Arc 9, Chapter 35 – “The Awakening Star”
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――When Rem returned to the Roswaal Manor, she was unable to regain any sensation of "coming back home" whatsoever.
???: [Rem, do you see it? That is the mansion belonging to Roswaal-sama, the place where Ram and the others are employed.]
Rem: [Our… workplace…]
As Ram indicated the picturesque scenery endued by rays of the sun falling bright, a sight visible from the window of the dragon carriage, Rem's pale-blue pupils blinked and her eyelids quivered at Ram's words.
They had shared a dragon carriage and headed towards the Industrial City of Costuul, and it had been a while since they boarded the dragon carriage prepared there for their return journey to drop them off―― what entered her sight was her Home, absent in recollection.
A towering gate, and beyond it, a splendid mansion. The Roswaal mansion, with greater extravagance than even the Berstetz residence she had sojourned in with Katya in the Vollachian Imperial Capital, was a building with elegance incapable of being forgotten after a single glimpse.
Yet――,
Ram: [Well?]
Rem: […I apologize, Nee-sama.]
Rem, spiritless, shook her head and apologized for failing to respond to her elder sister's hopes.
Rem had made the journey thus far apart from Subaru or Emilia and the others who had to move separately towards separate goals, and had made her way back to the mansion with Ram. Having anticipated witnessing many things that would stimulate her memories, yet none so far had managed to bestow truth to that anticipation.
And it seemed that the mansion was no exception, the same mansion so valuable to Rem and Ram.
Ram: [I see. But, it can't be helped. After all, it was quite a while ago that Ram and Rem worked in this mansion, and the mansion deeply memorable to Rem is not in this place.]
Rem: [Huh!?]
Ram: [Incidentally, the previous mansion was lit aflame by a vexed Otto and therefore is no longer extant. Would've thought of taking a detour to visit it had it remained not ashen to the ground.]
Rem: [Otto-san did… yet he didn't seem to be a person of such kind.]
Rem's eyes gyrated at the appended report, with further bewilderment at the information about Otto that Ram had recited.
The Internal Affairs Minister of the camp, Otto was a mild-mannered person, an inseparable friend and ally to Subaru, and a completely sleepless individual according to Petra and Frederica. The information of him furthermore setting the mansion ablaze in vexation, detracted from his character.
It might have been, as they say, that people do not match their appearances, and it might have been a good thing to accept that now.
Rem: [Including that person, are Emilia-san's allies all a gathering of such people? Like Garfiel, and Roswaal-san too…]
Ram: [It's, Roswaal-sama.]
Rem: […Roswaal-sama too.]
Ram: [Good girl. But, to group Roswaal-sama together with those three, bad girl, Rem. Roswaal-sama is wise and proficient, the person said to be the most excelling magician in this world. Compared to him, those three, they're the worth of one person when you put all three of them together… no, about the worth of half a person.]
Rem: [Half a person as three people together…]
Imagining Otto, Garfiel, and finally Subaru riding atop each other's shoulders, Rem then arranged Roswaal, capable of flying via magic, beside the three in her mind. And upon lining them up, albeit Rem was ignorant of what difference would lie between them, it seemed Ram's say was not mistaken.
Even now with null prospects of her memories returning, for Rem, the faith and endearment she felt coming from the familiarity she could feel from Ram, her twin elder sister, that alone was indubitably genuine.
――For that was the definitive nexus, which connected the Rem of the past with the present.
Rem: […That manner of thinking, will purchase a scolding from Priscilla-san.]
Bitter sentiments surfacing in her mind, Rem recollected the gaze of a woman, fiery scarlet in hue.
She, who had engraved a marked impact onto Rem's way of thinking and progressing, would never bless a bearing of fixating and clinging onto the past. In the same way, she would never favor a Rem flattered by Ram, entrusting herself to the nectar of faith.
Rem did not wish to be disliked by Priscilla, nor did she wish to walk an ashamed path of life.
Hence, she reprimanded her heart verging on pessimism, slapped her cheeks, and lifted her visage.
Rem: [But Nee-sama, going by this, then wouldn't that mean there won't be many paths to my memories' return, even upon returning to that mansion?]
Ram: [Huhu, swift grasp. An astute little sister makes Ram proud as well.]
Rem: [No, not at all… I do not think that is anything deserving of such praise from you, Nee-sama…]
Ram: [However, just whose elder sister do you think the Ram standing here is? Do you think Ram, Rem's Nee-sama, would make such an oversight?]
With her hand on her chest, Ram declared so with a visage brimming in confidence.
Rem earnestly shamed her own misapproximated worries at Ram's bold utterance. Ram had foreseen it without needing to be told by Rem.
What roused curiosity, then, were Ram's ideas――,
Rem: [If we are returning to the mansion, yet that itself is not the goal, then… is the goal, a person?]
Ram: [Who knows. Whether your answer is correct… you will be able to ascertain soon.]
Ram smiled at Rem's estimation, as the dragon carriage stopped at roughly the same time.
Feeling the jolting long kept at bay by the Divine Protection of Wind Evasion, Rem was shaken as Ram stood up and gallantly proffered her hand to her.
Ram: [Well then, we've arrived. Let's go.]
Rem: [――Yes, Nee-sama.]
Taking Ram's hand, Rem restrained her chest, faintly jouncing in anxiety, and dismounted from the dragon carriage.
As Ram spoke to the driver who had carried them thus far, Rem took a step forward from the dragon carriage and captured in her view the mansion and the serene front garden beyond the bars of the iron gate.
Rem: [This place is…]
As Rem narrowed her pale-blue eyes, the mansion reflected within her pupils, indeed, she possessed no recollection of.
Nevertheless, apprehending the attentive management that reached the building and flower beds, the hedges, and every nook and cranny that shaped the mansion, she inadvertently straightened her posture.
Regardless of the presence or absence of her memories, if Rem were to abide in this mansion hereon, then her position would surely be that of a servant like Ram and Frederica.
