14 (part 1)

"Why are you following Betty, in fact?" Beatrice walked through the hallway of rooms, glaring as she opened yet another door to an empty one.

"I want to be there in case Subaru wakes up…" Petra told the girl who was fuming as another room ended up being empty for her.

"They went into an unlabeled room, in fact…" Beatrice glared seethingly. "I was too busy asking that idiot Roswaal a question and got sidetracked into the conversation before those wenches took Subaru, in fact!"

"... Did you know… About Return by Death, Beatrice-sama?"

Beatrice's legs froze in place, turning her head in order to glare at the neutral Petra.

"No, in fact. Or else Betty wouldn't have cried." The spirit responded passionately, narrowing her eyes. "Why ask Betty this, I wonder? Could you possibly think that Subaru managed to break his taboo during our time as contracted spirit and contractor, I suppose?"

"It isn't out of the realm of possibility for me to think like that, right?" Petra seemed unapologetic as she sighed. "He trusted Beatrice-sama so much… Even though she wasn't there to help him when he needed someone."

"Neither were you, in fact," Beatrice replied bluntly without hesitation. "I don't wish to waste Subaru's time with me talking about nothing, I suppose. If you want to say something then do, in fact."

Petra put on a brave face. "I don't wish to be a maid anymore… I want to be something else that can be helpful and noticed."

Beatrice raised an eyebrow in response to the proclamation. "I see… Why would this be a matter for Betty to care about?"

At this, Petra's lips quivered slightly. "Um… It's embarrassing but uh… I had thought about it since I saw… His days at the mansion when he first arrived at Arlarm… and I have never been able to find anyone to speak with about this. Frederica-senpai will not take it easily after spending so much effort into—"

"That's enough, I suppose." Beatrice sighed, shaking her head and crossing her arms. "Why does Betty suddenly fit your target for someone to trust with this?"

"B-Because… We had some fun times…"

"While playing with that Assassin in the basement." Beatrice glared bitterly, making Petra flinch and look to the side.

"I had thought Meili-chan was redeemable since she's so young and nobody's gotten hurt yet…"

"Whichever way it goes, Betty remains firm in her opinion of not forgiving the people who hurt Subaru." Beatrice huffed while leaning on her hip.

"Me too!" Petra looked pleadingly at the maid. "I made a promise!"

"Betty remembers." She grumbled while looking off to the side, remembering when Petra denounced everyone in the theater. "So why choose Betty to help you make yourself secure on this path?"

"... You're the only one not after Subaru's heart… Because you're already directly in it…" Petra looked away this time. "I wish for you to accept and help me as someone who will earn the right to Subaru's heart too…"

"You want Betty to command you out of your maid duties to pursue an unforeseen future, in fact." The spirit summarized with a hand on both hips, glaring at the maid with a thoughtful gaze.

Petra nodded meekly.

Beatrice sighed and crossed her arms again. Going over the thought again in her mind.

"Betty's concluded, I suppose."

Petra held her hand to her chest nervously.

The spirit opened her eyes and looked at Petra with an uninterested expression. "You'd be wasting the time of everyone who cares about you, including yourself, if you left your maid duties."

"Huh?" Petra seemed shocked at the nonchalance on Beatrice's face.

"You're feeling useless," Beatrice continued, "but this is only natural when you're just a child who's watched what we have."

"I'm not the only child in this place though!" Petra seemed to grow frustrated. "I want to be more than—"

"What you are is enough." Beatrice sharply stopped her from talking. The spirit narrowed her eyes at the shocked maid. "Betty's Subaru already thinks the world of Petra, in fact."

"H-Huh?" Petra's eyes widened and a small hint of happiness showed in them. "What?"

Beatrice sighed, "Good grief, I suppose… You stupid girl." Shaking her head, Beatrice came forward and engulfed Petra with her arms, surprising the maid. "You're fighting a losing battle because there's nothing to fight, in fact. He may not love you like Emilia or Rem, and of course, he loves no one like he loves Betty… But you're important to him just the same."

Petra's tears willingly fell as the maid ignored her earlier words and wrapped herself around the spirit hugging her.

Sooner, the sobs that left her mouth would be a secret between her and Beatrice.

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

If we move over in the side of the room, an awkward silence befell the area where an old man and a red-headed young knight were sitting beside each other.

"So…" The confused and nervous young man tried to cut through the tension and speak with the man who had resented him for years.

"So…" The old man also tried to break the silence that's been reminiscent of almost two decades of pure silence between them.

Both of them stayed silent and rigid. Unable to speak or open any sort of communication, not even eye contact. They just sat with their heads down and their faces carrying expressions of shame.

Unable to speak to one another.

"You two seriously gonna stay like that?!"

Both men looked up with surprised expressions at the blonde lady who was looking down at them with an annoyed glare.

"Felt-sama, did you need anything?" Reinhard, faithfully stood up to fulfill the blonde's wishes. He was a faithful knight who aided his lady with anything she plea-

SMACK! *

-To which Felt scoffed with annoyance and interrupted her knight as she always did, by tactfully slamming her boot heel into his face and stomping him down to his seat.

"Don't try to get out of speaking with your grandpops by using me, faithful knight. I order you to talk with old pops over here." Felt smirked as she saw the despaired look on her knight's face. It seemed that even the greatest hero couldn't handle awkward conversations. She truly loved her power over him sometimes.

"Now I'mma go away and I want both of ya to speak your minds since it's been an annoyance to sit near you two with all of… this!" Felt gestured with her arms extended as she exclaimed loudly.

Walking away, the blonde princess smiled in satisfaction as she felt good about helping these two. She wanted her knight to be happy.

"Stupid bastard Rein, I already have one dumbass I need to care about. Don't make me slap ya too." Felt muttered as she thought about how similar her knight was to the boy she'd been thinking about for all these viewings.

"Big bro's a real colossal moron." The infuriated blonde glanced across the empty theater and cursed at her missed opportunity. "O'course they would take 'em away. These three wenches will be the death of…" Felt's expression fell and her words quietened. "Guess it's too soon to say that, jeez… He's already been dead plenty…"

Felt hardened her expression and walked towards her room within the hallway, leaving her knight and his grandfather to their own devices.

"Your lady is truly fierce." Wilhelm gave a small sound of amusement after Felt left them.

Reinhard nodded his head with a small smile overcoming his rigid expression.

"Well… Felt-sama's wisdom makes her headstrong like that." Reinhard softly spoke, looking to the ground.

Wilhelm couldn't bear to look at the young man who had suffered because of his mistakes. Reserving to look at the empty window above them.

"I-...I wanted to speak with, Reinhard."

Reinhard winced and gulped hard at his grandfather's words. The old man didn't help things by how forced and broken his tone sounded.

Noticing how terrified the young man looked at his words. Of him. Wilhelm could only look down with his head hung down in shame.

"You… You have every right to be disgusted with me. To be angry with me. To despise me. I understand that."

Reinhard's dilated pupils remained focused on the floor as he bit his lips from the shame and guilt. Forcing himself to take the blame for how much misery he was making his grandfather go through. How much did he cause for the old man? How selfish could a monster like him be?

"You're not a monster." The old man told him within the theater.

"You're a monster!" The old man had told him before disappearing from the Astrea household for fourteen years.

"Reinhard, my wife's death was never your fault. It was never a burden that should be placed on a child's shoulders. You were never the murderer I made you out to be."

"You killed her! You killed Theresia! My love!"

"I'm sorry for everything I said to you, Reinhard."

"Don't speak!"

"I'm… I'm the monster, Reinhard."

"You're a monster! Not a Sword Saint!"

