Chapter 86: Meili: Th-this, who's trying to frame me!?

["I have only one wish, and that is to let me work here at the manor!"

After arriving at the dining hall with Emilia, Natsuki Subaru once again chose to voice the very request that, in his first loop, had astonished everyone.

From there on, he carried himself with the relaxed air of a player on his second playthrough of a game.

After following Rem and Ram to the changing room, he made his way with practiced ease straight to the set of clothes that had been his own back in the first loop.

"Heh heh, no need to waste time—this one suits me best. Now Rem just needs to alter it a little for me."

Natsuki Subaru failed to notice the puzzled, scrutinizing look that crossed Rem's face upon hearing this, and simply spread his arms wide as he spoke.

"Come on, next you've got to take my body measurements—no need to go easy on me!"

"That can wait until later."

Ram refused with a cold, indifferent expression.

"Right now there are other, more pressing matters to attend to."

"Is it a tour of the manor?"

Seeing Ram's cold attitude, Natsuki Subaru calmed down a little and ventured a guess.

"That can wait as well. Right now you're to help Ram with her work."

Ram refused once more, and without giving Natsuki Subaru any chance to ask further questions, she turned and walked away.]

"Mr. Natsuki is being far too hasty—this is going to arouse suspicion."

Otto bit his finger, fretting quietly on behalf of the Mr. Natsuki on the screen, who still seemed so green in the ways of dealing with people.

"Honestly, Subaru. If you keep acting this frivolous and don't take things seriously—you'll die."

Puck folded his arms, and toward the end his tone shifted abruptly, turning cold.

Unfortunately, the Natsuki Subaru on the screen could not hear their warnings.

[After that, while in the kitchen Natsuki Subaru kept muttering the potato-peeling tricks that Ram had taught him in the previous loop, drawing Rem's attention.

This time he did notice Rem's furtive glances, but Ram brushed it off by saying, "Barusu's outfit is so ugly that it's caught Rem's eye."

Likewise, later on while trimming the bushes in the courtyard, Rem's surveillance and wary peeking at Natsuki Subaru grew more and more frequent.

When Natsuki Subaru once again caught Rem watching him, Ram, left with no choice, could only explain it away by saying Rem thought Barusu's hair was a mess and wanted to give it a trim.

And Natsuki Subaru actually believed it!]

"Whether in the previous loop or this one, is this how the two of you treat your husband?"

Beyond the screen, Priscilla cast a sidelong glance at Rem and Ram and let out a scornful laugh.

"No wonder he fell out of favor later on—this is where it all began, isn't it?"

At these words Rem instantly glared daggers at Priscilla.

Ram reached out to hold Rem back and said coldly to Priscilla.

"How things stand between us and Barusu is not for Lady Priscilla to judge. Before this, Barusu and the two of us were getting along very well, and both Rem and I regard Barusu as someone precious in our lives!"

And yet, even as she said this, Ram felt a faint unease in her heart.

That much was true for now—but how would the events on the screen unfold from here?

Rem's behavior was surely no more than mere wariness… that had to be it, didn't it?

As if to mirror her thoughts, the screen next showed Rem seizing the chance while cleaning the bath to apologize to Natsuki Subaru and seek his forgiveness.

She even made a promise with Natsuki Subaru to trim his hair the next day.

Seeing this, Ram finally let out a sigh of relief and turned to comfort Rem.

"Don't worry. There's no rush—this promise can be fulfilled once we get out of here."

After saying this, Ram could not help but sigh inwardly.

Perhaps this was the very reason this space existed—to make up for everyone's regrets.

But on the other side, Rem did not relax at her elder sister's words.

Uneasily, she clenched her palm tight and pressed it to her chest, feeling her own heartbeat.

Although she had apologized, her own conduct on the screen made her instinctively sense that something was wrong.

That had not been an apology from the heart—it was a disguise, a disguise concealing… her revulsion toward Subaru!

The discovery of this conclusion made Rem's skin crawl, and she recalled how in the past she had indeed grown wary of the residual witch's scent that clung to Subaru.

But it shouldn't have gone so far as actual revulsion… probably?

Now even Rem was no longer certain; she only felt the pounding thud of her heart carry up into her feverish mind, leaving her at a loss.

[The scene quickly fast-forwarded to the afternoon, as Natsuki Subaru went with Rem to the village to purchase supplies. Everything was exactly the same as in the previous loop—Natsuki Subaru was even bitten by the little dog once again.]

"That damned mutt again—the thing that got my boss killed once!"

Garfiel cursed loudly, but when he saw the purple-haired little girl holding the dog, his eyes flickered with confusion for a moment.

"Wait—why does this little girl holding the puppy look so familiar?"

Garfiel turned his head, his gaze searching row by row through the seats in the audience area.

Purple hair, purple hair… Julius? No, that's not it.

"Ah, there!"

At last, Garfiel found Meili in the crowd.

"Hey, brat, out with it—does that dog have anything to do with you?"

Garfiel's ferocious face and expression had their intimidating power multiplied many times over when directed at a child.

"That's my mabeast companion. His name is Guiltilaw, not a 'mutt'…"

Meili tugged at the edge of Elsa's skirt fabric, shrinking her head down as she answered timidly.

"Companion? Huh? Then doesn't that mean the damned Curse Caster who put a curse on my boss is you?!"

Garfiel's eyes blazed with fury, as if he wanted to transform into his bestial form right then and there and tear Meili to shreds.

In his eyes, an enemy was an enemy, to be struck down without the slightest mercy, no matter how pitiful she might appear.

Hearing Meili's answer, nearly everyone in the viewing area instantly turned their heads and fixed their gazes on her.

After all, who could have imagined it?

That the one with such a vicious, venomous ability would turn out to be a girl barely into her teens.

"Hmph, there's no need to bother with her. Whether it's her or Elsa, they're nothing more than sharp blades in another's hands, with no will of their own."

Betty folded her arms and cast a cold gaze toward Roswaal.

"Though Betty is furious that this child got Subaru killed, Betty even more so refuses to stand by and watch the mastermind behind it all roam free."

In the face of Betty's accusation, Roswaal showed not the slightest panic; on the contrary, he admitted to it openly and without reservation.

"Indeed—it was all the guidance of the Gospel~ Hiring Elsa and Meili was precisely my way of giving Mr. Subaru the trials he required~ mm-hmm."

Roswaal spoke in that same bizarre tone as ever.

This declaration of his drew a wave of disgust from everyone present.

Yet Roswaal could not have cared less. He shifted his words and said.

"But—I have long since found an existence that can guide me even better than the Gospel."

With an unprecedented fervor in his eyes, he spread his arms wide as if to embrace the entire screen before him, and declared.

"And that is Mr. Subaru—the one who can reset the world and rewrite all things, and at the same time the one who can fulfill my long-cherished wish: the chosen child of destiny!"

____

👻🔥Whant more?: Walnut-chan🔥👻

🔥 New history: Path of Elation in Warhammer 40K

Let's reach these milestones together:

🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 free chapter for all readers