...
{3rd Pov}
Everyone stood frozen in place, their expressions filled with disbelief and confusion as they stared at the figure standing before them—Zero, the Sin Archbishop of Pride—who, to everyone's shock, had just been revealed to be none other than Subaru himself.
"You bastard! Why the hell do you look like me?!" Subaru shouted furiously, his voice echoing across the room.
His mind was reeling with questions, but one stood out more than the rest: why did this man, this so-called Pride, have a Beatrice standing by his side as well?
The sight alone made his blood boil and his stomach twist with unease.
Pride—Subaru's eerie double—simply exhaled, sounding more exasperated than surprised.
"Oh boy," he muttered, rubbing his temple in mild annoyance, "I guess the beans are out now."
He turned his gaze toward the girl at his side, Krill, who at that very moment was rubbing her cheek affectionately against his palm like a spoiled cat.
"Reina, that's enough," he said flatly, his tone carrying the weight of authority.
"End that façade."
The girl—Krill, or rather Reina—let out an exaggerated groan, puffing her cheeks in irritation.
"Tch, I was actually asking for forgiveness, though," she complained, clearly displeased by the command.
But before anyone could respond, her entire appearance began to shift right before their eyes, the transformation happening in an instant.
Her long raven-black hair shimmered and faded, replaced by deep, vivid red locks that cascaded down her shoulders.
Her green eyes changed into a striking shade of blue, sharp and confident.
Even her stature grew slightly taller, her figure more mature, her posture straight and commanding.
The sudden transformation left the entire group stunned into silence.
Reina Van Astrea had returned—the true Sword Saint herself.
She looked down at the simple stick she had been holding, her expression turning from annoyance to mild disappointment.
With a soft sigh, she tossed it aside, the makeshift weapon clattering uselessly to the floor.
"Come back, Reid," she said firmly, her voice echoing with power and conviction.
In that very instant, light flared around her hand, and from it emerged a magnificent blade—a brand new Dragon Sword, gleaming with overwhelming presence and unmistakable authority.
The moment the sword appeared, everyone knew without a doubt what it meant. T
he aura surrounding her was impossible to mistake.
Reina Van Astrea, the Sword Saint, stood before them.
Her transformation left everyone utterly dumbfounded.
The air was thick with disbelief and confusion, as though reality itself had begun to warp.
Even Felix, who was in the middle of reattaching Priscilla's freshly torn-off arm, almost dropped it from sheer shock the moment he saw the woman's sudden change.
His catlike ears twitched violently as he blinked several times, completely unable to process what he was witnessing.
All eyes were once again drawn to the newly transformed woman now standing proudly beside Zero.
She looked like a mirror image of someone all too familiar—a female version of Reinhard van Astrea himself.
The resemblance was so uncanny that even Reinhard, who had just managed to pull himself back together after his another-death experience, froze mid-motion.
His usually calm and composed face went slack with disbelief.
His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
For a moment, it looked as though he were staring at his long-lost twin sister brought to life before his eyes.
The sheer absurdity of it all left the rest of the group more bewildered than ever.
Confusion rippled through them like a shockwave.
No one knew what to say or even what to think.
Was this some twisted illusion?
A trick?
Or had the world itself decided to stop making sense entirely?
The question everyone silently shared was simple—what the hell was going on?
Zero, or rather the man now known to them as Pride, raised his hand nonchalantly, as though basking in the collective confusion around him.
"Well then," he said with a calm but confident grin, "I suppose it's about time for some proper introductions, don't you think?"
With that, he straightened his back and struck a familiar pose—one that sent a chill down Subaru's spine.
It was the same exaggerated stance Subaru himself always used whenever he tried to sound cool, his finger pointing dramatically toward the sky.
"Allow me to introduce myself!" he declared, his tone grand and theatrical, full of pride and energy.
"I am the Witch Cult's cardinal, the Sin Archbishop representing Pride, Natsuki Subaru!"
The name echoed through the air like a thunderclap, leaving everyone stunned.
But before anyone could even begin to react, he continued, his smirk widening as if savoring their confusion.
"That's just my new identity, though," he added, his voice dripping with smug confidence.
"My true identity is something else entirely…"
Every pair of eyes turned toward him again.
The tension in the air grew thick enough to cut with a blade.
Even Subaru himself was pale now, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
The way this man introduced himself—the tone, the dramatics, the ridiculous overconfidence—was unmistakable.
It was his way of talking, his exact style, the one thing no one else should've been able to mimic so perfectly.
Then, with a wide grin, the impostor—or whatever he was—spread his arms dramatically and shouted, "I am the Witch Hunter! Natsuki Subaru!"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Every single person in the room was too stunned to speak.
Their expressions ranged from disbelief to utter confusion.
For a brief moment, some of them even wondered if this was some strange joke.
In fact, most of them didn't believe he was truly Natsuki Subaru at all.
When he confidently declared that name as his identity, they assumed it was just another one of bizarre transformation tricks like Capella's. After all, only someone with her kind of power could possibly pull off something this insane.