"It was always me. No child should've been blamed for something like that, and I forced you to bear it by my stupidity. I'm deeply ashamed and disgusted with who I am for what I've done to you, grandson."

"My wife died because of your selfishness!"

"Theresia… She would be proud of who you grew up to become." Wilhelm's words were filled with genuine care. "She always had the highest praise for you as a young pup."

"Never speak her name, monster!"

"You were never a monster. You were always what Theresia saw."

Reinhard finally dared to look at his grandfather.

Wilhelm bowed his head down for his grandson.

"I cannot accept your apology, grandfather." Reinhard's tone was diplomatic, but the look in his eyes showed Wilhelm a different story happening within the youth.

Wilhelm rose and looked at his grandson with genuine care.

"I'm sorry." The knight said. "I feel quite ashamed that you had to feel this way for so long, grandfather. But you're mistaken when you say I am not a monster."

"Reinhard…"

The knight gave his grandfather a small, cordial bow and expected when he would deploy this far-off tone.

"I am Reinhard van Astrea, the Sword Saint who killed the previous generation Sword Saint, my grandmother, your wife, on the day she faced the White Whale." Reinhard looked up at his grandfather with a face of acceptance and neutrality. "I am a monster. And I apologize that you thought differently which led to this disappointment."

"Reinhard…" Wilhelm looked at him with pity and guilt that overwhelmed any expression that could be made by the Sword Demon. "I've really…"

The knight looked at his grandfather with a small fleeting hope. "If you wish, I can leave my seat so you can be alone, Grandfather…"

"Reinhard I've had enough of being alone for a decade and a half." Wilhelm starts, feeling pressure at the idea of the youth leaving when their relationship is like this. "I would've thought that Theresia's spirit would replace any need for me to focus on companionship. Or like always, I would use my love for the blade to offset all my insecurities…"

Reinhard's eyes widen in surprise, "I've never heard you disparage your love for the sword arts before… It's unnatural."

"I want to make amends… To fix what I've broken…" Wilhelm expressed seriously to the smiling Reinhard.

"..."

"Would you give me the chance to show you that I was wrong, Reinhard-dono?" Wilhelm's voice was humble and sincere.

Reinhard's gaze moved away for a second to hide some droplets at the corner of his eyes.

"W-Well… I'd love to speak with you more regularly, grandfather…" The knight gripped his fists nervously. "But I do not think you're being truthful to yourself… Not with how you're trying to ignore my greatest sin."

"Reinhard…" Wilhelm's voice took an uncharacteristically pleading edge as his grandson stood up from his seat.

Reinhard gave his grandfather a small bow, expression neutral. "I am what my father and his father before him believe me to be."

"That is not true…" Wilhelm growled under his breath. "You are so much more…"

"Watching Subaru showed you that anyone can change for the better, grandfather." Reinhard smiled an empty, emotionless smile that set Wilhelm's heart on fire. "But that is a luxury only people like Natsuki Subaru can enjoy… Victims of curses and machinations beyond their control… You and him are not worthy of taking on my sins."

"..." Wilhelm's eyes widened at the audacity as Reinhard rose.

"I would like a moment in my room, alone. If I can, grandfather."

Wilhelm's mouth never seemed to close as he stared at his grandson with shock.

"I apologize for my callousness." Reinhard bowed again and turned confidently, walking away from the theater's front row to go to the hallway of rooms, leaving his slack-jawed grandfather behind.

"…" Wilhelm put a gloved hand to his face. "How can I be such a fool… How far I've ruined you, Reinhard…"

The old man's miserable face was hidden from the world, and from what he assumed to be his wife's frowning face, deeply hurt by his betrayal of everything they had loved for his obsession with hunting the Whale for all the years past her funeral.

He couldn't help the slight itching towards his soldier, where a wound remained dormant and waiting, left behind by his wife's Divine Protection.

"You're saying that you made a deal for Heinkel-sama and Schult-kun to be with us?" Al tilted his helmet-covered head to the side. "Why do that, princess? I mean, Schult-kun I don't mind… I didn't want the kid to be on his own out there… But Heinkel-sama seems…"

"One doesn't need to think about that buffoon for longer than necessary, he's worthless in the grand scheme of things." Priscilla scoffed as she raised her glass for a refill from the awaiting bottle in his hand. "'Tis a great service for him to be entertaining as he is."

Al had to scoff at that as he poured more wine into her glass. "I doubt it was entertaining when he was about to kill bro in front of everyone… That was so unlike him…"

Looking at her knight with a raised brow, Priscilla showed a curious hint behind her eyes. "Do you not think it possible that someone overreached into this prison?"

"You mean something happened with Heinkel-sama that was similar to what the White Whale did to that gray-haired guy?" Al remembered the disaster of Otto's resistance in the theater and thought back to Heinkel. "Looking back, they were very different… The only thing in common was that both were aimed to kill bro…"

"Tis that dog's duty to answer us during his supervision yet he never commented the entire viewing previous to the last," Priscilla twirled her drink around with an amused glance. "It seems he's managed to bite off more than he can chew… Tis just like I told that commoner…"

"You seem increasingly pleased with the fact that you butted heads with the Warden-sama fella… I wouldn't be accepting of such hostilities to the guy holding us here and bringing us all this expensive wine, princess." Al spoke nervously, not wanting to think about his lady and the Warden meeting face-to-face without him.

"Though the wall was fixed after you kicked it, now I know that you were trying to attack that person who potentially held all of us even the Sword Saint himself in this prison against our will… It's not a wise thing to do, princess."

"Silence, Aldebaran." Priscilla sighed and sipped her wine while waving her crossed foot around. "Mine divine self needs no comment from a jester who failed to educate himself about an appa's true color."

"Why are you bringing your old meeting with bro all of a sudden?" Al questioned immediately with fascination. "That's the very first time you met him… Why was it on your mind just now?"

"Hmph…" Priscilla's turning of the head and her silence proved to bring more interest from the knight as he settled the bottle down on the table.

"Where you… Perhaps rethinking a few things about pal?" Al asked with hope.

"That boy's effort… It will all be for naught in the end." Priscilla hummed to herself.

"Hm? I think he's good for now, no?" Al rubbed the back of his helmet in confusion. "Isn't he with an army that's gonna defeat the Archbishop creep? We did hear about it when we were on the road to the Watergate City before this prison swallowed us."

"Aldebaran."

At her serious change of tone, Al's back stiffened. "How many times did I tell you not to call me that, princess? It reminds me of a very unpleasant person."

"Tis not mine issue nor care for what you recall," Priscilla clicked her teeth and shook her head at him. "Being the one who tried to challenge mine divine self on the ideals of the boy… Why do you still believe in his heart?"

"That's a direct question…" Al would've shown a struck expression as Priscilla awaited an answer from him. "Uh… I just saw it, y'know." He looked at the ground, "Pal's self-esteem issues weren't something I expected but it was always a possibility…"

"You know more than you let on, Aldebaran." Priscilla's eyes narrowed with deep curiosity.

"Why think such a thing, princess?" Al didn't sound surprised or panicked at the sudden accusation. "I don't feel any of that frightening aura around you so I don't suppose you'll start killing me…"

"Your Authority and Natsuki Subaru's are both things you share together alongside your similar origin from beyond the Waterfall of this world…" Priscilla's hum froze the knight as she looked him up and down like a scanning machine.

"Tis mineself's wonder… If you believed in him from the very start because of your close similarity with him, or due to some unforeseen link between you and the half-wit's knight…"

Al gulped as he felt an intense pressure falling upon him directly when Priscilla looked through his helmet and stared into his soul.

"P-Princess… Weren't you also rooting for pal to impress you at the end of the last part? Even though he failed your expectations before…" Al stuttered while waving his hand around.

