— WARNING, THIS CHAPTER MAY CONTAIN EXPLICIT SCENES, which is why the entire fic has been changed to a "Mature" rating —
[Shaula]: "MASTER!!!" The woman attacked Subaru mercilessly, knocking them both to the ground.
Subaru let out a cry of pain and surprise at the unexpected attack.
[Subaru]: "S-SHAULA?! Y-YOU'RE-..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a strong embrace.
[Shaula]: "MASTER! I WAS SO SCARED!"
The noisy woman squeezed Subaru even deeper into her chest as she continued to cry.
Shaula: "SOMEONE HAD BROKEN THE RULES AND I BECAME A KILLING MACHINE THAT TRIED TO KILL THE MASTER!"
Shaula began to submerge Subaru even deeper into her breasts.
[Subaru]: "HMMMMM?!"
[Shaula]: "AFTER THAT I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING, AND I APPEARED IN THIS STRANGE PLACE, PLEASE DON'T HATE ME, WAAAA"
Shaula began to cry as she squeezed Subaru even tighter, who was beginning to run out of oxygen.
[Subaru]: "MMMM! MMMM! (I'M CHOKING, LET ME GO!)"
Despite the comical situation, Subaru was really running out of air, his head trapped between Shaula's breasts.
He tried to free himself from her with all his might, but the scorpion had ridiculous strength.
Shaula continued to squeeze Subaru tighter and tighter, and he could swear he heard a rib breaking.
[Subaru]: *Damn it, I can't escape! I'm running out of air... and if that weren't enough, I feel like my body is being crushed... am I really going to die like this...?*
Subaru resigned himself to accepting death by suffocation, in a rather... peculiar way, and even enviable for some.
Subaru's attempts to break free were growing weaker and weaker, and Shaula's cries were becoming less and less audible, though not because she had realized what was happening and let go of him, but because the lack of oxygen made it increasingly difficult for him to hear her voice.
Subaru slowly began to lose consciousness. "Really, what a pathetic death... I'll be more careful next time..."
Slowly losing consciousness, Subaru said goodbye to the world.
Natsuki Subaru died...
[???]: "SUBARU!"
A voice echoed through the house, the voice of the person who had saved him.
[Shaula]: "Huh?"
Shaula, confused by the person's arrival, unconsciously loosened her grip on Subaru, allowing him to break free.
[Subaru]: "HAAA."
Subaru managed to break free from Shaula and began to catch his breath.
[Emilia]: "Subaru, are you okay?! I heard a thud and came to—"
Emilia was explaining her arrival when she realized the situation Subaru was in.
There was Shaula, who after the events of the Pleiades Watchtower, had turned into a small scorpion, completely naked and on the floor suffocating Subaru with her breasts.
Subaru, on the other hand, didn't even know where to begin to explain the situation he had gotten himself into.
[Subaru]: *HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?!*
Subaru was incredulous, unable to believe the situation he had gotten himself into.
[Subaru]: *DAMN IT, I KNEW SHAULA WAS CRAZY, BUT NOT THIS CRAZY?!*
Subaru knew when he went upstairs that he would most likely meet Shaula in her human form again, and although he was expecting a loving and clingy response from her, he never expected that kind of response.
[Subaru]: *AND SHE EVEN ALMOST KILLED ME BY SUFFOCATING ME IN HER...*
Thinking about the situation carefully, Subaru blushed so red that a new meaning could be defined for the color red.
Subaru looked up and saw Shaula.
[Shaula]: "Ah! Master?"
Shaula stopped staring at Emilia and turned her gaze to Subaru.
Subaru began to scan Shaula from head to... where he had recently been suffocating, and where he would have actually died if it weren't for Emilia's rescue, that is, her... breasts...
[Shaula]: "Master?"
Shaula tilted her head in confusion, because even though she was overflowing with happiness at being with her master, he had given up his futile attempts to escape her love, and was now staring at her with a blank look, his whole face red.
[Shaula]: "'M-Master? Are you feeling okay? You look all red, do you have a fever...?"
Shaula, completely unlike her usual cheerful and outgoing personality, was acting fearful and delicate.
Shaula touched Subaru's forehead, and after confirming that he didn't have a fever, she was even more confused and frightened.
[Shaula]: "M-Master? You're starting to scare me, 'Please say something! Oh! I know what to do!
While Shaula had come up with an idea to snap Subaru out of his trance, his mind was in chaos.
Although he knew Shaula was naked when he saw her, Subaru didn't have time to process that information because of Shaula's sudden surprise attack, coupled with the attempted murder, which prevented him from thinking about his situation.
[Subaru]: *IS SHE CRAZY? DOES SHE HAVE NO COMMON SENSE?! HOW THE HELL AM I GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS SITUATION ALIVE?! AND EVEN THOUGH EMILIA SAVED ME FROM CERTAIN DEATH, NOW SHE'S GOING TO THINK I'M A DEGENERATE PERVERT—Well, she's probably too innocent to know the implications, BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT! HOW AM I GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS! NO MATTER HOW INNOCENT SHE IS, HAVING A COMPLETELY NAKED WOMAN ON TOP OF ME IS DEFINITELY GOING TO TRIGGER SOME HIDDEN BUTTON!*
While Shaula continued to rub against Subaru's body, trying to bring him back, she succeeded!
Although the one who got up...
wasn't Subaru.
[Subaru]: *N-NO WAY, R-RIGHT NOW?!*
Subaru began cursing every god he knew, because all Shaula's movements, trying to get him to get up, worked, although she woke up something else...
Subaru's "friend" had woken up instead of Subaru.
Subaru didn't move, as he honestly didn't know what to do, while Shaula began to shake him to bring him back to his senses, and Emilia had a dull expression on her face.
[Shaula]: "Oh?" Shaula seemed to feel something at her master's lower body, but she was interrupted by Emilia's words.
