"Did someone hit you in the head today?"
"What do you think I am, some high-born noble? Having a Margrave call me 'Lady.'"
Felt rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with disdain. How had she not noticed earlier that this man loved spouting nonsense?
"How about a bet, then?"
"If I pull it off..."
"If you pull it off, I'll forgive everything you owe me. And whatever you say, I'll do it. No questions asked."
Arms crossed, chin lifted, every inch the picture of contempt.
"Deal."
The grin that spread across Gojo's face had a depth to it she should have found alarming.
"Just don't go back on your word when the time comes."
"Ask anyone in the Slums. Felt keeps her promises."
"Then it's settled."
He watched her brimming confidence and bit back a laugh. She had no idea that she, like Emilia, was a Royal Candidate. The look on her face when she found out was going to be magnificent.
Stepping out of Felt's room, he spotted Beatrice standing in the corridor. Waiting for him, by the look of it.
"Someone's been expecting me."
She said nothing. Without so much as a glance in his direction, she marched to his door, pushed it open, and walked inside.
He followed. She crossed the room and settled into the chair at his desk with the air of someone who owned the place.
Gojo shut the door behind him. Whatever this was, she clearly had something to say.
"What you told me in the Forbidden Library. Was it true?"
He tilted his head, thinking. "Which part?"
"I haven't lied to you."
She pointed at his chest. The meaning was clear.
"Of course."
"You felt it yourself, didn't you?"
"Rapid regeneration like that could have other explanations."
Her gaze was steady, clinical. "But the scent of the Witch? Surely no one alive can produce it at that intensity."
"Not even those lunatics in the Witch Cult could thicken their own Witch-scent at will."
Silence stretched between them. When she spoke again, her voice had softened.
"Do you know exactly what triggers it?"
"If you'd rather not say, you don't have to."
"It's... complicated to explain."
The matter involved Subaru. Going into detail risked drawing the Witch of Envy's attention again, and that was a door he preferred to keep shut.
"But in a couple of days, there's something I'll need your help with."
"Tell me what it is. I'm not promising anything."
"Breaking a Curse."
"Is that why you were asking about Curses today?"
"That's right."
He nodded.
"If it's targeting you, shouldn't knowing about it be enough to avoid it?"
"I'm not the one it's aimed at. And I'd rather not disrupt how things play out. Following the same chain of events is the best way to flush out whoever's behind it."
He sat on the edge of the bed, arms braced behind him, gazing up at the ceiling with the ease of someone discussing dinner plans.
"Crude strategy. Suits you perfectly."
"Personal attacks aren't a cute look, you know."
"Neither is begging for favors with that attitude."
"Fine. Please, oh great Lady Betty. I humbly request your assistance." He pressed his palms together in mock supplication. "Better?"
She rose from the chair and walked to the bedside, staring down at him.
"You..."
Before he could finish, she pressed her hand flat against his chest.
What little Mana he'd managed to accumulate drained out of him in a rush. Forcibly extracted. The sensation was about as pleasant as having blood drawn by someone who'd never held a needle.
Fortunately, years of battling Cursed Energy in his previous life had given him a high tolerance for pain. This barely registered.
"Hey, hey, hey. You're my contracted Spirit. You could just borrow my Mana directly, you know. Like your brother Puck does with Emilia. I don't see him putting her through this."
He flopped backward onto the mattress in protest, arms splayed.
"Hmph. That's what you get for not watching your mouth."
She tilted her chin up, the very picture of petulant royalty.
"Seriously. Keep this up and I'm telling Puck. You're living outside the Library now. You get to see him every day. I'm sure you wouldn't want your dear brother finding out how bratty you've been."
"That's low!"
"Call me whatever you want."
She'd had enough of him. Spinning on her heel, she headed for the door.
At the threshold, her feet paused.
"Work on building your Mana reserves. Don't hold me back."
The door opened and closed, and she was gone.
Gojo watched her leave and let out a quiet laugh.
He'd learned a fair amount about Spirits during previous loops, mostly through observing Puck. To a Spirit Arts User, their Spirit was something closer than a partner. Closer than a friend. Family.
Emilia and Puck were the living proof of that.
A Spirit and their contractor shared an unbreakable bond. No betrayal, no deception. The kind of relationship where you could turn your back to someone without a second thought.
And now, through a chain of accidents, he'd gained one of his own. It struck him that Subaru was right. This was playing out like one of those light novels the kid loved: stumbling through adventures, gathering companions one by one, building a party piece by piece.
First Subaru. Then Felt. Now Betty.
As for her parting words, he understood those too.
Roswaal had explained it in the study. Beatrice's Mana had always been supplied entirely by the Forbidden Library. With the Library gone, every drop she spent was a drop she couldn't recover. When the well ran dry, so did her life.
The Contract changed that. As his Spirit, she could now draw on his Mana instead. But for her to wield her full power as a Great Spirit, his current reserves fell well short. He'd only started absorbing ambient Mana on the road to the mansion, more out of boredom than foresight.
Nothing in the previous two loops had gone this way. He hadn't planned for any of it.
New developments.
Here's hoping this time, things go smoothly.
The first day's chaos had turned the estate upside down. For the days that followed, Ram and Rem's top priority was repairing the damage.
Restoring a nobleman's mansion wasn't a matter of slapping some plaster on and calling it done. Rem took a Dragon Carriage out at dawn to fetch proper craftsmen. Between the study and the side wing, the repairs would take considerable time.
