—When he came to, his consciousness was in the depths of a deep, deep darkness.
In the dimly spreading blackness, his consciousness cast its gaze about, seeking some change.
The jet-black stretching endlessly onward seemed to extend all the way to the end of the world—or perhaps it gave the claustrophobic impression of a miniature garden that extended no further than arm's reach.
Where was this place? Why was he here?
Such questions arose, but even that in itself was strange.
After all, he didn't even know what sort of person "himself" was—what kind of being would think in such a way.
Only his consciousness drifted emptily, unable to convey its will to the fleshly vessel that supported it.
He was standing. His feet were planted on the ground. And yet, that awareness of his footing had merged with the darkness engulfing his entire field of vision, making even his foothold literally uncertain.
—Suddenly, a change arose in the world of nothing but darkness.
Shadows warped and began to crumple, and the space before his eyes started to crack.
After a mere instant of abnormality, what emerged from that spot was a single silhouette.
He thought it was the shadow of a woman. And in the instant he recognized it, the indescribable emotion that spread within his chest—how could he even begin to name it?
Urged on by emotions swelling explosively within him, he wanted to rush toward that shadow. But his feet still refused to obey his will, and there was nothing he could do about the distant figure.
Even if he wanted to call out, he didn't know what to say, nor how to form the words.
Even if the frustration made him want to weep, he didn't know how to express his emotions.
He didn't know, he didn't know, he didn't know anything at all.
And yet, as if the shadow understood his thoughts, she slowly extended both arms—and closed the unbridgeable distance from her side.
Those hands drew closer, slowly, surely, until they were within embraceable distance— "I love you."
The bliss transmitted from their touching fingertips enveloped his entire body in ecstasy— ※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ The instant his consciousness traveled back through time and settled back into his body, Subaru took a spectacular tumble.
"Whoa!? Wh-what's wrong, bro!?"
Looking down at Subaru, who had suddenly face-planted onto the road without any warning, Kadomon stood behind the counter, flusteredly raising and lowering both hands.
The impact of his hard faceplant knocked the wind out of him and left him with a meaningless set of scrapes, Subaru grimaced at the pain, "No... I just, uh, slipped."
"Slipped? You went down like someone chopped one of your legs off! You sure you can still stand and walk? If you've lost anything besides your common sense, I can't deal with you anymore."
"That's... not a worry I need, thanks. And what do you mean 'besides my common sense'? Way to make me sound like some ignorant ruffian."
"That's exactly what you are. Though I guess, thinking about the trouble you're causing that noble lady, I probably should've said something even harder to deal with."
Subaru clicked his tongue and made a show of his displeasure at Kadomon's dismissive words.
Then, suddenly, he felt a tug on his sleeve, and a warm pulse traveled through his body. He turned around, craning his neck toward the source of that warmth, and— "—Are you all right, Subaru-kun?"
That was
The water Mana flowing from her fingertips interfered with his injuries, boosting their healing power to stop the bleeding and mend the wounds.
As Subaru felt the pain fading, something else surged up in his chest at the same time— "Rem..."
"...? Yes, it's Rem."
At the weak, raspy sound of his voice calling her name, Rem tilted her head in puzzlement for a moment, "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a corpse. Even if you're not worried, Rem is right here. I'm your Rem, Subaru-kun."
For her, it was unusually playful—she offered a faint, teasing smile.
It must have been that Subaru's utterly haggard appearance looked especially painful to her. And the words she had used—'like you've seen a corpse'—were anything but funny.
Truly, completely, utterly not a laughing matter.
"Rem, I..."
"It's difficult, isn't it? I think you look far more like yourself when you're smiling than when your face is all clouded over. So I was trying to find some way to make you smile..."
Rem furrowed her brows ever so slightly, looking troubled. While she was doing so, Subaru's scrapes had healed completely. Seeing that they were done, Rem gave a single nod, saying "All finished," and went to pull her fingers away— "————"
"Subaru-kun?"
He grabbed her retreating fingers from above, unwilling to let that warmth slip away.
At Subaru's forceful举动, Rem looked up at him with a surprised expression. But when she saw the raw, painful emotions written plainly across his face, "Seriously, what's gotten into you? For you to be the one to... I mean, I'm happy that you'd do this, but it's a little startling when it's so sudden."