"Changing the subject… Aldebaran." Priscilla's humming stopped and she quirked her lips as she rested her chin in her palm.

"Y-Yes, princess?" Al hoped inside his heart that this line of questioning would cease before Priscilla exploded and cut him to a thousand pieces using her glass.

"Bring yourself comfort, for I have no care what you hide from me." Priscilla scoffed and drank more wine with elegance oozing from her every move. "Tis your destiny to expose these things when you must. I shan't intervene with such pathetic spectacle."

"Jeez… I would've rathered you cut me instead of telling me that." Al looked at the ground and sighed to himself.

"If that commoner… Natsuki Subaru…" Priscilla earned his attention as he stared up at her thoughtful expression which was gazing to the wall on his right. "If that boy is anything like you… He would fail his goal spectacularly."

"Like me?" Al sounded disheartened, "I'm not sure if that's meant as a good or bad thing… Does it depend on Pal's goal?"

Priscilla glanced at her knight with amusement and gave him a small nod. "Tis his goal which makes him sever that link of similarity between the two of you, apart from your mannerisms and name, Aldebaran."

"Saying that name a lot today, aren't we?" Al grumbled under his breath and sat down, not sure what to do with this feeling inside of his chest as his lady talked down about his being. "What is it? The goal? Why can't I have something similar like it in your eyes, princess?"

At her knight's honest question, Priscilla closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, drinking more wine and enjoying the taste for a moment before answering.

"Being a hero." Priscilla's simple answer forced a hitch in Al's breathing as he looked at her with surprise.

She eyed her glass with half-lidded eyes and disinterest. "Tis a duty that will take parts of your soul that cannot be replaced…"

"And you think that I had replaced those parts, princess? Is that why you don't think I can be a hero?" Al asked her with a certain emotion in his voice.

Priscilla grinned at him.

"You fool," she said while sipping more of her wine, keeping eye contact as she drank. "If you had no replacement for those parts you've lost, then what do you call me, your current master today, hm?"

Al had no answer, silently gazing at the amused baroness who hummed and drank her wine without a care for the man's feelings about the matter she had concluded for her entertainment.

"Let's see where Subaru Natsuki will go with this half-wit of his," Priscilla huffed as she placed her empty glass on the table. "Depending on his performance and choices, I shall decide the next steps in his journey mineself. Tis a service that's needed after the world had involved this divine into his affairs."

Al, who was content with being quiet and obedient after her shocking words about him, decided to move quickly and silently to refill her glass, looking thoughtfully at the ground himself as he did so.

"And what did you think of the fight my d~eee~ar, Ram?" An eccentric man wearing clown makeup inquired of the pink-haired Oni sitting on his lap.

The maid couldn't answer without moaning loudly as the clown held her forehead with a glowing fingertip, pumping her broken horn with mana through his gate.

"… Barusu did an adequate job, I suppose… No… For someone like him… He was more than adequate. He was courageous."

The man smirked mischievously, "That's a lovely assessment. But I was asking about your sister's efforts, not Subaru-k~uuu~n's."

The maid managed a huff of annoyance, "My sister did her part splendidly as expected of her. The only problem was that her part was being issued by Barusu's plan so the success of the subjugation rested on him to think and maintain perfect coordination with the others."

"You seem to have warmed up to the b~ooo~y." Roswaal teased while treating the maid's forehead.

Ram held an expression of disgust for a moment before contorting into one of pleasure as she was receiving the magical aid from her master.

"B-Barusu did a lot to save me and my sister…"

Roswaal's expression turned soft for a moment. "I told you that my gospel didn't maintain details about your sister."

"I know."

"I let you and Rem die." The lord whispered coldly without a hint of regret or a sign of his accent present in his tone.

"I know." Ram responded matter-of-factually.

"I let your sister die and did nothing to help."

"I know."

"Rem will fall to Gluttony after Subaru-kun goes to fight that thing that's calling himself Sloth." Roswaal glared at her as she refused to turn around on his lap and face him.

Ram looked down a bit with a small scowl and a look of hatred in her eyes.

"… Yes." She simply answered.

Roswaal scoured her expression from above and removed his hand from her forehead.

Coldly, he spoke.

"I knew that she would fall, Ram. I let your sister go down for my own selfish reaso-"

"If you're looking for a reason to make me hate you and punish you for all the egregious things you've done, then I ask you to please stop."

Roswaal fell silent at his maid's authoritative toneas she stood up from his lap and glanced at him with a deadpanned look.

"You're Ram's reason to matter what happened in these events because of your following of the gospel, I believe that it was all destined to happen so I could be able to free you from it, including my sister getting forgotten."

Roswaal looked at Ram with bewilderment and surprise. "Just like before… You said this in the theater too." He stared at her with widened eyes. "Do you forgive m-"

"Don't."

The clown felt slightly hurt by the harsh tone the maid used to reflect his almost-conclusion.

"I haven't forgiven all that you've done. This place has shown me that I couldn't ever forgive you for what you've been doing to Barusu and by extension, my sister." Ram had a hint of anger and disgust as she looked at the lord holding her on his lap.

Roswaal remained silent and emotionless.

"But… I can't ignore how I feel about you." Ram shook her head and turned her back on her lord, her expression one of disappointment. "Whatever this goal you've enslaved yourself to accomplish was, I will help you with achieving it, master Roswaal-sama."

The clown looked at the maid with an expression of confusion.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else achieve it. The gospel is dust and I plan to make you abandon all of your scheming ways myself."

"You plan to change a murderer?" Roswaal found himself snorting in disbelief.

"Yes."

"You'd be doing a fools task."

"I know."

Roswaal found himself more agitated by the maid's nonchalant attitude.

"I've given up my humanity long before either of your parents were born. I've committed countless sins and treasonous things to everyone in the world."

"I know, and I plan to stop you myself."

The man clenched his fists in frustration at her instant refuting of his words as if they meant nothing.

"What do you know about what I've done?! I'm a monster that shouldn't be pitied or reasoned with! I only care about one person and one goal to save that person. I could careless what becomes of this world or your sister or that boy!" The clown shouted in anger and increased agetation. His temper finally blowing for the second time since the Sanctuary fight he had with Ram and Puck. The maid's insistent loyalty to his soul instead of his goal threw him senseless.

Her love for him after all she saw him do completely placing him in a state of disbelief as his world once again shattered for being proven wrong.

His assumption that the gospel was perfect in every sense until the half-elf's loyal servant proved him to be a fool.

His belief that no one will ever find him redeemable after centuries of horrible crimes against humanity to get to this one goal. Now being proven wrong as this smirking maid declared how much she loved him and how she will fight to redeem him.

To make him good.

That thought placed him into a frenzy of emotions that his own jaded since of self couldn't shake off with a cold smirk or a mysterious expression.

Ram watched his trembling form with a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

"Your goal can only be achieved by the efforts of this team. Your place is no longer that of a mastermined behind the scenes. Your games no longer have meaning or value since the gospel isn't with you."

Ram leaned down a bit to stare her clearly furious master in the eye.

"Everything that made you a monster is no longer present. It's my chance to save Roswaal-sama from doing any more harm to this world and to himself." Ram gave one final grin before turning her back on the lord and walked out of the room.

Before she closed the door, she briefly turned to him and snorted. "I would worry about what the rest will do to you once they find out what truly caused Barusu so much pain. They surely won't let you off freely."

Roswaal simply stared at her with no emotion. "I already know that."

"And what's your plan to deal with their anger?" Ram inquired with an amused brow.

"…" Roswaal turned away from her and sighed. "They have the right to punish me."

Ram nodded in approval. "Good. And in respect to your wishes, I won't step in to help… maybe I'll even join in."

