[Web Novel] Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World

[5] CH 3: EACH GIVES PERSPECTIVE

Subaru: "Ok so leaving aside that that's all second-hand information, it's a floating city. Well you have Venice, so may as well be possible here too."

Venice springs to mind when it comes to aquatic cities.

The town is surrounded by water on all sides, with lakes winding nonchalantly through the stone cityscape. It's one of those romantic places that everyone visits at least once, and Subaru regards it as a picturesque spot too.

And so that's the impression he gets of Pristella.

Emilia: "No, Subaru. Pristella isn't a floating city, it's a Watergate City."

Subaru: "Watergate?"

Emilia: "Yes. It's in the middle of a lake, so the city floods when it rains. They built huge walls around the city to stop that, and there's gates to regulate the water levels. The gates are sooo amazing and famous that they don't call it the Floating City, they call it the Watergate City."

Emilia's explanation flips Subaru's pretty water town into an enclosed watery jail. The concept is all so beautiful, and then they ruin it with these giant walls.

Subaru tilts his head, wondering why they built this whole mechanism.

Emilia: "I think there's lots of theories behind the city's construction. Like, they were testing the limits of their technology, or trying to conquer the floods without relying on magic or the Dragon, or trying to trap a powerful, evil witchbeast."

Subaru: "None of them sound sensible but they all somehow feel possible which is how you know humans did it."

The average person wouldn't come up with the idea, but the geniuses of humanity are fundamentally liberated from the reins of common sense. And sometimes their ideas get realised. Either way.

Subaru: "But we still don't know what they're planning. ...Doubt they're just being nice and directing us to what we're looking for."

Emilia: "Are you sure? Have you ever considered trusting in people more, instead of being so suspicious?"

Subaru: "Sorry, but all the candidates have their faults. And I don't trust what they're plotting for a second."

Crusch herself is trustworthy, but Subaru doesn't know whether she'll stay a demure lady, and he has to keep wary of Felis. That problem is solved if Wilhelm reins Felis in, but the Sword Demon puts Subaru on edge too. Knowing their circumstances, it's difficult to trust them when they're left to their own devices.

Subaru has no idea what Anastasia is thinking, or what drives her.

He cannot divine her motives for sending this invitation. Julius may be the knightliest of knights, but Anastasia is ultimately in control. And the business lives of the members of Iron Fang are unrelated to who they are as people. Subaru can't dislike them.

Reinhardt and Rom from the Felt Faction may merit trust. But Felt's thoughts are unclear to Subaru. So long as she's willing to participate in the Selection, Subaru must brace for the tricky, devious girl to be scheming something.

If she seriously deploys Reinhardt, and he becomes their enemy, their chances of beating him in combat are a dream within a dream.

The Priscilla Faction is hardest to read.

Subaru cannot trust either of them. Al might also be from Japan, but he is surprisingly loyal to Priscilla. So he will not stand up for Subaru, while Priscilla's capriciousness is already terrifying. She could randomly visit to decapitate him with a smile on her face. That's her breed of absurdity.