Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu web novel

　One of Ryuzu's representative personalities, whom Subaru calls θ.

　Although she had entered the tomb and learned about the past of Lewes Meyer, the man on whom they were based, her memories were extremely fragmented, and even the chronology was only vague.

　θ thinks that this must be because his existence is a product of the original soul of Lewes Meyer being cut into many different shapes and then shaped into something.

　So, could other Ryuzus, such as Alpha, Beta, and Sigma, or even clones who have not yet developed personalities, get a glimpse of a different past?

　Even if that thought were true, θ does not want to put them in the tomb.

　--For θ, showing another copy of Ryuzu the form he had seen in the past would have been unbearable, and would have been extremely painful.

"--I wonder what it is. Even if you look at me like that, you're not going to do anything."

　The memory begins with the glare of a girl with pale hair.

　She is a girl with a lovely face.

　With pale, light-colored hair and translucent white skin, her pale bluish eyes were large and round, easily describing her appearance as pretty.

　Her hair was divided into two large, long curls, and just by looking at it you could tell that when you ran your fingers through it, it felt smooth and bouncy.

　The dress's muted colors may seem a little mature for a girl of such young appearance, but considering the flashy material the girl herself is made of, the colors of the dress were carefully chosen to harmonize.

"――――"

　As the adorable girl pierces him with her fierce gaze, Ryuzu becomes intimidated.

　Moreover, compared to the girl in front of me, my appearance and clothes were shabby. We were about the same age, so my own misery was all the more prominent, and I felt ashamed to even be standing there.

"Hmm. A coward, I see."

　Lewes was unable to say anything in response and remained completely silent, causing the girl to snort in disappointment.

　In comparison to her adorable appearance, even her actions seemed innocent, but to Lewes it was more painful and heart-wrenching than being insulted.

　Before he realized that this was something akin to fear, of upsetting the girl in front of himーー,

"Beatrice, what's with that attitude? I never taught you to behave like that."

　A gentle voice called out, and the expression of the girl in front of me stiffened.

　The voice came from behind the girl, in other words, from directly in front of Lewes's eyes.

　Deep in the village, a woman in "pure white" came out of a small hut.

　Long white hair. White skin so transparent that even light could not reach it. Only her eyes, lips, and the long-sleeved dress and skirt she was wearing were barely colored, subtly letting those around her know that she was real.

　The person slowly walking towards me was a being who owed this village a great debt - the witch Echidna.

　The girl reacted dramatically to Echidna's voice. When she was called Beatrice, she turned around with a stiff face,

"Oh, no... it's not that, mother! Betty didn't mean anything... it's just that this girl..."

"I never intended to teach you to make embarrassing excuses. You should tell the truth accurately. If you are certain that you are not at fault, you should not hesitate to do so. Am I right?"

"No, I guess not..."

　There was no emotion in Echidna's voice, but there was a quiet sternness to it.

　Beatrice dropped her shoulders and clasped her hands together with a sulky look on her face.

"Betty was waiting quietly outside as her mother had instructed. Then this girl came along, I think. She was watching her from a distance... she must have thought it was rude, so she called her over and asked her what she wanted."

"Hmm. I see. Is that correct for you?"

"Ah... Yes, that's right. I'm sorry. I was rude..."

　Beatrice's explanation is correct.

　Lewes was gazing blankly at Beatrice, who was standing at the edge of the village, leaning her weight against the fence. Beatrice was probably waiting for Echidna to finish her business. Her appearance and eyes looked somehow lonely, and it made his heart ache.

　However, if she said something like that, she would only be laughed at. Ryuzu tried to weather the storm by making her small body even smaller and lowering her head.

"You don't deny it, huh? In that case, I guess it's just as Beatrice said, that Lewes was the one who was being rude."

"That's right, mother. So Betty has done nothing wrong..."

"However, it was Beatrice's fault for being so overbearing as to make you feel so frightened. I'm sure I tell you this all the time. You are certainly special, but that shouldn't be used to look down on others."

"Um, Myu..."

　Beatrice, who had been about to accept Echidna's affirmation, was quickly turned down by Echidna's retort, and fell silent.

　Witnessing this exchange, Lewes was deeply moved by the fact that Echidna remembered his name.

　Even though it's a small village, I'm just an insignificant child.