The maid glared one final time at her employer before clicking the door shut.

The clown sat in his room, consumed by silence.

He was trying to find out why his heart felt so heavy and so trapped.

He wondered why he never felt such a feeling in all of his years of existence throughout many a reincarnation.

Without a gospel… he wondered.

"Maa~n! I really missed a lotta cool shit, huh?" A bombastic beastman whined while stretching on his chair.

"Yes! Yes! Mimi and boss-bro kicked the Whale's sorry behind!" An energetic small demihuman catgirl shouted with glee while jumping on the bed at the far side of the room.

"I can't believe that you dropped the great tree of the wanderer. Subaru-sama's plan was reckless at best." Another small child with an eyeglass spoke out in a miffed tone.

"Hmmm, reckless? I suppose that's what made it appealin' to him?"

All three demihuman mercs stopped what they were doing and looked at the fur-coated princess sitting in the corner with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Boss? Ya finally with us?" Ricardo called out to the scheming lady.

"Yes, Ricardo-kun. I was just thinkin' 'bout the events we've witnessed. I'm merely thankful for your safety." Anastasia smiled at her crew and rubbed her scarf softly.

"What'd ya think of the fight, boss?! Was Mimi cool?!" The energetic girl shouted at the merchant with hope for her approval plastered on the kid's face.

Anastasia giggled and patted Mimi's head affectionately. "Yes, Mimi. You were indeed very cool. I felt so scared for you!"

Mimi giggled as Anastasia tickled her.

The merchant let the small girl run around the room and continued staring off into space.

"The boy's power truly did him wonders." She mused to herself while thinking back to the last viewing and how Subaru fought valiantly against the Whale.

The tactics, the cunning, the expert handling of every soldier. Anastasia was truly disparaged for seeing all of these things and not being able to take them as her own. The merchant mused to herself while increasingly caressing her fox scarf in agitation. "I need to find a way to stop Crusch-sama's plan from happenin'."

Ricardo and the twins looked at their boss with worried expressions.

Anastasia never looked so frustrated.

"I need to set a plan that will ensure the boy's camp follows me without leaving a chance for Crusch-sama and her camp to rescue them from my employment." She bit her lip in frustration and thought about a way to have Subaru, willingly serve under her without seeming like the bad guy and ruining any chances of true friendship from building between them.

She really wanted to enjoy the boy's antics while they both worked on many creations and shops filled with his distinct foreign ideas and creations.

It was official. She needed to make that dream a reality.

"After the clown is out, all players will make their move." The lady whispered softly while glaring at an invisible map that only she could see.

The map of every camp coming to 'aid' and possibly captures the entire Emilia camp once they lose the Margrave as their lord.

Anastasia was far behind all of them.

"This wouldn't do." The merchant princess whispered sharply and continued to plot over the details of how she could have the advantage over this race.

The mercenaries just stared at the lady from the doorway as they stealthily escaped the room.

"Pardon me?" A voice made Anastasia perk her head away from her invisible map. "I hope I'm not interrupting something, Hoshin-sama?"

"Ah…" Anastasia noticed that her mercenary team was not in the room with her anymore which brought a small sigh out of her lips. "Those guys… They left me when I was on the verge of brilliance once again."

"I don't suppose I am allowed to comment on your internal affairs…" The woman standing at the doorway of Anastasia's room smiled politely.

Anastasia allowed her inside with a wave of her hand and sigh. "Nah, this gal ain't a schemer unlike what most people say," she lied about herself smoothly. "So what brings ya into my humble area of the prison? Ain't like we have much to speak 'bout, you and I…"

"My name is Frederica Baumann… I apologize once again for my intrusion on your affairs." The maid bowed her head politely to Anastasia, who regarded her with a curious look.

"Pleasure to put a name on yer face, Frederica-san." Anastasia allowed her to sit to her side on the table, trusting the blonde maid. "I haven't seen ya cause much trouble unlike the other maids designated to yer master, the Margrave-san."

"I do realize that Rem and Ram have been central to a lot of the viewings so they have had to overstep their bounds and duties many times against more infuriating candidates…" Frederica looked shamefully at the ground for a moment.

Anastasia smirked under her hand, as she rested a chin in her palm. "No need to remind me… That baroness sure does love gettin' told down by Rem-san, eh?"

"... I take relief that you enjoyed that…" Frederica paused and gave a small look of surprise to the merchant lady. "I hadn't expected you to dislike Priscilla-sama that much."

"Dislike is too light a word… I prefer hmm… completely uncarin'? Yeah." Anastasia nodded her head and leaned back in her seat to scan Frederica swiftly. "But this ain't 'bout Rem-san or anyone else. It ain't gonna be about Petra-chan's disrespect toward me, a defenseless gal who's got nothin' but her wit, Frederica-san."

Frederica folded her hands in her lap and looked at Anastasia with an unreadable gaze. "You're astute, my lady… As always, you seem to be able to read more into people than you realize."

"It's a double-edged sword sometimes," Anastasia sighed and looked at the closed door of her room. "Ain't gonna deny that it completely failed when Natsuki-kun needed me the most… But he had other help t' get his head together, I suppose."

"Not enough help…" Frederica locked eyes with the sudden piercing look that Anastasia sent her way.

"Why say that, dear polite maid of the Margrave Mathers?" Anastasia's smirk grew as she asked.

Frederica bowed her head, expression still unreadable. "I think you could already read the consequences of my stressful decision to come to you for aid, Anastasia Hoshin-sama."

"..." Anastasia's eyes widened with excitement as her reading of the maid manifested in real-time before her.

"I wish to help you in your quest to bring Roswaal L. Mathers-sama, my current employer and benefactor to justice beneath the crown's judgment, whether it be on your head or Emilia-sama's." Frederica proclaimed to the candidate with a hint of emotion breaking through her exemplary poker facade.

"Feel welcome to rise up, Frederica-san." Anastasia's reply was instant, comfortable, and smooth as she leaned back to inspect the maid with a predatory gleam in both her eyes. "We have much that we need t' discuss."

The blonde maid rose with her lips thin and her eyes tearful, as she began betraying Roswaal dutifully and with purpose, like everything she had ever done under his employment and protection for most of her life.

In a brightly lit room, four boys were lodging around, drinking beverages provided to them by their handsome host.

They all still held on to the high of the epic subjugation they had witnessed.

One young man, in particular, was so excited and amazed by the historic moment that he began doing push-ups in the middle of the room while the rest of the group watched.

He gave a toothy grin while gushing gruffly. "Didya see him?! That was the Cap'n I know and follow! He was almost as amazin' as mine amazin' selfs!"

The blonde youth exclaimed loud and proud as he remembered Subaru's badass moments against the legendary monster known as the White Whale.

Garfiel couldn't believe how awesome his captain looked. It put him to manly tears! The boy that had died and came back just to beat the crap out of the ones that killed him.

It put Garfiel on a high. An empowering feeling of demanded effort, to do what he could to help just to be as awesome and as worthy of Subaru's mentor-ship.

"Cap'n looked that beast in the eye and told it t' go t' hell!" Garfiel brought up a fist with fire in his eyes.

"I don't think you should be encouraged by such careless tactics. A knight's got to have guts but he also needs a good head on his shoulders." An elegant yellow-eyed young man offered graciously from his spot on the dresser chair.

Before Garfiel could respond, an energetic high-pitched voice spoke. "Ah, come on! Julius-kun's jealousy truly is delicious to witness, nya! But it's not a good look on you as a friend!" The teasing voice belonged to a boy with cat ears who was having too much fun smirking at the greatest knight from his spot on the bed.

"Hmph!" Julius scoffed and elegantly turned away from the fellow knight. Not answering his jealous claim.

