That day, Ram had been furious with Leandro. It happened when Rem told her that she had gone to his room in the morning (according to her, to wake him up, but Ram knew it was to watch him sleep) and didn't find him there, but rather in Miss Emilia's bed, with Emilia herself cuddling with him. At least the half-elf was very innocent, and it was safe to say that Leandro hadn't made a move on her.
However, this did nothing to lessen Ram's outrage. Just hours earlier, Leandro had said horrible things to Rem, then gone to "apologize" to her, only to make matters worse by attempting suicide in front of her, causing her to cry again and further damaging her already fragile mental state. As if that weren't enough, he then went to sleep with another woman…
He definitely deserved to die, that psychopathic bastard.
Well, killing him would be counterproductive, since Ram's beloved sister was too attached to him. Even so, Ram decided that she would punish him severely, sometime in the future.
But that moment would never come, because shortly after the pink-haired girl made that decision, her sister came to her with the happiest expression she'd had in years. For a second, Ram thought her eyes were deceiving her, because her sister had been gloomy ever since the Oni village was destroyed, ever since she lost her horn.
Then Rem told her what had happened, although she omitted certain details.
As Leandro and Otto were preparing to leave, while the others waited for Lady Emilia at the witch's tomb…
Suddenly, Leandro had clenched his fists. Great frustration was evident in his eyes.
Rem noticed the intense scent emanating from his body, as if the witch's presence were stronger. It was probably related to that gifted ability, which the blue-haired woman had slowly begun to deduce, piecing together the clues Leandro was dropping.
Apparently, it was a power that allowed him to know what would happen, but its activation method was uncertain… Or so it was until Rem saw him attempting suicide, muttering things about 'fixing everything'. That was enough for Rem to reach a terrible conclusion: Leandro had to die to use his power.
If that was true, then he must have been going through hell, though he never mentioned it. Well, that had its explanation, since Leandro said that Satella got angry with him when he tried to be specific about how his ability worked, which implied that the witch was somehow silencing him.
When she realized all of this, Rem forgot her own sadness, realizing how small and insignificant her pain was. She suffered so much for something that only existed in her head, while he carried the weight of a dehumanizing curse and still tried to help others.
From then on, Rem hadn't stopped worrying about Leandro, following his every move all day while she thought of a way to support him. The opportunity presented itself when he wandered into Miss Ryuzu Birma's house and collapsed onto the dining room table, finally letting his stoic facade fall away.
Rem mustered up her courage, went in to talk to him and… well, we know the rest.
So Ram found herself confused by the repeated changes in her heart. At the beginning of the day, she had hated the dark-haired man, but now she felt immense gratitude toward him.
"This guy is going to drive me crazy one of these days... But I think he'll make you happy," Ram softened his tone. "If he doesn't, I'll kill him."
Rem let out a cheerful giggle, her face shining like the sun.
The fact that Leandro was in her life was a miracle in itself. He confirmed this himself when he told Rem that unsettling truth about the world as a work of fiction, an idea that Rem simply couldn't fully grasp.
Regardless of Leandro's reasons for following the original protagonist's path, even knowing the pain that awaited him, Rem could only admire the fact that he fought and suffered incomprehensibly to change the destiny that had been written for her.
"In that case, he would try again."
"What?"
Ram raised an eyebrow, confused, but her sister did not explain the hidden meaning of her words.
After a long time, the pink-haired girl believed things were finally starting to look up. Unfortunately, that impression didn't last long.
"No… no, please, no."
The snow was bathed in blood, Rem's blood. She remained still for a moment and then fell backward, landing on the cold whiteness.
Ram couldn't accept it. It was as if she were living a nightmare. Her sister would die without ever having been able to enjoy a single day of the happiness that had been so long denied her, and the man responsible for this misfortune was none other than Roswaal. Why was fate so cruel?
"Sissy…"
In her arms, the dying blue-haired girl struggled to speak even though her chest was shattered and blood was pouring from her mouth.
Rem knew that Leandro could go back, however his ability had to have limits, since there were things that he could not change even though he clearly wanted to: the deaths of the knights murdered by that criminal merchant who stole the revolver, for example.
If Leandro were unable to reverse Rem's death…
She considered that possibility and decided to say a few last words, just in case.
"Don't let Leandro blame himself for this."
"Rem, don't go, don't go, DON'T GO!"
But the light in Rem's eyes was already fading.
"Be happy… for me."
At that moment, along with Rem, a part of Ram also died.
***
Clind got up slowly. His strength was waning.
