"Don't come any closer, Rem! You'll get hurt!" Subaru screams out, terrified of the thought of Rem getting hurt by him, again!

The boy was kneeling in the middle of carnage; dozens of Mabeasts littered around him, Subaru prayed his message came to the maid in earnest.

She had to stay away. His power, the one the Witch of Envy gave him... It was beyond his control.

Such a petrified exclamation shocks Rem, as she looks towards Subaru, confused and worried.

"Subaru-kun? Are you in danger?" She speaks, concerned. Subaru avoids her gaze.

"...I can't control my power...!" Subaru mutters, pathetically, "I overdid it... all of my Unseen Hands are acting like they're possessed...!"

Subaru turns back to Rem, "Please, just stay away! Go back and find Emilia! I need to handle this... Handle me, by myself!"

Rem's lips fall into a frown, as the situation still didn't make sense to her.

Unseen Hands? Was that the ability he used to defend himself? Why did it sound so... ominous?

However, she can relate to power going out of control... It reminded her of losing herself to her Oni side, after all.

Power that overwhelms even the person holding it... it was scary, losing your sense of self.

...it shouldn't be something that Subaru should deal with, alone.

With that thought, Rem steps even closer, much to the surprise of Subaru.

"Rem, please stop!" Subaru's voice cracks, sprouting tears in his eyes, very much unlike the confident boy Rem was familiar with, "If anything happens to you, I... I...!"

A jarring sight, seeing the once proud man she saw yesterday crumble into the uncertain and terrified person Subaru was now.

However, Rem does not falter.

"Rem is not something so fragile you can break easily, Subaru-kun." Rem assures the boy in her own way, trying to get closer to him, so she could help him address the issue,

"Please, just calm down and let Rem help you!"

"Rem..." Subaru whispers with a dry throat; terrified of the worst, but desperate and hopeful for a solution Rem can provide.

Glad to see that Subaru was willing to listen, Rem smiles back... Then stops and narrows her eyes, as she feels something invade her personal space.

She quickly jumps backwards. Unknowing to her, an Unseen Hand made a swipe towards her, as if it tried to grab her.

However, Subaru saw it — and was quickly reminded of her fate, fighting Betelgeuse without knowing about his power.

"Damn... iiiit...!" —Subaru gritted his teeth, trying to 'will' the hands to stop, to be subdued. However, all of them seem to just... float, unfazed.

"...Subaru-kun." Rem could only watch the boy, as he coils up and stresses out over something she can't see, that was dangerous all the same.

Her eyes glance back to the marred bodies of the Mabeasts — the result of these hands Subaru possess.

Slowly, she gains resolve for a new plan. One she wanted to avoid, but cannot, no longer.

"Subaru-kun, may Rem ask a favor of you?" Rem asks the boy politely, despite the situation they were in.

Subaru blinks, snapping out of his attempt at subduing the Unseen Hands.

"I... I'm not sure I can do anything remotely favor-ful right now, Rem-Rem..." Subaru jokes weakly with an awkward smile. However, he doesn't say no to the girl.

"Rem is confident in Subaru-kun's ability to perform under stress." Rem smiles back, in an attempt to continue easing the boy's worry, before she takes on a serious look,

"Subaru-kun, please do not make any sudden movements. Don't move even an inch."

Subaru takes a moment to register the request, and nods slowly, "Sure, but... Rem, what will you do?"

"Rem will save you, Subaru-kun."

Rem declares this with no hesitation, making Subaru's heart hitch. Soon after, he notices a shine of brilliant, pink light coming out of her forehead, and quickly realizes what she was going to do:

Rem was turning into an Oni.

As if the Hands recognized her intent, they all froze up, and aimed themselves towards her.

Subaru catches a glimpse of the hands, and stiffens up, "H-Hey, Rem! You need to move—!"

The hands launch towards Rem, before Subaru could even finish his sentence.

It seemed like Rem knew, however, as she suddenly released all the mana that was gathering in her horn.

The sheer force of magic pushed off the opposing hands, like paper machete. Subaru watched her perform the feat, and felt hope rise in him.

"Rem... you just..." Subaru was breathless, and Rem took note of his relief.

"It seems these hands of yours can't hold up against raw mana..." Rem's tone was sharp like a knife, no doubt due to her Oni transformation. She stands up straight, and begins gathering mana once more.

