...
{3rd Pov}
'He thinks Subaru is… a Sin Archbishop? But why? What version of him lives here?'
Her hold on Subaru tightened.
Beatrice froze instantly, her body tensing up defensively as she turned to face the newcomer. The sight of him struck her with shock and surprise.
He had blazing red hair that shimmered like molten fire, piercing blue eyes that seemed to glow with intensity, and he wore the unmistakable uniform of a Royal Knight. Most notably, a dragon sheath hung at his side — a symbol of great power and prestige.
'Could he be the Sword Saint?' Beatrice wondered. 'If he weren't male, he might even resemble Reina… Could he be her cousin or some close relative?' With caution in her voice, she asked, "Who are you, exactly? I suppose you've come with some purpose?"
Reinhardt's expression remained calm and neutral, though a flicker of surprise crossed his face upon seeing Beatrice. He glanced toward Subaru's unconscious form with a grave look.
"Lady Beatrice, I have heard much about you — the Great Sage of the Library," Reinhardt spoke respectfully, though his attention quickly returned to the fallen Subaru.
"Are you Reina's cousin?" Beatrice pressed, subtly preparing a spell just in case things took a turn for the worse.
Earlier, Reinhardt had labeled Subaru as a Sin Archbishop — a designation Beatrice couldn't fully comprehend, but one that immediately put her on alert. It was clear this man was hostile to her contractor, whatever the reason.
"Reina? I have never come across that name among my ancestors," Reinhardt responded thoughtfully, assuming Beatrice was referring to some previous Sword Saint. Given that Beatrice had been alive for centuries, it was easy for him to misunderstand her meaning.
In truth, Reinhardt himself was surprised to find himself hesitating over the execution of Subaru. Despite his hatred for the man, he wanted Subaru to suffer for his crimes.
'For what he has done… he deserves torture. No matter how much I hate him or wish him dead, he must answer for his sins,' Reinhardt thought with cold resolve.
His hope was to capture Subaru alive — but if Subaru resisted, Reinhardt would have no hesitation in executing him on the spot.
"Lady Beatrice," Reinhardt said gravely, "the man you are carrying is the Witch Cult's Cardinal — the Sin Archbishop of Pride, Natsuki Subaru. He is the one responsible for the flames consuming Lugunica right now."
Beatrice was stunned. 'Wasn't Subaru being the Sin Archbishop of Pride just some cruel joke to rile up that stupid blue haired oni?' she thought in disbelief. 'But judging from all the signs… this must be a different timeline. Perhaps here, Subaru really is the Sin Archbishop.'
"You must have the wrong person. Betty's Subaru is not a Sin Archbishop, in fact!" Beatrice countered firmly, her words causing Reinhardt to raise an eyebrow in skepticism.
"Wrong person? I'm sorry, Lady Beatrice, but every one of my Divine Protections confirms that the man before me is indeed Natsuki Subaru," Reinhardt replied steadily.
Beatrice hesitated for a moment, weighing her options. She knew the current Sword Saint was incredibly strong. If Reinhardt possessed even a fraction of her own power, things could become dire.
'Damn it! I can't use my Door Crossing magic here! And I haven't even learned teleportation!' Beatrice thought, a pang of regret washing over her.
'If only I had used Subaru's telepathy to learn everything firsthand, we'd have had more time to develop new magic together. And if I'd spoken to my mother, I might have mastered full teleportation by now.'
Before Reinhardt could draw his sword, Beatrice's artificial spirit, Betty, quickly interjected, "He is indeed Natsuki Subaru, but wait! Betty's contractor is not the same Natsuki Subaru you think he is!"
Reinhardt's hand, which was already resting on the hilt of his sword — fortunately not the Dragon Sword — froze in place. His gaze locked onto Betty's eyes as he hesitated, curiosity flickering within him.
"Explain," Reinhardt commanded, his voice steady but edged with suspicion. His Divine Protection had signaled to him that Beatrice was, in fact, speaking the truth.
The fact that Subaru possessed two bodies only deepened Reinhardt's suspicion — 'Could this Subaru be nothing more than a decoy?' The thought nagged at him relentlessly.
Beatrice drew a deep, steadying breath, a wave of relief washing over her as she prepared to explain everything.
She began by describing how they hailed from a different world, a different timeline altogether — a reality parallel yet distinctly separate from Reinhardt's own.
