...
{3rd Pov}
Subaru slowly opened his eyes.
For the first few seconds, his mind was completely blank.
Confusion hit him almost immediately as he tried to process where he was and what had happened before he lost consciousness.
He remembered fighting alongside Emilia and Reinhardt against the Sin Archbishop of Greed.
He remembered the battle finally ending.
Then everyone regrouped afterward and—
The screen.
Subaru’s eyes widened slightly.
‘Wait a minute…?!’
The moment he remembered the existence of that horrifying screen, his face immediately turned pale.
The memories came rushing back all at once.
What was shown before he lost his consciousness.
All the moments he desperately wished he could forget had been shoved directly back into his mind without mercy.
“Haah… Haa…”
Subaru breathed heavily while pressing a hand against his forehead.
He rubbed his temples repeatedly, trying his best to calm himself down before the rising panic could overwhelm him again.
The memories felt suffocating.
Every painful death he had experienced was still engraved deeply into his mind, and seeing those moments replayed in front of others had nearly broken him completely.
“You are awake, Natsuki Subaru.”
A cold voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
Subaru paused and quickly looked around.
Standing nearby was a female knight who appeared to have been guarding him while he was unconscious.
“Um… Miss Knight?”
The moment he spoke to her, the knight’s expression visibly changed as disgust appeared on her face.
It was the kind of look someone would give toward something filthy or dangerous.
Subaru immediately noticed it and the moment he did, an uncomfortable feeling settled heavily in his stomach.
“You are not to move anywhere,” the female knight said in a strict and clearly hostile tone. “I will inform the others that you are awake.”
As she spoke, she took out a metia and quickly activated it, clearly sending a message to the others nearby.
Subaru blinked several times in confusion.
“What’s going on?” he immediately asked. “What happened to the screen?”
However, the knight did not respond.
Not did she even spare a glance at him.
She simply stood there silently, maintaining the same cold expression as before.
That reaction alone immediately made Subaru uneasy.
Subaru slowly looked around the room again, trying to figure out the situation.
Then suddenly, he realized something important.
‘Wait… where’s Beatrice?’
His expression stiffened slightly.
Even if nobody else was present, Beatrice always stayed close to him. Whether it was because of their contract, her own attachment to him, or simply habit at this point, Subaru had long become used to her presence beside him.
The idea that she would leave him alone while he was unconscious genuinely felt impossible.
Especially after everything they had gone through together.
Subaru immediately began searching the room more carefully, but Beatrice was nowhere to be seen.
That uncomfortable feeling in his stomach only grew stronger.
“Haah…”
Subaru rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
At this point, his otaku instincts were screaming at him.
Something had definitely gone wrong while he was unconscious.
Either he was in serious trouble…
Or everyone else was.
Soon, the gate to the room opened.
Subaru immediately turned toward the sound, only to see familiar faces entering one after another.
His friends and comrades! Of course Emilia-tan was present as well!
“Subaru!”
Beatrice was the first one to react.
The moment she saw him awake, she instinctively shouted his name and stepped forward as if she was about to run straight toward him like she normally would.
But then—
She suddenly stopped herself as if she remembered something.
Her small body froze in place.
Subaru immediately noticed it.
Beatrice remained standing there without moving any closer to him, even though her expression clearly showed that she wanted to.
That alone made Subaru realize something was deeply wrong.
The atmosphere in the room felt tense and sort of awkward?
Almost everyone present looked uneasy while facing him.
Then Priscilla suddenly spoke up.
“Peasant, if you have not figured it out by now, then allow my divine self to explain.”
Her tone sounded as arrogant as ever.
“All of them have been ordered to maintain their distance from you.”
Subaru blinked in confusion.
“What?”
Priscilla rested her chin lightly against her hand before continuing.
“Otherwise, you will apparently be dragged away to prison.”
“…Prison?”
Subaru stared at her blankly for a moment.
“But why?!”
His voice immediately rose in confusion.
Then his expression suddenly stiffened.
The memories of the screen flashed through his mind again.
The things that should never have been exposed.
Subaru’s thoughts immediately rushed toward the worst possible conclusion.
‘Wait…’
His face slowly began turning pale.