The purple-haired knight chose to look at the fourth occupant in the room, sharply gazing at the silver-haired merchant boy as he paced across the room and toward the excited Garfiel.

"Take this, Garfiel-san."

Garfiel gratefully took the bottle of water from Otto and drank it instantly from his place on the floor.

The merchant boy smiled at his brother and turned to sit on his own chair while they waited for the next viewing to be called.

"I can't believe I missed out on so much…" Otto whispered while looking at his knees with a frown.

"Ya fought off the White Whale…" Garfiel gulped his water and glared at his downturned friend. "Ya helped save Cap'n."

"No matter how many times you and everybody here tell me this…" Otto shook his head, recalibrating what he was saying. "No, you guys wouldn't lie to me about such a thing… It was truly the White Whale who's gotten such a hold over my mind?"

Garfiel and Felix nodded their heads, making Otto look at the floor with a neutral gaze.

"I…" Otto continued to stare at the floor with a haunted expression. "I thank you for spending time with me to tell me about what happened after I had this painful sleep suddenly." He ended up sighing, not wishing to speak about it anymore.

"I hope what you've told me is true… That I am not a coward that let Natsuki-san die…" Otto rubbed a hand to his face, showing some emotion finally since he woke up in a daze and confusion. "It will help me look him in the eye once he's awake."

"You seem to have corrected your misguided view."

Otto flinched, as expected, as Julius bluntly cut to his desired conversation.

"Forgive my bluntness, of course." Julius corrected himself in a not-at-all-sorry tone as his eyes almost narrowed toward Otto's own.

"Of course," Otto growled in frustration and shame as he held his eyes to those yellow sharp ones of Julius.

Seeing the merchant's shame and reluctance to answer, Julius took it as a chance to carry on his conversation.

"Last time I asked you. You've decided that your friendship with Natsuki was hollow and based on one-sided affection from your point. That your efforts and deeds to help him would be useless and unneeded. That your friendship was simply null because you can't help Subaru no matter what since you have no idea how much pain he's endured."

"Hey, man. Lay off." Garfiel growled out while stepping in front of his brother. The blonde instantly noticed how much Julius's words were affecting the merchant and he wasn't about to have another brother of his have a nervous breakdown.

Julius himself simply glared passed the blonde boy and to the silent Otto. Waiting for an answer.

The merchant simply stayed silent and held his head low as he lamented the knight's words.

"Do you feel the same way now?" Julius asked sternly, forcing an answer from the merchant.

"I never wanted to stop trying to help ease his pain, Julius-san." Otto finally spoke in a reminiscent tone while sheepishly smiling at the knight before him.

"I admit that I've been a bit of a hypocrite and a very lousy friend to have given up on trying to help Natsuki-san. I mean, how could I help someone who died over and over again?" The three other men looked at the merchant as he gazed upwards with a strong-willed expression.

"But… I realized how wrong I was. I thought that Natsuki's experience with death made him something far away from my expertise. Someone so used to pain and horror that I couldn't help in any way shape or form. I thought I was useless and unable to help him since I couldn't understand the pain he's been dwelling in."

Garfiel and Felix looked down and thought about the boy's words. Both of them clenched their fists tight, Garfiel's corner was rife with animalistic growls of frustration.

But then Otto continued.

"I was really stupid." The merchant admitted with a smile.

Julius looked satisfied for a moment.

"I wasn't aware of just how much Natsuki-san was damaged. I couldn't handle hearing the stuff he thought of himself. The true things he says to himself every day when he looks in the mirror."

Otto softly placed his palm on his face while growling out. "I never wanted to punch someone so hard in my life."

Julius and Garfiel snorted while Felix looked bewildered for a second.

"Natsuki-san's sanity and mental condition have been damaged, yes, but he's never been emotionless or dead inside. He's as broken as all of us, and he needs all the help he can get to keep himself from sinking deeper." Otto glared at the ceiling of the room as he remembered his brother's suffering and self-deprecation.

"Of course, I want to help him. I wouldn't be a friend if I let him swim in this darkness like this."

At the merchant's determined declaration, Julius seemed to have accepted the answer as he picked up his glass of wine.

"Cheers to that." He said simply with a small smirk and elegantly drank.

The others also picked up their preferred beverages and drank his toast.

"It's 'lright man. We all made mistakes with Cap'n's condition." Garfiel nodded his head and patted Otto's shoulder, almost breaking it.

"At least ya didn't cry like a wuss." The tiger laughed at the merchant's red expression while the two knights watched from afar.

The catboy knight frowned a bit at the three's interactions. Wondering if he could also join in and have them as well. If he could have a say in how they could help the black-haired young man who had affected so many of them.

Wondering if he could be a friend as well after all the mocking and disrespect he threw towards their brother.

Felix's shame and pride put a stop to any attempts to try and talk to the three.

Reserving himself to stay quiet and drink his orange juice.

He wasn't deserving of Subaru's friendship. Not until he apologizes to the boy for his nastiness towards him first.

"Nothing left, huh…" A gruff voice was heard grumbling in disappointment.

"Unfortunately, it seems that our host is refusing to supply anyone with alcohol other than Priscilla-sama's room." A child replied nervously. "Heinkel-sama… Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm fine, kid…" Heinkel's head fell in his hands, looking at the carpet below him with an expression that was unknown to Schult. "Just leave me alone."

"..." Schult looked at the elder man before him with a certain gaze that infuriated Heinkel.

"Can't ya hear me?! Just run 'ff and do somethin' useful for someone, brat!" Heinkel growled under his breath, not looking upward.

Schult's gaze lost its obedience as he sternly glared a the man. "I will not…"

Heinkel's hand reached his own face as he groaned pathetically. "Just go, kid… Leave me alone like they all did…"

"Heinkel-sama… That moment was supposed to be a moment of relief for you and your family… I don't mean to get involved but…" Schult sighed and sat down beside the grieving man. "You… Are mourning your own mother… I can't imagine the feeling when that Whale was killed…"

Heinkel nudged Schult's smaller head with an elbow.

"Don't get involved in these things, kid." Heinkel's voice was hoarse and had a dry element of humor mixing with his defeated body language. "It will break you… And you're far too useful for Priscilla-sama to be damaged."

"No one is really damaged, Heinkel-sama." Schult's words provide a silence he didn't know could be filling this specific room. A silence of shock from the man before him who didn't seem to care about anything else except for himself. "You're just like Subaru-sama in a lot more ways than you realize, Heinkel-sama… At least in my eyes."

"The hell's the matter with ya kid?" Heinkel shook his head, removing his shocked expression and settling on a tired glare towards the floor. "How can ya not see true damage when it's pathetically sitting before you? Don't be stupid."

"I saw it with both my eyes, how pathetic it can scream and cry." Schult smiled as he earned a curious glance from the dilated and tired blue irises of the swordsman beside him. "But Subaru-sama rose above that to help people… You have someone to help too, right, Heinkel-sama?"

"That guy's no one to take as a model, kid." Heinkel snorted and rubbed his head. "That fucker's crazy…"

"And you serving Priscilla-sama for your own goals isn't?" Schult smiled warmly, earning a glare from the man.

"It's different! That fucker's literally being killed… He's going through fuckin' death from what we saw and got told…" Heinkel looked down again. "He has the power to take the chances he needs… We don't have that luxury, kid…"

Schult gave Heinkel a small giggle, earning more agitation from the man.

"I'm sorry, Heinkel-sama… But whatever you're going through… I can't help but wonder something interesting." Schult's smile was bright and his eyes brimmed with confidence and admiration for the man, confusing Heinkel to a greater point than he already was in his life currently.

