...
{3rd Pov}
Subaru himself was completely confused by everything that was happening around him.
At the moment he was seated on the same ground dragon as Crusch Karsten, riding just behind her as they prepared to move toward Arlam village.
The position alone had already drawn attention from several people around them, but what made the situation even more uncomfortable for Subaru was the intense stare directed at him.
Priscilla Barielle was watching him.
Not casually.
She was staring at him with a sharp, almost accusing gaze, as if he had somehow betrayed her in some way.
Her crimson eyes occasionally shifted toward Crusch Karsten sitting in front of him, and the irritation on her face was not hidden at all.
Anyone with eyes could see that she was clearly displeased by how close Subaru currently was to the Duchess.
The fact that Subaru was seated behind Crusch and had his hands resting around her waist to maintain balance during the ride only seemed to make Priscilla even more annoyed.
To an outsider, it almost looked like the expression of someone watching their partner getting too close to another woman.
Subaru, of course, had no idea what was going on.
He only felt increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze.
Meanwhile, Anastasia Hoshin's group was a short distance away beside her own ground dragon, moving with the rest of her forces.
Compared to the other two Royal Candidates, she was the least capable in direct combat, and because of that she could not act as openly as they did.
Still, the sight in front of her made her clench her teeth slightly.
Priscilla and Crusch were openly staying close to Subaru without any restraint, while she herself had to remain standing on the sidelines and act like nothing was bothering her.
To anyone looking at her face, she appeared calm and composed as usual.
But internally, she was anything but calm.
Even so, she remained silent.
Meanwhile, their forces had already begun following the orders issued by Duchess Crusch Karsten and Anastasia Hoshin.
Despite the unusual situation surrounding Subaru, none of the soldiers or mercenaries questioned the commands given to them.
A portion of the troops—especially the heavily injured soldiers and those no longer capable of fighting—were assigned to return to the Royal Capital.
They would escort the wounded and report the success of the White Whale hunt.
The rest of the forces had a different destination.
Every soldier, knight, and mercenary who was still capable of fighting was ordered to march toward Arlam village.
Because the next battle was already waiting for them.
The Witch Cult.
More specifically, the Sin Archbishops who were planning to attack the village.
And this time, they intended to confront them head-on.
Crusch Karsten and Anastasia Hoshin had already begun discussing the next battle long before the army finished reorganizing.
Without surprising anyone present—and much to each other's growing suspicion—the two women openly revealed the abilities of the Sin Archbishop of Sloth and the methods required to deal with him effectively.
To the soldiers and mercenaries, it sounded like nothing more than brilliant military foresight.
Both women explained the dangers posed by the unseen hands, the erratic behavior of the Archbishop, and the most efficient ways to counter his attacks during the upcoming confrontation.
However, what truly caught their attention was something else.
The strategy both of them proposed was nearly identical.
It was the exact same approach that had once been used to defeat the Sin Archbishop in their respective timelines.
That alone would have been strange enough.
But the fact that both of them seemed to know these details in advance created an uncomfortable feeling between them.
Every time one of them spoke, the other quietly observed, trying to gauge whether this knowledge came from intelligence gathering… or from somewhere far more unusual.
Even Priscilla Barielle had started to notice that something was not quite right.
She stood nearby, listening to their discussion while pretending not to care.
However, her sharp eyes carefully followed every word they spoke.
She had already begun forming a theory.
What if the other two Royal Candidates had also returned to the past?
The thought was not as absurd as it might have sounded.
After all, she herself had returned.
If she could experience such a phenomenon, then it was not impossible that others had gone through the same thing.
And when she thought about their past fates, the possibility became even more convincing.
Anastasia Hoshin had died during the catastrophic events surrounding the Pleiades Watchtower.
Crusch Karsten, on the other hand, had met her end during the chaos of the Divine Dragon's rampage—an event that had spiraled out of control after Felix Argyle was killed and she failed to receive proper treatment in time.
Both of them had died in the future.
So if time had somehow been rewound…
Then it would explain their sudden knowledge.
Priscilla narrowed her eyes slightly as she observed them.
"..."
'Perhaps they have also realized it,' she thought quietly.
Perhaps they had figured out what made Subaru so special.
Perhaps they had understood the truth behind the strange miracles that seemed to follow him.
Return by Death.
Of course, they would never know its true nature.
But from an outside perspective, it could easily look like something else.
Precognition.
A mysterious ability that allowed Subaru to predict events before they happened.
If they believed that, then everything made sense.
'They must think darling possesses some kind of foresight,' Priscilla thought with irritation.
In that case, their actions became very easy to understand.
They were trying to obtain him.
Trying to pull him into their camps.
Trying to take advantage of the unbelievable benefits that came from having him by their side.
Priscilla's expression darkened slightly as that realization settled in her mind.
'Well of course they would think that way,' she muttered internally.
After all, the results spoke for themselves.