‘What exactly did that screen show them…?’
For a moment, Subaru tried to think rationally.
There was only one reason people would suddenly start treating him like some kind of dangerous criminal.
Only one possibility serious enough to justify imprisonment.
And then the horrifying thought finally surfaced completely.
‘Don’t tell me…’
Subaru’s breathing became uneven.
‘They know about my Return by Death…?’
The possibility alone nearly stopped his heart.
Almost instinctively, Subaru immediately checked his body.
His hands moved across himself in a panicked manner, as if trying to confirm that nothing was there.
That no invisible shadow hands were touching him.
That horrifying sensation had already become engraved into his instincts after everything he had experienced.
The memory of those unseen hands squeezing his heart, crawling over his body in that deeply violating way, had traumatized him far too much.
Even now, just thinking about Return by Death being exposed made his entire body tense up in fear.
“Natsuki Subaru, you are currently being treated as a dangerous element due to your connection with the Witch of Envy.”
A new voice suddenly entered the conversation.
Subaru immediately turned toward the entrance.
The moment he saw the man standing there, he recognized him.
“Kiritaka-san…”
It was Kiritaka Muse.
One of the members of the Council of Ten that governed Priestella.
And after the recent disaster involving the Witch Cult, probably the last surviving member among them.
Seeing him here immediately made Subaru feel even more uneasy.
“Kiritaka-san,” Subaru repeated, still trying to process the situation.
His mind was in complete disarray.
'Lover of the Witch of Envy?'
'How the hell did they even come to that conclusion?'
The panic inside him only continued growing stronger.
Exactly what had those people been shown while he was unconscious?
What kind of scenes did that insane screen reveal?
Subaru’s thoughts spiraled rapidly as he tried to piece things together.
Meanwhile, Kiritaka let out a long sigh.
“Subaru-kun…”
His expression looked complicated as he glanced toward the members of the four royal camps gathered inside the room.
To him, the current situation was clearly unpleasant.
“I truly did not wish for things to develop like this.”
His tone sounded sincere.
However, despite that sincerity, he still continued speaking in an official manner.
“But at the present moment, I am effectively the only remaining representative of the Council of Ten.”
Kiritaka straightened his posture slightly before continuing.
“And according to the direct orders issued by the Wise Men, the royal camps currently possess no authority over your situation whatsoever.”
The meaning behind those words was clear.
Even if some of the Royal Candidates wanted to protect Subaru, their ability to interfere had become extremely limited.
The matter had already been taken out of their hands politically.
Kiritaka looked directly at Subaru as he spoke again.
“Subaru-kun… your current fate depends entirely on what happens next.”
His words sounded almost like a warning or perhaps a plea for Subaru to cooperate.
“So I will ask you directly.”
Kiritaka looked straight at Subaru as he spoke.
“Are you the lover of the Witch of Envy?”
His tone remained calm and controlled, almost professional.
However, only Kiritaka himself knew how nervous he truly felt right now.
The person sitting in front of him was no longer viewed as merely Natsuki Subaru, the weak but strangely capable young man who had repeatedly achieved miracles.
No.
After what had been revealed on the screen, Subaru had become something far more frightening in the eyes of many people.
The beloved of the Witch of Envy.
Just the title alone was enough to terrify anyone who understood what the Witch of Envy represented.
Subaru immediately reacted.
“I am not her lover!”
His answer came out faster and louder than he intended.
“She might love me, but I do not love her!”
Subaru spoke as honestly as he possibly could.
After all, after hearing Kiritaka’s question and seeing the reactions around him, he had already realized something important.
Whatever had been shown on that screen had apparently been enough to convince people that he was somehow romantically connected to Satella.
Which meant trying to completely deny everything would probably only make things worse.
For a brief moment, the idea of pretending ignorance had crossed Subaru’s mind.
Act dumb, pretend he had no idea what they were talking about.
But he quickly abandoned that thought.
There were too many people in the room who knew him too well.
People like Otto would immediately notice if he was obviously lying.
And while his friends might still choose to trust him despite that…
What about everyone else?
What about people who can tell lies?
Individuals like Duchess Crusch Karsten, for example.