[Emilia]: "...Subaru...?"
[Subaru]: "HIGK!"
Hearing Emilia's low voice, Subaru managed to push Shaula aside and get to his knees instantly.
[Subaru]: "E-E-EMILIA-TAN! I KNOW THIS LOOKS REALLY BAD, BUT I CAN EXPLAIN, I'M NOT CHEATING ON YOU—OW!"
While Subaru desperately tried to clear his name, Emilia, contrary to what Subaru thought, pulled his ear hard, like a child.
[Subaru]: "EMILIA-TAN! PLEASE DON'T BE ANGRY, IT'S NOT MY FAULT! SHAULA JUMPED ON ME WITHOUT MY CONSENT AND THEN ALMOST SUFFOCATED ME WITH... ALMOST SUFFOCATED ME!"
Subaru didn't want to finish saying that she was going to suffocate him, since Emilia had witnessed it and reminding her would only make things worse for him.
[Emilia]: "Don't worry, Subaru, I just came because I heard a noise of something falling, and then I could hear you screaming! And when I came, you were like this! Don't be afraid, you're safe now!" Emilia said with a somewhat... strange smile, different from her usual genuine and compassionate smiles.
[Subaru]: "S-so you're not angry...?" Subaru asked, confused.
[Emilia]: "Why would I be angry?" Emilia asked, still with that smile on her face.
[Subaru]: "Nothing... then, if you're not angry, why are you pulling my ear...?" Subaru knew it was a question he shouldn't ask, but it just came out naturally.
[Emilia]: "Ah, that? I don't know, but something inside me tells me to do it!" Emilia replied enthusiastically.
[Subaru]: "I see..." Subaru thought about objecting, but came to the conclusion that it would only make things worse, so he decided to accept his punishment in silence.
[Shaula]: "Master~!" Shaula tried to pounce on Subaru again, but he reacted faster and managed to avoid the hug by pushing her back.
[Subaru]: "Shaula! Don't you—" Subaru was about to scold Shaula for her lack of common sense and manners in throwing herself at him completely naked, but when he noticed that she was still naked, he turned his head away out of respect and embarrassment, even though he continued to push Shaula away with his arms.
[Emilia]: "Ah, Shaula! I see you've regained your human form, how nice!" Emilia came out of her previous state and started talking to the naked girl.
[Shaula]: "That's right! I've returned to my sexy and beautiful form for the Master! Being a scorpion again sucks!" Shaula turned around completely to show off her body again, although with the not-so-hidden purpose of taking advantage of her Master seeing her, causing Subaru to immediately turn his head in the opposite direction, blushing.
[Emilia]: "I see, that's wonderful news!" she said, taking her hands with a smile.
Emilia was genuinely happy for Shaula.
For some reason, Shaula, who was usually only interested in being touched by her Master, did not reject or move away from this gesture.
Was it because, deep down, Shaula wanted a friend?
Or was it something else...?
[Shaula]: "RIGHT?! Now that I'm no longer a scorpion, it wouldn't be considered bestiality anymore! And even so, that wouldn't stop me—" Shaula began making very questionable comments as she spoke enthusiastically, forcing Subaru to intervene.
[Subaru]: "WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT WORD?!" Subaru had a lot of problems at that moment, so he started to fix them as best he could.
[Emilia]: "Bestiality? What does that word mean, Subaru?"
[Subaru]: "NOTHING IMPORTANT! THERE ARE MANY THINGS WRONG RIGHT NOW. FIRST OF ALL, WHEN DID YOU BECOME FRIENDS? NO, FIRST OF ALL, WHY ARE YOU TALKING WHILE ONE OF YOU IS NAKED IN FRONT OF A BOY! WHERE IS YOUR COMMON SENSE!"
Subaru pointed his finger, though without looking at her for obvious reasons, while Shaula chose the path of innocence and looked away, trying to avoid responsibility, as if to say, "I don't know what you're talking about, I'm not doing anything wrong!"
[Emilia]: "That's right!" Emilia seemed to have realized what was going on.
Subaru began to be grateful that despite Emilia's enormous innocence, she still retained some common sense.
[Emilia]: "If we keep talking like this, she might get cold!" Emilia stated confidently.
Or maybe she really didn't have any common sense at all.
[Shaula]: "That's no problem, I'm not cold! Although if Master wants to warm me up—"
[Subaru]: "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!" Subaru was beginning to lose his sanity.
Two girls with absolutely no common sense.
[Subaru]: "AT LEAST PUT SOMETHING ON BEFORE YOU SPEAK, AREN'T YOU ASHAMED?!"
[Shaula]: "Don't worry, Master, if you want, you can see me naked all day, and if you want, we can also—"
[Subaru]: "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!"
Subaru couldn't take it anymore, so he covered his face with one hand and headed for his room.
— Natsuki House, first floor. —
At the same time, Shaula lunges at Subaru:
*FALL*
[Everyone]: "!!!"
There was a noise of something falling, causing everyone to try to go upstairs to see what had happened.
[Naoko and Kenichi]: "SON!"
In unison, both parents shouted their son's name in concern, and getting up from the couch, they were heading for the stairs.
Although Subaru had told them not to worry, his warnings had been vague, and they didn't know what was going on with him.
What if something had happened to him? What if he had hit his head and was unconscious?
They couldn't take that risk.
Not again.
The rest of the group also intended to follow them and got up, heading toward Subaru.
Although Subaru had said he would be fine, and they trusted his word, it didn't hurt to make sure, right?
They all headed for the stairs, when...
[Beatrice]: "Stop."
With an authoritative voice, something that one would think impossible for a girl of that appearance to have, Beatrice stopped everyone from moving.
Everyone froze and stopped moving, but Subaru's parents were getting more and more nervous.
