(A/N: I ask the reader 'What is your Morning star?', he replied 'CHAPTERS!')
…
(3rd Pov)
The rest of the day passed by with Ram patiently teaching Subaru the basics—the alphabets, simple words, and how to read. His pace of learning was astonishingly fast, almost as if he had some kind of eidetic or photographic memory.
Within just a few hours, Subaru was able to read basic sentences with ease, which both surprised Ram and made her a little suspicious. Still, she dismissed it as nothing more than his natural genius.
When night finally arrived, Ram escorted Subaru back to his room. The moment his body touched the bed, his muscles began to relax.
'Should I sleep now? But what if Rem attacks me while I'm asleep?' he muttered quietly to himself, hesitating. Deciding to be cautious, he resolved to stay awake for at least two hours before attempting to rest.
After half an hour of uneasy silence and tentative calm, he suddenly heard something at the door. He sprang up, and the door swung open to reveal Rem stepping inside, her Morningstar in hand and her face cold and expressionless.
"It would have been better if you were already asleep. It would have been painless that way," she said icily.
Subaru instinctively took a step back, drawing his knives in preparation.
"Can I ask why you've come here with the intent to kill me?" he demanded, grit grinding between his teeth.
"Why?" she spat back venomously. "After everything you've done? You, filthy witch cultist!" With that, she swung her Morningstar. The heavy chains rattled as the massive spiked metal ball came hurtling toward him. Subaru barely managed to dodge the deadly attack.
Without wasting a second, he dashed backward, breaking through the window in shards before leaping to the ground below.
He glanced back to see Rem staring at him coldly, a single white horn suddenly manifesting on her forehead. She was preparing to jump down after him.
"Fuck!" he cursed under his breath and sprinted away into the forest.
Rem pursued him relentlessly, but although her speed was slower than his, she was far more adept at traversing the dense forest. She quickly caught up to him.
She swung her Morningstar again, smashing trees and branches aside with brutal force. Subaru leapt away in panic, dodging wildly.
Finally, he managed to catch his breath and stopped running. Turning to face her, he saw Rem also halt, walking toward him slowly and deliberately.
"I am not a witch cultist!" he shouted angrily. "Haven't I already told you? The reason I smell of the witch's miasma is because I am cursed by her!"
Rem frowned slightly but remained firm. "Yes, but that must be a lie," she replied calmly.
Subaru's eyebrows twitched furiously as veins appeared on his forehead. "A lie?! Didn't a Great Spirit personally verify my words? Didn't your master order you to treat me the same way you would treat him?"
She simply responded, "It doesn't matter. I don't believe you. You reek of miasma. That makes you a filthy witch cultist who deserves to die."
He froze, staring at her in disbelief. The absurdity of the situation hit him like a wave. Then, unable to hold it back, he burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Me—a witch cultist?!" He wiped a tear from his eye, then glared fiercely at her.
"Now you're showing your true colors, filthy witch cultist," she spat, preparing to attack.
Subaru assumed a battle stance, his eyes serious and cold. "Rem—you are beyond redemption."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she swung her Morningstar again. Subaru dodged the attack and charged at her, yelling, "Shamak!"
A thick black fog erupted from around him like a small explosion, engulfing both him and Rem. But Subaru had already anticipated her position and moved instantly, stabbing his knife deep into her flesh.
The sickening sound of cleaving flesh echoed in his ears as he slashed again and again.
Suddenly, a hard blow struck his back, sending him flying like a ragdoll.
He crashed into a tree, snapping the trunk in half. His ribs cracked painfully, and as he tried to catch his breath, he noticed his magic had been dispelled. He turned to see a bloody, enraged Rem standing before him.
"You disgusting witch cultist! Die!" she screamed, swinging her Morningstar once more.
This time, Subaru didn't have enough time to dodge. He raised his knife and struck with all his remaining strength.
His knife shattered on impact, and the force threw him backward. He flipped in the air to regain his balance and took deep, ragged breaths as he stared at Rem, who was going berserk.
"Dieeee!!!" she yelled, swinging the Morningstar wildly.
He tried to dodge again, but a sharp pain in his ribs caused him to freeze. The spiked ball slammed into his body with tremendous force, sending him crashing through bushes.
"Fuck," he spat out blood, grimacing.
Suddenly, she appeared right in front of him. His eyes narrowed as he began to plead, "Sto—Arghhh!"
His legs went limp and useless. "Plea—Arghhh!"
She struck his face repeatedly. His neck twisted painfully, tears streaming from his eyes as he coughed up several teeth. Blow after blow landed with brutal precision.
By the time she stopped, his body was a bloody, mangled mess—his limbs crushed, bones visible through torn flesh, and blood splattered all around.
Natsuki Subaru had died for the fifth time.(*32)
To be continued...