Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu

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[Priscilla: Looks like all the actors are gathered. It was good of you rabble to have gotten ready for the star to arrive. Be sure to keep it up in the future]

Smiling in a good mood holding a spread fan over her lips―― it was Priscilla.
Her sudden entrance surprised everyone including Subaru, but the first to react was none other than her servant, Al.

[Al: P-Princess-san! So you"re alright… I was worried when I couldn"t find you]

[Priscilla: Mm, is that Al? What is the meaning of you dallying with these peasants instead of serving me? Is it not your duty to look upon my figure, listen to my voice, inhale my scent, and obey my commands? And Schult, making me have to look for him myself, there should be a limit to your insolence]

[?????: P-please forgive me, Priscillsama……]

While Priscilla mercilessly berated her worried servant, a little boy in butler"s uniform peeked out his head from behind her, timidly clinging to her dress. It seems that Priscilla not only saved Lilianna but her butler as well while strutting around a city overrun by the Witch Cult.

[Subaru: What kind of crazy audacity is that……]

Subaru spilled a sigh at the fine line between exceeding bravery and recklessness. Hearing this, Priscilla turned her glare to Subaru. Snapping close her fan, she briskly walked over to him, and,

[Priscilla: You there, don"t move]

[Subaru: ――hk]

With a swoosh of wind, she held the tip of her fan to Subaru"s throat.
As usual, moving with inconceivable speed, she reached him before his eyes could even register her motion. But, since Reinhard did not intervene, Subaru figured he was in no actual danger.

[Subaru: What"re you doing? We"re having an important conversation here, we don"t have time for……]

[Priscilla: Good. ――So that clumsy broadcast earlier was your voice, then?]

[Subaru: ……Yeah, what about it?]

As pathetic as it was to rely on Reinhard"s lack of movement as his indicator, Subaru chose to huff back at the huffing Priscilla. At that response, she narrowed her eyes,

[Priscilla: Decidedly, I will not tolerate anyone getting more attention than myself. So, I"ll prove how obviously superior I am to the likes of you]

[Subaru: Huh? Ow!?]

Flicking up the fan at Subaru"s neck, it snapped against his chin so hard that tears came pouring out his eyes. With this, Priscilla left him, and imperiously sat herself down in one of the seats at the round table.

[Priscilla: Such a worthless chair. I can tell how cheap it is just by sitting on it]

Making that scalding remark about the quality of the furniture, she swept her gaze across the faces seated at the table. Then, opening her red-painted lips, a splendidly gruesome smile rose on her face.

[Priscilla: Come now, I will allow you to tell me everything about the current situation. Be good slaves and fulfill your responsibilities to your utmost. As reward, I will lend you my help. Remember to be grateful]

[Al: Wait, Princess-san! Now that we"ve found each other, there"s no reason to stay here, right? We should get out of this dangerous place and……]

[Priscilla: Are you suggesting I run away, Al? If so, then you are gravely mistaken]

Seeing Priscilla relining into her seat as if intending to partic.i.p.ate in the conference, Al hurriedly protested. But Priscilla shot back a glare, instantly freezing Al inside his metal helmet.

[Priscilla: Are you listening? I am the one who decided to stay in this city. And I will be the to decide whether to leave it. I do not accept instructions from anyone. Besides, you want me to turn my back on these rabid fools and shamelessly run away? Who do you take me for?]

[Al: …………]

[Priscilla: Everything in this world works in my favor. So why should I leave and allow this obnoxious mess to continue? If you wish to call yourself my servant, then know this, Al. I am favored by divine providence, and thus, my actions are divine providence]

Priscilla"s will could not be swayed.
Everyone present, most of all Al, knew this. Seeing Al slump his single shoulder, the young butler―― Schult, quietly snuggled against him. And, wryly smiling at his consoling gesture, Al made up his mind as well.

[Subaru: Otto, you have a minute?]