The hands shuffle closer to Subaru, touching him once more, almost asking the boy to do something about the 'threat.'

Subaru pays them no heed, as he watches Rem slowly become more and more charged with mana. It became more apparent, as her whole body was radiating a pinkish hue.

Soon, she was almost blindingly charged with magic – Almost just like Reinhardt when he was doing his 'special move' to Elsa in his last run.

She then opened her eyes once more, her hair waving from the forces within her.

"Are you scared?"

Subaru's breath hikes, when he suddenly heard her ask him a question. A rather simple one at that.

"I..." Subaru starts to speak, his throat feeling dry from all the tension, "I'm scared... of you getting hurt, Rem."

Rem's face shifts, but only for a split second. It almost looked like Rem's nonchalant expression never changed at all.

"Rem understands." Rem speaks, and Subaru looks down into the ground in disdain.

"Even so... Rem wants to save you, Subaru-kun." –His eyes shoot straight back at the maid, as she shows dignified compassion, even during her Oni form.

"What if you fail!? Rem, you could get killed!" Subaru tries to reason with the maid, racked with doubt and fear – Which the Unseen Hands were lapping up, as they cuddled Subaru.

What if this doesn't work?

"Trust in Rem... Like Rem trusts in you."

That knocked the wind out of Subaru's lungs, as he is told of Rem's suddenly budding belief in the boy... just like before.

...Did he really get his Rem back, so soon...?

"Please excuse me." —In a proper, maid-like fashion, she made her manners known as she approached the boy.

Subaru watched silently, as Rem slowly approached him —

The Unseen Hands lash out once more, as expected —

Only to be repelled away from the sheer volume of the magic radiating inside Rem.

Like opposite ends of magnets, the hands simply couldn't reach Rem.

Any hand making an attempt to stop Rem was thrown away almost immediately, while Rem approached Subaru with every step.

Subaru was stunned, just to see the maid's strength in its glory. He was quickly reminded of how indebted he was to the Rem who helped him so, so much in his last run, before she fell into her coma...

He was going to save her this time. He will make sure of it...

Eventually, Rem stood in front of Subaru, as she looked down to his kneeling self with quiet, calculating eyes.

Her nostrils were invaded with the putrid Witch's Scent, so she was subconsciously weary of Subaru, despite her attempts to steel her nerves before.

Subaru just watched the hands harmlessly bounce off Rem, like bugs off a window. He then looks at Rem's intense eyes, as if they were waiting for him to answer.

So, Subaru answers,

"You really are amazing, Rem..."

Rem flushes up, not expecting such a blunt and honest response from the boy, before smiling herself,

"You aren't afraid of demons like me in the slightest..." Rem held mirth in her voice, despite it being sharp earlier, "I suppose I should thank your dearest person for that."

"...Yeah..." Subaru starts to feel guilty. Just how much longer will he dance around that subject?

His dearest person was the one standing in front of him...







Subaru jumps a bit when Rem suddenly kneels down and wraps her arms around him, "R-Rem!?"

The charged energy Rem carried makes the girl feel incredibly warm, almost electric as she squeezes on him.

"Rem will continue to charge mana under Subaru-kun, until you finally rein control of himself." She makes the rest of her plan known, and Subaru's face falters.

"Wait—Like this!? Is this all there is to your plan, Rem!?" Subaru exclaims, and Rem nods her head.

"Of course. Rem has no power over your special abilities, Subaru-kun. It is all up to Subaru-kun to fix whatever is wrong with himself..."

The boy's face is uncomfortable, as he feels like he has entrapped Rem into his problems —

"However, until that happens, Rem promises she won't leave Subaru-kun all alone by himself. Rem will be by Subaru-kun's side, like he has for Rem, yesterday."

"...!?" –A noise, a gasp, came from Subaru after she says this.

Once again, Subaru is stunned by Rem's devotion to the boy. His heart was singing in praise, as he is given confirmation once more: This Rem was surely on his side, once again!

Like a load off his shoulders, Subaru eases into her embrace. He moves his arms around Rem, and returns the kind gesture she's given him —

"Subaru-kun?" Rem whispers. Subaru slowly lulls himself into relaxation, closing his eyes, uncaring of the Hands that surround him —

Unbeknownst to him, the Unseen Hands slowly disappear and fade into nothing, as if powered by Subaru's doubt and anxiety — which was currently being robbed of by the maid.

