We were doing just fine on our own."

"I will never understand why the two of you seem to enjoy insulting one another," Rem commented.

"Rem, just cause you don't understand something, that doesn't necessarily make it bad!" Felt pointed out.

"Hey, how's Ram?" Garfiel interrupted before Rem could respond.

Rem glanced at him, "Sister is doing well. Felix expects her to be back on her feet tomorrow although he recommends that we seek out a few specialists in the capitol before returning home. Also," Rem continued turning to face Garfiel squarely, "Sister expressed her gratitude for my taking you in hand during her incapacitation but she assures me that tomorrow she expects to be able to resume disciplining you personally."

Garfiel swallowed hard.

"Heh. You know, fleabag," Felt drolled, "If you're really into this kind of stuff, I know a professional. She's expensive but I'm told that she's worth it."

"Hey!" Garfiel protested, "Nothing wrong with a man finding a strong woman who knows what she wants attractive!"

"Garf, there is a limit-" Felt sighed.

"I smell a witch," Rem whispered.

Garfiel and Felt stared at her.

"Where?" Felt asked.

"They just passed through the camp," Rem continued.

"Must be a cult spy," Felt muttered.

"Let's get after them! Before they get away!" Garfiel said leaping to his feet.

"We need to tell everyone," Felt objected.

"There isn't time, Miss Felt," Rem said picking up her mace, "The trail is already fading. We must pursue the cultist. Quickly now!" Rem set off at a run.

"Hell ya!" Garfiel shouted scoping up Felt and tucking her under one arm.

"What the fuck are you doing, fleabag?!" Felt shouted as Garfiel leaped after Rem, "Stop carrying me around like fucking luggage! I have a Blessing! I can keep up!"

The pair pounded through the camp at full speed scattering soldiers.

"One side, guys!" Garfiel roared at the gate guards. The two soldiers leaped back as Rem and Garfiel charged out of the camp, Felt still bitterly complaining as Garfiel carried her under one arm like a football.

"Wait! Do you have permission-" The guard trailed off as the three raced into the woods and out of sight.

"If Garfiel was there, then who else?" Emilia asked a mile down the road.

Subaru shook his head, "I don't know. Nor do I want to find out right now."

They walked in silence for a few moments while Beatrice dozed on his shoulder.

"Subaru, what is our plan?" Emilia asked.

"We go back to Arlem and try to convince all of them that you're not evil. And we may also need to convince them that I'm really Subaru," He added, "I probably look and smell like a stable boy right now."

"Do you really think that they'll listen to you about me?"

"They better. I think it's fair to say they owe me one. And if they tell people that Emilia wasn't an evil witch and she was very nice to them, then maybe Reinhard won't come after us with his sword drawn. All we have to do is convince him to wait and watch before making up his mind."

Emilia sighed, "Subaru, after I almost killed Felt, I'm not sure that Reinhard is going to be in the mood to listen to us."

"He'll definitely be angry. Probably angry at both of us, and frankly I don't blame him," Subaru admitted, "But Reinhard is a good person, one of the best. He's not going to be willing to kill someone in cold blood unless he's absolutely certain that they need to die."

"What if he thinks this person bewitched his lord?" Emilia asked in a small voice.

"…Yeah. That's the bigger problem," Subaru admitted, "As long as that's everyone's working theory, nobody is going to listen to anything I say."

Subaru scratched his chin, "Well, at least we're back in some woods so we can get off the road again."

Subaru let go of Emilia's hand and reached into his pocket to touch the crystal, "Puck," He whispered.

The magical cat appeared in mid air in front of him.

"Hey, Subaru. What did I miss?" Puck asked drifting down into Beatrice's arms to be petted.

"Nothing particularly interesting, buddy." Subaru shrugged, "But we got lonely so we decided to wake you up."

"Aw, it's so nice to be loved," He smiled as Beatrice cuddled him.

Subaru heard a voice behind him, "-This way?"

It was Garfiel's voice.

"Subaru!" Emilia whispered.

"Come on!" Subaru hissed grabbing her hand and taking off at a run deeper into the forest.

They ran like this for twenty minutes but the voices always seemed to be on their trail.

How are they following us? We're not leaving any tracks in this soft grass! Could it be a coincidence, maybe Garf was just headed in the same direction?

Yeah, right. But the fact is that they're catching up so we better try something else.

Subaru spotted a small cave, "This way quick!" He hissed pulling Emilia along.

They huddled inside the cave, "Beako, I need an illusion. Can you use your magic to make it look like we're not here?" Subaru whispered.

Beatrice nodded and raised her hand. The world around Subaru turned purple as if he was peering through stained glass. He could still see everything outside but he took it on faith that Beatrice's magic would keep anyone from seeing inside.

The voices got closer.

"Wait? It smells like the Captain?!" Garfiel exclaimed.

A few moments later Rem, Garf, and Felt walked into the cave. Rem had her morning star in hand.

They all looked around the small cave.