Although Subaru found himself guilty over what he had labelled her as jokingly enough as Lie Detector due to her Divine Protection.
Not that he would ever dare to speak out that aloud.
As Subaru’s breathing slowly calmed down, his eyes began moving around the room more carefully.
That was when he noticed something strange.
Wilhelm was indeed present.
But there were no signs of Duchess Crusch Karsten anywhere.
More importantly, Felix was also missing.
Subaru blinked in confusion as he continued looking around.
The people currently present in the room were surprisingly limited.
Most of them were members of Emilia’s camp.
Then there was Wilhelm from Crusch’s camp.
Priscilla and Aldebaran from their Priscilla camp itself.
And finally, Felt and Reinhardt.
That was it.
However, before he could think too deeply about it, another detail caught his attention.
Reinhardt.
Subaru stared at him for a moment.
Something about him looked… off.
Then Subaru finally realized what it was.
Reinhardt was not carrying the Dragon Sword Reid.
Subaru had become so used to seeing Reinhardt with that sword that its absence immediately stood out.
And not only that—
Reinhardt was also wearing a completely different set of clothes than usual.
The overall impression felt strangely subdued compared to how the Sword Saint normally appeared.
The more Subaru noticed these details, the more confused he became.
'What exactly happened while I was unconscious…?'
Before he could ask further questions, Kiritaka spoke again.
“So you admit that the Witch of Envy is in love with you.”
Subaru immediately grimaced hearing it phrased so directly.
Meanwhile, Kiritaka himself looked like he wanted to rub his temples from sheer exhaustion.
Honestly, the entire situation was giving him a headache.
Part of him wanted to simply walk out of the room and stay as far away from Natsuki Subaru as physically possible.
After all, the young man sitting on that bed had somehow become connected to the single most terrifying existence in recorded history.
And now Kiritaka was expected to calmly manage the political consequences of that revelation.
Meanwhile, Subaru’s admission had already caused another wave of reactions throughout the room.
Emilia still looked unable to properly process what she had just heard.
Even though Subaru had clearly stated that he did not love the Witch of Envy back, the fact that he openly acknowledged Satella’s feelings toward him was still shocking enough.
Her thoughts felt messy.
Part of her wanted to immediately ask Subaru countless questions.
Another part of her still could not fully accept the reality of the situation.
Nearby, Garfiel was also struggling badly.
“The hell…”
He scratched his head aggressively while staring at Subaru with disbelief.
“Capt’n… seriously?”
Even he was having trouble digesting everything.
Subaru, the person he respected more than almost anyone else, was somehow connected to the Witch of Envy in a way none of them could have imagined.
Meanwhile, Otto remained noticeably calmer than the others.
Not because he wasn’t shocked.
He absolutely was.
But Otto’s mind had already shifted toward something more practical.
Damage control.
While everyone else focused on the emotional side of the revelation, Otto was already thinking ahead.
How dangerous was the current situation politically?
What would happen once the news spread further?
What could they realistically do to protect Subaru from the kingdom’s reaction?
Otto’s expression grew more serious the longer he thought about it.
Then Felt suddenly exploded.
“Big Bro! Are you actually stupid?!”
She pointed at Subaru while clenching her fists tightly.
“Why the hell would you admit something like that so easily?!”
Her frustration was obvious.
At this point, she genuinely felt like the people around her were determined to drive her insane.
First Reinhardt had somehow lost all his powers.
And now Subaru was casually admitting that the Witch of Envy loved him.
Felt seriously wanted to scream.
Subaru himself looked awkward after hearing her outburst.
However, before the situation could escalate further, Reinhardt quietly spoke up.
“I think… in this case, Subaru made the correct decision.”
Everyone’s attention shifted toward him.
Reinhardt’s expression remained calm, though his lips twitched slightly for some reason.
“The screen had already shown enough evidence,” he continued carefully.
“If Subaru attempted to deny it completely, it would only make the situation more suspicious.”
Kiritaka slowly nodded in agreement.
“That screen already presented proof in the form of…”
He suddenly paused.
For a brief moment, Kiritaka glanced toward Reinhardt.
More specifically, toward the man who used to be the Sword Saint.
Reinhardt responded with a small, wry smile.
