Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu web novel

　Hearing the laughter ring out, Subaru desperately tried to contain the chill that rose up his throat, and began to get his relaxed thinking going again.

　--I don't understand. Why is the woman in front of me calling herself Petelgeuse? I'm sure I killed him, and blew his body completely away. He should be dead. Were there more than one? It's ridiculous. That kind of injustice is enough with the White Whale!

"You...what did you just say..."

"Oh my, you seem quite surprised. If you're that surprised, then it's worth my while to have come back!"

　The woman snapped her fingers and pointed at Subaru with the hand opposite the one she had used to chew. A manic smile was plastered on her face, and she opened her mouth so wide that you could almost see the back of her throat, licking her tongue.

　That smile sent chills down Subaru's spine, and he certainly saw similarities with the madman he had supposedly killed. The way he spoke, the way he laughed, and above all, the presence of the "invisible hand"――

"Wait... you had seven arms... I thought..."

　As far as Subaru knew, Betelgeuse had a total of seven black demon hands.

　At the very least, Subaru hadn't seen any more than that, and even Petelgeuse, who must have used all his strength against Puck, hadn't shown any more than that number.

　But right now, the number of people he could see easily exceeded seven, and the number of outstretched arms was already close to twenty.

"Hey... can you see the 'invisible hand'?"

　Narrowing her eyes, the woman responded to Subaru's answer with a menacing voice.

　Even in the previous world, Petelgeuse had a strong resentment towards anyone seeing his evil hand. That didn't seem to have changed even now that he's become a completely different person, and he felt even more hatred towards Subaru's words than ever before.

"The answer to the love given to me, and only to me... Why, you?! How can you possibly see it?! Disciple of Favour, you can't be...!"

"Get away from Subaru-dono - you bastard."

　The woman's lip trembled, and suddenly a sharp voice interrupted her.

　The woman glared at me with bloodshot eyes, and then a voice spoke up.

"Wilhelm-san, hmmm…"

　Wilhelm's neck was grabbed by the black demonic hand, his feet lifted up slightly.

　His movements were restricted by the invisible arm, and the old swordsman struggled to somehow free himself from it, but the fierce rage in his eyes remained unabated.

　If there was ever a moment when the Invisible Hand released its restraints, the old man would snap the woman's head in one leap and send Betelgeuse back to hell.

　In the face of the overwhelming murderous intent emanating from the Sword Demon, the woman - I hesitated to call her Petelgeuse, but Petelgeuse's well-behaved and innocent appearance was distorted into an ugly one,

「Ah, you seem to be a diligent person. I get it. But I get it, it's not like I can just assume I understand! I can see a wonderful, beautiful, truly noble, unwavering mentality! Something to believe in! Something to follow through with! It's proof that something solid has been established within you! It's so, so good!」

"Stop spouting nonsense, you madman."

"Madman! That is indeed the correct perception! Yes, I am mad with love! Love, reverence, devotion, compassion, gracious love, craving love, grace, reverence, attachment, deep love, selfish love, pure love, loyal love, affection, dear love, faith, devotion, deep love, benevolence, sexual love, pity, fervent love, exclusive love, hate, loyalty, favor, poverty, partiality, blind love, friendship, pity, love ...

　Betelgeuse's eyes widened, tongue out, spine arched, and he scratched his head.

　Wilhelm looks at the man's insane behavior with a horrifying gaze, and the other captives, with expressions of anguish on their faces, are similarly disgusted by the madman's twisted display of love.

　Even though he was in the center of this whirlpool of negative emotions, Betelgeuse repeatedly gave a forced smile and looked around him,

"Ah, it's sad not to hear the voices of praise that should be heard.... Well then, shall I be a little generous in showing my support?"

"No way, stop...!"

　Petelgeuse raised both hands slightly, making unreasonable demands of those around him who were unresponsive. Subaru imagined the worst about what the madman was planning to do and called out to him to stop, but Petelgeuse smiled much faster than his voice could be heard.

"Now - be lazy."

　Far from the worst imagining, "Sloth" raged through the village in the form of disaster.

