4

"W-Why…" Orion voiced out, his teeth gritting in frustration. "Why the fuck did we reset, Subaru!"

Glaring at the younger boy, Orion continued, "How the hell did you die? Did you trip down the stairs or something? Did you find another way to reset? If so, then why!?"

Subaru, who had been staring at his hands catatonically, looked up at Orion. "I… I don't know."

"You don't know?" Orion asked with a strained voice.

"No! I don't know, okay!?" Subaru shouted. "I was just about to cash in my promise to Emilia-tan, and now I'm back here! All those moments… they're all nothing now! Do you think I want this!?"

Orion clenched his fist as he went through his time with Emilia, Rem, and even Ram, though it wasn't to the same extent as the other two. All those experiences which were now… nothing. At least to them.

'But… it's the same for Subaru,' Orion thought, looking at the boy whose eyes had begun to water with unshed tears. 'Fuck. What the hell am I doing, taking it out on him? Aren't I supposed to be the older one?'

"You're right… I'm sorry, Subaru. For acting so childish. It's just…" Orion's expression turned pained.

"Yeah… I get it, Senpai. I feel the same too," Subaru added, wiping his eyes. "Dammit! Why the hell did I die? How!?"

Taking a deep breath, Orion shook off his sadness. Now wasn't the time for lamenting lost moments. Rather, they should look to the future.

A future that would be remembered by the world.

"I don't know, but we have to find out," Orion said. "While I can't discount the possibility that you reset based on the number of days, it is more likely that you died in your sleep somehow. But more importantly… the reset point."

Subaru widened his eyes. "It changed…"

"Yeah. And that's both a blessing and a curse," Orion added. "A blessing because we don't have to redo our entire lives here, which would get messy as we get closer with people, and a curse because if we find ourselves in a shitty situation…"

"There may not be enough time to get out of it…" Subaru sighed. "Man, this power is so shitty! Didn't you get a cool ability? A 'divine protection' or something? I want something like that!"

Orion smirked before returning to a serious frown. "That aside, we need to understand how you reset. And if it's still by death, as we guessed, we need to figure out what killed you, and if possible, stop it before it happens."

Subaru pumped his fist. "Then we just need to follow the same path, right? Easy peasy!"

Orion nodded his head.

'I don't like the idea of willingly following the same path that probably led to death, but we have no information on what happened,' Orion thought. 'I just hope we can actually follow the same path and not introduce some… unexpected variables.'

"Alright! I'm feeling energized now! Now I just need to see Emilia-tan's cute face and I'll be back to 100%! Let's do this, Senpai!" Subaru said, getting off the bed to his feet.

—

It was now the fourth night of the loop, the point where things reset last time.

"I got a bit better at magic and swordsmanship and was able to help Emilia a bit better since I could read a bit more, but it was mostly unchanged, just as we hoped," Orion said, fiddling with the sword at his side.

"Well, I wasn't able to follow the exact same path, but I think I did alright," Subaru said, thumbing his bandaged hand. "Even that damned dog bit me like last time!"

With both of them staying inside Subaru's room, where the attack would have likely taken place, the two young men waited with bated breath for their questions to be answered.

"Haa… I just hope- Hey, Subaru!" Orion said, noticing the younger boy dipping his head down in his chair. "What are you doing? You have to stay awake!"

Subaru opened his eyes with a start, getting to his feet before he suddenly collapsed, vomiting over the floor.

"S-Shit…"

Orion, widening his eyes in surprise, quickly regained his composure as he stood Subaru up with his shoulder.

"I don't think that's an ordinary stomach bug, Subaru. Let's get to Emilia and get you treated."

Getting a shaky nod in response, Orion then began leading Subaru down the hall, the younger boy vomiting more and more with each second.

"I-I'm… not feeling g-great," Subaru rasped.

"I can see that," Orion grunted. "Just bear with it, I'll get you to Emilia."

"T-Thanks Senpai… I'm… feeling a b-bit cold though," Subaru said.

"Well, I'm not confident in my control, but I guess I could cast Goa on you if you don't mind being burned," Orion joked. "But that can wait. Once we get-"

Hearing the sound of chains clattering, Orion felt the hair on his arm stand on end as he threw himself and Subaru to the ground, a large spiked ball passing just where they had been previously.

'H-Hey… that isn't a joke…' Orion thought, quickly getting to his feet and drawing his sword.

