Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu web novel

Subaru burst into the room, breathing heavily, and was met with looks of surprise.

　Both of them had never thought that anyone would look so surprised. The reaction pleased them, and their wicked smiles deepened.

"--A bet?"

　Muttering, Roswaal narrowed his different colored eyes as he lay on the bed.

　His face, normally covered in clown makeup, was now wiped away, revealing his true face, the face of Roswaal that he had only seen once during the time loop.

　His skin was pale beneath the white make-up, and with no eyeliner, his face exuded innocence rather than sharpness, a face that was completely different to how I personally felt about Roswaal. When he was wearing make-up, his face looked calculating and shady, but once he removed the make-up, he instantly transformed into an innocent, good-looking young man.

　Subaru inwardly commented on Roswaal's true appearance, thinking that a good-looking person is good-looking even when he does nothing, but he tilted his chin in response to Roswaal's muttering.

"That's right, it's a bet. You and I will make a wish... this is a serious, one-shot deal."

"――――"

　Raising one finger, Subaru confidently declared to Roswaal. Roswaal narrowed his eyes and looked as if examining Subaru's proposal. However, before Roswaal could say anything, a figure appeared between their gazes - it was the pink-haired maid, Ram.

　With Roswaal behind her, Ram faced Subaru with a stern look in her eyes. Usually, her gaze was sharp as she tried to pick a fight with Subaru whenever she got the chance, but now was nothing like those times.

"Wait a moment, Barus. You suddenly barged into my room, and I wondered what you were going to say... Are you planning to burden Roswaal-sama while he is recuperating? That would be extremely disrespectful."

"Considering our current situation, having sick and injured people is a weak reason to slack off. It has nothing to do with a slip of the tongue or a dark heart… but if you do something unreasonable or reckless, I'll make you do it a little."

"Balse――"

"No matter what anyone says!"

　Ram's eyes held a mixture of irritation and danger, but before she could make a move, Subaru took the initiative and stomped his foot loudly. He pointed at Ram, who had stopped in her tracks, wary, and

"I have no reason to stop, no need to hesitate. That's what has happened between you and me, Roswaal."

"--Hmm."

"Or are you sulking and losing all motivation just because the contents of your diary are a little different? Do you have the guts to push yourself a little for the sake of your successor?"

"...That's an interesting point. I'm the one following you."

　Subaru formulates words that will get through to Roswaal without directly mentioning "Return by Death." Ram frowns in disbelief, but Roswaal seems to get it.

　As the colour returned to his lifeless expression, Roswaal called out to Ram, who was standing in front of him.

"Ram, please hold back… no, could you please come outside for a bit?"

"...But, Roswaal-sama."

"It's okay, it's okay. Just because we're alone, Subaru-kun isn't so foolish as to suddenly attack. It's easy to fight back, you know."

"Yeah, how pathetic. If we were to compete in a strength contest, I'm not sure I could drag him off the bed."

　Subaru waved his empty hands in affirmation, and Ram gritted her teeth in frustration, before turning her sorrowful gaze to Roswaal again,

"--Please, don't push yourself too hard."

　With that, she bowed solemnly and headed to the exit of the room. Just before passing by Subaru, she glanced at him sideways,

"--If anything happens to Roswaal-sama, I won't accept it."

"I want you to worry about what he might do in his desperation."

　Subaru sees Ram off as she shrugs and leaves, then sees the door close before turning to face Roswaal. With a pensive look on his face, Roswaal closes one eye and reflects Subaru in his yellow eyes.

"Your expression is quite different from the one you showed me when we parted last night. Has something changed in your feelings in just a few hours?"

"It was a change of heart, I guess. After getting lectured, the friendship blossomed through a fistfight... no, it was too one-sided to be a fistfight, so it didn't really feel like a confirmation session."

　Touching the cheek where Otto had hit him, he recalled the feeling of this morning, when a slight redness still remained.

　Surprisingly, Otto's stamina is quite impressive, despite his lanky build. This is probably due to the difference in the number of carnage he has been through. Subaru thought he too had been through his fair share of carnage since coming to this world, but it seems he still isn't quite as good as Otto.