"Rem... Thank you..." Subaru speaks, calmly. Getting proof of things turning out for the best...Subaru couldn't ask for any better remedy for his problems...

"...Mmhm~!" Rem responds in kind, flushing up with a blush, despite being closer to her Oni state-of-mind.

He stays like this for a while, hugging the maid and re-gaining his confidence — The young girl was incredibly therapeutic for Subaru!

After a while, Subaru opens his eyes once more, and takes a look around... He soon notices his once-problematic issue has resolved itself, without him knowing.

"Hey, the hands are gone now." Subaru speaks calmly, as if trying not to provoke the Oni under him. Rem pulls away from Subaru with worried eyes,

"Are you certain?" She asks, cautious to drop her 'shield' of mana in-case he missed one.

Subaru makes another look-around, but finds no rogue presence coming out of him anymore. The 'tugging' that usually happens inside himself is all gone, too.

With more confidence, he beams a bright smile to Rem, "Yeah, One-hundred percent certain!"

Seeing Subaru's funny mannerisms, Rem is put at ease as she releases all the mana built up within herself, floating back into the atmosphere where she pulled it from.

A sigh of relief comes for the maid, suddenly feeling fatigued from the action. Even just using her horn for a short time puts an incredible strain on her body...

If she could avoid using it again today, it would be for the best...

But now was not the time to rest.

Rem peeled herself off of Subaru, and patted her dress of any dirt that clung to her clothes.

Subaru watches her do this... then blinks a bit when she reaches out her hand towards him.

"Let's go. Emilia-sama and Nee-sama are waiting." Rem speaks, and Subaru snaps into attention.

"Yeah!" Subaru nods his head, and reaches out to claim her hand.

It was a quiet walk back to the village, as Rem led the way back through the forest. Subaru couldn't help but stare at her small frame from behind her, and muse into his thoughts.

["I was really close to ruining everything..."] Subaru quietly thought, his throat tightening just thinking about it.

Did this happen because he had a sliver of faith to the Witch of Envy? Being given power by that Witch, he'd thought he was simply given a trump card — an upper hand against the Mabeasts chasing him.

Instead, he got a double-edged sword... one that was close to taking Rem's life, once again.

Subaru made a decision, on the spot: He was never going to call upon those extra hands, ever again. Especially if he was with other people — And even moreso with Rem and Emilia!

"Subaru!" —Well, speak of the Angel, and she shall appear.

Emilia was the first thing him and Rem heard, as they arrived back in the village. Seeing her, Subaru couldn't help but brighten up.

Subaru watched her approach them, then stiffened a bit when Emilia stared at him with intense eyes.

She began to circle around him, inspecting him...

It was starting to unnerve Subaru a bit!

"U-Uh... Emilia-tan?" He asks gently. Emilia stares back at him, worried.

"You're not hurt, are you, Subaru? Did any of the Mabeasts bite you?" She speaks up.

Subaru, blushing a bit from the girl's attention, shakes his head and punches his chest with his fist, proudly.

"I'm A-Ok! Nothing to worry your pretty little head over, Emilia-tan!" Subaru exclaims, putting on a show of strength —

"B-But... you're covered in... in..." Emilia had a hard time saying it —

"Barusu, you look absolutely revolting." Ram slammed that tidbit of info on Subaru, and he stopped acting tough to look himself over.

His clothes were splattered with beast blood. It was an obvious result of what happened before: The Unseen Hands he called upon held no restraint, and made Mabeasts into mince-meat.

"A-Ah... this is... uh..." Subaru felt nervous, not thinking about what he looked like in front of Emilia —

"By the time Rem arrived, Subaru-kun managed to fight off the last of the Mabeasts." Rem began to speak for Subaru, making him blink and turn to the maid,

"None of the blood is Subaru-kun's. Rem made sure of it." She bows, and Emilia's worry is tamed ever so slightly.

"Barusu will need at least three baths to look presentable again... You have my deepest apologies, Rem." Ram bows towards her sister, as if she knews Rem will be responsible for Subaru's deep-cleaning.

"Hold on, I can take care of myself just fine — Wait, that's not important right now!" Subaru was getting fed up with the conversation taking a large detour, "We can't go back just yet! We need to save Meili!"