She carefully detailed the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between their worlds, painting a vivid picture of the realities that coexisted yet never quite intersected.
She went further, recounting the story of Reinhardt's female counterpart, Reina Van Astrea, and her deep, unwavering love for Subaru — how she had chosen to dedicate herself to him, serving loyally and passionately.
Beatrice hoped this revelation would soften Reinhardt's hostile stance, perhaps even inspire a flicker of understanding or compassion.
Instead, Reinhardt's expression only grew colder, more unyielding.
"I have but one question," he said grimly. "Does Natsuki Subaru have any connection to the Witch?"
At once, Beatrice's confidence faltered; her body stiffened.
This was the moment she could not lie.
Subaru's connection to Echidna, the Witch of Greed, was an undeniable fact.
Bound in contract to her, he also had tenuous ties to other Witches — encounters she was aware of, regardless of which Witch was involved, even if it was not the Witch of Envy.
Subaru was undeniably connected to the Witch.
Reinhardt's eyes narrowed, sensing her hesitation. "As I suspected," he said coldly, "all that you have said before was naught but lies."
"No! That is not the case!" Beatrice protested swiftly, "Subaru is indeed connected to the Witch, but it is the Witch of Greed — the true master of Roswaal and Betty's mother! Unlike the Witch of Envy, she is a benevolent witch!"
Even as she said it, calling a Witch 'good' felt like an enormous risk, a dangerous claim.
Reinhardt chuckled darkly, the sound like steel grinding on stone. "Lady Beatrice, if you do not know, Lord Roswaal is dead. I was the one who killed him myself."
Beatrice was momentarily stunned. 'That buffoon is dead in this timeline?' she thought incredulously.
"First, you tell me you both come from another world, which is already hard enough to believe. If it were only he who came from another world, perhaps that would be more credible. But you've been residing in Roswaal's mansion for centuries," Reinhardt continued, his tone sharp and accusing.
Beatrice wanted to argue that Reinhardt's Divine Protection would reveal the truth, but he cut her off before she could speak.
"I do indeed possess a Divine Protection capable of detecting lies," Reinhardt said, "which is why, when you first began your story, I doubted it. My Divine Protection told me it was true."
"However, your story only grew more absurd from there. In your so-called timeline, I am a woman. Even if that were true, I would have chosen Felt — not someone tied to a Witch, someone with no loyalty to Lugunica as my master. Doing something like this would be nothing short of betrayal to the Kingdom. I cannot fathom why my female self would do anything so traitorous."
'Damn it?! How in the world is Betty supposed to explain to this thickheaded sword-swinging block of logic that women in love don't care about any of that?!'
Beatrice fumed internally, her tiny fists trembling. 'When a girl finds her husbando, logic goes straight out the window — all they want is to throw themselves at him and find the quickest way into his pants, I suppose!'
— ahem —
"Next, you claim my female self is deeply in love with Natsuki Subaru," Reinhardt continued, his voice dripping with disgust, "yet here I stand, filled with hatred, abhorring the very name of Natsuki Subaru. The idea that my other self could love this man is revolting."
Beatrice clenched her fists, internally fuming. 'Why is it my problem if his female counterpart is a crazy nymphomaniac for my contractor?'
"Lastly, after numerous encounters with Natsuki Subaru, during which he always managed to slip through my grasp, I have learned that he possesses a unique ability to exploit weaknesses in my Divine Protections. Therefore, it is not surprising that he could find a way to deceive my Lie-Sensing Protection."
"Still, it appears you are relying on some form of self-hypnosis or trickery to fool me. Fortunately, it seems you cannot lie to every question I ask. If you could, that would only confirm my suspicions that you are fabricating everything."
'That… actually makes sense, in fact!' Beatrice thought, feeling the weight of Reinhardt's logic pressing down on her. 'Why does everything he says sound so convincing?'
"So, regardless of whether that body is a mere decoy or truly his real form, it matters not. I must punish you for being a suspect in aiding a Sin Archbishop who has burned the capital to ashes. Lady Beatrice, hand him over to me."
With no hesitation, Beatrice's eyes flared with determination. "EL MINYAAA!" she shouted as dozens of crystallized mana stakes erupted from her hands, hurtling fiercely toward Reinhardt.
To be continued...
(A/N: Give me powerstones!
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