Not to reintroduce himself with same name but different title! Even if Witch Hunter sounded better than Sin Archbishop of Pride what did it matter to them?
But deep down, Subaru could feel it—this wasn't an illusion. This was something far worse.
"I am Gloria," the young woman with golden hair beside him announced proudly, her voice carrying an unmistakable edge of arrogance and superiority.
Her chin tilted upward ever so slightly, as though she were looking down on everyone present.
"Naturally, this concubine is none other than the one and only daughter of Natsuki Subaru."
The confidence in her tone was so absolute that it left little room for doubt—or at least that's how she wanted it to sound.
Her declaration immediately stirred a wave of murmurs and disbelief throughout the group.
Everyone's attention locked onto her, processing her words as though they had just been struck by lightning.
The daughter of Natsuki Subaru?
The idea alone was insane enough to make their heads spin.
Before anyone could question her, another familiar voice cut through the tension, filled with that same distinctive mixture of pride and indignation.
"I suppose I should introduce myself as well, though you all should already know who I am!" declared Beatrice, puffing up her chest and crossing her arms.
"I am Subaru's best—no, his most trusted and greatest contracted spirit! Beatrice, the great spirit of knowledge and protection, at your service!" she said in her usual boastful tone, glaring slightly as if daring anyone to doubt her words.
The crowd didn't even have time to recover before the third member of the strange group stepped forward.
Reina took a single confident stride, her boots echoing on the ground, her expression calm but edged with bitterness.
"I am Reina Van Astrea," she began, her voice steady yet carrying a weight of anger buried beneath it.
"Daughter of my pathetic excuse for a father, Heinkel Astrea—the kind of man who would stoop so low as to violate a woman in her sleep if given any chance."
Her words hit the air like a blade, cutting through the tense silence.
Everyone froze, eyes wide and mouths half open.
Even Reinhard flinched slightly, the mention of his father's name and actions clearly landing hard on him.
Reina's eyes were cold and unflinching, showing not even a flicker of hesitation as she continued to stare down the stunned crowd.
Emilia, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke, her voice shaking slightly with disbelief and anger.
"That's… impossible!" she said, taking a step forward, her silver hair glinting under the light.
"How can there be two people sharing the same name, the same face, and even the same identity at the same time?!" Her amethyst eyes narrowed sharply, her expression accusing.
"Your lies won't work on us!"
Zero—still smiling calmly despite the growing hostility in the air—tilted his head slightly, as if amused by her reaction.
"Oh really?" he said, his tone almost playful.
"Then why don't you go ahead and ask your lie detectors whether the things we've said so far are the truth or just a bunch of lies?"
He extended his finger casually, pointing straight at Reinhard and Crusch Karsten, both of whom were known for possessing divine protections that allowed them to discern truth from falsehood.
The attention of everyone shifted toward the two of them. Reinhard's usual calm demeanor faltered for a moment as he processed the situation.
Then, with a slightly awkward but honest smile, he nodded.
"All the words he has spoken so far… they're true," he admitted, his voice quiet but steady.
He glanced toward Crusch.
"What about you, Lady Karsten?"
Crusch, who had been silently observing the exchange with furrowed brows, slowly closed her eyes for a moment as if confirming something within herself.
Then she looked up, her voice carrying the certainty of her Divine Protection.
"Unfortunately," she said solemnly, "I sense no wind of untruth blowing from his direction. My Divine Protection recognizes his statements as genuine truth."
Her words fell like a hammer, echoing through the silence that followed.
The room seemed to collectively stop breathing as the weight of her confirmation settled in.
The realization hit everyone at once—everything they had said, no matter how unbelievable, had been true.
Shock rippled through the group once again, even stronger than before.
It was no longer a matter of doubt or illusion.
The truth stood before them, undeniable and terrifying.
"Are we even sure that your Divine Protections are working properly right now?" Felt asked bluntly, folding her arms and glaring at both Reinhard and Crusch.
Her tone carried the sharp, street-smart skepticism that only she could deliver.
"I mean, come on—what are the chances that these guys don't have some weird power or ability that lets them trick or bypass your Divine Protections entirely?"
Her words, despite their roughness, struck a chord with everyone present.
It made sense.
The situation was already far beyond what any of them could comfortably understand, and the idea that even Divine Protections could be fooled suddenly didn't sound that far-fetched.
Murmurs began to ripple through them again as people exchanged uncertain glances.
Then, in the middle of that uneasy silence, Subaru suddenly spoke up.
His face was completely blank, voice devoid of any emotion.
"I am gay," he said flatly, without hesitation or embarrassment.
The absurdity of the statement hit like a brick.
For a moment, no one reacted—then Reinhard's eyebrow twitched sharply, his expression tightening.
"That… is a lie," he said quietly, but firmly, the faintest flicker of discomfort crossing his face.
"The wind of untruth blows from him," Crusch added immediately afterward, her tone steady and confident as she confirmed Reinhard's words through her own Divine Protection.