"You're slender. Small. ...Warm, though."
"I am a bit self-conscious about being small, so that's not really something I want to hear. I guess it's fine coming from you, Subaru. And being warm is just a given—I am alive, after all."
At those words, Subaru lifted his gaze and looked at Rem.
Straight on, their eyes and gazes intertwined, and Rem gazed back at him with tender affection in her eyes.
"Did you start to worry? But Rem is right here. You risked your life to save me, Subaru. So, it's going to be okay."
—No. That wasn't it.
Subaru had let Rem die. Killed her. Twice, without mercy or pity.
The first time, perhaps it was fundamentally unrelated to Subaru. But the second time was different. The second time, there had been absolutely no room for excuses—Rem had died for Subaru's sake.
To protect Subaru, to save Subaru, for Subaru's sake, she had exhausted her life force, wrung out every last drop of what had already been spent, and died for Subaru.
The Rem before him didn't know any of that.
She didn't know how much pain and humiliation she had been made to endure, and how miserably she had perished at the end of it all.
Only Subaru knew.
And if the same situation arose again, Rem would not hesitate for a moment—she would try to protect Subaru in exactly the same way, and be violated in exactly the same way before her life was snuffed out.
"————"
Before he realized it, Subaru was clenching Rem's small hand, trying to suppress what was about to overflow from inside him, his head bowed so she couldn't see his face.
At Subaru's reaction, Rem's fingertips trembled with worry that she had said something to distress him. But that lasted only an instant. Perhaps she thought that kind of behavior would only frighten Subaru more— "It's okay. It's okay. It's okay, Subaru."
Gently, soothingly, like coaxing a child, she patted Subaru's back with her free hand.
Caressingly, tenderly, until Subaru could raise his head.
All the while gentle, all the while with loving warmth.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ "I hate to interrupt when you two are being all cozy like that, but standing around making googly eyes isn't exactly good for business."
Those were the words Kadomon had said as he shooed the pair away, having watched the scene unfold from the front of his shop.
In normal times, Subaru would have shot back with something like, "Whether we're here or not has nothing to do with it—this business was never gonna work in the first place!" and provoked the man's wrath. But the Subaru of now didn't have that much mental leeway to spare.
He could only obey Rem as she took his hand and hurried them away from the spot.
The shopkeeper hadn't tried to chase them off immediately, nor had he attempted to cause a scene—at the very least, he'd shown enough decency to wait until Subaru could calm down. Unfortunately, Subaru had no bandwidth left to appreciate that.
Right now, a single emotion dominated Subaru's heart.
—Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.
An all-consuming hatred that not even death and the rewinding of time could erase.
Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti.
That was the name of the enemy currently standing in Subaru's destiny. The most contemptible murderer who had committed unforgivable sins and orchestrated the massacre of Rem and the villagers.
Killing that man was the mission Subaru had been given.
"I'll snuff out his life for sure... with my own hands."
He would warp that grotesque face with his own two hands. As that thought took hold, a dark joy blossomed in Subaru's chest, and a twisted kind of smile—one he had never worn before—settled on his lips.
Stab, tear, crush, wring, make him beg for his life, then kill him.
Just imagining it was enough to send an uncontrollable urge to laugh surging up from the back of his throat.
"...Subaru-kun, do you have a moment?"
It was Rem, trailing half a step behind, who called out to Subaru as he wallowed in that grim pleasure.
He stopped in his tracks at her voice and turned back, asking, "What's up?" Rem stared intently at his face, then let out a small sniff through her well-shaped nose.
"It's nothing... it might just be my imagination. But I feel like that, um... unpleasant scent coming from you has gotten stronger, Subaru-kun."
"Unpleasant scent, huh."
At her words, he rubbed his nose against his arm and tried to catch the smell, but couldn't distinguish anything.
If Rem said so, then the thick stench emanating from him could only be the scent of the "
"So my Return by Death really is connected to the Witch...?"
Every time he tried to confide in someone about Return by Death, the Witch's presence surrounding him grew stronger.
