“—Whoa, just as you said! What is this? It’s totally messy!”

Peeking behind the tilted shelf, Subaru grimaced at his performance.

He had taken off the jacket of his butler uniform and rolled up his shirt sleeves, adopting the stance of a cleaner — though it should have read “trainee” or “amateur” instead.

Showing off his natural dexterity, he was getting better at handling the duties in the mansion.

Just then, it felt like he was being pointed out for his arrogance.

As he pondered over his own shortcomings from behind, a shadow let out a small snicker with a “Hah!”

“Good grief, it’s just Balus. When I thought you’d grown a bit, you’ve shown this pathetic state… have some shame.”

“Ah, I have retorts… I have! Why do you get to act so smug!? You’ve hardly done anything to preach at me!”

“Unlike Balus, Ram is actually competent. So, during the morning duties, I cleverly steered things so my responsibilities would be minimized.”

“Not the ability to tackle tasks quickly, but the ability to dodge work!?”

Winning without fighting is the true art of war.

It has a good ring to it, and viewed poorly, it’s just highly skilled slacking off, but as Subaru realized he couldn’t refute her back then, it was too late.

However—

“That burden settling on Rem is something neither I nor my sister want, right?”

“Hmph… how cheeky for a Balus. But you make a valid point.”

Scratching his head in despair, Subaru watched Ram narrow her eyes. Following that, they both turned their gazes to the corner of the room, where a figure was busily scurrying around.

A blue-haired girl in a maid outfit, fluttering her skirt, wiped down the little areas of the room with a wet cloth—

“—Rem!”

“Ah, yes, I’m sorry. I got a bit carried away. How was it behind the shelf, Subaru-kun?”

The girl named Rem turned around, smiling gently, and questioned Subaru.

Being met with such a smile made him feel guilty about giving a pitiful response, but it wasn’t anything he could hide — so Subaru quickly resigned himself.

“Ah, just as you said, Rem. Everything was well out of sight… somehow, this attitude of just making the surface look good isn’t right.”

“No, that’s not true. If it comes to covering up the surface, no one can surpass Subaru-kun. You’re the best in the kingdom!”

“That sounds like something I could be sued for defamation over!”

He knew Rem meant no harm, but that was quite the piercing remark.

It was something Subaru was well aware of too; he was good at doing just that.

“As expected, you have a talent for seeing through the essence of things, Rem.”

“Shut it, sister! I’m aware of it, so don’t rub it in!”

Subaru shot a fierce glare at Ram, who was sitting on the bed with her arms crossed. But when she looked back with even sharper intensity, he retreated in defeat.

In this place, Natsuki Subaru was at rock bottom in terms of rank and power.

“Damn, it’s tough dealing with the upperclassmen maids… At least Rem is gentle!”

“Yes, of course. Rem wouldn’t say anything harsh to you, Subaru-kun. She believes you would understand even without her mentioning unnecessary things.”

“Being torn apart by kindness.”

Wounded by his sister’s harsh tongue on the outside and Rem’s sweet poison within, he felt like he couldn’t tell if his situation was fortunate or if he was merely deluding himself.

“Stop putting yourself on a pedestal, Natsuki Subaru. Regardless of my sister, you just need to live up to Rem’s expectations. I’ll make it happen! Right, Rem?”

“That’s the spirit, Subaru-kun! Rem is truly impressed!”

“Heh, this forwardness is a part of my charm. So, what should I start with?”

“Well, first off, the windows are in dire need of cleaning. And don’t just stretch your arms to reach the top of the shelf; use a step stool to thoroughly clean it. As you’ve seen, you don’t need to clean behind the shelf daily, but if you leave it too long, it builds up into a big mess. And then, of course, there’s the bedposts and behind the mattress…”

“A focused bombardment that threatens to bring me down!”

With Rem enthusiastically spilling out instructions like water from a spout, Subaru struggled to keep up with jotting down notes in his mind. However, from the perspective of Subaru, known as the best at surface-level cleanliness in the kingdom, the apparently presentable room still had a long way to go in terms of improvement.

