At night, inside Natsuki Subaru's guest room.
After learning that they would soon be heading to the royal capital, Shendu found it necessary to have a proper talk with the former protagonist and make certain arrangements for him. That was the most appropriate course of action.
At first, she had not been particularly impressed with Natsuki Subaru, the original protagonist. But when he had stood up to protect her, she realized he was not entirely worthless.
Now the two of them were alone in the room. Natsuki Subaru felt somewhat restless, his heart pounding. It was not fear—rather, it was a strange and unfamiliar emotion.
"Lady Shendu, why did you ask to see me alone?"
Natsuki Subaru was puzzled. Aside from being a little chuuni at the beginning, he had gradually adapted to life in this other world and was no longer as frivolous as before.
"There is something important. Emilia will soon be heading to the royal capital to participate in the Royal Selection."
"In other words, we will be leaving Roswaal's territory and going to the royal capital. I care quite a bit about your decision—whether you will stay or leave."
Shendu gazed at Natsuki Subaru. As a fellow transmigrator who possessed the Authority of Return by Death, he was both tragic—and, in a way, incredibly fortunate.
"Oh? It seems Lady Shendu cares about me quite a lot."
Natsuki Subaru's eyes lit up. Though Shendu was not always adorable, she did seem to care about him.
"Of course I care. We're both transmigrators. Seeing you struggle so miserably—I couldn't just ignore it. When I first approached you, it was simply to change your fate."
Shendu let out a soft sigh and laid her cards on the table. After all, their identities were similar, even if they came from different parallel worlds.
"What?! That's impossible. So that's why you helped me back then?"
Upon learning that Shendu was also a transmigrator, Natsuki Subaru clutched his head in disbelief.
Hearing her words, his eyes widened in frustration, his expression one of shattered dreams.
"Yes. What other reason did you imagine there was?"
Shendu rolled her eyes and teased him.
"I thought you were some kind of goddess who would help me grow stronger and reach the peak of life. I never imagined I survived in this world only because of hometown connections."
Natsuki Subaru's eyes turned dull like those of a dead fish. Once, he had fantasized about a goddess appearing before him, saving him, and leading him to glory.
But in the end, he had merely relied on a fellow transmigrator's goodwill to barely survive in this other world.
"No. You would have reached the peak of life—just in other timelines. There's no harm in letting you see them."
Shendu stepped forward, organizing the memories of the Pride IF timeline and directly imprinting them into Natsuki Subaru's mind.
In less than three seconds, Natsuki Subaru's face drained of color. He collapsed to his knees, gasping loudly.
In that fleeting instant, it felt as though more than a decade had passed. It was as if he had dreamed an entire lifetime—one in which he had died eighty-eight times.
Aside from the first time when Emilia saved him, he had either been killed by street thugs or murdered by the Bowel Hunter, Elsa. In the end, he had fallen into despair and descended into darkness.
He joined the infamous Witch Cult, rescued Elsa after she had been beaten half to death, set the royal capital ablaze, framed Reinhard, and pushed Emilia onto the throne.
Next, Shendu placed the memories of the Greed IF timeline—where he had formed a contract with Echidna—into his mind.
Natsuki Subaru felt as though, after making a pact with that witch, he had died almost every single day. The countless agonizing deaths drove him into utter despair.
...
"Hah... Lady Shendu, please stop showing me any more. Even dying once was unbearably painful. Let alone dying that many times... Return by Death is far too cruel."
"What I fear most is death. It's simply too painful."
Having endured the memories of two timelines, Natsuki Subaru nearly suffered a complete mental breakdown. Fortunately, Shendu intervened in time, stabilizing his emotions with her magic.
"Don't worry. I've already sealed that Authority for you."
Shendu smiled faintly, revealing a small part of her plan.
"And before long, the entire Kingdom of Lugunica will be under my control. When everything is over, I will grant you a noble title—make you a great noble—and arrange marriages with young noble ladies for you."
"As a fellow transmigrator, that's about all I can do for you."
Her crimson eyes shimmered with sincerity. She was not joking.
"Understood, Lady Shendu. I'll follow you to the royal capital. No matter what arrangements you make, I'll obey them."
"In this timeline, you're the one who saved me. I will never forget your kindness."
A trace of infatuation appeared in Natsuki Subaru's eyes. His affection for the silver-haired, red-eyed girl had already reached its peak.
[Ding~ Natsuki Subaru's favorability +5. Current favorability: 100.]
"Very good, Natsuki Subaru. You truly are a smart man. I genuinely don't dislike you."
Shendu turned around as if recalling something and casually drew a line through the air.
A purple magic circle appeared before her. She reached into its center and pulled out a scroll.
"Natsuki Subaru, this is a gift for you. It contains the fundamentals of potion-making. By combining different materials, you can produce corresponding magical effects. It should suit you quite well."
Leaving the scroll behind, she walked away without another word.
Natsuki Subaru stood there blankly, clutching the scroll, his emotions more complicated than ever.
After leaving his room, Shendu returned to her own. She quickly noticed that Felt had not yet gone to sleep. The bed was still messy.
Even the shoes placed not far away were in disarray. It seemed Felt had not been sleeping at all—she had likely gone to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Hehe, Big Sister. It's rare to get a chance to talk to you, so why were you chatting with that guy instead?"
Felt puffed up her cheeks, looking somewhat annoyed.
"It's nothing. Natsuki Subaru is from the same hometown as me—just a different place. I couldn't help talking a little longer."
Shendu explained calmly, and Felt finally let it go.
"By the way, Big Sister... as a knight, will Reinhard really obey my orders?"
Felt sounded uncertain, unable to believe that the renowned Reinhard would truly follow her, a mere royal candidate.
"Reinhard—the knight among knights—has always taken protecting the royal capital as his duty. As long as our goals align with his, forming an alliance should pose no issue."
Winning over an ally was far better than making an enemy. Shendu needed to draw the child of destiny to her side.
As the strongest Sword Saint, Reinhard was undoubtedly beloved by the world itself.
But even the strongest person had weaknesses.
Shendu did not mind casting some bait and waiting for Reinhard to come to her willingly.