In the Mabeast forest, he had even turned that to his advantage—but in the busyness that followed, he'd let it slide without digging any deeper.
Perhaps even his subconscious reluctance to reach that conclusion was part of the immense power carried by the word "Witch."
Before he could slip into the kind of thinking he'd never once allowed himself to pursue, Subaru grinned at Rem, who was watching his silent self with worry on her face. Then he said: "Don't make that face, Rem. You'll ruin that pretty mug of yours, and that'll put a damper on everything ahead."
"I'm sorry. Rem is a worrier, so she can't help it..."
"Just relax. No matter what happens, I'm still the same guy. I'm not gonna lose to some stink, and if anything, I'll turn it around and use it to my advantage."
The cards Subaru had to play were few, far from many.
In this world, Subaru didn't even have the kind of cards that an ordinary person would hold. So whatever traits could set him apart from others — no matter what they were — he had to treat them as assets and keep them in his hand.
What was the big deal about the Witch's scent? In the Mabeast forest, he'd completely turned that malice to his own advantage and handled it however he pleased. Moving forward, he just had to keep finding ways to do the same.
For a moment, Rem fell silent at Subaru's smile, her gaze drifting uncertainly as she wrestled with what attitude to take. To nudge her along in her indecision, Subaru scratched his head and then held out his hand.
"Come on, let's go. If you're worried I might run off somewhere, just hold on to me."
"Eh?"
"You'd absolutely win in a contest of strength, right? So this way feels safer, doesn't it?"
With words that carried a hint of bashfulness beneath the surface, Rem compared Subaru's face to his outstretched hand, then — "Okay."
She smiled, took his hand, and stepped up to stand not half a pace behind him, but right at his side.
And so, side by side, the two set off walking. Rem kept her head slightly bowed, eyes fixed on their clasped hands, lips pressed firmly shut as she matched her pace to Subaru's without a single word.
With the quiet, earnest girl in tow, heading from the lower quarters of the
Their hands were clasped together, yet their hearts were pointed in opposite directions.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ This loop was, for Subaru, his third one.
The first was the loop during the Emblem theft on the day of his summoning.
The second was the loop triggered by the Mabeast incident at
And now this was the third — a loop entangled with the
This being his third loop, Subaru should have already died twice.
In previous loops, upon returning by Death, he would use the time to organize the situation up to that point and use it as fuel to devise some kind of strategy.
"Pathetic, I know, but..."
This time, there was a fatal flaw: the memories of both the first and second loops were hazy and indistinct.
He remembered the first world, if only vaguely.
Left behind on the way to the mansion in the dragon carriage with Rem, Subaru had traveled to the mansion together with Otto. From there, he parted ways with Otto and made it to the village — but from that point onward, his memories were shrouded in a considerable haze. The fragments he could recall were Rem's death,
The second world was even worse.
He had no memory at all of returning to that world, and his recollections only began to sharpen around the time of his confrontation with Petelgeuse — he had to mentally rewind the clock's hands to just before and after Rem's murder.
Given Subaru's shattered mental state leading up to that point, perhaps it was understandable, but the memories from before then had been reduced to fragments even smaller than mere scraps. He had managed to piece together those shards and recall them — and yet— "Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti…"
The name of that accursed madman — the source of every last bit of Subaru's current driving force.
Fully aware of how woefully inadequate his own position was, Subaru had to push his thoughts even deeper.
Specifically, he needed to sift through the scattered memories of the first and second loops, pick out the critical pieces, and use them to break through the loop in this third attempt — he had to kill Petelgeuse, once and for all. To that end, he had no choice but to work his brain until it felt like it was scorching.
First, what he had to determine was the official deadline.
The attack on Roswaal Manor, and the attack on the nearby village by Witch Cult members — both would likely occur roughly half a day before or after Subaru's arrival in the village.
There should have been no significant shift in the dates between the first world and the second. Considering that in the first world, Subaru had left the Crusch mansion three days after the incident at Kadomon's shop, and then spent approximately two more days returning to the Mezer Territory— "The time limit is five days… no, about four and a half…?"
All he could do was grit his teeth at how little time there was.