"Who are you!? Show yourself!" Orion shouted.

He stood with bated breath, waiting for their attacker to reveal themselves.

"Orion…"

And out of the shadows, a familiar figure sauntered forth.

"...What are you doing here?"

With a pained look on her face, Rem looked at Orion with a mix of betrayal and anger.

"...Rem?" Orion voiced, now extremely confused. "Why did you just attack us? Subaru needs help!"

"Orion…" Rem growled. "Why are you with Subaru? Are you part of the Witch Cult too?"

"The Witch Cult… No, I have no idea what that is!" Orion said. "Why would you think I was part of such an ominous-sounding organization? Why do you think Subaru would be?"

Orion hadn't noticed how the boy in question's breath had become faint as Subaru lay on the ground, slowly succumbing to his apparent illness.

"Don't lie to Rem!" she shouted, flicking her flail back into her hand. "Don't stand there and lie to Rem! Saying you don't know what the Witch Cult is when you have the disgusting scent of her all over you!"

"W-What do you mean, scent?" Orion asked.

"The scent of the Witch, of course!" Rem replied angrily.

"I don't know anything about that-!"

Orion was interrupted by the familiar feeling of time coming to a stop before he suddenly found himself sitting in a chair, a children's book held in his hand.

'So Subaru died…' Orion thought bitterly, looking up to see the boy who had just shot up from his bed and taking deep breaths.

"...Sorry, Subaru… for not getting you to Emilia in time," Orion said after noticing Subaru had calmed down.

"It's… fine. It wasn't your fault," Subaru said. "Speaking of, Senpai… What was Rem doing there? Why did she attack us?"

Orion leaned back in his chair. "Well… there was that 'Witch scent' and 'Witch Cult' stuff, but I think the biggest thing was how suspicious you were acting."

"Suspicious? What do you mean?" Subaru questioned.

"I know we said to act like normal, but you acted a bit too normal," Orion said. "You went through your first two days as if they were continuing from the last loop. Knowing where stuff was when you shouldn't, knowing the schedule before being told… Unlike me, you didn't get your tour and initial greetings set before the loop."

"Ah, right…" Subaru said, looking at his hands. "You're right. I completely forgot about that… How they don't remember…"

Hearing the pain in his voice and seeing the strained look on his face, Orion got up to pat him reassuringly on the shoulder.

"Yeah. But I do. So let's think about how to get through this together, partner."

Looking up to meet his eyes, Subaru's face regained some life as his lips curled upward. "That's such a mature response! As expected of Senpai!"

"Good. Now, I think it's fair to say what killed you the first was the same as what just did," Orion continued. "Something weakened you, like a poison."

"So… Do you think Rem did that? Or Roswaal?" Subaru asked.

"No," Orion shook his head. "If they wanted to get rid of you, we know from Rem's actions that they don't mind resorting to more… violent methods."

Subaru shivered at the thought of Rem's flail having hit him instead of missing.

'Thank you, Senpai,' Subaru prayed inwardly, clasping his hands together. 'You really are a guardian angel! Only second to EMT!'

"And besides, they had no reason to suspect you in the first loop, so I think we can rule them out," Orion continued. "But to get more information… what do you think we should do?"

Subaru thought for a moment before smirking. "Let's go see our resident shut-in loli!"

—

"Good morning, Beako~!" Subaru said, entering the Forbidden Library.

"Good morning, Lady Beatrice," Orion followed.

"How annoying. And who are you to call Betty by such a name, I suppose? At least the stupid girl's attendant is respectful, in fact," Beatrice sighed, closing her book. "So? What did you come to bother Betty about, I suppose?"

"Well~ You see~"

"We were wondering if you could inform us about what could cause someone to weaken to the point they die in their sleep," Orion interrupted Subaru, deciding that the great spirit would prefer them not to waste her time. "Something that is like poison, but suddenly activates out of nowhere and causes death within one or two minutes."

Beatrice narrowed her eyes in thought. "Something like that… it would most likely be a curse, I suppose. But why are you asking Betty such a question, in fact?"

"We were just curious," Orion shrugged. "But more importantly… Rem mentioned that we smell of the 'Witch's scent'. Do you know anything about that, Beatrice?"

"Ah, so the blue-haired maid could sense it, I suppose," Beatrice sighed. "Indeed. You both smell of the Witch, in fact. Though you reek considerably more than the other one," she said, pointing to Subaru.