???: [Rem, you should just live a healthy and carefree life every day.]
For a moment, the impression of Subaru vocalizing this came to mind, but Rem forcibly repelled this over-indulging phantom.
Subaru, for certain, would likely say something along those lines, but he was toiling at something else at this moment.
Incomparable to Rem, right now, in order to console the one who sustained lacerations on his heart from losing Priscilla, he was――,
???: [――Oh? Oh, oooh, ooooh!]
Hearing a sudden bellow, Rem drew back with an "Eek!".
She could tell the voice came from beyond the bars, that was to say, from the grounds of the mansion. ――Present there was the form of a young girl, her miniature hands gripping the bars, eyes wide and frozen steady.
Adorable features, adorned with long, pink hair. Height seeming to indicate about eleven or twelve years of age and a black garb enveloping her entire body save for her head, the young girl widened her spherical eyes and fixed her gaze upon Rem.
Rem had recollections, of this girl. ――From the vortex of the cataclysm within the Empire.
Rem: [Y-You are… the Witch who brought on the Great Disaster!]
Ram: [Ah, Ryuzu-sama, thank you for the welcoming.]
She shuddered in fear, as the bearer of the Great Disaster extended a finger towards her.
Beside Rem's horror at the sudden, implausible reunion with the disaster, Ram swiftly stepped forward and spoke to the girl. Rem turned towards Ram with a "Huh?" at her prosaic behavior, and the Witch also scowled at her in a snap,
Ryuzu: [Ram! You're home. You're home but… you're a quick one!]
Ram: […Are you asking Ram to pick you up the way Garf and Frederica do, Ryuzu-sama?]
Ryuzu: [That ain't what I'm sayin'! Puttin' that 'side, that girl…]
Rem: [Nee-sama, who is this person…]
The Witch who had plotted the ruin of the Empire, her name being Sphinx.
However, Ram referred to the girl before her eyes with a disparate name―― Ryuzu. Ryuzu's line of sight once again on her, Rem perplexedly glanced at Ram.
At the reaction of the two, Ram gently placed her hand atop Rem's shoulder,
Ram: [Kindly give your name to her.]
Rem: [――――]
Despite the absence of even a minimal explanation, Ram's calm timbre marvelously soothed Rem's roiled heart. Her disarray naturally coming undone, Rem turned towards Ryuzu.
Stabilising her breath, and steadily gazing into her opponent's eyes,
Rem: [――I'm Rem. Am I right to assume that you are… Ryuzu-san?]
Ryuzu: […I, see. Yeah. Hm, yeah. I'm Ryuzu, Rem.]
Rem gave her name and enquired hers, to which Ryuzu momentarily had a distant glint in her eye, then softly nodded.
From her response, Ram's attitude, and the fact that she was on the premises of Roswaal's mansion, Rem was at last able to harbor conviction that the girl before her and the Witch of the Empire were separate persons.
Rem: [Even so, the resemblance is exceeding…]
Ram: [Yes. There's a saying that there's at least three people in the world with a face that resembles yours, but in Ryuzu-sama's case, there are about ten times that. Hence, also ten times her crudity.] [1]
Ryuzu: [What a detestable thin' ta say at a moment the elderly'd be gettin' all emotional.]
Rem alluded to the misleading nature of her appearance, as Ryuzu scolded Ram for her reply.
It was tellable from their exchanges as well, but the two had a fairly relaxed relationship. Judging from Ryuzu's attitude, she must have also been someone who had a deep relationship with the Rem of the past.
Rem: [Forgive me. But, I don't remember anything.]
Ryuzu: [No matter no matter, ain't nothin' ta be apologisin' fer. I am――]
Ram: [――Ram's little sister. She has the same hair color as Ram, after all.]
Rem: [Th-that's true…! Huh, but if she is Nee-sama's little sister, then that means…]
Ram interrupted Ryuzu and divulged a shocking truth. Her breath taken away by stupefaction, Rem compared Ram and Ryuzu, deeming a convincibility in their hair colors.
However, Ram and Rem were supposed to be twins, so inevitably, Rem and Ryuzu's relation would come down to being――,
Rem: [Also my… little sister…?]
Ryuzu: [Cut th' cackle, Ram! This's what 'm sayin'! 'S the bad influence of Lil' Ros 'n Lil' Su!]
Ram: [To enumerate them as equals? Even you, Ryuzu-sama, have things you are and aren't allowed to do.]
Ryuzu: [Ain't somethin' ya should be sayin' with that tone!]
The brows of her cute face upraised, Ryuzu yelled aloud, to which Ram furrowed her eyebrows. Watching the quarrel between the two, Rem finally gauged that Ram had spoken in jest.
Rem: [Now that I think of it, it would certainly be strange for Nee-sama to address Ryuzu-san with '-sama' if she were mine or Nee-sama's little sister.]
Ryuzu: [In that case, ya could mistake 'em fer a father or mother, dependin' on the situation, leavin' the possibility of them bein' a blood sister ta an important someone. Can't say that's some kinda perfect rebuttal.]
Rem: [That is also true… Then, you really are mine and Nee-sama's…?]
Ryuzu: [Nah. Don't'cha mistake it fer anythin' but a bad joke of Ram's. Seriously, what a headache.]
Ryuzu heaved a heavy sigh, to which Ram had her tongue slightly peeking out.
She had been played like a fiddle it seemed, but thinking back to it even along their journey to this place, Ram had quite often stumped Rem in her playfulness, and in doing so granted her salvation.
For Rem, quick to drown for the slightest of reasons, Ram's way, abounding in conviction and humor, was truly akin to the warmth of the sun.
Rem: [I believe Nee-sama is a wonderful person. Including this playfulness.]
Ryuzu: [From what was informed in the birdmail, ain't been too many days since ya reunited, yet ta 've tamed her this much…]
Rem: ["Tame her" is a boorish way to put it. I simply devoted sincerity and love.]