In the timeline she remembered, once Subaru had joined her camp, the advantages had been overwhelming.
Victory after victory.
Political dominance.
Strategic superiority.
If she had wished to claim the throne, she likely would have become Queen without much difficulty.
But she had never cared about the throne.
She had rejected that path.
Instead, she had chosen something else entirely.
She had chosen to live beside him.
To remain at his side rather than sit on a meaningless throne.
To become his sanctuary.
And now these women were trying to interfere with that.
Priscilla's gaze slowly shifted toward Subaru again.
He was still riding behind Crusch, unaware of the storm of thoughts surrounding him.
Her mood worsened slightly.
'They want to steal him from me,' she thought coldly.
The very idea left a bitter taste in her mouth.
And the more she thought about it, the less she liked what she was seeing.
If not for the current situation, Priscilla would have already acted.
The battlefield was still crowded with powerful individuals—far too many to ignore.
Julius was present, Wilhelm was still nearby after finishing his revenge against the White Whale, and even Crusch herself had shown an unexpected level of strength earlier during their brief clash.
Priscilla had not forgotten that moment.
Crusch Karsten had suddenly displayed power far beyond what she should normally possess.
The way she had broken Priscilla's summoned sword and sent her crashing through the ground had not escaped her memory.
That level of strength was not something a Royal Candidate was supposed to casually possess.
Because of that, acting recklessly now would not be wise.
If the situation had been different—if those obstacles were not present—Priscilla would have already taken Subaru away and left the battlefield without hesitation.
She would have grabbed him, placed him on her ground dragon, and ridden away from these people immediately.
But she could not do that yet.
Not while surrounded by individuals capable of interfering.
So for now, she remained patient.
Her eyes occasionally drifted toward Subaru, quietly observing him while keeping her thoughts hidden behind her usual arrogant expression.
She was waiting.
Waiting for the right opportunity.
Because in her mind, the decision had already been made.
She needed to remove Subaru from this environment as soon as possible.
These people were not worthy of being near him, and the more time he spent around them, the more troublesome the situation would become.
'Once I find the opportunity,' she thought calmly, 'I will take my darling away from these rabble.'
And after that…
Her thoughts became colder.
Those who had also returned in time would eventually need to be dealt with.
She had no intention of allowing other time travelers to interfere with the life she intended to rebuild alongside Subaru.
If necessary, she would eliminate them without hesitation.
Execution was not something she would shy away from.
What Priscilla did not realize, however, was that the situation was far more complicated than she believed.
Crusch Karsten and Anastasia Hoshin had indeed returned to the past.
But not in the way she imagined.
They were not simply survivors from the same timeline.
They had returned from entirely different versions of the future.
In those timelines, the story had unfolded very differently.
In both of them, their lives had continued for many years.
In both of them, they had lived alongside Natsuki Subaru.
And in both of those timelines…
They had become his wives.
They had shared a life with him.
They had built memories, suffered hardships, and spent years beside him until the end of their lives.
Because of that, their motives were completely different from what Priscilla assumed.
They were not trying to control him.
They were not trying to use him as a strategic advantage.
They were not trying to exploit some mysterious ability.
Their reasons were far simpler.
They wanted him back.
They wanted to be beside him again.
To love him.
To spoil him.
And to protect him at all costs.
Meanwhile, Anastasia Hoshin was quietly observing everything.
Unlike the others around her, she was not only paying attention to the movements of the army or the direction of their march toward Arlam village.
Her mind was focused on something far more complicated.
The reactions of the other Royal Candidates.
From the moment Crusch and Priscilla began acting strangely toward Subaru, Anastasia had already started forming her own conclusions.
She was one of the few people who had learned about Subaru's strange ability—Return by Death.
Of course, she had never heard him say the words directly, because that was impossible, but she had pieced together the truth during the long years she had spent with him in her own timeline.
Subaru had never explained it openly.
Yet through hints, patterns, and the miracles he repeatedly pulled off, she had eventually understood what kind of ability he possessed.
Because of that knowledge, Anastasia was able to view the current situation from a completely different perspective than everyone else.
And that perspective made things far more complicated.
'This is getting troublesome…' she thought quietly.
From her point of view, the behavior of the other two Royal Candidates could not be dismissed as coincidence.
Crusch suddenly showing knowledge about the White Whale and the Sin Archbishop of Sloth.
Priscilla displaying strange determination to protect Subaru.
Both of them acting far too interested in someone who, according to the world's current timeline, should only be an insignificant servant of Emilia's camp.
It did not add up.
So Anastasia had reached a troubling possibility.
Perhaps the others had returned to the past as well.
Perhaps she was not the only one who had been sent back.
If that were true, then the situation had become far more dangerous than she initially expected.
'This is tricky,' Anastasia admitted to herself.
Until now, her biggest concern had been protecting Subaru and guiding events so that the disasters she remembered would not repeat themselves.
But now there was a new problem.
The other Royal Candidates.