[Kenichi]: "Beako? W-What do you mean by that?"
Kenichi was startled by the sudden change in Beatrice's voice, as the shift from adorable Loli to demon king Loli was too much to ignore.
Beatrice sighed wearily, as if she didn't want to explain the obvious, but she replied nonetheless.
[Beatrice]: "The same thing I just said, I guess."
[Naoko]: "But Beatrice-chan, what if Subaru is in danger—"
Naoko tried to argue back, so she could go rescue her son as soon as possible.
[Beatrice]: "Subaru is fine, there's nothing to worry about, I guess."
[Naoko]: "But...!"
[Beatrice]: "Subaru said he would ask for help if he needed it, and besides, I have a pretty good idea of what's going on..."
Beatrice said as she looked in the direction Subaru was.
Everyone calmed down and followed the spirit's order, sitting back down, though they were still worried inside.
Beatrice noticed that Naoko and Kenichi did not sit back down, and were clenching their fists, debating whether to go or not.
Beatrice smiled slightly, almost imperceptibly, but genuinely.
[Beatrice]: *They care so much about you, Subaru...*
Beatrice saw the faces of her contractor's parents, full of concern and love.
[Beatrice]: *My goodness, what a troubled family.
Beatrice looked them both in the eyes and pointed her finger in another direction.
[Beatrice]: "Haa... look over there."
Beatrice sighed again, although unlike the first sigh, which was due to exhaustion, this one was more out of pride.
Subaru's parents turned their heads and saw the obsidian dragon calmly curled up, observing the situation with her yellow eyes.
Naoko and Kenichi didn't know what she meant, so the spirit proceeded to explain.
[Beatrice]: "Earth dragons, when they have a very strong bond with their riders, are known to be overprotective, defending their rider even if it costs them their lives."
Beatrice looked at Patrasche, who was still watching everything, and fixed her gaze on her.
The two exchanged glances for a few seconds, and Beatrice continued.
[Beatrice]: "She, in particular, is hostile to almost all strangers, and Subaru has a hard time convincing her not to attack them."
Kenichi seemed to understand where she was going with this, and calmed down a little.
[Beatrice]: "They are also capable of sensing the emotions of those around them and knowing whether or not they are a threat to their rider."
Although this was partly true, that earth dragons would show hostility even without sensing malicious intent, it was a matter of pride, and even more so considering Patrasche's lineage and personality.
[Beatrice]: "She's not upset in the slightest; in fact, she's calm, which means she doesn't sense any danger."
Subaru's parents understood the point, and although still concerned, they sat down.
[Naoko]: "I see, I understand..."
Everyone calmed down, and just when everything seemed fine...
[Emilia]: "?!
Emilia seemed to hear or sense something, and ran to the stairs to rescue Subaru.
Everyone was on guard again, and Beatrice had to stop them once more.
[Beatrice]: "Let only her go, I suppose, out of respect."
Rem couldn't hold back and started talking.
[Rem]: "But Beatrice-sama! Emilia-sama sensed something, what if Subaru-kun is in danger?!"
Rem bit her lip in frustration, as she too had had a feeling calling her to save her hero, but since she couldn't walk...
[Beatrice]: "I know, but believe me, servant, nothing dangerous is happening up there."
The voices of Subaru and Emilia could be heard above, along with a third voice belonging to a woman unknown to Rem and the couple.
Beatrice could sense Subaru's emotions at that moment through their bond, and she could feel how he felt immense shame, as well as happiness of the same magnitude.
However, she also felt a strange and unexpected emotion... Lust?
Beatrice was confused by this, frowning in confusion.
"Natsuki residence, second floor."
Subaru entered his room and took a sheet from his bed, handing it to Shaula without looking.
[Subaru]: "Take this at least!"
Subaru held out his hand with the sheet.
Shaula opened her eyes at this gesture and stood motionless with her mouth open, a memory completely overwhelming her.
...
...
...
— ??? —
She couldn't hear anything.
She couldn't feel anything.
She didn't remember much about the emotions she felt at that moment, but she could bet it was a mixture of fear and awe.
She could hear sounds and voices she didn't understand.
She wanted to be there with them.
She fought with all her strength and managed to open her eyes.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Whoa... It really worked, ▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️!
A hooded man in a black robe spoke to a #### of ##### stature who was riding in a #####
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Of course it was going to work, even though I look like this ########, I'm still the br▪️▪️▪️ of ## ###a!
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "But ▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️, I still wonder why you need a #########?
A delicate and beautiful voice, coming from a woman standing next to the man, asked curiously.
She couldn't remember their faces, nor certain words they had said.
But for some reason, she wasn't afraid.
She felt a sense of familiarity with these people at that moment.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "... ##### ## ### ###### Ec###na, she #### ## #### help ## ##, ## role ### ######## ## ##, ### ### ## future, ## ######## #### me… ## that ### ### ########## ###, # ## ####### ## Pleiades #### ######## ##########.
The man seemed to grimace with fatigue, but he turned his gaze back to her.
No matter how hard she tried to remember, the man's words sounded distorted and blurred.
[Shaula]: "!"
She froze when his eyes locked onto hers.
As she focused completely on him, she could smell him.
His smell was horrible and repulsive, as if all the hatred and sin in the world were a smell.
Anyone who could smell it would undoubtedly run away from him as fast as they could.
Far away.
Very far.
Without looking back.
However, before she tried to flee, she noticed something.
His eyes.
That man's eyes were terrifying, and they seemed to carry a great weight, as if he were suffering.
But at the same time, they were full of compassion and love.
A bad person shouldn't have eyes like that.
He seemed like a good person, so she decided to stay.
They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, until the man decided to make the first move.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Judging by your reaction... you can smell it, can't you?"
[Shaula]: "?"
She turned her head in confusion.