Ryuzu: [Fer that, you're frolicin' too much ta an uncharacteristic level, Ram. Though I do understand yer happiness for bein' able ta live with yer lil' sis' after her finally wakin' up from her neverendin' sleep.]
Ram: [――. How cheeky for a mere Ryuzu-sama.]
Ryuzu: [Ya get in attack mode when you're hidin' yer embarrassment, so nevermind me, but I wish ya'd have some consideration with Lil' Gar. Now then…]
Ram faintly frowned. Rem was struck with admiration at the rare state of her elder sister being cornered, when Ryuzu stepped away from the bars after having been leaning upon the iron gate,
Ryuzu: ['S weird ta keep talkin' at the gate. I also wanna give a big hug to my granddaughters fer comin' back safe 'n sound.]
Rem: [Granddaughters…?]
Ram: [That's the best joke she could come up with. Kindly laugh for her.]
Ryuzu: [It means that's how much I think of ya!]
As Ryuzu tapered her lips, Rem's own lips loosened even through her perplexment. Not because Ram had told her to, it just spontaneously happened in response to Ryuzu's thoughtfulness.
Above all, for Ryuzu to treat Rem and Ram as granddaughters despite looking younger than them was a truly apocryphal element, even taking her thoughtfulness into account.
Rem: [Beatrice-chan was the same way, but is it the tendency of young children to act older than they are…?]
Ram: [It would seem so. Beatrice-sama's true self appears when she is atop Barusu's lap.]
Rem: [Considering her cuteness, I would have to agree.]
Spica was the same way, but it befitted children best to be like children, laughing to their fullest. Not just Beatrice, but if Ryuzu also stopped trying to act older and smiled suitably for her age, just how adorable she would be.
Immersed in these introspections, Rem's cognizance momentarily paused at what immediately followed.
Ryuzu: [Now then everybody, let's open the gates.]
Upon apprehending what Ryuzu had vocalized, the iron gate to the mansion slowly began to open.
That, by itself, was good. Without issue. The issue lay beyond the gate's opening.
???: [――――]
???: [――――]
The gate's latches unfastened, the gateway opening to the inside―― moving it were several persons abiding by Ryuzu's calling, each with hair and ornaments that adorned them differing per the respective liking of each, yet all of them wore the same face as Ryuzu.
Namely, those girls possessed an identical visage as the Witch Sphinx――,
Rem: [――eek!!]
Expectably overwhelmed, without curtail, Rem screeched to her limit.
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???: [That scream baffled me, but I understand. Most certainly anyone would be astonished after seeing Ryuzu-sama and her sisters, Pico-sama and the rest.]
Rem: [For you to say that, gives me some relief…]
Rem hung her head in shame before the blonde-haired maid who indicated her sympathy.
The greeting with Ryuzu at the gate, and the frightening affairs that followed―― the entrance of more than ten girls bearing the same face as Ryuzu's, made her feel incredibly embarrassed for her delirious response to it.
Rem: [Even though Nee-sama had apprised me that the amount of people who had a face identical to Ryuzu-san was three times ten, yet I reckoned she was only joking…]
Ryuzu: ['S the way Ram spoke, but ya also can't fault yerself fer thinkin' that way, Rem. Fer ya ta not think of it as a joke'd be blind belief, 'n I can't say I approve of that.]
???: [You speak of it quite nonchalantly, but would it not be good for you to take a look in the mirror yourself as well, Ryuzu-sama? If you continue to cause problems so frequently that it will be impossible to discount them despite your adorable appearance, then it will be about time I took matters in my own hands.]
Ryuzu: [Y-You're scarin' me…]
Glowered by those somewhat tranquil eyes, Ryuzu curled up in reflection. This made Rem loosen her lips at last as she corrected her hunched posture.
She had never predicted such a commotion would be stirred up even before she had entered the mansion's premises, but now that she had been permitted to pass inside, she could not keep moping this way forever.
Although――,
Rem: [I caused you trouble by making a ruckus. Um…]
Sylphy: [――I am Sylphy Elmart. Previously Corneas, but I divorced. I have been entrusted to attend to the mansion during everyone's absence.]
Rem: [The mansion. Then, were you also a coworker of mine and Nee-sama's, Sylphy-san?]
Rem inquired of the maid―― Sylphy, who gently lowered her back and bowed.
Albeit a matter of course, it was likely that all of the women who worked at Roswaal's mansion were acquaintances of Rem. Surely, she must have troubled them owing to her slumber.
However, Sylphy shook her head and denied Rem's concern with a "No",
Sylphy: [I am still a newcomer, so I have never worked with Rem-sama and the others. In addition, I have been employed not by the Margrave, but by Miload-sama. Furthermore.]
Rem: [Furthermore?]
Sylphy: [My master is myself alone. And my heart's master is nobody but Emilia-sama.]
Overawed by Sylphy's gaze, perfused with potent willpower, Rem's head unwittingly inclined backward.
The unordinary allegiance Sylphy had attested for Emilia. It could also be discerned from the flawless maintenance of the entry hall, the passageways, and the parlor she was presently in, all of which she had seen on her way around the mansion under Sylphy's guidance. In accordance with her impression of the mansion from the outside, the professionalism was remarkable.
This work incontrovertibly emanated from the emotions which exalted Emilia as even the master of her heart.
Rem: [Sylphy-san, have you known Emilia-san for a long time?]
Sylphy: [No, it has only been a few months since we met. And that, too, was an exceedingly limited timeframe in which I was able to be in her company personally.]
Rem: [And yet, you devote such emotion?]
Sylphy: [It is what that person did for you, rather than the length of time you spent with them, that determines to what extent that person will comprise your heart, is it not?]
Rem: [That's…]
Taken aback by the unexpected reply, Rem cast her gaze downward at Sylphy's subsisting words.
