...
{3rd Pov}
Technically speaking, Satella no longer had any internal issues or lingering instability after completely absorbing and integrating the Witch of Envy. She was fully in control of herself, her emotions, and her vast power.
However, despite being completely cured, the world itself was not so reasonable.
If Satella were allowed to freely roam outside without restraint, the reaction from the masses would be immediate and brutal.
People would undoubtedly target her without the slightest hesitation.
Humanity had always been consistent in that aspect—if something terrifying and powerful was finally fixed, they would still try to "fix" it even more, and in the process completely screw up what had already been resolved.
Humans were extremely talented at ruining perfectly fine solutions out of fear, paranoia, or arrogance.
Therefore, for the sake of global stability and preventing unnecessary chaos, Satella needed to return to her seal, at least in appearance.
The seal would not be functioning as it originally was, but more like a symbolic reassurance for the world.
Zero had already discussed the plan thoroughly with Subaru beforehand.
Subaru was supposed to eventually go to the Pleiades Watchtower and take full control of it, which would give them complete authority over the seal and anyone monitoring it.
Because the taboo had already been triggered, Satella could now exit the seal anytime she wished.
That meant the seal was practically useless as a real containment measure, no longer having the ability to imprison her.
It was now just something that would exist for the world's peace of mind, allowing people to believe she was safely locked away even though she could come and go freely whenever she desired.
Now came the second chapter of their grand plan, the part that would determine whether everything they had done so far appeared logical, convincing, and heroic in the eyes of the entire world.
A massive number of people had died in the battle, and now Zero needed to reappear not as the Sin Archbishop of Pride, but as the Great Sage—an ancient savior figure spoken of in legends—and fix everything.
This was the moment where he would transition from "enemy mastermind" to "world-saving miracle worker."
Subaru, Priscilla, and Satella had just finished announcing their victory, and the entire world was still trying to absorb the shock of the impossible battle they had witnessed from beginning to end.
Then, suddenly, the sky across the entire globe was covered in radiant golden light.
The illumination was warm, bright, and overwhelming.
In an instant, the chaos, the screaming, the confusion, the devastation, and even the celebration came to a halt.
The streets, palaces, villages, forests, and military camps all fell silent as though someone had pressed pause on the world itself.
Every single person—no matter their race, age, or location—felt a deep peace spreading through their hearts.
The noise in their heads vanished.
Their emotions stabilized.
Fear, despair, confusion, and shock were washed away by an indescribable calmness, as if a divine presence was soothing the entire planet's mind at once.
"It seems you have broken the seal, Subaru-kun," came a gentle and familiar voice.
A tall man manifested in front of Subaru, Priscilla, and Satella, his long white hair tied back neatly and his golden eyes shining with wisdom and power.
His appearance alone carried the aura of an ancient being who had existed long before the current era.
Satella froze the instant she saw his face.
She knew this was part of the plan, she knew this man was not truly Subaru or her Flugel, and she knew the entire situation was an elaborate act.
But despite that knowledge, her heart trembled.
Seeing Flugel's face again after so many centuries, seeing the man whose existence was tied so deeply to her sealed fate, overwhelmed her.
She couldn't suppress her emotions, and tears began spilling down her cheeks, flowing silently as she looked at him with a mixture of disbelief, longing, and memories she could never erase.
Subaru and Priscilla were both taken aback when they turned and saw Satella crying. Of the two, Priscilla was the most stunned.
She had a rough understanding of the Witch of Envy—she knew Satella loved Subaru, she knew Satella possessed two personalities, and she understood that one of those personalities was the terrifying Witch that the entire world had branded as the ultimate disaster.
But even with all that prior knowledge, actually witnessing the woman who had once consumed half the world burst into tears so openly was beyond shocking.
Priscilla didn't even know how to react. Seeing the Witch of Envy—someone who could destroy nations without blinking—cry like a helpless girl made Priscilla feel as if her understanding of the world had been completely overturned.
"Damn! Who the hell are you?!" Subaru shouted, his voice automatically carried across the world through the metia still broadcasting everything in real time.
People across the four nations, who had been trembling under the sudden calm brought by the golden light, were now stunned by the shift in mood and Subaru's reaction.
"No need to be so surprised," Zero said gently while looking at Satella, whose tears were still flowing as she stared at his face.