"And just how do you plan to do that, I suppose?" —A new voice surprises Subaru, as he looks behind the maids to see...

"Beako? Puck?" Subaru says the names of the newcomers, and watches Puck float up to him —

"Gah!?" —And smack his foot right on Subaru's forehead, like a small finger flicking him for acting rash, "Puck, what's the big idea!?"

"I should be asking you the same thing! Dragging Lia with you into the forest... I should be freezing you on the spot for putting my daughter in danger!" Puck exclaims, clearly upset with him!

Hearing Puck's angry voice dampened Subaru's mood, as he recalls how close they were to getting hurt by the Mabeasts —

"Puck! It's not just Subaru's fault! I made the choice to help him!" Emilia's plea came strong, as she defended the boy. However, Puck didn't pass her a glance. He simply stared at Subaru, hard.

"Regardless of what's happened, it's a pleasant sight to see everyone unharmed, I suppose." Beatrice breaks the tough atmosphere with her voice, as she closes her eyes,

"Even if they're simple-minded creatures, Mabeast curses are rather troublesome to dispel if one has procured many of them. It's a blessing in and of itself that neither of you have been bitten." Beatrice passes a look at both Subaru, and Emilia, like an uncaring mother.

"Beako..." Subaru slowly musters the courage to speak, yet the spirit continues, unwavering,

"If there is nothing else, we should head back to the mansion. I shall prepare a passage for us, and we shall worry about the girl later —"

"I can't do that, Beako." Subaru speaks firmly, and this gets the spirit's attention, as she breaks out of her trance to look at him.

"...You..." Beatrice turns to face him, "Why are you so insistent on risking your life to save this 'Meili'!? Your safety is priority here!"

"Thank you for looking out for me! However, I'm not the kind of guy who runs away with his tail between his legs!" Subaru exclaims proudly, before turning back to the forest,

"Even if there's still a lot of things about Meili I don't know... that doesn't mean I can just leave her like this!" He looks over to Beatrice,

"I made a promise... that I would be saving everyone this time! I am not going to go back on my word!"

Making his announcement, the air around Subaru changed. His tone went dead-serious — He wasn't going to accept 'No' for an answer.

'This time...?' — Beatrice, despite the tough front she had up earlier, heard the boy's promise, and felt a sense of urgency behind it.

She had a hunch it was related to whatever contract he and her Mother made. Details of said contract were still a mystery to Beatrice.

Still, it was her Mother's wish that she follows this boy Subaru, and take on whatever decisions he's made.

This boy was a handful to watch over.

"If that is what you want... I suppose I can't stop you." Beatrice sighs in defeat, finally accepting whatever plan Subaru has,

"However, I'm coming along as well, just to make sure you don't do anything reckless. You should know the reason why, I suppose."

Referring to their contract, Subaru understood her motives. Like a light, Subaru grinned a bright smile, before turning to the others,

"Emilia-tan, Rem, Ram, Puck..." Subaru said their names... and bowed towards them, "I need all of your help, as well! Please, help me save Meili!"

The boy made an earnest request, yet their reactions were mixed with various emotions. Puck and Ram being the most-likely to refuse, for their own reasons —

However, one person was ready to speak up.

"Of course." It was the gentle voice of Emilia, "I still want to save Meili, too. Let's do it, Subaru!"

And like clockwork, it convinced Puck to think otherwise.

"Lia..." Puck whispered, before sighing, "You really have my daughter doing something ridiculous, huh, Subaru?

An annoyed look was on the spirit's face, as he stares at Subaru, "I don't have much of a choice. I'll be tagging along to keep Lia safe. Let's do this before the sun sets, alright?"

Subaru nods to the spirit. A little ways-away, Rem walks over to her sister.

"Subaru-kun's causes are noble, sister." Rem speaks to her twin, "It's the duty of a maid to help those in need. Rem will provide whatever help she can offer."

Next to Rem, Ram sighs, almost dejected from Rem's choice, "...Roswaal-sama, give me strength." She whispers, before turning to Subaru,

"Alright Barusu... for Nee-sama and Emilia-sama's sake, I'll tag along as well." Ram glares at him, "Considering you're the one who gathered us into this rag-tag team, I suppose that makes you the leader here."