[Otto: Yeah, let"s go]

As the round table began briefing Priscilla on the current situation, Subaru whispered to Otto. Apparently having antic.i.p.ated this, Otto complied without a hint of surprise.

[Subaru: Garfiel, let me know when they"re done]

Leaving this instruction behind, Subaru left the meeting room with Otto.
And as soon as they were outside, they turned faced each other in the hallway. Meeting Subaru"s gaze, there was no confusion in Otto eyes. He knew exactly what they needed to talk about.

[Subaru: Why the h.e.l.l"re you trying to restore the Book of Wisdom? No, before that, when did you pick up its remnants?]

[Otto: It was a year ago, after we"ve settled the problems in the Sanctuary. After Emilisama"s snow disappeared, I was wandering around the premises when I…… well, it wasn"t exactly by chance. I heard what happened from Ram-san, so I was actively looking for its burned remnants as well]

[Subaru: So then, the one you found was Roswaal"s Book of Wisdom?]

[Otto: Yes. I was unusually lucky since that happened to be the place I wanted to check out]

"Unusually lucky" must be a jab at how usually unlucky he was. Although Otto was wryly smiling, Subaru was in no mood to share that sentiment.
Because Otto"s reasons for doing this was still a knot inside Subaru"s chest.

[Otto: Tell me honestly, Natsuki-san, what do you think of Margrave Mathers?]

[Subaru: Roswaal?]

As Subaru sank into silence, Otto posed him this question. It sounded both somewhat relevant to the topic at hand, and yet not relevant at all. For a moment, Subaru pondered on the question,

[Subaru: Well… I think we definitely can"t let down our guard about that guy. Not after everything that happened a year ago. But, since that guy"s goals are clear now, and a.s.suming they haven"t changed, I don"t see him as an immediate threat. In fact, now that we understand each other, I kinda feel like an accomplice]

[Otto: I don"t trust Margrave Mathers at all]

Otto declared, pointing out how naive Subaru"s thinking was.
Hearing this, Subaru widened his eyes at the sharpness of that statement.

[Otto: You mentioned what happened a year ago. Yes, that"s true. But he has been plotting long before what happened in the Sanctuary. You and Emilisama seem to be awfully forgiving about that]

[Subaru: ……It"s not that we forgave him. Everything that guy does makes me want to scream "What the h.e.l.l", and I"m still super p.i.s.sed off. But, the fact is, we need that guy"s help. So there"s not much we can do, and Emilia has the same considerations]

[Otto: That"s called being forgiving. ……Though I"m not saying that"s a bad thing]

Otto shot an impatient gaze at Subaru, conveying his sense of urgency.
In other words, Otto was telling him that he wasn"t nearly wary enough. Of course, Subaru knew that it was something he had to keep eye on, but,

[Otto: It"s fine. The way you"re approaching it is fine. There"s no need to change that. Since I"ll be seeing to the necessary precautions]

[Subaru: Precautions?]

[Otto: As the Internal Minister, I"ve had plenty of opportunities to interact with Margrave Mathers. From what I"ve seen over the past year, I didn"t notice any signs of scheming or strange behaviors. But, that"s not to say he couldn"t have already laid his plans before that. He could easily have put some sort of delayed-activation in place]

[Subaru: ――――]

Subaru closed his mouth. Otto"s wariness and concerns got through.
He had every reason to distrust Roswaal. It was just the natural consequence of that man"s actions, be it good or bad. Though in this case, mostly bad.

[Otto: If he follows the Book of Wisdom"s every word and believes that it foretells the future, then one look inside the book will let us know everything that he is planning. That way we can take the necessary measures to guard against any betrayals in the future]

[Subaru: You mean, you want to restore that book…… because you don"t trust Roswaal?]

[Otto: ……Quite the opposite. It"s precisely because I don"t want to distrust my allies that I want to make sure. At least, I want to know for sure that nothing unfortunate is going to happen. So I kept the Book of Wisdom in hopes of restoring it. ……I didn"t consult you before doing this, sorry about that]

With this apology, Otto lowered his head.
But, in front of him, Subaru couldn"t say a word. He did not feel like he had the right.