"What the hell's with yer eyes, kid? Can't ya see that there's no one to respect in front of you?" Heinkel growled as he glared at his own reflection within Schult's bright, hopeful eyes.

"Subaru-sama didn't give up because he had people he needed to save, it isn't about that power he owns." Schult didn't change his expression or hesitate as he clashed with Heinkel's broken glare with his determination to send his message as deeply as he could into the man's heart.

"Just like that knight… When they defeated the White Whale… He moved on to save the rest… Not stopping or being afraid." Schult stood up, looking down at the man before him and smiling. "I believe Heinkel-sama can look cooler… Because Heinkel-sama has more reasons to fight than Subaru-sama does."

"The hell do ya know about me, kid? Is this your idea of gettin' me back up to lead some effort for friendships or somethin'?" Heinkel growled and shook his head, unable to believe anything being said. "This is fuckin' stupid…"

"Heinkel-sama's mind is also far more traitorous than Subaru-sama." Schult's words made the man's breathing stop. Heinkel looked back to find Schult giving him a sad smile this time. "It must be hard when even your own spirit is against you…"

Heinkel's fists stopped shaking, becoming rigid because of his disbelief.

The little butler could only try to catch a hold of one hand.

"Even if you don't believe in yourself… Because I know you're cooler than anyone in that room, Heinkel-sama… I will be the one who believes in you as a hero too."

Heinkel's breathing wouldn't return to him as he stared at the child before him with honest confusion and bewilderment.

Schult gave a most bright smile of hope.

"Thank you for accepting my invitation… this talk has been insightful." A smooth, diplomatic tone of voice sounded out from the mouth of a certain green-haired duchess.

"That's alright Crusch-sama. We're glad to be here with you." A blue-haired maid softly replied with a smile as she drank her tea.

"Umm, I don't reeeally get why this is so formal… After all we talked about together in this room… I feel closer than before to you both…" A nervous half-elf spoke her confusion while gazing at her cup of sprinkled water.

"I guess you have a point." The duchess awkwardly chuckled and sipped her coffee.

"That's okay." The half-elf also sipped her drink.

The maid just looked at the two and stared at her tea without emotion.

This was awkward.

Three beautiful maidens sat opposite one another around the table. All of them have one thought plaguing their minds. About how a certain black-haired young man would react to their love.

Emilia had her heart set on helping the boy through every moment of despair and suffering caused by her weakness and uselessness to save him. She wanted to be his and him hers. To feel his love and cherish it before the time he dies and leaves her alone. To make him feel loved and force him to see how unworthy she was to stand beside him. To make him stop hurting himself for her sake.

The same emotion could be transcribed in the maid's troubled heart. Rem was truly amazed with her hero's journey and more so than ever fell in love with the boy as she saw how much pain he went through to save everyone. Selfish and broken she was, but she wouldn't ever let her hero feel like this about himself either.

The duchess between the two was calmly thinking about her own feelings. From a political direction, her feelings would be understandable as she thought of the boy's usefulness to her goal. He's the embodiment of why the dragon has failed this country and this world. The only reason she or half of the candidates were alive today was because of the boy's constant intervention. Had he not been present, Elsa would've killed Felt in the slums. Had he not been there, Emilia would've died countless times. Had he been absent, Crusch herself would've fallen to the White Whale along with her entire army.

It was a fact. Subaru Natsuki was as crucial to this election as any other candidate. Dare she say that whoever has him underneath their master-ship could be pronounced the winner of this election prematurely. After what she'd seen of his power, she truly couldn't fault Anastasia for thinking about him as an advantage.

But… She also saw many things other than his power. She saw his weakness. His greed. His self-doubt infuriated her to no end. His amazing tactician mind. He's a wonderful personality when he wasn't being arrogant or acting like he was. His truly wonderful heart keeps him fighting against all odds to save the innocent. Her heart pounded and she stood completely still when Crusch realized that the boy died over and over again just to save one village while the holy dragon ignored it and kept sleeping beyond a waterfall.

He was useless in a fight. He had no skill in swordsmanship. He had a pathetic way of thinking about himself as someone to prove his worth even though no one asked him to. He was dumb, yet courageous. He could be a crybaby yet suffer the worst fates to help others.

He saved her and broke through destiny to save the other soldiers and villagers beyond the mist.

Crusch truly believed in being a good leader first. If she was to somehow force the boy into a marriage along with her and Emilia together to keep their camps together without having to use force then she would blame it on the politics.

She would also secretly blame it on her foolish heart for falling for him.

But her plan was made to boost her political career and get the throne by having one camp drop out of the race and having the most valued players of that camp contracted to serve beside her. Not under. Beside her as her partner and equal.

Having the boy she fell for as one of those partners and his true love as her other one was nothing but a bonus. Subaru would have his happy ending. Emilia would have hers. And Crusch could work with Subaru as her husband in name. Then she would work until he would be hers by heart.

It was a stupid plan. It made her chuckle. But a forced marriage could be wonderful if played right. Especially such an absurd, convoluted one such as the one she's planning for. It would've made her feel bad but she figured that having Subaru and Emilia be forced into a relationship with her as their deciding ally was better than Anastasia or Priscilla making them enslaved servants or indebted to them. She didn't think about Felt's plan to take the boy but she doubted that the little girl would make any moves to have him serving her.

Crusch planned to get the throne and achieve her dream. She didn't do it for love or for pity on the poor boy who had suffered so much.

She was selfish and arrogant like that.

As the three girls schemed silently, none of them noticed how calm the quiet room had become. As if their sense of love and compassion for the boy put their aura on similar wavelengths.

Rem decided to break this comfortable tension between rivals of war and friends of battle with a surprised tone.

"Looks like the others are getting ready for the viewing."

The other two ladies looked at the doorway to find that most of the cast were laughing and bickering together in the theater room.

"Hmm, it seems like our conversations took a lot of time," Crusch noted with raised eyebrows.

Emilia found herself nodding. "Mhm! I didn't feel the time passing so fast."

Rem started emptying her tea cup and placing the tray on another table. The maid spoke out towards the two rivals as they both drank their beverages in a hurry.

"So, we all agree that Subaru-kun shouldn't be used to relieve any sort of stress or tension even if the screen-sama could heal him?"

Crusch and Emilia firmly nodded their heads while blushing heavily at the embarrassing moments.

"Yes, no more of that." Crusch coughed into her fist.

"Y-Yes! Subaru's weak fragile hands won't be broken again." Emilia nodded her head firmly.

Rem's sweat dropped in exasperation. "Emilia-sama, Subaru's hand isn't weak or fragile… you have very extraordinary strength-"

"His weak and fragile hand won't be hurt again I promise." Emilia cut her off with a stern tone in her voice and a very deep blush on her cheeks.

Rem just sighed and nodded in acceptance, not wanting to anger the flustered half-elf anymore.

Crusch found herself chuckling in amusement. "I mean, no one can blame you for it. Your knight did some crazy things during his fight with the White Whale. I can't believe that he came up with that plan on the fly and not in some other loop."

Emilia and Rem smiled with faint pride at their hero/knight being praised. "I didn't think that he would truly make use of such a thing as the scent of the Witch to trap the monster." Rem gushed softly as her amazement at how her hero used it overwhelmed her disgust with the Witch and her scent.

"Mhm! I reeeeaally wanted to hit him and then give him a hug for doing such a dangerous thing." Emilia shook her head but hid her smile at the memory of her knight saving the army below him and forcing the Whale into a trap to let Wilhelm kill it. She wouldn't ever forget how truly amazing her knight had become.

"But we can't forget how much easier it's become for him to act as bait." Crusch reminded while finishing the last of her coffee.

Emilia and Rem both looked saddened as they agreed with that notion.