“Seriously, Rem really notices everything. Is that just part of being a maid?”

“Of course. But, when you try to think from the other person’s perspective, things become more visible. Rem always thinks about you, Subaru-kun.”

“I’m happy to hear that, but the growing pile of flaws is kind of embarrassing…”

The girl with a fist clenched adorably was cute, but Subaru felt uneasy.

However, the fact that she could focus on minute details and execute meticulous work showcased Rem’s fundamental dedication to her duties, without a doubt confirming her reputation as a remarkable maid.

“Naturally. After all, Rem is Ram’s cute little sister.”

“Wait, are you gloating now, sister?!”

“The audacious attitude suits my charm.”

Scattered voices between Subaru and Rem bounced about as they moved around Ram, who lounged proudly atop the bed.

Such was the everyday scenery of maids and servants who worked at Roswaal’s Mansion—

△▼△▼△▼△

“—Guh! What the?!”

A momentary sensation of floating, followed by the painful smack against the hard ground.

He had anticipated falling and had tried to brace himself against it, but the impact was still painful enough.

Especially the unexpected follow-up from the thick branch he rolled onto. It pressed hard against his shoulder blade, leaving him wincing in pain, teary-eyed.

“Ugh… Ah, I’m glad the only follow-up is from nature itself. Thank you, knife…”

Standing up with tear-filled eyes, Subaru sheathed the knife in his hand with a sigh.

Turning around, he looked up at the massive tree trunk that had just suspended him moments ago.

A long vine hung down from one of the thick branches of that trunk, reaching to the ground. The vine had been cut off by his knife, but at the tip of the severed vine was—

“A hoop… I’ve seen these in comics, but these kinds of traps really do work, huh?”

Speaking to himself, Subaru removed the vine tight around his right ankle.

It was a trap set on the ground, designed to ensnare anyone who stepped over the hoop, lifting them up into the air — honestly, even having set it off himself, he couldn’t figure out how exactly that worked.

And now he had no time to investigate how it was done.

“Though I have no memory, Rem’s knowledge and dexterity remain intact… Now that I’m in the role of the pursuer, Rem really is her sister’s sibling.”

It was a given, yet the reality of it hit him hard. Of course, he didn’t want to realize it in such a manner, leading to a bittersweet feeling.

—Subaru had been chasing Rem into the forest for over an hour.

The masked man he encountered on the opposite side of the forest had given him advice, exposing the disguise of the route Rem had taken with Lui in their flight.

Thanks to that, he could undoubtedly say he was closing the gap between him and the two escapees. However, the biggest obstacle to closing that distance was Rem’s vigilance.

The residual scent of the witch surrounding Subaru — the miasma — posed a warning to Rem and led her to not only cover her tracks but also to lay traps all over the forest to hinder his pursuit.

Since receiving the initial blow, the number of traps Subaru had discovered (or rather, had the misfortune of encountering) had surpassed ten. To manage to do this while trying to escape with a burden was something Subaru could only admire.

“If it consisted of tying up grass or shallow pits, it would just be cute…”

Small traps designed to trip or sprain Subaru were emerging. Such traps would cause minimal damage and wouldn’t be much of an impediment to his tracking.

However, their overwhelming number meant he needed to exercise caution wherever grass and leaves were thick.

“With Rem’s strength, a simple pit trap to catch one foot would be a cakewalk… The innate difference in physique really stands out.”

In between those little traps were more serious hindrances, like the vine trap that had just suspended Subaru.

If it hadn’t been for the miraculous opportunity to obtain the knife, he could have spent a long time trying to extricate himself from that vine trap. Or, the blood rushing to his head could have delayed him even further in resuming his pursuit.

What was most unsettling for Subaru, however, was—

“Shh!”

Withdrawing the Guilty Whip from behind his waist, he struck the suspicious ground hard with its tip.

In the next instant, a violently retaliatory strike from the branches slammed down towards him in a rapid succession that was hard to dodge. If it had hit him directly, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he broke an arm or two.