Otto"s concerns and the actions he took to resolve them――
They were all things that Subaru and Emilia should have noticed. In fact, the pains he took to do this were entirely for Subaru and Emilia"s sake.

Now that he realized how Otto had been silently helping him, Subaru felt at once ashamed, remorseful, and incredulous that he hadn"t realized this earlier.
And why would Otto do this for him? Was it just because they are friends?

[Otto: I won"t tell you why, though. It"s pretty boring anyway]

As if having read Subaru"s thoughts, Otto replied.
Being beaten to the punch by the smiling Otto, Subaru breathed a deep sigh.

[Subaru: Somehow, it"s like you"re always bailing me out, you know]

[Otto: That may be, but I think you"re good just the way you were when you made that broadcast, Natsuki-san]

Otto scratched his head, while Subaru clicked his tongue and dropped his shoulders, a bit embarra.s.sed by his considerations.

[Subaru: I understand. I"m on board about the Book of Wisdom. But the problem is, those a.s.sholes are still looking for it. So what do we actually do?]

[Otto: Regardless of whether it"s successfully restored or not, I think we better get it back. There"s a great chance that Master Dartz could get hurt, and that"d be the last thing I want]

[Subaru: But we"re going to simultaneously attack all four Control Towers. We don"t have any forces to spare for that]

[Otto: I may be a non-combatant, but I can more than handle myself if I travel by the waterways. I may not look like it, but duping animals like water dragons is one of my top strong suits, you know]

Putting his hand beside his mouth, Otto must be boasting of his Divine Protection of Anima Whispering.
In fact, when it comes to running away, Otto"s Divine Protection would actually be quite handy. Besides, the enemy"s main forces were concentrated at the Control Towers. a.s.suming they didn"t bring any extra Witch Cultist lackeys, Otto shouldn"t be in too much danger.

[Otto: Rather than worry about me, you should be thinking about the a.s.sault-teams. You have to save Emilisama, after all. That"s quite the responsibility]

[Subaru: Understood. I"ll take that Greedy a.s.shole"s head myself]

That white-haired monster who took Emilia flashed across his mind.
That, and the fact that he was a Sin Archbishop, meant that he was an enemy that must be defeated.

[Otto: Shall we head back? They must be about done with the debriefing]

Seeing the invigorated Subaru, Otto turned his head to the meeting room. But, just as Subaru nodded and was about head inside with him,

[??????: Subaru-dono]

He was stopped by a call from the stairway.
There was no mistaking who that voice belonged to. The person upstairs, watching him with his stern blue pupils―― was Wilhelm.

[Subaru: Otto, you go on ahead]

[Otto: Alright. We"ll continue this later]

Otto went back into the meeting room while Subaru walked up the stairs to meet Wilhelm, waiting on the upper level.
Then, as soon as they were at the same height, Wilhelm lightly bowed his eyes.

[Wilhelm: Sorry I could not join the conference. I apologize for the inconvenience]

[Subaru: With the situation as it is, no one would think to blame you, Wilhelm-san. So, um…… how is Crush-san?]

He heard she wasn"t well. Or, not just unwell, but in quite a terrible state. As a woman, she probably wouldn"t want anyone else to see her like that, either.
Thinking back on the wretched state of his leg, he could imagine what kind of damage Crusch must have sustained. And that thought alone made him regret imagining it.
To Subaru query, Wilhelm softly cast down his eyes.

[Wilhelm: Crusch-sama has asked to speak to you, Subaru-dono. May I trouble you to come with me?]

[Subaru: Crusch-san asked for me? No, of course I"ll come, but…… is that really alright?]

[Wilhelm: It is her sincere wish. Though Ferris will not be happy about it]

[Subaru: ……I guess not]

Ferris would probably have some bitter words to say to Subaru.
After all, the only two who faced off against Capella on the top floor of the City Hall were Subaru and Crusch, and Subaru alone should have protected her.