Internally he couldn't help thinking with satisfaction, 'Man, this really proves that Natsuki Subaru—me—is flawless as Flugel.'
"I am Flugel," Zero declared, now fully assuming the role of the ancient Great Sage.
"Though if you prefer, you may simply call me the Great Sage." He smiled faintly, wearing a long white robe with a deep hood that covered most of his body, giving him the air of a mysterious and long-forgotten legend.
"Impossible. The Great Sage's name is Shaula," Priscilla snapped, instantly summoning her Yang Sword into her hand.
She had heard enough legends and records to remember that only one person held that title, and it wasn't this long-haired man.
"Ah yes… she would be my apprentice," Flugel replied without any hint of urgency or defensiveness.
He stated it as if he were discussing something ordinary, not rewriting the four hundred-year historical understanding of the entire world in one sentence.
Both Subaru and Priscilla were shocked.
Earlier, they had wondered whether Zero was planning to physically beat up the Sage, the Sword Saint, and the Divine Dragon inside the Pleiades Watchtower and take their place in order to impersonate the Great Sage.
They had assumed he would somehow overcome or subdue those legendary powers to make the act believable.
They never expected the truth to be this insane.
They had never realized that the Great Sage had never been Shaula in the first place.
"She is currently in the Watchtower, guarding it," Flugel added casually.
Across the entire world, millions of people froze.
The military, commoners, nobles, scholars, and rulers alike all stared into empty space in stunned silence.
The revelation rippled across the world like thunder, shattering everything they thought they knew.
The Great Sage was not Shaula, but someone who had just appeared before Subaru, Priscilla, and Satella—someone who clearly possessed overwhelming spiritual authority and power.
The shock was so great that entire cities remained completely silent for several seconds, unable to process what they had just heard.
"He speaks the truth… he really is the Great Sage," Satella said quietly, wiping away her tears and looking toward Subaru with a gentle smile.
Her expression, which was usually cold or blank due to her long years of isolation, now showed a fragile warmth.
She had always known that Subaru carried the essence and power of the Great Sage, but the time for him to learn that truth had not yet come.
He was still growing, still forging his own fate, so there was no point unveiling the truth before its moment.
Meanwhile, Zero—who was Subaru from another world and currently acting as Flugel—already knew most of the facts from his own timeline.
At least, that was what Satella believed.
She didn't realize that Zero was not completely certain.
He had long suspected, based on various hints and knowledge from his own world, that he might be the Great Sage Flugel in some capacity.
But whether he truly was Flugel reincarnated, someone displaced through time, or something entirely different remained unclear even to him.
"If Satella has admitted it, then he truly is the Great Sage," Subaru said slowly, his voice carried by the metia across the entire world.
His words reached everyone—nobles in their palaces, soldiers in their barracks, priests, merchants, criminals, children, people of every background.
Many trembled at hearing the Witch's voice echoing in their minds again.
But instead of the horrifying, twisted, soul-shaking voice they remembered from their nightmares, what reached them was unexpectedly gentle.
It didn't reverberate with malice, despair, or corruption.
If anything, it sounded… cute.
Adorable even.
Like the voice of a girl trying her best to speak clearly while holding back tears.
That alone shocked countless people.
For years, generations had imagined the Witch of Envy as an inhuman monster dripping malice and madness.
But now the voice in their minds belonged to someone who sounded like a crying girl with a soft and endearing tone.
Ahem.
Regardless of that surprise, the greater shock was the historical revelation itself—the undeniable confirmation that the Great Sage's name was not Shaula, as the world had always believed.
Instead, the real Great Sage was Flugel, and Shaula was merely his apprentice, left behind to guard the Pleiades Watchtower in his absence.
This revelation alone made countless historians, scholars, archivists, and librarians freeze in existential horror.
Some stared at their thousand-page research works questioning their careers, their education, their pride, and their life's purpose.
In an instant, centuries of carefully documented history became questionable, and entire academic legacies were thrown into chaos.
"Reina's death has already undone the effects on Reid's soul, Volcanica, and Starkeeper Shaula," Flugel stated as he stepped forward, his expression serious and calm.
"However, unlike them, I don't have much time left. My situation is different."