"We need to help him see how wrong that is." The duchess smiled encouragingly at the two girls.

"Of course, we will, Crusch-sama. Subaru-kun deserves to be happy even if he doesn't choose us." Rem nodded her head in agreement with the duchess, feeling happy that she had a powerful friend in the stern lady.

Emilia stayed silent for a few moments. Looking at the floor of the room with a frowning expression on her face. The half-elf princess found herself in fear for some reason as she remembered just how many people care about Subaru. She wants him to be happy and have all the love and care he deserves… but what if she gets left in the dust? What if he forgets about her after so many people showed him enough care and attention while she only caused him so much pain?

Emilia thought about how deep he fell into despair and how much Rem had helped him to stand up against it.

She thought about how hopeless his fight was until Crusch lent him her hand and fought beside him.

How many times was he in need of her while all she did was turn her back on him because she thought it unbelievable that someone would need her help?

It wasn't a reality she wanted to acknowledge. She had felt Subaru's love and compassion toward her once before. She enjoyed it. She used it to beat the trials. She used him and his love to face her fear of the past.

And she turned her back on him when he tried to use her love to deal with his trauma and pain. Back in the capital, instead of hearing him out and helping him through his suffering, she left him alone and forced him to start blaming himself for all the horrors and deaths he came across.

It made her tear up. It made her angry with her disgusting self for how useless she was compared to these two.

But it forced her to open her eyes and finally see what she'd been doing wrong.

That's why….

"Crusch… Rem…."

The two girls stopped at the door and looked at the half-elf with confusion.

Emilia stared at the two with eyes filled with determination. Amethyst with fire in them, narrowed her eyes at them.

"I…" The half-elf breathed deeply and confidently announced to the two.

"I want to help him as well… But I also want him to be mine too."

Rem and Crusch looked at one another then at the stern Emilia with alarm.

"I won't stop him from loving anyone he wishes to. His heart is too big for that. But I won't give up and let someone else take him and help him instead of me." Emilia stared at the two girls before her, almost glaring.

"He's mine. I don't intend to share." The half-elf declared in the most determined of tones she had ever used in her life.

Rem looked at the half-elf with a shocked expression, almost crushed. She wished that things wouldn't turn into a competition. Not like this. She really didn't want to lose her hero for another woman.

"Emilia-sama…" Rem tried to sound out but Emilia's stern expression didn't fall. The Oni made her own decision on the spot.

"I… want Subaru-kun's love as well. I promised to work hard to be worthy of it. And I meant it." The Oni declared while holding her own competitive stare at the silver-haired girl.

Crusch had to stop herself from bursting into hysterics as she watched the two declare things outside of their control.

The duchess smirked confidently at the other candidate in the room with her eyes lit up. "Subaru Natsuki is a special boy to have you two like this." The lady's honey-colored eyes stared into Emilia's amethyst ones deeply.

"I want to give him the best as well. As the man I fell for, he deserves that of me. And I hope to show that I'm the one for him." Shocking Emilia and Rem, Crusch announced her entry into the competition for Subaru's heart.

"Let the best win." The duchess smirked at the two before leaving the room to join the cast in the theater.

Laughing quietly to herself, Crusch shook her head in amusement at such a dramatic display of love. She knew that all of this was unnecessary anyway. After she gets out of the theater and Roswaal is dealt with, Emilia's entire camp will be ripe for the taking. All she needed was for Anastasia to make her move and then she sweeps in like a guardian angel to take Subaru and his lady under her wing at the Karsten household.

What Crusch didn't know, was that the merchant princess was planning to overthrow her entire scheme with a scheme of her own. Anastasia smirked dutifully at the returning figure of the duchess as she sat behind her in the second row. Crusch nodded her head respectfully and challengingly at the candidate merchant before taking her seat beside where Subaru would be placed after Rem returned from retrieving his sleeping body.

Felt glared at them as soon as she entered the theater. Noticing them taking the seats surrounding the spot Subaru would be placed already. She walked to sit beside Reinhard who had entered refreshed. The little blonde felt uneasy and a little pissed off at the girls around her big bro for some reason. Like they were planning things that wouldn't sit well with her or Subaru.

"Whatever, nothing matters now. After we take care of the clown guy Big Sis and Big Bro will be living with us." Felt mused and shook her worries away by leaning back in her seat.

Rem entered the room, carrying Subaru with her and putting him smoothly in his usual spot.

Emilia and Rem silently took their seats beside and behind the sleeping boy with intense expressions on their faces.

None of the girls touched Subaru as they all promised not to hurt him anymore.

But all of this heat and intense aura was felt by a lone scared spirit girl. "What is happening here, I suppose?! Betty's been looking for her contractor for this whole time and you all seem to have grown more savage than ever, in fact!"

The blonde loli immediately walked up to them and began sitting on the boy's lap noticing all of these girls' changed attitudes toward her contractor.

"What've you all been up to, I suppose," Beatrice growled while clutching Subaru protectively from the many hogging ladies.

"It's nothing to worry over, Beatrice…" Emilia's tone was secretive and emotionless but there was confidence that the spirit didn't like. "It's all going to be alright… I have settled my mind after all."

"That might be more frightening than a thousand White Whales, in fact…" Beatrice's astounded words earned chuckles from Rem and Crusch as Emilia blushed with a small pout covering her face.

But Emilia couldn't talk much once she saw Petra and Frederica running to the last person who entered the room after the knights took their seats with Garfiel following Heinkel and Al's lead.

"Otto-sama!" Frederica stopped herself, face flush as she held both hands at the front of her maid's dress. "You look grand… I hope you feel so."

Otto gave the blonde woman his sincerest of smiles as he tapped his merchant's hat. "Never better, Frederica-san… Thank you for taking care of me."

"It was my pleasure… I didn't want your reliable spirit to be missing when we needed you the most…" Frederica's eyes were soft as Otto's face flushed deeply into a tomato red that could not be missed. He rubbed his neck at the warm gaze she was giving him.

It would've been more awkward had it not been for one cry of annoyance from the back. "YOU THANK HER?! I WAS THE ONE DOING ALL THE HEALING, NYA!" Felix cupped his hands to make sure the eyes of everyone in the room were on the couple.

Roswaal chuckled and rubbed his hands together, loving what he was seeing as Otto appeared to have a heart attack because of the attention.

"Wasn't Garfiel-kun also involved in helping~?" Roswaal said loudly so everyone could hear. "I wonder where his thanks t~ooo~..."

"That bastard's right!" Garfiel perked suddenly and looked offended at such a speed that Otto would call it impressive. "What the fuck, Otto-bro!"

"This bastard…" Otto growled under his breath, looking at Roswaal with so much hate.

Frederica's giggle was music to his ears as he refocused on her and only her. She smiled at him as she gave a small bow.

"As you can see, Otto-sama… You're cared for by multiple capable people… And my brother too." Frederica smirked as she rose again, ignoring the outraged 'hey fuck you' from her rude little brother in the back.

Otto had to give a hefty chuckle and nodded his head. "I apologize for the trouble… But I'm here now…" Otto's eyes roamed towards Emilia and then towards Subaru for a moment, making Frederica smile wider.

"I don't plan on leaving anywhere… Not just yet." His serious voice made Emilia and Frederica look at him with astonishment and happy expressions.

Reinhard was grinning as proudly as Julius and Felix from his side, since he hadn't been a part of their conversations before, he allowed himself to enjoy the fact that Subaru didn't lose someone as great as Otto in the right loop.

"I do wonder how you two will meet this time around…" Reinhard had to chuckle, thinking about something comedic as usual when it came to both of them.