The crowd turned toward Pride—Zero, or whoever he truly was—eyes full of confusion and wariness.
Some of them were trying not to laugh, others too tense to even process what just happened.
The short exchange had at least confirmed one thing beyond doubt: both Reinhard's and Crusch's Divine Protections were functioning exactly as intended.
Zero took the opportunity to smile, an amused glint flashing in his eyes as if he were enjoying every second of their confusion.
"Very well," he said smoothly, spreading his arms out in a grand gesture.
"Since we're all still a little uncertain, why don't I introduce myself again?"
His tone carried mock patience, as if he were humoring children rather than addressing some of the most powerful figures in the kingdom.
"They say the third time's the charm, after all…"
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before adding with deliberate emphasis, "But this time, why don't your Natsuki Subaru"—he pointed directly at Subaru—"test whether I'm lying or not?"
Subaru's expression darkened instantly.
His jaw tightened and he gritted his teeth in frustration.
The idea of being forced to validate whatever nonsense this imposter was spewing made his stomach churn.
Still, the tension in the air was suffocating, and everyone's attention was now split between the two Subarus—the real one, and the unsettling mirror image standing across from him.
At this point, everyone in the room was utterly baffled.
The situation had long since crossed the line from confusing to downright insane.
A second Subaru, a second Beatrice, a mysterious woman who appeared to be a female version of the Sword Saint, and even a self-proclaimed daughter of Subaru—it all sounded like some kind of twisted joke or the elaborate scheme of a deranged magician.
Subaru himself was already deep in suspicion.
The only explanation that made any sense, even barely, was that some powerful and malicious magic user had somehow cloned him, Beatrice, and possibly even a member of the Astrea bloodline.
But then again, that theory was falling apart the more he thought about it.
His eyes drifted toward the weapon in Reina's hand—the other Dragon Sword, Reid.
Seeing that blade, that unmistakable sword that should have been one of a kind, made his confidence in his theory crumble completely.
There couldn't possibly be another Dragon Sword—yet there it was, glowing faintly in the grasp of the woman calling herself Reina Van Astrea.
Subaru clenched his fists.
If this wasn't cloning, then what the hell was it?
"My name is Natsuki Subaru," the man declared, his voice calm yet carrying a strange weight that made the air around him feel heavier.
"And I am over forty years old."
The moment those words left his mouth, a collective gasp erupted from the crowd.
Even the most composed among them faltered, their eyes wide and their jaws slack with disbelief.
The idea alone was absurd—over forty?
It didn't make any sense.
The man standing before them looked exactly the same age as their Subaru—young, barely in his twenties at best.
Subaru himself stood frozen, completely unable to process what he had just heard.
His mind raced, his thoughts crashing into each other like a storm.
'What the hell is this guy talking about? Over forty? How could that even be possible?!'
But before he could even voice his confusion, Zero spoke again, his tone calm, almost casual, as though discussing something utterly mundane.
"I am the son of Natsuki Kenichi and Natsuki Naoko," he said, every syllable precise and deliberate.
Those words hit Subaru like a physical blow.
His entire body went rigid, and his eyes went wide as if struck by lightning.
His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment he couldn't even form words.
"Wh–What?!" he stammered finally, his voice trembling with shock.
"H-How do you… how do you know those names?!"
There was raw panic in his tone.
The names of his parents—Kenichi and Naoko—were something no one in this world should have known.
In all the loops, in all the resets, in all the countless lives he had lived through, Subaru had never once told anyone about his life before arriving in this world.
He hadn't even hinted at it.
People either dismissed the idea as delusion or simply didn't believe him when he mentioned being from another world.
The only one who had ever shown even a hint of belief was Beatrice, and even she had never learned anything specific.
And yet, this man—this alternate version of himself—had just spoken his parents' names out loud, perfectly, without hesitation.
Zero's lips curled into a knowing smile, the kind that made Subaru's stomach twist.
"To further prove that I am indeed Natsuki Subaru," he continued smoothly, "why don't I say something that only the real Subaru would ever know?"
He tilted his head slightly, his expression playful but his eyes sharp, observing every flicker of emotion crossing Subaru's face.
"I'll tell everyone about the biggest secret Subaru has—the one thing he's never spoken of to anyone, not even to those closest to him."
The tension in the plaza spiked instantly.
Every person present turned their eyes toward him, curiosity and unease mixing together like oil and fire.
Even those who doubted his identity a moment ago could no longer ignore the weight behind his words.
Subaru's face had gone pale, his breathing uneven.
He could feel the truth pressing down on him, the dread creeping into his chest. Zero wasn't bluffing—he could tell.
There was something in his tone, something in the way he said Subaru's biggest secret, that made it clear he truly knew something deeply personal.
Beatrice, standing beside Subaru, clenched her fists tightly, her eyes darting between the two versions of him.
"Betty doesn't like where this is going, I suppose," she muttered uneasily, her usual confidence faltering.