　Up until then, everyone who had been immobilized had a look of anguish on their face, but all of them had one thing in common: they were trying to suppress their voices. This was probably due to a defensive instinct to avoid drawing Betelgeuse's attention to them, but the bigger reason was simply because their throats were being squeezed.

　The numerous arms that were stretched out grabbed the throats of all the restrained people, lifting them up in the air as if they were standing on their backs. They couldn't stop breathing, but they didn't have enough time to take a breath and counterattack. It was such a vicious act.

　And now, with a single word from Betelgeuse, the restraints were suddenly released,

"--Ahhhhhhh!!"

　The screams of those whose throats had been released echoed throughout the village.

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

　There is a man drooling and banging his head on the ground.

　A woman rolls her eyes and begins foaming at the mouth as her body becomes irritated by the sensations.

　There is a peddler who inflicts self-harm on himself that is worse than that of Betelgeuse, leaving him covered in blood.

　There is a knight whose magical powers are running wild, causing him to bleed from every orifice in his body.

　Screams and screams echoed throughout the village at the horrific scene, as if someone had gone insane.

"this..."

　It was very similar to what had happened just a few hours earlier, during the battle with the White Whale.

　It refers to the phenomenon that occurred when, on a highway shrouded in mist, those who heard the roar of the white whale lost their minds, crouched on the spot, and were unable to move.

　However, the current situation, triggered by a single word from Betelgeuse, is far more damaging than that previous incident.

"There was more resistance than I expected."

　As he spoke, Betelgeuse tilted his head from side to side, glancing with amusement at the group who continued to scream at the height of their throats.

　The sight of him humming as he faced the devastation left no doubt in Subaru's mind that he was the same person.

"Why are you here...?"

"We were in the middle of a conversation, and the trial that brought me here hadn't even begun yet. But, thanks to you guys crushing most of my fingertips, all I have left is this feeble body."

　As he spoke in a sticky tone, Petelgeuse seductively caressed the curves of his body with his hands. Subaru could only sense something nauseating about the seductive gesture, and glared at the demonic hand that still held him in place, reaching out to try and free it. But,

"Damn, you can see it but... you can't interfere!"

"It seems that you can see the 'invisible hand' after all. It's very unpleasant, but if you are arrogant then it makes sense..."

　The madman, observing the struggling Subaru, leans towards him with interest.

　He had decided that since Subaru was suspended in the air and unable to move, there would be no danger in approaching him. That decision was certainly correct. Subaru could do nothing.

　--Subaru,

"Go for it--Patrasche!!"

"what--"

　The moment he spoke, the earth dragon responded to Subaru's call, lowered its body and slammed Petelgeuse from the side with all its might.

　The "invisible hands" had reached around the necks of all the survivors, but they were only there to restrain the humans. They hadn't interfered with the earth dragons that had been left behind near the entrance to the village, and Patrasche had circled around Petelgeuse, but Subaru, whose restraints were weak, had noticed and bought him time.

"Ugh--!"

　Although the body swap was a fact, the fact that her body was still as delicate as it looked remained unchanged.

　The charge of the earth dragon, which weighed several hundred kilograms, had more than enough power to easily blow away the small body that was trying to dodge.

　Betelgeuse was knocked off the ground and flew into a nearby house. A cloud of dust rose up, and the moment he disappeared from sight, leaving a cry of agony behind - the restraints of the "invisible hand" freed Subaru.

"You missed, this is it… Wilhelm-san!"

"...I can manage somehow. But this..."

　Wilhelm, who seemed to have escaped the effects of the mental pollution, looked around while rubbing the bruises on his neck in agony. The effects of the "invisible hand" had been temporarily lifted, but the effects of the mental pollution on those around him had not yet ceased.

　Even now, they continue to suffer, bleeding and screaming from self-harm, nightmares, and fatal physical deterioration. If this is the same kind of mist that the White Whale emitted,

"Only Ferris can treat him!"

"Or maybe it's the kind of curse that can be broken by striking the source of its evil."