A tense silence followed before he continued, "I will be using my own version of the Immortal Sacrament of the King. With it, I intend to restore everyone who died in this battle and return them to life… and at the same time, I will seal the Witch of Envy once again."
"What?!" Subaru shouted instantly.
He moved forward and stood protectively in front of Satella, spreading his arms wide as if that would stop a being like Flugel.
"Hey! She helped us fight to save the entire world! You can't just seal her again after everything she's done!"
Satella, for her part, became visibly flustered, her cheeks heating up at seeing her beloved Subaru step in front of her so desperately.
To people who knew the context, the scene looked absolutely ridiculous.
A physically frail young man was trying to shield the literal Demon King of the world from being sealed by a different version of himself.
Even people on the battlefield who hadn't fully recovered yet couldn't help but stare with stunned faces at each other, hearing the words of Subaru in their mind.
Flugel smiled slightly, as if amused but also genuinely impressed.
"I must say, choosing you as the candidate for the Great Sage was absolutely the right decision, Subaru."
His eyes softened in acknowledgement before turning serious again.
"However, even though the Witch has healed and even though she fought with us, the world is nowhere near ready to accept her. If she remains free like this, chaos will break out everywhere. I have no choice but to seal her again."
Subaru opened his mouth to protest further, but Satella suddenly wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"Subaru-kun… this is for the best," she whispered gently, though her voice also carried a sorrowful weight.
Her embrace shocked Subaru still, and he froze as he realized just how close she was.
He already knew Satella loved him—her feelings had been made unmistakably clear by now—but he still could not understand the core reason behind that devotion.
Why him?
Why that deeply?
Why to this extreme?
And now, instead of simply telling him, she was hugging him from behind.
What made it worse was that he could clearly feel the soft pressure of her breasts pressing into his back, the warmth of her body radiating against him, and her distinct scent drifting into his nose.
Then he noticed something even more concerning—her hands were slowly tracing over his chest, her face nuzzling against the back of his neck.
"Wait, wait—hold on!" Subaru's thoughts screamed as he realized Satella was not only clingy but now openly snuggling against him in public.
When he glanced back, she was actually burying her face into him, inhaling his scent with a blissful expression like she had no shame whatsoever.
His eyebrow twitched aggressively at the blatant molestation.
Meanwhile, Priscilla observed the entire scene with an intrigued and impressed expression, as if she had just witnessed something entertaining enough to be worth the front-row seat.
Meanwhile, Alderban was still standing in the exact spot from which Priscilla had launched herself into the sky earlier, and his eyebrows were twitching nonstop in frustration.
He knew perfectly well who Flugel was—the Great Sage, the legendary figure that his own master had spoken about with almost obsessive admiration.
In fact, Alderban had always felt that his Sensei practically worshipped Flugel and even suspected, half-jokingly and half-seriously, that she might have secretly been in love with the man.
But that wasn't the main issue right now.
The real problem was the absurdity unfolding in front of him.
Flugel had just popped out of nowhere, alive and functional, after disappearing for over four hundred years as if he had simply taken a short vacation.
Alderban stared at him in disbelief, trying to wrap his mind around how casually everyone was reacting to this impossible situation.
'Also, how the hell did Natsuki Subaru heal Satella?' Alderban thought, his mind going haywire.
He had literally spent his entire life trained and conditioned to kill the Witch of Envy.
He had been sent into countless battles, dying millions of times, and even lost his damn arm in the process.
His entire existence was one continuous struggle against the Witch, a mission built on blood, sacrifice, pain, and determination.
And now?
Suddenly the Witch of Envy walks out after four centuries, completely sane, healed, mentally stable, and no longer the world-ending threat she used to be?
All because Subaru did something that made no logical sense?
What kind of nonsense was this?
What cosmic joke was being played on him?
What had even been the point of his life until now?
If the Witch was just going to self-heal anyway, why was he put through endless cycles of agony?
What was he here for anymore?
Was he destined to exist solely as a victim of fate?
Just to suffer endlessly without getting even a basic explanation?
'At least I have something else going for me now besides preventing secondary damage,' Alderban thought with another exhausted sigh, his mind drifting to Priscilla.
Dealing with her was insane on its own, but at least it gave him something tangible to focus on.