Everyone could see it now—the genuine panic in Subaru's expression, the disbelief written all over his face.
It wasn't the kind of reaction someone could fake.
He looked like a man staring at a ghost who knew everything about him.
The crowd fell silent, waiting for the next words to fall from Zero's mouth.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
The only thing that could be heard was the pounding of Subaru's heart as he realized that this so-called Sin Archbishop of Pride might actually be telling the truth.
But what could that secret possibly be?
What was so deeply hidden within Subaru that even his closest allies had never heard it?
The thought sent a shiver down everyone's spine as they watched, unable to tear their eyes away from the confrontation between the two Subarus.
"R," Zero spoke clearly, the single letter echoing through the tense air.
The sound of it made Subaru's entire body jolt as if struck by lightning.
His breathing hitched, and he instinctively clutched at his chest, panic flooding his expression.
His pupils shrank, and his heartbeat thundered violently in his ears.
He clearly knew why, that just hearing that letter made a deep, instinctive fear claw at his mind.
"Don't!" Subaru shouted suddenly, his voice cracking with raw terror.
He took a step forward, desperation etched across his face.
His hand trembled uncontrollably as he reached out toward Zero.
"Stop it! Don't say another word!"
But Zero didn't even pause.
The smile on his face remained calm—almost pitying, almost cruel—as he continued without hesitation.
"B."
The second letter left his mouth, and Subaru's body reacted violently.
His knees nearly buckled, and a visible shiver ran through him from head to toe.
His breathing became ragged and uneven, his shoulders trembling as though he were fighting against something invisible crushing him from within.
His eyes were wide with horror, his lips quivering.
He looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
"D."
The final letter fell from Zero's lips like a death sentence.
Subaru gasped sharply, his body seizing up as he fell to his knees, one hand pressing desperately against his chest.
His breathing turned shallow and erratic, sweat pouring down his forehead.
The world around him seemed to blur and fade as memories—horrible memories—flashed in his mind like lightning.
He was certain, absolutely certain, that saying those words—those letters—should have triggered her.
The taboo.
The punishment.
That suffocating feeling of his heart being crushed by unseen hands—the Witch's invisible caress of love and death, who would come in her all-witchy glory to love him in her own twisted way.
But this time… it didn't come.
There was no pain, no suffocation, no black shadow whispering in his ear.
And yet, the trauma was there.
The dread was real, burned into his very soul.
Everyone else stood frozen in shock.
They didn't understand what had just happened, but Subaru's reaction alone was enough to terrify them.
The usually stubborn and loud young man was now trembling uncontrollably on the floor, gasping for breath like he'd barely survived drowning.
"Subaru!" Emilia cried out, rushing to his side in panic.
She knelt beside him, grabbing his shoulders.
"Are you okay?! What's wrong?!" Her voice was filled with fear and confusion.
"Why are you trembling like this, I suppose?!" Beatrice shouted, her tone breaking from its usual haughty calm to genuine worry.
She moved closer, her small hands hovering helplessly near him as she searched for any sign of injury or curse.
It took several long, agonizing seconds before Subaru realized—nothing had happened.
The curse hadn't activated.
His heart hadn't been crushed.
The Witch hadn't punished him.
Slowly, his breathing began to steady, and his eyes narrowed in dawning realization.
'Why?', he thought, his mind spinning.
'Why didn't it happen? He said it—he said it clearly. He said the letters… so why am I still alive?'
And then, like a flickering light, the answer came to him.
Around him, everyone was still completely lost.
None of them, not even the sharpest among them, seemed to understand the meaning behind those three simple letters.
They had heard them, yes, but to their ears, they were just strange sounds—alien syllables that carried no meaning.
Of course they didn't understand.
Zero hadn't spoken in the language of this world—he had spoken in English.
Subaru, being from another world, had always slipped into English occasionally without realizing it.
It was second nature to him, even though no one else in Lugnica ever understood the words he used.
So when Zero said those letters—"R," "B," and "D"—they didn't sound like anything meaningful to anyone else.
To them, it might as well have been gibberish.
But to Subaru, those letters spelled out something far more terrifying.
Something that only he could possibly understand.
"RBD."
Return by Death.
His ultimate trump card. His cursed blessing. His unbreakable chain.
The one thing he could never speak of.
The ability bound to his very existence, protected and suppressed by the Witch of Envy herself.
The power that forced him to live through death after death, endlessly repeating his suffering in silence.
And yet Zero—this other Subaru—had spoken it freely, as if the Witch's grasp meant nothing to him.
That realization made Subaru's blood run cold.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt something far more horrifying than despair.
He was staring at someone who not only knew his secret—but had just proven that he could defy the very curse that bound Subaru's soul.
Zero looked down at him, a faint smile still lingering on his face.
"Now do you understand?" he said softly.
"I told you, I am Natsuki Subaru."
Subaru slowly pushed himself off the ground, his body still trembling from the lingering shock of what had just happened.