It was obvious he already understood exactly what Kiritaka had originally intended to say.
The atmosphere became slightly awkward.
Then Kiritaka cleared his throat lightly before choosing his words more carefully.
“…Overwhelming power.”
He intentionally selected a softer phrase.
Because what he had almost said originally was something much harsher.
After all, everyone in the room understood what the true proof had been.
The terrifying reaction of the Witch of Envy’s mere presence.
And the fact that even Reinhardt himself had ultimately been rendered useless.
“Emilia-sama… are you alright?”
Otto’s voice pulled Emilia slightly out of her thoughts.
He had been watching her expression for a while now, and the frozen look on her face was beginning to genuinely worry him.
Emilia blinked several times before finally reacting.
“Ah… yes…”
She forced a smile onto her face.
However, the result looked awkward enough that even she seemed aware of it.
An ugly smile.
One that clearly failed to hide the emotions underneath.
Because no matter how much Emilia trusted Subaru…
No matter how strongly she believed he was telling the truth…
The feelings inside her still refused to settle down.
The image of Satella’s confession kept replaying in her mind again and again.
'Always you. Always only you, am I in love with.'
Those words stubbornly remained inside her head.
And every single time she remembered them, that strange uncomfortable feeling returned.
A heavy feeling she had never experienced before.
Something sharp and unpleasant tightening inside her chest.
Emilia did not understand it.
She genuinely could not figure out what this emotion even was.
Someone like her, who had lived isolated for so long, had never properly learned how to identify such feelings.
And yet—
Despite how impossible it should have been for her expression to twist that way…
It still happened.
A new emotion had clearly appeared inside her heart.
What should it even be called?
Fortunately, the Narrator would gladly explain it for everyone.
It was jealousy.
Meanwhile, Priscilla suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
The sound echoed loudly through the room.
She looked genuinely entertained.
As if she had just witnessed something so absurd and amusing that even she struggled to properly process it.
Which was honestly a rare sight.
The Sun Princess herself was clearly enjoying this chaos far more than she probably should.
Nearby, Aldebaran silently rubbed the side of his helmet.
Unlike Priscilla, he was thinking about something completely different.
Specifically what kind of punishment Lugunica was planning to inflict on Subaru moving forward.
At this point, the political situation surrounding Subaru had become an absolute nightmare.
Aldebaran honestly would not be surprised if some extremists within the kingdom demanded execution, imprisonment, or something even worse.
‘I seriously hope these guys stay sensible,’ he thought internally.
‘Bro literally has protection from that Narrator guy after all.’
And honestly that concern was completely justified.
Because whether people liked it or not… Natsuki Subaru genuinely did possess the protection of the Supreme Narrator.
Wilhelm silently clenched his fists.
Even now, he still did not fully understand what he was supposed to feel about this entire situation.
Anger?
Hatred?
Fear?
None of those emotions felt completely correct.
Because despite everything that had been revealed, Wilhelm personally knew Natsuki Subaru.
He had fought beside him, spoken with him and personally observed the kind of person he was.
And because of that, Wilhelm could not simply force himself to suddenly view Subaru as some kind of irredeemable monster.
No matter how terrifying the connection to the Witch of Envy sounded.
Of course irony wasn't lost to all those who were reading this.
Meanwhile, Subaru looked around the room with growing frustration as he noticed everyone’s complicated reactions.
“Hey! I can see all your expressions, you know?!”
He pointed toward the group while speaking defensively.
“But like I already said, the feelings are one sided!”
Subaru looked like he was desperately trying to salvage whatever remained of his dignity.
“She loves me! I don’t love her back!”
The moment he finished saying that, Otto immediately responded without missing a beat.
“Just like your feelings for Emilia-sama?”
An invisible arrow pierced directly through Subaru’s chest.
Subaru froze completely.
The damage was critical.
“Hey!”
He immediately snarled toward Otto with obvious embarrassment.
“What the hell was that for?!”
Otto adjusted his glasses while looking strangely satisfied with himself.
“I was merely making a comparison.”
“You absolutely were not!”
Subaru looked personally betrayed.
Meanwhile, several people in the room reacted differently to the exchange.
Emilia, looked completely lost.