He could only hope, with whatever dignity he had left, that he wouldn't get NTR'd by this so-called Great Sage Candidate who somehow had the talent to fix the Witch of Envy like she was a broken ornament.
Meanwhile, Flugel looked at Subaru with a calm yet reassuring smile and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, "I am nothing more than a soul now. I no longer have a physical form of my own, so I will be using your body as a conduit to make this possible… Goodbye, Natsuki Subaru."
These words were broadcast across the entire world through the metia, allowing everyone—whether commoner, noble, soldier, merchant, or ruler—to hear the declaration clearly.
Before anyone could react, a massive burst of golden light exploded outward from Subaru's body.
The radiance shot high into the sky like a pillar before splitting into countless individual beams, numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
Each stream of golden energy shot across the continent, ignoring distance, terrain, or obstacles.
Whether someone was in Priestella, in Banan, in tiny hillside farming settlements, or even small hamlets forgotten by nobles and cartographers, the beams found them one by one.
The thick streams of golden power entered every corpse, every injured fighter, every dying civilian, restoring broken bodies, closing fatal wounds, curing lethal damage, and even resurrecting those who had already passed away moments—or even hours—before.
The entire world froze and watched the phenomenon unfold in stunned disbelief.
People who had died in fear and despair sat up gasping, alive once more.
Families saw loved ones return from death.
Soldiers who had collapsed on the battlefield opened their eyes with fully restored limbs and strength.
The world helplessly bore witness to the overwhelming power of one of the Three Great Heroes, a power so overwhelming that it erased death like it was just another minor inconvenience.
Flugel looked at Subaru again with a faint, satisfied smile and blinked slowly, while Subaru simply let out a tired, resigned sigh as the golden light faded around him.
He had just become the vessel for something so monumental that nations would be discussing it for centuries.
Meanwhile, Satella was visibly unhappy.
She pouted, protested, and clung to Subaru like she wasn't ready to let go at all.
She clearly hadn't gotten her fill of him, and she wasn't shy about making that very obvious in front of everyone.
However, Flugel aka Zero clearly didn't care for her objections.
With the casual attitude of someone dealing with a misbehaving child, he grabbed the Witch of Envy by the head, tore open a crack in space with a gesture, and revealed the sealed chamber of the Pleiades Watchtower on the other side.
Then, without ceremony or hesitation, he literally tossed Satella inside like she was a bag of rice or a sack of potatoes.
She vanished through the spatial tear with a startled sound, and the crack snapped shut.
Flugel, having executed the task, disappeared immediately afterward, leaving Subaru once again in his normal body and the world completely stunned.
Across the continent, countless people began crying tears of relief and joy.
Not only had the Witch Cult finally been defeated and wiped out, but it seemed the Witch of Envy was no longer an enemy of humanity.
And, as if that wasn't overwhelmingly positive on its own, everyone who had died in the horrifying conflict had been brought back to life, given a second chance they had never expected to receive.
For the first time in centuries, the entire world had hope instead of despair.
...
In the depths of a remote and ancient forest, far away from the cities and kingdoms celebrating their sudden victory, a woman with unnaturally pale skin, long silver hair, and clear blue eyes stood alone.
Her petite body was motionless, and her expression looked perfectly calm and expressionless on the surface.
However, only she herself truly understood the confusion, irritation, and outright fury boiling underneath that perfectly still expression.
"Now this was unexpected…" Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory, muttered quietly.
She wasn't someone who startled easily.
Her authority allowed her to twist reality, change memories, and restructure events to suit her desires, so normally surprises were impossible for her.
Yet this time, she genuinely had no idea what the hell had just happened.
The only reason she hadn't immediately descended on Priestella the moment she sensed her carefully arranged plans collapsing, and the moment someone seized control of the Sin Archbishops she had placed so carefully, was entirely because of one thing—her Tome of Wisdom.
The moment she attempted to intervene, her Tome had issued a direct warning that her death was guaranteed if she took action.
That was not a suggestion.
That was not a possible risk.
That was an absolute prediction with the authority of fate behind it.
So Pandora, who normally controlled situations flawlessly, was forced to stand still and watch everything unfold while grinding her mental teeth in frustration. Even she could not override her own survival.
Now, after witnessing the entire sequence of events, she was standing in the forest completely dumbfounded.