If they had also returned, then that meant she would not only need to maneuver around future threats like the Witch Cult or the Sin Archbishops.
She would also have to deal with rival time travelers.
That made everything much more unpredictable.
'I need to prepare some backup plans,' she thought carefully.
If things went wrong, she needed ways to remove Subaru from the situation quickly and safely.
At the same time, she also needed confirmation.
Right now, everything was still speculation.
She could not be certain whether this strange situation was truly caused by other time travelers—or if it was simply a butterfly effect caused by the changes she herself had made.
One person in particular might give her the answer.
Emilia.
The half-elf.
If the Emilia from this timeline reacted differently from what Anastasia remembered, it might reveal whether that all Royal Candidates had been sent in back in time, or only a few or all of these was just the Butterfly effect caused by her Return in past.
For now, she kept these thoughts hidden behind her usual calm expression.
No one around her realized the amount of calculation running through her mind.
Meanwhile, Crusch Karsten was thinking about the situation from a completely different angle.
Ironically, she had never learned the truth about Return by Death during the life she had once lived alongside Subaru.
Even after spending decades with him in that timeline, the secret had remained hidden from her.
Because of that, her interpretation of the current events was much simpler.
From her point of view, the sudden interest shown by the other Royal Candidates could be explained by two possibilities.
The first was the butterfly effect.
Because she herself had already begun moving aggressively to secure Subaru, it was possible that her actions had unintentionally drawn the attention of the others.
The second possibility was even simpler.
Perhaps they had simply realized how extraordinary he was.
After all, Subaru was not an ordinary man.
Anyone who spent enough time observing him would eventually notice the brilliance behind his seemingly foolish behavior.
Crusch firmly believed that.
In her eyes, her Lord was someone truly admirable.
Naturally, other intelligent people might come to the same conclusion eventually.
"…Hm."
She allowed herself a small, satisfied thought.
After all, it was only natural that others would recognize Subaru's worth.
Her Lord deserved admiration.
Ahem.
After a tense and exhausting journey, the combined forces finally arrived at Arlam Village.
The atmosphere during the march had been anything but comfortable.
Even though the White Whale had been defeated, the tension between the Royal Candidates had not disappeared. Subaru could feel it clearly, even if he did not understand the reason behind it.
Crusch Karsten wasted no time once they reached the outskirts of the village.
The moment her ground dragon slowed to a stop, she stepped down and immediately shifted into the role of a battlefield commander.
The hesitation and emotional conflict she had felt earlier vanished as she focused on the task ahead.
Her voice rang out clearly across the area.
"I want the perimeter of the village sealed off immediately," Crusch ordered firmly.
"Establish defensive positions around every entry point. No one enters or leaves the village without verification."
The soldiers around her straightened instantly.
"Yes, Duchess!"
Crusch continued without pause.
"Form two separate groups. The first group will consist of the soldiers and mercenaries who are exhausted or partially injured. Your task is to remain inside the village and protect the civilians. If any Witch Cultists attempt infiltration, eliminate them immediately."
Several captains nodded and began relaying the instructions.
"The second group will consist only of our elite fighters," Crusch continued. "Knights, experienced mercenaries, and anyone still capable of sustained combat. You will prepare for an offensive strike against the Witch Cult."
Her eyes hardened slightly as she spoke the next part.
"We will proceed according to the plan we discussed earlier."
That plan had already been carefully arranged back on the plains where the corpse of the White Whale still lay.
It was a simple but effective strategy.
The first group—composed of the more tired soldiers and those not suited for direct combat—would remain in the village to guard the civilians and prevent infiltration.
Their role was defensive.
The second group would form a strike force.
Their mission was to hunt down the Ten Fingers, the elite followers of the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, eliminate them one by one, and then proceed to engage the Archbishop himself in direct combat.
The soldiers quickly began moving according to her orders.
Mercenaries spread out around the village, setting up defensive points while others prepared their weapons for the upcoming assault.
As Crusch continued issuing commands, another realization suddenly struck someone nearby.
Priscilla Barielle's eyes widened slightly.
It was subtle enough that most people would not notice.
But inside her mind, alarm bells had begun ringing.
She had just realized something extremely important.
Something dangerous.
Subaru… had no contract with a spirit.
In the timeline she remembered, Subaru had long since formed contracts with multiple spirits, and that had played a crucial role in dealing with the Sin Archbishop of Sloth.
But here?
In this earlier point in time…
That contract did not exist yet.
And that created a serious problem.
Because Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti was not just a deranged Archbishop.
He was something far more troublesome.
A body-snatching Great Spirit.
Without a contracted spirit to resist possession or interference, Subaru would be extremely vulnerable to Petelgeuse's abilities.
Realizing that made Priscilla's expression darken slightly.
If Petelgeuse targeted Subaru directly…
The situation could become very dangerous.
"Natsuki Subaru."
Priscilla suddenly raised her voice, drawing everyone's attention toward her.