　As Subaru holds his head in his hands at the hopeless situation, Patrasche, who had saved him from his predicament, leans in close and pushes his shoulder as if to say, "Calm down."

　Taking a deep breath at the earth dragon's scheme, Subaru gazed upon Wilhelm's profile as he pulled out the sword,

"Is there a chance that we can defeat him? At worst, we might have to back off and go and call Ferris..."

"With Ferris there, it's certain. But are we really going to leave him here and retreat? If we return to the forest, there's no doubt that he will head to Lord Roswaal's mansion next. --Lady Emilia will be in danger."

「――――!!」

　That is something that must be avoided at all costs.

　Subaru didn't know why. He didn't understand, but he was certain that Emilia and Petelgeuse must not meet.

　If she and that guy were to meet, it would definitely be something bad for Subaru.

　That is something I absolutely cannot accept.

"It seems you've made up your mind. Subaru-dono, please stand back and watch."

"His method is to tie us down with invisible hands. Even Wilhelm-san would be unable to withstand those hands…"

"If you know there is an invisible arm, then there is something to fight. But more importantly, Subaru-dono, are you sure it was "Sloth" that caused it? I am certainly aware that I have cut down "Sloth" myself."

"...I don't know how it works, but I'm sure of it. At worst, it's possible that this one is the real thing, like the White Whale, and the one from earlier was a fake. I didn't know that."

"I have no doubts."

　Subaru's words sounded like an excuse, but Wilhelm gave a wry smile. The elder's generous attitude made Subaru feel ashamed that his own pettiness had come out even in such a situation.

　But before I could answer that question,

"--Ah, it hurts. It hurts. It hurts. My brain is shaking. It's shaking."

　An arm reached out from the wall of the collapsed house, and Betelgeuse's face, half of his body stained with blood and mud, peeked out. As the half of his body crawled out, several lacerations were visible, clearly showing that the damage sustained from Patrasche's charge while defenseless was not small.

　And yet, even so, there was no sign of any trace of life in his glaring eyes, which only accentuated the man's vengeful madness.

"Good. Earth dragons are good after all. They are friendly to humans, loyal, and above all else, smart and hardworking! Wonderful! Loveable! Hardworking! Yes, being hardworking! That is a virtue that should be praised above all else! If laziness is the most shameful sin, then hard work is the most praiseworthy virtue! If laziness is unfaithfulness unworthy of devotion, then hard work is the behavior of a believer worthy of favor!"

　Waving his arms, shaking his head, stomping the ground, sticking out his tongue, and drooling, Betelgeuse showered Patrasche with praise, all the while laughing wildly from ear to ear.

　As for Patrasche, who was being praised in this way, it seemed there was something about that strange behavior that even the difference in race could not accept, and with her expressionless, reptilian face expressing as much disgust as she could, she leaned towards Subaru as if choosing him.

　A cute and reliable companion.

"My hardworking partner isn't happy, you pervert. Are you a pervert amateur now? I understand that there's a certain demand for TS stuff, but who wants your TS, dammit."

"TS? I don't know what you're talking about, but giving praise generously and whether the recipient is happy or not is irrelevant to me! I thought it was wonderful. I cannot forgive the laziness of not putting these emotions welling up in my heart into words. It is not forgiven, must not be forgiven, and there is no way it should ever be forgiven. So I will use all the words I can, love, love, aaiaiaiaiaiai!"

"Anyone who can't hold a conversation is always a pain. --At this point, there is no point or meaning in trying to explain anything. Wilhelm van Astrea, I am at your service."

　He lowered his body, announced his name, and picked up speed with the wind.

　In one leap, the Sword Demon's body sprinted across the ground, attempting to jump in front of the slowly moving Petelgeuse. However, even Petelgeuse seemed wary of the first attack.

"Oh, how frightening. You are also a diligent person. That is why I will do this."

　The "invisible hand" emerged from the earth, forming a wall in front of Betelgeuse, enveloping him. If he charged forward, his entire body would be entangled in the unavoidable clutches.

　Subaru gasped, glaring at the threat that Wilhelm, unable to see, had been unable to convey.