"Where to now, Rem?" Garfiel asked.

"This is where the trail ends. The miasma is strongest here," She replied.

"Then where did they go?" Felt asked in a tired voice.

"I'm uncertain," Rem replied, "The trail ends here."

Emilia looked at Subaru but he shook his head and put a finger to his lips.

Garfiel scratched his chin, "Maybe it wasn't actually the Captain. Maybe this is the den of some mabeast or something that came too close to camp and Rem caught a whiff of it."

"That is possible," Rem admitted.

"I knew this was going to be a wild goose chase as soon as Rem mentioned Subaru," Felt muttered, "Whatever that witch has the boss doing, I doubt that he's just wandering around the countryside hiding out in caves."

"Alright, whatever. Let's head back to the camp before dinner starts. I hate it when they run out," Garfiel grumbled.

"They don't run out, fleabag, you just don't always get to have three servings," Felt sighed.

"Hey! I'm a growing boy!" Garfiel protested.

"How big are you planning on getting?" Felt snickered as she walked out of the cave.

"Hey, just cause you're a little shrimp, don't ruin it for the rest of us!" Garfiel snorted, following Felt. He paused, glancing back at Rem, "Rem, you coming?"

"I'll be along in a moment. I need to relieve myself and the cave is a preferable place to the camp latrines."

Garfiel looked thoughtful, "Well, do you want us to-"

"I do not require an audience, Garf," Rem replied calmly, "Nor do I need an escort to walk a few hundred yards back to camp. Return with Felt, I will be along shortly."

She's about to use the bathroom? Oh shit. I don't want to see Rem like this! Subaru thought as Garf left the cave.

Rem turned and looked at what must have been a blank wall to her.

"You can come out now, Subaru Natsuki," She said calmly.

The group looked at each other.

"I am not a complete fool. I can smell the miasma coming from a blank wall," Rem continued. "This is a common trick of Lady Beatrice and Lord Roswaal."

Subaru made a face and then looked at Beatrice and nodded.

Beatrice waved her hand and the barrier disappeared.

Subaru stood up and stepped in front of Emilia and the spirits protectively, "So what now?"

"I believe that I feel sufficiently 'relived.' Therefore, I am going back to camp," Rem said impassively.

She turned to leave the cave.

Subaru frowned, "Why did you help us back there?"

Rem stopped, "Believe me, Subaru Natsuki. I didn't help you. I helped young Garf and Felt. If I had revealed you to them they would have attacked the witch."

Subaru blinked, "What? I thought Garf had learned not to pick fights he can't win."

"Young Garf is well aware of the fact that he couldn't win. He considers that the genius of his plan," Rem said still facing away from him.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"Young Garf has immense respect for his Captain. He wishes to follow you, Subaru Natsuki. His plan to save you from this witchcraft was to throw himself at the witch with everything he had. To throw himself toward certain destruction and he has convinced Miss Felt to join him in this attack."

Subaru scratched his head, "No way. Felt is way too smart to do that."

"Sometimes the heart blinds the head, Subaru Natsuki. Miss Felt loves you. She has placed you on a pedestal and sees you as a man worth revering. A man who could truly change this world for the better. This is why she is willing to risk her life in this senseless attack that Garf proposed. Garf convinced her that his Captain, the man they both so admire, would never physically turn against them, nor permit them to die in battle against a witch. If his Captain were to see them fighting in hopeless battle to free him from her terrible influence, the scales would finally fall from his eyes and, with Subaru Natsuki once more beside them, they could vanquish the evil witch and reunite their team," Rem turned to face Subaru, her face still impassive, "I think that young Garf would be… disappointed if he attempted this plan and asked you to choose between them and the witch, would he not?"

Subaru swallowed hard, "I would… never let Garf and Felt die."

"As I thought," Rem said impassively, "You would choose to sacrifice Garf and Felt to protect the witch. You would sacrifice all of us to save her."

Subaru's mouth opened but he didn't know what to say.

"I know that you are no Witch Cultist, Subaru Natsuki. I knew that I was wrong about you the night I tried to kill you," Rem said in a flat voice. "When you knocked away my mace with your bare hand I knew this was a fight I couldn't win. I expected to die when you tore my mace out of my hand. But instead you just stood there staring at me. You actually looked scared!"

Subaru sighed, "Rem, you had just flung a mace at my face. I feel like I was justified in being scared."

"Then you told Reinhard not to kill me. That was when I understood that I had made a terrible mistake. Lord Roswaal was prepared to exile me as a punishment. For a moment, I thought that was your whole plan, rather than killing me you just intended to separate me from Sister forever; a fate worse than death. But instead, you defended me.

"For a long time I tried to convince myself that it hadn't happened. That you were playing some kind of 'long con,' as little sense as that would make. The Battle of Arlem made that idea impossible to sustain. You could have killed me that night without any effort at all and no one would have blamed you. My own sister would have agreed that I had been in the wrong if you'd murdered me where I stood. The only conclusion was that you really were a good person and that I'd tried to kill you for no reason," Rem finished.