What crossed Rem's mind in this moment were the figures of people she cherished, Spica and Katya. However, taking also into account that they were relationships Rem had fostered anew without her memories, the time Rem had spent with them was not a great number of days by any measure.
Nevertheless, still, Rem resolutely felt them to be irreplaceable.
What Sylphy had said was correct. ――And, as Rem neared this conviction, a clear image of Subaru's visage emerged within her mind, making her purse her lips shut.
Sylphy: [Rem-sama?]
Ryuzu: [She must be befuddled. Sylphy, I'm sure I told ya 'bout Rem's circumstance.]
Sylphy: [You are… correct. My apologies. I lacked forethought.]
Rem: [No, this is not something you need to apologize for. ――It's simply… my circumstance.]
Ryuzu and Sylphy exchanged glances upon hearing Rem's reply. Albeit to the heartache of the cordial two, Rem did not wish to speak of her present conflict.
As expressed, it was Rem's own distress, her own anguish to the very end.
Ram: [――You look downhearted, Rem. Did Sylphy tease you or such?]
Rem: [――――]
Upon the voice abruptly calling for her, Rem raised her face and gazed at the parlor's entrance. Standing there was Ram, having momentarily parted from her in the middle of guiding her towards the parlor to see to certain business.
As Ram belatedly enjoined them, Rem gulped an inhale with eyes wide at her appearance. ――For Ram stood there in an unfamiliar maid guise.
Rem: [Nee-sama, that attire…]
Ram: [Were you not told so multiple times? Ram is the mansion's, Roswaal-sama's maid.]
Rem was inadvertently captivated by Ram, who combed down her pink hair and replied in exuberance. Looking at Ram all the same as Rem, Ryuzu exhaled a jaunty "Ahh",
Ryuzu: [Been a minute since we seen Ram in this kinda attire, ain't that so.]
Ram: [Indeed. Ram had been wearing her travel clothing for some time, so it feels refreshing.]
Sylphy: [So refreshing that it would seem some parts of the uniform are disordered in the manner they have been worn. May I fix them?]
Ram: [Is that so? Then you are requested to.]
Beside the mesmerized Rem, Ryuzu was enthralled as Sylphy attentively began assisting with Ram's dressing. Whilst Sylphy's hands adjusted her uniform, Ram met Rem's gaze by closing one eye and winking at her,
Ram: [This is the maid uniform that Ram and Rem wear whilst working in the mansion.]
Rem: […I think it is, wonderful. But…]
Ram: [But?]
Rem: [Doesn't it expose a bit more skin compared to Sylphy-san's uniform? Just what difference… could it be, that person was behind it?]
Comparing the maid outfits of Ram and Sylphy, Rem bore this misgiving whilst hugging her own shoulders.
It was a lovely outfit, to be sure, but the discrepancy was much too clear and its intent, unknown. And when she thought back to it, in the Empire, Subaru would often vest convoluted sentiments within her by alluding to Rem's attire, telling her what would be cuter, what would make her more alluring, et cetera. The memories of those times were resurrected by the uniforms before her eyes.
Rem: [I did think he had an abnormal obsession in even the attire of others, but for it to show up even here…]
Sylphy: […It would seem a misunderstanding has occurred, Ram-sama?]
Ram: [Indeed. Ram personally is not concerned whatsoever by how much Barusu's repute falls to the gutter in Rem's mind, but it is unamusing to have credit stolen.]
Rem: [Credit, you say?]
Ram: [Yes. This maid uniform's alteration was something Ram personally proposed and adjusted. All of it was because… Ram wished to wear a uniform with better mobility? Is what… it was supposed to be?]
Ryuzu: [Where'd that confidence of yers go all of a sudden?]
As Ram's confidence uncharacteristically wilted by the end of her utterance, Ryuzu tilted her head. Upon Ryuzu's delineation, Ram muttered "Quite incomprehensible",
Ram: [To be skeptical of one's own opinion, how unpleasant. The reason why Ram proposed the uniform's alteration was, probably, not supposed to be something so randomly offhanded like that.]
Sylphy: [Y-You say that for your own opinion!?]
Ram: [It feels to be a scheme of the uniforms' provider… It is irksome for being a thought akin to Barusu's, but if they wanted to make Rem wear a cute uniform, that would be much more convincing.]
Sylphy: [I see, most certainly. I am persuaded.]
One finger on her lips, Sylphy for some reason endorsed Ram's inference. Judging from the flow of this conversation, Sylphy probably had the urge to dress someone in cute clothes as well.
In reality, in a world where the plural majority of memories surrounding Rem had disappeared, the true nature of Ram's malaise and the correct answer to it would likely never be known.
Ram: [If so, then Ram will believe what she wishes to believe. Unafraid of what anyone else may ever think, you see.]
Rem: […I'm sure Nee-sama would've found Priscilla-sama agreeable as well.]
Albeit confined and small companionships of Rem's, but as noble and powerful women, Priscilla and Ram had radiant and suspired commonalities. Had Priscilla been alive and well, there would have been a future in which the two would have come to good terms with one another through Rem. Or, they would have collided against one another as natural enemies.
Anyhow, her suspicions towards Subaru concerning the maid uniforms seemed misplaced.
Rem: [But, it's all because that person is constantly doing such misleading things.]
Ryuzu: [If you're talkin' 'bout Lil' Su, it's a pity ya give flak to him.]
Rem: [Ryuzu-san, you're able to say this because you haven't witnessed that person say all sorts of nonsense and crossdress as a woman.]
Ryuzu: [To think! Lil' Su was crossdressin' even in the Empire! He oughta be learnin' some manners.]
Sylphy: [Crossdress as a woman? Despite the presence of Emilia-sama's person? With what purpose? Depending on that answer…]
Ryuzu's reaction evinced that Subaru truly was a repeat offender. Sylphy expressed a stern displeasure upon hearing this, and Rem was determined to grill him about this once again in her mind.
