Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu

ARC 4THE EVERLASTING COVENANTChapter 75 [That Person]

Stumbling back from the impact as if he had a rug pulled from under him, Subaru widened his eyes at the blonde-haired girl glaring back at him.
Her blue eyes teeming with exorbitant rage and her beautiful face colored with a crimson hue, it was the Witch―― Minerva.

Taking her sharp gaze off the petrified Subaru, she turned to the entirely unfazed Echidona, standing opposite him.

[Minerva: I"ll say it again, this stops now. I will not allow this kind of contract]

[Echidona: ……Hm. Now isn"t this… quite an unexpected development]

It was a sentiment too familiar to be hostility, and too violent to be called rage. Standing in the crater she had made, single-mindedly directing this at Echidona, Minerva folded her arms, hoisting up her ample b.r.e.a.s.t.s while biting her lip.

[Echidona: Surely―― you should understand the significance of a contract with a Witch. The fact that you chose to interfere anyway…… could it be, that you also wish to seal a contract with him yourself? This wouldn"t be a case of sour grapes, now would it?]

[Minerva: Can"t you tell from my fury that it"s nothing so placid? I"m furious. I"m incensed. I"m so upset I"m ready to explode]

In front of Echidona"s dodging jests, Minerva shot back with the shade of red deepening on her cheeks. Tears pooled in her eyes from the intensity of her emotions while her face pouted like a sulking child.
Her childish face entirely at odds with her voluptuous figure―― Subaru couldn"t help but be intrigued to see such a character in the flesh.
After all,

[Subaru: What… are you doing here?]

[Minerva: What. Am I not allowed to be here?]

[Subaru: Well, no. That"s not… but…… I mean, Echidona"s right here]

Saying this, Subaru pointed at Echidona as Minerva puffed up her cheeks in displeasure. Not seeing his point, Minerva tilted her head, while Echidona, apparently catching on, lightly clasped her hands together and nodded,

[Echidona: Ah, I think I know why you"re confused. ――You"re surprised to see another Witch manifesting while I am still here, correct?]

[Subaru: Y-yeah. I mean, since I"ve always met the Witches one-on-one…… I thought they kinda had to take your place when they appear. But……]

[Minerva: And she never said we can"t appear at the same time, I bet. That just sounds like the kind of prank this mean-spirited Witch would pull]

Huffing in rage, Minerva easily smacked down Subaru"s protests. Muttering [Seriously…?] under his breath, Subaru looked at Echidona. But, in front of Subaru"s gaze and Minerva"s address, Echidona made no effort to deny it.

[Echidona: I wouldn"t want you to misunderstand. Calling the other Witches here is quite a taxing and risky thing to do. There"s a chance they might even wrest away my control over this place, or, even if they don"t, it is still incredibly exhausting to manifest beings as powerful as them]

[Subaru: That"s…why? ……No, but, you……]

[Echidona: I"ve never once lied about this. I can a.s.sure you that much]

With that single incisive statement, Echidona sliced through Subaru"s faltering words.
It was true. Searching through his memories, Echidona had never said anything about this present situation that would const.i.tute a lie.
It was only Subaru"s imagination going off on its own when he was presented with this phenomenon.
So, in the end, technically Echidona hadn"t actually deceived him, but,

[Echidona: I just didn"t want you to know that other Witches can manifest as they wish, and have them take you from me]

[Subaru: H, uh?]

[Echidona: To me, you are the first guest I"ve had in a very long time. Conversing with you had thrilled me in ways I"ve rarely ever been thrilled, whether it be before or after my death. If I told you I simply wanted to have you here, all to myself, would you berate me for my shallowness?]

[Subaru: ――――]

[Echidona: I know I keep on saying this, but I am rather fond of you. And so, I didn"t want your interest to s.h.i.+ft onto other Witches more charming and more helpful than myself. ――Go on, you can laugh at me if you wish]

So this extreme, hideous desire to possess―― was her reason for hiding it from him.
Quietly listening to Echidona"s excuse without saying a word, Subaru wondered why she would have this obsession towards him―― just what about him warranted this kind of fixation?
It was the same with the Witch of Envy, and now Echidona, too. Just why would they――

[Minerva: You"re way too easy to dupe, you know that!?]