The scale of movement was vastly different, yet the amount of time he'd been given was nearly identical to the previous deadline at the mansion. Within that limited window, he had to annihilate the Witch Cult — or at the very least, ensure that Petelgeuse was taken down for certain.
Once the deadline was confirmed, the next step was to verify the conditions necessary for breaking through the loop.
Preventing the attacks on the mansion and the village, and annihilating the Witch Cult. The confirmed killing of Petelgeuse. These were the problems Subaru had to solve in this iteration.
Every single one of them ultimately boiled down to the last one — if Petelgeuse's killing was accomplished, the rest would naturally fall into place.
In other words, the condition that fate had thrust upon Subaru this time around was: "I've gotta kill the hell out of Petelgeuse."
By killing him — the root of all evil, that despicable murderer — everything could be saved.
The rules this time were brutally simple and easy to understand. All he had to do now was produce the answers needed to fulfill that simple condition.
The Witch Cult members led by Petelgeuse — their fighting force was, at minimum, not something that could be opposed by a single individual. Even Rem in her Oni Transformation, despite overwhelming them with individual strength, had ultimately been killed. How much Petelgeuse's supposed ability, the "Invisible Providence," factored into that was unclear — but frankly, it had been impossible to place that entire burden on her alone.
To counter a group, what was needed was the strength of a group.
Against that kind of brute numerical superiority, the power available within the Mezer Territory was remarkably low. For starters, no one had ever seen Roswaal, the territorial lord, commanding personal soldiers. Normally, a lord of his standing would be expected to maintain at least a modest military force — but in Roswaal's case, perhaps because his own individual capacity for group annihilation was simply too high, his reserves of such forces remained an unknown.
At the very least, there was no sign that the unknown group had put up any resistance against the two previous attacks. That option could be crossed off the list right away.
No, now that he thought back on it— "Wait, where was Roswaal during that attack, anyway...?"
Whether it was the first time or the second, Subaru had never spotted him.
The second time around, given that he'd been present at the scene of the manor's destruction, you could say that his safety—along with that of three other people and one creature besides Rem and the villagers—was unknown. But at the very least, Roswaal had done nothing about the attack on the village under his own territory, and there was no sign he'd wiped out the Witch Cult followers.
What he could consider was: "That Roswaal was immediately assassinated, ambushed, or otherwise incapacitated. Or maybe he was absent from somewhere he was supposed to be...?"
If it was the former, you could only sigh at the Witch Cult's thoroughness. If the latter, at their terrible timing. The fact was, Roswaal was a man who had a track record of leaving the manor unattended during the last incident and being absent when it mattered most. It couldn't be ruled out.
And as he recalled all of this, Subaru remembered the end of his last loop. It was— "That incomprehensibly huge creature that wrecked the manor."
A four-legged beast of unbelievable size, so massive it could be mistaken for the manor itself.
The spectacle of it flash-freezing the world with the freezing breath it spewed in all directions was something to behold, though Subaru couldn't say for certain—he had most likely died from freezing due to that cold air.
If that thing had been one of the Witch Cult's trump cards or something of the sort— "Then we're even more short on combat strength."
Even just clashing with the Witch Cult, Rem alone was conspicuously insufficient as a fighting force. And yet, with a final boss lurking behind them, the situation was beyond problematic.
Therefore, for Subaru, the top priority above all else was combat strength—strength capable of going toe-to-toe with the Witch Cult and those colossal boss-class threats.
And Subaru had high hopes for that strength.
That was—、 ※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ By the time Subaru and Rem arrived back at Crusch's mansion, evening was already setting in, the color of the sky deepening into a rich crimson.
"Welcome back."
Greeting the two at the gate was Wilhelm.
From a distance he gave a slight bow, and upon seeing the pair walking close together, he narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm. Subaru-dono, a wandering eye is something one must expect from a young man, but personally, I can't say I approve."
"What are you talking about, Wilhelm? Rem's just holding my hand so I don't get lost. Right?"
「Yes, of course. Rem has to keep her eyes and hands on you so you don't get lost — she'd be very worried otherwise. I don't think you can let your guard down even inside the manor.」
「Well, I think that's probably going a bit far……」
When Subaru responded to Wilhelm's teasing tone, Rem squeezed his hand with that stubborn earnestness of hers. Smiling wryly at that, Subaru turned his gaze back to Wilhelm and—— 「Someone here to meet with Crusch-san again, by the looks of it?」
His question was prompted by the dragon carriage parked beside Wilhelm.