In the end, he had to resort to witchcraft. In his defense, he hadn't expected that boy to be so ridiculously powerful. Even if he possessed his own authority and an incredible ability to predict the future, that alone shouldn't grant him such combat prowess.
Judging solely on his experience fighting him, Clind would have sworn that Leandro was a warrior with thousands of battles under his belt. In fact, the dragonkin was unable to land a single blow during the fight, which only reinforced this belief.
There was definitely more to it. The secret had to lie in the fragmented soul, an unprecedented phenomenon. That boy was an extremely abnormal existence, as if he had been forced into his fate. Perhaps he was the product of some witch's experiment.
The biggest question was: was it a failed or successful experiment?
"Since he's dead, it can be concluded that he's a failure. Period."
Now, although the dragonkin was exhausted, in his current state he was still superior to any other being present in the mansion. The only real threat was gone, so Clind could move on and…
"Where are you going?"
Clind, who had started walking back to the mansion, had to stop. There was no way, it couldn't be. He turned slowly toward the source of the voice.
"Impossible," murmured the dragonkin, incredulous. The young man who had vanished before his eyes, his very essence eradicated from the world, was there as if he had never left.
"Impossible? I think you should update your concept of what that word means," Leandro scoffed, and a dark aura surrounded him as he decided to use his unleashed authority.
Still fascinated by the inexplicable feat, Clind was unable to defend himself against the invisible attack that brutally struck his head, causing a stream of blood to gush from his open flesh.
The dragonkin staggered and reacted immediately, attacking with his own authority. Once again, space collapsed and seemed to erase Leandro from existence, but only for a few seconds.
"Is that all you can do? It seems you only know how to intimidate the weak."
Before Clind could grasp what was happening, he received another devastating attack that sent him crashing to his knees, completely bewildered. Leandro snorted at the sight of him in such a humble position.
"Oh my, did you drop a coin or something?"
"..."
"Yeah, I didn't expect you to get the reference."
Ruthlessly, Leandro continued to beat Clind, breaking his bones with the force of his attacks. However, his excessive use of power began to take its toll, becoming evident when blood gushed from his nose and eyes.
"Shit, this again. Why do I feel so weak?"
It wasn't just the blood: he was dizzy and sore. Then Leandro realized he could no longer feel the Cursed Doll and Shooting Star curses in his body. They must have magically dissipated with the recent deaths. Goodbye regeneration and goodbye perfect physique.
Fortunately, Clind was too busy suffering from his injuries and didn't suspect that his enemy was also faltering.
Aware of the risk involved in prolonging things unnecessarily under those conditions, Leandro decided to end the dragonkin's life with his next attack.
Before that, Clind raised his voice, sounding defeated.
—I thought I could… protect Master Roswaal's legacy. Disappointment.
Leandro felt disgust and pity. Clind reminded him of Ram when she was still obsessed with the wizard.
— Your 'Master' was trash. He sacrificed people like chess pieces and usurped the bodies of their relatives, all for someone who's already dead. You should be ashamed of dying for someone like that… Anyway, goodbye.
There was nothing more to say. Leandro channeled his energy and focused to deliver a killing blow. The dragonkin closed his eyes and awaited the imminent outcome.
"Don't do it!"
The voice, sweet as honey and clear as bronze, froze Leandro like ice stakes piercing his body.
Emilia, followed by Annerose, had arrived to stop her future knight. Standing before him with her arms outstretched at her sides, the half-elf fixed his gaze with her beautiful amethyst eyes, eyes in which Leandro could easily lose himself.
Upon seeing her, the dark-haired man's first instinct was to embrace her and shield her with his body. Even in his death throes, Clind was far too dangerous.
"Why are you here?! Go back to the mansion right now!"
Leandro tried to push her back, but she clung to him stubbornly.
"This doesn't have to end like this! Killing each other won't solve anything!"
"Don't you understand?!" Leandro shouted hysterically. "I'm trying to protect us all!"
"I know!" Emilia replied sadly, lowering her voice. "I know, but this isn't the way. Besides, I hate seeing you like this..."
The half-elf observed Leandro's face: besides the bleeding from his eyes and nose, his features were contorted with stress and the intense emotions he was feeling. Emilia couldn't bear the sight; she wanted to heal his wounds and comfort him somehow.
"I hate seeing you suffer in silence while doing things no one should have to do, just to take care of us," she whispered, distressed. "So please, don't hurt yourself anymore for us."
She rested her head on his chest, feeling his frantic heartbeat, listening to his ragged breathing. He fought the urge to hug her and burst into tears. He couldn't do something so pathetic.