That was a major trap designed purely to obliterate Subaru’s will to move forward — though not as plentiful as small traps, the very fact that it existed was enough to hinder Subaru’s advance.

The strike from the thick branch set up at the entrance of the forest could also be considered part of those major traps.

As Subaru ventured deeper into the forest, the danger and power of the major traps being discovered increased. This wasn’t due to Rem losing her edge but rather her evolving growth.

“Chased and constructing traps, she’s getting better and better at this… Damn, as expected, diligent Rem! I didn’t want to see this side of you now.”

He had known all too well about Rem’s hardworking nature and had appreciated that even without her memories, her diligence remained intact. But this was a different issue altogether.

To be straightforward, Rem was developing amid battle. Considering how Subaru’s growth had almost hit a wall, the evident performance gap was only becoming more pronounced.

Before this gap became decisive, he had to catch Rem—

“——”

Dismantling the major trap in front of him, Subaru held his breath for a moment.

Looking around, he searched for the next escape route that Rem had taken when setting this up. To learn that, he had to follow the few traces she’d tried hard to conceal.

Of course, it was also plausible that she hadn’t left any trace at all, but given Rem’s current state, she couldn’t have had the capability or composure to pull that off. Thus—

“—Found it.”

In the gaps between the trees where traps were set, he discovered small marks where the bark had been peeled.

Unrelated to the major traps, it looked like a small insignificant scratch that a cat might leave on a pillar. Yet these trivial marks had led him this far.

In essence, they were remnants of the “burden.”

“——”

It was a grim irony, but the very factor allowing Rem to let Subaru chase her was related to the Archbishop of Sin — Lui Arnebe — whom she had taken along.

While Subaru didn’t know how compatible Rem and Lui were, it was evident from these traces that Lui wasn’t intelligently cooperative with Rem’s actions.

No matter how hard Rem tried to erase her footprints, Lui disrupted all her efforts.

“Damn…”

Spotting this piece of good news, Subaru’s heart felt heavy.

Naturally. Realizing that Lui’s presence inadvertently aided his chase made it difficult to feel anything but trepidation, especially when considering his relationship with that wicked Archbishop of Sin.

Even if Lui wasn’t the one who directly stole Rem’s “name” or “memories,” the sins of the three siblings of Gluttony were utterly identical. There could be no lessening of the guilt for just one.

Regardless of whether his own body was missing or his life’s path was a mistake.

That was Subaru’s conclusion regarding Lui Arnebe, the one who raved in that white world.

Therefore, should he successfully catch up with Rem, at the negotiation stage, Subaru had no intention of making concessions concerning Lui’s treatment.

In the first place—

“Why the hell do I have to chase Rem like this…!?”

Thinking about catching up to Rem and discussing how to handle Lui, Subaru gnawed his lip against the renewed rage of unfairness surfacing within him.

He had considered the possibility that when Rem awoke, she might lose her “memories” and “name.”

Naturally, it would have been best if a completely intact Rem had returned, but given previous instances with Crusch and Julius, the hope of Rem waking up in her original state was dishearteningly low.

That anxiety had come true, resulting in Rem forgetting both herself and Subaru.

Even so, Subaru thought he could hold his ground and support Rem.

Emilia, Ram, Beatrice—his companions in their camp could help support Rem together, that was the foundation that kept Subaru rooted.

Yet now, Subaru found himself in a forest devoid of reliable allies, chasing after Rem.

“Why does it always come to this… why can’t everything just be wrapped up neatly?”

Why couldn’t Rem simply wake up, remembering everything, surprised by the time that had passed but willing to weave the story ahead together? That would have sufficed.

Even if Rem’s situation stayed the same, if there were allies willing to persevere alongside him, he wouldn’t have to endure such disasters. Why couldn’t that suffice?

Fate always prepared the harshest path for Natsuki Subaru.

And it did so not only for Subaru but directed it towards those precious to him.

“—Enough with the whining, Natsuki Subaru.”