She didn't know what he meant specifically, but she assumed it was something related to her horrible stench.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Well, I guess it makes sense considering who your ##### is, and your race."
The man sighed when he saw that she wasn't responding to his words.
She realized that the person in the ##### also had a horrible smell like him.
They were both horrible, but at the same time... so different.
The woman next to the man waved at her with a gentle, affectionate smile.
Her smell was nothing like the man's, as unlike him, it was beautiful and peaceful.
Something she noticed was that the woman had ########### ears and long ######## hair, as well as ######## eyes that she found beautiful.
The other woman was shorter than the other two people and was wearing a #####.
For some reason, she felt a deep connection to her, and her scent was quite familiar, although it was still disgusting.
She kept staring at her for a moment, but the person seemed to notice that.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Don't be afraid, my dear, after all, I brought you into this world, hehehe."
She didn't understand who she was, but she knew she wasn't a danger.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "By the way ▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️, shouldn't we give her some clothes? She could get sick, you know?"
The woman seemed to scold the man, making him realize the detail he had overlooked.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Y-You're right! But we don't have anything to give her right now... I know!"
The man seemed to have an idea, causing her to look at him again.
The man approached slowly, probably so as not to scare her, and knelt in front of her.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Here, use this for a while until we get some real clothes."
The man took off his tunic and held it out to her.
She wanted to see his face, but the sun's rays prevented her from seeing it completely, though she could make out a gentle smile on the man's face.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "You can't do it? There's no help for it then, let me do it for you. Manners make the man, or so they say, right?"
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "I don't think that applies right now, but I support the spirit!"
The woman joked with the man.
The man covered her with his robe, covering her completely.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Okay, okay, now what's next is..."
She looked at him curiously.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Your name... Do you want to know it?"
She didn't know what a "name" was, but she felt she should know, so she nodded.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Your name will be... Shaula. Do you like it?"
She kept looking at him, not knowing what to do.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Where I come from, that name has a special meaning, and considering your race, it suits you perfectly. Come on, try saying it."
The man gently stroked her head, making any fear she had vanish in that moment.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Come on, try saying it, S-H-A-U-L-A, S-H-A-U-L-A."
At the man's insistence, she tried to copy the sound.
[Shaula]: "S-S-S-Shaula."
It took her some effort to say it, but in the end she managed.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Awww, how adorable you are, Shaula!"
The woman put both hands over her mouth, holding back the urge to run and hug her.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "I won't deny that, but you're just as adorable, if not more so, ▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️!"
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️, silly!"
The woman blushed at the man's words and looked away in the opposite direction.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Hey, you two, flirting in public again? You're going to have to cook me a big feast to make up for it!"
The three people laughed out loud, while she remained confused, but taking advantage of the confusion, she blurted out her question.
[Shaula]: "W-What's your name?"
She asked timidly.
She didn't know why she was asking that, but something inside her told her to do so.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "Oh, me?"
The man looked at her with a big smile full of confidence and assurance.
[▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️]: "I am...
Shaula!
The man's words were interrupted by someone calling her, but none of the people around her seemed to be calling her.
[Subaru]: "Shaula!"
Subaru's voice snapped Shaula out of her trip down memory lane.
A good trip.
— Present —
...
...
...
Confused, Subaru decided to take it himself when he saw that she wasn't going to.
[Subaru]: *Damn it! Why is this happening to me! And on top of that, in front of Emilia-tan!
Subaru complained inwardly as he wrapped Shaula in the blanket to cover her.
Shaula didn't move at all by this gesture.
When he was done, he slowly opened one eye to make sure he had covered her completely.
[Subaru]: "?!
When she opened her eyes, the sight completely baffled him.
Shaula had tears in her eyes, and a look full of nostalgia and happiness.
[Emilia]: "Shaula?"
Emilia, noticing Shaula's sudden change, asked in confusion.
[Subaru]: "Shaula?" Subaru called the girl by her name, and unlike before when he spoke to her with annoyance, this time his voice was full of concern and compassion, speaking softly.
Shaula seemed to wake up from her state, as she blinked and stared at Subaru.
They looked at each other, while Shaula's tears kept flowing...
[Subaru]: "Shaula?"
Subaru asked a second time, as he still had not received a response.
[Emilia]: "Shaula, are you feeling okay? Does anything hurt?"
Shaula looked at Subaru with teary eyes and slowly moved toward him.
Subaru was taken aback by Shaula's action, thinking that she would start saying silly things and the like.
Shaula raised her arms and gently hugged Subaru.
[Subaru]: "?!"
Subaru thought she would start doing something like before, so he immediately prepared to push her away, but Shaula said nothing and just hugged him tightly as tears continued to flow from her eyes.
Subaru was stunned by this outcome and looked at Emilia for answers.
Emilia said nothing, though her mouth was slightly open in surprise.
Emilia nodded to him, letting him know that he should comfort Shaula.
Subaru didn't know what to do, so he timidly returned the hug.
Shaula was surprised by this action, causing her to start crying.
[Subaru]: "S-Shaula? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Emilia knew she shouldn't interfere in this intimate moment, so she just watched silently.
[Shaula]: "Master... I was so scared, really."
Shaula continued to hug him with a force that almost began to break his bones, but Subaru said nothing and endured it silently.
[Shaula]: "I was scared that... I was going to lose him... forever... and — *HIK* — and because of me."
Shaula buried her face in Subaru's chest as she continued to cry.
[Shaula]: "I'm sorry, I— *HIK* —I-I didn't want to lose you, and this time forever. I wasn't myself back then, but please... don't hate me!"
Shaula hugged him so tightly that he could swear he could hear the creaking of his bones, but she didn't let go.
[Shaula]: "I know I don't deserve it after trying to kill him, but still!... I know it's an unreasonable and selfish request, but I beg you, please... don't push me away..."
