A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 3 - Part 17

"I can't believe it... Julius must be devastated."

Emilia covered her mouth, shocked by the news. My reaction was very different from hers.

"Ha ha ha..."

Because of me, a royal candidate had died. She was one of the most relevant characters not only in the plot, but in this world.

Covering my face with one hand, I laughed at my own stupidity.

"I screwed up too badly."

Of course, Emilia had no idea what was going through my head when I acted the way I did upon learning of Anastasia Hoshin's death. Her eyebrows raised in response.

"Leandro? Why are you laughing?" The half-elf asked, perhaps afraid I'd be happy about it.

"He's nooot laughing because he doesn't care or becaaause it amuses him, Lady Emilia. Everyone has their own way of processing this maaatter of death."

Surprisingly, Roswaal stood up for me, his playful tone restored. Perhaps he did so because this loop was already doomed. I wasn't sure if that was the reason, but I didn't think too deeply about it.

I raised my head and looked at him.

"Do you know how it happened?"

Roswaal raised an eyebrow, looking back at me as if I were the culprit... In fact, in a way I was, and he knew it.

"I heard she was killed the same way as Russell Fellow. There were several puncture holes in her body."

"Several? But there should only be one bullet left... It shouldn't be possible unless..."

Roswaal cut off my train of thought with a fairly solid conjecture.

"Everything points to a serial killer, and it seems he's going after the most influential merchants in the royal capital."

"But the knights should be able to catch him, right?" Emilia clasped her hands to her chest as if praying for it.

Roswaal shook his head, looking almost sad.

"I'm afraid that even if they do, the damage has already been done. Russell Fellow and Anastasia Hoshin were the bigwigs in the local business. If this was a ploy by some ambitious merchant to climb the ladder or simply get rid of the competition, then they've gotten what they wanted and won't do anything flashy again."

All those words felt like daggers stabbing into my chest, increasing my guilt. At the same time, anger began to boil over again.

"Son of a bitch, you're going to pay for this!"

I was determined to keep my promise and teach the killer a lesson. But first, I had to find him. The good news was that I could now identify him by sight.

Due to the gravity of the events and the implications of the assassination of a royal candidate, Roswaal decided to postpone the return trip slightly, and we headed to the crime scene, where Anastasia's body was still located.

Surrounding her were Julius, Ricardo, Tivey, Mimi, and Hetaro. Their expressions of suffering and despair intensified my remorse, but I didn't look away.

The three brothers wept openly, while Ricardo bit his lip in frustration. Meanwhile, Julius...

He looked terrible. Not only had he lost his beloved lady, he'd also lost his knightly pride and with it, his motivation to live; I could tell just by looking at him.

I noticed other royal candidates among the crowd. Crush had come with Felix and Wilhelm, standing quite close to the circle of knights surrounding Anastasia. Priscilla and Aldebaran, on the other hand, watched the scene from a more distant position.