Clenching his teeth firmly, Subaru slapped both his cheeks.

The sharp pain and shock jolted his consciousness, temporarily sidelining the fragile thoughts that had just lingered.

Yes, fate always pointed him along a harsh route.

That’s why Natsuki Subaru had risen again and again under the lash of adversity, each time spitting up blood yet continuing to face forward.

“Finally, the man who turned the obstacles ahead into my own whip—that’s who I am.”

To be precise, the whip’s material, Guilty Lau, wasn’t truly a significant wall, and it hadn’t been that challenging among the adversities he faced, but he tallied it all.

He painted a picture of himself to lift his spirits, igniting emotions, and heating up his clever head, finding a way to fight—this had been Subaru’s approach until now.

He had stubbornly persevered. There was no other way for him. So, today would be no different.

“Think, think, think, me. Continuing to chase her, eventually, Rem will realize what Lui is up to. When that happens, the traces will disappear. Before that happens…”

—He needed to find a way to catch up with or outsmart Rem.

“——”

Analyzing the power gap between himself and the others, he earnestly considered the characteristics of both their strengths and weaknesses.

In the present situation, Rem’s strengths lay in her innate dexterity and thoughtfulness that hadn’t waned even without memories. Her growth through practice, her pretty face and voice, and her captivating movements — but those could wait.

On the contrary, Subaru’s strengths included his handling of the whip and knife along with that increasingly troublesome clue left behind by Lui, and the fact that, despite Rem’s amnesia, he knew more about who she was added to his strengths.

“…Rem has to be aware that I’m chasing her.”

The countless traps substantiated that belief; Rem was aware of Subaru’s pursuit.

If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t go to such extremes to set up this many traps. Initially, she would have only set a few precautionary ones and prioritized their escape.

Not doing so and continually laying traps meant she was certain of Subaru’s pursuit. The reason Rem could have such certainty about his chase was undoubtedly related to the scent of the witch.

“Just how strong is the smell on me right now…”

He attempted to gauge his arm’s smell but found only dustiness and sweat, without it feeling particularly foul. Of course, there was talk of being unable to perceive one’s scent, but the key issue was that the remaining witch’s scent would feel like an overwhelming presence only where it could be felt.

Previously, he had heard from Rem and Beatrice that the scent would fade each day, but it heightened immediately after “Return by Death” or when triggered more frequently.

Now, having repeated “Natsuki Subaru x2” in the Watchtower over half a day and then being thrust into this place—

“—The most witch-smelling guy in the history of my otherworldly life is currently me.”

Whether the witch’s potent scent has a limit was unclear, but Subaru could imagine that right now, he exuded an intense odor. If that was the case, it meant his tracking was most likely already compromised.

If the distance didn’t seem to open, Rem would surely become anxious.

Normally, luring out an opponent’s mistakes by hastening them was one of Subaru’s go-to strategies; however, with Rem, he wanted to build a friendly relationship, so he wanted to avoid pushing her into that extreme.

“If one side is upheld, the other falls…”

This aptly illustrated the worst-case scenario in the current situation.

While pondering this, Subaru dismantled two or three small and medium traps, tracing the clues left by Lui while pursuing Rem’s footsteps.

He felt just like Hansel and Gretel, picking up breadcrumbs. Only, Subaru was alone and the duo he was chasing was on the run.

“Ah, this one’s obvious too. Next…”

Finding the peeled bark, Subaru set his next course.

Since Lui had no intention of telling Subaru where to find him, the traces didn’t amount to anything cohesive and were often difficult to find.

Most likely, Lui, left behind as Rem made traps, was acting independently too.

Being unable to find clear traces for a while had been a challenge, so this obvious clue was a relief.

“Thank goodness it remained visible. If I had gotten caught by Rem and it got erased, there wouldn’t be any traces left…”

Just as he was about to finish that thought, Subaru halted.

Then, he returned to the tree he had just walked by and looked at the bark stripped from it. It stood tall and robust, and the peeled spot was in a highly noticeable place.