The vehicle, adorned with conspicuous, lavish decorations, was being pulled by a black earth dragon — not one with a fine coat, but rather with hard skin that somehow gleamed with an air of elegance.
It was unclear whether earth dragons had bloodlines like horses did, but at the very least, this one possessed a presence that set it apart from every earth dragon Subaru had seen so far.
The coachman seated on the box was also immaculately dressed in formal attire, and having offered a polite nod in their direction, showed no indication of engaging in idle chatter.
Sensing the meaning behind Subaru's question and gaze, Wilhelm gave a slight nod and—— 「Yes, that's right. Ever since her participation in the Royal Selection was announced, there has been no end of people requesting an audience with Crusch-sama. Of course, some of them are those who have been personally invited by Crusch-sama herself.」
「So it's a bunch of people trying to suck up to someone who might be the next king, huh? Well, I imagine that comes with its own share of headaches.」
Bluntly summing up the facts with no tact to speak of, Wilhelm let a wry smile cross his face. Then, all at once, he looked into Subaru's eyes and his expression hardened.
Subaru tilted his head, wondering what that was all about, when—— 「Subaru-dono. Has something changed within you, down below?」
「Huh? What's with the sudden question? Do I look any different?」
Shrugging his shoulders playfully at the sharp tone, Subaru spun around on the spot. Rem, still holding his hand, was spun along with him. Watching this, Wilhelm closed his eyes and—— 「There is darkness nesting in your eyes. The real thing — not some imitation.」
Subaru's feet stopped dead. The vacant grin vanished from his face.
And what emerged from beneath that vague smile was a *genuine* one.
「Come on, Wilhelm-san. You make it sound like something weird changed about me.」
「I wouldn't call it a small change, no. To bear that dim light in your eyes requires a reason equally impossible to downplay. —I know what that reason is.」
Wilhelm responded in a low voice, a faint smile etched at the corner of his own mouth.
Sensing that there was nothing bright or hopeful in that smile — that what lived there was a razor-honed emotion directed at something purely and utterly *unforgivable* — Subaru found understanding settling in his chest.
Wilhelm, too, was a man who harbored killing intent toward something he could not forgive. That was why, just as Subaru had come to understand him, he had come to understand Subaru in turn.
「Will you keep me at a distance, then?」
From Wilhelm's perspective, the danger Subaru currently radiated would likely make most people hesitant to approach him. But Subaru was more than halfway confident that wouldn't be the case.
And indeed, "No. Please, do whatever you feel is right, Master Subaru. Compared to the you from just moments ago, who didn't want to look at anything at all, the you standing before me now is far more agreeable."
In response to the words Subaru had thrown out, Wilhelm shook his head.
Naturally, a smile of the same variety found its way onto Subaru's face as well. The two of them may not have known each other's deepest feelings, but at the very least, they had come to know each other on the surface.
And so the two exchanged dark smiles of a sort— "Subaru-kun. You're making a nasty face."
"Hehehe—ow ow ow ow! Rem, hey, you're gonna rip it off!"
His ear was suddenly yanked, cutting short their sinister little conference. As Subaru protested, Rem fixed him with narrowed eyes, "Please don't make Rem anxious."
"Well, well, I thought for once Rem was making a demand, but it's all pretty vague. Relax, Rem. I've got everything figured out. I'll handle it all."
As long as he knew what needed to be done, there was no room for doubt in Subaru's heart.
The simple clarity of having something he must accomplish, and knowing exactly what he needed to do for it, felt oddly comforting right now.
All he had to do was kill the person who needed killing. How wonderfully simple was that?
Subaru smiled, weaving gentle words.
And yet, hearing this, Rem's expression only grew more devoid of emotion. Her grip tightened further, as though she were frightened of something.
Then, as if bewildered, she opened her mouth as if to say something— "It seems our guest is about to take his leave."
