-Satera, the jealous witch.
He wiped out the witches that once caused the world to scream, destroyed half the world with the power he stole, and is a supernatural being feared by all the world.
Its body was sealed inside a crystal by a hero, and it is said that it remains sealed away to this day, unable to be destroyed.
That's an absurd story, Subaru thought, as a modern kid.
It was an impossible story in the light of the common sense of Subaru's original world. It would have been one thing if their evil deeds had been passed down for hundreds of years, but the idea that such a being could still be sleeping somewhere in the world today.
"Well, we live in an age where even if you don't know the president's name, you know the most popular girl in a national idol group, so I guess you can't really rely on her."
Subaru, on the other hand, was the worst of the bunch, living a typically bland and emotionless life, with no interest in either of those things.
With these thoughts in mind, Subaru ruminated on what Beatrice had told him, resting his chin on his hands and looking to his side.
In a garden bathed in the morning sun, a faint light floated around Emilia as she sat on the greenery.
No matter how many times it was repeated, it never lost its fantastical quality; it was one of the most beautiful sights in the world - Emilia's morning routine.
Scratching his head while standing a little distance away so as not to get in her way, Subaru, clad in his butler uniform, stifled the yawn that was rising from his chest and let out a sigh.
A night had passed since his meeting with Beatrice at the Forbidden Library, and now it was the morning of the third day. Subaru had made it through the day yesterday by sleeping soundly, so his body was still in top condition.
There were so many things I wanted to ask Beatrice from late at night until the early hours of the morning, but
"It's bad for my skin, so I'm going to bed soon. In the first place, I wonder if it was you that kept me up so late."
With that, the girl became angry and chased me out of the library.
Thinking back, she had always been in that room, but where in that room was she sleeping? Apart from the bookshelf, there was only a stepladder, Beatrice's usual spot, and a desk where Subaru sometimes sat. Other than that, there was nothing else of note in the place.
Given her personality, it's unlikely that she would hit the ground directly.
"I wonder if she has her own room or something. Despite that, I've never come across her. I'm not expecting any lucky pervert encounters with a little girl like that though."
It's no fun if it's kept secret.
Next time, if I have the chance, I'll sneakily follow Beatrice's day in the life of the place.
If only they could escape the loop and live peacefully at the mansion.
--With another reason to stay positive, Subaru's lips relaxed.
and,
"You've got a pretty good look on your face now."
When he heard the call, he looked up and saw a grey fur ball right in front of him.
I mean, there was a small cat with a pink nose floating there. It was Puck.
He washed his face with his short paws, just like a normal cat would,
"Honestly, I couldn't bear to watch it yesterday. I'm a bit relieved."
"I see, sorry for worrying you. But my naive heart still hasn't recovered at all. I need you to comfort me. Specifically, Mofumofumofumofu."
"Well, I guess that's enough bravado. I'm glad. It was worth it for me to lend you my lap, Lia."
I pulled the palm-sized cat close and enjoyed its fluffy nature to my heart's content. Last time, I noticed the threat of its ears, but this time, I focused on its tail. I noticed how fluffy the tip and base of the tail were in particular.
Feeling the sublime sensation at his fingertips, Subaru, his nose stretching out from the fluffy fur, met those black eyes,
"By any chance, did you see that lap pillow too?"
"After doing it for such a long time. It must have been tough to sit upright for hours, so I suggested we take turns a few times... but there's no need to worry. Lia stuck to her role until the very end."
Subaru blushes in embarrassment at Puck's approval. Seeing Subaru's reaction, Puck says,
"ray"
"Ouch!? Why did you scratch me now!?"
"As a father I found it endearing, but as a father I felt an unpleasantness towards you that is hard to put into words."
"Are you torn between a man's heart and a woman's heart? You're complicated too!"
"It's hard being a parent when you have a cute daughter. Ah, so please sit a little farther apart from Leah, come on."
「You have attempted blatant sabotage! This distance is the line I will not compromise on! I know it may seem modest to reach out and not be able to reach you, but please, I beg of you.」
Subaru somehow managed to obtain forgiveness by bowing humbly and maintaining the status quo.