[Wilhelm: If Ferris says something disrespectful, please do not mind him. And please forgive him, if possible. Deep down, he does understand. It"s just that he is facing emotions that he could not process]

[Subaru: Watching the person most important to him suffer… I can understand why he"d want to curse the people around him, if only just to take his mind off of the one he"s worrying about]

If venting his rage could ease some of his pain, then who could blame him?
And so Subaru was prepared to take on some of his abuse as well.

[Wilhelm: This way]

Without remarking on Subaru"s reply, Wilhelm led Subaru towards the place where Crusch would be waiting. Tick, tack, the regular rhythm of their footsteps echoed through the hallway.
And on the way,

[Wilhelm: Subaru-dono, there is something else I need to tell you]

[Subaru: What is it? Is it something other than Crusch-san……?]

[Wilhelm: It"s about the two swordsmen accompanying the Sin Archbishops]

Unwittingly, he stopped his breath.
It should have been so obvious, how did he let it slip his mind? Mimi"s unsealable wound, inflicted by the "Divine Protection of the Death-G.o.d".
The true ident.i.ties of those super-cla.s.s swordsman should――

[Wilhelm: One of them is "Eight Armed" Kurgan. A formidable swordsman who had been a general of the Vollachian Empire, a man who should have died ten years ago]

[Subaru: A man who… should have died? Uhm, Wilhelm-san…]

[Wilhelm: And the other…]

Wilhelm cut Subaru off just before he could ask his question.
He stopped his steps, and Subaru followed suit. Then, Wilhelm turned his back, and sank into a momentary silence. Subaru took a step forward to peek at the side of Wilhelm"s face―― but instantly regretted it.
He should not have seen it.

[Wilhelm: ――The other, is the Previous-Generation Sword Saint, Thearesia Van Astrea. My wife…… who should have died in battle against the White Whale fifteen years ago]

[Subaru: ――――]

The fact that he could have kept his voice so steady must be a testament to the strength of his will.
But when Subaru saw the wrenching agony that twisted the side of Wilhelm"s face, all that impression fell away.
Chewing his lips, with rage and grief interwoven within his eyes, a crazed pa.s.sion contorted his wrinkled face beyond recognition―― one look at that expression, and all his emotions were clear as day.

[Subaru: Your wife… and a general of the Empire? Unless… they"re actually still alive……?]

[Wilhelm: If that"s…… no, that isn"t possible. Whether it"s my wife or Kurgan, both of them are dead. That cannot be overturned. The dead are still dead, but being defiled]

[Subaru: If they"re still dead, then…… it"s something like Necromancy?]

Necromancy―― magic that manipulates the dead, is quite common in fictional universes. Of course, as far as fiction is concerned, magic that can return the dead to life is quite common as well. Although, nothing so convenient exists in this world.
This was something Subaru had painfully come to understand in the year-and-several-months he had spent here.

[Wilhelm: Magic that manipulate the dead are forbidden. Though I do know of someone who once used it. In the Demi-Human Wars―― the civil war in Lugnica between Humans and Demi-Humans decades ago, she was one of the three enemies of the Kingdom fighting on the Demi-Humans" side]

[Subaru: Three enemies of the Kingdom……?]

[Wilhelm: The Demi-Human Hero, Libre Fermi. The Great Strategist, Valga Cromwell. And……]

After pausing for a moment,

[Wilhelm: The Witch, Sphinx. The abominable existence who, without batting an eye, ruthlessly spilled the blood of Human and Demi-Human alike. The only Witch besides Satella whose name remains in the History of the Kingdom]

-=Arc 5 Chapter 44 End=-

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Priscilla is such a boss >_

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Chapter 45(by fr81) and Chapter 46(by SFL) are out!

I plan to edit Ch.45 this time since it has Crusch in it, but only lightly until I have more time.

Please let me know if you spot any typos! ❤

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