Shaula began to cry harder as she finished what she had to say.
Subaru remained silent, not knowing what to say in the face of this girl's tears.
[Subaru]: *Does she really feel so guilty for someone like me? It doesn't make sense... I'm not the person she's been waiting for so long...*
Subaru bit his lip in indignation.
[Subaru]: *But the one who is guilty... the one who abandoned her alone for 400 years and forced her to become a killing machine without a conscience, after she thought she had found the person she loved again...*
Subaru clenched his fist tightly.
Because he knew who was to blame for this girl's suffering.
[Subaru]: *The "Sage" Flugel...*
Subaru didn't know who he was, what his motives were for abandoning Shaula, or his reasons for creating the Watchtower of the Pleiades.
He didn't know his intentions, his desires, or even his face.
But he was sure of one thing.
Natsuki Subaru hated him.
Natsuki Subaru hated the Sage Flugel.
He was the one who had forced Shaula to kill them in several failed loops, and he was responsible for their 400 years of loneliness.
But if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that if he ever came face to face with him,
He would make him pay for everything he had done.
;)
Subaru, making sure Shaula had finished what she had to say, took his chance to speak.
He hesitated a little about whether it was the right thing to do, but nevertheless, he timidly reached out his hand to her head and began to stroke her hair while speaking to her in a calm voice.
Subaru decided to follow what his heart told him he had to do.
[Subaru]: "It's not your fault."
Shaula froze immediately at the unexpected gesture, but she didn't protest.
Shaula seemed surprised to hear those words, but Subaru didn't give her a chance to protest and didn't stop.
[Subaru]: "It's not your fault, so don't blame yourself for it. I know you lost your consciousness and stopped being yourself when you turned into that giant scorpion."
Subaru continued to slowly stroke her hair.
[Subaru]: "I can't say you didn't cause any trouble, hell, you caused a lot of trouble, but it wasn't because you wanted to."
Subaru noticed how Shaula lost her stiffness and her body began to relax.
Subaru concluded that it was not appropriate to continue saying that she was not the person she thought she was at that moment.
When she was calmer and more relaxed, he would have to tell her, but not now.
So, even though he hated it with every fiber of his being, he decided to pretend to be Shaula's Master.
The footsteps of a person climbing the stairs could be heard, but because Subaru was totally focused on Shaula, he didn't notice this.
The person who had come up was...
— Natsuki House, first floor, a few moments ago. —
The noises and voices from above began to unsettle the guests below, especially the owners of the house.
Although the sounds from above could not be fully understood, the voices and what was being said above could be distinguished in broad terms.
Subaru's voice could be heard clearly, as could Emilia's, although there was also the voice of a third person whom almost everyone knew.
A female voice that seemed to be crying about something, and apparently Subaru talking to her, although it was impossible to understand what they were saying.
This made the married couple nervous.
[Naoko]: "W-Whose voice is that?! And why is she crying?!" Naoko asked anxiously, as she had mentally ruled out that it was Meili-chan, because even though she couldn't tell who it was, 1) she should still be asleep, and 2) more importantly, that voice was clearly that of an adult woman, although what made it more confusing was that it had a slight childish tone to it.
But if it wasn't Meili, then who was it?
Was it another friend of Subaru's that she didn't know yet?
As he theorized about the identity of the new crying voice, which Subaru was so vague about explaining, he came up with a hypothesis.
The other person, or in this case animal, they had met yesterday, excluding Patrasche, was...!
The sticky scorpion, Shaula!
Upon reaching that conclusion, he began to remember what they had said about her.
What had they mentioned?
As he began to search his memory, he found it.
That she was a girl who was very attached to Subaru for some reason.
That Meili-chan had called her a "half-naked onee-chan"
...?
Who called Subaru his... Master?
...?
That he always wore underwear?
...…?
That Subaru enjoyed being called that?
...?
That she was crazy about her son?
......?
As she created a psychological profile in her mind, she couldn't help but imagine one of those "Succubi" from the stories her son watched, and she couldn't help but think of an inappropriate relationship.
Ashamed of having such impure thoughts, she quickly pushed them out of her mind.
Once she had pushed those thoughts away, she tried to see the bright side.
But at least they weren't... bad things, I guess?
Naoko was very curious and interested in the new person who would come into her life unexpectedly.
And especially interested in her relationship with her son.
Kenichi, who was also surprised by the new voice, spoke up.
[Kenichi]: "I-It's clearly the voice of a w-"
Kenichi stopped abruptly, apparently realizing something.
[Kenichi]: *Ohohoho, Subaru, it can't be what I'm thinking, right...?*
Kenichi immediately came up with a theory, even though it was so unrealistic and straight out of an anime that it should be totally impossible, but nevertheless...
He came up with a hypothesis similar to his wife's, although he was thinking about very different things than she was.
[Kenichi]: *Subaru is clearly after those girls, Emilia and Rem... so it shouldn't be totally wrong to think that there could be another girl...
After all, where one fits, two fit, and where two fit, three fit, right?*
Kenichi let out a proud smile involuntarily.
[Kenichi]: *But... there's no way. My Subaru can't be that popular with women... right?*
Kenichi didn't want to believe it.
It couldn't be that his son was a magnet for girls.
Right?
Right?
Kenichi began to imagine a non-existent world that no one except him had any idea he was thinking about, even though he did so with a silly smile on his face.
The rest of the otherworldly guests came to the correct conclusion that the crying voice belonged to Shaula, whom they had mistakenly believed to be the Sage in the first place, because the voice was undoubtedly very similar to the one they remembered from her, although it was a little distorted due to her crying.
Although they weren't sure why she was crying, they didn't bother to think about it too much, since Subaru and Emilia were there with her, and they would undoubtedly take care of her.
Although with Shaula's childish personality, it could be that she had bumped into something and was making a big deal out of it...?
