Chapter 49: Emilia's Choice
A familiar scene—this was the past she had lost.
A beautiful forest, the elf villagers who had been so kind to her, and occasionally the friendly Witch Cultists who would visit.
A familiar scene—this was what she saw when she first awoke. A white world covered in ice and snow, and strangers frozen in ice who shared her appearance.
Witch Cultists dressed in familiar clothing appeared around her. They held blades in their hands, hatred glowing in their eyes. They came to find her, to avenge their dead friends. She was—the Witch of Frost.
"Ha, ha, ha."
The flash of a blade shattered the dream. The silver-haired half-elf jolted upright, gasping for breath in agony.
"Are you alright? Here, drink some water first."
"Ah, thank you."
Instinctively, she accepted the cup of water handed to her and took a sip.
Calmed down slightly, Emilia suddenly noticed that the voice wasn't from any of the maids she knew—it wasn't even a female voice.
She quickly turned her head. In her sight stood Subaru, dressed like a villager.
"It's around... two in the afternoon now? Where's Frederica? And why hasn't Rem returned yet? Also, are you okay?"
Emilia glanced around.
The magic clock hanging on the wall hadn't moved much.
Frederica, who had been worriedly having lunch with her earlier, was now nowhere to be seen. Neither was Rem.
Subaru himself looked pretty beaten up.
"Frederica's talking with her brother, who's finally managed to face his past. Rem is resting. As for this—"
Subaru smiled as he pointed to the wound on his arm.
"This is about as much as I can heal for now. But it doesn't stop me from moving around. So, Emilia, I hope you'll listen calmly to what I have to say… and that is, to defeat the Great Rabbit, we need your power."
Emilia fell silent after hearing Subaru's explanation.
She stared at the frost flower blooming in her palm.
—My power.
Scenes flashed through Emilia's mind—villages destroyed by her power. And now, the same thing was about to happen here. The mana inside her began to stir uncontrollably.
Just then, she felt someone grip her shoulder. She turned and locked eyes with Subaru.
Just by looking into his eyes, she understood—these were the eyes of someone who had been through unimaginable hell, yet still pursued a better future.
"I too have experienced something that made me regret living… because my power hurt people. But Emilia, why are you standing here right now?"
—Why am I standing here? Yes! Why did I join the Royal Selection? Why did I leave the forest?
"When I woke up, I didn't know anything. I didn't remember anything.
People hated me for no reason, treated me with hostility, tried to kill me as if I were a witch.
It felt like I didn't belong in this world. But then I discovered people who looked like me, frozen in the ice. Could they be my parents? My friends?"
"I had that hope… that I could save them. That's why I joined the Royal Selection."
—It was to save everyone from the frozen forest that I dedicated myself to the difficult path of the Royal Selection.
"But the one who froze everyone... was me. And it was because they tried to help me."
The frozen forest, her comrades turned to ice statues, the beasts of plague invading the forest, losing her mother, and Geuse's mental breakdown...
All she could recall now were her sins—the consequences of breaking the promise she made.
"So are you just going to give up like this? Even though your beloved Mother Fortuna, and your dearest Geuse, risked their lives to protect you—are you going to throw all that away?"
"Why do you…?"
"Ah, well, thanks to a certain someone, I accidentally saw the contents of your Trial. I saw Geuse absorb something unknown and gain the Authority of Sloth. I saw him bleed from every orifice while fighting an unbeatable monster. I also saw how, under the influence of that woman who could distort reality and illusion, he 'accidentally' killed Mother Fortuna—the person he would've died to protect.
I also saw the hatred in your eyes directed at him. You became the final straw that shattered his soul."
Geuse's twisted, crazed smile kept flashing in her mind, alternating with his once-gentle, kind face.
Subaru looked at Emilia, who was clutching her head, and continued.
"Don't you want revenge? The one who destroyed your childhood was undoubtedly that witch named Pandora.
Or do you want redemption? For the villagers frozen because of you, for Geuse who went mad because of you, and for Lady Fortuna, whose fate is still unknown."
"Is that... really possible?"
Under Emilia's gaze, Subaru nodded without hesitation. Then he said something she couldn't ignore.
"The villagers are sleeping in the ice. If you could come out of it, then it's entirely possible they can too."
"As for Geuse, to be honest, the one leading the Witch Cult surrounding us outside… is him. You must've sensed a strange familiarity. And he still seems to remember you, at least a little. He hasn't completely forgotten. Only you can save him."
"As for Lady Fortuna, are you sure that wound is truly beyond healing—even for the mysterious and unpredictable Witch Cult?
From what I remember, Capella and Pandora could probably heal it.
And if we think about the worst-case scenario—I've seen the dead made into corpse soldiers. Considering Fortuna's power, she might still be out there being forced to serve."
"Emilia, if you still want to pursue your original dream, then we will help you."
The boy reached out his hand.
"Can we really succeed?"
"Yes, we definitely can."
"Will they forgive me?"
"Do you think that smile the man gave you before he died—was fake?"
One question, one answer.
Somehow, Emilia could feel weight in Subaru's words—a weight heavy enough to erase all doubt.
—Now that I think about it, why was I even chasing the throne? All I wanted… was to save everyone.
Roswaal's figure remained as indistinct as ever.
Natsuki Subaru stood clearly in front of her.
Emilia finally gathered the courage to grasp the hand he offered.
"I don't want to be king. I don't even want to become king. I want to save Geuse, then find Mother Fortuna's body, then rescue everyone, and work hard so that we no longer have to hide."
"This is the future I, Emilia, have chosen."
"Yeah—leave it to me."
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