During this exchange, Sylphy completed her dressing of Ram. Ram swiftly twirled, the hem of her skirt overturning, as she exuberantly stroked her hair upward,
Ram: [Nothing uncomfortable. Good work, Sylphy.]
Sylphy: […Your compliment is an honor, is what I will state for the record.]
Ram: [It's Ram's commendation, so kindly accept it without feeling shy. That's not all. From a cursory glance, you've attended to the mansion quite meticulously as well.]
Sylphy: [I did live days of subservience beneath an unsalvageable Husband-sama. Should even a speck of dirt be fallen onto the floor, each wife would bear the corollary of being worthless. Infuriates me to even remember. Although recently, he reaped what he had sown.]
Having corrected Ram's uniform in an instant, Sylphy spoke of her previous place of employment―― no, her environment, perhaps. It could be glimpsed through her words and conduct how debilitating that place was, to which Rem also felt a great sympathy.
And, before this Rem, with her shift into a flawless maid, Ram gently set a cup of tea.
Ram: [Here, you must be parched after all of Ryuzu-sama and Sylphy's enquiries.]
Ryuzu: [Paintin' us as villains even when you're just handin' a cup of tea, eh.]
Ram: [Hah.]
Scoffing an exhale at the sour-lipped Ryuzu, Ram laid out tea for her and Sylphy as well.
Seemingly having brought the serving stand to the corridor, Ram adeptly poured the two's tea and, with her gaze, urged Rem to take a sip. Heeding her direction, Rem no longer constrained herself from enjoying the tea's aroma any further and placed the cup to her mouth―― her eyes reflexively dilating.
Rem: [Delicious…]
Ram: [Isn't it. Brewing tea is Ram's sole specialty as a maid, after all.]
Sylphy: [You carry yourself with contrasts of seriousness to a nearly enchanting degree… Not that I can say much, since truthfully, I have never had the opportunity to enjoy tea of such quality.]
Ryuzu: [Even Frederica's always happy ta say this one's peerless.]
Sylphy and Ryuzu also yielded in defeat to the triumphant Ram and sipped their tea.
Savoring the aroma entering her nostrils and the flavor atop her tongue, whilst nodding to the two's voicing, Rem took a sudden notice to Ram's gentle gaze, affection and a somber hope sojourned within.
Rem: [――Ah.]
Ram would never aver. But, surely, she must have conferred her hopes onto even the flavor of this tea.
It was not arduous to imagine that before losing her memories, Rem also surfeited the flavor of this esteem, of this tea which only Ram could make. In reality, her serving of the tea, artful enough to bedew one's tear ducts in captivation, seemed to imbue every fragment of Rem's body with affection.
It did not, however, stimulate Rem's memories, and forge the outcome longed for.
Rem: [It is very, truly very delicious. But――.]
Placing the cup she had finished sipping from upon the table, and with eyes closed, Rem spoke so evasively. However, to Rem's conduct, Ram smiled with a "Stupid",
Ram: [This was simply brewing some tea. Nowhere near any necessity for cute Rem to apologize.]
Sylphy: [Ram-sama, you may have made her apologize due to your stabbing gaze. My former Husband-sama was an inordinately temperamental person, but he kept in good spirits if he were to just receive apologies in the meanwhile.]
Ryuzu: […Oh dear Ram, would ya pour 'nother cuppa tea for Sylphy? I feel so awful, so awful fer this girl.]
Sylphy: [Why would you feel so? Contrary to feeling pity, I am rejoicing in the freedom which I never had before.]
Slightly furrowing her eyebrows, Sylphy informed Ryuzu, eyes sorrowful, of her incredulity. Complying with Ryuzu's entreaty, Ram began preparing a second cup for Sylphy.
Whilst glimpsing Ram's back, once again did Rem ardently, fervently resolve.
…I want to respond, to the people who are so good to me.
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After leaving the parlor, Rem followed her curiosity and ambled around parts of the mansion.
Every point at which she would stop, Ram, chaperoning her, would retell memories of those places, "That's the flower bed where Barusu got his head covered in manure" or "This pillar has gnaw marks from Garf on it, doesn't it? He shall be chided later" or "Ah, the portrait of the Great Spirit-sama that Emilia-sama and Beatrice-sama drew on the ground, it's still here", endowing her not even the time to relish her forlorn.
However, contrary to this embrace and consideration of Ram's, Rem was unable to convene with a fortuitous feeling that pressed her back.
Rem: [Ah, more children resembling Ryuzu-sama…]
Ram: [Pico and the rest. After being taken out of the Sanctuary, they've been in the midst of learning many things from square one.]
Rem: […I'm also in a similar circumstance to those girls, or Sylphy-san and the others, aren't I?]
Unlike the awfully matured Ryuzu, these young girls appeared as innocent as their appearance suggested―― these girls, with the child addressed as Pico as the first, were noticeable at every corner of the spacious Roswaal mansion, running about assisting maids wearing the same uniform as Sylphy.
The pronouncedly diligent girls apparently bore a destiny differing from that of most people by their birth, and now liberated from it, were currently purportedly in the midst of walking a different pathway of life.
On one hand were these ladies, maids whose beauty and elegance allured the eyes of many, but from what she had heard, these were women situated in plightful circumstances identical to Sylphy, and all of them had been able to escape with Emilia's aid.
In the sense of Ryuzu's sisters as well as these maid girls having their ways of life trifled by destiny, playthings of fate, what crossed Rem's mind was that they were the same as her.
However, Rem's thought was appended by Ram's words, starting with an "Indeed",
Ram: [Regardless of the presence or absence of memories, upon resolving to start walking a new path, usually there is no choice but to start collecting from the beginning. Rem is not special.]
Rem: [Nee-sama…]
Ram: [No, made a mistake. Rem is special. She is much too beloved to Ram, after all.]
That revision stated, Rem turned her face away in bashfulness from the magnitude of love bestowed to her.
