"Why...why did it turn out like this...that mist...did I cause his death...?"
Subaru's back was pressed against the cold wall, and she slid to the floor as if her soul had been drained. The image kept replaying in her mind.
The moment Carlisle threw himself, the gray mist wrapped around his body like a living thing.
Why...why am I the only one who remembers...? Rem was startled by Subaru's sudden breakdown. She immediately knelt down and placed her hands on Subaru's shoulders.
"Subaru! What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Subaru suddenly grabbed Rem's wrist.
"No..." Her voice was terribly hoarse, "Do you really not remember him? Carlisle Eltheran! That foolish knight who was unconditionally kind to everyone!"
Rem was scared by her intensity, but still shook her head gently.
"No matter how many times Subaru asks..."
Her gaze was cruelly clear.
"Rem truly doesn't know this person."
"You're lying!"
Subaru suddenly lashed out, pressing her hands on Rem's shoulders.
"If it weren't for him, you wouldn't treat me like this at all!" Her tears finally fell, "Before, you were cold to everyone except Ram! It was that night...after he saved you..."
Her voice trembled more and more.
"That's when you started to become gentle! Why...why do you not remember him...yet still look at me with such eyes!"
Rem was completely stunned.
Her lips parted slightly, and Subaru's broken face was reflected in her blue pupils, filled only with confusion. Pure, innocent confusion.
"Have Subaru and Rem returned from the Royal Capital already?"
A clear, spring-like voice came from the end of the corridor.
Emilia quickly approached, her amethyst-like eyes filled with worry.
"Subaru...are you alright? Why is your face so pale?"
Ram immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Please don't worry, Lady Emilia. Subaru is just suddenly talking nonsense, repeatedly asking about a fictional person named 'Carlisle'..."
She glanced at Subaru and added, "And insists that person is your knight."
Subaru stared intently at Emilia's face, and then saw the most damning answer.
The silver-haired half-elf tilted her head slightly, her face showing the same confusion as Rem's.
"...Knight?"
--------
Right...if I just die, it'll be fine, won't it?
This crazy thought coiled around her heart like a venomous snake. Her Fingers unconsciously dug into her arm, and blood seeped out from under her fingernails.
Return by Death.
This cursed ability became her only hope. If she died now, perhaps she could return to the time when Carlisle was still alive... But...her thoughts suddenly froze.
If I go back, what will I do? He will still rush towards the White Whale to protect us... The Sloth Archbishop of Sin is coming soon... That madman... That twisted monster...
A more terrifying possibility exploded in her mind.
What if...Return by Death has a limit on its uses?
"Subaru! Your hand!"
Rem's terrified voice pulled her back to reality. Only then did she realize her arm was already a bloody mess, and Rem was prying open her self-harming fingers with trembling hands.
"Lady Emilia, are the villagers still unwilling to evacuate?"
Ram's calm voice came from the side.
"Yes...they refused..."
Emilia lowered her eyes in distress, her long silver hair cascading like a waterfall with the movement of her head.
"Because of my appearance...?"
Ram pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned her gaze to Subaru.
"Subaru, never mind your fictional person for now. Get ready and come with me to the village. You were the one who discovered the cursed children during the last demon beast incident, so the villagers should listen to your persuasion."
"Fictional person?!"
Subaru's voice was terribly distorted. She suddenly looked up, the bloodshot in her eyes making Ram involuntarily take half a step back.
Why...why do they remember even the demon beast incident...but only forget Carlisle...?
Just then, ripples of magic suddenly appeared in the air. A small gray cat spirit appeared out of nowhere, floating in mid-air.
"I didn't expect the Witch Cult to attack...Listen, Lia."
Puck said in a neutral voice, "After I go into hibernation, you must summon me immediately, even if it means expending soul power. Those madmen are likely coming for you..."
Its voice abruptly stopped.
A tangible killing intent fixed on it. Puck slowly turned its head, meeting Subaru's hate-filled eyes.
It's you...it's you... Memories flashed.
The frozen forest...
The Beast of the End's sky-obscuring figure...Carlisle's gradually transparent body..."Lia is forever asleep. I don't want to stay in a world without her."
"According to the contract, I will turn the entire world into frozen earth."
"Give up resisting. I can let you die without pain."
"You...are you going to stop me?"
"I see...you, are a hero."
"But you didn't protect my daughter!!!"
Every word pierced Subaru's heart like a sharp knife.
You killed him...you selfish...
"What's wrong, little girl?" Puck showed a confused expression, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"El Minya!!"
Responding to it was a whistling amethyst arrow.
"Subaru?!"
"Subaru!"
Amidst everyone's exclamations, the arrow was blocked by an invisible barrier less than an inch from Puck, shattering into sparkling powder.
"Whoa, whoa..." Puck's tone deepened, and the surrounding temperature began to drop sharply, "Suddenly attacking others can be very dangerous, you know? Even I can get angry."
"You murderer!!" Subaru screamed hysterically, magic gathering in her hands again, "If it weren't for you...if it weren't for your damned contract..."
"Subaru! Are you crazy?!"
Ram darted forward, firmly seizing Subaru's casting wrist. A rare look of anger appeared on the pink-haired maid's face.
"Do you know who you're attacking?!"
Subaru's lips trembled, tears and blood from her arm dripping onto the floor.
They all don't remember...Everyone has forgotten...that foolish knight who burned away his life to protect everyone...just like that...disappeared...
Under Ram's restraint, she finally collapsed to the ground, letting out a wail that sounded inhuman.
--------
A dim room. Subaru was curled up in a corner, her arms wrapped around her knees. The door was locked, the windows boarded up, leaving only a few faint rays of light seeping through the gaps. Rem's voice before she left still echoed in her ears.
"Please stay here, and absolutely do not come out until everything is over..."
Imprisonment? No...protection, right?
She was deemed unhelpful because she remembered a person who didn't exist. She stubbornly kept calling out the name forgotten by the world.
Her fingers fumbled behind her, touching cold metal, a chef's knife she had secretly taken.
Return by Death...just stab it in...just die...and she could return to the time when he was still alive... The tip of the knife pressed against her chest, piercing through her clothes, causing a slight pain.
But...it hurts so much...it really hurts so much... Her arm trembled, tears falling onto the back of her hand.
Subaru hated her current weakness, but she had forgotten that before coming to this world...she was just an ordinary high school girl.
She would worry about not getting good enough grades before taking a break from school. She would get impatient with her parents' excessive concern. She would even close her eyes in fear when getting an injection.
Now, she was about to end her own life with her own hands.
The knife tip had already pierced her skin, beads of blood seeping out, spreading a dazzling red stain on her uniform.
But...if she gave up...then no one would truly remember him.
Subaru bit her lip hard, not realizing she was crying until she tasted blood.
"Clang"
The dagger slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.
Why can't I do it...? I'm so scared...What should I do?
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion suddenly tore through the silence.
Subaru sharply looked up. It was the sound of battle. Shouts. And screams.
The Witch Cult, had arrived.
...
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