　The fact that the witch who had been so kind to him remembered his name was an honor beyond his imagination, as a resident of the Sanctuary who offered his gratitude and respect to the Witch of Greed.

"I'll leave it to Juice to sort that out when we get back to the mansion. I'm sure he'll be enthusiastic about it."

"...I don't think Betty likes Juice that much."

"He sees it as his role to be disliked, so I think that's what he wants."

　Echidna gave a faint smile at Beatrice, who was frowning in disgust, then turned to face Lewes.

　Lewes had missed the opportunity to join in the conversation, and was trying to gauge when it would be best to leave, so he was surprised that Echidna's attention was still on him.

　Echidna walked towards the stiff Lewes with her shoulders bouncing,

"Sorry for startling you, Lewes. This girl is called Beatrice... she's like a daughter to me. As you can see, she hasn't been properly trained yet, which is embarrassing."

"No, it's not something like that, it's my daughter herself."

"Well, that seems to be the case. From now on, you will probably come to the Sanctuary with me from time to time. We will have more opportunities to interact, so I hope you will get along well."

"Y-Yes. Leave it to me, Echidna-sama."

　With a hand on her shoulder, Lewes nodded, her heart trembling with joy.

　Echidna bowed her chin in satisfaction at Lewes's acceptance, while behind her Beatrice was muttering in a sulky voice, "...I don't really mind Betty being alone."

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

"Excuse me, child. Lady Echidna is supposed to be here, have you seen her?"

　Lewes, who was carrying a laundry basket, stopped in her tracks when she heard the call and turned around.

　Then, realizing who it was that had called out to her, she nearly cried out. In shock, she nearly dropped the laundry basket in her arms, but an arm quickly reached out to catch it.

"sound--"

"I, uh, I'm sorry."

　Lewes closed the distance smoothly and bowed to the boy who was supporting the laundry basket.

　Seeing this, the boy who had long indigo hair brushed his hands back said, "No, don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize I was carrying luggage. It was a lack of consideration."

"That would be an insult to you, Mr. Mathers."

"No matter who you are, you should always be considerate of women....I'll just correct one thing: I don't really like being called by my family name. I'd prefer to be called Roswaal."

　Saying this to the polite Lewes, the boy - Roswaal - closed one eye.

　He was about four or five years older than Lewes, and a head taller, but his limbs had not yet fully grown, and his clear voice had not yet finished transforming into that of an adult.

　He had a certain sensual sexiness that only comes during the brief period between boyhood and manhood - even the young Lewes could sense this in him, and he carried himself naturally with grace and dignity.

　That's because, despite his young age, Roswaal is the head of the Mathers family, which rules over multiple territories, and is also an outstanding figure who cooperates with the witch Echidna in managing the Sanctuary.

　In a different sense to Echidna, she is someone who contributes to the upkeep of this settlement known as the "Sanctuary", and it has always been said that she must not be rude to him.

　Lewes blushed at Roswaal's wink, but she desperately tried to recall what he had said earlier.

"So, about Echidna-sama... I haven't seen her today yet. Beatrice-sama wasn't in her usual place either."

"I see. Perhaps she is late in arriving. Putting Echidna-sama aside, it's hard to imagine that Beatrice wouldn't come to see you right away."

"Umm, well… I think it's just a coincidence that you and I have so many opportunities to talk, Lady Beatrice…"

Subaru: "By coincidence, I mean because Beatrice said so, right?"

　In response to Roswaal's question, Lewes silently nodded his head.

　Since their introduction, Beatrice, Echidna's daughter, has met many times. Beatrice accompanies Echidna, who visits the Sanctuary in time out of her busy schedule, and while Echidna is running errands, she often wanders around the Sanctuary. During these times, she frequently comes into contact with Lewes.

　Ryuzu would often pass by this scene when she was bringing in the laundry or going to pick wild vegetables.

　At Lewes's answer, Roswaal couldn't help but laugh.

"Beatrice isn't very straightforward after all. I hope you don't find her difficult to deal with."

"It's not like I don't like her at all. She's always been so kind to me. It seems like I'm the one who's always putting you in a bad mood… I'm actually worried that she might dislike me."

"Then it'll be fine. Beatrice's dislike isn't very credible. If she really didn't like it, she wouldn't have come up with any excuse to come along."