"That is what a brutal world it is..."

"Is that so? Well, I had confirmed yesterday that you probably weren't pushing yourself enough, but seeing as how quickly you've returned, it seems I wasn't mistaken."

"I was pretty much at my limit though. …I guess that's just because I'm simple-minded."

　Otto's words and punches made me feel like my twisted character had been straightened out.

　I think it was a very violent and simple way of doing things. It was so immature of me to be punched by a friend to correct my behavior, and I'm sure I would have made fun of it if it had been someone else.

"But it's not so bad. Even if I'm stuck and I can't figure it out with my friend's help, it feels good."

"You're so naive. You're so innocent and young. Ultimately, only you can solve the suffering in this world yourself. You have no need for such a weak-willed idea as relying on friends."

"Relying on people, relying on connections, relying on feelings... is that no good?"

"That's no good."

"Is that so? Well then, we have no choice but to challenge you."

　Roswaal's expression changes. Subaru steps forward, walks over to where Roswaal is on the bed, snaps his fingers, and points them at Roswaal.

"Like I said, let's make a bet. The tip is a wish, and the bed is a shot."

"Just listen, let's listen."

　After making sure that Roswaal didn't reject the proposal, Subaru pointed his finger toward the ceiling and checked the preconditions.

"This time, I can't comply with your wishes. Not just this time, but I don't intend to comply with them in the future either… but even if I insist, we'll just end up going our separate ways. So, let's set a deadline."

"Deadline?"

　Roswaal asked back, to which Subaru nodded, "Yes."

　Wetting his lips with his tongue, Subaru glared straight into Roswaal's eyes,

"This time around, I'm going to stick to my own method. If that fails… next time, I'll do things the way you want. That's the deadline."

"---You have the power to start over, so are you going to give up that right?"

"You said it too. That I wasn't pushed into a corner enough. I think so too. --That's what happened when you got carried away and thought you could start over."

　Of course, I don't intend to completely reject that idea.

　What could Natsuki Subaru do in this cruel world without 『Return by Death』? He had no intention of denying the benefits he had received from 『Return by Death』 up until now, nor would he do anything shameless.

　I just changed my way of thinking. I will do my best and if the end result is "Return by Death," then I will accept it. But if I die before I can live to the end,

"That's an insult to the people who cry for me. I won't do that anymore."

Subaru: "And to achieve that, you have to impose restrictions on yourself… I see. These are conditions I could almost wish for, but is there any guarantee that you will abide by them?"

"Guarantee, right?"

"Yes, a guarantee. That's important, you know? After all, you can start over, so you can even pretend this promise never happened. You can fail, start over, go back to last night, and then just nonchalantly try a different method…"

"Roswaal."

　As Roswaal voiced his concerns, Subaru called out his name in a quiet voice.

　Roswaal stops speaking at this call, and widens his eyes slightly as Subaru looks at him. Subaru then repeats, without changing the tone of his voice.

"You think I'd do that?"

"――――"

"If you think I would do that... then this isn't going to work. That's all there is to it."

　Roswaal narrowed his eyes at Subaru's words, then raised his hands and sighed.

　He continued, "Oh noooooo."

"Let's hear the rest of the story. You can make the decision at the end."

"...Yeah, do that. Like I said before, set a deadline. This time, I'll put everything into this one go. If that doesn't work, I'll do it as you say. Either way... if this method doesn't work, then maybe I'm out of luck."

"It's not that I'm confident. I'm just prepared… In that case, I guess I'll have to respond to that too. Now, you've set a deadline and said this will be the last time. So, you're going to ask me for something."

　Roswaal's tone is beginning to return to its usual tone.

　Subaru clapped his hands as they exchanged their opinions and exchanged their views in the negotiations and discussion.

"My request is simple. If, this time, my method succeeds in solving the situation, the future that is written will be different from what you wish for. If that happens, you will lose the will to live in a world different from the Gospels… but that's it."