His breathing was uneven, and sweat clung to his forehead, but his mind—despite the chaos inside—had already reached a grim and undeniable conclusion.
The man standing before him wasn't an illusion, wasn't a doppelgänger, and wasn't some shape-shifting imposter.
No matter how impossible it sounded, the person in front of him was Natsuki Subaru.
Another version of himself—one who somehow existed outside the bounds of logic and reason.
He stared at Zero, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, his voice low and trembling as he finally spoke.
"You… you really are me, aren't you?"
Emilia rushed to his side again, still visibly shaken by everything that had unfolded.
"Subaru! What do those words mean?!" she asked urgently, her violet eyes filled with confusion and fear.
The rest of the group turned their attention toward him as well, waiting for an explanation that might somehow make sense of this madness.
Subaru glanced around at their faces—Emilia's worried expression, Beatrice's tense stare, Reinhard's cautious focus, even Felt's suspicious glare.
They were all looking at him for answers he couldn't give.
He managed a wry, exhausted smile, trying to lighten the weight in the air even though his heart was still racing.
"I… can't tell you," he said finally, his voice heavy with reluctant resignation.
"Let's just say… I'm bound by a contract. One that won't let me speak about it no matter how much I want to."
The words made everyone's hope crumble in an instant.
They could all tell by the tone in his voice that he wasn't lying—he truly couldn't explain. Emilia's lips parted slightly, her expression twisting between worry and frustration.
Beatrice frowned deeply, her little hands tightening around her dress.
Then Subaru's gaze turned toward Pride—toward the other him.
His face hardened, his voice gaining strength as he pointed directly at him.
"That guy…" he said with conviction, his tone sharp and certain.
"I don't know how. I don't know why. But he's Natsuki Subaru. He really is me."
The quiet that followed was suffocating.
Everyone's expressions wavered, uncertainty clouding their eyes.
None of them wanted to believe it, but the evidence—the uncanny resemblance, the knowledge, the power to speak the forbidden words—all pointed to one impossible truth.
Some of the sharper minds among them—Crusch, Reinhard, and even Julius—were already beginning to connect the dots.
Their gazes hardened slightly as realization started to dawn, though none of them dared to speak their suspicions aloud just yet.
Emilia, still trying to hold on to some sense of understanding, stepped forward, her hands clenched tightly together.
"Then… tell us," she said softly but firmly.
"Tell us who you really are."
Her voice trembled with emotion, and for a brief moment, even Zero seemed to pause.
He let out a deep sigh, his expression twisting into one of mild annoyance mixed with amusement.
"Seriously?" he muttered, rubbing his forehead as though he had just been asked the dumbest question imaginable.
"Even now, after everything you've seen, after all the proof I've laid out in front of you… you're still asking that?"
He let out a short, exasperated chuckle, then spread his arms wide.
"I already told you my true identity. I've said it multiple times. The fact that you people can't even comprehend something so straightforward…" He sighed dramatically, shaking his head with mock pity.
"Your tiny, peanut-sized brains just aren't built to handle the truth, I suppose. Reconciling with reality seems a little too much to ask from you."
The insult stung, but no one interrupted him.
The atmosphere was too tense, the truth too heavy to ignore.
Then, a sly smirk formed on Pride's face, a glint of amusement flickering in his eyes.
"Hmm," he said thoughtfully, "how about I make things a little more interesting? Since it seems none of you can process what's right in front of you, maybe I'll give you a few hints."
His eyes scanned the group slowly, like a predator picking out his next move, before his gaze finally locked onto one person in particular—Julius.
The smirk on his face deepened.
"Let's start with you," he said, his tone dripping with mischief and challenge.
"Connect to your mistress, oh 'Finest of Knights.'"
Zero's tone dripped with mockery, his words sharp and deliberate.
"And don't even try to act clueless. We both know you're carrying that metia on you—and we both know she's been watching everything that's happening here from afar."
Julius froze.
His composure faltered for the briefest of moments, and that was all the confirmation Zero needed.
The elegant knight's jaw tightened slightly before he sighed, realizing there was no point in denying it.
He reached into his uniform and pulled out a small object—a polished metia shaped like a pocket mirror, its surface glimmering faintly with mana.
With a practiced motion, he activated it.
A faint light flickered to life on the surface, and moments later, the reflection shimmered and shifted, revealing the image of a familiar woman.
Anastasia Hoshin appeared on the other side, her trademark blue scarf wrapped neatly around her neck, her sharp eyes scanning the scene with cautious curiosity.
The instant Subaru saw her, he tensed slightly, recognizing that calm, calculating expression that never failed to give away how much she was analyzing the situation.
Zero didn't waste a single second.
"Anastasia Hoshin," he said, his tone unnervingly casual, "has a faulty gate—and will die at the age of thirty-one."
The words hit like a thunderclap.
For a heartbeat, silence ruled the place.
Then, all at once, everyone's eyes widened in pure shock.
Gasps erupted from multiple directions, and even Julius's normally serene composure cracked completely.