The Witch of Vainglory—one of the most manipulative and calculating beings in history—was well and truly lost.
…
Meanwhile, high in the freezing northern land of Gusteko, Omega sat in her workshop with her heart racing so fast it felt like she was about to suffer an actual heart attack.
She had torn multiple pages out of her books, scattered notes everywhere, and was pulling her hair in total disbelief.
"Damn it! Nothing makes sense! Just what the hell happened!?" she shouted, pacing back and forth like a madwoman.
A tired voice echoed inside her head, belonging to Shekmet's lingering soul.
"I guess… Flugel's plan… just outdid yours…"
That casual comment only made Omega—better known to the world as the Witch of Greed—feel even worse.
She ran both hands through her hair and tugged in frustration.
Her authority had stopped functioning properly sometime earlier, and she didn't even know how or why it happened.
Then, on top of that, something unbelievably major occurred—the Sin Archbishop of Pride had gotten into a confrontation involving Satella, and the entire clash had escalated into something world-changing.
Omega, as well as all the other witches, had witnessed the entire event remotely.
So she knew without a shadow of doubt that none of it was a lie, illusion, misunderstanding, or fantasy.
It was real.
Every impossible event that happened in that battle was genuine.
But the biggest blow to Echidna's pride was something she absolutely could not wrap her mind around—
How the hell did Satella gain control over her powers?When did that become possible?Why did it happen so suddenly?
Even with her massive intelligence, her calculations, her deductions, and all her knowledge, she couldn't make the situation make logical sense.
To someone like her—who wasn't the mature Witch of Greed she hoped to become—the fact that a millennium-old unresolved problem had been solved in such a ridiculous, sloppy, last-minute way was enough to make her question her entire existence.
So the Witches collectively watched Echidna fail.
Again.
Spectacularly.
Once more, her grand schemes, her years of predictions, her careful efforts, and her confidence in her own superiority had fallen apart in the most humiliating way possible.
Truly, she had successfully maintained her title as the greatest failure in history.
...
A full month slowly passed after the chaos of that unbelievable battle.
During this time, the world gradually settled down, nations began rebuilding their damaged cities, and people slowly returned to their old lives, though the memory of the sky turning black and golden would stay with them forever.
As for the individuals responsible for that outcome, Zero, Reina, Betty, Gloria, Agni, Aqua, Sylphy, and Gaea had already departed from this timeline entirely.
They disappeared from the world without fanfare, leaving behind no trace except the results of their influence.
They had completed their intended roles and quietly moved on to wherever they were meant to appear next.
Subaru, meanwhile, experienced something that he had once thought would never happen again in his life.
Rem had awakened.
The moment Satella destroyed all the Sin Archbishops during the battle, and Zero resurrected them afterward, he had secretly issued a hidden command while they were still under the effects of resurrection.
With that command, he reversed and nullified the lingering effects of Gluttony siblings' Authorities before killing them again.
As a result, every lingering curse, mental alteration, or stolen memory they had caused was undone—including Rem's condition.
When Subaru saw Rem who had her eyes open again, fully conscious and alive, he broke down completely.
He cried harder than anyone had ever seen him cry, wailing like a child who had been reunited with a lost family member after years of hopelessness.
He clung to her, shaking, laughing, and sobbing until he could not speak anymore.
For him, this alone was enough to justify everything he had gone through.
Alongside Rem, Roswaal and Ram traveled to Priestella to meet Subaru and the others.
Roswaal, although maintaining his usual eccentric smile and polite tone, did not need to voice what he already knew internally.
The entire situation had gone far beyond anything he could possibly control, predict, or manipulate.
Subaru was no longer his pawn.
There was no scheme, no prophecy, no hundred–year plan that could shackle Subaru anymore.
The boy he once expected to manipulate had surpassed every boundary Roswaal ever imagined.
Internally, Roswaal tried to ease his own injured pride with a petty thought.
'At least that Flugel guy is dead,' he muttered inside his heart, trying to soothe himself.
If one terrifying love rival was permanently gone, then maybe it wasn't a complete loss.
One competitor disappearing from the playing field was at least better than having all of them alive and breathing down his neck.
Alas he didn't knew this world's Flugel was still here in front of him, and him becoming a cuckhold was a written fate in book of destiny.