None of that was Gojo's problem, though. Not because he didn't offer to help, but because Beatrice wouldn't give him the chance.
She was relentless. Like the strictest tutor imaginable, she hovered over him every waking hour, drilling him on meditation and Mana accumulation. No breaks, no excuses.
The first few days were uneventful enough that he could afford the time. He'd given Subaru one instruction: stick to the same routine as before. Go on the date.
Meanwhile, his little Spirit companion proved him right about one thing. She and Felt got along beautifully. Whether it was because they looked close in age, or because they'd bonded over a shared low opinion of him, he couldn't say. Either way, during his meditation sessions, the sound of two small voices laughing and playing with Puck drifted in from somewhere nearby.
As for Roswaal, everything proceeded the same as the previous two loops. Nothing unusual. The incident with Beatrice might never have happened.
The days blurred together, and then it was the day of Subaru's date.
If everything went according to plan, today was when the truth came out.
Around noon, Subaru returned from the village with Emilia, still riding high on the outing. Third time through the same date, and the enthusiasm hadn't dimmed one bit.
After lunch, Gojo caught Subaru mid-conversation with Emilia and looped an arm around his shoulders.
"Emilia, mind if I borrow him for a bit?"
"Not at all, go ahead."
She shook her head with a warm smile.
"What's up, Gojo?"
Subaru fell into step beside him, confused. "It's still the middle of the day. Isn't it early?"
"Doesn't matter. All we need to confirm is whether the one who cast the Curse is in the village."
Gojo led him to his room. Beatrice was already there, sitting on the bed, waiting.
"Betty, check him for a Curse."
"He's the one you were talking about?"
She hopped down from the bed and crossed the room to Subaru, her small legs carrying her with brisk purpose.
"Mm."
She placed her hand against him and concentrated.
"Another Yin Attribute user. That's unusual."
A glance at Gojo, then back to her work.
"There's definitely a Curse on him."
A few moments passed.
"Done."
Black smoke curled upward from the spot where Beatrice's hand had rested, rising from Subaru's bandaged palm like something foul being exorcised.
Subaru stared at the wound on his hand. His expression locked up.
"How..."
This was the third time through. In the previous two loops, he'd turned every possibility over in his mind, searching for answers. Never once had he suspected that the thing killing him was the harmless little puppy in the village.
The realization hit, and his head snapped toward Gojo.
"Gojo."
"This is bad. That dog... the kids in the village love it. If they've been bitten too..."
Gojo set a hand on his shoulder. Steady. Grounding.
"Relax."
"Betty's here. It'll be fine."
"And whoever's behind this isn't getting away."
A dog that could inflict Curses. That piqued his interest. He'd read about Mabeasts in the books here but had never encountered one in person.
He checked the sky. Plenty of daylight left.
"While we've still got time, let's head to the village."
"Let's go."
"Why does Betty have to come?"
Ignoring her protests entirely, he scooped her up under one arm and set off with Subaru in tow.
The trip from the mansion to the village took exactly one heartbeat.
The moment they arrived, Beatrice spoke up.
"You're more capable than you look. Barely any Mana to speak of, and you can teleport?"
At advanced levels, Yin Attribute magic could touch on time and space. But what Gojo did bore no resemblance to that kind of magic. The two weren't even in the same category. This world had transfer spells. It did not have instantaneous teleportation.
"If I didn't have a few tricks up my sleeve, I'd be embarrassed to call myself your contractor."
That earned him a small lift of her chin. The compliment had landed.
They entered the village.
"Subaru, you lead. Take us to the dog."
Gojo strolled down the dirt path like a tourist on holiday, hands in his pockets, steps light.
Subaru nodded. He knew this place inside and out by now, after so many visits.
They covered every corner of the village.
No children. No dog.
"Excuse me, ma'am, have you seen Petra and the others?"
With no other choice, Subaru started asking the villagers. A full round of questions finally produced a lead: the children had been seen heading toward the fence at the village perimeter.
They followed the trail to the edge of the village, where a wooden fence marked the boundary between safety and wilderness.
Beyond it stretched the Lost Forest of Kremaldy, its canopy closing over the land around Roswaal's estate like a dark curtain.
"Looks like they went into the forest."
Gojo stood at the fence, reading the small footprints in the dirt.
"If they really went in there, we'd better hope they haven't gotten far." Beatrice gazed into the treeline, her voice flat and clinical.
"Why?"
"This is the Lost Forest of Kremaldy. Ordinary people who wander in don't just get lost. The real danger is the Mabeasts. The forest is crawling with them."
She pointed to something mounted on one of the trees near the fence, a device that resembled a lantern.
"That's a barrier ward. As long as it's active, the Mabeasts in the forest can't threaten the villagers. But if someone crosses the boundary on their own, that protection doesn't follow them."
Her finger shifted to a nearby tree. The ward mounted on it was dark. Dead.
"And that one's failed. Which is exactly how a cursed Mabeast was able to reach the village in the first place."
"Then what are we waiting for? We need to go get Petra and the others back!"
Subaru's voice pitched with urgency. Mabeast-infested forest. Children wandering inside, unprotected. The math was simple and terrifying.
He was, at the core of things, a decent person. A bit of a shut-in, sure, but decent. It didn't matter that these kids only knew him through loops they couldn't remember. He'd spent time with them across multiple timelines. They were real to him.
...
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