Then he looked back at Emilia, who seemed engrossed in her conversation with the spirits and didn't seem to notice the interaction between a man and a pet that was shattering the morning tranquility.
Looking at her calm profile, with a smile that was sometimes so beautiful it took his breath away, Subaru suddenly muttered to himself.
"--A silver-haired half-elf?"
This was one of the origins of the Witch of Jealousy that Beatrice had mentioned.
The birth of a witch who shook the world and was feared by everyone. What a burden it must be to have something in common with her. Subaru, who has no experience of such feelings, has no idea. But he can imagine that it was by no means an easy road.
And yet, she grew up to be such an honest and straightforward person. She wanted to live like a flower without losing her beauty, and that was probably why she was able to do so.
"You must have been extremely blessed with good surroundings. Or..."
"That's because you had good parents. Hmm."
Puck smiles as he places his hands on his hips, leans back, and touches his beard.
The cat could read emotions. Combined with Subaru's current monologue, it must have clearly understood what Subaru was thinking when he muttered to himself.
Subaru was taken by surprise and closed his mouth, but Puck, still suspended in the air, began to spin around vertically,
"Well, it's largely down to the nature of the child. I don't mean to tell you stories about her, but she's having a million times harder trouble than you think. --But even so, I still love her because she's like that."
There was not even a shred of rebuttal.
It is true that Subaru does not know anything about Emilia, and Puck shares those days of ignorance with her. Subaru's imagination reaches only as far as the imagination of a human immersed in lukewarm water can go, but reality easily surpasses such imagination and attacks him.
When people are at the mercy of fate, they become so powerless. Emilia had felt that pain so many times since coming to this world, and she had surely experienced it countless times herself.
"Hey Puck, do you know the Jealousy Witch?"
"There's not much I don't know."
"So, I want to ask... when would you use the name of the Envious Witch? No, saying "use the name of the Envious Witch" sounds bad. Maybe I should say when you borrow the name of the Envious Witch."
The events of the loop on the first day of his summoning came back to his mind.
Let's look back to the very first episode, when Emilia lied and told the ignorant Subaru her name, "Satera."
Subaru had a vague idea of what she really meant by that, but he wanted someone else to affirm it. And if that person was none other than her closest acquaintance, then even better.
Puck was silent for a while, not understanding the meaning of Subaru's question, then slowly began to speak,
"Either way, I think it's a reckless thing to do, don't you think? There's still a lot of people who harbor resentment towards witches, and the fear and despair engraved in their hearts never fades. In that situation, to try to lie about the witch's name is nothing short of crazy."
"Thank you."
"?"
Puck points his finger at him and gives him a question mark.
Leaving him behind, Subaru secretly pumps his fist in celebration as Puck gives him an opinion that confirms his reasoning.
Yes, at that point, it was only natural that he would be treated as a madman for lying about the witch's name. It just so happened that Subaru was extremely ignorant of common sense, but that's what would normally happen.
If that's the case, why did Emilia call herself that when she knew that would happen?
"If you make them think you're crazy, you won't have to drag them into something dangerous like looking for a badge."
I think that's what he was trying to do, to keep me at a distance.
Emilia's thoughts had already vanished into the other dimension, and the only one who knew about the exchange was Subaru. And even he would never have the chance to ask her about her true intentions.
But he had no choice but to think that way. Once he had thought that way, Subaru had received enough from her to completely believe that that was the conclusion.
In short,
"Emilia-chan is truly Maitreya Bodhisattva."
"You don't put people together with things you don't understand."
Subaru was convinced of Emilia's motherly side, transcending dimensions, when the woman herself approached him with a wry smile.
It seemed she had already finished chatting with the spirits, as the faint lights that had been floating around her were no longer there. Instead, Puck, who had been swimming beside Subaru up until that moment, climbed onto her shoulder,
"Always in the right place. This is definitely the most comfortable place."
"Yes, yes, welcome home. I'm sorry as always. But when Puck is here, the other spirit children start to feel intimidated."