"The night that Roswaal told me about your Authority, I was certain that I'd been tricked. That you had used your magic to deceive me," Rem said in a flat tone. "I waited until I could excuse myself and then took my mace and followed you up to your room. I intended to kill you."

Subaru's eyes widened and he shared a worried look with Beatrice, "Um. What changed your mind?"

"Once again, you did. I walked into the room and saw you comforting and consoling the little spirit. She offered you a chance to escape. Instead you promised to die at her side rather than abandon her," Rem sighed.

"Subaru…" Emilia whispered.

"Subaru Natsuki, I knew that you weren't a Witch cultist the night I tried to kill you. Over time, I decided that you were a kind and wise man; Someone to be respected, perhaps even admired," Rem said calmly.

Subaru flushed awkwardly.

"I realize now that I was completely wrong," Rem said looking at him impassively.

Subaru blinked.

"You did not spare me because of some deep insight into my character, you let me live because you yourself didn't want to accept the guilt of my death even though I had tried to kill you," Rem said.

"You say that as if it was a bad thing," Subaru replied weakly.

"You promised to die beside Beatrice. You even admitted to the Arlem villagers that this was an act of sheer selfishness on your part. You would rather have died beside her then deal with the guilt of leaving her behind, even if you could have done infinitely more good outside of the Sanctuary," Rem continued matter-of-fact.

"Rem-" Subaru began.

"And now you have been given all the evidence in the world that this witch has twisted your mind and your memories but you refuse to see it. You can't stand the guilt and pain of turning against someone that you think you love, even if a blind infant could tell that those memories had been implanted by withcraft. You are choosing to run away with this witch out of some romantic fantasy that you can save her. You are a child, Subaru Natsuki: A man who refuses to see the world as it is when it conflicts with his desires," Rem continued calmly.

Subaru scowled, "If you're that certain of all this, then why are you letting us go?"

"Because I can't stop you," Rem said matter-of-fact, "We stand no chance against you alone. Likely we would fail even if we brought every soldier in the camp to face you. Our only option is to find the Sword Saint. Only he can face you and slay the witch," Rem continued, "Beyond that, as little as I like to admit it, I am in your debt for sparing my life and I will see that debt ended."

"I never said that you owed me a debt, Rem," Subaru scowled, "You're the one saying that. But how have you repaid anything? By your own admission, you just saved Felt and Garf's lives not ours."

"I prevented you from having to kill them," Rem said quietly, "I assumed that would still mean something to you. Perhaps I was mistaken."

Subaru shook his head barring his teeth, "What the hell is this? Rem, we have done nothing to you! I did not trick you, I did not deceive you!"

"Nothing to me?!" Rem hissed. She bared her teeth as she marched closer to Subaru. She carried a mace she must have known would be as useless to her in a fight as a feather-duster, "You didn't trick me. You betrayed me! I trusted you! We all trusted you! You betrayed Garf and Felt who would have done anything for you! The poor girl was emotionally shattered in your service but you were more concerned with the emotional health of the witch who did the shattering!"

"I risked my life to try to draw the Archbishops away from you and Felt!" Subaru shouted.

"Do not treat me like a child, Subaru Natsuki," Rem hissed with narrowed eyes, "You weren't trying to protect us. You were trying to protect the witch! You would have thrown every single one of us onto the Witch Cult's blades to save 'Emilia.'" She drew back with a disgusted sneer on her face, "Tell me that I'm wrong, Subaru Natsuki."

Subaru's jaw clenched.

She shook her head in disgust, "Poor Garf and Miss Felt. They truly thought you were a hero. They would have done anything for you. You betrayed them. I will never forgive you, Subaru Natsuki. You betrayed all of us. Even those poor spirits who adore you and would die for you without a second thought. Perhaps they will get an opportunity to prove it if your witch decides that their deaths would benefit her."

Subaru glared at her his vision turning red with fury, "Do not push me any further, Rem," He said in a deathly quiet voice.

Rem stared at him her face shifting back to impassive and disdainful. "This is as far as I will go, Subaru Natsuki," Rem said in an expressionless tone, "I owed you a life and my debt is now paid in full. The next time we meet, it shall be with Sir Reinhard at my side and we shall be enemies. He shall slay the witch and free you from this enchantment but that is no credit to you. You are the worst kind of fool, Subaru Natsuki: a powerful one. Fate in its blind ignorance has granted you the ability to do more harm to this world by accident than most men could do on purpose. You will watch as this witch slowly reveals herself to be evil incarnated in human form and I have no doubt that you will still refuse to see it. She will do great wrong to this world and, I am confident that by the time we meet again, I, and your former friends, will be in no mood to show you any quarter. Are we understood?"

Subaru scowled and nodded.

Rem stared at him impassively for a long moment, "You are nothing but a fool, Subaru Natsuki, and you will die a fool's death," Rem said calmly, walking away without looking back.