Of course Rem also felt a powerful kinship and overflooding love towards Ram, but the sense that what Ram gave to her was ten times, a hundred times of what Rem gave, left her disconcerted.
Bearing this vexation, Rem and Ram's tour of the Roswaal mansion resumed.
And before long――,
Ram: [――Rem, this is your room.]
Ram's hand opened the door, her hand gestured toward the room, into which Rem stepped inside.
Compared to places inside the mansion she had surveyed, like the reception or the dining halls, the large bath or the secret special training grounds, the lounge, the gardens and the balcony, there were not many points of interest here much like the parlor.
Considering the mansion's size, the room given to a mere servantile Rem was quite proper, but not much else.
Rem: [――――]
A large bed, a bookshelf teeming with poetry collections and illustrated storybooks. A carefully tidied writing desk, placed upon it a vase adorned with vivid flowers.
Ram: [There was once a time these belongings had been put away without notice, but Barusu brought all of them out and put them all back where they were, saying this was how Rem kept everything.]
Rem: [That person…]
As Rem stood before the bookshelf, Ram conveyed to her Subaru's toil.
Ram's scathing remarks towards Subaru were primarily conspicuous, many of which Rem found agreeable, but the solitude of sincerity in the words she just appended struck Rem's chest.
Pulling out a collection of poetry, she flipped through its pages. The written verses were all things she had no remembrance of, but these bindings were of literature that the Rem of before must have liked, must have loved. Many of them somehow seemed to recite love or romance, giving her both a sense of peculiarity and embarrassment towards her past self.
Rem: [For over a year, I was asleep, right.]
After placing the poetry collection back in the bookshelf, Rem sat on the bed and caressed it with her hand, narrowing her eyes.
In Rem's stead once she had plunged into her unawakening slumber, unable to fulfill her duties as a maid, Ram, Frederica, Petra, and the others must have performed the mansion's maintenance, and attended to the asleep Rem. Even now, the bed's cushions and sheets had been maintained cleanly, the careful and conscientious work discernible.
Next to the bed were faint traces of sun-bleached discolorations on the floor, bearing witness that a chair had been set there for long. An image came to her mind, of those visiting Rem talking to her from there.
That surely must have been Ram, Emilia, and the rest, and finally――,
Rem: [――――]
Ram also wordlessly seated herself beside Rem on top of the bed. A tender gaze of light-crimson watching her profile, Rem closed her eyes, and shook her head.
She had not been asked. But, she must have made her want to ask.
Of everything in this mansion, of everything in this room, naught inspired Rem's memories. All that was here was a wealth of affections and love, things that made her feel so, things that illuminated to the unremembering Rem that she used to be happy.
She could ardently, fervently feel this, enough to mist her eyes with tears.
That was precisely why――,
Rem: […Nee-sama, that makes me really curious, what is that?]
The room was luminescent with sunlight filtering through the trees, a tender and gentle atmosphere permeated by compassion, and placed in one corner was a mysterious object―― the strangeness of an iron ball, covered in spikes, attached to a chain, lured her eyes.
Upon Rem's enquiry, Ram murmured an "Ah" as though just taking notice,
Ram: [That's a "Morningstar".] [2]
Rem: […Moarning, stahr?]
Ram: [Yes. That's what Barusu started calling it, and before long it stuck… apparently, that is also something Rem treasured.]
Rem: [Me, that thing!?]
Apprised of something exceedingly different from her reminiscences so far, Rem could not help but look back and forth at Ram and the spiked iron ball―― the morningstar.
Afterwards, she nearly convinced herself this was another one of Ram's mischievous jokes.
Ram: [Ram also understands your doubt. But after looking at Barusu, especially preparing a dedicated cloth and oil, and polishing it every day, Ram thinks it's lasted for too long to be simply some worthless joke.]
Rem: [B-but, doesn't it seem like that person would do something foolish like this?]
Ram: [Indeed. It's undeniable.]
Perhaps a dispute already settled, Ram had a sympathetic response to Rem's objection. Ram's demeanor made Rem rise from the bed, and she walked towards that Morningstar.
Rem: [I don't understand…]
Upon closer examination, she noticed a handmade iron ball holder had been made for it so that the iron ball's spikes did not splinter the floor, a palpable sense of the smallest of considerations. The cloth and container of oil left at the same spot corroborated Ram's testimony of Subaru polishing it every day.
However, so what; that was all there was to it.
Rem: [I'm sure this, too, was one of that person's antic――]
Like with his crossdressing, simply expressed in truly limited words, it was unquestionably only some vile thing that reflected Subaru's tastes.
Bearing this notion, Rem stooped and touched the iron ball with her fingers. ――It was at that moment.
Rem: [――Huh.]
Without warning, Rem's vision warped and distorted as she unwittingly fell to the floor on her back. Disgraceful conduct, but in this moment in time, Rem had no composure to feel ashamed of it or be mindful.
Rem: [Ug…]
Fallen onto her rear, her swirling dizziness spiralled the world.
Despite her person's position in this place, the floor and the ceiling became indifferentiable, the white and black of the world inverted, the things she could see and the sounds she could hear and the scents she could smell and the air's taste and the sensation of touch, these five senses became nebulous and melded together, seeing the air, smelling the sounds, touching the scents, tasting the colors, she heard.
Rem: [――Ah, ug.]
All that she could sense coalesced, convulsing, and even Rem's past, present, and future melded together.
A village in the mountains, a flag emblazoned with a wolf impaled by swords, creaking notes of a wheelchair, a weyr of flying dragons covering the sky, an abominable whale of white gliding through the night sky, a broken horn soaring into a twilight radiated by flames, and a young boy who pleaded with an earnest look, a young boy who raged, a young boy who shed tears, a young boy who laughed――.
Rem: [――――]
Before long, the impact akin to the recreation of the world, burst open like a bubble popping.
Rem: [――――]
Her sight, her hearing, her olfaction, her taste, her touch, each was able to see, hear, smell, taste, feel, informing her of the way to live in their correct forms.