"Making the spirits shrink is way more than just presumptuous. It's completely outrageous. It'll make people think you're some kind of great person."
"Hmm, I may look like a great guy, but I demand more respect! Specifically, how about some dried sardines as a tribute?"
"Straight to the cat..."
Puck began to shake his head in a peekaboo style. Emilia stroked his grey head with her fingers, then faced Subaru once more.
When he noticed the beautiful woman standing right in front of him, Subaru found himself instinctively averting his gaze from her.
I feel embarrassed. Of course.
After all, we were separated after he had me rest my head on his lap and cried my eyes out, and he had stroked my head for several hours. Only one night had passed since then.
I was so worried about whether it was the right thing to do to meet her, and in fact I wanted to roll around on my bed, clutching my pillow.
The fact that he still comes to see her shows that Subaru's condition is serious. He is seriously addicted to Emilia. He can no longer live without her.
"Umm, this is kind of embarrassing... Are you feeling okay?"
Subaru: "I was showing symptoms of poisoning, but I've just had the symptoms cured, so I'm perfectly fine. Emilia-tan, you know… I'm, well, I'm sorry for everything…"
Subaru started to apologize, but then he hesitated, swallowed his words, and corrected himself.
"Thank you for everything. My head and heart were a hazy labyrinth, but I feel a little better now."
"It doesn't seem like you've completely gotten over it, but the fact that you're willing to get over it is a step forward. Yes, if I've helped even a little, then that's good enough. If you ever feel like you're about to give up again, just let me know. Big sister will be nice to you."
Emilia places her hand on her chest and laughs teasingly.
That was probably also a consideration to ease Subaru's guilt. But when I saw his face, which looked like he was really happy to be acting older, it seemed like he was speaking his true feelings, and my thoughts wavered a little.
Anyway,
"If you're feeling well, that's the most important thing. I have to work hard today. I fell asleep at a weird time, are you still sleepy?"
"That's a relief. Hikikomori like me basically sleep during the day and stay up at night. I've been acting a bit too healthy lately."
"You say it sometimes, but what exactly is this hikikomori thing?"
"It's about the brave soul who lights a charcoal briquettes in his room and gambles to see if a pink-haired wizard will come rushing in to help him."
To be honest, that's the work of people who are at a higher spiritual level.
Emilia nodded, slightly taken aback by the strangeness of what Subaru was saying. Seeing her reaction, a thought suddenly occurred to Subaru,
"Speaking of magicians, isn't Emilia-tan one too? What kind of magic can Emilia-tan use?"
Only in another world would conversation like this happen, asking what kind of magic someone can use. Subaru almost laughs at the unexpected, fantastical subject. However, Emilia shook her head at the question,
"Strictly speaking, I'm not a magician. In my case, as with my contract with Puck, I'm a spirit user. What I use isn't magic, it's spirit magic. The principles are pretty much the same though."
"Is there a difference between a wizard and a spirit user?"
She turned her head and looked at Puck, who was sitting on her shoulder. When she realized that the focus of the conversation had turned to her, she started playing with the fur around her stomach.
"Wizards use the mana in their bodies to cast spells. Conversely, elementalists use the mana in the air to cast spells. Even though the things they can do are similar, the path they take to get there is quite different."
"What difference does that make, sir?"
He raised his hand and asked a question to Puck, who was acting as the instructor.
The cat straightened up, and with a pleased look on its face, said,
"It also comes down to whether or not you use gates, so this difference is quite large. For magicians, the size and number of gates directly relate to the qualities of a magician. However, for elementalists, this doesn't matter as much. That's because they use outside mana regardless of gates."
"You take in mana from the outside through the gate and use the mana stored inside to cast magic. And spirit users need that."
As Subaru digested Puck's explanation, he tilted his head in confusion and thought, "Hmm?"
"No no, that would give too much of an advantage to spirit users. I mean, magicians store fuel internally, but spirit users can bring in fuel from outside as much as they want... and with infinite MP it wouldn't be a fair fight."