She genuinely could not understand how the conversation had suddenly ended up there.
Her thoughts were still focused on the much bigger issue.
The Witch of Envy loved Subaru.
That should have been the terrifying part.
That should have been the topic everyone remained focused on.
And yet somehow, the conversation had suddenly shifted toward Subaru’s feelings for her instead.
Emilia’s face became slightly red from confusion.
She honestly did not know what kind of expression she was even supposed to make right now.
After all, wasn’t this supposed to be an extremely serious situation?
Why were they suddenly joking around in the middle of all this chaos?
Of course, what Emilia did not realize was that Otto had not actually been joking.
He was exhausted.
FUCKING Mentally exhausted.
At this point, Otto felt like his brain had been forcefully dragged through chaos for several hours straight without a single moment to properly rest.
He knew where Emilia came from.
He also knew where Subaru came from.
Not literally, of course, but he understood the kind of people they were.
And because he understood them, Otto had noticed certain problems for a long time now.
The issue was that Subaru had a terrible habit of relying entirely on himself while hiding important things from everyone else.
That tendency had always bothered Otto.
Honestly, if Otto had learned from the beginning that the Witch of Envy was in love with Subaru, he probably would have tried running away from this entire situation immediately.
No sane person would willingly involve themselves in something this absurd.
However, things were not that simple anymore.
Otto had spent too much time watching Subaru and Emilia together.
He had seen the way Subaru looked at Emilia.
He had seen how desperately Subaru supported her through everything.
And because of that, Otto knew he could not simply blame either of them for the current mess.
Still...that did not mean he failed to notice the problems between them.
At first, Otto assumed things would eventually work themselves out naturally.
Subaru always somehow managed to solve impossible situations in the end.
That was practically his defining trait at this point.
But now?
Now Otto had learned about Subaru’s connection to the Witch of Envy.
And suddenly, a lot of things started looking far more questionable than before.
How was he supposed to ignore the possibility that Subaru’s emotional state had been compromised somehow?
The Witch of Envy was not a normal existence.
Even ordinary exposure to a Witch could drive people insane.
That was common sense in this world.
And now Otto was supposed to casually accept that Subaru had somehow become emotionally attached to a silver haired half elf who shared several traits with the Witch of Envy herself?
The more Otto thought about it, the more uncomfortable the implications became.
Then another realization suddenly hit him.
'A year has already passed… hasn’t it?'
Otto’s expression subtly stiffened.
Subaru and Emilia had spent all that time together.
They trusted each other deeply.
Subaru openly loved her.
And yet…
Why did their relationship still feel so stagnant?
Why did it still feel like they kept dancing around each other without properly moving forward?
Otto could understand that both of them had complicated circumstances.
He truly could.
And he knew it was unfair to judge people purely based on relationship progress.
But after everything revealed by the screen…
After learning about Satella…
After hearing Subaru himself admit that the Witch of Envy loved him…
Otto felt forced to reevaluate everything.
Because now, every strange detail suddenly felt significant.
“Otto! Snap out of it!”
Garfiel’s loud voice suddenly pulled Otto out of his thoughts as the demi human grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him aggressively.
“Damn it, stop shaking me like that!”
Otto immediately complained while trying to pry Garfiel’s hands off him.
“You’re going to dislocate something at this rate!”
Garfiel finally let go after clicking his tongue.
Otto adjusted his clothes with visible annoyance before looking around the room again.
To his surprise, the atmosphere was far calmer than he had expected.
Honestly, after everything revealed by the screen, Otto had expected complete chaos by now.
Arguments and threats rolling down everyone's tongue.
Maybe even someone attempting to attack Subaru directly despite the Narrator’s warning.
Instead, the room had fallen into an uneasy silence.
Everyone looked tense, but nobody was acting recklessly.
“Certainly not easy…”
Kiritaka muttered quietly under his breath.
Even though he appeared calm outwardly, his mind was currently overloaded with problems.
The situation surrounding Subaru had become an absolute nightmare to manage politically.
And as the highest remaining authority figure in Priestella, the responsibility had effectively fallen onto him.
Kiritaka had already made several decisions in an attempt to keep the situation under control.