Otto moved to take his seat next to Garfiel and before Julius. And before anyone could speak more on any other matters, the screen lights with a much more intense ferocity than before.

"Not even a word from that fella?" Anastasia hums to herself.

"I was wondering why he wasn't talkin' to us about what happened with the Whale's reach inside of this room…" Tivey's query made some eyes move towards Otto, who hid his face by placing his hat over it and looking away from everyone.

"I'd like to know the answers to that as well," Otto growled, glaring at the floor. "Those words shouldn't have been allowed in my head…" His grip was tightened on his clothing article.

Everyone was looking at him with pity and sympathy, but none could gain the answer as the screen activated the very first scene.

"Yer jokin'... Not even a single word?" Felt looked at the ceiling with surprise, as more worry was felt across the crowd.

Priscilla's eyes narrowed as she whispered to herself. "Tis as I warned… More than he can chew…" She looked toward the hallway of rooms, remembering the time she warned the Warden of his dangerous fate. "Seems that he didn't heed the divine's mercy… Oh well…" She crossed her legs and glanced at the screen with boredom, moving on much more quickly than the rest of the crowds below her.

Petra in particular held on to a small chocolate bar that she hadn't eaten yet even though it stayed with her for a long time now. She looked up at the ceiling with worried eyes. Carefully, she held her hands together to make a small prayer for the man's safety.

[Season 1 Episode 12 Director's Cut.

Begin.

The scene opens up on Subaru's shocked expression as Julius stops his dragon infront of him.

"Just now joining us, Julius? Thanks for gracing us with your presence." Felix mused from beside the distraught black-haired young man.

"Please, you're going to ruin my reputation." The elegant knight mounted off his blue ground dragon and stood before Subaru and Felix. "But I am not the man called 'Julius'." The man smiled elegantly and glanced at the sky thoughtfully.

"Let's see… Perhaps I'll go by 'Juli.'" The man offered with pride as if he had come up with something legendary.]

"What?" The purple-haired young man asked in innocent confusion as all eyes in the theater turned toward him. "It was a perfectly adequate undercover name." The knight sounded defensive as everyone just glanced at him with confusion and some in pity.

Even the kindhearted Rem looked at the knight with a sympathetic look, as if mourning an idea she had of him dying in her mind.

Which made Julius die a little on the inside at the Oni losing respect for him over what he thought was an awesome name.

"This is the best day of my life," Heinkel smirked at the knight.

"I'm happy you're enjoying my embarrassment, Deputy Commander," Julius said dryly, glaring at the man.

"Immensely, Greatest Knight." Heinkel had a shit-eating grin on his face, full of maliciousness.

[The knight stepped closer to the people before him and spoke curtly. "Even if it is temporary, a man with the status of a knight must never lower himself to the rank of mercenary. The man you see here is not Julius Euclius, the knight," Julius gave a diligent wave of his hair as he announced suavely "But a simple wanderer called Juli."]

"Really…" Felt shook her head in pity.

Julius tried to ignore the glaring look his lady was giving him.

"Yer embarrassin' me, Julius." Anastasia pouted while noticing the bland looks her knight was getting.

The knight looked hurt for a moment. Felix softly giggled in his palm at the elegant knight being pitied for such a dumb name.

Otto and Garfiel just chuckled while hiding their faces so that the knight behind them wouldn't see their pleasure in his pain.

[Subaru looked to the side with an annoyed glare.]

"Natsuki-san still hasn't forgotten that beating huh?" Otto managed to calm his laughter down and noticed Subaru's annoyed look.

"Cap'n's still a man with pride." Garfiel nodded his head and hoped to see his captain do his awesome invisible providence attack to take some revenge…. He was wondering why Subaru hadn't used that attack…

"Subaru…." Emilia shook her head with a disappointed look on her face for her knight's pettiness.

"He will make up with Juli and kick that creepy witch guy's ass," Mimi shouted in glee, wanting to see the green man in pain for everything he did.

"He will save our village and Emilia-sama." Petra gave a small smile of anticipation. "I hope he will be safe."

Julius just looked a bit disappointed by the way his relationship with Subaru started but he was willing to make his friendship with the boy work. His respect for him grew too much.

Another knight was watching the screen with a bit of frustration and jealousy, and a catboy was biting his lip.

"If I apologize… maybe he could trust me too?" Felix thought to himself quietly as he looked at the interaction on the screen with guilt, wondering if he could have Subaru forgive him as he did Julius.

"Ah…" Heinkel's eyes narrowed with interest, the boy sitting at his side looked interested in what the man had to say. "Just that…" He began explaining awkwardly to Schult, still trying not to speak about Schult's sudden faith in him. "This must be the first time Juukulius and the evil-eyed brat met since the time of that public humiliation."

"H-Humiliation?" Schult looked at the screen in alarm.

"Hehe… I forgot about that shit… When I was off duty, that brat Juukulius beat the kid to a pulp." Heinkel had a wider grin than before. "And this is the meeting for the first time from the looks of it… That's hilarious."

"Taking too much pleasure with this, pal." Al chuckled at the sheer satisfaction on Heinkel's face. "I wonder who you hate more, the purple hair or bro…"

"I can hate 'em both." Heinkel leaned back in his seat as he said this, making Priscilla snort and keep her eyes on the screen with amusement.

["A proper household's code of chivalry is a real pain, huh?" Felix cheerfully jeered from his position while Subaru just looked exasperated.

"Bull." He growled out while looking away.

Julius turned to him with a friendly smile. "It seems you're doing better than expected. How are you feeling?"

Although the knight's question was friendly and not hostile at all, Subaru's face turned to one of offense, leading him to wave his spiked hair while holding an arrogant expression.

"Well, it was just some scratches! A little spit fixed them right up, pretty much! What about you? Been busy writing letters of apology for fighting so seriously with an amateur?" The nasty-eyed boy smirked dubiously at the elegant man.]

Emilia sighed and shook her head in disappointment. Why wouldn't he just use this as an opportunity to make friends with Julius? The half-elf could only watch in the hope that these two set their problems aside for this one fight. She hoped to see how they truly became allies.

She wanted to know what the boy she loved so much changed in himself to accept that horrible defeat.

"This hurts to watch when knowing how much it took for Subaru-kuyn's wounds to heal." Felix cowed while rubbing his forehead on the edge of the seat before him.

"Damn, it does," Felt nods her head, wincing alongside many who refused to give Julius looks of pity so as to not rub it harder on the knight.

Julius merely exhaled with an annoyed glance at the floor. Anastasia rubbed a hand down his arm for comfort, giving him a small smile.

[Julius just looked briefly disappointed at this. "I didn't mean that. I wasn't talking about the damage to your honor but the mabeast subjugation."

The knight sighed and managed a smile on his face. "But I'm glad your wounds from before seem to have healed." Almost teasingly, he offered a truce through his words.

Subaru and Julius stood before one another in silence.

And then began laughing together.

"Ha!"

Until they both gave a last disgusted and forced laugh.

Opening Theme 2: Paradisus-Paradoxum]

"You guys hit off r~eee~ally w~eee~ll." The silent Roswaal said with his eyes shining in amusement.

"Man, I didn't pay enough attention back then but ya were pissing 'round' huh?" Ricardo laughed as he noticed the sheer disgust these two had against each other.

"That last laugh was filled with malice… you two are so alike in a lot of sense." Al chuckled at the thought.

Julius wondered if that should be taken as a compliment after the journey he had seen the boy go through. He decided to stay silent and watch.

"Betty's Subaru should always be proud, I suppose." Beatrice huffed at the 'damaged honor' line. She didn't care that the boy got beaten blue before noble knights. He died to save everyone and help her old friend rest from his slothful madness.

Her contractor was the best.

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