She stood with her arms crossed, her posture proud and imposing as always, her sharp gaze fixed directly on Subaru.
"Aldebaran has told me that you possess a certain level of talent in Spirit Arts," she continued calmly.
"May I ask why you are not utilizing it?"
Her question came out bluntly, without any hesitation.
A few people nearby immediately turned their heads toward Subaru in surprise.
Meanwhile, Aldebaran nearly choked inside his helmet.
He froze where he stood, completely stunned.
Wait—what?
He had never said anything like that to her.
Now he was suddenly being used as the source of this information without any warning.
Even so, he wisely kept his mouth shut.
Getting involved in correcting Priscilla publicly was a very bad idea.
Around them, several others reacted as well.
Julius raised an eyebrow thoughtfully as he observed Subaru more carefully.
"Now that I think about it," Julius said slowly, "Natsuki Subaru does appear to possess some affinity toward spirits. However, I believe this is neither the proper time nor place to discuss—"
"Julius."
Anastasia cut him off before he could finish.
Her voice was polite, but there was a subtle firmness behind it.
"While I appreciate your comment," she said calmly, "this is actually quite relevant to the situation."
She gestured lightly toward Subaru.
"If Subaru has even the slightest means of defending himself, it would naturally increase the safety of our weakest member during the upcoming operation."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"After all, we should remember who exactly we are about to fight."
That statement alone was enough to remind everyone present of the real problem.
The Sin Archbishop of Sloth.
Julius fell silent for a moment after hearing that.
From a strategic standpoint, Anastasia's words were not wrong.
Even a small increase in Subaru's ability to defend himself could become extremely important in a confrontation with someone like Petelgeuse.
However, what Julius did not notice was the faint disgust Anastasia had hidden beneath her calm expression.
Just looking at him made her stomach turn.
'You bastard,' she thought coldly.
'Right now is not the time to be fixated at him' she thought.
At the same time, Priscilla's earlier words had triggered a realization in Anastasia as well.
Her fingers clenched slightly.
'Damn it…'
She had almost overlooked something extremely important.
Because of the chaotic situation, the sudden return to the past, and the constant tension between the Royal Candidates, she had momentarily forgotten a crucial detail.
Subaru did not yet have a spirit contract.
In the timeline she remembered, the Petelegeuse had the ability to switch bodies and Subaru had told her how he defeated her and how he should have gotten a spirit.
Without it…
Subaru would be dangerously vulnerable.
The realization made her heart tighten.
'Just one mistake…'
'One small mistake…'
And she could have allowed her husband to die again.
Not just once.
But multiple times.
The thought alone made her chest ache.
'There is no way I am letting him suffer like that again,' she swore silently.
Thankfully, she had been watching Subaru carefully this entire time.
And there was one thing that reassured her.
Subaru had not shown any sudden strange reactions.
No confusion.
No signs of someone who had just experienced death and reset time.
Which meant…
He had not died yet.
At least up to this moment, everything was still within control.
Meanwhile, the reactions of the people around them were just as interesting.
Julius and several others were visibly surprised by how strongly Anastasia was supporting Subaru.
Ricardo rubbed his cheek thoughtfully as he glanced between Anastasia and Subaru.
He clearly had questions.
However, he chose not to ask them right now.
This was neither the time nor the place to start questioning his own Lady in front of everyone.
More importantly, Ricardo trusted Anastasia's judgement.
She was not someone who acted without reason.
If she was suddenly showing interest in Subaru, then there had to be something about him that had caught her attention.
In Ricardo's mind, the explanation was simple.
Perhaps Anastasia had discovered some hidden potential in Subaru that the others had failed to notice.
If that was the case, then it made sense why she would want to bring him closer to her camp.
'Well… knowing Ana, she's probably trying to win him over,' Ricardo thought with a quiet shrug.
Meanwhile, Julius stepped forward.
"I see," he said politely after hearing Anastasia's reasoning. "
In that case, My Lady, allow me to assist Subaru in forming a contract with a spirit."
He looked toward Subaru with a calm and professional expression.
"As someone who practices Spirit Arts myself, I can guide him through the basics."
Of course, Julius had his own motivations as well.
As a loyal dog—ahem—as a loyal knight of Anastasia Hoshin, Julius always placed his Lady's wishes above his own personal opinions.
If Anastasia had decided that Subaru was someone worth supporting, then Julius would naturally cooperate without complaint.
Before the matter could settle, another voice spoke up.
"Indeed. We cannot afford to overlook this matter."
Crusch Karsten nodded firmly.
Her expression was serious, but internally she had just experienced a moment of genuine fear.
She had almost forgotten something extremely important.
The Sin Archbishop of Sloth—Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti—was not merely a dangerous enemy.
He was capable of possessing other people.
In the timeline she remembered, Subaru had survived that danger partly because of his connection to spirits.
Without that protection, Petelgeuse could potentially take over Subaru's body.