There was no way Rem could have missed this.

“——”

With the disruption from the grass footprints, and Rem’s gradually increasing sophistication in crafting traps, along with the evident bark peeled away from the tree in front of him—

Those elements intertwined in Subaru’s mind, assembling a puzzle of discomfort.

Before long, a singular answer formed within him.

“If Rem were here…”

The Rem he knew, who had sharp eyes and was good at paying attention, would have erased any blatant traces.

Since it remained, it meant Rem must have fallen into a severe blind spot—

“—Here!”

Ahead on the path he was about to take, Subaru suddenly hurled a thick clump of grass he had pulled up.

That clump, still covered in dirt, arced through the air and entered the tall grass—

—Immediately after, there came a tremendous noise as the grass collapsed, and a massive hole opened up, swallowing the ground below.

“Whew…!”

Comparing it to the small traps he had encountered thus far, the size of that hole overshadowed it all. But that wasn’t the only trap at work.

Targeting the newly emerged gap, the surrounding trees screamed as they cracked and fell within it. The fallen trees tumbled one after another into the big hole, quickly filling it in.

If Subaru had fallen into that hole, he would have been buried, unable to move.

At this point, it seemed Rem unleashed a grand technique using the previous traps as psychological bait.

The clues that had served as hints for his chase had instead awaited within that trap to ensnare Subaru and bury him alive.

It was undeniably a Rem-like method, deserving of praise — but—

“—The Rem I know won’t settle for just this.”

Setting a psychological trap, should the pursuer fall for it and freeze, it would be the best-case scenario.

However, the Rem that Subaru knew was attentive, diligent, cute in both looks and voice, and the fact that she moved so earnestly warmed his heart. And then—

“If she gets impatient, she’ll come after me herself. —Right, Rem!”

With that, he turned around and looked up at the peeled tree.

At that exact moment—

“—!!”

Teeth clenched, Rem leaped from that branch toward Subaru.

With nothing to manage the pursuer, and with the traps barely slowing them down.

What would the Rem he knew do when faced with such a situation?

Upon knowing an opponent’s position by scent and figuring out the identity of the breadcrumbs they depended on, she would capitalize on that to set a trap and try to eliminate the immediate cause.

And Subaru’s predictions were spot-on.

The problem was—

“—Haaahhh!”

The gap in their power left Subaru incapable of restraining the rushing Rem.

Letting out a grunt of shock, Subaru was thrown back by Rem’s arm that came crashing down onto him.

Truthfully, he hadn’t anticipated being able to move this far with his limp foot, nor that his body would instinctively try to catch Rem.

“Persistent and persistent, aren’t you!?”

“W-Wait, Rem, let me explain…”

“I’ve heard enough!”

As her arm swung and struck, Subaru bled from his nose. Despite the blood-stained appeal, Rem didn’t seem to care.

She sprawled on the forest floor, glaring at Subaru with her blue eyes.

“If you had just given up on us back there, I wouldn’t have done anything more. But you keep pursuing us… just stop!”

“Wow, when you put it that simply, it really hurts…”

“My nose feels like it’s going to break! I can tell immediately when you’re getting closer. It’s even stronger now than when we were in that grassy area earlier…”

Holding his nose, which was dripping blood, Subaru struggled to stand.

While Subaru was the one standing and Rem was on the ground, it seemed that the situation favored him, yet it was merely an advantage precariously balanced by her far superior strength.

Should Rem escape from him, spiraling into full agile movement, this time, Subaru would surely be hurled into the big hole, marking his end.

As they carefully assessed their distance between each other, the only choice left was to clear up any misunderstanding.

“Rem, please listen. It seems I smell pretty bad… like, really bad…”

“…Yes, you do smell.”

“That’s a nostalgic way to put it! So, I smell bad, and I get that it feels ominous, but I have no hostility towards you!”

Raising both hands, Subaru tried to communicate that he wasn’t aiming to confront her.

However, even with that assertion, Rem’s vigilant aura didn’t fade. The witch’s residual scent was a significant factor enforcing that.