"What did you just say?" he demanded, his voice sharper than usual, but before he could continue, the sound of Anastasia's voice came through the metia, clear but laced with tension.
"…How do you know that?" she asked firmly.
Her usual businesslike charm was gone; what replaced it was something rawer—genuine alarm.
Her tone carried the faintest tremor, and her expression had hardened into one of deep seriousness.
"How do you know that I have… a faulty gate?"
Everyone turned toward the mirror.
Even those unfamiliar with the term could tell from the heavy atmosphere that whatever Zero had just said wasn't something minor.
The people in Anastasia's camp—Ricardo, Tivey, Hetaro, and others—were visibly stunned.
Their faces twisted in disbelief and confusion as they stared at the projection of their employer.
They had known Anastasia for years—no, for most of their lives.
She was their leader, their family, the one who guided them through every hardship and victory.
Yet not once had she mentioned anything about a faulty gate.
The revelation felt like a bomb had gone off.
For those who understood what it meant, the implications were devastating.
A faulty gate wasn't just a small defect—it was a death sentence.
It meant that the flow of mana within the body was unstable, unable to circulate properly.
Over time, that instability would slowly erode the person's life force, burning away their vitality like a candle melting into nothing.
To live with such a condition was already remarkable.
To live long enough to build a trading empire, to lead a faction in the royal selection, to stand at the top of the business world—that bordered on the miraculous.
The realization hit everyone in waves.
'Anastasia Hoshin has a faulty gate… and she's going to die young.'
No one spoke for a long moment.
The silence was so thick that even the faint hum of mana from the metia felt deafening.
Anastasia herself stared through the mirror, eyes narrowing slightly.
"You seem to know too much about me, stranger," she said carefully, her businesslike tone returning, though a hint of unease lingered beneath it.
"But what I want to know is… how? Who are you, to know something that not even my closest people are aware of?"
Julius looked toward Zero, his hand tightening around the hilt of his rapier.
His usually calm expression was replaced by visible unease.
The man before them wasn't just throwing out random claims anymore—he was stating deeply personal truths that no outsider should ever have known.
And yet, Zero only smirked, as if savoring the tension in the air.
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," he said smoothly, his voice calm, confident, and utterly infuriating.
"After all… I told you already. I am Natsuki Subaru."
Then Zero—this other Subaru—shifted his attention slowly toward Priscilla Barielle, his piercing gaze locking onto her with unsettling precision.
The proud red-haired noblewoman, who just moments ago had been glaring at him with her usual imperious confidence, now found herself unconsciously tensing under his stare.
Her previously severed arm had been reattached and crudely healed by Felix's efforts.
The mending was incomplete—she would need several days before regaining proper function—but at least her limb was whole again.
The faint traces of healing magic still shimmered faintly around her shoulder as she flexed her fingers stiffly, testing her limited movement.
Zero smiled faintly, the kind of smile that looked harmless but somehow carried the weight of a blade pressed against the throat.
"Priscilla Vollachia," he began, speaking her name slowly, deliberately, "daughter of Drizen Vollachia and Sandra Benedict…"
He paused for a heartbeat, his eyes glinting with eerie amusement. "…will die exactly one year from now, when the Great Disaster strikes Vollachia."
The words dropped like thunder.
Everyone froze.
Priscilla's eyes widened, her confident smirk vanishing in an instant, replaced by a rare expression of genuine shock.
Her composure cracked, her lips parting as if to speak—but no words came out.
Even Felix, standing nearby, flinched at the abruptness of the statement, his feline ears flattening instinctively.
And yet, Zero continued as though he had just commented on the weather, his tone casual and unnervingly calm.
His expression remained completely unbothered, as though announcing someone's death was a trivial matter, a routine observation rather than an earth-shattering revelation.
Without giving anyone a chance to process what he'd just said, Zero went on.
"Let's see… what else should I share?" he mused out loud, tapping his chin lightly, his tone almost playful.
Then, one after another, he began to list off future events—disasters, betrayals, deaths, victories, and losses—each statement more shocking than the last.
His words painted a chilling picture of what was to come, and by the time he was done, the atmosphere in the plaza had completely changed.
Everyone stood frozen in disbelief, their expressions a mix of horror, confusion, and dread.
The sheer number of precise details he revealed—names, dates, events—was too specific to be fabricated.
By the end of his revelations, even the most skeptical among them were visibly shaken.
Then, as if none of it mattered, Zero grinned and said in a disturbingly cheerful tone, "Oh, and by the way, I've resurrected Echidna and made her my personal slave. If any of you manage to survive long enough to return alive, make sure to pass that along to that simp clown for me."
The casualness of his words made it even worse.
His tone was light, teasing—almost joking—but the content was enough to shake even the most battle-hardened hearts.
The members of Emilia's camp all turned toward him in stunned silence.
Even Beatrice, who had already been uneasy, looked absolutely horrified.
The thought of resurrecting Echidna—the Witch of Greed, of all people—was unthinkable, and claiming to have enslaved her was pure insanity.