And the thought of that happening made Crusch's heart tighten.
She had already changed so many events by returning to the past.
The last thing she wanted was to accidentally create a situation where Subaru ended up dying—or worse.
Thankfully, Priscilla's earlier comment had reminded her of the issue.
There was another reason why Priscilla's words did not sound suspicious to Crusch either.
In Priscilla's timeline, Aldebaran had been the one who first discovered Subaru's natural talent for Spirit Arts.
Because of that, hearing Priscilla attribute the information to Aldebaran did not feel like a lie to her at all.
Instead, it only reinforced her current assumption.
To Crusch, everything still appeared to be the result of a butterfly effect.
Perhaps the other Royal Candidates had simply begun noticing Subaru's brilliance earlier than expected.
And if that was the case…
Then it only proved what she had always believed.
Her Lord truly was exceptional.
Ahem.
Soon after that brief discussion, Subaru was guided through the process of forming a spirit contract.
With Julius assisting him and explaining the fundamentals of Spirit Arts, Subaru managed to establish a connection with a small Fire Quasi-Spirit.
The spirit itself was not particularly powerful, but it was stable enough to form a contract with.
Without much hesitation, Subaru gave the spirit a name.
"Spica," he said casually, as if the name had come to him naturally.
The little flame-like spirit flickered slightly in response, seemingly accepting the name without resistance.
With the contract formed, Subaru now had at least some means of defending himself through Spirit Arts.
It was not much, but under the circumstances it was far better than having nothing at all.
Meanwhile, Crusch Karsten had already returned her focus to commanding the troops.
Her voice carried across the village as she continued issuing orders.
Soldiers and mercenaries began spreading throughout the area, checking houses, securing the streets, and preparing defensive formations in case the Witch Cult appeared at any moment.
However, before long, something strange became apparent.
One of the soldiers hurried back toward the command group.
"Duchess Crusch!" he called out urgently as he approached.
Crusch turned her attention toward him immediately.
"What is it?" she asked.
The soldier saluted quickly before delivering his report.
"My Lady, our men have inspected the houses throughout the village. Every building we checked was completely empty."
A faint frown appeared on Crusch's face.
"Empty?"
"Yes, Duchess. After investigating further, we discovered that the entire village appears to be deserted."
Those words caused a ripple of confusion among those nearby.
Subaru felt his chest tighten instantly.
His heart began pounding as a terrible thought crossed his mind.
"What?!" Subaru shouted as he stepped forward.
The sudden outburst caught the soldier off guard.
"How can that be?! Did you see any blood?!" Subaru asked urgently.
He moved closer to the knight, his expression tense.
The soldier blinked in surprise at Subaru's reaction but quickly answered.
"No… there was no blood."
He glanced briefly toward Crusch again before continuing.
"In fact, there were no signs of a struggle at all. No damaged furniture, no broken doors, nothing that would suggest a fight happened here. Everything was… clean."
The more he explained, the stranger the situation sounded.
Subaru clenched his teeth slightly.
If the Witch Cult had attacked the village, there should have been signs of violence.
But according to the report, the village looked as if the residents had simply vanished.
"Where could they have gone?" Subaru muttered with frustration, clicking his tongue.
His mind raced through several possibilities.
None of them felt reassuring.
Rem, who had been standing nearby, spoke up after a moment of thought.
"Subaru-kun," she said gently.
"Perhaps Nee-sama and Lady Emilia were already aware of the threat."
Subaru looked at her.
Rem continued calmly.
"They might have evacuated the villagers in advance."
It was the most reasonable explanation she could think of.
If Emilia and Ram had realized the Witch Cult was coming, it would make sense for them to move the villagers somewhere safer before the attack began.
Subaru paused for a moment after hearing Rem's suggestion.
He took a breath and forced himself to calm down, thinking through the situation more carefully instead of immediately jumping to the worst possible conclusion.
"…That could actually be possible," Subaru said slowly.
He rubbed the back of his neck while thinking aloud.
"In fact, that might really be the case."
Several people around him turned their attention toward him as he continued.
"After all, the Witch Cult isn't exactly known for kidnapping people and dragging them away," Subaru explained.
"When they attack, they usually just kill their victims on the spot."
He paused briefly before adding another thought.
"Not to mention…"
Subaru glanced sideways toward the Royal Candidate standing nearby—Crusch Karsten—and then briefly looked toward the other candidates as well.
His thoughts drifted for a moment.
'Things have already gone completely differently this time,' he thought.
In his previous attempts, the situation had been nothing like this.
Back then, none of the Royal Candidates had supported him like this.
Now suddenly three of them were helping him, cooperating with him, even offering their forces to assist him.
That alone had already changed the course of events dramatically.
'If that much has changed,' Subaru thought quietly, 'then anything could have happened.'
Maybe Emilia and Ram had indeed noticed the danger earlier and evacuated the villagers before the Witch Cult arrived.
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable the idea seemed.