Meanwhile, Ram, who had always taken pride in verbally picking apart Subaru whenever the opportunity presented itself, actually gave him honest praise for the first time in a long while.
The growth and achievements he had demonstrated were so overwhelming that even she could not deny them.
However, the moment she tried to return to her usual habit of mocking him with her classic "Barusu" attitude, she was met with several simultaneous looks of disgust and disapproval from the entire Emilia camp.
Even Emilia, who normally would smile awkwardly or try to smooth things over, looked at Ram with a disappointed expression.
That alone made Ram freeze in place.
Apparently, far more had happened in Priestella than she realized, and the Emilia camp's view of Subaru had changed drastically.
It dawned on her that her long–held "ticket" to casually insult Subaru in her normal fashion had effectively expired.
That era was over.
Around the same time, Crusch returned to full consciousness with her memories restored.
The moment she understood what she had done under the influence of the Sin Archbishop's Authority not remembering how trustworthy Subaru was, she immediately approached Subaru and began apologizing sincerely.
However, Subaru did not forgive her.
He remembered Zero's words and took them to heart.
He had learned a life–changing lesson: self–respect matters.
Subaru was no longer someone who allowed himself to be walked over, guilt–tripped, or forced to accept apologies simply because others regretted their actions after the damage was done.
His kindness hadn't disappeared, but now it came with boundaries.
Felix (Ferris), too, faced the consequences of his decisions.
His actions, however well–intentioned he believed they were, had caused massive and undeniable harm.
After a long and painful evaluation by the authorities, he was stripped of his Knight title and placed under strict house arrest for a full five years.
If Crusch had not fought desperately on his behalf, appealing for mercy and insisting that Felix had also been manipulated and emotionally compromised, he would have been executed without hesitation.
Subaru also refused to forgive Julius.
When Julius attempted to apologize, Subaru confronted him directly and delivered a brutal verbal takedown right to his face, effectively shattering whatever remained of their former friendship.
Julius walked away pale and shaken, realizing that Subaru was no longer the naive boy he once dismissed.
Even his relationships with Felt and Reinhardt deteriorated.
Felt didn't take it as harshly, but Subaru kept his distance, unwilling to let things return to how they were.
Reinhardt, on the other hand, became the center of a major rift.
During the worst moment, when the Wise Men ordered action against Subaru, Reinhardt chose to stand on the opposite side, following his duty instead of his personal bond.
Subaru didn't begrudge him for being the Sword Saint, but the damage was done.
Their relationship, which once had potential to be a powerful partnership, was now fractured and cold.
And just like that, the era of "everyone relying on Subaru while treating him casually" had officially ended.
He had changed, and the world was now being forced to catch up.
Now, a month later, Subaru and the others were gathered in the Royal Capital, waiting for the official results of the Royal Selection to be announced.
However, unlike the previous atmosphere of noble rivalry and political maneuvering, the situation in Lugunica was completely different from before.
After the massive purge carried out by Zero during the chaos in the capital—where nearly sixty percent of the nation's nobility, senior government officers, high–ranking knights, and influential bureaucrats were wiped out—the kingdom was left in a truly catastrophic state both politically and administratively.
Entire noble houses had been erased.
Regions lost their governors.
Military command structures were broken.
For the first time in decades, Lugunica was in danger of collapsing under its own instability not because of external threat, but simply because there were barely enough ruling officials left to run the country properly.
Re–establishing a functioning administrative system would take months, if not years.
Some nobles who managed to survive—either because they were uninvolved or simply lucky—had the audacity to question Subaru directly.
They demanded to know why the Great Sage, whose power had resurrected thousands during the battle, chose not to revive the countless nobles and officials slaughtered in the capital.
Subaru answered calmly but firmly, stating that those individuals had been corrupted in the truest sense, both mentally and morally, and thus were intentionally excluded from resurrection.
He did not elaborate further, but his resolute stance made it clear that their deaths were neither accidental nor undeserved.
As a result, Subaru's position had changed dramatically.
He was no longer just a symbolic hero whom people admired but had no real influence.
Now he wielded real political authority—frighteningly so.
The entire kingdom understood that the one who had stood beside the Witch of Envy, and had been publicly acknowledged by the Great Sage Flugel himself, was not someone to carelessly antagonize.