"Hahaha… You don't understand."
He wasn't a victim. In fact, it was his mistake that caused Rem's death and left Ram devastated. Now, his negligence also endangered the entire faction, especially Otto and Ram. He wasn't a martyr: he was an incompetent sucker who couldn't do his one job properly.
"If I can't do this, then I'm good for nothing…"
Leandro was still struggling, but without his improved physique and without using his authority, he couldn't break free from Emilia's grip. His head throbbed, a warning that he was at his limit.
"Stop being so hard on yourself. You did everything you could, that's more than enough."
"Just let me go, damn it… I won't fail again… like at the Sanctuary…"
Gradually, the adrenaline faded and exhaustion began to take its toll. His body wanted to give up, but his mind pushed him on, far beyond what he could endure.
Then she said something that broke the spell.
"It wasn't your fault."
"..."
These weren't random words. They were the right words, the ones he wanted to hear, even though he swore otherwise.
His heart loosened, as if the knot that had been constricting it had come undone. The repressed emotions, accumulated like stagnant water, began to flow freely, overflowing Leandro.
"Rem... Forgive me, Rem!" Everything Leandro hadn't said, everything he hadn't cried out, was pouring out of him. "I couldn't do anything! I couldn't..."
Emilia smiled slightly, not with joy but with relief. After all, she had gotten what she wanted: to help him unburden himself. She made sure not to let go of him for a moment, so that Leandro would feel her presence and her warmth, to repay him for the invaluable favor he had done her when she doubted herself…
…And also because she was really enjoying the hug. That gave her an idea.
Emilia remembered perfectly that Leandro owed her a favor. Some time ago, at the Sanctuary, he had said something like:
"When you pass the trials, I promise to reward you by doing whatever you tell me for a whole day. No exceptions!"
She already had some things in mind for that special day, but she had to choose the date carefully.
***
Otto woke up and for a moment thought he had died, but the lingering pain in his body convinced him that he was still trapped in the world of the living. That world that seemed to have it in for him.
However, he had survived, and what's more... he wasn't alone.
"Frederica?"
The maid dozed in a chair next to the bed where the merchant rested. Frederica's disheveled appearance suggested stress and lack of sleep.
"Huh? Master Otto?" She opened her eyes, waking up.
"I don't believe it," he said with a stupid smile. "Did you stay by my side this whole time?"
Frederica quickly regained her composure upon seeing him recovered, but her mouth was locked in an indecisive gesture: her eyebrows curved upwards and her eyes moistened.
"What a relief…"
Arms too strong for a lady enveloped Otto and pulled him towards Frederica, pushing his face against two soft, heavenly pillows.
"What a relief, really!" she said, her voice trembling. "I was so afraid for you! What you did was brave, but very reckless! I couldn't bear to lose someone so close again."
"Fre… Frederica… I can't breathe."
He said this reluctantly, inwardly cursing his limited lung capacity. He wished he could have stayed like that a little longer, but there was no other option.
"Mmm, I'm sorry," she said, but she didn't seem happy about it. "Master Otto, don't you think you should say something to me?"
"Oh, well… I'm sorry if I made you worry."
Frederica shook her head slowly, making the merchant nervous.
"I'm sorry and… Oh! Thank you for staying with me and taking care of me!"
"Fufufu! That's better!"
She smiled and nodded. She looked so beautiful that Otto was left breathless, again.
If only he weren't such a coward and could muster up the courage to tell her how he felt…
"Why on earth do I still think like this? I almost died today, for heaven's sake! I already risked my life, this is nothing! Be a man, Otto Suwen!"
Yes, he was ready. Those moments of regret and fear of rejection would be behind him, because from now on he would be a completely different person.
Otto was about to leave his old self behind to embrace a new, more confident and charismatic personality.
That's how he leaned towards her and spoke to her in a resolute tone:
"Frederica, I…"
"Excuse me!" The door burst open and Leandro entered, grinning from ear to ear. "You should take a break while I look after Idiotto, Fre..."
The dark-haired man's voice faded as he watched an awake Otto, holding Frederica's hand as he looked into her eyes, their faces too close for casual conversation.
Then he realized.
"Please, pretend this didn't happen and go about your business."
Otto watched as his friend closed the door with a poker face and left the room enveloped in an almost too loud silence.
He would normally think the world hated him and he was up to no good, but…
He had done something similar before, barging in at the worst possible moment when Leandro and Rem were having a rather intimate moment.
"This is karma, right?"