Chapter 60: Otto's First Appearance and the Eerie Village of Arlam
[ [ "Please, Subaru-kun, take care of yourself. I beg you, wait here for Rem to return—please.
Yours truly, Subaru-kun's Rem." ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Wow, Rem's such a great woman. Boss is really lucky,"
Garfiel said, visibly moved.
"Ah, to go this far for Subaru, who's making such a mess of himself right now… Little Rem really loves him, huh,"
Ferrisremarked.
"But the inn where Mr. Natsuki and Miss Rem are staying looks familiar… Back then, I also came to this area because of oil trade issues!"
Otto suddenly recalled.
In other words, this might be where I truly make my first appearance.
"..."
Meanwhile, Ram remained silent, but her fists were clenched tightly.
At the very least, keep this promise, Barusu.
And yet…
....
[ [ "I thought you'd understand me… I can't believe I actually thought that! Even you think I'm a useless good-for-nothing, Rem… I get it! If even you think I'm just deadweight and abandon me… If you don't believe in me, then I won't rely on you either."
Subaru still insisted on heading to the mansion.
"This village… There's no place to rent a dragon carriage, and the scheduled carriage won't come now… Wait, there must be traveling merchants..."
] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Isn't that the case?"
Ferris responded to Subaru's "Even you think I'm a useless good-for-nothing."
He didn't deny Subaru's desire to protect Lady Emilia, but in his current state, wasn't he exactly that? So full of ambition but lacking the skill, failing to recognize his own limits, even misunderstanding Rem's kindness.
No combat skills, no weapons, and the door's broken. What exactly can you do right now?
If you're just planning to use Return by Death to throw away your life for information, fine, but don't drag Rem into it.
Why bring others along if you're just going to die?
"N-no, Subaru-kun, Rem never thought that…"
On the other side, the two Rems looked hurt.
Rem never once considered Subaru-kun a good-for-nothing.
"Rem, don't take it to heart. This is Barusu's fault,"
Ram comforted Rem.
Barusu, how much longer are you going to keep acting foolish?
"But it looks like I'm really about to make my appearance? Ah, I know this guy!"
Otto, outside the scene, spoke up.
....
[ [ "Going to the Mathers domain? Sorry, I can't go there right now. But I know someone who might agree to your request."
In the scene, Subaru began searching for a traveling merchant but kept getting rejected.
Eventually, he met a thin man—the person Otto had mentioned earlier.
The man claimed to know someone suitable and led Subaru to a tavern…
"Thanks for waiting. This is the guy. Hey, Otto, introduce yourself."
The man pulled out a green-clad young man.
"Hello, ugh. I'm the guy he mentioned; my name is, ugh, Otto. Ugh."
Otto reeked of alcohol, introducing himself between bouts of vomiting. ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"My first appearance is way too disgraceful!"
Otto couldn't help but complain.
He had hoped for a more dignified first meeting with Mr. Natsuki, but instead, he was drunk, swaying, and vomiting while talking.
"Haha, Brother Otto, what a cool entrance!"
Garfiel laughed.
"My debut is already bad enough, could you not mock me further?!"
.....
[ [ "Mr. Natsuki! Please wake up! We're about to enter the Mathers domain!"
Earlier, Otto had received a hefty payment and agreed to take Subaru to the Mathers territory.
Now, they were almost there.
"You've done well, Otto. While I was napping, you worked like an ox…"
"Could you not phrase it in such a demotivating way?! Anyway, the Mathers Margrave's mansion is near that village called Arlam, right? Even though I've been drinking and staying up for two days straight, I actually feel great now! I'll take you straight to the mansion! Hehehe!" ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Somehow… I'd love to see Otto, Brother Otto, Ram, and early Rem chatting together. With all their sarcasm and snarky personalities, it'd be hilarious."
Al casually remarked.
"Hmm, Ferris thinks you could join the roasting squad too,"
Ferris teased, sticking out his tongue at Al.
....
[ [ "Otto! What's going on?! We're not at the destination yet. Why did you suddenly stop…?"
In the scene, Otto, who had been enthusiastic just moments ago, abruptly halted the dragon carriage.
"Mr. Natsuki. Is it right if I leave you here?"
"This isn't what we agreed on. What do you mean?"
"I'm… truly sorry. I intended to take you all the way. But I no longer dare to go further. I won't take the full payment—I'll return half. So please, let me turn back."
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
Subaru was bewildered.
"The land dragon… is terrified. And not just that, this whole area feels way too quiet! Land dragons can sense danger instinctively!"
"…Thanks for everything. Sorry for scaring you, Otto. I'll walk from here. It's fine, we're close now. Keep all the money."
"That's not… You can't go! Turn back with me! The fog is coming!"
"Sorry. I'm going."
"Mr. Natsuki, wait! Let's talk—really talk! Mr. Natsuki!"
Otto's pleas couldn't stop Subaru, who stubbornly pressed forward. ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"At least you left a good impression here, Brother Otto."
"A heartless merchant abandoning his employer at this point… Subaru is really kind, huh."
Anastasia remarked.
"…This must be Otto's last attempt to stop him. The mansion's people didn't want Barusu to come. Ferris tried to stop him, Rem tried to stop him. And now, at the very end, Otto—yet Barusu still insists on his way."
Ram frowned.
She was deeply worried about what might happen to Rem.
"It's the Witch Cult!"
Rem gasped.
....
[ [ In the scene, Subaru walked toward the mansion.
Suddenly, shadowy figures emerged.
The audience immediately recognized them—the infamous Witch Cultists.
Subaru froze in place, tense.
The cultists, too, stood still, staring at him.
Then, in unison, they bowed respectfully to Subaru before quickly scattering. ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"That was close. They must've mistaken Mr. Natsuki for a Sin Archbishop, right?"
Otto said.
Roswaal nodded in agreement.
"This scene feels familiar… Is this Arlam Village?"
Emilia murmured.
Then she noticed how unnaturally quiet the village was—so quiet it was eerie. A terrible sense of foreboding gripped her.
[ [ "…It's so quiet…" Subaru stepped into the deathly silent village of Arlam. ] ]