"Arms in front of you! Stand back--!"

"--Understood"

　Wilhelm slammed his right foot into the air and suddenly braked his momentum, dodging the wall that was closing in on him. Then he took a sideways leap and spun around, swinging his unsheathed sword vertically,

"Tch――"

　The diagonal slash caused the ground to split, and a rain of earth poured down on Betelgeuse.

　If it had been a slash that shattered the earth and used that momentum to slam it down, it would have been effective as an attack, but

"That's just harassment..."

"It's a meaningless thing to do, but you're not lazy, are you?"

　It seemed that he had a similar impression of Wilhelm's actions, as Petelgeuse sighed over Subaru's husky voice. Without replying to Wilhelm's dejected attitude, Wilhelm continued to run across the ground, swinging his sword and raining down a constant rain of earth.

　Waving his arm carelessly at the unpleasant behavior, Petelgeuse muttered, "That's enough,"

"Even if they are diligent, incompetent hard workers are just as despicable as lazy people. If you still don't give up your futile resistance, then there is no other way - you will be torn apart and vanish before the favor bestowed upon you by me!!"

　The shadow explodes, and Petelgeuse's "invisible hand" approaches Wilhelm.

　There were more than thirty of them, nothing like the ones Subaru knew from Betelgeuse. Subaru was about to verbally report the presence of the approaching demonic hands, but he found himself choking on the situation, as just telling him one or two would not change anything.

　And that fatal stagnation would directly affect Wilhelm's life――

"Wilhelm――"

　The "invisible hand" that mercilessly destroys everything it touches attacks the entire body of the old swordsman, whose presence is undetectable. Subaru imagines the fingertips that touch it destroying the old body, and laments his own powerlessness. However,

"I told you so."

　He bent down to avoid the outstretched fingers, and spun around to avoid the coming demonic hands one by one. The old man slid through the gaps in their arms and dodged all the threats that came his way, a belligerent smile on his cheeks.

"If we know that there is an invisible arm, then there must be a way to deal with it."

　The Sword Demon had certainly demonstrated right before his eyes that his previous words were true.

"That's stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, that's not gonna happen, that's not gonna happen, that's not gonna happen --"

　Betelgeuse's throat trembled at Wilhelm's harsh words.

　The madman grimaced at the fact that his secret weapon had been so easily evaded, and bit down the fingers of his raised right hand one by one with his molars. His bloodshot eyes darted in all directions.

"That's impossible, that's impossible, that's impossible, that's impossible, that's impossible, that's impossible, that's impossible, that's impossible, that's impossible... Don't tell me, even you can see my "invisible hand"?"

"I can see it. Once you know the trick, it's nothing more than a child's trick."

　Saying this with a bored look on his face, Wilhelm once again scratched the soil with the tip of his blade.

　The falling rain of earth pounded down on the still trembling Betelgeuse, provoking the madman more than anything else.

　However, as this action was repeated, Subaru realized what Wilhelm had intended, and could only be astonished at the Sword Demon's fearsome tactical eye.

　The reason Wilhelm had been raining dirt down on him for a while now was not simply to harass Betelgeuse and provoke his temper.

　By making it rain, Wilhelm created a situation where the resulting trajectory of the 『Invisible Hand』 could be seen with the naked eye.

　The 『Invisible Hand』, which physically interferes with the human body, is a mysterious phenomenon that actually exists, just invisible to the naked eye. It is likely that such magic formulas are deployed by interfering with mana, but Wilhelm has used this to his advantage.

　In other words, he judged that the arms would pass through a gap in the rain of earth, and faithfully dodged there. However, a fierce attack made up of more than thirty arms was not something that could be easily avoided, and it was a miracle that Wilhelm's superhuman reflexes were required.

「Well, that should be enough to surprise you. Are you prepared to be slashed?」

　Pointing the tip of his blade at him, Wilhelm threatened in a low voice.

　The chilling murderous intent contained in that attack sent chills down Subaru's spine, even though he hadn't been pointed at with the blade. Of course, Betelgeuse, who had ended up being directly exposed to that murderous intent, must have felt even more alive.

　In fact, Petelgeuse seemed to have regained his sense of reality from his previous crazy, seemingly lost sight of the boundaries of reality, and was now panicking.

「Wait, wait. This is not how it should be, this situation, this turn of events, this predicament, it should never have happened to me! I was diligent! I refused to be lazy, and in order to repay the love! For love! For affection! As a follower who repaid the favor, I was more pious and diligent than anyone else! And yet I…」

"You will be loved because you did this. If you do this much, you will be loved. Your shallow talk of love is enough to rot my ears."

　Wilhelm dismissed the unseemly scream of Petelgeuse as if he had heard a wicked lie that he should despise. His eyes were filled with a fierce sword aura that was different from murderous intent.

"Love is not something to be forced, begged for, or snatched away. What you have is not love, it's just self-indulgence."

"--What is wrong with you?"

　Ignoring Petelgeuse as he began to speak, Wilhelm shoved the dirt in a big swing as if it was his last move. He showered Petelgeuse with the pouring rain. However, Petelgeuse broke into a manic laugh of satisfaction in the midst of the dark rain.

"Well then, what about this?!"

　Petelgeuse yelled, stretching out both arms towards me.

　As if responding to that arm, an ``invisible hand'' reached out and slid across the ground, lifting up the bodies of the knights who were lying there suffering from the mental contamination.

　All of these strong men were survivors of a punitive force outfitted in the same equipment as Wilhelm, and they were comrades bound to him by strong bonds - that's what he had his eye on.

　With his eyes shining with madness, Betelgeuse opened his throat as if to applaud his own actions.

"Well, how about this! Your friends, colleagues, subordinates, companions, and comrades are all held hostage like this, what a disgrace you will make――"

"--Don't underestimate a knight, you lowlife."

　Leaving a mutter behind, Wilhelm's body was shot out like a bullet.

　The foot that stepped forward dug into the ground, and in the blink of an eye, the old body flew away, leaving even time behind. With a stunned look on his face, Betelgeuse quickly drew his magic hand from the shadow, but - it was too late.

　The deep blade pierced the lower abdomen and protruded from the back, and the two men exchanged expressions as they faced each other at close range.

　One had a look of stunned shock on his face, the other's eyes were burning with quiet rage,

"The moment I took up my sword to protect others and became a knight, I didn't care about my own life. So stop insulting my friends."

"Ahh... what..."

　His trembling hand reached out to his own wound, his eyes widening as he felt the blood running down his sword. Petelgeuse then raised his blood-stained hand towards Wilhelm's face, and the old swordsman did not dodge it. The Sword Demon, who had cut down so many lives, knew that he no longer had the strength to do anything.

"You are... ah... truly, truly, righteous, and diligent..."

　Petelgeuse's fingertips caressed Wilhelm's cheek lovingly.

　The old swordsman let the madman do as he pleased, slowly pulling the blade out of his abdomen. A great deal of blood spilled out, and Betelgeuse collapsed to his knees, limp.

"Does he need assistance?"

"--No need. Ah, the feeling of losing life is wonderful. The blood drains from my body. The source of life flows out. The diligence that had supported my body up until now is lost, gone, vanishing, vanishing, ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh."

　Falling to his side, Betelgeuse watched with amusement as more blood stained the ground. Amused, amused, his lips trembled with amusement, his eyes became unfocused, and eventually the light went out.

　Witnessing this, Subaru let out a sigh. Facing a battle that made him completely forget how to breathe, it was as if his body had forgotten how to move.

"Oh, is it over?"

"We've put an end to the situation. And it seems the surrounding things are fine too."

　Subaru asked timidly, and Wilhelm, wiping the blade of his sword, replied softly.

　Looking around after what he said, I saw that the people who had been suffering from the mental contamination just a moment ago were now calm, and although there were wounds, no one had died.

　The last people who were treated as hostages still had their lives hanging on, albeit barely.

　It seemed that this time, he could truly relax.

"So what was that all about?"

　He stomped his feet on the spot to loosen his stiff legs, and after making sure he was listening to what he was told, he turned towards Wilhelm.

　In front of the old swordsman, who was still standing, Betelgeuse II collapsed, completely silent, and just looking at her appearance in death, it seemed like the corpse of a completely unrelated woman.

　But in reality, this woman was Petelgeuse until just a moment ago.

　That madness and the power of the 『Invisible Hand』. There was no way that these were just illusions or anything, and he had to force himself to come to a convincing conclusion about the phenomenon that had occurred.

"Like the White Whale, was there more than one 'Sloth'? If so, it would make sense why he has been so active all over the world..."

"I've never heard of multiple Sin Archbishops with the same mortal sin… but their true nature is unclear. I can't say for certain that it's impossible."

　Having mentioned the White Whale, Wilhelm's voice also dropped slightly.

　In fact, if his current theory were true, it would be a grave situation. Just thinking about the possibility that there could be multiple beings like Betelgeuse is unbearable.

"At worst, this woman might not be the main body either... Could it be that there is another main body like the White Whale? We don't know if she might have come out this time, so how can we deal with her?"

"I'm also worried about the other people exploring the forest. Thanks to Subaru-dono, we were able to deal with the invisible arm, but there's nothing over there."

"--! I see! That would be bad, I have to go back and reunite with them right away!"

　There are two groups of Witch Cult remnants remaining in the forest. I don't want to think that there could be another Petelgeuse in either of them, but I can't completely deny the possibility.

　Subaru turned around to grab the reins of Patrasche, who was nearby, in order to quickly get back at him. But,

"Anyway, return immediately... Patrasche?"

　Subaru stretched out his arms to jump on, but Patrasche didn't accept it. On the contrary, the earth dragon lowered its head slightly and glared at Subaru, growling ferociously.

　His attitude was as if he was looking at an enemy.

"Could that be... possession...?!"

　The thought of that possibility made Subaru shudder and jump back.

　If that was true, then there was a chance that Petelgeuse could take over the existence of a different species, Patrasche――

"Mr. Wilhelm! That bastard is dangerous, Patrasche――"

"Bu"

　With a splash, a choking smell of blood was showered onto my face as I turned around.

"teeth?"

　Stunned, the lukewarm liquid hits his face, and Subaru blinks, mouth agape.

　Turning around, he saw that the old swordsman who should have been standing there before him was nowhere to be seen. Well, he was not completely there, but his appearance was different to the one Subaru knew.

　Wilhelm was ten centimeters taller than Subaru, with a well-trained body. On top of his broad shoulders, he had no neck.

　The filthy, twisted cut surface was exposed, and a rising black mist was seen wriggling and dancing around the torso, from which blood was spurting.

"Eh... huh... invisible hand...?"

　I stare blankly at the front.

　In front of him was Patrasche, who he saw had been taken over by Petelgeuse.

　The head was violently severed right before Subaru's eyes, and thrown away with a heavy thud. The massive body collapsed to the ground, and a not insignificant vibration ran through the soles of its feet.

　At the same time, Wilhelm's torso had been toppled behind him, and in front of and behind Subaru, his reliable comrades who had been sharing the victory until just now, had lost their lives.

"Huh... Huh? What, g... Huh?"

　My mind goes completely blank and I can't form any thoughts.

　I turned around and looked down at the fallen Wilhelm. There was nothing above his neck. There was no way to stop the flow of blood, and all I could do was watch as the earth turned red.

　Suddenly, I found myself pulling the sword out from Wilhelm's corpse.

　He stretched out his arm as far as he could to hold the long blade, and aimed the tip at his throat.

　After much difficulty, Subaru somehow managed to get his aim in order and tilted his head.

"What... happened... did you mean... death?"

　I don't understand anything.

　Without understanding what was going on, I pulled my outstretched arm towards him with all my might.

　A hot sensation runs down my throat and all strength leaves my body.

　I don't understand anything. I can't comprehend it. But there is one thing I do understand.

　--Ah, he's dead.