There was no way to know until they returned.
All the guests from another world had thought about that.
Except for a certain blue maiden.
Rem, having never interacted with or seen Shaula except for her scorpion form the night before, couldn't tell who she was just from her voice.
On the other hand, she had another way of recognizing people or things.
Her sense of smell.
Sniffing the air and concentrating on the second floor, she could distinguish the very noticeable and obvious scent of Subaru, who was bathed in the witch's aroma, and that of Emilia.
He could also recognize Meili's faint scent in the guest room where they had slept, but her scent remained in the same place.
But the fourth scent next to Subaru...
It was a smell different from that of any human or semi-human, although quite similar to that of a mabestia.
The scent of this... woman, as far as she could tell from her voice, also smelled like a witch, although to a much lesser extent.
The witch's scent immediately alerted her, and with an unconscious reaction, she tried to stand up to attack the bearer of that scent.
Clearly, having been asleep for over a year had taken its toll on her body, and she failed to stand up.
For some reason, the more she exerted herself physically, the weaker and more tired she felt, accompanied by pain.
Rem didn't know why this was happening, but for now she decided to attribute it to her comatose state.
[Ram]: "R-Rem? What's wrong?"
Ram, with her usual calm yet concerned tone, asked her sister, who had apparently tried to stand up out of nowhere.
Rem realized what she had done and quickly apologized.
[Rem]: "I-I'm sorry, sister. I didn't mean to worry you... it-it was just an involuntary action..."
[Ram]: "Is that so...?"
Ram, sensing Rem's emotions, realized that she was telling the truth, but at the same time, she wasn't...?
Rem realized what her sister was thinking, so she tried to explain quickly.
[Rem]: "I-I just wanted to go with Subaru-kun because... well..."
Failing to come up with an excuse, her silence only confirmed Ram's suspicions that something else was going on, but she assumed it was something related to curiosity about the voice of the perverted woman Rem didn't know, and she must have been surprised by this.
[Ram]: "I see... all right. But if anything hurts or you feel anything, tell me right away."
Ram said to her sister with concern.
[Rem]: "Sister..."
Rem was moved by how much her sister cared, that she noticed such a slight action.
[Rem]: "Thank you, Onee-sama. I'm fine, but thank you for your concern."
Rem gave her sister a small smile, to which she responded with one of her own.
Exhaling, she began to calm down and think rationally.
[Rem]: *No, there's no way Subaru-kun could be friends with a cultist. What were you thinking, Rem?*
Rem gave herself a little mental scolding for doubting her hero, even if only for a moment.
Analyzing the smell more thoroughly, she identified it as very similar to the smell of the scorpion they had referred to as Shaula.
Although there were some clear differences in its scent, such as the fact that it did not have the witch's scent before, but now it did.
Realizing that the voice must belong to the scorpion, a tremor ran through his entire body.
According to what he had been told, this scorpion... no, this woman, called her beloved "Master," was crazy about him, and, according to his sister, was always in her underwear.
...
Negative thoughts couldn't help but enter his mind.
She hadn't considered her a "love rival" because she thought it was said as a joke, and besides, she was a scorpion.
A scorpion.
But that voice was undoubtedly human.
So she had regained her former human form...?
A sharp pain settled in her chest.
She didn't like this woman.
...
As his curiosity and interest reached their peak, Shaula's crying reached its peak, echoing throughout the house.
Naoko, unable to resist going to see what was happening, got up and ignored all the voices telling her to wait.
Beatrice, seeing this, exhaled in exhaustion.
[Beatrice]: *Subaru, I did everything I could, I guess. The rest is up to you, although Betty will undoubtedly demand her pats on the head later for having delayed her long enough...!*
Beatrice had a pretty good idea of what was going on upstairs, especially from the emotions she was sensing from her contractor.
Emotions that were quite confusing and contradictory.
— Present —
Naoko came across an image she never expected to see in a million years.
It was her son hugging a tall woman with long brown hair and an excellent figure, who apparently had nothing on except a sheet that looked quite similar to the one Subaru had on his bed...
The two were hugging tightly, and Subaru was stroking the hair of the woman, whom she assumed was Shaula.
A very compromising situation.
Naoko opened her mouth, not even knowing where to start, when Emilia stopped her.
Naoko looked at Emilia in confusion, who shook her head and put a finger to her mouth as a sign of silence.
Emilia didn't want to interrupt the moment Subaru and Shaula were having, as Shaula was clearly not well, and Subaru was helping her.
Subaru was just helping her, just as he had helped her dozens of times, so there was nothing wrong with that.
Although, just like Rem at that moment, a sharp pain could be felt in her chest.
Still, she decided to remain silent until Subaru finished cheering Shaula up.
Naoko seemed to understand Emilia's signal, so she just stood silently watching, as she couldn't help but feel immense curiosity.
Why didn't Emilia separate Subaru from that other woman? Did she agree to... that kind of thing...?
Subaru was totally focused on the scorpion woman and didn't sense the presence of the new person.
Something he would soon regret.
[Subaru]: "You caused a lot of trouble, and I mean that!"
Subaru said with a small chuckle.
[Subaru]: "And although I can't say I was angry at the time, I'm not angry anymore now that I fully understand the context."
Shaula stopped sobbing on his chest.
[Subaru]: "But I know that you're not the one to blame, Shaula, and that you didn't mean to hurt us."
[Shaula]: "But I attacked him, Master... I could have killed him... HOW CAN YOU NOT HATE ME FOR THAT!"
Shaula cried out desperately to her Master with tears streaming down her face.
[Subaru confirmed the identity of this woman to his mother, although without knowing it.
Naoko didn't understand anything, and why Shaula was talking as if she had been about to kill her son.
Shaula]: "If I had killed him... I could never forgive myself..."
Shaula said quietly, sadly.
