Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu

(Thank you  Aaron, Roanz, Kizarat, HX, Rodolfo, Ahbahl, Vimal, Zazorok, Nair, Sir Fox, Thomas for helping me with proofreading on the Live Draft! <>

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A heel slamming down from above shot into the surface of the earth, shattering the ground in a violent blast.
Patrasche gouged her claws into the soil to brake in front of the upheaval of dust and timber. To prevent Subaru from flying off her back, she s.h.i.+fted her weight with supernatural dexterity before coming to a full stop, glaring at the path ahead.
At the same time, enduring the shock on Patrasche"s back, Subaru turned his gaze to the same direction.

[Garfiel: You…… what the f.u.c.k were you thinking, th"h.e.l.l were you planning, hah? OY!]

Boiling rage flus.h.i.+ng onto his face, Garfiel kicked his foot into the ground.
Crumpling his nose, with frustration and displeasure in full display, he bared his fangs at Subaru, who was looking down at him from Patrasche"s back,

[Garfiel: Don"t f.u.c.kin" look down on me, get down. Come to th"same eye-level n"speak. Get started or I crush ya, y"b.a.s.t.a.r.d……]

[Subaru: I had a feeling you"d get in the way, Garfiel]

[Garfiel: And I never thought y"d do somethin" this f.u.c.kin" stupid! Y"think y"can turn tail "n run? Don"t make me laugh! You! Th"Sanctuary! Th"half-witch n"Roswaal! Everyone! Yer all in the same f.u.c.kin" lot! "Til the f.u.c.kin" Trial is done, no one gets out……]

[Subaru: Is that your excuse?]

[Garfiel: ――――]

Garfiel"s expression, fl.u.s.tered with rage, suddenly changed in front of Subaru"s concise question.
His seething glare sharpened while the intermittent sound of clenching teeth broke through his silent breaths.

[Subaru: Garfiel, you act like you want to keep us in the Sanctuary, and want us to complete the Trials…… but that"s not what you really feel, is it?]

[Garfiel: Th"f.u.c.k"s that supposed to mean, oy]

[Subaru: Doesn"t mean a thing. If you really hope to liberate the Sanctuary, you should let me do what I have to do. But you won"t, and you can"t, not yet, because there are more complicated factors at play. Am I wrong?]

[Garfiel: Hah, don"t give me that bulls.h.i.+t. I just can"t stand y"reekin of th"Witch"s stench without doin" somethin" ab……]

[Subaru: You… can"t really smell the Witch"s stench on me, can you?]

Once again, Garfiel fell speechless in front of Subaru"s question.
His eyes swam and his lips began to quiver. Truly a man who couldn"t hide his heart. Seeing his reaction, Subaru smiled bitterly, and,

[Subaru: What"s really been bothering me was when I came out of the Tomb last night. Honestly, at that moment, I thought you were going to kill me before I"d even have a chance, but you didn"t]

[Garfiel: ……Hah? Th"f.u.c.k"re y"talkin" about?]

[Subaru: You don"t know what I mean? I"m starting to have doubts about whether you"ve been lying about that sharp nose of yours]

It was immediately following Returning by Death, after dying from contact with the Witch, no less.
Even though Subaru must have been soaked to the bone in the Witch"s scent, Garfiel"s att.i.tude towards him didn"t change at all. Yet, not long after they parted, he came back to confront Subaru as if he had just remembered it, leading to their exchange last night. ――It was just all too unnatural.

[Subaru: Maybe you didn"t want to escalate the situation so you pretended not to notice, that was what I thought at the time…… but, considering your straightforward personality, I had to rule out that possibility]

[Garfiel: Y"re getting pretty far with yer conceited speculations. Y"think I"m lyin" "bout smellin" the Witch"s stench on ya? Hah, how f.u.c.kin" stupid is that!? Why th"h.e.l.l would I lie about somethin" like that, oy? What"s the point o"……]

[Subaru: Of course there"s a point. By claiming this, you"re drawing all the suspicion to yourself…… and diverting attention away from the actual person with the sharp nose]

[Garfiel: ――――]

That single statement must have struck the heart of Garfiel"s true intentions.
The moment he heard it, Garfiel"s face contorted in the truest sense of the word.
His willingness to resolve matters through dialogue up to now was suddenly replaced by one of violence and impulse.

Garfiel"s arms swelled, doubling in thickness. Golden fur began to cover his exposed skin as his slouching back hunched even deeper, ever closer to standing on all fours.

[Garfiel: I"ve heard enough of yer prattlin". Looks like y"know somethin" y"shoudn"t. I"d have avoided it if I could, but looks like I can"t let y"live]

[Subaru: Don"t say that, Garfiel. You might want to hear me out for a little longer. Otherwise, you won"t know how your secrets got leaked, right?]

[Garfiel: My secrets……?]

Stared down by Subaru"s intensified glare, Garfiel let slip a voice of doubt.
To wipe away Garfiel"s disbelief, Subaru lifted his arm atop Patrasche"s back, and gave a loud snap of his fingers. Then,

[Garfiel: A, ah?]