"...Leader, huh?" Subaru suddenly feels some weight on his shoulders, having the entourage of Roswaal's Mansion waiting for his next move.

Knowing what lies ahead, this was the golden moment to prepare, unlike last time when the invasion came as a surprise, and Subaru was short on time to live.

Then, it dawned on Subaru: Almost everyone here uses Magic, and some like Ram and himself could only use so much.

If they were relying on their ability to cast magic, wouldn't it be smart to gather supplies to mediate that fact?

If he had the chance to run back to Roswaal's mansion and pick up those supplies...!

His gaze falls onto Emilia, and he remembers his first time using Shamac...

And his first time eating a Bokko Fruit — A fruit that restored his mana!

["That's right!"] —Subaru plumps a fist onto an open palm, remembering how that little fruit revitalized himself after using his magic.

He turns to Beatrice with a smile, "Before we go save Meili; Beako, could you take me back to the mansion to prepare?"

"...Not the most ridiculous thing you've asked from me, I suppose." Beatrice makes her comment, leaving Subaru to laugh awkwardly as she walks to a door closest to her.

Wordlessly, she channels mana through the door, and continues to open it, revealing none other than the Forbidden Library, itself.

"I shall keep this door linked with the Library, but only for a short time." Subaru nods, and walked into the Library immediately.

"It'll only be for a second—" Subaru cuts off when Beatrice follows behind him, "—Uh, Beako... don't you need to be on the other side for the link to stay up?"

"Hmm? How quaint." Beatrice coolly replies, brushing one of her incredibly long ponytails, "Door Crossing isn't as restrained as you think it is. I can hold the link from anywhere."

Subaru looks at Beatrice with wonder, but only for a short moment —

"We shouldn't waste time here, either!" Subaru could hear Emilia from the other side, rallying the two maids, "The border is still broken! Let's take the moment to fix it before we save Meili!"

"As you wish." The two maids spoke in-sync, bowing to their Master's client, as Emilia looks to Subaru,

"We'll be waiting right here, Subaru! Take as much time as you need!"

"Don't worry, this'll be quick over here!" Subaru exclaims back, before looking towards Beatrice.

She nods, and wordlessly, the door closes in front of them, leaving behind Emilia and the maids.

Subaru opens the door once more, to be greeted with the halls of Roswaal's Mansion.

Just like that, they cut a 15-minute trip into two seconds.

"Your magic is something else, Beako." Subaru makes a grin towards the drill-loli. She huffs and looks away,

"This is nothing, I suppose." She simply replies back.

"Bandages... gauze..." Subaru lists off the things typically found in medical kits, as he rummages through Roswaal's Mansion for supplies.

Being a butler under Roswaal's tutelage in his last run had its perks: He was making record pace, collecting all the things he would find useful in his team's endeavor to save Meili.

However, while he was getting stuff prepared, Beatrice was simply watching him from the sidelines, with a bored expression.

Subaru takes a moment to realize how he looks right now; finding all these items with ease, despite him only being here for three days.

Wouldn't Beatrice find that even a little bit weird?

"...Hmm? Why did you stop?" Beatrice speaks up, noticing how Subaru just hovers over a drawer.

"Huh!? — Oh, uh, nothing!" Subaru restarts his search, looking for the elusive Bokko Fruit, stored in the room.

"...They've gotta be somewhere around here..." Subaru mumbles to himself, going through drawers of herbs and spices, nonchalantly gathered together for all kinds of uses, until –

"A-ha!" Subaru exclaims, pulling out a handful of the peculiar fruit Subaru was aiming to get.

"Bokko fruit?" Beatrice finally speaks up after being silent for so long, rising an eyebrow, "And what, prey tell, are you planning to do with those?"

"Huh? Er..." The sudden question surprises Subaru, as if he wa s being tested, "I wanted to bring these fruits along just in case anyone ran out of mana! I know for sure, these bad boys kick like a mule!"

"Hmm." Beatrice simply hums, as she walks forward and grabs one out of his hand, "While Bokko Fruit does restore the mana inside a person's gate, the side-effects will make things difficult in a fight."

"Side-effects?" Subaru repeats, staring at Beako for an answer.