Crusch listened to Subaru's words carefully.
After a moment, she nodded slightly.
"I see," she said thoughtfully.
"That means we may not need to prioritize the defense of the village itself."
Then she immediately returned to her usual commanding tone.
"Subaru-sama, I will send several messengers to confirm the situation and locate the villagers."
Even while giving orders, she continued addressing him with a respectful honorific.
"Meanwhile," she continued, "I will reorganize our formation and prepare the strike force. Once we confirm the villagers are safe, we will begin our assault on the Witch Cult."
Several soldiers nearby nodded and began moving immediately to carry out her instructions.
However, not everyone was comfortable with what they were hearing.
Felix had been standing nearby during the entire conversation, quietly observing everything.
And the more he listened, the more unsettled he felt.
His eyes shifted between Crusch and Subaru.
Especially the way Crusch kept addressing Subaru.
"Subaru-sama."
Every time she said it, Felix felt something twist unpleasantly in his chest.
Felix's expression gradually turned sour.
'Meowyh really doesn't like this,' he thought irritably.
'Why is Crusch-sama being so respectful to that boy?'
From Felix's perspective, Subaru had been nothing but a walking problem ever since he appeared.
And now Crusch was speaking to him as if he were someone important.
The situation left Felix feeling both confused…
…and more than a little jealous.
To Felix, Subaru was nothing more than a servant.
That was the simple truth of the current hierarchy.
Crusch Karsten was a Duchess and one of the Royal Candidates competing for the throne of Lugunica.
Her position was already incredibly high even before the Royal Selection had begun, and after the successful hunt of the White Whale, her reputation had only grown stronger.
The soldiers admired her.
The mercenaries respected her.
Even many nobles in the kingdom would now have to acknowledge her rising influence.
In Felix's eyes, someone like Subaru should not be treated with such consideration.
There was no real reason for a person of Crusch's stature to call him "Subaru-sama" or show him this level of respect.
From a purely political standpoint, the relationship between them should have been completely one-sided.
Subaru was merely a servant of another camp.
Crusch was a duchess.
If anything, Subaru should have been the one showing constant deference.
He should have been the one lowering his head and listening to Crusch's commands without hesitation.
That was how the social order worked.
And now, after slaying the White Whale, Crusch's authority had only become stronger.
The loyalty and admiration of the army around her had increased tremendously.
To many of the soldiers present, she already looked like a future ruler.
Her status was so high that, in the cruel reality of politics, even if she had ordered something extreme—something like the execution of an entire village for some strategic purpose—very few people would have dared question her decision.
That was the level of power she held.
Which made the way she was treating Subaru feel even stranger.
Felix was closer to Crusch than most people.
He had served her faithfully for years and cared deeply about her wellbeing.
Because of that closeness, the way she interacted with Subaru bothered him far more than it bothered anyone else.
Every time she addressed him respectfully…
Every time she spoke to him with that calm tone…
Felix felt an uncomfortable sting in his chest.
He did not like it.
At all.
Still, Felix forced himself not to say anything.
'Crusch-sama must have a reason,' he told himself.
His Lady was not someone who acted irrationally.
If she was treating Subaru this way, then there had to be an important reason behind it. Perhaps Subaru possessed some ability or information that Crusch wanted to secure.
That explanation made the most sense to Felix.
And so he convinced himself to accept it.
Of course…
There was a reason.
A very important one.
But it was not something Felix—or anyone else standing there—could possibly imagine.
In Crusch Karsten's mind, the truth was far simpler.
She already belonged to Subaru.
Not politically.
Not strategically.
But completely.
In her heart, in her soul, and in her memories.
In the timeline she remembered—the life she had lived before everything was undone—she had spent decades beside him.
She had served him.
Fought for him.
Lived with him.
Loved him.
And eventually became his wife.
Even if that entire life had been erased by the reset of time…
Even if the current Subaru standing in front of her remembered none of it…
Those memories still existed inside her.
They still shaped the way she felt.
Crusch Karsten loved Natsuki Subaru more than anyone else.
Even if he had forgotten everything they once shared.
…
"Lady Emilia, be prepared to retaliate the moment the Witch Cult attacks."
Ram spoke calmly while keeping her eyes fixed on the area beyond the mansion grounds.
She was positioned near an elevated point from which she could observe the surrounding land clearly.
In her hands she held a simple scope, carefully scanning the distance for any signs of movement.
Around the mansion stood a thick barrier of ice.
It was not there by accident.
Emilia had created the massive ice wall herself, forming a defensive perimeter around the entire mansion grounds.
The frozen barrier was not meant to stop an entire army forever, but it would significantly slow down any Witch Cultists trying to approach.
Even a small delay could provide the defenders with precious time to react and counterattack.
The plan had been arranged earlier that day.
Not long after Ram had regained the memories of her previous life, Emilia had returned to the mansion from her outdoor activities.