"No, does that mean I shouldn't lose motivation? H-however, I have to say that's a difficult request to make. Of course, it's possible to keep things up on the surface, but deep down, no matter how much I..."

"It's not like I want to be your enemy forever, Roswaal."

"--Yeah?"

　Roswaal tilts his head, unable to understand what Subaru is saying.

　Subaru rubbed his nose with his fingers at Roswaal's attitude,

Emilia: "I know that you hate the idea of ​​the future differing from that in the Gospel, straying from the path and future you had set for yourself. But even if the future differs from that in the Gospel, I will continue to work hard beside you to make Emilia king. I'm sure I'll even rely on your power to change things over. -- Regardless of the process, I'm sure the final result will not deviate from your goal."

"――――"

"Roswaal, my request is simple. If, hypothetically, I were to open up a future that proceeds in a different way than the Gospel... you would throw away the Gospel and come with me. I will make Emilia king. To do that, I need your power."

　No matter how unforgivable Roswaal may have been, his power is necessary for Emilia's goal. Subaru has personally felt disgust for the inability to understand him. Even in this timeline, if left unchecked, his schemes will create an irreversible situation. --But Subaru will take matters into his own hands and avoid a decisive rift.

　Roswaal took a deep, long breath at Subaru's suggestion.

　With his eyes closed and in a thoughtful pose, he touched his chin and slowly opened his lips.

"I guess that's the final outcome you're looking for..."

"It's a convenient story, though. I love convenient stories. Emilia will work hard and become king, and I'll be by her side to celebrate, and you'll become one of those people surrounding her."

"It's a difficult proposition for someone like me who has been doing things the same way for a long, long time. And you're trying to get me to change… your conditions must be tough, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

　As Roswaal closed one eye, Subaru nodded and held up two fingers.

　Sensing Roswaal's gaze focused on the tip of his finger, Subaru lightly shook one of his fingers,

"There are two conditions. You say it's impossible, it's impossible. Two of those conditions. When those conditions are met, I win the bet."

"If these conditions are not met, I win. You will have to abandon your humanity."

　Speaking in a low, heavy tone, Roswaal looked at Subaru with both eyes. Nodding, Subaru gritted his teeth once before speaking, as Roswaal's gaze urged him on.

"First, the first condition. Get Garfiel on your side and bring him outside."

"――――"

"You said it's impossible to get him out of Sanctuary when he's so attached to it. I think so too. But... his powers will be necessary in the future. Even if we take into consideration the feelings of the people in Sanctuary, we can't just leave him acting like a spoiled brat. I'll see to it that you say it's impossible to persuade Garfiel."

"--The second one is..."

　The moment he heard the first condition, a dark emotion crossed Roswaal's eyes.

　However, without mentioning that, Roswaal asked for the next condition, and Subaru nodded,

"--- I will make Emilia break through the Trial. It will be Emilia who overcomes the Trial of the Tomb and liberates the Sanctuary. Not me."

"That's impossible!"

　Roswaal yelled and slammed his palm on the bed.

　A dry sound rang out, and Roswaal's face twisted in anger. He hunched his shoulders and pointed his finger at Subaru,

"I told you last night. There's no way he can pass the Trials. And there's no way Garfiel can let go of his attachment to the Sanctuary!"

"You won't really know until you try it."

"Exactly, you won't know until you try. And isn't it because you have done it so many times that you were so devastated in front of me?! Your appearance there, and your resolve this time, are proof that you are not worthy of their hope!"

　Roswaal shouted, his shoulders rising and falling. Subaru, however, looked completely calm as he watched him breathe heavily.

"You seem pretty angry and full of energy."

"What do you mean...?"

"For you, it's to your advantage if my conditions are harsh. So isn't it unreasonable to get angry just because my conditions are harsh?"

"It's a question of whether or not it counts as a bet. If it's not just unfavorable, but the legitimacy becomes unclear, it could ruin the outcome of the bet itself. It's only natural that I should be careful."

