A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 6 - Part 33

"I'll take care of it." The pink-haired girl walked ahead toward the path, followed by the rest of the group.

Once everyone arrived at the settlement, Emilia received a relaxing treatment and the others gathered in the dining room for a proper conversation.

Seeing the expectant looks, Leandro spoke.

"As you might be thinking, Emilia failed the test. I don't know what she saw, but it must have been very hard for her. However, I think she'll be able to deal with it eventually, so this doesn't worry me at all."

"Do you really think so?" Garfiel was annoyed by the butler's confident attitude. "That woman looked like a scared little girl when she came out of the grave."

"She probably has some childhood trauma, and that ordeal revived her memories of that time. I'm not surprised it upset her so much, especially since she doesn't remember her early life."

At Leandro's retort, Garfiel gritted his sharp teeth. Considering the blond's past, that answer hit the nail on the head. Instinctively, he touched the scar on his forehead, remembering how much seeing his past in the witch's tomb affected him.

"So you're saying she can handle it after all." Ram asked. "How long will it take?"

"If we let her be, it could take years. Of course, my plan is to have her liberate the Sanctuary in just a few days. The key to motivating Emilia is to put a little pressure on her. With the weight of responsibility on the imprisoned villagers and the demihumans who want to be free, she'll gain the determination she needs."

Ram raised an eyebrow.

"Are you going to force her to face her traumas over and over again until she overcomes them? You really have a heart of stone, Leandoor."

"Everyone thought the same thing when Goku made Gohan fight Cell."

"What?" Garfiel raised his eyebrows, intrigued. Did he like making references too?

Leandro smiled.

"You wouldn't understand, but I'm sure you'd really like Dragon Ball."

Suddenly, Otto raised his hand, asking to speak. Everyone looked at him curiously.

"Before you go off on a tangent like always, can we talk about other options for liberating the Sanctuary?"

"Oh? What's on your mind, my clever friend?" Leandro rubbed his hands together.

"Don't exaggerate." Otto looked away, embarrassed. "I was thinking we don't need to complete the tests: we can help those who can't cross on their own. I mean, mixed-bloods faint when they make contact with the barrier, so we just have to transport them in carriages or carry them outside and wait for them to wake up."

At that moment, a little girl with long pink hair entered the room.

"It's an interesting idea, but it would be better not to do it. I'd rather not be an empty vessel."

Leandro clicked his tongue.

"Let me guess. The bodies can come out, but the souls stay trapped inside?"

Ryuzu Birma nodded and gave Leandro an approving look.

"That's right. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, kid."

"Nope, I'm just abusing my prior knowledge. So, if we use Otto's suggested method, we'd be killing everyone we force through the barrier."

Otto shuddered when he heard the consequences of carrying out his plan. He quickly backtracked, even feeling a pang of guilt when he thought of all the people who would have died because of his idea.

Unexpectedly, Leandro squeezed his shoulder and looked at him with a smile.

"That was very clever, and it might have worked. You shouldn't feel bad."

"I guess not..."

A few minutes later, the meeting ended, and both Garfiel and Ryuzu left. Leandro then suggested going to a more remote location to discuss a matter of utmost importance. Once there, the black-haired man spoke.

"Now that we're all finally together and in private, I want to talk about something very important." He walked around the area, scanning the surroundings to make sure no one was listening. "This conversation needs to stay between the four of us, do you understand?"

They all nodded, exchanging intrigued glances.

"I didn't want it to come to this, but I'm doing it because circumstances have cornered me, and I have to take drastic measures. What I'm about to tell you is something you should try to take calmly, otherwise there could be really bad consequences."

"Yes, yes. Can you spit it out already?" Ram gritted her teeth, irritated by the suspense the butler was giving the matter.

Rem was having trouble containing her anxiety. She didn't know what Leandro would say, but she had a feeling it had something to do with his visions of the future.

The boy's next words paralyzed everyone in the room.

"We must stop Roswaal."