When Ram confirmed that she had somehow returned to the past with the knowledge of future events, she immediately began organizing a defensive strategy.
There had been no time to hesitate.
Ram knew very well that asking Roswaal for help would be pointless.
In her memories, the clown-like lord of the mansion had never truly acted in their interest.
His obsession with his own twisted goals meant that relying on him now would only drag them deeper into the trap known as the Sanctuary.
And Ram had absolutely no intention of walking willingly into that trap again.
So instead, she acted on her own authority.
First, she gathered all the villagers from Arlam and evacuated them to the mansion grounds.
The large building provided far stronger protection than the scattered houses in the village, and it was much easier to defend.
After that, she instructed Emilia to reinforce the mansion's defenses with her magic.
Emilia, although slightly confused by Ram's sudden urgency, trusted her enough to follow the instructions without argument.
And now they waited.
Ram continued watching the distance through her scope, her expression sharp and focused as she searched for any movement that might signal the arrival of the Witch Cult.
For several minutes, there was nothing.
Then—
Ram noticed something.
A faint movement far in the distance.
Her eyes narrowed as she adjusted the scope slightly.
At first it looked like nothing more than shifting shapes moving through the plains.
But then she noticed something very specific.
A flag.
It was being carried by a soldier riding at the front of the approaching group.
Ram's eyes sharpened immediately as she recognized the crest displayed on the banner.
It was the flag of House Karsten.
And behind that first soldier, she could see another rider following close behind.
"Someone is approaching," Ram said calmly while still observing through the scope.
"However, they appear to be carrying the banner of House Karsten. It is likely they have come here to assist us."
Her tone remained composed, almost indifferent, as she lowered the scope slightly and continued watching the approaching riders.
Of course, Ram was not guessing blindly.
She already knew what had most likely happened.
From her knowledge of the previous timeline, Subaru would have already reached out to the other Royal Candidates for help.
With the alliances formed and the White Whale hunt completed, it was only natural that forces from Crusch Karsten's camp would now move toward the village to confront the Witch Cult.
Which meant that by now, the White Whale should already be dead.
Everything was proceeding more or less according to the flow of events she remembered.
There were differences, of course.
Returning to the past had already altered several details, and Ram was well aware that things might not unfold exactly the same way as before.
But the overall direction seemed to remain intact.
There was another thing she was certain about as well.
By this point in time, her sister's name and existence should already have been erased from the memories of the world.
Rem was gone.
Not physically perse but from everyone's memories.
And to Ram…
That outcome was not something she felt sad about.
If anything, she found it convenient.
She needed Subaru to be vulnerable.
She needed him to feel alone, uncertain, and desperate for someone to rely on.
Only then would it be easy for her to approach him again, gain his trust, and slowly bring him to her side.
Once she secured his trust, the next step would be simple.
She would deal with Roswaal.
Remove him from the picture entirely.
And then leave this place behind with Subaru.
Somewhere far away from the kingdom, the Witch Cult, and all the people who had once surrounded them.
Ram did not care about the rest.
As for Rem…
Ram felt nothing.
In the timeline she remembered, her memories of her sister had already been erased long ago.
Even when Rem had still existed physically, Ram had not remembered her properly.
And before the truth could ever be restored between them, Rem had died during the events in the Sanctuary.
There had never been a reunion.
Never a moment where the sisters could truly reconnect.
Because of that, Rem meant nothing to her now.
To Ram, the girl called Rem was little more than a stranger who happened to share the same blood.
And Ram had no intention of changing that.
In fact, she intended to keep things exactly that way.
She would ensure that events continued along the same path where Rem remained absent.
That way, there would be no competition.
No interference.
No one else standing between her and the man she loved.
Because in Ram's eyes, Natsuki Subaru belonged only to her.
Just as she had belonged to him.
There was no room for anyone else between them.
And certainly not for a sister she no longer remembered.
"Should we allow them to enter?"
Emilia asked the question hesitantly as she looked toward the distant riders approaching the mansion.
Her voice carried a hint of uncertainty.
Given the situation they were currently in, it was not an unreasonable concern.
The Witch Cult was expected to attack at any moment, and allowing unknown people inside the defensive perimeter could potentially create new risks.
Still, the hesitation in Emilia's tone was obvious.
Ram noticed it immediately.
Internally, she let out a quiet sigh.
To her, Emilia's reaction was nothing more than another example of the half-elf's incompetence.
Ever since the villagers had learned that the Witch Cult's attack was connected to Emilia's presence, their fear and resentment had been obvious.
Many of them had openly insulted her, blaming her for bringing danger upon the village.
Those accusations had clearly shaken Emilia.
Now she second-guessed every decision.
'And this woman is running in the Royal Selection…' Ram thought coldly.
The irony of it irritated her.
In Ram's mind, Emilia had never been particularly capable.
Yet despite that, she was competing for the throne while dragging others into her problems.
More specifically…
She had dragged Subaru into them.
Ram's eyes narrowed slightly.