Garfiel, on the other hand, was losing his patience.
He ran both hands through his messy blond hair, pulling at it as his sharp teeth clenched.
"Damn it! What the hell is goin' on here?!" he roared, his voice cracking with frustration.
"My head's spinnin' like crazy, I can't keep up with all this crap!" He stomped his foot, the sound echoing across the tense silence.
Wilhelm, standing off to the side, wore an expression of grim focus.
His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, though he made no move to draw it.
His eyes were locked onto Zero, studying him carefully—like a veteran swordsman assessing an enemy who defied all logic.
The older knight said nothing, but his furrowed brow made it clear that the gravity of what Zero had said was not lost on him.
Amid all the confusion, a small but steady voice broke through the chaos.
"I have something I wish to ask you," Beatrice said, stepping slightly forward.
Her usual haughty tone was gone, replaced by a calm seriousness that made everyone instinctively quiet down.
Her blue eyes met Zero's directly, filled with equal parts fear and curiosity.
"Are you…" she hesitated for a second, her tiny hands clenched tightly at her sides before she finished the question, "…are you from the future, I suppose?"
The room fell into complete silence again, the weight of her question hanging heavy in the air. Every gaze turned back toward Zero—the older Subaru—waiting for his answer.
And for the first time since he appeared, Zero didn't immediately speak.
Instead, he smiled faintly, his expression unreadable, and simply stared back at Beatrice.
That small pause alone was enough to make everyone's hearts pound faster.
Whatever his answer was going to be, they all knew it was going to change everything.
For a moment, the entire group fell completely silent, frozen in disbelief.
And then Subaru—*the one standing firmly before them, the one who had caused so much chaos and confusion—*spoke, confirming their worst suspicions.
"I am indeed from a different time and space," he admitted calmly, his voice steady despite the gravity of the revelation.
"And also… Echidna is the one who created the magic capable of traveling through the past and future."
The words hit everyone like a physical blow.
Their collective jaws dropped, and their eyes widened in shock as the realization slowly began to settle in.
The Subaru standing in front of them—the one who had been so unnervingly confident, so knowledgeable about future events—was not from their present.
He was from a distant future, carrying knowledge, power, and experience that no one in this room had any right to possess.
Heinkel's head snapped up sharply, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Reina, the woman standing beside Zero. "
Wait a minute! Does that mean… that woman is my daughter?!"
His voice cracked with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and something approaching fear.
Reina's gaze immediately flicked toward him, her expression hard and disgusted.
Her voice cut through the silence like steel.
"I was your daughter," she said coldly, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"But I have severed every connection with you. Every last bond. My only purpose now is to serve my Lord Zero."
The declaration stunned Heinkel into near silence.
The weight of it was not just in her words but in the finality of them.
Wilhelm and Reinhard, too, froze as comprehension dawned on them, their expressions a mixture of astonishment and worry.
The woman standing before them—the one commanding such respect and power—was their family.
Reinhard's gaze sharpened as he studied Reina more closely.
A cold, almost instinctive understanding took hold.
She was his yet-to-be-born younger sister.
The confirmation was undeniable; the Dragon Sword at her side was not a fake. Only a true Sword Saint could wield such a weapon with that level of skill and power.
There was no one else in the entire Astrea lineage, past or present, bearing the name Reina Van Astrea as a recognized Sword Saint.
The pieces fit together too perfectly to ignore.
The realization made Reinhard shiver slightly.
If she was indeed his sister, then her strength—already formidable—would logically surpass any he had ever seen in their family.
The Sword Saint's aura radiated confidence, skill, and authority, proving that her potential exceeded even the highest expectations he had for a member of the Astrea bloodline.
In other words, if this was truly his sister, she would be countless times stronger than anyone else in the family.
As the group processed the shocking truth, the room filled with tense, uneasy murmurs.
Each person tried to figure out how to react, how to reconcile what they were seeing with what they thought they knew about their family, their friends, and their world.
Just as the weight of these revelations threatened to overwhelm everyone, Priscilla stepped forward.
Her movements were deliberate, her posture controlled, and her eyes fixed unwaveringly on Gloria. She studied her for a long moment, assessing, judging, and processing the information.
Then, her gaze flicked to Subaru, briefly lingering on him before returning again to Gloria.
Her expression was unreadable, but the intensity in her eyes made it clear she was making a decision—one that would not be taken lightly.
"My Divine Self understands it now! She is definetly my daughter" Priscilla declared loudly, her voice ringing with conviction as she pointed directly at Gloria.
The sudden certainty in her tone sent a shockwave through everyone present, leaving them staring in disbelief.
The boldness of her statement, coupled with her unwavering confidence, made even the most skeptical pause for a moment.
Subaru himself registered the fact with a mix of astonishment and internal unease.
His future self—the Zero standing confidently before them—did indeed have a woman by his side who claimed to be his daughter.
Yet, as he studied her facial features, a pang of doubt struck his heart. Her appearance didn't match his, Emilia's, or even Rem's.
