Natsuki Subaru The Anti Knight

Chapter 16. Meeting other Witches

Subaru woke up back inside the tomb as he wrapped his arms around himself, violently shaking. He looked at his shaking hands, he could still feel the rabbits eating him, tearing him limb from limb, entering him and eating his organs from the inside out. He could feel it all.

His mind finally broke...

"Why?"

Subaru started banging his head on the floor repeatedly.

"Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY?!"

Subaru kept banging his head on the floor until it started to bleed. Before he could do anything else though he heard a voice as time slowed down.

"You have once again the qualification. I invite you..."

"To a witch's tea party."

Subaru was transported to Echidna's dream world feeling oddly calm.

"I don't often invite the same guest to my tea parties twice. Feel free to be proud."

"I...feel so oddly calm, it's kind of creepy. What's going on?"

Echidna explained that it was because of the tea he drank the last time he encountered her. She also explained that it directly affected his Witch Factor, encouraging his stability. And if it weren't for that, his soul would have crumbled to pieces. Though Echidna had other reasons as to why she brought him back.

"And I can't have that happening, you are far by the most interesting specimen I have seen. And I want to know more about you, such as Devils and your powers."

"Now I'm ready to accept your gratitude."

"...So can I assume this will keep working even after I'm outside?"

"Well, we are talking about your mental state. So long as you remember what should happen here, you should be fine. So where's your gratitude?"

They kept discussing until Subaru caught on to something that he didn't notice until now. So he asked Echidna how she knew about him.

"If you're asking me what I know, I know only what you know."

"Wait a second... does that mean...?!"

Subaru had thoughts running through his mind at that one sentence that came out her mouth. She only knew what he knew. She already knew he was a Devil since he told her after his first trial, but does that mean that she knows about his Anti Magic and his Time Looping ability?

"So there is no way it shouldn't seem strange to you. For you, this is happening after your first tea party with me, isn't it? So if you don't find this strange, then..."

"Then?"

"Then that means you know how this happened, don't you?"

Subaru had flashbacks to his previous loops, where he tried to tell Emilia about Return By Death, only to have the Witch of Envy appear and squeeze his heart to shut him up. And a flashback to a previous loop after he told Emilia about his Return by Death and the Witch of Envy destroyed Emilia's heart. Echidna seeing him hesitate, told him to test her.

"Y-You might not even have time to regret saying that!"

"If that provides to be true, can I expect you to break down crying over my corpse?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Subaru took a deep breath and calmed his nerves as he spoke.

"Echidna..."

"I... I've been returning by death!"