Even more telling was the response from the surrounding nations.
Despite Lugunica being weakened nearly to the point of collapse, not a single foreign power attempted to exploit the situation.
No military invasions, no political interference, not even covert pressure.
And the reason was simple: Natsuki Subaru.
News had spread across borders that Subaru was the designated successor of the Great Sage and held influence—even authority—over the Witch of Envy herself.
He was the man who had prevented the world from being annihilated not only by eliminating the Witch Cult but, as many colored it, by "seducing" the Witch of Envy so she didn't casually devour the remaining portion of the world like a snack.
Ahem.
Regardless of how exaggerated or simplified the rumors had become, the final fact remained the same: Satella was currently sealed again by Flugel.
But while she was technically sealed, absolutely no nation, military strategist, or brave hero wanted to test whether Satella could actually be summoned—or if she even needed permission to reappear.
No one was willing to gamble with the possibility of instantly facing the strongest immortal being in the world, especially one who now openly favored Subaru.
Thus, Lugunica's safety was secured not through its crumbling institutions or military power, but purely through the fear and respect that Natsuki Subaru's existence commanded.
Lugunica's remaining nobles and Royal Knights, who had once looked at Subaru with overt disgust and dismissal, now regarded him with a mixture of fear, awe, and profound respect.
The public, who only months ago saw him as nothing more than a strange foreigner clinging to Emilia, now looked upon him with deep reverence, treating him as someone whose position and influence stood even higher than the legendary three heroes who had once sealed the Witch of Envy.
Subaru's rise had been sudden, overwhelming, and undeniable.
Now the capital was once again crowded and restless.
All five camps of the Royal Selection had gathered in the Royal Capital of Lugunica for one critical purpose: the kingdom urgently needed stability, and they needed a legitimate king to take the throne immediately.
Two years still remained before the official end of the selection period, but circumstances had pushed everyone into a corner.
Three weeks ago, the government had officially begun the voting process after realizing that no message, omen, or sign had arrived from the Divine Dragon.
They already knew the truth.
The Divine Dragon had been slain by Zero and later resurrected by the Great Sage.
Many questioned whether the sacred dragon had entered a deep sleep, fallen into a coma, or simply become unable to communicate.
Regardless of the reason, the highest authorities agreed that the kingdom could not afford to sit idle and wait any longer.
Without strong leadership, the nation risked political collapse, panic among the nobles, and the possibility of external powers taking advantage of the instability.
Thus the decision was made: the Royal Selection would be formally concluded two full years ahead of schedule.
The five candidate camps gathered in the capital to hear the results that would decide the future of Lugunica.
After a formal address by Miklotov, one of the few remaining Wise Men of the Kingdom, the results were set to be revealed.
Realistically, everyone already knew the race had shifted dramatically.
The camps of Crusch, Anastasia, and Felt had effectively fallen out of contention due to recent events, losses of influence, and the shifting support of neutral powers.
Only two remained with a real chance at the throne: Priscilla's camp and Emilia's camp.
And among the analysts, nobles, and strategists quietly discussing the outcome, most agreed that Emilia now stood as the likeliest winner—because Subaru, the man whose power had changed the kingdom's fate multiple times, stood at her side and firmly supported her candidacy.
"There is no way that Emilia-sama will lose," Otto said with full confidence, crossing his arms as though the matter had already been decided.
Garfiel immediately punched the air in agreement and barked, "Hell yeah! No way the princess is losing!" Their energy was loud, optimistic, and infectious.
Subaru could not stop himself from smiling as he looked at his friends, alive, healthy, and filled with the same spirit he thought he might never see again after all the hardships they had gone through.
Then Priscilla leaned forward, her usual proud smirk on her face, and asked, "So, Subaru-kun, who do you think will win between us?"
Her words were delivered with her trademark confidence, and behind her Schult and Aldebaran watched with interest, clearly curious about what Subaru would say.
Emilia also looked at him, waiting quietly.
Subaru felt suddenly stuck, caught in a situation he would have answered instantly in the past.
Before everything that had happened, he would have declared Emilia without hesitation.
But now things were different: he had grown past blind devotion, and Priscilla had become someone he respected and even considered a friend.