"Huh? I do?" Subaru said, sniffing himself.

"It's not something a mere human can sense, I suppose!" Beatrice huffed. "But yes, it seems that you two are loved by the Witch to some extent. It would be prudent to watch yourselves, especially around the forest, in fact. The Witch's miasma is known to attract Demon Beasts, I suppose."

'So that's why Rem was so suspicious of us… Subaru especially,' Orion thought. 'Could it have to do with his ability? Return by death?'

"One final question, Lady Beatrice," Orion said. "Is the scent on us… on Subaru specifically, more than the last time you saw him?"

"...It is indeed, in fact. It seems you know something, but Betty does not care for that," she then raised her palm. "I've answered your questions. Now begone, I suppose."

Subaru and Orion were then flung backwards, crashing through the door of the Forbidden Library and into the hallway, where they both slumped against the wall.

"Well… we got some good information," Orion said, slowly getting up. "Someone cursed you, and Rem was always suspicious of us due to the Witch's scent, which increased after returning from the first loop and is even worse now."

"Wait, how do you know that?" Subaru asked.

"Beatrice said it had increased since the last time she saw you, which right now, was only a few hours ago. What happened during that time?" Orion asked.

"I returned… I see," Subaru nodded, understanding Orion's deduction.

"Yeah," Orion said. "So aside from that, the most important thing is to know who cursed you. And the first step for that is to see if they are targeting you, or someone in your position."

"Alright. How are we gonna do that?" Subaru asked.

"Simple," Orion shrugged. "You're going to become a guest at the mansion, while I take your place as a servant. I know you said you wanted to work in this world, but take the time to practice reading and wait to see who's the target."

"Haa… got it. But what about Emilia?" Subaru asked. "Aren't you meant to be helping her?"

Orion's expression turned strained. "I'll… talk to her. Plus, I can still help her if she needs it."

—

Three days had passed since Orion had become a servant and Subaru a guest at the Mathers manor, and things had been going relatively smoothly.

The first thing Orion did after meeting Beatrice was go to Emilia and apologize, explaining how he couldn't stand to see Rem and Ram deal with the extra work he and Subaru were causing on top of their normal duties and how he wished to help out.

Being the kind girl she was, she easily accepted it, though Orion noticed how she felt sad at not having him as an attendant.

'After this is dealt with… I promise I'll help you once more, Emilia,' Orion swore inwardly.

With the three days, due to Orion not having nearly as much of the Witch's scent, and not knowing about the specifics of the schedule and duties of a servant, he didn't appear suspicious in the slightest to Rem and Ram, and as a result, had ended up becoming quite close to the blue-haired girl as they often found themselves doing chores together.

Like now.

"I still can't believe I got bitten by that damn dog. I didn't even touch it!" Orion lamented, a barrel of food slung over his shoulder.

"That is just how dogs are, Orion," Rem said. "At least the village children found it amusing."

"That doesn't make me feel better," Orion pouted.

Rem's lips curled up slightly in amusement.

'But still, it's good that I went down to the village,' Orion thought. 'Assuming you need to be near the target to curse them, the attacker is likely around there. Unless Subaru is the target, that is... I guess we'll see tonight.'

He then traced his stomach with his free hand.

'I… really hope Emilia can heal me fast enough though. I don't want to die.'

"Orion?" Rem asked.

"Ah! Sorry, Rem. I was a bit spaced out there," he said, nearly causing the barrel he was holding to fall.

'Jeez, this thing is so heavy- Wait, am I stupid?' he thought.

Pressing his hand against himself, Orion concentrated on the flow of mana in his gate, imagining himself becoming stronger as he chanted, "Akra."

His body igniting in a sheen of white light, Orion felt the weight of the barrel disappear as he easily lifted it with one arm.

"...I forgot you were able to use magic, Orion," Rem added. "Though… it appears that you did as well."

"S-Shut it!" Orion said, embarrassed.

Rem smirked in response.

—

It was nighttime, and both Subaru and Orion were sitting in Orion's room, anxiously waiting to see if the curse would activate once again.

"H-Hey, Senpai… maybe it won't happen?" Subaru suddenly spoke up. "We changed things up quite a bit, right? Maybe this can be the true loop."

"Heh, that's wishful thinking, Subaru," Orion said. "But yeah, that'd be nice. It's tiring living through-"

Orion's chest suddenly clenched, causing him to stop his words as he fell to his knees in pain.