Seriously, those witch-related circumstances never seem to yield any favorable outcomes.

“I’m aware that the odor complicates my first impression. I’ve been getting to know myself all these eighteen years. So please, give me another chance!”

“…Another chance?”

“I was in the wrong. I had nothing to explain to you at a time where you were suffering with no clue what was going on. Everything was due to my circumstances as I failed to consider your feelings…”

His stirrings of excitement and impatience were what led not to considerations for Rem.

Though easy to justify all those elements as the reasons for his shortcomings, it bore no purpose to utilize cold self-defense at this moment.

What he needed was not wordplay to protect himself.

It was an appeal directed at Rem in hopes of unbinding her stubborn heart.

“You matter to me. I just want to protect you. So, please, listen to me. Don’t shut me out. —Please give me one more chance.”

“———”

Keeping his hands raised, Subaru deeply bent at the waist, pleading.

He didn’t know if he had delivered his sincerity with his whole being, but his feelings were genuine. If that managed to agitate even a little of Rem’s heart, then he hoped it would grant him some leeway for further explanation.

“—Is that all?”

“…Huh?”

“Is that everything you want to convince me of?”

Subaru hesitated, lifting his face in response to Rem’s remark.

The emotions woven into her voice differed from what he had hoped; yet, it also diverged from his worst fears, thus leaving him baffled.

Rem’s voice carried a quiet fury, laced with an unbearable wrath.

“R-Rem…?”

“You tracking us down and the hellish scent emanating from you raises suspicions. It’s all terribly strange! But…”

There she paused, pursing her lips tightly.

Even so, Subaru, unable to decipher what lay ahead in her reply, found himself being viewed as nothing short of a villain by the flames of her icy blue stare.

“What I can’t overlook is how you seemed willing to abandon that small, helpless girl. How can I trust someone so cruel and vile?”

“—Ah.”

At Rem’s accusation, Subaru found himself dumbstruck.

As her words hit hard, it dawned on him that he had made the monumental mistake at that first instance in earning Rem’s trust through anything but the witch’s lingering scent.

His inherited glare, ever so grim, and the troublesome residuals had not been the true reasons for falling short in gaining her trust.

It was the actions he himself had taken that tarnished it.

Even if that figure had ultimately illustrated the embodiment of evil, to the innocent eyes of Rem, they merely saw a frail child whom he had neglected.

“———”

The blankness fell upon him, and he could not readily access any response that sprang to his mind.

Having weathered so many hardships and sometimes even dying before seeking solutions, he found himself stumped in this moment.

Apologies, explanations, truths — which should be prioritized?

Should he apologize for contemplating abandoning a child?

Should he spin elaborate justifications for that?

Should he outright declare that they were an innocent monster instead?

None of these options seemed capable of changing Rem’s distrustful gaze.

And it had already set in stone the outcome of Subaru’s prior actions, determined by “Return by Death.”

“—You’ve stopped saying anything.”

His gaze darted around, his cheeks stiffened, and when words eluded Subaru, Rem lost her patience.

She tilted her upper body, making distance from Subaru. —It seemed she didn’t intend to crush him on the spot but rather to leave him be.

She might have assumed that Subaru would cease his pursuit after he’d been beaten down.

Naturally, that was far from the case. Even if cast away, Subaru would continue to reach out until Rem chose to grasp his hand.

There was no farewell. That was not an option, but—

“—Rem!”

As she turned her back, intending to step away.

First, he called her name; then he tried to follow up with something, but no words came forth.

And then—

“———”

Just as he reached out toward her twisting frame, a shift occurred in his field of vision.

Through the dense trees, a flicker of a shadow—one he recognized.

“—Rem!!”

Before he thought, Subaru leapt toward her from behind. Surprised by the sudden movement, Rem’s small frame froze.

And it was just then, wrapping his arms around her sudden jump—

—A powerful arrow shot from the strong bow flew overhead, burrowing straight into the massive tree trunk.