Garfiel groaned, doubting the sight before his eyes.
On the other end of his vision, at Subaru"s beckon, one by one, Lewes Meyer copies emerged from the treeline, gathering around the ground dragon until there was twenty-one in all.
Personally restaging the scene he had once witnessed before, Subaru pointed his finger towards Garfiel,

[Subaru: Now that you"ve seen it, do you more or less understand my position here?]

[Garfiel: How…… how th"h.e.l.l did y"find that place!]

[Subaru: Using regret and pain as the sacrifice, I"ve summoned the truth. Now, it"s my turn]

Raising his palm to the sky, Subaru looked down at the defeated Garfiel from atop his dragon.
On the receiving end of his gaze, Garfiel"s throat froze, as if unable to come to terms with the reality of having been beaten.

[Subaru: The command authority has transferred to me. So that you wouldn"t notice, I told them to follow your orders for the rest of the night]

[Garfiel: ――a]

[Subaru: But there"s no need to hide it anymore. Listen up, Garfiel. I am going to leave the Sanctuary and head back to the Mansion. There are things I have to do. So I can"t have you getting in the way]

Just now realizing the implications of Subaru"s order, Garfiel"s expression collapsed.
The firm determination of moments ago had melted from his face, and, in its place, was only an expression of weakness and confusion like that of a lost child.
His body"s beastification had ceased, and the swollen figure shrank back to its original, scrawny form.

[Subaru: Don"t follow, Garfiel. There"s a mountain of things I want to ask you as well, but it"s best if we leave it till later. The command authority too, there"re way too many things I need to ask you]

[Garfiel: Quit…… quit jokin" around. Y"think I"m gonna give up that easily……?]

[Subaru: You will. Deep down, you"re just that soft]

At Subaru"s provocation, Garfiel leaped forth with a roar. Baring his fangs, his momentum seemed to be set on crus.h.i.+ng Subaru and Patrasche in a single strike. But there, a tiny figure stepped in between them.
A replicant. Garfiel swung his arm as if to swipe her away to clear the path of advance or else run her over. But, just before his arm made contact,

[Lewes: ――Gar-bo]

[Garfiel: ――!?]

Being called by his nickname, Garfiel"s expression changed once more, as he reined in his arm at the last moment to strike at empty air. And, just like this, Garfiel"s body was caught mid-flight by a mult.i.tude of hands, pulling him to the ground without resistance.
The replicants reached out all over Garfiel"s body and held him under total restraint. Then, standing above Garfiel"s despondent face, looking down,

[Lewes: Now, is that enough of a head start, Su-bo?]

[Subaru: Yeah, thanks for the help. I don"t think Garfiel ever expected something like this]

During their battle against the Witch of Envy, Garfiel never hesitated in using the replicants as sacrificial p.a.w.ns in his attack. But back then, there was no conscious Lewes Meyer at the scene. The active Lewes at the time must have already been swallowed by the Witch"s shadow, but Subaru suspected that there might be another reason as well.
With a calculation that could be said to be beyond cruel,

[Subaru: You can"t treat the Lewes you see as family the same way you treat the other replicants. If there"s a difference between how you and I use the control authority, that would be it]

[Garfiel: Y"motherf.u.c.ker――!!!!]

[Subaru: But, even if not for that, you still couldn"t destroy Lewes Meyer replicants with your own hands, right? So, be good and let me off this time. It could be worse]

[Garfiel: How can it get worse than it already is! Quit f.u.c.kin" with me, y"quit f.u.c.kin" with me!]

Hearing the barks echo out into the horizon, Subaru consciously ignored it as he gave Patrasche a few taps on her back. Sensing Subaru"s intention, the ground dragon gave a little snort, turned her back to the restrained Garfiel, and headed for the bounds of the forest.
Before leaving, Subaru turned back to Lewes, and,

[Subaru: I made you do something disagreeable, sorry about that]

[Lewes: I can tell that it must be necessary. As unpleasant as it is, I wouldn"t have refused. There"s no need to worry about me]

[Subaru: Still, sorry]

Subaru left this apology as Lewes turned to Garfiel with a look of sympathy. With that as his farewell, he signaled Patrasche to get going.
Once again, with the activation of the Divine Protection, all noise and wind were left behind them.

[Garfiel: Wait! Stop! Y"motherf.u.c.ker! Quit f.u.c.kin" around, oy!!]

The distant voice hounded Subaru"s trail.
As if to shake off its pursuit, Patrasche accelerated once more, carrying Subaru through the forest and out of the Sanctuary.

[Garfiel: Let go! Y"can"t let that guy outside…… why, whywhywhy! Granny y"rather take that guy"s side than mine? Why, just why……]

[Lewes: ――――]

[Garfiel: GRANDMAAAA――!!!!]

A wail, as if at a loved one"s betrayal, resounded through the forest.
Leaving it and all else behind him, Subaru kept his course amidst the pa.s.sing trees.

Necessary sacrifices, and necessary sorrows, all stepping stones towards the perfect future.
Biting down on the corner of his lips and feeling blood trickling out of the gash, Subaru wrote off Garfiel"s despair as another sacrifice.

-=Chapter 58 End=-

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Merry Christmas!!! ❤

Let me know if you find typos!

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Chapter 59 Live Draft:

[I’ll post it once I get started]