Wilhelm, who had happened to glance toward the mansion, murmured those words. Beyond the gate—the door of the Crusch residence had been opened, and a single figure was walking toward them.
He was tall, with long, muted blond hair. Dressed in a well-tailored formal suit and adorned with accessories, his appearance at first glance planted the image of "nouveau riche" squarely in Subaru's mind. He looked to be roughly around thirty. The first impression was that of a profligate noble with expensive tastes.
The self-styled nouveau riche, unaware of the impression he'd made, stopped before the gate and let his eyes rest on the three gathered there.
"My, my. What a rare gathering."
He touched what appeared to be a carefully groomed goatee and regarded them with that remark. At the inexplicable air—as though this man somehow already knew who they were—Subaru furrowed his brow. The stranger then bowed politely at the waist.
"Forgive my manners. My name is
"Pleasure, truly. And since we're at it—would it be too much to ask how you know my name? I mean, it's embarrassing to say this myself, but I'm a nobody whose whole brand is being unremarkable, so if my name's gotten around anywhere, that's actually kind of a problem."
"It's just a few connections, you know. During the Royal Selection meeting, the man who declared himself a knight to Lady
In response to Subaru's heightened wariness, Russell answered with a light tone and a smile that held no malice. But the content of his words was already enough to invite further suspicion, and the deliberate nature of the other man's provocations came through crystal clear.
"Lord Russell. Did your talks with Lady Crusch go well?"
However, it was Wilhelm who stole the exchange from under Subaru's nose, cutting in from the side before Subaru could let that guarded stare do any real damage. Russell shifted his gaze from Subaru to the old man, shrugged his shoulders, and shook his head with a simple "No."
"Lady Crusch is a fierce individual. The way she regards us is sharp, and her will is unyielding. Given everything that's happened, I don't expect it will be easy."
"I see. That's a shame. If even you can't bend, then persuading the others to fall in line becomes nigh impossible."
"With the standing of a duchy house and a man like yourself at its side, the conditions for the Royal Selection couldn't be better. …Though, I believe you've been calling yourself Wilhelm Trias these days?"
The old man's name was spoken aloud, and the two of them continued a conversation that was, to Subaru, utterly incomprehensible.
Wilhelm drew his chin in at Russell's words and cast his deeply lined face downward.
"For the man I am now to carry my wife's family name—that would be far too presumptuous of me."
"You too are a fierce individual. From those of us who cannot live that way, it is blindingly so. That said, I will be cheering you on."
With those superficial words tossed to the downcast old man, Russell stepped toward his dragon carriage—presumably his own property. He mounted the carriage and began issuing silent directions to the driver.
"If Lady Crusch's aim this time succeeds, it will be cause for celebration on our end as well. And for you, Lord Wilhelm, it will no doubt fulfill a lifelong wish. I look forward to it."
The door of the carriage swung shut, the driver pulled the reins taut, and the vehicle lurched into motion. Just like its master, the earth dragon that prized silence broke into a run without so much as a single whinny. Watching the carriage depart from before the gate, Subaru sidled up to Wilhelm.
"Wilhelm. That guy just now…"
"Russell Fellow. He's the算盤役—who manages the commercial guild in the Royal Capital. His title is nothing more than the head of a single trading house, but he's a shrewd operator who handles the flow of goods and coin on both the legitimate and shadow sides of the city. You should assume, Master Subaru, that he knows far more about you than just your name."
"Guh. It's not like my heart races just because some old guy knows who I am."
"Hm. I agree wholeheartedly."
Wilhelm responded to the lighthearted remark with solemnity, straightened his posture, and turned to face Subaru. After prefacing with "Now then," he continued.
"Today's visitors should be done with Lord Russell's visit. Shall we head inside? …Unless, Master Subaru, there's something else going on?"
At Wilhelm's question, Subaru scratched his head and twisted his lips.
It was annoying how perceptive the old man was—it felt less like insight and more like he was reading a script. Then again, if things were going to move quickly, there was nothing wrong with that.
Subaru drew that conclusion, then straightened his spine before Wilhelm and tightened his expression into something serious.
"Sorry to say it, but I'm the last visitor today. I want to talk to Crusch. The topic is basically: will you lend me your strength?"