　Is that so? Lewes tilts her head as she listens to Roswaal's words.

　When Beatrice is with Lewes, she is always grumbling and complaining, and always seems to find something to complain about Lewes's every move. Seeing her like that, it's hard to believe that she doesn't really hate me.

　In particular, Lewes and many of the residents of the Sanctuary were often chosen as targets for such malice and hostility in the outside world. Beatrice's feelings were overwhelmingly gentler and warmer than those Lewes knew, but they were still dangerous.

"I hope that one day you will understand that too."

　Roswaal muttered this to himself as he watched the silent Lewes.

　Seeing the lonely smile on Roswaal's lips, Lewes trembled, wondering what it was about him that had made Roswaal look like that.

　However, before she could say anything to make it up, Roswaal's yellow eyes blinked as he suddenly realized something,

"Ah! Sensei! I heard you were coming, so I came rushing over!"

　I raised my hand, and, discarding his mature attitude from a moment ago, Roswaal took off running, his face as excited as a child. I followed him as he whizzed past me, and saw a woman standing in front of him - Echidna.

　When Echidna noticed Roswaal running up to her with a beaming smile, her eyebrows rose slightly.

"Roswaal? I don't remember giving you permission to call me sensei."

"That won't be the case today. I've managed to complete the assignment that my teacher gave me last time. By evenly focusing the four colors of mana, I can produce rainbow-colored mana. And then I was able to add the remaining two colors all on my own. What do you think?"

"You managed to reach the point of bundling the six colors by yourself? That is... an incredible level of mastery, and perhaps even some kind of tenacity. My goodness, that's quite troubling."

　It was rare for Echidna to show a surprised expression.

　At least, that was the first time Lewes had seen it. Roswaal stood proudly, puffing out his chest, waiting for Echidna to speak to him. Even the younger Lewes found it endearing. From his attitude, his gaze, and every detail, it was clear that he had an unconcealed admiration for Echidna, and that he felt even more than that.

"I wonder what he's just standing there doing."

"Ah... Lady Beatrice..."

　As I was watching the two of them from a distance, Beatrice, who was standing next to me, suddenly looked into my face. I took a step back and Beatrice folded her arms in her usual pose, snorting at Lewes.

"Staring at me is still as rude as ever."

"I, I'm sorry. It was rude of me."

　Being reprimanded, Lewes feels embarrassed at his shamelessness, but when he apologizes, Beatrice's brow furrows even more.

　Just by smiling or not pursing his lips, his face becomes much softer. Despite this, he feels guilty that he always makes people frown because of his own thoughtless actions.

"I wonder how long you're going to keep looking down like that, it's annoying. If you have time to carry a laundry basket all the time, you should just move on to the next job."

"Y-Yes, I will do that. Now, excuse me."

　Lewes bowed once more to the harsh Beatrice and quickly left the place. However, as Lewes walked quickly, Beatrice followed behind her, dragging the hem of her dress behind her.

"Lady Beatrice...?"

"Nothing. Just killing time."

　As Lewes turned her head to face Beatrice replied with a cold, clear face. As Lewes turned her head to return to her usual attitude, she remembered her earlier conversation with Roswaal.

　The boy had judged that Beatrice was in no way averse to speaking with Lewes, but――

"Lady Beatrice. If you don't mind, could you help me fold the laundry?"

"...Huh?"

　When Lewes boldly offered to help with the chores, Beatrice groaned in displeasure.

　Beatrice's eyes widen as she changes into one of shock and some anger. Seeing her, Lewes begins to regret having been seduced by Roswaal.

"--If you can't make it in time by yourself, I guess I'll have no choice but to help you."

"picture?"

"I'm not going to tell you twice. Come on, let's just get going."

　Saying this, Beatrice quickly passed by Lewes, who had stopped in her tracks. As she passed by him, he saw the corners of Beatrice's mouth slacken, half in exasperation and half with a different emotion.

　Suddenly, a heat rises in Lewes' heart, and she jogs along behind Beatrice. Then she peers at her profile,

"If you don't mind, could you please carry some of the laundry for me?"

"Hey, don't get too carried away. --It can't be helped, so just a little, I guess."

　Saying this, Beatrice looked reluctant as she reached out her hand towards Crown.