The nigh-scorchingly severe sensation, feeling its received pulsation diffusing blood to every corner of her body, Rem blinked once, twice, thrice.
She did not know, what in the world had occurred.
Merely――,
Rem: [I-… Rem, is…]
Still fallen to the floor, she touched her cheek with her trembling hand, ascertaining her existence.
The sensation of her fingers' touch faded not. Fleeting, fallible, fearing to crumble like a castle made of soft sand, Rem did not pour any more strength in her fingers.
Feeling that she, if at all, coveted anything further, then all would vanish――,
Rem: [――――]
As Rem was engulfed in this unrejectable dismay and fear, a warm sensation enveloped her from behind.
She inhaled, too petrified to even turn around. Hugged tightly by arms wrapping around her from her back, as Rem's mind and heart were inundated about herself, she gained a desire to focus on someone else.
And the first one on whom she focused, was the presence embracing her from her back――,
Rem: [Nee-sa――]
Ram: [――Wait.]
Rem: [――――]
Ram: [Don't turn around, yet. Right now, for the first time in her life, Ram is feeling disappointed in herself.]
All of her attempts to voice, to turn around stifled by that person, Rem stiffened her body.
Ram, whose visage was concealed, her hugging arms, her professing voice, were all trembling. This was exceedingly antithetical, far removed from the image of Ram that Rem knew.
At all times, Ram was dignified and gallant, never showing Rem of anything but her majestic form.
That held true when they had reunited in the Empire, when they undertook the journey back to the Roswaal mansion just by the two of them, when she used to be overburdened by recoil when they first began working in the mansion just after her horn had been broken, when she grappled with Witch Cultist enemies in the blazing village to protect the foolish Rem.
Whenever had been captured by Rem's eyes, Ram was evermore venerable――.
Ram: [So, so sorry, Rem. Myself is deplorable.]
Rem: [Nee-sama… what are you…]
Ram: [Even after…]
Rem: [――――]
Ram: [Even after loving you, cherishing you so much, Rem, to have forgotten you and kept on living till this day, just how heartless was Ram as your Nee-sama.]
Rem's eyes dilated at Ram's voice, possessor of love far too immense, and therefore in lament. Shaking off all restraints, Rem turned around and faced Ram as she hugged her.
Ram: [――hk.]
Faintly widening her tearful, light-crimson eyes, Ram looked at her in astonishment. ――Rem's chest warmed at the sight of the visage she had gazed upon the most, for the longest time, in her life.
She gained certainty. Of what a happy person she was, surrounded by that which she loved.
Rem: [Nee-sama, you are not heartless or anything such. Rem also wants to apologize. Always, always making you nothing but worried, betraying the piety of a sister.]
Ram: [Rem.]
Rem: [Rem understands, everything. How much Nee-sama shattered her heart for Rem, and how many terrible sacrifices you made, to have been together with me to this day. And…]
Ram: [Rem.]
Rem: [About what the weak and deplorable Rem, who only ever receives, needs to do hereon.]
Ram: [――Hk.]
As Rem focused her eyes on the countenance before her, Ram's cheeks were embellished with streams of tears, wiped by Rem's fingers who then gave her a smile. She then stretched her arm to draw her elder sister's head close, and embraced her into her chest.
Remaining seated on the floor, the two sisters gently nestled with one another, reciprocating affection. ――No, it was Ram who had always been doing so. Rem was the one who lacked it.
Rem: [Nee-sama, I love you.]
Bringing close her lips to her ear whilst holding her close, Rem conveyed her brimming and overflowing emotions to Ram. Drip by drip, feeling warm droplets of tears wetting her chest, Rem maintained silence and continued to embrace Ram, weeping with tears.
Accepting in her heart, at long last the fulfillment of their true reunion, Rem conveyed her love with her past self, her present self, and all that she could wield.
To her mind's satisfaction, to her heart's content, at this moment, she wanted to be with Ram this way.
And after the unfilled time of the sisters was duly reclaimed, Rem had things she must do―― too many people, to whom she must convey her gratitude and love.
Above all, the first person to surface in her mind, was a mean-eyed, black-haired boy――,
Rem: [――Subaru-kun.]
To convey her love, she must stand up.
For what a happy reason am I allowed to live. ――So spoke, Rem's mind.
△▼△▼△▼△
???: [――――]
Giving a deep and silent bow, the girl in the maid uniform then looked up, drawing a gasp from Petra.
With wide eyes, their petrified bodies were frozen in place. Not just Petra, but Meili and Emilia were also similarly struck speechless at her appearance.
Amidst such involuntary silence, the first to speak was――,
???: [――Rem.]
The intangible Imaginary Subaru stood motionless, staring at the same person as Petra.
His stupefied voice only reached Petra's ears. Sadly, the girl, the one who called to herself all attention, could not see his transparent self. Even for Petra, she had not the time to help that unnoticed "Subaru".
However, she could guarantee that which "Subaru" had called out, was correct. ――The one who stood there, without mistake, was the girl so beloved and dear to him named Rem.
Petra: [――Ah.]
At that moment, sparks darted through Petra's mind, and the fog in her field of consciousness successively cleared.
The presence of that which exerted such force of attraction right before her eyes made the images of memories, that had been unconsciously pushed into the corner of her mind and covered by a shroud of forgetfulness, start to reappear within her hall of cognizance.
And so, she was struck by an impact akin to scattering sparks, of all the vivid images that displayed.
――The time that Petra had spent in contact with her as "Petra" was not very long.
The young girl was a maid who frequently came from Roswaal's mansion to the village to do some shopping. Though they hardly interacted and had never exchanged a word, she became more expressive once Subaru had started to visit the village. More importantly, she was also the benefactor who had saved the lives of Petra and her friends. ――The culprit behind endangering their lives had been Meili, in command of Witchbeasts, which was another tale of fate. Actually, Meili and her elder sister targeted those connected to herself at the most important moments far too much.