"Indeed. After one eats a Bokko Fruit, their body is sent on overdrive to regain the mana they've lost at an increased rate." Beatrice, making gestures with her fingers, explains the fruit's utility,

"However, that doesn't come without a cost," Beatrice looks up at Subaru, "For as long as a half a day, the person who ate a Bokko Fruit can feel stressed and anxious — A natural effect of a person's Gate exerting out more mana than usual.

"...You're joking... Right?" Subaru feels a bead of sweat roll down his cheek.

"I'm absolutely serious. It's not like the fruit pulls mana out of thin air, I suppose." Beatrice responds, annoyed with how Subaru implied she was messing around,

"Still, eating a fruit like this during a battle would be dangerous, Subaru. I'd recommend it if you just left them here, I suppose." She finished, looking at the boy – who was simply staring at the fruit with a defeated expression.

Subaru's thoughts trailed back to the one-and-only time he was given the fruit, by Emilia. He genuinely thought the fruit to be a big help when he needed it —

( 'I feel sick! I feel sick! I feel sick! I feel sick!' )

– He then quickly remembers the episode that took place afterwards.

One that Subaru genuinely thought it was because of all the pressure he had, making sure he looked innocent, and figuring out who placed the curse on him/Rem.

Subaru felt the need to hold his forehead, pulling back the locks of hair dangling in front of him,

"...Things just can't be simple, can they..." He whispers, catching Beatrice's attention.

The spirit suddenly feels guilt well up in her, looking at how stressed her ward was, and looks away for a short moment.







"...But... Maybe it'd be for the best to bring some, just in case of an emergency, I suppose." She suddenly speaks up, making Subaru blink.

"H-huh?" He dumbly replied, and Beatrice flushes up.

"Don't give me that dumb look! They're useless to spirits like me and Puck, but should one of you carelessly spend all your mana on magic, it'd be better to eat the fruit, than to flop over and vegetate... I suppose!"

After Beatrice's rant, Subaru takes a moment to process it all... before laughing.

"What's so funny, I wonder!?" Beatrice burns bright red, thinking she was being made fun of. Subaru wipes his eye, and cools down a bit.

"Ah... Nothing, just a funny thought I had." Subaru brushes it off as something else, but deep inside, he was grateful for Beatrice to accompany him. Giving him insight about things in this word, in her own colorful way... she really was a joy to be around.

He pulls out three Bokko Fruit, and slides it into his makeshift Medkit, "Three for emergency, only. Thanks for the lesson, Beako."

"Hmph." Beatrice mutters with a pink face, slowly cooling down from her little show.

Subaru closes the drawer, and walks up to Beatrice – who was still mildly distracted – before kneeling a bit.

"Huh?" Beatrice jumps a little, being approached by Subaru.

"I'm counting on you, Beako." Subaru's voice was sincere, surprising Beatrice, "Let's save Meili, and bring everyone back home, safe and sound."

"..." Beatrice looks at the boy for a bit, as he doesn't wait for a response, opting to just leave the room.

Beatrice's hand slowly hovers towards her chest, as if she was trying to have a handle on her emotions.

"His intent is pure, and he knows more than he lets on... yet trivial things like Bokko Fruit escape him?" —Beatrice asks nobody in particular, as she gathers what she knows about the boy.

He turns to the doorway, where Subaru was long-gone, no doubt to find more supplies for their mission, "He doesn't have a Gospel with him, either... yet he presses forward, not knowing what future lies ahead of him..."

Amongst her thoughts, a headache starts to make itself known in her head, "Mother... just... what kind of contract do you have with this boy?"

"Welcome back."

Subaru and Beatrice were greeted by Rem, bowing ever so slightly as she greeted them from the Door Crossing, back to the village.

"No need to be so formal, Rem." Subaru waved off Rem's greet, before pumping a fist onto his chest, "Think of us as comrades in arms... We'll be working together to save Meili, after all."

"Very well, Subaru-kun." Rem smiles at him, appreciating the gesture, before looking at what's strapped on him, "Do you have everything we need?"

Subaru glances at the bag, strapped around his shoulder, giving it a couple pats, "Yeah. I'm hoping we won't need it at all, but... better safe than sorry, I guess."

Rem gives a solemn nod, before pointing further down the border, "Nee-sama and Emilia-sama should be finished repairing the magic border. We can depart whenever you feel necessary."

"Is that so? Let's get our bearings first, and go from there." Subaru walks over to where Rem pointed, and the maid and spirit follow suit.