[Subaru: ――Ddgah!?]

Just as his mind was sinking into thought, Subaru"s head was b.u.mped by a soft fist from behind.
He turned around holding his head, and found Minerva right behind him. She took the hand he was holding against his head, and, in one fluid motion, she twisted his arm and flipped him onto the ground.

[Subaru: Oa, aah! Wai-, hurts hurts hurts…… or… not?]

[Minerva: When I directly touch anything living, no matter what action I take, it would be transformed into healing. I could punch with all my strength and it would close wounds, I could wrest you to the ground and it would cure you of your diseases, I could place you in a lock and it would fix of your shoulder-pains…!]

[Subaru: That…… explains why my body"s not aching all over, but]

While his body was savoring the full power of the Witch of Wrath, Subaru frantically twisted his neck to look at Minerva as she locked him in a hold.
Despite the creaking of his bones and the horribly-unnatural-looking directions his joints were being twisted in, instead of pain, all he felt was an incongruous warmth spreading throughout his body. This Witch, with the strange Authority to instill every action with restorative powers―― come to think of it, Subaru hadn"t had a single bad impression about her up to now, but,

[Subaru: What the h.e.l.l"re you trying to do……?]

[Minerva: If I didn"t do this, you would"ve been happily cajoled into getting all ready to sign a contract with Echidona. This careless, braindead att.i.tude of yours is really p.i.s.sing me off!]

[Echidona: Cajole, makes it sound bad. I only remember explaining the benefits of sealing a contract with me and working to reach a mutual understanding……]

[Minerva: It"s the way you make it sound like you"ve fulfilled your responsibility to explain that"s getting to me. You explained the benefits alright. You did…… then when it"s about the inconvenient details that come with the contract you didn"t say a thing!]

In a fit of rage, Minerva angrily stomped down her foot. The place where her heel landed was exactly Subaru"s b.u.t.t, as he felt the inexplicable sensation of a heel driving into his rear while its force pa.s.sed through him, crus.h.i.+ng an indentation into the ground.
While feeling his bowel functions being somehow improved by this strike to his behind, to Subaru shock, he began to realize the meaning of Minerva"s words.

――It was true, that his conversation with Echidona hadn"t touched on the detriments of the contract at all. Just how was it that it took him so long notice it?

[Subaru: No, but…… calling them detriments…… it"s not actually that serious, is it?]

[Minerva: "It won"t be that bad", is that what you"re thinking? You are taking contracts way too lightly. Especially when the other person is a Witch―― the one who, out of the seven Witches bearing the names of Sins, has forged the most contracts, interacted the most with humans, and meddled the most with the course of history: the Witch of Greed]

[Echidona: All those were my laurels in life…… though it"s true not every one them would be what you"d call honorable. And, it is also true that sealing a contract with me did not necessarily save all of them]

What Minerva put forth was something Subaru never knew about. Following on Minerva"s words, Echidona insisted on her lack of any ill-will towards Subaru.
Stuck between the two as they a.s.serted their stances, Subaru"s head was at the peak of disarray.

He didn"t know whose words to believe.

Ever since Subaru got involved in the Trials inside the Tomb, his multiple meetings with Echidona and all the time they spent together deliberating over his worries had led him to consider her a sort of comrade in arms.
And so, when she proposed to forge a contract to formally seal their cooperation, a part of Subaru even felt relieved.

On the other hand, compared to the time he had spent with Echidona, he had had very few opportunities to speak with Minerva. Yet each time, it was when he was on the brink of collapse that she mercifully saved him with her mighty arms before exiting like a hurricane without demanding even a "Thank you" in return.
Minerva had no reason to deceive Subaru, so if it was a matter important enough for her to manifest herself to intercede, then there might be reason for him to carefully reconsider.

Or, actually, rather than pondering like this, he should first be asking this question.
That is――

[Subaru: Echidona. If we seal this contract… you"ll have to get something in return, right?]

===

(Once again the amazing fan art is by @HaruSabin!)

===

This chapter is almost twice as long as a normal one, so I’ll be splitting it into 5 parts.
If you want to read the whole chapter at once for a greater impact, you can wait until Part 5/5 is released ❤

Please let me know if you find any typos!

===

Chapter 75 Live Draft: