Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu web novel

　The place where Ryuzu guided Subaru was the detached house where she had once invited Subaru over for tea and chat.

"Just lay down on the bed somewhere. I'll make you something to drink now."

"How about I make you some tea? Since it's been trained with rum, I think it'll be a little better."

"I'd love that, but it doesn't seem like it's possible right now."

　With a laughing voice, Lewes pointed at Subaru, who was sitting on the bed, and a girl who looked exactly like Lewes, who was clutching the hem of Subaru's clothes and refusing to let go.

　She is a girl who could be described as a copy of Ryuzu, and after much hesitation about what to call her,

"But no matter how much time passes, Pico just won't leave me alone."

"I'm not sure about the name Pico, but I think it's inevitable as things progress, so I'll just accept it. It's what happens when you carelessly touch something unknown."

"That's what you say, but..."

　Although Lewes was giving him some criticism, it was unreasonable to blame Subaru for being careless when he was still feeling his way around. As Subaru expressed his dissatisfaction with a sullen look on his face, Lewes returned with a tray of tea in his hand.

"Here, it's hot, so let it cool before drinking it."

"I'm not a child, I won't drink it in a hurry and get seriously burned."

"There's a restless guy nearby, so I've gotten into the habit of telling him off."

　The mocking way he said it brought to Subaru's mind the image of Garfiel, the man with the most sensitive tongue.

　For someone who transforms into a big tiger, it makes sense that he would be restless and have a sensitive tongue. His lack of learning ability is also in line with my expectations, even though it was a preconceived notion.

　As Lewes had said, I took a sip of the hot tea, moistened my dry tongue, and took a sigh. Thinking about it, this was the first time I'd had anything liquid since my Return by Death, which was to say, since I'd woken up in the Tomb.

"Well, it does taste good even if you taste the leaves."

"I feel like I'm being evaluated quite unfairly."

"You're just way too mad."

　Subaru downed the tea, which he didn't like, and pushed the teacup back onto the tray with a noise.

　Then he pulled a chair in front of the bed and turned to face Lewes, who was looking at him in a relaxed position.

"Now that you've calmed down, may we start talking about various things?"

"Yes. I have a lot of things I need to talk about."

　Subaru felt relieved at her willingness to discuss the matter with her and continued to think.

　Up until now, there have been several opportunities for him to talk face-to-face with the people involved. However, the reason why Subaru still cannot get to the truth is that they are intentionally concealing information, but there is also an even bigger problem.

"Because I myself haven't yet gotten to the main subject I need to ask about."

　Subaru has not yet reached the question that connects all the answers into a single thread.

　Therefore, Subaru doesn't realize that he is being evaded, or that he is asking the wrong question.

　Questioning someone who knew what he needed to know. But that was all too far-fetched for Subaru.

"That building...what on earth was that facility we were in earlier?"

"Hmm... let's start with that question."

　What immediately came to mind was a harmless question that could be considered a warning.

　Before getting into the main topic, this was a question to ascertain how much Lewes intended to face Subaru head on.

　Receiving this, Ryuzu ran her fingers down his chin with a cunning gesture that didn't suit his appearance,

"To answer the question of what that facility is, it is in a sense the core of this 'Sanctuary.' To put it bluntly, it's one aspect of the reason for the 'Sanctuary's' existence."

"The reason for the existence of the 'Sanctuary'...?!"

"First of all, Su-bou. Who do you think needed to create this 'Sanctuary'?"

"That was Roswaal..."

　Subaru reflexively spoke, but realized that it was not true. The one who owned this place called "Sanctuary" and who was managing it up until now was certainly Roswaal.

　However, when it comes to expressing that this place was created, it's a different story.

"The one who created this place is the Witch of Greed... Echidna, I guess."

"That's right. The one who created this place was Echidna, that witch. The 『Sanctuary』 was something that the witch needed, so she created it. To put it bluntly, it is just that kind of place."

"That's too extreme. You've left out too many details... At the very least, give me a bit more detail."

"As for the content of the experiment, you have already seen a successful example, haven't you, Su-bou?"

　Subaru felt his breath catch in his throat as Lewes spoke with a quirked smile.

　This was because, although vaguely, he was able to understand the meaning of the words that Ryuzu had spoken.

　That is what she means to say.

"So the outcome of this place is what happened to Lewes and this child?"

"Su-bo is a kind boy. Or rather, a sweet boy. --You can honestly call it the result of an experiment."

　Even Subaru was hesitant to say it in front of the person in question.

　Being unable to read the mood and being insensitive were two different things. Even Subaru could sense that this was not the kind of atmosphere he could make fun of.

"There was a girl who looked just like me trapped inside the crystal, right?"

"...Yeah. They're identical twins. Including Lewes and this child. Can I just think of them as triplets or something?"

"If you consider all similar looking beings to be related, then triplets aren't quite enough to call us that."

"Just a little."

"Just a little."

　By "a little," does Ryuzu mean a difference of just one order of magnitude?

　In fact, Subaru couldn't help but think this in his mind when he saw the twenty or so copies of Lewes.

　I let out a sigh and cleared my mind.

　Now that it had come to this, Lewes showed no signs of trying to evade Subaru. It was probably time to step in and refrain from probing.

"--What is your relationship with the girl inside the crystal, Lewes?"

　Therefore, Subaru asked the question head on.

　As she received it, Lewes' expression remained unchanged and she played with the tips of her own light crimson hair with her fingers, casting a meaningful glance at Subaru――no, at the silent girl beside Subaru.

"This can't just be me. That girl is in the same position as me."

"Including the girl inside the crystal, right?"

"No, that girl is different. The girl inside the crystal is real."

　Subaru couldn't comprehend the words that were casually spoken to him for a moment, and frowned, expressing his lack of understanding. Then, mulling over the meaning, he got up from the bed,

"What do you mean, the real thing..."

"Don't be in such a hurry. When you hear what the elderly say, you need to dig into their memories. You need to be calm and wait."

"Don't come here and try and appeal to the elderly in any way other than your tone of voice. I can tell from the tastelessness of the girl next to me that it's nothing but seasoning."

"Hmm, that's a sad misunderstanding in itself. To me, everything that makes up who I am now is important, it's the individuality I've acquired."

"An acquired quirk?"

　Subaru repeats the words, turning them into a question, as the conversation unfolds in a way that he can't miss. Lewes nods and prefaces with, "That's right,"

"Just as Su-bou had thought, I was originally just like that girl, born with an empty vessel. Over the years, I have lived until this day by refilling the empty contents."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, this story is moving a little too quickly. Created? Or left empty? What does that mean? Of course it has to do with what you said earlier about the contents of the crystal being "real", right?"

"The one inside that crystal is the real, first Lewes Meyer. All other Lewes, including myself, are replicas of Lewes Meyer."

　Lewes casually reveals his origins. Subaru hesitates as to whether it is even appropriate to call him Lewes.

　What Lewes had just said was the exact hypothesis that had vaguely formed in Subaru's mind ever since he'd seen the numerous Lewes clones. Though he'd half suspected it, the only thing he'd been unable to be certain of was his "disgust at the existence of clones of his acquaintances."

　To put it bluntly, that was also a prejudice born out of Subaru's rigid common sense.

"Does hearing that it's a replica change the way you look at me?"

"...I don't know. I do want to say that it's not like that. I do, I do, but...if you ask me if I could say that to her face to face..."

　--I couldn't say for sure.

　Since this was a different world, strictly speaking, Ryuzu's existence couldn't be called a clone. Even the way she was created was probably different from the vague image Subaru had in his mind.

　There is no doubt that this is a life created by a magical approach, not a scientific one. I think this is a case where we should say that there is no high or low in the way of birth.

"I don't have the confidence to say that I'm fine without changing my expression. So I won't say that nothing will change."

"I'm correcting what I said earlier. Su-bou is kind and sweet... but more than that, he seems to be too honest at heart."

　Those were certainly not pleasant words, but Lewes nodded in satisfaction at Subaru's response. Subaru bit back the frustration in his eyes as he looked at the girl sitting next to him - a girl in the same position as Lewes, whom he called Pico.

　--Pico silently picked up the hem of Subaru's clothes, staring blankly at the room. Her eyes were certainly looking at the same scenery as Subaru, but because she couldn't see the emotion dwelling within them, it even seemed as if the scenery was being reflected by a glass ball.

　His expression didn't change, and he didn't even hear a word.

"When you said that this child was empty..."

"That's because they're clones that have only just been born and have only just been given their roles. They know enough to follow simple instructions, but other than that they're no different from babies. They don't cry, and they don't need food, so it's easy for them."

"You don't even need food...?"

"Duplication of the body is not something that can be done so easily. Do you have any idea what principle allows me and my daughter to remain like this?"

　Hearing the testing question, Subaru restrained himself from wanting an answer right away.

　Subaru can't just be a child who asks and receives things. That's not what Lewes wants from him.

　Subaru was intimidated by the serious look in Lewes' eyes as he looked at her, and after carefully examining what she had said, he came up with all the knowledge he had.

"Could it be...Mana?"

　The thought that came to his mind was triggered by the existence of the great cat spirit that had crossed his mind.

　Puck's spirit body was shaped using mana as a medium when it was materialized. If that was applied, perhaps it would be possible to create a human-sized body.

　Lewes raised her eyebrows at Subaru's idea and clapped her hands lightly.

"Brilliant. I'm amazed you were able to arrive at that answer. It's not like someone told you to do it."

"The answer, you guided me properly to come up with it. I only came up with it because the spirit happened to be nearby. …So, do you think it was the right answer?"

"That's almost correct. In reality, if you create a body solely using mana as a medium, it will inevitably be fuel inefficient. However, the Witch of 'Greed' forcibly circumvents this problem by creating a special spell."

"What do you mean, a forceful technique?"

"By constructing an organ that generates pseudo-'Od' using a magic formula and storing up a certain amount of mana, a physical body is materialized. Then, although the body is made of mana, it is possible to create a creature that resembles a 'normal' living thing in which Od exists."

　Od - Unlike the mana that fills the atmosphere, it is an energy that is inherent within living things from the beginning and performs the same functions as mana.

　However, unlike mana, Od cannot be taken in from the outside, and the total amount a person can have is determined at birth. Reducing Od directly shortens a person's lifespan, making it an example of an "unbreakable trump card" since depletion means death.

　When you run out of MP, you can use your HP to cast magic - this is what you can do. However, that HP cannot be restored.

"You say that so casually, but isn't that… incredible? Reproducing Odor, even if only artificially, is the same as creating life itself."

"Of course, it seems that this phenomenon is only possible when extremely special conditions are met. Unfortunately, my intelligence is not sufficient to understand the finer details. However, we can safely say that it is a fact that the witch succeeded in creating life."

"That's an incredible story... he was actually quite amazing."

　The image of the white-haired witch appeared in his mind, and he could see her looking down at Subaru with a smug look on her face.

"No, but Daphne said she created a magical beast too, so maybe it's surprisingly easy for witches to create life? It's less rare than I thought."

　The white-haired witch appeared in his mind, and he could see her pretending to be tough in response to Subaru's disappointing evaluation, "I-it's not like I'm doing this because I want to be praised or anything."

"What's this? You look like you're imagining something very dazzling."

"Strangely enough, my wariness towards that guy had melted away after just a few interactions. Anyway, I now know where Lewes came from. I understand that Echidna was in this place making a clone of the girl named Lewes Meyer."

　I was able to understand the principle behind the existence of copies of Ryuzu, and that Ryuzu himself accepts this fact. On that basis, if I were to ask another question,

"The next question is, why was Echidna doing that?"

"Hmm..."

"As someone who is an outsider when it comes to magic and related techniques, I only have a superficial understanding of just how incredible Echidna's accomplishments were. But even with that superficial understanding, I can tell that it was something huge."

　Subaru continues as Ryuzu stands there with her arms folded, ready to listen.

"Where did you get the motivation to do something so big? What was your motive? Why did Echidna need to create a copy of Lewes Meyer?"

　The position of the girl named Lewes Meyer in Sanctuary is unclear.

　In the current Sanctuary, the role of the Lewes in front of him is both representative and replica. So what position did the original Lewes Meyer hold in the formation of Sanctuary?

　Or perhaps she was the one who triggered the creation of the Sanctuary.

"There are a few possibilities that come to mind right off the top of my head."

"law"

"It's a common theme in these kinds of stories, and the most likely one. It's possible that they were trying to create a replica to replace Lewes Meyer, who ended up losing her life for some reason."

　In media such as manga and novels, methods to restore lost lives are often explored. The idea of ​​creating clones of the dead and substituting them by creating beings with the same DNA is a popular theme. In most cases, these attempts end in failure for reasons such as "the body may be the same, but the soul will not be the same."

"Based on what Lewes said and Pico's condition, it seems likely that the attempt at Sanctuary also failed for the same reason. Even if they were able to make an exact replica of the exterior, they couldn't replicate the inside."

　Even so, if he still refuses to give up and continues to create clones one after another, that can be called insanity. Even if he keeps failing until he has twenty, he continues to search for the possibility of his soul residing in the next body.

"I don't want to dismiss it as just a delusion though..."

　Wanting to bring back someone's life to such an extent, there's nothing wrong with wishing for it. At the very least, she could never say it to Subaru.

　Even now, Natsuki Subaru is taking action to see a future where he has picked everything up.

　Just the means and process are different, but how different is this from the witches' attempts?

　What the resulting Ryuzus think about it is something that can only be asked in their own hearts, and is an answer that no one else can give.

　Subaru stammers as he finishes his argument. Lewes sighs and says,

"You seem to be a lot smarter than I thought, Su-bou."

"If you've made me work this hard, it's already too late. I've made you say things you didn't want to say."

　Subaru felt so remorseful at how slow his thinking was.

　However, Lewes shook her head slowly at Subaru. However, her gesture did not comfort him. A faint smile appeared on her face, and a sense of loneliness dwelled within it.

"But you seem to be overthinking things a bit. A bit of a dreamer, if you like."

"I'm a bit of a dreamer... but I didn't think that was such an off-base opinion..."

"You tend to be a dreamer. So, Su-bou, you think this, don't you? -- You went through all this trouble to give her a second chance. To the Witch of Greed, the girl named Lewes Meyer was valuable, an important person. Am I wrong?"

"..."

　The question made Subaru tilt his head, hitting the nail on the head, and he couldn't continue.

　In fact, that was what she had thought. Someone who had created a new magic formula and gone through such a troublesome process to ensure that their existence would continue - if they were willing to go that far, it was only natural to conclude that they must have been someone important to the Witch.

　Lewes denies Subaru's conclusion with a smile, a dry, painful smile plastered on his face.

"Lewes Meyer is just an ordinary village girl. She has never been particularly close to the Witch of Greed. They were not related by blood or marriage, of course. Lewes Meyer and the witch were completely strangers to each other, and they only exchanged a few words."

"That's not possible... No, wait a minute."

　Subaru was shocked by Lewes' words, as if he had seen them before, and he cut her off, raising his palm to interrupt her. With his free hand he slapped his forehead,

"That's strange. Lewes said earlier that he was born empty inside, just like Pico. So how does Lewes know about Lewes Meyer who is inside the crystal? It doesn't make sense."

"That is the result of another experiment conducted in this Sanctuary."

　Gently accepting Subaru's rebuttal, Lewes places a hand on his chest.

　If what she said was true, then there was probably no sensation of a heartbeat. So where was the warmth coming from when he touched her? Lewes closed her eyes, ignoring Subaru's thoughts.

"Lewes Meyer was not close to the Witch. However, she dedicated herself to the experiment. The Witch used Lewes Meyer's body, sealing him in a crystal and granting him eternal life. On top of that, she constructed a magic formula, and left behind a mechanism to generate pseudo-Od and create a duplicate of Lewes Meyer whenever a certain amount of mana was accumulated."

"...For what purpose?"

"The clones of Lewes Meyer are born in a state similar to that of a baby, excluding the knowledge of language and a minimum sense of common sense. However, isn't that already strange? If they are like babies, it is natural that they should be ignorant and innocent and do nothing but cry. How can they have the knowledge to follow the minimum instructions?"

"That's... not possible."

　Thinking of the worst-case scenario, Subaru was at a loss for words.

　It seemed that Lewes understood just from Subaru's expression. She nodded,

"The Witch constructed a method for selecting and discarding knowledge to give to the clones that were born. On top of that, she only gave them the bare minimum of knowledge, emptied them of everything else, and then created them."

"So, is it expected that we will be born without knowing anything? But then, what is the point of that?"

　However, it would end up being just a ritual to create a doll that would only obey commands. Of course, that aspect was not impossible to consider. However, it seemed far removed from the nature of Echidna, the Witch of Greed.

　It was hard to imagine that the white-haired girl would go to such troublesome lengths just to create a being that moved like her own limbs.

"I don't know if it's possible, but it would be much quicker and less hassle to just grab a random person and brainwash them or whatever. But that's not it, there has to be some other reason."

　Creating an empty, brand new existence, creating something from nothing.

"--ah"

　It's possible that the thought suddenly crossed his mind for a moment.

　However, this seemed absurd to Subaru, and he quickly shook his head, trying to forget about it, but once that thought had arisen, it grabbed him and wouldn't let go.

　If that were true,

"I don't want you to look down on me."

　Yes, the Witch's intention in hiding the true meaning of her actions from Subaru also makes sense.

　This is also the reason why the Lewes in front of him has inherited at least some of Lewes Meyer's memories.

"If you can choose what knowledge you want, why would you create an empty duplicate?"

"..."

"What is the point of having an empty vessel? What purpose does an empty vessel serve when placed on a table?"

"..."

"---The contents, of course, are meant to be poured out."

　What if it were possible to prepare a duplicate body that was an empty vessel and pour knowledge and memories into it?

　Inside the crystal, the original is never lost. What if we could create any number of copies of it and retroactively add any amount of knowledge and memories to them?

　That means――

"I will burn my memories and knowledge into Lewes Meyer's body and repeat it. If that is possible, then..."

"--A kind of immortality."

　--That was the true nature of the experiments that had been conducted in Sanctuary.