"Let me get this straight..." Ram starts, her voice clearly reflecting her displeased look on her face as she strikes the discussion hot,

"From what Emilia-sama told me, the little girl we're trying to save... She's the one controlling the Mabeasts? Is this correct?"

Subaru tenses at the topic of conversation, remembering how surprised he was with the revelation when he and Emilia saw it themselves.

He looks away from the girl, uncomfortable, "Well... That's... I'm not too sure how to explain it..."

"Does this mean 'Meili' could possibly be our enemy?" Puck chimes in, staring at the boy, expecting an answer.

"No!" Subaru felt the need to yell out immediately... but he remembers Meili's behavior, and falls back a bit, "...I mean... Maybe... I don't know for sure..."

A small moment of silence rolls over the group. Emilia, staring at Subaru, suddenly starts to speak:

"What about 'Elsa?'" Emilia asks, and – once again – Subaru begins to tense, "She was talking about this 'Elsa' person like she was a close friend. You know her, too, Subaru... Right?"

The attention was all on Subaru, as he bristles from all the stares. Subaru remembers Elsa, and all the unpleasant memories he had with her.

"Absolutely not. Elsa is anything but friendly, Emilia." Subaru speaks with a grave tone, and Emilia pulls back a little, surprised, "Elsa, she's... she's a killer. A deadly one at that, too..."

"...Oh..." she whispers. Puck floats towards Subaru.

"There's that tone of yours, again..." Puck whispers, away from the prying ears of everyone else, "You seem to know something we don't... After we're done with Meili, you, me and Betty should have another talk."

Beatrice, closest to the two, easily hears them both and nods. She was glad her Bubby spoke up about it.

"..." Subaru doesn't respond to the cat, as he starts to hover to his original spot –

"So, that means Meili is clearly a threat, right?" – And suddenly speaks out his thoughts, making Subaru jump.

"Wha – She's not a threat! She's just a kid!" Subaru exclaims, and Ram sighs.

"If she's associated with a murderer, that isn't good news for us, Barusu." Ram's two cents deflate Subaru's reason, as he doesn't have a rebuttal for Ram.

"Maybe she's misguided?" Emilia – being the voice of reason that Subaru was praying for, gives her thoughts, "I remember Puck telling me, 'Life isn't just black and white, but rather, a million shades of grey...' Maybe Meili can be reasoned with, once we get to her?"

"And if she can't be reasoned with? What then, I wonder?" Beatrice asks the heavy question, making Emilia quiet-up.

"We can take her into custody, in Roswaal-sama's dungeon." Rem raises her hand, offering a solution that makes Subaru jump.

"Roswaal has a dungeon!?" –Another tidbit of information that Subaru is unknowing about! Hell, he's lived in the mansion for two months, at least! Yet, this is the first he's heard of it!

How many info-bombs will he come across today!? This is the fourth one!? Fifth!?

"That is correct." Ram answers Subaru, with a bored expression, "However, Roswaal-sama has rarely made use of it. As it is right now, it's simply a room that collects dust for me and Rem to clean."

"Maybe we should consider the option, if Meili really is a bad girl." Emilia ponders out loud. Subaru sighs.

"It's better than us having to... forget it..." Subaru cut off the thought off hurting Meili, and turns to the forest, "So, we're heading out to subdue Meili. Are we ready? We need to find her before sundown, or else Puck'll leave us behind, right?"

Subaru glances at Puck, who sighs, "That's correct. Sorry if that makes things difficult, but me and Lia have our contract like this for a reason—"

"No need to apologize!" Subaru laughs, catching Puck's attention, before making a cocky grin,

"We'll be done before that ever happens!" —With confidence, Subaru turns towards the forest, and summons his Unseen Hands.







Subaru's brazen attitude does the trick to his party, as the rest of his team starts to get amped up for their mission.

With the border restored, Subaru preparing ahead of time with supplies, and all of them knowing what's in the forest... They're ready for what comes next.

Their counter-attack begins now.



Hi! I've been gone for a while! I'm so sorry to make you guys wait!

Newest chapter is mostly finished, just gotta wrap it up and ship it. After that, I'll work on the art straight away-- which, well, you'll be the judge of that, given my track record lately.

Got lots of free time now, so I'll try to make things right, starting by finishing this damn arc!

See you next time!