On the way back, we obtained the White Whale's head and took it back to the capital. Luckily, we didn't run into Regulus Corneas. I don't know what I would have done if that had been the case.
I didn't know if using techniques like Shamak and its variants would affect him, but it was a relief to not have had to try it with him. Even with the unleashed power of the Sloth Authority, I probably wouldn't do anything to his invulnerable body.
I could still feel the strange energy emanating from my body, invisible to most living beings. Playing around with my authority, I discovered it was quite versatile, able to change shape and size, be tangible or intangible... There was a sea of possibilities I was just beginning to explore.
Petelgeuse's voice didn't return, even when I called out to him. In the end, it was for the best, because I didn't need to add schizophrenia to my other problems. Still, his last words left me deeply unsettled.
"You are Petelgeuse."
It couldn't have been a literal meaning, could it? My appearance hadn't changed, my mind wasn't as disturbed, and that suspicious voice had vanished. If something happened to me, it was something I didn't realize, at least until that moment.
Then I remembered what happened in the fifth arc. It was implied that Subaru had Petelgeuse's soul or essence within him, something Sirius mentioned and Emilia visualized later. I settled on that theory as a last resort. I had too little information to investigate the matter.
"Let 's see, what do I remember about the next arc?"
Roswaal wanted to force Subaru to abandon his humanity. He put him at a crossroads by presenting him with a scenario in which he had to choose between saving the people at the shrine or those at the mansion, which meant sacrificing one of the two groups.
The correct answer was to let those in the mansion die and protect the group Emilia was in. After all, it was crucial that she be the ruler of Lugunica for Roswaal's plan to be carried out successfully.
Being pressured like this would make Subaru mentally break. That's where Echidna came in with her contract proposal, showering the boy with sweet words and promises of an ideal future.
"I remember reading about an IF that tells the story of the Subaru who accepted the contract. I think Roswaal was the only happy character in that alternate universe. I hope I'm not confusing things."
My plan to get through this arc was simple: screw Roswaal's plans and make it clear to him that I'm not a puppet, as I have my own plans. However, I still wanted to make a deal with him. This would certainly change things, but hopefully there wouldn't be any negative consequences.
Comparing how much it cost me to overcome each arc, I would say that the fourth is going to be among the easiest... I would say that if I were still so naive as to believe that an unexpected obstacle won't appear like in all the previous ones: Subaru's absence in the first, Doppelganger's attack in the second and Gilbert's interference in the third.
Obviously, the script was going to include some kind of nonsense that would greatly increase the difficulty of completing this arc. I'm so sure of that, I'll bet my ass it will be that way.
"We're almost there." Reported Rem, who was sitting next to me.
"Good." I nodded, still thinking about how I was going to handle the upcoming events.
"Is something wrong? You've been moving strangely."
She noticed my seemingly erratic behavior. I stopped my musings and looked at her with a proud smile as I gestured for her to come closer.
YOU ARE READING
A Random in Re:Zero
FanfictionWhat would happen if someone else took Subaru's place in the story? What would his path, his decisions, and his relationship with the characters be like? Would he have more power or intelligence than Subaru? Would he choose the same route, take an a...
