A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 683 - Part 48

"I will definitely beat you. When that happens, this world will remember my name."

***

The deaths of Rem and Roswaal were a devastating blow to Emilia's faction. As a lord in charge of a territory and the backer of Emilia's campaign, Roswaal's absence was keenly felt. Rem's passing, on the other hand, emotionally shattered some of the most important members.

Had it been old Emilia who suffered this tragedy, the candidacy project would have been doomed. But this wasn't the same half-elf who clung to others for emotional stability. Emilia held her head high and assumed the leadership that was rightfully hers, taking the initiative in the midst of the crisis.

Under her leadership, the losses were managed quite satisfactorily: the demi-humans finally left the Kremaldy Forest, and the villagers of Arlam were able to return to their homes. However, the biggest challenge was explaining the situation to everyone. Emilia knew she couldn't simply tell the truth: that Roswaal was insane and trying to resurrect a witch; that this obsession led him to kill Rem, and that Ram killed him for it.

Not only would it be difficult to believe, it could also be counterproductive, since many people still distrusted Emilia and were looking for any excuse to defame her, to destroy her socially. If that news became public, people would invent rumors and end up blaming her. Ultimately, it was decided to keep the news of Roswaal's death a secret.

However, there came a point when Emilia was forced to tell the truth, though not entirely. This was when she and her group headed to the Miload mansion in search of lodging: since Roswaal's mansion had been destroyed, they needed somewhere to stay temporarily. Thinking of a place suitable for so many people, Emilia remembered her stay at her friend Anne's house and decided to go there.

The little girl was happy to see her friend Emily, although she was quite surprised by the entourage following behind her. After showing her in and offering her tea and snacks, Annerose proceeded to ask the inevitable question: what was the purpose of the visit?

Then Emilia put on her best poker face and began to recount the events at the Sanctuary. Of course, this account was a modified version of the real events. The story Emilia told was an elaborate fabrication concocted by several members of the faction to make it sound as believable as possible.

"Was my uncle Roswaal eaten by the Great Rabbit?" Annerose was stunned.

Emilia felt her chest clench with pain at having lied to her friend like that, but she had to go along with it for the sake of the plan. As she continued speaking, she inwardly vowed to apologize to Annerose as soon as she could tell her the truth.

"That's right... We searched everywhere for him, but we didn't know where he was. After defeating the Great Rabbit, we found his clothes lying on the floor in the room that concealed the barrier's core."

"Just like that, Lord Roswaal is gone?" Butler Clind reacted with severe skepticism, adjusting his glasses as he refuted Emilia's statement. "It's not feasible: he should have been able to survive an encounter with that creature, even if he was forced to flee. Absurd."

"Unfortunately, Roswaal had no mana reserves when this happened." Emilia shook her head, dismissing Clind's argument. "It was because he wanted to conjure some powerful magic. Apparently, he tried to use the magic crystal that powered the barrier as a catalyst to cast his spell. The rabbits must have caught him when he was weak. Ram said he was probably trying to revive the witch who rests in the Sanctuary."

Annerose was even more surprised, but Clind only frowned more. He didn't believe Roswaal, the meticulous person he was, would have made such mistakes; besides, everything conveniently fell into place to make it look like a mere accident. However, the butler couldn't refute the story; even when he pressed Emilia, she didn't become flustered or defensive.

Clind saw it in her soul: she had a different feeling, stronger and more determined than before.

"She's matured a lot in a very short time... Intriguing.

Furthermore, the group of people she had brought looked at her with respect and trust, except for those who seemed to be in their own world. Among these exceptions, Clind noticed a young man with dark hair who dressed extravagantly.

As the conversation continued, the butler of the Miload house stopped paying attention to the dialogue between his mistress and the visitor, for he was seeing something incredible.

"He... has a broken soul. Unbelievable."

There was a strange magic woven like threads around the dark-haired man's soul. Clind noticed that pieces were missing, as if it were an incomplete puzzle. Something like this couldn't be natural.

"I also sense a witch factor within him... That means..."

While Clind was drawing conclusions, Leandro noticed him staring and held his gaze intensely, as if silently challenging him.

At the end of the conversation, Annerose generously offered Emilia and her group a place in the mansion. While the half-elf accepted the offer, she insisted that she and the rest of the faction would work to be of service and, in the process, begin raising money to afford a new home, or failing that, to repair the other mansion.

Finally, Clind showed the guests to their new rooms. He was quite surprised to see Frederica's younger brother there, especially with such a docile demeanor. As the butler recalled, Garfiel had been an aggressive and unstable brat who refused to leave the Sanctuary. Beside him was a woman who looked like a child, but whose elderly soul seemed very familiar to him, not to mention the fact that she was slightly out of sync with her body.

He didn't recognize the gray-haired, blue-eyed man, who seemed quite calm, almost to the point of being naive, but Clind wasn't fooled by appearances. Although it didn't seem like it, Otto was quite cautious and easily noticed the analytical gaze passing over him, but he pretended not to notice it.

Clind also noticed a maid who appeared to be Frederica's apprentice: a girl with orange hair, quite attractive by the butler's standards. Beside her stood another girl of the same age, with blue hair tied in a braid, but she wasn't as dignified. Clind noticed that she dressed similarly to the mature, dark-haired woman who stood apart from the rest of the group.

Then there was her , the Great Spirit. Clind knew who she was, and that's why he was so surprised to see her clinging to the dark-haired boy's hand.

Another thing that intrigued Clind was how Otto and Garfiel seemed to follow Leandro, walking beside him and occasionally glancing at him, as if they wanted to ask him something. During the introductions, Emilia told a bit of his story, explaining how she met him and the feats he had accomplished. When she mentioned the fight with the White Whale and the Archbishops, Clind began to understand him better.

"Lord Roswaal must have been interested in him because of his supposed predictive abilities. He also seems to be the type of person others listen to, though he keeps a low profile. Interesting."

After a while, almost all the members of the faction were in their respective rooms, beginning to settle in. Leandro and Betty were the last to be shown to their quarters, having a rather awkward walk during which they didn't exchange a single word with Clind.

"It's here." The butler said, pausing and pointing to a door. "If our esteemed guests require anything, they need only ask any of the nearby servants. I will now take my leave."

Leandro stared at the man until his figure disappeared around a corner of the hallway, then he sighed, relaxing the tension in his body.

"Fucking moron." He muttered.

"Did you say something?" Betty couldn't hear him because of the volume of his voice.

"Nothing important." He said, opening the door. "Let's go in."

Without pausing to look at anything in the room, Leandro went straight to the bed, where he plopped down heavily.

"This damn trip has left me exhausted." He said, his face pressed against the pillow. "I need to get some sleep..."

"Do you mind if I join you?" A sweet and charming voice asked.

Leandro sat up abruptly, recognizing the owner of the voice even before seeing her.

"Pandora!"