Chapter 58: Great omen.
[ [ "I actually had hoped... Perhaps Subaru... that only Subaru wouldn't treat me specially. That he'd see me as just an ordinary girl, like everyone else does normally..."
"That's impossible. You're the one person I could never view the same as others."
The sound of a door closing echoed as the screen darkened. ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Sigh."
Even Yuriusu couldn't help but facepalm.
Zero points.
An absolute zero.
The others reacted similarly.
Even his foolish actions during the ceremony could be explained by his determination to participate for Emilia's sake and his anger at the injustice she suffered.
But this was pure, unadulterated stupidity.
"Though there is one thing I'm curious about... Is the Witch really this capricious? What exactly are the criteria for this taboo?"
Otto voiced his question.
He was likely referring to how Subaru triggered the taboo when he said, "When I first came to this world, it was because of you," but didn't when saying "Even when my head was bashed in or completely cut off, didn't I still save everyone in the village?"
"Could it be that the taboo only activates when saying things that would make the situation worse? If so, the Witch's personality is truly vile. What is this? Does she enjoy tormenting Subaru?"
"..."
Silence fell.
No one could think of a reason.
"I have a rather uncertain hypothesis. It's very speculative, so just hear me out."
Anastasia's words captured everyone's attention.
After glancing around, she continued:
"It's subjective. If Subaru consciously believes he's referring to 'Return by Death,' the taboo activates. But if he says it unintentionally without that awareness, the taboo doesn't trigger."
"Hmm... That's—interesting."
Roswaal appeared deep in thought.
"Ah, the screen's lighting up again."
Garfiel pointed at the screen.
—
[ [ "My friend... Well, regardless, I'm glad you came all this way. You must be quite busy right now, right?"
Subaru asked Reinhard.
"I wouldn't weigh busyness against friendship. But after tonight, I likely won't have another chance to apologize for a while. I'm leaving the capital to take Lady Felt to my family home. She still has much to learn, and there are things I must teach the newly hired personnel as well."
"I couldn't stop what happened at the training grounds. For that, I'm truly sorry. I'm ashamed I stood by and did nothing."
On screen, the red-haired superhuman Reinhard bowed his head in apology.
"W-wait, wait, wait. Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong!"
"That's not true, Subaru. Both you and Yuriusu are my friends. Failing to stop my friends from fighting reflects poorly on me." ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"This is... my mansion, correct?"
Crutch's voice came from off-screen.
"Be more confident, Lady Crusch. This is indeed the Karsten residence. Let's see... I believe this was after Subaru and Lady Emilia argued, and he was brought here to recover. Then Reinhard visited."
"Indeed. To this day, I still consider that duel a mistake, and my failure to prevent it was wrong. That's why I felt compelled to apologize."
Reinhard explained.
"'Teaching the newly hired personnel' must refer to Rachins, Gaston, and Camberley, right? They caused quite a bit of trouble from the start."
Felt recalled.
She remembered the three had initially tried to rob her before being instantly subdued by Reinhard, which led to their employment.
"Anyway, those were tough times. Grandpa and grandma were so strict... Wait, no, Reinhard was the strictest of all."
"My apologies. But it was necessary."
"Ugh, it's that proper, logical reasoning of yours I can't stand, Reinhard."
"..."
Carol being strict was understandable, but Grimm being equally harsh was somewhat unexpected.
Wilhelm mused.
"By the way, how—are they all doing? Especi—ally Carol. Consider this my grandmother asking after them."
"Thank you for your concern. They're all well. Please extend our gratitude to your grandmother for her past kindness."
"Of course, of course. Glad to hear they're well."
Roswaal waved dismissively at Reinhard.
—
[ [ After their farewell, the scene transitioned to a blue sky.
"You know... I don't think I've seen a single rainy day since coming here."
Subaru appeared to be lying in a garden.
"Shall we call it here?"
Wilhelm's voice rang out.
"No, one more round, please!"
Subaru stood up, swinging his wooden sword at Wilhelm.
The outcome was predictable.
"Your hands, feet, neck, waist, and face—you're overexerting everything."
Wilhelm effortlessly parried and sent Subaru flying again. ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"This was?"
Emilia inquired.
"At the time, Sir Subaru requested swordsmanship training. Though unworthy, I could at least offer some guidance in that area. But... I could tell Sir Subaru wasn't truly practicing. He was just venting frustration and deceiving himself, putting excessive force into every movement."
—
[ [ Subsequent scenes showed Subaru's daily routine during this period.
Namely, "swordsmanship practice" and recovering from injuries.
Then one day, Subaru went to buy Rinhar fruits with Rem.
At the stall, he noticed election notices posted.
"Hey kid, you alright? Hey!"
Subaru froze upon seeing Emilia's name on the notices, likely recalling past events.
The fruit vendor, Kadomon, noticed and snapped him out of it.
"Whoa! Don't scare me like that, old man! Your face could kill someone!"
"That's harsh! You were spacing out again just now. Do you have some condition or something?" ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"...It's different now."
Both Rem and Subaru Rem narrowed their eyes.
They'd sensed this earlier. In their memories, at this exact moment, Subaru's Witch's scent had intensified, and he'd suddenly dragged Rem away while spouting despairing words...
Given what tragic events would soon befall Subaru...
The two Rems grew increasingly worried...
—
[ [ Several uneventful days passed, with most viewers growing bored. But after a night of drinking with Crusch (though Subaru only had ice water), things changed the next morning.
"Sir Subaru, it seems we'll have to stop for today."
"Huh?"
During their usual "swordsmanship practice," Rem approached with a worried expression.
"Subaru-kun, Rem has something very important to tell you." ] ]