'My hubby had to suffer because of this useless half-elf, she thought with quiet contempt.
She still remembered the events in the Royal Capital vividly.
Subaru had tried to defend Emilia.
He had stepped forward for her sake.
And what had he received in return?
Insults.
Mockery.
Humiliation.
He had been beaten down in front of everyone while trying to protect someone who could not even protect herself.
The memory alone made Ram's mood sour.
'All that trouble… for that half-elf pussy', she thought sarcastically.
Outwardly, however, none of those thoughts showed on her face.
Ram remained perfectly calm as she lowered the scope and turned toward Emilia.
"Yes, Lady Emilia," she replied in her usual composed tone.
"We should allow them to enter."
Her expression remained stoic, giving no hint of what she was truly thinking.
Of course, Ram was fully aware that Puck might be able to sense her emotional state.
The artificial spirit had always been protective of Emilia, and he was capable of detecting hostility directed toward her.
However, Ram was not particularly worried.
What she currently felt toward Emilia was not murderous intent.
It was simply disgust.
And for something like that, Puck was unlikely to react.
So Ram answered calmly, as if nothing was wrong at all.
"Very well, maid. Why don't you go and check them?"
Puck said this while staring at Ram with a plain, neutral expression.
His tone sounded casual, but his sharp eyes were fixed on her carefully.
Behind that calm look, however, he was far from relaxed.
As an empathic spirit, Puck had already noticed the shift in Ram's emotions earlier.
The faint but unmistakable disgust she occasionally directed toward Emilia had not escaped his senses.
For someone like him, who could easily feel the emotional currents around people, it had been very obvious.
Still, he had chosen not to confront her.
For Emilia's sake.
Ram had not acted openly hostile toward Emilia, nor had she created any problems inside the mansion.
As long as she continued to behave properly and did not threaten Emilia directly, Puck was willing to tolerate it for now.
Even so, he was not foolish enough to ignore the possibility that something was wrong.
So instead of arguing, he simply pushed her forward.
If there was any danger in those approaching riders, Ram would be the first one to encounter it.
Ram, for her part, showed no hesitation at all.
Without even responding verbally, she stepped onto the edge of the balcony and jumped.
Her body dropped several floors down from the mansion balcony, landing on the ground below with perfect control.
The fall that would have injured a normal person barely slowed her down.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she immediately started running toward the approaching knights.
In just a few seconds, she reached the ice wall that surrounded the mansion's perimeter.
With a quick movement of wind magic, Ram struck the frozen barrier and shattered a section of it, creating a clean opening that allowed passage through the defensive wall.
The approaching knights instantly reacted.
Seeing a figure rush toward them and break through the ice barrier, the Knights grabbed their weapons instinctively.
Swords were half-drawn, and a few shields were raised in caution.
However, that tension did not last long.
Once they saw Ram clearly standing there in front of them, dressed in a maid's uniform, their posture relaxed slightly.
And when they looked closer at her appearance—her pink hair and the distinct color of her eyes—they quickly connected the dots.
She was the other maid.
The sister of the blue-haired one who served at Roswaal's mansion.
"Miss! We bring urgent news!"
One of the knights quickly stepped forward after recognizing Ram, his voice filled with urgency as he tried to report the situation.
"The Witch Cult is preparing to attack this area," he continued without wasting time.
"To prevent that and to protect the villagers, Duchess Crusch Karsten, Lady Anastasia Hoshin… and—"
The knight hesitated for a brief moment.
He looked slightly uncertain before finishing the sentence.
"—Lady Priscilla Barielle have joined forces. By the orders of the three Ladies, their armies have been dispatched here to assist Emilia's camp."
"Huh?!"
Ram's reaction came out before she could stop it.
Until the knight mentioned Anastasia Hoshin, everything he said had matched what Ram expected.
In her previous timeline, Subaru had indeed formed an alliance with Crusch and Anastasia to hunt down the White Whale.
Afterward, their forces had helped deal with the Witch Cult that threatened the village.
That part was normal.
But the moment the knight mentioned Priscilla's name, Ram froze.
Her expression changed noticeably.
In the timeline she remembered, Priscilla Barielle had never participated in the White Whale hunt.
She had not joined the alliance.
She had not helped save the village.
In fact, she had stayed completely uninvolved in those events.
Yet now the knight was saying that Priscilla had joined forces with the other two Royal Candidates.
That alone was a major discrepancy.
Ram's mind immediately started working.
If Priscilla had become involved, then that meant something had already changed in the past.
And that raised a troubling question.
How?
Was it simply the butterfly effect Subaru had once explained to her?
The idea that even small changes in the past could gradually lead to larger differences in the future?
Or…
Was there something else interfering with the timeline?
Ram narrowed her eyes slightly as she considered the possibility.
Something about this situation felt far too deliberate to be a simple coincidence.
To be continued...
(A/N: GIVE ME POWERSTONESSSSSSSSSSSS)