"You understand quickly. But it doesn't work that way. The mana filling the air isn't infinite..."
Puck stopped speaking and raised his eyes to look at Emilia. Seeing his gaze, she continued,
"The strength of the techniques a spirit user can use depends on the power of the spirit they are commanding. In the first place, it seems like there aren't many cases of contracts with spirits, so I don't think it's clear which is superior to a wizard."
"Hmm... But, if you make a contract with a powerful spirit, it must be pretty impressive, right? Emilia-tan, Puck is actually quite an incredible person, isn't he?"
"Well, I won't deny that it's quicker to count from the top."
"You may seem easygoing, but when it comes to speaking your mind... you're unwavering when it comes to sticking to your own beliefs."
Subaru was well acquainted with the issue of strong egos, but he was still surprised at how unwavering Puck was. It must be a matter of experience. There is a big difference between the number of years spent cultivating something and the Great Spirit.
Despite that, the great spirit was not used to being praised, and was blushing with delight. Subaru pointed at him,
"Now that I think of it, what kind of spirit is Puck? He was constantly giving out ice in the stolen goods storehouse... but as I recall, I didn't think ice was an attribute of his to begin with."
When Subaru had been lectured by Roswaal in the bathroom some time ago, he had only heard about the four standard types: fire, water, earth, and wind. In addition to those, there was also the dreaded yin and yang system.
The one who responded to Subaru's question was Emilia, who was stroking the embarrassed Puck's head, and she turned her right palm up,
"It's ice, but it's actually fire mana. Fire is a mana that is mainly related to heat, so in the grand scheme of things, both hot and cold are classified as fire."
There was a sound of the air cracking, and an icicle appeared slightly above her palm.
An icicle the size of a traffic cone points its sharp tip towards us and begins to spin like a drill.
"I'm sure they don't mean anything by it, but it's scary! If I had a fear of sharp objects, I would have peed my pants!"
"Oh, sorry. I was trying to explain it in an easy-to-understand way, but... I took it out, but I'm not sure what to do with it."
"So the idea of threatening someone without any purpose is dangerous! I love the ladylike and lovely Emilia-tan!"
"Yes, yes."
Emilia nodded in agreement, then clapped her hands, causing the icicles to disperse.
It doesn't melt or crumble, but literally turns to powder and dissipates.
Although there were some mysterious principles behind them, their fantasy nature never ceased to pique Subaru's curiosity.
Perhaps his throbbing emotions were showing on his face. Puck, who had been watching the silent Subaru, suddenly said,
"Hmm, do you by any chance want to use magic?"
"Can't you do it?! I can! Well, then! A super-annihilation spell..."
"No you can't. Whether it's magic or spirit arts, you can't underestimate the basics. Magic isn't built in a day."
Puck hits Subaru from above, smiting his infuriated curiosity, and crosses his arms. Subaru's spirit is broken and his shoulders slump. Perhaps feeling sorry for him, Puck plays with his beard and says, "But,"
"Can I at least give you a simple experience?"
"What is that?"
"In short, since you want to use magic, Lia or I can just assist you. We'll use the mana in Subaru's body and use magic through him. From our perspective, it's a question of whether the mana we use comes from the atmosphere or from Subaru, and the magic itself will come out of Subaru's gate. How's that?"
"Hey Puck, don't promise too much. It might be dangerous."
Puck's sweet temptation is rebuked by his partner Emilia. She seems to be genuinely concerned about the safety of the act,
"Sorry, Emilia-tan. I'm glad you're worried about me. I'm extremely happy about it… but, I'm going to do it!"
Subaru gave Emilia a thumbs up, flashing his teeth and giving her a satisfied smile.
Emilia blinked several times, unable to hide her surprise at Subaru's attitude, which had completely eliminated all negative factors such as anxiety and concern.
"Wh-why go that far...?"
"Even if you know it's dangerous, there are times when a man has to do something....If I miss this chance to maybe use magic, there's no point in being summoned to another world!"
A roar from the soul with fists clenched.