Anyhow, Petra's connection with this girl was thin.
Thereafter, just as the Royal Selection marked its beginning, she was met by the tragedy of the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, victimized, and Petra was employed to fill her place, joining the Emilia Camp as a maid.
In other words, without the tragedy that had befallen her, Petra would not be in the position she was today, which in itself made for terribly complicated feelings――,
???: [Rem… Rem, is that you?]
As though a face-down card flipped over, akin to confirming the patterns and text on it, one by Petra's misunderstandings about her were replaced with comprehension.
Beside her, in a faltering voice, Emilia called her name as she blinked her eyes.
Emilia stepped forward and hesitated, opening and closing her lips several times as if searching for the right words,
Emilia: [Umm, I'm sorry, that was a weird thing to say. I've always properly known that Rem is Rem… but, that's not what I was trying to say.]
Rem: [No need to worry, Emilia-sama. Please calm down, and take your time. Rem, too, understands that this is all very sudden.]
Emilia: [――. Yes, thank you. There's so much I want to say, but…]
Rem: [But?]
Emilia: […That look suits you reaaally well. It makes me reaaally feel like you're Rem.]
Emilia placed her hand firmly on her chest and smiled at Rem, her amethyst eyes moist with tears. In response to Emilia's words, Rem raised her eyebrows slightly, and nodded.
She proudly puffed out her chest in her maid uniform and,
Rem: [It's the uniform Nee-sama tailored to suit Rem, after all.]
Upon hearing Rem's answer, Ram, her arms crossed, nodded in satisfaction.
???: […What is this, all of a sudde~n?]
Beside this exchange between Emilia and Rem, Meili frowned and muttered.
As a little Crimson Scorpion emerged from her hair, clicking its pincers as if anxious about its master's reaction, Meili closed one eye, and placing her hand to her forehead,
Meili: [The moment I saw Ram-oneesan's sister, I was reminded of how she crushed the whole pack of Ulgarm-cha~ns. If it isn't the reason that caused the job to fai~l…]
Ram: [In that case, you should be grateful to Rem. Thanks to Rem making your job fail, there were no victims other than Barusu, which is why you're able to be here at this moment.]
Meili: [I've got mixed feelings about it, finding it difficult to express my gratitu~de…]
Ram pointed this out while clutching her elbows, to which Meili made a displeased face and stuck out her tongue.
While Ram's words were indeed harsh, they also held truth. In fact, it was unmistakable that Meili, at one time their enemy, was accepted into the Emilia Camp because the damage her deeds had caused to the camp were minimal. ――Ram's point that there had been no victims other than Subaru, ironically enough, was also correct from the perspective of Return by Death.
???: [As per your understanding, the moment those who have hitherto known Rem lay their sight upon her, within them their memories of her are revived. Restoration. Neither Ryuzu-sama nor I were able to contain ourselves. Resultantly, we were delayed in rejoining everyone. Confession.]
Ram: [Clind's reaction was meager and unamusing, but Ryuzu-sama's outburst was over the top and quite the sight to see. That is a privilege for those who were present to witness it.]
Clind: [I see, a sight to see you say. Certainly, we did get to behold something unusual. Agreement.]
Ram: [――. Hah.]
The rebirth of her Memories, that befell those who surrounded Rem. ――No, in view of the conditions of the Authority of Gluttony thus far, this phenomenon should be called the rebirth of her Name.
Touching upon that fact, Clind cast a meaningful look to Ram, to which she averted her eyes in obvious displeasure and snorted.
Upon a much closer inspection, the faint redness around Ram's eyes and Clind's remark about a sight to behold might have been related.
However, Petra did not allude to that either. ――Not out of chivalrous sympathy, but because she was unable to.
Rem: [――Petra-san?]
Suddenly, Rem, who had been basking in everyone's attention, widened her eyes upon looking at the silent Petra. Emilia and the others also turned to see Petra at her reaction, and were startled by her state.
Their response was a matter of course. Petra, who had uttered not a word up until that point, had a flood of tears streaming from her round eyes and was desperately trying to suppress her throat, as it verged on convulsing in heaving sobs.
Emilia: [Petra-chan!? Oh no, she's crying so uncontrollably――]
Petra: [――Hk.]
The moment her tear-strewn face was noticed, Petra kicked the ground and broke into a run.
Dodging the arms of Emilia, who, taken aback by Petra's tears, she tried to embrace her; avoiding Meili, who attempted to grab her sleeve; slipping under Rom-jii's legs, who was caught off guard by the situation; with agile movements, Petra jumped forward―― into the bosom of Rem, who was staring at her with eyes dilated.
And――,
Petra: [Rem――!]
Rem: [Kyaa!]
Caught in the arms of Rem, who had shown the kindness to not dodge her, Petra embraced her slender body tightly. Rem blinked her eyes as she reciprocated Petra's hug, who clung to her, reluctant to let go.
Petra: [Rem… Remm, Remmm…!]
Petra crumbled at Rem's reaction, unable to stop the tears from flowing; she found herself indulging in something she had resolved herself never to do, sniveling in front of others, yet she was unable to tear herself away.
Thus, while supporting that tearful Petra, Rem looked around for assistance,
Rem: [Um, do I just not remember, but were Rem and Petra-san this close for you to cry so much for me…?]
And so, failing to conceal the hue of her loss of bearings, she continued to gently caress Petra's head.
-x-X-x-
Translation Notes:
[1] – An urban legend that exists in Japan.
[2] – Historically, the term "Morningstar" has been translated from the Japanese "鉄球" (iron ball) or "棘付きの鉄球" (spiked iron ball), with "Morningstar" (モーニングスター) in English being reserved for Subaru's narration. This is the first spoken use of "Morningstar" (モーニングスター) by any character in the series; because of that, we have decided to use quotes to show it is a given term/name.