First, he deliberately kept the camp members separated from Subaru as much as possible.
Partly to prevent emotional reactions.
And partly to stop anyone from attempting something stupid, whether that meant attacking Subaru or trying to secretly help him escape.
Second, he intentionally chose a guard Subaru did not know personally.
And not just that.
He specifically assigned a female knight.
According to Kiritaka’s judgment, Subaru would likely remain calmer around an unfamiliar female knight than he would around an unfamiliar male guard.
It was a small detail, but right now every little factor mattered.
Kiritaka was already planning several steps ahead constantly.
Honestly, he wished the Wise Men would simply take over responsibility for this mess already.
The burden currently sitting on his shoulders was far beyond what he wanted to deal with.
However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized something uncomfortable.
At this point, everyone’s fate was strangely tied to Subaru himself.
After all, whether people liked it or not, Natsuki Subaru was apparently the beloved of the Witch of Envy.
And on top of that, the Supreme Narrator also seemed unusually interested in him.
Kiritaka hesitated slightly at that thought.
No…“Interested” was probably the safer word.
Because he could not confidently describe the Narrator’s attitude toward Subaru as simple fondness.
After all, the mysterious being had shown frightening behavior toward nearly everyone else.
And yet Subaru alone seemed to trigger some kind of special attention from him.
That fact made Kiritaka extremely cautious.
Personally, he would rather trust his own judgment than blindly hand the entire situation over to the Wise Men.
Even if they technically held greater authority.
Because if they made the wrong decision regarding Subaru…
The consequences could become catastrophic for everyone involved.
Still…
Kiritaka silently glanced toward Reinhardt.
Or more specifically, toward the former Sword Saint.
Perhaps…
Perhaps he would have made a very different decision today if Reinhardt had not lost his powers earlier.
“I have given the matter considerable thought.”
Kiritaka finally spoke again after a long moment of silence, letting out a tired sigh beforehand.
The exhaustion in his voice was impossible to hide at this point.
“We will keep Natsuki Subaru isolated for the time being.”
The words immediately caused tension to spread through the room again.
Kiritaka continued calmly despite the reactions.
“And during this period, he must not have direct contact with members of Emilia Camp.”
Subaru’s expression instantly darkened.
“What?!”
Meanwhile, Beatrice visibly stiffened hearing those words.
However, before anyone could immediately object, Kiritaka looked directly toward Subaru again.
“Although…”
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“You claim that you do not love the Witch of Envy.”
Subaru immediately nodded.
“Because I don’t!”
Kiritaka did not react much to the interruption.
Instead, he continued speaking carefully.
“However, the fact that you are deeply in love with another silver haired half elf creates… certain concerns.”
The moment those words were spoken, Emilia visibly flinched.
An unpleasant thought suddenly appeared in her mind.
A terrible thought.
One she immediately tried rejecting with everything she had.
Subaru was Subaru.
She trusted him.
She knew he would never simply confuse her with someone else.
And yet…
The similarities between herself and Satella had always existed.
Silver hair.
Half-elf.
A similar appearance.
The idea that those similarities might somehow be connected to Subaru’s feelings caused a painful uneasiness to rise inside her chest.
'No…'
Emilia unconsciously shook her head slightly, trying to push the thought away immediately.
Meanwhile, Otto quickly stepped forward.
“Kiritaka san, I honestly do not understand how you can reach a conclusion like that.”
For once, Otto sounded genuinely alarmed.
Sweat was already visible running down his forehead.
Because he immediately understood how dangerous this line of thinking could become.
Kiritaka calmly looked toward him.
“Otto san, this matter involves the Witch of Envy.”
His tone remained steady and rational.
“Under circumstances like these, we are obligated to consider every possible angle.”
Then his eyes shifted toward Emilia.
And the atmosphere in the room immediately became heavier.
“Unfortunately…”
Kiritaka paused briefly before continuing.
“As things currently stand, Emilia Camp must also be placed under isolation.”
“This absolutely will not do, in fact!”
Beatrice suddenly raised her voice, immediately drawing everyone’s attention toward her.
Up until now, she had remained unusually quiet.
Not because she agreed with the situation.
But because she had been trying to stay calm for Subaru’s sake.