Right now, Subaru was feeling excited for the first time since coming to the other world. For Subaru, the only opportunity he had to partake of the benefits of the other world had been to feast his eyes on beautiful people, and he couldn't talk about the other world without missing this.
Perhaps realising that it was useless to oppose Subaru's enthusiasm, Emilia resigned herself by emphasising, "I'll stop it immediately if I think it's dangerous."
Subaru accepted the advice with a cheerful smile, then turned to face Puck once more,
"What should I do first? Do I need to draw a magic circle or offer a Bear child as a sacrifice?"
"I'm glad to hear that you and Betty are good friends. That's right, let's start by looking into Subaru's attributes. We can't get started until we know what kind of magic he can use."
Upon hearing Puck's suggestion, Subaru's bright expression clouded over in an instant. Puck blinked his dark eyes at the obvious reaction, but Subaru waved his hand and replied ambiguously, "No."
"My creation is fire, right?"
"Why are you suddenly speaking broken English?"
In response to Emilia's question, Subaru shook his head slowly, almost to the point of ringing a dull sound. He didn't want to remember any more than that.
However, Puck ignored Subaru's thoughts and flew off of Emilia's shoulder, floating in front of Subaru's face,
"Well then, excuse me."
"Wow, what is this new sensation?"
It stretches out a tail that is as long as its small body and places the tip of it against Subaru's forehead, most likely to test the mana within his body.
Previously, when he had been telepathically communicating with Emilia, he thought that their foreheads had been pressed together, but rather than the difference in how they were being treated, he felt jealous of his own good fortune in being able to place his forehead on hers.
"Even if I try to cover it up with such words, the reality won't change... No, wait, let's try to think positively like me. If I think back, Roswaal's behavior at that time was unnatural, wasn't it? Yes, he was jealous of the rare talent as a magician that lay dormant within me. Yeah, Shit! Yes, he was jealous of me. So he spouted all sorts of lies, trying to block my path as a brilliant magician..."
"That's unusual, it went straight for the 'Yin' attribute."
"Second opinion――!!"
Subaru is filled with despair at this endorsement from a different person, transcending dimensions.
Unless Puck and Roswaal were colluding on this matter, there was no choice but to believe this result. How likely was it that this carefree cat, who seemed to embody the words of Subaru's mother that often remarked, "Others are other people, and we are we!", was lying out of jealousy of Subaru's talent?
"Debuff specialization, huh... I wanted to use lightning and such and blow away an army of 10,000 or something..."
"Oh, and they don't have any talent either. The gates are small, and the numbers are a little better, I guess? Many of them aren't even fully open, so it doesn't seem like there's much ventilation either."
"I know, but shut up! Don't talk about people like they're like a room with unwashed screen doors! By the way, what would it be like if you quantified talent?"
"If I devote twenty years to training in magic, I might be able to become close to first-rate."
"I've risked half my life to be less than first-rate... I've given up on this path...!"
Emilia looks shocked at Subaru's declaration that he is holding back his tears and giving up on his dreams. But it can't be helped. Effort and working hard are words that Subaru doesn't want to see in his dictionary, so they are only marked with claw marks.
However, that feeling aside,
"I'd like to try out magic for a hands-on lesson, so please let me know. What should I do?"
"It's a 'Yin' attribute, so that was a bit unexpected. What is a simple 'Yin' spell, Lia?"
"For the Yin attribute, I thought something like the blinding 'Shamak' would be good… but sorry, I'm not that confident."
Emilia lamented her lack of power. Puck clapped his hands in front of her and said, "Oh, I see."
"Shamak is another one that I rarely use. Well then, I guess I'll aim to use that for now."
"Wait wait wait. It's troubling if you just go ahead and do this as if it's obvious. Anyway, what kind of spell is this Shamak? What if I try using it without knowing its effects and this incomprehensible power turns me into a frog? When that happens, Emilia-tan, please give me a kiss and turn me into a prince."
"Is it just me who feels like the story isn't connected?"
Subaru was embarrassed to be looked at with such eyes. Meanwhile, Puck nodded in agreement, saying that Subaru had a point.