Subaru fell silent and began to remember how Shaula had told them that breaking any of the tower's rules would cause her to turn into that black scorpion that would kill everything in her path, especially him.
The one who had imposed those rules on her was the Sage Flugel.
Although Subaru still didn't understand why Shaula had to focus on killing him specifically, his "Master," he decided to think about that another time.
He remembered how Shaula didn't want to become that, to lose all her humanity and consciousness, and to murder the person she loved.
He closed his eyes, concentrating fully on his memories to remember.
Although not his own.
He remembered how, in a failed loop, Natsuki Subaru and Shaula had had a conversation.
Shaula had hidden the fifth and most important rule of the tower from them to prevent them from completing the trials.
One would think that since she was the Guardian of the tower, she would prevent them from conquering it in order to protect it, right?
They couldn't be more wrong.
The real reason she hid the fifth rule from him was that...
[Shaula]: "If I tell him the fifth rule... the Master will figure out how to pass the Trials. That's why, if I tell him... If I end up mentioning that rule...
my time with the Master will be over."
Shaula didn't want the trials to be completed, because that meant he would leave.
And he would leave her alone.
Again.
Shaula expressed with immeasurable pain and sadness how much he meant to her.
How she had only spent two days with him, and told him that they made 400 years of loneliness worthwhile.
But even so, she still didn't want to let him go.
She said he was everything to her, and she didn't want to be alone again.
Even after confessing the truth to him, even after asking him if she would take her own life if he asked her to.
Even after failing to save her dozens of times.
What she said to him back then still echoed in his head even now.
[Shaula]: "Master... Do you hate me for lying to you?
[Shaula]: "Do you hate me and never want to see me again?"
Saying those words with more pain than when she was asked to die.
Considering that hating her was much worse than dying.
How she had endured 400 years of suffering for his love.
Shaula looked at him with despair and fear, waiting for him to say what she never wanted to hear.
Subaru opened his eyes and, looking at her, repeated the words he had already said before.
[Subaru]: "I couldn't hate you, even if I tried."
Subaru pulled away from the embrace a little and wiped her tears with his hand.
Shaula opened her eyes wide and looked at him in surprise.
[Subaru]: "I know I can't comprehend the magnitude of living 400 years in solitude, and all the suffering you must have endured because of it."
[Subaru]: "But one thing I do know is how much you endured in silence. That behind your cheerful and energetic facade, you hide a lot of pain that you couldn't tell anyone about."
Subaru spoke from his own experience, which served perfectly in this case.
[Subaru]: "I know you must have been on the verge of giving up hundreds of times. I know you must have been on the verge of ending it all. I know I can't... fix the past... and change that."
Shaula looked at him with total admiration in her eyes, feeling her breath catch in her throat.
[Subaru]: "But no matter how much it hurt, you waited for me."
It must have been hard, right?
Subaru sincerely said the words she once wished to hear.
Shaula could feel her hope returning, and her tears changed from sadness and pain to happiness.
[Subaru]: "I can't fix the past, but what I can do is make the future so good for us that you'll forget all about it!"
So please... don't cry.
Shaula didn't know what to say, feel, or do about it.
She had never felt so happy in her life before.
That her Master knew and recognized her pain.
That her Master comforted her while she cried.
That her Master invited her to be part of his life.
That he did not hate her, even after she tried to kill him.
Shaula hugged him again.
[Shaula]: "Master, I LOVE YOU!!! You are wonderful, really! I will never forget what you told me, not even in a million years!"
Shaula was hugging him so tightly that it pulled Subaru out of his bubble of inspiration.
[Shaula]: "But wait a minute! If you said you don't hate me, that means you love me—!"
[Subaru]: "I NEVER SAID THAT!"
Subaru stopped her in her tracks by covering her mouth.
Shaula seemed hurt by this, but she recovered instantly and tried again.
[Shaula]: "The Master confessed his love to me like in a movie romance, I can't believe it! YES, I ACCEPT!"
[Subaru]: "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"
[Shaula]: "AND NOW THAT WE'RE GETTING MARRIED, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AT LEAST 10 CHILDREN AND—"
[Subaru]: "DON'T PUSH YOUR LUCK!"
They both started laughing out loud, and Shaula was no longer sad.
Subaru had successfully completed his mission.
Becoming aware of his surroundings, he remembered that Emilia was there with him.
Subaru froze and slowly turned his head, which felt as if it were rusty.
What he saw made his heart stop.
Emilia was looking at him proudly, smiling, and tears were streaming down her face.
That alone would have been enough to kill him with panic.
The person next to her was...
[Naoko]: "Oh my god..."
Naoko said in complete amazement, covering her mouth with both hands.
Subaru's mother had been watching him for who knows how long, watching him talk cheesily to another woman.
[Subaru]: *It's over, there's no way out.*
For a moment, Subaru wished he could have Returned by Death, if only to avoid this.
He had no idea how he was going to get out of this.
He was completely finished.
...
...
...…
O-Okay, first of all, put your weapons down, okay?
I know you want to do unspeakable things to me for disappearing without warning for over a month.
But I can explain, I swear!
The thing is, Chapter 5 was scheduled for its normal release date, but some last-minute personal issues came up that prevented me from writing.
Luckily, it's all over now, or so I think.
That's why I was able to finish the chapter on time.
I-I know it's a lame excuse, but come on, just let it slide this time, okay?
Just think of it as the dog ate the chapter.
...
Well, with that out of the way, I'm back!
Everything should be back to normal, and the chapter should be out next Sunday—
[Random reader]: "DON'T SAY IT!"
W-What?
What do you mean?
[Random reader]: "DON'T SAY THAT!"
W-What? Sunday—
*Puts a gun to his head*
[Random reader]: "DON'T FINISH THAT WORD."