However, hearing that Subaru would be completely isolated was something she could no longer remain silent about.
Her small hands clenched tightly as she glared toward Kiritaka and the others.
“Yes, Natsuki Subaru has connections to the Witch of Envy or whatever nonsense you people want to call it!”
Beatrice’s voice carried visible frustration now.
“But Subaru’s gate is still broken, I suppose!”
The atmosphere immediately shifted slightly.
“Betty must remain by his side, in fact. Otherwise, he could seriously die!”
Otto immediately nodded in support.
“She is right.”
His expression had also become serious again.
“At the very least, Lady Beatrice needs to remain with Subaru.”
Otto glanced toward the others before continuing.
“She is the Great Spirit of Yin and the person directly maintaining Subaru’s condition.”
Subaru himself looked slightly awkward hearing his medical condition discussed so openly again.
But Otto ignored that completely.
“If you separate them entirely, then Subaru’s physical state could genuinely become unstable.”
However, before Kiritaka could respond, the female knight guarding Subaru suddenly spoke.
“It is rather questionable whether he would actually die or not when the Witch of Envy herself is apparently his lover.”
Her words were filled with obvious venom.
The atmosphere instantly became colder.
Several people frowned hearing the hostility in her voice.
Even the knight herself seemed aware that she was speaking out of line.
Normally, it was not her place to interrupt a discussion involving royal camps and high ranking officials.
But this situation involved the Witch of Envy.
And because of that, she could not stop herself from speaking.
Ever since Subaru woke up, she had forced herself to remain calm while standing near him.
She had accepted the role of guarding him personally despite how terrifying the situation was.
Because in her mind, protecting Lugunica came before everything else.
Even her own fear.
Even her own life.
If Natsuki Subaru truly posed a threat connected to the Witch of Envy, then she believed she had a duty to stand against him no matter what happened.
Even if it meant crossing boundaries she normally never would have dared to cross.
“How hypocritical of all of you.”
A new voice suddenly echoed throughout the room.
The moment those words were heard, everyone instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.
And then every single person froze upon finding who the hell it was.
Subaru’s eyes widened so much that he immediately jumped backward out of sheer shock, accidentally smashing the back of his head against the wall behind the bed.
“Gah?!”
The impact hurt badly.
But Subaru completely ignored the pain.
Because right now, something far more important had appeared before them.
His trembling finger immediately pointed toward the newly arrived entity.
“You?!”
The others were not reacting much better.
Several people instinctively stepped backward.
Others stiffened in place.
Even Reinhardt’s expression became serious again.
Standing before them was the one existence none of them wanted appearing unexpectedly.
The being who had casually turned the world upside down with his broadcasts.
The mysterious entity who had stripped Reinhardt of his powers.
The one who called himself—
The Supreme Narrator.
“Viola, it is me!”
The Supreme Narrator spread his arms dramatically while grinning.
“The Narrator himself!”
His tone sounded absurdly cheerful compared to the horrifying tension he created just by appearing.
Subaru looked like he wanted to scream.
Meanwhile, several people in the room immediately became nervous again.
Especially after remembering one terrifying fact.
This being could erase people from existence whenever he pleased.
Then suddenly—
The entire scene froze.
Completely.
Everyone stopped moving.
Expressions froze in place.
Voices vanished.
Even the air itself felt motionless, as if time had abruptly ceased to exist.
Only the Supreme Narrator remained unaffected.
Then slowly—
He turned his head.
Not toward the characters.
But toward the readers.
Toward you.
A wide grin appeared on his face.
“Time for another cliffhanger!”
He sounded genuinely delighted while saying it.
And just like that—
The chapter readers had waited an entire month for abruptly ended right there.
On another cliffhanger.
(A/N: FUCK YOU, NARRATOR! I wanted to write a bigger chapter!)
Supreme Narrator: “Man, I narrate your stories for free. I narrate everyone’s stories for free. Whether I feel motivated enough to narrate properly depends entirely on your honesty.”
The Narrator crossed his arms dramatically before continuing.
“And do you have any idea how exhausting this job is? Watching all of you create emotional disasters twenty-four hours a day is mentally damaging!”)