"That's true. It can be a little scary to try using magic you don't know. Well, let me show you. This is Shamak."
With a quick wave of his arm, Puck briefly completes the chant.
Suddenly, Subaru's vision was enveloped in darkness. Immediately after blinking, when he opened his eyes, his vision remained dark, as if his eyelids were still closed.
He instinctively cried out in surprise, but the voice he was sure he made did not reach anyone's ears. The darkness that had arisen completely cut Subaru off from his field of vision, and from any contact with the outside world, and a feeling similar to fear ran down his spine.
"Okay, that's it."
"Mom... What? Are you back?"
"I'm back. I mean, Subaru. You were so anxious, didn't you just call me Mom?"
「I wouldn't do something so unmanly! That was it! It's the one where you call your teacher "mom"!」
His eyesight returned and he was relieved to see Bihou and Koneko standing side by side in front of him.
He touched his eyelids, and after making sure there was no change,
"So that was a blinding spell, and Shamak is the magic. It's simple, but I think it could be quite effective."
"Not really. If he's not fighting an opponent of equal or inferior rank, he'll be repelled by the pure difference in ability and won't last long. If it were up to me to invest in Subaru, I could make him spend his whole life in darkness."
"That's a scary idea! Even if you don't do it for that long, I'm sure I'll end up exhausted if I keep doing that for just one day."
With a wry smile, Subaru secretly put his trembling fists behind his back.
I still remember that for a moment, I felt like everything was slipping away, and was overcome by a sense of loneliness, as if I had been left behind by the world.
The time when I felt all alone in the world, convinced that I had no one on my side - my hands trembled as I suddenly remembered that time.
"Pathetic," Subaru thought, biting his tongue and smiling.
"Anyway, whether it works or not, that means I can use that magic now, right? I want to try it right away!"
"Fine. Then, I'll cover for you. Lea, the unexpected turn of events has caused your mana to go out of control, and if Subaru explodes, your clothes will get dirty, so stay away."
"That was a really unexpected turn of events, wasn't it!? That's an almost impossible case of failure, right!?"
Puck silently smiles, while Emilia, with a sad look on her face, says, "Don't be reckless," and distances herself from him.
In an extremely unsettling location, events begin to unfold, leaving Subaru feeling a little hesitant behind.
Puck sat on top of Subaru's short black hair and adjusted the position of his hips.
"It's a prickly, uncomfortable head."
"I never thought the day would come when I'd have to give someone a ride. I can't even offer you a cushion as hospitality, but please make yourself comfortable."
"Well, I miss being in Leah's hair so I'll finish up right away and be back. So, are you ready?"
Subaru hesitated for just a moment at the question, but then his cheeks curved into a smile and he slowly nodded.
There are many factors that make me anxious, but I can't resist my curiosity.
Hearing Subaru's affirmative response, Puck also nodded vigorously.
And all of a sudden, Subaru felt his whole body grow hot. A sensation different from blood coursing through his body - this formless torrent raging within him must be what they call mana.
I could feel the energy within his body moving in a directional manner, something coming from the pack on top of his head.
"Subaru, try to imagine it. Right now, you are grasping the flow of mana within your body and moving it. Then you expel some of it from your body through the gate. It will take shape outside――like a black cloud earlier."
"Image, image. Leave it to me, I'm good at delusions."
Subtly misinterpreting Puck's advice, Subaru seeks an outlet for the energy squirming within him in his delusions.
A gate―― Imagine it at the center of your body. The gate opens its heavy doors, and energy overflows from the inside to the outside. That energy goes out, and according to Subaru's will, it is sublimated into a phenomenon――
"Oh, that's a problem. The gate closed a bit suddenly."
As they reached the final stage, Puck suddenly muttered something like that.
There was no time to ask, "What?"
Immediately after――,
"Both of you?!"
Emilia screamed, and a few seconds later an explosive black mist erupted, engulfing a corner of the Roswaal Manor gardens.
Although it didn't work, it was still a huge failure