"G-Gah!" he sputtered, feeling a horrible torrent of sensations assault him.

There was a slight feeling of tiredness that permeated his body. The feeling of being drained of life in a way that reminded him of his first death to Elsa.

It was cold and… terrifying, causing Orion to shiver as sweat began to seep out of his skin.

But at the same time, he could also feel himself warm up and become increasingly energized, leaving him in a state of limbo as the cold and the warmth battled inside his body.

"Shit! So it was you after all," Subaru said, helping Orion to his feet. "Let's get you to Emilia-tan! Come on!"

As the two stumbled out of the room, Orion was able to walk alongside Subaru for only a few moments before he felt his knees buckle, causing him to fall to the ground in a heap.

"W-What's happening t-to me?" Orion said, blood flowing from his mouth and eyes.

Closing his eyes, Orion tried to focus on the pain, and he noticed that his mana was being drained from his gate. But at the same time, it was also being replenished, leaving his body battered from the tug-of-war happening in his gate.

'Why… why is this happening to me?' he wondered inwardly.

"C-Come on, Senpai! We have to get up before it's too late!" Subaru said, tugging Orion along.

As the two slowly trudged along, with Orion vomiting a mixture of blood, phlegm, and bile onto the carpeted floor, they eventually encountered a familiar face.

"What are you two doing? It's the middle of the- Orion!?"

Noticing the young man's state, Rem ran up and took Orion out of Subaru's arms.

Seeing the pale face covered in a sheen of sweat, Rem knew that something was wrong.

"Subaru! What's happening?" she demanded.

"H-He was cursed! But… Why is it so bad?" Subaru wondered.

After all, while Subaru had felt the symptoms of an extremely violent flu, Orion seemed to be in a much worse state, with blood leaking out of his eyes and mouth as his muscles spasmed in pain.

Regaining some of his blurry vision, Orion looked up to the girl who was now holding him.

"R-Rem? I- Aghhh!"

He screamed in pain as he felt something inside him shatter.

No longer feeling the warmth battle against the cold, Orion instantly felt immensely drained as a chill crawled through his body.

"Orion! R-Rem can't heal curses! W-What is Rem supposed to do?" the blue-haired maid asked, looking at Orion with worry and sadness as tears began to pool in her eyes.

"H-Hold- Cough!" Orion sputtered out. "H-Hold me, please."

'It's cold. I'm scared. Please, I don't want to be alone,' Orion thought. 'Rem… Rem… please.'

Orion felt his frantic mind slowly turn blank as he began shaking uncontrollably, his body trembling and spasming as he felt some of his muscles lock up.

Relenting to his request, Rem pulled the boy closer to her, not minding how her nightdress got stained by the various fluids Orion was expelling, opting to comfortingly rub his back as she cast some healing magic, hoping to alleviate some of the pain.

"T-Thank-"

"Shh… it's okay, Orion," Rem said comfortingly. "I-It's alright."

Hearing how Rem was holding back a sob, Orion felt himself sink into the caring hold of the girl.

'She… is crying for me? She cares for me?' Orion thought, much calmer than before. 'Shit… I… I think I'm in...'

And with that, Orion's breathing came to a stop, and his body turned rigid as the light left his eyes.

Watching the scene of Rem tearfully holding the corpse of his Senpai, Subaru stepped back in both surprise and fear.

"S-Senpai?" he muttered in horrer.

"O-Orion is…" Rem said with a painful expression.

Subaru didn't need her to finish her thoughts to know what had happened.

Orion had died.

He had died to a curse. A curse which had killed Subaru in the first two loops.

'So that means… I… made it. I'm… safe now,' Subaru thought, pressing a hand to his head. 'But… Why don't I feel relieved? I… No, I don't want this!'

Turning on his heel, Subaru ran away from the scene, faintly hearing the shocked gasp of Emilia from behind him as he sprinted down the hallway.

'I want to survive, more than anything! But… not like this!'

Running into the kitchen, Subaru quickly found one of the kitchen knives he had grown accustomed to over his first two loops.

'...Senpai put himself in danger for me.' Slowly raising the knife to his throat, Subaru closed his eyes. 'And to get a happy end, I need my partner! I'll save everyone! I won't accept anything less!'

Plunging the knife into his skin, Subaru fell to the ground, quickly succumbing to the injuries as the knife dug through his throat and into his spinal cord.

And thus, once again, the world reset.