Choosing his words required more thought than before.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the other three camps stood farther away, watching the lively mood of the two dominant camps with notes of regret, frustration, and even guilt.
They had already accepted the truth: they were here only to complete formal duty.
The Royal Selection had moved beyond their reach, and the future waiting for their camps did not look promising at all.
Crusch Karsten's household influence had been severely reduced after recent events, and Anastasia's Hoshin Company was facing serious decline and stagnation that damaged her political power.
Felt, out of the three, still retained better footing than them, but even she had become a target of mockery and derision among certain circles in society.
Reinhardt could not escape the weight of responsibility.
He felt genuinely guilty, because he knew that he himself had been the direct cause of Felt's disqualification and the ruin of her position.
The knowledge that his actions had damaged the girl who was supposed to stand under his protection left him with a heavy burden that no one else could fix for him.
Suddenly, Miklotov stepped forward and raised his voice so that every single person in the grand hall could hear him clearly.
"Hereby I declare that the one who has won this Royal Selection is—" he began, and his words brought the entire capital to a standstill. Every noble, knight, servant, and candidate instantly fell silent.
The tension was so heavy that even the air felt difficult to breathe.
Hearts were pounding—some in nervousness, some in excitement, some in fear of what the future might bring.
Emilia clenched her fists tightly, her palms already beginning to sweat as she waited for the revelation that would decide her path and everything she had fought for.
Priscilla, on the other hand, wore a smug, elegant smirk, looking as though she had already accepted her victory and was simply waiting for the confirmation of what she believed was inevitable.
"The person who shall become the 42nd King of this proud Kingdom," Miklotov continued, and at that exact moment the pulse of the entire crowd sped up.
Whispers stopped.
Backs straightened.
Everyone leaned forward, unable to blink.
"Is Natsuki Subaru!"
The declaration rang through the capital and bounced across the walls like thunder.
For a moment there was pure silence as minds struggled to process what they had just heard.
Subaru reacted first, pumping his fist triumphantly and shouting, "Damn yes! I knew you could do it, Natsuki Subaru!" as if cheering for someone else—until the thought finally caught up with him.
"Wait? Natsuki Subaru?" he repeated slowly, blinking several times while trying to understand why the name sounded so familiar.
Then it hit him.
That was his name.
His celebration froze mid-motion, and he gradually turned to look at the Royal Candidates.
They were staring at him with wide eyes filled with shock that mirrored his own confusion.
Emilia's expression was completely stunned, as though her brain had shut down and needed a moment to restart.
Priscilla, meanwhile, was silent for a second, genuinely taken aback for once, before the biggest, proudest grin spread across her face, as though this outcome entertained her more than victory would have.
"Indeed," Miklotov continued while stroking his beard, speaking with full authority, "Natsuki Subaru, you are the one chosen to be the next, yet-to-be-crowned king of the Kingdom."
His voice was solemn and heavy with finality, and Subaru finally understood the situation in full.
The realization hit him like a truck.
His eyes widened, his face turned pale, and then he immediately threw his head back toward the sky and screamed in despair, "DAMN ITTTTTTT!!!!!" The shout echoed across the courtyard, filled with disbelief and the deepest regret imaginable.
Somewhere far away, in another timeline entirely, Zero who had already returned to his world suddenly sneezed.
Rubbing his nose, he chuckled to himself and said with a mischievous grin, "Man, I guess he finally received my gift."
His expression was the very definition of a shit-eating grin, fully satisfied with the chaos he had left behind.
And with that, the Second Chapter finally came to an end.
To be continued...
(A/N: I will be going on hiatus for two weeks or three weeks, I thought about uploading it piece by piece. But I am too tired of uploading on 7 different websites daily taking an hour or two, and likewise trying to ask Powerstones every chapter. I know we won't be in top 3 any ways, people here like more fics such as MHA, JJK, etc than Re: Zero. I have tried a lot of foreshadowing and deep lore myself, but people here expect cheap stuff every chapter. When Re: Zero is based on deep lore, helping others, self-sacrifice, foreshadowing, etc.
Anyway see you a few weeks later, also if you think better not join my patreon rn for this fic alone. I have decreased advance chaps to 29 for this mass update, and will be covering up for patreons next two weeks. Thank you)