　Roswaal seemed suspicious of the conditions presented, which were too unfavorable for Subaru and too favorable for himself. However, Subaru's cheeks twisted at Roswaal's reaction. His grin deepened, more and more viciously.

"Roswaal, it seems you've misunderstood."

"..."

Subaru: "Am I at a disadvantage? Certainly, at first glance, there's no doubt that my conditions are harsh. It's not like I don't think that doing something like this will give me face and make you revise that plan you've had for so many years. Not that I don't think so… but that's a different matter."

　Subaru smiled at the silent Roswaal,

"You said it, Roswaal."

"――――"

"When I'm pushed into a corner, I become my strongest card. —Your opponent may not be what you wanted, but he's still your strongest card. So, are you still not satisfied?"

　Roswaal remained silent in response to Subaru's defiant statement.

　He just stares at Subaru, catching his breath. Then, having calmed down, Roswaal holds up one finger,

"--Contract."

"――――"

"Very well. Let's accept the conditions you have presented. Free Garfiel from his curse, and free Lady Emilia from her Sanctuary. When both are achieved, I will abandon my plan and follow the path you have paved. Let's make a contract for that purpose."

　A faint light glows at the tip of his raised finger.

　The concentrated mana, rainbow colored, was very similar to the light that was created when Julius combined multiple attributes to create when he destroyed Betelgeuse.

"Through the gate, we will engrave our respective contracts into our souls. Even if you can deceive others, you cannot deceive your own heart. —A contract engraved into your soul will continue beyond distance, time, and even worlds. It will likely be effective in your redo as well."

"Well, there must be a way to do something about it... However, it's probably more convenient for me that way too. If we can bind each other with a contract, it will save me the trouble of having to punch you when you throw a tantrum after losing a bet."

"It seems you're not taking this lightly... but that's fine."

　Roswaal doesn't say much about Subaru's attitude in accepting the contract.

　The glow of the fingertips hit the center of Subaru's chest, and he felt something seep into his body. Immediately after, he felt a wave from within that opened up all the pores in his body, and he exhaled.

"Ah, ha――"

"In the same way, I will engrave it into my soul. When Natsuki Subaru's contract is fulfilled, Roswaal L. Mathers' contract will also be fulfilled."

　Similarly, a rainbow-colored light bursts onto Roswaal's chest.

　For an instant, the light spread throughout Roswaal's entire body, and in the blink of an eye, he was back to normal.

"Is this the end?"

"It's over. There's no turning back now."

　Confirming that they had drawn a line that neither of them could escape from, Subaru took a small breath.

　Then, Roswaal placed his hand on his chest,

"Just as you will do your best to achieve your conditions, I will also work to establish the Gospel accounts. You won't blame me for that, will you?"

"---Five days later, let's recreate the snowfall."

"...If Lady Emilia doesn't make it rain, then I guess I'll have to do it myself."

　That means a time limit has been set.

　The Great Rabbit's attack is five days away. By then, Emilia must free the Sanctuary, and Subaru must free Garfiel from the curse.

"If that's the case, we don't need to waste time. Let's get started."

"Subaru-kun."

　As Subaru got off the bed and was about to get to work, Roswaal called out to him.

　Subaru turned to look at Roswaal, who slightly averted his gaze.

"The mansion will also be on the same day. -- I wish you the best of luck."

"Because if I try my best and fail, then next time I'll probably do what you expect… right?"

"――――"

　Roswaal responded silently to Subaru's reply.

　Smiling wryly at his attitude, Subaru finally pointed at Roswaal,

"Roswaal, you're getting all flustered, so put on your clown makeup again."

"Hmm, now that I think about it... I guess this was the first time I've seen you without makeup."

"In this world, yes."

　Subaru's suggestive words caused Roswaal's eyes to widen.

　Feeling the reaction on his back, Subaru began to walk away.

"This is a contest between you and me. Two clowns at the mercy of fate - let's do it fair and square."

　With that said, he leaves the room.

　The conditions of the bet are met. -And so, this is where it begins.

　Natsuki Subaru's final challenge to liberate the "Sanctuary".