The slight differences unsettled him, planting a seed of worry that gnawed at his thoughts despite the shocking revelation.
Zero, however, remained entirely composed.
His face was passive, yet there was an unmistakable interest in his eyes.
A small, almost teasing smile curved across his lips as he looked at Priscilla.
"Oh?" he said slowly, his tone calm yet sharp.
"And how exactly did you come to that conclusion, Priscilla?"
Priscilla straightened her posture, her chest puffed out slightly as if bracing herself for judgment—but her expression remained resolute.
"Hmph!" she said with a sharp exhale.
"My Divine Self is not foolish enough to ignore such an obvious truth! If you are indeed from the future, then it only follows that this woman is also from the future. Look at her—she appears to be in her twenties at most. Not only that, but the manner in which she carries herself, her demeanor, her very presence—it mirrors mine. Only my daughter could possess this familiar charisma, this natural authority that resonates with me!"
Her tone was filled with pride, her words precise and carefully measured.
Every syllable carried the weight of someone who had thought through her deduction meticulously, and she didn't hesitate to continue, layering her observations on top of one another.
"Furthermore," she added, her voice calm but unyielding, "she can use Vollachia sword, which immediately signals that she belongs to our royal descent and carries my bloodline. Among our current generation, only I possess the rare magical affinity toward Yang Magic which she excells at it. She has inherited that same affinity, which is no coincidence. And if that weren't enough, her golden hair—common, yet still significant in our bloodline—and her golden eyes, which mirror to yours that you might have acquired later, influencing her genetics."
Priscilla paused for a moment, letting her deduction settle in the minds of everyone around her.
Her gaze swept across the group, unwavering, as if daring anyone to dispute her logic.
"Everything points to this truth," she concluded firmly, "and I will not be wrong."
"Gloria is mine and Subaru's daughter."
Even those who prided themselves on clear-headed reasoning—the likes of Zero, Reina, Beatrice, and even Gloria herself—could not help but acknowledge the precision and weight behind her words.
Every piece of her reasoning fit together seamlessly, forming a coherent argument that was difficult to dismiss.
The alignment of her observations with the reality in front of them forced an uncomfortable acknowledgment of the possibility she was correct.
Subaru, seeing the impact of her deduction and the way everyone seemed to waver slightly in their confidence, felt his plans shift instantly.
The clarity and strength of Priscilla's argument gave him a new plan to adapt on the spot.
He realized that whatever strategy he had been considering needed immediate adjustment; dismissing her logic would be less amusing.
"Indeed, Gloria is your daughter," Subaru admitted with a faint, almost mischievous grin, his tone calm and matter-of-fact.
"So what?"
The words hit everyone like a thunderclap, leaving the room in stunned silence.
Subaru—the present one—stared at Gloria with eyes wide in disbelief, his mind struggling to process the revelation.
His jaw worked for a moment as he attempted to articulate his shock, but no words came.
The others in the plaza shifted uneasily, their gazes darting between Subaru and Priscilla, trying to piece together what this admission truly meant.
The implications were simple yet profoundly disturbing: Gloria, the young woman standing confidently beside Zero, was the daughter of Priscilla and Subaru.
And this Subaru—the one revealing it—was from the distant future.
Yet the revelation carried even greater weight when the fate of Priscilla was considered.
In just one year, she was destined to die during the Great Disaster in Vollachia.
That impending tragedy loomed over them all, making every relationship, every connection, every choice infinitely more fragile.
The knowledge of Priscilla's inevitable death added a grim shadow to this revelation, making the idea of future intimacies between her and Subaru feel almost scandalously daring and tragically poignant at the same time.
The relationship between Priscilla and this future Subaru was now poised to take an unforeseen and dramatic turn not much longer from now onwards.
The nature of their closeness, their connection, would evolve in ways none of them could predict.
Amid the shock and awe of the group, one man's reaction was entirely different.
Alderban's chest tightened painfully, his breath catching in his throat as a burning sensation of jealousy and betrayal surged through him.
His fists clenched involuntarily at his sides, nails digging into his palms as he struggled to control the raw emotions that surged through him.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
'Bro… to think you would betray me like this!' Alderban thought furiously, his mind spinning with hurt and confusion.
The idea that Subaru—his friend, his ally—would one day share such an intimate bond with Priscilla, his master, filled him with a mixture of rage, jealousy, and grief.
Pain coiled in his chest, making every breath a struggle. He felt as if a knife had been driven straight through his heart.
Yet even as Alderban's emotions boiled over, the unfolding events were only the beginning.
The air seemed to thrum with tension, every person present acutely aware that the future, as Zero—Subaru from the distant future—had revealed it, was no longer distant.
It had arrived here, and it would change everything.
The drama, the secrets, and the personal conflicts that had been quietly building were now exploding into the open, ready to consume them all.
And in that charged silence, with glances darting and hearts pounding, it became painfully clear: this was just the beginning of what was about to unfold.
To be continued...