O-OK, OK, FINE, I WON'T SAY IT, BUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?
[Random reader]: "EVERY TIME YOU SAY THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE OUT NEXT SUNDAY, IT'S A LIE, AND IT ENDS UP BEING 2 OR 3 DAYS LATE."
Uhhh, that's because—
[Random Reader]: "SHUT UP!"
*Slaps him*
THAT HURT!
[Random Reader] "THAT'S NOT EVEN A FRACTION OF WHAT WE WENT THROUGH! YOU DIDN'T GIVE ANY WARNING AND YOU DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE FOR OVER A MONTH!!!"
B-But I did warn you on Wattp-
[Random Reader]: "THAT'S NOT EVEN THE MAIN PLATFORM, AND YOU TOLD US ABOUT A WEEK AGO, SAYING THE CHAPTER WOULD BE OUT IN A FEW DAYS!"
P-But I didn't lie, it really did come out in a few days!
[Random Reader]: "A WEEK LATER! THAT'S NOT 'A FEW DAYS'!"
P-But technically I never specified how many days-
*He slaps him again*
DET-
*He slaps him again*
ENOUGH!!!
[Random Reader]: "THEN GET ON YOUR KNEES AND APOLOGIZE!"
W-What? N-No way!
*He takes the safety off the gun*
*Kneels*
Dear readers of all platforms who read this fic, I sincerely apologize for disappearing without a trace for over a month without uploading a chapter. It won't happen again, I swear!
[Random Reader]: "And who do you have to apologize to the most?"
I-I don't know what you're talking about.
*Points the gun at him*
I also want to sincerely apologize to the readers of Fanfiction.net and WebNovel, who haven't even received chapter 4 when it came out so far, and I will upload it along with chapter 5 simultaneously shortly.
[Random Reader]: "All right... we accept your apology, BUT THIS IS THE LAST TIME!"
O-Okay!
...
Well, with that out of the way, let's move on to the next topic.
The next chapter, and those that follow, are going to be a little... complex to write, so I'm here to ask you what we should do.
How are we going to tell Subaru's parents his story?
A:
Tell them in character with dialogue about each thing, giving a mega-summary of Arcs 1 through 6.
EX:
Subaru: First I did this, then this, and also—
Rem: "That's right! At that moment, I felt this way and that way, and—"
Pros: Better immersion, Subaru will contradict himself many times, and more detail.
Cons: I'm not going to do it, do you have any idea how long it would take me?! You wouldn't have a chapter until next year!
B:
EJ:
Same as A, but only summarizing the arc briefly, and in between talking about the most important things.
Tell them the important parts of Arcs 1-6 in dialogue, and summarize the rest in broad strokes.
Pros: Pretty good immersion, and I think it's the best option.
Cons: It may take me more than a week to write.
C:
EX:
[Kenichi]: "Wow, I still can't believe you lived through all that! Leading a war against evil archbishops, conquering that tower whose name will not be mentioned in the next chapter for anything in the world because its literal translation is 'The Watchtower of Subaru'."
Summarize everything without dialogue talking about the arcs, and only have conversations AFTER the parents have heard the whole story.
Benefits: I'm going to love you sooo much. The chapter will be out on Sunday (I think).
Cons: Worse immersion.
D: (Hidden route (?))
We copy and paste all volumes of the light novel 1-25.
Pros: The chapter comes out tomorrow.
Cons: XD?
…
Well, regarding the chapter, quite a lot happened in a short period of time, so to avoid spoilers, I won't say anything...
Doing some quick calculations, what happened in this chapter and what will happen in the next ones... all the mysteries will be revealed in about 100 chapters at the rate we're going, so don't lose the hype!
From here to chapter 10-15, there will be "hype moments and aura."
The next few chapters will be the heaviest, as they will have to tell the whole story of Subaru, which I find somewhat complex, but possible...
For that reason, they will be short, between 5-10k words.
[Random Reader]: "B-But the last chapters haven't been that long anyway—"
GET OUT OF HERE!!! *Slams the door in his face*
But after the explanations, everything should go back to being faster, and hopefully the chapters will come out on Sundays.
Doing some quick calculations, at the rate we're going, between 20-25 chapters or sooner or later, who knows, it's going to get good...
You'll understand what I'm talking about when I finish my second day in Japan.
;)
This will be uploaded first to Ao3 and Wattpad, and a few hours later it will be translated and uploaded to the English versions.
The comments section was filled with friends we made along the way.
By the way... reading the comments you wrote on Ao3, well...
kalluluwa on Chapter 5
Feeling like Satella rn
𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮
𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮
also did I read that write?
" Subaru began climbing the stairs, and when he reached his room, he stopped in front of the door."
STAIRS?? SUBARU??? AURA MONSTER!!!! I BEEN RUN AWAY! ASK
ME HOW IVE BEEN! SUBARU UPSCALE!! VICTORY 🕺🏽 IVE BEEN RETURNING BY GOON!!! EVERYTIME I BUST I RETURN!! IVE BUSTED OVER AND OVER!! GET IT?? RETURN BY GOON!!!
.............??????
kalluluwa, don't worry, the chapters will come out more regularly this time, so you don't... go crazy again.
Thank you very much to everyone who commented asking what had happened to me and asking about the next chapter!
See you later, hopefully on Sunday the 16th (or a few days later, you know me, sue me!).
By the way, readers of the English version, please comment on your review of the DeepL translations.
1-3: Very poor, atrocious, outrageous, and horrible; fix your translation.
5-4: Moderated errors, they affect the reading
6-7: (IM LOOKING AT YOU) Occasional errors, but they have little or no effect on reading and understanding.
8-10: Very few errors, and these do not affect reading. (?)
Btw, who found me on reddit and messaged me?
Cus that's why I sent an alive signal on Wattpad lol
Thanks for reading!
Translated using DeepL